Gay Lynn Byrd couldnât quite recall the last time sheâd laid eyes on the Tetons, but her best guess was that it had been nearly 30 years.
Hailing from Douglas, the Wyoming Game and Fish commissioner was certain of something else: Sheâd never seen a wild wolf.
That changed last week.
âWe ranch, so we see livestock and wildlife all the time, but just to see it with the Tetons is great,â Byrd said. âThis was the first time Iâd seen a wolf in the wild.
âNow we just have the keep them up here,â the 60-year-old added, âbecause we donât want them.â
The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission met this week in Jackson, with two new commissioners assuming their posts. Ashlee Lundvall of Powell and Mark Jolovich of Torrington joined the rule-making body representing Districts 5 and 1, respectively. Pete Dube of Buffalo was elected for the second year in a row as president, and Gay Lynn Byrd of Douglas was voted-in vice president. Commissioners serve one six-year term and elect new officers annually.
According to a Game and Fish news release, a big task for each April Commission meeting is to approve the annual hunting season regulations and quotas. After hearing season presentations and reviewing public comments, the Commission passed the 2021 hunting season regulations and quotas, as proposed. The finalized regulations and quotas will be available on the Wyoming Game and Fish Department website and Hunt Planner by the beginning of May.