Yep, i got it too. Said they sent it to me based on having applied for a tag there within the last 5 years.
Intro to the survey has the following background explanation:
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is conducting this survey to understand sportsperson opinion on elk management and hunting in the Laramie Peak area (Elk Hunt Area 7). You are receiving this email because you applied for a license in Elk Hunt Area 7 within the last 5 years.
Timeline
The survey results will be evaluated this spring during the 2023 season-setting process. A decision of whether or not to pursue a change in management will be made at that time. If a change is warranted, then the earliest it would be implemented would be for the 2024 season.
Key Information
The Laramie Peak/Muddy Mountain Herd Unit encompasses Elk Hunt Areas 7 & 19. This herd has a population objective of 5,000 elk postseason. The current population estimate is 12,500 elk. Elk management is very challenging in this herd due to the mixture of private and public lands. As this population has increased, hunter satisfaction has declined, bull quality has diminished, public land hunting quality has deteriorated (during rifle season), and land management issues have increased. These challenges arise from a high percentage of elk occupying private lands, a problem which seems to have grown worse over the past decade.
Current Hunting Structure
The current season structure and license quotas are not working to bring the population towards objective. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (Department) currently issues 5,350 licenses per year in Hunt Area 7, which results in 4,800-5,000 hunters in the field each year. This number of hunters far exceeds that of any other limited quota hunt area in the state and is comparable to major general-license herds in southeast Wyoming such as the Sierra Madre herd (about 5,300 elk hunters in 2021) and Snowy Range herd (about 5,500 elk hunters in 2021).
Potential Addition of General License Opportunity
The primary goal of adding a general license to the season structure in Elk Hunt Area 7 would be to increase harvest, especially on private lands, by providing more flexibility and opportunity to hunters and landowners. The Department acknowledges there are pros and cons to adopting a general season framework, and wants to preserve public land hunting quality to the extent possible. Adding a general license could be accomplished in multiple ways ranging from a complete shift to general licenses or a combination of general and limited quota licenses (e.g., limited quota only for archery, general and limited quota for rifle, general only for rifle, etc.).
Goals of a general season structure:
- Increase elk harvest
- Increase opportunity and flexibility - get licenses in the hands of people with access
- Increased opportunity may lead to more elk movement between public and private lands
I'm not that well versed in the area. From what I have read, it seems the issues parallel those experienced in parts of eastern/central MT? Limited big bull, high $ private land hunts at odds with the limited access and elk available on public.
