What are your hours?
Monday – Saturday from 8am-6pm from January 1st to Memorial Day (last day in May)
Monday – Saturday from 8am-6pm from Memorial Day through Christmas Day, Sundays 10am-4pm.

Who is considered a Wyoming Resident for Hunting and Fishing and how do I establish residency ?
Wyoming law requires a person to continuously reside in Wyoming for the period of 365 consecutive days (1 year) to establish residency. Owning land/paying taxes, etc. in Wyoming without 1st establishing residency by living here 1 year, does not qualify you for residency. Please refer to the Wyoming Game and Fish Website for more details.

What are the options for Wyoming Fishing Licenses?
Annual Fishing Licenses are available, they are valid for the calendar year only:

• Resident $27 ($48.50 w/ stamp)
• Resident Youth (14-17 yr) $3 ($24.50 w/ stamp)
• Non-Resident $102 ( $121.50 w/ stamp)
• Non-Resident Youth (14-17 yr) $15 ($36.50 w/ stamp)
• All annual fishing licenses also require you to purchase a Wyoming Conservation Stamp ($21.50)

Short Term Daily Fishing Licenses are also available, they are only valid for the calendar day that they are written for, not for a 24 hour period:

• Resident $6/day
• Non-Resident $14/day
  These Daily licenses do not require a conservation stamp. You can purchase as many days as you want, but there is no price break for multiple days. These fishing “days” do not have to be consecutive and can be purchased ahead for anytime during the calendar year. There are no “Youth” daily fishing licenses offered by the Wyoming Game and Fish.

More simply:
Non-Residents Adults: If you are going to fish 5 days or more your best option is the Non-Resident annual Fishing License. If you are going to fish 5 days or less, there is now a 5-day fishing license for $56.

Non-Resident Youth: If you are going to fish for more than 2 days in Wyoming the cheapest option is to purchase the Non-Resident Youth Annual Fishing license. If fishing two days or less, it is more cost effective to purchase daily licenses.

Please note that you are required to provide last 4 digits of your Social Security Number to purchase a Wyoming Game and Fish license. We have seen many customers that were unable to purchase a Wyoming Game and Fish license because they did not have this information (especially with youth). We encourage everyone to have this information ready when you purchase a license.

Who has to have a Wyoming Fishing License?
Wyoming Fishing Licenses are required for anyone fishing Wyoming waters. Exceptions being privately stocked ponds on private land, not including streams on private land. The other major exception being Yellowstone National Park which requires a special National Park fishing license which can be purchased at the park entrance gate or stores within the park.

Anyone over the age of 14 is required to obtain a Wyoming fishing license. Wyoming residents under the age of 14 can fish without a license or adult supervision, but must abide by current fishing regulations. Non-residents under the age of 14 are not required to have a license, but must fish with a licensed fisherman. Please note that one license means one legal limit of fish. These kids are not allowed limits in addition to the licensed fishermen that they are fishing with.

Are there special “Senior Citizen” Fishing or Hunting Licenses?
There are no special, “senior citizen” fishing license options for Non-residents in Wyoming. Residents of Wyoming that are over the age of 65 and have resided in Wyoming for the last 30 years will qualify for a Free Pioneer Fishing, Bird, and Conservation Stamp license, which can be purchased from any Wyoming Game and Fish regional office or the Cheyenne headquarters.

Can I buy a firearm from the Sports Lure if I am not a Wyoming Resident?
We can legally sell you a long gun if you are US citizen (with the exception of residents of California). You still must fill out the Federal 4473 form and pass an instant NICS Background check as required by federal law.

Federal law prohibits us from selling you a handgun if you are not a legal resident of Wyoming. What can be done legally, is that we can sell you a handgun, but we must ship it to a licensed FFL dealer your home state (where you are a legal resident) . At that point you will have to fulfill the gun purchasing requirements in your home state. This process can also work for California Residents purchasing any type of firearm.

Do we need to worry about Bears or Mountain Lions in the Bighorn Mountains?
There are both Black Bears and Mountain Lions that live in the Bighorn Mountains. However, they are very wary and shy and are rarely seen. These Trophy Game species are hunted extensively in the Bighorns and avoid human contact at all costs.

• There are no Grizzly Bears in the Bighorn Mountains.
• You don’t need “Bear Spray or Pepper Spray” to defend yourself from wildlife in the Bighorn Mountains.
• You are not required to hang food and/or “bear proof” your camp, as there has rarely been any major issues with an occupied camp in the Bighorns. However, we encourage you to keep a “clean camp” and make sure that you pack out all your trash.

Please respect all wildlife, and don’t approach any closely, enjoy them from afar. Especially Moose, they can be quite aggressive if you get too close to them, avoid cows with calves, and bulls.

What is the best time to come to the Bighorn Mountains Area to fish?
Lower Elevation Lakes and Reservoirs:

• Excellent: from ice out (April) through May, picking up again in September and October.
• Fair: Mid-Summer – June – August . High temperature and longer days drive the fish deep and fishing is just fair, early morning hours are best.

Low elevation streams:

• Excellent: Mid-June/early July after the runoff period is over, through the month of July, and again in September and October.
• Fair: from ice out (April ) until runoff begins (mid-May), however fishing is generally slow during this period. Late July and August can also be tough as streams are generally warm with low flows.

Mountain Streams :

• Excellent : from mid-June to early- July (dependent on runoff) and stays good through September.
• Fair: October is hit or miss dependent on weather.

Mountain Lakes:

• Fishing is usually excellent from ice out (mid-June to mid-July) depending on elevation, through mid-September.
• October is hit or miss, dependent on weather.

Are there special regulations for the Cloud Peak Wilderness?
A free wilderness permit is required to enter and utilize the Cloud Peak Wilderness. These can be obtained at the local Forest Service Office.
Please note that there are no open fires allowed above 9200’ in the Cloud Peak Wilderness. This will include over 90% of the Wilderness area. So don’t plan on campfires for cooking while camping in the Cloud Peak Wilderness.

Please note that all Wilderness users are required to pack out all their waste the Middle and West Tensleep watershed. Make sure that you are prepared for this requirement, you can purchase these supplies from the Sports Lure.

When is the best time to climb Cloud Peak and Bomber Mountain and Cloud Peak Wilderness access areas with elevations above 10,000’?
Usually climbing these peaks is very difficult to nearly impossible before July 1st and after October 15th, due to snow. If these are on your agenda, you may plan your trip accordingly.

When are hunting seasons?
There is some type of hunting occurring from September through December in the Bighorn Mountain area. Archery seasons start early, usually in September. Archery hunters are very safe, and they only shoot arrows at close ranges, where mistakes are rare. The non-hunting hiker has little to be concerned with during Archery season.

Rifle seasons are generally open starting October 1st through December. If you are hiking on public lands during these periods, it is advised that you wear “hunters orange” garments for safety. In general there are few hunting accidents in this part of Wyoming, but it is prudent to wear the bright colors anyway.

How is the hunting in the Bighorn Mountain area?
Big Game hunting is excellent in the Bighorn Mountain region. There are abundant herds of Elk, Deer and Pronghorn (Antelope) here.
Most of the Elk Hunting takes place in the Bighorn Mountains, and there is good public access on the National Forest Lands. The most highly prized Elk Licenses in the Bighorn Mountains are available by Limited Quota draw, and odds of drawing are relatively difficult, non-residents will benefit by accumulating preference points to improve their drawing odds.

Deer and Antelope are abundant in the area. Non-resident tags are fairly easy to draw without preference points or paying the extra fee for the special/enhanced odds draw. Please note however that access to public hunting is challenging in areas off of the Bighorn National Forest. Easily accessible public land is heavily pressured and has only fair hunting. Most private lands have excellent hunting, but are likely leased by outfitters or require steep fees for access.

We highly recommend securing hunting access before applying for these tags in our area. It can be extremely disappointing for the hunter spend a substantial sum for licenses, gear and travel and having a difficult time finding a place to hunt.

Is there Skiing in the Bighorn Mountains?
There are several great, designated Nordic ski areas in the Bighorn National Forest. Skiing is generally good from mid-December all the way into April.

Meadowlark Ski Lodge is located 43 miles west of Buffalo on Highway 16. It is a small Alpine ski area with two chairlifts, about 800’ vertical and dozens of trails. This area has a beautiful day lodge, and generally fantastic snow conditions. It is an especially great ski area for families.

Are Guided Fishing trips, and Hunting trips available in the Bighorn Mountain Area?
We do not provide any guiding services. However, there are many great Outfitters and Guide Services in the area.

• Fishing Guide Service:
  Rock Creek Anglers (307-684-7304)
• Hunting Outfitters:
  Triple Three Outfitters
  Bighorn Mountain Outfitters
  Beartrack Outfitters
  Grizzly Outfitters

All of these organizations are top quality and we would recommend any of them.