From the Wyoming Game and Fish Department - Drawing Completed for Moose, Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goat Licenses

Cheyenne, Wyoming - Wyoming’s version of the lottery was held last week with 733 resident and nonresident hunters hitting the jackpot in the annual drawings for moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goat licenses.

Game and Fish records show that 485 moose licenses were issued, 399 of which went to residents for overall drawing odds of 4.3 percent. Nonresidents received 86 licenses for a total drawing percentage of 5.9 percent.

For bighorn sheep, 212 total licenses were issued with 159 going to residents, resulting in drawing odds of 3.4 percent. Nonresident sheep hunters bucked even more difficult odds with 2,038 hunters putting in for 53 licenses ... more on Wyoming's 2013 hunting lottery ...

From the Wyoming Game and Fish Department - Wyoming has Record Elk Harvest in 2012

CHEYENNE - Favorable hunting conditions, long seasons, and a growing elk population allowed Wyoming hunters last year to post the highest elk harvest ever recorded in the Cowboy State.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s recently completed harvest survey revealed that 57,331 hunters harvested 26,385 elk for a 46 percent success rate. This bested the previous high of 25,692 elk taken by hunters in 2010. Over the past 10 years, Wyoming hunters have averaged over 22,000 elk harvested annually with a hunter success rate of greater than 40 percent.

Biological Services Supervisor Bob Lanka said the exceptional harvest is attributable to a robust elk population. “We are in the golden age of elk right now,” Lanka said. “Climatic conditions in recent years have been favorable for elk and the population in much of the state has been on the increase.”

More on Wyoming's record setting elk season ...

After Top Shot, Terry Vaughan planning to embrace the open range and mountain tops of Wyoming

Earlier this week, told you about Top Shot Englishman Terry Vaughan and his experience after the History Channel show. At the end there was talk of his move to Wyoming. Here's how it happened:

Las Vegas, Nevada - Moving from one end of the pond to another doesn't sound like that big of a deal. But it is when the pond you're referring to is the Atlantic Ocean. That's what Terry Vaughan — former dancer, British Royal Marine Commando and Top Shot contestant — did a number of years ago.

Now in the states, as a nationally recognized expert on non-verbal communications and an experienced NRA Certified Instructor, he is making another move. Not across the pond, but across the nation. That's right, he's picking up the business, the wife and the kids and moving them all to Wyoming.

Apparently Top Shot colleague Tim Trefren is to blame.

More on Terry Vaughan's move to Wyoming after Top Shot ...

Longtime readers of NRAblog might remember Jon Draper from his days in NRA's Law Enforcement Division. You might also recall that you haven't heard much about him the past few months. That's because he moved over to our very own American Hunter Magazine.

In his most recent effort, Draper shares the story of a pronghorn antelope hunt in Wyoming:

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Pronghorns on Sunday
Not every state allows Sunday hunting, which made Assistant Editor Jon Draper's Wyoming pronghorn hunt all the more memorable.

“What day is it again?” I repeated the question for the 10th time, grasping the Weatherby between my legs, a smile plastered to my face. The feeling of “sticking it to the man” had been coursing through my body since I woke that morning. I was giddy. I knew the answer: Sunday. And while most hunters won’t realize the significance of this day, those from my home state of Virginia know it all too well. In Virginia, there is no hunting on Sunday. Luckily, I had 360 degrees of pure Wyoming surrounding me. We exited the truck and I loaded three rounds into my rifle. Glassing out past the waterhole, where an unknown species of duck seemed to taunt me, we saw the buck crest the hill a few hundred yards off and Casey, my guide, said, “You ready?”

Get more on Draper's Sunday antelope hunt ...

Matt and Jessie Duff visit the National High School Finals Rodeo in Wyoming

Fairfax, Virginia - We're now more than half way through the third season of Friends of NRA's on the Outdoor Channel. Hard to believe, right? It seems like it was only a week ago when Matt and Jessie kicked off the new season.

But there's no time for lamenting ... let's look at this weekend's episode.

On Sunday's show, the Duffs head to the Cowboy State known as Wyoming. They are there to trade in their baseball caps for the more traditional cowboy variety. Once arriving in Rock Springs, Matt and Jessie mosey on over to the NRA and Weatherby-sponsored National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) — an event that brings in kids from all over the world.

More on the Friends of NRA Episode 5 preview ...

Brownells/NRA Youth Shooting Sports Ambassador Jesse Rogers recently ran into Wyoming Field Rep Dave Manzer at the National High School Rodeo Championships in Rock Springs, Wyoming.

Also making an appearance at the championships was the Friends of NRA TV crew to film an episode for the upcoming third season.

Here's what Jesse wrote about his experience.

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Each year, tens of thousands of people participate in the Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program to improve their shooting skills and learn new disciplines. At one club in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program is making a difference and helping people reach their shooting goals.

Eric Dent and Elvin Wrede and I are members of the Cheyenne Rifle and Pistol Club. We are NRA Instructors too. For a number of years, we have been members of the Cheyenne Rifle and Pistol Club and participated both as instructors and line coaches in the Club's NRA Basic Pistol classes. During that time, many students have mentioned how there isn't a place to shoot in Cheyenne unless you are a member of a private gun club. This is true. Our club is private along with the only other gun club in the area. The membership application period for Cheyenne Rifle is unusually long due to the fact we limit the number of members based on the Club's original charter.

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Glen Rock, Wyoming - As the weather turns from warm to cold, thoughts start to shift to images of island sands, Caribbean sun and the tickling touch of a tropical breeze. Unless you're American Rifleman Editor-in-Chief Mark Keefe. Instead of finding a warm weather getaway, Mark decided to head out to Tillard's 55 Rance in Glen Rock. But you can't really blame him ... they've got some great hunting out there.

And he wasn't alone for the pre-winter ride. As luck would have it, the crew from Friends of NRA TV was there to shoot part of an episode for season two of the show. They were hard at work, as you can see to the right, making sure they were there to capture an authentic representation of Friends events.

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We're continuing our feature articles written by the 2010 Brownell's/NRA National Youth Shooting Sports Ambassadors, and this week we have a report on the National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA) finals from Ambassador Jessy Hagey from Tremont, Illinois. Jessy attended the event this July and was kind enough to share her recap of the rodeo and marksmanship showdown.

Youth Ambassador Jessy Hagey (second from right) with members of the Army Marksmamship Unit and Claudia Olsen with NRA Youth Programs (second from left).

Gillette, Wyoming - The National High School Rodeo finals is home of rodeo and shooting events. The top four competitors in each state or province head to the NHSRA finals. This includes competitors in the Light Rifle and Trap competitions.

At the finals, contestants are allowed to bring their own gun and ammunition. We also provide guns and ammunition for those who don't have them. Weatherby generously donated 20 rifles to use for this year's finals. Each gun goes through a safety check to make sure it's equipped for the competition.

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