Earlier this fall, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers partnered with the Buffalo BLM Field Office, Bighorn National Forest and the Powder River Fence Initiative (PRFI) to work on several fencing projects on the eastern slope of the Bighorn Mountains in north-central Wyoming. This project was a continuation of the partnership with PRFI, a group of organizations and people dedicated to making a difference in wildlife movement and migration by removing or improving fences that was formerly known as the Bighorn Fence Initiative, that BHA is proud to be a part of. A list of smaller-scale fencing projects was made, and a plan came together to cross them off before winter and migration season set in for the year.
The Bighorn Mountains are a well-known and much-loved mountain range, encompassing the Cloud Peak Wilderness and providing a major source of outdoor recreation in northern Wyoming. They are home to a healthy population of moose, fishable creeks and high-country lakes, and include some highly regarded elk hunting areas as well. With the mountain range rising out of the surrounding prairie, the foothills provide access to the high-country along with ample upland bird and pronghorn habitat. The eastern slope of the Bighorns includes the Bud Love Wildlife Habitat Management Area, a designated winter range managed by Wyoming Game and Fish. It’s on these foothills, utilized by big-game during migration from the high-country summer range to the prairie for the winter, that these projects took place.
The Bighorns are a special place for me and my family; they served as our “close to home” high-country and Wilderness respite during our time in Wyoming. It was where I went hunting with my very own elk tag for the first time and where I filled my most recent one with a nice bull. Our first overnight wilderness trip with our string of llamas was into the Cloud Peak Wilderness, and many of our favorite trips with friends and family followed. The eastern foothills, with its river and creek bottoms, are where I successfully filled a deer tag for the first time in the Cowboy State. The area is also home to some of my most precious memories; hunting pheasant with my beloved bird dog who has now passed. I was excited to be able to give back to the place that has given me so much.
This project took place over three days. Day one's mission was to remove a woven-wire exclosure, originally intended to keep grazing livestock out of a timber regrowth area. It ended in success, with approximately one-mile of fence being removed and hauled off the mountain for recycling. Day 2 involved teaming up to tackle two other exclosures, the first of which was about ¼ mile of barbed-wire in a riparian area, with the trees and brush growing into the fence. The second day ended with the removal of another ¼ mile or so of another exclosure, this time an 8-foot barbed-wire/woven-wire combination fence. The third and final day involved 4 different work locations, one of them being to modify approximately 100-feet of an 8-strand barbed wire that was a literal death trap for wildlife trying to pass underneath. The other locations involved the removal of fences no longer needed for livestock management, allowing easier wildlife migration and better access to water and quality habitat.
It was a pleasure to work with some wonderful volunteers and fine folks from the Buffalo agency offices on these fence removals; a lot of high-quality work was accomplished and will make for a marked and immediate improvement for wildlife access in the area. I am looking forward to coming back to this area to continue working on these projects alongside PRFI and making more memories out in the beautiful Bighorn Mountains, just one piece of many special places on our public lands. If you are a BHA member interested in taking part in a stewardship event like this, keep an eye on the events page and your email inbox to RSVP. If you aren’t a member, consider becoming one today and know that your membership contributes to public land improvements and projects like this!