Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released the draft of its plans to manage public lands in northeast Wyoming and the public now has a chance to comment. The new resource management plan would replace the current, 23-year-old version now used by the Newcastle Field Office. The Draft Newcastle and Nebraska Resource Management Plan covers all the lands within the Newcastle Field Office's boundaries in Crook, Weston and Niobrara counties, and also the entire state of Nebraska. While this may...
Black Hills National Forest Christmas tree permits are now available at recreation.gov and from local Forest Service offices and private vendors. To purchase a permit online, visit recreation.gov and search for Black Hills National Forest Christmas Tree Permit. It is important to carefully read the overview and need-to-know information prior to purchasing the permit. Visitors will need to set up or log in to an account to complete the transaction. Users can purchase up to five permits per account. Online permits are ready to print immediately a...
A weekend of deer hunting for a group of veterans from across Wyoming began on Friday evening with a banquet. The gathering was an opportunity for the vets to meet and get to know the local landowners and guides who sponsored their experience in Crook County. The Black Hills Veterans' Day White Tail Hunt has been hosted since 2016 by Hunting With Heroes, a nonprofit that gives back to disabled veterans by providing them with outdoor experiences such as hunting and fishing....
Chronic Wasting Disease has been identified in an elk hunt area at the border of Crook County. Elk Hunt Area 126 begins at the border to the southwest of the county and travels south through much of Weston and Niobrara and west into Converse. The hunt area is bordered by seven other elk areas that are now known to be positive for CWD, including 117 and 129, both of which are partially in Crook County. CWD was also confirmed in Deer Hunt Areas 31 and 94, both towards the middle of the state in the Sheridan and Lander regions respectively. The...
On the heels of last week's first significant snowstorm, a herd of pronghorns gathered south of Sundance and started their trek further south, presumably in search of a more suitable winter home....
As any hunter knows, the best time to hunt cat is directly after the first snowfall. Kyle Shamion didn't waste a moment, taking this sizeable cougar on morning two of the first storm of the winter. His success came about purely by accident. Shamion wasn't looking out for felines at the time – he was actually hunting for elk when this fine specimen wandered into his path. Already in possession of a tag and unwilling to waste an opportunity, Shamion called his brother to come join him and the d...
The Northeast Wyoming Chapter of the Muley Fanatic Foundation (MFF) has become known for pursuing goals that support wildlife and habitat, and for its focus on the younger members of the community. One project that combines these two ideals has been part of the overall MFF lineup since the organization's inception in 2012. Each year, youngsters with life-threatening illnesses are given the chance to experience the joys of hunting. The program is called "Putting the 'U' in hunt" and it offers an...
After 33 years as a Wyoming Game & Fish employee, Newcastle Wildlife Biologist Joe Sandrini has decided to retire. Sandrini has been an integral part of wildlife management in northeastern Wyoming. Sandrini attended the University of California, Davis, where he was an All-American track and field athlete and graduated with a bachelor's degree before receiving his masters from the University of Colorado. He began his Game and Fish career as a game warden trainee in Casper in 1992 before being rea...
The warmth of fall colors is beginning to take over the foliage near Houston Creek....
The City of Sundance will be returning to its usual practices for this year’s deer cull. Last year, Sundance implemented a year-round cull in response to evidence that chronic wasting disease (CWD) was much more prevalent than previously thought in the vicinity of the city. At Tuesday’s meeting, Clerk-Treasurer Theresa Curren reported that she had spoken with Game Warden Nate Holst, who said that CWD appears to be holding steady in this region. Consequently, said Curren, the decision as to whether a cull is needed this year will be left up to...
Black Hills National Forest Supervisor Shawn Cochran has signed a Stage 2 Fire & Smoking Restrictions Special Order for the Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota & Wyoming, effective Friday Oct. 4, 2024, through Dec. 25, 2024, unless rescinded. The purpose is to protect public health, safety and natural resources by preventing wildfires during a period of extreme fire danger. Stage 2 fire restrictions prohibit the ignition of any fire, campfire, charcoal barbecue or grill, unless the device is solely fueled by liquid gas that can be...
Crook County Weed and Pest is reaching out for input on the potential listing of cheatgrass as a noxious weed. Because this could have significant financial impacts and might affect the district’s ability to assist in treating other weeds and pests, says District Supervisor Alycia Davis, the board wants to hear from the public before casting its vote. A Call for Action The weed and pest districts for ten Wyoming counties have called for cheatgrass to be added to the State Designated Noxious Weed List, throwing their support behind prevention a...
Wyoming Game & Fish has confirmed that live zebra mussels have been intercepted at the border for the first time this year. The watercraft was intercepted at the Beulah check station on September 22 when the owner stopped for an inspection. Inspectors immediately decontaminated the watercraft and removed zebra mussels in multiple water intakes, along the pontoon and in other areas of the boat. According to Game & Fish, the watercraft had been moored for several months at Pactola Reservoir in South Dakota, where mussels were discovered in 2022....
A rock climber is reported to have died after falling from Devils Tower on Sunday. According to Devils Tower National Monument, 21-year-old Stewart Phillip Porter of Eau Claire, WI, sustained major injuries after falling from the second pitch of El Cracko Diablo. Devils Tower Law Enforcement was informed of the accident around 8 p.m. and found Porter approximately 40 minutes later. A Hulett EMS paramedic pronounced him dead at the scene. Crook County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the incident. Porter’s partner was stranded on the Tow...
A toxin advisory has been issued for Keyhole Reservoir due to harmful levels of cyanotoxins present in the water. A harmful cyanobacterial bloom (HCB) is described by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as an abundance of a substance that is always present in surface waters at low levels and play an important role in the aquatic ecosystem, but can bloom into a harmful overabundance. Cyanobacteria is able to produce toxins and other irritants that can have harmful health effects to people and animals, including pets and...
The Black Hills National Forest is proposing changes to recreation fees at picnic sites, day-use areas and campgrounds during the “shoulder season”. These times generally include the months of March to April and September to November, during which the Forest Service says usage has increased significantly over the past few years. This, according to a press release, creates the need for “additional supplies, facility cleaning, toilet pumping and staff attention”. The proposal would increase fees from $0 to $5 at some picnic sites and day-use...
The hunt area on the western border of Crook County is among this year’s focus points for chronic wasting disease (CWD) monitoring. Wyoming Game & Fish has been working to understand the distribution and prevalence of the always-fatal disease since 1997, using focused sampling due to the limited testing capacity of the Game & Fish Wildlife Health Laboratory. Submitting a sample of a deer harvested in hunt area 18 will not be mandatory this year. However, as a focus area, Game & Fish is requesting that hunters assist through a voluntary s...
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released a proposed roadmap that aims to increase the development of solar energy on public lands in Western states. The Western Solar Plan was first instituted in 2012 and is now set to be expanded to an additional five states, including Wyoming. The total area encompasses around 162 million acres of public land and would make 31 million of these acres available for solar applications. The proposal aims to identify “solar application areas”, which are broad areas of BLM lands where solar proposals wou...
Did you know that milkweed is the only plant that monarch butterflies lay their eggs on? Did you know that ingesting milkweed plants actually makes monarch caterpillars toxic to their predators? Or, did you know that it is estimated that the monarch butterfly population has decreased as much as 90% – as if every person living in the United States, except for those living in Ohio and Florida, disappeared? The relationship between monarch butterflies and milkweed plants is remarkable and b...
Two thirds of Crook County has now slipped into a state of severe drought, with the southeastern quarter of the county now listed as experiencing moderate drought. These conditions have triggered wildfire assistance for agricultural producers in this county through the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA). The FSA began by reviewing the variety of fire assistance it offers and identified the counties authorized for emergency haying and grazing of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands outside of the primary nesting season, for which a county must...
The U.S. Forest Service is considering fee increases to specific sites across the Black Hills and motorized OHV use permits. If approved, the increases would become effective in 2025. Locally, the only proposed increases would be for use of the motorized trails, which would include a new day fee of $10 per vehicle, as well as an increase from $20 to $30 for the weekly fee and from $25 to $50 for a season pass. The additional proposed increases include Meeker Cabin near Custer, Summit Ridge Cabin near Newcastle, Jenny Gulch Picnic Area at...
Lightning is usually the biggest troublemaker when fire season gets underway, with human mistakes also playing their part. This year, though, an unexpected culprit has made its presence felt in Crook County. Hay swathers have caused five of the most recent fires, including one that was first reported on Saturday afternoon. “They hit rocks and it causes a spark or a bearing goes out and gets hot,” says Fire Warden Charlie Harrison. “The ones we have had this year appear to be caused by the spark from a rock.” Swather fires have so far included t...
Black Hills National Forest Supervisor Shawn Cochran has signed a Stage 1 fire restrictions order for the Black Hills National Forest in Wyoming. Special Order 180 became effective July 23 and will remain so through December 15, unless rescinded sooner. “Persistent long-term drought conditions and recent high temperatures combined with the lack of moisture have dramatically increased the fire danger, said Jason Virtue, Black Hills National Forest Fire Staff Officer. “Conditions are ripe for large fire potential, and people need to be ext...
With most of the nation now seeing significant wildland fire activity, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) has increased its fire preparedness level to a level five – the highest on the scale. The decision has been made in response to fire activity already occurring, with a high potential for additional large fires to emerge. At level five, all fire-qualified federal employees become available for wildlife response. National resources are heavily committed and additional measures are taken to support individual areas. As of Tuesday, 6...
A doe and fawn pronghorn forage east of Sundance just off Fuller road on Tuesday. With temperatures falling closer to seasonable numbers, man and beast alike were able to enjoy a bit more time outdoors....
