Wyoming

Hunter Bags One Of Wyoming’s Biggest Bears Ever With Traditional…

Published

2 years ago

August 11, 2024

Hunter Bags One Of Wyoming’s Biggest Bears Ever With Traditional…

After pursuing big game animals for decades and bagging some real whoppers, Wyoming hunter Owen Miller said record-book scores “are just a number for me.”

These days, it’s more about the experience.

He’s used a rifle and modern compound bow. But he’s grown fond of his traditional recurve bow – a weapon which requires him to get within about 20 yards of his prey.

But when his friends and peers got a look at the sheer size of a cinnamon-colored black bear he killed with that bow in May, they told him that, in this case, the numbers really do matter.

“I have guys pushing me, saying, ‘Dude, you have to get that officially scored. That is a huge bear,’” he told Cowboy State Daily.

By The B&C Numbers

The Boone & Crockett (B&C) scoring system, widely considered the gold standard for hunting trophies, scores bear by skull measurements.

Going by his own, unofficial measurements, his bear’s skull comes in at 21 and 1/16 inches, B&C. That would put it at No. 8 for the all-time biggest black bear in Wyoming, he said.

At his friends’ urging, he’s considering getting the skull measured and recorded by a certified B&C scorer.

Since he shot the bear in the last week of May, the skull has nearly gone through the mandatory “drying period,” he said.

Big game animals’ antlers and skulls shrink as they dry out over the first couple of months after the kill. B&C won’t accept measurements into its official record books unless they were taken after the mandatory drying period.

So, it’s wait-and-see for Miller as to whether his bear will make the record book.

But regardless of the measuring tape’s final tale, his memories from the hunt will be the real trophy.

They Knew That Bear Was In There Somewhere

Miller lives in northeast Wyoming and likes to hunt all over the state. One area in southern Wyoming is his favorite for hunting bears and elk.

Elk hunting seasons are in the fall, while bear seasons are in the fall and spring.

Miller and his brother knew there was a huge, cinnamon-colored male black bear in the area. They and others had seen him a few times.

But he always managed to evade hunters.

Last fall, his brother hunkered down in a tree stand at their favorite bear baiting site, while Miller ventured out to bowhunt for elk.

When he got word that his brother had dropped a bear, he was certain that it was the monster they’d been looking for.

It turned out his brother had taken a different bear.

But there was the spring bear season to look forward to, and his recurve bow would be ready.

Owen Miller used a traditional recurve bow to kill this huge cinnamon-colored black bear in southern Wyoming. It’s in the running to be one of the biggest bears ever taken in the state. (Courtesy Owen Miller)
Owen Miller used a traditional recurve bow to kill this huge cinnamon-colored black bear in southern Wyoming. It’s in the running to be one of the biggest bears ever taken in the state. (Courtesy Owen Miller)
Wyoming Bowhunter Owen Miller likes getting back to the basics, including using a traditional recurve bow, and arrows with two-edged hunting broadheads. (Courtesy Owen Miller)
Wyoming bowhunter Owen Miller uses nearly every part of the black bears he hunts. That includes the rendered fat, which he uses for cooking oil and to waterproof leather footwear. (Courtesy Owen Miller)

‘It Gives Me A Headache’

Miller said he became interested in hunting with a recurve bow several years ago, and finally bought one from a friend.

When it was time to practice, he shot the bow nearly every day.

Unlike more modern bows, the recurve doesn’t have sights. It also doesn’t have a compound bow’s pully system, which allows an archer to hold the string back in the ready-to-shoot position for an extended period.

“It’s very traditional. No sights, everything is on instinct. There’s no holding the string back, you have to draw and shoot in one motion. You have to practice a lot,” Miller said.

He’s also picky about the arrows he uses. Many modern arrows have four or more cutting blades.

“It gives me a headache looking at that. It doesn’t look traditional,” Miller said.

Instead, he opts for traditionally triangle-shaped broadheads with two cutting edges.

Gradually, he gained enough confidence in his accuracy with the recurve bow to take it out hunting.

“It took me probably two years before I was comfortable hunting with the recurve. When I’m hunting, my motto is, I want to kill something, I don’t want to wound it,” he said.

He missed a turkey with the recurve bow, but scored good, fatal hits on mule deer, whitetail deer and a couple of black bears.

So, heading out to hunt this spring he felt confident that if he got a clear shot at the huge cinnamon bear, he’d bring it down quickly.

‘Just That Alone Was An Adventure’

Toward the end of May, Miller had a wedding to attend in the same general area as his bear hunting spot.

While he was busy with the wedding, bears came in and gobbled up all the bait before he could get out hunting.

As soon as he could, he resupplied the bait and decided to spend the day in his tree stand.

He wasn’t expecting much to happen. It usually takes bears at least a few days to start coming back to a bait site once it’s been disturbed.

At about 3 p.m., he spotted some movement and wondered if it was the bear he’d been waiting for.

“I realized, ‘That’s not a bear,’ so I got my camera ready. And here comes this huge freaking mountain lion. This thing came right under me, it was sniffing the ladder on my tree stand, but it never looked up,” he said.

The mountain lion kept going, eventually disappearing back into the timber.

“Just that alone was an adventure,” Miller said.

‘I Just Drew Back And Let Him Have It’

Miller figured that the encounter with the mountain lion was enough to have made the trip worthwhile, even if he didn’t see any bears.

But he decided to stay in his tree stand until dark, just in case.

At about 7 p.m. a bear finally showed up, and it was clear right off the bat that it was the cinnamon monster.

“He must have decided that there wasn’t any threat or danger,” Miller said. “He was just sitting there, rubbing his neck on a pine tree.”

Staying as still and as quiet as possible, Miller waited for the bear to get closer and offer a clear broadside shot.

Finally the moment came.

“He just turned his head, and his beady eyes were looking right up at me, so I just drew back and let him have it,” Miller said.

The shot was nearly perfect, right through both of the bear’s lungs, a quick and fatal blow.

A Bounty Of Meat And Fat

The bear probably weighed well over 400 pounds. As darkness fell, Miller set about skinning and processing the huge carcass.

“It was 1:30 in the morning before I got the first load back out to the truck,” he said.

Under Wyoming hunting regulations, black bears are classified as a trophy game species. That means hunters aren’t required to keep the meat.

Miller doesn’t agree with that. He thinks bear meat is delicious, and doesn’t see the sense in letting it go to waste.

It makes for great sausages, burgers and steaks, he said.

“It’s high in fat, so you don’t want to eat it frequently,” he said.

He also kept the fat from the bear, which he rendered down into an oil. It makes for great cooking oil and can also be used to waterproof leather footwear.

As for his next hunting adventure, Miller would like to sneak to within 20 yards of huge bull elk and take it down with his recurve.

“It’s about the challenge,” he said. “I’ve shot so many animals with the compound bow and the rifle. I still use those sometimes, but I’m having so more fun with the recurve,” he said.

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.

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Wyoming

Wyoming Coaches Pick the Best of 1A & 2A Boys Basketball in 2026

Published

4 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming Coaches Pick the Best of 1A & 2A Boys Basketball in 2026

The top boys’ basketball players in Wyoming for Classes 1A and 2A were chosen for the 2026 high school season. The Wyoming Coaches Association has unveiled the all-state awards for this year, as voted on by the head coaches in the two classifications, respectively. The Wyoming Coaches Association only recognizes one team for all-state, and only these players receive an award certificate from the WCA. WyoPreps only lists all-state players as defined by the WCA.

WCA 1A-2A BOYS BASKETBALL ALL-STATE SELECTIONS IN 2026

Each class selected 14 players for all-state, reflecting a broad recognition of talent across Wyoming. Notably, congratulations go to Hulett’s Kyle Smith, Brady Cook from Lingle-Fort Laramie, and Carsten Freeburg from Pine Bluffs, who earned all-state honors for the third straight year. In addition, eight more players achieved all-state status for the second time in their prep careers.

Class 1A

Paul McNiven – Burlington

Bitner Philpott – Burlington

Ammon Hatch – Cokeville (All-State in 2025)

Hudson Himmerich – Cokeville

Kyle Smith – Hulett (All-State 2024 & 2025)

Anthony Arnusch – Lingle-Ft. Laramie

Brady Cook – Lingle-Ft. Laramie (All-State 2024 & 2025)

Tymber Cozzens – Little Snake River (All-State in 2025)

Corbin Matthews – Lusk

Max Potas – Meeteetse (All-State in 2024)

Jace Westring – Saratoga

Hazen Williams – Saratoga

TJ Moats – Southeast (All-State in 2024)

Nic Schiller – Upton

Read More Boys Basketball News from WyoPreps

WyoPreps 1A-2A State Basketball Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps 3A-4A Regional Basketball Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Final Basketball Poll 2026

1A-2A Boys Basketball Regional Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 11 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-25-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 10 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-18-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 9 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-11-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 8 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-4-26

Class 2A

Caleb Adsit – Big Horn

Chase Garber – Big Horn

Carsten Freeburg – Pine Bluffs (All-State 2024 & 2025)

Mason Moss – Rocky Mountain

Oakley Hicks – Shoshoni

Kade Mills – Sundance

Cody Bomengen – Thermopolis (All-State in 2025)

Zak Hastie – Thermopolis

Ellis Webber – Thermopolis (All-State in 2025)

Joseph Kimbrell – Wright

Mitchell Strohschein – Wright (All-State in 2025)

Adriano Brown – Wyoming Indian

Heeyei’Niitou Monroe-Black – Wyoming Indian (All-State in 2025)

Cordell Spoonhunter – Wyoming Indian

The 2026 state champions were the Saratoga Panthers in Class 1A. They beat Lingle-Fort Laramie, 50-45, in the championship game. The 2A winners were the Thermopolis Bobcats, who repeated as champions, after a 45-38 victory over Wyoming Indian in the title game.

Lusk versus Rock River high school basketball 2026

Game action between the Tigers and Longhorns

Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Lisa Shaw

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Wyoming

New laws establish a statewide literacy program

Published

16 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

New laws establish a statewide literacy program

A pair of bills signed into law last week aim to build out a more comprehensive system of literacy education across Wyoming’s public schools.

One mandates evidence-based practices and requires regular screenings for dyslexia, while the other enables the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) to hire a dedicated literacy professional to oversee statewide compliance.

Gov. Mark Gordon’s signing of both bills on Friday was the latest accomplishment of an ongoing push for improved literacy standards. That push has been spearheaded by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder.

“Wyoming is not going to let a single child fall through the cracks,” Degenfelder said during a public bill signing last week. “We are not going to fall behind when it comes to ensuring that our children can read at grade level.”

The primary bill, Senate File 59, establishes a statewide K-12 program for teaching students to read that is built on “evidence based language and literacy instruction, assessment, intervention and professional development that supports educators, engages families and promotes literacy proficiency for all Wyoming students.”

The bill defines evidence-based strategies as those that conform to the science of reading, a term that will be defined and updated by Degenfelder’s office. Nationwide, it generally means putting academic research into practice in classrooms. SF 59 specifically prohibits the exclusive use of “three-cueing” — a strategy once widely employed to teach reading but which education experts now say is outdated and less effective than other strategies.

It also requires annual dyslexia screeners for students below the third grade, and testing for reading difficulties for all students.

The screeners are used to identify the severity of reading difficulties in order to direct “tiered” support that offers the most intensive interventions to the students most in need, while still providing “evidence based” language instruction to all students.

Each school district must formulate an individualized reading plan “for each student identified as having reading difficulties or at risk for poor reading outcomes.”

Districts must now report to the state annually regarding their literacy-related work. Any district where 60% or more of the students are struggling will be required to implement “summer literacy camps or extended supports, including after school support and tutoring.”

The bill also requires literacy related professional development for teachers and specialists “appropriate to their role and level of responsibility” related to literacy education.

SF 59 was backed by dyslexia advocates and literacy specialists.

Senate File 14, the other literacy bill signed into law Friday, appropriates $120,000 annually for the next two years for a full-time position at WDE “to assist school districts in implementing a reading assessment and intervention program and language and literacy programs.”

Both bills go into effect July 1.

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Wyoming

Wyoming Announces 2026 Football Schedule – SweetwaterNOW

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming Announces 2026 Football Schedule

Samuel “Tote” Harris. Photo from gowyo.com

LARAMIE — The University of Wyoming and the Mountain West Conference announced the Cowboys’ 2026 football schedule Monday, a slate that opens with the Border War and concludes with back-to-back home games in Laramie.

Wyoming opens the season Sept. 5 on the road against Colorado State in the 118th edition of the Border War. The Cowboys then host Northern Colorado on Sept. 12 in the home opener before traveling to Central Michigan on Sept. 19.

The Cowboys begin Mountain West play Sept. 26 at home against Hawaii in a matchup for the Paniolo Trophy. Wyoming then faces back-to-back road games at North Dakota State on Oct. 3 and San Jose State on Oct. 10.

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Wyoming returns to War Memorial Stadium on Oct. 17 to host conference newcomer Northern Illinois before facing Air Force at home on Oct. 24. The Cowboys will have an open week on Oct. 31.

The Cowboys open November with road games at UNLV on Nov. 7 and at UTEP on Nov. 14, marking Wyoming’s first meeting with the Miners as members of the Mountain West. Wyoming closes conference play by hosting New Mexico on Nov. 21 and wraps up the regular season with a nonconference game against UConn on Nov. 28 in Laramie.

Each Mountain West team will play four home and four road conference games during the 13-week season, which will conclude with the Mountain West Football Championship Game featuring the two teams with the highest conference winning percentages. The championship game date will be announced later.

With the conference schedule set, Mountain West television partners CBS Sports, FOX Sports, and The CW will begin selecting broadcast games, which could include moving some contests to non-Saturday dates. Network assignments and kickoff times will be announced at a later date.

Season ticket renewals for the 2026 Wyoming football season are now available. Fans can renew their tickets online by visiting gowyo.com/tickets and logging into their account.

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