Wyoming Family Bags Five Huge Mule Deer In One Incredible Season

Published

4 months ago

November 8, 2025

Wyoming Family Bags Five Huge Mule Deer In One Incredible Season

If there is one lesson to be taken away from a Wyoming family’s magnificent mule deer hunting season, it’s that putting in the work scouting an area ahead of time can pay off big time.

Ryan and Jannette Hansen — along with their sons Tanner, 17, Brock, 15 and Parker, 13 — all shot huge bucks in the same southwest Wyoming deer hunt area.

The family lives in Mountain Home in Uinta County, and spending time outdoors has been a way of life for them. Ryan and Jannette both grew up hunting.

The couple also has two adult sons that have left home and were also raised as avid hunters.

But even amid such a legacy, the Hansens’ 2025 deer hunting season was exceptional.

Ryan told Cowboy State Daily that it partly came down to luck, and sheer tenacity while hunting.

However, he credits the family putting in the work ahead of time. Once they drew tags for the hunt area, they spent months scouting it.

They put in countless hours getting to know the terrain, hiking all over the place, observing deer’s movements, and picking out which bucks they wanted to go after once the hunting season started.

“It wasn’t just a case of, ‘Hey, let’s go drive down the road and see if we can shoot a deer,’” he said.

“We really put in the work ahead of time. We put in the effort, and we were rewarded and blessed for our efforts,” Ryan added.

Parker Hansen got this mule deer buck during a family hunting trip in southwest Wyoming. (Courtesy Ryan Hansen)

One Heck Of A First Deer

Their hunt area “has it all” in terms of terrain and deer habitat, Ryan said.

Vast sage flats, rugged canyons, thick timber, mountain slopes; it’s all there, and the deer thrive in it, he said.

The family started hunting there during the September archery season but didn’t get any deer.

Mule deer are notoriously difficult to hunt with a bow, Ryan said.

“We had a lot of failed stalks, and a couple of missed shots,” he said.

“Anybody that kills a mule deer with a bow is definitely a stud in my book. In all of our books,” he added.

The rifle hunting season ran from Oct. 15 to Oct. 31, and the Hansens took full advantage of it.

Parker got the first buck, on opening day of rifle season.

He made a great shot at 463 yards, and it was his first deer ever.

When asked by Cowboy State Daily how he plans to follow up getting a big buck as his first deer, Parker gave a simple answer.

“Get a bigger deer,” he said.

Parker’s buck was at the bottom of a steep canyon.

“That was definitely a hard pack out. It was literally straight up and out of that canyon,” gaining about 700 feet in elevation, Ryan said.

Tanner Hansen got this mule deer buck during a family hunting trip in southwest Wyoming. (Courtesy Ryan Hansen)

One Buck After Another

Jannette shot her buck the next day, at 250 yards. Packing that deer out was easier than Parker’s buck had been but still challenging, Ryan said.

“I’m glad I had Tanner, he’s my pack horse,” he said.

Tanner told Cowboy State Daily that packing out big game animals comes naturally to him.

“It’s something I love to do, I’m a hiker,” he said.

The day that Brock dropped his buck didn’t start out so well.

“He woke up sick, throwing up,” Ryan said.

Brock still insisted on going hunting. As the morning progressed, he started feeling a little better.

“When we stopped for lunch, he got worse again,” Ryan said.

Jannette considered taking him home. But on the drive out they spotted a nice buck, which disappeared into some timber.

They decided to go after it. Ryan practically had to carry Brock because his son was so weakened by sickness.

But Brock was still excited to get the opportunity. They found the buck again and everything came together when Brock made a 160-yard shot.

He told Cowboy State Daily that the adrenaline rush of getting a chance at such a quality buck helped him forget his illness for a short while.

“It was because he was so big,” Brock said.

The family returned home, and Tanner and Ryan went back out by themselves.

They hunted all day with no luck. As evening settled in, they were high on a ridge when Tanner finally spotted a buck he wanted to go after, far below.

“He bombed off the top of that ridge and went right after him (the buck),” Ryan said.

Ryan went back to the truck and drove to where he knew Tanner would probably come out after pursuing the deer.

“It was about 10 miles of driving to get back to where he was,” Ryan said.

Tanner tracked the buck, and when it jumped from cover, he made a 250-yard shot.

Father and son packed the deer out in the dark, with headlamps to light their way.

Jannette Hansen got this mule deer buck during a family hunting trip in southwest Wyoming. (Courtesy Ryan Hansen)

A Bittersweet Ending

Only Ryan’s deer tag was left unfilled. The rest of the family returned for the weekend and they hunted together, but to no avail.

With the season coming to an end and his family back home, Ryan headed out for the last couple of days with a good family friend.

They moved to a different section of the hunt unit, and when Ryan’s opportunity finally came, he dropped his buck with a 150-yard shot.

The deer hunting season that is sure to become a family legend was finally over.

“I was relieved that we were done. But kind of sad at the same time. It was a culmination of everything we had done,” Ryan said.

Brock Hansen got this mule deer buck during a family hunting trip in southwest Wyoming. (Courtesy Ryan Hansen)

A Freezer Full Of Venison

Jannette told Cowboy State Daily that she’s immensely proud of her family’s hunting accomplishment, and she doesn’t take living in Wyoming for granted.

“My nieces and nephews live in the city, and they don’t even go outside,” she said.

“Living in Wyoming is such a huge blessing in and of itself, for sure. It was a blessing for us to go out as a family and get all five deer,” she added.

The boys decided to get European mounts of their bucks. That being, a simple trophy mount, with just the animal’s cleaned skull and antlers.

Ryan and Jannette plan to have a taxidermist do full shoulder mounts of their bucks, together on a double pedestal.

“It will be a ‘his and hers’ double buck taxidermy mount,” Ryan said.

For the family, the hunt isn’t just about the trophies and bragging rights. Hunting is still about being solidly connected to the time-honored tradition of providing themselves with fresh venison.

“Those deer don’t go to waste. We eat every bit of them,” Ryan said.

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

Source link

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

Published

9 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

Source link

Wyoming

New laws establish a statewide literacy program

Published

21 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.

Source link

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.

Advertisement – Story continues below…

University of Wyoming sports coverage
in Southwest Wyoming is supported by these great sponsors:

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.

Source link