Brits in Wyoming

[Englishfolk]

Hello All,

Long winded question and I'm guessing will be an even longer answer will try and keep short as possible!

I'm from the uk, and live for the outdoors and the Hobbys that come with that mainly hunting and overlanding and hiking!. As many of you know the UK is very small country, very over populated and very strict on what you can and cannot do regarding the outdoors! We have been to USA 8 times over last 10 years and have fallen in live with the country.

After hours and hours of researching we have been looking at Wyoming and its neighbouring states, it is something that has our name written all over it, almost a place designed for people like ourselves. There is plenty of land for sale and we are seriously looking at purchasing a ranch or something similar for a few visits each year. We are a construction business owner in the uk and manage to get some free time now and then! We don't have green card so would be travelling on an esta.

The question I have is, if I were to purchase a section of land for outdoor activities in Wyoming or a neighbouring state how would we go about getting rifles? We're not interested in pistols or machine guns etc, but long rifles and shotguns for hunting.

Is it legally possible for us to purchase firearms for us to shoot on our own purchased land and would we have to get permits to shoot on public land. Or is it something that we couldn't do all together?

The other question is buying a section of land in Wyoming, what would that class us as in the United States? Are we simply just landowners or do we then become some sort of resident?

We will appreciate everyone's answer and help on this. Thank you for taking time to read.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Tim McCoy]

I'd suggest getting an opinion from a USA lawyer/advocate in each state you are considering. Many states have a free online ask a lawyer web site, where one may pose a question or three. Usually 15-30 minutes of free advice. Worth a search or two.

That said, check ATF. https://www.atf.gov/firearms/qa/may-aliens-legally-united-states-purchase-firearms

If one is here legally, with a legal fire arm, no permit needed as far as I know outside city limits for safe target practice on owned land. To hunt big game, often small game and predators, yes, a license/tag/permit is almost always needed. Alien/feral species, like Hogs, can be shot on sight in some states.

Hope you find section or two. In WY and most of the west, price varies, annual water or a well price goes up, trees or water front price goes up, borders public land price goes up...location, location, location... Much of the western USA, 100-150 miles in or so from the Pacific, is very dry. Some places right on the Pacific, like S Calif. is dry/desert. Water is King out here... There are a number of land for sale web sites one can view to get a feel for things.

 

[wy-tex]

Simply owning land in Wyoming does not make you a resident. You must give up your residency claims elsewhere.How ever you would be a NR landowner and get in on limited quota drawing for landowners provided your land meets requiements for tags. Long guns could be purchased from private individuals quite easily, no background check, etc. Property is not cheap but I know of 2 ranches in SE Wyoming for sale that have great hunting on them, you just need a few million to buy them.Elk, mule deer, antelope, bighorn sheep, bear and mt lion all roam these ranches. Many times ranches for sale have been hunted extensively, the 2 I know of have been commercially outfitted for years but game is there. These are in mostly private areas, not much public land so access is controlled.

 

[hoshour]

It takes a minimum of 160 contiguous acres to be eligible for a landowner tag, and then, as you say, there are other requirements - mainly that the G&F biologist signs off that the game you're applying for spends enough animal days per year to qualify. I believe there are conservation requirements as well.

 

[wy-tex]

Landowner tags are based on the minimum 160 acreage and number of animal use days. No conservation requirements. The game warden must sign off on the animal use of the property, 2,000 use days in the immediate 12 months prior to landowner tag application.

 

[Hilltop]

If you end up in the Laramie area, I have relatives and friends that could offer various services to help you. It would be difficult to maintain and police a piece of property if your only here a few times a year. Feel free to send me a PM if you care to discuss.

 

[Swedishhunter]

Good luck and hope it falls in place for you! Being a native Swede, I can only agree that Wyoming is a great place. I have hunted both Wyoming and Montana several times. I currently live in New Jersey so unfortunately can't help you with WY gun ownership rules, in NJ you have to be a resident for at least 6 months before you qualify.

As was mentioned already, you can buy land without being a resident but buying land does not make you a resident. You can still hunt your own land (even if you don't qualify for the landowner tags) but would have to apply for and buy non-resident tags, which generally are more expensive and more difficult to draw. Best of luck!