For Wyoming Game and Fish employees, a keen and inherent interest in wildlife often translates into a photography hobby. A recent showcase of staff photos highlights candid images of everything from elk calves to underwater frogs. 

Some were captured on the road — like this picture of a yellow-bellied marmot. Wyoming Game and Fish Graphic Designer and Wyoming Wildlife Creative Director Patrick Owen captured the small mammal as it perched on a rock on a cold June day when a mixture of snow and rain fell from the sky.

A yellow-bellied marmot perches on a rock on a stormy day in June 2022. (Patrick Owen/Wyoming Game and Fish)

Others were backyard shots. Grant Frost, a senior wildlife biologist, snapped this image of an American goldfinch on an overcast day near his Cheyenne home.  

An American goldfinch rests on a sunflower skeleton in a Cheyenne field. (Grant Frost/Wyoming Game and Fish)

Still others reflect a deep understanding of animal behavior. Owen, following a colleague’s tip, looked for pronghorn does in the early summer, then scanned the landscape nearby to find a new, large-eyed fawn. 

A pronghorn fawn sits in a sage landscape. (Patrick Owen/Wyoming Game and Fish)

“Look about 50 yards away from the doe to spot the young in nearby vegetation,” Ray Hageman, Game and Fish videographer, advised.

Katie Klingsporn reports on outdoor recreation, public lands, education and general news for WyoFile. She’s been a journalist and editor covering the American West for 20 years. Her freelance work has...

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  1. What beautiful photos to look at especially in these times of hate, blame and self-absorption. These made my day! Thanks.

    Reply