How To Go Horny Toad Hunting In Wyoming?
September in Wyoming means hunting seasons are underway or getting close to starting. It's not just bird hunting and big game hunting that can happen, how about horny toad hunting?
Yep, good ol Horned Lizards.
The creature we call horny toads aren't really toads at all, they're actually lizards. The generic name is Phrynosoma which means 'toad-bodied'. The spines on the back and side are just reptile scales that keep the body from losing water. The horns on the head are actual horns and have a bone core to them.
According to that National Park Service, the horny toad population is on the decline, not so much because people are setting out to kill them, but because of things like habitat destruction, pesticides and collection as pets.
Wyoming's State Reptile is the Horny Toad and has been since 1993. This means Wyoming is horned lizard hot spot and they can be found around the state. They thrive in semiarid areas like we have here in Wyoming.
Just to be clear, when you go horny toad hunting, you don't actually harvest the little bugger and eat it. It's just like when you went searching for bugs when you were a kid. You search them out, catch them, take a picture and let them go, it's really just a great time to enjoy the outdoors.
Jimmy In The Wild, just took time away from fishing to set out on the great horny toad hunt of 2022 and captured it all on video. This hunt was a definite 'catch & release' situation for Jimmy and a great opportunity to educate about the Short Horned Lizard.
Check out Jimmy's video and if you head out on a Horny Toad Hunt, send us your pictures.