The Wea Market in Meeteetse is again selling hunting and fishing licenses, after being cut off by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department for a few belated payments last year.

Licensed selling agents are required to forward license fees on to the Game and Fish Department by the 10th of each month, with three late payments in a year potentially leading to a loss of selling status. And after the Wea Market’s payments were late in August, November and December, the Game and Fish cut off the store’s access to license sales on Dec. 18.

However, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission agreed to reinstate the market at its March 13 meeting in Pinedale.

Tangi Linton, a representative of the business who attended the meeting by Zoom, said the late payments were her fault.

“I had a lot going on in my personal life at the time, as well as other aspects of the business,” Linton said, adding “This has had an impact on our outdoorsmen in the area. And I feel like it’s just in the best interest of the community for you to reinstate our [sales] status.”

None of the 2023 payments — which were submitted by mail — were more than 30 days late and prior to last summer, the market had made timely payments for years.

The Wea Market has since signed up for direct monthly payments to avoid future issues, according to Jennifer Doering, license section manager in the Game and Fish’s Fiscal Division.

“Since the time I’ve been with the department in this position, they have not been in front of the commission or … had a request for cancellation,” Doering said. “And I do know that they do a lot of sales in Meeteetse, just because they are the only licensed selling agent in that town.”

The Wea Market sold about $34,600 licenses in 2022 and had more than $30,000 in sales last year. Cody — which has six vendors — is the next-closest place for license sales.

The Meeteetse market’s tardiness didn’t overly concern commission President Ralph Brokaw, who made the motion to reinstate the business as a licensed selling agent.

“She was mailing stuff and they were late but they weren’t more than 10 days late. And for us in rural Wyoming, our mail system is slow — that’s not a concern for me at all,” Brokaw said. “And so with the ACH payments in effect now I would support [reinstatement].

His motion passed the commission unanimously.