Wyoming Ranchers Invited to Learn About ‘Virtual Fences’ at Gillette Symposium

The original story by Floyd Whiting for Sheridan Media.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is teaming up with county conservation districts and several nonprofit groups to pull back the curtain on one of the newest tools in rangeland management: virtual fencing. They’ll host a one-day educational symposium on Jan. 8, 2026, at the Camplex Central Pavilion in Gillette.

Virtual fence technology uses electronic collars, sound cues and mild electronic pulses to guide cattle and other livestock, replacing traditional barbed wire or wooden fences with “invisible” boundaries managed from a computer or cellphone. Instead of stretching miles of wire through rough country, ranchers can draw digital fence lines on a screen and adjust them as needed.

Interest in the technology has spiked in northeast Wyoming, especially after the House Draw Fire destroyed miles of conventional fencing. The losses pushed many producers to take a hard look at options that might help them avoid that kind of hit in the future. Virtual fencing promises less time and money spent on building and repairing fences and more flexibility in how and where animals graze.

Conservation groups such as the Sheridan Community Land Trust are also watching the technology closely. They see virtual fencing as a way to help landowners adopt rotational grazing, rest overused pastures and keep livestock out of sensitive areas that are important for species like pronghorn and elk without having to pound in posts and string wire.

The Gillette symposium will run from 8 a.m. to about 4 p.m. and is free to attend, but ranchers and other interested folks need to register in advance. Organizers are providing lunch at no cost. Registration closes Dec. 15 and can be completed online through the event RSVP portal.