3 For 1?

[Botch]

My buddy and I are planning our first out of state hunt and are looking to plan a 10 day trip to chase after - Antelope, Muleys, and Elk.

(1) are we shooting for the moon?
(2) if you’re chasing 3 your chasing none? (We would have dedicated areas and time for single species. We won’t be glassing a hill and shooting what moves, higher ethics than that.
(3) outside of Scouting/research, what’s the single biggest factor for those who have done something similar and been successful

Thanks

 

[MThuntr]

I think you could logically hunt 2 at a time...Deer & Antelope or Deer and Elk. Not saying it can't be done but I think you'd be spreading yourselves pretty thin. The odds of drawing all three again aren't terrible just not ideal.

 

[tphelps45]

I think you are shooting for the moon. Drawing all three tags would be an achievement in itself. Accounting for travel time, you would only have about 1.5-2 hunting days/species assuming your tags valid for areas in close proximity to one another.

I would focus on one species, you will have more time to enjoy that specific hunt and you won't spread yourself too thin. For example, speaking to elk hunting, if you guys were able to travel out of state for the first time and fill 1 out of 2 tags in a ten day period, you would be beating the odds for success rates by a long shot.

 

[LWC55]

I'd say do one a year for 3 years, especially if you don't have any experience out west. Then start back with your favorite. You will likely have a much less stressful hunt and fill more tags. You will also be hard pressed to find an area where you can get tags for all three and also have the seasons overlap. We did a 2 for 1 this year with deer and antelope does. Took a day out of the hunt and filled some antelope doe tags. We had to drive to a different unit but it was a lot of fun.

I would also recommend going antelope, deer, then elk if you can....based on difficulty. You will probably be successful quicker and have more fun.

 

[Botch]

I worked some magic in goHunt and yes drawing all 3 would be tough but not impossible assuming their odds are correct. All three of the units are close so travel time not an issue. I agree that it seems like a lot but just wanted to maximize the trip.

I Don’t want to be greedy, pigs get fat and hogs get slaughtered. Just didn’t know if anyone has tried something similar and if so if they enjoyed it. Thanks for the feedback thus far. Much appreciated

 

[406LIFE]

Moon, no. Pluto, in its diminished status, yes.

Above info is good to start.

 

[rtraverdavis]

I know whenever I try to do too many things at once all of it becomes watered down and I miss out on what could have been a more worthwhile experience. I end up feeling pulled in too many directions and can't concentrate on any one thing. I'd pick the one you're most interested in and go all in on that.

 

[JLDemo]

Personally, I think having all three will dilute your overall experience. You'll be stressed out with the amount of money and time invested, with not much scouting time you'll be putting a lot of chips on a roulette wheel with no clue how to play. E-scouting will only take you so far. If you match tags in close proximity then great, but think about sinking those tags if you don't find the quality your looking for if you're willing to let em' walk. Are you willing to sink three full priced tags if you don't find what you're looking for or just skip other tags completely because you found yourself scrambling to find a quality animal in one species to tag? I'd suggest getting multiple tags of the same species if you're intent on making it a multiple tag event. You can still be selective with whatever either sex tag you draw and fill you're coolers with however many reduced price tags you can draw as well. Don't stretch yourself thin with multiple species across a large areas, there's ways to get several tags of maybe two species in the same unit. Just my opinion, not an expert but ran into stretching myself thin over a large area chasing multiple species before. A lot fuel and time wasted and won't do it again.

 

[jtm307]

If I were you, I'd get 3 antelope tags in a good unit in WY with a lot of public land (a few preference point would be required) and just hunt antelope for 10 days. That would make for a phenomenal first out-of-state hunt. Just don't shoot anything for the first 3 days or so.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

I could have pulled that off a few years ago. I left a few days early for my general elk hunt to hunt a leftover antelope tag. During the antelope hunt I came across 3 mule deer bucks, 1 of them pretty nice. I think deer tags were still available in that region at the time but I was anxious to get my elk camp setup so I moved on after tagging an antelope.

 

[Botch]

We are western hunters just never developed a need to go outside the state (OR). Thanks again.

 

[mixedbag]

I've done quite a few rifle antelope hunts before heading in for an archery or rifle elk hunt.I think you should stick with 2 animals max.Personally,I like to just have one tag now so I can focus on that,but that's because I've become a little picky at my targets.If your not picky,2 animals shouldn't be a problem in 10 days

 

[Idahoarcheryhunter]

Focus on two of them in my opinion, I would go with elk and deer mainly because they can be found in similar places and overall in ten days you should be able to find both species and not be overwhelmed with trying to find 3 different animals.

 

[Poke 'Em]

Unless you have pronghorn at the top of your list, I'd say start with elk & deer, and if you tag out early, have a contingency to go find some pronghorn.

 

[nhn2a]

I'd say it depends on how much you would be disappointed if you don't fill all your tags. Personally I like to have the extra tags in my pocket in case the opportunity presents itself while I focus on my primary animal. On my recent CO trip, we were hunting primarily for deer but found Elk and Pronghorn more often than deer while scouting. Mom picked up an OTC Elk tag and we found a herd day 1 so we quickly shifted to hunting Elk. In that particular area, we never did see one deer so we were able to turn a negative into a positive by having that Elk tag handy. We also both still harvested deer later in our trip.

I don't think it would be a bad idea for you guys to focus on one primary species but each pick up a different extra animal tag. That way you have the opportunity of all three without both needing to have all three tags.

 

[LWC55]

Sounds like you are already experienced hunting western big game. If money is not an issue and you aren't planning on coming back often, getting 3 tags could give you the most opportunity. You can focus on your first choice and shoot one of the others if the opportunity presents itself.

 

[Gr8bawana]

I'm sure these are not the answers you wanted to hear. I also think you may be shooting for the moon. Of course the choice is all up to you and your hunting partners.
So go ahead and give it a try and be sure to let us know how it goes because anything is possible.

 

[LCH]

I Did it a few years ago in Wyoming. Had a cow tag, a deer tag, and a pronghorn tag, all leftovers I scooped up. I shot a deer on day 5 and an elk on day 7 (counting scouting days). I hunted pronghorn 1 day, passed a small buck and some does, ran out of time and ate the pronghorn tag.

I wouldn't hesitate to do it again if I had 2 weeks. 1 week off with a weekend on either side turned out to not be enough time.

 

[Duck-Slayer]

I do it in Idaho, Done it 3-4 times in the past 5 years, you need 2 weeks to do it though, PM Sent...... unlimited antelope, OTC Deer, and OTC Elk.
Matt

 

[jmveverka]

Coming from the east, I want to maximize any opportunity I have. For me, it is much easier to talk my wife into letting me get another tag for one hunt, than planning for multiple hunts. This year My dad Brother and I each had multiple tags. 11 total tags for Antelope, Cow Elk and Deer. We filled 9 of them in a week's time and had opportunities to fill all 11. The other trips we have taken have also all be combo hunts. My only caution is that with multiple tags - you are setting yourself up for an opportunity hunt, not a trophy hunt. If you are trying to fill a lot of tags, you can't be passing on a lot of legal bucks/bulls.

But, do plan to hunt one species at a time - set a priority list. We did Antelope first as it can be knocked out in a day, but then we messed up and tried to hunt deer and elk both - we should have concentrated on the elk only and we would have tagged out and had a couple days left to exclusively hunt deer.