Another Wyoming Unit 113 Post

[Eprevost_tec]

Hello all,

I have searched the forum high and low and read every controvercial post I could find about Wyoming unit 113. While there is a significant amount of public land in that unit, it appears access is a major limitation to getting to that land. I have looked into county maps, only GIS layer, ONX, and everything else I could find, so please know that my question dont come out of ignorance.

There appear to be two roads west of Light Plant road. Does anyone know if those roads are public?

Also, I know from past experience that most folks that reply to forum questions try to diswade folks from a new area because its one they have been hunting for many years and they dont want to encourage new hunters. Its sort of a way of sharing "fake news". Do folks feel that there is a bit of discouragement going on because the unit is a bit of a hidden gem??

Thanks

Eric

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Do folks feel that there is a bit of discouragement going on because the unit is a bit of a hidden gem??

No. It's almost impossible to be successful in this unit hunting from a vehicle (although it does happen), 23, 25, 113, etc all require a fair bit of boot leather to successful while lost of other units you can get a decent buck in flip flops.

Google "Natrona county + GIS" and "Johnson county + GIS" this will get you to the county maintained road maps, which are the public roads.

 

[Eprevost_tec]

Thanks,

What I cant understand is how a road on BLM land can be private. Does the Oil or grazing lease allow the leasor to gate it?? There are two roads west of Light Plant Road that are on BLM lands as they go north from Highwasy 387. They seem to open up a bit of access, but from what I have researched, they are a not go??

Any help on these access points would be great.

 

[CdnHunter]

Hi Eric. I was also researching 113 extensively. I have been corresponding with a very helpful BLM employee who knows the area well. He answered all of my questions, leading me to look elsewhere. What you have read on the other posts is true. Road access to Unit 113 is pretty much non-existent except in the southeast corner. Roads on BLM can DEFINITELY be gated and closed to the public.

For example, check out this link (https://goo.gl/maps/BDDeuxrwYv72) on Google maps and satellite view. This appears to be a great place to park and then hike the track north into 113. That Rd 196 (old Highway 87) runs through BLM land. But is gated at both ends.

I (and many others) have tried to find a way in. But the reality is that leaseholders and surrounding landowners have near exclusive access to those sweet blocks of public. It took me a while to accept that. I know it sucks.

 

[BlakeA]

113 is one of the best kept secrets IMHO. I wouldn't worry about finding accessible public land, I would worry about your taxidermy bill when you get home from such a great hunt. There are some phenomenal bucks for those willing to drive around all day and wait hours upon hours for them to wander off private to make a scrape and take a dump on public. I would pay the special fee to make sure you get it. You are right, it's a hidden GEM.

 

[CdnHunter]

113 is one of the best kept secrets IMHO. I wouldn't worry about finding accessible public land, I would worry about your taxidermy bill when you get home from such a great hunt. There are some phenomenal bucks for those willing to drive around all day and wait hours upon hours for them to wander off private to make a scrape and take a dump on public. I would pay the special fee to make sure you get it. You are right, it's a hidden GEM.

Sarcasm is so boring.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Generally speaking a road is public if it is one public land and/or maintained by the county. If a road goes from BLM to private then back to BLM the and is not a county maintained road the portion of the road that is on private land is private. Several of the roads you are looking at are public for a bit but then cross private land. Frenchy Basin for instance is only accessible to the public on foot, but accessible to outfitters with permission or private land owners by road. The problem with all of these units is that, while yes there is lots of public and yes there are good bucks, you have to walk to them and you are competing with people on 4 wheelers and trucks.

 

[Irrelevant]

Antelope harvest stats for NE WY are basically all north of 80%. I mean you have to try to not shoot one. Throw a dart at a wall pick a unit, draw it, kill a buck. It's that freakin' easy. Don't over think it.

 

[BlakeA]

Sarcasm? I'm just adding my .02 to the world wide web on unit 113. Anytime I find a gem of a unit, I want to share intel about it online. If I can't google search it and find specific access points, it must not be a gem. I love hidden gem units. 113 is definitely worth the tag fee, vacation time, and all the other costs associated with it. I found 16 to be the same...

 

[Deleted member 28227]

. Roads on BLM can DEFINITELY be gated and closed to the public Motorized Vehicles.

For example, check out this link (https://goo.gl/maps/BDDeuxrwYv72) on Google maps and satellite view. This appears to be a great place to park and then hike the track north into 113. That Rd 196 (old Highway 87) runs through BLM land. But is gated at both ends.

I (and many others) have tried to find a way in. But the reality is that leaseholders and surrounding landowners have near exclusive access to those sweet blocks of public. It took me a while to accept that. I know it sucks.

Gated and close for vehicles, I know of no road/BLM land in WY that is closed to foot traffic. What you posted is 100% a legal access point to foot traffic, when in doubt call a Warden. I once had a county employee tell me I couldn't hunt the oil and gas field in 25 and that driving there was dangerous because it was full of Hydrogen Sulfide. Called Warden he said it was totally legal, I was a bit paranoid and so borrowed a detector from work. Got to the spot, there were five other groups of guys hunting the same place, a Warden drove by my camp and we chatted a bit, said he had no idea why someone would tell me all that bs...

Because this is going to be brought up, I like BuzzH think you can park off the side of the interstate, others think you cannot. If you want to be 100% no questions asked legal, get off at the next exit up, go down old 87 until it hits Ttt RD and then park there on the BLM, T42N R81W 06, then bike the 3.5 miles back to that access point off of I-25, then bike in a ways on the two track.

 

[CdnHunter]

Gated and close for vehicles, I know of no road/BLM land in WY that is closed to foot traffic. What you posted is 100% a legal access point to foot traffic ...

True, gated roads are usually open to foot traffic. Good point. But you are incorrect about this spot (https://goo.gl/maps/BDDeuxrwYv72). My statement was that you cannot drive to this exact spot, and then hike north from there. Rd 196 is closed to vehicles at either end.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

True, gated roads are usually open to foot traffic. Good point. But you are incorrect about this spot (https://goo.gl/maps/BDDeuxrwYv72). My statement was that you cannot drive to this exact spot, and then hike north from there. Rd 196 is closed to vehicles at either end.

Yes to clarify RD196 is no longer a county road, and old BLM road is gated to vehicle traffic, but you can pull off I-25 and walk up that road on foot.

 

[deer_shooter]

To the OP, I hunted 113 4 or 5 times, and filled my tags each time. I do not believe there is road access but most of the public land in the unit is accessible if you are willing to put in the miles on foot. I don't think I ever hunted a day that I put in less than 10 miles but there are plenty of animals to chase. Onxmaps is a necessity to find the access point.

 

[Eprevost_tec]

Thanks a million CdnHunter. That is what I suspected, which leads me to believe that I should get on the phone and talk to the BLM folks ASAP.

 

[Bigjay73]

Hunt planner shows rd 116 as being public. Cant you just park on the side of that and walk however far you want into public?

 

[Eprevost_tec]

To the OP, I hunted 113 4 or 5 times, and filled my tags each time. I do not believe there is road access but most of the public land in the unit is accessible if you are willing to put in the miles on foot. I don't think I ever hunted a day that I put in less than 10 miles but there are plenty of animals to chase. Onxmaps is a necessity to find the access point.

This is what I suspected. Use light plant road and walk from there.......I am making a 2 day drive from Ontario Canada, and am not trying to mooch free information. However, I also dont want to waste my time.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Hunt planner shows rd 116 as being public. Cant you just park on the side of that and walk however far you want into public?

Yes! Park legally off hwy 387 along the BLM land down there and walk in as far as you want to as long as you stay on the public land or roads within it and don't cross private property. BLM 116 is just closed to motorized traffic. Also, disregard the comment made by our CO member that made the statement regarding he and BuzzH saying it's okay to park along the Interstates. It is NOT Legal (See closed thread) and to the best of my knowledge BuzzH has never said it's legal. However, many times he has said he does it anyway, like several others have stated just because they have never seen it enforced---big difference in legal and taking a chance you don't get a 200+ ticket.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

It is NOT Legal (See closed thread) and to the best of my knowledge BuzzH has never said it's legal.

My apologies, you are correct it is not legal (although I never said it was legal, just allowed). So potentially permissible depending on the law enforcement officer who comes around? No matter the wording choose your own adventure, issue is beat to death, hence why I included one way you could access that land legally. I think you could legally access that particular spot from the river in the north.

116 isn't on Johnson counties map, I think Natrona county maintains up to 41N79W24 (according to their map)

 

[Dougfirtree]

To the OP, I hunted 113 4 or 5 times, and filled my tags each time. I do not believe there is road access but most of the public land in the unit is accessible if you are willing to put in the miles on foot. I don't think I ever hunted a day that I put in less than 10 miles but there are plenty of animals to chase. Onxmaps is a necessity to find the access point.

Yeah, in all honesty, I've never hunted 113, but I have hunted in 25 and I think sometimes we have to remember that everything is relative. The toughest antelope hunts in Wyoming might seem relatively easy compared to a typical elk hunt, or a whitetail hunt in my home mountains. Antelope are cool and they live in a cool, unique environment. I would be happy to hike 10 miles to chase antelope and I'll bet if I did that, in 113, I'd find some. Good luck if you decide to go there.

 

[madtom]

If you’ve never shot an antelope, 113 beats staying home. I drew it on third choice one year and would rather hunt does in a unit with better access than go back. Interpret that to be fake news if you wish.