Caribou Gear

Anxiously awaiting Wyoming Non-Res elk drawing results...

Also allowed for the GF to make adjustments on some unintended over-sights with the early elk draw (people archery hunting mature bull elk in the red desert with spike only tags for 2 years, as an example).
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Whoa. How was that happening?
 
Whoa. How was that happening?

I knew someone would want to know how this happened...dang me for bringing it up.

So, the first year of the spike only hunt in unit 100, the section 3 special archery regulations read that anyone with a type 1, 2, 3, or 0 tag may hunt "any elk". So, guys that drew the spike only tag, were in fact, allowed to hunt "any elk" with their spike only tag during the archery season. This over-sight, mistake, whatever you want to call it, was not discovered until after the following years NR draw had taken place.

So, the commission had a choice to make in April...they could either allow the any elk archery hunting to continue on the spike only tag, or they could have offered refunds to any NR that had applied thinking they would be allowed to hunt any bull during archery seasons per the regulations at the time they applied. The commission allowed the spike only tag to be used for any elk that year too, during the archery portion of the hunt.

If there was only one draw, they could have dealt with it at the April commission meeting, prior to any tags being issued or the draw taking place early for NR's.

That was the final straw for the commission and the decision was made to move the NR elk draw to coincide with the R draw.

This will also be a good thing for NR's that apply for type 4, 5, 6, and 7 licenses...if anyone is paying attention.
 
Looks like they figured out how I was getting results early and cut me off. The door would have closed on its own next year.

Next years later draw is a good thing in my opinion.
 
Like many others I enjoyed the early draw due to increased planning time and the way it fit into my app strategy. But something buzz said rings true "convenience is of zero concern to proper management. It makes no sense to have people apply for a hunt before seasons, quotas, and regulations are set. Maybe it'll make odds better Wyoming will go from my 1st app to my last probably the same for a lot of people.
 
I knew someone would want to know how this happened...dang me for bringing it up.

So, the first year of the spike only hunt in unit 100, the section 3 special archery regulations read that anyone with a type 1, 2, 3, or 0 tag may hunt "any elk". So, guys that drew the spike only tag, were in fact, allowed to hunt "any elk" with their spike only tag during the archery season. This over-sight, mistake, whatever you want to call it, was not discovered until after the following years NR draw had taken place.

So, the commission had a choice to make in April...they could either allow the any elk archery hunting to continue on the spike only tag, or they could have offered refunds to any NR that had applied thinking they would be allowed to hunt any bull during archery seasons per the regulations at the time they applied. The commission allowed the spike only tag to be used for any elk that year too, during the archery portion of the hunt.

If there was only one draw, they could have dealt with it at the April commission meeting, prior to any tags being issued or the draw taking place early for NR's.

That was the final straw for the commission and the decision was made to move the NR elk draw to coincide with the R draw.

This will also be a good thing for NR's that apply for type 4, 5, 6, and 7 licenses...if anyone is paying attention.

Wow. Any idea how many individuals recognized that loophole and used it to actually harvest a mature bull?
 
Wow. Any idea how many individuals recognized that loophole and used it to actually harvest a mature bull?

You know, I remember looking at the draw odds tables last year and saw that a guy burnt 8 points in the special on that tag and immediately thought "oh man that guy was a dumbass." Turns out he might have been a genius! Haha.
 
Wow. Any idea how many individuals recognized that loophole and used it to actually harvest a mature bull?

The first year I doubt anyone did. If it wasn't 0 it was a small number. A good friend of mine had the tag the first year. He only put in for it due to tearing his ACL and he specifically wanted an "old man hunt" due to his limited mobility. I think most people that first year were just looking for an easy high success hunt to fill a freezer rather than dedicated archery folks. The second season, I know for a fact that very dedicated NR archery hunters put in for it. The reason it even came up in front of the Commission was because an Outfitter approached the Commission complaining about the potential to remove the loophole after the NR draw had already happened. He said that he had a client that had used a high number of points to get the tag with the sole intent of hunting a mature bull during the archery season. Enough Comms sympathized with this hunters plight so they left it for one more year as Buzz noted.

Its a fun but difficult archery hunt. You will see a lot of bulls and have a lot of action but due to it being so open its very difficult to get those mature bulls to close the gap. We hunted it that first year and in one day we had 4 different setups on 300"+ bulls but never could get one closer than 100 yds. They weren't seeing another bull or cow and would hang up at 100 yds. My friends knee made sneaking closer a difficult if not impossible option.
 
people archery hunting mature bull elk in the red desert with spike only tags for 2 years, as an example

I nearly applied for that tag with the intention of hunting mature elk during archery. I changed my mind last minute. I'm glad I did because I drew what I think is a better unit, and had an amazing (although brief and "unsuccessful") archery hunt and an amazing rifle hunt where we saw bull after bull.
 
As a NR, I’ve enjoyed the way it’s currently done bc I can better plan my other applications knowing the results of my WY elk app early. That being said, Buzz has flipped me. I didn’t think about the tag changes made in April I may be missing out on. I guess I’m fine with it either way
 
Just checked my results. Holy crap I drew a 100-1 tag in the random!!!!!!!

Also, I've never been in the unit before. Anybody have some honeyholes they want to share???
 
Just checked my results. Holy crap I drew a 100-1 tag in the random!!!!!!!

Also, I've never been in the unit before. Anybody have some honeyholes they want to share???

Uh huh... It's not April 1st yet.... Another 18 minutes to go.
 
Just checked my results. Holy crap I drew a 100-1 tag in the random!!!!!!!

Also, I've never been in the unit before. Anybody have some honeyholes they want to share???

Sure, anywhere there is sagebrush in unit 100 there could be elk. Could drive a honda accord and never leave I-80 and kill a six point...fact.
 
I'm glad the new drawing will coincide with the deer/antelope drawing myself. I can put in for a few other states, wait out the results, and if I don't draw, put in for Wyoming general elk next year. Might even throw in for a doe antelope just so I can bring some meat home if I get skunked with elk archery. Good luck today fellas, hope you all pull down some great tags
 
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