Any winterkill area hunt recaps?

[Bullshot]

For anybody that hunted this year in the worst winter kill areas (NW CO, SW WY, etc) how did it go? Asking specifically about pronghorn since I am planning a hunt in NW CO in foreseeable future, but curious what was observed for deer and elk too. Maybe I’ve missed it but it seems there are very few post-hunt reports out there, I was expecting more discussion, be it bad or good.

My buddies hunted a hard hit NW Colorado unit for elk, got into much less than normal but still found some cows and bugling bulls. They also saw many groups of muley does, including several fawns, even though nearly 100% of fawns were “supposed” to have been lost.

I hunted a central Wyoming antelope unit that was mostly spared the worst, and saw plenty of animals, as expected.

 

[Sagebrush1]

We live in NW CO in one of the “winter kill” units. It was as definitely a very tough winter. On our shed hikes in May we saw probably 20x as many dead animals as usual. The town deer seemed to do fine. LOTS of dead animals on the roads in feb and march.

We couldn’t get a deer tag this year so I don’t know what the hunting in “my” spots was like. I’d assume numbers were down. I drove around out there a bit not enough to to say.

Also, we drove from here to Buffalo, WY to hunt in November and the stretch between Craig and Rawlings was devoid of animals. Shocking how few antelope we saw.

I think the winter effects were worse as you go north and east from Meeker.

On the flip side, I guided for a family in 11 that needed some help and we had a couple phenomenal elk seasons.

Also, the weather this fall was pretty mild, and seasons that typically see some migration might not have. I felt that was the case 2nd rifle when I was elk hunting for myself.

 

[Forkyfinder]

Know people that live in SW Wyoming and several of them compare it to an extinction... I wouldn't hunt there for a few years to be honest.

 

[WYelker]

We live in NW CO in one of the “winter kill” units. It was as definitely a very tough winter. On our shed hikes in May we saw probably 20x as many dead animals as usual. The town deer seemed to do fine. LOTS of dead animals on the roads in feb and march.

We couldn’t get a deer tag this year so I don’t know what the hunting in “my” spots was like. I’d assume numbers were down. I drove around out there a bit not enough to to say.

Also, we drove from here to Buffalo, WY to hunt in November and the stretch between Craig and Rawlings was devoid of animals. Shocking how few antelope we saw.

I think the winter effects were worse as you go north and east from Meeker.

On the flip side, I guided for a family in 11 that needed some help and we had a couple phenomenal elk seasons.

Also, the weather this fall was pretty mild, and seasons that typically see some migration might not have. I felt that was the case 2nd rifle when I was elk hunting for myself.

I was just over the border in WY. One unit cut all pronghorn tags. 100% cut no tags at all. Other units saw 50-60% cuts and they were not enough. This year was horrible in all the areas known to have been hit hard. The unit I had, I have had 3 times in the last 5 years. In a normal year I was seeing 20-30 times more antelope. I can not explain how many fewer lopes are on the range. Just for comparison, my first year, a day of glassing I would find 110-120 bucks covering approximately 60-70 miles of road. this year the same loop (60-70 miles) I would see between 10-20 bucks ( as few as 7 but never more than 20). I have no idea how many doe I would see but most of my trips this year I saw fewer doe antelope than I used to see bucks.

As for the fawn comment. Last year nearly all the fawns did die. They would have been yearlings this year. Yes, the does that actually had fawns have very healthy fawns this fall and the overall number fawn to doe ratio is good... But when you are missing 50-60% or more of the herd, even a good fawn to doe ratio is not much to celebrate.

As for pronghorn in NW Colorado. It is a huge waste of points... Sorry but before the winter kill the herd sucked, it sucks more now. It is arguable that the worst pronghorn hunt in WY that requires no points, are better hunts than the NW corner. The only way I would suggest a NW pronghorn antelope hunt was if it were the pre-scouting for an upcoming elk hunt. Or if you absolutely love the country. Otherwise it is pretty grim. It has been grim for 20 some years...

 

[tillicant]

Hunted NW CO. this year, 3rd rifle just my wife & I. We were fully prepared for what we saw, nothing. Actually was surprised my wife applied and got a MD tag along with a cow tag. The other hunters within our lodging were not seeing much either. There was a group from South Carolina that was there for an entire week earlier for scouting and they left Monday after opener. Weather was not ideal prior or during the hunt. We saw one muley buck, small, and 3 does.
Wife could hear elk one morning but no sightings. Saw quite a few moose. Had a great time and trying to figure out a place for next year.

 

[redfisher2]

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