learning WY application process

[treedagain]

It can be a brutal winter wonderland. Well into the negative on both these elk this year for me. But as Buzz indicated very doable. I was into hundreds of elk everyday. Go prepared and you will have a great time. Hunted 2 days early in Oct and should have killed a good bull.... then came back and in 2 different weekends filled both tags.
the only bad part was i was alone on both so the pack outs were not all that fun.

That is a good bull Buzz. Like your hunt i got into a good group of bulls and picked out the best bull.


I will add that if Buzz helps you out you will be set up to win..

 

[treedagain]

If someone can flip thise pics i am sure it will save a few kinked necks.

 

[treedagain]

One more that better shows his frame.

 

[Epfd217]

As a recent elk newbie and still an elk rookie, I can tell you that both Buzz and Topgun are correct. Elk can be found in many places late in the season and the weather can be downright crappy, but with proper prep and clothing you will be fine.

As far as picking a hunt zone, sounds like BuzzH has pointed you in a direction he feels confident about. If you're interested in more you will need to do some research of your own. There are 101 elk zones and nobody is going to tell you which ones to avoid. That would be a long list. Pick a few you are thinking about and you will get more direct responses. Research is part of the fun and the frustration.

Leftover tags are a great option because typically they are for cows, either type 4 or type 6/7. This means the zone is generally over-estimate or they are trying to reduce herd size for a certain area. Pay attention to dates and special rules for the hunt because they indicate certain factors that are important. Late season hunts tend to be lower wintering areas, but many of these areas can be on private land. Also, many have special rules restricting you from whole parts of the zone as well as large chunks of public lands. Additionally, some public lands close their roads for the winter, so roads that are open Sept, Oct, Nov, maybe closed or unplowed by the time you go and your hunting spot may be 10 miles away instead of 1 mile.

As a complete elk newbie, I've been successful on cow elk two years in a row. Neither hunt was similar in any way other than elk are where you find them. The good news is they are somewhat consistant once you get on the ground knowledge about a specific area. It can be done. Both of my elk came in the "late-season". One Dec 20th and the other was Mid-Nov.

 

[treedagain]

There are guys who know the elk and how to hunt them and those who can look up stats and use a landowner chip to tell you blindly where to go. I prefer to deal with those in the 1st category. I have hunted and killed 20 plus bulls and about 1/2 that of cows. Along with helping and guiding at least that many bulls. But even then when someone who can walk the walk i will take all the advise. I can look up my own stats and have bought the chip. They both help in their own special way

 

[JoseCuervo]

One more that better shows his frame.

Nice bull, congrats, but

Somebody might want to review one of the better threads I started..... Something about pictures I don't really care for....

 

[JoseCuervo]

[/B]

Simple answer---I call Wyoming my second home and am out there for 2-3 months every Fall. I doubt that there is any other NR on this site that spends more time out there every year! This year I headed out there on 8/27 and didn't get back here until 11/6. I'd bet that I covered more counties during that two months than BuzzH or any other resident out there unless maybe they are a guide. There is only one big mouth on this Forum that has to sound off when I try to give advice to first timers when all I was trying to advise here was that late hunts out there can be tough and why depending on where you go.

........snip....

And before anyone asks why didn't I shoot all those animals it's very simple. The tags are damn near impossible to draw for a NR without a ton of PPs and I prefer to hunt every year even if that means helping friends. This was my 64th hunting season and 21 have been out in Wyoming for anywhere from 2 weeks to almost 3 months each year.

Let me get this straight.

• You have hunted Wyo more than any other NR on this site
• You spent 2.5 months in WY this year
• You covered more territory in WY than anyone else
• You routinely give advice on getting tags in WY
• You had no tags in WY, despite knowing more than anyone else

Something doesn't make that much sense to me. Maybe you really don't understand the tag process??

 

[The Hedgehog]

There's a lot of good info, well organized, right here: https://wgfd.wyo.gov/hunting

It won't tell you what you really need to know, like what's the best caliber or a secret drainage where there will always be an elk, or a rancher's personal cell number that always gives out permission to random hunters, but pretty much everything else is right there.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

Post #4 could be called Late Season Elk 101. An elk hunter should never be discouraged by the weather, that's the reason those hunts are so successful.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Let me get this straight.

• 
  1---You have hunted Wyo more than any other NR on this site
  2---You spent 2.5 months in WY this year
  3---You covered more territory in WY than anyone else
  4---You routinely give advice on getting tags in WY
  5---You had no tags in WY, despite knowing more than anyone el
  
  Something doesn't make that much sense to me. Maybe you really don't understand the tag process??

• 
  
  
  You obviously have the reading comprehension of a first grader or just want to start shit---probably both apply, LOL! I said I probably spend more time out there every year than other NRs, not that I've hunted more, although that would probably be true too! Now as far as your list:
  1---See previous comment if you can comprehend plain English!
  2---Not quite 2.5 months, but close!
  3---Didn't hunt all of the counties I was in, but was in many going and coming on the various hunts I went on such that I make a lot of mental notes for future use for myself and helping others!
  4---I give advice as far as how the draw works to get tags, but seldom post about specific units since that IMHO should be left to PMs and emails, of which I get many of both from members on various sites.
  5---Don't know how you came up with that ditty and I've never said I know more than anyone else! I have hunted in Wyoming on at least one tag or more every year I've been out there (92, 94, 97, and every year since 99). This year I had one Region deer tag that I didn't fill since of all the bucks I saw none were what I wanted.
  Any more questions or stupid comments Sherlock?

 

[Keeptrying]

There's a lot of good info, well organized, right here: https://wgfd.wyo.gov/hunting

It won't tell you what you really need to know, like what's the best caliber or a secret drainage where there will always be an elk, or a rancher's personal cell number that always gives out permission to random hunters, but pretty much everything else is right there.

Sooooo, did you have the link that gives out the other info. Buddy.

 

[Big Fin]

Hopefully the necessary information has been provided for the OP. This thread lost its value a couple days ago and I should have locked it then.