seeth07
Well-known member
To start this thread, we first need to go back and review a thread I posted back in January:
First thing we figured out after I had made this post was that we didn't draw our WI bear tags on Feb. 2nd. Wisconsin bear units went through a restructure 2 draws ago and it unfortunately for us meant more demand for the unit where we have a few different private access options for hunting those tags. Wisconsin rotates which hunter gets to go first (baiters or hound hunters) and we both have a strong preference to hunt bait rather than hire an outfitter with hounds so with this year being a baiters first year, that means we now need to wait 2 more years to draw the tags. Was super disappointing but we still continued with our application plan of just putting in for the better units in each state we applied.
Next up in middle Feb., we found out that AK also didn't feel like giving neither of us a bear tag. We applied separately for a POW spring bear tag (so 2023) and for the 3rd year in a row, we struck out. 6 chances in the hat to draw just one spring tag with some really good odds and we just can't seem to make it happen.
From those draw results up through mid May, all draw results came back with the expected unsuccessful results given the extremely low odds of all the tags we put in for. My cousin's daughter was the exception as she was lucky enough to snag the deer rut Nov. youth only hunt in 2B in New Mexico - the same unit I hunted deer last year so I made plans to join them to help them out on that hunt.
May 17th came and with it, the Wyoming NR elk draw results. My wife found this awaiting:
What makes those results so special for us is that my cousin (same one with the daughter that drew the NM tag) spends 2 days a week selling mining equipment out of Rock Springs and his boss has drew the tag twice. Needless to say, I have some very valuable intel for us about the unit while also having about as good of a hunting guide as my wife could ask for.
With those results, we shifted our WY antelope application plans to put in for one of those same Red Desert units so that way if we drew it, it would be easy to combine it on one of the same trips for her Elk hunt. Well wouldn't you know it, luck struck again - this time for me:
All that was left after these results was to see if ID wanted to spoil me with any of the high quality Antelope, Deer or Elk tags I put in for or if AZ had a Coues deer tag for us. Well looks like we are spending Christmas south of Tucson in a high quality Coues deer unit, we just don't know yet who will have the tag in their pocket!
So tentatively our schedule is this:
Sept. 21-27 - Wyoming archery Elk in unit 100 and possibly a day spent looking for Antelope on the west side of the unit (we don't really plan on hunting Elk on the west side of unit 100 which is where the antelope tag is good for).
Oct. 8-13 - Wyoming again for the same two tags as needed. This is the rifle opener for the unit 100 Elk tag.
Nov. 12-14 - Nebraska deer? We have been going on this hunt for the last 7 years and I would really hate to miss it as its always a really fun hunt but we aren't sure if we have the vacation time to make it work. Would be a real bummer but based on the hunts that are going on instead, hard to feel too bad!
Nov 19-??? - New Mexico helping my cousin's daughter with her deer hunt. Runs through the 27th but based on the deer we saw in that unit last year and knowing how much better the hunt gets the later it gets, I'm thinking after a few days we will have a fantastic buck harvested for her!
Dec 24 - 31 - Arizona for a Coues deer hunt
***Disclaimer - I'm not afraid to share the hunt units because its not like anyone can easily draw these super hard to get tags anyways...
First thing we figured out after I had made this post was that we didn't draw our WI bear tags on Feb. 2nd. Wisconsin bear units went through a restructure 2 draws ago and it unfortunately for us meant more demand for the unit where we have a few different private access options for hunting those tags. Wisconsin rotates which hunter gets to go first (baiters or hound hunters) and we both have a strong preference to hunt bait rather than hire an outfitter with hounds so with this year being a baiters first year, that means we now need to wait 2 more years to draw the tags. Was super disappointing but we still continued with our application plan of just putting in for the better units in each state we applied.
Next up in middle Feb., we found out that AK also didn't feel like giving neither of us a bear tag. We applied separately for a POW spring bear tag (so 2023) and for the 3rd year in a row, we struck out. 6 chances in the hat to draw just one spring tag with some really good odds and we just can't seem to make it happen.
From those draw results up through mid May, all draw results came back with the expected unsuccessful results given the extremely low odds of all the tags we put in for. My cousin's daughter was the exception as she was lucky enough to snag the deer rut Nov. youth only hunt in 2B in New Mexico - the same unit I hunted deer last year so I made plans to join them to help them out on that hunt.
May 17th came and with it, the Wyoming NR elk draw results. My wife found this awaiting:
What makes those results so special for us is that my cousin (same one with the daughter that drew the NM tag) spends 2 days a week selling mining equipment out of Rock Springs and his boss has drew the tag twice. Needless to say, I have some very valuable intel for us about the unit while also having about as good of a hunting guide as my wife could ask for.
With those results, we shifted our WY antelope application plans to put in for one of those same Red Desert units so that way if we drew it, it would be easy to combine it on one of the same trips for her Elk hunt. Well wouldn't you know it, luck struck again - this time for me:
All that was left after these results was to see if ID wanted to spoil me with any of the high quality Antelope, Deer or Elk tags I put in for or if AZ had a Coues deer tag for us. Well looks like we are spending Christmas south of Tucson in a high quality Coues deer unit, we just don't know yet who will have the tag in their pocket!
So tentatively our schedule is this:
Sept. 21-27 - Wyoming archery Elk in unit 100 and possibly a day spent looking for Antelope on the west side of the unit (we don't really plan on hunting Elk on the west side of unit 100 which is where the antelope tag is good for).
Oct. 8-13 - Wyoming again for the same two tags as needed. This is the rifle opener for the unit 100 Elk tag.
Nov. 12-14 - Nebraska deer? We have been going on this hunt for the last 7 years and I would really hate to miss it as its always a really fun hunt but we aren't sure if we have the vacation time to make it work. Would be a real bummer but based on the hunts that are going on instead, hard to feel too bad!
Nov 19-??? - New Mexico helping my cousin's daughter with her deer hunt. Runs through the 27th but based on the deer we saw in that unit last year and knowing how much better the hunt gets the later it gets, I'm thinking after a few days we will have a fantastic buck harvested for her!
Dec 24 - 31 - Arizona for a Coues deer hunt
***Disclaimer - I'm not afraid to share the hunt units because its not like anyone can easily draw these super hard to get tags anyways...
)
