Start building points in Utah or Wyoming???

[CForest]

I am a resident of Montana, and after drawing a tag in new mexico this year I realized I need to be looking at more out of state opportunities. I don't want to call myself a "trophy hunter" but with that said if I am going to put a bunch of money and time into a hunt I would like to be able to have a good chance to harvest a nice 320+ type bull. (I realize that means a handful of points will be necessary)

I will apply in NM for sure
Likely do Arizona as well, not terribly expensive if I do both elk and sheep

So my question is do you guys think I should start getting points in Wyoming or Utah???

-Grizzly country will be a no go
-Will have to be a rifle or maybe muzzy because of harvest I cant leave until October in most years.
-I'm a flatlander and have hunted the Missouri river breaks all my life. Similar type country to that would be awesome

Thanks for the guidance, time is running out on buying a Wyoming point!

 

[schoolhousegriz]

I would go with Wyoming. Unless you archery hunt most Utah hunts are a ways out. You could go General but General is pretty poor for the most part unless you have access to private.

 

[WapitiBob]

Utah costs less than beer, AZ isn't much more if you do Antelope/Elk. Wyoming is a no brainer for Antelope/Deer/Elk.

 

[HighDesertSage]

Skip both and do Idaho.You'll never catch up in Utah or WY. I would pick WY over Utah though.

 

[CForest]

Point creep is a major concern in any of these states for sure, certainly never catch up on the elite units. But I would be willing to wait 5-10 years for a pretty good unit, is that feasible?? Or is that no man's land???

 

[jtm307]

General is pretty poor for the most part unless you have access to private.

Not in WY.

 

[Idhikker]

I think you could find what you're looking for in Wyoming but not Utah, except maybe archery as stated.

 

[Rdog]

I can't think of a LE unit in Utah that doesn't give you a very good chance at a 320+ bull. Like others have said, it will take a while to get a LE tag though. I also can't think of many flat lands that the elk hang out in on these units though. Needing to hunt in October or later you could put in for the newer mid season rifle LE hunts that coincide with the general/spike season dates in October or go for a late rifle tag that is in November, both are generally easier to draw than the early rifle or muzzleloader.

 

[naturebob]

AZ. and keep trying New Mexico. I know nothing about Idaho but worth looking into. I am getting out of WYO. after next year . got 10 for elk and will never catch up. just got back to AZ. today from deer hunt up there. Did lope 4 years ago. DONE.............BOB!

 

[LopeHunter]

Wyoming is the better option to draw a hunt that has plenty of critters on public without 100s of tags. Not the best 5 or so units but very good units.

Deer units with limited tags can be had by a non-resident with 5 - 10 points. Pronghorn are 2 - 5 points. Elk are 7 - 12 points. Point creep is not so much a worry if ride out the next two or three years when will see a lot of the non-residents currently sitting on max points for elk or deer or pronghorn burn them off to avoid increased point fees and potential whacking of non-resident allocation. Wyoming appears comfortable seeking to maximize non-resident point fees rather than participation so RIP Joe Six Pack but if you have some money laying around and like to hunt out of state then Wyoming is close to you and has some nice critters. You always have a chance in Wyoming to pull a random tag and you can put a 2nd choice and potentially pull a marginal tag without losing your points. That marginal tag can actually be a good tag if have access to private land. Of course, any wilderness zones are off-limits unless hire an outfitter or arrange for a local to go on the hunt with you.

Utah is a mess whether a person has been applying 1 year or 10 years. The better units got non-resident tags taken away to give to the Salt Lake City winter hunting show. If get drawn for a good tag then Utah is quirky. You may find all the camping spots taken up by empty RVs. You may encounter multiple people helping one guy with a tag. A few of the outfitters have illegally closed off public roads to protect their hunters trying to find a large critter.

I suggest Wyoming every day and twice on Sunday.

 

[Stubaby]

Both

Both. Put in where you can. My buddy from Billings drew the Wasatch late bull tag that starts next week this year with 4 NR points. You never know. From what I’ve seen in the past few days 310-350 or better should be a pc of cake.

Here’s some pics of four bulls from just this morning before work. If that bottom one isn’t worth 4 points and some luck than I don’t know what is. Someone has to draw!!!!

 

[CForest]

-Those are some very good bulls! I went ahead and bought a Wyoming point. Started a free trial on go hunt and it does look like a good opportunity to hunt elk without waiting forever. As long as I can get away from griz country that is ha!
-Will do new mexico for sure, for what it costs it's silly not to (might be a little biased after getting a gila tag my first try)
-Still have time to think about AZ and UT. Utah is quite reasonable to do and AZ looks like a good long term option.... Just comes down to how many states i want to donate money to lol