Unit 8 Wyoming Access question

[MIAHunter125]

In the process of planning a plan for my dad, myself and my uncle. We are looking at Unit 8 and I have a specific question about access. in the north western portion of the unit as you come down Sears rd towards Dixon Draw it appears that the road ends. that road is the only access I see to a rather large area of BLM and state land. Has anyone hunted this? Can you drive down this road or is it private?

Yes Im looking at OnX, see pic below. We are new to western hunting and looking to cut our teeth this year on a pronghorn in WY. We all have zero points

 

[Dsnow9]

https://www.westongov.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Road-Map.pdf

You would be trespassing on everything but that first little section of thunder basin.

 

[VikingsGuy]

The best way to check public road status online is the county "road and bridge" map that most WY counties maintain. They aren't perfect, but they get you pretty close. You can call the road and bridge dept or F&G area folks for clarity on areas that are difficult to figure out. Basis the Weston County roady & bridge map, Sears road stops before getting to any public land, so the state/BLM area you are referring to is "land locked" and not huntable without landowner permission. Such is the nature of NE Wyoming public lands. It's the reason the put an * on those units.

 

[MIAHunter125]

Hmm okay thats def what I was worried about, back to the maps I go!

Thank you Dsnow9 for the map and link. I have my united narrowed down to like 5-6 but trying to decide on which unit to focus on and put first in the draw. We arent chasing trophies, just looking to get some avg bucks and fill our tags while making some memories.

This forum has been super helpful along w/ OnX

 

[Dsnow9]

Hmm okay thats def what I was worried about, back to the maps I go!

Thank you Dsnow9 for the map and link. I have my united narrowed down to like 5-6 but trying to decide on which unit to focus on and put first in the draw. We arent chasing trophies, just looking to get some avg bucks and fill our tags while making some memories.

This forum has been super helpful along w/ OnX

Your welcome, always consult those county road maps when doing your onx scouting. It will save a lot of headaches in the long run. I found out the hard way with closed roads in all the spots I wanted to go the night before opening morning my first time in wy

 

[Big Slick]

Unit 8 is a tough one. We hunted there in 2017, I don’t plan on going back. Get on the Fish & Game website, there are a few ranchers that grant trespass for a fee, this will help as there is not much public access.

 

[Hosedragger852]

Unit 8 is a tough one. We hunted there in 2017, I don’t plan on going back. Get on the Fish & Game website, there are a few ranchers that grant trespass for a fee, this will help as there is not much public access.

Can I ask why it’s tough? Looks like there’s a fair amount of walk in hunt areas and some decent chunks of state/blm? Is it for the lack of animals or land available?

 

[Big Slick]

Can I ask why it’s tough? Looks like there’s a fair amount of walk in hunt areas and some decent chunks of state/blm? Is it for the lack of animals or land available?

The amount of public vs amount of hunting pressure is a big issue.

 

[MEG2]

I hunted Unit 8 2 years in a row. There is a decent amount of accessible public land, but most of it was void of antelope. It’s a tough hunt and doable, but you will work for it and shouldn’t be picky.

 

[Hosedragger852]

The amount of public vs amount of hunting pressure is a big issue.

Gotcha...did you go opening day? And do you think it would be better after that if so?

 

[Big Slick]

Gotcha...did you go opening day? And do you think it would be better after that if so?

I would like to think it would be better later. It ultimately depends on how many rounds have fired at any particular herd. They can find a save place and not move as often or as much. They are creatures of habit but can be pushed off of a 300 acre WIA pretty quickly.

 

[Muskeez]

I had found many bucks in 8 on public land by just driving down the road in Sept. with OnX, but a group of guys I know went there about 5 days after the opener and could not find a single antelope on public land. They ended up talking to a rancher and paid a $200 fee each to go shoot mediocre at best bucks.