WyoDoug 2020 Elk

[WyoDoug]

Well on Tuesday, the 13th, I begin the trip to initiate my 2020 Elk hunt. My group is scheduled to hunt from the 15th to the 25th (with parts of 13th and all of 14th for scouting and terrain familiarization). Before i say the where, I would like to thank @Wildabeast for helping to make this year an epic hunt with the use of his cabin. For those considering on renting it from him for fishing, elk, antelope, deer or other critters, I recommend you consider it for the price offered. I plan to rent it in the summer just to take the wife off grid for two weeks and celebrate BOTH of us retiring. Plan is to hunt 102 and 104 since the general tags are valid in both areas. I found a huge herd of elk in the area while fishing, not guaranteeing at all that they will be there when we get our rifles loaded. I also found a 6x6 walking along the road by where we WERE going to camp until Wildabeast offered the use of his cabin. Those of you into fly fishing, Hams Fork River is a place to try when the river is full. Not gonna say exactly where yet.

My plan is to set up the cabin and get things running then go out for a little scouting and terrain familiarization. I did some scouting and have the benefit of a friend living in Kemmerer that hunts the area I will be in on a regular basis. Apparently, the elk are in the vicinity so my task will be to find where they are when we get there. My plan is to push for a six point or better bull the first seven days. After that I am taking a four point bull or better with my general tag and obviously a lady with my cow tag.

Going for three elk. I also have a leftover tag I bought and will use in November after we come back from the regular elk hunt. Now it's time to unpack the stuff from antelope hunting and repack for elk hunt and get other junk packed I didn't need for speed goats.

 

[Wildabeest]

I was just up there today. Got a pretty good snow above 8000’. Temps are turning colder and looking to stay that way for awhile, so hopefully it will get the critters on the move. Had another group of lopes standing the middle of the road...


Good luck Doug!

 

[Western Traveler1]

Good luck on your hunts Doug...

 

[WyoDoug]

@Wildabeast, I got an idea where yer hunting antelope next year LOL. So many springs with water in that area and not near so dry as where I shot my antelope this year. Over on the west side by the river, there is a bunch of moose too but takes 14 points to draw. I am 64 now, not sure I want to wait that long. Going to try near Laramie where it takes 3-4.

 

[Wildabeest]

From my truck, obviously!

 

[WyoDoug]

From my truck, obviously!

I hunted deer on the Fontennelle Creek Road side. Not sure why I didn't put in for antelope. But normally, I have plenty of antelope close to Cheyenne so I don't need to put in the expenses of travelling much to get them. But past few years, numbers are down with poor habitat conditions and over hunting. I also have FE Warren where I usually hunt (if I remember to put in for right area) right out of a blind and come up with at least one antelope the first day. But that area has always had tons of antelope.

 

[Wildabeest]

There’s a pretty good creek running through my side of Oyster Ridge as well that’s had water in it all summer. Eventually dumps into Hamsfork River in Kemmerer. That whole valley between Oyster Ridge and Commisary Ridge seems to have good consistent water running through it. And lots of lopes!

 

[WyoDoug]

Treats for the guys:

• Brats n Kraut
• Antelope Stew
• Antelope Steak
• Peach Cobbler

Cobbler is gonna smell up house. Temptation hell with hunting, eat it now LOL. I do not know about you guys, but my hunting group always eats hearty and tells the biggest bullshit stories of any hunting group. LOL

 

[WyoDoug]

Tags to fill with the 2020 elk hunt:
General elk (valid for any elk in 102/104)
102 Cow elk
Bear - wanna git another bear. Been too long. And fry some bear in rendered bear lard.

 

[targetpanic]

Best of luck!!! Looking forward to pics and updates!!

 

[Duck-Slayer]

And fry some bear in rendered bear lard.

I hear that’s what all the cool people are doing now? Why are they not rendering deer/elk fat? lol
In all seriousness have a good time!
Matt

 

[WyoDoug]

I hear that’s what all the cool people are doing now? Why are they not rendering deer/elk fat? lol
In all seriousness have a good time!
Matt

LOL on serious side deer and antelope tallow does not render well. It breaks down at much higher temps. You could render elk but it don't make good fryin grease. Bear and pigs do.

 

[publichunter1]

Good luck. Can't wait to hear the report.

 

[Elkhunter24]

Good luck!

 

[WyoDoug]

I was just up there today. Got a pretty good snow above 8000’. Temps are turning colder and looking to stay that way for awhile, so hopefully it will get the critters on the move. Had another group of lopes standing the middle of the road...
View attachment 157454
Good luck Doug!

 

[WyoDoug]

This was a tough hunt. First we got into the area for our first year hunting there and hunting way west of @Wildabeast's cabin. We found sign. Lots of sign and I am talking so fresh we was smelling elk piss big time. However, we were getting rain two days and really bad swirly wind and ultra heavy hunt pressure in that area which ruined out hunt on that ridge completely. With that many people there, the elk was moving onto private.

We went on the road that the cabin was on and went north and found several hot areas for elk, then my wife called. She was sent home with COVID symptoms but tested negative. I didn't have the results so I went back and started cleaning the cabin to leave. When I got home, she tells me the tests were negative. She is waiting on her HR to clear her to go back to work. Plus she had to take our older pug in to be put down due to severe arthritis and an infection. So I could not justify staying in the field having fun while she was going through what she was. My wife comes first before hunting. Not much does, but she does.

I saw more antelope there that I could of tagged out 100 times over. Plan is to rent the cabin next year and shoot some of them for @Wildabeast. LOL And deer. I saw a really huge, massive, 4 point muley but no damn license to shoot. I counted at least 300 does I saw over the 10 days we were hunting. Still not done. My general is good on other areas close to I am going to try and I also got a leftover cow tag good to end of November.

I stopped one day and did some fishing and caught some huge rainbow trout out of Fontanelle Creek. As you see, I got the big one compared to my friend who caught the little one. More images coming but going to get to bed. Been a long drive and out of energy.

 

[WyoDoug]

I uploaded an album for our 2020 Kemmerer Elk Hunt. Not successful but we gave it our all until I had to leave due to COVID incident with my wife. Still got elk tags I can use by Laramie which I will do in November.

 

[WyoDoug]

The next saga in this hunt is going to Area 6 near Laramie and trying for two cows. My general is still good for a cow, plus I have a type 6.

 

[WyoDoug]

From my truck, obviously!

Yup. If you aint noticed I reused yer speed goat pictures. I saw well over 1000 antelope just headed around the ridge and then back up Hams Fork Rd.

 

[WyoDoug]

I had fun but looks like this is the end of the 2020 elk hunt for me. I had to cut it early due to a COVID scare with my wife. We did find elk at the end but never got a good shot and had to leave before we could focus on what we found. Plans of our group include going back for a repeat. We found areas where other hunters didn't go unless they had horses and watched several herds evade hunters using our spotting scopes. For hunting an area the first time, we did not do all that bad even not tagging out. We caught a bunch of huge rainbow trout that had pink meat as compared to the bland white meat of stocker trout. Stoked to go back and get more. Special thanks to @Wildabeast for the use of his cabin resulting in my retirement hunt being an epic one even with all the issues I had to deal with.