WyoHOMEing Dream Season

Soccerdude · May 15, 2020

I have been dreaming of being a Wyo resident for 10 years. Finally in April 2019 we moved to wyoHOMEing. We have enjoyed fishing, camping, snowboarding, and wildlife viewing. Now in 2020 my wife and I have resident hunting privileges. We have applied for 9 tags between the 2 of us. I will keep everyone posted as I pursue my inaugural dream season.

Soccerdude · May 30, 2020

We have been fishing and exploring Wyoming. Made it into Yellowstone one day too. Count down on until Draw results.

Soccerdude · Jun 18, 2020

The longest 10 min of my life were this morning from 950am-1000am. Staring at 2 screens getting ready to hit the button to see the draw. We weren't lucky...we played the odds and drew 8 tags between my wife and I. She drew a pretty good antelope tag I am excited about. Should be an exciting fall. We will start boots on the ground scouting asap. Get some time shooting the bows and get a new rifle dialed in. Love WyHOMEing.

Soccerdude · Jul 25, 2020

Got out the past 2 evenings to gather some Intel on our antelope units. Found a few decent antelope and feel good about it. Next week I will start on the ground scouting for my deer and elk tags...I have looked at google earth and onx a bunch. Good to be a WyHOMEing resident!

Soccerdude · Aug 3, 2020

Got another couple hours in scouting deer and antelope. Archery antelope starts Aug 15th. Deer archery Sept 1.

Soccerdude · Aug 8, 2020

Was off headed to the mountain to scout and blew a tire on my "new" for me truck. Started changing the tire and this little gem popped up holding us back. No key. Made a mess of my Friday and sat scouting trip. A week from today Archery Antelope starts!

Soccerdude · Aug 12, 2020

Enjoyed a night of scouting. Antelope at 8500' ft are cool.. 10 bulls a mile away with 40 mph winds blowing my spotter everywhere. Antelope archery is up first. Trail cam on a potential wallow. Little rainbow for fun too.

Soccerdude · Aug 17, 2020

Archery antelope was almost derailed before I really got started! (See my tire post in general hunting...3 flats in 3 weeks...I am getting pretty good at changing them quickly). It has been 10 years since I archery hunted antelopes and the last time was during sept using a decoy which can be a back breaking stalk that ends in a wild rush or disappointment.. this year I spent my time stalking lone bucks or small groups of bucks. After whiffing on a decent buck earlier in the day I was able to spot and stalk into 30 yards to harvest my first archery antelope.

Soccerdude · Aug 23, 2020

Know where your meat comes from. Aged the antelope for 7 days before cutting up. Steaks were fantastic. My 7 year old said during dinner "can you cook all the antelope you shoot this way?" Haha. Still have 2 doe tags, wife has 1 antelope buck tag. Archery elk and deer next.

Soccerdude · Sep 8, 2020

Day 1 of archery elk. Arrived at dark to set up camp in the bed of my truck and quickly went to bed.

Soccerdude · Sep 8, 2020

day 2 archery elk. Woke up at 4am and headed into a water hole/wallow. Before thermals shifted up I heard heavy footsteps and watched 4 cows walk into the water. Good tasting cows but not that right kind. As the thermals shifted I hiked higher and above some beds I found this summer. When I hit 125 yards away I let out a few cow calls and raked a tree. Sat 30 min before sneaking into 62 yards on 2 bedded bulls. No ethical shot and after a 10 min staredown they walked off no shot. That night no elk.

Soccerdude · Sep 8, 2020

Day 3 was the sabbath(day of rest) so I glassed for elk, read scripture, lots of prayers, took a good nap. Spotted 9 bulls over a mile away. Watched tons of trucks and quads on private land drive with in 1/2 mile of bulls. Most were not hunting but enjoying the last weekend of summer. Good sunset and made a plan for Monday. Monday walked out to cut off bulls but couldn't find them. Hoping to head back up in a week.

Soccerdude · Sep 15, 2020

Since archery elk is kicking my butt we pulled the kids from school for biology class and the antelope opener today. We saw 20 bucks in first 2 hours and my wife connected on her first antelope at 240 yards this morning. Somehow we got it done with 6 kids! Kids back in school by lunch. We still have 5 wyo tags to try and fill. Its been fun.

Soccerdude · Sep 22, 2020

Archery elk continues to be a challenge. One old-timer I met on the mountain said he normally only hears 3-4 bugles a year. He has had the tag 10 years in row and usually fills in with a rifle. There is a reason you can draw this tag almost every year. General would have been better. Been a battle no doubt to find elk. I did fill my trophy antelope doe tag and my 7 year old found a antelope shed. He loves it. Antelope tags are done. 3 elk tags and 1 deer tag left for my wife and I.

Soccerdude · Sep 26, 2020

The sun set tonight on the archery part of my elk tag. Tonight spotted 3 lone bulls and snuck into 47 yards. Unfortunately a tree branch was blocking vitals. Wind swirled and they were gone. Oct 9th rifle elk starts.

Soccerdude · Oct 10, 2020

Chased some elk with a rifle. Too far or wrong sex. Had a great time the first two days. Opening morning sat on the border of the neighbor unit and had 6 cows and nice bull get pushed to the border andturn to border but didn't cross into my unit. My whitetail tactic almost worked. I knew the neighbor unit would get hammered at daylight and it almost happened. Opening day evening was a bust. Second morning saw 50 head 1000 yards feeding away. Tried to close gap but no luck. Helped a guy pack out his bull. Saw 26 more cows that afternoon/ evening. Zoom in above my boot.

Soccerdude · Oct 26, 2020

Living the Dream! Set up an outfitter tent and hunted in cold weather for 2.5 days with my brother who came just to be a pack mule. Shot a decent 3x3 on my second choice wyo tag. Tough hunting. I saw 6 bucks in 4 days of hunting. Could have shot a good buck from a road the week before and I tried to get the legal 10 yards off the rd before shooting but at 5 yards he blew out of there. It all worked out and loved having my brother with me. Shot him from the cliff. 1.5 mile pack out. Elk are still winning. Have 2 cow tags now and my wife 1.

Soccerdude · Nov 13, 2020

My dream wyohomeing season has been a blast...but we can't seem to turn up a cow elk in 3 different units. We still have a few weeks to get it done. My favorite hunt was a couple days ago when we had in laws babysitting and my wife and i got out for a few hours alone. A few days before that we saw 5 bulls but no cows.

Soccerdude · Dec 15, 2020

Eating 1 elk tag. My type 1 tag ended today. Saw elk about 40% of my hunts in the unit. 75% of the time those elk were on private. Tough tag. Will look into other options in 2021. I have a cow tag that ends next week and my wife's cow tag goes into Jan. We will keep trying!

Soccerdude · Dec 20, 2020

Elk hunting is no joke. 4 of us with cow tags hunted Friday and sat. Friday we spotted herd on fence line at top of mountain. 2nd pic. While we were circling around a helicopter flew 50 yards over them and blew them back onto private. Day gone. Sat we went to a different spot and my buddies let me shoot first. I missed and they didn't. Got 2 down. My wife cow tag ends Jan 31 so still holding out hope.

Soccerdude · Jan 19, 2021

We are still chasing cow elk. Got my wife into 360 on a herd and she missed. She was bummed. My 1 year old daughter slept on the ground 20 yards behind us while we peaked over the crest and shot. After the shot i walked up to look for blood and confirm the miss. I followed the tracks for 200 yards over the hill and there they stood 125 yards away.... with my wife 500 yards behind me with sleeping baby.... lesson learned... take wife and gun with you to check. In second picture 2 herds in the pic. The upper left was on private and main herd headed that way. Hoping to get out once more before end of month.

Soccerdude · Jan 27, 2021

With just a few days to spare my wife shot her cow elk. She went into beast mode to help get it out. Really proud of her effort and determination to get it done. Was a day I will remember forever. Great way to end our 2020 and start our 2021 wyoHOMEing Dream Seasons!!