Advice/Opinions

tonkamuskie · Mar 20, 2009

I took my first elk hunt last year to Colorado for the second rifle season in an OTC bull area. Needless to say, I was in for quite a surprise..Lots of hunters even miles back in a wilderness area. I saw exactly two elk in a week of long, hard, hunting. I had a great time with my aging father but now my objective is to actually shoot an elk. We looked at the trip as an expensive camping trip..I have been looking into Wyoming as an area for my next hunt. I would like to shoot a bull but am not searching for a trophy. I am starting the preference point thing this year. Are there any areas someone could suggest for a good shot at a bull without a lot of ATV traffic or orange vests lining the mountainsides? I'm not afraid of hiking miles to get into areas to hunt. I am leaning towards bowhunting as it seems to be less crowded. Thanks for any help..

kilowatt · Mar 20, 2009

First thing is ORANGE IS REQUIRED IN WYOMING with the exception of ARCHERY SEASON......so that you will have to live with like tha rest of the hunters. I just re-read your post and you said that you were leaning towards Archery so that takes care of that question.
If you are starting to buy the PP this year then wait till next year and check the odds under the Archery season for the best chances to draw.
You can still do that now even though you don't plan to hunt this year, it will give you a good idea which units would be more in line to what you can try for in say 2010. Just enter one (1) point and see what shows up for you as an indicator for this year and go from there.

Hope that gives you a bit of info and what to check for now till you are really ready to hunt in WY.

Brian

tonkamuskie · Mar 21, 2009

I guess that came out wrong..I meant I really wanted to stay away from the sea of orange vests, meaning less crowded areas..My grandfather used to hunt the bighorns near Sheridan I believe and I may still be able to connect with some members of his old party. I hunted mule deer on a ranch near Ranchester in high school (25 years ago) and I remember it being more rolling hills and valleys....also semi interested in the Medicine Bow area..Thanks for the points info as it seems quite different in all the states..

G14 · Mar 21, 2009

PM Sent

REDDOG · Mar 23, 2009

my honest opinion, first off you have to stop blaming other hunters for your lack of success.if you are having a hard time finding them in colorado, you will probly have a hard time finding them in wyoming. the elk havent moved out of state, you just need to learn how to hunt them.slow down and look.

that said, wyoming does have some desert units where hunting elk is more like hunting pronghorn, they are fun hunts, and you should have success.

tonkamuskie · Mar 23, 2009

I appreciate the feedback. I don't think I was blaming other hunters just that we obviously chose a unit and area that had a very high concentration. I talked to a couple guys and actually learned a lot about the area we hunted. That said, I ran into a group that came through our camp that were 18 members strong. They were making drives throughout the whole valley day in and day out. That makes for some tough hunting in my opinion. I did nearly have a crack at a decent bull the first evening but the wind changed at a critical moment and he busted out of the area without me getting a shot. Obviously elk hunting has a huge learning curve involved and I learned a ton and had lot's of fun with my dad and brother in law. I would be interested in hearing which units are the desert units you speak of. I think part of our frustration was we did a drop camp hunt with an outfitter and they made it sound like we would be back into the wilderness far enough where seeing other hunters wasn't likely.

Romulus · Mar 23, 2009

Rather than trying to switch units or states you might try to stick with the same unit 3 years in a row. If you truly hunted hard the whole season you are miles ahead of where you started but if you switch to a new unit you will be starting over. Elk hunting in areas you can consistently draw tags in requires a lot of "local knowledge" to have success. I think your chances of success in killing a bull would increase dramatically if you went to the same unit in colorado 3 or 4 days early to scout and were in place opening morning to kill the bull you have scouted. The odds are long to kill a trophy bull in Colorado in over the counter areas but if you stick with an area and learn the inns and outs you should be able to kill bulls more often than not. Good luck!

chipc · Mar 24, 2009

LAST EDITED ON Mar-24-09 AT 06:48AM (MST)[p]Romulus is right. There are lots of Elk in almost all Colorado units. Knowledge is key and you invested a year getting some. You nearly had a chance at a good bull. If you continue to learn your area and work hard you'll be successful. The Wyoming desert Elk hunts ( unit 100 primarily) are one of the most difficult draws in the state. The odds without Max preference points are less than 1% in the regular draw. Chip

tonkamuskie · Mar 24, 2009

Thanks for the advice guys, just what I was looking for. I have thought of going back to where we were in Colorado for the earlier seasons. First season is a draw with 80% odds or so it looks like Archery season is about the same. We really wanted to go Muzzleloader season but it takes about 8-10 preference points to draw a tag. The other issue is cost. We did a drop camp about 5 miles in and it was fairly expensive. ($1500 per guy)The thought of carrying our camp in and elk out that far on foot is not much fun to think about. I have looked into horse rental outfits but it seems keeping them in the wilderness is a serious pain. I thought it would be nice to have an option of drawing a tag in another state while accumulating points for a good tag.

chipc · Mar 24, 2009

Tonka, you should consider getting into Wyomings prefference point system. You can buy a point from July - Sept. It will take you one or 2 points to draw a general unit and 2 - 30 points to draw a limited unit. For more info go to the Wyo. Game and Fish website. Always glad to help a fellow Muskie fisherman. FYI - there are a couple of big ones in Grays Bay ! GOOD LUCK ! Chip

tonkamuskie · Mar 24, 2009

Chip-I am starting my preference point gathering for Wyoming this year. I have the Wyoming regs in hand but as with all new states there is lots to learn. I don't fish Grays much as it is on the opposite end of the lake from my place...Plenty of ski's in tonka though..check out the muskie pics I posted in the Great Outdoors forum..

Califelkslayer · Jun 18, 2009

My suggestion?? Apply PP in Co and Apply general in Wy. Buy the Wy PP NOW!! If you don't draw in 2010, your guarenteed a Wy general tag in "11" And you'll be able to hunt a 2 PP unit in Co in 2012. And Wy general in 2013.

Learn a 2 PP unit in Co or a general unit in Wy and you'll kill bulls regularly.

Personally I have a similar Co plan (archery), holding out for a great Wy elk tag since I have max points but after I draw, I plan on learning a general unit real well.

And IMO, your first bull is your hardest, after that it even seems easy a times.

Good luck!