Snowy Range elk

[WyomingMan]

Has anyone hunted elk in the Snowy Range the past couple of years. I was thinking about just going with a general tag this year and not applying for a limited quota. I haven't hunted the area in 10 years and grew up hunting there as a kid and got to know the land very well. I think everyone has that special place where they grew up hunting and for me(and probably lots of others) the Snowy Range was the place. I think it would be fun to get back there and check out all the old "go to spots."
How is the population and pressure been as of late?
GO POKES!

 

[searcher]

WyomingMan

Check your PM box

Tim

 

[Gotlost]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-29-08 AT 11:48PM (MST)[p] other than alot more beetle kill, it has not changed much, put in as your 2nd choice and save your points (if your a non-res)you should still draw.

 

[Triple_BB]

I wouldn't get too excited about any general area down there. I had a 04 moose tag in the Snowies. Hunted the north, south and west sides for 13 days between archery and rifle and saw one 5 pt bull. Saw some cows, but that was about it. Had a friend and his crew hunt it for 10 days last year. About half of them filled all cows and calves. He said you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting some ahole on a 4 wheeler.

 

[Gotlost]

>I wouldn't get too excited about
>any general area down there.
> I had a 04
>moose tag in the Snowies.
> Hunted the north, south
>and west sides for 13
>days between archery and rifle
>and saw one 5 pt
>bull. Saw some cows,
>but that was about it.
> Had a friend and
>his crew hunt it for
>10 days last year.
>About half of them filled
>all cows and calves.
>He said you couldn't swing
>a dead cat without hitting
>some ahole on a 4
>wheeler.


With elk numbers above objectives in thoses areas It could mean you need to go were the atv cann't, that would be in the timber were the ATV's can't go and the elk spend most of thier time.. As much as I hate atv's you can use them to your own advantage.

 

[Triple_BB]

Actually cows and calves are above objective. Bull numbers are low and have always been low. Quality bulls are almost non existent unless you have access to private ground on the north and northeast ends of the range. I argued for several years to make bull tags limited quota and leave cow/calf general license if they could support the pressure. Everytime, I got a different excuse from the G & F on why that wouldn't work. Bottom line, the Snowies are a money grab for the G & F and they won't do anything to upset the apple cart. If you're just looking for meat, don't mind low success ratios, and don't mind hunting with several thousand other guys, the Snowies are the perfect place to get away...

 

[Gotlost]

I believe area 11 is limited quota, and the bull cow ratio is still better that most areas in Co.
Bob Lanka was the supperviser for the range to a number of years and the managed it pertty well. It has never been a trophy area and with all the access it never will be. I've seen a number of 325 and bigger bulls come out of the range, most of them were archery but a few were rifle kills but with archers having a 30 day season they get them stired up petty good. and were do you think thier going to go. Out to the privite land were less hunters are.
I think you may be under estimating the area.