Is WY worth it?

[manitou]

It is hard to realize that hunter numbers are dropping, as claimed by the "experts" when it is harder and harder to find accessible land, both public and private. I hunt public a lot, and have multiple areas and states. There are a lot of folks out there!

 

[Rum Man]

We quit hunting Wyoming years ago when we were in a major cross fire and we were just hunting deer . I have never seen so many hunters ! I'm from a eastern state that is super busy also . I'm just not into combat hunting . Seems like Montana is getting the same way .

 

[RockyMtnMT]

Access to public land is getting closed off all the time. There may be less hunters but there is even less land to access so they get funneled into the same few spots leaving the impression that there are too many hunters. The Forest Service manages the land as if it is wilderness limits our ability to access it by closing roads that we once used to be able to use. This also limits the ability to manage the game populations as they just travel into areas that the hunters are not able to access. This along with private land being shut off to hunting due to pinheads being disrespectful to the land owners and their land as well as people who are paying the land owners for private access to their land. We see many of the big ranches here in MT purchased by business groups and shut it down to hunting and only allowing ceo's and their guests to hunt it.

Tough situation.

Steve

 

[26Reload]

I believe the elk arent the only critters with the "inside scoop"....
I witnessed on an elk hunt in Oregon the land owners making a "final push of cattle" from hunting grounds....
A trailer with horses and three head of cattle passed my camp one afternoon the day before season opened.....i was within a .25 mile of the private property line to federal lands....and as i was told after my hunt needed that was how the land owner chases the elk herds back to his ranch....
I know that it happens west of where i was also...to a greater extent...elk chased into a leased ranch for guiding purposes and "guards" put in place to keep the elk from leaving the ranch......is that not call hazing......and after season is over the elk are released back through the fences......
Everything is about money these days.......

 

[RockyMtnMT]

I believe the elk arent the only critters with the "inside scoop"....
I witnessed on an elk hunt in Oregon the land owners making a "final push of cattle" from hunting grounds....
A trailer with horses and three head of cattle passed my camp one afternoon the day before season opened.....i was within a .25 mile of the private property line to federal lands....and as i was told after my hunt needed that was how the land owner chases the elk herds back to his ranch....
I know that it happens west of where i was also...to a greater extent...elk chased into a leased ranch for guiding purposes and "guards" put in place to keep the elk from leaving the ranch......is that not call hazing......and after season is over the elk are released back through the fences......
Everything is about money these days.......

We have seen this as well. Watched a herd of 300 head for two days before season. They never left the location they were in. Opening morning they were gone. You could see the trails where they moved out and onto a private hunting reserve during the night. Hmmm

Steve

 

[HARPERC]

this is utah , i haven't seen any elk this year, i might be wrong but i heard they all migrated to colorado

i was just saying there is other ways to hunt the wilderness areas,
got any long lost relatives there ?

Made me laugh. We drew a Nevada antelope tag. One corner of the unit is the Black Rock Desert, and we showed up the same time as 40,000 folks for the Burning Man. We'd never heard of such a thing. Strangest thing I've seen. Tagged out quickly, and pointed the truck back home.

 

[SO92]

it Doesn't matter where you hunt. Public hunting areas are full of people. Opportunities are in every unit if you put in the miles on the boots. This applies to my experience in western states.

I've found that this can be beneficial to you if you figure out the areas that are difficult to access. Find the most remote areas in the unit where most people won't spend the time or effort to get there. IF the animals are in your area, you'll find them In these areas. Sometimes you lose, but usually you'll find animals where man isn't...

I'm just glad we get an opportunity to hunt anywhere in the mountains.

 

[newmexkid]

Hunted up north of Jackson Hole 2 times in the 16 years I lived in Wyoming. We had cow tags for the small hills just east of Antelope Flats(?) and just north of the refuge. On the left side of the highway in that area is the Snake River. The elk migrate out of the park, cross a big flat, the river and shortly thereafter they are safe in the refuge. As soon as they cross the river they can be hunted. We would at times stop in that area and see the elk headed for the river. But wait...Out of some trees a Game and Fish truck would come barreling down a 2 track just east of the river and scare the elk back. Later the elk would try it again and here come the G & F truck again. Saw that more than once. As soon as legal hunting hour was over the truck would make one more pass and then head out . That was in 1992.

 

[Hatrick]

Hunted up north of Jackson Hole 2 times in the 16 years I lived in Wyoming. We had cow tags for the small hills just east of Antelope Flats(?) and just north of the refuge. On the left side of the highway in that area is the Snake River. The elk migrate out of the park, cross a big flat, the river and shortly thereafter they are safe in the refuge. As soon as they cross the river they can be hunted. We would at times stop in that area and see the elk headed for the river. But wait...Out of some trees a Game and Fish truck would come barreling down a 2 track just east of the river and scare the elk back. Later the elk would try it again and here come the G & F truck again. Saw that more than once. As soon as legal hunting hour was over the truck would make one more pass and then head out . That was in 1992.

Before or after the airport?

 

[newmexkid]

Before or after the airport?

The elk would cross just slightly north of Blacktail Butte. If I remember correctly that would put it just up from the airport.

 

[Hatrick]

The elk would cross just slightly north of Blacktail Butte. If I remember correctly that would put it just up from the airport.

Spent 2 weeks there for 5 years around the first of April at the snowmobile hillclimb.

 

[ATH]

I just got back from a week hunt on public land in WY. We have a nice spot for antelope where we are probably the only people who have bothered to hike in there each year. We tag out opening morning. Goats aren't trophies but are respectable. We have had good success driving around and getting out of the truck to check out-of-sight locations on public land near the roads too...for antelope.

This year we also had a mule deer tag further west. Note these are all areas that don't sell out tags, and are labeled as limited public access. Well, this other unit was like something I've never seen before. Even for being out east, I've never seen hunting pressure like this. Access to public land was the worst I've seen in this unit. Hunting the second and third days of the season, even places we hiked 2 miles in the public parcels were littered with boned out antelope. Typically 3-6 per square mile. All shot the first day of the season.

We hiked ~10-12 miles a day, and saw 2-3 doe mule deer per day. Never saw a buck on public land. And we didn't shy away from the nastiest locations...but pressure was so hard even those had been hunted opening day. After dark, the roadsides bordering private land were filled with nice bucks eating grass and bedding right next to the road.

We had a great time visiting with locals. Talked to many hunting private ranches, they were seeing plenty of deer. But they'd all left public opening day, never saw a boned out deer among all those antelope.

There were large sections of public land which were not accessible legally. One road we thought went through was blocked by large gates, labeled as guarded by some outfitter, and private. Another was bordered by a ranch advertising a $1000 trespass fee and $1000 trophy fee for shooting an antelope...and it wasn't even near the best antelope land we had seen.

So is WY worth it? Well, it's beautiful country and I really enjoy interacting with the people there. I have no reservations about hunting antelope there again. But deer and elk are different, and unless I really knew what I was getting into and that it wasn't over-run I probably wouldn't do that again without private access or a guide.

I do have some fear for the situation facing my son as he grows up. Even with declining hunter numbers, it seems hunting is moving more and more towards being a rich man's hobby.

 

[CoachChris]

The elk would cross just slightly north of Blacktail Butte. If I remember correctly that would put it just up from the airport.

That's Mormon Row - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_Row_Historic_District
It's just north of the southeast entrance of Grand Teton Natl Park
It's 6 1/2mi north of the airport

 

[cahunter805]

So you researched and built points then applied for a unit with wilderness restrictions but then complain about not having full access to the public land?
WY is a great state with some of the best elk hunting especially on a general tag and even better with a LQ tag. Can't wait to burn my points for elk and start learning more areas.