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Wyoming 2024?

"Wyoming Game & Fish estimates that the 22-23 winter killed half the antelope and deer population in the western half of the state."

I'd say that's about right from what I can see. I live in west central WY and game numbers are clearly down from previous years.
 

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I get the impression that some people don't believe just how devastating the 2022-2023 winter out west truly was. Additionally, some people think elk made it unscathed, which is also not true.

I started hunting big game in Wyoming as a kid in the early 1980s and I drive around the state quite a bit for work and recreation. Last winter was certainly one of the worst I've ever seen.

 
There are also some changes this year regarding Non Resident Elk zones Regular zones and Draws zones. I haven't read it all through yet. Wy is sure expensive now.

no such thing as a regular zone or draw zone

General NR Elk now have 3 regions, West, South, and East.
Regular and Reduced price draws are the same price as last year, only the Special increased in price.
 
I get the impression that some people don't believe just how devastating the 2022-2023 winter out west truly was.
I believe. After our elk hunt just outside Craig Colorado this year we took our normal route north to catch 80 east. Normally we'll see hundreds of antelope and maybe 50 deer on this stretch. This year I counted about 20 antelope and less than 10 deer. The farther east we went on 80 the more animals we seen. Elk numbers were down approximately 50% around the Craig area.
Devastating is correct.
 
I hunted Wyoming for deer this year. Where I went I saw enough deer and was successful. I used up my one preference point for deer. I only have one point for antelope so I'm sitting out this year.
If I had points, I would talk to outfitters in the eastern part of the state. There must be some places where animals survived better.
You may as well spend some retirement money. It's worth less and less as time goes by.
You could go for cow elk. I think they survived pretty well, and it doesn't cost a fortune to hunt them. It doesn't take any preference points either.
 
"Wyoming Game & Fish estimates that the 22-23 winter killed half the antelope and deer population in the western half of the state."

I'd say that's about right from what I can see. I live in west central WY and game numbers are clearly down from previous years.
Actually, they estimate 80% loss in some areas with 100% loss of the previous year's fawns.
 
Well…not quite. There is no getting around a terrible winter and winter kill however. If it makes you feel any better, residents aren't doing much hunting either. Many donated their deer tags to a grassroots effort called "Save a Buck" and really didn't hunt deer much. The antelope population is decimated…not many hunted antelope.

The quotas were lowered last year and I believe they will be lowered again due to poor fawn survival. I have two friends/co-workers who drew elk Area 22 (Ferris Mountain) bull tags, which is a premium area. One took a very average raghorn bull and the other is chasing cows now. I don't know anyone who took a really nice bull, mule deer buck, or antelope buck.

They say luck is where preparation meets opportunity. There just isn't much opportunity…there aren't many critters out there.
 
I believe I read something last year and please correct me if I'm wrong but WF&G was putting people in some kind of a Big Drawing if they returned there tags. Seems like they were giving away some nice items if you won.
 

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