Wyoming Hunt Advice

[morgaj1]

My son and I are going on a guided mule deer and antelope hunt the last week of October. While we are experienced hunters, this will be our first western hunt. We have been practicing shooting off the bipod in various positions and are comfortable. My question is around what clothing and gear to bring. We are set up for tree stand whitetail hunting, so will probably need a few things. The guide will be sending his gear list later this month, but wanted to get your thoughts.

 

[LaHunter]

Being a guided hunt, I am guessing you will not be 'killing yourself' hiking up and down a ton of miles with lots of elevation gain / loss, like a typical DIY hunt on N.F. But even a guided hunt is most likely going to involve a lot higher physical exertion level than any whitetail hunt. Good boots can't be stressed enough. There are lots of options on brands (Lowa, Kenetrek, Crispi, Hanwag, etc). Don't expect your whitetail hunting boots to work. Making sure your boots are well broken in and fit correctly will help keep you hunting. Blisters will end your hunt quickly. I like the Lowa Tibets and the Lowa Ticam II boots for hunting in aggressive mountain terrain. Both of these are uninsulated and have worked well down to 0 degree temps with deep snow. Quality merino wool socks are a wise choice too.
Your whitetail hunting clothes typically don't 'breath' well enough for high exertion / hiking. They can work, but they are not ideal for high exertion hiking. Getting soaked from sweat in late October by being bundled up too much can lead to a miserable situation. Mid wt merino wool base layers are what I use and they have worked well. If your budget allows, check out Kuiu, Sitka, First Lite. These are probably the most widely used brands that focus on western mountain hunting.
Physical Conditioning: This is usually the limiting factor for most of us when hunting in the Rockies. The only advise I can give is to be in the best physical condition that you can get in. The altitude is something that you can't prepare for, but you can help yourself by showing up in good physical condition. Your guide / outfitter will most likely work harder for you if you are able to 'get after it' day after day.
The Hunt Backcountry Podcast / website has some good resources to help educate you on the various aspect of western hunting. These guys focus primarily on elk hunting, but a lot of it applies to mule deer.
Good Luck on your hunt.

 

[L.Sherm]

Your gonna get alot of opinions on here for the question you are asking.
Your guide is providing a service I would be asking him the questions your seeking after all he's the one hunting everyday were you will be.

 

[Hand Skills]

Date of the hunt could be helpful

 

[Rick Richard]

You might mention location too since clothing requirements can vary a lot depending on hunting the lower elevations to the higher elevations. Since antelope is mentioned, I think it is lower elevations and I believe the clothes you have for whitetail hunting can be sufficient.

 

[morgaj1]

Date of the hunt could be helpful

Week of October 25th

 

[morgaj1]

You might mention location too since clothing requirements can vary a lot depending on hunting the lower elevations to the higher elevations. Since antelope is mentioned, I think it is lower elevations and I believe the clothes you have for whitetail hunting can be sufficient.

We will be outside of Casper.

 

[Rick Richard]

We will be outside of Casper.

As long as you have clothing that can be worn for active hunting and not bulky, then you will be fine.

 

[RogerPA]

I've learned from 7 or 8 Wyoming combo antelope/mule deer hunts, it can go from 80 degrees one day, to snowing the next. Stuff you can layer is the solution to that. A few things I always now include: knee pads, elbow pads, thin leather gloves, magnifying glass, tweezers, and duck tape. All of the above in an attempt to keep-out and/or remove the endless number of nearly invisible cactus needles that are there waiting for you! Good Luck with your hunt!

 

[mn_hntr]

I've learned from 7 or 8 Wyoming combo antelope/mule deer hunts, it can go from 80 degrees one day, to snowing the next. Stuff you can layer is the solution to that. A few things I always now include: knee pads, elbow pads, thin leather gloves, magnifying glass, tweezers, and duck tape. All of the above in an attempt to keep-out and/or remove the endless number of nearly invisible cactus needles that are there waiting for you! Good Luck with your hunt!

Those cactus thorns are very annoying when shooting prone. Next antelope hunt I go on, I'm planning on knee pads and/or upland game pants.

For inexpensive clothing, I'd recommend keeping an eye on for sales at Eddie Bauer. For the money you can't beat their puffy coats.

 

[morgaj1]

What sort of knee and elbow pads?

 

[Rick Richard]

What sort of knee and elbow pads?

The kind you purchase at Lowe's or Home Depot used for construction workers would be my choice.

 

[hhonker74]

I'll add leather kevlar lined gloves to the cactus avoidance gear. I got mine at a police supply store. Your guide will be the best person for gear suggestions. I usually wear blue jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. I normally hunt the 2nd week of October in southeastern WY.

 

[WeekendWarrior]

Wind will be your biggest problem that time of year. The weather should not be too cold and terrible, you might even have highs in the 60s, but the wind can be pretty bad. At the end of October the nights will get cold though, 20s are not uncommon. When you factor in the wind and consider you will likely be taking last light shots, it can get somewhat brutal.

Wind proof gloves/hat and wind proof jacket/pants, that you can put on when you are sitting still, will help a lot. I usually toss on my rain gear if I am sitting for a long period of time or waiting for an animal to stand up. Its hard to stop shivering once you get going.

Wind aside, you likely wont have much snow. That time of year, the snow usually melts later in the day, so if you do have snow it wont be much and it wont be around for long. A couple weeks later and its a different story, mid November has produced some monster storms recently.

The terrain will not be classic western-mountain rugged. You will encounter a lot of 100-500ft hills, but they can still be dang steep and highly varied. Most of what you will be moving through will be deceptively flat appearing terrain with lots of deep cuts. I like a more flexible boot for this environment. You will likely spot animals 1000 yards away and have to move quickly in a crouched position up a washed out cut to get into position. If you have tall and stiff boot on it can make moving efficiently in this style more difficult.

Camo is fine, but anything in the "flat earth" spectrum of colors is perfect. Everything will be a tan-brownish color where you are going.

A puffy jacket will come in handy too.

A really nice pair of sunglasses as well. The sun can be blinding that time of year.