Wyoming Hunt Advice

[Twoevilfouryou]

Take everything weather changes quickly, also watch for the small cactus in **** near every bush when you are crawling.
Also be aware of where you are at all times. Property boundaries and private roads are a nightmare, we hunted Casper and Medicine bow, will never go back to Casper, locals were confrontational and abusive, apparently they check out your license plate and treat non locals like crap. medicine bow was the exact opposite, amazing people and game management.
Honestly it was the hardest state to hunt in.

 

[dougduey]

What sort of knee and elbow pads?

Go to an Army/Navy surplus store and find a pair of the military knee pads. I got mine there and they work great.

 

[RYEWSKY25284]

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.

First of all congratulations on getting drawn.
Dress in layers. Wyoming can have WILD swings in the weather....I've seen it 100 at noon and below zero at sunset. "no kidding"
If your guide is good at his job, he'll be doing all he can to get you fairly close shots. While we all know it's not always possible, I'm sure that's his goal.
Antelope hunting is funny. I've taken them from 35yds out to over 1000. And they are easy to kill.
Now, you mentioned being in a stand ! ? Hmm... That sounds like a Texas hunting.
Can't give any advise on this. 1st I've heard of tree stand hunting in Wyoming.
Maybe one of the other members can fill us in here.
Let us know how it goes.

Have a great, safe hunt.

 

[esshup]

Leather, not cloth/Goretex boots, cactus spines will penetrate cloth boots easily. Knee pads are the plastic ones, not the cloth/padded cloth ones. There is cactus that grows about 1/2" high and spreads out, you won't notice it until you feel the spines. I actually took a shooting mat out there and it worked fine, although I have to be careful now when I use it, as the "down" side has cactus spines in it.

No lie on the wind. My last hunt there on opening day the antelope would allow us to get within 300-400 yds then they'd run off and stop. This was hunting private ground. Bring good glass, binoculars/spotting scope so you can look for them a LONG ways off.

My cousin lives in Casper, it's about as high elevation wise as Denver, Co, so get in shape to hike - the air is a wee bit thinner there then 'bama.

 

[Les in Wyoming]

I live just outside Casper (Glenrock). Would like to meet you when you come out this way. I can help you with any up to date weather questions and info on territory if you need it. I don't know how to use the private message system on this forum, but if you send me a pm I will give you my phone and email.

 

[DRock]

I have been on two guided Wyoming deer hunts-- one in late September and one in early October. I can tell you without a doubt the most valuable gear I had was my rain gear. I spent the entire 5 days on the first hunt in an early snowstorm and the second hunt rained every single day. I lived in my raingear on both hunts and good gaiters also saved my boots from getting wet. I would recommend something high end and durable like the Kuiu Yukon series. If you are hunting deer in the same country as antelope you will be at lower elevations and have less risk of severe weather but good rain gear can make you very comfortable in miserable conditions. Also good optics really help because you will likely be glassing much further than you are used to tree stand hunting. I use 15x binos when I hunt pronghorn but most likely your guide will have them as well as a spotting scope. So good 10x binos will likely be enough but I'd take the best you can afford.

Congrats on drawing the tags-- Wyoming is God's country so enjoy the experience.

 

[RAGGED EDGE]

If your guide's worth his salt he'll keep you out of harm's way with regard to private property. The reason locals are so confrontational is because they put up with an awful lot of crap from do-it-yourselfers who seem to think a hunting license gives you carte blanche to run all over the place with no regard for anything or anybody. Hopefully you will have a great time and success.

 

[crazyhorse]

Hunted Antelope in WY last year covering the same dates you mentioned. It was a DIY hunt so we camped and hunted from there each day. Temps were really nice getting around 65-70 during the day and falling to upper 20's low 30's at night. Good socks (merino) and boots ( I use Salomon hikers) are a must, along with breathable layers that can be added or removed without trouble.
The lack of humidity is amazing for us easterners and makes a big difference in how you need to hydrate and dress. The temps would be around 70 until the sun started going down and it cools off REALLY fast with no humidity to hold the temps.

I have a good friend who lives in Lander and we try to swap hunts as often as possible. I was asking him about clothing and camo and he says the best camo for antelope is Wranglers and a pearl snap since the ranchers ride around them every day without much drama . Turns out he was 100% correct! They were moving cattle off BLM land for the winter and antelope were everywhere in the middle of their efforts!

 

[Kaptoe]

Lots of good stuff here. Keep practicing shooting from different positions. Living in Colorado and hunting 8k and up elevations the 5k terrain of Wyoming is pretty mild. Per other posters it will still be a big step up from SE whitetail hunting. Not knowing anything about your rifle set up if you are taking a flat shooting caliber consider a 300 yard zero. That was good advice I first got from a Wyoming guide. For me, with an sfp reticle, I could hold on animal regardless of magnification to 450 yards which will cover a high percentage of shooting situations and give you one less thing to take time on in a brief encounter. Have fun, my son and I go week before thanksgiving

 

[nksmfamjp]

Wow! Lots of advice here.

First boots. Your primary difference between whitetail eastern hunting and western hunting is the distance walked and the off angle walking. I like tall Gore Tex boots from Danner. You don't need $400 boots, but they can be more comfortable. I have hunted fine in $65 boots. Extra socks are nice.

Clothing….out east, a guy can sit in rain for days. Out West, this is much less common. More common is wide temp range, extreme winds and snow. I wear a waterproof/breathable outer layer and mid weight long underwear as my base layer. My mid layers vary from t shirt, t shirt and thin shorts through light fleece top/bottoms. My cold weather plan is adding a heavy fleece coat on top with hood, but still under the outer layer.

Get a good orange camo vest. I can't say enough good about what Game Hide sells.

Sneaker Vest | Big Game Hunting | Blaze Orange | Gamehide | 201

This blaze orange hunting vest is loaded with features and will work over heavy jackets or light weight sweatshirts. Blaze or Blaze Orange Camo.

gamehide.com

Your position practice sounds good. Prone is handy, but often too low to shoot over tall grasses. Make sure you master sitting and shooting off a tripod, steady sticks, pack frame, etc. A cuff sling can help, IME.

Optics…you may want to invest in slightly better binos/spotter, but the guide should be doing most of this.

Rifle….I'm guessing you considered this. You don't need you be able to shoot over 400 yds to kill game out west. If you want to, that is great. What you do need is to know what distance/conditions you are 100% in. Tell your guide that. Ideally shoot some steel onsite before hunting to confirm ballistics.

 

[TxHeartShot]

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.

WTH??? Blue jeans and hooded sweatshirt??? Everyone knows you can't kill anything unless you have the latest and greatest camo clothing and pattern! Even camo underwear in case a mulie walks up while you're poopin'.

I'm pretty sure Kuiu, First Lite and Kryptek WILL NOT be sending you Christmas cards.

 

[Gcan]

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.

Wow. Perfect. I agree wholeheartedly. I might add that I usually wore camouflaged perforated Heavy Tee shirt under garments under heavier stand hunting garb.

 

[Sneuses]

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.

Sir that is painful question to ask, I took a bank note for some of my Sitka stuff. I have a guided hunt going in Montana the same week. The question might be wise to ask him is what elevation (tree line above or below) that dictates pattern. My guide told me about people coming out with brand new boots and the blisters that went with them. So some staunch hikers broke in of course. Wet weather gear

 

[Tom Wright]

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.

I have been on 3 antelope ok hunts with my 4th in eastern WY this mid Oct. Antelope hunting for most guides is a modified safari style where you do a lot of driving to spot a good buck, and then you push to get as close as possible for a shot. Be capable of making a 350-400 yd shot.

Mule deer hunting can also involve a great deal of driving and glassing, and sitting and glassing. Typically it will burn more shoe leather than antelope hunting.

The weather will be interesting. Last year Eastern WY had 10" of snow the last week of Sept.;then on my antelope hunt the first full week of Oct, it was in the 70s every day. A few things to mention— don't plan on crawling without knee and elbow pads and good leather gloves—cactus and thorns. I've brought a bipod every time and always have taken it off the lessen the weight, and because terrain and brush pretty much prohibit their use. I'll haul one along again this year, but it'll be in the case and not on the gun when I start out. Have a day pack into which you can roll up a jacket for a rest on a boulder, or get a blow up pillow to do the same if needed. Temps can be 25-85, with usually lot of wind. Accurate/dependable range finder is a must with an extra set of batteries. Most WY ranches are a ways from town, so bring what you need. Find out if there is a processor near by and if they are providing full service. Last year Covid caused a bunch to limit operations or the businesses closed down permanently.

It's been near drought conditions this year in most of the state, so have canteens and plenty of water and sun screen. Water sources may be where you'll have to concentrate your hunting, which will change the game plan tremendously. Ask the outfitter if they will have blinds near water sources if needed. If not, and you own one, bring it and chairs.