Wyoming public land hunt

[Bushwhacker]

Just knowing what area to apply for seems to be the biggest challenge this point. I don’t know the area and definitely don’t now what areas to apply for. We want a area that will give us good chance of getting drawn while still having a pretty good chance of filling those tags. I’m not afraid of hiking a long way in and don’t have any interest in road hunting.

Sadly, a lot of people (mostly out of staters) are primarily road hunters. You'll see ton of those lazy "hunters". Are you looking to fill tags or are you looking for the best trophy potential areas?

Check resources like gohunt.com or Eastman's hunting journal. People don't want to spend $50-$150 pay for research but will spend thousands of dollars on hunting and traveling 3000 miles.

 

[kc30121]

Mainly looking for tags and the experience. I will put in the work and find the animals once we have the tags. Don’t care about the trophy. If I wanted that I would hire a guide.

 

[Bushwhacker]

Tags aren't a guarantee, especially in the top areas. Pronghorn tags are usually per easy to draw. Here are 3 deer i killed and a couple antelope. One deer and one antelope were public land. The rest were DIY on private land. Dont be afraid to stop and ask a rancher if you can pay a trespass fee to hunt. Lots of private land is accessible if you're willing to spend a little $$. Good luck, its worth the experience alone!!

 

[kc30121]

Tags aren't a guarantee, especially in the top areas. Pronghorn tags are usually per easy to draw. Here are 3 deer i killed and a couple antelope. One deer and one antelope were public land. The rest were DIY on private land. Dont be afraid to stop and ask a rancher if you can pay a trespass fee to hunt. Lots of private land is accessible if you're willing to spend a little $$. Good luck, its worth the experience alone!! View attachment 2948415 View attachment 2948419 View attachment 2948420 View attachment 2948421 View attachment 2948423

How do I know where to start? I mean which areas do I apply for? It’s a large state and I have no idea where to begin.

 

[Bushwhacker]

How do I know where to start? I mean which areas do I apply for? It’s a large state and I have no idea where to begin.

Do you have a specific area you are wanting to go? You mentioned SW Wyoming. Will you be primitive camping, towing a camper, staying in a hotel?

 

[kc30121]

I was just going off what I read somewhere. I have no specific areas to target. Heck I don’t even know where to begin lol. Just been reading up on stuff online and most is really confusing. Yes I want to camp and don’t really care about being in a “trophy” area. I just want to see some animals and don’t mind hiking in a few miles. Mainly looking for somewhere to start. What areas/zones to apply to? What license to get as I’m reading there is a few different ones you can get. Mainly want antelope but mule deer is a plus also. We aren’t really locked in Wyoming either. I hear Colorado is good also

 

[Falcon1]

I’d say start by looking at draw rates for tags. Some zones may be OTC and some zero point draws. If you are looking to go within the next year those will be your best bet. From there you can narrow down a geographical region and decide if you are going to setup base camp and maybe pick a few spike camp locations.

 

[Usmc6174]

You need to subscribe to gohunt like others have suggested. Also check your season dates , last I checked in Wyoming the last two weeks in oct line up for mule deer and antelope. So you're looking at going during a pretty cold time of the year. The south east section of the state has antelope in the parking lot of cheyenne starbucks, but very little public. The mule deer in the north west potion of the state are historically awesome, and quite well catalogued and recorded. If you don't draw in 2021 make sure you buy your preference points, as they no longer award them to you for missed draws. I hunt, wyoming, Oregon, colorado and idaho public land pretty regularly. I've learned that an archery tag and seasons are typically easier to draw in MOST decent units. If you're looking for mule deer otc I'd suggest idaho if tags haven't sold out already. They sold out last year by January. It's a long drive but I'd recommend driving so if you are successful you aren't dealing with meat shipping or trying to fly with a 100lb cooler, the antelope you can eat part of it there and bone it out and fly it back in a soft side cooler. With taking your own rig you're more mobil, which helps when the spots that looked good to you on a map are filled with guys who thought the same. East facing slopes, previous burns, and north facing slopes is where I spend my time looking for mulies and elk. This is where ONX comes in. Gohunt and onx are like my right and left hunting boot, don't start the season with out time in either. I'd suggest focusing on one animal, antelope for your first western hunt. There is tons of pressure but also tons of antelope. Tags are easier to draw and the locals will point you in a good direction most of the time if you ask. Gohunt and onx .....worth the money.

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