Your Wyoming Experience?

[SilkOnTheDrySide]

So I've started to look into Wyoming for deer/prong/elk.

I'm going to be putting in for points this July when the preference tags only open up.

My questions aren't necessarily about units, I can read harvest reports as well as anyone   (Though I won't turn down free information)

My question revolves around your experiences on public versus private (landowner) tags.  I haven't found in my searching if there is a website that lists landowners, if this is done privately, ect.  Or if you are of the mindset that public land is just as successful as private. 

**This question is more in regards to Pronghorn. 

I'm thinking I'll start applying after next year.

[MuleDeerCrazy]

There are chunks of public land over there, especially for antelope, that are so big you can't hunt the whole thing in a week!  I sure wouldn't get hung up on worrying about getting access to private.

[Bean Counter]

I thought about starting the points accumulation game for.several states this year, including WY. It sounds like they not only jacked up.fees but also started  screwing over NRs. I heard of lots of ppl giving up. I will likely just save up and take my money overseas.

[link]

Not quite sure what you're talking about, being screwed over??? You must have spelled it wrong, not WY, its WA. Talk about screwing over non residents. Who in their right mind would purchase license/tags/permits for WA as a non resident?
Holy *censored*, just look at how much it would be just for the permit apps.

[Bob33]

There's plenty of public land in Wyoming, with plenty of antelope on it. 

[deleted BGS]

I will let you know how it goes, i applied for antelope and deer with 2 points each. The areas im going to have otc tags so hopefully if I dont get drawn I can still get a tag.

[Bigshooter]

I thought about starting the points accumulation game for.several states this year, including WY. It sounds like they not only jacked up.fees but also started  screwing over NRs. I heard of lots of ppl giving up. I will likely just save up and take my money overseas.

I dont know who you have been talking to. But you are getting some bad information.

[JLS]

 

[Craig]

If I could afford to hunt antelope in Wyoming every year I would. Awesome hunt. Lots of public land in the area we hunted.

[Bean Counter]

I thought about starting the points accumulation game for.several states this year, including WY. It sounds like they not only jacked up.fees but also started  screwing over NRs. I heard of lots of ppl giving up. I will likely just save up and take my money overseas.

I dont know who you have been talking to. But you are getting some bad information.

Well I looked into it this year and you basically have to pay up to $100 per species for more than 10 years to make some draws--then you have to pay the cost of the tag once you're finally drawn. If I understand correct the points used to cost much less.

If they're going to play all these kinds of games then I might as well take my money overseas. Something I once thought I'd never do out of preference to keeping vacation money in the U.S. on principle.

[Bean Counter]

Not quite sure what you're talking about, being screwed over??? You must have spelled it wrong, not WY, its WA. Talk about screwing over non residents. Who in their right mind would purchase license/tags/permits for WA as a non resident?Holy *censored*, just look at how much it would be just for the permit apps.

Well I sure do. $500 for an elk tag is still cheaper than what it costs to hunt in many other western states--and it doesn't cost my years of time and money of playing the points game. If the WDFW is going to be dumb enough to sell OTC tags even to non residents then I will continue to buy them until the wolves spread to the private properties where I have access to hunt.

[link]

Sure, a WY general elk tag may cost a little more than a NR elk tag here, and you may be only able to get one every couple of years, but there is absolutely no comparison in the quality of the hunt. The cost is not that much more. It is like comparing buying a Steak sandwich for $10, or a dog turd sandwich for $5. I think i'll pay the extra five bucks! You can have the turd sandwich!

[JohnVH]

It is like comparing buying a Steak sandwich for $10, or a dog turd sandwich for $5. I think i'll pay the extra five bucks! You can have the turd sandwich!

HAHAHA funny

Only hunted antelope in Wy, but it was so easy, and fun, Id do it every year if we would always get drawn.

[JLS]

Sure, a WY general elk tag may cost a little more than a NR elk tag here, and you may be only able to get one every couple of years, but there is absolutely no comparison in the quality of the hunt. The cost is not that much more. It is like comparing buying a Steak sandwich for $10, or a dog turd sandwich for $5. I think i'll pay the extra five bucks! You can have the turd sandwich!

I think to make that across the board statement is a little bit of a reach.  WA may not offer all of the opportunities that WY does, but there are certain and specific opportunities that are very good.

[Gringo31]

I'll make this general statement which some may disagree with.

In General, the folks of Wyoming could care less about antelope.  The ones I've talked to are happy as hell if you have doe/fawn tags.  But, when it comes to deer and elk, they are pretty proud of them and the ground they are standing on if private.   

[Bigshooter]

Antelope pt $30
Deer pt $40
Elk pt $50
You can draw almost half the antelope units in the state with no pts. With 4pts theres only about 10 units in the whole state you can't draw.
with 2 deer pts you can draw any general region tag in the state.
With 2 elk points you can draw the genral season tag.
Deer tags are cheap. And antelope and elk tags are about the same as most states.

[Bean Counter]

Lol ok so maybe read the wrong catalogue 

I may think it over before July.

[washingtonmuley]

DIY antelope. Awesome!!!

[link]

Sure, a WY general elk tag may cost a little more than a NR elk tag here, and you may be only able to get one every couple of years, but there is absolutely no comparison in the quality of the hunt. The cost is not that much more. It is like comparing buying a Steak sandwich for $10, or a dog turd sandwich for $5. I think i'll pay the extra five bucks! You can have the turd sandwich!

I think to make that across the board statement is a little bit of a reach.  WA may not offer all of the opportunities that WY does, but there are certain and specific opportunities that are very good.

I don't think it is a reach at all. Comparing a WA general elk tag to a WY general elk tag. Sure there are permit hunts here in WA that may be a better hunt than a general tag in WY, but there is no contest when it comes to general tags.

[JLS]

My bad, in my speed reading I did not see that you were specifically referring to elk.  I was thinking in terms of elk and deer.  Just for elk, I would agree with you.

[6x6in6]

I thought about starting the points accumulation game for.several states this year, including WY. It sounds like they not only jacked up.fees but also started  screwing over NRs. I heard of lots of ppl giving up. I will likely just save up and take my money overseas.

I dont know who you have been talking to. But you are getting some bad information.

[6x6in6]

Antelope pt $30
Deer pt $40
Elk pt $50
You can draw almost half the antelope units in the state with no pts. With 4pts theres only about 10you units in the whole state you can't draw.
with 2 deeer pts you can draw any general region tag in the state.
With 2 elk points you can draw the genral season tag.
Deer tags are cheap. And antelope and elk tags are about the same as most states.

Great, just go ahead and let the cat out of the bag.   

[SilkOnTheDrySide]

Have any of you hunted Antelope Area's 88,89,93?  Please PM me if you have.  I have some questions.

[Alaskan]

I put in for an archery elk tag this year with one point and got it. It's a sleeper unit, but we will see what happens. Saw the pictures from last year and the bulls were pretty sweet!

I was hesitant about Wyoming, but did some research and I'm hoping it pays off.

[Halo]

In Wyoming I currently have 4 points for Antelope and have hunted them there 3 times, in unit 64 twice and in 32 once and bave gotten 3 decent bucks. I have 3 elk points and have hunted elk in unit 30 twice, once for cows, mostly a scouting mission for the eventual bull tag, and once for bulls. I ended up with a decent 6x6 bull. I have no deer points now because I hunted unit 102 last year. I came home empty handed but I did pass alot of bucks. Due to winter kill etc. that unit is just not what it once was. All these hunts were public land hunts and antelope area 32 is the only area where private property was even an issue at all. I have 11 points each for moose & sheep and was drawn this year for bison the first year I applied. Wyoming has been good to me and I love to hunt there. I feel I get more for my hunting dollar in Wyoming than in Washington with the current prices, although that $2500 non-resident bison tag is a bit hard to swallow. Wyoming & Colorado are about the only states I would consider starting to build points in if I did'nt already have a bunch of points built up. Maybe Nevada if I was feeling wealthy, patient & lucky.

[SkookumHntr]

-How is the hunting around gillete wyoming?? My cousin just got a job there and starting to get things figured out. Im not able to hunt there this year do to hunts already planned but gunna buy my points and hope to hunt in the next year or 2 if I can draw a tag..

[lokidog]

Gillette is a good area for antelope and deer.  Not sure about public land access.  I hunted public land south of there in 1988 or so for antelope DIY, got one the second day, though I wasn't being picky as it was the second or third week of the season when I was able to get there.  Hunted again in 2001 with a guide,  my mom and I both got decent mulies and she got a real nice antelope.  Same year, my ex was able to get private land access for antelope just by asking.  She was a putz in the woods/field but still managed to get one.

I'd like to get back there again someday.

[SkookumHntr]

Can you do a deer/antelope combo hunt?

[JLS]

Can you do a deer/antelope combo hunt?

They are separate drawings, if that's what you're asking.  There are plenty of deer and antelope in the same areas around Gilette, and you probably don't need points if at all to draw, depending on the unit.  Not too much public access in that area, so tags are easier to get.

[SkookumHntr]

-Im just starting on research, I dont know anything about how the draw works, the area or anything but you gotta start somewhere haha! Sounds like a guy can with acouple points draw a deer tag or lope pretty easy..But what I ment is are the seasons the same dates or overlap at all where a guy can hunt both if he draws both?

[JPhelps]

There are many lope and deer hunts that overlap.  I am going to wait until I have 5 points for both and do just that.