Wyo elk application question

[searcher]

I was wondering if anyone out there would tell me between area 21, 15, and 110 which area would have the most elk. I am thinking about applying for a cow elk tag in one of these areas. I have never killed an elk but have been close to them a few times while deer hunting and figured I might give it a try this year. I have seen a few in area 15 near Jack Creek and last year I could hear elk but never saw them while deer hunting in 110. If anyone has any suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated. I'm not asking for anyone's honey hole. I just need a few tips to get started in the right direction. I've never hunted in 14 or 13 but am open to suggestions on these areas too. I'm a non-resident so I have to get my application in by next week.

thanks

Searcher

 

[saminwy]

i dont know 21, and haven't spent much time in 15. 110 holds alot of elk, but much of it tends to be crowded. 13+14 is the area i hunt, and there are plenty of elk, though if they feel like hiding, theres some miserable holes to get them out of. if you put in for 13 or 14 let me know, and i'll give you whatever advice i can. i think 110, 14 and maybe 13 are just about a 100% chance of drawing for cow tags. not sure about the others. anything else, feel free to ask.

 

[HerbD]

Do you live in Encampment by chance? Nice area! You wouldn't happen to know if Encampment has a campground/trailer park with all the hook-ups?

I have hunted area 21, spending a month camped out around Savery, it has elk but I think the hunters outnumber them by far. I couldn't believe the number of people camped everywhere and the number of four-wheelers buzzing around. There were even more four-wheelers this year than last year.

If I draw a general tag again, I might look around for spots away from the hordes ? if there are any!

 

[saminwy]

no, i'm in laramie. spend most of my free time around riverside/encampment though. theres a really nice campground in riverside called lazy acres. full hookups, cheap rates and beautiful spot. yeah, the baggs/savery side of the madres was mentioned as a big mulie spot a few years ago in a magazine and has been a zoo ever since. the 4 wheelers are going to be a problem anywhere they can get to. do have to much problem with them in elk area 14, especially east of the river. what isn't wilderness is pretty much roadless, and too steep to make you own. about the only place they could go is down the ridges, and they're open enough that they are taking a big risk at getting caught. free "back country tune ups" are pretty common when they do stray from the roads.

 

[searcher]

Sam

Thanks for the reply and info. I am leaning toward 15 since I have been in it a couple of times but if you are willing to give info on 13 or 14 please send it to me and I would truely appreciate it. From your post above I gather that 14 might be pretty rough. How far would a person have to pack one out (from inside 14?) Sounds like there might not bee too much access. I've never killed an elk and have been thinking I might as well carry an elk tag while I am deer hunting.

Thanks again

Searcher

 

[saminwy]

i think if i were going to choose, i'd pick 15 over 110-mainly because i think it's probably easier to get away from the crowds. i will be up in that coutry quite a bit over the summer, so i could probably do some scouting for you. i spend alot of weekends in saratoga in the summer, so its all pretty close.

 

[WapitiBob]

Anybody been in 7 during the archery season?

 

[HerbD]

?A zoo? those were the exact words I always used to describe the hunting from Battle Mountain on up to the divide in area 21.

I met the rancher?s son whose trophy mulie made the front cover of Eastman?s Journal a few years back. That might be the same article you were mentioning.

Love it whenever I hear about those ?free back country tune-ups?! The first time I heard about them was up in Pinedale 4 years ago. A guy told me how they nearly dismantled the engine of a four-wheeler that was where he wasn?t supposed to be. I just wished that word would get around a little better as I've had several hunts ruined by clowns going off-road or trespassing with them. I'm not totally against them, but in my book they should be used for retrieval only, when going off-road.

Lazy Acres sounds like a good possibility as a new base of operations for me. I'll have to find out how busy they are during deer and elk season. Thanks for the info.

 

[saminwy]

its a great place to hunt out of. they've got showers that feel really good after a hard day-i never use the one in my MH when i stay there. judy and larry, the couple that run it are great. also have laundry machines. they are fairly busy during hunting season, but you can usually get a space, or make reservation a a little in advance and you should be set they also have some rental cabins.

they are closedforthe winter but heres the number 307 327 5968.

also as a sidenote to anyone on here that hunts that area-dont plan on using encampment meats. game and fish just had to go in and haul off 60+ rotting carcasses-mostly elk, some no more than field dressed. apparently the guy that runs it is nowhere to be found, and the office area had been set on fire at some point, but didn't take off.

 

[searcher]

Sam:

Thanks again for the info. I truely appreciate it.

Sorry to hear about Encampment Meats. 4 of us used it last October for the first time and our meat (deer and antelope) turned out fine. I'm not sure which one was the owner but the people working there who we talked to all seemed nice enough and were plenty helpful. They even stayed late one night so we could pick up our meat at 10PM and hit the road for home. I did think the prices were a little high compared to other processors I have used in WY but they were the most convenient.

Searcher

 

[saminwy]

i've never had them cut anything, but we've hung alot of stuff in there locker over the years. hopefully someone will get it back open, theres a bit of a shortage of locker room around there as it is.

 

[HerbD]

Too bad about Encampment Meats. I almost took my animal there but chose Baggs instead.

All those hunters that lost their meat!

That already happened to me once in Montana when the butcher "lost" my deer and I sure wouldn't want that experience again.

Thanks for the info.

 

[DonV]

WW buddy hunted 7 bow for a little bit 2004, bad experiance with LO, said there were lots of elk but LO used an ATV to keep them on his property! Literally chasing them off public area. Regs show it is difficult public access FYI. He saw lots of elk and good bulls though.

 

[saminwy]

7 is a sleeper. actually holds the biggest bulls in the state. the difficult access makes it a pain to hunt, and probs with landowners are common. if i was gonna pick a spot in wyoming to hunt 400" bulls, its the peak. while i doubt you'll read about it anywhere, i have heard there were 2 over 400 this year, and i know of 1 about 420 last year.