I drew my first Wyoming deer tag and am curious what terrain you guys that are familiar with the state would focus on. I've got two main areas I'm narrowing down to but they are quite a ways apart so I think it would be smart to pick one and stick to it for the duration of the hunt. Would you choose rolling sage hills that are very open to glassing or a steeper foothill to a larger range with pine / oak / aspens that is also still fairly glassable country? I have a general tag so it is early in the season but I'm sure there will be lots of pressure. Looking forward to hearing some feedback from you guys that are experienced in this state.
Where would you hunt?
- Thread starter BowHuntAZ
- Start date
LAST EDITED ON Jul-20-18 AT 01:15PM (MST)[p]Hoping to hear some input from experienced Wyoming hunters. In my first post I intentionally did not post the region or unit that I'm planning on hunting to show that I'm not searching for hunting spots.
I am interested in knowing which type of terrain, elevation, feed, etc. that I will have the best chance at locating good bucks in for this early season hunt. Thanks in advance for any knowledge you all wouldn't mind sharing with me.
I am interested in knowing which type of terrain, elevation, feed, etc. that I will have the best chance at locating good bucks in for this early season hunt. Thanks in advance for any knowledge you all wouldn't mind sharing with me.
Blank
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When are you planning to come up to hunt? Are you staying the entire season or just a select portion? Are you going to bow hunt like your screen name suggests, or packing a rifle?
Region E includes the general hunt in Unit 128 at Dubois. Oct. 1st-15th. There is so much country in there that you can range from creek bottom to 9400 feet in a matter of just a couple miles. You could catch a bunch migrating off the tops or back mountains. The late hunt opens on Nov. 1st in the unit and there is the chance of some good ones moving in and out of the Reservation. You have local whitetails too, and there will already be hundreds of deer down on the hayfields by then also.
Depends a little on the weather. I would look around in the Brooks Lake area, Horse Creek or Union Pass in the forests, and then come down to the badlands and canyons north and east of the area leading into the East Fork the 10th-15th.
Region E includes the general hunt in Unit 128 at Dubois. Oct. 1st-15th. There is so much country in there that you can range from creek bottom to 9400 feet in a matter of just a couple miles. You could catch a bunch migrating off the tops or back mountains. The late hunt opens on Nov. 1st in the unit and there is the chance of some good ones moving in and out of the Reservation. You have local whitetails too, and there will already be hundreds of deer down on the hayfields by then also.
Depends a little on the weather. I would look around in the Brooks Lake area, Horse Creek or Union Pass in the forests, and then come down to the badlands and canyons north and east of the area leading into the East Fork the 10th-15th.
Blank - Thank you for the info. This is exactly the type of input I'm looking for. I plan on hunting the rifle hunt the first week of October. I'm coming from Arizona and the deer don't migrate much in most of our units here so your migration patterns are new to me. I am reading as many books as I can get my hands on to expand my knowledge but local input is always priceless.
Will the badlands hold deer year round or only if pushed by snow? Do they tend to get pushed by other hunters up to higher elevation? I'd like to get an opening weekend game plan with a couple core areas within a few miles of each other then have secondary / backup spots to go when they get pressured.
Not going to get caught up on score as I'm sure you can't be too picky on a general tag. I'm holding out for at least a mature buck.
Thanks again Blank!
Will the badlands hold deer year round or only if pushed by snow? Do they tend to get pushed by other hunters up to higher elevation? I'd like to get an opening weekend game plan with a couple core areas within a few miles of each other then have secondary / backup spots to go when they get pressured.
Not going to get caught up on score as I'm sure you can't be too picky on a general tag. I'm holding out for at least a mature buck.
Thanks again Blank!
After more research I am now leaning towards the later starting hunts that begin on Oct. 15th to give me more options. Will Green Mtn be an absolute zoo or is there still a chance to get away from the crowds if I hike in away from roads? I've got a couple of good looking glassing points picked out but am still narrowing down a core area to base camp.
Following up on this hunt, we got back last week and were successful! Thank you to everyone that offered advice even though I didn't necessarily use it. Being an Arizona native I am not comfortable juggling around private lands and don't see it being as fun (to me) as getting out into the larger tracts of public lands. So I ended up hunting an area with minimal private lands and into country with terrain more familiar to what I'm used to. We had a cold snap move in on us the day before opener that brought snow, wind and very low temps. Once again, being from AZ this is not normal weather for me but made the best of it and enjoyed getting out there. My wife tagged along and she ended up finding a decent elk shed on Sunday, but with the high winds the animals weren't moving much and we didn't see any deer. Opening day, Monday came and I glassed up a few bucks a couple ridges away feeding into the dark timber and over the next ridge and out of sight so nothing came of that. Tuesday morning I moved to another area and right at sunrise I glassed up 3 bucks together and was fortunate to take the largest one in the herd. Of course I shot him at the bottom of the foothills and my truck was parked a mile away up in the mountains. That made the solo pack up and out quite the chore but it was worth it! It was a great trip and can't wait to come back to Wyoming.
Soccerdude
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That's an awesome buck. Thanks for rice write up. I am going to send you a PM.
PleaseDear
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You did just fine!
congrats
Robb
congrats
Robb
BradA
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bonepicker
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This is what I love to see on MM, somebody getting general help and advice months in advance, (not begging for a years of scouting intel 5 days before the hunt) and then putting in alot of work and being rewarded for it. Awesome buck! Thanks for letting us all in on your adventure!
Onelegwonder
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Appreciate the update! Way to go.
Sitka_Lover
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If it were me, I would move and glass all day long. Don't narrow it down to anything. The more country the better.
If you plan on going for a hike, I would stay away from heavy timber. But again, don't waste time at one spot. Glass it over pretty good, don't see anything, keep on truckin.
If you plan on going for a hike, I would stay away from heavy timber. But again, don't waste time at one spot. Glass it over pretty good, don't see anything, keep on truckin.
Wyoming Hunting Guides & Outfitters
Urge 2 Hunt
We focus on trophy elk, mule deer, antelope and moose hunts and take B&C bucks most years.
