WY High country Elk-Bowhunting NR

Hello all-

I was getting excited about the possibility of a 2020 bow hunt in WY, as a NR, around Encampment, WY, down near the Colorado border.....away from grizzlies and wolves, and in a general tag zone...and with mountains that are not quite as monstrous as Region G or around Cody.

Low and behold, the 10k? areas I was drawn to are ?wilderness?. I have to imagine most sept elk are in the higher areas of these units, and at a minimum, it appears as though there is limited public areas that are on the fringe of these wilderness areas.

Hunt the fringe and hope elk are in the mid-sections from 6k?-8k??

It baffles me that you can hunt ?wilderness? as a NR in any state other than WY. I realize this is outfitter welfare, but where in the WY mountains exist large expanses of ?high country? that eliminates a NR who chooses DIY?

Even in the southern Bighorns, also away from grizzlies and wolves, the highest areas appear to have large chunks of wilderness.

Hunt the fringe I guess. It's completely messed up.

I say: Let NR hunt the entire unit. Also, WY could increase revenue by making every general unit a bow zone, and let hunters go wherever they want. Set 150-200 tags per general unit for bow only, get these preference points used up, make mandatory harvest reporting, build revenue, open access, and bring money into the state during sept. Start small and close the bow season 9/24. Give it a week break until the 10/1 regular season opens

I think most Wyoming residents agree the NR wilderness restriction is bogus.

I haven't hunted that corner of the state in 30 years, but wouldn't worry about the elk all being up high. They may be at any elevation. Look for water and thick timber (particularly if it is warm). Look for little patches that don't look like they get any action. Remember most of the hunters won't get more than a mile from the road. Cover a lot of ground until you find sign and then slow way down and glass and still hunt. If you run into any sheep herders and can get past communications problems (seriously, carry a pic of an elk and a topographical map of the area) they can be gold. They know where any type of animal is up there. The Sierra Madres are big, beautiful, and wild. Enjoy it.

BTW, you probably won't run into grizzlies down there, but don't assume no wolves. There were wolves in the Snowy Range when I was hunting it.

LAST EDITED ON Aug-25-19 AT 07:00PM (MST)[p]If you are letting the fact you can't hunt wilderness in the Sierras, the Snowys or anywhere else for that matter, prevent you from going there, you obviously haven't hunted in Wyoming before.

...or you're simply a "half-empty" kind of guy.

Let me get this straight your worried about hunting around grizz and wolf but think is bull$hit you cant hunt wilderness?

Come on a Jeff, you know all the elk stay in either wilderness or areas over run with grizz and wolves. The only bull in a gen area outside a wilderness area is the one I kill every year.

WOW....non residents can't hunt wilderness in Wyoming alone???......that's breaking news......

>Come on a Jeff, you know
>all the elk stay in
>either wilderness or areas over
>run with grizz and wolves.
>The only bull in a
>gen area outside a wilderness
>area is the one I
>kill every year.

Ha!

I've got four years worth of hunting in that area. Trust me as a non-resident I'm not gonna ##### about the lack of ground around Encampment. There is plenty to hunt in that unit. Seen a wolf 2 years ago closer to Pearl on the Colorado Side.

I hunted that country for 20 years. There are a ton of elk outside wilderness. It's a BS law, but isn't the end of the world in the Madres. I hunted both in and out of wilderness, but 90% of my "honey holes" were out. patterns changed a little with all the beetle kill, but there are still a ton of elk in that country.