LAST EDITED ON Nov-04-18 AT 05:40PM (MST)[p]As a resident, I don't know the draw odds options you have. That said, here is a little food for thought....
I don't know that an area exists that can guarantee you a 340+ bull, especially when you add your criteria of DYI hunt. If you can put the time in to learn an area, learn the elk, then possibly.
You mentioned your willingness to work for it using horses or packing in. If that's real, your on the right track.
Most areas in Wyoming have some 340? bulls running around in them. Some just have more than others.
All that said, let's assume your willing to work for it and spend some time on the ground learning about an area, I would think you have a better chance at connecting on a 340 bull by putting in for an area that only needs 2 or three points. At this point in the game you would have hunted that area 3 or 4 times by now. Those hunting experiences would have given you much better knowledge on the area and how the animals react during hunting season. You might be going home with smaller bulls up to this point, but on your forth or fifth attempt of serious hunting you have a better chance of killing that 340+ bull on you own then you would putting in for an area requiring max points.
One more thing to consider, these forms put a false sense of area success out there. I don't know what the actual statistics are but I would be willing to bet that 80% to 90% of the non-residents hunting max unit areas dyi, go home with something smaller then 340? elk.
One more thing to ponder. Is the score really what matters to you? Say you've busted your butt hunting an area, gave it all you had to give, and walk away with a nice five point. That five was the best bull you found throughout all your hard work. That sounds like one hell of a better hunting memory to me then driving into a tall fence and killing a 400? + bull. I used extremes in that example just to drive home the point. I would be much prouder to share the story of my nice five point then my ranch bull that took no real effort on my part.
Again, just my 2-cents so take it with a grain of salt.
