Best Buck Buck Unit in WY

[tracker12]

When I was out in WY this past fall on my antelope hunt we visited a taxidermist and he had some studs to mount. One was his own that he shot during a late season hunt. What unit has traditionally produced the biggest bucks? Is it useally a late season hunt.

 

[Whiterock]

The taxidermy shops are a good place to start asking.They hear alot from hunters.
Also start calling game biologists.Have a list of questions ready.most are very knowlegable and eager to help.

 

[nfh]

looking for a muley or a whitetail. there are big muleys anywhere you go. its just taking that time to go the extra mile and scouting them out. whitetails would be looking for riverbottom land.

i work in sheridan and there are tons of big mule deer but there is a lot of private land. the bighorn mountains are full of road hunters. but like i said going that extra mile you will find them. heck out in boonies when im out riding my horses in the winter i come across some huge mule deer that many people would love to tag. my heart is in whietails i have no intrest in mule deer.

are you looking into using as guide service. like i said the biggest key is getting out here and scouting...just my 2 cents

 

[tracker12]

Looking for Muley. Actually, I was wondering what traditionally has been the best hunt in WY. I guess you can figure that out by looking at what area has the hardest odds at drawing.

 

[ICMDEER]

Most people would say 102, 128 or 82. But the taxidermist you saw might say another late area. (I just stoped there last week.) There are no areas of public lands in Wyoming that are truly managed for quality. The best hunting, year in and year out, is on private ranches. And the best of those ranches are in Uinta County, Carbon County or southeast Wyoming.

I live and outfit in Wyoming and it disheartens me to see how poorly the Wyoming Game and Fish treats mule deer. They do a good job with most antelope, some elk and completely forget about mule deer. If we could just pick a couple of quality areas and manage them like the Wyoming sheep are managed, we'd have some world-class muleys.

The advice you have heard is good, but don't have high expectations. There just are not many BIG bucks in Wyoming. You have to hunt hard and get a little lucky to get a big buck in Wyoming.

 

[luvdawest]

ICMDEER, I'm shocked to hear you say there aren't big bucks in Wyoming. I'd like to know what you consider big. I might just want to come and hunt with you.

 

[nfh]

look into 109. lots of public land. late hunt. and huge muleys. i have never tempted putting in as a resident cause its a tuff tag to get

 

[ICMDEER]

I consider a 180+ buck a big one. A buck with "mass and trash" that is wide, heavy and has a couple of extras could also be considered big even if he's a little under 180.

We do have some big deer on the private ranches we lease. Everybody can get a respectable buck, but BIG bucks are not behind every rock or tree. You can check our website at www.triplecreekhunts.com and see all of the elk, deer and antelope our hunters take. We put a pic of every buck or bull, from smallest to largest on the website. And we try to keep it current.

But the public lands in Wyoming are a hard place to kill big bucks. Lots of pressure and the bucks have a hard time getting old enough to get big any more. Sorry, just my two cents worth.

 

[WyoXtec]

Agree with ICM, Wyoming manages opportunity, not so much trophy potential. This is both good and bad depending on how you look at it.

Tough to find a public 180+ but there are quite a few killed every year.

I like high country hunting vs desert and big bucks are taken out of both.

 

[luvdawest]

Well, I have to agree with you guys then. I see a lot of nice deer killed but not many that big. I still love hunting out there.

 

[fishbio]

This stuff really cracks me up.

"There isn't a big buck behind every rock or tree".... Really!!
So, there are places on earth where you can find a big buck behind every rock or tree. I would really love to know where. There are no big bucks in Wyoming If you want a big buck you should look at Utah. It will only cost you $100,000, or if you can't afford a Gov tag you can try your luck at Henry Mtn tag with 1:1000 odds.... hey, you can't have your cake and eat it too.

Personally, I prefer western Wyo. There aren't big bucks behind every rock or tree, but if you look behind enough of them you can find a big buck or two. At least I have.

 

[piper]

There isn't a big buck behind every tree thats for sure, but there is usually a hunter or two behind evey one. There is a lot of space between Henry Mnt managment and the current managment in Wyoming. Think Colorado, Nevada, Hopefully Utah in the future, and actually you could even think Wyoming antelope if you wanted.

 

[ICMDEER]

Well stated piper. We really need to do something to better manage the deer in Wyoming, and as I cited earlier, the antleope management is much better.

I agree, there are some big bucks in western Wyoming, but there are way too many hunters for me to have even a decent experience. I quit going there years ago and won't go back until something changes. I live in Wyoming, the least populous state, but because of poor management of our precious resource, I mostly hunt deer out of state. Colorado and Nevada both do a good job. I have also hunted quite a bit in Alberta and once in BC. Alberta does a good job on mule deer and BC just is so expansive that there's not much pressure in many areas.

If you like western Wyo, more power to you. That's not an experience I enjoy and I'd like to see the seasons and structure changed. I just called a warden friend there and he said there are not many big deer and that the pressure is still quite heavy.

 

[nfh]

on the bighorns they have 4 points or better at least on one side. so there is some managment going on.

 

[fishbio]

Couldn't disagree more with you. The last thing we need is a structure similar to CO, NV, or god forbid... UT. I'll take my general tag every year, not every 2, 3, 5... or 20!. Yes, it can get crowded, but wait a week or two and you will have the mountain to yourself, and with a buck:doe ratio of 40/100 (let me say that again, 40/100!), you will have to look hard to find limited quota areas anywhere with those kind of numbers.

I've hunted a lot of other states too, and for my money there is no better combination of quality and opportunity than western Wyoming. Hands down.

 

[TOPGUN]

nfh---There are no point restrictions anywhere in the entire Big Horn Mountains area that I'm aware of. Could you tell me where you're talking about because last years booklet doesn't have any listed and I don't see any in the application booklet this year either. Thanks!!!

 

[piper]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-27-11 AT 09:47PM (MST)[p] fishbio-Im guessing your quite young. I live here in western Wy, have been driving 45 miles a day for the last 3 months, I see quite a few deer everyday, and have yet to seen one that I would call a real big buck. Its really a shame in my opinion, quite a few deer, great genetics, but they just get hammered, the vast majority of bucks never get old just because of intense hunting pressure. Also I dont believe a post hunt buck to doe ratio of 40 to 100, not in regions G or H anyway. ICMdeer, I feel just like you, a friend and myself are really looking forward to our Colorado high country deer hunt this fall, its uncrowded and a great hunt, its telling because he lives in another famous big buck area of WY, three hours from me.

 

[fishbio]

I guess you could call me young... by your standards?? I can tell you that I have lived in W. Wyoming for 35 years, and I've spent a few of those years in the backcountry hunting mule deer. I see big deer every year, on the winter range and during the fall. I don't know what you call crowded, but I hunted deer 7 days last fall in G and H (inlcuding the opener) and I saw 4 other hunters. I do know, that if you are hunting where the people are, you aren't hunting where the deer are.

I can see why you wouldn't beleive a buck:doe ratio of 40:100, what with all of your highway time and all. Really, there is just no substitute for good ole fashioned windshield time. I don't know why a biologist would waste time in a helicopter collecting that data when they could just drive to work with you. Actually, I think the POST-season ratio was 41 per 100 so I might have been wrong, pm me your email and I will send you the data.


If you like hunting in Co, then more power to you. There is nothing wrong with having choices, but there are consequences to limiting tag numbers the way they do, and I prefer the alternative.

 

[piper]

so I guess your 35 years old? it been almost twenty years since the deer herds crashed, and they have never really recovered in G or H, they are well below the stated 50 thousand objective. Most telling is the fact that the average age of bucks harvested is pathetic, I don't remember 2 years old? I don't need your driving time comments, I hike, backpack, horsepack, and get in the backcountry plenty. You remind me of the WGF big whig I met at the sportsmans show, I gave him my two cents about the pathetic crowdwed hunting in the Salt river range, he told me that I just have to get a little higher, what? maybe 1000 ft above the top of the mountains? or is he talking about illegal substances? The 41 per 100 post buck count is not believable, there is plenty of snow now, those bucks aren't hiding on the top of the mountains and I just don't see that ratio. Reminds me of the WGF statement about statewide highway mortality, the low number of was 200 animals killed each year? I almost choked. Or the time they accidently sold 200 more nonres. buck tags in region G?. Im not saying the WGF dept is terrible, but like Colorado DOWs miscalculation of the 2007 winter kill, wildlife Depts tend to put rosy colored glasses on everything. A few years ago I took a petition around Pinedale that basicly asked for controlled deer managment in Wyoming, I got lots of signatures, about one person in ten refused, thats telling. Im glad your a super hunter,with your skills, you should go to Utah after G and H close,its the the third week of Oct, maybe you could harvest a big buck in the general season, they manage deer basicly the same as WY. well except its a little more controlled.

 

[ICMDEER]

fishbio - Do you work for the Game and Fish? Sounds like it from your perspective. And those buck/doe ratios are complete crap. I lease more than 100,000 acres and see the ratio figures every year. They are just not accurate and the answer is always the same - "you don't fly, so you can't know; you don't see what I see." So I have recently challenged the locals that do the counts to take me along; heck, I have even offered to pay for the plane. And surprise - nobody will take me up on it. Deer numbers are down and the quality of the hunts is way down from what it was 20-30 years ago. It's complex and there are lots of factors that could be mitigated, but nothing changes.

You can drink all of that cool aid you want, but it won't change the truth.

Funny that the warden in western Wyo I just talked with did not even sing the same tune as you. There are just not many quality bucks there. That is some magnificent country and I understand your passion for hunting there.

But as you havve said, more power to you. But please get your facts as well. I hunt Colorado every year (as well as Wyoming) and still have a true quality hunt in CO every 2-3 years. And even in the off years it is much less crowded than Wyoming and I see more BIG bucks. Unless you have tried these other options, it might be best to avoid criticizing them. I've hunted Wyoming since the 70's, Nevada since the 70's and other states since the 90's. It's good to experience the diverse management strategies and varied habitats, and Wyoming will always be the home I love. But that does not make the mule deer managemnt here good.

And piper, you are still on track.

 

[BuzzH]

fishbio,

Thank you for taking the time to reply to ICMdeer and Piper. I've went round-and-round on this issue with them as well.

The thing you have to keep in mind is that you're dealing with 2 grumpy old men, that, largely because of their age, think they know better than the biologists, the WYG&F, anyone younger, every hunter that doesnt agree with them, etc. etc. etc.

Two crusty old dudes hunting on memories....

They're selfish, and thats the truth. "Back in the day" they had the privilege of hunting with general tags in areas that were largely undiscovered. Anyone that applied just 1% more effort, or laid of the trigger for a few days, could take big bucks. Having a 4-wheel drive vehicle was a huge advantage.

They want that back, and they want it back at the expense of OUR general permits. That is a selfish mentality, and I dont want to be at the mercy of a drawing to see if I get to hunt each year.

Also, its fair to note, that many young hunters today, are much better than these old farts that think they're gods gift to hunting. They apply themselves and spend the time to do it right, they dont hunt the same old spots, they show restraint in killing deer, and flat get it done.

If these whining old guys dreaming of the 1960's would quit the complaining and start hunting, they'd find good deer as well.

Gone are the days of having the hills to yourself, you have to adapt, you have to think outside the box, and definately need to quit living in the past.

 

[BuzzH]

The problem is the only thing you seem to want to "mitigate" is making every deer area in Wyoming draw only.

I'll never not fight that.

Why dont you hunt deer on your 100,000 acres of leased land?

Oh, thats right, you want to take a trophy deer off public land and save those for your clients.

Nice...

 

[BuzzH]

Yep, no good deer on general tags in Wyoming...the management sucks:

This deer...just a guppy:

One from a couple weeks ago...another minner:

 

[BuzzH]

Saw this buck when he had already shed one side.

In a general permit area within about 20 minutes of Laramie, mostly all public land.

Just a wee 200 inches...

 

[Triple_BB]

I can tell you the management in central Wyoming sucks. I go to the meetings and argue til I'm blue in the face and you still can't get those bastards to concede anything when it comes to quality. My buddy owns a large ranch in this area and he goes to the landowner meetings held separately from the general public. The deer numbers in his area have tanked. Last year him and several neighbor ranchers threatened to close off pieces off deeded ground where roads cut their property to large chunks of public and the biologists still refused to concede anything. I think the only way you'll ever see the G & F's philosophies change regarding quality is if you have legislative intervention where they pass a law mandating a certain percentage of limited quota area's be managed for quality. However, you cut back on license sales and the G & F is going to come back with their hands out demanding money. And those same legislators won't likely be willing to dip into the State's general fund to make up the diff. As for big bucks, they're available for a price. Look at some of the outfitter websites from Carbon County. Given the amount of deeded ground down there, those guys are managing the area's themselves without G & F intervention.

 

[BuzzH]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-28-11 AT 10:03AM (MST)[p]If you cant find quality bucks on public land...you arent trying hard enough.

Just sayin'....

Another brilliant idea...letting the legislative process drive management.

Always a good idea, let every special interest group in WY have a crack at MY PUBLIC wildlife.

Holy $hit...the good ideas never end.

 

[nontypical]

I guess it comes down to what your definition of "quality" is.Those are some nice bucks,Buzz,but are they all from general areas?Or are you just trying to bolster your point.BTW,you can include me in the "Grumpy old man" category.I also remember the big bucks that were once here(and not that long ago,either).The deer that Jim and Piper refer to are not the 170" deer that seem to be a lot of people's definition of a "quality" buck anymore.Not saying there is anything wrong with a 170(I've killed a load of those).I understand what you are saying about opportunity,and agree to an extent.But I also see first-hand the downward spiral of general season hunts.There are changes on the horizon;not that far off.Habitat encroachment,development,predators,and habitat deterioration have all taken their toll on our herds in western Wyoming.Unfortunately,hunters pay the price for that in poorer quality hunting.You will never convince me that hunting for 150-170 class deer is great "quality".While I realize that there is more to the hunt than the size of the deer,it inspires me to hunt harder and longer when I know there is the possibilty of finding a 200" buck in the next canyon.IMO,I would rather hunt once every 2-3 years for a "quality"(IMO) animal than every year for a 160"(which I most likely won't shoot anyway).Anything WGF would or could do to better the quality of bucks I would be in favor of.Okay,I'm done-go ahead and tell me what a lousy hunter and miserable old coot I am.

 

[ICMDEER]

Cliff, thanks for the follow up. I don't feel like I'm living in the past, and I've seen Buzz's bucks before. Good to great bucks, congrats. I can post many like that or better. No need to do it again here, Buzz.

I don't ever recall advocating for all limited quota areas in Wyoming. Some for opportunity and some for quality. Young people need to hunt every year,and that's what lots of folks prefer. Again, to each his own. But I'm not buying what's being sold here. The QUALITY and QUANTITY of mule deer in Wyoming is in a long-term decline. I'm willing to sacrifice to help.

Just FYI Buzz, I still run almost every day and carry a pack a long way every year. I don't see many folks that out hike me or try harder than I do. Assumptions about folks' abilities are often wrong if you don't know the people involved.

 

[ICMDEER]

I logged off and thought...........all this controversy because we tried to help a guy with advice and we all did not agree. Too bad it becomes personal. I apologize and I won't get sucked into this again. I've got lots of good things to do this weekend so I'm done with this post for good.

Good luck to all. Wyoming is a great place as has been stated.

 

[WYNONTYPICAL]

I think we all can see one of the top herds in the country needs some help... The question is How?? Someone or better all of us are going to have to give up something for change. We have to good of optics, to big of guns, to good of scouting to many hard core hunters or to many outfitters.. and on and on for it to magically return to the old days. I think we need to really think about what we as individuals are willing to give up for our big bucks of the future.

I would sacrifice ALL if we do it for the health of our herds.

If you shorten the season all you have accomplished is putting all the hunters in one basin chasing the same big buck they have scouted for the same week. Does not sound like fun to me! Plus Idaho proved THAT WILL NOT WORK!

If you implement a four point rule you will genetically grow big three pointers... Not what everyone wants. Also most of our 2 1/2 year olds are 4 pointers or better anyway (at least in the high country of Wyoming)

I think we need manage these herds in smaller boundaries unit sized boundaries like antelope. Give who ever is in charge of these units the tools to really know how many hunters are in each unit. So resident and nonresident numbers can be lifted or dropped according to the health of the herd. Because of Winter/Harvest or what ever. Mandatory harvest reports to get a tag for the next season. Pick your unit. If you kill a deer you have to lay out a season kind of like Big Horn Sheep.

Let's think outside the box.

One thing is for sure if we keep fighting with everyone else all we will accomplish is nothing. (Buzz is really good at that...)

Wyoming has the resources to be the leader in management not a follower. We just need to work together with an open mind.

Nothing good comes without a little sacrifice...

Robb Wiley
Non Typical Outfitters

 

[WyoXtec]

Take Areas 135, 142, 143 and 144.

Split them into two areas each (probably three areas in 135).

Take a few of those new areas and make them limited quota, doesn't really matter which ones. Put fairly conservative tag quotas on them, probably in the range of 150 to 300 tags depending on the particular area.

It would spread out the applications from the few existing limited quota options as well as retain general status over the vast majority.

Let the genetics get some age in the limited units and you can still please both crowds.

Just an idea

 

[luvdawest]

Wow, didn't mean to start a war or side track it from the original posters question. Since that has happened anyway let me offer some thoughts from an outsiders perspective. The first time I hunted Wyoming I couldn't believe the amount of animals I saw. Both Antelope and Mule deer. Three of us traveled for antelope with an outfitter. We had are tags filled by noon on the first day. We later found out the private ranch hunting we thought we paid for wasn't private at all. Our guide didn't even have a lease anywhere. All animals killed in camp that year came from public land. I'm not against outfitters killing animals on public land but I have to question what impact that has on the herds. I'm sure my outfitter wasn't the only one doing this. The next year we went back unguided to the same area and found not only our guide but 3 others cruising the blm lands. We were stopped numerous times and told we were on their private leased lands. I assume this was to save face with their clients. Anyways the point is, if wyg is going to license these guys, why aren't there restrictions on them. I suspect it has to do with money. Secondly, I asked the question of what he considered big because I come from a state where the motto is if it's brown its down. A 120 class is considered huge. Our game comission started managing for habitat and quality about 10 years ago. They decided to apply antler restriction and killed off every doe they could. Here is what happened, while our bucks have gotten bigger, the average hunter is expected to get a buck once every 12 years. The mountain regions no longer have deer at all. The does have been wiped out. The habitat has not regenerated like they thought it would (they are now saying acid rain is more of the problem than deer browsing) opps. Our hunters have dropped from over a million to last years count of 750,000. The biggest problem is our youth. As our hunter numbers drop our youth are not getting involved. Our game commission cant figure out why. It's easy, you have to have game to keep the interest of kids. For those of you that want to see things changed just be careful what you ask for. Change it by education more than anything else. Get rid of your fly by night out of state outfitters and take a kid hunting.

 

[nfh]

>nfh---There are no point restrictions anywhere
>in the entire Big Horn
>Mountains area that I'm aware
>of. Could you tell
>me where you're talking about
>because last years booklet doesn't
>have any listed and I
>don't see any in the
>application booklet this year either.
> Thanks!!!


back in o6 to 08 when i hunted up there the area same as bear lodge on the deer regs it said at least 4 points on one side. maybe they changed it now. when i get a set of regs i will check

 

[nfh]

>>nfh---There are no point restrictions anywhere
>>in the entire Big Horn
>>Mountains area that I'm aware
>>of. Could you tell
>>me where you're talking about
>>because last years booklet doesn't
>>have any listed and I
>>don't see any in the
>>application booklet this year either.
>> Thanks!!!
>
>
>back in o6 to 08 when
>i hunted up there the
>area same as bear lodge
>on the deer regs it
>said at least 4 points
>on one side. maybe they
>changed it now. when i
>get a set of regs
>i will check



i checked i guess they did away with it..im going to try to find some old regs cause i know they did

 

[WyoXtec]

luvdawest,

Limiting outfitters to private land only?

Seriously?

Western Wyoming deer habitat is almost all public land, the majority of the antelope habitat is too. (Not so in the rest of the state)

I would assume you are from Wisconsin or a neighboring state where programs such as Earn-a-Buck were instituted. You had to shoot a doe before you could even buy a buck tag. Then doe tags could be purchased more or less unlimited. The chronic wasting disease scare and insurance companies had a big part in that as I'm sure you know. Very poor decisions.

Totally different issue than western issues. Not even close.

Wyoming does not have serious issues except for our inability to control predators within the state. Wyoming is as good a state to hunt/fish in as any in the west in my opinion, resident or nonresident. With a few minor tweaks it could be even better.

 

[TOPGUN]

nhf---There is no need for you to go back. A few years ago you are correct in that Region R did have some point restrictions in some units just as you mentioned, but they were dropped two or three years ago.

 

[luvdawest]

WyoXtec
Limit out of state outfitters to private only. They come for one reason and one reason only, money.

I'm from PA. Your buck tag is part of your general license. We then apply for a specific zone for doe. You don't have to shoot a doe to get a buck tag. About 10 years ago the game commission felt we had too many deer and they were destroying the forest so they allocated more doe tags to get the numbers down. At that time they also installed antler restrictions. The average buck killed now is 2.5 years old. It was 1.5. The does have just about disappered in large parts of the state.

 

[nfh]

>nhf---There is no need for you
>to go back. A
>few years ago you are
>correct in that Region R
>did have some point restrictions
>in some units just as
>you mentioned, but they were
>dropped two or three years
>ago.


thanks. i did ask around and they said the same. i just felt bad for posting a little false info.

 

[nontypical]

Luvdawest-Don't group all outfitters based on the practices of one.Sounds like you met a dishonest fella there.Doesn't really matter if a guy is guided or not.A dead critter is still a dead critter.You could ban outfitting statewide,and it wouldn't make a pimple on the rear-end of our total kill;deer,elk,or antelope.I remember when Pa went to the system you speak of.The hunting public was totally pissed off!They saw it as a loss of hunting opportunity!Did it work out that way?Or was everyone pleasantly surprised at an increase in buck quality?Seems as though I later read a follow-up that hunters were pleased with the increase in age class.That is basically what we are talking about here.We somehow need to find a way to get our bucks to reach that 4-5-6 year age class.The trophy potential in Wyoming could surpass that of the Kaibab,Az Strip,Henry's(Utah)!I just had a conversation last night with a local big game biologist who performed herd counts from the air of the Wyoming Range herd.He claims that herd actually has better measurements from the same age class of deer as those from the Kaibab and Strip!Wow!What Wyoming could produce with a little tweak in management!

 

[luvdawest]

Nontypical
I certainly don't mean to group all outfitters into one category. There are some very good honest ones out there. From my experience most are native to Wyoming. As for how things are working out in PA, it is a double edge sword. The bucks have gotten bigger but no where near 180 class. I would guess average is 100-110. The doe population has been dramatically reduced. In the big woods you stand a better chance of seeing bear before deer now. Our hunters are dropping year after year. That means the game commissons revenues also drop. After 10 years they finally admitted last year their studies were wrong and the doe population in certain areas had been taken down to far. The damage is done and will take years now to undo. How do they make up for lost revenue, mess with the bear season. Don't let Wyoming make the mistakes PA made.

 

[BuzzH]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-30-11 AT 09:42PM (MST)[p]Another thing thats never brought up about the quality issues on public land.

I wonder if having outfitters leasing up 100,000 acres at a whack has anything to do with creating more and more pressure on the public land? I wonder how many resident/non-resident hunters are displaced by leasing?

nontypical...all those deer were taken on general tags in Wyoming. I've never drawn a limited deer permit in Wyoming, and I'm not losing sleep that I havent.

My wife has drawn 2...and killed OK deer both times. Frankly, I never saw anything special in that area, and certainly nothing worth fighting 10% draw odds to get.

Which brings up my final point on the whole issue of limited quota areas. There arent many of the limited deer areas in Wyoming that are great deer hunts for quality animals...I mean really...101, 102, 128, etc. Really? Thats what we get for having limited quotas?

Isnt worth it...

 

[luvdawest]

BuzzH
I'm sure it does. I noticed the last time out how the outfitters hunted the BLM lands first and then moved to private land later in the week or they just disappeared waiting for the next group to come in. Let me be clear, without naming the outfitters, the ones I noticed doing this were all out of state outfitters.

 

[nripepi]

PA

I was raised in PA and hunt it yearly and I definitely have a different take on their antler restrictions and increase in doe licenses. Prior to the antler restrictions, the average buck killed was 1.5 years old. I would see 20-30 does and couple of yearlings throughout the season. Occasionally I would bump into a 2.5 year old, mostly during bow season. I can look back on 20 years without management and 8 or so years with management and the difference is down right amazing. Instead of killing a bunch of 1.5 year old bucks, we now kill 3.5 - 4.5 year old bucks yearly. This year we killed a 130 and a 150 buck and have pictures of a 160 and a half dozen bucks north of 120 on a 600 acre parcel. My thoughts is that they divided the states into Game Management Units and in some of the units they managed the doe herd correctly and in other areas (mostly the big woods in the north), they gave out too many doe tags and decimated those herds. PA is a pretty good example on how micromanagement can work well or if mismanaged can work poorly. I know the positives in the areas I hunt (southwest PA) are very very welcome amongst all of the hunters that I know.

I vote for Wyoming to somehow manage Western Wyoming to produce an older age class buck. I haven't been back to the Wyoming Range since 2005 and it is because of the hunting pressure. You hunt for a week at 11,000 feet 5 miles packed in and you would hope you see more deer than people and have a chance at seeing a 180 buck. My definition of a chance is 1 out of 5 or so.

Not everyone can have what they want and I understand residents wanting to be able to hunt every year. Could it be just as easy as making the residents declare a Region for the year? Do the residents that hunt western Wyoming also hunt closer to home later in the year?

 

[piper]

RE: PA

Change is very hard, The survey results , and many of the bioligists and Game and fish people think everything is fine, that doesn't give me much hope for improvement.

 

[nontypical]

RE: PA

According to the bio I talked with the other night,many ideas are being explored.Declaring a region was among them,as well as making a universal opening day in the Wyoming Range.IMO,if we don't do this across the entire western portion of the state,this will just cause the overcrowding problem elsewhere.In other words,if region G opens on Oct.1,hunters will just go to region H instead,causing overcrowding there on the Sept.15 opener.I think a unified opening day could go a long ways towards increasing buck age and hunt quality!It's worth a try,IMO.Many options are being explored,and it sounds to me like G&F may actually be beginning to realize we do have a hunt quality problem in western Wyoming.Now,whether or not anything changes is anyone's guess.

 

[TOPGUN]

RE: PA

It would seem to me that having a similar opening date throughout the whole western area like there is in many other sections of the state would be the simplest way to go about lessening the pressure. Either that or make some of those units Limited Quota and make the residents draw a tag and hunt in only one unit instead of being able to follow the opening dates all over the place on a General tag like they can now.

 

[oldwyoelkhunter]

Hunting pressure has been concentrated on private land due to leasing. In northeastern WY ,I live in Sheridan, huntable public land tracts other than National Forest are few, small in size, and access is limited. All the private ranch land is leased bringing in $1K or so a day for deer hunting. I can't afford to hunt the private and the public land hunting doesn't last long. At the access points many or most of the cars at the access points are from out of state. I don't mind walking but even when I get back a good ways I run into people. I'm not whining but instead of wasting my time I go elk hunting. My choice from limited options . The affluent hunters generally kill the nice bucks in my area. What ya gonna do?

 

[nontypical]

RE: PA

All those options are being discussed,I was told.I don't look for new LQ units to happen,but pick a region(like nr do)could be on the horizon.

 

[WyoXtec]

RE: PA

Picking a region would be a good politically correct decision.

Picking a region and adding one limited quota unit in G and one in H would be even better.

 

[fishbio]

>so I guess your 35 years
>old? it been almost twenty
> years since the deer
>herds crashed, and they have
>never really recovered in G
>or H, they are
>well below the stated 50
>thousand objective. Most telling
>is the fact that the
>average age of bucks harvested
>is pathetic, I don't remember
>2 years old?
>I don't need your driving
>time comments, I hike, backpack,
>horsepack, and get in the
>backcountry plenty. You remind
>me of the WGF big
>whig I met at the
>sportsmans show, I gave
>him my two cents about
>the pathetic crowdwed hunting in
>the Salt river range, he
>told me that I just
>have to get a little
>higher, what? maybe
>1000 ft above the top
>of the mountains? or is
>he talking about illegal substances?
> The 41 per 100
>post buck count is not
>believable, there is plenty of
>snow now, those bucks aren't
>hiding on the top of
>the mountains and I just
>don't see that ratio.
>Reminds me of the WGF
>statement about statewide highway mortality,
>the low number of was
>200 animals killed each year?
> I almost choked.
>Or the time they accidently
>sold 200 more nonres. buck
>tags in region G?.
>Im not saying the WGF
>dept is terrible, but like
>Colorado DOWs miscalculation of the
>2007 winter kill, wildlife Depts
>tend to put rosy colored
>glasses on everything. A few
>years ago I took a
>petition around Pinedale that basicly
>asked for controlled deer managment
>in Wyoming, I got lots
>of signatures, about one person
>in ten refused, thats telling.
> Im glad your a
>super hunter,with your skills, you
>should go to Utah after
>G and H close,its the
>the third week of Oct,
>maybe you could harvest a
>big buck in the general
>season, they manage deer basicly
>the same as WY. well
>except its a little more
>controlled.

Okay Professor.. so we believe some of the data, but not all of the data. Those pop estimates you cite are generated from the same data used to calculate the buck:doe ratio. Something doesn't add up there.

I'm not gonna defend my super hunter skills to you here, but I've done OK, and the results outta speak for themselves. Do a little diggin around on this website for the last three deer I have killed (all posted here) and let me know what you think. You might think I am wasting my time on general units in Wyoming, but I disagree.