Green Mountains, Elk 024

[ducksbucksandbulls]

Back in the late 80's and 90's on our trips to Wyoming we'd stop in at my buddy's uncle's place at Split rock, on the sweet water river.
We hunted some on the place for antelope and deer.
They always talked about Green mountain. They ran cows on the place. They have since moved to eastern Wyo.
This year we drew a bull tag for 024.
Looking to talk with someone who has hunted there recently and get better knowlage and lay of the land.
Just got the maps of the area. Thanks for any help you can send my way.
I spent many days up north of the river looking for arrow heads and finding lots of those 50 cal shells that lay around in that country..If you've been their, you will know what I mean.
Thanks,
Howdy

 

[WhiskeyMan]

Friend of a friend caught a 327 bull and his cows waaaaaayyyyyy out in the sagebrush right along the highway between Jeffrey City and Muddy Gap about 7-8 years ago. Odd place to find a good bull and his harem........or maybe a great one.

I spent a great deal of time in that unit during 1995-96.

 

[ducksbucksandbulls]

Not so strange, the area to the south and west, unit 100 they live there hole lives in the sage. Hunted unit 100 one year for cows, and found sage brush 10 feet tall. Lots of elk in the open and saw a heard of 100 elk cross the sand dunes!! It was awesome.
there was a great article in RMEF bugle mag. a waya back about the red desert elk.


But I need some first hand info on unit 24 if you could PM me and I'd like to talk on the phone if you've hunted there in the last decade..
Thanks,
Howdy

 

[velvetmonster]

I posted a similiar question and got very little response. My son drew 24 this year. We will be checking out the area and scouting this summer. We would certainly be willing to share information as it comes along closer to the hunt. Will you be spending any time bowhunting?

 

[WhiskeyMan]

D & B and VelvetMnstr,

Answer these questions for me.

1) What size of bull are you looking for?
2) How much time can you hunt, can you be there for the opener, and can you get there a few days early to scout?
3) What is your elk hunting experience, including the second half of the rut.
4) What is your overall expectation of the hunt?

WM

 

[velvetmonster]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-10-11 AT 05:17AM (MST)[p]WhiskeyMan..

1. 320 is the goal...300 seems realistic.. which is fine.

2. We have about 8 total days for the trip either all during the hunt or a few days early to scout (or possibly bowhunt).

3. Relatively experienced elk hunter taking his inexperienced son who will be 17.(I don't have the tag...he does)He has taken two antelope, can shoot very well, doesn't seem to get buck fever, and will trust dad's judgement (I hope). I'll be spotting and calling for him.

4. We expect beautiful country, good company, and expect to see and pass mature bulls almost everyday if necessary to achieve our goal. Hiking is not a problem but I don't see a ton of area out there for really getting back in. I'll most likely bring one ATV so we don't beat up the truck too much. I'll have to get out there in the summer to get a feel of how to best escape the roads.

It sounds like you may have some knowledge of this unit. Anything you are willing to provide is appreciated. Please PM me if you are more comfortable with that.

Thanks

 

[chadderbox]

Don't set your standards to high... You are not talking wilderness area, so it's tough to get away from other hunters... Archery season might be a better bet... You need to cover lots of country and glass... A lot of residents hunt the area and know where to be on opening day and have hunted it for many years... I will PM you a couple of areas to start with when I get a chance...

 

[270Whatelse]

I've heard 24 was a good unit but is it good enough to be able to pass mature bulls everyday?

 

[Triple_BB]

If you see a decent 6 pt, you best be shooting. If you're passing up mature bulls, you'll be passing up mostly 5pts. The area is managed for opportunity, not quality. The herd size is relatively small and the G&F tries to manage it to the point that the numbers stay in check year to year. Most bulls don't make it much past their 4th birthday...

 

[ducksbucksandbulls]

We are going out 5 days before the hunt to scout and play. My son has neer been to wyo. I've hunted Wyo since 88, about every other year. Fill in the other years with, AZ,NV,CO,Ut,MT,NM. Any place I can draw a tag.
Hunted elk several times up north in 48, and in 100 and 91.
We are getting antelope tags too. 2 buck, 2 does. All rifle hunts.
As for the size of bull, we'll see what the scouting turns up.
We are in no hurry, do a lot of scouting, need to cut some fire wood for the stove in the wall tent, shoot some coyotes, look for arrow heads and explore the wilds of wyoming. It's been a lot of years since i've hunted around Split rock for deer and antelope. But always wanted to go to Green mtn.
I hear there are lots of elk, but few 320+.
anyone with first hand knowledge, Pm your phone #, I'd like to talk about places to camp and scout for bulls.
Thanks,
DBB

 

[WhiskeyMan]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-11-11 AT 06:48PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Mar-11-11 AT 06:45?PM (MST)

Hmmmmmm. This thread brings back some memories.

So this unit has been limited quota for many years. As a result....it has produced some 300+" bulls. Not many (but a few) over 320", tho. Good numbers of sixes. It is TOTALLY isolated and self-supporting in the breeding and genetic category. It's got everything from 9,000' thick conifer forests to middle juniper/shrub terrain to open sagebrush draws in the lower elevations. I used to spend my summer and fall weekends there. Great isolated country. Used to hunt one big ol 200" muley there......plus see some undisturbed bulls with their harems even after the rifle elk season ended on October 15. And these bulls were.......undisturbed.

I once saw a rack from this rifle hunt that was extremely heavy and dark colored from that bull rubbing on conifers. He was unbroken, and was a toad. REALLY heavy with ivory tips. Great bull. As I recall, he was whacked by a wife by total luck.

Elk in this country will stay in a herd until October 15+ if not disturbed to much. The rut is only half over as of Oct 1. Look for herds......

After some hunting pressure......bulls will either go thick or go waaaaaaaaayyyyyy open. I like open........particularly if I'm not able to scout for several days before the opener and be in just exactly the right right spot on opening day. After the opener......be prepared to hunt in THICK and be pretty sneaky. Or hunt unpressured bulls in the lower portions of the unit.

I like the fringe areas that most hunters drive past. Might you hang out there after a little bit-o-hunting pressure if you were a herd bull (or maybe even live there year-round/)?? I might hunt right in the THICK breadbasket of elk activity if I was there for the opener.......and maybe even the fringe areas if I wasn't cuz fringe areas often hold older animules.

What about Crooks Mtn in the western half of the unit? Is this area in that same Green Mtn unit?? What about down below the rim of Crooks in the juniper and sage gentler country where there is water and feed and isolation for disturbed elk as well as those that just looooove to live there year round? Gotta be some 300" bulls there......

The lower slopes of Whiskey Peak used to harbor great bulls. Great feed and water plus some thick bedding cover nearby. Used to see untouched 6x6 bulls rutting like lunatics there from September 15 to October 15. Once saw a 350" herd bull that had 15 cows/calfs pushing his harem out into the sage/gentle draws lower country on October 15. No one saw him but me......cuz I was the only one looking there. Used to pass several 300" bulls bugling their heads off on the lower slopes there during September. The east slope of Whiskey Peak is a bowl that always harbored a nice bull with his harem during October. The Bairoil lower side slopes of Whiskey Peak was always a hotbead of rutting bull activity. Great water and feed nearby. The north slopes and lower draws of Whiskey have some private to work around but are TERRIFIC country.

What else can I tell you?

 

[270Whatelse]

Nice informative post Whiskey. Got any other pics of the area you'd like to show? Sounds like you dads will have a good hunt with your sons, should be a great memory building trip! I'm actually taking my dad elk hunting this year he drew a Bighorns unit and it will be my turn to be the "guide" can't wait and lets see some pics when you guys get back!

 

[ducksbucksandbulls]

Great info, thanks Whiskey.
With our antelope tags we are going to draw, we will be glassing a lot of the open country around the Mountain and out on the flats. It would be great to find them out in the sage like in area 100. Might give us a plan for opening morning.

 

[WhiskeyMan]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-12-11 AT 04:36PM (MST)[p]Velvetmonster - I ain't holding back. This is all I got for you guys.

This is just about the most detailed info I've ever seen posted on this forum. Would you all agree?? The reason I'm willing to share at all is cuz I'll never hunt there again and this thread is bringing back the very enjoyable times I had in that area when I lived in Casper during the 1990's. I used to sit in one spot during September evenings and see 320 bulls, 180 muleys, and 15" antelope from the same spot. Those were the gooooood ol days.

I read in Eastmans where a 370" bull was whacked here last year. That size bull is a rare exception, tho.

I looked at the unit map and Crooks Mtn is indeed within unit 24. It is a smaller rim-type mtn west of the main Green Mtn. The main road south into the unit from Jeffrey City follows the low divide between Crooks Mtn and Green Mtn. I have a buddy that deer hunted Crooks Mtn several years ago and spoke of seeing elk there. It speaks to me of an out-of-the-way spot that is overlooked by most who are trying to get up on top of Green to hunt the conifer country. If I had a day or two to scout........I would hike and glass and listen in the Crooks area to look for the presence of elk.

This first photo is from the very top of Whiskey Peak looking due west to the main Green Mtn which is the thick conifer covered mass in the background. Green Mtn is separated from Whiskey Peak by Whiskey Ridge.......a hogback type ridge. Again the south (Bairoil) side of Whiskey Ridge/Peak is steep and has small fingers that shallow near the desert floor. I used to see all kinds of bulls from about halfway down to the desert floor. The far right of this photo shows some good-looking low ridges with patchy conifers on the north side of Green which likely hold undisturbed elk. You would prolly have to hike to get into that country....but it might pay to do so.

This is Whiskey Peak at the far east end of the unit. Water around the base, steep slopes, good bulls. I sent a buddy here about 10 years ago who had rifle bull and he found a nice 6x6 raising hell with his harem high on the slope. But he decided it was too much work to hike up there and pack him out alone. So, amazingly, he passed. Sounded like a nice bull, too. That bull was in the notch/bowl in the center of Whiskey that you see in the center of this photo. See it?

This is from the top of Whiskey Peak looking SE at the bottom. The bottom where the conifers peter out is where I saw that 350 bull with his harem on October 15. They moved out to bed in one of those draws where few would think to hunt there. I used to see all kinds of rutting bulls down there. Some nice springs in that deepest draw.

 

[TOPGUN]

Would have to agree that your posts are about as good as it gets for intel along with a bunch of great pictures. You the Man!!!

 

[Gator]

Nice Information and great pictures.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".

 

[velvetmonster]

Whiskey,

Thanks so much for posting the information and the photos. Getting me really excited to get up there and check it out. I'm sure I'll be standing on top of Whiskey, Crooks, and Green this year.

 

[WhiskeyMan]

Odd that sooooo many know-it-alls on this forum think my chosen username is cuz I drink, huh?

 

[ducksbucksandbulls]

Maybe from that old western movie, the guy use to talk to a make believe friend. Named Whiskeyman
I can picture the guy, name is ?

 

[blacktailBC]

Whiskeyman, Sent you a P.M.

Buck

 

[velvetmonster]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-16-11 AT 02:38PM (MST)[p]>Odd that sooooo many know-it-alls on
>this forum think my chosen
>username is cuz I drink,
>huh?


You're killing me! I'll bet that went over most people's head.

Or did it actually go over MY head? Hmmm..

 

[WhiskeyMan]

Look closely at your BLM map. I seem to recall a sizable area of several sections of ROADLESS BLM right on the lower slopes of the north side of Green Mtn east of the main road heading south outta Jeffrey City that goes thru Crooks Gap. Seems like this area was something like 2x3 miles square and required a hiker. Is it there??

Can you find a way to get to the BLM at the head of Camp Creek on the north side of Whiskey Ridge/Peak?