mightyhunter
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I started mule deer hunting on September 15 on the Greys River. A friend traded me info in that area. I am letting him and his entourage stay in my bunkhouse for his 54-1 elk tag. Based on the info he provided, I may or may not turn the water or heat on in that bunkhouse. That about tells the story on my experience in the Greys. I had a great lesson reinforced by my Greys River experience. Don't rely on others and trust your own scouting in making hunting decision.
Fast forward closer to home. I have no idea how anyone else did in NW Wyoming. I hunted high for the opener. I saw tons of goats and sheep and my favorite deer avalanche chute was full of bighorn sheep. The moon was full and the weather was warm. I saw a single 170 type buck and my son was unable to connect. He shoots long range with an overkill .338 Lapua. Because of a nasty crosswind I encouraged him to get closer for a shot. That didn't work out and he ended up eating his NR Region F tag. He was unable to return for the end of the season.
The remainder of the deer season, I spent most of my time hunting solo. My hunting partner had an elk tag for the Bighorns and spent most of his time doing that without success. With severely shortened seasons in the units I hunt in NW Wyoming, I knew that absent some nasty weather the deer hunting would be a challenge. As the season drew to a close, the bad weather I was needing did not materialize. I got tired of hearing resident and nonresident deer hunters complaining to me about the shortened season for what are essentially migratory hunts.
Before the closing day of October 24th, the weather turned bad on the 22nd. While hunting a favorite spot on October 20th, I was greeted with wind, corn snow, sleet and snow. I did not see anything in what used to be a great spot. Prior to that date, I had been hitting other spots with zero to show for it but grizzly and wolf tracks. I did witness from 300 yards, 6 does and fawns being chased by a mountain lion.
On the 21st and 22nd, a front blew in with lots of snow. I went out in the dark on the morning of the 22nd. The snow was up to the top of my gaiters. I was not on a trail and the going was tough. I should have taken my snow shoes. While watching a migration trail late in the morning, I saw a few mule deer does pushing snow. Around 11:30 in the morning, I saw two bucks emerge from the timber. The one was a 2 year old and the other a 3 year old. I shot the 3 year old buck at around 220 yards on a very steep hillside. I had hoped he would tumble down the hill to a flatter area. He didn't do that. When he dropped, he completely disappeared into the snow. It took my awhile to climb the hill and to find his buried body. I dragged him downhill and started quartering him out in a flat spot. All the time, I was watching for grizzly bears. I packed everything but the hindquarters out and hung them in a spruce tree for packing out the next day. I hung them about 100 yards from the quartered carcass. I used to be able to pack a whole deer out on my back. After blowing my knee out in 2016, doing just that, I opted for the lighter load. I got back to the truck at dark with my load.
On the 23rd, I returned to retrieve the hindquarters. Temps were right at 5 below when I arrived. I approached the area carefully and was greeted by a grizzly sow and cub feasting on the quartered carcass. I was forced to wait a few hours for them to wander off. I grabbed the hindquarters and got the hell out of there. Fortunately, the wind was right for what I needed to do.
My hunting partner was available after the 24th, so I took him out to hunt the North Fork of the Shoshone. The last week of that season had a full moon and temps near 70. I didn't see many deer in the hay fields of Wapiti. His attempts were a bust. I had a wolf tag, but didn't find a wolf to shoot. I only heard a single shot on the 2nd of November. The season closed the next day. At the check station in Cody, the G&F guy said deer hunting was tough. He said he did check a 30" 6x8 muley buck that he claims was shot on private ground in the South Fork.
I would say that unless the season dates are changed back to a later close date, the hunting in the mountains of NW Wyoming will remain a crapshoot with weather as the real factor. As I am getting close to 66 years old, I am finding that my style of hunting in the mountains is getting more difficult each year.
I apologize for the crappy photos. just sayin... mh
Fast forward closer to home. I have no idea how anyone else did in NW Wyoming. I hunted high for the opener. I saw tons of goats and sheep and my favorite deer avalanche chute was full of bighorn sheep. The moon was full and the weather was warm. I saw a single 170 type buck and my son was unable to connect. He shoots long range with an overkill .338 Lapua. Because of a nasty crosswind I encouraged him to get closer for a shot. That didn't work out and he ended up eating his NR Region F tag. He was unable to return for the end of the season.
The remainder of the deer season, I spent most of my time hunting solo. My hunting partner had an elk tag for the Bighorns and spent most of his time doing that without success. With severely shortened seasons in the units I hunt in NW Wyoming, I knew that absent some nasty weather the deer hunting would be a challenge. As the season drew to a close, the bad weather I was needing did not materialize. I got tired of hearing resident and nonresident deer hunters complaining to me about the shortened season for what are essentially migratory hunts.
Before the closing day of October 24th, the weather turned bad on the 22nd. While hunting a favorite spot on October 20th, I was greeted with wind, corn snow, sleet and snow. I did not see anything in what used to be a great spot. Prior to that date, I had been hitting other spots with zero to show for it but grizzly and wolf tracks. I did witness from 300 yards, 6 does and fawns being chased by a mountain lion.
On the 21st and 22nd, a front blew in with lots of snow. I went out in the dark on the morning of the 22nd. The snow was up to the top of my gaiters. I was not on a trail and the going was tough. I should have taken my snow shoes. While watching a migration trail late in the morning, I saw a few mule deer does pushing snow. Around 11:30 in the morning, I saw two bucks emerge from the timber. The one was a 2 year old and the other a 3 year old. I shot the 3 year old buck at around 220 yards on a very steep hillside. I had hoped he would tumble down the hill to a flatter area. He didn't do that. When he dropped, he completely disappeared into the snow. It took my awhile to climb the hill and to find his buried body. I dragged him downhill and started quartering him out in a flat spot. All the time, I was watching for grizzly bears. I packed everything but the hindquarters out and hung them in a spruce tree for packing out the next day. I hung them about 100 yards from the quartered carcass. I used to be able to pack a whole deer out on my back. After blowing my knee out in 2016, doing just that, I opted for the lighter load. I got back to the truck at dark with my load.
On the 23rd, I returned to retrieve the hindquarters. Temps were right at 5 below when I arrived. I approached the area carefully and was greeted by a grizzly sow and cub feasting on the quartered carcass. I was forced to wait a few hours for them to wander off. I grabbed the hindquarters and got the hell out of there. Fortunately, the wind was right for what I needed to do.
My hunting partner was available after the 24th, so I took him out to hunt the North Fork of the Shoshone. The last week of that season had a full moon and temps near 70. I didn't see many deer in the hay fields of Wapiti. His attempts were a bust. I had a wolf tag, but didn't find a wolf to shoot. I only heard a single shot on the 2nd of November. The season closed the next day. At the check station in Cody, the G&F guy said deer hunting was tough. He said he did check a 30" 6x8 muley buck that he claims was shot on private ground in the South Fork.
I would say that unless the season dates are changed back to a later close date, the hunting in the mountains of NW Wyoming will remain a crapshoot with weather as the real factor. As I am getting close to 66 years old, I am finding that my style of hunting in the mountains is getting more difficult each year.
I apologize for the crappy photos. just sayin... mh
