New to All

[Grabasski]

Hey everyone, I'm new to this forum and mule deer hunting in general. I'm a lifelong whitetail and turkey hunter but after some family took a trip to Wyoming it has been decided that we will try, as a group, to hunt some mule deer. Nobody in our group is looking for a trophy, instead, we're just looking for a good experience and to learn about the area. I regularly public land hunt in AR, TN, and TX, but nothing will compare to WY. I/We aren't worried about prepping as we regularly hunt/camp out of our trucks and plan to have access to a camper. My unknowns are listed below, for anyone willing to share advice/recommendations, I would greatly appreciate it.
-Are there any units/regions to "stay away" from for mule deer?
-Is it possible to land an entire group with tags, especially if we are all new to the system and will have a minimal amount of preference points?
-Are dirt roads on a map in shape for a 4x4 truck to travel through?
-If our group were to plan on an October hunt, would we be able to beat the truly cold weather and snow? Not against either, btw.
-Also along the lines of October, what kind of other wildlife should we anticipate seeing? Pronghorn, elk, whitetail, bear, etc.?

Thanks again to anyone willing to shed some info. Since I'm new here, here's a quick intro. I'm from and currently live in Arkansas where I regularly hunt whitetail, turkey, duck, and hogs. I lived in Texas for a handful of years where we started a side business of shooting hogs with thermals and still enjoy doing that as often as possible. I'm an avid gun guru but love to archery hunt. I'm a husband, a father, and an EHS Professional in the poultry industry. So all three of those require a healthy balance to be able to enjoy the outdoors as much as I do. I take part in the ArkansasHunting.net forums similar to this for anyone that's interested or frequents the state. In my prime, I served in the Marine Corps and shot field artillery, so my hearing is pretty well trashed. I like bourbon, neat with a dash of water, and steaks cooked rare, and understand that fiber is your friend. I don't discuss money, politics, or religion, I say ma'am and sir, and believe you only qualify for one of those.

Cheers

 

[rmanwill]

Welcome.

 

[Jerry]

Hey everyone, I'm new to this forum and mule deer hunting in general. I'm a lifelong whitetail and turkey hunter but after some family took a trip to Wyoming it has been decided that we will try, as a group, to hunt some mule deer. Nobody in our group is looking for a trophy, instead, we're just looking for a good experience and to learn about the area. I regularly public land hunt in AR, TN, and TX, but nothing will compare to WY. I/We aren't worried about prepping as we regularly hunt/camp out of our trucks and plan to have access to a camper. My unknowns are listed below, for anyone willing to share advice/recommendations, I would greatly appreciate it.
-Are there any units/regions to "stay away" from for mule deer?
-Is it possible to land an entire group with tags, especially if we are all new to the system and will have a minimal amount of preference points?
-Are dirt roads on a map in shape for a 4x4 truck to travel through?
-If our group were to plan on an October hunt, would we be able to beat the truly cold weather and snow? Not against either, btw.
-Also along the lines of October, what kind of other wildlife should we anticipate seeing? Pronghorn, elk, whitetail, bear, etc.?

Thanks again to anyone willing to shed some info. Since I'm new here, here's a quick intro. I'm from and currently live in Arkansas where I regularly hunt whitetail, turkey, duck, and hogs. I lived in Texas for a handful of years where we started a side business of shooting hogs with thermals and still enjoy doing that as often as possible. I'm an avid gun guru but love to archery hunt. I'm a husband, a father, and an EHS Professional in the poultry industry. So all three of those require a healthy balance to be able to enjoy the outdoors as much as I do. I take part in the ArkansasHunting.net forums similar to this for anyone that's interested or frequents the state. In my prime, I served in the Marine Corps and shot field artillery, so my hearing is pretty well trashed. I like bourbon, neat with a dash of water, and steaks cooked rare, and understand that fiber is your friend. I don't discuss money, politics, or religion, I say ma'am and sir, and believe you only qualify for one of those.

Cheers

You sound like a great guy overall- just right for Wyoming Hunting ! I’m an antelope hunting nut so I’ve spent many days in Wyoming hunting antelope since 1978, my 1 st hunt north of Alcova in unit 69. Fun hunt- I got hooked !
My mule deer hunting in Wyoming is very limited. You’ve got to get those Preference Points into the WG&F System- that takes some time- & analyze the odds & continuous changes in the mule deer hunting in different areas. The deer hunting for mule deer in Wyoming has been on a steady decline for years now, like most Western States sad to say. The Western Wyoming mountain ranges still hold some whopper bucks for the hunters that brave those areas & tough elements according to hunters posts I’ve read about here on MM. I’d guess that contacting the WGF in those western region offices after the seasons are over would be very helpful- they can give you the best & latest info
on the areas in their districts- call them 1 st thing in January ‘23 & visit with the Wildlife Biologists
& Game Wardens- don’t call now, they are out in the field & it’s very tough to catch them in their offices. They are usually very helpful for hunters especially the new ones like yourself.
There are some areas in Wyoming that are limited draws but very tough to get- takes lots of points !
Another good guide is called toprut.com on the Web- great information & only $ 20 year . I use it every year.
Hope that this information helps you get started in your research ? on Wyoming. Take lots of good notes while talking to those WG&F & ask questions- that’s what they do- answer hunters
questions.
Best of Luck to your new adventures !!
Jerry Gold in Windsor, Colorado

 

[2lumpy]

I was fortunate enough to spend a week in Arkansas this August, it’s a beautiful place. You certainly have plenty of game animals to hunt in your State, which tells me you folks are seasoned hunters and will have absolutely no trouble adding mule deer hunting to your bag of tricks.

Where as I am not nor ever have been a resident of the State of Wyoming. (I have enjoyed the opportunity to hunter there successful a few times, for mule deer and pronghorns) My knowledge of the State is juvenile so I am not going to be able enough worth while information to your inquiries. There are a great many Wyoming hunting specialists on this Forum, who, if they will, provide much more accurate and helpful information I can.

If, after a few weeks you haven’t gotten an abundance of help, drop me a Personal Message and I will happily share what limited information I can provide.

All the best in your quest!!

 

[nontypical]

Buy a point before the end of this month.

 

[2lumpy]

Buy a point before the end of this month.

Ugh…….. is it that time again. By the way…… why is it that we do that every year, about the first of November? I don’t think own any real estate that’s past due.

 

[rmanwill]

Yep. That time again. Just sent Wyoming $443.83 this morning for points.

 

[Grabasski]

Buy a point before the end of this month.

We did! We purchase points for muley and elk.

 

[Grabasski]

Yep. That time again. Just sent Wyoming $443.83 this morning for points.

Can you explain why yours was so much? Can you purchase multiple points? I totally thought it was a one and done so I only gave them like $90 lol one for muley and one elk.

 

[2lumpy]

Can you explain why yours was so much? Can you purchase multiple points? I totally thought it was a one and done so I only gave them like $90 lol one for muley and one elk.

Moose and Sheep, are considerably more.

 

[rmanwill]

Can you explain why yours was so much? Can you purchase multiple points? I totally thought it was a one and done so I only gave them like $90 lol one for muley and one elk.

Sorry. That is for wife, 3 sons and myself for one to all 3 species that was not applied for earlier.

 

[junior]

We did! We purchase points for muley and elk.

You buy antelope? That's probably the easiest diy tag in Wyoming.

 

[Grabasski]

You buy antelope? That's probably the easiest diy tag in Wyoming.

Thanks for letting me know. That's been a bucket list experience too!

 

[rocky2track]

First thing to understand is applying for a Region tag or a specific unit. Look at a specific unit area you'd like to hunt and determine whether you'll need to draw a limited quota LQ tag or draw a Region tag. Whether region or LQ, about 80% of the tags will go to the highest pref. point holders first. Then the remaining 20% will go back into a random draw where anyone that applied for that Region or LQ unit could draw. You'll need to decide whether to apply in the regular draw or special draw. Look at drawing odds and determine if the extra money is worth it. If you want to assure you'll hunt with a specific group of friends, you can put in as a party application. Just remember your pref points will be averaged as a whole for the group and looked at as 1 application in the drawing. Pull up the Wyoming hunt planner on the Game & Fish website and it'll show you the areas with more public land than private. Make your decision from there. Even September and early October hunts can see signifant rain and snow and temps in the single digits...every year is different. Desert units typically have lower deer densities than mountainous areas except the Powder River breaks in the northeast portion of the state has lots of deer but the majority is private land. Good luck.