# Wyoming Elk draw



## 7MM Magnum (Sep 10, 2003)

I found out the other day that I successfully pulled my elk tag for Wyoming! 

Looks like I'll be heading West in October from the 18th-29th for my DIY hunt with a couple of friends who are residents of Wyoming. My last time out there to visit and hunt with them was back in 2009,.. sure seems like a LONG time ago,...

MAN AM I EVER STOKED !!!


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## 1ludman (Jun 26, 2012)

Lucky you and congratulations even if you don't bag a elk what a great hunt you will have ,best of luck though.


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## 7MM Magnum (Sep 10, 2003)

Thanks man,.. October can't get here quick enough,... :lol:


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## dhosera (Jul 11, 2006)

Jealous...... Nothing but Points for me again this year. What tag did you pull?


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## Burksee (Jan 15, 2003)

Congrats to you Terry! As already mentioned whether or not you score your in for a great time!


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## 7MM Magnum (Sep 10, 2003)

It was just a General Tag,.. but even still I feel lucky in getting it. There was a group of 5 that went in on a "group-draw" (they live in Washington state). 

I was going to join their group for the draw but a couple of them didn't have any points to start out with,.. I had 4. I decided to just put in on my own assuring myself to draw. It was a good thing I did as none of them drew and if I was in the group neither would I have. That many people in a group with 2 not holding any points would have absorbed my points and we would have averaged 1.75 points between us. 

But anyway,.. I'm hunting areas 102 and 94 in the Bridger National Forests,... Absaroka and Deadline Ridge areas as well as Packsaddle Ridge. Great elk country and they are normally high up unless it snows pretty bad driving them down,..

It's going to be a great hunt,..


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## Canvsbk (Jan 13, 2013)

There's a ton of elk in 92 and 94, good luck. I also hear of critters with big teeth and claws in the area too. That late in October there should be some elk down where you can get after 'em pretty good.


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## 7MM Magnum (Sep 10, 2003)

I hear ya',... The .338 WM will do the trick in either instance if an when the calling presents itself.  

225 grain Accubond handloads for the .338 and then there's always the .44 mag with 300 grain hard-casts JUST in-case. :lol:


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## 7MM Magnum (Sep 10, 2003)

Canvsbk said:


> There's a ton of elk in 92 and 94, good luck. I also hear of critters with big teeth and claws in the area too. That late in October there should be some elk down where you can get after 'em pretty good.


 
From the comments you had made it sounds as if you might be familiar with those areas. When were you last there, and did you get to fill your tag if so ?? 

My hunting bud (Dean) lives down in Green River and we have hunted together several times in Idaho and Wyoming. Me being predominantly a whitetail hunter here in Michigan for the past 40 years he has been a great mentor in the ways of elk,.. I've learned a lot from him in the past few years. He hunts those 2 areas quite frequently both bow and rifle and does his "homework" throughout the year chasin' them down and learns their travel routes.

The ol' campfire is gonna be fantastic this fall,.. I'll be hookin' up with several others again that I haven't seen since 2009 LOTS to catch up on,..


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## kingfisher 11 (Jan 26, 2000)

I have 5 or 6 pts? still building. When I am ready to go I want to be able to draw a very good unit. I am going to need to do my homework.


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## Canvsbk (Jan 13, 2013)

Kingfisher- if you're 3 points behind max now odds are you'll never catch up. Why wait 25 - 30 years to draw? Go now.

To the OP- I've hunted area 10 in Idaho, spectacular vistas out there. Also helped a guy scout for Bighorns in Hells Canyon, there can't be a more beautiful place on earth.
In my opinion the way to go for elk in Wyoming is draw a general every other year and hunt on reduced price cow tags in the off years to learn the country. The general units certainly get more pressure but I would rather hunt than sit home and count my points, but that's just me.
Good luck to you all and remember the day will soon come that you regret things you didn't do as opposed to things you did do.


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## 7MM Magnum (Sep 10, 2003)

Canvsbk said:


> Kingfisher- if you're 3 points behind max now odds are you'll never catch up. Why wait 25 - 30 years to draw? Go now.
> 
> To the OP- I've hunted area 10 in Idaho, spectacular vistas out there. Also helped a guy scout for Bighorns in Hells Canyon, there can't be a more beautiful place on earth.
> In my opinion the way to go for elk in Wyoming is draw a general every other year and hunt on reduced price cow tags in the off years to learn the country. The general units certainly get more pressure but I would rather hunt than sit home and count my points, but that's just me.
> Good luck to you all and remember the day will soon come that you regret things you didn't do as opposed to things you did do.


*So True!* Normally non-residents have a 92% chance of drawing a General tag in Wyoming with just 1 PP,.. this year however for some reason the average worked out to needing at least 2 PP (increased hunting put-ins in those areas?)

I have been going every other year out west Unit 10-A (Clearwater Region) in Idaho and #102/#94 in Wyoming up until 2009. I had planned to hunt in 09 but unforeseen circumstances prevented me from going that year (divorce) and it took me till this year to get back into my loop so to say. 
Idaho 10-A was a great elk habitat until the wolves decided to overtake the population of elk. The guy I hunted in Idaho with hosted a DIY GT (get-together) for mutual people in a hunting club I belong to but that ended back in 2008 due to the introduction of wolf so I've been going to Wyoming ever since. I'm still interested in Idaho but Ray (resident in Winchester) has been letting me know that the majority of the herd is now concentrating in the far northern par of the state near the Canadian border (Bonner's Ferry area)


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## Canvsbk (Jan 13, 2013)

I spent a day up by Sand Point last November, just looking not hunting, but didn't go as far north as Bonners Ferry. Nice country up there but it just didn't "feel" right. Can't really explain it. There's no question the wolves have had a huge impact out there, certainly in elk behavior, but I think at times the constant complaining about the wolves is as much to scare guys away from the area as anything. Just my opinion.
In Wyoming this year I drew an area 10 reduced price cow tag as I've never been in the Medicine Bows. Don't know what to expect for pressure but I'm certain I won't be alone. At the moment kinda thinking area 11 LE next fall...
we'll see.(area 47/48 would be great for antelope too) That's plan A at this time


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## kingfisher 11 (Jan 26, 2000)

Canvsbk said:


> Kingfisher- if you're 3 points behind max now odds are you'll never catch up. Why wait 25 - 30 years to draw? Go now.
> 
> To the OP- I've hunted area 10 in Idaho, spectacular vistas out there. Also helped a guy scout for Bighorns in Hells Canyon, there can't be a more beautiful place on earth.
> In my opinion the way to go for elk in Wyoming is draw a general every other year and hunt on reduced price cow tags in the off years to learn the country. The general units certainly get more pressure but I would rather hunt than sit home and count my points, but that's just me.
> Good luck to you all and remember the day will soon come that you regret things you didn't do as opposed to things you did do.


I may have 6-7 points I am not sure? I know I only missed one year since the PP started. The area I was suggested to go to was taking 5-6 pts to get drawn. I did not want to just do a general draw hunt. I have been unable to go the last year or two and won't be able to go this year. If I can find some guys to go with me, who have some points. Then I should be good to draw when I am ready.


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## 7MM Magnum (Sep 10, 2003)

Canvsbk said:


> I spent a day up by Sand Point last November, just looking not hunting, but didn't go as far north as Bonners Ferry. Nice country up there but it just didn't "feel" right. Can't really explain it. There's no question the wolves have had a huge impact out there, certainly in elk behavior, but I think at times the constant complaining about the wolves is as much to scare guys away from the area as anything. Just my opinion.
> In Wyoming this year I drew an area 10 reduced price cow tag as I've never been in the Medicine Bows. Don't know what to expect for pressure but I'm certain I won't be alone. At the moment kinda thinking area 11 LE next fall...
> we'll see.(area 47/48 would be great for antelope too) That's plan A at this time


 
So your going to be in the Laramie area then,.. I've never been out to the SE side of Wyoming to hunt yet, 

I don't think that there's any exaggerations when my friend Ray tells me about the wolf problems out there. We hunt near the Dworshak in the Potlatch areas for the most part. He's sent pictures of some of the leftover carcasses that were left behind by the wolves while out with the fur n' feathers guys,... the hind 1/4's were pretty much the main course and the belly area,.. pretty disgusting! 


My buds Dean in Green River, Wyoming hunted in area 31 this season he sent me a email regarding his hunt and this is an excerpt of his writings:

*"So far I've hunted 23 days. Saw 6x6 bulls 20 of those. Though I'm sure many of those were Bulls I'd seen before. Getting to the point where I'm naming them. Many are in the 280-320 class, a few in the 340-400 class. I've been concentrating on the 350+ Bulls. Might end up eating the tag or shouting a calf? The area I pulled the any Elk tag for is 30 min from home. Haven't set up an elk camp this season, just hunting from home. First time that's ever happen!"*



This sounds like an area that I'd be very interested in getting the chance at,... Dean was after something unique and set the bar high for himself,..came back after all was said and done with tag soup. He's been hunting these critters for over 30 years starting out in the rain forests of Washington and for the past 6 years now in Wyoming after moving there and becoming a resident.


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## Canvsbk (Jan 13, 2013)

Huntin' elk 30 minutes from your driveway sure sounds awesome to me! As far as tag soup goes, it's really not that bad......
I have no doubts about the effect the wolves have had on the elk population. It just seems at times the wolf issue is used to steer guys away from an area to me. They're for real and so is the damage they continue to due.
I've heard stories similair to your buddies about elk numbers in 16 and 22. Both are max point areas so I'll use that as an excuse instead of admitting the straight up and down terrain just might kill an old guy like me...


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## chrisu (Dec 7, 2004)

'Grats on your tag. I drew a pref point, but the other guys in my party all drew bull tags. Like you, I am stoked for October as it is my first trip out there.


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