Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Wyo. Elk

Unlimited cow tags in some units? Depred til March? I get the ranchers are mad about crop and hay damage but I bet it gets a tick crowded up there. Will definitely have them pushed to private after day 1. Great the number are up, but some folks I was told shot 30 cows that were meat wagoned down to cheyenne. That's alot of dang elk!

Most the elk are already on private in those areas. 6 is almost all private

True, same with 7. I'd think it'd keep them on private making the ranchers damage problem even worse.

There won't be a problem if there are unlimited cow tags and they can charge 2k a pop for a cow hunt.

Sounds like they want paid to fix the problem. Nothing wrong with that I'd you got the property. Way I figure is those ranchers paid the price long ago or recently for that matter when the aquired the property. Free range is free range. Take advantage of your resources, but they asked for it and now they got it.

Yes is NOT any kind of good deal. Game and Fish is happy to sell you all the tags you want knowing full well you can't actually use them.
Almost all the areas are locked up by land owners and they will charge you hundreds and in some cases thousands of dollars to use each one.

It's largely a scam. Technically legal, but it's still shrouded in more deception then truth. I live here and if those tags were free I would not spend $40 worth of gas to go up there because it's going to be 100% a waist of that gas. You can't really hunt up there unless you are willing to spend a LOT of cash for bribes.

Got a resident friend up there and he couldn't even find a place to unload the horses it was s crowded last year in late season. Said he just went back home. It pretty much is a scam and the private owners ain't gonna let you bang on cows if a 15000 dollar bull is in play.

Bull season ends way before the cow elk hunters are done.
You really need to know someone for access to private. Poaching has been an issue in 6 for years and that is why many LOs don't allow access.

The elk move around the area but it is hit and miss late in season.

The elk in this area seem to find private land a week or so before rifle season here. been getting a little more noticeable last few years.....

So has anybody been up in region 6 last few years, knocked on doors and asked permission to hunt in the later cow season?

Asking for a friend……

A while back I attended the local meeting with the Game and Fish folks along with other residents and our representative. Some of the ranchers opined that they would prefer they be given tags to use on the unwanted Elk pressure that is affecting their lands. The biologist explained that the last time they discussed such a topic there were over 600 people crammed into the meeting venue and local LE agencies were called in for security.

He explained to the ranchers that this way, the tags were available for all to purchase if they could use them and if they had Elk damaging their land, all they had to do was have someone go buy a tag and then let them take a Cow off their place.

I asked if there were any restrictions on landowners charging trespass fees if they wanted to in return for getting elk removed from their lands, and the answer is no. I pointed out just how ell Ranching for Wildlife in Colorado has worked out with only folks with deep pockets being able to afford what ranchers want for the tags.....

I'm sure I didn't make any friends with the local ranchers that night, but I believe that the WG&F have given us the best option to deal with the problem at the moment. Are they a little unsure how it will play out, or course they are, and the biologist told me so, but at least they're trying something to alleviate the problem yet allow for more opportunity.

There was one ranch owner in attendance that closes his land to all hunting because he likes the Elk and that gives you more insight as to why there's problems controlling the herds. This fellow doesn't want anyone hunting them and they're protected on his land.

In the end, I don't see any way for the ranchers to get relief from the large herds until they are willing to allow hunters on their ranges to thin the herds out. I do believe the WG&F folks are trying to resolve this the best way they can.


Frog---OUT!

A problem for sure. A huge ranch west of town has about 2000 elk on it. Half is public land but we can't access it. They have made no bitch about it so far. Yesterday, I was south of that place but headed west. I spotted 15 elk on the prairie they were headed north to this ranch when at this time of year, they should be headed to the foothills.
Certainly an issue, but we still have some of the best hunting in the west so I will suffer. The solution is really easy, hunt elk at home, or Colorado.

We hunt 6 every year and yes access is hard for NRs or non locals. I have made some calls and gotten access, from folks that know us or of us.

That rancher that does not allow access is very much the attitude many had years back and now they realize they helped start this problem. Can't get the old timers to change so the issue will not be resolved any time soon.

WG&F is trying but LOs need to step up with access and Wyoming has Access Yes. Can't force LOs to join or give access though.

Way I see it, is its a scam by wyoming game and fish. They know that access is the problem and they are gonna get their money for a tag that won't be used or filled. And for the ranches, it's additional profit for cows at 2k a piece. Everybody wins except the person who wants a diy and holding the cow tag.

Here's your tag. Good luck putting it on an animal is Wyo. Game and fish's mentality.


I luckily have access to some private up there. But them elk move. Here one day. Gone the next 3.

As I understand it, the type 8 tags are going to be over the counter tags and unlimited for these certain areas. I think the reduced price Cow tags are about $50 for residents and around $300 for Non Residents.

Not a scam unless you buy with no access, well known area for no public access.
I don't know 1 LO charging $2000 for a cow elk in 6, where might that be sir? If folks pay that much more power to those LOs.
We'll load up on cow tags this year and hope to fill several.

No ones is forcing anyone to buy a tag with no access, good grief look elsewhere I guess.
And yes you are right on, here one day gone the next.

I think another part of this equation is game and fish is trying to get ahead of the crop damage on private land. There was a bill in this years WY legislative session that would have game and fish pay landowners 150% of the value of the crop damage done on their property by wildlife. The potential dollar amount was staggering. Thankfully the bill did not pass but I am sure it wills show up again.

Todd

In area 7 the only county that these cow tags can be used on public is Platte. I think. I'm pretty sure Alban, Converse, and Carbon are only good for private.

Also, I don't really know how door knocking goes up there, but from the outfitters I've checked with they are all 2 to 3 grand for a cow. I was just speculation from the research I've done. Most private will be locked up with outfits on private trying to bull hunt. I think it would be tough to gain access on private while they are bull hunting in October. I guess there is always late season elk.

Some more information about the Type 8 unlimited elk tags and other measures being used to reduce the elk population in SE Wyoming
https://wyofile.com/hired-guns-unlimited-tags-wyoming-levels-up-elk-killing-efforts/