Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Where would you go, if you could go anywhere?

If you had a chance to start accruing points now to hunt elk, deer, and antelope all over the western US, where would you go if your priorities were:

1. Seeing the most scenic and hallowed destinations available to hunt. Areas with historic significance etc. Black Hills, Tetons, etc etc.

2. Public access, with realistic chances for a NR getting drawn with less than 10 years worth of points. Trespass fees are ok, but I can't afford thousands of dollars for guided private land hunts.

3. Opportunity to see good populations of animals, with a chance at a full grown buck/bull.


I'm not interested in trophies. I'm interested in going and seeing cool new places the way you can only see them while camping and hunting. I don't want any honey holes, GPS , or unit numbers. I'm just trying to come up with general ideas to put on my bucket list.

Devils Tower area in WY has always interested me. Book Cliffs in UT if for mulies and elk...

Wyoming


ddj

I will pick wy cause i have points there possibly might start buying points for Colorado next year for elk

Arizona Strip for ginormous muley bucks, or desert bighorns anywhere.

Tule Elk in CA and I am with JGRaider on the Desert Bighorn!

Speedgoats I bought over the counter tags in WY a couple years ago. Very affordable non-guided hunt.

Lots to cover here:
1) You mention seeing some hallowed hunting grounds, but also historic sights. To me that means that you have an image of what elk country should look like and maybe what mule deer country looks like.

So, I'd assume you're looking for a high mountain elk hunt. Keep in mind that that is not where a lot of the top trophies come from. Those are often coming from more tightly managed lower country.

For mule deer, I consider lower badland, basin, rimrock, canyon,scrub oak and pinyon juniper country as "mule deer country". Others don't. Some might consider the plains or farmlands or the high country. Know what you want to hunt.

2 and 3) What you want can be had for far less than 10 points depending on your trophy standards.

You can hunt most Western states every year, depending on what you're willing to compromise on. However, since you're talking about a long term timeline, lots talk about a few baby steps/options below.

I don't want to say forget about some of the most famous country for elk or deer out there, but you you're not talking about 10 year timelines. Let's focus on middle point hunts.

For mule deer, that means Western Colorado, Central or Western Wyoming, much of Nevada and Southern/Central/Eastern Utah. The great deer country in Arizona may take too long. All of those options can be done with limited tags in under 5 years or 10 or more depending seasons/weapons etc. Some of those can even be combined with elk hunts.
If you want famous country, start studying up on Old West outlaws and their hiding places because the truly famous Mule Deer country may otherwise take too long to draw.

For elk, I think you have to think about a rut hunt for the full effect in a mountain environment. Montana, Idaho and Wyoming all have some level rut hunt available even with a rifle. In Colorado it would have to be archery or muzzleloader (no scopes, no sabots). Focus on units that do not have a general or OTC or unlimited season for residents or nonresidents and you'll really limit the number of units to consider.

Of those options, Colorado has the elk numbers, some rut hunt options and the biggest mountains. But, you said the Tetons or other famous country (like Yellowstone, Frank Church maybe, but don't forget all of the big country Colorado has to offer), of course that's a National Park, but you can hunt near several of them. Look for places with those high parks, timberline basins and plenty of aspens for the full scenic effect.

Another thing to consider if you're willing to save the money or when budgeting for this is doing a full on, back country hunt in September. You may have to rent horses or pay for a drop camp or even fully outfitted hunt, but if you're only going to do a few of these in your lifetime, the adventure aspect may be worth it to you.

Other stuff:
Lots of game in famous country- the Black Hills of Wyoming and South Dakota, along with the Pine Ridge in Nebraska. Probably the highest combined deer (WT and MD) densities in the west. Otherwise, Western Colorado has the highest combined densities of elk and mule deer.

Antelope: Wyoming or Montana for numbers. The only buck I've killed was in Montana, but I hunt does every year in Wyoming and occasionally Colorado. For trophies, Montana and Wyoming can do it, but New Mexico and Arizona put out an unusually high percentage of big stuff.

I really like your approach to it.
It is always frustrating to me when someone bases the success or failure of a hunt solely on whether they punch their tag and ignore what surrounds them.

It is such a broad question that even just to answer for mostly South Colorado with emphasis on elk is difficult.

1) The La Garita, The Weminuche, The West Elks, The Flat Tops, The Hermosa Basin.
2) I know you don't want unit numbers but for waiting time to draw a tag it is an important benchmark. Units 56, 70, 75, 85, 86, 79, 62, for starters.
3) This is my question too. I've hunted elk in 10 units in Colorado. Usually going higher up and deeper in reveals game.

For me it would be having a tag in my pocket anyplace where I would have a good chance of finding a nice clean heavy & wide 4 x 4 mule deer buck.

Maybe not the most exotic choice but nothing better than chasing a big mule deer buck!!

great information guys.

it's not that i don't want unit numbers if you want to share them, i just don't want to ask for them!

i grew up reading Louis L'Amour and other books about these places all across the west. the thoughts of standing in some of the same places while hunting excites me more than putting in for points for 20 years to kill a "trophy" deer or elk.

Anywhere but Montana!! LOL

What you said sounds like it came straight from my mouth. I too grew up reading L'amour and Trophy racks may be awesome, but I am more out for the experience than the rack. There is so much of the west I would like to see, hunt, and ride that I will probably never even cover a quarter of what I hope to see/do.

So to reply to your question smalljawbasser, I would choose option 1. hunt the most scenic areas.

The desolate Arizona Strip for Whopper Muleys, The beautiful San Juan Unit in Utah for rutting Bull Elk & A combo hunt with my son for Moose, Caribou & Dall sheep in the North West Territories.

Wyoming Bighorn sheep tag.

Draw a Blue Mountain tag in WA or OR for elk

AZ strip, or Book Cliffs

Alaska for dall rams or Montana for goats. Those hunts just seem to be the ultimate test of a dude and his drive to take a critter.

I'll be pretty happy during my elk hunt with my Old Man and Brother starting the 13th though. And it's only an hour from home.

The book cliffs and Henries continue to come up. Would those units be skme thing a NR could draw for black powder or rifle within the next 10 years?

My hunting buddy is not much of an archer.

The strip seems like it would take a NR a lot of points, no?

Heck a good hunt is if you'er there because there aint mush care were your at.

If a guy covers a quarter of it, he is doing really well! I have been at it since the 70's on a lot of hunts in different western states and don't think I have hit that much.


I would look at Colorado, Wyoming,or Montana, but sure would think hard about a special unit in New Mexico with muzzle loader or bow......AZ is a great choice as well....you may be on social security before you draw a tag.

Since the OP is not keyed up for trophy quality I would grab the most available license with the most public land and just go hunting.