Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Wyoming General Units

Man you sure don't want to draw one of these 3 permits any more. Those buggers have got themselves down across the river pesterin them Rooshin farmers. Betting there wasn't a 25 % kill this year.
We had about 50 head all summer munchin on hay and cleaning up all the stock salt, and then season opened and poof, they was gone. Feeding cows in the south pasture now with all this snow on the ground and there's no elk track at all.
Think the lions got populated again. The deer went out on the flats, and the elk said see ya later..
I think they need to put us in 129 for general and call it goodnuff.

Might have to find me a new spot as well. Talk among the rabbit sheriffs is that they are considering making south of 70 a draw unit. Lets just hope its all talk. They are also talking about making a certain Peak area a general tag. Would almost pay money to watch that circus the first year.

Cant be all that bad up near you. There was a certain California member of the Fire bothering the local RMEF boys down here about purchasing the free for all tag they are holding.

You'd be hard pressed to find a way to piss away your time and money more effectively then hunting in 36 and 37.

The ONLY way to hunt 37 is with an archery only tag and that just gives you 15 days with half as many atv's.

Wow this thread blew up overnight. I would be archery hunting mainly but would come back with a rifle if needed but doesnt sound like 36 or 37 as i dont own three 4 wheelers not even one LOL.36 37 that bad huh?

I heard the units around 21 are crazy with hunters also is this true?

Ranch13- i have been contemplating saving my preference and trying to draw the 117 permit but it looks it takes about 5 years to draw. i am a litle worried about lack of public ground in that unit as well. And if its like teh rest of the hills like WYOELK said you nearly have to walk every step with a gps and the lions are really taking ahold of elk population. I have 5 years of points for about every elk tag in SD i have the itch and i need to scratch it. I would really like to go this next year.

What are the chances of drawing a general tag the with no preference?Or are they unlimited i though t i sen somewhere it was a draw? If it is a draw is it possible to apply without using your preference? Would it be smart to apply fro 117 first choice and general 2 nd choice?

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Hells bells its not that hard to hunt the Black Hills. Matter of fact it's easier to stay on forest,state and blm now than it was 40 someodd years ago, it's marked.
If I were to want to draw a Black Hills permit, I'ld do the 116, as it's also valid in the portions of 129 in Crook Co.
Can't help you on the ballbaby points, that's another one of the wrong turns the Game and Fish took to try and appease the cry babies, and it's not worked out for either residents or non residents, but they won't get rid of em now....I do think tho once you have them you can't loose them unless you don't put it for a couple of years and if you do put in they'll rank you with the other's of equal points.
There's 14 yr old resident kids that probably won't get to hunt Upper Green River Moose because by the time they have the points to draw a bull tag the nursing home won't let them out to go...

If it sounds like i am complaining i am not i am new to the chaos of drawing a tag and just trying to put my money time and effort in a productive area where i can draw a good unit where i can enjoy the hunt and have a chance to come home with an elk.And i relly dont know what to do i was set on going next year with the General tag but you guys brought up holding out for 116 117 which a friend of mine did as well. And to top it all of i am running out of time to decide.

Thats to bad not being able to get a chance to hunt a species of game in your own state like the moose you reffered too. Alot of residents might be in teh same boat here in SD for elk if we cant keep the mt lion population in check.
Heck to get a whitetail buck tag in my home county i draw every 4 years just for a deer tag, its a joke but the way it is.

Yes, in spots, 21 is loaded with hunters as well.

Gethuntin, was going to have you send me a PM for elk hunting advice, since my brother-in-law worked bulls every day in area 12 after Sept. 15 last year, but the whining about predators always turns me off, along with that $85 turkey license, only available from Pierre, you boys in SD wanted to keep us nonresidents from killing all of your turkeys.

Well first thing you need to figure out is that any general area is going to be crowded in most places , especially in the early part of the season. Later in the season when the crowds dispurse the elk have gone pretty dead quiet with the bugling and are pretty nocturnal (more so than usual) with their movements.
Second and probably most important, even in the best years when the sun and stars and moon and all are in proper alignment, it's a pretty safe bet 60% of the hunters have gone home with valid tags in their pockets, and the majority of them may never of even seen anything but a Knot in a dead tree to shoot at. Some of the draw only areas offer a bit better odds of being successful,but that's not quaranteed either.
Good luck with the choices. Be glad to pass you on any info I can when/if you get a permit for wherever.

i think the thorofare is a general unit?

Figure on most general units having a good portion of wilderness area also which prevents the majority of non residents from hunting it.

DrHJH- I usually dont try to avoid posts especially when someone would try to call me out on something so i wont on yours. Not to start a pissing match or anything, but in reality I dont have a big reason to complain about predators (lions) in the hills bc i dont live out there I wish i did but I dont. the only way they affect me is it is harder to draw for an elk tag with decreased quotas. I am sure it is nothing compared to wyoming and other western states with grizzlies and wolves i cant imagine them taking over here and hope they never do. But i do have a mt lion tag and am hoping to help curve the population this winter.I actually like to hunt predators as much as deer or more, i spend all my winters calling coyotes. I just dont like not keeping or lion population in check when theres still time.
As far as turkey tags i assume you are reffering to the Hills. Which yes its $85 but it is a little more than the $72 non res tag in wyoming. As residents we pay 20 in you pay $16 in Wy comaprable in my opinion. As far as going through Pierre its our license office all licenses go through Pierre and in the Hills unit it is an unlimited tag so we are not keeping anyone from killing our turkeys.

Anyway i didnt take offense to your post hope you dont to mine, good luck next fall or this spring if you chase some turkeys.

Just screwing with you. Our license is $78 now for a nonresident. Send me a PM and I can help you with some places to hunt down here in the southern part of WY if you want to hunt a general license area. My Michigan brother-in-law, who wasn't smart enough to pay for a point the fall before, could have shot a half dozen bulls, one at 8 steps, but had a cow license. He had a cow coming toward him down a two-track with its head down and instead of drawing and getting a 25 yard shot, he backed off the road and of course the elk saw him and beat feet. Just before the end of his hunt he wounded and lost a cow that turned toward him as he released the arrow, and the quartering shoulder shot did not kill her immediately. He didn't have much blood to follow and couldn't find her, and neither could I a couple of hours later. Last fall we heard very little bugling until about the 14th of September, probably due to the mild weather.

My god.... This crap isnt that hard. Pick an area, lace up your boots and go kill an elk.

Sounds like a good game plan.

I forgot to add the most important part... have fun!