Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Wyoming Elk question

I have one less than Max points for Elk. Thinking of applying for the draw this year. Anyone have any ideas of a unit that will yeild a decent chance at a bull for a 52 year old flatlander on a DIY hunt?

Have hunted Elk before in Colorado, not after a huge bull, but would like one larger than the 5x5 raghorn I took several years ago.

If you wish, PM me the information as well.

Thanks!
Keith

Unit 7 I believe is one of the best. I will get back with a couple of more.

Thanks, will check the odds chart

Pick an area, any area, they all have bulls in them.Whether or not the bulls will be standing perfectly still out in the open waiting to get shot is another question...
But just keep in mind that even on the best of years 60% of all elk hunters go home with valid tags in their pocket.
Type 6 license make for a very good way to actually go explore and scout an area to determine if you want to dedicate your first choice application to it or not.

Frogman
I got my map out this morning, the other units I was thinking about were 22 and 16. I have a friend that lives in Rawlins, who has hunted those units in the past. I am using my PP for a General Tag this year.

100,124,118

Thanks for the advice everyone. I had considered 16 qnd 100, but the drawing odds chart from last years draw shows that they don't give many tags there and I wouldn't draw it with 1 less than Max points.

Yep, have eaten my share of Elk tag soup in the past!

Yup tag soup is a staple of most elk hunters...
The big thing to keep in mind for now is, this drought.If it continues to stay this horribly dry here, herd migration and grazing patterns will be disrupted by the lack of forage, even if there are no huge fires. This past year there was nearly 200,000 acres burnt off around Laramie Peak (the heart of area 7) and unless there is substantial spring rains there's not going to be lot of forage available this summer. Right now the east side of the peak is bare of snow except for drifts, that doesn't bode well.
The Sierra Madres and the Snowy Range is ripe for a major castrophe with all the beetle kill timber. A couple of severe dry thunderstorms and there'll be fire on those hills that won't quit until deep snow fall..The other mtn ranges are in similar condition.
So quite honestly I think you would truly be best off to wait for after the draw next July and see what would be available that you might want to pick up a reduced price cow/calf and go scouting.

I disagree...every year you wait is another year wasted.

Elk populations are busting at the seams...for the first time EVER you can kill 3 elk per year in Wyoming, and its easy to do so.

Elk arent impacted by drought conditions like other species...they have legs, live in the mountains, and know the definition of perennial water.

Oh, and I wouldnt worry about the fire potential...lots of new growth happens, real fast.

Big-game move back into burned areas really quickly after a fire, and a hunter would be a fool to not hunt burns of the year....

My Dad shot this moose in October, in the Labarge fire about 1.5 months after the fire passed through...and check out those 14-16" aspen shoots on the right of the picture. I wonder why those moose were hitting those burns? Probably the same reason as all the elk and deer I saw in those same burns...

New growth+good forage=good place to hunt.

Exactly.

The fires of last year are going to be good hunting this coming fall, given any sort of decent rain.

"given any sort of decent rain."
That's going to be the trick isn't it?
The black cinder clouds coming off of that Laramie Peak burn is something to see with things as dry and windy as it's been this fall and winter.
Buzz not sure getting a type 6 and going to actually scout/hunt an area to see if it's something he wants to blow his points on is a waste....But hey difference in opinion makes the world go round.

Have been eyeing unit 64-2 as well.....anybody have any info on that unit?

Thinking I could draw a deer tag too.....
Thanks
Keith

I live in 64. Most of the ground open to the public is around a HMA. Lots of private that the elk move to that isn't open to the public.

Ranch13,

My main point was that I've known too many people that are going to wait until "next year"...or "until I retire"...or "until the conditions are better"...the list of excuses is endless. The trouble is, "next year" and "perfect conditions" never happen.

Hunt while you can...as often as you can...has always served me well. The only regrets I've ever had is when I didnt go, or when I didnt put maximum effort into a hunt.

Throw caution to the wind and just GO!

Can't arque that Buzz, I just hate to see these guys build points and then finally get drawn for an area that really sucks..
That's the great thing about the type 6 licenses it lets a fella go look during hunting season and see if it's anything he wants to mess with, and you stand a decent chance of bringin home some meat for your efforts...

The LaBarge fire was pretty intense, but even by mid september there was a lot of greenage in the burnt areas.

I hunted it hard in October, but never saw an elk in the burnt areas; though I know they were in there.

I ended up filling my tag up on Commissary Ridge in November in a much older burn.

Points are for burnin'...

I agree though about the type-6 tags...great way to scout for upcoming hunts.

Doghunter,

I could have killed a 310-320 6 point right in the middle of the black...as well as a bunch of cows, calves, spikes and raghorns.

Not many people were hunting elk in the black...glad to you hear you didnt over-look it.

I dont know why anyone would promote area 7 elk beyond what eastmans and the hunting fool already do. as far as the burn there were 6 inch aspens already growing up the Arapaho fire by October. If you dont draw pic up a type 6 after the draw but I would look at the other units in the state that provide great opportunity and dont get the lime light.

Buzz, You're an inspiration.

Thanks!

Bob