I am really wanting to start hunting out west, but the tag drawings can be a mess from what I can tell so far. A WY hunt for pronghorn & mule deer looks good since the seasons overlap. Does anyone have any advise to offer to someone that has never hunted out west? Which states are my best choices? Which areas? It's hard to guess when I have never been out west. Thanks to any & all advise & suggestions
Hunting out west
- Thread starter hrubison
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Yep, Wyoming antelope should be where everyone starts with a western hunt, not elk. Antelope are more visible and much easier to hunt on public land. They get you used to reading maps and understanding landownership and trespass rules, and won't physically wear you out the way elk hunting will.
Draws are not a mess, nor are they rocket science to figure out. But, to someone not used to them, they can seem a little like a foreign language. People will complain about them, but mostly because they want to hunt the best areas more frequently, or ever. That's not possible in places with public land and a finite resource.
Get yourself an atlas that shows the public land, and you'll be able to make a much more educated guesses about where to go specifically. It's really not very hard.
Also, not all of Wyoming's deer seasons overlap the antelope seasons. They do in many places, but not all. Spend some time on their site, so you can understand draw odds, units (which are different for every species in Wyoming), Walk-In Hunting Areas, Hunter Management Areas, the drawing process, which tags go to leftovers and things like that.
Draws are not a mess, nor are they rocket science to figure out. But, to someone not used to them, they can seem a little like a foreign language. People will complain about them, but mostly because they want to hunt the best areas more frequently, or ever. That's not possible in places with public land and a finite resource.
Get yourself an atlas that shows the public land, and you'll be able to make a much more educated guesses about where to go specifically. It's really not very hard.
Also, not all of Wyoming's deer seasons overlap the antelope seasons. They do in many places, but not all. Spend some time on their site, so you can understand draw odds, units (which are different for every species in Wyoming), Walk-In Hunting Areas, Hunter Management Areas, the drawing process, which tags go to leftovers and things like that.
I have hunted NE Wyoming a few times. I know people that have hunted the area for many years and I have never heard of someone not getting drawn for a deer tag. I imagine that changes based on the region you apply for. I don't see antelope where I hunt but if you look around enough I would guess there are ranches that have both.
I would suggest deciding if you want a guide or are going to hunt without. If you go without and want to hunt private land call the local hardware stores in small towns. I gather the ranchers who want hunters leave their name and phone with the store owner.
I would suggest deciding if you want a guide or are going to hunt without. If you go without and want to hunt private land call the local hardware stores in small towns. I gather the ranchers who want hunters leave their name and phone with the store owner.
I've never paid for access, nor do I envision ever doing so at this point in my life. I also don't think it's conducive to learning to be a good DIY hunter. I can certainly understand the desire to have exclusive access to an area, but it really isn't necessary for any kind of western hunting. In fact, it can be a crutch, because if you've paid for access and for whatever reason, the game is not presently on the ranch, or you run it all off after the first shot or something of that nature, you aren't going to want to go knock on the door of the next ranch house and pay for access there too. Where I hunt, the public lands are mostly scattered, and if there aren't antelope immediately obvious on the property, we just move on to the next area.
Now in certain areas, it also makes sense that you'd want private land access. My solution to that, is to avoid those areas that are heavily private land. So, get yourself an atlas that shows BLM lands and National Grasslands.
Now in certain areas, it also makes sense that you'd want private land access. My solution to that, is to avoid those areas that are heavily private land. So, get yourself an atlas that shows BLM lands and National Grasslands.
IF you can draw a tag for NW Washoe or Elko counties in NV, there are some monster bucks way off the beaten path. Washoe typicals run 34" and wider.
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