16pts Wyoming Elk DIY vs Guided

[Indian Summer]

I like your odds DIY and more flexibility.
Also - as a father of 4 - no way I'm dropping $13K more than needed, not on an elk anyway...maybe a once in a lifetime species/hunt.

I also don't want to mess with horses or llamas, just want to hunt elk...I think I'd just be trying to arrange an outfitter/packer to be on call once I have a bull down.

Good Luck - can't beat fall in the elk woods.

It’s just the fact that you will not have nearly as good as a Hunt on foot as you will using livestock. If you have 16 points, no nothing about livestock, and you are not in an area that is easy as far as elk hunting goes you might wanna consider a guided hunt.

You can give it hell for a few days on foot but if you’re going to do it yourself and for two weeks you won’t be utilizing that once in a lifetime tag to the fullest potential.

Finding an outfitter to pack elk for a do it yourself hunter isn’t usually very easy either. They are swamped during hunting season.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

Finding an outfitter to pack elk for a do it yourself hunter isn’t usually very easy either. They are swamped during hunting season.

Not to distract from the topic, but does it have to be an outfitter? Can somebody pay a cluster of highschool football players to hike in and pack stuff out?

 

[Mike D Texas]

If I had waited 15 years to draw a hunt and I had the money saved, I would go outfitted, preferably private land if possible.

Do you have the flexibility in your schedule to hunt and extended DIY hunt? What are the odds of killing what you are looking for in that unit?

Given your age you have time to rebuild points if you are unsuccessful DIY but damn it would suck to burn those points on a maybe.

Keep in mind this is all coming from someone that just recently started hunting western states/game in my mid 50s so I don’t have the luxury of time on my side nor do I have the ability to spend a lot of time scouting from several states away so my view may be different than yours.

 

[mtnbiker208]

I have never been one to follow popular opinion.
The kids won't remeber the trip in 5 years. Those memories are for mom and dad, not the kids.
I have killed a fair amount of solo elk and i do not look down on someone doing a guided elk hunt. Do the hunt you want, if it is guided go for it. If it is solo diy, go for it. Just don't put to much emphasis on what is popular on an internet forum.

 

[Indian Summer]

Not to distract from the topic, but does it have to be an outfitter? Can somebody pay a cluster of highschool football players to hike in and pack stuff out?

To be legal, no. Unless it was 100% free with no compensation of any kind. That even includes a tank of gas or lunch. To do so on national Forest requires a USFS user permit. To obtain one of those you must have an outfitter license. It would fall under the same category as having someone drop you off in a meadow from a helicopter. To the forest service it’s no different. Could you get away with it? Probably. Is it worth the risk? Probably not.

 

[TheCougar]

Evenin-
I'm in a bit of a struggle and looking for wisdom.

Ive applied for a unit I 'should' draw with 16 points. I could hunt the vast majority of the unit diy and have elk hunted about 8 times.. so comfortable with the process.
The quandary is: a guided hunt+ tip would run 15k.. + I'll have 2k into the tag if I draw.

Ive got the money squirreled away.. but also have 3 kids and debts to pay, trips we want to take yada yada.

Does a guy roll the dice? Rent a few llamas and go diy or stack the deck and go outfitted? I see merit to both considering the high probability of this being a once maybe twice in a lifetime tag.

I’ll say this… I drew an auction tag and got to hunt one of the “never draw it units”. I hunted hard and saw over 100 six point bulls. It was amazing. I managed to turn up a 320, then lost him the day before rifle opener. There were three other very experienced hunters I was hunting with and no one could find a bull outside of the 280-300 range despite the glass, miles, and terrain we covered. I misjudged a bull in the heat of the moment and shot a sub-300 6 point. I had an amazing hunt and I shared it with my son, but I was really surprised that we couldn’t find a big one considering the sheer number of bulls we glassed and the amount of ground we covered. The moral of the story is this: you can have a once in a lifetime experience without a guide. If you want a once in a lifetime bull, I think you’ll regret not paying for a guide. BTW, 15k is crazy for a public land hunt. Even Thoroghfare isn’t that much.

 

[Caseknife]

How much of the unit is wilderness that you would have to have a guide to access? How is access otherwise in the unit? Personally, I would find a couple friends that wanted to tag along and DIY.

 

[ndhuntermanND]

Wow lots of good feedback here.. really appreciate it all. Food for thought..
I could hunt the vast majority of the unit as a non resident.. less 10% or so.

I feel like if I shot a 320 bull diy vs a 340 or 350 guided that I'd appreciate the 320 more. Maybe I'm just a stubborn German but I've always hunted diy minus a canadian bear trip. I have nothing against guides or outfitters but like to operate at my own pace..

 

[Indian Summer]

Wow lots of good feedback here.. really appreciate it all. Food for thought..
I could hunt the vast majority of the unit as a non resident.. less 10% or so.

I feel like if I shot a 320 bull diy vs a 340 or 350 guided that I'd appreciate the 320 more. Maybe I'm just a stubborn German but I've always hunted diy minus a canadian bear trip. I have nothing against guides or outfitters but like to operate at my own pace..

I totally like your attitude! Your comparison of how happy you would be with a bull that wasn’t quite as big but shot on your own is a very good way of thinking. I can already tell that you have what it takes.

Reading the above comment about having a buddy tag…. Hell I might join you just for the fun of it. I will never have that many points. I burn them on general licenses as fast as I can draw them. I know a fair amount about elk. I have every imaginable piece of gear to camp and Hunt. And I can handle the horses just fine in any country.

I find all the responses here to be interesting and informative. It’s been a great thread so far. But I want to mention one more thing.

Hunting truly big bulls it’s like mining for gold. You could be in a great area. Look at the above thread where they classed over 100 six point bulls. That’s a great area. An area like that should have a better chance to find a monster. But there are also monsters in general license areas. Those bulls don’t get to be that big by leading the same lifestyle as all the other elk. When you mind for gold, you get tons of dust. Calls rag horns five point bulls. You find some decent sized gravel. Maybe some giant five points and immature 6 points. Also a handful of good sized pebbles. Six point bulls going 300 inches and 320+. But you have to mine a lot of gold before you find a giant nugget. The point I am making is I doubt if a guide would have helped them find bulls any bigger than what they saw. Guides aren’t magicians. Quite simply there is a lot of luck involved in even getting an opportunity at bulls over 350 inches. We’re talking public land here.

Then we can get back to the fact that if you hunt on your own, you have twice as long to mine for gold. That is priceless.

Do your homework as you already are. I would highly recommend getting out there during the summer. But if you can’t put together one hell of a plan. Find some people with firsthand experience in the area and pick their brains. When it’s a once in a lifetime license people are more likely to share information because they will never go back. Shoot me a message with the unit number. I have lots of friends living in guiding in Wyoming. Maybe I know someone who can help.

Best of luck. I know how you feel. Burning all of your points after so many years makes a guy nervous.

I don’t know if any bull would make me truly happy for $15,000. How will you feel when you shoot a 320 inch bull for that much money? Ouch!

 

[ndhuntermanND]

There's possibility another play here.. I could change my app to a unit I won't draw and put in for a cow tag 2nd choice in the unit I'm currently applied. Do a dry run hunt so to speak.

 

[cnelk]

There's possibility another play here.. I could change my app to a unit I won't draw and put in for a cow tag 2nd choice in the unit I'm currently applied. Do a dry run hunt so to speak.

To what gain?
You’re just delaying the inevitable

I’ve always told my kids - the hardest decisions are the best ones

 

[LongWayAround]

There's possibility another play here.. I could change my app to a unit I won't draw and put in for a cow tag 2nd choice in the unit I'm currently applied. Do a dry run hunt so to speak.

Eff the cow tag. Go shoot a bull.

Dave Ramsey would discourage you from buying a guided hunt considering you said you "have debts to pay."

16pt tag with a rifle... I like the odds.