joelbiltz
WKR
Two buddies and I ventured to Wyoming this fall for a DIY public land deer hunt. We hunted a unit in eastern Wyoming and had a little insight from a few buddies that worked close there or hunted the unit prior. We arrived a day and a half early to do a little scouting. Oct 1 was the opener which can be difficult hunting for any deer. The first few days we battled heavy winds, rain, very muddy roads. We had zero trouble finding does and numerous big bull elk but the bucks were being elusive. Finally on the morning of day four we caught a break and found a group of does with two buck in it. One being a very nice 3x4 so my buddy Jesse decided to break the ice and shoot him. After a quick 30 minutes or so of cat and mouse we finally caught up to them at 450 yards. First shot was a bit high but he hammered him on the second shot putting him down. As we were celebrating we look up on the ridge to see another 3x4 buck. My buddy Travis was up next and as we watched the buck walk into the very footsteps Jesse shot his buck in. We already knew the range so Travis got prone and made a perfect shot on his buck. This all happened within five minutes. Most of the rest of that day was spent dragging both bucks out a mile down a drainage to the nearest road. That evening we split up to try and locate one more buck and right before dark Travis located two nice bucks bedded in a tight canyon.
The next morning found us looking in that canyon sneaking along the edge and glassing all the side cuts and Bucky looking places. It was pretty windy that morning so we felt the deer would be tucked in tight down out of the wind. We headed down the canyon with the wind at our face towards a big basin. We stopped and glassed and my buddy Jesse located a few does up feeding about 1000 yards across the other side. As I was looking at those does I located two bedded bucks about 500 yards away from the dies up the basin. We had the perfect stalking terrain so off we went. About 30 minutes later we were within 260 yards of a nice 4x4 and a nice smaller 4x4 beaded. I crawled up over the crest of the ridge and waited for the buck to stand. About 30 minutes he finally stood up and I was able to put him right back in his bed. We quartered and finished packing him out that morning and headed North for some lope hunting and prairie dog shooting.
I was the only one with a lope tag and on day 7 I was able to quickly locate and kill a very nice lope at 560 yards. We then spent the next day and a half shooting prairie dogs which was a blast. Wyoming was very good to us. Looking forward to possibly heading back to WY next year and give a whirl in a different unit.
The next morning found us looking in that canyon sneaking along the edge and glassing all the side cuts and Bucky looking places. It was pretty windy that morning so we felt the deer would be tucked in tight down out of the wind. We headed down the canyon with the wind at our face towards a big basin. We stopped and glassed and my buddy Jesse located a few does up feeding about 1000 yards across the other side. As I was looking at those does I located two bedded bucks about 500 yards away from the dies up the basin. We had the perfect stalking terrain so off we went. About 30 minutes later we were within 260 yards of a nice 4x4 and a nice smaller 4x4 beaded. I crawled up over the crest of the ridge and waited for the buck to stand. About 30 minutes he finally stood up and I was able to put him right back in his bed. We quartered and finished packing him out that morning and headed North for some lope hunting and prairie dog shooting.
I was the only one with a lope tag and on day 7 I was able to quickly locate and kill a very nice lope at 560 yards. We then spent the next day and a half shooting prairie dogs which was a blast. Wyoming was very good to us. Looking forward to possibly heading back to WY next year and give a whirl in a different unit.
