I drew region G with 0 points and don't know anything

[mnhoundman]

Congrats on your luck drawing that tag! My first hunt was next door in region H. Boy for our first hunt out west, it kicked our ass, lol. But dam it was fun, beautiful country. Have fun enjoy the scenery and a deer will be a bonus good luck!?

 

[Sccritterkiller]

At the rare chance there are grizzlies I'd make sure the friend you bring with is fatter than you.

They don't need to fatter than you just slower...bum knee , bad ankle, ect..gives you a larger pool of folks to pull from.

Congrats on the draw and Good Luck!

 

[Rich M]

The truth! It rubs everybody wrong when they step in and help someone and then we never hear from them again.

I suspect it’s because they didn’t get one but man we got to get over that. It’s OK not to get one. I haven’t got one in two years.

It just seems like common courtesy to say: hey, we did what WKRs said to do and we saw xyz and then this happened. Thanks for trying to help, guys!

I didn't get one last year either. Life goes on. Doesn't mean you can't have a fun hunt.

 

[[insertspecies]Slayer]

Yeah it's important to have fun and getting a big buck on the ground isn't worth it if you didn't have fun.




That being said... might as well go for a tank and maybe be disappointed? Worse things worse I don't harvest and everythings normal like I never even drew the tag

 

[Rich M]

Yeah it's important to have fun and getting a big buck on the ground isn't worth it if you didn't have fun.




That being said... might as well go for a tank and maybe be disappointed? Worse things worse I don't harvest and everythings normal like I never even drew the tag

I agree. Set yourself a size limit and stick to it. Once you find that buck that fits you shoot, first day or last or anytime in between. Be reasonable or not, its your once in a lifetime tag.

We went to CO a couple years back, said i wanted a 3x3 120 inches or better. Saw one and he was pretty, but on private. Buddy missed him a couple days later. I was blessed with a 25 inch wide 160 inch 300# buck. Real happy about that, biggest deer i ever seen in person.

You have your work cut out. Get it figured out and then scout if you can. Good Luck!

 

[Slick8]

Pretty good first post.

Some good info here and some post that weren't necessary but that's life in the big city...

I've read about half of the thread and need to get to the yard work.

I say hunt it but caution hunting alone. I don't know this region at all but know things can go south in hurry out west. Guided, dad or a buddy-take this seriously.

If you hunt it diy get a subscription to onX or another app based map. Use that, Google maps and Earth...use all to paint a picture of your area. Watch newbergs vids about how to dial into a region and eliminate area's you don't want to hunt. This will reduce the area of focus for your hunt and make it less daunting.

I didn't see an answer to the 243 question. Yes it will work but is less than optimal. It's plenty bullet to kill a deer but runs out of gas pretty quick which will limit your range. Pick a load with a well constructed bullet, shoot a lot and be ready to kill. Do the balastics to determine the maximum effective range of your chosen round so your not over extending your gear.

You're young so you have a leg up but be in the best physical shape you can to enhance the quality and enjoyment of the hunt.

Go out, have fun and learn something.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

 

[Banded_spooney]

I can’t believe there hasn’t been a G spot joke made yet? Or is that played out already this year?

Disappointing

Anyway, awesome job OP. Sacking up as a teenager and driving solo to Wyoming is pretty baller. I’m 35 and I’d still hesitate doing it. My first out of state trip without Daddy me and a buddy were in our mid twenties. Learned a ton, like A zone, two legitimate near death experiences but dozens of trips since and that was most memorable.

 

[Barner107]

Good for you!!!

Put on a backpack and run those ridges - you will kill a buck. Be up high when the sun rises and glass, glass and glass. Make sure you can reach out a little with your rifle - it is big country!

Watch a few YouTube’s on boning out your deer on the mountain. If you shoot a dink - you won’t do it again after you pack it out on your back!!!!

 

[MuleDeerMike]

Well you pretty much just used all the luck you'll ever have in your hunting career by drawing this tag with 0 points lol so just take off as many days as you can, hunt as hard as you can within your ability, and enjoy every day up in those mountains. Take lots of pictures and don't worry about the size of the buck you kill, just do your best and try to get ahold of a Garmin Inreach to take with you if you're going by yourself. Good luck and have fun!

 

[kscowboy01]

Guy Eastman's Hunting High Country Mule Deer

I would recommend getting this book and reading it a couple of times. The area he talks about is where you will be hunting.

I'll be in G too. I pulled with 9 points and going the outfitter route.

 

[mtnrunner260]

Shows some bucks from yesteryear and the country.

 

[Ucsdryder]

I bet this young man could really benefit from a book on killing big mule deer. I wonder if anybody on here has ever written one… if Such a book existed, maybe someone has one laying around they could lend the OP. Wish I had a copy for myself!

 

[[insertspecies]Slayer]

Guy Eastman's Hunting High Country Mule Deer

I would recommend getting this book and reading it a couple of times. The area he talks about is where you will be hunting.

I'll be in G too. I pulled with 9 points and going the outfitter route.

If you don't mind me asking who will you be using?

 

[G-Hought]

Like many have said camp from your truck, hike/glass all day, and spend as many days on the mountain as your school schedule will let you and you'll have a blast. It's a great unit obviously and if you spend some time getting off the road you will most likely luck into a decent buck.

 

[Schoolhousegrizz]

Good luck. Some of these people make it sound like you're going into enemy territory and you will be lucky to come out alive. It's not that big of a deal. Go camp up there with some family and friends in Late July. Cruise some roads and glass some country. Make a few day hikes in the areas with your dad or buddy. When the hunt comes do the same thing. I like to backpack in and hunt. I have Pack goats and i enjoy it. However I also love hunts where you just cover ground on a four wheeler and glass and move on. I like hunts where you do day hikes as well. When I was younger I didn't have the knowledge, experience, or equipment to backpack in and stay multiple days on the mountain, and to be honest it made me kinda nervous, unless I had my dad there, and that is not his style. Don't get caught up in all the internet nonsense. Hunt the way you want to hunt and what you are comfortable with. If I didn't have other tags this year I would volunteer to go with you. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[bgipson]

I live in G and have been doing the backcountry thing here for half a dozen years now (still a rookie I know) I'll throw out some general advice and if you get some more specific questions, PM me because I'm not going to put anything specific here.

- Get in shape now. If you haven't already started you're behind the ball because this is a very physical hunt unless you stick to the desert. Last season was my wife's first year as a resident and we put in well over 20 mountain miles before she got her buck. It was 3+ miles in. (side note: good boots don't hurt but need broke in as well)
- Get/borrow the best glass you can. It's big country and being able to determine if a buck is 1 you want to pursue can be a big decision. We spotted my wife's buck from about 1.5 miles away but to reach it required over 2 miles of hiking with over 1,000' elevation lost and gained.
- Stick with it. My wife missed a good buck on day 2 and didn't get another opportunity until day 7. That's not to say we didn't see bucks, just not bucks she was willing to go the distance for.
- If at all possible, get a buddy to tag along. There's countless ways that country will kill you. With or without a buddy, try to get a Garmin inReach, Zoleo or other similar device (you might even be able to convince mom to get you 1 for her peace of mind). I personally use the inReach and it saved me when I blew 2 tires in 2 days and no longer had a spare.
- Practice with your rifle and know your limits. I spend countless hours and rounds getting ready every year and honing my abilities. I would not recommend stretching your .243 much beyond 350-400. Also practice shooting how you will in the mountains; I can tell you for certain there's no shooting benches up there so be ready to shoot sitting/prone from your bipod/pack/etc.
- Get OnX or GoHunt so you can download maps to your phone. This allows you to mark trails, deer, places to scout, location of hanging meat (if you harvest), etc. so you can follow up as needed. If you don't get the chance to spend a significant amount of time in the area ahead of time this will be invaluable because things change a LOT in the dark and it's easy to get turned around.
- If you do harvest expect to have 70-120# of meat to get out along with the head/cape and whatever gear you hauled in. You will need game bags that breathe because that's not a 1 trip solo proposal unless you're a really big dude (or shoot a really small deer). You will need to find a shady cool spot to hang meat because temps still get into the 70's in September during the daytime most years even at 8,000'+.
- Have fun! It's a sad reality but it'll likely be 20-25 years before you get enough points to have a chance to draw this again. Point creep is carrying the unit about .5 point higher every year and you can only get 1 point a year so it'll be a while before you catch up (if ever). It's amazing country that I really wish I could post pictures of but due to the extreme amount of work I've put into finding my areas, I simply can't share it with anyone outside my closest circle of friends and family.

As was already mentioned, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep as much specific details as possible to yourself after your hunt. There are many of us who put in more effort than can be imagined and all it takes is 1 careless post to ruin a spot for us. I do deal with minor pressure every year but my spots aren't so remote that others wouldn't be all over them if they only knew.

Good luck!

 

[TMoose86]

Newbie here as well, and also first time I will be hunting region g this year. Also from Utah but a bit further north. I have yet to have killed a deer in my lifetime but going to Wyoming with an open mind. Definitely trying to focus on getting prepped physically and mentally. Been doing a ton of e scouting, reading as much as I can about deer hunting and Wyoming, as well as practicing shooting as much as possible. In the years I have deer hunted, even though I've yet to shoot one, the goals I meet and the back country I see and enjoy are in my eyes just as rewarding as what filling a tag might feel like. I'm crossing my fingers to get it done this year but don't feel like it'll crush me if I don't. I guess I can't offer any good information where I'm a newbie too. Best of luck out there and set your goals high! Maybe we'll see you up there

 

[[insertspecies]Slayer]

good luck to ya and Ill see you on the mountain

 

[Indian Summer]

In regards to the comment saying “camp at the truck”: That might be sound advice for an elk hunt. But to be way up where you need to be when you need to be there which is first and last light a high country spike camp is the way to go. I can’t imagine camping on the Greys and getting on top on time every morning and then giving up all of my elevation every night.

 

[Elkrunner]

I wouldn’t hunt alone based on your post, try and find a buddy to tag along. Deer numbers are down a bit but still some nice bucks to be found