Looking for guidance on WY elk hunt

[mntnguide]

IMO - dont go late.

Bulls will be busted up. You'll want nice clean bull

I think you are thinking about Arizona to much where bulls are known to be broken late... on my late season wy tag i probably saw 120-150 bulls in a week, and never seen a single broken bull. Just saying, i wouldn't turn away a late tag in Wyoming because of that reason

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[jjohnsonElknewbie]

My outfitted hunt in the Bob in NW MT last fall was life changing. This was my first ever Western hunt too. I wanted the traditional old-school pack-in hunt on horseback into a remote area, and the guide and the Bob delivered.

This was the most physically and mentally demanding hunt I've ever attempted. I'm 47 and lift 3x per week and walk 3-4 miles 3x per week. For this hunt I increased reps and reduced weight to build endurance and I was extremely glad for the prep. My brother and I showed up in the best shape in camp and were able to hunt longer and harder than the other guys.

If I ever do another wilderness hunt, my plan was to try and build enough points for a pack-in hunt NW or W WY. Do not make the mistake in thinking that guided equals easy. That is not the case. The one huge advantage you have is horses/mules for packing out the meat. The other is the experience of the guide.

Good luck!

 

[trophyhunt]

I had the opportunity to hunt in unit 62 with guys that packed me in 14 miles on horses, I'll never forget that experience, ever!! I'm from Washington state so I had no clue of the area, having those guys with the knowledge of the land, the elk and of grizzly bear awareness was priceless. Go in early with a guide and you'll have a chance at a bull that most people won't even see in their lifetime. I went mid october and saw the biggest bull of my life, the diameter of his antlers would blow your mind. Only problem, this 4th on one side was broke off and his 3rd on the other, total bummer! I passed and the guys with me couldn't believe it. Anyway, back to you, congrats on a OIL tag and I'd say go guided and get into that wilderness early, there is really nothing like it. Just remember to sleep with you .45 or 10 mm under your pillow at night!!!

 

[mulecreek]

I'll leave the decision to DIY or guided up to you. That is a highly personal decision IMO. As far as hunting 100. Fine choice. You should have little trouble finding bulls. It is not the unit I would pick but I hunt elk every year. For a first timer, its a goody. If you go this route, prepare for a lot of driving. A lot of other hunters. A lot of elk that you can see but cant figure out a way to get close enough for a shot. Basically a lot of things that will frustrate you. Those dry lake beds on the eastern side of the unit are big and the elk have figured out how to use them. Just because it LQ does not mean you will be alone.

You are not the first, first time elk hunter with a Comm tag in their pocket that has come on these forums with this question. Another relatively new to elk hunter came on a few years ago from a New England state. He really wanted to hunt the end of the bow season and start of the rifle. He picked his unit based on the ability to do this all in one week. Not what I recommended but it was his decision. He reached out to me with a couple days left in his hunt and had not laid eyes on an elk. This is a unit that I felt he should have no trouble finding elk. I took him and his sister out to a couple spots the next evening and we found a few bulls. He took a bull the next day IIRC. Far from the biggest bull in the unit but a nice representative 6 point. It appeared to me he had the time of his life hunting with just him and sister, regardless of the trophy size of the bull.

The moral of this story is even the easy units can be tough for the uninitiated. Nothing is a sure thing. Try to stack as many odds in your favor as you can. Most importantly make it fun. You are were just granted a ticket to a whole shit load of fun. Make it that. If guided will be fun for you, then maybe give that a try. If it wont then give it a go yourself. Either way make this a fun hunt.

If you end up picking a SW Wyo unit let me know, I am happy to help out where I can.

 

[SoDakGuy]

I would say go guided if you can swing it financially. There is a lot to learn and things to buy before a hunt like that. I would also say you should try to hunt the rut when bulls are screaming potentially, get the best experience possible that way in my opinion!

 

[SoDakGuy]

Buttttt if you are comfortable going on your own I would say by all means to go for it!

 

[breaks_mud_man]

If I was you I'd go guided. It's just too special of an opportunity to waste learning everything you would have to learn. My vote would be go late season for the migratory bulls. If you've never elk hunted it would give you probably the best experience and introduction into elk hunting you could ever ask for.

 

[SepulgaMan]

First, I want to thank everyone for the recommendations and PMs. I didn't expect for so many to jump in and help. I know that this tag is special and has the opportunity for a real trophy bull and if I wasn't planning on experiencing this with my dad, I would without a doubt go guided. What I've come to realize is that any bull that I see is going to be a beast to me. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to get a trophy but size and measurement isn't my goal. My goal for this was to bring my dad and enjoy the experience together while we still have the time and hopefully bring home some meat. So I've decided to go DIY with my dad and I'm also going to pull my 13 yr old son out of school for a week and fly him up. I'm working on renting a house for a month with plans to get approx 10 days of bow season, maybe do some fishing in between and then hunt the first few weeks of rifle. I've had a few people offer to help with the hunt as well as gear and suggestions on areas to scout. Again I appreciate all the responses and people reaching out. Time to hit the range and start planning out this hunt.

 

[wannakillabigbull]

Congrats @SepulgaMan. Sounds like you know what you're looking to get out of this experience and prioritizing that over all else. Not what some would do but that's what, in my opinion, is so great about hunting. He or she with the tag gets to decide how to hunt it. Good luck and please keep us updated; this is shaping up to be a fun story.

 

[Herdbulll]

Good choice and should be a great experience!!

 

[go_deep]

First, I want to thank everyone for the recommendations and PMs. I didn't expect for so many to jump in and help. I know that this tag is special and has the opportunity for a real trophy bull and if I wasn't planning on experiencing this with my dad, I would without a doubt go guided. What I've come to realize is that any bull that I see is going to be a beast to me. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to get a trophy but size and measurement isn't my goal. My goal for this was to bring my dad and enjoy the experience together while we still have the time and hopefully bring home some meat. So I've decided to go DIY with my dad and I'm also going to pull my 13 yr old son out of school for a week and fly him up. I'm working on renting a house for a month with plans to get approx 10 days of bow season, maybe do some fishing in between and then hunt the first few weeks of rifle. I've had a few people offer to help with the hunt as well as gear and suggestions on areas to scout. Again I appreciate all the responses and people reaching out. Time to hit the range and start planning out this hunt.

Personally I think you made the right choice for all the right reasons.
Good luck, and enjoy yourself!

 

[Bighorner]

I think you made an excellent choice to share that tag with your son and father. You will do well.

 

[wytx]

DIY all the way and I know a great area that has late hunts for big bulls and maybe just get some private access too during that later hunt.
You could even come out and archery hunt a bit then go back for the Nov. hunt.

pm sent

 

[SoDakGuy]

First, I want to thank everyone for the recommendations and PMs. I didn't expect for so many to jump in and help. I know that this tag is special and has the opportunity for a real trophy bull and if I wasn't planning on experiencing this with my dad, I would without a doubt go guided. What I've come to realize is that any bull that I see is going to be a beast to me. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to get a trophy but size and measurement isn't my goal. My goal for this was to bring my dad and enjoy the experience together while we still have the time and hopefully bring home some meat. So I've decided to go DIY with my dad and I'm also going to pull my 13 yr old son out of school for a week and fly him up. I'm working on renting a house for a month with plans to get approx 10 days of bow season, maybe do some fishing in between and then hunt the first few weeks of rifle. I've had a few people offer to help with the hunt as well as gear and suggestions on areas to scout. Again I appreciate all the responses and people reaching out. Time to hit the range and start planning out this hunt.

Congrats on a great decision in my opinion! The experience and memories made with dad and your son are worth way more than a bigger bull. Best of luck and make sure to keep us posted on this adventure!

 

[Indian Summer]

Yikes….. Well…. We all took the time to give feedback so don’t forget to return the favor and give us a hunt report when you get back. Good luck.

 

[bsnedeker]

Yikes….. Well…. We all took the time to give feedback so don’t forget to return the favor and give us a hunt report when you get back. Good luck.

Yeah......unless he shoots a raghorn. In that case I would rather not know how it goes, it would hurt my heart.

Have fun with your dad. I still don't understand how those two things are mutually exclusive, but it's your tag so do it your way and have fun!

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[Indian Summer]

Yeah......unless he shoots a raghorn. In that case I would rather not know how it goes, it would hurt my heart.

Have fun with your dad. I still don't understand how those two things are mutually exclusive, but it's your tag so do it your way and have fun!

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Me neither. For a guy with not only no elk or western hunting experience but zero hunting experience of any kind at all the memories will be of an extremely difficult learning experience very possibly ending with an unpunched governor’s tag. A guided hunt would be nothing but memories of quite possibly the best time of his entire life and a guaranteed bull. With all due respect it’s like telling an 8 year old it would be wise to save his birthday money for retirement.

There was a comment up above that should be re-read. It was about a holder of a governor’s tag who hunted for a week… and never laid eyes on a single elk. Seems impossible? Think again. It’s not Hollywood out there. You can get your ass kicked on a guided hunt. And someday, if a guy does continue to hunt elk on his own praying to God for a chance at a raghorn on public land he’ll think…. Man, wtf was I thinking????

I wish him all the luck in the world but IMO that tag is worthy of a better hunt. And yes, better memories. I already feel guilty for sounding like a party pooper but I can’t not tell it like it is.

 

[bsnedeker]

Me neither. For a guy with not only no elk or western hunting experience but zero hunting experience of any kind at all the memories will be of an extremely difficult learning experience very possibly ending with an unpunched governor’s tag. A guided hunt would be nothing but memories of quite possibly the best time of his entire life and a guaranteed bull. With all due respect it’s like telling an 8 year old it would be wise to save his birthday money for retirement.

There was a comment up above that should be re-read. It was about a holder of a governor’s tag who hunted for a week… and never laid eyes on a single elk. Seems impossible? Think again. It’s not Hollywood out there. You can get your ass kicked on a guided hunt. And someday, if a guy does continue to hunt elk on his own praying to God for a chance at a raghorn on public land he’ll think…. Man, wtf was I thinking????

I wish him all the luck in the world but IMO that tag is worthy of a better hunt. And yes, better memories. I already feel guilty for sounding like a party pooper but I can’t not tell it like it is.

Here's my analogy: Some random virgin gets a chance to take Gal Gadot on a date and decides to take her to his parents house for dinner because his mom is a really big fan of Wonder Woman.

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[Laramie]

I understand the perspective above but if the OP truly has a month to spend scouting, hunting, learning, etc, I think he is likely going to have a great time- especially if he hunts in one of the open country areas. He will see plenty of elk, make plenty of mistakes, and have a blast doing that all with his family. I also know several guys on here that would be willing to help part of the way through if he happened to struggle. My guess is he shoots a fine bull and doesn't regret his decision for a minute.

 

[wannakillabigbull]

I'll say that if I had a tag in one of the top areas that the OP sounds like he'll be hunting, had a few bulls sorted through and shot the one I wanted a few days before I had to leave, first thing I'd do is try to go help the OP get the next biggest one down. There's some really incredible hunters and even more incredible people in WY, so if you're gonna go DIY, try to be social when you're out there. Some of the best friends can be made out in the field; learn what you can from them and they might even tip you off to where a nice bull is hanging out.