WY Mule Deer Hunt

[PAHunter10]

In the early stages of planning a Wyoming mule deer hunt with my dad and brother. Have done some limited research of the regions and draw odds. Obviously looks like Region G/H and the other high priority regions are afterthought for drawing a tag. We would preferably like to go in the next two years, so considering that, what easier drawn general regions have anyone had some luck with/would recommend? My dad went nearly 20 years ago around Casper area but that seems to contain some difficult access. Any input is appreciated!!

 

[go_deep]

How many points do you have?

 

[PAHunter10]

Currently 0. I know we won’t have a chance at higher point regions, but hoping to get somewhere in 2-3 years once we start racking points up this coming application period

 

[Tod osier]

Currently 0. I know we won’t have a chance at higher point regions, but hoping to get somewhere in 2-3 years once we start racking points up this coming application period

It sounds like you are several years out. You need to wait until next year to buy a point, since the period is closed this year.

Take a look at the Wyoming Game and Fish website to get an idea of what is available, they do indicate stats for the unit and if the unit/hunt is tough to access public land. Your best bet at this stage is just trying to discern the number of points you need to hunt and area acceptable to you. The days of someone spoon feeding unit info on an open forum have unfortunately and justifiably come to an end.

 

[go_deep]

Only advise I can give you is find some antlerless licenses for any species around where you'd like to hunt and use that as a scouting trip ahead of time. If your not interested in waiting 3-6 years, start looking at outfitters in areas with 0-1 point licenses and just go.

 

[PAHunter10]

It sounds like you are several years out. You need to wait until next year to buy a point, since the period is closed this year.

Take a look at the Wyoming Game and Fish website to get an idea of what is available, they do indicate stats for the unit and if the unit/hunt is tough to access public land. Your best bet at this stage is just trying to discern the number of points you need to hunt and area acceptable to you. The days of someone spoon feeding unit info on an open forum have unfortunately and justifiably come to an end.

Yeah the plan was most likely eyeing a 2026 year hunt, which gives us time to get 2 points which can give us access to a handful of the general regions based on 2023 draw odds. I’m not looking for B&C records, would just love to get out there and hunt a new area outside of PA. Not looking to be spoon fed, just a little bit of info on some of the regions since I’ve never been out there!

 

[Chad E]

Wyoming Fish and Game has a really solid hunt planner. It has most of the statistics that the draw odds companies are compiling. You should be able to get some great perspective on opportunities by spending some time using it and it's free. From the sound of what your looking for the hunt you want exists in wyoming but likely several other places as well.

 

[willfrye027]

Nobody is going to tell you a unit number, or at least they shouldn’t.

There are plenty of options you can choose from. None will be dramatically better/worse, just different types of hunts.

If you don’t have a ton of experience mule deer hunting choose one with high percentage success rates and just expect it to be crowded.

 

[Rich M]

Put it this way - you have 2-5 yrs to figure it out. Start your research and buy points. Then go where your research leads you.

Don't drive all the way out to WY and shoot a little buck. The only way they get big is if they live. If you want to put it into perspective is that for every nice buck that is shot - someone else didn't shoot a little one 3-4-5 years earlier and let it grow. That's part of the problem with the high success units.

 

[PAHunter10]

Only advise I can give you is find some antlerless licenses for any species around where you'd like to hunt and use that as a scouting trip ahead of time. If you’re not interested in waiting 3-6 years, start looking at outfitters in areas with 0-1 point licenses and just go

Makes sense, I never thought of going for an antlerless hunt to help scout out a potential area while still being able to get out and hunt. Thanks!

 

[PAHunter10]

Put it this way - you have 2-5 yrs to figure it out. Start your research and buy points. Then go where your research leads you.

Don't drive all the way out to WY and shoot a little buck. The only way they get big is if they live. If you want to put it into perspective is that for every nice buck that is shot - someone else didn't shoot a little one 3-4-5 years earlier and let it grow. That's part of the problem with the high success units.

Exactly, was just hoping to get a little bit of insight to help direct our research a bit. Where we hunt in PA has antler restrictions and I think it has definitely helped the quality of bucks in our WMU when compared to those that don't

 

[Rich M]

WY hunting is nothing like eastern hunting. The preference point thing is real. WY has diff units and general areas. Mtns and rolling plains. Sage and brush and grasslands and deserts.

The WY website has everything you need. The harvest & draw & pref points data is all available in excell spreadsheet. You might want to start there and see what the trends are - BUT-BUT - next year is the first year the special points are worth 3 or 4x the original prices, so the draw game will change some.

Anyway, once you identify the tags you can get (preference point info), then you can decide if you want to hunt mtns or prairie or grasslands or mix. You can't hunt national forest without a guide.

Most areas with higher success rates will have mostly smaller bucks. You can also check on the various deer diseases CWD and such.

Definitely consider the doe hunt - it will be the same amount of energy and expenses, just can't shoot the buck you will likely find. A lot of guys like it. I did it for antelope in 2017 and regretted it. Opening morning I was standing 20-30 yards from the biggest antelope buck we saw in 3 days and shot an antlerless one in front of him. Nope, never again.

If you want a 1 and done, guided will give you a dream hunt - no pressure, etc. It will cost a little more, but it will also be doable in a year or two vs unknown amount of time. We were chasing an antelope unit and after 4 yrs of point creep decided to go guided, went guided - the main diff is no other hunter pressure when you are the only guys on a 25,000-50,000 acre ranch.

 

[PAHunter10]

WY hunting is nothing like eastern hunting. The preference point thing is real. WY has diff units and general areas. Mtns and rolling plains. Sage and brush and grasslands and deserts.

The WY website has everything you need. The harvest & draw & pref points data is all available in excell spreadsheet. You might want to start there and see what the trends are - BUT-BUT - next year is the first year the special points are worth 3 or 4x the original prices, so the draw game will change some.

Anyway, once you identify the tags you can get (preference point info), then you can decide if you want to hunt mtns or prairie or grasslands or mix. You can't hunt national forest without a guide.

Most areas with higher success rates will have mostly smaller bucks. You can also check on the various deer diseases CWD and such.

Definitely consider the doe hunt - it will be the same amount of energy and expenses, just can't shoot the buck you will likely find. A lot of guys like it. I did it for antelope in 2017 and regretted it. Opening morning I was standing 20-30 yards from the biggest antelope buck we saw in 3 days and shot an antlerless one in front of him. Nope, never again.

If you want a 1 and done, guided will give you a dream hunt - no pressure, etc. It will cost a little more, but it will also be doable in a year or two vs unknown amount of time. We were chasing an antelope unit and after 4 yrs of point creep decided to go guided, went guided - the main diff is no other hunter pressure when you are the only guys on a 25,000-50,000 acre ranch.

Thanks for the information! Still a lot for us to research but this helps narrow some things down. Trying to stay away from a guided hunt and sticking to public land but we'll see where the research and such takes us.

 

[TaperPin]

In the early stages of planning a Wyoming mule deer hunt with my dad and brother. Have done some limited research of the regions and draw odds. Obviously looks like Region G/H and the other high priority regions are afterthought for drawing a tag. We would preferably like to go in the next two years, so considering that, what easier drawn general regions have anyone had some luck with/would recommend? My dad went nearly 20 years ago around Casper area but that seems to contain some difficult access. Any input is appreciated!!

You’ll need to think about what kind of hunting interests you. Flatish sagebrush country, foothills, aspen patches and middle forests, timberline. It’s all hunted differently and has a different feel to it. Some areas have only one of those, and some have most.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Anyway, once you identify the tags you can get (preference point info), then you can decide if you want to hunt mtns or prairie or grasslands or mix. You can't hunt national forest without a guide.

Rich, your posts contain a lot of good information, but the guide requirement is for federal wilderness, not national forest. "Nonresident big and trophy game hunters are required to obtain a professional outfitter or resident guide while hunting in any federally designated wilderness area. All outfitters must be licensed by the Wyoming Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides." (from the WYGFD website)

 

[PAHunter10]

You’ll need to think about what kind of hunting interests you. Flatish sagebrush country, foothills, aspen patches and middle forests, timberline. It’s all hunted differently and has a different feel to it. Some areas have only one of those, and some have most.

Thanks, I'll definitely take that into consideration

 

[Rich M]

Rich, your posts contain a lot of good information, but the guide requirement is for federal wilderness, not national forest. "Nonresident big and trophy game hunters are required to obtain a professional outfitter or resident guide while hunting in any federally designated wilderness area. All outfitters must be licensed by the Wyoming Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides." (from the WYGFD website)

You are very correct!

I had typed it but musta edited it out - thanks for bringing that forward!!!

 

[wytx]

You will likely not find any doe tags for public land and private LO will only allow doe harvest if they have issues on their ag lands-too many deer.
Our deer numbers are down and doe tags are not as available as in years past.

I sent you a pm PAHUNTER

 

[LongWayAround]

I sent you a pm. Not sure if you can see it, might need a few more posts.

 

[TaperPin]

Thanks, I'll definitely take that into consideration

To tell you the truth, I bring that up for a reason that’s not super obvious. Some parts of the state produce big deer, but they aren’t necessarily where you might think if you didn’t have any local knowledge. Just as an example that won’t be giving away anyone’s favorite spot, you could see big deer coming out of the Medicine Bow NF area, take a look at 12,000’ Medicine bow peak and think that is an obvious place to hunt timberline bucks. Unfortunately, it’s quite devoid of muledeer. Back in college I scouted a lot and hunted it hard for a number of years because it was easy to reach, but it’s just not a deer hang out and many of the big deer are taken on private land surrounding the forest.

There are some areas out in the rolling sagebrush covered stretches that I hunted antelope in for over a decade and never saw a single deer. Lots of antelope, but not a single deer in something like 50 days of hunting and scouting. However a 45 minute drive to a slightly different type of topography frequented by deer and the first year hunting it turned up a wall hanger. Again, getting a little local knowledge goes a long way.

Some areas have mostly private land with a little public land but there’s nothing in it.

Pick a place you’d enjoy visiting even if you weren’t hunting, and stop by to check it out in september one of the years you don’t get drawn. That will give you a pretty good idea of what it will be like in October.