Wyoming point guidance

[Laramie]

Some great info and opinions guys, I should have added, I’m not sitting at home just buying points. I hunted idaho OTC 19’ and Colorado Otc 20’ and heading back to Colorado this year so I am getting experience. The cow tag does sound like a great way to get actual boots on the ground that I’d be hunting and still hit elk annnnd learn so I may look into that. I had read general tag 2-3 points was the way to go. I’m just looking to put a mature bull down. No rag horns but don’t need a 400 either. Only bought the deer and antelope point because I figured if I was gonna get the elk might as well get the others


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Mature bulls are taken in every general unit yearly... but it is not the norm and definitely not easy. If you are holding out for a big bull, keep building points and pick an area you think gives you a good chance to start applying in. Like Rob above, maybe you will get lucky and draw early in the random. You are most likely looking at a 15+ year wait for an upper/middle tier hunt but who knows?

 

[wytx]

PP creep is hard to predict but dome good LQ areas can be drawn with 9 PP.
General area will be hard to get a mature bulls but they are definitely out there.

 

[Laramie]

PP creep is hard to predict but dome good LQ areas can be drawn with 9 PP.
General area will be hard to get a mature bulls but they are definitely out there.

Some good areas can be drawn now with 9PP. How many will they take 7 years from now when that guy has 9? If 90/10 goes into effect, my guess is they will take 15 or more. If 90/10 doesn't take effect, the trends in point creep tell us they will take at least 12.

 

[Gear-Reviewer]

I’m in a predicament too… I’m moving to Wyoming and 2 of us have 7 PP’s. So my points will be useless once I’m a resident in 2023… Maybe can draw something in the special? Don’t reply on the open forum to this, just talking out loud… lol

 

[wytx]

I’m in a predicament too… I’m moving to Wyoming and 2 of us have 7 PP’s. So my points will be useless once I’m a resident in 2023… Maybe can draw something in the special? Don’t reply on the open forum to this, just talking out loud… lol

Well now we do have a predicament, you will be my competition for those tags in a could of years as a resident, lol.

 

[wytx]

My son is a resident there come mid Sept and is trying to navigate the regulations. Myself being a nonresident I’ll probably just be a packer if he ever gets it dialed in.

pm sent

 

[Gear-Reviewer]

Well now we do have a predicament, you will be my competition for those tags in a could of years as a resident, lol.

Lol, sorry! I’m always looking for good guys to hunt with or help on hunts. I have to get out of Oregon. It’s terrible here and I don’t fit in with what it’s turned into.

 

[Indian Summer]

Plenty of feel good stuff above. Here is reality- It took 4 preference points this year to guarantee a general tag. That number has been increasing yearly for some time. You had 2 points for this year and will have 3 for next. You likely won't be able to draw a general tag until 2023 or 2024. The general tag is a quality hunt but it's not what a lot of guys envision when they start buying points. It's a challenging hunt, especially for a beginner. Most guys buy points to hunt in a LQ area. With 90/10 likely to pass in the next year or two, you are likely looking at 15+ years before you can draw a good LQ hunt.

I think you need to do some soul searching. What is important to you? If it's just elk hunting, by all means take some of the advice above. Go on a cow elk hunt. Hunt OTC Colorado, etc. If a big bull is you #1 goal, keep buying points and apply for good LQ hunts in more than just Wyoming.

Not to confuse the OP it may have taken 4 in the Regular drawing but NOT in the Special. And you can draw with zero points in the random. Two of my partners did in the past 2 years.

 

[tbowers]

I'm trying to build points to draw a general unit tag, who knows w/ pt creep if it will ever happen but in the interim i would like to get a little experience with a unit. I'm trying to find a general unit that also historically has had leftover cow tags- that would get me there to explore without burning points. Based on this year though most of the leftover tags look to be leftover for a reason and not areas i would really want to target for my any elk tag when/if I draw a gen tag. Am I looking at this correctly?