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


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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.

 

[ID-Muley]

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

 

[ID-Muley]

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?