Hunt info sites

[Brisco]

Any one familiar with westernhuntingdata dot com? I came across this site anyone buy one of the downloads. You select state and animal to hunt and pay 30 bucks for maps and information. They claim to have animal density information even if the department of wildlife dosent conduct animal counts ect.

They also list hot spots but only for Colorado.

I have seen some people reference to huntin fool. How many guys have used that site or something similar are they generally worth the money spent?

I have used the resource page on this site and its great. There is a lot of information on the web and most is easy to find. Just curious how many guys use these sites or if there is one that I may have missed.

 

[DreaminofMT6X6s]

I haven't used it, but I haven't heard a lot of good things about Huntin' Fool. I'm sure this site is better. Can someone just point to a spot on the map where my monster bull is? Do they offer that?

 

[Gerald Martin]

Dear Dreaming.... Send me your map and $50. I'll draw you some X's.

 

[DreaminofMT6X6s]

Dear Gerald - keep dreaming....hahahahahaha!!

 

[Khunter]

just depends on how you want to use that sort of information. I'll say one thing for huntin fool. When you draw a great tag in a place you have never seen, they do give you a useful list of names and phone numbers of previous hunters. Most all those folks were very open with info on their experience with my tag. By comparison, the last few great tags I have drawn, after asking on here for any insights to start my scouting yielded very little help. I thought that odd given these were tags nobody could ever expect to draw twice. But this site is pretty mercenary at times in terms of "do it yourself means do it yourself" so that is just the reality so my expectations are adjusted accordingly.

So I think there is a balance. If you have the money it can't 'hurt' to get some packaged info along the way. It will never replace feet on the ground scouting...

 

[belly-deep]

Sounds like B.S. to me. If the state wildlife agency doesn't know animal density, then how could the website?

 

[wyoming556]

Huntin Fool is a resource worth spending the $100 on even though is is slightly geared to the higher$ crowd who hunt sheep,griz, etc and pay big $ for trophy hunts. They offer advice on just about any part of your hunt and all you have to do is pick up the phone if your a member. They also offer a variety of other services including landowner tags, maps, gps maps, etc.The other one I use is eastmans.com specifically in the MRS section of the website. They break down each unit with ratings for access, public land %, trophy quality, success ratios, as well as drawing odds information. If you like to do your homework I would recommend these however I am sure there are many others with as good or better that I do not know about yet.

 

[wyoming556]

Here is another one if you hunt in Wyoming, although I am sure this has already been posted on this website. Shows the public land across the entire state. Make sure you click what you want shown on the layers part of the map.

http://sunlight.wygisc.uwyo.edu/huntareaV1/#app=8a30&34a0-selectedIndex=1

 

[Brisco]

Thanks wyo556 for posting that link i am sure some one can use it. I have used that map and it makes it so easy when you are trying to compare units. I wish the fish and game had maps that nice it would make it so much easier.

 

[wyoming556]

No problem. I'm sure you saw at the top you pick the species you are after and is shows the game units overlaying the map as well as previous harvest% and public land% as well for each unit.

 

[wyoming556]

Where is western KS are you located. I hunted north of Goodland and a place called Cedar Bluff in your neck of the woods last year. Great deer populations up there.

 

[Craig S.]

I am always skeptical when I see information such as game densities, honey holes & hot spots being sold on a market basis. I mean, they may indeed be somewhat factual, but hard work & scouting a few days seems to be more reliable.

Eastmans' & Huntin Fool both publish top units & such & I think it can give you a general idea of some quality areas that aren't really a secret to the top hunters within that state. Both of these are good resources to start from; but when I see game densities, honey holes & gps coordinates of hidden water holes for sale, it kinda debunks OYOA or DIY hunters style.

doesn't it?

Not bagging on anyone, just tossing it out there...I enjoy SCOUTING the most, it's the funniest part!!!

 

[wyoming556]

Craig,
I agree on the densities and honey hole type mentality, if you want someone to tell you exactly where animals are hire a guide by all means. For me the information that hunting fool and eastmans can be helpful. Most of the information they publish is available from various sources but to have it all listed in an easy to read format can save time. The drawing odds part can be the most useful to a DIY hunter so you know what your chances are at actually drawing the tag when you put in. I know that hundreds of thousands of dollars are put up by nonresidents each year applying for tags that aren't even available to nonresidents or have lottery type odds. I once purchased a leftover tag for a unit that hadn't had a elk taken by a hunter in the last 5 years, yes I am a moron. Look at unit 52 53 type 9 elk tags in wyoming. Every year 30 uninformed people buy that tag and every year no elk are taken. That's $15,000 for the state of wyoming just in tags every year. Some DIY hunter could have easily been avoided by reading a magazine showing him where hunters were having more success or where a better tag could have been had. Go look at drawing odds in Wyoming and you will find people who have many preference ponts applying for tags that don't require points and could have been drawn as 2nd choice and saved their points for a better hunt. I guess for me if I can't be scouting on foot I try to get as much information as possible and those sources can provide good information to help the DIY hunter make informed decisions on where to hunt.
That being said I plan on doing much more scouting this year becasue as you said it can be extremely fun as well as payoff later when hunting. I recently sold my bsiness and am taking the year off to do nothing but hunt.

 

[Brisco]

Where is western KS are you located. I hunted north of Goodland and a place called Cedar Bluff in your neck of the woods last year. Great deer populations up there.

Im in the southwest corner. Did you have success? I dont remember seeing it if you posted it.

 

[wyoming556]

I did have success at both places. I shot a doe at cedar bluff with my bow on my way up to Wyoming in September and then came back during gun season in December a got a small 9 north of Goodland. I got major buck fever and ended up shooting a much smaller deer than I should have, another lesson learned. It was my first real ground shrinkage incident and hopefully the last. No shortage of animals at either place.

I've been looking at hunting just across the border from you in Oklahoma this year at a place called Optima NWR. Have you heard of it? Whaty kind of mule deer polulations do you have in SW KS?

 

[Brisco]

Wyo556 I have not heard of optima nwr. What town is it near. I now a few people that ranch and own property in the panhandle but have not hunted there at all. Had a chance to get a lease but I dont have money for that right now. I not sure of the ratio of mule deer- white tail out here but there is a decent population of both.

 

[wyoming556]

Hey Brisco,

Optima NWR And Optima WMA are near Hardesty and Guymon, Ok. Around 12,000 acres of public land together with 4,000 being archery only. Supposedly a mix of Mule and Whitetail deer. I'm going to plan on trying it out this year.
I also noticed that for KS Archery antelope tags are OTC. I was thinking of combinining the trips and Hitting up the Cimarron Natl grassland (100,000 acres) in the sw corner of KS. Oklahoma offers OTC archey antelope tas as well but it looks like the Rita Blanca grassland in Oklahoma is the best place for Antelope.
I normally get a unit 1,2 kansas buck permit but I was even thinking of switching the tag to unit 18/17. It looks like you have about an 80% chance to get the mule deer tag upgrade in Unit 18 compared to 25% for unit 1.

Is that lease still available?