Wyoming unit 40 type 1

[NoWiser]

I hunted the west side of the Bighorns on a Type 6 tag this year and it was a complete circus. The elk had left the forest due to snow but couldn't step foot on BLM without 30 hunters lined up in their trucks waiting to gun them down. Every single ridge and canyon had a truck or ATV path on it, legal or not. My hunting partner and I did a 17 mile hike one day in the most "remote" area of BLM in the unit and I don't think we ever made it 1/2 mile without crossing fresh ATV tracks.

My dad and I did glass up a herd of about 50 on opening morning right as it was getting light. The 2 mile hike took too long to get us on to them before they dropped into a canyon to bed. We laid on the side of the mountain for 8 hours and, sure enough, they started filtering back out to feed right where we saw them. As we waited for them to get a bit closer, 2 guys on ATV's flew up from behind them, guns blazing, and they were gone....

In the end we did find a pocket of elk to hunt and went 3 for 5 but I think we were very lucky to find them there. Any less snow would have allowed hunters to get their ATV's into the area and any more snow would have had them out of there and onto private land.

Had I known the ridiculous ATV use on the BLM I probably would not have applied. Even the wilderness study area I hiked across had ATV tracks every 100 yards. The only saving grace was the laziness of other hunters. The farthest we saw anyone venture from their vehicle was about 50 yards.

I'd definitely be hesitant to burn points on a Type 1 tag in the area. No snow would have the forest crawling with ATV's if it's anything like the BLM, and too much snow would have them hiding for their lives on private land. We did see a fair number of very nice bulls, so they are there, and with the right conditions I think you could have a good hunt, but I believe it would be a roll of the dice.

 

[Millsworks]

I guess we have to remember that hunting is hunting. No garenties.
But ,hay that's why most of us love it.
I'm not writing off the area I hunted last fall, just because I couldn't get lucky to be in the right place at the right time.
As others have said, hunting any area multiple times can up the odds in a guys favor. I think that is even more true with elk from what I've seen.
All I would have had to do was start hunting lower in elivations and see a good bull to shoot. Sure sounds simple.
If it was easy it wouldn't be worth it.
I'm hoping to hunt as often as I can in the same areas for what ever I can draw a tag for. I even considered doing a coyote hunt if I couldn't get a tag for deer or elk and had time to go.
But I should be able to draw a deer tag of some type every couple years in that area.
I think those areas that take ten + years to draw are for guys that just wanted one great bull on one great trip. That's just too much waiting for me.
Remember about the no garenties part. Those units that have elk can produce some darn good bulls at any given time. A good general elk hunt bull is just as good as a good Limited Quota bull. Maybe better, because you didn't have to wait so long to get it. I can wait 4-5 years, but that's what I feel is about as much as I should or would want to.
My only wish is that I hadn't waited so long to go elk hunting the first time. Still much to learn and only a few more elk hunts in the likely future.
Good luck to you guys still on the fence or planning and congratulations to those that have got it figured out.
Or at least to those that think they do.

 

[efw]

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