PEAX Equipment

Anyone ever experience WHMA in Wyoming?

mbotkin

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Just curious to know, I see G&F offers a decent amount of WHMA land to hunt. Has anyone ever went thru the drawing process and got a permit to access some of this land? Feel free to pm me if necessary. Or is it really beat down with too many other hunters or kept to a minimum. Give me your thoughts. Thanks a bunch.
 
I got one last year for Antelope. There wasn't a lope within 5 miles of the place. We did see a few on it this year when we drove by.
 
Just curious to know, I see G&F offers a decent amount of WHMA land to hunt. Has anyone ever went thru the drawing process and got a permit to access some of this land? Feel free to pm me if necessary. Or is it really beat down with too many other hunters or kept to a minimum. Give me your thoughts. Thanks a bunch.

Yes...and depends on the HMA/WIA, time you are there, species you're hunting, etc. Some are very good hunting, others not so much.

Be aware that there are 2 programs, Walk in Hunting where no permission slip is required and HMA where permission slips are unlimited in number, and some that you have to apply for. Some are both, with early dates typically being limited and later dates are unlimited.

If you do hunt these areas, follow the ranch rules...including things like only being able to hunt the species listed in the rules. In other words, if the HMA says you can only hunt pronghorn....don't be out there shooting prairie dogs, coyotes, game birds, other game species, etc.

Also, don't be driving all over the place off road. We lost a big part of a great HMA due to people driving off-road just this year.
 
I've hunted both as well as Wildlife Management areas. Both draw and unlimited. This year we saw one rig in our walk in area and he was taking his wife to some state land out of the area, never saw a rig on the WMA we hunted.

Just read and follow the rules as Buzz mentioned. You're on pvt land for the most part.
Easy system to navigate. The computer knows which tags you have and links everything up.
 
I agree on all acounts with what BuzzH and WapitiBob have said. I can only add that in my experience opening day has been the best day to hunt the HMA's we have drawn previously.
 
You'd be surprised how well you can do on the hma and walkin areas during the 2nd week of season.I can almost guarantee you have it to yourself.The opener on these can be a bit crazy if theres not much public ground around.
 
I'm thinking you would have to match the hunt area # and correspond the species, ie draw the tag in a unit with hma then apply for that draw to hunt a hma. Wonder if there's any way to know how many hunters are allowed on the special draw hma's?
 
The area where I hunt cow elk would be very difficult to access, if not for the HMA agreement. Not everything is equal, though. Each has pluses and minuses.
 
So I'm seeing a few of you have been successful in the hma's gaining access, and success I would guess in filling your tags. I'm just beginning my work and thoughts for 2016, and am coming here to educate myself even further. I've had 2 successful antelope hunts in WY to date. I would need a solid game plan for access to land before applying for hma access in case I'm unsuccessful in drawing for these hma permits. Is success very high in getting these permits for out of staters?
 
Is success very high in getting these permits for out of staters?

Are you reading the replies? You're asking questions that have already been answered.

Your best bet is to read the ranch rules on the specific HMA's you're looking to hunt.

As I said before there are really 4 ways the permission is handled:

1. WIA no permission is needed.

2. Some HMA's are draw only, with a limited number of permission slips issued via a random draw (no preference given to R or NR). Success rates vary depending on the species and number of people that apply. I applied for about a dozen HMA's this year and received permission on 8. Some were limited in number some unlimited.

3. Some HMA's issue unlimited permission slips.

4. Some HMA's are draw for the first part of the season, or portions of the season, and after a certain date are unlimited in number.

Go to the GF website and look at how the permission slips are handled, as 1pointer said, its all there.

Finally, if you utilize WIA's or HMA's, its only seems right to donate to the program when you apply/purchase licenses.
 
I guess as I read thru the replies, came up with thoughts and ideas without really spending much time studying them. I'm working and contemplating all this stuff. But thanks some really helpful info for me.
 
The only disturbing thing I saw on the hma's is no camping on property, after finding a bit of time to read up on G&F website.
 
The only disturbing thing I saw on the hma's is no camping on property, after finding a bit of time to read up on G&F website.

Why's that? I guess its not good enough that they provide you access to hunt, they have to give you a place to camp too? Before you get all flustered and upset over the HMA program, be aware they don't cook you breakfast in the morning either...:rolleyes:

Its starting to sound like the WIA/HMA program is not for you...I suggest you move on and stick to National Forest or large accessible BLM lands that allow dispersed camping.

Also, solving the problem of camping isn't too tough. Doesn't take much problem solving ability to look for places near the HMA's, but outside the HMA boundary, to camp on public lands.

It makes damn good sense to not allow people to camp on the HMA's. There would be hunters camping all over the place, and likely right in the middle of the best hunting. The concept behind the HMA program is to provide quality HUNTING and FISHING opportunities...not camping spots.

What's more disturbing to me than not being able to camp on someone else's private land that is giving you access to hunt, is not being able to camp on accessible STATE lands in Wyoming.

I have to say as someone that utilizes the program, contributes financially to it every year, and supports the concept...your whining is getting old.

Oh, and the hunting is pure crap on them...

Two B&C pronghorns from HMA's

026.JPG


One from this fall:

DSC00915.JPG


I could post DOZENS of photos of bucks in the 72+ range we've taken from HMA's.

Heres one from this year that a good friend took:

DSC00937.JPG


I was so pissed the landowners enrolled in this HMA wouldnt allow me to camp on their private land. I would have thrown my sucker in the dirt over the no camping issue if I wouldn't have been so busy packing dead 6 points off the hill.

IMG_0878.JPG


IMG_0850.JPG
 
Lol, feel better now?

Not really, as I can tell by your tone that you have quite the entitlement attitude. As the old saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished.

Hunting on private lands, enrolled in this program, only happens through a lot of hard work, effort, time and money. It also only happens because of willing landowners who, for whatever reason, are gracious enough to participate. These landowners could be making a lot more money leasing their lands, or charging trespass fees. I am both amazed, and humbled, by their generosity every year of providing public access...and that's a fact. I don't question the program and don't find anything "disturbing" about it.

The GF access coordinator(s) work very hard to secure these places. Hunters step up (NR's more than R's) and voluntarily donate their hard earned dollars to the program. Many local Sportsmens groups like Bowhunters of Wyoming, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Cheyenne field archers, TRCP, etc. etc. are stepping up big and contributing heavily to the program.

All this hard work can disappear with one DUMB move by an entitled hunter that thinks its his/her "right" to do what they want on these HMA's. Things like camping on their property, shooting prairie dogs, shooting game birds, shooting game animals they aren't supposed to, driving off road, etc. etc.

How about just be respectful and feel fortunate the program even exists at all? If you don't like the rules, you aren't required in any way to participate.

Good luck.
 
Not really, as I can tell by your tone that you have quite the entitlement attitude. As the old saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished.

Hunting on private lands, enrolled in this program, only happens through a lot of hard work, effort, time and money. It also only happens because of willing landowners who, for whatever reason, are gracious enough to participate. These landowners could be making a lot more money leasing their lands, or charging trespass fees. I am both amazed, and humbled, by their generosity every year of providing public access...and that's a fact. I don't question the program and don't find anything "disturbing" about it.

The GF access coordinator(s) work very hard to secure these places. Hunters step up (NR's more than R's) and voluntarily donate their hard earned dollars to the program. Many local Sportsmens groups like Bowhunters of Wyoming, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Cheyenne field archers, TRCP, etc. etc. are stepping up big and contributing heavily to the program.

All this hard work can disappear with one DUMB move by an entitled hunter that thinks its his/her "right" to do what they want on these HMA's. Things like camping on their property, shooting prairie dogs, shooting game birds, shooting game animals they aren't supposed to, driving off road, etc. etc.

How about just be respectful and feel fortunate the program even exists at all? If you don't like the rules, you aren't required in any way to participate.

Good luck.


Where is the like button? Can't say it much better than Buzz has.
 

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