First Western Hunt (An internal debate....)

[Mainer207]

Hey guys,

I'm planning for my first western hunt with a buddy of mine, and we are trying to decide what to do. We are torn between MT deer and WY antelope. What do you guys suggest?! What can we expect from either hunt (access, crowds, terrain types, game siting etc)?

For some background:
I've been hunting deer in Maine since I was a kid, but mostly on and off. My buddy is an adult onset hunter and has only been out a couple times, but we plan to get out a lot this season.
In the last two years I have rekindled my love for hunting and have begun to get serious. I've killed a couple deer in the big woods in Maine and have some experience hunting public land in the Catskill Mountains of NY (haven't killed a deer in NY yet). My buddy and I are hoping to do a camping/backpack hunt in the Adirondacks this season over a long weekend as a small way to prepare for heading out west.

We aren't necessarily looking for trophies but do very much value seeing beautiful country, getting away from crowds (we both live in NYC now), and filling the freezer. We would like to get away from crowds but are realistic about how backcountry we can get on our first trip west.

A couple of questions while I'm at it:
Should I be buying bonus points only in Montana every year, or should I buy preference and bonus points?
Does MT offer OTC whitetail doe tags that we could add to a General Deer Combo -- I would think this gives a much greater opportunity to get some meat in the cooler if the bucks are hard to come by?
Would you target Whitetails or Mule deer if you chose the MT deer hunt over the WY antelope?
Is a 5 day hunt enough for either of these hunts without having a separate scouting trip beforehand?

I know there's a lot in that rambling series of questions, but any piece of input regarding any of this is much appreciated!

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Welcome to the forum.

I would snoop around the various photo threads and check out some of the cool places people explore and hunt.

 

[NEWHunter]

You can have success on a 5 day WY antelope hunt if you burn a point on a special tag. A scouting trip is not necessary. Good luck - the planning is part of the fun.

 

[Mainer207]

You can have success on a 5 day WY antelope hunt if you burn a point on a special tag. A scouting trip is not necessary. Good luck - the planning is part of the fun.

Thanks for the response! I bought this summer, so I would go in with two points if I applied next year.

 

[rmyoung1]

I think the answer lies in what you guys want to experience on your first hunt out west. Do you want to hunt in the mountains? If so, then a MT mule deer hunt will be the thing to pursue. Get a pref point and set your sights for western MT Forest Service lands. Do you want wide open country with relatively easy hunting? If so, then you can draw some solid units in WY when you apply for that special tag. Do you want to hunt whitetails out west and apply your big woods hunting experience to your western adventure? If so, then you can find places in both MT and WY to target whitetails on public land (but it will require some handy map - or OnX -work, most likely). That’s my suggestion. You guys sit down and figure out what you want out of your trip, then make your plan. Good luck. Will be fun!

 

[Sytes]

WY antelope. A greater starter into the western hunt world.

 

[Brow Tine]

Antelope in WY. You'll have points and it's a fun hunt with a higher success rate. Montana can be a real challenge for those unfamiliar with the state.

Maybe pick a northern unit in WY. And during your antelope trip you can zip across the border to scout Montana for the next time.

 

[LCH]

Thanks for the response! I bought this summer, so I would go in with two points if I applied next year.

I think that's how it works for deer in MT, but not in Wyoming.. you'll only have one point going into the 2020 draw. Still might draw a decent tag in the special draw though.

I think deer or pronghorn make a great first trip. Deer will likely be more challenging, but I've never not had an opportunity at a legal buck. Finding an old one can be a bit tougher.

 

[Addicting]

That is quite the drive from upstate New York, or will you be flying? If flying you can likely get a flight into Denver the cheapest. Then it’s a easy 4-6 hours into Wyoming for antelope and some mule deer.

 

[Mainer207]

That is quite the drive from upstate New York, or will you be flying? If flying you can likely get a flight into Denver the cheapest. Then it’s a easy 4-6 hours into Wyoming for antelope and some mule deer.

I’m leaning toward driving due to logistics. It’d be a 24-36 hour drive each way. I’m a bit nervous about flying with my rifle and potentially meat. I’d hate to have my gun or a cooler full of buck meat misplaced by TSA.

Do you have experience flying for hunting trips?

 

[Addicting]

I’m only 17 hours away so financially it doesn’t make sense.

@Big Fin does, I believe he did couple videos on Flying. There have also been many threads in here. Maybe he can chime in on it again. Or search his YouTube channel, I am sure it is covered there.

 

[Sytes]

Unloaded rifle inside a locked, hard sided case. Ammunition in it's own cartridge box inside the rifle case. When collecting your tickets, declare to your airline for check-in baggage. Obviously, not for carry-on.
It's pretty simple.

Transporting Firearms and Ammunition | Transportation Security Administration

www.tsa.gov

Where you run into basic challenges... Meat transport: 50#'s usually per container = $ per checked unit.
Antlers/horns... Size limit play a factor for airline and = $, another baggage fee if the airline accepts the sized container.

Good side of antelope hunt, the horns are packable. 50# limit meat is usually enough for a doe / buck so only one "additional baggage fee" with dry ice and cooler... Though, X's 2, if your bordering the weight (include 25-35#'s meat, #'s for cooler and dry ice). Or FedEx it, same setting, dry ice. If a buck, add the horns into the same FedEx shipment.

De-bone yourself or make sure to chat with a game processor beforehand as many processors are easily booked up for at least a few days. Many processors are set to pack/ship it for you.

 

[LCH]

Take your time and enjoy the drive. You don't have to worry about losing things, you can bring whatever comforts you want, and I bet it's a whole lot cheaper even from Maine.

 

[Mainer207]

I’ve started pricing it out, and I think we would be around 1K in fuel which is cheaper than a flight once you add extra baggage etc. Plus, we’d get to see new parts of the country and enjoy some solid windshield time.

I actually live in NY now, which shaves a few hours off the drive lol

Take your time and enjoy the drive. You don't have to worry about losing things, you can bring whatever comforts you want, and I bet it's a whole lot cheaper even from Maine.

 

[Festus]

Take your time and enjoy the drive. You don't have to worry about losing things, you can bring whatever comforts you want, and I bet it's a whole lot cheaper even from Maine.

I’ve started pricing it out, and I think we would be around 1K in fuel which is cheaper than a flight once you add extra baggage etc. Plus, we’d get to see new parts of the country and enjoy some solid windshield time.

I actually live in NY now, which shaves a few hours off the drive lol

Yes and yes. Driving is part of the adventure.

 

[Tiredofthebickering]

I'm coming from Florida and any time I start pricing it out it's cheaper to drive with 2+ people to split gas and if there's a chance you'll have get an elk back home. The biggest consideration is time. We're losing a total of 72 hours to driving if we drive straight up and straight back without stopping. That makes 5 days of hunting an 8 day trip. This year we're trying to squeeze in 7 full days of hunting which is going to make our trip at least 10 days which is definitely hard on the wife and kids.

 

[Addicting]

Driving Logistics for a deer or elk then yes drive. For one antelope, not so sure it’s worth 30 hours on the truck both ways. Especially, seeing you could be done in a day.

That’s a 3 day weekend hunt if you fly. A backpack with a change of clothes, your gun, and then a 40q cooler from Walmart to fly home with.

You could be there and back before you even got there with your truck.

 

[LCH]

Driving Logistics for a deer or elk then yes drive. For one antelope, not so sure it’s worth 30 hours on the truck both ways. Especially, seeing you could be done in a day.

That’s a 3 day weekend hunt if you fly. A backpack with a change of clothes, your gun, and then a 40q cooler from Walmart to fly home with.

You could be there and back before you even got there with your truck.

But what's the fun in that?

 

[Addicting]

But what's the fun in that?

When your back grilling Antelope backstrap and drinking a beer with family and friends. Also, at home saving all that money and cashing in vacation time to finance a elk hunt next year!

 

[thusby]

My first hunt out west was a whitetail hunt in the river bottoms around Bozeman. I had seen more deer in a week than I had seen in the past 10 seasons of big woods hunting. That was enough to hook me.