Getting Started in WY

[jerm8352]

Hello,

I just found this site and I really like. I just moved to Wyoming (Rawlins area) last summer and am looking forward to Elk hunting this fall. I do not have much experience elk hunting but I am trying to learn. I will be using a General Tag and was looking for any help, tips, pointers, anything for some general units close to me. I have been reading all the books and internet articles I can find and have been doing some hiking in the Medicine Bow National Forest. Any help would be appreciated, not looking for honey holes, just looking for info to start with, like what to look for, how to get away from other hunters, how to find elk, etc.

Thanks,

Jeremy

 

[Big Fin]

Welcome to the site. I have never hunted elk near your area. I have hunted antelope a lot, north of you and had some great hunts. I have seen elk right out in the sage flats many times while antelope hunting, but those were all in limited entry hunts.

Should be great fun to do your exploring and learning new areas. Best of luck. Sorry to be of no help.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

Are you planning on rifle or archery hunting? I have spent a little time in the Medicine Bows, but I am not familiar with what units you can hunt on a general tag there. PM me and I will share what I can.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

I believe the whole Snowy and Sierra Madre Ranges are general tag. The two mountain ranges should provide you with plenty of room to get out and stretch your legs.

If you're bowhunting, look for rubs, wallows, and nice cool north facing slopes. If you're rifle hunting, look for small south facing meadows and ridges.

To get away from hunters, lace up your boots and hike away from the roads. Be out very early. Hike. Glass. Listen. Hike. Repeat.

Call G&F and ask them what parts of the ranges have the higher densities of elk, then go hunt. Elk hunting is easy to overthink, but there's really no reason to.

Good luck, love that Saratoga area.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

Check out the Wolf Inn & Restaurant in Saratoga when you are down there. It is pretty cool.

 

[jerm8352]

Thank you for all the help. I will be rifle hunting. One thing I am really confused about is how far in is far enough away from other hunters? What is the balance between getting away from the roads and not being able to pack out your elk?

 

[Deleted member 20812]

If there are no other hunters around, you are far enough. If you can't make three to four trips out of the area with 80 pounds on your back, you are too far.

You will find that as steepness and nastiness increases, the distance you need to go to lose other hunters decreases and vice versa.

You are asking some good questions, but there is no finite answer for many of them. Try to find a series of meadows on ridge that are a mile from the nearest road access and go hunt it. If you don't find any elk sign at all, go to a different spot. If you hunt an area for a few days and don't see elk or fresh sign, go to a different spot. If there elk in the area, keep hunting the same spot.

Like I said, the only reason to make this harder than it needs to be is to sell books. Good luck!

 

[jerm8352]

Thank you all so very much. My next concern is just finding an area that will give me the best shot at getting an elk. I don't care about size or sex, I just want to be successful.

 

[havgunwilltravel]

You can do all the research you want, but absolutely nothing beats time in the bush, on the hill and figuring things out yourself. The sign you see, the animals you locate, which direction they are headed at what times of the day, the direction the wind is blowing, hunting and ATV pressure, moon phases, habitat structure, weather conditions at the time you see animals, weather conditions the last few days before you found animals, forecasted weather conditions in the next 24 - 48 hours after you see animals, food sources, the different stages of the rut, burn areas, predation pressure from canines and cats, etc etc, there is a thousand things that all add up to when and why you are seeing the species you are hunting, but it is all varied from area to area, the concept of figuring it out just simply takes time and good thought processes at all stages of your hunt.
Knowing what decisions to make and then making them correctly, is very important.
Just stay positive and hang in there, eventually opportunities will present.

 

[JWP58]

I'm in the exact same boat you're in. I'm going to approach it the same way I did bird hunting for the first time in the west last year. Study maps, game plan, and don't be surprised or shocked when you fail. LOL

Have fun, that's the bottom line. Everything else will come together if you put in enough time.

 

[jerm8352]

I hear you, its just frustrating. I have no experience and neither does my dad. Its easier when you have someone to show you the ropes. Oh well, let me know if you find anything out. Us newbies need to stay together!!!!!

 

[Deleted member 20812]

Open Google Earth. Pick a mountain range. Look at the moutains from a southwestern aspect. Find ridges with stringer meadows and pocket meadows, and timbered benches. Go hike the ridge and look for elk sign.

Odds are pretty high that someone with experience would do the exact same thing in developing a plan.

I took my wife elk hunting in the Snowies when neither of us knew a thing. She killed an elk on the fourth day out. It's all about time in the woods. You can't find them if you're not out there.

 

[jerm8352]

Thank you. I got out there a little bit today. Mostly just familiarizing myself with roads, where things were situated, where there was public land, etc. Found a few spots that I want to get out and hike around next week. Have you ever used Garmin Basecamp? That works well with my GPS but I think Google Earth is more useful in looking at terrain.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

Honestly, I still use topo maps in the field. Never used Basecamp.

Edit: Sierras or Snowies?

 

[jerm8352]

Sierras. Have also done a little hiking in the snowies by dipper lake. found lots of tracks up there.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

Sorry you ended up in Rawlins This is my first fall as a WY resident and scouting couldn't have gone much better thus far. We'll see if the pattern holds...

 

[LSUbengal]

Jeremy,
A lot of elk country all looks the same, but it's not. One of the biggest things for a newby to learn is how to distinguish between country that holds elk and country that merely looks like it holds elk. I moved to a new spot every year for more than 10 years before I ever hunted the same place twice. I grew up in the south and learning elk hunting from a long distance takes quite an effort.
One of the main things to remember is while a lot of the country may look the same, 70% of the elk will inhabit 30% of elk country. The reverse side of that is that 70% of elk country holds only 30% of elk. Now those percentages are just an analogy to make a point, as it varies in every state and region, but the point is, just because it looks like great elk country don't make it so! Variables such as pressure, habitat condition, pressure, time of year, pressure, and pressure all play a part in why elk choose to be in certain locations. Trial and error will help you find spots with less pressure and these same spots will serve you year after year. One thing I forgot to mention......look for places void of PRESSURE........ from trails, roads and any other form of human intrusion. Manage that and you will be set.
DS

 

[LSUbengal]

PS......the Snowys are one of the most beautiful places on earth whether your hunting, or just passing through in the off season. I've stayed in the rental cabins just above centennial many times and parlayed antelope on the plains with elk hunting on top. They have great accomodations for horses. You can see snow there in July!!!!

 

[JWP58]

FYI i'll be bow hunting in the snowys too, so I meant literally...the exact same boat as you.

It should be fun and keep me busy until October, then its bird hunting until Jan.

 

[jerm8352]

Been out scouting the last two saturdays. Found lots of sign in a few places, hopefully they are far enough out of the way from other hunters.