Caribou Gear

WY Elk 2020 - Area 54 Cow Elk tag (type 7)

samuel_284Win

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 27, 2018
Messages
132
Location
Bozeman, MT
Hello fellow elk hunters,

My parents and I have cow elk tags for the Cody, WY hunt area 54 (type 7 tag) that we will hunt in mid-November. I am trying to obtain as much information about this area and how to hunt the area as possible to make this a fun family hunt while optimizing our chances of filling the freezer with tasty meat snacks.

Have any of you ever hunted area 54 and what was your experience?
What is the critical component to have a successful hunt in this area, especially in November?
Did you find that elk were still up higher on the far west edge of the area or down lower on BLM and private property?

Any direction on this area will be appreciated.

Thank you,

Samuel Koeshall
 
I know someone who killed a nice bull in 54 and lost part of it to a grizzly, so make sure that is part of your preparations, still plenty of bears up in mid November.
 
Hello fellow elk hunters,

My parents and I have cow elk tags for the Cody, WY hunt area 54 (type 7 tag) that we will hunt in mid-November. I am trying to obtain as much information about this area and how to hunt the area as possible to make this a fun family hunt while optimizing our chances of filling the freezer with tasty meat snacks.

Have any of you ever hunted area 54 and what was your experience?
What is the critical component to have a successful hunt in this area, especially in November?
Did you find that elk were still up higher on the far west edge of the area or down lower on BLM and private property?

Any direction on this area will be appreciated.

Thank you,

Samuel Koeshall
Were you able to get the Two dot access permit? If not northern edge of bald ridge is the spot they cross over to dump into two dot ranch. Take the main road on bald ridge and its right before it drops into a draw with red dirt in it.
 
Were you able to get the Two dot access permit? If not northern edge of bald ridge is the spot they cross over to dump into two dot ranch. Take the main road on bald ridge and its right before it drops into a draw with red dirt in it.
Thank you for the tip. Yes, I was able to get access to the Two Dot ranch for cow elk.
 
Were you able to get the Two dot access permit? If not northern edge of bald ridge is the spot they cross over to dump into two dot ranch. Take the main road on bald ridge and its right before it drops into a draw with red dirt in it.
I’d second this tip, they come through this area pretty frequently and can catch them bedded just south of the fence that borders two dot and forest service on this end. Watch out for grizzly, they are now joke in this area and with proper precautions they shouldn’t bother you.
 
Hi All,

I drew a 2022 NR Cow Calf Elk tag for 54-7 and it will be my first time hunting in this part of the country. I plan to request access to Two Dot and will be in the region with my brother in mid-late November. It will be our first time travelling in what seems to be heavier grizzly country.

@samuel_284Win are you able to share any details from your hunt?

Any advice on areas to focus on in this region and possible bear safety tips other than the obvious?

All input is much appreciated and thanks for your time.

Vince
 
Hi All,

I drew a 2022 NR Cow Calf Elk tag for 54-7 and it will be my first time hunting in this part of the country. I plan to request access to Two Dot and will be in the region with my brother in mid-late November. It will be our first time travelling in what seems to be heavier grizzly country.

@samuel_284Win are you able to share any details from your hunt?

Any advice on areas to focus on in this region and possible bear safety tips other than the obvious?

All input is much appreciated and thanks for your time.

Vince
I only spotted bulls on the Two Dot ranch during our hunt (Nov 7 - 15). We only had two slim chances at taking a cow, once with 15 min of light left on Bald Ridge at 450 yards, and decided not to try that shot, especially if the cow ran 300 yards north and would have dropped into a serious canyon. Would have been a nightmare with a serious wind, snow event that started late that night. Another opportunity was on Bald Ridge at 500 yards with elk in the open and moving away from us, but wind was 40-50 mph and snowing so not decent shooting conditions to try a shot like that, at least for me.

We got really unlucky with the weather, lost at least one day to 60 mph winds, lost another day to blizzard conditions, and weather during the first couple days of hunt highs were like 50 - 60 F and sunny, with no snow to be seen in higher elevations of unit 54. A UTV makes the Bald Ridge area much easier.

My advice would be to go as late as possible to have a higher probability of good snow in Yellowstone. We were early to the show just due to Fall 2020 weather. At a certain point during the late season, the far western portion of the unit becomes off-limits if look closely in regs, at least that's how the unit 54 cow tag was structured in 2020.

John Davis (Two Dot Ranch hunt manager) is the guy to speak with on access to the ranch. (307)-899-4116. I can see how the nominal access fee would be gold if migration is not delayed and the snow starts to fly, the Two Dot is huge and is not that difficult of terrain to hunt or pack an elk.
 
Back
Top