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Wyoming deer questions

sigpros

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Missouri
So I haven't been out west in a couple years and I have never been mule deer hunting. With that said I have 5 deer points, 6 if I buy one this year. My son 15 wants to go out west this fall and is wanting to try for doe antelope. I have kicked around the idea of burning my points. Are 5 or 6 points going to do anything for me? Where is a region or area to even look at? I am not against a whitetail either just been hunting them my whole life and wouldn't mind a crack at a mule deer one time. Not looking for anyone's secret spot just an idea where to start
 
Most regions can be drawn with one or two points. Not too many options with 5 points, but what you could do is apply with your son. If he doesn't have any points, with your 5 points averaged you'd be in the draw with 2.5 points. You could draw most regions, and I would probably just pick one that has a decent amount of public land, and that is on a side of the state that is closer to where you're coming from.
 
Most regions can be drawn with one or two points. Not too many options with 5 points, but what you could do is apply with your son. If he doesn't have any points, with your 5 points averaged you'd be in the draw with 2.5 points. You could draw most regions, and I would probably just pick one that has a decent amount of public land, and that is on a side of the state that is closer to where you're coming from.
This may be the best advice as 5 points isn't what it used to be. I wouldn't look at it as burning points because that suggests wasting them. Apply for an area you can draw and get out there with your kid while he is still a junior hunter. My advice is go hunt with your son when you can, forget about holding out for sought after units you will never catch up with. Learning an area to return to is far more valuable than acquiring points to chase a hunt in a place you have never visited.
 
I would also advise against Western Wyoming this year. The winter has been brutal and we will be getting a Blizzard this week. Might see a big reduction in tags, which will mess with the point values
N. East Wyoming is getting hammered also, as well as S. East WY.
 
This may be the best advice as 5 points isn't what it used to be. I wouldn't look at it as burning points because that suggests wasting them. Apply for an area you can draw and get out there with your kid while he is still a junior hunter. My advice is go hunt with your son when you can, forget about holding out for sought after units you will never catch up with. Learning an area to return to is far more valuable than acquiring points to chase a hunt in a place you have never visited.
This is good advice and if you go before he is 18 he will be a lot cheaper
 
What? SE Wyoming is where I live, its not getting hammered from what I can see. Lots of bare ground and snow up to mid-slope on winter range isn't bad.
I suppose you can call it S. Central.
This according to a buddy.
I am quite a bit North.
 
I live in Buffalo and while this is by far the worst winter in our 4 years here. It isn't that bad. We see lots of antelope here as well as on the way to sheridan. Antelope group up in winter so you don't see em as often but when you do you see groups

Plenty of prairie is exposed and this storm is looking like about 8 inches, not exactly "slammed"

There's been some real cold snaps, another one starting now

Key to winter survival and fawn births starts about now. When will spring show?
 
I live in Buffalo and while this is by far the worst winter in our 4 years here. It isn't that bad. We see lots of antelope here as well as on the way to sheridan. Antelope group up in winter so you don't see em as often but when you do you see groups

Plenty of prairie is exposed and this storm is looking like about 8 inches, not exactly "slammed"

There's been some real cold snaps, another one starting now

Key to winter survival and fawn births starts about now. When will spring show?
Yeah Bob, we are a few miles South of you. The storm we had two weeks ago, we saw herds of antelope "nest" into divets in the snow and some never got up. Eagles eating them a few days later. This is our resident herds on our road out here.
 
Sounds like the winter kill will be bad and tag numbers down. Just trying to get a trip with the boy away this fall. Hard to believe he will be gone soon and I just want to get every memory with him I can. Man they grow up fast. Heck hes learning to drive and running his own hay business. Oh where does the time go?
 
I’m curious for future reference where that graphic is in noaa. Thanks
From the NOAA local forecast page that has a map to choose a location that looks like this:

Screenshot_20230222-140417_Samsung Internet.jpg

Keep scrolling down and there's a "current conitions" expander tab, open that and pick snow cover

Screenshot_20230222-140436_Samsung Internet.jpg

It defaults to snow water equivalent but you can change to snow depth or other choices in the drop down on the upper left, then click redraw map.
 
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