Wyoming Nonresident 9 points to wager

ben300win

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Aug 8, 2010
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Georgia
I have been trying to find a good area that we can draw with 9 points. Here are my qualifications. DIY, no Grizzlies, moderate terrain, public land or HMA type hunt. Have hunted Wyoming for antelope on a HMA before. Been looking at area 23, but reading lots of negative about it. We are 47 to 70 in age group.
 
The reality is that high-success elk hunting in easy country for big bulls just isn’t readily available. I know some of WY’s late hunts can see big bulls on lower, gentler public land, but the points needed will reflect such a desirable opportunity. You’re probably gonna have to sacrifice something off the wish list. Tougher country. Lower success rates. Smaller bulls. Harder-to-access public land. Something will have to give, most likely. Or pay an outfitter to help. Good luck! Let us know what you guys decide. Nine points definitely gets you some options.
 
I'd SERIOUSLY think about going guided. I've spent a stupid amount of time researching WY units and I honestly don't know what a solid option is in the point range you're in. Especially when you start throwing in the qualifications you mentioned. I don't know if you're much better off with 9 points than you are 2. I'd avoid 23 though. The biologist and warden both really steered me away from that unit years ago.
 
You would be looking at the SW desert area in WY but point wise you need 12+ to draw
 
I didn't see where the original post asked for "big bulls".
@Greenhorn makes a good point. That was my assumption. Seems most everyone, including me, wants a crack at a nice bull after banking points for a decade, but if that’s not necessarily a priority to the OP, then I’m sure a few more options open up. Seems like a job for the GoHunt insider
 
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Honestly we would be good with a decent 6x6. Dont have to be a 350 plus. Probably even a 300 would make us happy. Have hunted colorado for years. Just hoped 9 points would get us a good chance at a decent bull without having to hire a guide or hunt country that we cant get around in. We can still hike some tougher country, but we are from georgia so super high elevations and steep slopes will kick our butt.
 
Honestly we would be good with a decent 6x6. Dont have to be a 350 plus. Probably even a 300 would make us happy. Have hunted colorado for years. Just hoped 9 points would get us a good chance at a decent bull without having to hire a guide or hunt country that we cant get around in. We can still hike some tougher country, but we are from georgia so super high elevations and steep slopes will kick our butt.
You can do that on a general tag. Might want to do a little training with a treadmill and a pack but doable.
 
"....don't have to be a 350 plus.." well that's good! do people know how difficult it is to come across a 350" bull on DIY public land?? Heck, 300" bulls don't exist around every tree neither.... I'm not ragging on the OP, just saw that statement and I thought sh!t, I will take a shot at most legal branch anterled bulls on my DIY pulic land MT hunts.
 
Forgive me if this sounds harsh...

so what have you been doing for 9 years? If you are gonna invest $450 (minus interest) in points, I'd assume you had perused the units...

Let me help on the "No Grizz" Part....Eliminate the NW quarter of Wyoming all the way to Meteetsee and down to Farson.
AOI_Grizzly.jpg


Truth be told, you would have a better idea if you had spent your points every 3 years and gotten to know a general unit, and probably had 3 elk already.

I have states I'm building points in that I've never hunted...But ever since that first year I've known the unit I was applying for. I wouldn't build points if I didn't have a target.
 
"DIY, no Grizzlies, moderate terrain, public land or HMA type hunt."

It's kinda like when my client used to say "I want a quick turnaround, I want it to be accurate, and I want it cheap". Well I always tell them you can have 2 of the 3, but you're never gonna get all 3 of those requests.

So I'd say you're gonna have to drop one of those 4 requirements. With 9 points and if you want bulls 300" or bigger, go outfitter, IMO.
 
As has been pointed out above, that is a tall order, but not impossible. I would jump on the Wyoming G&F site and look at statistics (or subscribe to gohunt to make that research SUPER easy). You will get a good idea which units have some of the better "trophy" potential and how far your points can go. Choose one, review Randy's strategy articles, escout like crazy, and hit it hard when your hunt arrives with a good attitude. Guarantee you will have a great trip.
 
Next thing you know, people will be expecting the elk to come right to the truck. Oh wait... I've had that happen!

Even in moderate terrain, if you walk a mile from the road, you'll being doing better than half the local hunters, many of whom never leave their truck until they see an elk within shooting range.
 
I totally get the whole “buy a general tag every so many years and learn an area.” It makes a ton of sense. I look at it as somewhat of an investment though. Our group has points for multiple species in multiple states and don’t have time to hunt Wyoming elk every few years and still do all the other hunts. That’s our choice. We could prioritize WY elk and do that. However, it made sense to us in the meantime to buy points til somewhere in the 8-10 point range and then draw the best tag we could. I’m sure we aren’t the only group that didn’t anticipate this drastic of point creep 7+ years ago when starting to build points.
 
"....don't have to be a 350 plus.." well that's good! do people know how difficult it is to come across a 350" bull on DIY public land?? Heck, 300" bulls don't exist around every tree neither.... I'm not ragging on the OP, just saw that statement and I thought sh!t, I will take a shot at most legal branch anterled bulls on my DIY pulic land MT hunts.
Weve been hunting LEGAL bulls in Colorado for years. Want an opportunity for a better bull since weve been banking points.
 
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