Hunting in Western states

[Jereky]

Thanks for all the great info guys. So I’m clear, can you just submit for points or do you have to buy a licence each year even if you don’t have intent to enter a draw that year. Also, how exactly does the points system work? You submit/buy/apply for points them once you accumulate enough you can enter a draw for a tag? I assume if that’s the case they have an odds system and you can see how many points you have to burn in the application for the tag? More points, better odds? I’m completely ignorant to this system. It seems to work in the states, would it work here in the interest of conservation and quality opportunity?

[Carbonmatrix]

I’ve hunting most of the western states and it’s pretty easy and much cheaper than driving up north and dealing with the natives and their ancestoral territories. Idaho you can get a guaranteed antelope, you just gotta apply as a 1st choice before June 5th. For elk Utah is otc, Colorado is otc, Idaho used to be otc for elk. You can just buy a point if you want in most states but you gotta front the cost of the license. I wouldn’t get in the point game tho, point creep is real and some of the coveted tags you will never draw because people have 25+ points or more and every year to draw it jumps a point or 2 higher, so you’ll never get a chance.

Try Colorado Utah or Idaho for otc, if you pay for the deer elk combo upfront try montana. If you want to play at draws try New Mexico or Idaho, there is no point system and everyone who is a non resident has equal chance to draw.

[Retiredguy]

I hunted a number of the western states in the past, but quit playing the drawing game down there as prices increased and the "points" systems morphed. After all there was lots of OTC hunting back here. With the way things are going here now opportunities are dwindling and there is nothing good on the horizon, so I think I will get back at applying in the US. In the end much of it is cheaper to hunt if you draw, especially if you need to fly in up north in order to get into GOS situations. All indicators are it is going to just get worse here, not better. I usually have very poor luck at drawing at home, so I think I am just going to be forced into applying in more draws south of the 49th in order to have some options...I hope.

[MOOSE MILK]

I hunted WY a few years ago and was amazed at how hunters were welcomed! Banners were hung across city streets "HUNTERS WELCOME" where do you see anything like that in Canada? Even the grocery stores and liquor shops had hunter-welcome signs out. Ya gotta love that...

In Casper, there is a mom-and-pop butcher shop that provides the best service you will ever see, drop off before five and pick up the following day all cut and wrapped to your specifications and flash frozen, at a very reasonable price. Try and find a service like that in BC.

And a bonus you can wear a shootin-iron on your hip, I shot a bunch of jackrabbits and my buddy took his antelope with his .44 revolver.

[twoSevenO]

I went down to Montana in 2000 i think for antelope. Drew a tag and a local took me out. Its till the same but drawing tags is a little tougher.

I started applying for preference points in Montana and Wyoming 2 years ago. Plan on going down in a few years and hitting both states and coming back with two antelope. Depending on where you go in those states you could almost guarantee a tag every year or every two year. Wyoming has a lot of private land so all the areas where you can draw a tag every year are pretty much 100% private so you would have to know someone or pay a tresspass fee. The more crown land hunts you are looking at 5-6 points to get drawn. The better the trophy potential may drive that up to 12 years in wyoming.

Once I have 5 points I will start looking, that should get me a ok area in wyoming with crown land and a real good area in Montana. But the antelope are really hammered by bad winters so an area that may only take 5 years to get drawn may become 10 years if there was a few bad winters.

Costs about $30-35 dollars for a point each year in each state.

No guides required.

BHB

why does that seem so easy? Don't these guys have a ton of pressure from hunters in other states?
I would imagine a lot of hunters from the eastern states and the south would also want to come up there and hunt, in addition to all the locals as well.

[bighornbob]

why does that seem so easy? Don't these guys have a ton of pressure from hunters in other states?
I would imagine a lot of hunters from the eastern states and the south would also want to come up there and hunt, in addition to all the locals as well.

yes lots of locals and from other states but sometimes lots of tags. The year I went to Montana I hunted region 7. It’s probably the size of our region 4 and 8 combined. That year they gave out 13,000 either sex tags for that area. Odds were 1:4 of getting drawn. Once they drew the 13,000 antelope they sent the winners a postcard for and additional 5000 doe and fawn tags on a first come first serve basis. You were allowed to buy two doe tags. Every local I ran into had three tags (basically one buck and two doe tags). Every camp had about 10 lope hanging or in coolers. It’s basically a social family meat hunt.

the thing in Montana is the government pays ranchers to provide access. They publish a book (the size of our hunting regs, maybe half the pages). That lists landowners that are willing to provide access and what they have. The guy that took me said you have to be careful as ranchers may list they have deer but they are never there during hunting or dry years. Hunters don’t know and sign up for that ranch and may never see a deer. Rancher still collects money from government. So like anything the better ranches get scooped up first. Also besides the hunting regs you have to follow ranchers rules. The ranch we hunted Said bucks only. Plus you were limited to certain pastures and only for three days so other hunters could hunt too. If there were pastures open you go there.

bouns is there is no cost to this so you could go to as many ranchers as you wanted too.

like you said lots of hunters in the states but like anything why drive through three states that have antelope to get to the fourth one. Also some hunters prefer to pay a trespass fee (usually $300 for three days) to avoid other hunters or to hunt better places. You will have less hunters and bigger bucks (usually) on ranches that charge trespass fees as it’s not a free for all. Just like here some hunters would prefer to pay the extra money for flyin hunt to avoid crowds and “better” game while the next guy says why pay when I can hunt the dirt roads around there for moose. Both types are successful.

BhB

[Rackmastr]

Headed down to Wyoming for second time. Wife drew a pretty top end antelope tag after a bunch of years of waiting and planning.

Should be a ton of fun!!!

I apply in AZ and WY. Lots of options out there though!!!

[RamMan]

I hunt in the Western US every year for elk and apply for points in all the states for bighorns, elk, and mule deer. If you have individual questions hit me up. I've hunted elk in Montana, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, and Idaho.

Every state is different with their systems but you can have a quality hunt every year for elk if you understand all of the states.

[twoSevenO]

yes lots of locals and from other states but sometimes lots of tags. The year I went to Montana I hunted region 7. It’s probably the size of our region 4 and 8 combined. That year they gave out 13,000 either sex tags for that area. Odds were 1:4 of getting drawn. Once they drew the 13,000 antelope they sent the winners a postcard for and additional 5000 doe and fawn tags on a first come first serve basis. You were allowed to buy two doe tags. Every local I ran into had three tags (basically one buck and two doe tags). Every camp had about 10 lope hanging or in coolers. It’s basically a social family meat hunt.

the thing in Montana is the government pays ranchers to provide access. They publish a book (the size of our hunting regs, maybe half the pages). That lists landowners that are willing to provide access and what they have. The guy that took me said you have to be careful as ranchers may list they have deer but they are never there during hunting or dry years. Hunters don’t know and sign up for that ranch and may never see a deer. Rancher still collects money from government. So like anything the better ranches get scooped up first. Also besides the hunting regs you have to follow ranchers rules. The ranch we hunted Said bucks only. Plus you were limited to certain pastures and only for three days so other hunters could hunt too. If there were pastures open you go there.

bouns is there is no cost to this so you could go to as many ranchers as you wanted too.

like you said lots of hunters in the states but like anything why drive through three states that have antelope to get to the fourth one. Also some hunters prefer to pay a trespass fee (usually $300 for three days) to avoid other hunters or to hunt better places. You will have less hunters and bigger bucks (usually) on ranches that charge trespass fees as it’s not a free for all. Just like here some hunters would prefer to pay the extra money for flyin hunt to avoid crowds and “better” game while the next guy says why pay when I can hunt the dirt roads around there for moose. Both types are successful.

BhB

Jesus Christ, how much game do these guys have down there?!?

Have you hunted mule deer down there? How is that? Not really interested in antelope, but for a big mule deer I might be inclined to make the drive

[MOOSE MILK]

They have a hell a lot better game management than we do here in Canada.