Western Public Land Big Game Hunt Questions

[mparsley]

How do I go about doing this. I know that is a loaded question but I do not understand any of what I have read regarding the process. So here are my questions;

1. Does anyone have an idea on the cost of doing a hunt such as this. I am open to most any state, any species. It would be more of the experience than anything. Hunting in Tennessee is just way different and I would like to experience the vast expanse type hunting.
2. What in the world is the point system (what is the deal with saving points) sounds like I should start saving for when I am 65
3. How would I go about getting a tag
4. What species and states are easier to get a tag for (like I said, I think it would be pretty cool just to have the experience more than finding a enormous elk). I really think Coues Deer would be just as cool.
5. Is there any book or video or podcast explaining the process to go about doing this. I have seen that Bowhunter15 did an Elk hunt. Bowhunter15, if you are possibly reading this, it would be cool to see a vid on how this process works, starting with picking the state, applying for the tag, picking the zone (or whatever they call it), number of points, etc.


Really am just lost on this entire deal but any help is appreciated.

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[Lockdown]

Being a former SD resident, my advice to you would be to head to western SD. Bow hunting tags do not require preference points, but often rifle tags do. Regarding rifle hunting, whitetail tags are much easier to come by than "any deer" tags which are good for whitetails or mule deer.

The terrain varies greatly. There's everything from steep hills, ravines, and forested land to wide open cattle pastures and CRP fields. As a general rule, the whitetails are found in the river bottom/lowland/CRP, and the mulies are found in the bluffs and rolling hills. Some areas see a 50/50 mix of both, depending where you are.

Are you planning on rifle hunting or bow hunting?

Also what would you be satisfied with as far as buck quality?

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[mparsley]

Antler size is not of importance. Like I said it is more about the experience. I could do bow or rifle or muzzeloader whatever I could get tag wise.

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[tbunao]

Colorado is a really good spot to get your feet wet. Myself and another beast member went for the first time this year for elk. The Otc (over the counter) options are great. We got the either sex elk archery tag ($625). You can get just the cow tag for I believe $300 and muleys are a little cheaper I believe. These Otc areas are mainly public areas and have pressure but they have the animals you choose to go after. You have to want it!!! On our way in we ran into several hunters (more experience) on their way out saying there were no elk in there. We still went in and with persistence and learning on the go we almost had our opportunity! An experience I'll never forget and can't wait to experience again.
Pick a species
Look for states with otc of that species
Google earth, Google earth, Google earth
Study that species
Make a plan hunt that plan
Google earth!

Bask in the experience

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[tbunao]

Also the websites such as elk101, Colorado elk university, eastmans, western hunter all have how to get started.

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[mparsley]

Thanks tbunao, that experience is exactly what I want. The glassing, hiking, camping. The work and the hike in. Like you said it would be more of the experience and taking an animal is not mandatory but would be a bonus to th experience not to mention much more work. I imagine you get to set up camp for a number of days. Is there a limit on the number of days that you can be camped in a certain area? Are there deadlines that I need to know of in regard to the otc tags for muleys and elk be it cow or bull. What did you do to gain your tag other than call up the department of wildlife in Colorado and get directions on buying these tags from there. These otc tags are they only tags tags that were not taken by other hunters and re therefore sold after losing other tags are given out or is it really as simple as calling and buying a license and an elk tag, kind of like buying a sportsman license here in Tennessee and then buying a deer tag.

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[tbunao]

There is no time limit in national forest areas. These areas are soo massive it makes you feel like you don't exist. We camped for seven days. I see that you're in TN. I would really suggest you hammer down now on cardio. I'm no slouch and had a difficult time in 10k ft of elevation. It's humbling. As far as the otc tag you just get online and buy. The state map has designated areas for otc and it's just up to you to do the math and homework on where to go. It's a lot of work but when you finally get there it's breathtaking, and I'm not talking about shortness of breath from elevation. If you've ever been to red river gorge it's that 50x

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[mparsley]

On my way!

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[mparsley]

On my way!

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[Lockdown]

If the scenery and overall experience is what you're after CO would be an excellent choice. Never been there but it's a bucket list destination for sure. My family has been out there every other year for 25 years elk hunting. One thug about CO is it can be very hit and miss. They have had years where it's tough to even lay eyes on an elk. I also have a rich friend who leased some private land there, hunted for a week, and couldn't find any decent bucks. He was probably several thousand deep an he never fired a shot. And that was on private land. I'm not trying to talk you out of CO, but just giving a forewarning of how tough the hunting can be out there.

The nice thing about SD is you always see a lot of deer. You usually have to work your tail off fr something 3 or older. However if you're ok with a two year old you'll probably be heading home a very happy man.

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[DaveT1963]

I've hunted Elk in Colo, MT and N Mexico so if you have surviving questions regarding those states I'll help you as much as I can. I lived in MT for seven years so probably know that state best.

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[fishlips]

I have only hunted CO for elk. I chose it because it's an OTC tag, relatively cheap NR tag fees, and my brother lives out there. There are piles of national forest out there to hunt. I know I heard that CO can be highly pressured, but it was not overly pressured the season we hunted, and I don't think their pressure compares to hunting pressure in some Midwestern states. There is just so much more land out there.

You might want to look at topography for where you want to hunt. I think there is quite a variety in the state of CO alone, which is probably indicative of what the west is like in general. We hunted steep (at least for a flatlander like me) terrain. We stayed at 9,000 feet and hiked up to 12k+ pretty much every day. The other thing that threw me for a loop was hunting every day. I am a weekend warrior by every stretch of the definition, and I always wanted to just have time to just hunt. Well I got it out there and it kicked my but between the hiking and lack of sleep. But it was awesome. Only regret is not pushing myself harder out there, but I had heard from numerous people to take it easy at first and work your way into it.

As far as points go, I wouldn't worry about it if you are looking for an adventure. Buy an OTC tag in an area you think you might want to hunt in the future. Then you can figure out if you want to start applying for points down the road. At least this is what I did.

Not to steer you away from the forum here because there is definitely some good western hunt stuff on here, but forums like rokslide and elknut were good resources for me. Kind of a beast for western hunting.

[JoeRE]

Fishlips posted some great advice. I hunt elk in CO every couple years for the same reasons. Pack in as far as I can get from a road for a week in as rough a country as I can find. My goal is after gaining more experience backpack mountain country hunting I will feel more prepared to tackle some tougher hunts and hunts in some areas with more trophy potential.

My advice is just pick a species, pick a state, and just do it. Do an OTC hunt or two and put in for a better unit so that you will draw it after having a few OTC hunts under your belt. No sense waiting and drawing a prime tag and going in w/o experience!

[hunter_mike]

Wyoming antelope was fairly cheap and easy. ~260 for a tag i believe. We had to apply in May and got tags the first year we applied. We did a bowhunt in mid august with a group of 4. I am bad at remembering how much everything cost but I can't imagine there is a whole lot cheaper hunt. We tent camped at a really nice KOA campground and drove to our hunting grounds every morning. Worked out slick since I am not a well-seasoned backpack camper, got to put some of my gear to the test while still having the luxury of running water, electricity and a shower available. Saw lots of game and so much cool stuff, extremely beautiful country. Its a great beginner hunt in my opinion. Here's a semi live thread I did while I was there. viewtopic.php?f=11&t=31397

[JoeRE]

Yea I have heard WY antelope is one of the cheapest and easiest to organise western hunts as well like Hunter Mike mentioned. Good success rates. Never done it but its on the list.