How did everyone's hunt go this year is it what you expected and are you going to change your plans for next year?

[D_Dubya]

Made two trips to Colorado in October, my daughter drew a first season rifle bull tag in the secondary draw, hunt was over her 16th birthday. She killed a bull on opening morning.


left my truck and all my gear in CO and flew home for a week then went back to hunt 2nd rifle deer. My Dad and son also had 2nd season buck tags , they came up to hunt the last 4 days of the season. Dad got one first day he was there (yes he was wearing orange…vest was to the side during jacket shuffle)

Then my son got a really neat deer:

Between their success it made my tag soup taste great.

South Texas whitetails for the next two months, doubt I’ll kill one but the wife and kids and some friends will probably do alright.

Colorado Elk for me next year, and whatever NM might throw my way.

 

[mallardsx2]

Had a good year on Deer and had a great year on elk even though my wife didn't kill one.

Still trying to get this buck at my house in front of my daughter for a shot but I fear that he is in the heavens by now. He has disappeared and I have not seen him in over a week. Strange because for a couple weeks he has a frequent flyer at night in front of about every camera I have. Maybe he will show up in the late season. But I doubt it. He could be locked down with does right now as the rut is in full swing.

Not really 100% sure what I am going to do next year but I don't think I will be heading west with a tag in my pocket for the first time in many years unless I get extremely lucky in the draws. Now that Canada is open, I might save my pennies for that bear trip that I promised my wife.
Contemplating solo hunting Iowa for whitetail next year with my bow as well. Might just take me a few extra days to hunt a WMA and a State Park hunt in GA that take about 6 years to draw now that I finally have the points. Also, I have enough points to do my Gator hunt finally, so I might apply for the best tag in the state this season and hopefully point creep doesn't block me again...

Either way, I will be hunting something, somewhere.

 

[Rich M]

Hunted down here. Minimal scouting opps due to hurricane ian flooding the place but managed to get a 5 pt buck. Scouted 3 days, hunted 2. Seen 5 deer, so did pretty good comprativelty. Central FL is a tough hunt.

let a couple mule deer points expire in wy - dont plan on using them, so why bother buying more.

using 4 antelope points this coming 2023. Guided hunt so should be very laid-back and enjoyable. Looking forward to it.

not sure whats gonna happen after that. Minimal opportunity down here but may be able to get a weekend long quota hunt annually. Duck hunt w family and friends.

Not planning any NR hunts in the forseeable future. The whole 90/10 thing let the air outta that balloon.

 

[RICMIC]

I spent 6 weeks hunting & fishing in WY over Sept./Oct. I was able to arrow a spike bull with my GEN tag, then went on to hit a number of remote lakes and caught 4 new species of fish. The orange army came out for the rifle opener and that affected my cow hunt, but will be going back in Dec. or Jan. and fully expect to fill that tag. So, I guess that may well be my first 2023 hunt. No other western hunts scheduled for this year since I am booked for a caribou hunt in Greenland in Oct.
As far as the future years.....Two of us have the pts. necessary to draw most antelope units in WY, but will wait for some herd recovery and burn them on a year that we aren't likely to draw something else. Other than that, I will probably just hunt MZL deer or elk in CO when I am able to draw, but at 70 I know that there's not much time to waste just building points.

 

[HuskyMusky]

Didn't get my mountain goat. Passed on a ok billy day 2. Made 2 trips from out of state to MT. Was trying to time a weather window on the 2nd trip, but snow just kept building up and just couldn't really get to them on foot.

I had planned to be done Goat hunting if successful, now I'm a bit possessed, half of me is ready to quit hunting altogether, is there anything more frustrating than hunting?? the other half is possessed to draw another goat tag and make it happen! The only... I can't think of the word...? consequence is that I was pretty much as prepared as I couldl have been physically and hunted really hard! I think as hard as I ever have, which is a double edge sword... like your best, isn't good enough!?

 

[bux4brainz]

My hunting has been very limited recently due to starting a new job, but I was able to do 2 great hunts this year. Both were elk hunts, one in Utah & one in Nevada. The Utah tag was on the Manti unit helping my brother kill his very first bull elk on the muzzleloader hunt. It had been a dream of his for over 20 years. It was a great hunt loaded with memories & my brother is extremely happy with his bull. The Nevada hunt was a 19 year wait & I still can't believe I pulled the tag. The only hunt I'll be able to do for 2023 is New Zealand. I'll be applying for points only for everything else.

 

[Ikeepitcold]

one thing i have learned, is: as soon as you have a new spot, start looking for the next spot. Spots only seem to last 5 years or so. some more, some less.

I would like to find some elk hunting in november. Deer are fun and all, but they ain't elk.

Ain’t that the truth!

 

[ScottR]

Well, it is cow elk for me next on Friday, possibly on the 10th. I also may have a connection for a few Whitetail does, we will see if it works.

 

[tim]

I ended up with my public land, otc bull and buck in idaho. Not my biggest animals, but i did have a fun season and seen some awesome country.

 

[marcusvdk]

I had a bear tag in michigan took me ten years to draw the unit. Did it all DIY . Had lots on camera just never had one come in during daylight well we sat on the bait.

Deer season I swung a tick to high with my shotgun on a nice doe opener of gun season. Bow and late antlerless season still going till end of December. Hope for a meaty doe for the freezer. Got a new piece of property we plan to build our house on in a few years . Nice 3 acre lot surrounded by farms and woods so been learning this new piece to hunt on till we build. Few nice bucks on camera.


Also did a fishing trip to the U.P. with my dad and brother caught some nice perch and several pike.

Next year we are going to Canada for a bear hunt that we had scheduled for 2020. We've been waiting for when Canada would finally open up.

 

[prhunter]

I believe this year was one of the best years I've had in my hunting career. Even tho I did not harvest a coues deer in Az, I had a few nice opportunities which I count towards the success side. I was also able to help my buddy get his deer which is also a plus.

Furthermore, I was able to harvest my biggest bull elk to date. That was a great experience which I will cherish for years to come.

For the future, I'm planning a Colorado drop camp elk hunt with my crew possibly in 2024. Also, have some WY antelope points I need/would like to burn. Other than that, things will remain the same... applying for hunts in NM and AZ concentrating greatly on elk.

Happy hunting everyone!

 

[Finsandtines]

I got out for a few days in Ohio last month after my back surgery but the weather was quite warm. Plan on going back for muzzy in Jan and looking at Wyoming for deer or elk in 2023 in addition to my usual whitetail hunt in Ohio. Opening a business this month so I hope I have time!

 

[BuzzH]

Next year will be ho-hum for me unless someone in the family draws some tags somewhere.

For sure plans for next year:

1. Annual AK fishing trip.
2. Wyoming 4-5 deer tags, buck pronghorn, couple doe pronghorn to pitch in the trash, 3 elk tags, lion, bear, wolf.
3. Montana buck deer for sure (OTC NR tag for me), will apply for a deer b and elk b permit with long odds.

Mercy of the draws from there in NV, UT, AZ, AK, WY, CO, MT...I have a ton of points in some of those places for all the available species. I cant apply for moose and sheep for Wyoming, drew 2 moose and 1 sheep tag so done for rams/bulls. On the bench for moose for 5 years before I can apply for a cow permit.

Its been a lot of years since someone in my immediate family has not drawn a special tag of some sort. I hope someone pulls a sheep, moose, bison, or goat tag. I'd settle for a good deer, elk or pronghorn as well.

 

[ScottR]

Next year will be ho-hum for me unless someone in the family draws some tags somewhere.

For sure plans for next year:

1. Annual AK fishing trip.
2. Wyoming 4-5 deer tags, buck pronghorn, couple doe pronghorn to pitch in the trash, 3 elk tags, lion, bear, wolf.
3. Montana buck deer for sure (OTC NR tag for me), will apply for a deer b and elk b permit with long odds.

Mercy of the draws from there in NV, UT, AZ, AK, WY, CO, MT...I have a ton of points in some of those places for all the available species. I cant apply for moose and sheep for Wyoming, drew 2 moose and 1 sheep tag so done for rams/bulls. On the bench for moose for 5 years before I can apply for a cow permit.

Its been a lot of years since someone in my immediate family has not drawn a special tag of some sort. I hope someone pulls a sheep, moose, bison, or goat tag. I'd settle for a good deer, elk or pronghorn as well.

I’ve been on a dry spell for antelope, haven’t been applying for crazy low odds areas either. Here is hoping…

 

[disabled combat vet]

Well I guess I should answer my own question, first I got to help guide a Disabled Vet like I do every year with Hunting With Heroes Wyoming, second I had a Cow Moose tag Donated to me but that hunt didn't work out like it was supposed to, third I did kill my biggest Buck in Colorado with my friend about 4 hours away from where I live in Colorado. So I'm very grateful even though the Moose Hunt didn't work out. This year I plan on helping out with Hunting With Heroes Wyoming and putting in for Deer again in Colorado and Antelope Doe in Wyoming and PP.

 

[CrimsonArrow]

Crummy season all around. Went to Nebraska turkey hunting and didn’t even buy a license. Scouted for a day and turned around and drove home. We did get our birds at home, though. No out of state big game hunts. Bow hunted hard at home and never saw a buck I’d want to kill. We shot 3 does for the freezer, but that’s about it. We still have 3 weeks of archery season, and we often get our biggest bucks on camera now, so we’re not giving up yet

 

[youngbuck2]

2022 Hunting has been tough so far. Took the year off from western hunting for the birth of our third child. God is good! Been focusing a bit more on whitetails around home than I usually do. Rifle season was the worst (its never bad) Ive had in my 20 years of hunting in terms of number of deer seen. I have been muzzleloading as much as possible and the numbers are coming around. A couple nice bucks have shown their face so I am hopeful to connect. Following that, bobcat season opens in a couple weeks so I will shift gears to cats for a month and finish out the winter chasing coyotes. Outside chance of a lion hunt somewhere. Mixing in some fishing and a trip to mexico!

2023 Working to put together an archery elk hunt in Montana if I can get a commitment out of a buddy or 2. They dont share the same ugency and enjoyment of planning like I do. If my dad wants to go back to CO for a late season elk hunt, I will jump at that opportunity again. I will go on that as well. All of this while putting in for points across the board and planning the next adventure.

God willing Ill be able to contribute to some of the success threads on hear! Good luck all!

 

[ScottR]

One thing I am doing is looking for opportunity in places I haven't thought about before. The white tail hunts kind of have my attention and I think I am going to look at doing some more of that in the states I can easily drive to.

 

[RICMIC]

I was planning to head back to Wyoming to use my cow tag, but it looks like I would spend too much time holed up in a motel, stuck in a ditch, or idling on the highway because of closed roads. Pretty much the entire route is getting blasted, and they're predicting 12" or more snow where I live on the 14th & 15th. Waiting it out puts me too close to Christmas, so I will reboot after that. Heck, if I go on Dec. 26th, I can hunt until the end of January.

 

[BuzzH]

I was planning to head back to Wyoming to use my cow tag, but it looks like I would spend too much time holed up in a motel, stuck in a ditch, or idling on the highway because of closed roads. Pretty much the entire route is getting blasted, and they're predicting 12" or more snow where I live on the 14th & 15th. Waiting it out puts me too close to Christmas, so I will reboot after that. Heck, if I go on Dec. 26th, I can hunt until the end of January.

The lack of snow has really made access pretty nice but that may change this week.

It was good while it lasted, could pretty much get around just about everywhere we hunted.

Great way to wrap up the 2022 WY season for my nephews (both shot bulls), myself (3rd WY elk for the year) and a good friend (his second WY elk for the season) ...was a tough 4 days on the elk.