dead river
Member
Great post! This folks on here helped quite a bit when we started our first western hunts 5 years ago. The main thing we learned from some of the PMs i got was to have reasonable expectations for the unit we were hunting. I keep that i mind every year now. We have failed to fill tags but always had chances and we do fill tags we are pleased that stuck to our game plan of what we wanted to shoot, as you did. It actually makes for a more fun hunt that way anyways. 2 years ago we spent 3 days scouting private land before the opener and i was done with as good a goat as we could find by 30 mins into the season. My wife held out for a one we scouted with a good inside hook on his horns and she got him on the 3rd day. Input from folks from this site, not on specific units and exact spots, but of what to expect, how to go about tags, access, avoiding landowner conflicts (GPW with huntmaps) etc. has made all the difference in our experience. We learned from our mistakes but a little heads up can keep you from making costly mistakes.....good luck next year.