Back from a great trip to the Cowboy State (should be called the cow state). I learned a lot but I think we did well for a couple first time western hunters....and yes, I'm hooked!
Before I go any farther I want to thank the guys and gals on this forum that have been so helpful in planning my trip. I've picked your brains and asked tons of questions and you all came through. Good luck on your hunts this year and enjoy the stories!
10/13/14: 0200
I had just gotten off my final shift before vacation at the PD. I had worked 9 days straight and It was all I could do to hide from the crazies during my shift. Every wife beater, drunk driver, and doper decided tonight was the night to go to jail and try to make me work overtime. Somehow, I managed to avoid OT and head up to Dayton, Oh (about 1:15 hours away) to meet my buddy Tod on time to leave for Wyoming.
10/14/14: Perception of Public
We drove straight through and arrived, after 21+ hrs on the road. In the wee morning hours we pitched a quick camp at the border of our unit in East Central Wyoming. A few frigid hours of sleep and we were up with the sun to scout. We had secured a bit of private land to hunt (to wit: 15,000 acres for $200 per person). We drove straight to what we thought would be our honey hole...upon arrival it was not so. There were antelope and mulies all across the road but they were on a few select private ranches. None on public....and I mean NONE! We drove for hours and didn't see a single lope or deer on public or the private we could hunt. We decided to ditch our initial plan, save our cash, and head to the southern side of the unit to scout. We ended up seeing a few mule deer does and a pretty good number of antelope, nothing big, but it was a start. We found a place to set up camp and began planning for the morning.
Our base camp for the next 5 days was a flat, wind broken area sitting under the base of the only "mountain" in the area. To the East was prime Antelope country and a spat of Muley country to our west on top of the hill. The picture doesn't do the hill justice but believe me, its a lot steeper than it looks. The lack of terrain features really shortens up the visual and lengthens then actual when it comes time to walk. After camp was set, I decided to head up the mountain to gain a better viewpoint of the area. from the top (900 feet elevation above camp) Tod and I saw 50-60 antelope in the distance and a group of 3 mule deer does. We took a few pictures, headed down, and got settled in for a long anxious night.
Pics: 1-My home away from home, 2- camp and the "mountain" behind, 3- Mule Deer does above camp at last light
Before I go any farther I want to thank the guys and gals on this forum that have been so helpful in planning my trip. I've picked your brains and asked tons of questions and you all came through. Good luck on your hunts this year and enjoy the stories!
10/13/14: 0200
I had just gotten off my final shift before vacation at the PD. I had worked 9 days straight and It was all I could do to hide from the crazies during my shift. Every wife beater, drunk driver, and doper decided tonight was the night to go to jail and try to make me work overtime. Somehow, I managed to avoid OT and head up to Dayton, Oh (about 1:15 hours away) to meet my buddy Tod on time to leave for Wyoming.
10/14/14: Perception of Public
We drove straight through and arrived, after 21+ hrs on the road. In the wee morning hours we pitched a quick camp at the border of our unit in East Central Wyoming. A few frigid hours of sleep and we were up with the sun to scout. We had secured a bit of private land to hunt (to wit: 15,000 acres for $200 per person). We drove straight to what we thought would be our honey hole...upon arrival it was not so. There were antelope and mulies all across the road but they were on a few select private ranches. None on public....and I mean NONE! We drove for hours and didn't see a single lope or deer on public or the private we could hunt. We decided to ditch our initial plan, save our cash, and head to the southern side of the unit to scout. We ended up seeing a few mule deer does and a pretty good number of antelope, nothing big, but it was a start. We found a place to set up camp and began planning for the morning.
Our base camp for the next 5 days was a flat, wind broken area sitting under the base of the only "mountain" in the area. To the East was prime Antelope country and a spat of Muley country to our west on top of the hill. The picture doesn't do the hill justice but believe me, its a lot steeper than it looks. The lack of terrain features really shortens up the visual and lengthens then actual when it comes time to walk. After camp was set, I decided to head up the mountain to gain a better viewpoint of the area. from the top (900 feet elevation above camp) Tod and I saw 50-60 antelope in the distance and a group of 3 mule deer does. We took a few pictures, headed down, and got settled in for a long anxious night.
Pics: 1-My home away from home, 2- camp and the "mountain" behind, 3- Mule Deer does above camp at last light
