Hi everyone i'm new to the western hunting and i have big dreams of all big game. i elk hunted few times even took a nice 6x6 with my revolver at 20 yards but i have been using guides and i'm looking to find a area on some public land somewhere i can get to know and not use any more guides and i don't want to wast money just ventureing out onto land that doesn't have what i'm looking for. One way i want to approach this idea is to 1 use the MRS to find decent hunting 2 scout out this area i'm going to commit to by camping during the hunt season to see how the animals will be moving during the hunt season. and if i can get a otc tag that would be a big plus. and to the people on here with much back country skill. does this sound like a good plan to start calling a place my place to hunt or should i stay more move able season to season.
searching for public land to call my area
- Thread starter 460s&w
- Start date
Umpqua Hunter
Veteran member
You could go the OTC approach, if so you should be able to get an OTC type tag every year in WY, MT or CO.
If you have hunted with outfitters and have a budget for higher priced tags, landowner tags in NM or CO would be hard to beat for quality, and high success. New Mexico would be hard to beat.
Personally I apply for limited entry tags in multiple states. These are all for hunts that have historically had high hunter success and high trophy quality.
If you have hunted with outfitters and have a budget for higher priced tags, landowner tags in NM or CO would be hard to beat for quality, and high success. New Mexico would be hard to beat.
Personally I apply for limited entry tags in multiple states. These are all for hunts that have historically had high hunter success and high trophy quality.
ya I live in Iowa so scouting is almost out of the question, I love back country camping and i figure if i'm ever going to be in the back country i might as well have a gun with me, hahaha, also if i can find a area i can learn like the back of my hand over a few years hunting success will come with it. right or am i kind of off with the logic. states i'm thinking wy has been good to me. considering CO and MT is my idea of getting some otc tags to start with and learn a area i good way to go or just go strait to the harder to get tags and maybe only be able to go when my tag gets drawn
Bitterroot Bulls
Veteran member
There are two main paths to a real trophy.
1. Put in the time to draw an elite tag.
2. Put in the time to really learn a "good" area and make the most of it.
I think hunting the same area repeatedly is a great recipe for success.
1. Put in the time to draw an elite tag.
2. Put in the time to really learn a "good" area and make the most of it.
I think hunting the same area repeatedly is a great recipe for success.
Never in Doubt
Active Member
- Jul 9, 2012
- 304
- 0
If you want to hunt the same area nearly every year, with a rifle, you can't be too picky when it comes to the quality of animals.
Never in Doubt
Active Member
- Jul 9, 2012
- 304
- 0
^^ .. if it's public land you're looking for. Because if there were huge trophies on public land that non-res could hunt every year with rifles, well, it wouldn't have trophies for very long.
Bitterroot Bulls
Veteran member
It depends on your definition of "huge," but there are certainly areas with trophy quality animals on public land that non-residents can hunt every year.
Off the top of my head, I can think of units in MT, ID, and CO.
I know of someone that killed a 400 plus bull in a general district in MT this past season. He hunted it because he had been hunting it for a few years, and had become familiar. He was a nonresident as well.
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Colorado Cowboy
Super Moderator
There is really no substitute for knowing the area you are hunting. I've hunted the same area deer hunting for 50 years. I know exactly where I want to be at daylight on opening morning. More times than not I'll have a buck within 1/2 hour. If I want to be picky, it will take longer. I know areas where the bucks hang out in different types of weather eg. wind, rain, or heat. In dry years or abnormally wet ones, them too. Over the years I have experienced almost everything you can think of and how the deer react to these changes. There is really no substitute for this ecperience. When you hire a good outfitter, this is part of what you are paying for.
ya would it be good idea to have a area maybe cant hunt every year for bull but on the years i don't draw still go but try and get like a mule tag otc and do my bull scouting the same time for the next year. or is it one of them things were if you cant draw a bull that chances are your not going to be able to get a mule tag aswell.
Bitterroot Bulls
Veteran member
There are a lot of areas in MT and ID that you could get tags for deer and elk every year, and just keep hunting year after year.
Midwest to Outwest
New Member
Yes, The more time you can spend in one area, the better you are gonna know it and the better your odds of success. When you know an area well, you can recognize where an elk is headed and beat them to the spot. This is my preferred tactic.