Unit 16 elk hunting

[eodmickelson]

Anybody have any experience hunting unit 16. The MRS makes it look tempting, but the public land access looks tough. Anybody have insight on whether or not the landowners are open to permission to pass though or how well the walk in areas are?
Thanks in advance for any advice/insight!

 

[Hilltop]

I researched this area heavily last year and never found anything that lead me to apply for the tag. I do think there are some huge elk here but it sounds like the outfitters have the best land locked down... I did speak to one person that shot a big bull on a walk in area but he was the only success story I found. He responded to craigslist ads I placed. The game wardens were pretty helpful- you may want to call them to hear what they have to say.

 

[dead river]

I deer hunted the area 2 yrs ago. If you decide to give it a try i can help with what we learned....as close as you are you can learn more than we did in 10 days in the unit. there is a lot of pressure on what public access you have in the Shirley mtns and the big patch of BLM in the Northern part of the unit, but that was opener of the rifle. It was not bad a few days before the trains of trucks, atvs and horse trailers moved in...

 

[30Hart]

As far as access to the elk on public land, bow season is the best...up on the mountain. That outfitter has 700,000 acres locked up including the best ranch for a late season bull that used to be a public walk-in area in the past.

 

[EBOLAVIRS]

As far as access to the elk on public land, bow season is the best...up on the mountain. That outfitter has 700,000 acres locked up including the best ranch for a late season bull that used to be a public walk-in area in the past.

I don't think people quite understand this...Eastmans blue chipped it this year and I think you will see both type 1 and type 2 take max points but folks are not aware of that walk in change which is huge.

 

[Triple BB]

16 is one of the premier elk area's in the state. The type 2 tag is far less crowded. Two years ago when we hunted it, I think we only saw a couple other hunters during the late season. Most of the mountain is public ground. Before the G&F ever added the HMA, it was still one of the best areas in the state. Even though some access was pulled from the HMA, you won't be short on opportunity. Some big bulls have been coming off the mtn in recent years. Three years ago I saw a 345 bull come off Chalk Mtn. Two years I ago I saw pic's of 380 class bull as well as several in the 330 - 340 range. Last season the best I saw was a 363 bull. Surprised Eastman's didn't blue chip this area long ago...

 

[jimss]

I wouldn’t exactly say 16 is a premier unit to hunt. All the cow plus rifle elk hunters during the first season tend to spook elk onto the adjacent Q Ranch. There are roads all over Shirley Mtn and a few parcels of public land. Even though there are fewer tags issued during the 2nd rifle season cow rifle seasons start in August and run through January. The Q is a 500,000 acre ranch and you can imagine where the elk tend to go once the shooting starts. The elk really have no reason to venture off the Q. Believe me, with that much hunting pressure the elk know exactly where the property lines are! The Beermug HMA acreage was cut by 60% in 2014 with the same number of cow plus bull hunters. I spoke with one of the landowners on the Beermug this year and he mentioned there were fresh tire tracks on his ranch on a daily basis. There is not any public access through the Q other than the county road that loops around Shirley Mtn. The Q has tried to purchase every acre of private land in the unit and every parcel of Q blocks off private access to a lot of public land on Shirley Mtn and elsewhere. The Q watches their boundaries like a hawk so make sure you stay off their property! I hate to paint a bad picture but 16 can be a tough place to hunt public land. 16 may be a great place to hunt if you have $6,000 to hunt the Q…just like there are great ranches in units 7 and 19 if you have the cash to hunt!

 

[Triple BB]

With the 16 - 2 tag, what hunting pressure? Most of the cow hunters are done or waiting until January to catch the elk down on the flats. Wish most areas only had the hunting pressure that 50 tags generates.

I'll take the tag and my GPS anytime. If Eastman's has it as a blue chip, it'll be in Carter's before long. If yer gonna hunt it, you'll want to apply now before the magazines trash the odds...

 

[HiMtnHnter]

With the 16 - 2 tag, what hunting pressure? Most of the cow hunters are done or waiting until January to catch the elk down on the flats. Wish most areas only had the hunting pressure that 50 tags generates.

I'll take the tag and my GPS anytime. If Eastman's has it as a blue chip, it'll be in Carter's before long. If yer gonna hunt it, you'll want to apply now before the magazines trash the odds...

Odds are already trashed, especially for residents. From better than 50% to teens in just a few years.

 

[ScottR]

16 is guilty by proximity to area 7. Odds were going down from resident word of mouth just from hunters who wanted to hunt in that region.


Eastmans' Staff Digital Media Coordinator

 

[EBOLAVIRS]

Both type 1 and type 2 will be max point draws this year, and for years going forward as long as the quality of bulls hold out or until the ranchers/outfitters finally seal the whole thing off. For those with max points there are better options, if you could still draw it with 3 or 4, or anything less than max it would be a good deal. It was for a few years, but won't be anymore. It will be like 63 antelope once the mags all pimped it into oblivion.

I forget which site I saw it on, but a forum user once did all the stat work to see how many lemmings there are that simply apply straight along the lines of what the major hunting mags recommend, comparing year to year unit application numbers based on magazine recommendations. Briliant work with interesting results. This was a few years ago and the numbers were staggering then, imagine they are even worse now.

Basically, if you have anything less than max points the mags should be used as a guide of what units to avoid.

 

[SouthernWyo]

The unit and its reputation are no secret. Even almost 30 years ago when I started my career inventorying timber stands in the Shirleys, unit 16 was known as a great limited quota elk unit. Q Creek land and livestock started acquiring ranches on and surrounding Shirley Mountain about that time and gained a good reputation for taking some exceptional bucks and bulls. I seem to remember seeing an Eastman's video where one of the boys took a nice mule deer buck off one of the ranches years ago.

Having said that, the unit is also a good example of how the application guides and magazine recommendations are usually at least 2-3 years behind the curve. The type 2 tags are a great late season opportunity, but were obviously much better several years ago when they were first introduced, and before the Difficulty Ranch and some other surrounding properties were bought by Q Creek Land and Livestock. The Shirley Mountain elk herd is extremely over the population objective, which is why the late season opportunity was introduced and also is why there are so many C/C licenses, mostly as a result of the "refuge" areas for the elk on the many, varied Q Creek Ranch properties. All in all, the unit is probably no better or no worse than any other limited quota elk hunt unit in the state, producing mostly raghorns and young 6 point bulls. The possibility is there for a great hunt and possibly a nice 6 point bull, alot of luck, local knowledge, and hard work would be involved. Much like area 7 in the Laramie Range, touting it as the premier Wyoming elk unit is more than a bit of a stretch.

I've avoided the unit because of the extensive private land issues, both on and off of Shirley Mountain, and the current hype about the unit only makes me want to avoid it more.