worth the wait?
- Thread starter boiler
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Hycntryhtr
Member
Man that's a toughy... I would say wait it out. I waited 10 yrs for my AZ elk tag, and now I wish I would have waited another 2 or 3 and really got the tag I wanted. Best of luck!
I hike and fish a lot in unit 38 and there are some big bulls in there. If your looking for a bull get a tag and hunt, if your looking for a great chance at a big bull I think I'd wait.
Lol! We all do, look at all the posts with wanting info to do combo hunts with 0PP, coming from 2,000 miles away to hunt for 6 days on land they've never seen expecting to fill tags. If your looking to hunt now I'd look into the big horns, there's some pretty good ones up there. My buddy spends a lot of time on the western slope from ten sleep north and he sees some good ones up there too.
Might want to come out this fall and spend a week in a few areas in September.
Good luck with whatever you decide!
highplainsdrifter
Very Active Member
I would not hunt #20. Been there, done that. That was a few years ago, so maybe things have improved a little but I'll bet not much.
shootbrownelk
Veteran member
I hunted area 38/41 this past fall for a cow moose. I saw plenty of BIG bull moose while looking for that cow. And there were 3 giants among them. I talked to 2 G&F wardens, and both said that areas 38/41 were the best for a big bull moose, and from what I saw, I agree.
I'd go hunt 26, but make sure you're there for the last week of the season. 38-41 you may never draw as they don't give out that many NR tags and all it takes is for Wyoming to change the way the tags are allocated and then you aren't hunting anything. 26 used to be the best in the state and its been steadily improving each year...the average bull for 26 is slightly over 40 inches, what more do you need.
We got tired of feeding the PP monster for moose and went with 26 for my son in 2014. Also considered 24 and 25. Concern about changes to the draw impacting NR's added to our urgency. We saw plenty of Moose, he took a good one, 42", opening day. Hunted 20 myself some years back, it was good then, but while there are still some big Moose there, the population is not what it once was. Whatever you decide, good luck.
wyohunter1
Member
- May 5, 2012
- 112
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I lived in area 20 for 20 years and have hunted moose there myself and with friends/relatives many times so I'm pretty familiar with it. Area 37 was once the best trophy area in all of WY but the wolves took care of that. By default area 20 then became the best area in western WY and was a "sleeper" that few knew about. I know because I followed posts similar to this one and 20 was rarely mentioned as a top spot for trophy moose. It's certainly not what it once was but I hear it has improved...slightly, but will probably never again be what it was. The same is true for all western WY areas and any area in any state that suffers from wolf pollution. Nowadays I would not apply for an area 20 tag. In 2014 I had my dad apply for an area ?? tag which he drew and was fortunate to kill a good bull. It's none of the areas mentioned in the posts above but they are probably all (not so sure about 42) good areas as well. The Snowy Range and Bighorns are generally the best places to hunt for big moose these days but it's awful hard to draw tags in those places.
kiddwinner
Active Member
im in the same boat, I have 18 points and am trying to decide if I wanna try to draw area 11 or wait for area #1.... good luck
Zim
Very Active Member
Same opinion and experience here. I hunted unit 20 in 2011 and it's a fantastic unit for a wolf hunt. Moose?...........not so much. Don't even think about it. I'd also suggest unit 26 now, for the same reasons as Tim says. You are a sitting duck to have your points cheapened through unethical legislation. They will "change" to 50/50 split and you'll be screwed. That's what states do these days. Burn'em now.
Zim, What is the 50/50 split you say the WG&F will be changing to. I haven't heard anything about that and don't know what you are referring to when you say a 50/50. Right now I believe it's a 75/25 split between residents and nonresidents.
Sorry you had a bad hunt with a coveted Shiras tag. Hopefully you filled your tag. I helped a friend with his 20 tag in 2011. We saw lots of bulls but were unable to find a good one. He eventually got frustrated and ended up shooting a little guy. When I had the tag in 2010 I got lucky and saw two good bulls after only 5 days of hunting. That said, I don't recommend 20 to my family or friends anymore but I sure do love hunting those little black mountain moose.
Am going off memory here, so assuming I have my facts straight, and correct me please if I don't...
2015 or the year before there was a bill to make it 90/10, R/NR for tags. WY 25% tag allocation to NR's for Moose etc. is generous and much appreciated. So there is always that risk.
I am pretty sure what Zim is talking about is the current 75/25 preference point/random tag allocations. Not aware of any proposals there, but if that was changed to say 50/50, your preference points would be cheapened, as in time to draw would likely go way up for most, even if NR kept a 25% tag allocation.
A worst case for NR's with significant points would be some combination of both. I believe the preference point tag allocation is what Zim was referring to, but he'll need to weigh in to be sure.
2015 or the year before there was a bill to make it 90/10, R/NR for tags. WY 25% tag allocation to NR's for Moose etc. is generous and much appreciated. So there is always that risk.
I am pretty sure what Zim is talking about is the current 75/25 preference point/random tag allocations. Not aware of any proposals there, but if that was changed to say 50/50, your preference points would be cheapened, as in time to draw would likely go way up for most, even if NR kept a 25% tag allocation.
A worst case for NR's with significant points would be some combination of both. I believe the preference point tag allocation is what Zim was referring to, but he'll need to weigh in to be sure.
In 26 and in many areas you have 3 good opportunities to take a bull...opening day after you patterned a bull, calling during the two week rut period, and the last couple weeks of the season after the snow flies. In my opinion, I like #1 and #3 as the best options of getting a really big moose. It's colder the last week of October and the moose move around and feed longer and are easier to spot at distance in the snow. You can also cut fresh tracks and stalk...that's how I got my Boone and Crockett bull. #2 can be exciting, but you have to find a big moose between cows and sort through all the smaller bulls that come in...good luck!!!