WY type 6 cow hunts on HMAs - Experience?

[Prerylyon]

Well, here we are, just a couple weeks left before all the draw deadline in Wyoming.

Over the years, been studying the elk areas and might just give it a shot this year on a cow tag. I have a few pref points, but would like to let them grow longer to someday go for a bull.
I'm a nonres, can spend up to a week hunting, and not afraid to work hard. The lower cost of the type 6 tag is a draw.

Some of the areas have well advertised type 6 hunts on HMAs. In some areas (7), they have hunt coordinators assisting hunters with the cow hunt by providing info on the elk movement. However, for a nonres, betting high on an HMA could be limiting, yet lacking secured permission or paid trespass fees, the HMA may be your sole land access options in some of the areas.

Anyone hunt the HMA ground(s) for cows? How was your experience? Would you do it again? Would you recommend it?

Thanks in advance! PM me if you prefer.



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[NDHunter]

I haven't done any late season hunting like the type you talk about but I know that plenty of guys fill their tags on those HMA's or other public land. Late in the season, the cows usually are down off the mountain quite a ways and are fairly visible.

 

[Prerylyon]

Yeah, I guess its a little bit of a thought process on what it is a guy is wanting to get out of it?

Some folks shared with me that WY has some earlier cow hunts on the cheaper type 6 tag in areas with good public land access, in some of the general units. However, the success rates run lower than these HMA hunts, just looking at the harvest data. I will be figuring out how those two cow hunts differ to help guide my decision.

Right now, I am leaning to an earlier cow hunt, if I can draw one of those type 6 tags-if nothing else than to be able to hunt on more public areage and be able to camp earlier in the fall. But the success rates on those HMAs is interesting.

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[HiMtnHnter]

How are you finding hma success rates?

 

[Prerylyon]

How are you finding hma success rates?

HiMtn,

I'm not finding a specific HMA success rate, to be clear. It may be faulty reasoning on my part, but I was basing it on some anecdotal info from others and then the harvest report for some of the specific type 6 tags. For example, the type 6 cow hunt in area 7 is well publicized and the 2015 harvest report shows a 55.9% success rate, that same area has a few HMAs and a hunt coordinator program from what I have read. Clearly, not all those cows were killed on the HMAs in 7. Area 125 is another example, the 2015 harvest report shows 61.5% success, with only one HMA option available to the public. I guess there is some danger in associating those success rates too closely with the HMAs in the subject areas, but a guy has to start somewhere. I contrast those success rates with, for example, area 94 with 34.3%, but 94 has more public lands than area 7 or 125 I believe the hunt styles would be different between those areas and just trying to figure out which is the right one for me.

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[HiMtnHnter]

I gotcha... season length is a consideration too. The longer seasons tend to put a few more smiles on hunters faces. Pick an area with reasonable access and success and go huntin.

 

[Prerylyon]

I think its been said like this more or less many times: "you don't see elk or hunt elk reading about it or sitting in your office".

At some point, ya just gotta make a decision on an area and experience it. I am no different than many, prob make this area selection process harder than it needs be, but sometimes I think that is part of the fun of it all.

What I've been picking up is that the coordinated cow hunts on HMAs tend to be later and dependent on weather to an extent. Significant winter weather later in the season will affect camping and lodging options. At this point in my research, the early cow hunts in some of the general units are looking more like my bag as an entry level guy to this elk game.

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[go_deep]

I think its been said like this more or less many times: "you don't see elk or hunt elk reading about it or sitting in your office".

At some point, ya just gotta make a decision on an area and experience it. I am no different than many, prob make this area selection process harder than it needs be, but sometimes I think that is part of the fun of it all. ��

What I've been picking up is that the coordinated cow hunts on HMAs tend to be later and dependent on weather to an extent. Significant winter weather later in the season will affect camping and lodging options. At this point in my research, the early cow hunts in some of the general units are looking more like my bag as an entry level guy to this elk game. ��

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I think going earlier is a better option. You can't camp in late November-January on the mountain without some really good gear.

 

[Prerylyon]

For this year, I will prob choose an earlier hunt. It really is cool to have so many options. I'm looking forward to coming out west again. Will try to come for a long weekend in late summer to get a feel for the roads and camping options wherever I end up; and maybe try to wet a line too!

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