What was your first western hunt - especially if from East of the Mississippi

[summs]

Being from NJ, it's been a dream to go out west and have an opportunity. Spent a few years researching states, learning draws, seeing odds, building points. All of my buddies want to go too. But when it comes to actual work, no one else is building points nor researching units and figuring logistics. We all had a similar idea of how we want to hunt. Other's I meet and are friendly, but spend $15k on a elk, driving a side by side up to a private pasture and that's not my game. Getting frustrated at this point, i'm starting to plan for a solo trip, cant wait for others to make my dreams happen.

I do out of state trips every year for white tails in the North East, cant even get them to budge and do a 4-8 hour drive. This was even before kids came into the picture knowing time was coming soon. Well time has passed and they started popping out kids to add another curve ball into scheduling.

So now i'm ranting. What was your first western trip? Family, friends, solo, guided, DIY? Did it live up to expectations. Always hear people shitting on CO OTC tags, but i'm tempted to just go and get out and start gathering experience.

 

[Pony Soldier]

My father drug me along when I was 10. I got to carry a rifle and had a tag when I was 12.

 

[11boo]

Some kid from NJ showed up in a Tacoma in my drainage, spoke with him briefly. First timer. He arrowed a 4x elk on day 2. He came back the following 2 years, I spoke with him last year and he was wondering where all the elk went.

IDK if he’s coming back.

 

[ProStaffSteve]

You'll get your ass kicked, really good odds you find your way into a legal citation of some kind, some valuable piece of equipment will break or be lost in the woods, Hunting success rates are low. Shot a 4x4 mule deer and I am more proud of that than any single thing ive done in my entire life.

 

[Rich M]

2017 went w some guy online to WY for antelope. He left me off at 0400 and was supposed to be back at 0930 to road hunt. Showed up at dark, he had gotten soaked in rain so road hunted. I also got soaked but no car to warm up in. He got buck and i set him up on doe next day. I got 2 does.

2019 went to CO for muley. 4 of us. Got a 160 4x4 on evening of day 6. Missed deer on days 7 and 8. Left day 9. Had blizzard come thru and freeze us pretty good night of day 4.

2023 did guided antelopes. 3 of us. We got our goats, went fishing, sight seeing, fun trip. Storm come thru midweek - changed plans and drove around to national parks and such.

Did all 3 hunts and gear, etc on about $10k.

Thinking about maybe a cow elk hunt and saving up antelope points til i retire, go sight see and fish, then find a speed goat, shoot it, move along…

 

[robtattoo]

Western Wyoming, traditional muzzleloader hunt for Pronghorn. Back when you could buy leftovers OTC..... good times.

 

[MikeDeltaFoxtrot]

In 2004 I did a self-guided float hunt in Alaska. I killed a small caribou at 418 yards with a Remington 700 BDL in 300 win mag. It was my first big game animal. I’ve killed many since, including a trip to Africa, but that one was special.

 

[jayhawk]

never been on a western hunt but I’ve seen every episode of meateater and watch YouTube all the time so I get on here and tell people why they’re idiots for hunting elk like how they are

 

[rayporter]

we loaded up the mules and drove 1500 miles from Ohio for elk. we each got a bull and were hooked. its been a great ride.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

Solo DIY early archery high country mule deer . Drove from FL to CO 30hrs straight to trailhead, hiked in 6 miles at 10k+ coming from 14ft above sea level. I got absolutely wrecked, 80lbs pack, all the wrong gear, too fat. Was a humbling experience to say the least, no animals were harmed. Learned a lot really quick though and enjoy looking back at it.

 

[roadrunner]

Mule deer, 1979. Cold, cold, cold.

 

[LookinforDirt]

Alaska, 1999. 12 day float trip for caribou with family. 7 people total, 3 rafts. We had so much stuff we looked like the Beverly Hillbilly’s going down the river. Saw bear, wolves, fox, golden eagles, caught a bunch of fish (dolly varden, rainbow trout, grayling), shot some ptarmigan, and even got a few caribou.

 

[grfox92]

Grew up in NY, went to WY in 2009 with family to hunt mule deer. Unsuccessful. Went again in 2018 with family and a guy I met on Rokslide. Unsuccessful.

Then I moved to WY in 2020. Now I don't go west any more..... I just hunt around home.

Sent from my SM-G990U2 using Tapatalk

 

[Murphy]

Northwest Montana on a guided archery elk hunt 1999 i believe. Was a great experience, never drew my bow on an elk but had screaming bulls come in almost every day. Steep thick country that unfortunately doesn't have near the elk anymore.

 

[BigBird69]

Wyoming 1998. Shot my first Mule deer. I was 14. Loved Wyoming ever since. First Western hunt ever was probably 1992 accompanying my dad.

 

[summs]

Solo DIY early archery high country mule deer . Drove from FL to CO 30hrs straight to trailhead, hiked in 6 miles at 10k+ coming from 14ft above sea level. I got absolutely wrecked, 80lbs pack, all the wrong gear, too fat. Was a humbling experience to say the least, no animals were harmed. Learned a lot really quick though and enjoy looking back at it.

I might be writing a sequel to this story. I know damn well my 30' above sea level running and heavy bag hikes will not be enough for the first mountain I see out west. But like @jayhawk said - I saw meat eater once doesn't look to hard /s.

The first time I tracked deer on snow, I didn't see a damn deer for a week. But thinking back when driving home how much I learned was shocking. Bedding, feeding, travel routes, so much to read in the snow. No greater teacher than experience.

 

[madgrad02]

Took my first western trip out to CO (OTC) last fall with my sister-in-law's husband and his brother (they do yearly trips). Was my first attempt at 43 years old. Was motivation to change some aspects of my life for sure. Was a blast - even though we didn't see any elk. Maybe not a lot by some people's standards, but we put on over 35 miles in the 5 days we were out there, with several 1600ft+ days of gains in elevation. Kicked my butt for sure, but I loved every moment of it. Heard a few bugles, but was really warm in the beginning of Sept, so don't think they were too ready to play that game quite yet (at least with this rookie trouncing through the woods). My expectations were reasonably low to begin with, but had a few up close encounters with black bear and saw some mule deer. Was a great experience for sure - life changing - and now look forward to another opportunity.

 

[MallardSX2]

Elk hunting.

 

[Jxferg7]

Mine was Colorado OTC. If I could have changed anything that would be the one thing. OTC Elk hunting seems to be such a niche no one is going to give there honey hole, or best way to traverse the mountain side, or take you under there wing. From a Midwest predator and deer hunter this was a helluva learning curve and took me 5 years before I really figured it all out where we would get into elk every year. Pay the extra money for a better tag even if it's further away and assuming learning curve would be a lot less. Good luck and the most important thing is to just get out there and enjoy the suck!! I've come across dudes in the backcountry so oblivious to anything! Had dudes camp right next to us on public land, 6 miles in. They'd tell me there's no elk anywhere here, they've all been pushed out and little did they know we had marked big bulls with .25 of camp.

 

[MuleyFever]

My first 2 were guided back in the late 90's. My first was a guided antelope hunt near Wright, WY. Paid $700 for 4 days of hunting. My second was a guided mule deer and antelope combo in Alberta. Paid $1700 for 5 days of hunting. Those were the days.