First off - thanks to those who gave me information on the area. It certainly helped us hit the ground running and likely saved us days of wandering around aimlessly.
I drew a cow tag for a high grizzly density area this year. First time for both of us being in a "real" grizzly area. We were unsuccessful, but watched a herd of several hundred every day except for the first day we were there. We had an opportunity when a rancher shot a cow and blew the entire herd off of private land. The herd jumped the fence into an area that has property lines that are about as clear as mud. The Onyx app and Wyoming online map had some discrepancies which didn't help. There were definitely elk on public - but I wasn't POSITIVE where the lines were and ultimately decided not to shoot. I also didn't want to shoot late afternoon and deal with meat and packing out in the dark - especially in the immediate vicinity. It appeared we were standing in the ranch's dumping grounds as there were several carcasses scattered around. I figured we'd come back in the morning and see if they were still in the area.
That herd pretty much hung out on private land for the next several days and we hunted some of the nearby valleys looking for stragglers. Not a whole lot of luck finding elk but spotted a couple nice muleys in range - unfortunately neither of us drew a deer tag.
A few days later we found the large herd lingering around in the private/public area right away in the morning. We made a plan to approach from the downwind trailhead which was roughly 2 miles. The trail basically runs across a steep hilly area so ~50% of the time you're running blind. We were on the trail and going fast - I was feeling pretty optimistic about shooting an elk. About halfway to the elk our plans abruptly changed when we came up on a huge pile of crap that was full of hair and berries. It was considerably larger than a pop can in diameter and was as fresh as could be. Sounds odd to say....but it's obviously a very very large animal that leaves a pile that size. We'd seen cub prints a few days prior in the same area - but they weren't that fresh at the time. After seeing very fresh sign in this area we decided to back out. I wish I would've put something in the picture for a size reference.
At one point we spotted a carcass across the valley from us about 200 yards away. I assumed this was a hunter kill but no real way to know. By the time we were there, it appeared that most of the ribs were busted up. There was also a tree directly to the left that was all broken and torn up.
I'm chalking this season up to a learning experience as I feel every decision in this country needs to be analyzed - especially with little ones at home. It's beautiful country, but pay attention and keep your head on a swivel out there. Safe hunting.
I drew a cow tag for a high grizzly density area this year. First time for both of us being in a "real" grizzly area. We were unsuccessful, but watched a herd of several hundred every day except for the first day we were there. We had an opportunity when a rancher shot a cow and blew the entire herd off of private land. The herd jumped the fence into an area that has property lines that are about as clear as mud. The Onyx app and Wyoming online map had some discrepancies which didn't help. There were definitely elk on public - but I wasn't POSITIVE where the lines were and ultimately decided not to shoot. I also didn't want to shoot late afternoon and deal with meat and packing out in the dark - especially in the immediate vicinity. It appeared we were standing in the ranch's dumping grounds as there were several carcasses scattered around. I figured we'd come back in the morning and see if they were still in the area.
That herd pretty much hung out on private land for the next several days and we hunted some of the nearby valleys looking for stragglers. Not a whole lot of luck finding elk but spotted a couple nice muleys in range - unfortunately neither of us drew a deer tag.
A few days later we found the large herd lingering around in the private/public area right away in the morning. We made a plan to approach from the downwind trailhead which was roughly 2 miles. The trail basically runs across a steep hilly area so ~50% of the time you're running blind. We were on the trail and going fast - I was feeling pretty optimistic about shooting an elk. About halfway to the elk our plans abruptly changed when we came up on a huge pile of crap that was full of hair and berries. It was considerably larger than a pop can in diameter and was as fresh as could be. Sounds odd to say....but it's obviously a very very large animal that leaves a pile that size. We'd seen cub prints a few days prior in the same area - but they weren't that fresh at the time. After seeing very fresh sign in this area we decided to back out. I wish I would've put something in the picture for a size reference.
At one point we spotted a carcass across the valley from us about 200 yards away. I assumed this was a hunter kill but no real way to know. By the time we were there, it appeared that most of the ribs were busted up. There was also a tree directly to the left that was all broken and torn up.
I'm chalking this season up to a learning experience as I feel every decision in this country needs to be analyzed - especially with little ones at home. It's beautiful country, but pay attention and keep your head on a swivel out there. Safe hunting.
