Wyoming questions

[dirtytough]

So after hunting Colorado and seeing it produce great bucks year after year from 0-20 point units it makes me curious about Wyoming.

In Wyoming it seems like your best chance at a great buck is G. There are a lot of other areas with high country that don't seem to produce as well as G. Region H, E, F, R, and Y all have high country like G. Is it that the deer in these other regions lack genetics, age, browse, winter range? I'm really curious. I spend time in the bighorns on vacation in the summer and see nice elk and moose. But haven't seen much for deer size wise.

Mainly curious why it seems like it doesn't matter where you go in Colorado hunters kill big mature bucks. But in Wyoming it seems like the majority of the bigger bucks are coming from 1 region. Just curious what's holding the other regions back from producing the same as G?

 

[wyo_gasman]

I'd say genetics plays a huge role. Even though I would hate to be limited, I think unlimited resident tags is a big factor as well.

 

[dirtytough]

I'd say genetics plays a huge role. Even though I would hate to be limited, I think unlimited resident tags is a big factor as well.

Think Colorado just has good genetics throughout most of the state and Wyoming is more concentrated?

About the unlimited tags. I saw a report that G had over 7k resident hunters during one season. Maybe they are passing up decent bucks in hopes of killing a great buck on a later hunt in another area? When they can't find a great buck they kill the next best to fill the freezer throughout all the other regions?

Are they killing them too young before they can get some age and mature? Or its a combo of not enough age and missing the good genetics?

I should take the time to look up estimated deer harvest and population in both states. That might explain a lot of it also?

 

[204guy]

Big part is genetics. Habitat is also a big part. There's very poor high country deer habit in most of the high country in those other regions you listed. In the bighorns for example unless the deer are able to eat rocks there's not all that much habit above timberline.

 

[coues craze]

204 is correct about the habitat and Colorado is king for mule deer, but if you could hunt deer in wy with a rifle the second week of November I’d venture to say there would be some bigger bucks taken statewide. Point being a large part of Wyoming’s mule deer seasons are during the most difficult time to locate and harvest a mature buck.

 

[sneaky]

Colorado manages its deer herd on a herd by herd basis. Wyoming manages the herd on a statewide basis. Big difference in managing styles as Colorado can address particular needs in a herd without changing the management of deer on the other side of the state. Robby was talking about it in a thread on here just the other day.

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[204guy]

That's not exactly true. WY does have a lot a general areas but the season dates are managed on a unit by unit basis, plus the limited areas.

 

[ClearCreek]

Colorado manages its deer herd on a herd by herd basis. Wyoming manages the herd on a statewide basis. Big difference in managing styles as Colorado can address particular needs in a herd without changing the management of deer on the other side of the state. Robby was talking about it in a thread on here just the other day.

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sneaky:

I am not sure where you got the info that Wyoming manages MD on a statewide basis, but it is just not true. Wyoming has numerous MD herd units that are managed independently from each other.

ClearCreek

 

[sneaky]

sneaky:

I am not sure where you got the info that Wyoming manages MD on a statewide basis, but it is just not true. Wyoming has numerous MD herd units that are managed independently from each other.

ClearCreek

Straight from Robby on the Gordon buck thread. May want to get him to clarify if you have any questions on it.

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[sneaky]

sneaky:

I am not sure where you got the info that Wyoming manages MD on a statewide basis, but it is just not true. Wyoming has numerous MD herd units that are managed independently from each other.

ClearCreek

I believe the biggest issue is that even if Wyoming is managing on a herd to herd basis, resident tags are otc with no caps in those units. 7k resident hunters in G comes to mind. Colorado caps tags in units as one substantial difference.

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[204guy]

WY management falls somewhere inbetween CO and MT. You're making it black and white, it's not.

 

[sneaky]

WY management falls somewhere inbetween CO and MT. You're making it black and white, it's not.

I'm not trying to make it black and white, that's why I posted up Robby's comments on it. True, Wyoming isn't turning everyone loose during the rut with a rifle like MT. It is a blend like you mentioned, but the tag cap is probably the biggest difference between their management and CO. WY definitely has the genetics to grow big deer.

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[Jimi Nugent]

Region G and H have pretty much the same genetics, the main difference between the production of the two units is access. Region G being easier to access, Region H being much harder.

 

[Rich M]

I'm not trying to make it black and white, that's why I posted up Robby's comments on it. True, Wyoming isn't turning everyone loose during the rut with a rifle like MT. It is a blend like you mentioned, but the tag cap is probably the biggest difference between their management and CO. WY definitely has the genetics to grow big deer.

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If you want to do some reading you can get on the WY website and read the reports for the diff areas - they talk about diff MD herds and management goals. Seems like Robby oversimplified it for ease of conversation or to make whatever point he was making.

 

[mcseal2]

Season dates for rifle hunts have a lot to do with it I think. Most of Wyoming's rifle hunts are early October which can be a tough time to locate a buck if you don't have one already scouted out. Colorado has a wider range of season dates. I think Wyoming has figured out with the early October season for rifle they can sell more tags without hurting their deer as much.

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

I would agree with most above, it’s based on food and cover. I have hunted a lot of those other areas you mentioned and I have found this to be the case. Don’t get me wrong, you can find a big buck but on the cover side, some of those areas you mentioned are so thick in cover that it’s very hard to find a deer without stepping on them. I believe in some of those units there is also a problem with forest management. If there is no forage due to the dense deadfall, in my experience the animals move out. On the topic of how Wyoming manages, I am on a mule deer group (wasn’t as active this year) and one of the members is a biologist. I can’t count on my hands and feet of the discussions we have had on the topic of tag allocation, antler cap, and access. The wardens work with the biologists to determine what’s best for a heard. Where the above mentioned is sort of correct is a heard may be defined a little more broad than other states.