New to elk hunting, new to wapiti talk. Wyoming elk bound

[Medstudent2019]

Hey guys, I was recently given permission to hunt a friends ranch near laramie wyoming in unit 10 and have been doing as much research and reading as i can. Chasing those bugling bull elk with a bow has been my dream as long as ive known they exist. It seems like wyoming can be a tough place for nonresidents to hunt due to the convoluted tag system and whatnot. But from my research it looks like unit 10 general tags are only during oct15-30th. Which I assume means rifle season... I would obviously still like to hunt but wanted to see if there were any wyoming hunters out there that might be able to give me some insight on this and maybe some pointers/DOs and Don'ts.
Thanks!

[Swede]

Medstudent, I do not know Wyoming but would begin by reviewing the Wyoming wildlife department's web site. See what the success is like for the unit and season you will hunt. Keep in mind this is your first hunt. Most elk are killed by the more experienced hunters. They have learned. You are starting off well asking questions, and by researching things you will increase your chances greatly. Indian Summer and another person on the forum hunt Wyoming, but I don't know if they are familiar with unit 10.
Don't overlook the value of calling in late October. The days are shorter them, so I would plan to go out before daybreak and bugle some. Try an advertising call and listen for a response. If you get a reply, you will have a huge head start.
Good luck.

[Medstudent2019]

I have read mixed things about the rut and bugling in october. I figure it depends on a lot of things like any other rut (whitetail is what i have experience with). I have looked at the success rates and whatnot from unit 10. I think the general season has a success rate near. 26% which is almost entirely bulls. The overall success rate for that unit is around 40%. I assume, like you said 90% of the animals taken are taken by 10% of hunters that know what theyre doing. I have thought about just getting a cow tag for my first year and trying to gain a little experience/lay of the land. I would be able to hunt a cow during september and just seeing/hearing the bulls bugle would probably be more than enough to get me hooked.

[Swede]

I actually believe newbies account for about 50% of the elk kills, but 10% of the hunters are very consistent. They are not depending entirely on luck. There has been discussion about calling in late October. It is different from the rut, but still worth the effort. I would just bugle to locate a bull then move close. If you locate one predawn, then back out and wait. I used to cow call some in late October when I was working for the forest Service. They will respond, but they never came to me. I was working, so I was not trying to do more than hear them.

[Beendare]

I'm not familiar with unit 10...probably because of the % private. I have hunted that general area in S central.

my guess is you haven't learned how to read the regs. You can hunt with archery in the earlier season, but have to buy an archery stamp. There may be some crazy provision for that particular unit I'm not familiar with but wyoming lets you hunt almost all units early if you buy and archery hunt stamp.

Re your hunt. More than likely you will have elk coming down out of the mtns hitting something like alfalfa fields, then moving back up early morning. These hunts are a little different strategy than hunting a natl forest. These elk have a distinct pattern you have to work with...pretty much a layup with a rifle, much more difficult with a bow. The more you know about their habits and how they are using the terrain....the more chance you will have of being successful.

[Medstudent2019]

Beendare, here is a link to the extent of my knowledge. https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Hunting/Hunt-Plann ... lk-Area-10
I definitely do not understand how to read all of the regs yet.. I have been reading as much as i can and i have come across that "archery stamp" but I dont see anything on the official website. The only thing it seems to allow for nonresidents is a "general tag" for october 15-30th.. Im sure im missing something.


Re: hunt
I have also read that unit 10 is difficult due to all the private land, and having 8K+ acres available to me that backs up to medicine bow ntl forest seems like it might be good for me. I have seen a lot of videos of elk moving in to private ground to feed then up into the mountain to bed during the day. Im assuming if I am only allowed to hunt oct 15-30th with a rifle ill have a pretty decent chance at something.

[sasquatch]

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/WGFD/media/content ... -Final.pdf

Go down to page 7-20, see "special archery seasons"


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[Medstudent2019]

Guess i just needed to scroll further! Thank you! That is awesome. So if I understand it correctly, If i draw the tag, I just purchase a big game archery permit/stamp as well then if Im not successful in september, I can go back in October with a rifle?

[Brendan]

Guess i just needed to scroll further! Thank you! That is awesome. So if I understand it correctly, If i draw the tag, I just purchase a big game archery permit/stamp as well then if Im not successful in september, I can go back in October with a rifle?

I don't know the exact dates for your unit. Last year I hunted archery in WY for 10 days on a general tag, and then the rifle season opened September 26 - scheduled my trip to overlap and it ended up being a good idea. Still had bulls bugling their heads off and shot a small 5-PT that morning with the .308.

[Medstudent2019]

Unfortunately, unit 10 archery is sept1-30 then regular season is oct 15-30. So Id have to make it two trips if I didnt have any luck during archery season. Im hoping I can go fall 2018. I may be able to schedule a 14 day break during my 4th year. This year I only get 3 days off since itll be my first year of hospital rotations. 2018 cant get here soon enough!

[Wyo67]

What's your preference point situation? In order to draw a General tag in the regular draw you would need at least 2 points to guarantee a tag the last couple of years. If you enter the special draw ($480 more expensive), then you would've only needed 1 point to draw. Could still get lucky in the random draw, but the odds are kind of long.

You are correct on your dates. Archery dates for area 10 is the entire month of September (9/1-9/30) provided you purchase the archery stamp. If you are not successful, you can hunt the General rifle season (10/15-10/31) and take any elk. If you have a buddy with access to a ranch, they should be able to tell you a great deal about the elk on their land. I'm envious ... Live in Cheyenne and I'll be hunting in the national forest to your southwest.

[KNPV PSD]

Preference points are now for sale so grab one to be ready for next years draw.

[Swede]

Welcome to the forum KNPV. You are welcome to stick around and join this rowdy bunch.

BTW: You can now jump over and vote for my photo on the virtual campfire forum. If too many people are voting, at one time, for my picture, you might have to wait for just a minute.

[KNPV PSD]

Welcome to the forum KNPV. You are welcome to stick around and join this rowdy bunch.

BTW: You can now jump over and vote for my photo on the virtual campfire forum. If too many people are voting, at one time, for my picture, you might have to wait for just a minute.

LOL well thank you kind sir. Did I miss an introduction forum? I looked around but couldn't find one.