Since things have opened back up....Wyoming?

[bald9eagle]

I have spent next to zero time studying on Wyoming.

Whatcha got?

[otcWill]

I've done a bit of elk hunting and IMHO it may be the absolute best place for the DIY hunter to kill elk. Far better than CO and exponentially less people.

[Indian Summer]

Hey Will... I'll give you fifty bucks to delete that last post.

You have the time Baldeagle... might as well research it. Montana is worth a look too and licenses are guaranteed up there.

Look up the population of all three states. Look up the number of non resident licenses sold. That should tell you something too. The other thing is this: Instead of looking at the number of elk in each state... consider how many square miles of elk habitat they have. CO has elk country wall to wall. Montana and Wyoming mainly have mountains in the west. Although they do have elk in their east ends they are also made up of many many square miles of elkless sagebrush antelope country. So the real way to compare apples to apples is to look at elk densities, not overall numbers. That and bull to cow ratios. Those are some pretty big pieces of the puzzle.

I'm really glad to see you are still pointed in the right direction!

[bald9eagle]

If I sing the praises of Wyoming will you send me $50 bucks? Check or PayPal and I'll delete anything.....

[Elkduds]

If I were a nonresident, I'd pick WY over CO in a heartbeat. For all the reasons noted above, plus: WY season structures are designed to harvest game and please hunters, not manage crowds and maximize $ as CO does. I would have Indian Summer get me lined out, he has done the scouting and knows his stuff. I would take his guidance as a starting place and learn the rest by going every year.

[bald9eagle]

So what's the word on a consulting fee Joe?

Wyoming is higher on my list. I flinched when researching because of preference points and (what I thought) the need for a guide. Now that I know a little bit I am much more interested in WY.

Question.....is it Easy/Difficult to hunt from out of town....say Cody, WY? There is a bit of nostalgia for me as we spent 3 days there on our last big family trip before the accident.

I'm more of a "sleep in the woods" kinda guy but a couple guys....not so much. They must be allergic to canvas tent material.

[Elkduds]

Click on Headin' West Hunt Consultants in the sponsor section @ top of this page. That is Joe's business, he is a sponsor of this forum. Thanks a ton to Joe and all sponsors for supporting this forum

[bald9eagle]

If I were a nonresident, I'd pick WY over CO in a heartbeat. For all the reasons noted above, plus: WY season structures are designed to harvest game and please hunters, not manage crowds and maximize $ as CO does. I would have Indian Summer get me lined out, he has done the scouting and knows his stuff. I would take his guidance as a starting place and learn the rest by going every year.

Studying it some it seems like WY is more expensive to go with an outfitter as most do not offer non-guided hunts. I imagine you could stay in town and drive to NF land and get by cheaper.