Contributors to this thread:
Just wondering who is elk hunting in unit 38 this year. We have mule deer hunted that unit about 8 different times and we don't run into any elk where we hunt. We hunt by freeze out point and have only seen one bunch of elk in the 8 years we hunted there. Not looking to hunt elk there, just curious where everyone goes to find elk, since it is a great unit for elk. Also, if anyone is mule deer hunting in that unit, let me know and I can give you a couple spots to try.
i found them in the woods
City, I'd love to hear about these elk that you found in the woods.....
City, i thought you found them on the other side of the street ??
Unit 38 is one of the top bow elk units in Wyoming period. Elk are evenly distributed throughout the unit, but you can start at Bull Run and work towards the Sibley Lake area and there will be elk all through there. Head straight north on the forest roads at first light and you will spot elk as well. Just driving the highway east to west you will see elk. Make sure to bring your binoculars for spotting off the road. Anyone who tells you 38 is overrated or in decline is trying to keep you from applying there- I have hunted the unit 5 times and it is great.Over the past 10 years getting a NR tag has gotten tougher and now you will probably need 7+ points to draw (and going up every year). But when you draw the tag, you will be in bulls, and some big ones if you work hard. I really don't know why people treat the information as a secret. Everyone knows-do a search on it. And to boot, you only get a tag every 7 years. Since Eastman's listed it as a top unit 8-9 years back the secret is out! But the tag is worth it!
Bow, did you see many muleys when you were out chasin elk?
Bow can u post some pics of these bulls u killed in 38
Well I hunted Unit 38 during archery and just loved it. I am trying to get my wife a tag for her crossbow. I have only hunted it once, however it is beautiful. I live in Wyoming and it takes a few years to draw the tag if you are lucky. Any info would be greatly appreciated. I can give info on my hunt also.
Julius
Just remember you wont be alone. Deer hunters, Moose hunters, Horse riders, ATV's, lots of campers and all kinds of recreation going on in that unit. Elk are there but in some places so is everything else........
Plenty of elk, plenty of tags and plenty of road access.
I spent a few days helping a buddy on that tag a couple years ago. He had a chance while I was there and killed his bull several days after I left.
I was surprised by the amount of traffic in the unit but he was able to find a little honey hole without any pressure.
You will see elk. I saw a couple of Ok Mulies, nothing to get excited about.
Good luck and have fun.
You'll have far less hunting pressure this year than in the past. I'm surprised it didn't get mentioned here 2 months ago when things really hit the fan--probably because there are far fewer residents seeking information on this site.
AFTER the non resident draw, Game and Fish proposed reducing the # of unit 38-9 tags by 50 due to "higher than average bull harvests in 2012 and 2014, and in response to as many as 50 branched antler bulls being killed on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana after leaving the Kerns winter range area." The reduction in tags had NO affect on non-residents at all for the 2015 season as the draw had already occurred. Residents lost ALL of the 50 tags out of their pool.
Another blatant example of managing for the money and not the resource. G&F knew about the reservation elk kill in January-March of 2014 and the high bull harvest of 2012 long before any proposals for tag limits were made for season 2015, and long before non-residents had their drawing as well.
Unit 38 is great. I hunted it 11 consecutive years in the 90's and early 2000's. I killed several bulls and 3 cows in those 11 years. I saw many great bulls and consistently interacted with elk every year on nearly every hunt. Access is easy and the elk are everywhere. That is no exaggeration.
It seemed like over the last couple of years, there has been a lot of talk on bowsite about unit 38 for elk. This year there just isn't much chatter. Anyone draw a tag for unit 38 this year?
Striker what happened with them elk being poached by the Crow folks in WY 3 bulls i think said they shot them for food :<
Wow sounds like u guys with tags are in for a chitty hunt with that many bulls killed
no, theyre not. even with those killed, 38 is a nice area!
Louis,
The 3 bulls are a more recent incident, which then turned into 5 as they found more carcasses.
The roughly 50 were killed January-March 2014 as deep and prolonged snow pushed the elk over the Wyoming border where they were shot by the natives on the Crow Indian Reservation. The disgusting thing about it all is that they are fighting the charges and plan to go clear to the Supreme Court due to, as they claim, rights to hunt these animals under the protection of a treaty from the mid 1800's. I don't begrudge them the the opportunity to take some elk, especially if the meat is used. Unfortunately and disgracefully, the majority of the bulls killed had the head and antlers removed and the rest left to rot. That is not hunting. Period.
The unit is still a great hunt. I'd take the tag tomorrow if I could ever draw it again.
I agree on how nice and beautiful the area is in 38. We love to bow hunt muleys there. It seems the deer numbers are less and less each year and the quality seems to be slipping as well. I was just wondering where people elk hunt there, since we just don't ever see or hear them. I'm not trying to find out someones honey hole. Just like hearing about other peoples experiences in the unit, whether it's elk or mule deer. Maybe someday we will hunt elk there. Thanks to everyone who chimed in.
muley if u hunt deer in this unit year after year and have no clue were elk are sounds strange are u sure u are getting out of the hotel.
City, maybe you should find a new thread to follow...
I drew it this year. I hunted it in 03 and 09 also. Good hunt both times. Not the best hunt ever, but quality for sure. I see city thinks itll be a lesser hunt this year due to the poaching, and a couple others say theyd take the tag anytime. What do the rest of you think? Is it going to be VERY noticeable? Hardly noticeable? And Id guess if they poached the bulls and cut heads off they more than likely shot mostly bigger mature bulls? But would other mature bulls that didn't get poached or wintered elsewhere take over new ground due to lack of bull competition and more cows where the poached bulls would normally be? Im not sure if it will be a worse hunt from poaching or better due to less hunters?? There always seemed to be 3-5 bulls in the better drainages and a bull or two in every other drainage. So if you take 50 bulls away from the unit as a whole, you wouldn't think it would make it terrible. Im planning to hold out for a 300 or better bull, just wondering if the numbers of older bulls will be affected greatly or not. . .... Sucks for the residents that planned to draw it this year, and now they haveta wait another year and more money on another preference point.. . Sucks for everybody though that they have to pull shenanigans like that. If a person is hungry and going to eat them and has a family to feed that's one thing, but to kill em, cut the head off...that's pathetic.
Ben best of luck ! If i was a resident i wouldn't be too upset if FG pulled tags its for a good reason. It makes sense NR tags cost a lot more !!
Muley were is a good mule deer spot i never see good bucks when im in 38. Just asking maybe down the road i might want to hunt them !!!!
Ben- You should have no worries. You will have a GREAT hunt assuming there isn't a huge Aug.31rst snow! ;-) That area has so many good quality Bulls and just over all numbers, that stuff will have NO impact on your hunt. Enjoy! I am jealous, wish I was going. PM me if you need any Info. or pointers...
ELK
