Whats the best diy state for elk?
Elk
Looking for a diy hunt out west for elk and antelope. What state offers my best chance of drawing tags and has easy access public land.
Wyoming. Colorado and Idaho also have OTC tags for elk so just buy and go. Utah also has some archery tags OTC but it's going to be a little harder hunt. Colorado offers OTC archery antelope tags for some units.
Wyoming isn't OTC for nonresident elk.
I always get a kick out of best state quotes. I didn't know there was a best state for diy hunts.
There are units in Co for elk you can draw with no points. Just like there are units in which Wyoming you can draw antelope with no points. There is a reason you can draw them with no points though.
The one I'm not applying for.. :)
Seriously though, a guy can do a last minute archery elk in Colorado every year... most western states require at least some prior application..
To me, diy means you don't hire an outfitter and not necessarily OTC.
So, you'd want to focus on state's that have good access to good units and areas.
Good areas usually require a draw, which means preference and/or bonus points. Best thing to do is look at what each state's draw system and OTC availability is and then narrow it down from there as what your best option may be.
If you don't mind spending the $100 a year membership fee call the guys at Huntin Fool. They have piles of info on the best units and states to hunt. As well as all the regulations and license availability info.
Probably whichever state you can spend the most time in.
The reason Colorado has 0 PP draw units is the same reason Alaska had 'Any Bull' moose units... there are a lot of animals there
But if you want a a good DIY experience, Wyoming is the place
Some of the CO zero-point draw units are also that way because they have super low success rates and difficult access.
If you manage to find some places with good elk hunting, easy access public land, and readily-available tags, please send me a PM. I've been looking for that place for close to 50 years.
DON'T call the Huntin Fool. Your support is destroying DIY hunting in the west one unit at a time. Your "honey hole" coming soon to a magazine near you!
Only problem with WYO as a DIY is their stupid prohibition of non residents in Wilderness areas. Cant speak to best but we DIY in CO almost every year.
++++1000 ELKMAN. Huntin' Fool should be called "Huntin' Whore".
Way too many good spots found through years of legwork and personal research have been ruined by these "services". I get it that it helps someone from somewhere else who is too busy or lazy to do his own homework. But know that everyone else who is willing to pay the whore has access to the same honeypot. So that secret info you think you're getting isn't secret anymore, and you'll have plenty of company, tag point creep, etc...
I figured it was called Huntin Fool for a reason.
So called "Hunters" are actually paying them over $100 a year to SCREW them.
Isn't there a case to be made that Huntin Fool et al just send all the idiots to a concentration of units so it preserves "underrated" units for those of us willing to put in the legwork and accept the risk of speculating on a truly bad unit?
Randy Newberg has a great video on YouTube which explains the different states draw process. Watch it and might help you out. The fairest state imo is NM, but you need to play the draw odds wisely as a NR. Some good units you could draw every 2-3 yrs and get into elk. Good luck.
WY except for in wilderness where a guide is required.
The best DIY state is the one you can get the tags in.
I like Idaho, Wyo and my home state . I think most of us got our Elk Education doing OTC bow elk in Colorado---the memories are wonderful.
I believe the more ya hunt a unit/area the better it becomes. Knowledge and experience of a unit/area play a major factor in success.
Good luck, Robb
Such simple question that demands a complex answer. Jaq, sounds like a magazine article...
Mike, I actually did a feature article on a similar topic two years ago. Think it was in Bow&Arrow Hunting.
Got 2000 words and a nice check out of "Hunt wherever you can get a tag, figure out where everybody else is hunting, and hunt somewhere else.."
Badlandshunter, offering that advice to you for free.
Check out the OTC States, best teaching aid out there! They can humble you yet they are fair if you do your homework! You will get out of your hunt what you put into it!
ElkNut/Paul
