Wyoming Elk Prep

For the past few years I've been hunting the same area in Wyoming with an Area 67-68-69 Type 9 archery elk tag, usually purchased in the leftover sales. Although I've gotten closer each year, I haven't been able to seal the deal on a bull. But because of the remoteness and amount of wilderness in the area, there are always leftover tags and I felt sure I would be able to keep coming back to this area until I got it done.

This past season, a world record elk was killed nearby with a crossbow on a General tag. Although that's great news for hunters and speaks to the genetics of elk in the area, suddenly this area is so popular that there were no tags leftover this year. Suspecting this might be the case, I applied for the tag through the draw system back in January but was unsuccessful. Not wanting to sit the elk season out, I jumped on an area 97 tag that was available. 

So this year instead of hunting an area I'm very familiar with, I'll be starting from scratch learning new ground. And although that's a little bit intimidating, the mistakes I've made and lessons I've learned from them over the past few seasons have made me a better hunter. I'm armed with more experience than ever before and I'm ready to take on the challenge! I've begun my topo map study and research on the area, and I'll be going out to Wyoming next month to scout. I'll be spending a week scouting, camping and fishing with my family and I'm looking forward to it. 

Stay tuned for updates on my research and scouting!