My partner have been applying for elk tags in unit 32 and 31 in Wyoming ( with no luck ) for the past 3 years. His buddy has invited us to join an elk camp that hunts in Areas 13-15 in the Medicine Bow National Forest. The Medicine Bow hunt is a general tag with about 30 % chance of drawing as a non-resident(according to Game&Fish) and the Unit 32 hunt has a draw percentage of about 5-7%. My partner has killed a couple good bulls in the Unit 32, but doesn't know alot about the Medicine Bow area. Any of you Wyoming hunters have any input on the Pros & Cons of either area? I've looked the harvest Stats on both areas and overall, unit 32 produces a little higher %, but it is a limited draw and they give out very few tags.

Life begins where the pavement ends!

Them medicine bows is awful hard to shoot. Saw one onct. Them lil' plastic bottles keep bustin' when you draw it back, an' the cotton falls out everwhere. Those strings of dental floss ain't the strongest neither, the aspirin bead sights will melt away with any rainfall at all. I suggest you git a proper wooden bow, or a 30'06, although you can use those hypodermic arrows fer shootin' stray cats an' such.

BJ

Dreamin'
I can't help you out on your two Wyoming area even though lots of folks from my home state hunt in the Medicene Bow area (Snowy Range). I wouldn't get to wound up over the hunting statistics because most Game Management Units are so large. You can have one the best statistical areas and get skunked and I'm willing to bet that in the worst area in the state someone knows the spot and the tactics for a high success rate.

What's my point? Well, given that you're not getting flooded with useful first hand info, focus on the merits of the areas. If you've hunted one and not the other then there is a big vote for the one you've hunted. Otherwise, I would key off of your buddies' friends as to what they recommend for area and then weigh that off against how bad you want to go versus how long you want to keep drawing for the higher percentage area. Talk to your friend's friends and don't miss the cut off date. Shy of that, if you are patient on the phone and can work your way through the government system you can usually talk to someone who knows the area very well and get some insight from them. In Colorado, they have local laison officers who get paid partly by the Dept of Wildlife, partly by the Forest Service, and partly by the local chamber of commerce to field questions about hunting and areas, that way you don't "tie up" there year round "core people." Sometimes these folks love elk hunting as much as we do and will talk until you are blue in the face! In any case, if you draw a tag then visit in the summer if you can and then arrive early prior to the season to help set up camp and get in on the scouting!

Simple I know, but hate to see you sit there without a response.

EKM

Good judgment comes from bad experience! Half of elk hunting is knowing what NOT to do!

Ok, Elkcampmaster done slapped my hands fer bein' flip 'bout yer question. The Medicine Bow area is the closest area to Wyomin's population centers. You gotta look fer a area where there are surplus tags ever year to begin with. Then the non-resident chances go up. Also, apply on a party application. Your chances go up with that too. If one gits drawed, you all do. I know some good areas for non-residents to apply to, but I ain't too anxious to advertise 'em. Areas with large winter kills or the worst drought-related problems are the areas to avoid if you really want to hunt elk.

BJ

EKM; Thanks for the info, I'm kinda on the same track myself. I don't put too much stock in the kill stats without weighting the results by the number of licenses issued. Since my last post, I've talked with my partners buddy and got a lil more info. looks like we're gonna try for the general tag on the MB forest and if we draw I'll just have to go out a week early and learn the area first hand. Thanks again for the input.

Life begins where the pavement ends!