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Hunt Wyoming Elk in 2020

Eric Pawlak
|  
  • Eric Pawlak
Species: Elk
Location: Wyoming

Wyoming Elk Application Deadline ALERT

The 2020 application deadline for Wyoming elk tags is fast approaching. Non-residents must have their applications submitted by midnight, January 31st.  Only online applications will be accepted. The state of Wyoming has one of the most complex application processes in the West. It is also one of the most incredible and diverse elk states in the country. From the rugged wilderness of western Wyoming to the incredible private ranches in the east, Wyoming hunting offers something for everyone. This is a must apply state for anyone that is serious about elk hunting. With so much diversity from east to west, a very stable elk population and 16% of the tags allocated to non-residents, Wyoming elk typically comes with shorter draw times for a quality elk hunting experience.

1. SEQUENCE OF THE DRAW

Everyone’s first choice is considered before any second choice will be looked at; therefore, make your first choice count. Anyone drawing an elk tag on their first choice will lose all accumulated preference points. Anyone drawing a Wyoming elk tag on their second choice, will also be awarded a preference point. It will NOT be possible to draw Wyoming’s General (Special) Elk tag on a second choice in 2020.  Draw results will be available in May (new in 2020).  In the past they have been available in Late February, so the State has slid this back by approximately 2 months.

2. SPECIAL LICENSE VS. REGULAR LICENSE

In Wyoming, 40% of the non-resident elk tag quota, by unit, will be reserved for those applicants applying for the Special License = $1,268. Furthermore, 60% of the non-resident elk tag quota, by unit, will be reserved for those applicants applying for Regular License = $692. Other than the difference in price and drawing odds, these elk tags – Special vs. Regular – are exactly the same. Typically, those willing to pay for the higher priced Special elk tag will have better odds of drawing, but check your draw odds tables or contact a WTA TAGS Consultant – we’re happy to help.

3. PARTY APPLICATIONS

Wyoming accepts party applications with a maximum number of six, and non-residents are not allowed to apply with residents. Preference points will be divided by the number applicants in the group and entered into the draw with that exact number. For example, four applicants with a combined preference point total of 10, will be entered into the draw with 2.5 preference points.

4. PREFERENCE POINTS

Point Only – Applicants wishing to apply for a point only (and have no chance of drawing) must wait until the July 1 – November 2nd  application period.  Wyoming elk preference points cost $50 and are optional, but in most units, applying for the preference point is beneficial to your future. In Wyoming, 75% of the elk tags are issued to applicants holding the most preference points in a unit and 25% of the tags are allocated randomly, irrespective of points. If you fail to apply for two consecutive years, then your preference points will be purged.

5. YOUTH

To apply for an elk tag in Wyoming an applicant may apply if they are 11 years of age, but they must turn 12 before the hunting season starts. Youth preference points are only $10.

SUMMARY

With such a complex draw process in place, you may want to consider speaking with a professional Consultant in the WTA TAGS division 1-800-755-TAGS(8247). We’re here to help! Otherwise, we hope you found this article informative and best of luck in the draw!

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New Zealand: A Spring Paradise

New Zealand: A Spring Paradise

The end of winter in the Northern Hemisphere gives me the itch to travel. I often visit Uganda to chase buffalo, before coming home for Spring turkey season. But this year, I switched it up. My wife, Alka, and I headed south to New Zealand for the last few days of February. We hosted two groups of hunters at two of WTA’s top outfitters and we all enjoyed a wonderful trip.

New Zealand offers endless opportunities for non-hunting companions while delivering a world-class hunting experience. Both lodges where we stayed had dedicated hosts who organized daily activities for the non-hunting guests. Shopping, visiting wineries, sightseeing in Mount Cook, jet boating, and many other activities filled the schedule. Once our hunts wrapped up, the guys joined the ladies on several of these excursions. I especially enjoyed spending a day exploring Mount Cook and an afternoon on the jet boat.

After flying to New Zealand and clearing customs, we caught a short flight to Queenstown. Queenstown is beautiful, situated on a lakeshore with steep mountains dropping straight to the water, making for postcard views. The local food scene is excellent. Alka and I tried multiple restaurants, checked out local shops, and rode the skylift to the top of the mountain. It was nice to have a day or two to acclimate to the 13-hour time difference.

We went to our first lodge, got settled in, visited the rifle range, and then had an incredible dinner.

Alka isn’t really a hunter. She has taken a few animals, and somehow I talked her into hunting a red stag. We got out at daylight with our excellent guide, Victor, when the stags were roaring. We looked at a couple of groups and crept over a ridge to glass into a creek bottom. We found stags roaring, fighting, feeding, and moving all over.

We finally decided on a beautiful red stag with a tank of a body, heavy mass, great crowns. And you could tell he was old. He was also dominant. The others gave way whenever he came near.

After a couple of hours, our stag bedded with another away from the others, and we decided to make a move. Victor expertly maneuvered us down into the thick creek bottom with the wind in our faces. Eventually, we moved within 100 yards of where we thought the stags were. After a while, the other stag stood up and repositioned. When he bedded again, Victor wanted to shift for a better angle. We ended up at 65 yards and could see our stag’s antler tips.

We waited 3 hours for the big guy to get up. We roared, threw rocks, raked brush, but he was tucked in and didn’t budge. Finally, in the early afternoon, Victor raked some brush, roared loudly, and the stag stood. Alka quickly got on the .30-06 and with a couple of shots an inch apart to the shoulder, the big stag dropped. Celebration time!

Alka got a super experience with lots of stag action, a great stalk in close, and then the nerve-racking wait for the 525″ stag to stand up and offer a shot.

Over the next few days, our group of hunters took some incredible stags and fallow deer. Toward the end, a few of us wanted to hunt tahr in the southern Alps.

I cannot describe how beautiful and rugged those mountains are, and seeing them from a helicopter is an experience not to be missed. My hunting partner and I both scored on nice bull tahr the morning we went out, and then the chopper pilot took the ladies up for a quick ride to show them the beauty and majesty of the southern Alps. It was a morning none of us will ever forget.

Learn More about this Hunt

Alka and I then packed up and transferred to our next lodge, where we met four other couples, including our good friends Russell and Cindy. Russell and I were going to hunt together, as we have all over the globe, and again, the ladies had a full palette of fun excursions planned.

During the first afternoon, we saw a number of great stags and some incredible fallow. What really excited me was seeing and hearing bugling elk. We returned for a 5-star meal (Be ready to gain weight in New Zealand!) and prepared for the next day. 

Just after daylight, we were on stags and moving around the hills and canyons, glassing and enjoying the views and the number of animals. One of the hardest parts of hunting there is choosing the stag you want to pursue. There are so many, and they are all so different, it’s sensory overload. There are wide, heavy, drop tines, typical frames, and every other antler configuration imaginable.

While glassing some stags in a wallow across a canyon, I spotted a big bull elk up on a ridge. He was so regal standing on the skyline, I kept coming back to him with my binos. I must have talked about him non-stop, because my outfitter and guide Shaun finally said, “We can go after him if you want, but he is about a mile away, and it’s all uphill.” I told Shaun I was ready to go if he was, so off we went, trekking up the mountain.

When we got to the top, we couldn’t find the bull. Huge rock formations blocked us from seeing a number of areas, so we slowly moved from rock to rock, carefully glassing, until we found the big bull on the third set of rocks.

I quickly set up and Shaun ranged the bull at a bit under 300 yards, moving away. Shaun has suppressed Gunwerks rifles available for his clients to use. I knew with that setup, the shot should be easy if the bull presented a good angle.

After watching him for a few minutes, the bull swung around, giving me a quartering away shot, and I tucked one in behind the shoulder. The big guy was done. When we got to him, he was way bigger than I thought, with 54″ beams and a huge frame, the 7×7 stretched the tape to 397″. I was ecstatic!

That afternoon, I went along with Russell on an exciting stag hunt where we got in on two great bulls. After a lot of maneuvering, they stepped out of a bedding area at 70 yards, and Russell hammered a beautiful stag with great crowns and kicker tines off both sides. Getting in close on these huge stags is an absolute blast.

The other guys in camp were laying down some great animals as well. On our second-to-last day, we all decided to go with the ladies for a jet boat ride up a glacial river, a short hike, and then a winery stop for apps and drinks. It was a fantastic day of seeing incredible scenery and relaxing with old and new friends.

On our last morning, Russell decided to find a good elk. An hour or so later, we found a big bull working a wallow. Russell and his guide made a stalk, Russ got on the sticks, and the next thing Shaun and I saw through our binos was the big heavy bull tipping over. What a great way to end our superb hunt!

We all headed back to Queenstown in the afternoon, had a great dinner at the Botswana Butchery restaurant, and then it was one sleep and a long flight home.

…
More than a Mount: A Bull Elk I’ll Never Forget

More than a Mount: A Bull Elk I’ll Never Forget

It’s one thing to chase a bull through the Nevada mountains…it’s another to relive that moment every day in your own home.

When I got the call that my elk mount was finished, I knew it would be special. But seeing it in person and having it in my home brings it full circle in a way I didn’t anticipate.

That Nevada hunt was already unforgettable. The climb in the dark still stands out. So does the moment everything came together on that rock ledge with the team behind the glass. It was hard earned and intense. Then suddenly, it was over. Like most hunts, it left me wishing I could hold onto the moment just a little longer.

Now I can. This mount is more than a display of an incredible bull elk. It takes me right back to that hunt and everything that came with it.

More than Just Antlers

When I look at this bull now, I don’t just see antlers. I see that canyon again. I remember the cold wind and the nerves settling in as I got prone for the shot.

I remember Richie behind me talking me through it. I remember the team working together like a machine. And I remember walking up on that bull for the first time, realizing just how big he really was.

That’s what a great mount does. It holds the memory, not just the animal.

Read the Full Hunt Story The Details Matter

New Mexico’s draw system is a 100% random lottery, which means you could draw the tag of a lifetime your first year in, or you could wait a decade. You either get lucky or you don’t. I’ve been applying in New Mexico for years, and honestly, this wasn’t the year I expected to get the call. I’d hoped to draw a Montana archery elk tag, so I applied for one of New Mexico’s most coveted rifle elk units, fully expecting to come up empty. But instead, I drew the New Mexico tag and didn’t draw in Montana. That’s how it goes sometimes, and I wouldn’t trade the way it played out for anything.

The unit I drew is a rare place with both the genetics and the age structure to produce truly exceptional bulls. But it’s not a high-volume elk area. You don’t see elk on every hillside. You go with the understanding that you might only lay eyes on a handful of animals, but they could be the bull of a lifetime. That tradeoff is something every hunter needs to consider before applying. Are you willing to grind it out for a chance at something special, taking the risk that it might be a boring hunt? For me, the answer was simple.

The Outfitter Made the Difference

When I drew this tag, I didn’t need to scramble to find an outfitter. WTA already had a relationship with a guide who routinely operates in this unit. Despite the extremely limited number of tags issued each year, this outfitter spends time in the area every season. That kind of consistency is invaluable. He sees the trends year after year. He knows where the bulls tend to hang out during the rut, where they go after it winds down, and how they move through the country as conditions change. That accumulated knowledge gave us a significant head start.

In fact, our outfitter had been in the unit the week prior with one of our clients on the second archery hunt, so he already had fresh intel on where two big bulls had been hanging out. That’s a huge advantage you can’t replicate on your own.

Getting There and Setting Up: A Day and a…

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