Wide spread Antelope winter kill in Wy this winter.

Yes, it's pretty ridiculous how people have lost their minds hunting "Monster Mule Deer".
I went to a G&F meeting locally (Area G) 2 weeks ago. Out of the mule deer they had collared in December there were 20% of the fawns still alive, 80% of does and 65% of bucks. Gonna be a tough one for trophy hunters in 4-5 years……
As I think you mentioned earlier they may want to think of making residents pick an area. Hunters from the eastern part of the state can come here and hunt mule deer and also go home and hunt whiteys later. There's talk of making them choose. I'm primarily an elk hunter but during the few times I do venture into the Greys River while rifle deer hunt is on I'd tell you that 30-40% of vehicles are from Casper and Cheyenne areas…
I tend to agree with you on them having to choose. Since we only get one Muley tag, G & F should make you choose at the time of putting in for a tag or, OTC.
 
Well...what if you dont want to hunt elk..should the state allow you 2 deer tags.....
i don't see why not....
I taken enough elk...no need to put that much meat in my freezer..or on my back..
Let me be more selective on critters I want to take....let me play more often...for longer seasons....
..and lots of people say they don't like the taste of deer vs elk........I myself have never noticed a huge difference...I prefer deer steaks.....
 
Well...what if you dont want to hunt elk..should the state allow you 2 deer tags.....
i don't see why not....
I taken enough elk...no need to put that much meat in my freezer..or on my back..
Let me be more selective on critters I want to take....let me play more often...for longer seasons....
..and lots of people say they don't like the taste of deer vs elk........I myself have never noticed a huge difference...I prefer deer steaks.....
Well I can't argue that. Nothing wrong with hunting Elk and a deer. Personally, I would like to see the deer season last longer. (Boy did I just stir the puddin). Wy is the only state I've personally hunted in that doesn't allow a guy to hunt the rut. At least on Muley. Being from the southeast I can tell you there are states back there that consistently produce monster whitetails and yet some states seasons run from Aug to mid Jan. I know someone is going to tell me that this or that state doesn't allow it either. I always find it funny when I walk into a local store where they sell hunting supplies and there's doe estrus for sale 🤣 . And I'm sure someone will say well, if we hunted the rut, there wouldn't be any big bucks left and the genetics would be wiped out. Maybe... But how many genetics have been wiped out this winter already and the meat eaten by coyotes and other 4 legged animals, or just gone to waste.
 
Idaho muleys are basically hunted with cf before rut..then there are select areas you can draw tags to hunt during the rut....
Animal populations will be depleted this year....allover.....
Suppose everybody needs to go to oregon...
 
More snow today and more coming 3 days next week.🥴
IMG_4255.jpeg
 
Montana had a bad winter in some areas a few year ago.
In those bad areas we had huge antelope die offs.
The following spring the surviving does had a low fawn crop of about 20%. The next year they had they had a low fawn crop again.
They tested some of the unbreed does and found out durning the hard winter they absorbed all the fawn they were carrying except the fawn's skull. Something about caring the skull left them sterile .

Hal
 
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Montana had a bad winter in some areas a few year ago.
In those bad areas we had huge antelope die offs.
The following spring the surviving does had a low fawn crop of about 20%. The next year they had they had a low fawn again.
They tested some of the unbreed does and found out durning the hard winter they absorbed all the fawn they were carrying except the fawn's skull. Something about caring the skull left them sterile .

Hal
Ouch. Not good.
 
Idaho muleys are basically hunted with cf before rut..then there are select areas you can draw tags to hunt during the rut....
Animal populations will be depleted this year....allover.....
Suppose everybody needs to go to oregon..
I was out hunting Muley last fall and bumped into two guys from Oregon. They were quite eager to tell me about the state gov destroying the deer hunting there by not allowing black bear and cat hunting.
 
I was out hunting Muley last fall and bumped into two guys from Oregon. They were quite eager to tell me about the state gov destroying the deer hunting there by not allowing black bear and cat hunting.
Unfortunstely....that's incorrect information.....cougar and blkbear are hunted.....but not with dogs or bait..the most effective way....there are lots of them taken by hunters..but by means of mostly accidental sightings during other seasons.....bears are spring hunted..just not to the extent of reducing any real numbers.......
The odfw actually hired hound hunters several years ago to kill some cougars in the Steens mountains...."the allotment was not enough" said a hound hunter....
they killed the 25 cats in 2 days....didn't make a dent in the deer/sheep killers...
 
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