What is one of the "Best" sheep areas in WYO?

[gillettehunter]

I hunted area 2 this year. Had a friend hunt area 5 and another in area 3. Area 5 is likely the best in the state. You always have the chance of a great ran in any area you hunt. Probably percentage wise more big ones from 5. Having said that the best of the 3 above was from area 3. He went DYI for 13 days and got a great ram. I spent 10 days hunting with John Porter and got mine on the last day of the hunt. They filmed my hunt and it will be on the Best of the West next year. Whatever you do get in good shape. John hunts areas 5, 2, and 1. I'll be glad to answere any question I might be able to help with. Bruce

 

[BighornRam]

Are you a resident aor not? Are you hiring an outfitter or not? 5 has a lot more non-wilderness for the nonresident than 3. If you are going to hire an outfitter I think it matters who you hire than the difference in those 2 areas. I have a lot of time in 5 with 12 sheep hunts and several elk trips but only 2nd hand knowledge of 3. Call Kevin Hurley at the wild sheep foundation in cody. He is the retired head of the whole WY sheep dept. Great guy and really loves to work for sheep. I had 3 buddies draw 5 this year and we took 3 quality rams. I always see sheep in this unit and trully think a 170 ram is doable for the hunter with the time and knowlege to hold out and keep looking. If you are going guided cal Meade Dominic with 7D ranch. He will bust his butt for you and he knows sheep.

 

[1/2 slam]

Bruce, I read your sheep story with John Porter, great story. How many points are you guys talking about? I'm sitting on 10 and not getting any younger.

 

[gillettehunter]

I had 15 points when I drew. I'm a resident. To figure the draw odds and which areas you might be able to draw go to the Wy G@F website. Go to the hunting opening page. On the right hand side in blue it says demand index draw odds. It breaks it down for the last few years. You can then see how many points it takes to draw any particular unit. Remember that 25% are random and not max points. The hunter before me in Johns camp was a young lady about 20 yrs old. John thought it was the first year she had applied.......
John will guide in areas 1,2, and 5. Area 2 is where his main camp is. I had a great experience in area 2 and got a nice 10 1/2 yr old ram that is in the 164-165 class. In area 5 with a little time you can get a 170+ ram. Area 2 is hard to hunt without a guide.... Hope this helps a little. Bruce

 

[hifastflyer]

I am a resident with 1 less point than max. I can draw 3 now but it may be 1-3 years for area 5. I guess I have waited 17 years now so maybe I will just hold out until my lucky draw comes up for area 5. I will most likely go DIY so area 5 may be the best way to go. I was thinking if 3 was as good as 5 then go now but it sounds like 5 is a notch above the rest in terms of quantity. Quality can be found in most NW Wyoming units, ie they are found in all units. I hear areas 1-2 are migration dependent and that is risky, especially with a Once in a Lifetime tag. Any recommendations for decent binoculars for a working man or any other tips for hunting are very helpful? I have a good Nikon spotting scope but my old leupold 7X binoculars could be updated. Is area 5 best early or late?

 

[gillettehunter]

If I was going to hunt area 5 DIY I'd talk to as many people as I could about where they hunted. I'd try to spend the 3-4 days just before it opened scouting and the first 4 days of the opener up there with a backup to go later.
I've been using the Zeiss Conquest binocs. I really like them . Good glass for the $. Get the best optics you can. I spent some days with my binocs to my eyes for 8 hours. You can't kill what you can't see. John Porter often spots sheep 2 to even 3 miles away. Assesses w/ the spotting scope and then moves closer if warranted. Try and get a friend or two to go w/ you. Horses are a big help. Good luck. Bruce

 

[rmschmidt]

I had an Area 2 tag in 2011. Shot a nice 8.5 yr old ram. Scored around 160. It's a hard area to hunt. My guide said it is the hardest. Shot my ram on day 6. Left at 4am from camp, got back at 3am. Had a great time. I've been told you can do day hunts on the north east side of the unit.

 

[WyoHunter]

Very nice ram! Congrats!

 

[hifastflyer]

Finally after 18 years I am successful on area 5. Can somebody send me a private message on best areas/drainages to hunt? I am a resident probably going on a DIY hunt. Is it best to hunt early or late? Any tips on affordable binoculars for a working man? I have a nikon spotting scope. Thanks for any information anybody can provide. Excited and ready for September now.

 

[jeptharussell]

Get any info from the Game and Fish? I have thought about calling some outfitters and asking about success and sizes as well as their preferred areas. Bruce

I think the best thing you do is make some referrals specifically to those person who are experiencing this kind of matters, so that you can have an idea of where you can find the best area for hunting.

 

[gillettehunter]

Congrats on drawing Hifastflyer! I stopped in Cody to check in my ram. The Fish and Game age them and plug the horns. Required by law to get it done. In the process they also asked for a drainage that I killed my sheep in and approximately where. I would call the Cody F@G office. Start talking to Biologists and ask about that map. Then I'd drive to Cody with an appointment to talk to the sheep biologist and spend a little time with the map. That would give you a huge amount of information if they will make it available to you. Good luck. Bruce

 

[quailchaser]

Hi folks,

I'm new to this forum. I saw that a lot of you know about Unit 5 sheep. I drew the tag for the 2014 season, and I'm a non-resident. I'm planning on going it solo and DIY. I looking for any advice, etc. I'd love to chat with you and hear about the area, etc. (You can also tell me I'm crazy for going solo-DIY, too.)

In any event happy hunting! Again, any info will be appreciated.

P.S. I'm from AZ, so I'll share any knowledge I have about my state...right now, I'm going to be quail hunting this fall. (It's the only tag I have in AZ

 

[gillettehunter]

Hi Quailchaser. I'm sure you are aware that WY requires a guide in order to hunt wilderness areas. That will reduce the area that you can legally hunt. If you have access to horses that will help a lot. That allows you to get back from the trailheads and extra people a bit. Great unit with lots of sheep. Spend some time with some of the area biologists. Good luck. Bruce

 

[quailchaser]

Bruce,

Thanks for the info. I am aware of the wilderness/guide rules, so I know I'm somewhat limited. I'll take your advice and check with the biologists.

This is a great forum and I appreciate the warm welcome!

Best regards,

Quailchaser (Ken)