WY unit 47,48 regular or 62,63 special????

[DanMan]

Okay, I'm looking to take the wife and kids on a public land DIY goat hunt this fall and could use some help deciding which unit best fits our needs. Looking at recent draw odds and our PPs we should be able to draw 47 or 48 regular draw, or 62 or 63 in the special draw. I've never been in any of these area's so really dont know if it's worth the extra cost of the special draw to get in 62 or 63?
I want a fun hunt for the family. My concerns are easily accessable public land, minimal pressure from other hunters, and plenty of goats to look at. Trophy size would be last on our list for this hunt. We plan on hunting about a week into Oct.
I've read the reports from Eastman's and Huntin Fool but now
I would appreciate the comments from some of you guys that have actually put some leather on the ground in any or all of these area's. Thanks in advance

 

[huntinfool18]

Ive never hunted 62 or 63 but have hunted and spend a lot of time in 47&48. I put in for 47 most years unless I get a wild hair and put in for the red desert. 48 has about half private. Theres one ranch there that is huge. If you can get permission you can pretty much hunt the whole unit. If you put in the time and hunt hard you can get a 15"+ goat . 47 is kinda the same way. A few sections of walk in area. Never really have seen a lot of hunting pressure in either area. A ton of animals in both area. Its pretty easy to look over 20+ bucks a day. Gotta cover lots of ground

 

[DanMan]

Thanks for your reply. A nicely shaped 14" buck would put smiley faces on my wife and kids for sure. Really just looking for a fun hunt without gettin in trouble. How bad are the roads in these area's?

 

[bigbuck454]

The brother in law, nephew, and I went to unit 48 last year. It took all 4 1/2 days but we all got our bucks, make sure to have a BLM map because it's 50% private land and you really need to stay on top of where you are at. We went the 3rd week of Oct. I have heard its easier the opening weekend because as soon as they seen us, they were skittish and running. The wind was real bad which made it hard to shoot the lighter bullets from the .243.

Good Luck!

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Those are two real nice goats! I wouldn't be without a Garmin GPS and Wyoming landowner chip that Len sells on this site so you know you're on legal public land at all times!!!

 

[Elkhunter1983]

62 is a much better area than 63 because of the number of tags and pressure havent been in 47 or 48 much.

 

[DanMan]

Beautiful pictures BigBuck! I hope that it dont take us 4 days or my crew will probably be whining and want to quit LOL!!
Looks like you had a great time. Question is would you hunt 47 again or try somewhere else next time?
I've heard / read that 62 has better trophy size potential than 63 but my question is are these bigger bucks likely to be found in the public ( northern ) part of 62 or are they mostly on the private land ?
Thanks all for sharing your info.

 

[DanMan]

Beautiful pictures BigBuck! I hope that it dont take us 4 days or my crew will probably be whining and want to quit LOL!!
Looks like you had a great time. Question is would you hunt 47 again or try somewhere else next time?
I've heard / read that 62 has better trophy size potential than 63 but my question is are these bigger bucks likely to be found in the public ( northern ) part of 62 or are they mostly on the private land ?
Thanks all for sharing your info.

My mistake - I meant unit 48.

 

[Elkhunter1983]

This buck was killed in the far north end of the unit among a herd of over 100 on Oct 29th. There is enough public that a guy looking enough will find one.

 

[bigbuck454]

Beautiful pictures BigBuck! I hope that it dont take us 4 days or my crew will probably be whining and want to quit LOL!!
Looks like you had a great time. Question is would you hunt 47 again or try somewhere else next time?

If I was to hunt 48 again, I would do it opening weekend. My buddy did that instead of mid-October and got both of their bucks within hours compared to my 4 days. Since they were so skittish we had to do some walking in draws/hills to get within 200 yards for the nephew. It was a great time and experience! Something that I or the nephew will never forget. FYI, he did miss 2 bucks before we got his, so maybe we could have been tagged out in 2 or 3 days if not for the misses, but it made it that much sweeter when he did kill. and bigger than his uncles I might add.....

 

[1 mile]

OK....need some help...I'm be moving out to Wapiti Wy by end of May. I understand I have to live in the state for one year b/4 I can get a resident permit. What do I need to do ???


Thanks

 

[Elkhunter1983]

OK....need some help...I'm be moving out to Wapiti Wy by end of May. I understand I have to live in the state for one year b/4 I can get a resident permit. What do I need to do ???
Thanks

Get a drivers license and a po box as soon as you get there so your residency period will begin immediately. As for this year you need to put in for a non res tag.

 

[Wyodog]

I cant think of a better hunt to go with your family. I live Carbon County Wyoming and I am very familliar with all of the areas you are asking about. I dont think you can make a bad choice any of these areas should provide many oppotunities at a pronghorn. Here is my assessment of the areas. 63 has the best public access and the smallest antelope, however you shouldn't have any trouble finding 14" antelope. Area 62 has the biggest antelope and is a little more difficult for public 'tccess however there is a large walk-in area that you can actually drive in but cant have an atv even in the back of your pickup. One of the big ranches in 62 will allow access if you ask. 47,48 is in the middle on public access and trophy size.

Antelope get eaiser to find and harder to get a shot at during the rut because the bucks are running like crazy chasing each other. They taste worse during this time also. The rut starts in these areas at the end of Sept and runs into Oct. i think it is easier to kill antelope eairly in the season before the rut and before there is alot of hunting pressure. When it is hot you will find antelope near water as they dont travle too far away on hot days

Thew country in each of these areas is wide open with sage brush and hills. Longer shots is common you will have a better hunt if the family has practiced shooting and can shoot atleast 200 yards and 300 would be better.

Hope this helps you out some.

 

[DanMan]

Thanks for the reply Wyodog. This kind of firsthand information that you and a few others have sent me is exactly what I am needing to make a good decision. If it wuz just myself hunting I'd be looking for the biggest trophy possible and would probably go for unit 62 based on that. However with the wife and 4 kids, ( 3 of which are still too young to hunt ) I'm reluctant to go traipsing around on someones ranch even if they did give me permission. I think we'll feel much more at ease staying on public and out of other peoples way. I think ease of hunting
( how much walking ) is going to also be important. I want to keep it fun.
I understand what you are saying about the bucks not standing still during the rut. My concern about hunting earlier is taking care of the meat during warmer weather. Will they still be chasing hard the second week of Oct.?