Just got back from southeastern WY. This was the first year i qualified for landowner tags and was able to draw all three Antelope, Mule deer, and Elk. The first few days of scouting were very promising with a herd of 500 Elk staying near the center of our ranch. Several antelope were seen and they were in the rut, this kept them from being too worried about the goings on around them. Mulies were everywhere, and it was hard to keep from shooting a couple of nice bucks the first few days.
I spotted this antelope from about a mile away and tried to close the distance several times, but their were a couple of spooky females in the group that kept spooking the herd. A friend and I belly crawled as close as we could, and I ended up making the shot of a lifetime on him from 600yds with my .270WSM while bracing on my friends legs.
For two days i guided a group of cow elk hunters per an agreement made with the Rocky Mntn Elk Foundation. They are doing some controlled burns on a few of our pastures and for funding this we agreed to allow 10 cow elk tags to be filled on our property. I missed a chance at the herd bull which was a monster 8x8 nontypical, but got a bead on this guy. Later that day we filled 4 cow elk tags after cutting the herd off from another direction.
With all the work to do on the Elk, i was a little leary of filling the muley tag, but after the 5 of us got it all taken care of i still had another day. A friend and I spent the morning packing up the four wheelers and making lunches etc., for a day of hunting on a neighboring ranch. So after an hour of so of preperation we were off. Just as we pull down the drive from the ranch house, this guy is standing broadside at about 50 yds. So with a quick brace on the hood of the truck, the 3rd tag was filled. Not the biggest buck i have taken, but a real solid and heavy 4x4. I determined he was still about a year from his peak, but the convenience actor was definitly there.
All in all a really productive year, and got to meet and guide several great people.
P.S.Anyone hunting Elk in southeastern WY for anytime in the future needs to make sure and put in for cow tags as they had over 1000 left over last year and the populations are out of hand.