out west?

Me and my buddy want to go out west hunting next year so we trying to get a plan together now. We would like to go for elk but neither one of us have ever done this before. we are not looking for any speacal state to hunt. would we need to know how to call or can u do spot in stalks? or would you guys start small like for mule deer or antelope witch is the other options. The hunt would have to be on either public land or block management land and would be with a riffle. Is there any good places to start looking for information or any general information you guys know of. Trying to get a general idea now so we know how to start planning for it now.

Thanks,
Chris

You really have so many possibilities. I’ve been to WY a few times and love it. I can not say enough good things about their CO’s and wildlife management group when it comes to answering questions and just simply wanting to help.
Forget buying any paper maps of the public/BLM maps. They are garbage and the CO’s will tell you that. A hand held GPS and the BLM chip is a must.I learned on my first trip out there that the ranchers that place land into the BLM program will also post no trespassing signs on it. So then you end up spending hours trying to figure out if the map is correct to the corresponding land marks – total BS and a waste of time. The CO’s will simply check the GPS, if your on BLM, your good, if not, your trespassing.

Antelope is by far the most abundant and easiest self hunt to do. Provides a lot of action and your always on the move. Tons of fun!

For Elk, there are guys here that have done a lot more elk hunting than myself. The two most challenging things I’ve encountered (in Colorado) has been hunting pressure on public land and altitude. Knowing what altitude the majority of elk are at will significantly improve your odds.
If you want more info on speed goats, shoot me a pm and I’ll pass along a lot of info that I acquired for on your own hunts.

Don’t do it! Once you go, you will do everything possible to go back!
I went several years ago, on a Colorado over the counter Elk tag, with absolutely no knowledge of the land and pulled on an access road that “looked good”. Funny thing was that we killed an elk the following day!
I’ve been back every year since, but now its archery only.
I would first decide on a species, there is typically an abundance of Mule Deer and Antelope. Elk/Moose/Bear take a little more finding, and in my opinion, are a much harder hunt. After you pick your species, I would recommend you pick a state. Each state has its perks, and its downsides based on lottery, over the counter, season dates, etc. CO is very popular because of its seemingly endless OTC options. Other states have smaller herds, and are more tightly controlled. You will spend hours researching, making phone calls, and when you roll up to “your designated spot”, it won’t look anything like you imagined, but it will be fun!