2024 WYOMING & IDAHO TAG STRATEGY
FOR JERRY DUNLAP
HUNT GOALS: HIGH SUCCESS, LOW PRESSURE HUNTS
Having good hunting experiences with family is what it’s all about with these tag application strategies. In particular, these hunting plans prioritize good access, relatively high success rates, and a good opportunity to see animals regularly. The key on these hunts will be to rely on your optics to do the walking, and then figure out how to use road systems and ridgelines to cut the distance. That way you can maximize the amount of enjoyable hours with family, and focus on having a good time while looking for animals.
IDAHO OVER-THE-COUNTER HIT LIST
YOUR HIT LIST IN ORDER OF RECOMMENDED PRIORITY
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3-Yr Harvest: 27%
4-pt Harvest: 35%One of the most sought-after OTC deer hunts in Idaho that’s a good blend of opportunities and terrain.
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3-Yr Harvest: 32%
4-pt Harvest: 42%A popular unit for a good experience, this is mostly big mountain hunting. Be prepared for steep country.
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3-Yr Harvest: 24%
4-pt Harvest: 30%Huge variety in terrain types, road availability, and land ownership. It’s got a little bit of everything.
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3-Yr Harvest: 29%
4-pt Harvest: 28%Classic Idaho mountain unit with a good mixture of roads and wilderness.
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3-Yr Harvest: 27%
4-pt Harvest: 35%Open country unit with lower deer densities but great glassing opportunities. Good road access variability.
Keep this hit list handy during the First-Come-First-Served process on December 1, 2023. These top five hunting units match your preferred hunting methods, goals for your hunts, and terrain types that fit your skills and abilities.
Tags That Sell Out Early
These tags have sold out before 3:00 pm in 2021 and 2022
Units: 15, 10A, 19A, 21, 21A, 28, 30, 34, 35, 36A, 36B, 37, 37A
I do not recommend trying to acquire these to allow your whole hunting party a chance to join if they are available when you get through the system.
If there are none of the recommended tags available, you may acquire a different area’s tag and anticipate exchanging the tag for a turned-back license in one of these top five hit list areas.
WYOMING PRONGHORN REGULAR PRICE HIT LIST
YOUR HUNTS IN ORDER OF RECOMMENDED PRIORITY
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3-Yr Harvest: 82%
Dates: Oct - Oct 31, 2023
A classic far-eastern Wyoming pronghorn hunt that has significant State Lands for public access. Also utilize the Walk-In Hunting Areas to maximize this hunt. Medium-sized pronghorn expected, with slightly lower pronghorn numbers compared to other hunts.
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3-Yr Harvest: 83%
Dates: Oct 1 - Oct 14, 2023
A solid hunt in an area with some of Wyoming’s most abundant pronghorn herds to hunt. There are a lot of small public land parcels to hunt for pronghorn. Using GPS while hunting is a must given the small acreage of the public lands here, but success remains high even for public land hunters.
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3-Yr Harvest: 82%
Dates: Oct 5 - Oct 31, 2023
Large variety in terrain types and many of the public land areas will take more walking to access the pronghorn than other hunts. That said, the numbers are good, and access is decent for the points.
All of these license recommendations are being made with a 3 preference point average in the Regular draw and are based on 2023 hunter numbers, tag drawing odds, and season dates. These units may see changes before 2024 tag applications are due. Stay tuned for an update on tag availability and harvest success following 2024 season-setting meetings.
WYOMING MULE DEER REGULAR PRICE HIT LIST
YOUR HUNTS IN ORDER OF RECOMMENDED PRIORITY
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3-Yr Harvest: 65%
Dates: Oct 1 - Oct 14, 2023
Lower public access than the other units, this is an open country unit with better overall deer numbers than most mule deer hunts in Wyoming. It’s also a limited quota, and while there are a total of 400 licenses, it can be less crowded than a “Region” deer hunt.
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3-Yr Harvest: 55%
Dates: Oct 15 - Nov 5, 2023
This is one of Wyoming’s attainable late-season hunts with good public access and relatively strong numbers of deer. Expect cold, snowy conditions, and hunting timbered animals across most of the unit. Old deer are not common, but a nice 4-point is certainly possible. Hunt the tail end of the season to catch some rut activity.
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3-Yr Harvest: 53%
Dates: Oct 1 - Oct 14, 2023
There is a large variety in the terrain here from checkerboarded sage brush to aspen foothills to timber big mountains. Storms are critical to getting deer moving on this hunt, however, there are enough deer on this limited quota hunt to bring home meat for the freezer. This license has the best chance of a truly large mule deer, as it’s hunted very lightly with tough season dates and few tags.