Wyoming Deer J

Bogboy, Sounds like You got some fun stuff planned. 10sign: Can't wait to hear more about it.

Randy, Congrats on drawing your E-7 cow tag. :thumb Sounds like you have some serious hunting planned.

Wayne & Hiker,
After a short elk hunt in MT in 2006 with my oldest son Jim(35) I realized I would have to try it again while I was still able bodied enough to get it done....Last year my grandson had a bout with cancer (which by the way he is winning, thank the good Lord)...that foiled any elk hunting plans we might have made last year...instead my youngest son Mike and I made a short, wonderful and sucessful trip to WY for lope and mulie....This year I told all my sons of my plans to elk hunt and they could not confirm that they would be able to make it at elk application time so I told them after the elk draw they still would have time to get in the the lope and deer draw but as of now they have told me that they are unable to make the trip....Jim has made other plans to do an archery elk hunt with friends and cannot afford to make two trips.........
So here is my plan if God is willing,...I am going to try and combine the cow elk hunt with deer and lope all in a two week window....Deer J makes sense because it encompasses the Elk-7 area the lope area will be close by if I draw, probably 47, 30, 103 or 42....maybe A39 if anybody has any info I could use....
Last year I learned that dry ice is an expensive method of keeping meat cool ....I plan on bring a small freezer (full of ice to begin with) and using a generator (sparingly I hope)and hopefully some cooler weather in mid October to keep the meat cool/cold/frozen....
Our trip to MT in 2006 proved successful with Jim bagging a nice spike bull...but the packing out proved to me that I am not a young man anymore....We boned all the meat and caped it on the spot but with all of our gear it made for a pack heavier than I would try to carry again(my pack probably weighed 75lbs.).....I am estimating that it will take me at least 4 trips to pack out the boned meat of a cow out (50 lb packs).....So being that I am limiting my hunts to within 3 or 4 miles of where I camp.....The elevation where we hunted in MT was between 6 & 8000 feet in the Little Belts....The pack of Jim's bull was from 8000 feet where he shot it all down hill to 6200 feet if I remember right and it was treacherous...especially because half of it was in the dark.....I fell once slipping on a wet branch....my wrist hurt for over one year....The elevations I have been looking at in E7 are in that same 7-9000 foot bracket.....I know it won't be easy but I am going to try....
The antelope in my freezer is all but gone so I would like to get some more of those tasty critters....
I have tried for a respectable mule deer a few times now, way back in 80 & 82 in the Black Hills of SD...I settled for a whitey both times....in MT and WY I passed on smaller ones both years I think the quality of the hunt is more important than just killing something......I don't need big antlers to gauge my success either...I would just like to get a good chance at a decent mulie....
So thats my plan so far....Help me tear it apart and put it all back together so that it has a good chance of working.....
Thanks for your support,
Randy

Randy, sounds to me like you got the important parts figured out. The having fun and there is SO much more to a trip then getting a trophy animal. I know exactly what your talking about, as far as packing out meat. MAN I've done it. I haven't sent for any applications yet, but I better decide soon. the 15th will be here before long.

More later, Wayne

Randy,
Sounds like you have a great plan. Amen on your grandson doing better.. [-o<

Have you checked out renting a local meat locker? You can pick it up after season is over, for the trip home.

Thanks for the encouragement guys.....Hiker I haven't checked out the Meat Lockers but I have made arrangements with one of our fellow members to plug the freezer in at his place if need be so I think I can keep the meat cold, that is if I find any to harvest..... :)
Thanks again if any one else has any more info on E7, DeerJ or antelope 47, 30 and 39 I am all ears....
Later,
Randy