Less crowded wmu for sheep

Danwelder · #1 10-12-2017, 05:20 PM

Hello
Don't know if I'll get an answer for this, but I would like to start hunting sheep and was wondering where some of the quieter areas are. I know I'm late for this year but would like to figure something out for next year for scouting and eventually a hunt. I just hear of a lot of areas are overcrowded. I know this year on my moose hunt the area had 5 times more hunting traffic. Just kind of ruins the peacefulness of waking up, stocking the wood stove in the outfitter tent to make coffee and get dressed for a morning hunt on foot and out of nowhere you hear quads zip by 50 feet on the cut line right by camp. Almost makes a guy feel rushed. Now I'm not looking for the sweet spots or your honey hole,just a place I can hike and spend 2 weeks maybe more and not see too many people. Don't know how many outfitters and hunters are in the willmore area but is that my best luck or?

Thanks

fish_e_o · #2 10-12-2017, 05:29 PM

Wilmore is packed.

I honestly think that the only places that aren't packed for sheep hunting aren't legal to hunt in or don't have sheep.

Mountain Guy · #3 10-12-2017, 05:33 PM

Not trying to be rude but.....
You want to know where you could go where there's less hunters?
If you go there'll be one more hunter there that the other hunters have to work around

Sorry but I think you might have to figure this one out on your own.

LJalberta · #4 10-12-2017, 05:35 PM

You'll probably have better luck finding a quieter area if you avoid the opening week as well. Although I'm still new to sheep hunting, so I'm not sure exactly when the least busy part of the season is.

Danwelder · #5 10-12-2017, 05:41 PM

I get what your saying. I don't really care if I even see one. Just to get out and be in an area where there is not a hunter in every mountain. I know the more successful areas will usually be a lot buisier. I should have asked which wmus have an overcrowding number of hunters so I could focus on the less busier areas.

Mountain Guy · #6 10-12-2017, 05:48 PM

To be honest...get out in the hills. Go a range or 2 in and stay away from main trails...say back pack hunt, and you will find that you don't run into that many hunters.

Jadham · #7 10-12-2017, 05:55 PM

In the last 8-10 years, once I've left my truck, I have only twice ever met another hunter while big game hunting in the mountains or the woods, including some pretty "common" sheep areas...

Danwelder · #8 10-12-2017, 06:02 PM

Thanks guys that's what I wanted to hear. I just wanted to know that you can still get away from it all.

Luckwell · #9 10-12-2017, 06:18 PM

Hey Dan. If you willing to walk out for a few days with a back pack you will get away from the crowds. We used to hunt sheep with horses. Problem with that is it’s easy and only so many trails, so we bumped into a lot of people. Seems to me two feet and a heart beat is the way to go if you want to get away from it all. It’s way more work, but the adventure feels better looking back at it all.

Good luck man, feel free to PM me if you have any more questions about gear and such.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

West O'5 · #10 10-12-2017, 06:22 PM

WMUs 102,116,118,119 😂

alpineguy · #11 10-12-2017, 06:26 PM

Some of the least hunted areas are the most obvious............think about that when choosing an area.
Also and as mentioned above, opening week is a gong show almost everywhere. I personally like to go anywhere from mid Sept. through to the end of the season.

srs123 · #12 10-12-2017, 06:31 PM

Wmu 999. I hunt it there every year

cschache · #13 10-12-2017, 07:56 PM

Some of the most productive areas to harvest an animal are the ones that everybody travels by to get to the common areas.

guywiththemule · #14 10-12-2017, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpineguy

Some of the least hunted areas are the most obvious............think about that when choosing an area.
Also and as mentioned above, opening week is a gong show almost everywhere. I personally like to go anywhere from mid Sept. through to the end of the season.

This ^^^.

Don K · #15 10-13-2017, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by srs123

Wmu 999. I hunt it there every year

Haha! You too!?!? So many applicants for that zone and I've yet to see a hunter!! Lol

Seriously though, every mile you hike in from a road or trail you will see an exponential drop in the number of hunters. When we used to hunt a certain couple mountain zones quite regularly we would see A LOT of hunters and camps along the trunk road and at staging areas. Get in a few hours and you literally see no one...

3 hours to a day hike in and set up camp. From there the world is your oyster. You won't see many guys. Try to stay clear of Horse trails and key on zones where the off roaders aren't as well.

kbjohn · #16 10-13-2017, 05:41 PM

You could try WMU 148. I have never seen a sheep hunter there!

Akoch · #17 10-13-2017, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kbjohn

You could try WMU 148. I have never seen a sheep hunter there!

You think you're funny but I've run into sheep in 148, apparently they were on the run for a couple weeks. Managed to get a hold of the right people to see that they got back behind a fence.