One of the nicest things about living in Wyoming is the amount of time we get for hunting. Some states have short seasons, and you only have seven days to go get your critter. Other states have one hunting season when everyone who is hunting is out in the field. Wyoming breaks it up so there aren’t as many people out there at one time, so you can find a spot where nobody else is. And with most of the licenses available, you get several weeks to try to get your game.
On top of that, we also have the option to hunt in the archery season with a bow. In some states, it’s either-or – you can only hunt with one or the other. But here, we can try our luck during the archery season, and if we’re not successful, we can go back with a rifle later in the year.
October First is a big opening day, though it’s not the first season opener. We had the opening of antelope archery season on August 15, and then a lot more archery areas for antelope, deer and elk opened on September 1. Rifle seasons for a few areas opened on the first of September, too. But with the October opener, nearly all the rest of the rifle seasons are now open.
Because we get plenty of time to hunt here, I generally stay home on opening day. There usually are more people out in the woods on the first days of the season, so I let those folks do their thing. Then when the bulk of the early season hunters are gone, that’s when I head out to see what’s left.
The critters tend to be a little more jumpy later, after they’ve been shot at a few times, but I’m OK with that. I almost always see plenty of game and have a great trip, even later in the season.
But if you’re an opening day person, good luck to you. I hope you have a great hunt. I’ll see you in a couple weeks if you’re still out there.
