lion hunting around gillette wy?

[Bplott]

anyone ever hunt lion around gillette wy?

[brandon]

You'll find a cat or two in the Rochelle Hills and an occasional cat around the Pumpkin Buttes but north west of Gillette the Fortification always has a few hanging around and the pine ridges down by Midwest will have a few. If your set on running cats and headed for Northeast WY you might as well save some gas money and hunt the Black Hills. That's the highest population in the state right now and probably for quite a while if South Dakota doesn't change their regulations.

[guy54]

Ditto to what Brandon said. The Black Hills I have heard is the hot spot for lions right now.

[Ezra]

I'm from the Blk hills and yes we got more cats in the hills thananywhere I've been its crazyi live rite on the edge in Rapid City,no trouble finding a track anywhere from Bearlodge,to lusck,but that in its self is the biggest problem,there are a few fellas who have dogs in newcastle and a few in hulet,so those ol boys fill the quotea rite away and ur stuck traveling,unless your crazy and don't wait for snow and get the jump on them like we are,lol my partner ponyed the huge sum for an out of state tag so,we will b roading and rigging,I say that with crossed fingers

[Bplott]

i have a brother that lives in gillette that wants me to bring the pack up there and catch him a cat....just wondered about wolfs and how your lion population was holding up....It would have to be a 15" tom before i would let him harvest one over my dogs and he knows it

[brandon]

If you're only going to let him shoot a 15" tom then you might want to take him hunting in another state!!! We very rarely get a tom with a 15" skull anywhere in Wyoming even if it is lucky enough to live to maturity we just don't seem to have the genetics that produce big pumpkin heads. The Seminoes, and Green & Ferris Mountain are probably your best bets for a trophy tom due to the terrible wind that makes hunting all that country a huge pain in the butt, it also allows cats live to a ripe old age and if you can get a snow without much wind you're pretty much guaranteed several tracks to choose from. Laramie peak is another good trophy area but the private and public lands and so broken up and in a lot of areas not marked very well so its easy o trespass unless you really know the area. If you have your heart set on a 15" skull I'll tell you again and maybe save you some gas money hunt another state because we don't produce many book toms, there are a lot of toms that might weigh 140-165 lbs killed every year but if the measurer is honest they just don't quite make 15"

[ellsbury]

The black hills dosen't have any more cats than alot of areas in the state, just better access. Cats get killed off to fast there to see any big ones come out of there ( but there are good toms there). I have seen only a handful of 15+ inch toms in this state that that quality of tom would produce it in other states. I have never hunted the Gillete area but I have heard good things of the areas north of there.

[Big Horn Posse]

there are some big toms here in WY. Here are some I treed. It is the same as anywhere.... just gotta get lucky Both those cats in the tree were on dry ground 60 degree weather. the BIG track I couldnt turn out on cause it was heading to private, but a Sheridan houndsman was able to and it was 190 plus pounds. Cant remember who got him. Think it was Greg Hartman, but dont quote me on that.

[Bplott]

well just maybe me and this pack of mangy old plotts going to have to take a trip to that part of wyoming and see what we can find????

[Big Horn Posse]

give me a call if you come up and you can come hunt with me if you want. (307)388-5411

[Bplott]

thinkn it will be around xmas or new yrs..depend when my bro has time off

[Ezra]

SD sure does have pumpkin heads,I swear they know where the state line is,was south of Buela this morning,nothing worth shooting in thw wyo side,but we are dry grounding these cats so no snow to tell size,but you'll find a huge male east of newcastle,but good luck there's a reason he's so dang big,that distric fills fast so don't count on it

[Bplott]

what does it take for non res to hunt in S.dakota?

[Big Horn Posse]

Last I heard you could not hunt lions in SD with hounds. Unless that changed then you would be wasting your time

[Ezra]

It'll take an act of God to hunt SD side of the blk hills,but like I said they don't drift across the line much,and locals fill quota pretty quick,probably not worth the effert,that's why we been drygrounding,trying to get a month jump on locals,lol lots of juvinals on wyo side,lots of pics,have yet to harvest one