The 2022 mule deer season, as always, was a great privilege that came with plenty of adventure and challenge.  Success was something we had to fight for.  Here at NTO we took the fewest number of mule deer hunters in our 21 year career.  The point creep caught many of our booked clients this year.  We shared the mountain with some incredible hunters and made some once in a lifetime memories.  We took a handful of great bucks.  We gave our ALL to the clients that trusted us with their Wyoming hunting goals.  We started the season with scouting knowledge of some great bucks scattered in the 170-190 inch range, still no bucks in the 200 inch category in the areas we typically hunt.  The mild winter and spring conditions produced optimal horn growth.  This optimal horn growth stood out for bucks that had the age class with amazing genetics.  We were able to harvest several of the amazing bucks we had located from scouting.  Some of our pre-scouted bucks were killed by other hunters and Outfitters.  We wounded and lost a large non typical buck with a drop tine, heart breaking to say the least.  We took a super heavy non typical buck that has an amazing hunt story of guide heroism with fast action that saved lives.  Unfortunately an accident on that hunt resulted in the death of two horses.  We praise God that no people were hurt!  After all of our clients were taken care of, I was able to help my 12 year old daughter kill an amazing buck!  Way to go Aspen!!  Hunting together is one of the greatest privileges that a father can experience with a child, in my opinion.

Here is my honest assessment of the finest mule deer herd in Wyoming.  To give context, the primary areas that we hunt in region G represent the heart of the western Wyoming mule deer herd.  In these areas we see the largest concentration of buck numbers anywhere in the unit.  The yearly trend that we have seen in these core areas has been a substantial increase in hunting pressure by resident, non resident, DIY and legal and illegal outfitters combined.  The increased pressure in these key areas has taken a toll on the number of bucks that have the age class and genetics to produce the trophies that have made western Wyoming famous.  The remaining bucks with age class and genetics have multiple hardcore hunters scouting and hunting them each year.  All of this is resulting in fewer and fewer true trophy opportunities for all.  Although clearly, there were some tremendous trophies taken in Western Wyoming in 2022, the majority of these bucks came from fringe areas, or areas that have not seen as much spike in recent hunting pressure.  Several of the giants that came out of Western Wyoming also came from region H.  Overall ,Wyoming's finest mule deer herd is still struggling to produce the number of trophy bucks that we have considered normal in the past.  The winter grounds are reflective of the increased harvest and pressure, with fewer big giant bucks visible.  I personally don’t see any change in the management of this great herd on the horizon either.  This trend seems to be our new normal.  So, what we see now is what we get.  There are a fair number of young up-and-coming bucks in the herd.  There could be some great bucks to hunt in the coming years, but winters and pressure will determine how many.

The question I get often is what do hunters do with a decade or more of points and dreams of a giant Wyoming buck?  Here is my opinion, there are dang few other options in Wyoming that still have the potential or the overall experience that we see here in western Wyoming.  Because I personally don’t believe real change is coming, the only real option that seems clear is to do our best with the amazing privilege to hunt Western Wyoming that we have today.  A recommendation for those that decide to hunt western Wyoming is to come with realistic expectations on what this hunt is still able to produce.  This hunt still offers; adventure, challenge, epic scenery and a CHANCE at a true trophy, still a tremendous gift with the right mindset.