Chase points or hunt?

[browning2480]

Last year was my first trip to WY on a one point unit. If you scout a day and get in on a herd at first light opening day its a cakewalk. We took two bucks and a doe in the first 15 min. Filled our sixth and final tag at last light day two. By the second day they are a completely different animal. We had 30+ groups marked on public from a day and a half of scouting and could find 6 of them on day two. Frustrating amounts of people at times. I shot my buck on a 500ac piece of state land that had 7 other people on it. Including a guy that came and sat 100yds away from me on the fenceline. Day two was a drag and I really felt for my buddy who still had a buck tag. He said we're never doing a 1pt unit again but a couple months later and we're already talking about the next trip. We've decided to build points in SD and MT while hunting WY as often as possible on 1-2pt units. That being said the quality of an SD hunt that takes several years to draw is about the same or worse than any easy draw unit in WY.

Same for us. We found some the day before and we were on them early opening day. Killed them quick and then killed two more evening of the first day. We had the same experience by the end of the second day. Antelope were mostly on private. We did manage to kill 9 before the end of the second day.

1 point unit also

 

[Tmac]

The answer for me is BOTH... Pick several options where you can hunt every year or every other year ish... You’ll hunt every year, often multiple times, learn an area (s) and likely have success. Then pick a couple states or species where you are a point builder, when you do draw, you’ll have a boiler plate for how to learn/hunt a newer area, maybe with a 2-4 day scout trip prior.

 

[Zim]

The answer for me is BOTH... Pick several options where you can hunt every year or every other year ish... You’ll hunt every year, often multiple times, learn an area (s) and likely have success. Then pick a couple states or species where you are a point builder, when you do draw, you’ll have a boiler plate for how to learn/hunt a newer area, maybe with a 2-4 day scout trip prior.

Yup, I apply in 8 states these days and usually draw about 2 tags. Rotate and repeat.

 

[Fordguy]

Im a relative newcomer to the points game. Currently I have 3 antelope points and 1 mule deer point. However, rather than just accumulate points I've applied each year in units that my points should have given me a good chance in. Each year after the draw I look at how many points those units took (low point units) and its consistently more than the year before. Gotta love point creep. Considering the special draw for next year.

 

[Rich M]

Lotsa variables - how big a deal is it to get there? I'm in FL. 30+ hours each way or fly. If yer young and got more juices flowing than this old man, you can go and get goats pretty easy.

Did the drive on a 0 point hunt couple years back. Saw and shot antelope.

Right now my group is on a 5 point plan. I have no desire to go do a combat antelope hunt again.

Quality to me means less people and more public land that holds antelope. I don't care about the big ones - will gladly let someone else shoot an ungainly looking 80+ incher while I shoot a symmetrical smaller one.

We're hoping for WY in 2024 or 2025. Hoping we can get the draw in WY - will apply 2024 and if don't get it then, should get it 2025 or maybe even 2026. Might try to do a combination deer and antelope hunt, depends. We have deer points too.

After that I'm gonna start collecting points for the year I retire, be 10+ points for antelope only.

 

[Jimss]

If you aren't picky about quality of bucks I would recommend drawing a tag ASAP. If you want B&C or nothing it may be worth waiting for a quality tag. I grew up in Wyo and have hunted there since I was a kid. There are units and counties in Wyo that you likely have close to 0 chance of harvesting a B&C buck. As stated above the units with more public land that historically produce B&C quality bucks generally require a lot more pref pts to draw.

With that said, just because a unit requires close to max pts to draw doesn't necessarily mean it will have many/if any B&C bucks in any given year. As an example, unit 57 is noted for B&C bucks and is one of the toughest units in Wyo to draw. Last winter was one of the toughest winters in that and other units along the I80 corridor than they've had for years. If you waited years for a 57 tag and drew in 2020 you would likely be very disappointed. You may still have the chance to find a B&C buck but it likely would take a lot longer to find one...if there was one there! That same thing happened to me several years in unit 64 (another high demand unit). There had been winterkill a couple years before I drew as well as several years of historic drought. I had a super tough hunt but finally went home with a 80" buck.

A lot of hunters don't realize that antelope bucks can reach B&C proportions at only 3 1/2 yrs old. It doesn't take near as long for antelope bucks to grow whopper horns as mule deer and elk. If you are serious about harvesting a B&C antelope in Wyo and have waited years for a tag it is important to keep tabs on winter, drought, fawn recruitment, etc. Conditions and quality of bucks available can change dramatically from one year to the next. It's also important to have knowledge about antelope bucks. A lot of hunters also may not know that bucks born in years with drought or stress are likely born with small diameter bases. From that time on in their life they have thin horns. The opposite is true for bucks born in years with great conditions. I have harvested some of my highest scoring B&C bucks in years with historic drought....and never could figure out why? This is just another reason why it's important to keep tabs on local conditions!

With that said, I try to keep in the back of my head the previous 3+ year conditions that exist in units I'm interested in applying for. Sometimes these conditions stay consistent for years but with a winter like last year buck quality is dramatically impacted in certain regions.

Another super important thing is field judging. Pronghorn are one of the toughest critters in North America to field judge. If you wait 14 years for a tag and don't know how to judge bucks or have poor quality glass you are pretty much screwed! It often takes an incredible amount of patience passing up hundreds of bucks trying to find the one special B&C buck! Mass is everything for horned game score. When 6" bases are mediocre and 7" bases are huge you can see where it may take a while how to figure out the minute inch differences that make or break B&C score.

If you are super lucky and draw tag in a good year in the right unit you may have the luxury of picking between several B&C bucks! That doesn't happen very often but I happen to know several units like that where I scouted this year! Some Wyo regions were loaded with quality bucks, some had virtually 0 antelope, others had a lot of extremely massive young 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 bucks that will be literally amazing in a couple years (if winters are ok).

These are a few factors to keep in the back of your head when deciding whether it's worth waiting for tags. A lot of hunters don't realize all the factors that go into producing whopper antelope bucks.

 

[eaglemountainman]

Some good points here ^^^^^^

 

[Trial153]

I dont see why they are mutually exclusive

 

[Rich M]

The 0-1-2 point units are all the same - find the critters, be sitting on them at first light opening day - you got one. Great. Day 2 or 3 no critters and a bunch of guys running around frantically.

 

[Seamaster]

That works well unless there are other guys camped out on the same pronghorn on the opening morning. One opening morning I had three other groups of guys, coming from three different directions, trying to stalk the same little band of pronghorns that I had found when scouting. I just sat back and watched the race.

 

[Rich M]

That works well unless there are other guys camped out on the same pronghorn on the opening morning. One opening morning I had three other groups of guys, coming from three different directions, trying to stalk the same little band of pronghorns that I had found when scouting. I just sat back and watched the race.

It happens a lot, I'm sure.

The year I went, we had planned to camp on a big piece of BLM. There were 6 or 8 camps within 200 yards of the road. Looked at each other and said, let's go look elsewhere...

 

[Andrew12gauge]

Man, my experience in 1 zero point unit over a couple of years has been vastly different than others. We stayed at an Airbnb in town due to the fact that my 89 year old grandfather was hunting with us. Opening morning my dad and I in my truck, Grandpa and uncle in grandpas truck all drive on same main road through unit, didn’t quite make it to where we wanted to be at first light and watched a buck chase a doe across the road on some state land. Park the trucks get out, found that buck and doe, no shot, they headed down and joined up with another band and we played a cat and mouse game with them for about 1/2 hr to an hour before they end up on a piece of private. Back to the trucks and head on up the road to where we originally planned to hunt. By this time it’s 1 1/2 hrs after first light and there’s a buck and 10 does out there feeding, dad sneaks up to the top of a knoll and knocks down his buck. Turn around and across the road on another piece of BLM another band with a small buck comes over a rise. Dad go take care of your buck, I’ll go try and get a doe. Over the next rise and they’re already gone. Oh well back to help dad, game warden is here now and so are uncle and grandpa. Game warden checks tags, I’m glassing and there’s another group of antelope about 1/2 mile out, uncle and I head out and there’s a nice buck in the group. Uncle has no shot so I knock him down. 2 bucks down on public land on opener. Get both bucks back to the trucks. Dad and Grandpa head one way now and uncle and I head another. Grandpa gets his 1st doe, uncle and I play cat and mouse with some more and he misses a decent buck. It’s about noon so we head back to town. Eat lunch and check out some other areas where we hadn’t seen many antelope in the evening, still none there. Day 2 we are a little behind schedule again in the morning, right at 1st light, nice buck 20 yards off the road on BLM, hurry up let’s get over this rise. There he is 50 yds out, uncle shoots another buck down. Text Dad to let him know, he responds with hurry and come help us get Grandpas buck skinned too. Rest of morning we found 2 more does. Headed back for a nice antelope tenderloin dinner late that afternoon/evening. Day 3 cold windy and miserable, antelope didn’t seem to be moving at all, we were hardly even seeing any on private land driving between tracts of land. Dad and Grandpa manage to find a couple groups of does bedded in secluded spots throughout the day and fill their remaining 3 doe tags, uncle and I play cat and mouse with more but end up empty handed for the day and quickly tire of burning gas going from one section to the next looking for does in miserable weather, tomorrow will be better weather let’s have a nice relaxing afternoon. Day 4, all 4 of us pile into 1 truck. Only 2 doe tags left. Heading out to our usual hunting grounds and come across a doe and buck out on state land. Sneak up to snow drift fence, makes a nice rest. Doe goes down, head out to gut her and another doe comes walking up our way, uncle takes her and we are tagged out by about 8:30 on day 4 with 12 antelope. In total we had 1 stalk buggered by other hunters and probably 2-3 times where animals we were moving on crossed onto private land. All in all a fun hunt and lots of good meat. All 4 bucks were just about clones and mine scored 68” so he’s not going book but he will look good on the wall. So in my opinion, if you want to hunt antelope don’t waste 10-15 years saving points, draw what you can and go hunt. There’s no shortage of animals, the action is usually fast and they taste great.


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[wapitibob]

I'll stay home before I go on a hunt that requires me to sit on an animal and shoot at first light on day one.

 

[hutty]

As someone who also lives in Maryland, I would say hunt and don't worry about chasing the points. I couldn't draw buck antelope this year where i hunt in wyoming but 10 minutes away was another unit I could left over doe tags for. I went hunting. In the end I would rather have memories and adventures than a few extra inches of horn or antler.

 

[CObywayofUSAF]

I would just hunt personally.

 

[earrow]

been chasing wyo elk points for awhile about ready to burn them for different area been waiting to long

 

[WILungbuster]

I would rather hunt a unit/species multiple times instead of build points for a once in a lifetime hunt.

 

[go_deep]

I'm hunting.

 

[Elk Dreamer]

My son and I were chasing certain units but never could catch up. Last year decided to
apply for a solid unit that we were pretty much assured to draw and had a great time. Sure
as hell beats not hunting and always saying next year.

 

[Isaacaugedahl]

Go hunting!

Definitely go hunting