First time Antelope

[WNCHunter]

Hey long time reader first time posting. Lots of valuable info to be had on this site. With that being said looking for some info on taking a first time antelope hunt. Son will be graduating and has asked for a trip out west. Which state would have the best balance of getting a license/ success rate? What are the best chances in their most eastern range? Thanks a lot guys!

 

[Kurts86]

Do you have pointed banked in any state? Wyoming has around 75% of all the pronghorn so it’s the logical choice but getting a tag is a 3-5+ point proposition for even a marginal unit.

Otherwise NM is the best choice to buy your way into a tag next year. It will just cost a few thousands dollars/person.

Look into the dates of pronghorn posts because those tags were leftovers 10 years ago and now they are fairly scarce due to population declines and increased interest.

 

[WNCHunter]

No points. This is all new to me. Prefer to do a public land hunt. Have hunted CO for elk but starting to seem like the antelope may be tougher to acquire tags for than elk.

 

[Kurts86]

The points to draw a pronghorn unit are directly proportional to the amount of public land access and the easy to acquire ones are going to require private land access/outfitter.

Yes it’s way easier to get a Colorado elk save for the high demand ones than a Pronghorn tag. Pronghorn hunts have really gone from an easy to acquire hunt to a novelty twice a decade kind of thing.

 

[Idahobugler]

Take a few years and build points, or like mentioned above pay to play in NM.

 

[JREG19]

If I were you, heck if I was me, I'd look into some where like Duck Valley Indian Reservation in Idaho and Nevada. There website is outdated but it says in 2018 it was $4k for 2 hunters and 1 guide. I have heard it's gone up some but not too much. That'd be a quick and relatively inexpensive way to get a tag.

 

[Rich M]

Run you 3-3.5k/each for guided wy hunt.

If not guided, get into buying points. Min 3-5 yrs til you hunt.

 

[dirtytough]

I would apply in eastern Montana. Then I would also find a unit in Wyoming that you might be able to squeak into if applying in the special draw. And if you can’t draw with zero points you still have a chance in the random.

You can also try to find ranches that you can pay a trespass fee instead of a fully guided hunt.

 

[SageOcean24]

If it absolutely has to be this year and you are okay with a low success rate Idaho has some units with unlimited archery tags even for non-residents.