How to go about antelope hunting for the first time?

[SgtTanner]

Lots of good info here.

I hunted unit 22 in 2018 and 2019. I don’t know what happened, since I don’t live in that area full time, but there were significantly fewer antelope there in 2019 than in 2018. I didn’t go out in 2020, so no current info.

Regarding the roads, the county maps are a good place to start. But there’s more to it. I found places on BLM that had gates up on two track. I called the local BLM office, asked them about it. They told me the oil and gas companies put signs up sometimes to keep people away from their equipment, but that these signs don’t carry the weight of law, and that as long as I’m sure I’m on BLM, I can unlatch them gate and drive on thru. I won’t go back, between the confusing road situation, and the decrease in antelope.

 

[DannyBump]

Don’t mess around with the archery option in SD, do it right. Pick a unit in eastern Wyoming where you can get a buck and 2 doe tags, there are plenty of them and even with limited public there will be antelope there


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Is it just not worth the effort to try with archery in SD?

 

[Andrew12gauge]

Is it just not worth the effort to try with archery in SD?

Getting close enough to shoot an antelope with a bow is a tall task and there are lots of places a guy can shoot a buck with a rifle in Wyoming without points and if you want to hunt archery show up a few days early and hunt archery til the opener then switch to rifle


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[flyfishmadison]

Colorado has OTC archery antelope tags for some units.

 

[Catchfish]

Am I the only person that is super confused by the Wyoming f&g site?

 

[ClearCreek]

Am I the only person that is super confused by the Wyoming f&g site?

What information are you trying to find out from the Wyoming G&F website?

ClearCreek

 

[Catchfish]

I've jumped on there a handful of times and never left understanding much, I was confused by the number of units, and their little program to find tags.

 

[manitou1]

It does help if you can make a summer trip out there and drive/hike around a bit to get familiar with some areas.
Most areas have sufficient numbers of animals to make a hunt. This past year some areas took a serious hit and we saw maybe 5-10% of the animals as normal (24 years of going to WY).
Seems most people buy a tag, drive around until they see some, then get out and shoot, or put a stalk on.
Most of us learned by just going out and doing it and learning as we went. It is fun and gives you a feeling of accomplishment. The first trip is intimidating, but after that you will find it isn't that hard.
Research which areas can be drawn with your points, or lack thereof, study maps or gps, call Fish and Game and pick their brains, then call the county road dept in that area to see what roads are public... many are NOT. Then go and learn.
If you don't have OnX or the like... or good maps, you probably shouldn't be walking or driving around out there as you will likely be breaking tresspass laws, so make sure and invest in one or the other.

 

[browning2480]

can i bring a 4 wheeler?

You can, but what I witnessed last year was Antelope will tolerate a vehicle quite a bit. I watched a guy coming in on an ATV and the herd that let me drive up fairly close to them, took off as soon as they heard the ATV. It happened everyday. There was a huge difference. You could tell when the ATV guys were coming. They had no clue the Antelope they were running off.

 

[DannyBump]

What a beaut!

 

[Jsmalls273]

Tagged for later, I’m planning the same thing this year.


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[Cheesehead]

Is it just not worth the effort to try with archery in SD?

Having done this only once, I’d say stalking antelope is a game of extremes when it comes to weapon choice. Rifle...easiest hunt in the west. Bow....super hard (their eyesight is really good).

 

[Greenbar]

Nice to hear some opinions on the eastern/ne Wyoming units. I’ve looked at them briefly myself but was afraid of the general lack of public land. Glad to hear it’s possible for folks to make it work anyway.

 

[bdg848]

My dad and I hunted in a certain eastern half unit, I'm not saying which, that can be drawn with 0-1 points and had a great hunt, plenty of stalks, saw a few decent bucks too.

 

[pattimusprime22]

I randomly applied for a rifle doe antelope tag in CO for 2019. Didn't know much of anything I was getting myself into, but had a great trip with my dad and came home with meat. In hindsight I would've done more research on public land access in the unit as we basically had a tiny wildlife area to hunt. Still, compared to chasing blacktail in CA, I'd put it in the comfortably easy category. Definitely a good place to start for a western hunt.

 

[Deano0686]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Jmahunter915]

I just did an archery antelope hunt in SD for my first antelope hunt it’s basically OTC and it was a blast pm me if you want details and I can help you out

Could you give me some tips. I am looking at going to wyoming this year for the first time. Hunted whitetail on east coast quite a bit, however never out west. Figured it would be a good practice run for some future elk hunts i am interested in. Still undecided on where to go or apply, but definitetly leaning towards archery season. Just sounds fun

 

[tbowers]

Since you don’t have a preference, go rifle. The song goes like this, thank me later.

Find a unit that is a 0 point unit.

Find a unit with mostly private and small blocks of public access.

Arrive opening day, get on those small slivers of accessible land and shoot your bucks.


I did it with a 12 year old kid for 3 years, a girl at that. Don’t over think WY....... shooting an antelope there doesn’t get any easier.

So this is the opposite experience from the 'Thunderdome' post that is pinned. Could be a circus, could be great. The reality is likely somewhere inbetween.

 

[Coveyleader]

So this is the opposite experience from the 'Thunderdome' post that is pinned. Could be a circus, could be great. The reality is likely somewhere inbetween.

I don't know what the "Thunderdome" post is, but speaking from experience, I'll add on to my post.

- It's always best to have the most public land possible, but with 0 points, not easy. So....... find the slivers etc.

- You will never get a perfect time to go. Every swinging Jerry on here is saying the winter killed all the antelope, and if the winter didn't get them the drought did. Just go! I really have to ask myself do these guys even hunt WY?

- Antelope with a rifle is about the easiest hunt in the West. Staying home thinking about the trip and all the doubts that come with it is for "not". When you get to WY, and you're done the first 1/2 hour of your hunt, you'll say to yourself "Why didn't I do this 10 years ago?"

- If you're rifle hunting, pick up the Doe tags as they're very cheap. When drove 1000 miles, and you're done after that first 1/2 hour, it's nice to put more excellent antelope in the freezer.

 

[tbowers]

I don't know what the "Thunderdome" post is, but speaking from experience, I'll add on to my post.

- It's always best to have the most public land possible, but with 0 points, not easy. So....... find the slivers etc.

- You will never get a perfect time to go. Every swinging Jerry on here is saying the winter killed all the antelope, and if the winter didn't get them the drought did. Just go! I really have to ask myself do these guys even hunt WY?

- Antelope with a rifle is about the easiest hunt in the West. Staying home thinking about the trip and all the doubts that come with it is for "not". When you get to WY, and you're done the first 1/2 hour of your hunt, you'll say to yourself "Why didn't I do this 10 years ago?"

- If you're rifle hunting, pick up the Doe tags as they're very cheap. When drove 1000 miles, and you're done after that first 1/2 hour, it's nice to put more excellent antelope in the freezer.

This is the post Im referencing that is pinned on here . For what its worth I've read a lot more stories of guys walking miles, driving hundreds and dealing with mainly frustration versus walking out and killing one in a half hour. Something to keep in mind is people are likely more apt to come on here and complain that they had a crappy hunt then give a bunch of details around a successful one. I'd agree to just go and control what you can control and enjoy some time outside. If you have a crappy time, go somewhere else next time. I take every perspective online good or bad with a grain of salt.

Beyond Thunderdome

Hi everyone, Thought I'd share a few thoughts about my first pronghorn hunt. By my calculations we spent 478% more time in the truck this trip than out of it. Didn't help we had a 20hr drive to WY but still a lot more truck time than we're used to. I wonder if anybody knows how much WY pays...

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