Late Season Antelope

[Wallace]

I might burn some points this year for Antelope, I prefer wing shooting over big game, so the plan is to bring the dog and chase ducks and upland birds through a couple of states.

I know rifle Antelope hunting isn't the most challenging hunt in the world during the first week of the season. Is it still pretty good later in the season, or are most of the groups pushed onto private land?

 

[Kurts86]

I would say it depends on the unit. The big chunks of drivable public will be pretty cleaned out but smaller pieces next to private will hold pronghorn.

Your stalk plan has to be really dialed later in the season, I’ve seen pronghorn bust stalks at 1,000 yards a month into the season they way they might have at 200 or 400 yards opening week. Having a little more elevation change and less sage flats is your friend later in the season. My favorite stalks have been late season hunts, you just don’t get to be as picky about bucks and you might get 2 stalks a day instead of 6 stalks before lunch opening day.

 

[Bearded Bowhunter]

There are some cons to late season. Primarily that some of the bigger, more accessible bucks will have been killed already, they will be more spooky and sometimes if they are herded up tight getting a shot isn't as easy. That being said, I prefer to hunt them late because in my experience, you are competing with far fewer hunters than the first week or two of the season, and in any decent unit, you will still have plenty of bucks to sort through.