Pronghorn State Ranking

[ckrhtr]

Wow that is one beautiful tall pronghorn buck with some hooks and good prongs to boot. Congratulations on your trophy speed goat. I was looking at the draw odds in Nevada and to break 10% for rifle is 7 points and archery is 4 points. Definitely would be in my mid to long term plan. Thank you.

Thanks! Unfortunately that is the one I have to beat, my wife shot that one several years ago when she drew with 0 points. I currently have 8 points and still waiting

 

[ForrestGuy82]

Thanks! Unfortunately that is the one I have to beat, my wife shot that one several years ago when she drew with 0 points. I currently have 8 points and still

You are welcome. Oh I see a little friendly marital competition. Difficult to compete when even as a resident you haven't been able to compete. Even though I am not huge on score it is neat to know. What did her's score?

 

[ckrhtr]

You are welcome. Oh I see a little friendly marital competition. Difficult to compete when even as a resident you haven't been able to compete. Even though I am not huge on score it is neat to know. What did her's score?

The only thing I have taped is length which is 16.5. I don’t think it makes 80 just because it is light on mass. The year that we hunted was a drought year so I think that played into the lack of mass. My taxidermist said that it was the largest bodied goat he had ever mounted, took the largest form and he still had a lot of filling to do to.

 

[ForrestGuy82]

That is awesome and I figured he was in that 16 inch tall range. Not heavy but tall. Still rather impressive. Being a big bodied goat is even better since that is the tasty part and adds to more meat.

 

[Page Master]

I have a goal to hunt pronghorn in every state that I can DIY style with any weapon type. I may cut out California, Oregon, Washington, but would include all the other western states (CO, WY, ID, NV, NM, UT, AZ, MT) as well as South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and possibly Oklahoma (although that looks more like a landowner permission hunt)
The criteria would be including; hunt quality, animal population aka opportunities, public land access, tag price, ease of drawing a tag. I am not a big trophy hunter, but a 70+ class buck that represents the species would be nice.
I am from West Virginia so I can only go hunting out west once a year maybe for 10-14 days. So making a short term plan, mid term, and long term plan is important. One could even include season types (early archery, muzzleloader, rifle, OTC, Limited Draw, etc) in each term category. Which states would you put in each category for someone who doesn't live out west and why? I know Wyoming is obviously king and where most start first.
Thanks for any help, guidance and suggestions.

Sincerely,
Forrest

Short term would be the 980 tags (908?) in MT. They're almost statewide archery tags used for population control. Archery only

Mid term would be buying points for CO and WY so you can get into a 5-6pt unit and wait for a B&C animal.

Long term is applying for NM and hoping it pays off one day, or instead of giving the states money for buying draw apps and points, saving that money in a piggy bank and buying a landowner tag in NM, OK or TX with known goats of B&C size. Most people don't consider that option, but by time you buy 5-10pts, buy your licenses to apply, buy your antelope tag and game permit it is the same if not higher than paying an outfit 2-3.5k for private land. You can't use as many hashtags, but it is just as fun.

 

[elkman224]

New Mexico = big goats. 2 years and 2 bucks over 83

 

[russnutt209]

This is a cool thread I am at 14 points here in CA I am putting in for the archery hunts so Hopefully I draw. Hoping to try my luck in Idaho this year for them. Only hunted them once 15 years ago in southern Colorado when I was in the Army. We got private land access and it was fun.

 

[Sandhillshunter]

I love hunting WY and NE. But NM is the place I want to goat hunt.

I actually have 7 or 8 points for WY and need to start planning. As I would like to use those in 2022.

 

[SteveW1473]

I cant speak for other states. I have had 2 tags in UT both archery and both tags filled.

 

[gilby]

SD has OTC archery antelope tags. My roommate from college was able to fill his tag out there this past fall.

 

[pyle762]

Just a little insight. I live in AZ and have 21 points and gohunt says I only have a .6% chance at the unit I apply for.

Goat tags in AZ have almost reached sheep status. I got tired of not getting drawn and started trying for a muzzleloader tag. Finally got a tag and killed that guy

<-

 

[7JK]

I agree it’s ridiculous. Congrats on a stud antelope. I’ve considered an archery tag but at this point I might as well ride it out.

 

[saguaro1]

The draws odds for AZ might be tough to swallow but once drawn the quality of hunt is definitely there.

 

[Extrapale]

I figured that was one of the two options. I didn't realize that AZ had that many people, but I also knew that they didn't have as low a person population as Wyoming and high a pronghorn population either. Thank you for a simple clarification.

Assuming you have no AZ points now, you will never draw a pronghorn tag there in the bonus pass. There are thousands ahead of you and only a handful of tags. More applicants are probably quitting hunting or dieing than being removed from the pool by drawing a tag.

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[saguaro1]

so your saying there's a chance! Dang T, knowing your a #s guy that kinda puts it in perspective for everyone.

 

[Extrapale]

Yep, you can always pull a random tag.

I have 9 points for pronghorn. I hope to draw before 40 points and 80 years old. There are thousands of applicants between my 9 points and 0.

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[Extrapale]

so your saying there's a chance! Dang T, knowing your a #s guy that kinda puts it in perspective for everyone.

There us definitely a chance for residents and lifetime licenses holders Caleb. Us regular lowly non residents need some luck though.

I was never apply to AZ pronghorn if it wasn't for the elk hunting and required license.

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[fiskeri1]

I didn't draw this tag in AZ with 3 points and no one should ever apply for goat tags there.

 

[ForrestGuy82]

I didn't draw this tag in AZ with 3 points and no one should ever apply for goat tags there.

Oh wow that is a bruiser of a buck. Congratulations on him, I bet that was a fun hunt and I bet that you felt like the luckiest guy in the world drawing that tag. It almost seems to me that with the draw odds so close from someone with 3 to 20 points with a little luck and lots of research one could find a gem and draw. Was that a bonus pass draw or a leftover turned back in tag I wonder?

 

[fiskeri1]

Oh wow that is a bruiser of a buck. Congratulations on him, I bet that was a fun hunt and I bet that you felt like the luckiest guy in the world drawing that tag. It almost seems to me that with the draw odds so close from someone with 3 to 20 points with a little luck and lots of research one could find a gem and draw. Was that a bonus pass draw or a leftover turned back in tag I wonder?

Thanks! Yes that's exactly how I felt, drawing arguably the best antelope tag in the country. It was a random draw, according to GoHunt roughly 1 in 10,000 odds. At the time they showed 24 points for a NR to draw, now it doesn't have NR stats, but 19 points for residents.