Trying Wyoming Antelope First Time

[joshuapatricksmith299@gma]

I'm a life-long Michigan hunter. I've always wanted to try to hunt antelope in Wyoming. I'm a DIY guy. I've got 4 preference points. The hardest part to research so far has been figuring out what hunting units have public access. Wyoming is a heck of lot trickier than Michigan. I don't care about trophies at this point. I would just like to find somewhere I can access, and camp out in my truck for a few days. I don't mind walking 10+ miles a day. Does anyone have advice on which hunting units I should focus my research on. I'd appreciate it.
Josh

 

[Miflatlander91]

All the units have antelope don’t stress too much especially if you’re not being picky. I also wouldn’t get hung up on finding giant public sections they move a lot I’ve had better luck being mobile. Go out and have fun it’s a blast!


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[Bandit16]

I'm a life-long Michigan hunter. I've always wanted to try to hunt antelope in Wyoming. I'm a DIY guy. I've got 4 preference points. The hardest part to research so far has been figuring out what hunting units have public access. Wyoming is a heck of lot trickier than Michigan. I don't care about trophies at this point. I would just like to find somewhere I can access, and camp out in my truck for a few days. I don't mind walking 10+ miles a day. Does anyone have advice on which hunting units I should focus my research on. I'd appreciate it.
Josh

Take a look at OnX. You can overlay the hunting units and see where public land is. Focus on national forest or national grasslands and you can camp about anywhere near a service road in those.


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[Dexter Grayson]

Just pick a unit you can draw, draw the tag and go hunt. You’ll kill a goat.

 

[wapitibob]

draw odds and the hunt planner unit maps have everything you need

 

[7RemMag]

I live in Northeast Wyoming. I don’t want to step on toes, but I don’t necessarily know that I would agree with all of the information that’s being provided on this specific thread.

I don’t know what your odds look like as a nonresident with 4 points. Antelope CAN be found in much of Wyoming, but you would do well to do plenty of research before making a decision.

My Dad, Sister, And two friends (one being a first time hunter) are all residents in Wyoming and drew type one tags in an area here in NE Wyoming last fall, and we hunted our rears off. My sister finally closed the deal on a small buck the last weekend of the season. My Dad finally got frustrated and killed a doe. One of the friends mentioned killed a doe(he bought an extra tag) and a small buck. The days hunted per kill had to be in excess of 10-15 days. Due to the pressure and land access, and a massive fire that burned over a third of the unit, it was not an overly enjoyable hunt. Nonresidents can get the same tag with 2 points. We all agreed that we would not be likely to hunt that area again.

One important thing to note though, is that we saw lots of goats in archery season. We’re primarily firearms hunters, but the newbie really wanted to try for a goat with a bow. We were able to make plays on lots of antelope in the archery season, but never quite sealed the deal.

Feel free to PM me if you’d like. I can provide a little more information.

 

[elkguide]

Welcome to the forum.
Hope that you stick around after this question doesn't give you an exact location.

 

[bdan68]

With only 4 points you might want to apply in the special draw. You'll be able to draw an area with plenty of public land to hunt. In the regular draw, you won't have many good options.

 

[displacedtexan]

Look at maps. There's no secrets, and free information is worth what you paid.

 

[Macintosh]

yes, it’s daunting coming from the east where all the tags are over-the-counter and cover the entire state. The Wyoming game and Fish site has all the information you need though. I’ve done a couple hunts on very low point units. It can be frustrating, if you’ve been saving points for a few years already I would try hard to avoid a unit that issues a good number of tags and only takes a point or two to draw, unless you have access to a big ranch. If nothing else it’ll feel pretty limiting. The experience you’re looking for is on a unit with a lot of public. And remember that one section, a square mile, is different from the east. If it’s entirely forested in the east, there are probably deer all over it all the time; you go to parts of Wyoming and you can see every inch of it without moving your feet. If there’s no animals there, there’s just no animals there. You need a LOT more elbow room to avoid feeling severely hemmed in.

 

[Hootey]

are you wanting to hunt with a bow or rifle?
I'm new to the forum myself, but people most likely aren't just gonna come out and say "go here or there" and give specific spots. use a mapping app and utilize the many resources that are out there.

 

[EdP]

As wapitibob said, all the info you need is in on the website. It can be hard to find though so keep digging. You might want to consider staying in a hotel instead of camping. In the lower point units the public ground will likely be small pieces of ground widely distributed. It isn't like eastern deer hunting where you set up a camp and hunt the surrounding area on foot.

There are maps on the website that show public vs private ground and whether the public is nat forest, BLM, or state. OnX is also a good resource. My understanding is that you can camp on BLM land. There is also "Walk in Areas" which are private parcels the state pays the owner to allow hunters to access (on foot only). It is important to look at the specifics of species and dates if you intend to hunt a WIA because they are WIA specific. For example, some you can access before the season opens and scout and another just down the road may not open until the season opens.

There is info you can glean from the website on herd health and winter effects, which can be significant year to year. Look at how the draw quotas have changed year to year to get an idea of what has happened in a unit you are considering. Don't apply early. The quotas for 2025 will be published in April or early May and the application due date is May 31. Get all the info you can before applying. Waiting to apply has zero impact on your draw odds.

 

[browning2480]

We killed 3 bucks in 45 minutes last October in a 4 point unit. We have done that twice now. First time there we killed 4 bucks the first day.

What we found was helpful is to get there two days before the hunt starts. Cover ground and find the Antelope. They will be in the same general area opening morning

 

[Gynaroo]

Southern Wyoming and Central Wyoming. You’ll have no issues with land or antelope. On the Wyoming hunting Facebook page many people curse about Northeast Wyoming and not only difficulty finding antelope but finding them on public.

 

[Qholum37]

It's a shame this guy hasn't been back to see all the information provided.

 

[TheYukiYama]

It's a shame this guy hasn't been back to see all the information provided.

would be even more of a shame if someone signed that email up for some spam lists