Wyoming tactic for the opener. First time antelope Hunter.

Joined
Mar 11, 2017
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I'm going to Wyoming August 15 for my first antelope hunt. Hoping to do some spot and stalk but I'm willing to sit it out at a waterhole to if necessary. My question is more for early morning and late afternoon, dawn/dusk . Do you guys get out in the field well before daylight or is it more beneficial to let it get light and glass from the long distance and plan your stalks? I'm guessing getting into a waterhole blind well before daylight is best just like for deer. Do you guys ever break up the day with spot and stalk early and late and mid day over the water hole?


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Griz34

Lil-Rokslider
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Dec 29, 2015
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Eastern SD
Archery antelope hunting is one of my favorites, but I am certainly no expert. In my experience if I'm hunting out of a blind by a waterhole I like to get there in the dark and sit all day. If my plan is to spot and stalk I park my truck and then glass as the sun comes up and try to spot one in a stalk-able position. If I'm backpack hunting for them which I've only done once I just hike up to an overlook and try to glass one up that I think I can stalk up on. In my experience trying to cover to much ground in the dark usually just ends up with a bunch of spooked goats.
My plan is to park somewhere opening day where I hope to spot some antelope. Then I walk to all the possible waterholes I've marked on my gps and try to find the one with the most tracks around it and set up a blind. For the nest two or three days I try to spot and stalk, and if that fails I'll sit in the blind the last couple of days.
 

twall13

WKR
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Jan 21, 2015
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Utah
I've never hunted speed goats, but I hope to next year. I recently watched a video Randy Newberg put out giving his antelope strategy. He said take a couple days scouting before you can hunt. Find the buck you want while glassing from afar. Put that buck to bed the night before the opener and he will be within a hundred yards or so of that location in the morning. Sneak in before light from the East side so the sun is in his eyes, not yours, and catch him standing from his bed. It sounds like a great strategy, especially with a rifle, but again, I've never hunted them so can't vouch for it.

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FURMAN

WKR
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Feb 29, 2012
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If you are sitting a waterhole I would suggest before sunrise until after sunset. If spot and stalk I prefer to cover ground glassing as you go. The antelope will be very visible all day. Due to the lay of the land it is possible for them to be out of sight of your glassing and if you move too soon you will miss those hidden in the folds. I still prefer to glass and move. Once you have covered the until fairly well you can always go back to the areas you have seen the most goats.
 

kcm2

WKR
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Feb 26, 2012
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345
Pronghorns have incredible distance vision, but poor night vision. It is easy to walk within 20 yards of one in the dark, or even, in the semi-dark moments before daylight. So, getting to the blind a little after first light is generally okay...but in parts of Wyoming, that waterhole may be visible from miles away. If it's visible, I'd be there early and all day. If it's kind of hidden, not long after first light, though.
 
Joined
Mar 17, 2014
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Location
NE Wyoming
+1 on the Newberg method. If possible I try to get into the area the evening before and glass a lot of country. Depends on the area but I usually do so from the truck and locate the Buck(s) I am interested in and then get into the drainage I saw them in the night before. I try to come from the east but sometimes it doesn't work that way. In the least I get the wind right and use cover to get into position. During the rut this is tougher as those bucks can be cruising or are already pushing does and chasing off other bucks.
If you have a blind set up a mid day sit mid work out. I have found that most water around 10:30 -12 and then maybe a different group will come in later in the afternoon or evening.
 

Cowboy611

Lil-Rokslider
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Oct 18, 2013
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Laramie, Wyoming, United States
Or you could do what everyone in wyo does..drive around in your truck until you spot on you like, onxmaps helps with the public land, than when you see one you like go ahead and stalk it. By mid day the truck will spook them just a heads up
 
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Fishforfun

Lil-Rokslider
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Jun 1, 2016
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116
Or you could do what everyone in wyo does..drive around in your truck until you spot on you like, onxmaps helps with the public land, than when you see one you like go ahead and stalk it. By mid day the truck will spook them just a heads up

Maybe they have a copy of the regs and know when the season opens but they weren't spooked at all last weekend. In fact I had to beep the horn to get them off the roads. I came up on 2 does just laying in the road. I thought it was odd but they seemed more annoyed that I was making them move. Lots of places have tons of truck traffic from the mining so I think they are used to it. But come to a stop and crack the door and it's like they were struck with a bolt of lightening.
 
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