I know I am late to the game trying to put together an antelope hunt for this year. But I've got a couple of weeks yet, and my buddy and I decided to see if we can come up with something.
We both have three points going in, and are looking at units we think we think we could draw. If I understand it correctly we could consider applying for type 2 tags to increase draw odds and then just buy the archery license, correct? (We would be strictly hunting the archery season dates) We also aren't opposed to applying in the special draw if need be to get a good unit.
Some of the units I have been looking at in the southeast/south central part of the state have some large HMA areas. I think I understand the process and they each have their own set of rules for entry. Does anyone have any experience with hunting these HMA's during the archery season?
Some have limited access permits, so would need to apply after we drew the tag for that unit. Is that pretty easy to do? Since we want to hunt together we really need to make sure we can both get access reasonably close together.
Most seem to have rules that require blinds to be taken down daily. In my experience it often takes a few days for antelope to get used to a pop up blind and that rule would pretty much prevent putting up a couple of blinds on different holes to give them a chance to get used to it. Also, some have rules prohibiting atv use even on the roads. That is potentially a problem with two of us hunting different water holes that might end up miles apart. Unless there is good cell service the guy without the vehicle would be stuck for the day if he happened to shoot an animal early and wouldn't have a way to get meat cooled quickly.
I'm just trying to get my head around how to make hunting one of these HMA's work for us. It sounds attractive to have access to large chunks of land, but there seem to be a couple of minor hurdles. I haven't had much luck trying to come up with private land access, even with a trespass fee. Many of the units we are looking at have large areas of checkerboard land ownership. Any suggestions on how to find those kind of opportunities would also be appreciated. Thanks!
We both have three points going in, and are looking at units we think we think we could draw. If I understand it correctly we could consider applying for type 2 tags to increase draw odds and then just buy the archery license, correct? (We would be strictly hunting the archery season dates) We also aren't opposed to applying in the special draw if need be to get a good unit.
Some of the units I have been looking at in the southeast/south central part of the state have some large HMA areas. I think I understand the process and they each have their own set of rules for entry. Does anyone have any experience with hunting these HMA's during the archery season?
Some have limited access permits, so would need to apply after we drew the tag for that unit. Is that pretty easy to do? Since we want to hunt together we really need to make sure we can both get access reasonably close together.
Most seem to have rules that require blinds to be taken down daily. In my experience it often takes a few days for antelope to get used to a pop up blind and that rule would pretty much prevent putting up a couple of blinds on different holes to give them a chance to get used to it. Also, some have rules prohibiting atv use even on the roads. That is potentially a problem with two of us hunting different water holes that might end up miles apart. Unless there is good cell service the guy without the vehicle would be stuck for the day if he happened to shoot an animal early and wouldn't have a way to get meat cooled quickly.
I'm just trying to get my head around how to make hunting one of these HMA's work for us. It sounds attractive to have access to large chunks of land, but there seem to be a couple of minor hurdles. I haven't had much luck trying to come up with private land access, even with a trespass fee. Many of the units we are looking at have large areas of checkerboard land ownership. Any suggestions on how to find those kind of opportunities would also be appreciated. Thanks!