So I’m re-thinking my 2021 WY plans

[ChrisAU]

Me and a buddy each have two points. The plan has been to do Antelope and Mule Deer on the same trip, albeit different areas. The idea of going after two species in a one week trip has me apprehensive about the cost and possibility of burning our Mule Deer points if we somehow struggle to get two antelope on the ground early.

So, I’m thinking about doing Antelope only this year and gathering another point for Mule Deer for 2022. If we are successful early with Antelope then we won’t be “rushing” the mule deer hunt, and we can possibly do some scouting for 2022.

A question I have, that I’m sure I can dig out tomorrow when I’m at a desktop PC, is is there a scenario in which we can draw buck tags using our 2 PP and also put it in for a doe tag with a chance of success?

 

[Jimss]

If you want to do both deer and antelope tags justice I'd break it up over a couple different years. That way you aren't rushed to fill tags and you can possibly relax and find the best bucks possible. You can also extend your hunt and scout for the other species you didn't choose to hunt that year. I'm really not a doe hunter but you can usually pick up extra doe tags. Some units have more doe tags than others depending upon the winter, fawn recruitment, etc.

 

[ChrisAU]

If you want to do both deer and antelope tags justice I'd break it up over a couple different years. That way you aren't rushed to fill tags and you can possibly relax and find the best bucks possible. You can also extend your hunt and scout for the other species you didn't choose to hunt that year. I'm really not a doe hunter but you can usually pick up extra doe tags. Some units have more doe tags than others depending upon the winter, fawn recruitment, etc.

Yep that just seemed like the cool thing to do at first thought after me and buddy both got elk quicker than we thought we would and were looking for the next experience. But now that whitetail season is over here and I’ve started digging more into it and it “feeling” more real, I think one species per year is the way to go given time constraints.

 

[JRMiller]

Point creep on Wyo lope tags seems to have surpassed Mule creep slightly so personally i’d do lopes 2021 while the points are within better reason and buy a mule point for 2022.
On a side note, last year i did do a 5 day mule hunt in wyoming then drive to my lope unit which happened to be on my way home anyways and bagged a lope in an hour then went home.
So its doable, wouldn't recommend it though.

 

[manitou1]

Muley doe tags are OTC.
Or are you talking pronghorn does?
I agree with the above. I do mule deer/pronghorn combo hunts and allow myself 8-9 days minimum.

 

[ChrisAU]

Muley doe tags are OTC.
Or are you talking pronghorn does?
I agree with the above. I do mule deer/pronghorn combo hunts and allow myself 8-9 days minimum.

Yes I mean pronghorn does, to add to buck tags should we draw those.

 

[cnelk]

Why not go for MD and then swing thru and hunt antelope does?

You wont burn any PPs for the doe tags, they are cheap and you'll learn the area for the following year antelope buck hunt.

 

[ChrisAU]

Why not go for MD and then swing thru and hunt antelope does?

You wont burn any PPs for the doe tags, they are cheap and you'll learn the area for the following year antelope buck hunt.

Possibility as well, pronghorn just seems like the easier one that would offer an opportunity to tag out early and then scout for Muleys for 2022. Either way, this thread solidifies that we will go after one species first and then the other the following year. Thanks!

 

[Cedarsavage]

I had a deer tag for Wyoming last year and a doe antelope tag. I got my deer with a two days left. Got to keep hunting but for $50 I didn’t feel like I had to make anything happen.

 

[bcar]

The doe tags are a random draw and then have the same leftover process as elk. Lots of units with very high odds of drawing doe tags or picking up leftovers. My party plans to do the same this fall.

 

[Laramie]

Doe tags in areas with decent public access are actually fairly difficult to draw. Sure, there are areas where a guy can just buy doe tags but they are that way for a reason. Typically those areas have very little public access.

You can apply for the doe tags at the same time you apply for the buck tag. You do have an option to withdraw the doe app - There is a box you can check that will withdraw your doe app if you are unsuccessful in the buck/any antelope drawing.

 

[wytx]

I might opt for mule deer first and get another pronghorn PP for a little better area. You may draw a pronghorn doe tag for that area and check it out after your mule deer hunt.

 

[j_volt]

I did an antelope hunt in 2019 with 3 points as my first western hunt. As a guy from Missouri, I learned a lot in 2019 from a relatively easy western hunt, and was able to do some deer scouting after the goat tags were filled. Actually, I found more units I did NOT want to hunt the following year. I got lucky and drew an antelope tag in the same unit in 2020 in the random draw. I ended up doing a mule deer hunt in a different state in 2020, and I saved my Wyoming deer points for the future. Looking back, I am happy with the order in which in I did these hunts. I never felt like I didn't do enough by only focusing on one animal at a time. I would recommend an antelope hunt first, but anything that results in tags in your pockets can be a great idea. Best of luck!

 

[stealthgoat]

I am also at 2 pts for both mule deer & antelope, and pondering same ideas. For me it's only about 1,400 miles each way from NashVegas, but I was thinking to combine both in same trip "since I'm there anyway"...

However I could easily see weather delays or other unforeseen issues rushing the MD hunt, so I think probably focus on MD this year. Yeah in a perfect world it should be simple to do them both, but Murphy's Law seems to re-assert itself during many of my trips.

I do like the idea of an antelope doe add-on + scouting if it would fit.

 

[Rich M]

If you don't care about trying to have trophies of both species, then combo is a good way to go. Shoot first legal critters and call it happy.

If you want to play the game and find a trophy, then you should allow time to do so.

Antelope are easy if you've got a decent unit w some public land. The trip I made, if you went after opening day the goats were skittish and the does were non existent. Lotsa private gave em nice places to hold up without getting bothered by the orange army.

 

[ChrisAU]

So if my unit has low odds for type 6 tag for a doe to add to my buck tag (seems weird that I could use 2PP to draw a buck tag and have low odds for a doe tag?), should I look for a 0PP doe tag to put as my 2nd choice in the type 6 tag draw? Seems logical, but want to make sure I am thinking about it correctly.

 

[ScottR_EHJ]

Me and a buddy each have two points. The plan has been to do Antelope and Mule Deer on the same trip, albeit different areas. The idea of going after two species in a one week trip has me apprehensive about the cost and possibility of burning our Mule Deer points if we somehow struggle to get two antelope on the ground early.

So, I’m thinking about doing Antelope only this year and gathering another point for Mule Deer for 2022. If we are successful early with Antelope then we won’t be “rushing” the mule deer hunt, and we can possibly do some scouting for 2022.

A question I have, that I’m sure I can dig out tomorrow when I’m at a desktop PC, is is there a scenario in which we can draw buck tags using our 2 PP and also put it in for a doe tag with a chance of success?

You would be wise to separate the two, I haven't ever had a good hunt where my intensity wasn't focused on one species.

 

[wapitibob]

So if my unit has low odds for type 6 tag for a doe to add to my buck tag (seems weird that I could use 2PP to draw a buck tag and have low odds for a doe tag?), should I look for a 0PP doe tag to put as my 2nd choice in the type 6 tag draw? Seems logical, but want to make sure I am thinking about it correctly.

Look hard at any zero point type 6/7 licenses, they're zero for a reason.

 

[ChrisAU]

Look hard at any zero point type 6/7 licenses, they're zero for a reason.

Yep, that came out of my brain incorrectly. Type 6 doesn’t use PP, so what I meant was look for a 100% draw Unit.

 

[CApighunter]

Yep, that came out of my brain incorrectly. Type 6 doesn’t use PP, so what I meant was look for a 100% draw Unit.

Odds got all screwed up last year with the surge of applications. My first choice for does which should have been a guarantee based on the 2019 stats got swamped and had 10x as many applications as there were tags. It might look like a sure thing but odds can fluctuate dramatically. Drew second choice and had fun, but you couldn’t pay me to hunt that unit again, which can be drawn for bucks with 0-1 points.