I'm planning an antelope hunt with my Father for next year. I've wanted to go out west with him and think Antelope would be better vs mountain elk/muley etc. due to his bad back that occasionally flares up. He could be capable of a mountain hunt if his back cooperates but who knows when it will or won't.
On principle, I refuse to pay some rancher just to drive 200 yards down his road to get to PUBLIC land so therefore, with only one preference point between the two of us we will have to hunt the little chunks of public available on the east half of the state and I can only imagine most of the other hunters will do the same. Would it be better to go for opening day and try to kill one before they are pushed onto private property or go later in the season to hopefully cut down on the amount of competition for the tiny parcels. Do the lopes really get pushed far into the private and if so do they return to the public later in the season?
Also I saw something about a draw system to hunt on the hunter management areas? For example Broom creek HMU in unit 11. So when looking at units should I not count those into my equation when applying because I might draw the unit but not draw the management area and then be SOL on the land I was planning on?
What has been your experience with these two issues?
On principle, I refuse to pay some rancher just to drive 200 yards down his road to get to PUBLIC land so therefore, with only one preference point between the two of us we will have to hunt the little chunks of public available on the east half of the state and I can only imagine most of the other hunters will do the same. Would it be better to go for opening day and try to kill one before they are pushed onto private property or go later in the season to hopefully cut down on the amount of competition for the tiny parcels. Do the lopes really get pushed far into the private and if so do they return to the public later in the season?
Also I saw something about a draw system to hunt on the hunter management areas? For example Broom creek HMU in unit 11. So when looking at units should I not count those into my equation when applying because I might draw the unit but not draw the management area and then be SOL on the land I was planning on?
What has been your experience with these two issues?