Wyoming antelope advice

[znichols]

How many points to get drawn?

 

[Ono]

Draw stats from last year are on the dfg site.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

 

[Rich M]

It really has changed - we had a decent chance of drawing based on 2020 stats, then 2021 happened and no. of points required doubled along with the number of applicants.

Set us back a couple of years. Just not wanting to do another combat antelope hunt.

 

[Sturgeon]

We went the third weekend of season once. Talked to a few ranchers that said pressure gets them pretty skitish and pushed onto private by then. We still had some opportunities, but really had to work/look for them. On the other side we didn’t see much for other hunters. My biggest advice is find little hills that block the view from the road. Crawl over those and glass for a bit. Most people won’t get out if they can’t see them from the road.

 

[wytx]

Right, but your not drawing a tag on public anytime soon unless you've already wasted 5 or 7 years buying points.

Sorry but not true. We have plenty of lower PP areas with accessible lands you can fill a licenses on. It is work but doable.

 

[EdP]

That's good to hear. As a non-res I drew w/o any PPs in a south east Wy unit with limited public in 2018 and 2019 (>80% odds in the random). Have not been able to draw that unit again even with 2 points due to a severe drop in quota and an increase in applicants. I guess I need to start researching other units to find some that have kept their pronghorn numbers up. Hate to abandon a unit I've got some familiarity with, but I guess that's what it's going to take to draw a tag again.

 

[Delgue]

Thinking about burning 8 pts next year …. I don’t think I can even draw 92 so not sure what my best bet it

 

[EdP]

Sorry but not true. We have plenty of lower PP areas with accessible lands you can fill a licenses on. It is work but doable.

So I went and looked at the 2021 odds for non-res in the random draw to see if this is correct. What I found was exactly 7 units with odds >50% for drawing a type 1 or 2 tag for public land hunts for bucks. A lot more research is needed to tell if the public land is actually accessible, but this is far from "plenty of lower PP units" given that there are over 100 antelope units. Things don't look good at all.

I drew a type 1 tag in the random in 2018 with an 84% chance and in 2019 with an 86% chance. I failed to draw the same unit in 2020 because my odds dropped to 6.5%, and odds in the random in 2021 were even lower at 5.4% despite fewer applicants than 2020. Between significantly lower quotas, increased applications, and point drift, I think Mr. Sublette has it about right. Wy antelope is looking like an every 5th year opportunity. I hope that changes.

 

[Ono]

That was my takeaway looking at the stats.

 

[pilgrim7]

We drew a tag for a party of four in eastern WY this year with an avg of 1.5 pts, special draw. GoHunt said this unit was 'fair' public access. Antelope were further from the road every day, but we all managed to tag a buck. Opening morning there were antelope within 100 yds of camp, and by day five they were pretty tight to private. That being said we had stalking opportunities every day. My advice would be to look for a unit with some broken terrain to make the stalks easier, and practice with your rifle when it's windy. Antelope hunting is fun as hell, enjoy it!

 

[EdP]

Going back to your original question, something to consider is when is opening day in whatever unit you draw. In the unit I've hunted Wy set the opening day for a particular date and sticks with that date year after year. That means the opener falls on different days of the week in different years. The resident hunters tend to increase the pressure on the weekends, so if the season opens a couple of days before the first weekend, you might have an opportunity to get your buck and head to the tetons.

 

[wytx]

First off, wait to decide based on set quotas for next year, that will be in April or so.
We might have winterkill again that reduces tags.

And yes you can draw areas with iffy access with less than 5 PP, it is very doable but the hunting will take work.
Week days are usually way less pressure but not always. Opening day will have plenty of hunters out, maybe more NRs but they will be looking for that big buck.

I was not talking random draw odds, no way to even guess what they may be next year. Look over the special draw odds, plenty of iffy areas to draw and hunt without 5 PP.

 

[Coveyleader]

I have 5, looking to hunt a few units I know, but going up last year and looking around, you can see winter took it's toll. Before burning any points, I'd make a call to see if the area got hammered or not.

 

[EdP]

First off, wait to decide based on set quotas for next year, that will be in April or so.
We might have winterkill again that reduces tags.

And yes you can draw areas with iffy access with less than 5 PP, it is very doable but the hunting will take work.

Yes, I agree. You did say "Lower PP units" in response to 5 to 7 pts needed. It's having a good chance of hunting a difficult unit every year via the random draw that seems to have gone out the window. I have 3 pts and see what appears to be good units in regard to public access compared to the unit I drew via random in `18 & `19.

Looking at the quotas is an excellent suggestion and should be an indication of draw odds compared with previous years. How do you find out what the recommended quotas are prior to the application deadline?

 

[bdg848]

My dad and I split ONE point and hunted a very easy to draw unit and had a great time the second week of season. Although, they were VERY skiddish. They would walk away when you even slowed down to look at them. When you stopped the truck in view they would run for the horizon. I didn't mind though, it made it more fun. We had plenty of stalks and a few that required some crawling. I'm glad they made it a bit of a challenge. Shooting one ten feet from the truck as they stare at you wouldn't be any fun anyway.

I wouldn't call it "truck hunting" but more of....using the truck to get between stalks.

I would go. If nothing else, just get a few doe tags. They are CHEAP and FUN! $30 to get to hunt something out west? Yes, Please. Even if you don't tag out, you definitely have gotten $30 worth of memories out of the deal.

Also if the stalks aren't panning out, don't underestimate hunting them like deer...If you see them bed down at last light, be there by some cover at first light and punch your tag....

 

[Bull_n_heat]

Yes, I agree. You did say "Lower PP units" in response to 5 to 7 pts needed. It's having a good chance of hunting a difficult unit every year via the random draw that seems to have gone out the window. I have 3 pts and see what appears to be good units in regard to public access compared to the unit I drew via random in `18 & `19.

Looking at the quotas is an excellent suggestion and should be an indication of draw odds compared with previous years. How do you find out what the recommended quotas are prior to the application deadline?

The Game and Fish Commission will usually review and approve quotas some time in April, as mentioned. It'll take a little legwork to see what the recommended quotas are, but they should be available on the Game and Fish website (note: the DEPARTMENT is different than the COMMISSION) sometime beforehand to review (usually by late March or early April). In most cases, what the commission approves is the same as what the department recommends.

 

[CApighunter]

How it feels balancing public access, point creep, the special draw, winter kill, and harvest stats.

 

[lhbackcountry]

I have collected 4 points and am starting to think just go and see what happens in a low "tough" unit but love hear yall thoughts

 

[Eastcoasthunter94]

I have collected 4 points and am starting to think just go and see what happens in a low "tough" unit but love hear yall thoughts

I as well have 4 points and plan on waiting a couple years for the antelope numbers to rebound

 

[lhbackcountry]

I as well have 4 points and plan on waiting a couple years for the antelope numbers to rebound

Ya as all of us can relate, the timing is the hardest part. Where are you finding data on the antelope numbers dropping ?