Wy Antelope areas
Contributors to this thread:Pronghorn
From: prairie
15-Jan-15
Anyone have a favorite area for WY antelope around the I-90 corridor from Gillette to Buffalo?
Im looking to do an antelope hunt this year and i live in the Black Hills of SD. I havent had much luck with looking at the public hunting maps for that area. Looks like a lot of BLM and public is available, but im not sure if these areas have good access without trespassing.
I went thru that stretch of interstate in Nov. and saw tons of antelope the whole time on both sides of the interstate.
thanks for any suggestions.
From: JusPassin
15-Jan-15
Doesn't WY have some sort of landowner list you can refer to for DIY hunts?
From: Topgun 30-06
15-Jan-15
The antelope you see along the I-90 corridor are in units that have every little legally accessible public land to hunt on. It's getting harder to find ranches to access for a fee because the G&F doesn't have up to date lists any longer and a lot of ranches are tied up by outfitter leases. That's why those units have tons of leftover buck and doe tags every year.
From: Florida Mike
15-Jan-15
I called about the land owner list back in November and the girl told me they no longer do the list because it was not much help anymore since most land owners were selling to outfitters. Mike
From: smithkt55
15-Jan-15
smithkt55's Link
Take a look at the link. It will help you get an idea of what state land has access. it doesn't indicate open BLM land, but you can at least get an idea of public access in the areas you are interested in.
From: otcWill
16-Jan-15
Yes, I have some great areas. I hunt in a unit that has decent odds on a buck tag with 0pts and 100% odds with 1 point. It is also one with an asterisk pointing out that the vast majority of it is private. The small (1 mile sq.) areas that are public are just as good as the private. We are 80% success when knocking on doors so its a total fallacy that all the good stuff is leased up. This Dec. I went out to fill a doe tag, all the lopes were on a piece I hadn't gotten permission. "Knock, knock." "Who's there?"....... a dead lope ;)
From: prairie
16-Jan-15
looks like area 27 in the Thunder Basin Nat. Grasslands would have plenty of access.
Anyone got any experience with this area?
From: prairie
16-Jan-15
or 16 may be a better option. 27 didnt have any 0 preference point draws last. Plus 16 has doe tags also.
From: drycreek
16-Jan-15
I think 27 is fairly hard to draw with no points because of the public land, but I could be wrong. Topgun would know. We hunt in 26 and pay a tresspass fee. We used to hunt in 24 and 25 and payed almost nothing, but the coal mine eventually moved us out.
From: g5smoke21
16-Jan-15
Josh. I did alot of research this last summer on possibly doing the same thing. What i gathered from alot of guys from numerous sites was unit 27 is pretty good. Not guaranteed to draw. I found that the red hills area was an area alot of guys were suggesting. I also was thinking of giving it a go this year. Best of luck
From: prairie
16-Jan-15
Yeah I think 27 would be a hard draw with zero points. Might look into 16 or 17 . Looks like plenty of public land and lots of tags.
From: PSUArcher
16-Jan-15
I hunted 16 last year. It was very tough hunting. Public land access was the main concern, we hunted deer sw and north of buffalo and saw a fair amount of lopes on public land
From: Buffalo1
16-Jan-15
If you are really serious about a WY hunt for antelope contact Mark with BSC and he can book you on a hunt in WY in the area you desire.
I talked with Mark this morning in Dallas at the Dallas Safari Club Convention. He has 2 openings left on a great hunt in Converse County which is the #1 county in the US for speed goats.
From: Topgun 30-06
16-Jan-15
Unit 27 will take 3PPs this year in the regular draw for a 100% draw. 2PPs last year was just under a 50% chance. It was a good unit the last time I hunted it in 2010 and I don't think the population there is down too much to not have a good hunt. We hunted the south area in what is called the Red Hills and there were some real nice bucks down there and it's perfect for spot/stalk. Units 16 and 17, along with unit 23 that's on the south side of the I-90 corridor, can be bought as leftovers, but they are tough to hunt with most of the land being private, but they are doable with good maps and a GPS with a chip for land ownership. Just don't figure on getting into a ton of animals on any of the public land you can get to and you'll do a lot of walking to fill a tag most of the time.
From: prairie
16-Jan-15
Thanks for all the help guys. I guess I'll just take trip over in the next few months and check all the areas out.
From: Topgun 30-06
16-Jan-15
"If you are really serious about a WY hunt for antelope contact Mark with BSC and he can book you on a hunt in WY in the area you desire. I talked with Mark this morning in Dallas at the Dallas Safari Club Convention. He has 2 openings left on a great hunt in Converse County which is the #1 county in the US for speed goats."
How will he be able to help a guy book a hunt anywhere, including Converse County, unless the guy has the PPs needed for a 100% chance to draw the tag he puts in for?
From: JW
17-Jan-15
Probably has guys apply for type 2 tags. Much better draw odds.
From: pointingdogs
17-Jan-15
Hunted #27 in 2010 and there were goats every 1/2 mile. Lots to choose from. Hunted to the north and east of the Rochelle hills. Lots of public ground. Very fun area to hunt. Back then I drew with 0 points & in 2011 with 0 points.
I have been back every year since to camp there. Now I hunt #26 on private ground. #27 is nothing compared to what it once was... over harvesting of does and poor fawn recruitment. When I drove through the unit last year (day after day) I might have seen 4-5 bucks, compared to the 30-40 in 2010. The good times for that unit gone. My take a few years to et back the numbers. I wouldn't waste points for #27.
the dog
From: Buffalo1
17-Jan-15
Topgun 30.06,
To be honest I have no idea where Unit 27 is in Wy. But I do know the #1 county in the US for P&Y speed goats - Converse Co., WY. I have shared info for booking a hunt in that area.
From: Topgun 30-06
17-Jan-15
Buffalo1---I know all about Converse County and was only asking because it sounded like it was a guaranteed tag, etc. when Wyoming doesn't allow transferrable landowner tags.
From: Buffalo1
18-Jan-15
I have no knowledge of a "guaranteed tag". I do know that Converse County has traditionally been a high percentage area. I also have know no knowledge about landowner tags nor the percentage of availability of obtaining one.
Sorry if I created confusion. It pretty easy for me to get confused.
From: Buffalo1
18-Jan-15
I have no knowledge of a "guaranteed tag". I do know that Converse County has traditionally been a high percentage area. I also have know no knowledge about landowner tags nor the percentage of availability of obtaining one.
Sorry if I created confusion. It pretty easy for me to get confused.
From: cityhunter
19-Jan-15
Why would any one pay a outfitter for lope. If u do a little work u can find many places to hunt them on the cheap !!
From: cityhunter
19-Jan-15
Hey Buff have u ever hunted converse county? I think Mark gave u wrong info!!! Campell county has the most lope per sq mile . No landowner tags to be sold to hunters in WY , Maybe some leftover tags !!!
From: Zebrakiller
19-Jan-15
Cityhunter I have several times for convenice I only have so many days of vacation a year and i want to spend them hunting, so if I use an outfitter when IO get there I can hunt , dont have to spend two days finding where they like to hang, it just works for me,
From: cityhunter
19-Jan-15
zebra lope have to be the easiest critter to DIY . I killed this one after a unit was closed and I was forced to hunt 200 miles in a new area . I glassed a group of lope from a long ways off set my blind that night and killed him next day , Not Rocket science !!
From: cityhunter
19-Jan-15
Zebra the fun and interesting part of hunting is using ones hunting skills to find the game !!!
From: Zebrakiller
19-Jan-15
Exactly, what I mean I dont need that problem after taking time off work and not having a place to hunt, I understand your point but you asked why a person would pay an outfitter.
From: cityhunter
20-Jan-15
zebra problems friends had a coues hunt planned jan 2015 in mexico outfitter to meet them in AZ on the day of the meet , outfitter calls tells them hunt is cancelled he was sic wtf , One drove from MT one flew from NY two took vacation time money for planes fuel mexican auto ins. Outfitter hasnt returned money for hunt , even if he does they are out plenty !
From: BoonROTO
20-Jan-15
That photo always cracks me up!
From: Bear Track
20-Jan-15
City, that's a great antelope you have there!
From: Medicinemann
15-Jun-15
Lou,
Did you shoot that antelope, or choke it to death? LOL
