Colorado Pronghorn?

[Lkslayer]

If I understand correctly, you can buy archery Pronghorn tags over the counter for a lot of the north western corner of Colorado. The questions are... Are there a lot of Pronghorn in that part of the state? Is it mostly public or private lands? Is it worth getting a tag and what can be expected?

 

[DoeNob]

I have not hunted pronghorn in CO, but there are OTC archey tags for much of the state. Get a grasslands map and put boots on the ground and it should work out. I've hunted OTC in 2 neighboring states on grasslands and OTC tags, should be same thing.

 

[uphill]

There has been a misunderstanding. You can buy OTC archery pronghorn tags for most of the Eastern Plains of Colorado. Archery tags in the Northwest portion of Colorado are, for the most part, only available through the draw. Northwest Colorado has lots of public land while the Eastern Plains are predominately private.

 

[prong_hunter]

Northwestern Colorado holds good numbers of pronghorns. There's a good mix of public and private land - large blocks of public and large blocks of private. I see more antelope on the private land than on the public land. Most private land comes with trespass fees. I've always hunted with a gun. I've got nothing but respect for anyone who pursues and bags a buck with an arrow. Chuck Adams, famous archer and author, hunts NW Colo every season, I believe. He puts a buck in the SCI book every year. I believe he hunts on private land through an outfitter. Public land archery must be much more difficult - you can't count on a blind going undisturbed. I've heard that decoys work for the first day or two, but then the antelope wise up. If there's any way you can afford an outfitter, or a trespass fee on a ranch where you can set up a blind, I'd say you'd be way ahead of those archers on public land. Good luck.

 

[littlejoe]

Quality in Colorado is not good for Antelope. I just buy a point each year hoping it changes. No interest in a 12" goat. Shot way to many for that.

 

[prong_hunter]

Chuck Adams must have nearly two dozen bow-killed NW Colorado antelope, all in the SCI record book. I haven't checked recently but I'd bet all of them are over 12".

I've shot a lot of sub-trophy antelope. I use a gun. But of 11 NW Colorado bucks only one was under 12". (I ran out of time and needed the meat.)

Of the other 10, all had at least one horn over 12". One of them went over 16". Three went Boone & Crockett.

Some people say hunting antelope is easy. That's because they're so plentiful and easy to see. Trophy antelope are not easy. It takes lots of hard work and many years of persistent effort.

If you can stick with it, 10 or 20 years, you can find a real trophy.