unit 53 antelope
- Thread starter dsbudman
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wisconsinfarmer
Guest
Just my suggestion I have been traveling Wyoming alot this year and I would look just east of Shoshoni going on hwy 20/26 to Casper I have traveled that 6 times this year since September and see lots of really nice goats and 2 of the times have been after season and it looks like there are more than enough for next year. I don't see alot of deer, but when I came through the last time it was the 2nd week of November and I did see 5 bucks 2 were on public and one was mid size maybe 140 to 150 the other may have been the first deer that I have ever seen over 200" if he wasn't he was about an inch away.
pymulies
Active Member
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I hope you like a lot of people. There are pretty decent animals of both species in that area. Depending on what happens with the winter this year there may be no animals left. There was very little vegetation growth this year due to low precipitation in the area. Almost everything that you will see that has any size to them will be on private land. Is it possible to harvest something of both species in that unit? Yes. But that can be said of almost any unit in Wyoming that contains both mule deer and antelope.
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wisconsinfarmer
Guest
I would disagree with the statement that anything of desent size will be on private I have my gps with land map chip that shows public and private and when I'm traveling for work I turn it on and just keep watching it to see were and what the public land looks like and I have seen alot of really nice antelope bucks on public land in that area before and after season.
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HillbillyNnevada
Guest
I don't think its worth 5 pts. Quality and numbers were way down the last time I was there.
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wisconsinfarmer
Guest
Umm.... maybe I was to?
pymulies
Active Member
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That could be with antelope, but the question was also posed about mule deer in the area. Having lived there for over 20 years, I'm pretty sure that I have a bit more insight than driving the through the area before and after hunting season with a GPS. I'm not saying that there are no decent bucks of either species in the area. But you would be surprised to find that most of them head to private land. Get a bunch of people running around the week before, scouting and they head for the fences.
In area 53 it is unlikely to shoot a buck in the upper 70's to low 80's and finding a deer after the antelope season has started in that area can be difficult to say the least. (Those numbers are my description of decent antelope in Wyoming) Add that to the numerous roads in the area for oil/gas development and there aren't many places for animals to hide or escape. Not allowing them to reach the age class that is required to get very large.
Yeah it looks like easy pickings from the highway after season when all of the animals are migrating through that area and get hung up by the "deer" fence along the road. It makes them pretty easy to find then. Also take into account the vast area that these animals are migrating from and the narrow travel areas like mentioned above.
If you really want to find something out about the area, ask how the elk population in this area is larger than normal, using resources that have historically been used by mule deer and antelope in the winter. Thus, causing the mule deer herd decline.
Add that to the tragic winter a few years back (2007) when hundreds of mule deer and hundreds antelope starved. After that year the mule deer and antelope started to make a comeback but then game and fish opened up a deer season that included taking does in a declined mule deer population.....genius.
Now more recent precipitation is very low, (Extreme Drought according to NOAA) which didn't allow for much if any regrowth from last year?s winter range. Not to mention the lowered body condition of the animals before winter. So what you are looking at is a population that is being pressured by elk numbers with very little winter range feed and the potential for another large decline from starvation is probable if not inevitable. I really hope this doesn't happen but the potential is high.
So now knowing this, would you risk 5 points on an area that could have a huge die off? I know if I was a Non-resident that the high cost of traveling to an area that could not have many animals would make me choose a little better area. But that is my personal opinion and you can do as you wish.
Is there a better area? I'm not sure because I would not pretend to know the details of all of the areas in Wyoming.
Sorry for the rant.
PY
In area 53 it is unlikely to shoot a buck in the upper 70's to low 80's and finding a deer after the antelope season has started in that area can be difficult to say the least. (Those numbers are my description of decent antelope in Wyoming) Add that to the numerous roads in the area for oil/gas development and there aren't many places for animals to hide or escape. Not allowing them to reach the age class that is required to get very large.
Yeah it looks like easy pickings from the highway after season when all of the animals are migrating through that area and get hung up by the "deer" fence along the road. It makes them pretty easy to find then. Also take into account the vast area that these animals are migrating from and the narrow travel areas like mentioned above.
If you really want to find something out about the area, ask how the elk population in this area is larger than normal, using resources that have historically been used by mule deer and antelope in the winter. Thus, causing the mule deer herd decline.
Add that to the tragic winter a few years back (2007) when hundreds of mule deer and hundreds antelope starved. After that year the mule deer and antelope started to make a comeback but then game and fish opened up a deer season that included taking does in a declined mule deer population.....genius.
Now more recent precipitation is very low, (Extreme Drought according to NOAA) which didn't allow for much if any regrowth from last year?s winter range. Not to mention the lowered body condition of the animals before winter. So what you are looking at is a population that is being pressured by elk numbers with very little winter range feed and the potential for another large decline from starvation is probable if not inevitable. I really hope this doesn't happen but the potential is high.
So now knowing this, would you risk 5 points on an area that could have a huge die off? I know if I was a Non-resident that the high cost of traveling to an area that could not have many animals would make me choose a little better area. But that is my personal opinion and you can do as you wish.
Is there a better area? I'm not sure because I would not pretend to know the details of all of the areas in Wyoming.
Sorry for the rant.
PY
I had 5 points in 2012 for antelope. I waited till October 1st to try and eliminate some of the hunters. I was very disappointed. There wasn't much food for them because of the drought. Most of the bucks I saw were running about 12-13 inch bucks and weren't very heavy. I forgot about the deer season starting, so I saw lots of deer hunters. I planned on hunting for a week if necessary, because I wanted a good buck. After 2 days I began to realize that more than likely I wasn't going to find the buck I was looking for. On the 3rd day I did find a buck with good cutters. I decided to go ahead and take this buck. He measured 14 1/2 inches. He was an older buck and had some good weight out to the tips. I'm guessing that many of the areas in Wyoming had the same problem. On the drive in along I-80 I saw many herds of maybe 15-20 animals. Within area 53 most of the herds were smaller having a buck and maybe 5 does. Till the area gets a couple of years of moisture I doubt that the horn growth etc. is going to improve. I don't know if this helps, but I wanted to tell you about my hunt.
Wyoming Hunting Guides & Outfitters
Urge 2 Hunt
We focus on trophy elk, mule deer, antelope and moose hunts and take B&C bucks most years.
