WY Antelope Hunt

[cheeseheadinOHIO]

I've been thinking about going out West one year for antelope instead of my usual deer hunt. It would be a DIY. I have deer hunted by Encampment and Sundance and would have to say I've seen more speed goats down South. What do you guys who hunt them have to say? Of course some say the meat is good and some say it tastes like a$$. I've never had it. So throw out the advice and help me get started. I appreciate any help. Thanks.

 

[searcher]

Are you looking at picking up a leftover tag this year or are you planning for 2008? Are you looking for info around Encampment / Sundance or other areas? I may be able to give you some ideas but I have never been in the Sundance area. Send me a PM if you want to or just reply. Antelope can be very good if it is handled properly but it can also suck. I always skin them out as soon as I get them to the truck.

Tim
Searchin' for a 4 X 4

 

[prarierocket]

Antelope are my favorite big game to hunt, and I've poped a bunch of them. The meat from them has been both the best and worst of anything that I have eaten. It is all due to how you handle the kill and the buthering. For starters, they get nervous quick if they know you are around, so the adrenelin starts to pump. If you shoot them running or nervous, the meat isn't going to be good table fare. Do all you can to punch one that is unaware of your presence and has not been chased immediatly before hand. Once you get one on the ground, do exactly the opposite of deer/elk...DO NOT AGE THEM!!! Obviously field dress immediatly, but do everything you can to get it skinned, cut up, wrapped and on ice in 24 hours. As fast as you can cool it down, the beter you are. I always carry several ice chests with me filled with bags of ice. If you can't butcher it immediatly, pack the cavity with ice(leave in the bags) and add as often as required. Keep out of the sun, and at night hang if possible. I always have it on my ATV ramps at night to get the air circulating around it to help keep it cool. The best antelope I've eaten, I was butchering inside 1hr of the shot,and putting hot meat on ice. THat was the best meat I've ever had.

 

[Bullschlitz]

Ditto PrarieRocket on meat! Excellent advise

 

[turdherder]

I agree on the aging thing. cut them up as soon as possible. My boss always trys to get them up quickly and his come out pretty good. I would stay away from 32 and 47. The NRA magazine just listed these as good areas to hunt, and they do have a lot of antelope in them, but undoubtedly the percentages are going to go down. I have hunted 47 and I like it, I always stay in medicine bow or just south there is a lake you can camp at and its free. The Virginian hotel makes a good burger.

 

[cheeseheadinOHIO]

Thanks fellas. Few questions and comments. I get the quick cooling & butchering advice. Why does aging an antelope make a difference? Having never hunted them, would it be better to see where some are and then set up a ground blind in hopes of having them come around the next day? Or stalk them over a hill and have a 300 yard shot? I saw a lot goats between Encampment and the Medicine bow on Hwy 70. Might be private land. I'll have to get a BLM map and drive around a day or two before hunting. Where do you hunt antelope in the Med. bow? All I have is a .308 and a .300WSM. Probably go with the smallest bullet. Good stuff so far guys, give me some more please....Thanks.

 

[searcher]

Cheesehead - PM sent

Tim

 

[RELH]

If you are looking for BLM land, area #48 next to Medicine bow has a lot of BLM land. The sheep growers Assoc. used it for grazing and did allow free trespassing. a lot of lopes in that area, but most were in 12-13 inch class with a few at 14".
Easy area for stalking to within 200 yards or less. I have not hunted it for about 8 years and have no idea of the draw odds now. do a check on the Wy. Game & Fish site for your draw odds. my Father-in-law did take a upper 14" that made the bottom of the B&C book in that area. All the locals accused him of sneaking into another area to take it.

RELH

 

[elk_horn]

any wild meat is better if not aged at all .. skin it and butcher and put on ice ASAP

 

[RELH]

Elkhorn;

Buffalo, bison, is far better when aged about 10-12 days. improves flavor and makes it a lot more tender. I have tried both, and I wiil take the aged meat everytime.

RELH

 

[littlebighorn]

CH Ohio,
My experience with antelope is that you are far ahead if you scout a day or two ahead of the hunt. Know where they are hanging out. Find a "goat" that you want and be on him opening morning. Stalk in and plan on shooting long distances. The flatter shooting the rifle the better. Practice at long ranges and know your limits. Bipods or shooting sticks can really help.
Antelope are mobile animals and move alot, but they have a home territory and usually come back after being spooked.(we are talking within a mile) I would leave the blind home unless you are archery hunting over water. Move-glass-stalk, is my MO with this animal (I've killed 15 or so.)
The meat is the most tender I have eaten, but I don't care for the taste and usually mask it with sause or gravy.
It's a really fun hunt if you have never done it before. Good Luck!

 

[Huntnfever]

most everything i agree with its how u take care of it, I have had 2 antelope to my name, but my dad used to hunt them alot, and i learned how to take care of them as soon as possible from him. I have shot antelope that was on the run, it tasted the same, maybe it was a fluke, but i have heard it makes no difference. They are the funnest animal for me to hunt.

 

[RELH]

Huntinfever;

It was no fluke, I have shot about 5-6 on the run and over 20 standing still, and I could not tell any difference in the taste of the meat. Like you already know, the best thing you can do is get them gutted and that skin off for fast cool down.
I have seen guys take over an hour to start the gutting, I have the knife to the lope within 5 minutes, and then not take the skin off and load it up and drive around for the rest of the day while hunting. No wonder the people who ate that meat thinks antelope is too strong of a taste and do not like it.
As for good hunting areas in Wyoming, the areas that run ajacent to Hwy#80 have the largest numbers in the central part of the state. most of the public land is in the Western end, but due to high numbers of applicants, your draw odds take a dump. More East you go, more private ranches and draw odds are better due to having to get permission to hunt the private land.
If you are willing to work at it, getting permission to hunt private ranches for a reasonable fee is not as hard as some hunters think. Some ranchers will even allow free trespass to reduce the numbers on their land, but this is getting harder to find. Trespass fees for lopes are normally not as high for hunting the same ranch for deer.

RELH

 

[mmwb]

The kids and I have killed quite a few antelope. I'll just affirm what has been said. We gut them immeadiately and get them to camp right away. They are then immeadiately skinned and quartered and packed in coolers on ice. Leave the drain plug open on the cooler and keep ice in there. They are good for several days that way. As soon as you can, get them cut, wrapped and frozen. When it was just myself, I'd gut the animal, fill the cavity with ice, drive home and have it in the freezer the same day. There is a lot of good game meat in the world, but none is better than antelope.

 

[Outwest]

I've hunted antelope in Wyoming one time.
Went with a guide. Cost a pretty chunk of change.
We rode around in a pickup with a BLM map looking for antelope.
There was thousands of acres of BLM land and most all of it was pretty much coverd with antelope.
This would have been a simple slam dunk DIY hunt.
Now I know.

John

 

[cheeseheadinOHIO]

OUTWEST - what part of the state did you go? Thanks to all who contributed.

 

[Outwest]

I was in the NW part of the state. Pinedale was the town we stayed at. Nice town.

John

 

[SMOKESTICK]

The only thing I would add is that you need to be careful not to touch the hide and then touch the meat. Antelope have more scent glands then any other animal in North America. If you touch the hide, then touch the meat you will taint it.

Everyone else is right on point. Get the hide off ASAP and place on ice.