Antelope

MountainSqwabler

MountainSqwabler

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So I've got enough points to draw basically Any goat buck tag I want in WY and will be doing so this year. I heard that I can get the regular rifle tag and then also an archery stamp so I can go after a buck with my bow but if I don't succeed then it roles back over so I can hunt with a rifle. Is this true? Any thoughts on this or information would be appreciated. (Do note I have a unit in mind so no real need for unit recommendations)
 
Yes sir. You can add an archery permit as a part of your application or you can buy it once you're here in Wyoming.
 
As Littlebighorn mentioned, be careful where you spend all your hard-earned pts. Some of the premier units are still in recovery mode from a couple winters ago and some have had fairly bad drought....others antelope numbers are extremely low. It sounds like you have inside info so that always helps!
 
littlebighorn said:
Having a chance to hunt almost any unit is huge. If I were you, I'd use those points wisely. Make that tag turn into a real antelope adventure and look for something special. Good for you.
Best of luck!
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Thanks! I'm super super excited because that's why I'm wanting to Also get rhe archery permit too. I want to make the most out of this hunt!
 
jims said:
As Littlebighorn mentioned, be careful where you spend all your hard-earned pts. Some of the premier units are still in recovery mode from a couple winters ago and some have had fairly bad drought....others antelope numbers are extremely low. It sounds like you have inside info so that always helps!
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Yessir! These points will be used wisely haha.
 
I have hunted 63 twice last year being the second time. Both times we just went out the second week of the rifle season. Bow hunted a week then used the rifle if not successful with the bow. I like being out there doing the rut.
 
Sounds like you have great hunting genes so don't need a whole lot of advice. I would still be super cautious which unit to draw with high pts. Some premier units are still in recovery mode or aren't what they were years ago due to drought and other factors. I'm sure what ever unit you draw you will scout/hunt hard and harvest a great buck!
 
jims said:
Sounds like you have great hunting genes so don't need a whole lot of advice. I would still be super cautious which unit to draw with high pts. Some premier units are still in recovery mode or aren't what they were years ago due to drought and other factors. I'm sure what ever unit you draw you will scout/hunt hard and harvest a great buck!
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Yes sir! Im very excited for this hunt.
 
I know a decent hunter that had a premier unit last year that spent two full weeks hunting and killed a 75" goat. Now I am sure there were some bigger somewhere but it is tough to predict how horn growth will be. Be sure to enjoy the quantity of animals you see and hopefully you find one that makes you happy
 
desperatehills said:
I know a decent hunter that had a premier unit last year that spent two full weeks hunting and killed a 75" goat. Now I am sure there were some bigger somewhere but it is tough to predict how horn growth will be. Be sure to enjoy the quantity of animals you see and hopefully you find one that makes you happy
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That's still a decent buck! Congrats to that hunter! That's also kind of why I'm wanting to do archery simply because even if i just get a solid buck and not a giant it will have "hopefully" been with my bow and will make the hunt thay much more special.
 
That’s a great attitude going into your hunt. It’s always exciting to harvest a great buck with stick and string.

I have been hunting Wyo antelope off and on for the past 50ish years. One thing I have learned the hard way is just because a unit is tough to draw and is considered a premium unit doesn’t mean it will have top tier bucks in any particular year. If you aren’t particular it may not matter but if you want the best opportunity to fill your hard earned pref pts with a high scoring B&C buck there’s quite a bit more involved than drawing a great tag and scouting/hunting your butt off!

As you mentioned in one of your first posts… burn your points wisely!
 
There is no real secret to killing an antelope. It's lots of glassing and finding him. And most important passing on lessor animals. I hunted 63-1 (I drew with 9 points) Hunted the unit 9 years ago and last time I was a there. Flew to Denver rented a Jeep and headed to the unit. I hunted 5 days from morning to evening solo. Saw lots and lots of bucks. I only saw two other bucks besides the one I killed that I would have considered. I did notice quality was down from previous hunt. I was looking for a mature heavy horned buck. One I spotted had 28 doe with him and no other bucks in the area. During the rut to have this many doe I knew he was mature. Short time behind the spotter confirmed he was heavy and what I wanted. Had a fun stalk and made a clean shot. I'd like to know what else is involved.
 
tracker12 said:
There is no real secret to killing an antelope. It's lots of glassing and finding him. And most important passing on lessor animals. I hunted 63-1 (I drew with 9 points) Hunted the unit 9 years ago and last time I was a there. Flew to Denver rented a Jeep and headed to the unit. I hunted 5 days from morning to evening solo. Saw lots and lots of bucks. I only saw two other bucks besides the one I killed that I would have considered. I did notice quality was down from previous hunt. I was looking for a mature heavy horned buck. One I spotted had 28 doe with him and no other bucks in the area. During the rut to have this many doe I knew he was mature. Short time behind the spotter confirmed he was heavy and what I wanted. Had a fun stalk and made a clean shot. I'd like to know what else is involved.
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Sounds like my mind of hunt!!! I'm hoping to find a sweet little waterhole that I might be able to set up on for the first few days and if that doesn't produce the quality of animal then doing what I normally do! Glass and put on some miles! Hope you get to experience that type of hunt again!
 
jims said:
That’s a great attitude going into your hunt. It’s always exciting to harvest a great buck with stick and string.

I have been hunting Wyo antelope off and on for the past 50ish years. One thing I have learned the hard way is just because a unit is tough to draw and is considered a premium unit doesn’t mean it will have top tier bucks in any particular year. If you aren’t particular it may not matter but if you want the best opportunity to fill your hard earned pref pts with a high scoring B&C buck there’s quite a bit more involved than drawing a great tag and scouting/hunting your butt off!

As you mentioned in one of your first posts… burn your points wisely!
Click to expand...

jims said:
That’s a great attitude going into your hunt. It’s always exciting to harvest a great buck with stick and string.

I have been hunting Wyo antelope off and on for the past 50ish years. One thing I have learned the hard way is just because a unit is tough to draw and is considered a premium unit doesn’t mean it will have top tier bucks in any particular year. If you aren’t particular it may not matter but if you want the best opportunity to fill your hard earned pref pts with a high scoring B&C buck there’s quite a bit more involved than drawing a great tag and scouting/hunting your butt off!

As you mentioned in one of your first posts… burn your points wisely!
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Thank ya sir! Being from Colorado I 100% understand (just because a unit costs a bunch of points doesn't meant its worth a damn) we will be making sure these points go to the best use they can
 
MtnSwblr, Are you super interested in a buck of a lifetime or a nice representative buck from Wyo? There are several reasons I ask that question.....that I learned the hard way!
 
jims said:
MtnSwblr, Are you super interested in a buck of a lifetime or a nice representative buck from Wyo? There are several reasons I ask that question.....that I learned the hard way!
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I am looking for a buck of a lifetime, but if it's with my bow I will settle for just a very respectful buck. Why do you ask sir? Feel free to pm me
 
I had a great antelope hunt in unit 64 in 2017 (we saw like 15 bucks for every mile we drove), but there is so many good units units in WY. Just remember that points don't equate to big bucks necessary. I heard some die offs have happened since I was there. Hope you pick a unit and have a blast (and don't shoot the first goat that you see). Lander is a pretty cool town to visit, spend some money and get some good grub if you go around that way.
 
I have 10 NR points going into this years draw and I am contemplating whether to put in alone or double up with my brother who has 0 and try to draw a tag together. Does Wyoming average the points between the two in a group or does it take the lowest amount? Also, I dont know much about Wyoming and here there are Antelope everywhere. Where would be a good place to put in alone or on a double application to find a mid to high 70's buck? Any info is apprecitated.
 
I've spent a lot of time in unit 60 the last two Septembers and had a tag myself in 2012. Also ran cameras throughout 60 in 2021. Always see a lot of 70 to 75 inch bucks. Never saw one over 80 inches. Even in the top 3 units you will struggle to find a buck over 78 inches. The buck I killed in unit 60 in 2012 (attached) was on day 6 and was by far the largest buck we saw in the unit and it scored 79 inches.

2012-09-19 11.31.52.jpg
 
Any unit in Wyoming has the potential on any given year to produce an 80 inch buck or better. Access is more important to me, then can I draw the unit, then trophy potential.
 
bear1945 said:
I have 10 NR points going into this years draw and I am contemplating whether to put in alone or double up with my brother who has 0 and try to draw a tag together. Does Wyoming average the points between the two in a group or does it take the lowest amount? Also, I dont know much about Wyoming and here there are Antelope everywhere. Where would be a good place to put in alone or on a double application to find a mid to high 70's buck? Any info is apprecitated.
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I would spend your points on yourself. That's 10 years you waited. But at the end of the day it's your points so if yoi wanna just go after a decent buck with your buddy then do it man. Me and my dad have basically the same points so we're going in together and will split like 1 point, so really no biggy cause we still are going wherever we want. Will you be going archery or rifle?
 
30Hart said:
Any unit in Wyoming has the potential on any given year to produce an 80 inch buck or better. Access is more important to me, then can I draw the unit, then trophy potential.
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Absolutely. I have seen some 75+ bucks and we'll into 80s in some less than amazing units and the same in top tier units. All depends on how good of a growth season they had.
 
MountainSqwabler752 said:
I would spend your points on yourself. That's 10 years you waited. But at the end of the day it's your points so if yoi wanna just go after a decent buck with your buddy then do it man. Me and my dad have basically the same points so we're going in together and will split like 1 point, so really no biggy cause we still are going wherever we want. Will you be going archery or rifle?
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I’d like to do rifle. Just trying to figure out where would be best to go just to have a fun time looking at antelope and spending a week with my brother
 
Bear, My son and I hunted a unit that required 8 pts each two years ago and we had a really good time. In 4 days we saw tons of antelope but we were looking for something big. To me, Wyoming antelope hunting has always been a fun hunt, meant to be shared. As has been mentioned, I'd split with your bro, and go have a good time. Most 5 pt units should provide that.
We both got nice bucks but my son eventually shot one pushing 80"s which was a great buck for that year.
 
Like tracker12 said, passing on lesser animals is the hardest but likely the most important part. Judging in the field is challenging, I would recommend making sure you spend as much time looking at them from the side and the front. Yes, mass is key component of score, but harder for me to judge is how much the curl of the horns adds to the length when the curl itself is unusual or non-typical. Short story, look a lots and lots and lots of antelope and try not to get too excited about any of them, when you see a huge one it will most likely stand out from the others.
 
Similar to all horned game, antelope score is a matter of field judging inches. When a 78" buck is ok, an 80" buck great, and a 82+" buck a monster there isn't much room for mistakes. In fact, if you get the first base circumference measurement wrong you are screwed! Ground shrinkage sure is a bummer and reality check! It's happened to just about everyone that has antelope hunted.
 
bear1945 said:
I have 10 NR points going into this years draw and I am contemplating whether to put in alone or double up with my brother who has 0 and try to draw a tag together. Does Wyoming average the points between the two in a group or does it take the lowest amount? Also, I dont know much about Wyoming and here there are Antelope everywhere. Where would be a good place to put in alone or on a double application to find a mid to high 70's buck? Any info is apprecitated.
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For me I think antelope is the perfect hunt to do with a partner. Lots of fun driving around and judging animals. I did several stocks last year for the first 4 days. Lots of decent bucks but just not what I wanted. When I saw this one with over 20 doe I knew he was mature and would good in the game room.

095B8EE3-CFB9-4341-BB35-ACC7AC3970BF.jpeg
 
bear1945 said:
I’d like to do rifle. Just trying to figure out where would be best to go just to have a fun time looking at antelope and spending a week with my brother
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Heck yeah man. There are plenty of great units in WY where you and him could spend some time looking over quality animals. Just make sure to report back and tell us about yalls trip!
 
Great hunt for sure!!!. Truly one of the best!!! But please, all the white on its chin ain't fur. Some of its milk....LMAO!! The tight curls are what added length to it.
 
tailchasers said:
Great hunt for sure!!!. Truly one of the best!!! But please, all the white on its chin ain't fur. Some of its milk....LMAO!! The tight curls are what added length to it.
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Given that antelope bucks reach mature horn status by 3 years old, it could be milk chaser. :ROFLMAO:
That's a heavy great looking buck for sure!
Find one like that MS and make those big points count.
 

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