Good area to hunt Antelope

[Lkslayer]

I'm going to apply to hunt Antelope (NR) this year with my son. Any recommendations on where to start my research? I have been to the FWP web site and the Hunt Planner, but it isn't very intuitive. Any insight is greatly appreciated.

 

[mtmuley]

Our winter was damn hard on the goats. Quotas will most likely be adjusted. Some of the guys East may chime in. mtmuley

 

[NONYAMT]

Not going to be a good year to hunt goats,the tag numbers in the areas with lots of tags and normally large numbers of goat will be greatly reduced.If your going to travel that far and you want to make sure you get to hunt Id go to Wy.

 

[NeMont]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-30-11 AT 08:53PM (MST)[p]http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showpost.php?p=2170429&postcount=120

http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showpost.php?p=2170430&postcount=121

http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showpost.php?p=2170433&postcount=122

These are scenes from the RR tracks along the hiline. It has been a brutal winter here. So far 105 inches of snow here in Glasgow and dead speed goats everywhere. What the train didn't kill winter has gotten alot of them. They will bounce back but it wont' be this fall.

Nemont

http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?t=245501

http://billingsgazette.com/news/sta...cle_56138f70-3bcc-5b48-bfb7-855f8ad8c4e0.html

 

[Shotgun59]

What are you looking for, a buck I assume. Do you care if it is a trophy or not. Where are you thinking of going in the state? Narrow down where you were thinking of hunting and I could provide some advice.

 

[Craig]

The unit I hunt ( when I draw ) use to have around 1200 tags. last year there was 400 tags. And I'm sure the quota will go down some more after this winter. I talked to my friend out there and he said they had snow out the butt. Bad winter like everyone else said. I hope the numbers come back up some time. They sure are fun to hunt.

 

[Lkslayer]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-30-11 AT 11:38PM (MST)[p]>LAST EDITED ON Mar-30-11
>AT 08:53?PM (MST)
>
>http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showpost.php?p=2170429&postcount=120
>
>http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showpost.php?p=2170430&postcount=121
>
>http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showpost.php?p=2170433&postcount=122
>
>These are scenes from the RR
>tracks along the hiline.
>It has been a brutal
>winter here. So far
>105 inches of snow here
>in Glasgow and dead speed
>goats everywhere. What the
>train didn't kill winter has
>gotten alot of them.
>They will bounce back but
>it wont' be this fall.
>
>
>Nemont
>
>http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?t=245501
>
>http://billingsgazette.com/news/sta...cle_56138f70-3bcc-5b48-bfb7-855f8ad8c4e0.html


HOLY SHIZZ!!! I've never seen anything like that. It's amazing.

I was thinking of hunting unit 6 or 7. What type of private land is on the east side? I hear rumor that it's heavily private.

 

[Shotgun59]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-31-11 AT 05:36PM (MST)[p]Dont go to region 6, that is where those pics are from and there will likely be a huge deer and antelope decrease.

Region 7-you have about a 1 in 3 three chance of getting the tag and a lower success rate on filling it. Ample blm and block managment land to hunt on. If combined with deer would be a great hunt.

Region 5-You are almost guranteed a tag in 500, 510, 590. Also ample block managment. Lope numbers here are low as well due to blue tongue a few years ago. I bought leftover 500 and 590 tags in the past when I did not draw first choice. Both hunts I had the chance at does and small bucks. Saw 2 shooter bucks but blew both stalks. And by shooter I guessed them at about 12 inches. I passed on the small bucks and does but one could fill the tag if not picky.

Region 4 is best in my opinion. I draw a certain region 4 tag every 2-3 years and its worth the wait. If you have no points it would be a very hard draw.

 

[muleyman]

Question: In the pics that NeMont posted the animals were spread all over the tracks??? Are they attracked to them for a reason? Or is it like that ALL over the place and that is just where you took pics?

Dumb question maybe, just wondering...so sad

muleyman

 

[Shotgun59]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-31-11 AT 05:37PM (MST)[p]The tracks are warm, free of snow, and have a small amount of food. Antelope frequently get hit by trains both here and in wyoming.

 

[NeMont]

I didn't take those pics. I stole them from another member who also posts here as mtmiller.

Given the amount of snow we have had the highways and the railroad tracks are the easiest place for them to walk on. Tough for the train to stop and the speedgoats line out in a panic and run right down the track until the train runs them over.

Nemont

 

[muleyman]

That REALLY sucks...

muleyman

 

[mtmiller]

The ones that did stay off the tracks are looking pretty tough right now. ;-)

 

[craige]

Okay correct me if i'm way off course here. When I was north of Malta in later November just after the first snow squall, I took video of thousands and thousands of speed goats migrating south as far as the eye could see while driving. I understand that the death toll is severe, but are these really "our" speed goats or primarily Canada's? I tend to feel like the first goats to hit the trail and go further south are our own. Not that we dont need to be wary of the death toll, but these critters are migrating from way north of the border and in my opinion the NE Montana goats are further south in respite. I guess a guy can hope, right?

 

[Shotgun59]

I heard the total number of railroad track kills this year is only 1100. That is not counting winter kill.

 

[NeMont]

"only 1,100"? That will more than the quota for a couple of hunting districts up here. 1,100 critters is nothing to dismiss. Especially when far more than that died due to winter kill.

Nemont

 

[Craig]

1,100 train kill antelope sounds like a big number. Is about the average number killed every year or is that high for Mt?

 

[Shotgun59]

Did not mean to make it sound like "only 1,100" was no big deal. Yes that is a lot but I just wanted to put a number for those that thought it may be several thousand. And yes it is huge when added to the winter kill. Antelope losses will be huge this year in reg 6.

I found this article, as of mid march there were 800 killed so I think as of now 1,100 might be accurate.

http://www.newwest.net/topic/articl...hit_by_trains_on_the_montana_hi_line/C41/L41/


Craig-1100 is very high and way above average.

 

[muleyczy]

Sounds like the majority of snow is in Region 6? Hows the winter/kill in Region 4 lookin?

 

[NONYAMT]

the north end of region 4 isnt looking any better