Parker Mountain Antelope

deadI · Sep 16, 2011

Good luck to those few that have tags this year. I am interested in hearing how it goes for you guys / gals. After the tough hunt last year I am curious to see how it goes this year and to see how the animals are fairing down there. Let us know and post some pics when you get back.

DeadI/Jared

Verticalslope · Sep 20, 2011

Guess nobody killed anything on the Plateau. Must be even worse than last years numbers.

Dr_Hunter · Sep 20, 2011

I saw one that looked like it had been hit by a car. Does that count??

Verticalslope · Sep 21, 2011

Oh Crap! That roadkill buck was the only one left for re-stocking.

Dr_Hunter · Sep 21, 2011

LOL!

I am going down this weekend. I will probably pass through just to see if anyone is still there hunting and maybe see if I could help someone out. Normally, I won't drive through until after the season. Fear of being shot by a stray bullet or some idiot thinking my truck looks like an antelope or something. However, with fewer tags it is probably safe.

"Half of being smart, is knowing what you're dumb about."

CABugle · Sep 21, 2011

I have a tag and am leaving tomorrow morning from California to hunt the last three plus days of the season. I don't know much about the unit but will give it my all while there, once I get back I will give you an update.

CABugle

Verticalslope · Sep 22, 2011

Good luck CABugle,

I think you will mostly likely have the unit nearly, all to yourself. Just a suggestion, get on google earth and look at the draws that you have to hike to from a road. The goats tend to hold up in these areas after the first weekend. It's all easy walking, so burn some shoe leather. Post pics of your success.

DougW · Sep 22, 2011

Back about 10 yrs ago this was a pretty good hunt for 70s antelope...has it really gotten that bad now?

deadI · Sep 22, 2011

>Back about 10 yrs ago this
>was a pretty good hunt
>for 70s antelope...has it really
>gotten that bad now?

Yes it has. There are still animals there but for a decent buck your going to have to put some time in.

DeadI/Jared

Dr_Hunter · Sep 22, 2011

buckspotter7 · Sep 25, 2011

Beautiful country with decent numbers of antelope. Don't know how it compares to the past, but we saw 100-200 antelope a day. 10-20 bucks a day. Only saw one buck that would go about 13", all of the rest were 12" and under type bucks. Walked several miles into secluded areas only to find herds of does with no bucks, or 10" herd bucks. Very frustrating hunt, threw in the towel after 4 days and went to the book cliffs to scout for deer season. My tag went unfilled

Verticalslope · Sep 25, 2011

LAST EDITED ON Sep-25-11 AT 02:24PM (MST)[p]Sorry to hear about your hunt buckspotter7. In the past you could find several bucks in the 13"-14" range. Sounds like in a few years this unit may come back. Use to be a great unit but between the transplants, excessive buck and doe tags and winter kill, the unit was decimated.

Muley_73 · Sep 25, 2011

Epic failure of management!!!!! The DWR should be embarrassed and ashamed for such a failure!!!!

littlebuck2 · Sep 25, 2011

The epic failure comes from the damn grazing alotment operators. The DWR is only allowed to only have like 1500 goats on that unit and for years they were over objective by 2000+. Well we always got used to seeing that many goats when we went out times were great!! That unit is plenty big enough to hold that many!! Well all the cattleman and sheepman start squealing thinking cows sheep should be on the mountain instead, and the BLM/FS hassle the F&G to kill goats well with the trapping, hunting, and horrible winter two years ago took care of that. I talked to the biologist the other day and he says we are hovering around objective and that sucks, it just doesn't seem like near enough antelope unlike the good old days. I think we need to patition the rack or someone to get the objective numbers raised so we can start seeing goats again........My 2 cents

Muley_73 · Sep 25, 2011

Intresting, I have heard the Biologist from that area say many things???? Bottom line they over shot the unit and there is NOT 1500 goats on that unit!!! But Im sure we will be fed what we are willing to swallow.

Verticalslope · Sep 28, 2011

CABugle, How did your hunt go? Just wondering what kind of animals you saw and if you were able to harvest a buck. Please share pictures and a narrative.

Dr_Hunter · Sep 28, 2011

We need an update CAbugle. I drove through on Saturday and didn't see one single camp? I was on the North end of the unit (Parker LAke, Flosse, Jakes Knoll).

I don't think there is any other quality
so essential to success of any kind as the
quality of perseverance. It overcomes
almost everything, even nature.
-John D. Rockefeller

CABugle · Sep 29, 2011

Sorry for the delay guys but the hunt was pretty disappointing. I was aware of the fact that there would not be a ton of antelope and that the bucks would be on the small side but wow it was tough! Thanks to all of you who provided info as most of it was right on, I really had to get off the roads to find most of the antelope. The country is great and the people in the towns (Loa and Bicknell) where really nice.

The buck I shot was the best buck I looked over in four days of hunting, I looked over about 30 bucks in those days. After hunting for the last four years including this year in Wyoming, it is a huge step down in quanity and quality. But in the end I enjoyed the country and still got to hunt.

CABugle

Verticalslope · Sep 30, 2011

Great Job! CABugle on a respectable buck. Looks like your near the North end just out of Bicknell from you picture. Sounds like you made the best out of a tough hunt. What is the average sized buck you saw during the hunt? Thanks for posting the pictures.

deadI · Sep 30, 2011

Nice job. That is a very good goat for that unit in its current state. 5-6 years ago you would see quite a few bucks like that. But I would say you did very good. Congrats.

DeadI/Jared

Lkslayer · Sep 30, 2011

That is not a bad buck at all. Congrats!

clifhunter · Oct 1, 2011

heycabugle

if u need a goat hunt let me know .............that goat waS A JOKE..... I COULD SHOW HUNDREDS OF GOATS THAT ARE THAT SIZE..ESAY TO DRAW UNITS .........I CAN HELP...

GPA · Oct 1, 2011

Here's the buck I got on the archery hunt. This was my first antelope hunt and it took me four years to draw. I hunted really hard for this guy over eleven days dealing with daily lightning storms and rain that were making blind hunting really tough.

I had a bunch of blown stalks throughout the hunt, and I was actually able to decoy a buck that was a bit bigger than this guy to 50 yards. I totally misranged him though, thinking he was more like 40 and shot low.

I know he's not huge but I am really happy with him. Overall, it was a great hunt in some awesome country. I hope that herd recovers because that is one of my favorite places in this state and I hope to hunt it some time in the future.

Dr_Hunter · Oct 2, 2011

Great job guys!

I don't think there is any other quality
so essential to success of any kind as the
quality of perseverance. It overcomes
almost everything, even nature.
-John D. Rockefeller