unit 27 vs. 72 pronghorn

[madmoose]

any opinions on which a person would pick over the other? looking to harvest a 14" plus, that would just be a goal or something to strive for with the wife and i. or is there another compariable unit that a person should look at? we have 2 points.

 

[searcher]

I would not waste 2 points on unit 72. This year it was about 70 percent odds of drawing with no points. I hunted it the first week of October and it was a tough hunt. I did not see a 14" antelope on the public areas. I do not know anything about 27.

 

[MNHunter]

I wouldn't use 2 points on 27. You can draw with a fraction of a point. I would hold out for a better unit and then hunt 27 another time. You can get a 14 in 27 but they arent plentiful. I saw pics of one this year. My group all shot 12-13s.

"Whatever you are, be a good one."
- Abraham Lincoln

 

[madmoose]

well..... that makes 2 replies saying i shouldnt use my points on either unit. so maybe i should rephrase my thread.
1.really want to hunt wyoming next year for pronghorn.
2. we both have 2 points right now
3. both of us would like the opportunity to harvest 14" or better, only because that is our personal bests so far. so just a challenge.
4. dont mind sitting/accumilating pref. points for a latter hunt.
5. with that being said. anywhere a person could draw with no points and poss. smack a 14 or better?
6. are these other hunts that take a few more points to draw getting into the realm of 15" or 16" pronghorn more commonplace?
sorry for so many questions.. we wont be doing this every year, just trying to plan a fun hunt for the wife and i next year. like everybody else we would like to believe we are making the best educated guess we can

 

[Whiterock]

Look at unit 47. I have took two 15 incher's there and have seen a few others in that class there. I only hunted the unit late in the season.

 

[oregonmuley]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-27-11 AT 03:32PM (MST)[p]No expert, but I bet with a even a little bit of hard hunting and a bit of luck you can find a 14 incher in just about every unit in Wyoming. Is it a gimme - no and you might have to look over a lot of bucks to find one but there are units you can pick up tags after the draw that have that size buck.

Some will have lots of private land to deal with, but with good maps and a gps with a good chip in it to show private/public it can be done.

Heck I may be one of the worlds worst antelope hunters and I was lucky enough to get a buck this year on my 2nd day that is right at 14 3/4 on the long side, 14 1/2 on the other. Check out my post "2011 WY Antelope Trip" for some pics. This was a week into the season and you could see him from the road - he was on a section and a half of public land Maybe look at some of the central units.

 

[madmoose]

what maps are most of you using? i have a thunder basin map for some of the eastern areas. do the blm maps show what i want to see in the central units or are there more detailed maps available?

 

[oregonmuley]

I have really good luck with the mytopo maps, they have them for Wyoming unit specific and they show public/private/school land and the price is pretty good.

 

[carterj16]

73 treated us pretty good this year with 2 points. we killed 3 for 3 in 2 days. saw over 100 bucks in the 1st day. we went 1st week of oct. and saw no one.
2 of the bucks were 14, 1 was super wide

 

[WapitiBob]

I would save my points, spend a little $$ and get an "almost" sure thing 2nd choice tag in the Special Draw.

 

[badlander]

Never been in either unit, but would agree with above. Ive hunted in a "0" point unit on public for 2 years and bought a left over tag this year.

One of my party in the 0 point unit last year killed a 15.5", and another missed a solid 14" and took a smaller frustration buck, I killed a 13" and saw another 14+" just after.

This year in the leftover unit I shot a 14" buck with 6" bases and 5.5" cutters. Right around 76"

I think 14" is do-able in most areas in WY. Pick one with good access, and large areas of roadless and they will be there.

 

[madmoose]

thanks for the replies..
oregonmuley, i checked out the map website.. very cool. sold! thanks for the help.

 

[Flint]

We've hunted 72 the past two seasons. We've killed nice bucks both years, but this season was much tougher and we did not see many really good bucks. We'll be heading to a different spot next year.

 

[tagsoup]

If you have a gps check this site out. If you don't have a gps check this site out and then go buy a gps and a wyoming chip or download. I have a few different states and these things are great. My buddy talked to a warden on his wyoming antelope hunt this year and this is where the warden got his chip from.

http://www.huntinggpsmaps.com/

 

[Cornhusker]

+1 on what tagsoup posted I wouldn't go without my chip and gps as well as the paper maps I buy.