WY 98 antelope - son drew

huntjock · Jun 24, 2009

Well, my son (16) wanted to hunt WY antelope more than anything else so we put him in for points the last 2 years. This year he drew. At this point "success" to him is just getting out there with me and filling his tag.

He'll be carrying a .270 WSM - hope that's not too much for antelope

The extent of my antelope experience is 1 other antelope hunt - and that was 13 or 14 years ago on East Bench or something like that out by the Book Cliffs - uncle's archery hunt.

Any tips about access, roads, areas in this WY 98 unit where we could go and have "success" would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks - and happy hunting to all!

kilowatt · Jun 24, 2009

Where you from? You in Utah by any chance? If so, take a weekend and drive up there and look around. Take road 223 from Kemmerer up and over to Cokeville along the eastern boundary, you should see Lopes out there.

Brian

REDDOG · Jun 25, 2009

wouldnt worry about it, just make sure the boy can shoot!

huntjock · Jun 25, 2009

Yes, we're from Utah - we see quite a few animals from the road (hwy 89) as we wind our way up through Utah/Idaho/Wyoming toward Star Valley. We just don't know what areas are huntable or accessible.

So, thanks - this is the kind of info that is very helpful to us!! I'll start by scouting the area/road you recommended out next weekend

Thanks,
Neil

>Where you from? You in
>Utah by any chance?
>If so, take a weekend
>and drive up there and
>look around. Take road
>223 from Kemmerer up and
>over to Cokeville along the
>eastern boundary, you should see
>Lopes out there.
>
>Brian

chipc · Jun 25, 2009

Huntjock,
Go on the mytopo.com website. They have excellent topo maps by unit for wyoming that show the unit boundaries and all of the various land ownerships. I've found their maps Very helpful. GOOD LUCK ! Chip

kilowatt · Jun 25, 2009

Huntjock,

Yoour son will be getting in the mail soon a Antelope Hunting Regulations brochure that has a map inside and the boundaries for each unit. Stop in at the BLM Office in Kemmerer and get a
BLM map for Kemmerer and also Fontenelle Reservoir.

Brian

littlebighorn · Jun 27, 2009

HJ,
For what it is worth, I have hunted Wyoming Antelope at least a dozen times over the years. The best advice I can give you from my experience is to go up a day or two before the hunt opens and drive the whole area looking for good bucks. They usually stay in the same general area, so make a note on your maps where they are hanging out. Be in the area of your #1 buck at daybreak and then plan a stalk to get on him. If your son can shoot and you don't get messed up by another hunter, you will get a real good chance at that buck. If that one doesn't work out, go to #2 and so on. I took my son on his first big game hunt on a left over Wyoming antelope tag and we had a blast. He killed a very nice buck and now 10 years later we still talk about how fun that was. The other recommendation is, if your son hasn't hunted much, take him out in the desert mountains and have him shoot at rocks out at various distances to give him practice and confidence. I did that with my son and it really paid off. He got a lot faster at getting on his target and he gained a lot of confidence... besides having fun shooting. We went through about 60 rounds at rocks that summer from different positions and distances out to 500 yards (three different sessions). Oh one more thing, a range finder is a must for antelope! Good luck. There is nothing better than taking your son (or daughter) on a hunt like that!