Wyo Pronghorn rut and weather 90-1

baerman · Sep 28, 2015

Questions first:
1) Will jerd bucks be with the herds around Oct. 1st?
2) Will herd bucks be with the herd after Oct. 15?
3) Does migration of effect on Unit 90-1, good or bad?

I have a dilemma that I'm hoping some of you can weigh in on. I have a pronghorn buck tag for unit 90. It's my first buck tag but I've hunted doe's in the unit for about five years. Was planning all along to go this coming weekend (Oct 2-4) because the first ten days of Oct. are between archery and rifle seasons in Idaho. I was planning on hunting Friday-Sunday and taking my 5 yr old son with me to be a part of the hunt.

Now the weather forecast is calling for a cold front and rain on Friday and Saturday. Not ideal to access the desert and not ideal for me to ask my boy to make a stalk with me in the rain if we find a decent buck.

I'm trying to decide if I should move my hunt back one week and give up on the rifle deer opener in Idaho or push it back two weeks and go to Wyo Oct. 16-18. I know the later into Oct. we get the more likely Wyo will get moisture. As we get away from the rut, will the larger bucks still be with the herd or will they move off into their hidey holes and be harder to find?

Thanks for any who can provide input!

nontypical · Sep 28, 2015

Bucks will still be with the does Oct 1.

In my experience, the bigger bucks often are loners that roam from herd to herd looking for an estrus doe which they then take from the herd and breed. The biggest bucks will mostly be away from the herd by mid Oct unless they have begun migrating.

I've not hunted 90, but I suspect there will be migration beginning around then as well. You can find big bucks in a migrating herd.

baerman · Sep 28, 2015

Thanks NT!

DoeNob · Sep 30, 2015

You in 90 or 90-1?

littlebighorn · Sep 30, 2015

In my opinion the best hunting is during the heat of the rut, which is right now.
The longer you wait, the less activity you will see and the harder you will have in finding a good buck. But that's my experience.
Weather has a way of messing up the best of hunting plans.
Best of luck with whatever you do.

kilowatt · Sep 30, 2015

The first time drew a Lope tag in Wyo was back in 2007 in unit 93. Got there the last full week of Sept. and hoping not many hunters. Well I got there and met up with a local and he gave me drive around out there and so the next morning I was all alone.
Got up the next morning and headed out west and just as I was going the turn off, it started to light drizzle and then it RAINED. Oh what a mess to get around out there. Then it started to SNOW nad that was not too bad. But no game till about an hour later. It quit and I was trying to get around with the compass out of that area and finally did. Took me forever to find a good road out of that area. I HAD NO CHAINS so took some doing but made it back to town.
Next day it was clear and believe me them back country roads were a mess to get around on there. Long story short, I got my Lope around 3pm and got him skinned out and headed to town the 2nd day.

It can and will rain, snow etc any given time so be prepared. The drilling companies back there stray the dirt/gravel roads with a oil base solution during the summer to cut down on the DUST for the last few years. But as soon as it gets rain/snow and then starts to thraw out, that is when all hell breaks loose and you go between ditch to ditch.

Brian
http://i44.tinypic.com/es7x8z.jpg[/IMG]

baerman · Sep 30, 2015

>You in 90 or 90-1?

90-1

baerman · Sep 30, 2015

>The first time drew a
>Lope tag in Wyo was
>back in 2007 in unit
>93. Got there the
>last full week of Sept.
>and hoping not many hunters.
> Well I got there
>and met up with a
>local and he gave me
>drive around out there and
>so the next morning I
>was all alone.
>Got up the next morning and
>headed out west and just
>as I was going the
>turn off, it started to
>light drizzle and then it
>RAINED. Oh what a
>mess to get around out
>there. Then it started
>to SNOW nad that was
>not too bad. But
>no game till about an
>hour later. It quit
>and I was trying to
>get around with the compass
>out of that area and
>finally did. Took me
>forever to find a good
>road out of that area.
> I HAD NO CHAINS
>so took some doing but
>made it back to town.
>
>Next day it was clear and
>believe me them back country
>roads were a mess to
>get around on there.
>Long story short, I got
>my Lope around 3pm and
>got him skinned out and
>headed to town the 2nd
>day.
>
>It can and will rain, snow
>etc any given time so
>be prepared. The drilling
>companies back there stray the
>dirt/gravel roads with a oil
>base solution during the summer
>to cut down on the
>DUST for the last few
>years. But as soon
>as it gets rain/snow and
>then starts to thraw out,
>that is when all hell
>breaks loose and you go
>between ditch to ditch.
>
>Brian
>http://i44.tinypic.com/es7x8z.jpg[/IMG]

My experience as well. I was hunting the same area last year and we got 1.5" of rain in two days. I didn't drive in the desert after the first 0.1" of rain fell. Was a soupy mess!!!