Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Need guidance for an easterner wanting to hunt antelope.

Guys, I ain't getting any younger and I want to possibly go on an antelope hunt with my son in 2016. He is in college and plans to go to medical school in a few years. My window of opportunity is closing for an out West hunt. We visited Yellowstone this past summer and really got the bug! Figured antelope would be the most affordable and possible successful.

Is this possible to do on our own?

What State?

Are there private ranches where we can pay a so called trespass fee? Cost?

Are tags / licenses hard to get? Cost?

Any first hand recommendations?

We are not after a trophy animal and could not tell the difference anyway!

Thanks for setting me in the right direction.

Wyoming.

Yes.Trespass fees vary.

In some district doe tags are OTC.

Don't have any first hand recommendations but Id study BLM maps hard cause iota still possible to do on public land.



Lots of antelope.

There are lots of tags here in North East Wyoming. The public land is quite crowded for most of the season anymore. I don't mean to say thousands of people , just enough people to keep the antelope moving off public land to private. The private land trespass fees in this area are not much cheaper then a 3 day guided hunt on average. There are chances of taking decent animals on public but it takes a bit of work. .
If the oil prices stay low there will be a lot of oil field workers in the field this year looking to fill freezers also.
Not trying to sound negative , but antelope hunting is not as easy as it was even 5 years ago in this area.

Don't even consider Idaho. All tags are by lottery and its one of the hardest tags we have to draw.

I used to do South Dakota but they've mostly cut out nr tags because the herd is down. Wyoming unit 27 is where I'd put in for.

I spent the last two summers building roads for the mines in that area. The numbers seem be stable there and public access is actually better thanks to our roads.
Now if a man could draw a 113 elk tag....... back your truck up to a 350 inch bull type of hunt.

north central Montana, north of Malta in the Loring area, just below the border.
Big ranches are open to hunters and plenty of block management areas to hunt between Malta and Loring. Not sure how the population is currently, but we have had excellent success in past years. Have taken several 16" bucks in this area. Good luck.

I'd say Montana as well, though it depends on the numbers. We had a couple of pretty severe winters several years ago and FWP really decreased the number or tags available. It used to be pretty easy for a non-resident to draw, not as easy for any of us anymore. Antelope were up by 30% in Region 7 last year according to FWP, and I don't think it has been a particularly severe winter there so far; it sure hasn't in southwest Montana. There is lots of access on either public lands or through Block Management. FWP should have drawing stats and license numbers available in a couple of weeks. Application deadline is usually June 1st.

I wouldn't worry about your window closing anytime soon. Antelope hunting is not particularly strenuous. There is lot of walking, but the terrain is pretty open and while not flat in that part of Montana, it is mostly small hills and buttes. Even dragging one out isn't particularly hard. They're pretty small and you are rarely much more than a mile from the truck.

Hope you have a great time, antelope is one of my favorite hunts and the meat is outstanding.

You didn't happen to put any access roads through unit 26 did you? Always plenty of leftover tags and there is some public land there, but no access.

The meat is outstanding!

What ingwe says. Hard to beat Wyoming, lots of areas you can draw into. All antelope tags for non residents are area specific and some areas have difficult access. One of your most valuable tools is a good GPS and a Wyoming chip. You can hunt a lot more confidently if you are sure you're where you should be. A good atlas or map also.

Antelope hunting is a great thing and I enjoy eating them very much (although you'll hear of lots that don't-I always suspect improper meat care but who knows). Wyoming is one of the best places on the planet and antelope season comes during a pleasant time to be there.

Get out and walk, enjoy the view and don't be afraid to pack an antelope out if you need to-usually not a bad chore for a person with a good pack. I like areas 32,47 and 42 although in 42 you need be on your toes as far as access. The HMA's and walk in areas are a blessing.

Good luck, enjoy and post your results.

No the roads we built were around School Creek mine and North antelope Rochelle Mine. Two of the biggest holes in the country.

Pronghorn meat is awesome.

I haven't hunted antelope in almost 20 years and I need to get back after them........I've killed a few bucks and a couple doe and don't need one for the wall; that one I've got.

Great tips here......

Start applying now, they don't give out nearly as many tags as they used to so you may have to get a few points first

Why not apply in New Mexico? Your odds of drawing are probably pretty good. We seem to issue the majority of our public antelope tags to non-residents.

Wyoming.
Game and Fish Website will advise you of draw success for areas.
Call the Game Wardens in a few areas.
Call the Wildlife Biologists
They know the ranchers who will welcome you and those who have more 'goats' than they want or will tolerate.
Do Not stumble around without some local help.
Don't be afraid to go later in the season as opening pressure dies off quickly and you may be welcome on more ranches. A guide is always an option for a newbie but not required for sure.
Good Luck. I'll be looking for buck #21 somewhere in the eastern half...........

All good advise along with all the other posts. I'm not sure if I have anything else I could tell you other than go and have fun.

I've been going now I think 8 or 9 years, I've only hunted one unit but have scouted out several when time allowed.
The local bio's are your friend - do call them and ask them some questions, that's what I did and the bio in my area is awesome and a wealth of knowledge. Also, like mentioned going later in the season is the way to go. Last year was the first time I've ever hunted on opening day, crazy amount of hunters!! I usually hunt about the 2nd week or as late as the last couple weeks and have had a great time going later. Only problem with that is the weather can turn ugly on you.

As far as units, maybe look at some of the central ones, they tend to be easier to draw and have more tags - but have more private land so you can run into access issues. But if you have the gps chip even some of those units once you start looking can be good enough to fill your tag.
Good luck on your hunt, I sure hope I draw again this year, can't wait!!

Let me also recommend Wyoming. Their draw system is very favorable for out-of-state hunters, there's lots of land to hunt, and speedgoats are plentiful.

Plan for the weather forecast, but be prepared for any temp's. The only constant in WY weather is lots of wind! Take a big cooler and lots of ice, because antelope meat spoils quickly if not cooled down aggressively. We typically bring a couple big jugs of water and wash out the animal's body cavity as soon as we gut it, then get it skinned & quartered & on ice asap. The meat is delicious.

Plan and practice for shots out to 300-400 yards, but most of the time you can stalk much closer. Practicing at longer ranges gives you confidence for moderate ranges, in my view. My first WY antelope buck was shot at less than 40 yards!

I'll also recommend Wyoming. I've done 3 DIY and had 2 successful hunts. The one in which we didn't fill a tag had crazy weather and we were just figuring out what to do. Still had a great time.
Even in the difficult access areas there is land to hunt and the 2 best investments are a good rangefinder and a good GPS with the landowner chip.
I've always bought leftover doe tags and buck tags were available too but I was on a budget and wanted to ensure I knew what I was doing first.
I've also avoided opening day and even close to major roads did not run into much hunting pressure after the first week.

The best part for any of us from farther east: it's Wyoming.
Whether you bring home meat or not you will get a chance to hike in one of the most beautiful areas of the country, meet some really nice people and enjoy some of the freshest air and open skies you can imagine.

Naturally for me it is Wyoming, and I will extend the offer of advice and what help I can give if you draw a Fremont county tag. Good luck!

Good advice from DocRocket but better still don't gut them at all. No need to, just bone or quarter them. Meat cools quicker that way also.

I have hunted antelopes in SD several times but always looking to expand my opportunities. How does one find landowners that charge an access fee? Many Google searches and WGAF searching have accomplished nothing. I would prefer to hunt areas with easy to get tags where I have to pay an access fee rather than wait a few years. Thanks

I will print all the replies. Thanks for taking the time!

PM sent

Whats a good gps that works with readily avialable chips. Garmin??

New Mexico drawing odds for NR's are extremely low unless you book with an outfitter and apply for a tag in the outfitter pool.

Check out the OnXMaps web site. They have em for different brands of GPS but also downloadable content to use on your smartphone. Pretty nifty product from that standpoint but indispensable in the field.

The odds aren't good, no matter who's putting in for them. You're better off buying a landowner permit.

Sakoluvr: I have Hunted Antelope every year since the late 60's and often in two states each year.
I have Hunted in both Wyoming and Montana.
Eastern Montana is bouncing back from some rare low ebbs in population of Antelope - Wyoming is fairing better of recent also.
So either state for applying for tags is commendable.
Don't forget to put in for the "Bonus Point" program in Montana if you apply there.
I am hopeful you will get your tags.
Some "long since learned" advice:
#1: You MUST (as a newcomer) be there to Hunt on the Antelope seasons opening day!
#2: Show up 2+ days before the season opener to scout and observe movement of the Antelope in your area/Hunting spot.
#3: Get up early opening morning and approach your chosen scouted animals with the rising sun at YOUR back.
#4: Dittos at sun set use the sun to your advantage and approach your quarry with the sun at YOUR back and in their eyes.
#5: Buy and practice with a Harris bi-pod.
#6: Don't shoot AT running Antelope - they are faster than you are familiar with.
#7: Get, practice with and use a rangefinder.
#8: Memorize your bullets trajectory out to 450 yards or so.
#9: Don't be intimidated by what appears to be Antelope "miles" away - in the relatively flat terrain of much of Montana and Wyoming you can cover distance easily and relatively quickly and eventually stalk closely if your approach is careful.
#10: Have some ice blocks in plastic wrap ready to place in the Antelopes chest cavity once one is brought to bag - cooling Antelope quickly enhances the flavor. Game processing locations are often "distant".
#11: Bring your spotting scope for horn assessment (are they Bucks?).
#12: Cameras are mandatory for game, scenery and sunrise/sunset pics.
Good luck, have fun and drive carefully.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Longtime lurker, first time poster. I am looking at doing this same type hunt to break me in out west. I have been doing a lot of long distance scouting with google earth and some websites. One website I am really digging right now is the DIYhuntingmaps site. Lots of good info in there.

I will add I am looking at areas where I could do a combo mulie/pronghorn hunt.

Good luck and happy hunting!

Lots of public land in Wyoming to hunt on. West of Casper is area 75. Should be able to draw. Stay of the ridge tops. The longest I've shot an antelope is 75 yards cause all I hunt them with is a 45 sixgun. If you work at our, they are not to difficult to get close to. That's part of the hunt...