Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Tell me about your DIY Wyoming Antelope Hunts

Depending on where you are, there should be a local processing operation in the area. Antelope are one of the cash crops that time of year. We dropped off 6 or more and they had them done a day later, sausage mostly (my preference). Prices were modest. I usually go in the Douglas area due to many left over tags, Douglas has several processors.

Thanks, that'll be something to consider as well. Are the processors pretty good about getting you your particular antelope back?

if you want steaks and such DO NOT take it to just any processor.....most when yah drop off a critter, they weight it and just make sure you get the equivalent amount of meat back and not necessarily your animal.....unless yah like a specific guys sausage or other processed products or know the guy will give you your animal back i wouldnt do it......also a bandsaw used to cut up a deer or goat drastically increases any gamey or off taste.....

Here's my saga from last year's Wyoming antelope hunt: https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...oming_Antelope_Hunt_With_Fel#Post3376882

Be sure to bring knee pads for crawling. That was the best tip that I got here!

Knee pads and leather gloves are a good thing, lots of cactus where we hunted near Casper and you're likely to do some crawling.

A buddy and I went the first time last year, put in for areas which had lots of accessable public land but ended up paying a very reasonable trespass fee and gaining access to several thousand acres of private land. The owner considers antelope vermin, I suspect that is a common view. We're going back to the same place this year and have already contacted him. WY Fish and Game can provide you with a list of ranchers who will allow hunting on their land, I strongly suggest getting one and contacting folks on it.

The processor we used (Kompac) was great, asked when we were leaving and had the last one done in about 36 hours.

Oh yeah, the mud has to be experienced to be believed.

Waders: Thanks for the link!

Thanks for all the tips guys, and keep'em coming.

How bad is the mud? I've got 4WD on my F150 but my tires don't have aggressive tread (they're not plain street tires, but kind of an in between tread; they came with the truck). Would it be worth getting a set of off-road type tires?

Last years trip.

http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?t=241213

Headed back there next month.

I suggest having chains for all four, a Hi-Jack lift, and a board as a base for the lift; all for emergency extraction. Otherwise, if the roads are bad-- don't drive. You don't want to get stuck, and nobody wants the roads rutted up.
The second thing a permitting rancher will tell you, after "don't shoot the cows", is "stay off the roads if it rains".

Thanks Macrabbit; I'm not much for off-roading and would rather not tear up the land anymore than it already has been.

as far as i know eastern Wyo is like eastern MT in that whats on the surface is mainly the bottom of a shallow inland sea from bout 68 million years ago....meaning its mainly gumbo clay......when wet it is slick as axle grease but also sticks to everything.....i like 4x4'ing and all that as much as the next guy but if we get a rain i dont hunt......the stuff is nothing but a huge headache when its wet even with real aggressive tires....

Thanks, I'd prefer not to drive in poor conditions as well. Planning on an early season hunt to miss rain/snow but it's good to know what to be prepared for.

Yep. I thought this red stuff we have down here was bad, but it isn't nearly as slimy as WY's.

We were in a Chevy 4x4 with not particularly agressive tires and never (quite) got stuck, but it only rained a little one day.

its nasty chit, especially when really wet.....get yourself a garden hoe, cut the handle to about 2 foot.....when it hits the perfect moisture level it will build up in your wheel wells thick enough you cant turn your front wheels.....the short handled hoe is about the perfect tool to dig it out to gain back your steering.....

but its also so slick you will slide off side hills or slide yah into the ruts your trying to avoid like just like grease and your wheels will just sit in spin cause the clay fills in the tred so in all reality your running on slicks.....

horrible to walk in especially after a light rain that just wets the top half inch or so, builds up on the bottom of your shoes to about 6 inches thick than falls off to start the process all over.....you will twist an ankle on perfectly level ground or atleast jar the hell out of all your joints.....

good news is, with some sun and wind, it dries out pretty fast except for low areas.....so long as the top 1/4 inch or so is dry it aint to bad to walk on but a truck sinks through....

Thanks, does the severity of the mud vary by time of season or is it fairly constant throughout the hunting season?

wet is wet......before the snow starts to fly its normally dry up here.....problem with fall is it takes awhile for the ground to freeze so if it snows it hits the ground and starts to melt just like had it rained...had some interesting hunts late season deer where we would get out early while the ground was froze and bout 11 am be driving as fast as possible to get to gravel before the ground thawed and we had to sit and wait for it to freeze again at night to get out.....

in Montana the first part of speed goat season is usually warm and dry and rarely a problem....Nov is normally when it gets interesting.....

Thanks, we'd be looking at going in September so we can get back for Oregon's deer opener in early October.

its like anything......who knows for sure, can have a rain storm at any time.......good thing bout Sept and Oct is the sun is usually still high enough to dry stuff out fast enough to usually not completely kill a hunt provided your out for more than 3 days of hunting.....

Planning on at least five days so we can take our time, I'll bring that short-handled hoe for sure, just in case.

its rare that provided i coulda missed work that rain screwed up more than 2 days worth of hunting in Oct......Sept tends to be a lil drier yet.....last fall was the first time in 7 years that rain actually totally screwed up a hunting weekend for me.....November when it starts snowing, the ground aint quite froze yet, the nights get below freezing and the days are above that and sunny that it can get entertaining...

but seriously if the dirt your on is pale gray and baby powder fine when you crumble it up in your hand thats the stuff that will give yah hell when wet....

And that grey powder seems to be a lot more common to the north and East of Wyoming. Further south and west, it is more like rock/gravel.