I have been off this site for the past 3-4 weeks due to other business but I thought you antelope hunters may be interested in an observation.

About a month ago, I drove across Montana and South Dakota on I-90. A week after my across trip, I came back to Idaho making the trip in reverse.

I didn't do any scientific survey or anything but usually, one sees lots of speed goats while driving across the prairie. Groups here and there along the highway have always been present.

This year I saw 3 antelope. That's it. Only three.
I am not making any radical suggestions about die offs or poor game management or anything else. I am just posting an observation.

I hope your speed goat hunts are all successful and I will be interested in reading what you find out in central Montana and western S.D.

Good hunting !

I sure haven't seen many in the hills around NE MT.


Didn't even put in for the draw.

I spent a very brief amount of time in extreme SE Montana last month. I saw quite a few herds in Powder River and Carter counties.

in my traditional hunting grounds in western WY, antelope are down something like 70-80% from peak around 2000

The numbers in South Dakota are way down. We traditionally hunt in NW Butte County, and many years drew double or even triple tags. We didn't draw for the second time in 3 years; I had drawn every year for probably 12 or more years before that.

Winter kill has been bad for a few years.

I liked to hunt antelope near Edgemont SoDak. NR's haven't been able to get tags for a number of years now. Goats used to be plentiful around there.

They sure aren't now unfortunately. Western SD and eastern WY lost a lot of antelope over the past few years.

So did western ND