Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game WY antelope

Should have enough points to draw a WY antelope tag this year. How are they doing this winter? Any large winter kill so far?

So far not bad but ask again about April or early May.
Some areas had a dry end to summer and winter range was not in good shape going in to winter.
Hopefully the doe will have lots of twins this year, maybe a few triplets and herds will respond favorably to last springs big snow in eastern Wyo.

Reduced tags could mean better hunting, less pressure, in the area you draw.

What’s the best way to find a trespass hunt on private land now days? The Game and Fish use to have landowner list but not anymore.

Fug that hit public land

I’ve hunted public too but it’s a lot easier to draw on private land in some areas. I got spoiled I guess hunting a large ranch near Gillette for years. I always drew tags with no points and got to hunt every year. I’d love to find something like that again.

How many points you got?

The winter kill will be worse if spring is dry and cold, the faster things green up the better off they will be. Avoid applying in areas 16,17 and 22 the numbers were quite thin this past year. And if any thing may be worse off next. The prairie barely grew grass this year in 22. and I am sure a Lot of does are struggling....

We had enough to draw last year but they cut the tags back & we were just out of the draw. We're looking at the NE corner of WY.

Don Day is saying we may have a spring like last year with a nice cold, snowy push at the end. That won't bode well for those doe carrying fawns.

Ok so a non answer. I have four and I'm not sure if that's worth getting excited over. I may just build points for a few more years

It's a group application----average----we are looking at unit 7

I want unit 27 but the points seem to steadily creep up. I may not catch them

This drought map may help with planning and unit choice. You can also look back on data from when a buck was born to see how drought may have affected development of horn base.
https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?WY

I have 11 NR points and will be looking to draw a good hunt this year.

Point creeps a bitch . I just checked 27, last year 4 points in special draw was 90% .


We have 12 points and will never catch up for some of the “premier” units. But it’s always a game of who/with how many points apply ...

Is the Special Draw the one that costs 600 some dollars to enter?

Yes
That’s the down side
The regular you wouldn’t have drawn, I think 6 points drew the last tag.
Also with point creep , 4 last year will probably be that or more, but it all depends how many people put in. Or if tags are reduced.
A few years back a prime red dessert tag went with less points than I had. I figured I couldn’t draw it and didn’t apply, I would have drawn. You just have to pick your unit and apply.

This problem not only applies to nr, but to residents as well. Drawing a any antelope tag used to not be a problem if we avoided the units with huge amounts of public land. For the last two years I failed to draw a tag in a couple units that used to be our second or third choice. Numbers have declined and the chips showing land ownership have caused units with mostly private land now being sold out as well. Times have changed and not for the better. Ah, the good old days!!

Exactly
Throws out the old SOP of putting in your target unit but drawing a second and still getting to hunt. We could buy a second buck tag during season in the good old days....

I was thinking just putting in for 27 and picking something else as my second choice. But points only get applied to your first choice and every unit I can find for an acceptable consolation prize requires points to draw. So I could just make one of them my first choice but I would hate to burn up four points on a unit that only requires one or two. Dilemmas.

You could just put in for 27 special draw for a better chance
Or 27 regular draw

Either way Both will depend on demand and if they reduce or add tags.


Or just look on Wyoming F&G and see which units you would likely draw with 4 points

I have to think it over. I don't want to pay 600 some dollars for antelope tag.

I’m sitting on 7 pts in WY am debating between using it this year OR simply wait until I get 15 or so. I’m not sure if the wait is worth it but am investigating outfitters and opportunities to target 80” bucks.

For conversation

You're in a pretty good place but wait and see what numbers do this year and into next, etc.
Look over those outfitters carefully, many have 100% success but take lots of 12 in. or so bucks.
Lots of areas can produce 80" bucks on good years.

I drew a NR antelope tag in Wyoming last fall with less than 5% draw odds. Drew the one random NR tag in that unit. If you want to hunt a hard to draw tag, don’t be afraid to apply.

They average points? I thought they reduced to the lowest held by a member of the group. Used to be able to draw where we go whenever I put in, maybe the odd year out once. I'm on year 4 applying and every year it creeps up. Sounds like you have a solid plan and unit picked out already. Mature goats are more resilient than the babies on lean tears unless it's really bad. Throw your hat in the ring and see what happens, October is a long ways away and there's a lot of other things that can go wrong in the mean time

Wyoming averages your PP , out to at least 4 decimal places.
Quotas will not be out until late April or early May, do not apply until they come out.

Sounds like good advice

That’s right
And you have until August 1st to apply for antelope so wait unit the last minute for the most up to day information

Deadline is May 31, iirc. But waiting until Aug 1 will certainly increase one's chances to apply for a preference point ;-)

The listing below is from the Wyoming Game and Fish website. For NONRESIDENTS the application closing date for antelope is May 31. If your application is not in by then you cannot draw a tag in 2022. The license Quotas are set by the Game Commission independent of the application deadline dates, and the drawing date of June 16 is set to occur after the Quota numbers are approved by the Game Commission. You cannot wait until August to apply unless you are applying for a preference point only.


License Type: Antelope, Open Date: January 3, Close Date: May 31, Modify/Withdraw: May 31, Draw Results: June 16,
Preference Points Only: July 1 - October 31

The whole list of dates for all big game species is at the url below. Nonresident and Resident are different, and there are click box links for each list on this page.

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/hunting/application-dates-and-deadlines

It's a group application----average----we are looking at unit 7

7 got hit hard the past two winters, especially late winter. Add to that the EHD outbreak last year, and they took a pretty good beating. I was hunting mulies there last year, on a large chunk of private. Numbers of both deer and pronghorns was way down from previous years.

Thanks---eagle. Exactly the info I need. Bob

You will not know how many licenses are available until quotas are set in April. If we have a late storm and numbers are affected they will takes licenses out of the draw and it will affect your drawing odds.
Numbers are down across the state, some areas way down but good hunting is still out there.
Let them set the quotas then look over areas and draw odds.

It’s a great year to spend max points on unit 16.