A bunch of buddies and I want to get together for an antelope hunt in the fall of 2014. What units are out there that are pretty much a guarantee for an OTC tag and that would accomodate 8-10 guys hunting on public land. Don't need to be trophy animals in the least. Just get out, hunt, and enjoy friends.

Any info would be great!

Thanks

Thank You for your service to our country !

There are no Buck Antelope OTC tags, it's a draw. Mule Deer and Elk for some area can be bought OTC.

I believe all leftover tags are now best online as outfitters were buying them all up at stores that sold the OTC. Can't be sure as have not bought a doe/fawn leftover in years. Given the recession, their may even be some leftover buck tags but 10 to 1 they'll be on locked up private land where, even if you can hunt, you'll have to go through an outfitter to whom the rancher leases hunting rights or directly pay a rancher a trespass fee.

"Leftover licenses will go on sale after the drawing is complete for Elk, Deer and Antelope. The dates below are when you can expect leftover licenses to be available for purchase.

PLEASE NOTE: The majority of remaining Elk, Antelope and Deer licenses are for hunt areas in which it may be difficult to obtain access. You are strongly urged to obtain permission to hunt prior to purchasing a license."

Your best bet is to call Wyoming Game & Fish (very nice folks)

http://wgfd.wyo.gov/web2011/home.aspx

307-777-4600

They can tell you drawing odds as well as point you to the best areas.

If you want to draw a buck Antelope tag as a non-resident it usually take a few years to get enough preference points and even then you're better off to pay for the premium license which increase your odds considerably.
My USAF buddy from CO applied 7 years, never drew, in year 8 he shelled out the "better chance to draw" money and drew. He has a nice (for Wyoming) 14 & 1/2" buck up on the wall now.

IMHO, the chance of 8 guys drawing in the same year is between zero and none.

I've been a resident 12 years and drawn Antelope Buck tags 8 times. Greatest animal in the US of A and as you know, found nowhere else in the world.

As an aside the brutal winter of 2010 hurt the herd and the droughts of 2011, 2012 and forecast for this year have/are hurting fawn production quite a bit. That all means less tags ..... ditto Mulies and the Wolves are decimating the Northern Elk herds as well.

Finally got Wolves delisted and our Governor (A Democrat with an A+ NRA rating) is now working on getting Grizzly Bears delisted as, in many areas, if you kill a Mulie or Elk you better not be alone.

"bang" equals ringing the dinner bell !

Best of luck putting your hunt together. Sounds like a great experience.

I believe all leftover tags are now best online as outfitters were buying them all up at stores that sold the OTC.

Not sure why they would do that as they can't resell them

Finally got Wolves delisted and our Governor (A Democrat with an A+ NRA rating) is now working on getting Grizzly Bears delisted as, in many areas, if you kill a Mulie or Elk you better not be alone.

You don't really live in Wyoming do you........Member #: 47951 Online content
Title: Member
Total Posts: 41
Registered on: 03/10/13 06:02 PM


hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...........

Matt Mead is a republican. Antelope tags haven"t been sold OTC since before I started hunting in 1979... Not a lot of antelope outfitters. They are not exactly hard to hunt.

The areas between Douglas and Gillette usually have left over type 1 licenses that while not exactly over counter can be bought until the quota is sold out.
There has not been any over the counter antelope tags in the last half century that I can recall. We used to have to stand in line at various locations and hope the number of permits that seller had wasn't sold out by the time we got to the counter..

Thank you so much for the replies. What I meant to say was leftover tags. I knew there's a draw but there are generally areas that have more than others, I just don't know which ones those are. I actually only live about 15 miles from Wyoming now. Just never hunted over that way. I've killed one goat in NE and he was not to bad. I just want to get my buddies a chance at something and try to plan in advance.

Thanks again for your help.

Here's my Nebraska goat.

Good looking speed goat!

Are you familiar with the wyoming walk in hunts? A friend went out there and had pretty good luck both times. He said it was pretty easy and the wyoming fish and game website has info on it.

There are so many things wrong in this post I don't know where to start. Isn't Cape Cod in the NE?

EH76 and Wyocolocowboy covered most of it.

2011 was not a drought year, actually just the opposite.
Pretty sure Canada and Mexico have antelope too.

Grunt, you guys can still buy a point for 2013. That could help drawing a tag, but with 8 guys it makes it tough.

There are units that have leftover tags every year and you can get doe/fawn tags too. You might contact the Guts and Feathers boys for info on accessible private lands as well.

Yeah, I was very confused after reading his post.

I'm just looking at units that traditionally have a surplus of leftover tags.

How long can you purchase a PP in Wyo for the following season?

End of September, IIRC.

Grunt

See my PM

Some of the information stated is BS.

Replied, thank you!

Nowhere else, except as someone else pointed out, Mexico and Canada.

�Greatest animal in the US of A�? Not as far as I�m concerned, although they are fun to hunt and great eating.

Coyote, forgive the east coast peasants, (me being one of them).

I shot about 50 whitetails, and a couple black bear, (one with a bow), before I shot my first 13" antelope in WY. About 25 years ago. I have taken several to the plate since. About 200 deer with a bow.

I've also shot 6 elk with a rifle, and three with a bow, several mulies bow/rifle. Ate every one except the bones. But for some of us the antelope is a special critter. I've paid to put two of the couple hundred deer I've shot on a walnut platter. I even put a bear on a rug. But my favorite "trophies" are my antelope. Because they were taken on a big ranch with miles of open space, on a beautiful piece of WY outside of Douglas.

I know the WY guys think antelope are fast varmints. But to some of us, they are memories of a lifetime. And I love the WY people.

Gents Larry Root is back....................

Who is Larry Root? And why does that jack ass think the antelope stop at the Montana Border? My goat was at least 50 miles our side.

No need to apologize, everyone has their preference. Congrats on your trophies � I�m more of a meat hunter with a small pile of antlers and horns in the barn and nothing on the wall.

Ever since I started reading Granddad�s Sports Afield, Outdoor Life and Field and Stream magazines as a kid I wanted to move west to hunt elk. Moved to Colorado in late November of 1980, started hunting them in 1982 and have hunted them all but a couple years since. Deer have always been targets of opportunity except for a couple years when I hunted them in a separate black powder season. (I know, �primitive season� according to the DOW.) Didn�t get started on antelope until later, after 2000.

Now we go to Wyoming every year for antelope, which I much prefer to deer. I pick up doe tags for $37 or $34, depending on if I get leftovers or go for the draw. This year I�ll try for 2 leftover tags again, as is my norm. Daughter #2 and her hubby, Daughter #1 and her boyfriend, hunting buddy Dave and my wife all plan to come. Should be a great time but given a choice between hunting either antelope or elk, elk would win by a mile. I�ve got 4 Colorado preference points for antelope so I�ll probably save them up for a nice buck hunt.

When I get too old to hunt elk it will be time to move where the fishing is better, preferably with a river or lake or ocean in the back yard.

Well they can be an aggrevation especially on winter wheat, and oats and alfalfa, and the little buggers will keep their favored crossing places in a fence pretty well mangled, but they are dang fun to hunt, and make the best jerky and salami of any game meat.

That makes a lot of sense. It takes a special type of idiot to put out that much bad information in one post.

Check the drawing odds for previous years at the WY Game and Fish website.

Link

You can apply as a party (one draws, all draw) but the maximum party size is six. If you apply to an under subscribed unit apply as two parties and all of you should draw. You should participate in the draw because doing it with the leftover online system may not work too well getting everyone a tag.

Generally, the units that have 100% draw odds are in the eastern half of the state. This will be where the bulk of the leftover tags will be that are available on-line after the main drawing.
These areas still can have lots of animals, if not as many trophy bucks, and you can have a fun hunt with your friends. Finding public land and walk-in areas should not be too difficult with a bit or research.

WY G&F

Link

Another route you might take is talk to the individual game wardens... Most of them know ranchers and farmers that have way too many antelope eating their crops, and would be delighted for a group to come and "Cull" a good number off their property.... That's how I got in touch with the alfalfa farmer that encourages me to take as many as I can, and to bring my friends as well... I hunt in unit 38 outside of Wheatland.... There are1000's of antelope in this unit, and lots of landowners... I usually just get the doe tags as leftover licenses... About $37 each for out of state hunters... Bucks are $270, and I think they can only be obtained in the draw, which will be in early 2014... I hope this helps, Paul