Antelope numbers and tags issued?

[mallardsx2]

I've never killed an antelope. But when I do I will likely only kill one in my lifetime and I want it to be a quality experience.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I've never killed an antelope. But when I do I will likely only kill one in my lifetime and I want it to be a quality experience.

Why only one?

 

[mallardsx2]

Well one in Wyoming. I have points in Colorado as well. Who knows maybe I will kill more its just not something I really want to kill a lot of.

Honestly, Its too far for me to go with that little of a meat return to bring home.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Buy extra doe tags, pretty cheap in Wyoming. I usually shot a couple of them to go along with the buck tag.

Colorado is pretty tough to hunt antelope in. The tags that are the easiest to draw are mostly private and the goodunit with lots of public land usually take quite a few points.

 

[NEWHunter]

In that area last year I wondered to myself how the area was going to get to an 85%+ harvest rate based on the number of antelope and hunters I saw. Hopefully you pulled the tag on a second choice and have some points to burn for next year.

 

[257Roberts]

I hunted South Central part of Wyoming last week with type 7 Doe tag ( private property) during 3 days of hunting we had several Buck opportunities but no Does. Folks in town though #'s were down 70%... Tag is good til end of Nov, but not sure i need to kill a doe there.

 

[GOSHENGRUNTER]

Hunted the Kaycee area this year in 20 and 21. This is my 7th trip to that area. Never seen so few antelope. Even on private ground. Killed a 14" buck and didn't even bother trying to fill my doe tags. Pretty sad honestly.

 

[go_deep]

I'm going to be very interested to see what unfolds over the next several months leading all the way into next spring.
I work all over the state and some of the areas mentioned above had normal numbers in May, June, even into first of July. So did the drought kill that many? Did they pile up into small pockets deep on private where they couldn't be seen? Or did they get forced to "migrate" out to find water?

The area my son and me hunted was very much so hard hit by drought, but it had a live river running through most of the hunt area. You didn't have to get real far from that river and you left 90%+ of the antelope behind, and it really looked like they were piled up around it. Most ponds were dried up, which left most those areas void of antelope.

 

[Yell Co AR Hunter]

I'm going to be very interested to see what unfolds over the next several months leading all the way into next spring.
I work all over the state and some of the areas mentioned above had normal numbers in May, June, even into first of July. So did the drought kill that many? Did they pile up into small pockets deep on private where they couldn't be seen? Or did they get forced to "migrate" out to find water?

The area my son and me hunted was very much so hard hit by drought, but it had a live river running through most of the hunt area. You didn't have to get real far from that river and you left 90%+ of the antelope behind, and it really looked like they were piled up around it. Most ponds were dried up, which left most those areas void of antelope.

There was water in most of the areas we hunted, but still no antelope. I know we came across at least 20 antelope that had died in the last month. So I am thinking something like stress from food source and one of those 3 letter EHD or something. Who knows but the total of 500 buck tags and 400 doe/fawn tags was not anywhere right for the area.

 

[go_deep]

There was water in most of the areas we hunted, but still no antelope. I know we came across at least 20 antelope that had died in the last month. So I am thinking something like stress from food source and one of those 3 letter EHD or something. Who knows but the total of 500 buck tags and 400 doe/fawn tags was not anywhere right for the area.

Sometime around March the WGFD will ask for public input for the next season. I strongly suggest you and everyone else submit comments on what you seen during your hunt.

 

[jimss]

South and south-central Wyo got hammered by deep snow last winter. There was an incredible amount of winterkill in that area. I spent several weeks in that area this summer/fall and there were very few mature bucks that made it through the winter. As mentioned above, numbers were way down from what they were years before. Locals mentioned that this was the worse winter they have seen for years..possibly ever. Deep snow stuck around for months with super cold/windy conditions. I saw quite a few yearling and 2 year old bucks but mature bucks and does were super sparse. Fawns were almost non-existant....bad sign for a couple years to come.

It was also super dry this summer throughout most of Wyo. In fact, I saw 3 different fires this summer/early fall. There was plenty of water available early this spring but a lot of water sources dried up through the super dry summer. There also was an early snow in September that pushed antelope off their regular pattern. Some moved completely out of areas where they tend to hang out all summer/early fall.

Keep your fingers crossed that there isn't deep snow for months like last winter in southern Wyo. With the dry summer the antelope aren't in the best of shape.

 

[zpooch]

Went out yesterday in my unit that I drew second choice as a resident, south central Wy. I saw 3 bucks all day in a unit that gives out over 400 tags and had historically been around 90% harvest rate. I ran into an old timer who had been hunting that unit for 35 years and he'd never seen it that bad. I didn't feel the need to take the only shot I got all day. I don't need the meat that bad this year

 

[manitou1]

I fill several tags every year, holding out for a 70+" buck every season. I have never NOT filled all my tags as I allocate 8 days. I butcher my animals as I go.
This season, due to moving the wife out there and finalizing my house build, I arrived 5 days early. I had an additional 9 days to hunt. I put 1300 miles on gravel roads, dozens of miles by foot and saw exactly ONE buck on public ground... 800+ yards away, running onto private land. I saw very few does on public. I didn't have the heart to fill my doe tags as there were so few antelope. I bet I saw 5% of the normal numbers of antelope, on public and private land combined. My wife and I have been going to WY for 24 years (she grew up there). Sad. I quit hunting 3 days early. I spoke to 2 other groups of hunters in the area who gave up early and were heading home. Never dreamed I could go out and get skunked.
I did take a decent mule deer on the muley opener.

 

[WapitiBob]

I took my brother to a south central wyoming hunt area this year and we were covered up in Antelope. I hunted it a cpl years ago and there were plenty of animals then too. We saw hundreds on the drive home. I have been in a hunt area that was pretty sparse but it was one of the areas around Buffalo.

 

[Hilltop]

I just returned from southern Wyoming. I wasn't hunting antelope but I paid attention to them as I have a pile of points. I found a lot of antelope but they were very concentrated in big herds. On one river bottom ranch I saw a herd of 100+ animals all together on the hay meadows. I think the drought forced them into areas people aren't used to looking for them. I saw another herd with 40+ animals at close to 9000' in elevation. They were feeding on a hillside where the snow had melted. At last light they made their way down off the mountain. I have hunted in this area for 30+ years and have never seen this behavior in the past.

 

[go_deep]

I've seen similar things as Hilltop.
I took a first time hunter out on the last day of season this weekend, so we were looking for a buck of any kind. Filled his tag 200 yards from the forest, close to 9,000'. For that late in the year to find antelope right up high in the snow by the forest was very odd. We ended up seeing normal numbers for antelope in the area we were in and the areas we drove through there and back.

 

[mosquito]

2 of the antelope that we killed were at 8000 feet. We told that to a couple guys at are campground and we saw there eyebrows raised ( i think they thought we were bull sh&/ing them .)

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

In the unit I hunter a couple of years ago in south Colorado, I camped at over 9,000'. Lots of antelope there too.

 

[Bonecollector]

I saw the same thing last year in Wyoming. I was hunting a unit for Elk in which I killed my first cow elk, and saw small groups of antelope at a number of areas above 8000 feet as well as 9000 feet. They were feeding just at snow line and could easily feed back down the mountain but I believe that’s were more hunting pressure awaited them. I guess they weren’t expecting me!

 

[go_deep]

Headed out of Casper just after light this morning and worked my way up to Buffalo. I was in and around the interstate corridor most the time. I kept track of the antelope I seen out of curiosity. Over the course of 8 hours and not getting far from the road, and the seat of my truck I came across 29 smaller groups from 3-12 Antelope, 7 large groups 30-40 head in each, and one very large group that was maybe 75ish. This area has gotten some moisture in the last few weeks which could be helping spread them out some.
All in all there seemed to be close to normal numbers from what I've seen in the past, I'd say a little lite, but close to normal.