Antelope Wyoming DIY Help

[Joe333]

Hello,

I have read some great info on this site- thanks! Few quick questions for anyone kind enough to answer:

1. Is it possible in this day to find a "trespass" fee hunt in a high draw odds area for under 500 a person? Anyone kind enough to share a lead for 3 young and responsible hunters would be immensely appreciated.


2. How do I start evaluating good public areas? I am overwhelmed with the amount of units

3. Any tips specific to archery?

Thank you in advance for any help!

 

[Big Chief J]

You can contact Wyoming Game and Fish region offices. They can give tips on good areas and maybe help with information to find landowners.

Also Eastmans has a subscription that is good for learning quality of units and access. Searching the internet can help too.

 

[Ikeepitcold]

Good luck on your search.

Head over to the new members section and leave an intro

 

[Yell Co AR Hunter]

I would pick a few units I felt I could draw. If you do your home work a DIY hunt can be done in a lot of the hard to access units. I did this for the first time last year and had never been with in 500 miles of Wyoming. Study the maps for public land that will hold antelope. Then contact the game and fish for information on current game animal conditions. Then contact the county road department for public roads. Don't assume any road is public. It can be very rewarding experience. Be ready to walk a lot.
Me and a buddy had great success on our first ever DIY Wyoming hunt. I like to say we brought back 28 hoofs.
One tip I can give you is don't waist time looking at all the antelope on private land. Find the antelope which will be fewer you can hunt on public land. They will not be standing by the road as on private.

 

[Hilltop]

Hi Joe,

#1 - Yes. Contact regional WG&F offices for landowner lists. There are still quite a few at or below $500 each.
#2 - Evaluate public based on accessibility and terrain. Most public non-mountainous land in Wyoming holds antelope.
#3 - Archery permission is typically easier to obtain. Look for large areas far away from creeks, rivers, and lakes and set up a blind on a small waterhole.

Good luck.

 

[wy-tex]

Once you get here ,some resources in small towns also, look at the bulletin boards inside the front doors of local diners and ranch supply type stores and feed stores. I know of one diner in Moorcroft that had notices posted by landowners looking for antelope hunters. You might be surprised how friendly local ranchers can be having their late morning coffee at the local diner or feed store.

 

[Spudman]

Exactly what these guys have said:

Contact G&F for a list of landowners who will offer hunters for a tresspass fee. I've done this twice and have been successful each time for $300. A third time I was hunting BLM and it was overrun with hunters. Just by driving by I found a rancher, spoke to him and he offered me to hunt on his 30K acre ranch. Killed my antelope in 30 minutes for $50 fee.

Locals are usually friendly with advise for antelope too. Deer and elk, a little tighter lipped in my experience.

Best of luck!

 

[HighPlainsHunter]

If you are archery hunting and want another option consider crossing the border to Nebraska. Archery antelope tags are OTC, and quite a bit cheaper If you go after Sep 1 you could get a deer tag as well. Lots of Antelope on accessible land just across the border from Lusk.

IMO archery hunting antelope is pretty high on the level of difficulty, but an enormous amount of fun. If you blow a stalk, just go find another one to go after.

 

[HuskyMusky]

focus on a green or blue chip area, with blocks/chunks of public land.

you don't need to pay a trespass fee to have a good hunt, but I'm sure there are reasonable options out there.

it may be worth paying the special tag price... for better odds/more public land, for the extra 200-300 tag price, if you're talking that as being half of your daily trespass free price...