Best WY 2nd Choice Antelope Unit

[hoshour]

I have only 1 antelope point so I am looking for a 2nd choice unit or leftover tag. Assuming I can get permission to hunt with lots of phone calls to ranchers on the WY GF list, which of these is the best WY antelope unit? Horn size is what matters most to me. They are rated pretty close in the latest MRS and all have difficult access. Thanks.

WY Antelope units 12, 16, 22, 25, 229, 42, 43, 46, 114-2

 

[Musket Man]

Anything you can draw 2nd choice will have access issues. If you are going to hunt private land the actual ranch you hunt will probably have more to do with quality of hunt and trophy potential then the unit its in. If your hunting public land I would find the unit with the most public land that you can draw 2nd choice and go for it! I think antelope in the 60's wound be normal in these areas but atleast you will be hunting!

 

[hoshour]

I would really like a mid-70s buck so it looks more and more like I'll concentrate on deer the next two years and see if I can find a wall-hanger muley and WT and wait until I have 3 antelope points and do the special draw to get a good unit. Or, I could even buy a landowner tag in NM for goats.

 

[Musket Man]

I think most areas in WY can and do produce mid 70's+ bucks but it will be alot easier to harvest one in a unit with lots of public land simply because you have alot more country to look for them in where on a ranch or unit with limited public land you are limited to hunting a much smaller area. You can get into some very good areas with 3-4 points. 2nd choice antelope is one of my back pocket hunts when I dont draw anything else.

 

[Hilltop]

Call the regional offices in the areas your interested in. In many of them they have contracts with ranchers to allow free public access in the "Hunter Management Areas". You have to draw the free access permit during the first two weeks. IMO the hunting is great on all of these and they are easy to draw in general. I like the Laramie valley personally. Guaranteed tag with no points and there are several HMA areas as well as scattered BLM and walk in areas. All of them have antelope. Feel free to send me a PM if you want more info on the Laramie area hunts.

 

[Hilltop]

Laramie Valley 2013 Family hunt- took 4 hours

These were all public land antelope taken Opening day in the Laramie valley. They were my wife's and my son's first antelope.

 

[AT Hiker]

I keep saying I am going to research 16 a little bit more one day but I never do.

I hunted 23 a couple years ago on a leftover tag, it was a tough hunt and I even waited for season to get good and started. The public peices were basically void of antelope, I hiked in and did everything I possibly could to locate one. Finally connected on a buck that just happened to be crossing through some state property the same time I was there.

If I hunt that time frame again on a left over or 2nd choice it will likely be 16, close enough to Buffalo to hang out if the weather gets nasty.

 

[Musket Man]

16 has blm you can get to if you are willing to walk, you cant really drive into it very far anywhere. Most of the antelope in that area are on private land along the river and Im not sure if the blm would be very good or have many antelope. PM me if you want more details.

 

[bluecat]

I hunted 16 last year day after the blizzard. There is a lot of checkerboard land to deal with but it is very doable with a GPS and a chip. I had permission on some private but shot my goats all on public. Spotted them from the road, snuck up a hill and dropped the buck and 2 does from the same spot, boom, boom, boom. Had about a 150 yard drag to the truck. A real good meat hunt. Good luck on your hunt

 

[kesand72]

I would really like a mid-70s buck so it looks more and more like I'll concentrate on deer the next two years and see if I can find a wall-hanger muley and WT and wait until I have 3 antelope points and do the special draw to get a good unit. Or, I could even buy a landowner tag in NM for goats.

You would do much better to go special draw in WY than to buy a landowner tag in NM! A decent landowner tag in NM is gonna run you around $1500, plus the cost of actual state tag another ($300 I believe ), and there are no guarantees on quality.
I looked into it a few years ago n the numbers just didn't add up to what I was willing to spend.
I know you said you are looking for horns, but another great idea is to buy doe tags while you build points.
You are still hunting and IMO antelope meat is delicious!

 

[kesand72]

Oh yeah, you better decide quick too!!!

 

[Musket Man]

There will be leftovers!