best wy antelope

[lazarus]

here's my dilema... gotta have the hunt in september so i have been eliminating areas that are in sept... then eliminating everything else... here's what i got.

2 ppl going. we both have 3 pref points.

we will be gun hunting.

areas i have done reading looking for decent size ones are as follows.
72, 71, 50, 46, 47, 32, 73, 74, 75, and 88

these all meet criteria for pref points/ hunt times/ and decent areas for bigger ones.

what i really need is of all the areas i listed.... which ones are the better ones for BIG bucks and decent public access. any help would be appreciated.

 

[Altiman94]

If you are hunting public land I would personally pick a unit with the most public land available. My experience with WY that most areas have the ability to grow big antelope bucks but you need the area to hunt them. I narrow my search down by public land, then by draw odds, and go from there. It also depends on your definition of 'big'.

 

[Musket Man]

Welcome to the form! When the WY MRS comes out it should help you narrow it down. Good luck!

 

[lazarus]

what is MRS ?? of the areas listed what do you think would be the best bet for quality bucks with decent public land ?

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

what is MRS ?? of the areas listed what do you think would be the best bet for quality bucks with decent public land ?

If you buy a subscription to Eastman's magazine, there will be a section called the MRS (Member Research Section). They rate the tope antelope areas in the state according to trophy quality, access, dates, success, draw odds, etc. It would answer pretty much all of your questions. With a subscription you will have access to log in on-line and look at the past MRSs, so you could see them for the past couple years. Look at the Feb/March issues.

If you look in the Wyoming regulations, the areas with difficult access will have an * next to the hunt number. You can use that to further whittle down your list of units.

 

[HiMtnHnter]

Pick an area with the most public access and lowest quota for your points.

 

[Triple BB]

I've hunted 72, 71, 47, 32, 73, & 74 in the past 10-12 years. I've shot 80" plus bucks in three of those areas. I've seen 80" bucks in all of them and I've seen harvested B&C bucks come out of 4 of those areas. Do your homework and spend yer time scouting and you'll find decent goats...

 

[Topgun 30-06]

I think Triple BB hit on it that there are some 80" bucks in most Wyoming units, but finding them a lot of times takes many hours of scouting that an NR doesn't have. It seems like most of the NRs that hunt antelope just plan a 3-5 day hunt and most of the time that probably isn't go to allow enough time to find the better bucks unless you just happen to stumble onto one. I have drawn three buck tags in the unit I like over the last 10 years and killed bucks that were 14-14 1/2 inches and the last two were really nice ones. The prongs on the one in 2012 were high enough up such that I got 3 circumference scores below them that put him slightly above 80". There aren't that many shot that have prongs high up enough to get that 3rd measurement below them and it was just a fraction of an inch that allowed it or he would have lost a lot if that measurement had been above the prong. However, he shrunk enough in the 60 day drying period that he dropped a little below that, but still made a real nice Euromount. The OP has not stated what he calls a "big buck", so I have no idea whether he will settle for a 75" one or is talking about one well into the 80s. If it's the latter, it will take a lot of days hunting/scouting to get one like that because they don't grow on trees.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I've hunted in several of the units that Triple BB mentioned. In 2012 I was in one of them and spent almost a week looking for one that I was willing to pull the trigger on. My hunting buddy had already taken his goat and we both has 2 does apiece, but I was still holding out. I got a call from home that said I'd better get to California ASAP as my Dad was not doing well. Went back to where I had seen a decent buck on day 2 and shot him (was low to mid 70's). On our way back to camp, saw a real nice buck that would probably have gone close to 80. Thats how things go.......

I do have one on the wall at home that measured 79+ that I took from the same area in 1995. They are there, you just have to keep after them......and get a little lucky too.

 

[MWScott72]

I guess it all comes down to what Lazarus believes to be a "big" buck. My experience in WY in units 96, 63, and 48 (sorry, no experience in the ones he lists) is that low to mid-70s bucks are plentiful for the 3-5 day hunt, but, as has been said, you'd better bank some time if you want to find an 80s buck. I still haven't had the time to do that yet...someday...

 

[Snydly]

I would go with 74 as it has some exceptional bucks and it is almost all public land with lots of water holes and huntable terrain.

 

[tim81212]

Ill be in 47 if we draw. First Antelope hunt

 

[lazarus]

this is sure tough.... never made it when i drew as i assumed i only needed three for the area i planned on..... so i didnt put in for a second or third choice... bad idea..
anyway... now i have gotten another point and have 4. opened up more options. there were, it seemed like 5 areas that people posted earlier that were good... that i have enough points to draw for. 63 , 48 , 47 , 73 , 74. what is your opinion of the 5 that i listed that have the best public land access... it's a safe bet to assume that there are good bucks in these areas, but public is very important.
thanks for your help in advance.

 

[Retterath]

Pull up the website mytopo.com and u will be able to see how much private vs public for each unit

 

[laxwyo]

Not sure if they still do but huntinggpsmaps.com has a add on that you can buy for Google earth. It's pretty good for pre scouting

 

[JEandAsGuide]

48 also has 2 HMAs that are unlimited to antelope hunters after Oct. 8th. They open up a lot of the checkerboard in the southern portion on the unit.

 

[stevevan]

I hunted 73 this year. Good bucks in the low to mid 70's are possible but I was unable to find anything better. That doesn't mean there wasn't better ones in the unit. I just did not find them.

 

[Cobbhunts]

I also hunted 73 this past year. Tons of goats and easy access. I ended up taking a 76" goat on the first day. The most fun hunt I've ever had probably. I pretty much have every road in that unit memorized lol, if you decide on 73 PM me I'd you have any questions. Stevevan and I hunted the same side of the unit, woodtick hunted the opposite side.

 

[MWScott72]

I've hunted 63 and 48 in the last 3 years. Both have good goats, but it will take time to sort thru them. It will also depend on moisture. Both years I hunted were lower moisture years, so length suffered. Get good moisture and things could change. Plenty of public land in both of them. I've posted about both units in the past, so you can search those if you want additional info. If you draw either of the two, I'd be happy to give you some additional pointers.

 

[kesand72]

I also hunted 73 this past year. Tons of goats and easy access. I ended up taking a 76" goat on the first day. The most fun hunt I've ever had probably. I pretty much have every road in that unit memorized lol, if you decide on 73 PM me I'd you have any questions. Stevevan and I hunted the same side of the unit, woodtick hunted the opposite side.

Cobbhunts,
I'm looking at unit 73 for this year. Did you camp or stay in town? It looks like there are only 20 doe tags issued, did you hunt bucks only? How would you rate the overall experience in 73?