Combination family vacation/hunt question

[BobT]

Hey all,
I have a little different situation going on next year. My wife is going to accompany me to Wyoming along with our oldest daughter and her husband. We are planning 2 weeks total with the emphasis on vacation/sight seeing rather than hunting. Having been to Wyoming myself several times I have pretty much seen it all but my wife has never been west of Kansas.

My question is, keeping vacation at the front does anyone have any recommendations for hunting areas that we can draw (or have a chance at) that are also good vacation spots for non-hunters? The hunting will take place the last few days of the trip, and I'm thinking the girls will probably do some day trips while we are out hunting.

I have 2 points going into the draw and my SIL has one so we will have 1+ and can spring for the special license if needed. I am looking at unit 75 for starters but open to any other suggestions.

Thanks!
Bob

 

[Ikeepitcold]

Good luck Bob. Sound like it will be a fun trip. Vaca and hunting with the family doesn't get much better then that.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

First, don't miss Cody and especially the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, well worth a days time. If you have never been, then Yellowstone and the Tetons too. I would also see the Custer Battlefield too.

Hope this helps some.

 

[bigmoose]

+1 on the Buffalo Bill Historical Center...easy to spend a day there.

Moose

 

[JMBC]

We did that a few yrs ago. Because she wanted to see all the sights such as cody and yellowstone I just picked up some antelope doe tags. Went and shot those on last morning before heading home. Vacation/hunting trip was good. At least it helped me feel better ha.

 

[Anabia521]

I really wish I could help as well. I am sure someone will chime in with something to offer. I looked at unit 38 earlier this year as an option. Ended up drawing a different unit. Based on what I found using the GPS chip and BLM maps, the public land was lacking. But there were some small chunks that were accessible from public roads. The F&G office sent me a land owner list. I'd start there. Best of luck to you, hope you guys have a great time.

 

[kesand72]

Ur gonna wanna do a Lil more research. 1+ won't get u a unit 75 lope tag even in special draw. I did however see a recent thread about unit Y deer/ unit 16 antelope that was successful n sounded like a lot of fun! Good luck on whatever u decide!

 

[kesand72]

Might wanna look toward unit 56 in regular or 63 in special. Just my thoughts.

 

[BobT]

Thanks for the replies!

Ur gonna wanna do a Lil more research. 1+ won't get u a unit 75 lope tag even in special draw. I did however see a recent thread about unit Y deer/ unit 16 antelope that was successful n sounded like a lot of fun! Good luck on whatever u decide!

I just looked at the draw odds for this year, wow the tag reductions really upped the odds in a lot of units! At this point I'm thinking maybe does or just holding out for another year and vacation only.

 

[chiefgobbler]

I have read a lot about the Oregon Trail and Mountain Man history and truly enjoyed exploring areas like Independence Rock, South Pass, and many other historical sites located in or near great Antelope Units during my hunting trips.

 

[jims]

My dad and I used to antelope hunt on private land in Unit 23 near Gillette. My mom and wife would go along and do their own thing while my dad and I hunted. They took day trips to Sheridan for shopping, etc. Lots to see if you travel E/O Gillette to Devils Tower and over to Rapid City to Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and the Black Hills. You would probably need to pay a trespass fee, but there used to always be left over licenses for that unit. Could probably draw as a second choice and save your points.

 

[Murdy]

Ur gonna wanna do a Lil more research. 1+ won't get u a unit 75 lope tag even in special draw. I did however see a recent thread about unit Y deer/ unit 16 antelope that was successful n sounded like a lot of fun! Good luck on whatever u decide!

FWIW, I hunted 16 this year. I hunted late in the season and during the week. I saw antelope regularly on public. Not so much the first couple days (Sat & Sun), but by midweek I was seeing them regularly. This was my first trip out west at all, and first attempt hunting antelope, so I will not offer any comments about the quality/size of the antelope. But I will say that they are there. My inexperience cost me a little bit. Did lots of research, but it still took me a couple days to get oriented to what I was doing. I had a great time; whether a more experienced antelope hunter would, I do not know -- maybe you'd need to pay a trespass fee for better quality. All I can confirm is that there were definitely antelope on public ground at the time I was there.