DIY Hunting in Wyoming for Antelope

[WisconsinHunter29]

Hello!

I'am new to the site but have been reading over a lot of great posts. I currently live in Wisconsin and have hunted here over the past 30 years. I was looking for some general info for some decent areas to hunt Antelope with my brother this year. We don't have any preference points but will pay for the special draw. Also would be willing to pay to hunt some private land. Also would be willing to trade for good public or possible leases in Wisconsin. For same info..If not any general info would be great.

 

[Jlrineer1]

Welcome to the site, I'am relatively new to the forum as well but follow it fairly close as it is full of useful information. I am going on an antelope and mule deer hunt this year with a group of guys. We've never hunted out west but are all lifetime whitetail, black bear, and turkey hunters from PA. If you are like me and attempting to do as much research as you can the eastmans MRS book has been a vital part of my research. I also went to the WY Game and Fish website and looked at the special NR draw odds and regular draw odds for last year. Print both of them off and use a highlighter. I highlighted every area that was 100% or close to it then cross referenced those areas with hunting dates that worked with my schedule. That in and of itself should narrow down your search to just a few zones. The MRS does a great job of telling you what zones are excellent, good, and not so good for each game. It also gives you the % of public land in each zone as well as the success rate for the past 3 years in each zone. You'll find its very difficult for people to give you a specific zone on the forum just because there are so many factors that come in to play. If you throw a few hunt areas out there on what you are looking at people may be able to assist you a little better. I do know from doing my own research the north east zones 16,22,23,17 are all 0 pp zones but the public access is limited compared to other areas. Hope this helps!

 

[WisconsinHunter29]

Thanks you! Greatly appreciate it! Good luck to you on your hunting journeys.

 

[88man]

You should be able to find a few tresspass type hunts in the north east part of wyoming. Pm me if you need more info.

 

[Jdavis9753]

I would be interested to hear about this also. Is there a classified section anywhere for trespass hunts?

 

[Slugz]

In my experience....the prices for some of the trespass hunts in north east WY started to get a little ridiculous the past few years.....others may have better info...or maybe that has changed recently. I guess demand is driving it up. You used to be able to hop on craigslist and look for adds but I just checked and there really isn't many at all. That being said the WY block program/walk in access (need to sign up on line) isn't all that bad for meat hunting does or small buck. I'd recommend not hunting the opener though, pretty heavy crowds at times in some areas. Im sure some of our WY members will chime in and provide some better info.

 

[shootbrownelk]

Some rancher/outfitter operations in NE Wyoming were charging around $1,000 per gun for deer Trespass fees. I don't know about antelope. I like BLM land myself.

 

[maninthemaze]

Hello, I'm new to the forum as well but did hunt antelope in Wyoming last year with my brother. It was our first time hunting out west and we managed to both kill out. Like someone stated earlier, get all the info from the fish and game that they can provide. There will be an * next to the areas with little public access. That doesn't mean impossible, just not as much public as there is private. Once you have a few areas picked out that have decent odds, go to the BLM website and look for the maps that correspond with the area you chose and buy the maps. They are only about $6 each including shipping. That will help you determine whether or not there is enough access to hunt.

Also, looking at the map, it will be covered in "two track" roads. These are public roads as long as they are on public ground. In other words, if you are driving on a two track road, that starts at a county road, and it crosses private ground, you will be trespassing if you continue driving. County roads, the roads with numbers basically, you are allowed to cross private. This is similar to how highways and other roads work. A land owner might own both sides of the road, but not the road itself.

One more thing, buy a Garmin with Hunt X maps chip. They are invaluable out west where there are no fences. Nothing will ruin a hunting trip faster than a trespass fine.

Good luck!!!

 

[wy-tex]

Some of our antelope areas are in decrease but the SE corner of the state is looking good for horn development. Public land is sparse here, SE, but some is out there. G & F has some HMA's and walkin areas that produce great bucks too. The areas with difficult public access are easier to draw just do your homework in looking at the public access that is available. Avoid the opening week if possible. We have best success late in the season when most hunters move on to deer and elk hunting. Some areas are wintering areas and the antelope start moving in when the snow starts flying so hunting then can be interesting. The ranchers are starting to see that they don't have to lease their land or run an outfitting business to get paying hunters so prices for access are going up. Call landowners well in advance to ask and you may find some that welcome the early call with cheaper fees.