Rattlesnake Mt. HMA question / Antelope

[PlainsHunter]

I'm trying to draw an antelope area 69 tag this year. I was looking at the rattlesnake mt. HMA rules and I can't tell if the Dumbell Ranch portion of antelope area 69 is open to antelope hunting. One page of the map states that the Dumbell Ranch is open to Elk and mt. lion hunting- and does not mention antelope, and that the Circle Bar Ranch is open to antelope hunting. But it doesn't specifically state that the Dumbell Ranch is not open for antelope, so I'm confused.

If the Dumbell Ranch is not open to Antelope hunting as part of the HMA program- can a person still access the public portions within a HMA in the same way they would if the land was not enrolled in the program?

Also-I'm looking at the 2011 rules.....I don't know if they cange every year or not....

I read as much info as I could find online and can't seem to figure this out

 

[BobT]

Hey plains hunter, I really don't know whether the Dumbell ranch is open to antelope hunting or not but unit 69 is nearly all public anyway. I saw a ton of pronghorns in there last fall late in the season on BLM land. What I didn't see was anything over about 12" of course I wasn't actually hunting 69 just looking it of for a possible future trip. I would concentrate on the eastern 2/3rds. of the unit for quantity of animals.

Good luck in the draw!
Bob

 

[PlainsHunter]

Hello BobT - thanks for the information. I've never hunted 69 but my understanding is that it is not a trophy unit. The western portion of antelope 69 (west of Pathfinder Reservoir) is in the Rattlesnake Mtn. HMA. Almost all of this area is BLM. This is why I am confused. I'm not sure if a person only needs the HMA permission slip while hunting on the private portions of a HMA, or if you need the permission slip for all portions (public and private).

If you are applying this year, I wish you good luck as well!

 

[ADavid]

I Have hunted area 69 four times so am pretty familiar with the area. I read somewhere that the dumbell ranch got bought out and is not going to allow any permission moving forward but im not sure how accurate the info is just going to have to wait for the new access rules in july. However if its blm land you can still hunt it, the ranches can run cattle on it but cant keep you off of it as long as you have an access point and dont have to cross their land to get to it. Good luck in the draws i cannot wait for results to come out! AHHH!!

 

[BobT]

Good luck in the draws i cannot wait for results to come out! AHHH!!

Me too!!!

I should draw a first choice this year for the first time since '99. Three of us split 4 points and put in for a 1 point area so there is a chance we won't draw with tag reductions due to winter kill (according to the area biologist). Second choice could go either way, I drew it as a third choice 3 years ago and couldn't draw as a second choice last year, third choice is a lock so I will get to go this year, I just don't know where yet.

Bob

 

[ADavid]

I have already been out in the area i put in for and found a couple of prospects this year, might just be getting my hopes up i have about a 60% chance at drawing but there is that 40% lol. Good luck Bob hope you draw first choice, only about two excruciating months left till we know

 

[BobT]

I looked at the quotas yesterday on G&F website and they ranged from a 25% reduction in my first choice area to a 50% in my third choice, time will tell!

Bob

 

[PlainsHunter]

I didn't hunt antelope last year. Did the numbers seem down to you guys? I hunted southeast Montana for mule deer and both the deer and antelope in the area had taken a beating the previous winter. I'm not holding my breath on drawing my 1st or 2nd choice this year for WY antelope....hope the 3rd choice is solid..guess we'll all see in a few weeks. I had to change my whole draw strategy after the quota numbers were published.

 

[Fish]

How do you find the new quotas for antelope for 2012 on the WY F&G site? I looked but could not find them.

 

[PlainsHunter]

How do you find the new quotas for antelope for 2012 on the WY F&G site? I looked but could not find them.

Fish-I believe these are the proposed quotas-scroll down to the second page for the proposed quota number. It was on the hunting page-hunting resources-hunt area maps.

http://gf.state.wy.us/web2011/Departments/Hunting/pdfs/REGULATIONS_CH5_SUMMAP0002164.pdf

If I'm reading this wrong, someone please correct me.

 

[BobT]

Fish-I believe these are the proposed quotas-scroll down to the second page for the proposed quota number. It was on the hunting page-hunting resources-hunt area maps.

http://gf.state.wy.us/web2011/Departments/Hunting/pdfs/REGULATIONS_CH5_SUMMAP0002164.pdf

If I'm reading this wrong, someone please correct me.

That's where I found them.

 

[Fish]

Bob T

Thank you, I went crazy looking for them