Red Desert Antelope

[Hill Hunter]

I have starting the point building process for WY antelope. I have 2 now and will be getting #3 this summer. I've never hunted antelope and just want to go on one quality, trophy antelope hunt in my life....DIY style. My question is....if it is realistic to build 10-12 or so points and be able to pinpoint the year I'd be able to get a tag for the red desert area? Is that realistic? Is the red desert a 'premium' area? Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

Yes. It won't take you that long to build the points for an excellent hunt with lots of public land and very good quality bucks. Eastman's MRS "blue" units will send you in the right direction.

 

[Tim McCoy]

Maybe. Really depends on tag quotas in the future, and if you want the regular price tag or special higher priced tag. If quotas increase, point creep is much less of an issue. The Red Desert is known as a trophy area. If you have never hunted Antelope, they are very hard to judge. What I'd ask you is what is a trophy antelope to you? Most guys look at something approaching or over 15" with decent mass as a good trophy. Mid 70's or above buck. If that is the case, there are plenty of areas you can find that, probably with fewer points, meaning a good quality hunt in less time, or multiple hunts.

 

[Hilltop]

Hill Hunter,

The biggest advantage to hunting the red desert is the vast amounts of accessible public land. Genetics are great all over the state of Wyoming. Bucks over 80" reside in most areas of the state but lack of access limits your opportunities in most of these areas. I do believe the red desert is you best opportunity for the hunt you are looking for but as others have mentioned you can accomplish a DIY trophy antelope with much fewer points if you do your research. You biggest challenge will be actually field judging the bucks once your on the hunt as most new antelope hunters will pull the trigger on the first 70+" buck they see.

 

[okielite]

Get some experience hunting antelope in other units or states before you get a great tag like that. Or draw a doe tag in that unit so you can get familiar with it. Best of luck.

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

Just one more thought. In over a dozen antelope hunts I have found one of the biggest factors in taking a trophy buck is "time", time to sort through a ton of bucks, inventorying what is available. That was hard to do on my first "few" hunts and a lot of bucks looked super. Antelope are by far the toughest animal I have hunted to judge for trophy quality, and that only comes with experience of hunting antelope. I am far more patient now.

There are quite a few units in Wyoming that have tons of public land and if you invest 7 to 10 days of serious antelope hunting you can take home an awesome buck. Hunting the "best" unit in the state is but one factor in taking a trophy buck. My son currently has max points and rather than hunt the "best" unit in the state we will most likely combine his points into a party application with three others with less points to draw a top tier unit in the next year or two (because we have elk this year). I am still open to other ideas, but I that is how strongly I feel there are a number of easier to draw units that are nearly as good.

 

[Tim McCoy]

I hold max WY Antelope points and will try for a big one when conditions appear "right", very possibly in a Red Desert unit. My two sons have a boat load of WY points too, have both taken good antelope in UT and OR, and their WY points will be used for a group hunt in WY, like UH describes, with family who have not tagged antelope. Based on what I have seen in my travels around west and central WY, on other hunts, we have about as good a chance for a whopper in the Red Desert as we do in a "lesser" unit if we are picky. I've seen 80" candidates in a variety of locales, about as often in an out of the way place, as in a traditional high population area. I may even burn my points in a group hunt too... My two cents.

 

[HiMtnHnter]

Just one more thought. In over a dozen antelope hunts I have found one of the biggest factors in taking a trophy buck is "time", time to sort through a ton of bucks, inventorying what is available. That was hard to do on my first "few" hunts and a lot of bucks looked super. Antelope are by far the toughest animal I have hunted to judge for trophy quality, and that only comes with experience of hunting antelope. I am far more patient now.

There are quite a few units in Wyoming that have tons of public land and if you invest 7 to 10 days of serious antelope hunting you can take home an awesome buck. Hunting the "best" unit in the state is but one factor in taking a trophy buck. My son currently has max points and rather than hunt the "best" unit in the state we will most likely combine his points into a party application with three others with less points to draw a top tier unit in the next year or two (because we have elk this year). I am still open to other ideas, but I that is how strongly I feel there are a number of easier to draw units that are nearly as good.

UH hit the nail on the head . . .

 

[2rocky]

Well if you want to be one and done, buy a landowner voucher in New Mexico, or Nevada.

Part of the DIY ethic in my mind is the investment of time and seasons of getting to know the country and wildlife populations in an area, and by putting in years, and time during the season, bring rewarded with a superlative animal.

I think you could easily hunt B&C antelope every 4 years in Wyoming. Lower standards and hunt every other year. It is a species I don't think is worth waiting 10 years to hunt just once.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Great info in all these posts. I first hunted antelope in 2010 and couldn't stay off the trigger long enough. Shot a great antelope that went 77, this year going to try and find that 80+.

 

[jimss]

I hunted a premier Red Desert unit this year thinking all the conditions were right for producing great horn growth. I was unaware of the lingering effects the drought in all of those units had on horn growth. Take a look at my antelope guru post on the onyourownadventures website and it will open your eyes! I likely saw over 700 bucks this year but only found 2 in quite a few days of scouting and hunting that were close to the 80" mark. In the past this unit was reknown for producing numerous B&C bucks. There hasn't been much winterkill for years in this unit and there was excellent moisture last fall and this past spring for great horn growth. It may be a crap shoot waiting so many years for a tag and being at the mercy of conditions and all the stars to align for harvesting a super buck....even in premium Red Desert units. Currently that entire area is suffering the lingering affects of drought. Obviously the number of years it takes to draw will also be affected by how many tags are issued. The drought has cut antelope numbers in most Red Desert units to a fraction of what they were several years ago. On the up-side last year there was excellent moisture and hopefully there will be good fawn crops, moisture, and little winterkill in the years to come!

As mentioned above NM is a fantastic option that you can hunt every year...if you are willing to save up and purchase landowner tags. If you take a look at the B&C books there are an incredible number of listings. I wouldn't dis-regard Wyo but I also would keep NM in mind! There are a pile of 82+" bucks that come out of NM just about every year!

 

[Hill Hunter]

Thanks for all the advice!! Looks like I'm almost to the 4 yr/pt mark (WY) if I choose to go that route....what is a ballpark total (dollar wise) for a landowner tag antelope hunt in NM ?? The NM idea is a higher priced landowner tag w/o entering the draw system and then you're hunting private land and possibly having an unguided option on that land?