WY 2018 with 4pp

johnsd16

Active Member
Mar 16, 2014
353
4
N Idaho
We are planning on making our first trip to WY for pronghorn. We will be a group of 3 (AK, MN and ID) and it will be our first pronghorn hunt. We are all good friends in our mid 30s with big game experience. We all have 4pp and have been planning on the special draw all along. We are not looking for B&C and anything in the mid 70" range will probably have us punching a tag. We will probably have 5 days to hunt and 7-9 days total with travel.

The goal would be quality of the experience so I have been keeping track of some units with decent access and low tag quotas. We would like to avoid pressure, road hunters and have nice scenery. We plan to walk a lot and pack animals out. The plan is either to do hotel or truck camp on BLM with wall tent or truck tent. We MAY have a side by side by then. We would be happier with 3 bucks in the 68-73" range and have it be laid back than fight crowds and grind out two 78" bucks if that makes sense. We don't get to see each other a lot and the guy in AK doesn't get to hunt a ton so low pressure and not living or dying by a handful of opportunities is preferred.

I know tons of winter is left ahead, but if anyone has any advice on where to try for a tag based on the goals and what they've seen/heard in 2017 after the 16-17 winter that'd be awesome. The units I've considered are 52, 66, and 106. I had also looked at 73, 77, and 78 but they have higher quotas. We have never been to WY and don't know anything about services (gas, food, lodging).
 

WY ME

Very Active Member
Feb 4, 2014
549
47
Wyoming
If you don't like crowds then avoid the first 2 weeks and you'll have a much quieter hunt in any of the areas. Avoid western WY areas as that is where the winter kill from last year would have been the worst.
 

johnsd16

Active Member
Mar 16, 2014
353
4
N Idaho
If you don't like crowds then avoid the first 2 weeks and you'll have a much quieter hunt in any of the areas. Avoid western WY areas as that is where the winter kill from last year would have been the worst.
I should have mentioned that, we plan on going around 10/1-10/10 with exact dates TBD. After the best of the archery season for elk in ID at least.
 

Hilltop

Veteran member
Feb 25, 2014
3,796
2,162
Eastern Nebraska
I agree, you don't have to avoid high quota areas at all. After the first weekend, you just don't see many hunters in any of the antelope units. 4 points will get you on a lot of great hunting. Sending you a PM with an idea or two.
 

Yell Co AR Hunter

Very Active Member
Dec 10, 2015
843
672
Yell County Arkansas
If you are truly willing to walk and pack out antelope. I think you can have success in many units. Just pick one you know you can draw. Heck I like to say Wyoming has more antelope than we have squirrels here in Arkansas.
I hunted there this past fall. I did all my scouting on maps and a few phone calls. It is hard to get information on sites like this. When a guy puts in the effort and time to find and figure out an area. He more than likely is not wanting to put up a road sign hunt this area.

I picked hard to access areas that require walking in. Funny I actually picked the camp site and where to hunt off google earth. I killed a really nice buck opening morning with in hours of stepping in Wyoming for my very first time. I also had no trouble filling two doe/fawn tags. I had never even seen an antelope before this trip.
So put in the time required and hunt hard and you can have great success.
 

mallardsx2

Veteran member
Jul 8, 2015
3,811
3,011
That would never happen to me....

I would walk 15 miles that day never see an antelope. Then go back to the truck, see a big buck licking my bumper only to jump the fence onto private ground lol
 

Umpqua Hunter

Veteran member
May 26, 2011
3,568
73
59
North Umpqua, Oregon
You're expectations are very reasonable, so don't stress out over your decision. You shouldn't have much trouble in a unit with good public access that will take 3-4 points in the special draw in Wyoming.
 

Cobbhunts

Veteran member
Jan 22, 2014
1,060
1
Kentucky
We hunted unit 73 and only seen 1 other hunter the whole time we were there. We went after the 2nd week of the season. Where we hunted in the unit, a town hunt wouldn't be desirable. It was over an hour drive just to the nearest gas station. So we camped on BLM. We basically got to pick our antelope, seeing hundreds a day. All 3 of us tagged a lope in the 68"-78" range.
 

MD97756

New Member
May 15, 2017
16
0
Hunted 73 last year, tons of lopes for what you want. Don’t forget get to put in for doe tags. Pm for details.
 

NEWHunter

Member
Jun 11, 2016
91
22
Brookfield, WI
Thanks for the thread. My group of five is in the exact same position - trying to pull a special tag this year with four points. We're looking at some of the same units you are. Based on last year's draw odds it looks like 106 is out of reach with four points and 66 could be iffy if there is any more point creep. We are leaning towards 73 due to its proximity to Casper and the fact that it should be a guaranteed draw with 4 points. Thanks to everyone posting the helpful information on this thread.
 

EBOLAVIRS

Active Member
Aug 21, 2011
186
0
Keep in mind, 106 and 66 get pressure from the One Shot competition. There are basically 80 extra tags in the units nearby Lander that do not appear in the quotas or recommendations. Those 80 extra tags are no just one hunter typically, almost all those guys have groups of 3 or more helping. I have hunted 66, 65, and 106 over the years and I would either hunt late to avoid the one shot hoopla or go for 73.