Wyoming Antelope 73 unit

[Ricochet]

My party of 5 drew the Wyoming antelope 73 unit. This is the second antelope hunt for 3 of us. I have been studying Google earth an obscene amount. I have a good paper map and onx. I have been playing phone tag with the Warden. I have questions about the camping opportunities out of the wind and the herd health. From Google earth it appears that there is a lot of small reservoirs. Will some of them be dry? The tag quota is 1200 for bucks and 1200 for does. That tells me the prairie has to be loaded with antelope. Lol. If anybody has information and would like to share I would appreciate your time. Thanks

 

[Manualman]

You will not have a problem shooting antelope there. I have two doe tags but I will be there 10/15-31 looking to fill my deer tag. I’ve hunted that area a few times and find antelope all over. Just watch the roads if you get ANY moisture. They get slick

 

[robsev]

This should be a good year for 73. They have had quite a bit above average moisture in the Casper area all summer. About the only way to get a little relief from the wind is to camp behind a hill. I have hunted there several times, but didn't draw this year. I believe part of it could be that it was upgraded to a blue chip unit this year. Seems a lot more people apply when this happens, although I'm not sure why it was upgraded. There are a lot of antelope in this unit and a few good bucks, but they are few and far between. Like said above, watch the weather. If it rains don't even try to drive. It's even hard to walk in this stuff. Every step your boots get a little heavier. The water holes should all be pretty full this year with all the rainfall they've had. My 12 year old granddaughter drew both an antelope and deer tag in this unit so I'll be having fun taking her out. There are a lot of antelope but this is a very big unit. You'll be surprised how many miles you may drive and see nothing. Good Luck!

 

[shootbrownelk]

There are some good bucks in #73 for sure, but you'll have to look over a lot of goats to find one. I'm not sure why this area was upgraded either. If I was looking for a big Antelope buck, I wouldn't look there. But there are plenty of representatives of the species. Have fun and as was stated...watch out for the gumbo after a rain. It doesn't take much moisture either. It's like driving on ice.

 

[chiefgobbler]

Four of us drew this unit this year also. Second time there for three of us. Amen to the Bentonite clay soil. Be sure to camp close to the road. I parked just off of the gravel and the truck started sliding even though I was not trying to move it. A friend had to winch me out from the road. Have chains for all four tires. Some of the roads have creek crossings and can be washed out. Be careful driving in the dark. Huge area, last time there did not see a lot of trophy goats but had a fun hunt.

 

[ore hunter]

when I was there in 13 there were plenty of critters,,had to filter thru well over 100+ per day,,what a fun hunt,,take your time and enjoy,,look over a bunch before you shoot.

 

[ROGER SANCHEZ]

We hunted that unit in 2016 and had a blast. Look over lots of goats before you pull the trigger. You can easily see 100 bucks in a day if you cover a lot of ground in that unit. I was happy with my buck. He was an ?above average? buck for what we saw. Good luck

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[Colorado Cowboy]

I hunt 74 and have for 25 years. The buck in the picture is about right for the bigger bucks. To find one bigger, you need to glass, glass & then glass some more....and be lucky. Many years ago there were a lot more larger bucks and fewer hunters.

 

[Bonecollector]

We hunted that unit in 2016 and had a blast. Look over lots of goats before you pull the trigger. You can easily see 100 bucks in a day if you cover a lot of ground in that unit. I was happy with my buck. He was an ?above average? buck for what we saw. Good luck

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For reference, what did your 'lope score?

 

[ROGER SANCHEZ]

For reference, what did your 'lope score?

If I recall correctly, it scored 72?. That was the average size of the upper echelon bucks we saw. We probably saw 25 bucks that size in the unit. We didn?t see anything bigger.


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[robsev]

My granddaughter drew the an antelope tag in 73 this year. We took a little trip through the unit on Monday to do a little scouting. I was a little worried at first. for the first 30 miles we saw 3. When we got to the area we usually hunt they started showing up. I probably looked over 300 before we headed towards home. Bad thing is I didn't see one single buck that was over impressive. Really not sure how this unit made it into the blue chip category.

 

[Hilltop]

My granddaughter drew the an antelope tag in 73 this year. We took a little trip through the unit on Monday to do a little scouting. I was a little worried at first. for the first 30 miles we saw 3. When we got to the area we usually hunt they started showing up. I probably looked over 300 before we headed towards home. Bad thing is I didn't see one single buck that was over impressive. Really not sure how this unit made it into the blue chip category.

Trophy quality is only part of the equation. The massive amounts of public land go a long ways towards why this is rated blue. There are good bucks there but like anywhere, you will need to work to find them. I have heard the same things said about area 61 in the past 2 years. An 80" goat is hard to find anywhere but the task becomes easier the more land you have to hunt.

 

[HuskyMusky]

They are so hard to judge IMO! I can judge a deer, elk etc... pretty accurately and quickly, but antelope... I can look, look, think, judge, and who knows!? ha.ha.

I've hunted out that way, I also think year to year, moisture etc... can affect the sizes, so it's certainly a little big of luck too.

They are beautiful animals though! and so fun to hunt!

good luck!

 

[WiHunter29]

Hello. I’m looking to cash in points this fall and take my dad who will be 75 on likely his last western hunt. We have enough points to take 34 deer tags and 73 goat tags. Wondering if anyone has experience hunting goats at the end of October and if it presents a lot of challenges vs hunting them early. I understand that their rut will be well over by then. Thanks for any advise anyone is willing to share!

 

[go_deep]

Hello. I’m looking to cash in points this fall and take my dad who will be 75 on likely his last western hunt. We have enough points to take 34 deer tags and 73 goat tags. Wondering if anyone has experience hunting goats at the end of October and if it presents a lot of challenges vs hunting them early. I understand that their rut will be well over by then. Thanks for any advise anyone is willing to share!

I work in that area some. There's goats standing next to the road still at the end of October and into November. I'm sure they're more skittish, and yes some of the biggest ones have been picked off. I'd focus on the deer morning and evening, then look for goats midday. If your just looking for a nice buck antelope you'll be done in a day or two, if your looking for the biggest buck in the unit, he'll probably already be at the taxidermist. Personally I'd go do it. Good luck!

 

[WiHunter29]

I work in that area some. There's goats standing next to the road still at the end of October and into November. I'm sure they're more skittish, and yes some of the biggest ones have been picked off. I'd focus on the deer morning and evening, then look for goats midday. If your just looking for a nice buck antelope you'll be done in a day or two, if your looking for the biggest buck in the unit, he'll probably already be at the taxidermist. Personally I'd go do it. Good luck!

Awesome, thanks for the info. I plan to put more emphasis on finding a good deer than goat.

 

[NEWHunter]

Hello. I’m looking to cash in points this fall and take my dad who will be 75 on likely his last western hunt. We have enough points to take 34 deer tags and 73 goat tags. Wondering if anyone has experience hunting goats at the end of October and if it presents a lot of challenges vs hunting them early. I understand that their rut will be well over by then. Thanks for any advise anyone is willing to share!

I was in the unit mid October last year. There were definitely some decent ones around yet. They seemed to be grouping up, so the animals were a bit harder to find, but once you found them there were generally quite a few. The later you go, the more likely they are to be herded up.

Might also want to check with the biologist. I talked to one about a different unit, and he noted that with some snow and cold some of the antelope might start to migrate out of a unit towards the end of the season. Don’t know if that’s the case with 73, but you might want to check.

Obviously the weather is generally colder and can get really cold. My Dad has a harder time with the cold than he used to, so something to think about. Also, it seemed that with the colder weather, the roads dried out more slowly. Good luck and let us know how you do.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Awesome, thanks for the info. I plan to put more emphasis on finding a good deer than goat.

I have spent a lot of time in 73 & 74 for the last 30 years. You are going to find it much harder to find the deer .