wyoming leftover tag hunt, unit 17 or 23 help

bb1379

New Member
Feb 10, 2014
22
0
i missed the draw so now i'm trying to salvage a hunt thru the leftovers for my sons western hunt. for a couple weeks i've been studying the above units along with unti 24. i know both are severely limited in public access. 23 seems to have a lot of antelope and more tags. 17 seems to have a good number of them with still a good number of tags left, but seems to have twice as much accessible land. from studying my onxmap chip and satelite imagery i know alot of 17 accessible public land is not considered good antelope country. however it still seems to have alot more than 23. i really dont want to pay a ranch(havent had any luck finding one with openings anyway). does anyone have any suggestions or info about 17 they are will to share? setting at the house is an option i guess but one id rather not do.
 

Topgun 30-06

Banned
Jun 12, 2013
1,353
1
Allegan, MI
17 doesn't have that much accessible public land, so I have no idea why you stated that by just looking at your GPS because the chip doesn't show legal roads. Many roads that look like they are public on your maps aren't and the ony way to know what are is to get a good map from the county that shows what roads are maintained with taxpayer money.
 
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bb1379

New Member
Feb 10, 2014
22
0
17 doesn't have that much accessible public land, so I have no idea why you stated that by just looking at your GPS because the chip doesn't show legal roads. Many roads that look like they are public on your maps aren't and the ony way to know what are is to get a good map from the county that shows what roads are maintained with taxpayer



Unlike 23, there are several more roads that are labeled and appear public from what I see. I am using the only tools I have, landownership chip and satellite imagery. I've been trying to get ahold of the local warden but have not had any luck. There are several sections I can tell are accessible as well as a wiha. I'm not from that part of the world so what some thinks is not much land might be a lot to me. A section where I live is pretty big. I added up what I think is accessible and I came up with about 19,000 acres spread over the unit. I know some of that is not antelope country and some of it may not be accessible.
 

WapitiBob

Veteran member
Mar 1, 2011
1,385
58
Bend, Orygun
A tip I will pass on, call the local BLM office, ask for the GIS guy, and ask him to send you a KML/KMZ of their open roads. You can open that file in google earth. If he doesn't have one, have the section/range info and he can find out if they have BLM easements.
 

Topgun 30-06

Banned
Jun 12, 2013
1,353
1
Allegan, MI
17 doesn't have that much accessible public land, so I have no idea why you stated that by just looking at your GPS because the chip doesn't show legal roads. Many roads that look like they are public on your maps aren't and the ony way to know what are is to get a good map from the county that shows what roads are maintained with taxpayer


Unlike 23, there are several more roads that are labeled and appear public from what I see. I am using the only tools I have, landownership chip and satellite imagery. I've been trying to get ahold of the local warden but have not had any luck. There are several sections I can tell are accessible as well as a wiha. I'm not from that part of the world so what some thinks is not much land might be a lot to me. A section where I live is pretty big. I added up what I think is accessible and I came up with about 19,000 acres spread over the unit. I know some of that is not antelope country and some of it may not be accessible.

Please listen closely! You CANNOT look at what you're looking at (chip and satellite imagery) and tell anything about public road access other than marked state highways and county roads if they're marked their entire length. Just because you see a road that has a name on it has nothing to do with whether it's maintained by the county and legal to drive on. Other than that you are just guessing and that will get you into big trouble. FYI if there was anything close to 19,000 acres that are accessible like you came up with, the unit would not be one that is marked as difficult public access by the G&F. Incidentally, a section is a square mile containing 640 acres and that doesn't change no matter where you are from or go and out west a section is considered pretty small!
 
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Againstthewind

Very Active Member
Mar 25, 2014
973
2
Upton, WY
I gotta agree with Topgun. I have hunted 23 and am going for 17 this year. They can be pretty difficult units. The maps and GPS can be kindof decieving. It looks like big blocks of BLM with roads going into them, but a lot of the roads are private. The walk-in areas can get a lot of pressure, too. I think there are places to go, but it takes a lot of research. It sounds like you are doing the research, though. Wapiti Bob has a good idea there. Surveyors and GIS guys are probably the ones to ask. I think if you can get on a good chunk of land, chances are good there will be an antelope there. It might take a few days if there isn't any water or something and it might not be a trophy. The state lands are not always the most productive areas. A section of land is different here in that it supports fewer animals than a section in a lot of other places. The landowners in 17 in particularly are hard on trespassing, and they don't have to mark their property boundaries in Wyoming. They get some big money for hunters because there are some good ones on their land. The warden here has his hands full with a poaching deal, but they are usually pretty good to work with from my experience. Not much help, sorry about that, but that is kindof why there are leftovers it seems like. Anyway good luck.
 

bb1379

New Member
Feb 10, 2014
22
0
that's why I contacted the game warden. the roads I'm looking at are all labeled the entire length. a road not labeled, im not even looking at. ive hunted individual sections before in Montana and had plenty of success. some people just over look that stuff wanting to hunt the bigger blocks. the acreage I looked is all land that touches a "labeled" road or highway. I hunted unit 72 back in 2011 and it was labeled "difficult access" and there was may more public land to hunt than any unit I'm looking at now. thanks for the help.

wapitibob, thanks, i'll look into it.
 

Topgun 30-06

Banned
Jun 12, 2013
1,353
1
Allegan, MI
that's why I contacted the game warden. the roads I'm looking at are all labeled the entire length. a road not labeled, im not even looking at. ive hunted individual sections before in Montana and had plenty of success. some people just over look that stuff wanting to hunt the bigger blocks. the acreage I looked is all land that touches a "labeled" road or highway. I hunted unit 72 back in 2011 and it was labeled "difficult access" and there was may more public land to hunt than any unit I'm looking at now. thanks for the help.

wapitibob, thanks, i'll look into it.
You are one stubborn son of a gun! There is only ONE state highway in unit 17 and the best I can tell from my good CD ROM map purchased from the G&F is there are ony two marked county roads up in the northern part of the unit where there is little public land. Yes, there are a number of roads with labeled names on them, but that doesn't mean squat as far as whether they are county maintained roads or not. I hope you do a lot of PROPER research and quit guessing by looking at your GPS chip because all it tells you is land ownership and that's it! Good luck!
 
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Musket Man

Veteran member
Jul 20, 2011
6,457
0
colfax, wa
Welcome to the forum bb! Where are you from? Is this your first WY antelope hunt? There is some blm in both of those units (SW17. NW23) that I think you could access but dont know how the antelope hunting would be on it. Most antelope in that area are on private along the Powder River from what I have seen.
 

Topgun 30-06

Banned
Jun 12, 2013
1,353
1
Allegan, MI
Welcome to the forum bb! Where are you from? Is this your first WY antelope hunt? There is some blm in both of those units (SW17. NW23) that I think you could access but dont know how the antelope hunting would be on it. Most antelope in that area are on private along the Powder River from what I have seen.
MM---There were 1100 Type 1 tags to be sold for 17 and there are still over 500 left. That should tell the OP that he has a tough road ahead trying to find enough public land to have a good hunt on. He hasn't introduced himself or given any comments on where he lives and what his experience is out west, but he must live a long way from Wyoming if it's a 20+ hour drive for him like he stated on Hunt Talk asking about other units.
 

Musket Man

Veteran member
Jul 20, 2011
6,457
0
colfax, wa
All units with leftover tags will have some reason there are leftover tags which is usually lack of access. 17 or 23 would not be my first choice of areas to hunt but if I had no other tags and really wanted to go hunting and either of them looked like the best unit that still had tags I would not hesitate to get a tag and go. Poor hunting is always better then none:D
 

bb1379

New Member
Feb 10, 2014
22
0
yes I can be stubborn. everyone, especially topgun....I've been hunting my entire life, I'm 42 years old, hunted new mexico, Wyoming, Montana and Kansas for the past 16 years. whitetail, mule deer and antelope. I'm from texas, sorry. I plan to get my questions about access confirmed before I spend a dime on a tag. I appreciate the info from you all, however topgun sure can rub you the wrong way. up until this season, I've been quite fortunate to draw the tag I was after. I rarely hunt the same state 2 years in a row as my job only allows for 1 GOOD fall hunt away from home usually. I'm about the point of throwing in the towel and just getting a point for next year. if it wasn't for really wanting to take my son I would have gave up weeks ago. I refuse to pay a landowner to hunt antelope and my reason being that for $250 trespass(what I understand to be the minimum) I could have just got the special license and with my points, drawn a pretty dang good area that doesn't have the little (*) by it. I have also taken into consideration the fact that with quotas being down in a lot of the state, more people will likely be doing what I'm doing now since they didn't draw either and end up on the little bit of public land that is available in the leftover units.
 

Musket Man

Veteran member
Jul 20, 2011
6,457
0
colfax, wa
Topgun sure can have that effect on people. He is a pretty good guy once you get to know him but he can be like 10 grit sand paper at times.

There will be access issues in any leftover unit. If you really want to hunt antelope this year I would pick the unit with the most public land that has tags still and go for it. Just know going into it access will be difficult and there might not be many antelope on the public land. I disagree with you on refusing to pay a fee to hunt private land. If you could find a ranch you could hunt for a reasonable fee in a unit with leftover tags you could have a place to hunt antelope any year you want.
 
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WapitiBob

Veteran member
Mar 1, 2011
1,385
58
Bend, Orygun
I've hunted leftovers for years and never had access issues. Always have good hunts and 2014 should be the same. The problem is waiting till all the leftovers are gone and then trying to find a decent hunt.
 

Topgun 30-06

Banned
Jun 12, 2013
1,353
1
Allegan, MI
"The problem is waiting till all the leftovers are gone and then trying to find a decent hunt""

Yep, and this is absolutely amazing when a person comes on and has no idea about the two units that he's ask information on, other than using a chip and satellite imagery, and then says I rub him the wrong way when I give on the ground information from being in both units! I've hunted both, offer straight information to help the guy, and all he does is keep coming back making the same statements telling me where he can go and not go when he doesn't have a clue using what he's using. So why is he asking if he knows everything already and won't listen to any information given? Now he's on other sites asking the same questions and not getting anywhere there either! I'll tell a person if a unit is worth trying for, but I won't blow smoke up someone's rearend and tell them it's great when it's not. I guess the OP wants to hear that he'll go out, find a big piece of public land and his boy will kill a B&C buck! Even a local from Gillette that lives close to both units has come on and agreed with my synopsis and when I try to impress on the OP what he needs to do I get nothing back but negative comments. Buy the tag and drive all the way out there with your fingers crossed that you have a good hunt with the boy and don't get busted for being where you shouldn't, as I'm out of here! Good luck!

MM---I wish you or someone else would go hunt deer 164 and see what that unit is like, as that joke is also getting old when I've been all over it and keep getting *** thrown in my face!
 
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Musket Man

Veteran member
Jul 20, 2011
6,457
0
colfax, wa
Just a joke TG, not throwing anything in anyones face. I do plan on hunting 164. I was thinking about it this year but the season conflicts with another hunt I drew.
 

shootbrownelk

Veteran member
Apr 11, 2011
1,535
196
Wyoming
"The problem is waiting till all the leftovers are gone and then trying to find a decent hunt""

Yep, and this is absolutely amazing when a person comes on and has no idea about the two units that he's ask information on, other than using a chip and satellite imagery, and then says I rub him the worng way when I give on the ground information from being in both units! I've hunted both, offer straight information to help the guy, and all he does is keep coming back making the same statements telling me where he can go and not go when he doesn't have a clue using what he's using. So why is he asking if he knows everything already and won't listen to any information given? Now he's on other sites asking the same questions and not getting anywhere there either! I'll tell a person if a unit is worth trying for, but I won't blow smoke up someone's rearend and tell them it's great when it's not. I guess the OP wants to hear that he'll go out, find a big piece of public land and his boy will kill a B&C buck! Even a local from Gillette that lives close to both units has come on and agreed with my synopsis and when I try to impress on the OP what he needs to do I get nothing back but negative comments. Buy the tag and drive all the way out there with your fingers crossed that you have a good hunt with the boy and don't get busted for being where you shouldn't, as I'm out of here! Good luck!

MM---I wish you or someone else would go hunt deer 164 and see what that unit is like, as that joke is also getting old when I've been all over it and keep getting *** thrown in my face!
Hey there TopGun,simmer down. Sometimes you can't get anyones attention unless you hit them with a hammer. Nice try though!
 

ScottR

Eastmans' Staff / Moderator
Staff member
Feb 3, 2014
7,922
2,827
www.eastmans.com
I have hunted both units, South of the interstate is easier hunting and better road access. Don't go opening week and it will be even better as most of the other NR hunters have headed home.


Eastmans' Staff Digital Media Coordinator