Wyoming DIY Antelope Hunting: Part 2 – Planning Your Hunt for Trophy Potential

In Part 1 we reviewed Wyoming’s Preference Point and Application Process. Here are  some key points to remember as you plan your hunt:

• Wyoming allocates 75% of the tags in a hunt area, or unit to the max preference point holders. 25% of the tags are allocated in a random draw for all remaining applicants who chose the unit as first choice
• If there are tags still remaining they are randomly drawn among applicants who were unsuccessful in their first choice unit but selected this unit as a 2nd or 3rd choice.If the unit still has tags remaining they are sold beginning in July as “leftover” tags.
• You may buy a preference point each year in WY without actually applying for a hunt. For 2012 these were $30 for antelope.
• Wyoming offers a non-resident “special license” as an option. For antelope this adds $240 to the license cost, but significantly improves draw odds.

Considerations When Selecting your Hunt Area(s)

Wyoming divides the state into 115 antelope “hunt areas”, or units. While all offer great antelope hunting (almost all units have non-resident success rates over 95%), the hunt areas have three variables to consider:

• Trophy potential
• Amount of Public Land in the hunt area: BLM, Forest Service, Federal, and State Sections and ease of access to private land for DIY hunters via state managed Walk-In Areas or Lists of Landowners providing access.
• Hunt dates. Seasons vary considerably among units. Some units open as early as Sept 1st while other units open as late as Oct 15th. The length of the seasons vary as well, with some units open only two weeks and others almost two months. While this may not matter for some hunters, others may find that the hunt dates in a unit are in conflict with other hunt plans.

Obviously, the units that have great trophy potential AND good public access are the most difficult to draw. And while Wyoming has a lot of public land in general, many of the agricultural areas with the best habitat where antelope numbers are densest have little public land for hunter access. So to plan a Wyoming hunt, you need to have an idea of what your goal is in terms of antelope size and you need to have a clear understanding of the unit’s public lands and access. In Part 2 of this series we tackle  trophy potential, judging antelope buck size, and a review of the hunt area draw odds and statistics in the top producing trophy counties.

Trophy Potential in Wyoming Antelope Hunt Areas

While Wyoming has good antelope hunting across the state, some areas have produced more Boone and Crockett book antelope than others. Wyoming has four of the top seven B&C trophy producing counties in the US, all for antelope.

Boone and Crockett Club’s Top 7 trophy counties:

1. Wyoming, Carbon County—282 pronghorn in B&C records
2. California, Mendocino County—190 typical Columbia blacktail deer in B&C records
3. California, Trinity County—185 typical Columbia blacktail deer in B&C records
4. Wyoming, Sweetwater County—183 pronghorn in B&C records
5. Wyoming, Fremont County—153 pronghorn in B&C records.
6. Nevada, Clark County—142 desert sheep in B&C records.
7.Wyoming, Natrona County – 134 pronghorn in B&C records

Carbon, Fremont, Sweetwater, and Natrona counties are all located in the Central and South Central portion of the state. The most desired antelope units in these counties will require 5-7 max preference points to draw and will have random draw odds of typically 1-2%. More on these units later.

Judging Antelope Size and Setting Your Goals

Although more record book goats come from these counties,  almost any unit in Wyoming has the potential to produce a whopper buck. An average two and a half year old mature buck will sport horns between 10-12″ in length and these are common across the state. A 13″ to 14″ antelope is typically four to five years old and considered a trophy class buck in most hunt areas.

Unless you have a trained eye for judging antelope scores, you will be hard pressed to tell much difference between a decent 14″ antelope and a record book 15″ goat. Especially at 300 yards or more. That said, once you have looked at a lot of antelope, there is no mistaking a heavy, long pronged 14-16″ goat. They do stand out and if you have already filled a few goat tags with typical animals you should consider a hunt in a unit known for the habitat and  genetics that produce book bucks. Even if it takes a few years to draw.

Here are some great pics posted by BB at Bowsite.com. These provide an idea of typical antelope sizes you will encounter in Wyoming. This first buck is probably around 12″ in length. Using his 6″ ears as a guide, we can tell this buck wont go too much over that. However, he has decent mass and strong cutters (prongs) for a goat this size. This buck is estimated to score around 64-65″.

This next buck is a little taller than the first and will measure over 13″ in length but will not likely make 14″. He also has strong mass below the cutters. His prongs set fairly high up his horns and have good length. His horns have ivory tips and nice curl. While not a “book” goat, he is a great trophy for most hunters seeking their first antelope. This goat will score approximately in the mid 70’s.

The following two pics are of a buck that measured right at 82″ gross.. the minimum for a B&C book goat. Notice how his cutters sit well above his ears, as compared to the previous buck. His prongs are high and extremely long and he carries good mass into the tines. With the curl, this goat probably measures around 15″ in length.  Compare this frontal shot to the 12″ goat in the first set of pictures and you have a good idea of how to judge a typical buck from a truly large one.

These last two pictures are of a buck that has weak horn characteristics and will not score well. Notice how low his prongs sit compared to his ear height. He has little mass, short cutters, and almost no curl. He will probably measure between 10.5-12″ in length. Many first time antelope hunters will consider this a good buck, especially when seen at a distance. While a representative animal, bucks like this are common in Wyoming. Unless its the last day of your hunt, you may want to pass him up and keep looking !

Most hunt areas enjoy over 95% success rates among NR hunters. Typically, many of the bucks taken on public land are going to be 10″-13″ representative animals. These are fine trophies and enjoying the experience of hunting pronghorns on the western prairie should be your first priority. If you want to improve your odds for a B&C buck, you should at least consider Wyoming’s trophy hunt areas. Let’s take a look now at the those areas that are considered the top trophy units. This will provide insight into the draw odds and what it will take to plan a hunt here. .

Looking at the 2012 statistics, here is a look at what are considered some of the top trophy antelope hunt areas in the state:

These hunt areas have high trophy potential AND significant amounts of public land. In fact, most of these areas are almost entirely public. As you can see though, in 2012 you will have needed to accumulate 5-6 years of preference points or have a lot of luck in the random draw to hunt one of these areas. Other units like these with comparable trophy potential and draw odds include 58, 112, 92, 64, 53, and 92.

These next units I’ve listed are examples of units located in or adjacent to,  the “Trophy Belt” but have better draw odds. You will not draw these units on a regular license with zero preference points unless you are selected in the random draw. Generally these areas, while a mix of public and private land, will have good public access. Random draw odds are better than the previously listed areas and with points you can plan on hunting these units at least every 1-4 years. Notice the difference in the special license odds as well. In many of these units you have a 100% chance of hunting in the year you apply with a special license,  even with zero points.

The draw odds data is available on Wyoming’s Game and Fish website at http://gf.state.wy.us/web2011/hunting-1000590.aspx.

Season dates and other hunt area statistics can be found on the Wyoming Game and Fish site’s Antelope Hunt Planner at http://gf.state.wy.us/web2011/hunting-1001080.aspx

This wraps up Part 2 of this series on planning a DIY Wyoming Antelope hunt. In Part 3 we will look at other units in the state that may not be considered “trophy” units but have great antelope hunting.

Read more: http://www.boone-crockett.org/news/featured_story.asp?area=news&ID=154
Read more: http://www.gameandfishmag.com/2011/12/05/top-10-states-for-giant-pronghorns/#ixzz2JHb0nngj

Read more :http://www.biggamehunt.net/articles/field-judging-pronghorns