Wyoming Antelope Tags

[Muskyhunter1]

I checked online it appears I got drawn. Does anyone know when they mail them out?

Thanks,

[dk17hmr]

I just got my elk tags in the mail yesterday....so they are sending them out now...haven't gotten my antelope tag yet though....what area did you draw?

[Muskyhunter1]

Thanks Doug - I am headed just outside of Douglas in Zone 26. I guess we should see the tags in a couple of weeks.

Dave

[dk17hmr]

I have heard its good hunting up there.....I'm in the opposite corner of the state or I would offer up a place to stay and some help with scouting.

If you haven't antelope hunting before make sure you look at a lot of animals before you shoot one.

[runfiverun]

definitely look several of them over and even look at pics online.
they can be deceiving in horn size because of the splits, and the angles the horns will take from the head, judging length can be difficult.
what appears to be fairly large in the field can in reality be a 14" buck on the ground if viewed from one direction only.

[dk17hmr]

Last year my buddy and I looked at probably 200 different bucks before we saw one that was enough different to load the rifle. 14-14 1/2" is pretty common but the one he ended up shooting measured 15 1/2" and it was noticeable in the field....than again another buddy shot a 13 1/2" buck that looked like he was 16" it did have 8" bases and a 17" wide spread though.

[NVScouter]

I'm in 23 not too far over. Not much public land there

[Muskyhunter1]

Thanks Lads. Doug thanks for the offer my friend. The same does for Northern Ontario.

I went about 5 years ago to Douglas with my young lad. It was a blast. The people around Douglas are some of the best folk I have ever met. Taking the Wife with me this time and an old buddy that we have been friends and hunting together for also 40 years now. Hell we were in Boy Scout when we met - lol. We are meeting a few other couples down there. The guys are going hunting and the gals are going to try an find some quilting and sewing shops. Should be a blast.

As for antelope size I do remember someone telling me you want the fork to be longer that the tip of the ear and that is a good buck. Is that correct? Last time my Son got a decent buck (very wide) and I shot a dinker buck. My Son was real proud that he beat Dad - and so was I.......

[MT Gianni]

As for antelope size I do remember someone telling me you want the fork to be longer that the tip of the ear and that is a good buck. Is that correct? Last time my Son got a decent buck (very wide) and I shot a dinker buck. My Son was real proud that he beat Dad - and so was I.......
For a general rule of thumb keep that one foremost. Forks can be many different places along the horn but this should be your starting point for a mounting buck.

[dk17hmr]

My tag showed up today.

[NVScouter]

We are scouting 23 in a couple weeks. It's just north of yours I'll report in. Do you have a place your going?

[Muskyhunter1]

Thanks Doug I should see mine over the next couple of days. NVScouter I have access to a Ranch that I have hunted in the past down there. A friend of a friend type arrangement. The Ranchers has always been good to us and we make it worth his while.

[NVScouter]

Thats the way to do it! That corner has lots of tags and little access.
Thanks Doug I should see mine over the next couple of days. NVScouter I have access to a Ranch that I have hunted in the past down there. A friend of a friend type arrangement. The Ranchers has always been good to us and we make it worth his while.

[Muskyhunter1]

Got my tags yesterday - now I am cranked. I now have another reason to go to the range and do so trophy buck research.

[runfiverun]

i have been hanging out between douglas and gillete and casper the last couple of weeks, if what i have been seeing recently is any indication of your area you'll be seeing some decent bucks and the herds are in good to excellent shape in this area.

the rains have been keeping the grass green and and many areas are holding good water.
hunting over a particular water hole may pay off or not as there are quite a few areas holding good water.
i have seen antelope ranging from the open grass areas to a few hanging out near water holes, antelope up in the trees, and have even seen herds having deer mixed in with them.
the temps have been in the 90's the last few day's but a little cooler weather is coming up.
some bucks are starting to hold with the does a bit here and there but the bigger ones are still holding off right now.

[Muskyhunter1]

Thanks Runfiverun,

Got to get to the range and get my rifles shooting now. I am taking some odd ones with me this year. First is a Ruger No 1 International in 270 win that was given to me as a gift from a good friend, who is also hunting with me. Second is a M96 in 6.5x55 Swed and last but not least for Prairie Dogs, my TC encore Pro Hunter in 223 Win.

Unfortunately no cast boolites on this trip - sorry. My next cast boolite hunt will likely me a muzzle loader hunt for whitetail.

[runfiverun]

no issues with the boolits thing.
it's open country where you are going and you could easily see a 300+ yd shot..
take what you are comfortable with and be prepared to reach out there if necessary.
I watched two quite big bucks lay at the base of some exposed rocks on the side of a rock bluff the other morning they just stayed there until it warmed up.
I thought originally they were a couple of deer because of their location.

[Muskyhunter1]

Thanks Runfiverun, I am cranked big time. All my licences and permits done. Motel and holidays booked. Went to range yesterday and all my rifles are bang on. We leave in about 5 weeks. Will keep you posted.

[Popgunner]

We have a group of six of us from Utah that have drawn out for WY antelope three times over the years. The first time we went there was no problem finding antelope & it was fun but some of the locals were hanging around and at the sound of us shooting they drove in to us & told us we were on their land & demanded $100 trespass fees. The map said the land was public so we did't pay & they left mad. Whatever. We then found the LaBarge area & drew out there twice & loved it. No private land to get hassled & there are checkerboard type 50mph dirt roads the oil companies have built. It's amazing how you can be doing 50 mph & swear the landscape is flat & then bam-there's a herd of antelope that pops into view. Best buck we've gotten from there is 17-1/4". Tons of fun. Enjoy!

[adanymous]

We have a group of six of us from Utah that have drawn out for WY antelope three times over the years. The first time we went there was no problem finding antelope & it was fun but some of the locals were hanging around and at the sound of us shooting they drove in to us & told us we were on their land & demanded $100 trespass fees. The map said the land was public so we did't pay & they left mad. Whatever. We then found the LaBarge area & drew out there twice & loved it. No private land to get hassled & there are checkerboard type 50mph dirt roads the oil companies have built. It's amazing how you can be doing 50 mph & swear the landscape is flat & then bam-there's a herd of antelope that pops into view. Best buck we've gotten from there is 17-1/4". Tons of fun. Enjoy!

That stupid stuff does happen a bit. Happened to me elk hunting in the bighorns. The map said we were good so we told the guy where to stick it and kept hunting. Later found out the maps aren't all right, and there are some unmarked easements and such. So be careful with that, the game wardens mean business up there! IMO trespass fees shouldn't apply if their boundaries are unmarked.

Ive always drove in and bought my antelope tags over the counter (wal-mart). Last time I was antelope hunting I think you could get 6 does at $30 a piece or thereabouts and 2 bucks at around $300 IIRC. And it was in the same area as R5R is talking about. If you do buy OTC though make sure they get your area correct. My little cousins tag had the area number transposed, nobody noticed but the game warden. Luckily he was a reasonable guy, and the other 8 or 9 of us all had the same area so it was an obvious mistake on the salesmans part. But the warden said he could have taken my cousin to jail over it. So double check.

Man Im jealous! I was thinking about antelope hunting yesterday and tried to get some guys together to go. But its not gonna happen I guess... Maybe next year.

[dk17hmr]

That stupid stuff does happen a bit. Happened to me elk hunting in the bighorns. The map said we were good so we told the guy where to stick it and kept hunting. Later found out the maps aren't all right, and there are some unmarked easements and such. So be careful with that, the game wardens mean business up there! IMO trespass fees shouldn't apply if their boundaries are unmarked.

Ive always drove in and bought my antelope tags over the counter (wal-mart). Last time I was antelope hunting I think you could get 6 does at $30 a piece or thereabouts and 2 bucks at around $300 IIRC. And it was in the same area as R5R is talking about. If you do buy OTC though make sure they get your area correct. My little cousins tag had the area number transposed, nobody noticed but the game warden. Luckily he was a reasonable guy, and the other 8 or 9 of us all had the same area so it was an obvious mistake on the salesmans part. But the warden said he could have taken my cousin to jail over it. So double check.

Man Im jealous! I was thinking about antelope hunting yesterday and tried to get some guys together to go. But its not gonna happen I guess... Maybe next year.

Don't expect to drive in and buy tags at Walmart unless you hunt the North East part of the state, Game and Fish cut the tag numbers way down. Make sure you know where private property is....its not the landowners responsibility to post their property. Huntinggpsmaps.com is your best bet for that.

[tigerbight]

Have fun I grew up and graduated from Douglas. I miss the hunting I did there when I was young. Good luck and enjoy.

[Iron Whittler]

I drew elk tags in the late 90 s. Went with brother in law who has hunted the area 30+ yrs. We were camped out in my motorhome. We would sit in coach and watch the antelope herds walk by at 100-150 yds. Don't you know, we had elk tags, but NO antelope tags. A real kick in the pants. The mule deer were thick also. I did get me a bull elk first time out. Nothing like family on a hunting trip/camp out. Had an absolute Blast !!! Iron whittler

[Muskyhunter1]

Have fun I grew up and graduated from Douglas. I miss the hunting I did there when I was young. Good luck and enjoy.
Last time I hunted around Douglas my Son and I were so impressed at how friendly the people there were. It was truly a positive hunt for a father and Son hunt. My poor Son can't go this trip as he is in the military. Oh well next trip maybe. I will report back. Cheers

[Muskyhunter1]

Got back from Douglas and had an amazing hunt again. The people were really great but the town has gotten really busy with all the mining/fracking etc. The Chamber of Commerce had a Hunters Dinner and the wife won a few door prizes. Happy Wife happy Life The hunting was really good. We got 8 antelope for 4 hunter. No huge trophies but nice goats either way. I will post the pics once I get them off the wife's camera.

Thanks for the great advice guys

[Muskyhunter1]

Ok Lads,

I figured out how to download the pics off my cell phone.

This first pic is of one big antelope that got away (good thing). He ran under the railway tracks before I could get my gun out. He would have been a little tough anyway - lol. The other ones we got were a lot smaller than this one. It was really neat seeing those Texas Longhorns up close. They seemed friendly enough.

119215

I decided to fill my doe tag the first day. Nothing special got her at about 225 yard with a 270 Win 130 grain slug in a Ruger No1 International. I am the ugly one in orange.

119218

This is a picture of the landscape around Douglas. My buddy who shot this buck, has really bad knees so I drag his buck to the truck for him while he walked with my Wife. Man am I a sucker.

119219

This is a picture of my sweet gal of 28 years marriage carrying my pack and rifle. She enjoyed herself on the hunt but i think she would rather be quilting.

119220

Here is a pic of some Mules we saw. I saw one 4x4 but most were does, spikes and a fork horn. They are truly a beautiful creatures and would really like to hunt them one day.

119221

I was happy with this buck. I got him at about 160 yards with the same Ruger No1.

119222

Finally this was some of the lovely cactus that I crawled across to stalk our antelope. I am still picking them out of my clothes and knees.

119223

Well anyway folks that is about it for my Wyoming antelope adventure. Hopefully next year I can figure out a place to go for mule deer. Thanks for looking.

[bayjoe]

The view from my front yard. The one on the left is a big old buck, been hanging around for 3 summers119224

[runfiverun]

that cactus is tough stuff it grows about anywhere and only needs watering occasionally.
i dug a small one out about 7-8 years ago and drove around with it on the floor of my truck for @ 2 weeks, then planted it in a water bottle i had.
it's still alive and kickin in the kitchen window.