2025 Wyoming Antelope Hunt

[Flatlander]

This is what Wyoming has become. Wait 3 years, pay $1,200 in special draw, drive 18 hrs, hike for two more to shoot a 13” buck.

[nateNAU]

1 minute ago, Red Rabbit said:

The GoHunt app should let you see what units you can draw with only 3 points and give unit profiles.  wgfd.wyo.gov will do the same.

The winter of 2022-23 took a big toll on the deer and antelope in southwest Wyoming.  I have 14 points for WY antelope and will see how this winter plays out. It will take a few more mild winters and no droughts for the herds to rebuild.

Numbers are definitely down. In 22 I saw probably a thousand antelope across public and private in the unit I hunted. In 23 and 24 that number was probably a few hundred. Very noticable.

[nateNAU]

33 minutes ago, Flatlander said:

This is what Wyoming has become. Wait 3 years, pay $1,200 in special draw, drive 18 hrs, hike for two more to shoot a 13” buck.

I am genuinely curious but what was it like before and when did it change? I mean other than the price hike. What have your Wyoming antelope experiences been like?

[Flatlander]

22 minutes ago, nateNAU said:

I am genuinely curious but what was it like before and when did it change? I mean other than the price hike. What have your Wyoming antelope experiences been like?

Just like everything else, it just takes more to get less now.

Early 2010’s you could still buy leftovers on your way into town. It jumped pretty hard around 14 or 15 and you had to start putting a second choice down but you could still pretty easily get a second choice and some doe tags in those tough to access units. An access fee was a few hundred bucks paid to the rancher at his door.

Then it took a COVID jump like the rest of western hunting, bumped another 2-3 pts.

Then the bad winter of 22-23 cut tag numbers in many units. Doe tags got reduced a bunch. 
 

A unit I drew with 3 pts in 2016 now takes 9 to draw in the special. Thats creep of 2/3 pt per year. So I have to apply for 3 years to improve my odds by one point level. If that pace continued and I wanted to hunt a unit I drew with 3 pts again after drawing, I would have to apply for 12 years to catch up to the creep.

The biggest issue with Wyoming is the number of people buying points on the sideline. You never know when they are going to jump in and bump a unit up 3-4 points. There are tens of thousands of people buying points without drawing. So if they decide they want to burn, they can pick almost any hunt. Couple that with their winters, where every 5-7 years they have a huge winter kill and the system quickly becomes a treadmill with an ever increasing cost to keep walking without making any progress.

So I guess what I am saying is, if you can get a unit you are happy with now, then do it. It may not be a possibility later.

[knothead]

35 minutes ago, nateNAU said:

I am genuinely curious but what was it like before and when did it change? I mean other than the price hike. What have your Wyoming antelope experiences been like?

I'm not sure if I am the best person to respond to your question.  I have only had one experience hunting Wyoming archery antelope back in 2011.  I flew into Salt Lake Friday evening, rented a car and drove a few hours to a unit in the sw part or Wyoming.  I had 6 points when I applied with a guy from Utah.  We talked for a 2-3 years on Bowsite and he told me he could help me get my first antelope with a bow and arrow. The guy was 73-year-old William "Bill" Allard (BB from bowsite) who grew up in SW part of Wyoming.  I rolled into camp around 10:30 pm, met his son Cody, and talked a bit.  We got up next morning drove to a spring in the dark that he put a ground blind on.  From the blind I saw a total of two antelope and the 2nd one was a buck that came into the spring around 10:00 am and I shot it at 17 yards.  Driving back to camp I saw maybe 10-12 antelope.  That evening we drove around and checked on some other places he had blinds at, and I saw maybe 8-9 more antelope.  The next morning, he wanted to take pictures (he is an amazing wildlife photographer) and we sat in a blind that we checked out the day before.  It was crazy fun because the rut was on full bore and the bucks were chasing other bucks and does all around.  This was probably the best part of the entire hunt just being able to witness the craziness of an antelope rut.  Sitting in a blind and driving around I probably saw no more than 50-60 antelope, but it was a great show.  I hunted with a bow and arrow even though it was a rifle hunt.  I killed my buck on Oct. 1st and the weather was perfect for hunting out of a blind.  Not the real hot stuff of August.  According to BB, the last week or so of September is the best time to hunt antelope in the rut.  Flew back home on Monday morning. If and when I hunt Wyoming again, it will be during their rut.

[Markleo21377]

On 12/29/2024 at 7:54 PM, BuladeanBowhunter said:

Planning a rifle antelope hunt for this year on public land. Trying to get some leads on what units I should try to get on. Currently I have 3 pts. Not trying to come kill the state record. Would just like to get on some good bucks. Thanks!

Hey man,

Not sure about a lot of these comments but don’t get discouraged by them. Wyoming recently changed their fee structure so special draw went up considerably ($1200)As a result you can draw great units with 3 points that were 5-7 prior. Look at Wyoming game and fish hunt planner and it can fill you in on a lot of great info. With some persistent glassing and warming some boot leather up you can expect to kill a 65-75” buck with 3 points in units 45,46,47,50,51 with plenty of public land options. 
 

I suggest going mid October when all the locals are either focused on deer Oct 1-14 or elk Oct 15-31 and you will have the place mostly to yourself. Although certain areas have had some winter kill they bounce back quick and you will see an incredible amount of bucks in any of those units. Good luck sir!