Wyoming Antelope Hunting
 

My Dad wants to go Antelope hunting in Wyoming this Fall.
I need advice. What locations could nonresidents draw tags and hunt some public land and have fun?

Here are a few things to help you get started...

Link to antelope hunt unit map...http://gf.state.wy.us/downloads/pdf/...let/11NR23.pdf

Link to 2010 draw odds...http://gf.state.wy.us/wildlife/hunti...2010/index.asp

If you have no points you may consider drawing a special tag in a higher quality area with public land, paying a trespass fee in an area that's largely private land is another option.

If you want to draw this year, check those draw odds closely!

I recommend unit 23 near Gillette, Wyoming. In the past -- and I assume continuing at present -- this was a 100% draw for non-residents. There are more tags than tag purchasors in this unit. Why? Because there are very very many pronghorn antelope in this unit. You can callt he field office of the Wyoming Department of Wildlife (or whatever name they use) in Buffalo, Wyoming, to get a list of land owners who will allow you to hunt their properties for a modest fee. Call several landowners and find out what suits your purposes. There is quite a range of prices and situations you can find in this way. Alternatively, you can find out about "walk-in" areas that the state of Wyoming sets up with land-owners. You could also try to hunt in unit 24 that, I think, contains some of the Thunder Basin National Grassland, which is a large public hunting area. If you go down this road, get the appropriate Bureau of Land Management (BLM) maps to identify and distinguish between private lands and public lands. Note that you are not supposed to drive over roads on private lands unless they are maintained by the state.

This may sound complicated, but really it is not. Just start taking one step at a time. Note that the pronghorn in unit 23 and unit 24 are not big, but by the same token you can get drawn this year and you can expect to take a pronghorn. It is a lot of fun. Go for it.

23 does not have much pubblic land. Area 24 and 7 usually have left over licenses or 100% draw odds. There is state and National Grasslands in these two areas. Lots of Antelope as well. Here is a site that you can mess with and find all state lands as well. There are people in these areas that have tresspass fees if it comes down to that.

http://sunlight.wygisc.uwyo.edu/hunt...electedIndex=0

area 29 is a unit in the Thunder Basin National Grasslands that is easy to draw. Area 3 were I now live we have been able to buy tags over the counter for the last several years, but that could change this year as it looks like we are going to have a bigger than average winterkill. Get ahold of Heather O'Brian the game bioliogist out of Gillette for better info.

If you're driving from OR, you may consider a unit in NW Wyoming...

Can you recommend a NW unit that would be an easy draw?

Thank you
 

GREAT INFORMATION EVERYONE! You definitely helped - I am startting to get excited.