Is antelope in Wyoming possible

[wv270wsm]

So I have a pile of questions. First off I live in Wv and would love to be able to come to Wyoming on a diy rifle pronghorn hunt with my two teenage sons. We all three have current hunters Ed cards and hunt our state like crazy( deer bear ) you name it we chase it.
If I remember correctly from what I read last year I believe if I read Wyoming's regs right we could have hunted and killed 3 a piece a buck and two does? Does this sound right?

If so and it is this way agin this year we're game .
Would it be safe to say that if we can consistently shoot 6 inch groups at 300 yards we would be good? My sons can pretty well kill any game animal we see now within 250 yards but I want them to be able to stretch a little bit more. As far as fire power we're good there a 260 rem and a 6.5 Creedmoor or the 7 mm08 . I plan on them shooting a lot this summer to 400 yards but limit them on animals to 300 ish. Would this be feasible on a public land hunt ? My buddy hunted out there several years back and says they couldn't get within 400 yards of any pronghorn! I don't know where exactly they hunted or what part of the season. I know that after the first few days they get skittish and head towards private ground from what I've read.

As I said I've got a pile of questions. Any and all help will be more than appreciated

 

[gillettehunter]

DIY should not be a problem. If you hunt the first few days the antelope are less skittish. Later they can be shy. Might do a search as most of your questions have been answered. PM me for a phone number if you want to talk.

 

[Oi.223]

Haha I'm with you guys too.
So in Wyoming high point value equals public land.
There are Antelope all over the state,
Access to them is the hard part.
I'd suggest a trespass fee although I dont really know where to find some thing like that.
Or guided hunts ar reasonable for non trophy goats.

 

[.30US]

Here's a thread to get you started. My group had a great public land hunt this past Fall. Good luck.

https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/2019-wyoming-antelope.213676/

 

[wv270wsm]

I know every landowner is different but " how much of a trespass fee" we talking like 50 a day or 500 a day

 

[L Smith]

I have hunted pronghorn in West Texas, New Mexico, and Wyoming, and have several trophies on the walls. My observation is practice. Your first shot is the most important. Know what your gun will do with its first shot. A second shot will almost always be running which you don't want. Hitting a running goat at any range will be difficult unless you have a lot of practice and experience. Your choice of calibers is okay, good boat tail designs for the longer shots are highly effective. I've taken goats with 22 Cheetah MkII, 243 Win, 257 Ackley Improved, 264 Win Mag, 270 Win, and 44 Rem Mag in a Contender. It doesn't matter what I hit them with, it matters that the first shot counted. Practice in any condition and at any range that you can. Best of luck and have fun !

 

[eklarsen]

You don't need private land to hunt pronghorn in Wy, they are literally everywhere. Just do some research,perhaps call the fish and game dept, they will clue you in.

 

[gillettehunter]

Having lived in WY for over 30 yrs and having killed an antelope all but 1 year I know a little about it. In Campbell county (NE WY) there is far more private than public land. Every piece of public ground will have people on it opening day. If its a larger piece there will be multiple people. Last yr I talked to some hunters at the gas station. They had hunted 3 days and never saw a antelope on property that they could hunt. I offered to try and help, but they were headed to MT to hunt another tag.
Now go hunt SW WY and there is a huge amount of public land with room to roam. I don't think all hunt units are created equal. Thats why area 23 always has leftover licenses to hunt on private land. I know a rancher in 23 and he was charging a $300 trespass fee. He may now be up to $500.
If you want to hunt public land then look for a hunt unit with lots of public land to hunt. Then look at the draw odds. Many of the easy to draw units have poor access. Harder to draw units have better access as a general rule.
Bruce

 

[Doublezranch]

This is something very doable that your children will remember forever.

https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/how-to-solidify-a-hunting-heritage-for-your-kids.215395/

 

[BoomFlop]

My personal opinion is find the unit with decent public access and draw odds and research it via google and Onx Maps.

As for accuracy, I would strongly suggest having better shooting rifles than 2 MOA. Especially when stretching ranges and ranges beyond what you typically shoot. Personally I wouldn't continue to own a rifle that won't shoot under 1 MOA from a bench. As that 1 MOA can easily become 2-3 MOA under hunting conditions.

Just some thoughts.

Good luck,
Steve

 

[wv270wsm]

My personal opinion is find the unit with decent public access and draw odds and research it via google and Onx Maps.

As for accuracy, I would strongly suggest having better shooting rifles than 2 MOA. Especially when stretching ranges and ranges beyond what you typically shoot. Personally I wouldn't continue to own a rifle that won't shoot under 1 MOA from a bench. As that 1 MOA can easily become 2-3 MOA under hunting conditions.

Just some thoughts.

Good luck,
Steve

At the ranges we shoot now between the teenagers and me can and almost always if we do our part are able to shoot less than inch groups at 100. We just don't have the wind to contend with like we would see in Wyoming is why I was referring to 6" groups at 300 .
Thanks to all for the responses

 

[antelopedundee]

FWIW in WY each of you could get 2 buck tags and 4 doe tags. Having a place to fill them is another matter. The 3 apiece [1 buck and 2 doe] is what you are allowed in the regular and leftover draws. After that it's first come first served and you could acquire 1 more buck and 2 more doe tags.

 

[antelopedundee]

Having lived in WY for over 30 yrs and having killed an antelope all but 1 year I know a little about it. In Campbell county (NE WY) there is far more private than public land. Every piece of public ground will have people on it opening day. If its a larger piece there will be multiple people. Last yr I talked to some hunters at the gas station. They had hunted 3 days and never saw a antelope on property that they could hunt. I offered to try and help, but they were headed to MT to hunt another tag.
Now go hunt SW WY and there is a huge amount of public land with room to roam. I don't think all hunt units are created equal. Thats why area 23 always has leftover licenses to hunt on private land. I know a rancher in 23 and he was charging a $300 trespass fee. He may now be up to $500.
If you want to hunt public land then look for a hunt unit with lots of public land to hunt. Then look at the draw odds. Many of the easy to draw units have poor access. Harder to draw units have better access as a general rule.
Bruce

$300 isn't bad as long as it gives you access until your tag/s is/are filled and he has a decent population.

 

[D.Camilleri]

Wyoming is becoming more and more difficult to draw tags. I haven't had a buck tag in two years, the last 3 years I have had two doe tags each year. The only areas with left over tags are areas with little to no public access, which means pay for a trespass fee. I drew an elk tag this year with the intention of paying a trespass fee so that I can hunt closer to home in a non grizzly infested area.
Go to the Wyoming Game and Fish web site and look up Antelope and look at draw results and left over tags. Some areas take more than 8 preference points to draw a tag for a non resident. Residents have to go with luck, no preference points.