Unit 9 experience?

[brant89]

I am taking my stepdad on a pronghorn hunt this fall as a "thank you" for all the bear hunting trips he took me on as a teen. Neither of us has ever hunted pronghorn or been to Wyoming, so after a year and a half of deliberation and research we have settled on unit 9 as it appears there is a decent chunk of state land if you are willing and able to hike a few miles. Just thought I would see if anyone here has any experience in that area as well as get any pointers I can from anyone who has hunted pronghorn before.

I will be using my big heavy 16lb 260AI (thank goodness for my Eberlestock pack) and my stepdad just bought a 6.5CM. I believe I have everything we will need except for experience in pronghorn hunting. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Dosh]

brant, take some really good glass, you'll need it.

 

[brant89]

I'm purchasing a Vortex Viper HD 15-45x65 next weekend. Thought that would be sufficient. I debated between that or some binoculars but for all the steel shooting and groundhog hunting I do I thought the spotter would be more useful for me in the long run. Can't afford both (...or Swarovski. Haha)

 

[MachV]

Your going to work at it if you are looking at the state land north of Manville. Have hunted deer in that area but will never hunt goats there. Be prepared to shoot long!

 

[brant89]

We are looking at the area north of Manville. How far do you think the shots might be? And why so far in this area? And why not hunt goats there? It seemed like unit 9 was decent choice from the drawing odds and talking with the game warden, but maybe that was misleading. We were looking at 23 and 113 also, but we were getting reports from a few landowners of low numbers in 113 and we were told 23 gets pretty crowded. If we made a poor decision then I think we still have time to change our unit choices, but we only have 1PP so that doesn't leave a lot of options. Our goal is to put some pronghorn in the freezer, and hopefully tag a couple average sized bucks, neither of us are looking for a trophy buck.

 

[brant89]

Should we be trying to contacts some landowners?

 

[hhonker74]

I hunted 9 last year. We saw plenty of Antelope north of Manville. Contacting landowners is always a good idea. The county Chamber of Commerce has a listing of landowners. Your spotting scope will be your best friend. Get a good rangefinder too. Zero your rifle at 200 yards and know what it is doing out to 600 yards.

We shot 5 antelope between 3 of us at ranges from 50 yards out to 600 yards. Be ready for any shot that presents itself. We hunted at the end of the 2nd week and the antelope were very spooky. Good luck.

 

[brant89]

Got a rangefinder and I shoot regularly out to 600 and beyond. Usually print some pretty decent groups (in my opinion) but it's my first round cold bore hits that need a little work. Thanks for the input. I'd still like to hear the opinion of MachV as well.

 

[MachV]

Didn't mean to discourage you. As a resident we have better odds at a LOT better areas. With your points its doable but like I said your going to have to work at it a little. I don't mind working for deer or elk but prefer to have fun with goats.
I like the Manville area, not a lot of 2 tracks and a lot of hoofing it. The goats we see on public are in the big bowls that make getting close (within a mile) difficult. I would talk to as many landowners as possible, the goats know wide open spaces and property lines better than most can read a BLM map.
I would work on that cold bore shot, groups are for figuring out a load, competition and prairie dogs. Your choice of spotting scope will serve you well.
Putting a buck to bed from a ways off and getting into position for a shot before daylight using the wind will put you ahead of the others.
Goat can be some of the best eating but can also be inedible if not taken care of. If its hot pay attention to getting your goat cooled down. If I am more than a mile from the truck they get boned out where they drop. I carry a couple of frozen quart Gatorade bottles of water to help cool the meat in the pack for the ride back to the truck.
Good luck and have fun

 

[brant89]

I plan on putting a lot of miles on my boots and was hoping that being willing to hike in a couple miles might put us at a little bit of an advantage over the masses, but that might only be wishful thinking. I will get a landowner list this week and start making some phone calls. I appreciate the advice.

 

[hhonker74]

Print off a walk in map also and carry them with you. We walked 6-10 miles a day spotting and stalking. The walk in areas produced 3 of our Antelope. The other 2 came off of private and State lands. Many of the landowners allowed us access for free! It pays to be polite and willing to help out. We took one afternoon to help a landowner with some chores, and we have full access to his ranches this year. Good luck and I can't say it enough, practice shooting!