# 2019 Wyoming Antelope Rifle Hunt



## matt405 (Nov 18, 2010)

Well, figured I would post a thread about this and see if anyone is interested in following my wife's and I's trip out to Wyoming for antelope. 

Im keeping the unit to myself for now, not because its a secret but more that I want to give an honest opinion on it without others saying its terrible or great before we get out there. Ill be positing semi regular updates and will probably have some fishing in here as well. 

We are doing a 4/5 day hunt in which we both have a buck and a doe tag. Opening day is the 15th and we plan to hunt to the morning of the 19th and then head home. This is a completely OTC 100% draw hunt, so I am expecting a ton of pressure and more than likely eating tag soup, but the adventure of doing our first DIY hunt has me excited none the less. We are camping at a campground (didnt want to scare my wife off after the first trip ). 

Getting ready for this hunt has been a decent amount of hiking with packs and rifles but in my opinion we will still be sucking air out there. I have been using ONX and google earth to scout different locations and have marked a few spots that are hopefully farther back in than some people will want to deal with. I had a great conversation with the biologist for the unit and she had told me that would help improve our odds a lot. 

Watching the weather forecast has been having me make some last minute gear decisions. A month out they were calling for mid 60's and sunny all week. Now its calling for mid 40's and 50's with the lows being in the low 30's in the morning. They are also getting slammed with snow starting tomorrow into Friday.

We are leaving Saturday mid day and hope to get out to the campground Sunday afternoon, its about a 20 hour drive. The current plan is to drive for about 12-14 hours and then sleep in the car for a while. Not looking forward to driving through South Dakota though, it looks like they are getting 8-12 inches between Thursday and Saturday night.


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## kotimaki (Feb 13, 2009)

I just came back from that general area...PM me if you want info


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## SuperHunter18 (Oct 23, 2004)

matt405 said:


> Well, figured I would post a thread about this and see if anyone is interested in following my wife's and I's trip out to Wyoming for antelope.
> 
> Im keeping the unit to myself for now, not because its a secret but more that I want to give an honest opinion on it without others saying its terrible or great before we get out there. Ill be positing semi regular updates and will probably have some fishing in here as well.
> 
> ...



Have a great trip, we did it last year! You will have a blast. Get out on Sunday and find some goats and set up on them Monday morning...you will likely find with everyday that passes you will start seeing exponentially less goats per day. We had 12 tags between 4 guys....filled 5 on the first day, 3 on the 2nd day and 1 on the 3rd day. Ended up 9 for 12, should have tagged out but there were some missed shots by a couple in our group. After day 3 we never had another shot opportunity and did not see a single goat on public.

Also, make sure you are familiar with what roads are public and which are private. True county road maps reveal where and where you cannot drive without permission. For instance, if you are on a county road and it goes through private you can drive on it no problem. However, if you are on a county road and turn off on to a non county road you can only go as far as the public land takes you....once the land surrounding the private road becomes private and not public the road also become private. Hopefully that makes sense....just because there is a well maintained road does not mean you can drive on it....most of the time they are poorly marked.

By chance, was the biologist you talked to Erica ?

Looking forward to following along.


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## soggybtmboys (Feb 24, 2007)

matt405 said:


> Well, figured I would post a thread about this and see if anyone is interested in following my wife's and I's trip out to Wyoming for antelope.
> 
> Im keeping the unit to myself for now, not because its a secret but more that I want to give an honest opinion on it without others saying its terrible or great before we get out there. Ill be positing semi regular updates and will probably have some fishing in here as well.
> 
> ...


Did a panhandle goat hunt end of August in Nebraska, archery. We drove back thru Cheyenne and that corner of Wyoming. We saw a lot of goats. I’d be prepared to put a lot of miles on your boots to get into better spots and away from people if you can. The terrain isn’t that bad for hiking. The temps coming in, might be a good idea to throw a small back pack stove in your pack with a canister, that way you can brew a hot cup of joe for you and wifey. Should make it more enjoyable to warm up and glass, especially with the cold on its way. 

I’ve not hunted Wyoming, but my understanding that easy to get tags equals tough access areas and lots of pressure. The guides we had in Nebraska were very careful to not pressure, bump, or alert the goats we were setting up on. Like a poster said up top , they will vacate an area within a few days of pressure. Good luck man and remember to have fun and make it fun for the Mrs.

Hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate away from the truck when temps are in the 30’s and throw wind on it....might just be the ticket between having fun and her being miserable.


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## Wallywarrior (Apr 1, 2016)

We hunt what is considered the worst public access unit in Wyoming and we are successful each year. These are not giant goats, but respectable and somewhat easy to hunt. If you are in a pressured unit like we do, kill your goat the first three days. After that they are very hard to find on public and extremely wary. 


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## matt405 (Nov 18, 2010)

SuperHunter18 said:


> Have a great trip, we did it last year! You will have a blast. Get out on Sunday and find some goats and set up on them Monday morning...you will likely find with everyday that passes you will start seeing exponentially less goats per day. We had 12 tags between 4 guys....filled 5 on the first day, 3 on the 2nd day and 1 on the 3rd day. Ended up 9 for 12, should have tagged out but there were some missed shots by a couple in our group. After day 3 we never had another shot opportunity and did not see a single goat on public.
> 
> Also, make sure you are familiar with what roads are public and which are private. True county road maps reveal where and where you cannot drive without permission. For instance, if you are on a county road and it goes through private you can drive on it no problem. However, if you are on a county road and turn off on to a non county road you can only go as far as the public land takes you....once the land surrounding the private road becomes private and not public the road also become private. Hopefully that makes sense....just because there is a well maintained road does not mean you can drive on it....most of the time they are poorly marked.
> 
> ...


Her name was Cheyenne. Most of the area that we have access to is walk in only. The two spots I am most interested in is a 1.5 mile hike one way and a 2.5 mile the other way. 

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## matt405 (Nov 18, 2010)

soggybtmboys said:


> Did a panhandle goat hunt end of August in Nebraska, archery. We drove back thru Cheyenne and that corner of Wyoming. We saw a lot of goats. I’d be prepared to put a lot of miles on your boots to get into better spots and away from people if you can. The terrain isn’t that bad for hiking. The temps coming in, might be a good idea to throw a small back pack stove in your pack with a canister, that way you can brew a hot cup of joe for you and wifey. Should make it more enjoyable to warm up and glass, especially with the cold on its way.
> 
> I’ve not hunted Wyoming, but my understanding that easy to get tags equals tough access areas and lots of pressure. The guides we had in Nebraska were very careful to not pressure, bump, or alert the goats we were setting up on. Like a poster said up top , they will vacate an area within a few days of pressure. Good luck man and remember to have fun and make it fun for the Mrs.
> 
> ...


Never even crossed my mind to bring some hot chocolate out there, thanks! She will most definitely enjoy that more. 

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## matt405 (Nov 18, 2010)

Wallywarrior said:


> We hunt what is considered the worst public access unit in Wyoming and we are successful each year. These are not giant goats, but respectable and somewhat easy to hunt. If you are in a pressured unit like we do, kill your goat the first three days. After that they are very hard to find on public and extremely wary.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Might be the same unit we are going to... mind if I shoot you a PM with it?

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## matt405 (Nov 18, 2010)

kotimaki said:


> I just came back from that general area...PM me if you want info


Thanks, I will be sending you a PM. 

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## MallardMaster (Nov 17, 2003)

I’m out here in Wyoming and Antelope are everywhere! We never looked into hunting them, but would’ve had no issues around Cody finding something to go after. Then again we never looked into it and not sure about accessibility. None the less, we are supposed to get some fun weather tomorrow when we go into the bush for a week to chase elk! Good luck on your Antelope hunt! You’re gonna have a blast!


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## matt405 (Nov 18, 2010)

MallardMaster said:


> I’m out here in Wyoming and Antelope are everywhere! We never looked into hunting them, but would’ve had no issues around Cody finding something to go after. Then again we never looked into it and not sure about accessibility. None the less, we are supposed to get some fun weather tomorrow when we go into the bush for a week to chase elk! Good luck on your Antelope hunt! You’re gonna have a blast!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


Thanks! Good luck to you as well. This is a get to know hunting out west hunt, looking to go for an elk on our next adventure. 

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## steelyspeed (Apr 10, 2016)

matt405 said:


> Well, figured I would post a thread about this and see if anyone is interested in following my wife's and I's trip out to Wyoming for antelope.
> 
> Im keeping the unit to myself for now, not because its a secret but more that I want to give an honest opinion on it without others saying its terrible or great before we get out there. Ill be positing semi regular updates and will probably have some fishing in here as well.
> 
> ...


Following along, good luck! How many points to draw this unit? Buying my Wyoming deer, elk, and antelope points now 


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## matt405 (Nov 18, 2010)

steelyspeed said:


> Following along, good luck! How many points to draw this unit? Buying my Wyoming deer, elk, and antelope points now
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


It's a 100% draw unit so we didnt need to apply for points or anything. 

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## The Hunt for Dinner (Jan 17, 2019)

I’ll definitely be following this. I have been thinking hard about going and doing the same thing next year or year after. My boss came back from Wyoming and said there were antelope everywhere and he ended up filling his doe tag. Good luck on your adventure!


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## SuperHunter18 (Oct 23, 2004)

The Hunt for Dinner said:


> I’ll definitely be following this. I have been thinking hard about going and doing the same thing next year or year after. My boss came back from Wyoming and said there were antelope everywhere and he ended up filling his doe tag. Good luck on your adventure!


In the right areas there are definitely Antelope everywhere! But......drive around with OnX for a bit and you will be amazed at how many of those goats you are seeing are on private vs. public. They are definitely out there and with some work you can fill a bunch of tags but it is deceiving for sure. A lot of the goats guys are seeing are not "huntable" to the general public....


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## Wallywarrior (Apr 1, 2016)

SuperHunter18 said:


> In the right areas there are definitely Antelope everywhere! But......drive around with OnX for a bit and you will be amazed at how many of those goats you are seeing are on private vs. public. They are definitely out there and with some work you can fill a bunch of tags but it is deceiving for sure. A lot of the goats guys are seeing are not "huntable" to the general public....


OnX is the only way to go. The legality of corner hopping is another contentious issue in a lot of those units. There is a lot of landlocked public ground in Wyoming. 


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## matt405 (Nov 18, 2010)

SuperHunter18 said:


> In the right areas there are definitely Antelope everywhere! But......drive around with OnX for a bit and you will be amazed at how many of those goats you are seeing are on private vs. public. They are definitely out there and with some work you can fill a bunch of tags but it is deceiving for sure. A lot of the goats guys are seeing are not "huntable" to the general public....



Ive read the same thing, many of the goats people see are on ranch land where there is no access unless you pay a trespass fee or have a guide that has access.


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## matt405 (Nov 18, 2010)

Wallywarrior said:


> OnX is the only way to go. The legality of corner hopping is another contentious issue in a lot of those units. There is a lot of landlocked public ground in Wyoming.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thats the one thing I havent found yet, is corner jumping legal or no?


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## WMU05 (Oct 16, 2004)

matt405 said:


> Thats the one thing I havent found yet, is corner jumping legal or no?


It is not legal. And they take it seriously. 

The last issue of Bugle (RMEFs publication) had a good piece on the land-locked public land issue in Wyoming. The RMEF is trying to buy key parcels to open up bigger chunks, but there is still a ton that is not accessible.


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## Wallywarrior (Apr 1, 2016)

WMU05 said:


> It is not legal. And they take it seriously.
> 
> The last issue of Bugle (RMEFs publication) had a good piece on the land-locked public land issue in Wyoming. The RMEF is trying to buy key parcels to open up bigger chunks, but there is still a ton that is not accessible.


Who has been prosecuted for it? I have never heard of anyone being prosecuted for corner hopping and have a lot of friends out there who have never heard of anyone being prosecuted for it either. I don’t think they take it seriously at all, which they shouldn’t as these lands are public. 

One of the land owners I know out there has been ranching his property for 40 years. Has a ton of broken parcels just outside of his land in the next guys. He knows of one ticket written in those 40 years and it was dropped before it made it to court. 

Could just be the area I hunt that doesn’t take it seriously as well though. 

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## matt405 (Nov 18, 2010)

Scouting today turned up some positive leads. Going to be about a 1.5 mile hike to our first spot. Found two chunks of public land that seem to have a few. Going to be a ton of pressure too.
















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## Captain (Feb 11, 2000)

Good Luck here's a thread where a few of us were out there a couple years ago..

https://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/threads/wyoming-here-i-come.598708/


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## matt405 (Nov 18, 2010)

Opening day. Wake my wife up a bit later than I planned. Got to our area at about 6:20 and all ready had 3 trucks where we were planning on heading in. Luckily following them with their headlamps on everyone went separate ways. We made it about a mile in and we are both winded. We decide to take a break and wait for more light and move from there. 

That's when we see our first group. I start to head for them as carefully as I can. They make it up on top of a hill and i drop down to get a shot at one. I find the bigger buck in my scope and....wiff. i shot right over his back. I shouldn't have held high at all, he was only 241 yards out. I am shooting a grendel and at that yardage it would have been about a 4-6 inch drop... yeah I held the top of his back and sent it. Dissapoint was an understatement. I get to the ridge where I had hoped I would find blood to only have another hunt tag the buck I had shot at. I waived at him and met back up with my wife. We headed down another valley and back to the top of another hill. We have about an hour of seeing some in way off distances.

We have our next encounter. Another buck working his way towards us, but is about 700 yards out. We go back down in a drainage and follow it along for about 300 yards. My wife hangs back and I start to crawl to a ridge to get another shot. Only then does he take off running. Dont know if he winded me or saw another hunter. My wife popped up to take a shot at him but didnt. He was moving too fast. 

After sulking for about another 20 minutes we get our next opportunity. We see 6 came down a different side my wife tells me to go after them again (she really wanted me to get the first one). I see where they stop and decide to cut back and walk along the top of a ridge to try to meet them. Only I didnt realize that as soon as we moved out of sight they started to move towards us again. I walk to a ledge to only be greeted by 2 of the 6 looking at me. I hit the ground and get my rifle ready, as I didnt think I spooked them. They end up coming up the hill about 150 yards away. I see a buck and wait for him to crest the hill. He does and I take about 30 seconds to send a shot down range. This time it was a success. He may not be the biggest but I'm damn proud of it.

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## matt405 (Nov 18, 2010)

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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

Awesome man, well done! My hat is off to the diyselfers on public land.


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## Wallywarrior (Apr 1, 2016)

Man it’s fun out there. Target rich environment. 


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## matt405 (Nov 18, 2010)

What a day what a day. After a terrible opening night we made great headway this morning. We were the first to arrive at the spot this morning and after a short hike in to the top of a big hill we realized we had about 4000 acres between us and one other hunter. We quickly had 3 moving along a fence row from private to public. We waited a bit too long to make a move on them and before we knew it they were 500 yards out and running. By 8 am my wife was losing her patience a bit so we started to hike to a different spot. We sat there for over an hour just glassing every area we could. I get up to get on a ridge. I was greated by a couple other hunters off in the distance that must have been dropped off. As I continue on to the ridge i hear someone very close shoot. So i wave my wife over to do a possible clean up shot on the few that might be running away. Much to our displeasure they were running the other way and it seems the other hunter had missed. 

We moved to a new location that was about 1/4 mile away to glass a new valley. This takes us to about 10 am, and my wife says we should just come back later and see if they are hitting the watering holes or creeks. I talk her into staying another hour before we take off. We move back to a different ridge so we have a farther view of both sides of where we were hunting. 

After the hour is up she starts getting a little mad that we haven't been seeing anything and what do you know, we see a buck about a 1000 yards out. We watch him for a while and then hear shooting, in total 4 shots. The other two hunters had seen a group from what we could tell. We wait and wait a little bit longer and up on top of a flat comes about 30 antelope heading our way. Going from 450 yards to about 200 yards out. My wife misses her first shot and sent the group scattering a bit. But the majority of the heard followed right up the valley to us, ending about 115 yards away and come to a complete stand still. I tell my wife to send it and connects with a buck that puts mine to shame. We watch as the heard takes off in two ways. 3 of them come back to about 200 yards out and turn broadside. I ask my wife for her rifle (I didnt bring mine so I could focus on getting her a buck and I could be her pack mule) and send one . Doe down. This all transpired in about a 30 minute window and the shooting was within a minute of each other. We are ecstatic and this will more than likely end our hunt out here. We want to make it back home for our daughters last soccer game on Saturday. 

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## matt405 (Nov 18, 2010)

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## bowhunter1313 (Oct 17, 2005)

Outstanding!!!! Great job and congrats to you both!!!!!


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## MallardMaster (Nov 17, 2003)

Nice work! Way to get after it on your hunt! I found out last week that there are a lot of goats running around. I didn't know that people out west keep throwing Quigley's out there at them in hopes that they connect. Regardless, they pushed them to you and you can now enjoy some great loins!


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## WMU05 (Oct 16, 2004)

Great job!

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## matt405 (Nov 18, 2010)

All right, back at a computer so I can type a little better than on my phone.

We hunted unit 102, which as many of you know is a pretty hard to hunt unit. I will say this, we absolutely plan on going back and hunting there again next year. Opening day we had maybe 10 other people around us, but could only see 4 of them. Second day we had a total of 4 and could see 1 of them. It was a ghost town going from Tuesday to Wednesday. 

We had a blast. We used 6.5 grendel ar's and had more than a few people ask us about them, seems we were in the minority in using gas guns. We used 123 gr eld-x ammo from Hornady and had a pass through on every shot. I was very happy with its performance. 

The bad is we definitely needed to get a better pack for my wife. She was not too happy with packing meat out with my old hiking pack as it didnt have enough support. Only other thing we felt we needed was a little bit better boots. For me is more needing a dedicated pair for hunting so they are not worn out and my wife just needed a little more break in time on hers and possibly a little waterproof spray, though no amount of spray would help when water went over the top of her boot.


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## Matt79 (Oct 14, 2012)

matt405,

Glad you and your wife had a successful hunt! I did DYI out there the past 2 seasons. Last yr there was 2 of us and we both filled our doe and buck tags, this yr was 4 of us and filled all 7 tags we had. DYI in pressured areas makes it all the more of an accomplishment imo, GREAT JOB!


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