Do It Yourself Antelope Hunting?

Question

I have hunted whitetails in Wisconsin and Illinois and hunted Sitka-Blacktails in Alaska.

I was looking at doing an unguided Antelope hunt one of these years. I currently live in Illinois so I was thinking of a Wyoming hunt as it wouldn't be that bad of a drive.

Does anyone have any tips on finding publicly accesible land? Any suggestions on a good place to go on a first Antelope hunt? Any tips from experienced Prairie Goat Hunters (equipment needed...4 wheel drive, ATVs, just walk, spotting scopes, binoculars, etc...)

I think the two big things I would like to find out is how to find public land (Federal, state, etc..), where people suggest a good Antelope hunt, and what you take with you when you go hunting on the Prairie.

(To the anti-hunters...spare me the comments, I don't care. I kill and I eat what I kill. Wild game is much better and cleaner than the crap bought at a super market. The animals I kill had a life at one point, unlike at corporate farms)

Answer 1

The Bureau of Land Management maps show what is public (by agency) and what is private land. It has been several years since I hunted Wyoming, but the harder to draw units north of Rock Springs and north of Douglas had big bucks. You can camp on BLM or Forest Service land, or if a reasonable distance from a town stay in a motel. Spot and stalk is a good way to hunt. Look to the west in the mornings as the sun will be behind you and make the white on the pronghorn very visible. In the afternoon spot to the east. If you find sign just sit on the top of a rise and wait for them - particularily if there is water from a windmill nearby. I've found that if I follow a fenceline until I find a crossing (the pronghorn always crawl under, never jump over) indicated by a depression under the fence and usually some hair on the bottom strand, if I back away from the crossing along the fence about 80 yards and sit against a fencepole, I can often get a close shot when they come to cross - they will follow the fence to the crossing.

Since the weather probably will be warm, it is necessary to butcher, or at least gut and skin, the animal as soon as possible and get it on ice or at least in the shade. Consider getting additional antlerless tags if they are available as they are (were) much less expensive than the buck tags. You will get less than half the meat from a pronghorn as you get from a same sex northern whitetail. A trophy buck will have horns that look about 3 times as long as the ears with fairly large prongs.

Pronghorn antelope are a lot of fun to hunt as you see many in the distance. Four wheel drives are useful, when we hunted north of rock springs, we were about 60 miles from nowhere and took 2 or 3 vehicles. One year we had an early snowstorm and in another one of the vehicles got stuck in an alkali flat and had to be pulled out with another truck. Be sure to take warm clothing in case the weather turns bad, although it will probably be warm. I use 10x42 binoculars and keep a spotting scope with a window mount in the truck. A brimmed hat and a knapsack or backpack with water should be carried. If using your vehicle or ATV to scout, stay on the 2-tracks or roads as neither the land management agencies nor wardens look kindly on driving across the prairie at random and don't shoot from the vehicle.

Answer 2

I can't say I approve of 400 yard shots on unwounded game. It's much better simply to hunt a little harder. WSM calibers have a theoretical advantage in accuracy, because of the short, fat powder column. If you have problems, it's with the rifle, not the cartridge. And I don't think it's going to matter a whit which of the three you pick. All are more than sufficient. In the interest of disclosure, I have to say the only one I have is 270 WSM, and that only because I had the opportunity in a private sale for a ridiculous price. I'd probably have picked 7mm had I been shopping for one at stores, and that only because I keep a good supply of 7mm bullets at my reloading bench.

Answer 3

There are numerous "walk in" areas in South Dakota that can produce good antelope hunts. I say can because antelope tend to be in small numbers after a bad winter but we have not had one in years. Antelope huntining in the north west part of the state was very good last fall.

Here's a link to the states game fish and parks.

http://www.sdgfp.info/

Answer 4

Wyoming's game department will help you find a good place to hunt on public land. Most of the people who work for them are very helpful.