wyoming pronghorn draw

[dagon]

Seems like every year I just miss getting a pronghorn tag. Points required just keep going up. I was told tons of people just put in for points until they get what they are looking for then apply. Does any one know if there are really that many people in the wings just waiting to keep me OUT. lol
I always look at last years numbers and try to pick one that matches my points. This year I might pick one that went up last year and maybe it will go back down? I don't know.

[ipkus]

Point creep, and it rarely stops hence the word "creep".  If you want to beat it doing what you are doing pick a hunt that last year you had one more point than needed instead of the same, and you'll likely draw this year.

You have to get in front of it, last year was last year...

Good luck!

[Stein]

We're coming in off the bench this year with 8 or 9 points if I remember right.  I was waiting for my easy to draw area to recover and it's now time to just go hunt. 

[Bob33]

Wyoming antelope numbers have declined over time. In 2006 there were approximately 550,000; the current population is estimated to be a little over 300,000. A big hit occurred during the 2022-2023 winter with some herds down 50%. While the herds have slowly recovered since 2023 this had a significant impact on the number of licenses available. Another factor was the price increase in special licenses. A special antelope license increased from about $600 to $1200 in 2023. That moved a good number of applicants out of the special draws into the regular draws.

The decrease in antelope numbers and the corresponding decrease in licenses is the biggest factor in reduced draw odds. There are still some ways to improve odds. One example is becoming friends with  landowners in units with little public land, and thus better non-resident draw odds.

[finnman]

Seems like every year I just miss getting a pronghorn tag. Points required just keep going up. I was told tons of people just put in for points until they get what they are looking for then apply. Does any one know if there are really that many people in the wings just waiting to keep me OUT. lol
I always look at last years numbers and try to pick one that matches my points. This year I might pick one that went up last year and maybe it will go back down? I don't know.

I have used this approach a few times with our group. It was both worked and not worked.
We applied for the same unit we last hunted 10 years ago. It’s now looking like it takes 9-10 points. Last year was 8-9, so let’s hope it does not jump a point to 10-11 or our group is out.

[dagon]

Thanks all. We did the reverse this year and picked the same one we had last year that jumped up by 2 points. Hoping the higher points will drop it back down. Probably won't work. Me and the son are sitting at 6 points for this year.

[Karl Blanchard]

So am i ready this right? Last year you had 5 and put in for a 5pt unit but it jumped to 7 and you missed. This year you put in for the unit that was 7 with 6pts?

[Mtnwalker]

Thanks all. We did the reverse this year and picked the same one we had last year that jumped up by 2 points. Hoping the higher points will drop it back down. Probably won't work. Me and the son are sitting at 6 points for this year.

You are probably right about that

[dagon]

So am i ready this right? Last year you had 5 and put in for a 5pt unit but it jumped to 7 and you missed. This year you put in for the unit that was 7 with 6pts?

The one I almost put in for last year went from 6 down to 5 so we may have got drawn. That said yes I know this probably is not going to work. lol

[Karl Blanchard]

So am i ready this right? Last year you had 5 and put in for a 5pt unit but it jumped to 7 and you missed. This year you put in for the unit that was 7 with 6pts?

The one I almost put in for last year went from 6 down to 5 so we may have got drawn. That said yes I know this probably is not going to work. lol

unit dropping in points is the exception not the rule.  On the bright side, you'll have some money to spend with your refund you'll get back

[muleyslayer]

I got 6 points, I will try to burn this year. I definitely can’t see myself ever paying 1200 for ADHD prairie 2 point in the near future. It will be regular draw for me…..

[87Ford]

Son and I both have 10 points.  Hoping to apply and hunt antelope for the first time in the next couple years

[Karl Blanchard]

Results are up boys! Check em out and good luck!

[carlyoungs]

No tags for our group

[trophyelk6x6]

i put in a unit that took 7pts last year 100% and didn't draw with 8 this year.  Points creep, more people cashing out and or less tags i assume.

[finnman]

Our group of 4 hunters drew 59-1. We had an average of 10.3 points between us all. I may never hunt this unit again if points go like they have, I highly recommend it to anyone who loves hunting antelope with the side show of lots of elk and muledeer. It’s a special place. Oh and it is easier to draw than the surrounding high profile Units with the same quality.

[washingtonmuley]

Congratulations and good luck!!

[WAcoueshunter]

Looks like people got over the big fee hike last year and jumped back in this year.  We were 1.3 points over what it took last year in the special and didn't draw.  Will be interesting to see what demand looks like for all the different units when it gets published.

[Stein]

Big whiff for us as well.

[muleyslayer]

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/licenses-applications/draw-results-odds

[Karl Blanchard]

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/licenses-applications/draw-results-odds

oh man! Went in with a 1pt cushion and barely squeezed it out

[Bob33]

It's sad that hunts that were 100% odds to draw 15 years ago are now 1 in 10.

[OltHunter]

Congrats everyone! I've been chasing the last couple draws but sat this one out.

I don't think I'll ever catch up looking at the odds for at least 4 years minimum for my top 3 I've been looking at, unless herds rebound and they increase tags back to where they were.

I'll have 9 next year. My top 3 for special were <7, <8, and <8 @ 100%. Normal was 10, 11, 11 @ 100%.

Got some thinking to do over the next year.

Hopefully you all can give us an update on how the herds are doing this fall!

[sjhgraysage]

Two of my sons went into the pronghorn drawing with 11 points each, they drew. But last year some drew with less than 10. This year if you didn't have at least 11 points you were not going to draw a preference point tag, and very slim chance at a random tag, 7 Applicants with 11 points drew all the tags in the preference point drawing. My youngest will just be out of the marines in time to go to Wyoming for his hunt.

[dvolmer]

Kept my 5 antelope points this year. Me and my hunting partner did draw deer tags.

[Ridgerunner]

People are cashing out points like crazy, I predict the trend to continue going forward which means its going to be harder to predict when we will be able to draw. 

[dagon]

no luck for us the unit we put in for jumped to 11. Not even close. I guess we'll try for a unit with 5 next year to use our 7 points. I don't know.

[Muleydude]

There are quite a few medium level antelope and mule deer units now that have actually dropped in pts required to draw for the special tag allocations.  While going up dramatically in pts required for the regular tag draw.

The large price increases for the special tags has changed the dynamic quite a bit in these middle of the road draw units. 

It is making little to no difference in the top draw units, but, if you want to draw a medium level unit, it is actually, in many units, getting much easier, IF you want to pay the higher fees for the special tag.  In these medium quality draw units, economics is driving the bus much more then general point creep.

To each his own, but my preference would be to hunt a medium level unit 3 times over 15 yrs then one of the higher units, once, maybe, in 20 yrs.  The high tag fees are hard to swallow, they have done a decent job of making the mid level units get back to realty on pts required to draw. 

While the fees for the special tag are very high, if you want that out of State experience in Wyoming, it is now achievable much quicker in many middle of the road units.

[280ackley]

Four of us drew 67-1, looking forward to it.

[dagon]

People are cashing out points like crazy, I predict the trend to continue going forward which means its going to be harder to predict when we will be able to draw.

How long can it last? At some point the banked points have to get used up. Right?
I wonder if there is a way to see the numbers of people just sitting on their points?

[finnman]

We had a super fun trip! We missed the largest buck we saw in 3 days. But had a blast. We saw over 500 antelope and witnessed the rut in full action.

[JWBINX]

Very nice Jason and Paula!
I'm sure you two had a fun trip.

[trophyhunt]

Close to retirement, I wish I would have started putting in for points years ago, looks like fun.  Never hunted lopes before, congrats.

[finnman]

Thanks John.
The very unique aspect Of the hunt is that the elk and antelope are rutting at the same time. While we quartered up my wife’s pronghorn, we heard a bull bugle. So when the cow hunt opened we went back here and ended up getting on a large herd of elk with 10 bulls in it. When we stalked this herd we heard the bulls bugle about 20 times.
If you look at my wife’s picture, that elk herd was over her right shoulder about 2 miles down that draw.
It only costs $30 to buy an antelope point. I would start building now and in 5 years you can go have a nice hunt.