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.