Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Out Of State Hunting => Topic started by: ShaneTyTrey on February 18, 2013, 07:28:32 PM
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Anyone got any areas they recommend? We have a couple in mind but love to gather as much info as possible before March 15th and make the best choice possible.
Thanks
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Saratoga, WY was loaded with antelope a few years back. Saw well over a hundred per day. Haven't been there since '01.
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Look at the previous year's likelihood of draw. Some areas with large bucks are 2-3 years wait. Most areas that have left over tags or a big possibility for a 1 year (first year) draw are mostly private land or landlocked public (same thing). If you want to pay to hunt (a guide) eastern Wyoming is great, from Gillette to Casper. There is good hunting everywhere in the state, it just depends on what you are really looking for.
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Look at the previous year's likelihood of draw. Some areas with large bucks are 2-3 years wait. Most areas that have left over tags or a big possibility for a 1 year (first year) draw are mostly private land or landlocked public (same thing). If you want to pay to hunt (a guide) eastern Wyoming is great, from Gillette to Casper. There is good hunting everywhere in the state, it just depends on what you are really looking for.
Many ranchers will just let you on for asking though, especially if you're not looking for a trophy.
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I was driving through WY this past summer...every direction i looked i just saw more and more antelope. I was in awe of how many of them critters i saw. Even almost hit one (would not have been good, it was my first time driving a company truck lol). I am sure almost anywhere you go, you can probally knock one down. Im thinking that if im working in the area again next year, i will he bring a rifle and purchasing a tag! :chuckle:
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Saratoga, WY was loaded with antelope a few years back. Saw well over a hundred per day. Haven't been there since '01.
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Lived in Saratoga until I was in my mid 20's. Antelope are everywhere and with a few very nice bucks taken out every year. Was back last year and more than once had to stop and wait for a herd of them to cross the road. Head out of town towards Jack Creek or the Oregon trail and just start looking.
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Thanks for all the replies
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Is this your first year applying or do you have any points?
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We have points and a plan, just wanted to see what people came up with and if something sounded awesome we would switch. Also willing to pay for the special draw which provides a few more options.
We are planning on hunting the Thunder Basin National Grassland Area as a good buddy of mine has done it multiple times with good success. However that unit doesn't open until Oct 1 and is a long drive so I was hoping someone had a closer unit with information to share that started Sep 10 like 87,88 or one of those
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It's nearly impossible to give advice without the amount of points you have. Without knowing if I assume max points I would say 61 or 64. But if you don't have max there is no point. There's so many great, very good, decent, and ok units but they all are based on points and regular or special draw statistics.
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This months Eastman's has all the WY antelope and deer area data broken down for you and all in one place. You can see how many points it takes to draw an area. If you have more than two points I wouldn't waste it in a marginal area. It take on average 3-4 points to draw a real good green chip area. That being said, last years drought and lack of moistour this spring may impact horn growth in the trophy areas and you may want to rethink applying this year.
You never did say how many points you have. You can also look on at the WY draw odds for 2012 and that will tell you how many points you need to draw a certain area
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All, thanks for the responses, I had already done all the things you have suggested. We have 2 points, I won't be able to draw a top 5 area and am ok with it, I just want to see stuff in the 13-14" range and I think most units contain that caliber of goat. I will keep everyone on posted with how it goes. Again thanks for taking the time to respond.
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You mentioned 87 and 88, so here's my :twocents: The beauty of those particular units is that you can get an H deer tag (usually no points required) and hunt both tags at the same time. I hunted H in 2011 and really wished I had an 87 or 88 goat tag in my pocket. Saw plenty of goats in the 13-14", low 70" range. Here's some in 88 on private property right next to the national forest. The buck in the back is probably 12-13".
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Another thing you can do is get the special licenses and apply for some of the top rated hunts. It pretty much doubles your points and you can get into a lot better tag. If you draw it cool if not you keep your points and can still get a 2nd choice tag.
