Wyoming Antelope Hunt Questions

[gophergunner]

I'm thinking about taking my son on an unguided hunt to Wyoming for antelope, hopefully for this fall.  It's my understanding that you can purchase over the counter doe tags out there and have a pretty decent hunt. 
Does anyone have experience with this?
Any areas we might want to target for this kind of hunt?
Does anyone know if we can take camping gear and pop up a tent our there or even just sleep in the truck?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I'm guessing we'd be hunting in warmer weather and would have to bone out the meat pretty quick?
I'd need fairly flat and forgiving terrain due to my heart condition.
Do I contact the DNR out there or what?
Thanks for your suggestions guys.

[MN RACK ATTACK]

We hunt the whitetail doe season in mid October near Buffalo, WY. You would have to check out there antelope season, but I don't know if its still going on. One thing I can tell you that I would doubt there's any antelope in the "flat" parts of that area. Everything is up higher, except the whitetail. Another thing is to find land to hunt. I would say 90+ percent of the ranchers have signs on there property that say "PLEASE DONT ASK TO HUNT". This is what we see hunting near the Buffalo / Sheridan area. But there are a lot of antelope in that state. as far as the weather, the days are warmer but the night get cool.
You should go online to see all of there different seasons and areas, it can be a bit confusing.

[corny13]

Haven't done this in Wy but use to do it each fall in Montana.  Not sure when gun season opens in Wy either but assume late sept or early Oct.    Goats like flat sagebrush flats .  Central and SW Wyoming biggest population. Flat shooting 300yd shots.  BLM land is the key you will need maps and find access.  Bring spare tire and goop to put in flats!  Usually hot and yes debone and get in cooler immediately ! Id contact BLM office and ask for suggestions where to hunt they have biologists on staff.  Yes I bet there are areas for camping on BLM or USFS land.  Antelope sausage is the BEST!!!

guess i would go one of the units with 1000 tags like 73 or 38

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Hunting/Hunt-Planner/Antelope-Hunting

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Regulations/Regulation-PDFs/REGULATIONS_CH5

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Regulations/Regulation-PDFs/REGULATIONS_CH5_MAP.pdf

[gophergunner]

Thanks for the info.  We will get going on this in earnest right after Christmas.

[corny13]

just checked the planner i posted and it said unit 38 not good public access but 73 good.  I remember back in "84 going on a hunt like this to SE montana brought home 3 doe goats and 3 whitetail doe enough venison for the family for the year! For less than the cost of a license for a buck antelope ( goat)!  Good luck post pics next fall!

[gophergunner]

just checked the planner i posted and it said unit 38 not good public access but 73 good.  I remember back in "84 going on a hunt like this to SE montana brought home 3 doe goats and 3 whitetail doe enough venison for the family for the year! For less than the cost of a license for a buck antelope ( goat)!  Good luck post pics next fall!

Thanks for the info.  I'll check out unit 73 and let you know how we proceed.

[gophergunner]

just checked the planner i posted and it said unit 38 not good public access but 73 good.  I remember back in "84 going on a hunt like this to SE montana brought home 3 doe goats and 3 whitetail doe enough venison for the family for the year! For less than the cost of a license for a buck antelope ( goat)!  Good luck post pics next fall!

It says these are limited quota areas-do you know if we'd have a fair chance of drawing a tag in these areas?

[corny13]

Gopher I had just briefly looked at the page and picked those two units cause they had a lot more permits than others... so don't know..I though they also had a lot of doe/kid tags also.  It would take a couple hrs to go thru that to pick the best area or a phone call to wy game and fish and ask for a big game biologist to ask where they would think the best permit area with ease of getting tag, access.  They are state employees thats their job.  BLM main office in Wy I would also call again ask for a biologist and get their opinion.  That was what I did years ago in Montana and they helped me. 

[gophergunner]

Another hunting friend of mine from Michigan has suggested we look at areas in Eastern Wyoming.  Very high chance of getting drawn, but limited access to public land.  He's done it this way many times and always had good hunts.  He uses OnX to home in on public land.  I'm thinking this might have to be two years out, as when I start looking at what we need to pick up, it's a bit daunting.  I'm gonna need a better spotting scope, a decent rangefinder, and work on my gun.  I've got a Model 70 .270 which should fit the bill, but it will need a scope and I want to get a Timney trigger dropped into it, plus ample time to work up a load, and I'm new to reloading, so that plays into this too.  Thinking we might put this off until 2019.  Time is of the essence, as I'm concerned about my health issues, and really don't know how many hunts I've got left in me.  I'm a Congestive Heart Failure survivor and am Diabetic Type 2.

[corny13]

  Thinking we might put this off until 2019.  Time is of the essence,

Gopher...get it done this year... you won't regret it!  You already said time is of essence...Heck you will enjoy it so much u can plan "19 to go after a big buck goat..Unless you are hunting horns all you need is good binocs and a flat shooting rifle.  .223 or bigger the 270 is fine big coolers with ice , lots of water .  Get a motel if camping is too much.   Not sure about wyoming but Montana when looking for doe goats private land wasn't to hard to get on ..Heck with health issues why not hire a guide.. bet they would give you a good deal to shoot a couple doe as management. Ya can't take it with you  $$ and memories with your son he will have forever..

[The General]

I still remember when my dad took my to Broadus Montana to hunt goats at age 13.  It was a drought year and ranchers were buying us licenses to shoot them.  One rancher even offered to put us up at his place.  Create the memories while you can.

[gophergunner]

I still remember when my dad took my to Broadus Montana to hunt goats at age 13.  It was a drought year and ranchers were buying us licenses to shoot them.  One rancher even offered to put us up at his place.  Create the memories while you can.

Corny and General-thanks for your reply.  I was 21 when my dad died, a mere 3 months after he retired.  My health issues and the way Dad went make me really want to do this with my son.  No matter how good of a hunter, or fisherman, or just a man, my boy becomes, I'll never feel like I've done enough to mentor him, which makes this all the more important. 'Gonna do my best to make this happen this coming year.  We will do the motel thing.  I don't think I'll have the money to go guided.  We'll take our chances on a DIY hunt.  Dad got to do a couple guided moose hunts, and scored on a nice bull in 1969.  I think they were in Ontario.  Hunted hard for a full week, with the guide busting his ass to get them on a bull.  They were on a whole chain of lakes and would paddle the shorelines trying to catch one down by the water.  One morning the guide went out of the cabin to get water and came back in yelling MOOSE! MOOSE! BIG MOOSE!  Dad was sitting closest to the door and the first one to get his hands on his rifle out on the porch. He sent a 220 gr. RN '06  round on it's way and the moose headed out for the bush.  The guide said "you missed it!"  4 years of combat in Europe, and enough killed deer to fill a bus mad Dad know better.  The deer ran about 200 yards into the bush with a fist sized hole in it's heart.  The big Remington slug took out two ribs on the exit side.  I would have been 8 years old at the time, and I can remember how excited Dad was when he got home.  I want to see that excitement in my son when he tags a speed goat.