I knew going into this public access would be difficult but I really didn't expect to only have a few county roads to use. I find it interesting how a county road is accessible for part of it but then the public hunting access to the roads ends even though the road remains county across the entire unit. If anyone has any tips on hunting unit 16 it would be much appreciated. I bought the OnXmaps chip but their 2-track roads don't appear on Google Maps which makes me think they really aren't roads but more like cow paths. Also I don't feel I should have to pay a trespass fee to access land my tax dollars support. Any help is much appreciated. Thanks.
1st Wyoming Antelope Hunt - Unit 16
- Thread starter uster19
- Start date
D
Deleted member 28227
Guest
I've been hunting 25 which has similar issues. Honestly just get out and walk, we managed to harvest three bucks opening day by walking and not just road hunting. It's pretty amazing how many good goats there are a mile from the road. Most guys are just really lazy when it comes to pronghorn.
I have no problem hiking. Just did 60 miles at Glacier National Park. I was just hoping to get within 2-3 miles of the water holes instead of 5-6 miles that's all. I knew I would probably be hiking a fair amount but I didn't expect to see so many roads going from private land to BLM that the public can't access. Thanks for the reply.
Eric.MN
Well-known member
What above said, I was there last year and there were lots of road hunters. If possible also try mid week, lot less people then on the weekend. This may help with the roads- http://www.johnsoncountywyoming.org/docs/GIS/Johnson_County.pdf
D
Deleted member 28227
Guest
Yeah I have a couple of places I go that require parking off a BLM road and then snaking through strips of state and blm for several miles before I get to my spot. Having some kind of GPS is key and doing some research with the county to figure out how far you can legally drive is a huge help. A lot of the ranches in the west have grazing leases with the BLM and NFS and those roads you see are how they access the lands they lease. Yeah it's frustrating to hike in 3 miles only to see some dudes there in a truck off a road you can't use, but I always look at it like it's their back yard, they scratch out a life here, I'm just some dude coming out for a few days to hunt. If you are willing to call this part of Wyoming home you should get some perks.
bigdonniebrasco
Active member
yea, 16 basically has one public "road" and it's dirt or mud (gumbo) depending on the weather! They take it VERY seriously in these units too! If it's not a well defined public access road, you won't catch me on it!!
Don
Don
In the unit I was in, if I remember correctly, there were a few two tracks through the BLM or Natl Forest that matched to the OnX "paths". Use Google Earth to verify. I specifically remember one of these tracks in the Natl Forest that snaked to the back section of the land by hugging the property line for a good 6 miles
I stopped at the BLM and picked up a map and had them highlight the roads I could use. You are correct, there is pretty much 1 road. I was told by the biologist there are quite a few guides in the area that lease the ranches so getting free access probably won't happen. This is my first trip and I didn't have any PP so kind of limited on units to choose. I am going to start building up some PP so in a few years I can go to an area where there is more access.
