Archery Antelope, Unit # Wyoming.

[Gunner46]

+1 for the Pizza Barn ! I'll also add, go to Woody's Grocery and check out if the cutey with the Wobble-Wobble's is still working there. (Well worth the trip!)

 

[TexanSam]

I looked up the dates soon as I saw your post! If I was going to be there in waterfowl season I guarantee that I would be following your advice! 90% of my job is centered around waterfowl habitat management, so although my personal passion leans towards the big critters I rarely pass the chance to put ducks in the freezer! And if the duck hunting up there is anything like the little bit of tank hunting I’ve done in west Texas it’s definitely worth the trip.

Hey now west Texas duck hunting is my forté. I love hunting those playas. Shoot me a pm if you ever find yourself going west

 

[KipCarson]

Hey now west Texas duck hunting is my forté. I love hunting those playas. Shoot me a pm if you ever find yourself going west

Will do, I go out several times a year to work and cull does on my employers deer lease. It’s between Colorado City and Sterling. He usually hoards the duck holes for himself, but occasionally I get a crack at them!

 

[KipCarson]

While y’all are being so kind and answering questions I have one more! Is using a pronghorn silhouette or cow silhouette etc. a reasonable option to stalck within bow range? I have seen it done on TV and YouTube with success but I am wondering if it is a gimmick better left to private lands with unpressured antelope, or will it work reasonably well anywhere?

 

[wytex]

I wouldn't use an antelope decoy on public lands. Cattle decoys work if their are cattle in the area, same color decoy as the cows though.

 

[JohnCushman]

I have yet to shoot an antelope with a decoy. Use the terrain and brush and wind and crawl.

 

[KipCarson]

I wouldn't use an antelope decoy on public lands.

Just for safety sake or it’s been done so much they know that trick? I would not think about it in rifle season but personally would be OK with any risk associated with it in bow season if I thought it would work

 

[KipCarson]

I have yet to shoot an antelope with a decoy. Use the terrain and brush and wind and crawl.

I figured that’s what I will most likely end up doing myself, I just like going prepare with every possible tool in the bag

 

[KipCarson]

https://westongov.com/_departments/_growth_development/_pdf/Cnty_Road_Maintenance.pdf

Sorry to bug you but, I sat down with a highlighter to mark all these roads on my paper map and this link you sent me isn’t working, it worked for me before when I opened it. Ive googled around and can’t find any links to any maps on the Weston county website either. It appears to be their website that’s having the issues, I think. Any suggestions on where I can find that county road info?

 

[FLS]

Search Weston GIS.

 

[KipCarson]

Well my hunt is over and unfortunately I’m almost back in Louisiana. Thanks for all the advice you all chipped in and gave me. The tag was not punched but the trip was definitely a success. Here’s how everything went down... Finding lopes was easy. Stalking them was relatively easy if you don’t mind going full on belly crawl at the level of the cactus eye level with the prairie rattlers. If you don’t want to get lower than a duck walk getting in bow range is nearly impossible. The problem isn’t getting in range, it’s getting up into shooting position and making a clean shot once you are in range imo. I know Saying getting into range is easy is a bold statement coming from a first time goat hunter and not every part of antelope country is created equal, but I say that based on the terrain where I was, and I also didn’t waste time on stalks that were doomed to fail from the get go. I found myself inside my effective range every single day I was there, the closest I stalked was to 25 yards. I made the mistake that time of misjudging where he was bedded and when I peeked over the rock I was crawling up behind thinking he was about 45 yards away he was looking me dead in the eyes at only 25 yards and kicked in the afterburners and was in the next county in about 1.5 seconds! Frustrating has never been so much fun.

I did shoot one decent buck and hit him a little too high, the arrow center punched his scapula and unfortunately I got no penetration to the lungs. I got eyes on him and stalked him again later the same day and that resulted in failed stalk on round #2. Got eyes on him a couple more times through the week but never could close the deal on him. He will definitely live to probably be whacked on opening day of rifle season. I wish him the best of luck, he was a formidable opponent!

2 things I did not count on was having to shoot in high wind. I don’t know how to practice under those conditions because I rarely deal with in the south and rarely shoot anything over 25 yards. Not sure why I didn’t expect that hunting the plains of WY but shooting in the wind wasn’t an obstacle I was expecting. The second thing I did not expect was the freakin MOSQUITOES?! I thought I had left them in LA but good grief it’s rare that I deal with them that bad in the Deep South. So much water and moisture all over the unit had their numbers turbo charged and made some days miserable.

Several good storms and cool temps through the week made me not even try to sit waterhole blinds. Making 5+ stalks a day was way more interesting than mind numbing boredom looking at a tank anyway.

These things literally would spook and run from spotting the truck from over 1/2 mile away most times if you stopped in plain sight to look at them. And when they bed they are as efficient at picking a bed with the wind coming from back and their blind spots as any old mule deer or whitetail buck. Their eyesight is legendary but I learned not to ignore that nose real quickly.

In short, spot and stalk bowhunting antelope is zero fun and way too frustrating to try again and I can’t imagine why any one would ever want to drive 20 hours to just be humbled like that. All the rifle hunters are right, you are wasting your time with a bow. Stay home and don’t try this. You don’t want the misery trust me. I’ll come back again soon as I can to verify this hypothesis and tell you how terrible it is. Stay on the couch, I like the elbow room and plus there are mosquitoes and rattlers everywhere!

 

[KipCarson]

On another note, as I went to relieve myself one day in one of the few places that offered some privacy on the open plains, my pants were only around my ankles a few seconds when no joke a rattler started buzzing 3 feet away from me. Thankfully he was offended by the full moon as I was his presence and as he crawled one way I got my pants up At an incredible rate and took care of business elsewhere with a speed that had the antelope jealous! True story, I’m not just making stuff up to keep people from hunting Wyoming lol! I only came across 4 rattlers and 3 bull snakes in 7 days. Not bad at all I thought.

 

[NEWHunter]

Well my hunt is over and unfortunately I’m almost back in Louisiana. Thanks for all the advice you all chipped in and gave me. The tag was not punched but the trip was definitely a success. Here’s how everything went down... Finding lopes was easy. Stalking them was relatively easy if you don’t mind going full on belly crawl at the level of the cactus eye level with the prairie rattlers. If you don’t want to get lower than a duck walk getting in bow range is nearly impossible. The problem isn’t getting in range, it’s getting up into shooting position and making a clean shot once you are in range imo. I know Saying getting into range is easy is a bold statement coming from a first time goat hunter and not every part of antelope country is created equal, but I say that based on the terrain where I was, and I also didn’t waste time on stalks that were doomed to fail from the get go. I found myself inside my effective range every single day I was there, the closest I stalked was to 25 yards. I made the mistake that time of misjudging where he was bedded and when I peeked over the rock I was crawling up behind thinking he was about 45 yards away he was looking me dead in the eyes at only 25 yards and kicked in the afterburners and was in the next county in about 1.5 seconds! Frustrating has never been so much fun.

I did shoot one decent buck and hit him a little too high, the arrow center punched his scapula and unfortunately I got no penetration to the lungs. I got eyes on him and stalked him again later the same day and that resulted in failed stalk on round #2. Got eyes on him a couple more times through the week but never could close the deal on him. He will definitely live to probably be whacked on opening day of rifle season. I wish him the best of luck, he was a formidable opponent!

2 things I did not count on was having to shoot in high wind. I don’t know how to practice under those conditions because I rarely deal with in the south and rarely shoot anything over 25 yards. Not sure why I didn’t expect that hunting the plains of WY but shooting in the wind wasn’t an obstacle I was expecting. The second thing I did not expect was the freakin MOSQUITOES?! I thought I had left them in LA but good grief it’s rare that I deal with them that bad in the Deep South. So much water and moisture all over the unit had their numbers turbo charged and made some days miserable.

Several good storms and cool temps through the week made me not even try to sit waterhole blinds. Making 5+ stalks a day was way more interesting than mind numbing boredom looking at a tank anyway.

These things literally would spook and run from spotting the truck from over 1/2 mile away most times if you stopped in plain sight to look at them. And when they bed they are as efficient at picking a bed with the wind coming from back and their blind spots as any old mule deer or whitetail buck. Their eyesight is legendary but I learned not to ignore that nose real quickly.

In short, spot and stalk bowhunting antelope is zero fun and way too frustrating to try again and I can’t imagine why any one would ever want to drive 20 hours to just be humbled like that. All the rifle hunters are right, you are wasting your time with a bow. Stay home and don’t try this. You don’t want the misery trust me. I’ll come back again soon as I can to verify this hypothesis and tell you how terrible it is. Stay on the couch, I like the elbow room and plus there are mosquitoes and rattlers everywhere!

That’s all great, but how was the prime rib?

 

[KipCarson]

That’s all great, but how was the prime rib?

Lol! I almost wasn’t able to get it! I had to go three times, first two times they had sold out, but the third time was the charm! All 16oz were excellent. My only regret is that they didn’t sell a 20oz!

 

[huntinsonovagun]

Sounds like a great time. You headed back to even the score with a rifle?

 

[KipCarson]

Sounds like a great time. You headed back to even the score with a rifle?

I’d sure like to and I’m not ruling it completely out. However, getting a hall pass from the wife for another trip will be the problem! Our little girl is only 11 months old and she was not thrilled about me leaving 9 days he first round. A rifle trip could be done in 3-4 days but wisdom tells me to cut my losses and not push my luck I might better save my time for deer season here on the homefront. On the other hand I am really wanting to see what antelope steak tastes like...

 

[JohnBud]

Well my hunt is over and unfortunately I’m almost back in Louisiana. Thanks for all the advice you all chipped in and gave me. The tag was not punched but the trip was definitely a success. Here’s how everything went down... Finding lopes was easy. Stalking them was relatively easy if you don’t mind going full on belly crawl at the level of the cactus eye level with the prairie rattlers. If you don’t want to get lower than a duck walk getting in bow range is nearly impossible. The problem isn’t getting in range, it’s getting up into shooting position and making a clean shot once you are in range imo. I know Saying getting into range is easy is a bold statement coming from a first time goat hunter and not every part of antelope country is created equal, but I say that based on the terrain where I was, and I also didn’t waste time on stalks that were doomed to fail from the get go. I found myself inside my effective range every single day I was there, the closest I stalked was to 25 yards. I made the mistake that time of misjudging where he was bedded and when I peeked over the rock I was crawling up behind thinking he was about 45 yards away he was looking me dead in the eyes at only 25 yards and kicked in the afterburners and was in the next county in about 1.5 seconds! Frustrating has never been so much fun.

I did shoot one decent buck and hit him a little too high, the arrow center punched his scapula and unfortunately I got no penetration to the lungs. I got eyes on him and stalked him again later the same day and that resulted in failed stalk on round #2. Got eyes on him a couple more times through the week but never could close the deal on him. He will definitely live to probably be whacked on opening day of rifle season. I wish him the best of luck, he was a formidable opponent!

2 things I did not count on was having to shoot in high wind. I don’t know how to practice under those conditions because I rarely deal with in the south and rarely shoot anything over 25 yards. Not sure why I didn’t expect that hunting the plains of WY but shooting in the wind wasn’t an obstacle I was expecting. The second thing I did not expect was the freakin MOSQUITOES?! I thought I had left them in LA but good grief it’s rare that I deal with them that bad in the Deep South. So much water and moisture all over the unit had their numbers turbo charged and made some days miserable.

Several good storms and cool temps through the week made me not even try to sit waterhole blinds. Making 5+ stalks a day was way more interesting than mind numbing boredom looking at a tank anyway.

These things literally would spook and run from spotting the truck from over 1/2 mile away most times if you stopped in plain sight to look at them. And when they bed they are as efficient at picking a bed with the wind coming from back and their blind spots as any old mule deer or whitetail buck. Their eyesight is legendary but I learned not to ignore that nose real quickly.

In short, spot and stalk bowhunting antelope is zero fun and way too frustrating to try again and I can’t imagine why any one would ever want to drive 20 hours to just be humbled like that. All the rifle hunters are right, you are wasting your time with a bow. Stay home and don’t try this. You don’t want the misery trust me. I’ll come back again soon as I can to verify this hypothesis and tell you how terrible it is. Stay on the couch, I like the elbow room and plus there are mosquitoes and rattlers everywhere!

Thanks for sharing your story. Making 5+ stalks per day sounds like an adventure worth having. Prior to your hunt you had mentioned the contrasting habitat of east vs. west in this unit. What did you find? Thanks also for the "heads up" on mosquitoes.

 

[KipCarson]

Thanks for sharing your story. Making 5+ stalks per day sounds like an adventure worth having. Prior to your hunt you had mentioned the contrasting habitat of east vs. west in this unit. What did you find? Thanks also for the "heads up" on mosquitoes.

Check your pm’s. I sent you one with some info a few days ago. If you don’t find it let me know

 

[huntinsonovagun]

I’d sure like to and I’m not ruling it completely out. However, getting a hall pass from the wife for another trip will be the problem! Our little girl is only 11 months old and she was not thrilled about me leaving 9 days he first round. A rifle trip could be done in 3-4 days but wisdom tells me to cut my losses and not push my luck I might better save my time for deer season here on the homefront. On the other hand I am really wanting to see what antelope steak tastes like...

I hear ya there. I’ve got 3 kids, ages 4, 2, & 1. I didn’t draw this year, but was a little anxious about if I had. Kids certainly change the dynamic at this age. We’re already discussing next year and if I get drawn, possibly flying and renting a vehicle. I just hate the idea of getting there and finishing in the first hour of the hunt and having to piddle around the rest of my time or getting there, hunting 4 days and wishing I had just one more! A little more flexibility if I drive myself! Just remember, those antelope tags aren't a given every year...you have one in your pocket right now!

 

[Sasquatchewan]

Great story Kip and thanks for the report, I'm heading to unit 7 mid October with a few tags in my pocket.

If it's any consolation, I missed a big Saskatchewan velvet whitetail on the archery opener, the arrow went just over its back...