Long term antelope points plan

[okie archer]

Would it be beneficial to build say like 10 points for an antelope hunt in Wyoming? I don't mind hunting lesser quality units as far as trophy quality is concerned while building for a true high quality trophy unit is one exist. I hope this post makes sense. Basically is it worth it or not to build a lot of points?

 

[406LIFE]

I would not wait 10 years to hunt a goat. Probably not even 5 years. I am on the every other year plan in WY and the whenever I can draw a tag in MT.

 

[wytex]

Lots of great bucks get taken in areas that don't take anywhere near 10 PP.

 

[LopeHunter]

You should be able draw a pronghorn unit in WY with lots of public land that hold pronghorn population and high success rates on mature bucks even with 6 - 10 points. A 14" buck is rather large for the West. You could hunt a lot of places and not harvest a 16" but that would be very large. On the wall, the 14" buck might look more interesting depending on mass, length of cutters and if has ivory tips in a heart shape so "trophy" is what you want it to be.

You can hunt pronghorn by drawing a second choice in WY and still build points for a better unit. Many of the 2nd choice units have success rates around 50% and most of the challenge is figuring out public land and being patient for pronghorn to move back from private land after the pressure opens up the first few days. One strategy is to show up a week after season begins as will be fewer hunters active.

You can build points in MT, CO, UT and NV then probably draw as a non-resident in each of those states in a 10-15 year window. NM is a tough draw as a DIY non-resident but you might draw in a 10 year window. If were wanting to use a guide then you certainly would draw by then in NM. Or could buy a landowner tag every year in NM. AZ might take 30 years to draw as a non-resident.

Pronghorn is my favorite big game critter to hunt that is likely to draw in a decade or less as a non-resident in several states. I have hunted pronghorn in OR, WY, MT, NV, UT, NM and TX. I have a bunch of points in CO so will hunt pronghorn there at some point. Same for AZ. My best couple are over 16" though most are around 14" as I seek out non-typical pronghorn bucks which are my white whale evidently.

 

[Fitzwho]

The only places I would assume that I will ever have that many points for Pronghorn is Arizona and probably Utah and Nevada depending on luck of the draw. Already drew NM this year (2nd time applying for antelope there), and should be getting tags in CO (1pt) and Wyoming (2pts) this year as well. Next year I’ll be focusing on Montana with 3 points and South Dakota with 2, and throwing my hat in the ring for Idaho. So I’ll probably hunt MT, WY, CO, etc multiple times before I get to hunt Arizona or Utah.

My only buck so far is from here in the Texas panhandle and I killed a doe in Utah in the San Rafael North Cleveland.

 

[mdunc8]

I can’t imagine having anymore fun than I’ve had in units that take 3-4 points.

 

[Frequently Banned Troll]

0 points can land a good hunt, 4 points can land unreal high quality hunts. 10 points is a waste

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Given your name I am assuming you hunt them in Cimarron or Texas country each year while you're building your points.....
If so I'll see you out there in Oct...

 

[jtm307]

A hearty "Amen!" to what 406life, wytex, mdunc8, and Greenhorn posted.

 

[Fitzwho]

Just wanted to make a secondary note that my Antelope goal is to hunt/kill a Pronghorn in every state in which they can be hunted (and a Canadian province or two). So building points in some of these places is a means to an end on that. Still need to start points in California, Oregon and Washington and figure out the logistics in ND, KS, NB, and OK. I know in one or two of those I will have to start bow hunting at some point in time to get a tag unless the regulations change.

 

[rmauch20]

If you’re not already buying points in Kansas I would start.

 

[alwayshunting]

North Dakota does not allocate any antelope tags to nonresidents. Nonresidents may have been eligible prior to the winter kill a few years back when they stopped allowing OTC archery tags. All tags now are by lottery and can be used in both the archery and rifle seasons. There are a couple raffle tags tat may be a possibility, but probably not much of a chance there.

 

[Fitzwho]

In Kansas, non-residents can buy archery tags over the counter. Though we are not eligible for rifle or muzzleloader tags.

 

[Fitzwho]

As far as ND, I guess I’ll have to wait until they get back to a point they start allocating tags and maybe buy some of those raffle tags. If it’s not legal for non-residents for the rest of my life it won’t hurt my feelings too much.

 

[AntelopeSafari]

I don’t mean any offense, but it should hurt your feelings. I’d also love to hunt pronghorn in every state where they live. A winter die off is one thing, but there are conservation things we could be doing to help the herd and our access over the long term. Recovery is a slow process and it may not happen in our lifetimes. But if it doesn’t it shouldn’t be for lack of effort.

If I read your post wrong and we’re in violent agreement then I’ll go back to my corner and say I agree that the state looking out for residents first wouldn’t hurt my feelings either.

 

[Fitzwho]

Safari, not exactly how I meant it. Was leaning more towards the “if I get to the point that ND is my last hold out state, I don’t care about killing another one enough to poach one or die angry that the state didn’t do enough to start giving out non-resident tags.

No offense taken. My goal is just a goal to hunt an animal in places where they can be taken legally and in a sustainable harvest. I would think there are enough Pronghorn in the west that if ND wanted to replinish the population to pre-winter kill levels that they could pick up some animals from surrounding states to start rebuilding the herds. I know there are some serious hurdles involved with doing these sort of things.

Is there a Pronghorns Forever type foundation?

 

[wytex]

North American Pronghorn Foundation.
Some great books on them out there too.

 

[THINKIN6X6]

You can hunt many good units in WY with 0-4 points. I would not wait for 10 points. Do some research and have fun.

 

[AntelopeSafari]

Fitzwho, I’ll double down on the last part of my post-we’re in violent agreement and I owe you a beer for my misunderstanding.

Wytex or anoyone else who’s familiar with NAPF: I love the concept but I’ve stuck with BHA, TRCP and similar organizations because I can’t figure out what NAPF does. I’m not a Millennial but I’m still going to gripe about their website. I don’t mean to be negative, but I have a pretty good idea what BHA, WSF, TRCP and RMEF do with my dollars. I really want to support NAPF but I need some idea what they do in concrete detail, and their website doesn’t have that information (or I’m not smart enough to find it)-which is entirely possible

 

[Hawk Tuah]

Antelope are too much fun to wait that long to hunt. Get a "lesser" hunt more often and if killing a big buck is important, then hunt hard and hope to find one. I've had "good" tags for Utah and Nevada....had way more fun on Wyoming hunts that can be drawn every couple years. I killed bigger ones in other states, but the pressure of an 8 or 10 year tag took away from the fun.