Montana Vs. Wyoming

[HalfAce]

Hey guys, ive been wondering the last few days about the quality of Antelope bucks you can find right now in Montana vs. the quality of bucks you can currently find in Wyoming. I’ve hunted both states for Antelope, and I know there are some really big bucks in both states, and some huge bucks in some of the top Wyoming units, but I don’t have enough hours hunting them under my belt in both states to definitively answer my own question.

Let’s say for arguments sake, you are looking for a 78”+ buck. Where do you stand a better chance of finding bucks of this caliber, in Montana’s Region 7 or in any Wyoming unit that currently takes 3-4 points to draw? Is Wyoming head and shoulders above Montana? Or is it reasonable to assume chances are equal?

This is a pretty broad question because of just how much country this question encompasses, but I am not really looking for a detailed answer. I have been diligent in gaining points for Antelope in WY, but admittedly don’t have the same enthusiasm for gaining points in Montana (mainly because of the winter kill 5 years ago). I’m wondering if I should be just as diligently applying in MT.

 

[Montanakid]

I have only hunted in Montana and have seen a few bucks that are up in the category, but I know people from Wyoming that say the quality of the bucks in Wyoming is so much better

 

[6mm Remington]

According to the B&C records book Wyoming has Montana beat by quite a bit. You can find some nice bucks, but you might have to look for a while to find one. I know there have been several years of hard winters in some locations and some disease. A couple of my antelope spots have almost no permits where a few years ago they gave out 1200 either sex and 1000 doe/fawn just for this single area! Have some friends who ranch in this area and also report coyote deprivation has been pretty hard on them as well.

 

[Big Fin]

I've hunted both states, many times. The best units in Montana are not even close to the best units in Wyoming. The average units in Montana are far below the average units in Wyoming. For a lot of reasons. One being winters. As harsh as winters can be in Wyoming, they can be even harder in Montana. Antelope are rather fragile, relative to elk, and even deer. Another reason, in Montana, they get hunted much harder per existing buck than what happens in Wyoming, so age class suffers. If Wyoming gives out 300 tags for a herd, Montana would probably give away 1,000 tags for that same sized herd. Just differences in management philosophy. Montana realizes the futility in trying to stock pile bucks of a species that is as fragile as antelope are, so Montana focuses on opportunity for hunters to take those bucks before winter and disease takes them.

If your budget is limited, allocate to Wyoming before investing in points in ANY other state. Points are cheap, you will draw eventually, and the quality in units taking 4+ points is very good.

 

[Fire_9]

Good luck turning up a 78" buck in region 7 this year. The antelope are starting to come back but its nothing like it used to be.

 

[HalfAce]

All, thank you for your replies, I was looking for some good local insight.

Randy, your example on each states management strategy answers my question perfectly, and answers it in a way I didn’t even think to ask. Thanks again.

Im not looking to draw Montana this year, but was thinking about gaining a point or two to try and draw in a few years when the Antelope herds bounce back a little more. Used to see some good ones out that way. Seen some really good ones in Wyoming but in units that take more years to draw than im willing to sit on the bench for.

 

[LopeHunter]

You can hunt WY every year for a pronghorn buck as a non-resident. Several units on the eastern quarter of the state will have tags left after 1st choice tags are awarded. Only tags drawn with a 1st choice impact your preference point total so you can build points and hunt every year. Look over the draw statistics and pick a unit or two to investigate for a possible 2nd choice with special attention to see if there is public land with pronghorn you can hunt in that unit. You could hire an outfitter to gain access to private land or pay a trespass fee but with some homework should be able to fill a tag on public land. Every unit in WY has some very nice bucks. Some units have more public land and more very nice bucks but while you build points for that class of unit you can be hunting.

 

[Shotgun1]

Well half I will say this..I love Montana pronghorn...I , or should I say, at least one member of our hunting clan draws one of Montana's better antelope units every year, really its a 2 bonus point unit but between 4 of us at least one gets a tag, anyway like I said it's one of the better units and I have been to others so I think I have a good idea...a 70 class buck is realistic opening weekend...... After opening weekend it's all about meat hunting ...I am building WY points for that 80 incher....Never hunted goats there but I can tell you it's about getting that book buck, that's why I build points there. Montana is a blast just don't expect a wall hanger after opening weekend

 

[----]

I'm going to go against the grain a little bit.

I absolutely think Wyoming is better hunting than Montana. If you apply/hunt in one state, Wyoming should definitely be that state. It has way more pronghorn and way more public access.

That said, I think Montana gets overlooked. I've gotten to hunt a couple really good units in Montana, and they are a blast. You do have to hunt harder than Wyoming, but there's really never any worry about eating a tag.

When I had my very good Wyoming tag, I would look at 50-100 bucks a day on public, but never saw anything that was noticeably bigger than what I've killed in Montana. The last six years I've killed bucks in Montana each year that I was very happy with in that 13-16" range.

I will put in the huge disclaimer that I've only hunted one hard to draw unit in Wyoming, one over the counter unit, and scouted maybe 3-4 other units. I also don't score antelope, so am likely a very poor field judge. I have also gotten extremely lucky in the Montana draws, so that could likely skew my opinion.

As cheap as the MT tag is though, there's really no reason to not be applying every year if you enjoy hunting pronghorn.

 

[HalfAce]

Lopehunter, Thanks for the info. The Mule Deer bug has infected me to the point that I’m only really looking to hunt Antelope every 3 to 4 or so years, just to mix things up a bit and put some different meat in the freezer. That lets me save some points and put in for some units with more public land access, which I really prefer to hunt. If I get bit by the Antelope bug bad, or get more time off in hunting season, I’ll definitely be looking at units that are easier to draw or 2nd choice.


Shotgun, in your experience, why do think it’s unrealistic to get a bigger buck after the opener? Are they getting shot out after the first few days in the units you guys are hunting? Out East I haven’t seen the same thing. I’ve seen some really good bucks shot around the Deer/Elk opener (pre-winterkill), and seen some nice bucks (but probably not in the high 70’s) near the closing of the season as well. But most of the better bucks I find near the closing of the season are missing a horn or two, and I usually get out to Eastern Montana early to mid November. Good luck getting you 80er in WY, they are there, I’ve seen them, but the only ones I ever seen were in max point units.


Randy, thanks for the good info on what you’ve seen. I’m a little surprised that you didn’t see better quality in a hard to draw Wyoming unit. Maybe Montana has even better quality then im giving it credit for? I get the same feeling as you about WY, but was wondering if I was missing something the last few years out there in Montana’s region 7, I have probably not seen even 2% of all of it, so I probably am. It sure seems easier to just get out of the car and hunt in Wyoming, than it is in Eastern Montana. Congrats on the 16incher

 

[Poke 'Em]

This was a 72" Region 7 buck. There are definitely nicer bucks than him out there, but you're going to have to search a lot longer to find them than you will in Wyoming.



If I didn't live in Montana, I'd hunt in Wyoming.