What % of public land is not worth the effort?

[friedman.ely]

*First post so go easy on me!
I'm researching my first pronghorn hunt with 0 points and it looks like there are still better than 50% odds of drawing a tag in a few units but most have very little public land. Is 20% public land too little for a DIY pronghorn hunt? I see there are a few walk-in access points via onX and WY game and fish interactive map.

Since this is my first hunt in WY, I'm only looking for a legal buck (doesn't need to be BIG HANK). Also, it wasn't clear to me if I can get both a buck and a doe tag. Does any know that off-hand? I'll be reaching out to WY game and fish this week to learn more and see if there are any accurate road maps online I can view.

Thank you in advanced!
@Big Fin -Thank you for all the great content. Wasn't successful on our first late season OTC elk hunt but can't wait to try again next year!

 

[Hankg]

*First post so go easy on me!
I'm researching my first pronghorn hunt with 0 points and it looks like there are still better than 50% odds of drawing a tag in a few units but most have very little public land. Is 20% public land too little for a DIY pronghorn hunt? I see there are a few walk-in access points via onX and WY game and fish interactive map.

Since this is my first hunt in WY, I'm only looking for a legal buck (doesn't need to be BIG HANK). Also, it wasn't clear to me if I can get both a buck and a doe tag. Does any know that off-hand? I'll be reaching out to WY game and fish this week to learn more and see if there are any accurate road maps online I can view.

Thank you in advanced!
@Big Fin -Thank you for all the great content. Wasn't successful on our first late season OTC elk hunt but can't wait to try again next year!

Buck and doe tags are separate draws. You can request one or two doe tags if you are drawn and can also opt to not take the doe tags if you don’t draw the buck tag. Most people suggest contacting or looking on the county road departments website to find out what are public roads. I have found many counties have a printable map on website.

 

[Bigjay73]

It's not the amount, but the amount that you can access, isnt landlocked. Any 0 point unit is gonna be thin on land, but it doesn't mean its impossible

 

[Blackcats06]

As big jay somewhat touched on is don’t worry about a percentage. Worry about how much ground that is. 20% in one unit might be 10000 acres where another unit it may be 1500 acres. Look for legal access and how much land that gets you and if it’s antelope country. Most of those hunts are hard to do on public land but it is possible.

 

[LopeHunter]

There are some units where the public land is enough for a hunt but is not the desired habitat. Harvest rates can be one data point that offers a clue if the unit is challenging to hunt and most hunters will not be on private if there are 100s of tags.

 

[mdeerjunkie]

Welcome aboard!

 

[brownbear932008]

Honestly you need very little. You just need the right access. Both of these were taken in leftover units in WY. The bigger lope was on about a 100 acre strip that was seriously probably only 100 yards wide off the state right of way in an L shaped pattern of blm property.
Sorry for the terrible pics cell phones were not as advanced then.

 

[utah400elk]

I hunted eastern WY for several years in limited public land units and it was easy to get lopes.

When I lived in Cheyenne, it made sick to think I had almost paid a fair bit of money to access antelope before moving to WY.

it’s a big leap of faith but the antelope hunts are great. Just look for chi class of state land that have legal access and you should be good.

 

[NEWHunter]

My avatar was a zero point unit last year. Pick the best unit and go. The county road and bridge departments will have info on the public roadways - maps are often online. Good luck and let us know how you do.

 

[Sasquatchewan]

There isn't a single unit not worth the effort if you get a tag. Be willing to do more than lazy hunters and you will find success.

 

[coleslaw]

My first antelope hunt was in a unit with 16% public land which I drew on the Wyoming 2nd/ leftover draw. I think only half of it was accessible, so more like 8% public land. Anyways, found a big patch and got away from the truck (more than a mile) and put my tag on a small buck.
Just go and have fun.

 

[Pilgrim]

There are some units where the public land is enough for a hunt but is not the desired habitat. Harvest rates can be one data point that offers a clue if the unit is challenging to hunt and most hunters will not be on private if there are 100s of tags.

Public access and habitat are WAY more important than "how much." Focus on those in selecting a unit. The only caveat is that the less access/habit there is in a unit, the more company you'll have hunting it. One way to avoid crowds is to hunt later in the unit's season. If you're not too picky, the opportunity should still be there.

 

[Sasquatchewan]

My first antelope hunt was in a unit with 16% public land which I drew on the Wyoming 2nd/ leftover draw. I think only half of it was accessible, so more like 8% public land. Anyways, found a big patch and got away from the truck (more than a mile) and put my tag on a small buck.
Just go and have fun.

Same, I've hunted the same unit two years in a row which has a very bad rep. Very low % of public land, let alone accessible public land. I concentrated on five 1x1 State Land parcels and still found around 100 or so antelopes every time and had my pick. Managed to tag out on what I would consider "trophy" antelopes for such a unit. Don't get me wrong, it's not an easy hunt for the average hunter but based on what I do for moose/mule deer/whitetails at home, this was a piece of piss. You definitely have to adjust your hunting style but it's a very enjoyable hunt and you shouldn't discard a small parcel of public because you saw no antelopes there that morning, chances are, you'll come back that afternoon and there will be some there...

 

[joelweb]

I'd call the local game warden or biologist before applying to get their take on access. I'd also see how much Game and Fish enrolled walk in access acreage there is in the unit. onX will show that. If 20 percent of the land base is public land, there are a lot of different possible access scenarios. Do your homework before applying.

 

[friedman.ely]

Thank you all so much for the help and advice! I believe I've narrowed it down to 3 units based on draw odds and harvest success. While they all have less than 30% public land, I've found what I hope are decent sized areas of public land which are accessible. I'll be confirming with the county road departments. For the game wardens and the WY game and fish department, I'm working on a specific list of questions for them so they don't think I'm just looking for the 'answer'. Honestly, I'm going to have a blast either way. I've never seen a pronghorn in-person before so this is going to be an awesome trip.

In October, what types of food are still available in south eastern WY? When I think of WY in that time of year, I always picture a fair amount of snow. I wouldn't think grasses and forbs would still be an option. Is that a fair assumption?

Thanks @Hankg! I'll be applying for both the Buck and doe tags separately.

 

[thusby]

Accessible blm (acres or sq.miles) divided by the total tag quota is most useful. Subtract the national forest lands and mountains as those are useless for antelope habitat.

 

[bts09]

In October, what types of food are still available in south eastern WY? When I think of WY in that time of year, I always picture a fair amount of snow. I wouldn't think grasses and forbs would still be an option. Is that a fair assumption?

Thanks @Hankg! I'll be applying for both the Buck and doe tags separately.

I've hunted south eastern Wyoming that time of year the last couple years, and it's really hit or miss in terms of weather. Both times we were there that time of year there was a snowstorm one of the days of the hunt. But both times there was also a sunny day with temperatures in the 50s/60s. It's just super unpredictable that time of year, but if I had to guess, I would say you would probably not be dealing with snow pack or anything like that. It's still warm enough that time of year there that anything that falls melts pretty quickly.

 

[Bob-WY]

Look OnX over as well, some public land you either can't get to, or it's damn hard/long walk. Look for strings of public, blm, walkin areas that touch more than a corner. I've found areas that are small but overlap edges and you can string them together, then you just have to be careful where you shoot!

Lots of tags and lots of access = lots of hunters early in the season

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Tons and tons of threads on those units, the search bar is your friend.