What’s the best/easiest wy antelope unit to draw? What road should I drive?

[Erik Ross]

GPS coordinates would be best... gotcha! Here’s a lifetime of pronghorn hunting, a lot of photos have been lost over time or not taken. I’ve been lurking on all the forums for years and this one is the best, a few people that make your eyes roll but that’s to be expected, so thank you all for sharing, I’ve enjoyed it for years. PS I’ve pretty much become disgusted with the look at me mentality that hunting in social media has become. This is why I’m Batman... I’ve enjoyed your stories and pics so I figured I’d share some of mine, more to come.

 

[Erik Ross]

One more

 

[Erik Ross]

Good luck in the draws boys! Did you see that they posted the NM draw results at 10 pm Wednesday night?

 

[p_ham]

Looks like Batman has those antelope figured out! Welcome aboard

 

[Desk Pop]

Good luck in the draws boys! Did you see that they posted the NM draw results at 10 pm Wednesday night?

Great 2nd post. I don't know why people think this is so hilarious to do.

 

[Big Fin]

Dang, didn't know Gotham City had such antelope fanatics thereabouts. That first buck in your first post is a whopper.

Congrats. Welcome.

 

[MO Betta]

Welcome and nice bucks! Great thread title.

 

[JohnCushman]

Welcome!! You've got the lopes figured out.

 

[Western Traveler1]

Sweet...nice animals!
(The only thing that got me with that title was a newby posting it. I figured it was one of this sites jokers...).

 

[Buffs35]

Welcome sir. Great post.

 

[Nick87]

Welcome!

 

[Gr8bawana]

Dang, didn't know Gotham City had such antelope fanatics thereabouts. That first buck in your first post is a whopper.
Congrats. Welcome.

Maybe the Batman ears fool the antelope like the hat Randy was wearing on this hunt.

 

[Erik Ross]

Thank you all, yes the first buck is a Wyoming monarch, after 9 years of applying as res for an area that would only take 3-4 in the non res special I decided to put in for one of the toughest and arguably best units in the state to draw so when I didn’t draw I would feel better about it haha, and I drew. I went down in August for archery but mainly to scout and learn the area, in those 4 days I found more bucks over 80” that I have ever seen in the 18 years I’ve lived here, and one that was a monster. I was told it was the wettest spring and early summer in the last 15 years and it showed, big time. I never saw a single tire track the entire trip till I came arcross I guy and his gf in a Jeep commander with Virginia plates on the other side of a nasty dried up creek bed that I was hesitant to cross with 37”s. Mind you this is 20 miles from any sign of civilization or cell service, They explained they were camping and on a cross country trip so I crossed and didn’t think I was gona make it and then watched in amazement (already thinking where I would attach the tow strap to their vehicle) as he put that thing on 3 wheels in the creek and backed out like it was nothing and hit with more speed and was gone, I was dumbfounded. Fast forward to rifle, I showed up 4 days before the opener and not 1 hour into the first morning I found the buck that I shot snuck into 250 yrds for a closer look and took some pics, I couldn’t believe I was leaving him to look for one bigger but I had 4 days. I scoured the entire unit and found a buck that was over 17” with medium prongs and mass but still an amazing goat, found the largest non typical I’ve ever seen, no hope of even trying to guess the score but with a buck like that it wouldn’t matter, unfortunately he was right off a county road that people access the unit from on checkerboard, about 4 miles from the highway, not a good option for opening morning. So I went to where I found that monster in August and spent the day there and couldn’t turn him up, it’s tough to glass, no roads, tall Bush’s. I decided to go back and look for the buck from the first day and found him immediately. I sat on that buck for a day and a half just watching him and figuring out the best play.

 

[PNWGator]

Love the pics and please keep the stories coming!

 

[Erik Ross]

It was opening morning, I woke up early made breakfast and talked with my lab( I highly recommend bringing mans best friend with u or u will go crazy by yourself staring at sage looking for antelope from sun rise to sunset haha). I made the short drive to my glassing point with out the headlights on, I was ready but what unfolded that was not expected... the sun came up and and no exaggeration overnight 5 groups of goats moved into that basin overnight with one that had close to 100 in it with over 20 bucks in it. I glassed for 2 hours and didn’t turn him up so I snuck into about 400 yrds of the big group and scratched that bunch off the list. I spent the next 3 hours doing the same with the rest of the groups with no luck, discouraged I went back to the spotting point I was at when the sun came up and after an hour of glassing I saw 2 bucks running full tilt like a Peter built, it was him chasing off another buck from his 20 does.

 

[Erik Ross]

He ran back to his girls and they went back to feeding, in a good spot, I hustled over to them, crawled 300 yards to a knob that I could shoot from. Just as I got to a few feet from where I could shoot from I got a cluster Wyoming’s finest cactus above the knee pad in my leg. I could see his does and his horns moving towards me about 400 yds away, so I payed there for 20 minutes with about 30 of those pests in my lead and they all decided to bed down... I backed out, pulled the ones that I could get out through my pants and went for round 2. I did a big loop around to where I thought they were, got the spotting scope legs set up, crawled over the hill and saw does 150yrds away but couldn’t see him, it was game on, I stood up put the rifle on the tri and doe, doe, doe... buck! Looking straight at me, put the crosshairs in the center of his chest and sent it, as I frantically looked over all of them running off I saw only does and knew he had to be right where I shot him. I walked up in amazement, I had to sit there and look at him for 5 minutes before I placed my hands on him. The feeling of drawing a awesome tag, giving it your all, spending the days being patient and punching a tag on what u set out to do is indescribable in words. This was the greatest antelope hunt I’ve ever had and I hope I draw it at least one more time in my life. This was the second biggest buck taken in this unit to my knowledge, the one I saw in archery got killed right around where I found him, he went nearly 90” kinda a kick in the shin but I couldn’t be happier with the experience. Score guess time, 7mm bullet to help ya out

 

[Erik Ross]

Other side

 

[Erik Ross]

As I sat there taking it all in

 

[Dave N]

Ok, I'll play. No real idea what I'm doing, but I'll guess 88 13/16.

 

[Western Traveler1]

Calling 90