WY Unit 7

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sfcsmith12

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Sep 20, 2009
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Been working on this hunt for over two years now. Started planning in Afghanistan a couple years ago. Finnally got two other guys to commit and we drew unit 7 for buck and 18 for doe.
Any pointers/advise/places to start in these units?

Thanks
 
First off THANKS for your service in Afghanistan :)

Some of the guys here have hunted #7 & hopefully advice will be coming your way. I will be hunting the unit to the south.... #27. Some of #7 is in the Thunderbasin National Grasslands so get a map. The map can be purchased at the US forest service at the following #307-358-4690. It will show national, state and blm lands that you can hunt in that area.

Good luck on your hunt.
the dog
 
Thanks for your service!

I hunted 7 last year for my first DIY antelope trip. There were three of us, with 2 antelope buck tags, 2 doe antelope tags, and 2 deer tags. We tagged out over a 6 day hunt.

It took us a day or two to get our bearings and a feel for the terrain and the access. Once we did that, we got into animals pretty consistently. Keep in mind, most guys just drive around and glass. We initially fell into the trap and didn't see much. As soon as we got off the beaten path, we saw alot more animals.

Another thing, 7 isn't a trophy unit. We went with the expectation of killing respresentative animals and that's what we did. We saw a few larger goats that were on private land, but most of what we saw were pretty small. I shot a 13" buck and my dad a 12". We were more than happy with that result, since it was our first trip. If you are patient, you can probably shoot a better goat.

Also, this year G&F slashed the tags for 7. There were 1000 buck tags last year, now 500 this year. There were something like 700 doe tags last year, but only 200 this year. I talked to a few locals and the biologist, and was told that numbers were down. That being said, you should have no problem getting into animals. There will be alot less pressure as well.

We group applied for 7 and didn't draw as first choice, so we are hunting different units in the vicinity. I do have a 7 doe tag though.

Good luck!
 
There is a lot of Walkin land open in the eastern part of the unit that is all marked and easy to find. Like was said earlier, get off the roads and do some walking and you will get into animals and have more fun doing the hunt IMO. It may have been a good thing that tags were reduced this year, but there are still plenty of goats in unit 7 according to a friend I know that lives just ouside of Newcastle. Good luck and a big thanks for your service!
 
Thanks a bunch guys for all the info and support. I am really pumped about the trip! Of course a trophy animal would be great but for me the trip and the chase is what I am looking forward to the most. Is it October yet?!
 
sfcsmith12 said:
Thanks a bunch guys for all the info and support. I am really pumped about the trip! Of course a trophy animal would be great but for me the trip and the chase is what I am looking forward to the most. Is it October yet?!
Click to expand...

You could very possibly shoot a big buck in 7, it might just take more effort than some other areas.
 
I hunted there for the first time last year also.We had no problem getting antelope though the second day was kinda slow the third day of the hunt picked up again.I will send you a pm.
 
Ther are bucks pushing 80" in most units, including 7, but you need to do what I said and obviously look a bunch over and not shoot the first buck you see! If you have never hunted them, they are probably the hardest animal to make a good guess at their score That is if you are even worried about score and I wouldn't be on a first hunt!. You will want to see a lot of black going up well above the ears before the prongs, good prongs, and decent overall length, preferably with good curl that gets the length up there. The biggest score on a goat that really adds the inches though is the 4 mass measurements on each side, so look for lots of black going quite a way up from the bases.
 
Last edited:
sfcsmith12 said:
Thanks a bunch guys for all the info and support. I am really pumped about the trip! Of course a trophy animal would be great but for me the trip and the chase is what I am looking forward to the most. Is it October yet?!
Click to expand...

Thank you for your service !

I also have a tag for area 7 and is my first one, I will not be there till the second week,
I have tried calling for access to private land and has been all thumbs down so far, I plan on trying BLM and WIA lands Good luck,

Ben
 
Me, my son and daughter did our first antelope hunt in 7 last year DIY. The first day we got with the game warden and got the skinny on where the best chance to see lopes would be. BLM in the lower SW corrner of the unit and use your gps so you are not on the private blocks of land there. Park the truck and glass, once you spot them its on. We saw lots of road hunters who didn't have a clue. We found big groups of bucks and does, dropped off the hill for a stalk thinking that we would never get close enought but the terrain will hide you very well. Three bucks in two days. We saw bucks making scrapes, breeding, and fighting. It was awesome. You're gonna love it. Plan one meal at Isabella's in NewCastle, great Italian from scratch. Cambria Game Processing does a great job too.
 
Mr.Bill said:
Me, my son and daughter did our first antelope hunt in 7 last year DIY. The first day we got with the game warden and got the skinny on where the best chance to see lopes would be. BLM in the lower SW corrner of the unit and use your gps so you are not on the private blocks of land there. Park the truck and glass, once you spot them its on. We saw lots of road hunters who didn't have a clue. We found big groups of bucks and does, dropped off the hill for a stalk thinking that we would never get close enought but the terrain will hide you very well. Three bucks in two days. We saw bucks making scrapes, breeding, and fighting. It was awesome. You're gonna love it. Plan one meal at Isabella's in NewCastle, great Italian from scratch. Cambria Game Processing does a great job too.
Click to expand...
No clue is right I had to laugh talked to one guy hunting unit 7 when I was there last year.After we filled our buck tags we went to a different part of the unit for some does and had to drive through part of unit 24 to get there.On the way through 24 we saw a nice buck about 100yds off the road and pulled over just to look at him after a couple minutes he ran off.I looked in my rearview mirror and the same guy I talked to the day before was getting out of his vehicle with a rifle.Then he said in a smart ass way thanks for scaring that buck off on me.I told him that he was lucky I did because he was in unit 24 and not unit 7.He tried to show me his map and say he was in 7 and I think he belived he was even after I showed him on my Garmin that he was really in 24.
 
We put in for Unit 7 again this year but drew 24 as a second choice. I wondered why because of all the antelope we saw last year. As noted above the reduction of permits must reflect a die off or something. I'm almost out of antelope meat so am looking forward to getting up there again this year. Looking at all the roads will fool the lazy man into thinking all you have to do is drive around but if you seen one of the DIY episodes you know you have to get out of the truck and walk and glass. Success comes to those who work for it.
 
I hunted Unit 7 last year and got one with a score around 80" in three days. Turned down a lot of animals before finding one that had horns twice the size of his ears. I found you need to get out and walk to actually find them after the first day. I sat by a watering hole and watch the different groups moving aroune. Everytime they would hear a truck coming they would head to a valley or depresion till the truck would pass. Every once and a while you can catch them traveling to and from places or running from other hunters, but getting out and trying to ambush them or sitting is a lot more productive. Get a set of bipods and knee pads the cactus are a real pain. One guy out there had catcher knee pads, good idea. The Forest Service Map is better then the BLM maps. Also, my Nikon range finder didn't work well about half the time, because the grass didn't seem to reflect well.
 
Mission account

Well guys we are on our way back home with two nice bucks in the cooler. I am not great at typing with this phone so I will have to give the details later today when I get to my computer. Thanks again for all the information. It was a big help. Pictures to follow.
 
Title was supposed to be mission accomplished but after fat fingers and auto correct it became account. :)
 
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