WY 22 was my first western hunt as well. Some good advice above.
#1 is get the chip. If you already have it on your phone, that will work. If you're worried about battery life, get a portable charger. Most antelope hunts aren't really backcountry IMO, so you'll likely be around your truck for at least a part of the day where you could charge it. Or charge it at night. I think using the phone is entirely do-able. It's what I did my first hunt as well. Worked out perfectly.
#2 expect to see a ton of people - I'm from the east also, where I don't typically see people that much (mostly treestand stuff). I couldn't believe the people there. I legit could not find an area to hunt without someone already there. I just wanted to find a spot that I could 'get away', which was really difficult. I ended up hiking it about 3 miles, only to come across a truck driving an ATV road. There will be people - lots of people. I don't have enough experience to confirm this, but I believe they're on public lands those first few days until they start to get blasted. Then a lot flee to private, although there will still be some on public lands. As the season goes on, the people leave. That same year I went back the last couple days of the season and had the place to myself. Saw 1 other hunter. Had to check the regs again to make sure I didn't miss something. There were more antelope on public at that point, I suspect because pressure dropped.
#3 - Do NOT underestimate their eyesight...it is incredible. 22 is fairly broken country, so use the terrain to your advantage. You shouldn't have issues getting within 300 yards there.
#4 - Get confident out to 300+ and get a rangefinder you can trust. Something I wish I would've done. Obviously the shots are typically a lot further than what we see back east. And you will not be able to accurately estimate yardage. Everything seems closer than it is. Although, again, in that country you shouldn't have issues getting closer. But it's nice to have that insurance policy going in.
#5 - Antelope aren't hard to find. When I first went and wasn't seeing any, I started to question myself and thought I was just missing them. But they stand out like crazy. If you hike or ride around and aren't seeing any, try somewhere else (obviously). Probably self-explantory, but would've saved me a day or 2 of trying to find them where they just weren't.
You should have a good hunt. You could consider the trespass fee, but it's not necessary. Keep at it and you'll figure the goats out. And if you search/work hard enough you can eventually find a spot that has a lot fewer (you'll rarely be alone) hunters. Good luck and enjoy it! No doubt the funnest hunts I've ever been on. You'll be planning trip 2 before you even leave!
#1 is get the chip. If you already have it on your phone, that will work. If you're worried about battery life, get a portable charger. Most antelope hunts aren't really backcountry IMO, so you'll likely be around your truck for at least a part of the day where you could charge it. Or charge it at night. I think using the phone is entirely do-able. It's what I did my first hunt as well. Worked out perfectly.
#2 expect to see a ton of people - I'm from the east also, where I don't typically see people that much (mostly treestand stuff). I couldn't believe the people there. I legit could not find an area to hunt without someone already there. I just wanted to find a spot that I could 'get away', which was really difficult. I ended up hiking it about 3 miles, only to come across a truck driving an ATV road. There will be people - lots of people. I don't have enough experience to confirm this, but I believe they're on public lands those first few days until they start to get blasted. Then a lot flee to private, although there will still be some on public lands. As the season goes on, the people leave. That same year I went back the last couple days of the season and had the place to myself. Saw 1 other hunter. Had to check the regs again to make sure I didn't miss something. There were more antelope on public at that point, I suspect because pressure dropped.
#3 - Do NOT underestimate their eyesight...it is incredible. 22 is fairly broken country, so use the terrain to your advantage. You shouldn't have issues getting within 300 yards there.
#4 - Get confident out to 300+ and get a rangefinder you can trust. Something I wish I would've done. Obviously the shots are typically a lot further than what we see back east. And you will not be able to accurately estimate yardage. Everything seems closer than it is. Although, again, in that country you shouldn't have issues getting closer. But it's nice to have that insurance policy going in.
#5 - Antelope aren't hard to find. When I first went and wasn't seeing any, I started to question myself and thought I was just missing them. But they stand out like crazy. If you hike or ride around and aren't seeing any, try somewhere else (obviously). Probably self-explantory, but would've saved me a day or 2 of trying to find them where they just weren't.
You should have a good hunt. You could consider the trespass fee, but it's not necessary. Keep at it and you'll figure the goats out. And if you search/work hard enough you can eventually find a spot that has a lot fewer (you'll rarely be alone) hunters. Good luck and enjoy it! No doubt the funnest hunts I've ever been on. You'll be planning trip 2 before you even leave!
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