2017 Pronghorn Unit 68 Questions

I am planning to make my first of many hunting trips to Wyoming, in 2017 for antelope. My brother and I will have 5.5 preference points going into the 2017 draw. I have several criteria and Unit 68 appears to meet them best. It appears we will have a 100% chance of drawing in the special pool. The unit is mostly public ground which is a primary consideration. We want to spend an entire week there and I doubt we will need that much time to find antelope we like.

It appears there is some really good fishing in this area - is that the case? We are willing to hire a fishing guide if necessary or can we rent a drift boat on our own? Is there good fishing to be had simply by walking in? We are not fly fishermen and simply enjoy catching whatever is available. Any recommendations on stretches of river to fish while we are there? Techniques/baits?

We want to come and hunt with archery equipment first and if we do not tag out we will come back with rifles. I assume this is an option. Is sitting water the best option or is spot and stalk possible? What are the best techniques for spot and stalk in this area?

I am sure the antelope numbers are lower in the southern part of the unit but we like the idea of hunting closer to Green Mountain. Is this a bad idea? We are willing to see fewer animals in exchange for the scenery.

Are winter conditions good/bad/average for this area right now?

What options existing for camping/lodging? We are willing to drive 30-50 miles each day if that lodging is closer to the fishing spots. We are also willing to just drop camp on BLM ground in our hunting area.

When is the peak of the antelope rut in this area? We think this is a fun time to hunt them as they are sparing, chasing, and generally more fun to watch this time of the year.

My brother really does not like snakes - are they going to be an issue during archery season or rifle season? How many encounters would be typical?

I know the application deadline is a long way off and the season even longer off, but this planning is half the fun.

We have killed a couple really nice antelope in other states over the years so we are viewing this as a fun hunt versus a trophy hunt, although since we have a full week we will try to find the best animals possible.

One last thing - even though it is mostly public ground I want to get an electronic map for GPS or phone - what do you all recommend?

Thank you in advance.

Since I am new to this site I am trying to post a couple photos to see if it works - we will see.

That unit has been talked about a lot lately. Given point creep with antelope in Wyoming lately, I don't think I'd count on 100% odds with 5.5 points. I do hope you draw and have a great hunt. Good luck!

how does one get a 1/2 a point?

Averaging points in a party app.

You apply as a party with another person(s)... The points of all applicants is added together (or totaled), then divided by the number of applicants in the party to come up with an average. This number can be something other than a whole number. Example: I have 7 points and you have 4, we apply as a party and our average is 5.5. To have 5.5 points is better than having 5 even.

They round up at .5, I believe, and down below that threshold so whole point totals are entered into the drawing. That is the info I was given by G&F office.

If the fishing you're talking about is Miracle Mile, know that only artificial flies and lures can be used there. I've had the best success with Panther Martin spinners when fishing the North Platte... when I'm not fly fishing. I've never hunted in 68, but I have hunted 63 a few times. I never saw a single snake (rifle season). You may run into some sage grouse, so if you're hunting during the season, you may want to pick up a game bird license and bring a shotgun just in case. You'd be surprised how high antelope hang out. I don't think hunting around Green Mountain would be a bad thing.

wytex said:

They round up at .5, I believe, and down below that threshold so whole point totals are entered into the drawing. That is the info I was given by G&F office.

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I don't believe that WY rounds down to whole point totals. Otherwise I don't think they would show the odds for < less than a certain whole point point level. For example you may have 2% chance to draw a certain tag with 4 points but 100% chance with <5 points (or 4.33 points). That is my understanding but I could be wrong.

wytex said:

They round up at .5, I believe, and down below that threshold so whole point totals are entered into the drawing. That is the info I was given by G&F office.

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I don't think that's the case. My understanding is that Wyoming does round points like that.

0, <1, 1, <2, 2, <3, 3, and so on and so forth.

wytex said:

They round up at .5, I believe, and down below that threshold so whole point totals are entered into the drawing. That is the info I was given by G&F office.

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No rounding up or down in Wyoming! They do as stated by another member by adding the party points together and dividing that by the number of applicants in the party and they go out four (4) decimal places. That's why you see the < figure in the odds section where people drew with less than the next full point. Based on the 2016 Special Draw where 5PPs was only an 80% draw I would not be so sure that you'll draw at 100% this year with 5.5PPs due to point creep that our member mentioned that is a pain to predict.

Topgun 30-06 said:

No rounding up or down in Wyoming! They do as stated by adding the party points together and dividing that by the number of applicants in the party and they go out four (4) decimal places. That's why you see the < figure in the odds section where people drew with less or more than a full point. Based on the 2016 Special Draw where 5PPs was only an 80% draw I would not be so sure that you'll draw at 100% this year due to point creep that is a pain to predict.

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Why 4 decimal places? All I've ever seen is the whole number, and less than whole number stated. So my understanding is a party with an average of, say, 3.33 points is in the same drawing pool as a party with, say, 3.75 points.

I believe they only show whole number and less than whole number to simplify the odds report. In the example you pointed out the party with 3.75 would draw first. If tags remained it would go to the party with 3.33 before anyone with 3.0 would have a chance.

LCH said:

Why 4 decimal places? All I've ever seen is the whole number, and less than whole number stated. So my understanding is a party with an average of, say, 3.33 points is in the same drawing pool as a party with, say, 3.75 points.

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That is not how it works and what I stated is exactly how they work the average for party applications. The odds on the website don't show the individual pools when they are a fraction of a point, so nobody knows what fraction of a point drew when it shows tags were drawn on those lines, but when they go out to four decimal places I can guarantee that the party with 3.75PPs will draw before the party with 3.33PPs because they are in different pools.

Topgun is correct. Can you imagine if they had to list every combination of decimal points of applications for a unit? The "<" is the only realistic way to do it.

I always thought they lumped partial point pools together. Thanks all for the enlightenment.

Think I'll be taking one of those NR tags this year with my 7 pts.I helped hurt your odds,sorry.It's a great unit.My son had a tag across the street last year so I got to check it out a little

Right, no rounding. Only info I found was based on the committee recommendations to legislature, take average out to 5 decimal places. Not sure if was adopted as written or not. http://legisweb.state.wy.us/InterimCommittee/2015/06WGFDLicensingPresentation.pdf Glad we don't have em for residents.

wytex said:

Right, no rounding. Only info I found was based on the committee recommendations to legislature, take average out to 5 decimal places. Not sure if was adopted as written or not. http://legisweb.state.wy.us/InterimCommittee/2015/06WGFDLicensingPresentation.pdf Glad we don't have em for residents.

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I was told that it was four decimal places by a person in the know in the licensing section, but that informative link you posted shows five, so going out from 4 to 5 really is not much difference, and it is really great to go down through it to see how the draw works. NRs should pay particular attention to the bottom part of the elk draw as it shows how they do other passes to come up with the total of 7,250 full price NR tags mandated by Statute. Until last year that always worked and was the way guys drew their General tags as second choice, but the total was exhausted last year before they got to that method to meet the total.

The dept rounds to 5 decimal places.

The Demand Report is formatted to show point pools where tags were drawn without creating an excessively long report. At 5 places, you could have dozens of point levels between two whole numbers.

They do not have the ability to generate a report showing every point level for a given hunt, without new coding. A public info request does not compel them to create a new report.