Caribou Gear

WY Unit 22

Steven--J

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Feb 3, 2017
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I am making a solo antelope hunt to Wyoming this year, I am putting in for Unit 22. I have read a lot of posts, articles, blogs, talked to people and understand that there is limited access to public land. I am an over obsessed planner. I have the OnXmap Chip and the App, I've printed the Johnson County map and talked with the BLM. I have also written land owners letters and included my contact info and a self-addressed-stamped envelope. I am willing to pay trespass fees. My plan is to camp out of my truck on BLM so I can stay mobile. Walking isnt an issue, its part of the game, its hunting not shooting!

I have many questions but the first two are:

1. Go early or later? Early plan is to get out there a couple days before the season and get scout. The draw back is the large amount of people opening week.

2. Ranchers/Landowners attitudes toward allowing people to pass thru their land to access Public land?

Thanks
Steve
 
I would not go opening week. Call some landowners before you come hunt and ask about access. You may find access through private once you get out here and knock on some doors. Don't wear your orange when you go ask. You may find not many will grant access but don't get discouraged.
 
Thanks Wytex. I wrote the "don't wear orange" advice into my notes. It's the little things that count! I don't expect any miricales on getting access to pass thru, I'll just be happy to be there and thankful if it happens.
 
Hunted there last season. Make sure you contact the county and get a map of the county maintained roads. We hunted opening weekend and went 5/6 and only didn't fill out due to a string of bad luck for one guy. The pressure from Saturday morning to Monday evening declined rapidly. I'm sure it had a lot to do with guys filling out and leaving but also guys getting frustrated for getting stopped and turned down for access by ranchers. Lack of access is definitely an issue and not doing your homework could very easily land you a trespass ticket.
 
Wild Bill- Do you hunt the public or private? It will just be me hunting, I am just looking fed to the adventure. I printed the county map off of their website and laminated it. I spent a number of years walking thru the Big Bend region of Texas so I'm good with rough terrain and not afraid to walk. Thanks for the info
 
I hunt in an adjacent unit. If things are similar which I suspect they are, hunt during the week following opener and you'll be nearly all alone.
 
Goatshoes- that's what I am leaning towards. Maybe starting hunting Tuesday. I still have lots of time to figure it out.
 
I hunted in 22 this past October, and went the second week, hunting Oct 9 through 13.

I believe that antelope have evolved, and now have OnX GPS maps in their heads. The number of antelope that stand 10 yards into the private side of a border are staggering. :eek:

It is a tough unit for access, as previously noted. There are a few private owners that will allow for access, but in general the rules are 1) not every road is a legal road, even if it looks like it should be, and 2) don't even think about touching private land. The OnX is invaluable for rule #2.
In 5 days of hunting units 16 and 22 we saw hundreds (OK, probably 2000 based on counts) of antelope, but only 8 on public land. As we had only doe tags, remove the 3 bucks and we're down to 5 eligible for us. We took 1 home. This includes 2 days hiking miles back in - and still seeing the antelope stand just inside the private land. How they know this when there are no nearby roads or fences is beyond me...

Plan on lots of glassing, lots of hiking, and lots of realizing that the antelope you just stalked is on the private side of a border.

For some reason our 2016 hunt was far more difficult than our 2014 hunt when we got 2 in half a day, and thought antelope hunting wasn't that difficult. Same areas, a lot more time spent, and a lot less successful. I'm not trying to be a killjoy, but just be aware that it can be a lot of work. You might do better going a few days earlier than we did, as it was obvious that the antelope were all on the lookout.
 
Wild Bill- Do you hunt the public or private? It will just be me hunting, I am just looking fed to the adventure. I printed the county map off of their website and laminated it. I spent a number of years walking thru the Big Bend region of Texas so I'm good with rough terrain and not afraid to walk. Thanks for the info

We hunted on all public. I would recommend hunting opening day and getting out there early to scout it out. Very doable hunt if your going at it alone.
 
Wild Bill/ Dr. Vette- Thanks for the great info! If we ever cross paths the first cold one is one me!
 
I’ve hunted this unit as well as an adjacent unit with similar access issues. I only hunt public.Tagged out both times with bucks. I will second what Wild Bill said. If it were me I would get to your unit 1 or 2 days before the opener and drive around with OnX maps gps and a delome topo and mark down places that you find public access spots, and take note of where you see bucks on public that you like. Find one you like, be there before light on the opener. There are a few spots in 22 that you can “hike in” and get away from the roads and that is how I killed one of mine. It seems like after the first few days the antelope really do know the boundary lines, and they hang on private. Getting there a day or two early will be invaluable for learning what roads you can drive down, finding access spots and locating animals. You won’t feel rushed doing it, or like you are wasting time instead of hunting, like you might feel if you get there after the season opens.
 
Zach- I have made up my mind and I am doing it exactly like you recommend. From everything you have said seems like the logical way of doing it. I've used some really good mapping software at work to over-lay the county roads on to my maps and plotted numerous spots. I think the map recons and leg work and pre scouting will pay off in the end.
 
Good luck. I actually think its fun figuring out the leftover units and try and hunt a different one every year that I’m building points. So far the only one I would not consider going back to is 109, but I would still hunt it if it was my only option. I am from CT originally so “limited public access” is a relative term for me, I find most of these units have plenty of access if you are willing to really look into them and walk. This year I think I will cash in points and try to draw however.
 
We've hunted unit 22 for the past three years. The first year we got 1 of three (doe), second year we tagged out on the first day (three does) and this year we filled three of four (two bucks and a doe). I'll echo everything previously stated, the antelope definitely know where the boundaries are and tend to stay on the safe side. We've noticed that sometimes pressure is your best friend, especially on the private ground as when they get the antelope moving, the antelope seem to forget for a small window of time where those boundaries are. You just need to be there when they do which is obviously easier said than done.

Make sure to stop in Buffalo at the Dash Inn for a burger and the Busy Bee Café if you have time for breakfast. The Sport's Lure is great if you forget anything.

From what I've gathered through talking to ranchers I've run across in the field, most of the land is leased by outfitters and thus they're limited to how many they can let on their ground if any. However, it never hurts to ask and in my experience they're more than friendly when they tell you no.
 
To all who given me advise- Thank you!

I will give an update after the season, I have worked some angles and had early success. Not saying I will put something on the ground. I have made some contacts and will be sharing a beer or two with some guys on this site this fall. That's success! Friendships and great memories.
 
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