Pronghorn Hunting

JosephBrown

JosephBrown

Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2017
Messages
107
Location
McDonough, GA
Hey fellow hunters, being new to the thread, and Western hunting in general. I was looking at doing a pronghorn hunt next year. I have zero points in any state. The western application system confuses me, I think it' mostly because they are all different, and I can't seem to find the information of the Game and Fish websites that I go to. How feasible would it be to go pronghorn hunting in an area that holds a decent amount of them with zero points. I've listened to some of Randy's podcasts, and it seems as if you need to have at least 2 or 3 points to hunt any animal in with a decent success rate.
 
Another thing I was wondering was, how do I view where people are applying. By that I mean, do any of the state's websites show where residents/nonresidents are applying to? Thanks
 
If you are going next year, buy a point for WY this year and you'll have some decent opportunity for next year.

You can get drawing and application info straigh from the FWP/Fish and Game websites or contact the departments and ask to speak with their drawing coordinator/number cruncher.
 
I second 406Life's post. Buy a point in Wyoming (need to do that by October 31 I believe), then apply for a unit that has good draw odds (many are 100%) for one non-resident preference point. You can find the results of this year's draw here:

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Hunting/Drawing-Odds/2017-Drawing-Odds

Application deadline is in March, so you have a lot of time. I'd spend some time studying the odds, studying the map of the 100 or so units, and narrowing in on a few that have high odds and at least decent access. Then, in February or March, before you actually apply, call the biologists working in the units you're targeting, and chat them up. They'll be able to give you an idea whether that particular unit will be good, great, etc.
 
thanks bts, I've been looking at them so far and how do I find a map that will show the public land and the roads, is it just on the website?
 
The thing to look out for is that, many of the roads that Google will show you are not public at all, and are only public insofar as they are on public land. So, if you see some good public land that has a road, but that road requires you to drive through private land to get to the public, you need to be really sure that the road is a public road all the way (like a county maintained road). Some of the counties keep such maps on their websites. Also, the BLM can help you--a lot of folks I hear buy the maps of the units/areas, then go to the local BLM office and have them highlight on the maps the roads that are public. And public land hunting in Wyoming, you'll absolutely need a good GPS system with a chip showing the public and private land ownership so you don't accidentally wander off public land.
 
I'd also look at Montana's 700 tag with a huge area to hunt. Pretty good odds of drawing. They also started a point buying program this year if you're interested in that.
 
Also, search this site. There has been a lot of info on "first antelope hunt" put out there. It will answer most of what you are probably thinking about right now.
 
Definitely buy a bonus point for WY. That will open the door for a lot next year. If your willing to spend the extra money for the special tag, that will give you even more options. Print out the draw odds from WY website and highlight the units that took 1 or fewer points this year and start your research. I was in the same boat last year. It can be pretty confusing but it will eventually click. I'll be headed to WY in October. If you want to shoot me a PM, I'll be glad to share what I've learned.
 
Joseph,
If you are a resident of Montana it is pretty easy to get an Archery Pronghorn tag. I have also heard that as a non-resident you can get a tag. I put in for Montana's draw for this year in April. I hope this is helpful.
 
Sign up for goHunt Insider and you can figure out almost all of the Western pronghorn draw odds and other big game as well. You might even get your name drawn for some great gear, hunts, or guns.
 
As a few guys mentioned, buy a point for Wyoming and Montana. You can still do that this year. You'd have a good shot at the Region 700 tag next year in Montana and would have a good number of options for Wyoming as well next year.

I drew the Region 700 tag for MT this year with 1 point and also drew a 2nd choice buck tag in Wyoming. With a point or 2 in Wyoming, there are tons of options.
 
The drawing odds on the Wyoming G&F page show you how many Residents and NR applied for each tag based on choices, 1st, 2nd, or 3rd.
Sounds like you're trying to figure out which units Residents apply for to see if they are better antelope areas. We apply based on areas we think we have good odds to draw, not necessarily based on the trophy quality of a given area. I believe trophy bucks can be found in almost any area if you put in the work to find them.
Remember residents do not have PP for antelope so we can not "plan" on drawing any particular area based on PP drawing odds like NR.
 
Don't forget about New Mexico. Great antelope hunting there as well as Wyoming, Utah, Montana...just about every western state, however some states are more generous in tag allocations to NR than others. I would pick the state you are closest to or the state you want to explore.
 
The Montana FWP regs book that covers deer, elk and antelope has a page that shows the overall drawing success rate for each hunting district, so you know, in general, what your odds are. You can order this booklet from FWP or I think you can also view it online. But getting drawn is not the beginning and end of your preparations. There are some hunting districts where you can have an excellent chance of being drawn, but a horrible time finding a place to hunt. So, you also should order the Block Management booklet before you apply to any district to see where ranches for hunting can be found. Put these two pieces of info together and you can greatly increase your odds of being drawn AND finding a place to hunt.
 
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