Early or Late
- Thread starter gritz
- Start date
Topgun 30-06
Active member
If I can't hunt an entire season no matter what the animal is, I go in the latter part of the season. For antelope usually most people are gone after about 3-4 days, unless they are in a big buck unit that took lots of PPs to draw it.
Umpqua Hunter
Member
If you have time to do a LOT of scouting and have a remotely located buck pegged, go early and kill your buck opening morning. In almost every other case go after the second weekend of the season, which will give you a very low pressure hunt with just as good of quality of animals.
LCH
Well-known member
Topgun - How about years like 2014, when most units open up in the middle of the week? Any difference on opening day pressure?
Yooper Bob
Member
I like the end of the season,the antelope tend to be in larger groups,very little pressure,especially if you dont have time to scout and line one up because of distance. took my grandson out this year hoping I could get him a nice buck and not miss much school.He got a dandy in 1st hour totally unpressured bucks.
ShootsManyBullets
Well-known member
I go a little later and enjoy having few or no other hunters. Anytime after the first few days or first weekend is pretty quiet
Umpqua Hunter
Member
This report may help you. It is the 2013 harvest report for antelope. Check out page 49 entitled "Antelope Hunters Hunting On Opening Day". You can also find that in the earlier year's reports.
http://wgfd.wyo.gov/web2011/Departments/Hunting/pdfs/HR2013_ANTELOPE0005252.pdf
That is interesting, unit 21 had 60% nonresident hunter on opening day but my first choice unit only had a 30% nonresident hunt on opening day. I figure most residents hit it like hell on the first Friday or Saturday.
I hunted 21 last year (my first time hunting antelope) with my dad. We didn't make it out for opening day but did for the first weekend of the season. By the time we made it, most of the antelope were on private. We managed to find a few does after a couple days of searching, but was still tough to get to them since there were quite a few hunters. In the short time we saw them, 3 hunters from separate parties all shot one.
I went back for the last week of the season and had to recheck the regs to make sure it was still open. There was hardly anybody there. The goats were still mostly on private but with a bit of work I got into them. They didn't move back to public but you had no competition if they did work their way over.
IMO, your best chances are the first couple of days while they might still be there in numbers, or the last few days when everyone's gone and you have the place to yourself.
I went back for the last week of the season and had to recheck the regs to make sure it was still open. There was hardly anybody there. The goats were still mostly on private but with a bit of work I got into them. They didn't move back to public but you had no competition if they did work their way over.
IMO, your best chances are the first couple of days while they might still be there in numbers, or the last few days when everyone's gone and you have the place to yourself.
Topgun 30-06
Active member
I would probably say that overall from what I see every year that there is not that much difference when a season opens the middle of the week. Somtimes it seems like it's even been a little busier because guys have the weekend before that to drive out and then maybe a day or two to scout before the opener depending on their drive time. I think the worst is a Monday opener because they have two days to get there and then may stay the entire week and drive home the following weekend..
That makes sense. I will probably go later in the season if I draw.
LCH
Well-known member
That's kind of been my plan as well. Since I will be also trying for a muley, hopefully they will be more active later in October...
Topgun 30-06
Active member
***Usually we start seeing some better bucks coming out to check does the last week of October even though the real rut doesn't usually start for a couple weeks after that.
LCH
Well-known member
That's good to know. The only other time I've been out for mule deer, it was the 3rd week of October and saw little daytime buck movement. This year I'm thinking the very last week.
