First-timer

[xrayts]

I would like to plan a trip for pronghorns next year. I've never hunted outside of Missouri and haven't been out west since I was a kid. I'm a bowhunter at heart and don't mind to work hard for an animal. Does anyone have any advice? Would it be a little too ambitious to bowhunt the first time? I'd like to hunt a state where the bow tags are OTC. Any recommendations?

 

[Big Fin]

Archery tags for pronghorn are easy to draw in SD, MT, CO. Wyoming only has a few archery only hunts. If archery is your gig, try it on pronghorn. You will enjoy the challenge.

Best bet is probably Wyoming. Closest to MO, lots of antelope, easiest to draw tags, and lots of public land even in the eastern units. Good luck.

 

[xrayts]

Thanks for the advice. I'll definately research WY. How about west Nebraska? Many goats or public land?

 

[Big Fin]

I don't know about western NE. Never hunted it. Someone here probably has. Hopefully they will chime in.

 

[bushwcker]

Nebraska doesn't have to much public land. Alot of it is tied up by outfitters. Wyoming is your best bet..Montana aswell..

 

[xrayts]

Thanks! I appreciate the help.

 

[Dana]

xrayts: I did an OYO archery antelope hunt in NE in 2009. Tags are available OTC for nonresidents. We hunted the Oglala Natl. Grassland. It is approx 94,000 acres in size and has plenty of goats to keep you busy. The public pieces are kinda hacked up, but the road systems are very ample. Get a USFS map and check it out. We camped on the Grassland directly north of Crawford.near the SD border. Good luck.

 

[xrayts]

Did you have any close encounters? Success? Nebraska would be doable for a 3 or 4 day weekend. I'll look into that. Thanks

 

[Dana]

I did not harvest an antelope, nor even shoot at one. However I feel it was a successful hunt. It was our first time to the area. We got camp set up and scouted out several groups of animals a couple days prior to the opener. I decided to set up a ground blind over a water hole and wait out a herd that was regularly in the area. We only had a couple days to hunt, but as each day went by the herd would get closer and closer. The day before we had to leave, the herd was within 100 yards and closing when two guys got out of their car from the road and made their version of a 'stalk' on the same group! Of course the antelope ran off. I went to talk to the hunters and they said they saw my ground blind and knew that I was hunting it, but didnt care! Oh well...what are you gonna do?!? That sucked, but all in all it was a great time. I got to explore a new area, saw alot of animals, met some really nice people, had a great camp set up, and town was close enough you could easily replenish the ice supply as needed. One day we needed to do some laundy (we had been out nearly two weeks on our Sandhill safari fishing and hunting). It was a sunday morning. From inside the laundry mat I opened a door that led to a bar full of people! Only in Crawford, NE have I been able to get a cold beer, some air conditioning (it was mid Aug. and near 100 degrees), and do your laundry all at the same time...on a sunday morning!! In hindsight, I should have gotten out of the blind to attempt stalking, but felt confident enough that eventually they would come to water. Im sure they would have, but just ran out of time. My buddy had some within my bow range, but he shoots traditional only and was just out of his range. Oh well...still had a ton of fun being in antelope country!

 

[xrayts]

Sounds like fun. Thanks for the info.