dannyb278
Active member
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2015
- Messages
- 571
Greetings everyone! I've found my way to this form via Randy's excellent Hunt Talk Podcast. Up until this year, my big game hunting has been largely confined to the 1/2 section my family owns in southern Minnesota. Great whitetail and turkey country. This year, after spending the last 7 years working "out west" as a Forest Service employee and surveyor on energy projects for the private sector, I've finally decided to make time for my 1st (of hopefully many) western hunts. I put in for Wyoming Elk but wasn't drawn (PP for next year, fingers crossed).
With elk hunting with my buddies near Sheridan, no longer an option, I decided that Wyoming pronghorn rifle hunt would be a good place to start. I am fairly familiar with the state and figured my dad and I would have a chance of getting drawn in a decent (not trophy) rated unit, even though we had no preference points. We applied as a group for Units 9, 7, and 8 but failed to draw, but now have points for next year. We decided to pick up some leftover tags for Unit 24.
To save a bunch of you some time, I am fully aware that this unit has less public land than many of the higher caliber units, hence the left over tags. However, a review of both the BLM paper maps and the onX hunt gps data that I downloaded show a fair amount of state and blm land (compared to public land in Minnesota) as well as a small portion of the Thunder Basin NG. Some areas might be tied up behind private land, but I cant imagine that we wont be able to get on some goats with that amount of state land available. We are not looking for monster bucks, just good representatives of the species.
Right now the plan is to hunt public land, no guides. I might call some landowner to see if we can get on private for less than 200.00 though. With a 90 percent success rate, and no need for a record buck, I don't really want to pay an extra 500-1000.00 for private land access. We are just hoping to get on some goats and maybe do a little scouting for next year in a different area.
Would any of you have any advice for Unit 24?
Thanks in advance, I appreciate the time.
With elk hunting with my buddies near Sheridan, no longer an option, I decided that Wyoming pronghorn rifle hunt would be a good place to start. I am fairly familiar with the state and figured my dad and I would have a chance of getting drawn in a decent (not trophy) rated unit, even though we had no preference points. We applied as a group for Units 9, 7, and 8 but failed to draw, but now have points for next year. We decided to pick up some leftover tags for Unit 24.
To save a bunch of you some time, I am fully aware that this unit has less public land than many of the higher caliber units, hence the left over tags. However, a review of both the BLM paper maps and the onX hunt gps data that I downloaded show a fair amount of state and blm land (compared to public land in Minnesota) as well as a small portion of the Thunder Basin NG. Some areas might be tied up behind private land, but I cant imagine that we wont be able to get on some goats with that amount of state land available. We are not looking for monster bucks, just good representatives of the species.
Right now the plan is to hunt public land, no guides. I might call some landowner to see if we can get on private for less than 200.00 though. With a 90 percent success rate, and no need for a record buck, I don't really want to pay an extra 500-1000.00 for private land access. We are just hoping to get on some goats and maybe do a little scouting for next year in a different area.
Would any of you have any advice for Unit 24?
Thanks in advance, I appreciate the time.
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