# Wyoming Antelope (more questions)



## LanceS4803 (Mar 5, 2014)

After striking out on all my applications this year (multiple states and species), I too am also looking at antelope in WY. (My UT hunting buddy has relatives who own land in units 94 and 95.)
So, now starting to try and learn their system, which ain't easy. Here is an example of trying to figure out their different license types:
*What is the difference between a Full Price Antlerless License and a Reduced Price License?​*Price is the difference.
Well THANK YOU very much! It actually goes on to explain that one.

Questions:
Is a Non-Resident Speical license worth the extra cost in terms of possible draw odds?
And if I'm reading this right, when you apply you pay the full license amount by credit card. If unsuccessful, they refund you the amount (minus application fee) via mailed check?

Looks like it will take 4 preference points for Special and 5/6 points for Regular in units 94 or 95.


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## derekp1999 (Nov 17, 2011)

This year was my first to investigate WY and apply there...

From what I understand the Special and Full Price tags are "any antelope" tags which allow you to kill whatever you please (buck/doe/fawn). If I were to pay that price I'd be after a buck personally.
The Reduced Price Tags are specifically "doe/fawn" so they are strictly antlerless tags.

They do charge the full amount up front (and charged it quickly I might add... just a couple hours after I hit submit the charge cleared my account). I'll worry about the refund if/when that happens, if you use a debit or pre-paid card then the accrual of interest isn't an issue.


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## willfish4food (Jul 14, 2009)

I think the special vs. regular tags depends on the unit. If it's 4 points for special and 5 or 6 for regular on 94 and 95, it probably would not be worth it to me to pay the extra. But if it were say 2 for special and 6 for regular, that might make me think about it.


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## goshengrunter (May 18, 2015)

Reduced price are often either agriculture tags or leftovers in a really difficult to hunt unit.

As for the special- you need to look at draw odds for the unit and compare. For instance one unit I looked at last year had better odds in the regular draw than the special. IMO for 200 extra bucks it usually isn't worth it unless you are going for a unit with a bunch of points, even then, it isn't always a better draw.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

LanceS4803 said:


> After striking out on all my applications this year (multiple states and species), I too am also looking at antelope in WY. (My UT hunting buddy has relatives who own land in units 94 and 95.)
> So, now starting to try and learn their system, which ain't easy. *Yeah, I'm not so sure I have the Resident part figured out yet.* Here is an example of trying to figure out their different license types:
> 
> * What is the difference between a Full Price Antlerless License and a Reduced Price License?​*Price is the difference.*Price is one difference. Also the reduced price tags are the ones that don't sell on the regular draw. We use to call them "leftover" licenses....made sense to me. In 94 and 95 these tags will most likely be doe/fawn tags on irrigated land (type 7).*
> ...


I went to the Game and Fish antelope Carter Lease herd (areas 94, 98 & 100) objective meeting last night in Evanston. They had an informative presentation and I learned a lot about antelope management in southwest Wyoming, particularly how the herd management practices have changed, due to budget cuts, in the last few years. Great meeting but really sad though, only 3 hunters showed up. There was a rancher (area 94, 95 and 99), an outfitter and a SFW rep there too. The rancher wants more doe/fawn goats harvested during the front half of the season(s). I let the G&F know, and they agreed, that the buck/doe ratio was low and they should cut tag numbers...uh but they didn't agree with me on cutting any type 1 tag numbers.

So total antelope tag numbers in Southwest Wyoming will be the same as last year. There will be more type 7 tags and less type 6 tags in 94....maybe in 95 too, can't remember now. 98, and 100 tag numbers will stay the same. Again 94 will have the most tags and usually they don't sell all the type 7s in 94 and they come up as reduced priced tags. We'll see; may not happen this year as popular as the tags are and all the exposure they get on the outdoor forums and hunting magazines.

There are 2 more Carter Lease antelope herd objective meetings, one tonight in Kemmerererrerer, and again tomorrow night in Bridger Valley, but it doesn't sound like the G&F is going to change their minds on the Southwest Wyoming pronghorn tag numbers for 2015.

I've been working out in 94 and 95 this spring. What few antelope are left (relative to past years) look good. Lets hope for a successful fawn crop.

.


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## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

wyogoob said:


> I went to the Game and Fish antelope Carter Lease herd (areas 94, 98 & 100) objective meeting last night in Evanston. They had an informative presentation and I learned a lot about antelope management in southwest Wyoming, particularly how the herd management practices have changed, due to budget cuts, in the last few years. Great meeting but really sad though, only 3 hunters showed up. There was a rancher (area 94, 95 and 99), an outfitter and a SFW rep there too. The rancher wants more doe/fawn goats harvested during the front half of the season(s). I let the G&F know, and they agreed, that the buck/doe ratio was low and they should cut tag numbers...uh but they didn't agree with me on cutting any type 1 tag numbers.
> 
> Again 94 will have the most tags and usually they don't sell all the type 7s in 94 and they come up as reduced priced tags. We'll see; may not happen this year as popular as the tags are and all the exposure they get on the outdoor forums and hunting magazines.


i bet you're right. this is from last season's NR draw and the odds aren't that great.

094 6 DOE OR FAWN ANTELOPE 50 429 308 0
094 7 DOE OR FAWN ANTELOPE 165 314 172 0
095 7 DOE OR FAWN ANTELOPE 15 101 40 0

it's amazing how fast the left over tags go away when the website opens up.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

APD said:


> i bet you're right. this is from last season's NR draw and the odds aren't that great.
> 
> 094 6 DOE OR FAWN ANTELOPE 50 429 308 0
> 094 7 DOE OR FAWN ANTELOPE 165 314 172 0
> ...


The F&G biologist said "Last year the area 94 reduced price type 7s sold out in less than an hour; mostly non residents."

.


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## willfish4food (Jul 14, 2009)

wyogoob said:


> The F&G biologist said "Last year the area 94 reduced price type 7s sold out in less than an hour; mostly non residents."
> 
> .


Hunter success rate for the NR tags last year was 96% too. I checked out that unit, and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of land available. One WIA near a pivot field and some BLM land just North of Lyman near some pivot fields. I guess when you have to hunt near irrigated land, the goats are more concentrated?


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## LanceS4803 (Mar 5, 2014)

Thanks for the info Wyogoob.
Yes, I'm looking at a Type 1 license (buck). We'll have access to some good animals on the property if and when we get the licenses.
Seems like everywhere you look, it is getting tougher.

Heck, even TN just reduced the annual buck limit from 3 down to 2. (Yeah, boo hoo for those of us in the South where deer populations continue to increase.)


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## High Desert (Sep 25, 2007)

I would have thought the antelope numbers (and tag numbers) would be increasing in SW Wyoming with the milder weather over the past two years. Is that not the case? My children and I have hunted antelope in this part of Wyoming every few years over the past 8 years or so as one or the other of us has been fortunate enough to draw a tag. At least where we have hunted, the difference in numbers doesn't affect your odds of success. You may have to look a little longer or not hold out for a big buck but you should still be seeing antelope and having a good time.


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## High Desert (Sep 25, 2007)

I should also add that as I have tracked the number of points it takes draw a tag in several of these units, the number keeps increasing. The 5 -6 that it took last year might mean 7 - 8 in a few years. It is sobering to look at the number of NR hunters who have 4+ antelope points vs. the number of tags. If tag creep is occurring and you are perennially two points behind the magic number, it may make sense to pay the extra money for the "special" draw.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

willfish4food said:


> Hunter success rate for the NR tags last year was 96% too. I checked out that unit, and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of land available. One WIA near a pivot field and some BLM land just North of Lyman near some pivot fields. I guess when you have to hunt near irrigated land, the goats are more concentrated?


 Yes and no. There are a lot of antelope that live in and around the irrigated land but they'll see a lot of hunting pressure during the early part of the season and will scatter. Changing the rule from "1/2 mile from irrigated land" to "1 mile from irrigated land" helps stay on the antelope though.

It's really not complicated. You get a type 7 tag. Then call the local WY game warden and he will give you the contact(s) of where to hunt. After the opening weekend timing is important. My advice would be to plan your hunt for a week day if possible.

There are a lot of irrigated fields on the north end of area 94 along the Hams Fork, along Rt. 30. There's even a game warden that lives out there, in Opal.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

High Desert said:


> I should also add that as I have tracked the number of points it takes draw a tag in several of these units, the number keeps increasing. The 5 -6 that it took last year might mean 7 - 8 in a few years. It is sobering to look at the number of NR hunters who have 4+ antelope points vs. the number of tags. If tag creep is occurring and you are perennially two points behind the magic number, it may make sense to pay the extra money for the "special" draw.


Yep, the point creep for the regular tags is getting bad. I'm afraid sooner or later the same will happen to the Special tags. And then a couple of bad winters, or they discover the tag numbers are not sustainable, God forbid, and the number of tags is decreased. All of that will add to the point creep for Special tags substantially.

A certain percentage of NR tags are in the computer draw. That is something to look at. Antelope preference points are not offered to residents, all we have is "luck of the draw". Currently residents have a 50% chance of drawing an antelope type 1 tag in southwest WY, but it's still "luck of the draw" and some of us may go 6 years without drawing a type 1 antelope tag.

.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

High Desert said:


> I would have thought the antelope numbers (and tag numbers) would be increasing in SW Wyoming with the milder weather over the past two years. Is that not the case? The antelope herd got hit hard in the winter of 2011/2012 and tag numbers weren't reduced in line with the cuts made by Mother Nature. The herd is not rebuilding as fast as one would think; even the numbers the G&F put up at the meeting reflected that. My children and I have hunted antelope in this part of Wyoming every few years over the past 8 years or so as one or the other of us has been fortunate enough to draw a tag. At least where we have hunted, the difference in numbers doesn't affect your odds of success. You may have to look a little longer or not hold out for a big buck but you should still be seeing antelope and having a good time. Yeah, I live, play and work here and have hunted antelope here for nearly 35 years and it is easy to fill a tag. I said numbers are down "relative" to the average over the last 35 years and IMO the buck-to-doe ratio is low because they put out too many buck tags...uh...coupled with the fact that antelope are just plain dumb, haven't figured out that a 4-wheeler is a bad thing yet.
> 
> To you guys in Happy Valley it looks like the Serengeti; to me its just not as good as its been in the past. I'm spoiled I guess.
> 
> The G&F said at the meeting the other night that they are trying to keep a 30-60 antelope buck-to-doe ratio in southwest Wyoming's. Geeze, that seems like a very broad range to me.


 see red


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## LanceS4803 (Mar 5, 2014)

Good grief, you guys are depressing me! I was hoping to get away from points creep by going to WY.
I have 6 points for UT antelope now. (Was unsuccessful last year when I tried with 5, but did points only this year.) It will be interesting to see how all the new MZ units shaked out with the numbers for this year with all the new units added. Up until this year, the only choice NR muzzleloader hunters had was the Plateau unit.


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## willfish4food (Jul 14, 2009)

So, I turned in my application last night at 11:30. I didn't want to wait till the last minute so I left myself 30. 

I have a question though. I turned in two applications; both of them were for doe/fawn permits. The first and second choice was the same for both applications. My first choice was about a 50% draw last year and my second choice was 100% draw. Here's my question, is it possible to draw my first choice for one application and my second choice for the other application? or will they consider both applications together and award only the first choice or second choice for both applications? 

The areas are close enough that I can make it work either way, but both tags for the same area would be nicer.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

willfish4food said:


> So, I turned in my application last night at 11:30. I didn't want to wait till the last minute so I left myself 30.
> 
> I have a question though. I turned in two applications; both of them were for doe/fawn permits. The first and second choice was the same for both applications. My first choice was about a 50% draw last year and my second choice was 100% draw. Here's my question, is it possible to draw my first choice for one application and my second choice for the other application? Yes, actually you can draw 2 of the type 6 or type 7 first choice, or second choice, if there are tags available, if all of those tags don't sell. or will they consider both applications together and award only the first choice or second choice for both applications? no
> 
> The areas are close enough that I can make it work either way, but both tags for the same area would be nicer.



see red

good luck


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## willfish4food (Jul 14, 2009)

Thanks Goob! The next 2 1/2 weeks will not pass quickly enough! And then I'm waiting another 4 months if I draw...

Plenty of time to practice I guess.


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