# First Antelope Hunt



## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Well, I just found out I drew Wyoming Antelope. I have been building points for a long time now and finally pulled the trigger on a tag. I kind of lied in the thread title, I have had a couple doe tags. This will be my first buck tag though. We will be hunting unit 95. I am super excited for this hunt. It isn't considered a blue chip unit, but it should hold some good bucks. 

Being my first buck hunt and waiting 10 year to draw I want to make the most of it. I am not looking for spots, (unless someone has experience up there). I would like advise on Antelope hunting in general though. So any tips or advise is very welcome. Thanks, guys!


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

Did WY post draw results?


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Congrats on the tag!

I'm not a score guy, I always shoot the one I like the look of. You're in for a wonderful hunt!


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## Airborne (May 29, 2009)

Yes--Wyoming posted this morning. I drew a doe antelope tag wahoo!

I think this advice would go for any antelope unit in any state--drive around a bunch and glass glass glass. 95 is a lot of checker board and public--should be real easy to find accessible goats. The more time ya spend looking around the higher chance of getting a good one. Out of all the north American ungulates, antelope is probably the easiest to hunt. Drive, Drive, Glass, Glass. congrats on your tag!


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

0 for 3 this year. Dang. Maybe next year.


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Thanks guys, I am pretty stoked for this! I am not much of a score guy either, just hoping to find one that makes me go "Wow, that's the one!"


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

My advice is don't shoot at the first 20 bucks you see. It is often hard to tell a good goat from an average. Take the time to evaluate several before choosing one. For length, you want the horns to be 2x as tall as the ears. For width, you want the bases to be 1.5-2x the width of the eyes. Find a tall goat with mass and then evaluate the prongs. If the goat is tall and has good mass and looks like it has good prongs, you have a shooter. The smaller goats will look like they have great prongs but it is usually because they lack length or mass. My favorite optics for pronghorn is a good pair of 15x56 binoculars. Put them on a tripod and you will locate bucks you will miss with a regular pair of 8x or 10x binos. Onx is essential for you hunt as you are required to know private from public in WY. Onx will open a lot of areas you will miss without it. You need to shoot at 500 yards several times before you go. Many times you will get a goat inside of 300, but it is so open there, often you will end up taking 500 yard shots. Know what your ballistics are at 500 and practice at that range in ways you will be shooting in the field. Wy requires you to be 30' from a road, so technically, no shooting off the hood of a truck. Practice with a shooting stick as it is rare to get a prone shot due to the sage brush. Finally, don't shoot your buck within 200 yards of a private boundary. Those things will often run a bit before going down and you don't want to have to deal with F&G if your buck runs on private.


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## muleydeermaniac (Jan 17, 2008)

This is the one I shot just on the Utah side of your unit. Shoot what makes your heart race and you’ll be happy. This one did it for me.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

I think Pronghorn Antelope are the hardest of all species in NA to try and judge. I've gotten it so very very wrong so much we dont even try anymore. 

My wifes first pronghorn, we found a nice symmetrical buck tried to judge the length by using the ears, eyes, black face showing it was an older buck ... blah blah blah. She thought it looked nice and shot it. When we got up to it, it had 5" ears! It was well under what I thought it was, she was so happy though I had it mounted for her as at that point, we didnt know if we'd ever get tags to hunt antelope again.

Fast forward to my wifes last Pronghorn, we had a buck less than 100 yards from the truck standing looking at us. I thought he was a good solid buck. My wife wasnt sure, she hemmed and hawed ... for 5 minutes looking at this thing. Finally she decided she need to look at it through her scope (lol wtf?). Apparently crosshairs make it look different or something... IDK. Anywho the buck decided 5 minutes was enough and ran down pulling up 250 yards away and stood broadside again. I was looking through the spotter when the gun went off... startled me. The buck ran out of sight around a hill. We continued down the road a short bit, to see the other side of the hill and look for sign of him. There was a old 2 track road going right down to where we last saw him. We drove down and wala, he was like 10 yards from it piled up. 

That buck had the biggest head I've ever seen on a pronghorn. He had really nice horns, but the size of his head made him look more on the average side of things. He was my wifes largest by a huge margin... and she very nearly passed on it.

Do what MulieManiac said... shoot something you really like, take it home and never measure it! Be happy forever.

-DallanC


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

Congrats Raptorman! I have struck out on both bucks and does for 3 years now. WY odds are not what they used to be. Just another thing that COVID ruined…well, it put a final nail in the coffin anyway.

Antelope are my favorite animal to hunt. You can make it what you want. If you want a short hunt with an average animal, you’ll literally be done by 10am on the first morning. If you want more of a hunt, do what others have said and sift thru LOTS of animals before shooting one. That’s one of the beauties of antelope hunting - you will see animals, ALOT of animals. and it won’t be like hunting deer or elk. Much easier and forgiving IMO.

It wouldn’t hurt to make at least one scouting trip out to the unit in early Sept. If you spend a day driving and glassing from the road, you’ll have a very good idea of what to expect when the hunt opens. You can gauge what your standards should be for the hunt from there. Once you know the caliber of bucks in the unit, as has been said shoot one that makes you happy - be it an hour into the hunt or on the 3rd day.


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Thanks, guys, this is great information. I am excited to get up there and look around. I will probably work in some fishing on the Gorge while I am there as well.


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## sigboy66_2655 (7 mo ago)

Take a good spotter with you. I shot one on this unit 95 in 2015 maybe 74" big body. This was just north east of Lone Tree and North of the Henry's Fork River. I t
















Thought he was his bigger brother in the group. Be picky and scrutinize well before taking the shot. Still overall the biggest Goat I have shot to date. During the rut the dominant mails will be with their does. Check the antlers on these carefully. They get to be the dominant mail by fighting which can screw up their antlers. Seen broken prongs and such. 2019 I shot a buck on Parker Mountain (Utah) during muzzle loader season that got his ass kicked. He had some nice shaped antlers but the left prong was gone from fighting. The nicest buck set of antlers may not be the dominant male. And more does equal more eyes spotting trouble. Males get territorial during the rut and will stay in the general area and circle back around to the same spot after a while if spooked off. They have excellent eye sight. They are always easier to sneak up on while eating as their eyes are closed doing this. But they always have one in the group looking for trouble. If the hair one one goats butt stands up on end this is a warning to the other goats, you have been busted and any second they hit the after burners and are headed out of Dodge. Never skyline yourself always approach around the side of a hill or on your hands and knees below sage brush level. You look human the are gone. Get knee pads and glove for crawling there is prickly pear cactus everywhere. Have a good scope designed for shooting long range with a high magnification 12x plus. It gets harder to tell the sex the further out they are. They are not hard to hunt. Finding one you want to shoot is the biggest challenge. And as stated practicing out to 500 yards is a good idea as previously stated. I have shot pronghorn no closer than 180 (muzzle loader) yards all the way out to 660 (6.5-284) yards both bucks and does. Most between 300-400 yards. They are hearty due to the environment they live in but not tough animals usually go down easy. You don't need an uber powerful magnum to shoot them with. Sometimes curiosity gets the best of them. I was in the brush over looking a guzzler and had the 2019 buck actually challenging me. Chirping at me. He knew I was in the brush but did not know what I was as I was not standing. Could not get the shot, so I started crawling towards him with no brush hiding me. He got closer the more I crawled. When I got up off my hands to range him he would back off and disappear over the hill for a few seconds then come back. I looked more human when not on all 4's (muzzle loader hunt was camo'ed up). Guess this was natural selection as this was one dumb goat. All the others saw me or my Tacoma just left the mountain running full tilt. The more I crawled towards him, the more he came to me. Eventually I got him in range and now he is on a skull hooker in the den. Wyoming goats are much bigger bodied than Utah goats. Notice top vs bottom.


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## sigboy66_2655 (7 mo ago)

Also go scouting no more than a few weeks before opening, they do migrate but before the rut they usually hang to a specific 2 or 3 mile radius. Not bad idea to take a gps to mark the areas where you spot them.


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

I've only shot one buck antelope my whole life (in Unit 98 up the road from you). I'm assuming your hunt is in September? If so, the rut is on and the antelope are easy to spot. We didn't have much pressure and two of us tagged out on one Saturday and the third tagged out the next Saturday. I think they are possibly the most beautiful animal in North America. Their coloration is so striking and unique. They also taste delicious, in spite of what some may say. 

Glass a lot. Get within shooting range on foot, get a steady rest for your shot. Also, have a white handkerchief, t shirt, or flag ready. You can "call them in" by waving it around, use it to stop them for a shot, etc... I missed mine on the first shot and my friend waved a white cloth around, which kept the antelope staring at him and gave me a second shot.


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## sigboy66_2655 (7 mo ago)

Also Gut it and Skin it at the same time. Get the hide off and get it cooled down as quickly as possible. It is better than elk if you do this. Never had a bad tasting goat and , I have shot 7 over the years.


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Thanks, Sig and AF, great info. Thank you for sharing.


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## brisket (Mar 3, 2015)

sigboy66_2655 said:


> Also Gut it and Skin it at the same time. Get the hide off and get it cooled down as quickly as possible. It is better than elk if you do this. Never had a bad tasting goat and , I have shot 7 over the years.


+1

Have coolers full of ice waiting in the truck.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

sigboy66_2655 said:


> Also Gut it and Skin it at the same time. Get the hide off and get it cooled down as quickly as possible. It is better than elk if you do this. Never had a bad tasting goat and , I have shot 7 over the years.


20'ish In our family... not a bad one. Get'em on ice ASAP. Those cheap Igloo 150 quart coolers easily hold 2 antelope and lots of ice.

-DallanC


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## MooseMeat (Dec 27, 2017)

I’ve hunted 95 a few times. Pm me if you need some more info


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

I agree with this 100%. We had doe tags about 9 years ago here in Utah. Most of what we heard was the meat was not very good. But also it can be okay if you get it cool really fast and skinned. So we did that. Put it right on ice, very quickly and then took it home and processed it. We only kept the back straps and made the rest jerky. Those back straps were some of the best meat I have ever had. We were ticked that we didn't keep more for steaks or roasts.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Congratulations on drawing the tag! 0 for 3 WY antelope tags for me this year.

I've hunted,, fished and worked in Area 95 for over 40 years. It is managed as an antelope trophy area and the odds for drawing a buck tag odds not as good as other areas here in the southwest Wyoming part of Utah. 95 is a very large unit, some of which has good-size tracts of roadless. There are always some great area 95 bucks on private land.

Area 95 antelope numbers are relatively low and the G & F is trying to rebuild the herd.

Harvesting a 14" to 14.5" buck close to the road is pretty easy.

















Small handgun buck from 95.

It goes without saying scouting is important, and, if possible, I wouldn't waste my gas scouting until a few days before the rifle opener.


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Thanks, Goob, those are some good looking goats. I am super excited for the hunt. I have driven through 95 countless times headed to the Gorge or Uintas and have always dreamed of hunting antelope in it. So I am really looking forward to it.


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

I'll add weight to the "get it skinned and in the cooler with an hour or so" comments. If you do that, the meat will be better than elk. We've probably killed around 20 goats in our family, and my wife prefers it over everything except bighorn sheep. I agree with her too. You'd better keep some of those roasts this time!


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

+2 (or 3) to the gut and skin asap if not sooner.....for the speed goats. The ones we did that way were great. The ONE we didn't.......was terrible.
Taught us a lesson for sure.

My brother in law shot one on Wyoming one year. Had his little kids with him. He gutted it threw it in the back of the truck and drove home to Salt Lake.
Hung it and skinned it at home.
Cut, wrapped it, and put it in the freezer. A week or so later .... Got a package from the freezer, and cooked it.
Took one or two bites........went down to the freezer and threw the whole thing in the garbage can.


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Yeah, we will make sure to do that no doubt. We have a couple of those big Igloos we will have ready.


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

What would you guys say your average shot distance has been on these hunts? I will practice at 5-600 but am just curious what you guys have experienced.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

250 yards on average. Its usually windy / gusty and I do not like longer shots in wind.

My wife crawled in and shot one at 40 yards... literally crawled on hands and knees through the ants and prickly pears to see how close she could get. I posted a picture of it here somewhere. It was pretty cool watching it through the spotter 700 yards away.

PS: Found it:










-DallanC


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

I've shot them as close at 25 yards and as far as 600 yards. In all honesty, the 600 yard shot was more because I wanted to, not because I needed to.

I've shot 23 antelope since 2009 and with the exception of the one at 600, the rest have been 300 yards and in.


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

I shot my archery one at 36 yards. 
Longest shot with a rifle was just over 400. 
Would like to get one with a muzzleloader.
If I can ever get my LE muzzle elk tag.


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

Dallan nailed it. About 200-250. A few longer but still under 400. Alot under 200 too.


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## 400BULL (Nov 16, 2007)

Hi Guys, 

I’m going to somewhat Hi-Jack this Thread. 

I have two boys that have also drawn unit 95 for antelope this year. I’m planning our first scouting trip in the middle of July. This will be our first time on the unit so it is all going to be new to us. I’m going to get a hotel room for the weekend in either Green River or Rocks Springs. I’d prefer Green River just because it is closer, but the Hotels in Rock Springs look better and there seem to be more amenities in Rock Springs. Any suggestions? Just looking for a clean, cheap place to stay for the weekend.

Also, while we are in town, any recommendations on places to get a bit to eat? I’d prefer to try some of the local restaurants, then a national chain restaurant. 

When I get back in town I’ll be sure to post an update on the trip with pictures. 

Thanks in advance. 

400bull


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Nice, 400, maybe we will see you out there. PM if you would like we can compare notes or just have a contact that will be out there incase you run into issues. Good Luck!


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## DIRTYS6X6 (May 19, 2021)

Hey 400. Here's a link to an air bnb in rock springs. sometime its nice to have that at home feeling. you may need to copy and paste it.








Rock Springs WY Small Home - 2 Beds Entire Space - Houses for Rent in Rock Springs, Wyoming, United States


Entire home in Rock Springs, United States. Small In-Law House with Two Bedrooms, One Bathroom.




www.airbnb.com


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## sigboy66_2655 (7 mo ago)

*Country Cabins Inn*
21 7th St, Mountain View, WY 82939•(307) 782-7888

Stayed there for my hunt in 95. Had it booked 3 nights, shot my goat opening morning. Check out after spending one night. Owner only charged us for one night. Nice, clean and quiet.


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## 400BULL (Nov 16, 2007)

So my boy and I manage to find some time this past weekend to get out and drive through the unit. Our main goal was to just get familiar with the unit and to get an idea of what to expect. On Saturday we spent a lot of time in the southeast corner of the unit. We did not run into large numbers of antelope but we find a couple of bucks that got my boy excited. Here are a couple of pictures of the better bucks we saw. They're not great photos but you'll kind of get a feel for what we were seeing. 

















On Sunday we drove through the North-west corner. This area has a lot of oil rigs. You'll want to make sure you have a good map if you plan on hunting this area to know if you are on BLM or private. In the NW corner, we saw a lot of antelope. I'd guess we'd see close to 200 head by 10 in the morning. After 10 AM we did not see much more. I'm not sure if that was because they were not in the area or if they had bedded down making it much harder to pick them out. Most of the antelope we saw in this section of the unit were does and fawns. We did see a couple of bucks but nothing that got us excited. 

400bull


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

Hard to tell because it is straight-on, but you should be able to find that first buck all day long in the unit, so if size matters at all, I'd hold off on that type of buck. The second one looks better, but hard to tell from the photo. One thing for sure - you're going to have a great hunt!!


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## 400BULL (Nov 16, 2007)

MW,

I know that these are not the quality of antelope that can be harvested on this unit. If it were my tag, I'd hold off and wait for a bigger buck to present itself. These tags are for you boys. One just graduated from high school and the other graduated from college this year. This is my gift to them for their accumplishments. I won't let them shoot a yearling, but other than that there really is no size requirement. This hunt is more to have a good time, celebrate and to see some new country.


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

Congrats bud ! Have a great time!


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

Now you've gone and done it.........Didn't anyone tell you that antelope hunting is super addictive? Welcome to the club. My name's Ben and I'm a Lope-a-holic.-----SS


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Hey Guys, 
Just following up here. We had a fun hunt. Like everyone said, lots and lots of animals to look over. We spent most of the day Saturday getting a feel for the area and looking over a lot of goats. Sunday morning my bro in law tagged his and that night after passing this one up in the afternoon, I decided to drop the hammer. He isn't the biggest, I am sure but I am pretty confident he was the biggest we saw after looking over 40 or so bucks. Set up at 300 yards and made quick work of him. It was one of the more fun hunts I have ever done and got to spend quality time with my dad, bro-in-law, nephews. I wouldn't trade it.


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

Sweet! You guys get it done.


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## DIRTYS6X6 (May 19, 2021)

Nice job. Great looking goat


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Way2go!


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## Airborne (May 29, 2009)

Nice Goat!


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Congrats on the buck - he's gorgeous!!


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## hunting777 (May 3, 2009)

Beautiful Buck. Congrats


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## sigboy66_2655 (7 mo ago)

Gratz man, nice goat.


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Thanks everyone!


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## 400BULL (Nov 16, 2007)

Here is an update on how my boys hunts have been going.

Opening weekend only my oldest boy could go hunting. So we set our standards pretty high and headed out. We saw several hundred head of antelope over the weekend but only two that were worthy of use making a push on them. The first one we tried to make a push on was not a very big buck but both of his antlers flared out. Because of his unique shape, we gave it a try. We got to with in 300 yards of him when my boy took the shoot but just missed over his back.

The second buck we decided was worthy of an effort, we were pinned on a ridge waiting for the buck to move. We waited nearly an hour for the buck to move into an area with a better approach angle. After waiting an hour, another group of hunters drove by and saw the buck. They were in a better position to make an attempt but spooked the buck before they could get into position.

We were unable to make it the second weekend, but we had plans for all of us to go this past weekend. On Thursday night, my daughter-in-law had some medical issues come up, so my oldest boy was unable to make this trip. Seeing that my oldest boy could not make the trip we set our goals pretty high again this weekend. To start things off we headed to the area we had seen the big bucks the week before.

Much to my surprise the buck that flared out was standing no more than 100 yards from where we had seen him before. I quickly got my boy set up, gave him the range and he sent the 147 grain Hornady bullet down range smacking the big buck just behind the shoulder. A couple of fist pumps, hugs and is was time to get to work.

He may not be the biggest buck on the mountain but it is truly a trophy of a buck.

I had a great time with my boys and look forward to another weekend with my oldest boy again.


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Great looking buck - congrats!


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Cool buck, congrats!


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