A while back I started a couple threads looking for more information and advice on hunting Pronghorn Antelopes in Wyoming, I was hoping to fulfill a dream of mine that I'd had for years; a solo DIY Pronghorn Antelope hunt in Wyoming on Public Land. I had done my research and found the units to apply in with no preference points. I was warned about the unit I drew tags in, being hard to hunt and that it had very limited access to public land.
Over the summer, I started gathering information on the area, using OnX (great tool) and by going on several american forums. I knew it wouldn't be necessarily easy and that finding a trophy on public land in that area would be VERY hard. Regardless, I gathered all my gear and made the drive down to Wyoming. Driving through Montana and Wyoming, I was amazed at the Antelope numbers, they were simply everywhere. I arrived to Wyoming late on my first day, into a bad snowstorm.
I had checked the weather forecast and was expecting bad weather/snowstorms for most of my trip. My first couple days on the ground were pretty rough. Bad weather, storms, rain, sleet, snow, fog, etc. I covered most of the unit I drew in and realized just how little access to public land there actually was. For instance, I would drive 6 km down a road, with a huge chunk of public land 7 km away, only to find out the last km would be private. That unit had no shortage of public land, thousands of acres, finding access was the problem. Massive parcels of public land, landlocked by private properties. Simply put, I was getting frustrated and Wyoming was kicking my ass. The third day was no different but I stuck to the good parcels of public lands that I had found I could easily access. I had found great spots but the weather was definitely not cooperating. That day, I missed what should've been an easy shot at an Antelope, no one to blame but myself. After missing that goat, I moved on to a different spot and found hundreds of goats. They were surrounding a parcel of public land (which had become the norm), I stalked them as close as I could and waited for hours for them to cross onto public land, I had noticed that goats wouldn't jump fences like deer and that they were pretty picky on where they crossed. This parcel was open, no fences between public and private, nothing but a trail to cordon it off. I figured a few of them would most likely cross back into public as there was nothing between me and them. Well I was wrong, Wyoming goats are extremely smart, they will literally stay on the private (safe) side, you will be on a parcel of public land, surrounded by private properties with hundreds of them on the safe side.
That night, with a pep talk from my wife and some delicious BBQ/buck a beer in my belly, I went to bed confidant the next day would be different. I woke up to cold but clear weather, I drove to my first spot and spotted fifty or so of them. I started getting close and got busted by a doe that I had no seen, the whole herd ran away. I figured I'd go to a different spot and come back later to see where those goats were. I drove to where I had missed one the day before. I walked the edge of a fence line adjacent to a private property where a few dozen goats were. I figured there had to be a spot in the fence where they crossed and I found just that. I set up down wind, overlooking the crossing point. Slowly but surely, the herd made its way to this break in the fence. A few does started crossing and I could see some good bucks in the back of the pack waiting for their turn. Out of nowhere, an oil company truck drives up a trail and spooks them all and it's game over, by the time I see the truck, the goats are three counties away. I start walking back to my truck, stopping at a vantage point to glass but nothing. On my way back to my truck, walking in the road, I see a buck, 20 or so yards away from where I had missed one the day before. He sees me and slowly trots away. I stay put and wait to see where he's headed (can't shoot at game between the fences of a road that is fenced on both sides). He's eventually 400m away and that's when I make my move, crawling/moving through the tall sage bush. He finally crosses over a hill and that's when I dropped my pack and started running to make up the distance I had lost. At that point there probably was 600m and a hill between us. By the time I crawled to the top of the hill, I ranged him at 315m. I set up to take my shot, let my 25-06 bark and down he went.
Overall, it was a great experience and I will definitely go back next year. I took this year's trip as a recce, I had low expectations and was not looking for anything huge. I came back home with great meat, my first antelope and a big ass smile on my face. Got back in time to Saskatchewan to fill my archery mule deer tag and now onto whitetail. Time well wasted!
Over the summer, I started gathering information on the area, using OnX (great tool) and by going on several american forums. I knew it wouldn't be necessarily easy and that finding a trophy on public land in that area would be VERY hard. Regardless, I gathered all my gear and made the drive down to Wyoming. Driving through Montana and Wyoming, I was amazed at the Antelope numbers, they were simply everywhere. I arrived to Wyoming late on my first day, into a bad snowstorm.
I had checked the weather forecast and was expecting bad weather/snowstorms for most of my trip. My first couple days on the ground were pretty rough. Bad weather, storms, rain, sleet, snow, fog, etc. I covered most of the unit I drew in and realized just how little access to public land there actually was. For instance, I would drive 6 km down a road, with a huge chunk of public land 7 km away, only to find out the last km would be private. That unit had no shortage of public land, thousands of acres, finding access was the problem. Massive parcels of public land, landlocked by private properties. Simply put, I was getting frustrated and Wyoming was kicking my ass. The third day was no different but I stuck to the good parcels of public lands that I had found I could easily access. I had found great spots but the weather was definitely not cooperating. That day, I missed what should've been an easy shot at an Antelope, no one to blame but myself. After missing that goat, I moved on to a different spot and found hundreds of goats. They were surrounding a parcel of public land (which had become the norm), I stalked them as close as I could and waited for hours for them to cross onto public land, I had noticed that goats wouldn't jump fences like deer and that they were pretty picky on where they crossed. This parcel was open, no fences between public and private, nothing but a trail to cordon it off. I figured a few of them would most likely cross back into public as there was nothing between me and them. Well I was wrong, Wyoming goats are extremely smart, they will literally stay on the private (safe) side, you will be on a parcel of public land, surrounded by private properties with hundreds of them on the safe side.
That night, with a pep talk from my wife and some delicious BBQ/buck a beer in my belly, I went to bed confidant the next day would be different. I woke up to cold but clear weather, I drove to my first spot and spotted fifty or so of them. I started getting close and got busted by a doe that I had no seen, the whole herd ran away. I figured I'd go to a different spot and come back later to see where those goats were. I drove to where I had missed one the day before. I walked the edge of a fence line adjacent to a private property where a few dozen goats were. I figured there had to be a spot in the fence where they crossed and I found just that. I set up down wind, overlooking the crossing point. Slowly but surely, the herd made its way to this break in the fence. A few does started crossing and I could see some good bucks in the back of the pack waiting for their turn. Out of nowhere, an oil company truck drives up a trail and spooks them all and it's game over, by the time I see the truck, the goats are three counties away. I start walking back to my truck, stopping at a vantage point to glass but nothing. On my way back to my truck, walking in the road, I see a buck, 20 or so yards away from where I had missed one the day before. He sees me and slowly trots away. I stay put and wait to see where he's headed (can't shoot at game between the fences of a road that is fenced on both sides). He's eventually 400m away and that's when I make my move, crawling/moving through the tall sage bush. He finally crosses over a hill and that's when I dropped my pack and started running to make up the distance I had lost. At that point there probably was 600m and a hill between us. By the time I crawled to the top of the hill, I ranged him at 315m. I set up to take my shot, let my 25-06 bark and down he went.
Overall, it was a great experience and I will definitely go back next year. I took this year's trip as a recce, I had low expectations and was not looking for anything huge. I came back home with great meat, my first antelope and a big ass smile on my face. Got back in time to Saskatchewan to fill my archery mule deer tag and now onto whitetail. Time well wasted!
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