2024 Wyoming Antelope Draw Success! Yes!

[conibear]

1. Applicant after the winter of 2022: "I might just throw my doe tag away if I draw one, the Wyoming antelope herds are in bad shape. WGF should take a pause from doe tags."
2. Same applicant in 2024: "Our group drew 8 doe tags! Gonna be a meat haul back to (state of your choice) with these new Yeti coolers bursting with pronghorn venison! GOD DAMN YES!!"

 

[Caseknife]

Made me go check, don't think it has happened yet. Still have my fingers crossed.

 

[gwhunter]

Kinda cruel to post that title less than 12 hours from when the results could come out...

 

[BuzzH]

I put in for doe pronghorn tags and if I draw them, they're going straight in the trash.

 

[seeth07]

Just to be devils advocate and to ask a serious question: do you both really not trust your wildlife biologists and decision makers on season settings/quotas that much that you are willing to spend whatever resident cost it was to get those tags to toss them away?

 

[gwhunter]

Just to be devils advocate and to ask a serious question: do you both really not trust your wildlife biologists and decision makers on season settings/quotas that much that you are willing to spend whatever resident cost it was to get those tags to toss them away?

I was thinking the same thing but I think we had this same discussion last year around this time. Just couldn't remember which thread it was in.

 

[perma]

same, two doe apps out there, I'll draw them both, and they'll go in the bin, go shoot whitetail does if you want venison that badly

Make that 3.

 

[Forkyfinder]

Just to be devils advocate and to ask a serious question: do you both really not trust your wildlife biologists and decision makers on season settings/quotas that much that you are willing to spend whatever resident cost it was to get those tags to toss them away?

Eh - ive bought a doe, cow, ant doe tag most years and choose to not fill them.

No - I dont trust MTs methods to set population objectives for the area or tags. The resident cost for those tags is less than what ill spend on sweets and jerky on 2 good hunting trips.

I wish they were 10x the price for R and more for NR.

 

[seeth07]

To be fair in this discussion, I personally get 2 doe tags a year with my license purchase and with those tags we need to select a county and private/public for them. I have zero intentions of shooting a doe on my dirt so I pick public and my county every single time. This in theory ever so slightly makes it better for the diy public land hunter in my county.

 

[Nick87]

Just to be devils advocate and to ask a serious question: do you both really not trust your wildlife biologists and decision makers on season settings/quotas that much that you are willing to spend whatever resident cost it was to get those tags to toss them away?

Speaking for home. No definitely not, not for a second.

 

[BuzzH]

Just to be devils advocate and to ask a serious question: do you both really not trust your wildlife biologists and decision makers on season settings/quotas that much that you are willing to spend whatever resident cost it was to get those tags to toss them away?

I don't trust the current GF leadership at all, and if you saw the absolute shit pronghorn numbers you'd be doing the same thing. I've never seen things this bad in the 24 years I've lived here.

There should be significantly less doe tags issued in every hunting unit in Wyoming. If they won't manage correctly, I'll do whatever I can to save pronghorn in the areas I hunt.

 

[BuzzH]

we live here, we saw the aftermath of that winter - the drive from Laramie to Evanston was shocking

...and GF leadership (not the biologists or wardens) is motive-based and horrible.

Its statewide...if you want to see something shocking with pronghorn look at the quotas from the 1980's to now.

Areas going from 1200-2000+ tags to 50-75 tags.

That's unacceptable.

 

[Weimer]

A couple things, Antelope hunting is just about the easiest western hunt. Influencers pumped the hell out of it and now everyone wants to do it. Maybe reach out to these people making a living on the backs of these animals and ask them to stop making how to apply, how to glass, my antelope packing list, 100 way to cook antelope, and how to be a better antelope hunter videos.
I doubt any of you complaining about someone shooting does are going to do that now are you?
Just because they do it for profit doesn’t mean that I can’t go hunt for the delicious antelope meat that I now know 101 ways to prepare.

Secondly, Wyoming is constantly threatening NR’s with 90-10 on DEA, it truly gross. So if I draw 4 doe tags why wouldn’t I go hunt? So residents can shoot 8 does in a couple years when they bounce back and 90-10 in in place. WG&F issued the damn things, go hunt and enjoy yourself!

 

[Dan-06]

Anyone planning to hunt area 72?? I have driven across it in all directions lately.. very very few fawns compared to previous years.

 

[manitou1]

Just to be devils advocate and to ask a serious question: do you both really not trust your wildlife biologists and decision makers on season settings/quotas that much that you are willing to spend whatever resident cost it was to get those tags to toss them away?

Yup.
It's all about $ with the state... not conservation.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

I got a doe tag this year and plan to fill it.

 

[LCH]

I went on my first antelope hunt about 12 years ago. Just a small fraction of the experience of many here, but still enough to see plenty of changes in populations, tag quotas, draw odds, etc.

When I first started planning these hunts, I don’t know how many references I heard made to “prairie maggots”. Still to this day, many will shoot a truckload of antelope in the course of a day, driving around with whole carcasses, often not even field dressed. Then the narrative of pronghorn meat being borderline inedible is further perpetuated.

Of all the commonly hunted big game species, pronghorn have by far been given the least amount of respect and their value neglected.

Just some observations from a thousand miles away.

 

[Nick87]

I went on my first antelope hunt about 12 years ago. Just a small fraction of the experience of many here, but still enough to see plenty of changes in populations, tag quotas, draw odds, etc.

When I first started planning these hunts, I don’t know how many references I heard made to “prairie maggots”. Still to this day, many will shoot a truckload of antelope in the course of a day, driving around with whole carcasses, often not even field dressed. Then the narrative of pronghorn meat being borderline inedible is further perpetuated.

Of all the commonly hunted big game species, pronghorn have by far been given the least amount of respect and their value neglected.

Just some observations from a thousand miles away.

Sure hope they rebound well. Sure is a fun hunt and a super cool animal especially fir those of us out this way.

 

[BKerchak]

Second year in a row I didn’t draw a non-resident tag. So I’m pushing my hunt back to 2025 and hopefully draw next year. I will be hunting in the NE Blackhills area where I hunted deer last year. Needless to say I am disappointed but it gives the herd another year to rebound and bucks to get bigger!

 

[kyledoskocil]

That’ll be a good time, good luck!