Headed to Wyoming, looking for advice!!!!

[Gomer Pyle]

Hey friends.

I was wondering if anyone could help me out, give some advice, and possibly point us in the right direction?

My friend and I just booked our first trip out to Wyoming from Pennsylvania for antelope and drew tags in unit 003-1, and couldn't be more pumped

Not the greatest draw I am assuming, but we're there to have fun and bring home some coolers, not trophy hunt.

I am getting a little concerned as it appears that there is no walk-in access listed on the WGFD website, and we've never been to Wyoming:

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Hunting/Hunt-Pl...g/Antelope-Map

It seems there is plenty of BLM and state land available to hunt, but I am not 100% sure how to read the maps, and don't want to piss off any land owners.

Additionally, is the "Bankhead Jones" land fair game? Any good BLM access points?

Could any of you help me out, point me in the right direction, or offer suggestions?

Any good camping spots?

Thanks so much in advance!

Gomer

 

[406LIFE]

If you have not bought OnXmaps yet, I recommend you do so. Many of your questions can be answered just by studying the maps of your unit. Usually you pick the unit, then apply for the tags. In your case, you're locked in so it makes it easier on where you will be going. Then if you search the forums, you'll find lots of good general info. Contact biolgists, study google maps, contact Fish and game etc.

 

[WapitiBob]

Plenty of BLM???

Go here and use the map viewer to see the county roads.
edit, guess I should have included the map link..

 

[Flatrock]

Welcome!

I haven't personally been to unit 3 but looking at the maps, there definitely isn't a whole lot of public. You'll just have to drive around and check out all the public pieces and see if there are any antelope there. I wouldn't be too picky on bucks and would probably shoot the first one I saw with how little public there is.

Here's a link to the Crook County public road map. http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/v...68&extent=-105.8417,43.7081,-103.1583,45.2908
It is a good map as it shows the public roads that you can legally access and also overlays the public lands. If a public road doesn't border or cut through the public land, you cannot legally access it. If you spend much time looking, you'll find out that there is a ton of public land out west that you can't legally access (millions of acres).

Here is a link that shows which BLM maps you'll need for your hunt. https://www.blm.gov/media/public-room/wyoming
Go to the bottom and click on the WY antelope hunt area map. Looks like you'll for sure need the Sundance map and maybe the Devil's Tower as well. The phone number you'll need to call to order those maps is on that first page.

Also, since you're coming all the way from PA, it might be worth it to pick up a couple more doe tags as well. Unit 3 still has some leftover so you could get some extra meat to take back for only $34 I think for each tag. You can buy 2 doe tags each I believe.

 

[HONEYBADGER]

Looks like the area around Keyhole reservoir is accessible and I would assume there would be antelope around but I havent personally been there so I cant be sure. I would start there were it me. Not a lot of land to hunt, I wouldnt be too picky.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

The maps were made when the reservoir was low. At full pool there's not near as much land as it appears on the maps. Very tough unit.

 

[deer_shooter]

I've not hunted this particular unit but after taking a quick peek, it looks like it will be a bit of a challenge. That said, as noted above, the onxmap chip is a necessity. I would suspect the public land around the reservoir will get pummeled the first week or so. If it were my tag, there is a square mile of state ground in the northern part of the unit with what appears to be a small public road running thought the top of it and a small body of water in the bottom corner. Following the interactive map on the G&F website, you should be able to find it, PM me if not. I would check this spot frequently. Id also get a unit map from Mytopo.com and look for ways to get into the small bits of BLM on the north and west side of the unit. The BLM office may be able to help if you call and there should be a map of public roads in that county, I just don't know how to find that. I'd also place a call or to the closest chamber of commerce for a list of landowners who offer trespass hunts as a last resort.

 

[OhBoneCollector]

Don't be afraid to knock on some doors and ask for permission. Eventually someone will say yes. Remember to be courteous and thank them for their time even when they say no.

 

[Dr. Vette]

You can use this to find public land:

http://gis.statelands.wyo.gov/GIS/OSLIGIS/StateLandAccess/

Be sure to go to the Layers logo (looks like stacked plates) and click on the BLM and Antelope Hunt area options.

It shows public land, and the land that is NOT accessible but still public is in red. Nice to use your computer for this and see it on the big screen.

 

[NoWiser]

Ufda. That's going to be challenging. I wouldn't drive from Pennsylvania to that unit without having some permission lined up. Good luck!

 

[Flatrock]

Wow, access in that unit is so bad that there are still buck tags available... If I were you, I would definitely try and get some access lined up on private land or at least knock on some doors like OBC said.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

I sure can't disagree with the last two posts, as there is very little public land in that unit that is legally accessible. If he can't get permission on some private places, he's going to have to see which roads do hit the little bits of public land, drive to them and either walk them or glass them from the vehicle to see as much of it as possible to save time. A GPS with a landowner chip is an obvious necessity for that unit and I hope he has more than a couple days to move around the unit because it will take some time covering the unit doing that and I would be mobile and not set up a permanent camp to have to drive back to every night.

 

[Chad E]

After a few years of building points in Wyoming I decided to take the plunge and actually go hunt last year (2016). Being unsure if I wanted to burn points or not I ended up putting in for a really tough unit first choice and easier to draw units as back ups so we could still go hunting. Long story short my dad and I drew unit 3 tags and set off on our first pronghorn adventure. That unit is brutal when it comes to public land and especially accessible public land. Without a map chip from Onx I wouldn't even think about hunting it. We arrived in the unit mid morning middle of the first week of the season and spent the rest of the day driving the whole unit looking for access to public lands that I had studied from home. We saw lots of pronghorn but again the public land accessibility was really tough. That being said even with extremely limited areas(in my humble opinion there is really only four or five locations in that whole unit to safely hunt public lands and shoot an animal) I killed a buck I was super happy with the next morning and my dad killed one the second day. We also filled two doe tags all on public lands. For being a brutal unit we had an absolute blast and are hooked on pronghorn hunting now. Go in with the expectation of having a great adventure and filling a tag secondary and you will have a great time. Feel free to send me a PM I would be happy to point you in the direction of the areas we had success.

 

[Tylerm]

I would give the Biologist for the unit a call and tell him what your goals for the hunt are. They may be able to point you towards landowners that would be willing to let you hunt or possibly pay a small trespass fee. If you can find the right landowner most people aren't that attached to antelope in Wyoming in my opinions it is one of the easier animals to get access to hunt. But that being said do as much homework now with your OnX map before you make the drive.

Have a great hunt and let us know how it goes.

 

[Wjesswheel]

Onx maps, big help with possible access roads. They used to have a 7 free trial do a search and try it out