I added on a pronghorn tag to my Wyoming elk hunt based on the late draw results of the Montana antelope draw. Based on the number of tags, I figured this would be a perfect "typical" western antelope hunt and decided to have my kids (6yo son, 8yo daughter) experience it as their first western hunt and hope to hook them young on joining dad on his western hunting trips. So they hopped on a plane in Detroit in the wee hours of the morning and I picked them up in Bozeman after leaving my cow elk hunt in the Wyoming Range.
We have been hunting two and a half days and have seen exactly 5 pronghorn on property available to us to hunt. (We have actually only seen about 3 dozen pronghorn the entire trip, including the drive from the airport to Ekalaka). We have hunted BLM, type 1 AND type 2 BMA. The Type 2 we hunted today the local BMA rep we talked to said we were on the best ranch in the area. Zero pronghorn all day.
The kids(and mom) have been absolute troopers, checking over "one more ridge" with smiles on their faces. Their longest single-trek was today that was 2.5 miles round trip. My daughter has a journal she has to keep for school and today's entry was "we were all disappointed with zero pronghorn today"
The majority of our time has been spent in 705 since they also offered the extra doe tags there (I have 1) so I assumed the population must be highest there. Yesterday we went south, almost to the Wyoming line and checked all the type 1 block management and all the accessible BLM south of Ekalaka. Today was spent on the north of town in one of the larger type 2s.
I guess what I'm asking is for anyone familiar with the area to shoot me a DM if you are so inclined. My only assumption is that with this many tags issued, I must just be missing the pockets that hold the most goats. While pulling into the BMA area this morning, we chatted with a FWP officer who pulled in behind us to check my tags and even he said we were in a good spot/BMA. But we saw nothing for goats all day, both on and off the BMA.
Thanks for reading the long post and thanks for the help. If I don't hear anything, we will probably hit up the areas a little closer to 94/Yellowstone River. We have the 700 south tag.
We have been hunting two and a half days and have seen exactly 5 pronghorn on property available to us to hunt. (We have actually only seen about 3 dozen pronghorn the entire trip, including the drive from the airport to Ekalaka). We have hunted BLM, type 1 AND type 2 BMA. The Type 2 we hunted today the local BMA rep we talked to said we were on the best ranch in the area. Zero pronghorn all day.
The kids(and mom) have been absolute troopers, checking over "one more ridge" with smiles on their faces. Their longest single-trek was today that was 2.5 miles round trip. My daughter has a journal she has to keep for school and today's entry was "we were all disappointed with zero pronghorn today"
The majority of our time has been spent in 705 since they also offered the extra doe tags there (I have 1) so I assumed the population must be highest there. Yesterday we went south, almost to the Wyoming line and checked all the type 1 block management and all the accessible BLM south of Ekalaka. Today was spent on the north of town in one of the larger type 2s.
I guess what I'm asking is for anyone familiar with the area to shoot me a DM if you are so inclined. My only assumption is that with this many tags issued, I must just be missing the pockets that hold the most goats. While pulling into the BMA area this morning, we chatted with a FWP officer who pulled in behind us to check my tags and even he said we were in a good spot/BMA. But we saw nothing for goats all day, both on and off the BMA.
Thanks for reading the long post and thanks for the help. If I don't hear anything, we will probably hit up the areas a little closer to 94/Yellowstone River. We have the 700 south tag.
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