Wyoming Area 15, OnXmaps question

[coleslaw]

Hey, just picked up a leftover tag for Area 15 Antelope. It is purely a "just because tag". In other words, I got it just because it was available and I will be passing by on my way to Idaho for Elk this October. Figure it will be a good learning curve for a first time Antelope hunt while I continue to build points.
Anyways, I know the access is very tough in this unit and I see that the BLM and state land is mostly very landlocked on my OnXmaps.
My question is, when you are looking at the roads on OnX, how do you decipher which ones are actual public roads vs private ranch roads? I have noticed that the roads that appear public are usually labeled with a name (like Fence Creek Road) and are given a solid line marking on the map, whereas the ones that appear private are given a intermittent/ broken line and are not named.
I know the county roads are all public, just wondering about the smaller above mentioned roads.

Also, anybody else hunt this area??

 

[icebreaker12]

Hey, just picked up a leftover tag for Area 15 Antelope. It is purely a "just because tag". In other words, I got it just because it was available and I will be passing by on my way to Idaho for Elk this October. Figure it will be a good learning curve for a first time Antelope hunt while I continue to build points.
Anyways, I know the access is very tough in this unit and I see that the BLM and state land is mostly very landlocked on my OnXmaps.
My question is, when you are looking at the roads on OnX, how do you decipher which ones are actual public roads vs private ranch roads? I have noticed that the roads that appear public are usually labeled with a name (like Fence Creek Road) and are given a solid line marking on the map, whereas the ones that appear private are given a intermittent/ broken line and are not named.
I know the county roads are all public, just wondering about the smaller above mentioned roads.

Also, anybody else hunt this area??

The road layer on onX can't really be relied on. Use the Wyoming hunt planner, it has the actual public roads on it.

 

[T Chris]

I'm in a similar situation as I'm heading out for my first Wyoming antelope hunt in a unit that has limited public land access. I've found in my research that most counties have a county road map (on line) that is more reliable, but I'm not certain if that is available in the unit you are describing. I did a search on this site and found links to maps that members here had posted with this information. It is surprising how few public roads some of these areas appear to have.

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

most counties have a county road map (on line) that is more reliable...

T Chris is correct. Check the link below out for that unit. When in doubt, contact the county commissioners office.

https://maps.greenwoodmap.com/sheri...lyrs=publand,water,corplimits,roads,ownership

 

[wytex]

County Road maps can have roads pictured that are not in fact public, they provide emergency access to private lands.
Contact the Road and Bridge Superintendent with specific questions about specific roads. Just google the county name and Road and bridge department.
Some county maps are better than other so the call or email to the superintendent works best.

 

[TOGIE]

I agree, OnX can't be fully relied upon on this. But, generally, I've found it true that the solid, whiter lines on OnX do in fact tend to be public, and dashed lines tend to be things like two tracks or non public roads, that if already on public land are fine, but cannot cross private or access public from private with.

OnX largely relies on state and county level datasets to begin with, so their data will often be just as good as what you would get from local governments anyway. Just be mindful and use common sense, that'll generally keep you out of trouble.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

This is the Sheridan County map that antelope unit 15 is located in and you'll see there are very few roads that are public and legal to travel to get to public lands on the east side of the county in unit 15.

https://maps.greenwoodmap.com/sheri...lyrs=publand,water,corplimits,roads,ownership

 

[coleslaw]

Thanks for the information guys. The Greenwood map was exactly what I needed- but Ouch, that really cut down on a lot of potential access areas. Kind of strange that so much "public land" is completely off limits at the discretion of those who own the surrounding areas. In Wisconsin, we have some landlocked public areas here and there, but they all have easements or some sort of right-of-way to get to them, usually a 5 foot wide path or something. I would almost think about knocking on doors to get permission to gain access to the BLM and State lands, but I'm almost thinking it must already be a nuisance thing for those who live out there to be badgered by guys with out of state plates. Oh well, it was an easy tag for a reason and will still be a good experience. Thanks again!

 

[huntTN]

Hey, just picked up a leftover tag for Area 15 Antelope. It is purely a "just because tag". In other words, I got it just because it was available and I will be passing by on my way to Idaho for Elk this October. Figure it will be a good learning curve for a first time Antelope hunt while I continue to build points.
Anyways, I know the access is very tough in this unit and I see that the BLM and state land is mostly very landlocked on my OnXmaps.
My question is, when you are looking at the roads on OnX, how do you decipher which ones are actual public roads vs private ranch roads? I have noticed that the roads that appear public are usually labeled with a name (like Fence Creek Road) and are given a solid line marking on the map, whereas the ones that appear private are given a intermittent/ broken line and are not named.
I know the county roads are all public, just wondering about the smaller above mentioned roads.

Also, anybody else hunt this area??

Was fence creek road public or private.