unit 56 youth doe/fawn question

gburk · Sep 20, 2024

hey all, my sons have youth doe antelope tags in 56 coming up next month - question, should i be working to secure some private access, or do we have a reasonable chance at finding some on state land? Looks like there's a fair bit of accessible state land, and we won't need to look at more than about two antelope to find a couple we like... thanks!!

JFBNORTHERNHUNTER · Sep 20, 2024

We usually buy a private land owner antelope tag however the property owner did not get any tags this year because the antelope numbers are dangerously low this year. I haven’t heard or talked to anyone that hunted the first hunts and if they saw lower numbers than years before. Either way the land owners in that part of the state don’t allow hunting with out a fee.

gburk · Sep 20, 2024

I appreciate the response. I don’t mind paying a reasonable fee. That’s the first I’d heard about low numbers, every time we drive through there we see tons of em on private.
I suppose our backup plan would be to bail on these tags and go up to Wyoming for the general elk rifle opener… if the antelope numbers are bad enough I’d consider that. Otherwise planning to do this hunt and then head to Wyoming a few days late.

I’ll call the biologist and see what he has to say about it. Thanks again.

smarba · Sep 23, 2024

In my experience, unlimited private land tags have really wiped out pronghorn numbers in NE units where there is a lot of checkerboard private and smaller private ranches. I think large ranches may elect to manage their own herds for trophy quality reasonable quantity because they can make $$$, but smaller properties are more driven to make $ while they can by selling tags, because if they don't their neighbor will, so it has resulted in WAY too many pronghorn being killed. I won't name the units, but a couple in the NE that I've hunted off and on over the past handful of years we used to see 50+ bucks in a weekend of scouting; most recently we couldn't even find 50+ pronghorn of either sex in a weekend of scouting...

LKF5897 · Sep 23, 2024

smarba said:
In my experience, unlimited private land tags have really wiped out pronghorn numbers in NE units where there is a lot of checkerboard private and smaller private ranches. I think large ranches may elect to manage their own herds for trophy quality reasonable quantity because they can make $$$, but smaller properties are more driven to make $ while they can by selling tags, because if they don't their neighbor will, so it has resulted in WAY too many pronghorn being killed. I won't name the units, but a couple in the NE that I've hunted off and on over the past handful of years we used to see 50+ bucks in a weekend of scouting; most recently we couldn't even find 50+ pronghorn of either sex in a weekend of scouting...

I agree 100% down in the SE. The old system of getting assigned a ranch wasn't perfect from a hunting perspective but was way better for management of a population as a whole.

tega52 · Sep 25, 2024

WAYYYYY lower numbers in 56. Was there last weekend of August guiding a youth hunter and couldn't believe the low numbers

gburk · Sep 25, 2024

Here I was all excited to get a New Mexico rifle tag of any sort and figured we could shoot a couple does no problem

JFBNORTHERNHUNTER · Oct 2, 2024

I am sure it is still possible just will need to work harder for the kill. It is hunting after all.

gburk · Oct 3, 2024

We’re gonna try. Talked to pronghorn bio, who was very helpful, and he gave us some confidence that there are animals to hunt.

SanJuan · Oct 5, 2024

My son drew a buck tag and got his first big game kill. We also lucked into a double on a coyote that came in to get a snack as the buck was dying.

The vast majority of the goats we saw were on state land. I'm guessing those ranch tags actually have the pressure higher on the private. We did run into some yahoos that thought they could run a buck down in their side by side though.

Shoot me a PM if you would like some specifics.

gburk · Oct 5, 2024

Heck yeah that’s an awesome picture, looks like three generations represented! Interesting to hear that you saw more pressure on private. Will send you a PM. Cheers

gburk · Oct 9, 2024

based on OnX it looks like camping is a lost cause on this hunt. Which is unfortunate, I bet it would be quite pleasant.

gburk · Oct 15, 2024

We filled a tag and got into plenty of antelope.

Day 1 had a fortunate encounter with a herd crossing the road in front of us on a sliver of public land. 150 yard shot from a prone position, high shoulder and dropped her right there.

Day 2 involved some misses and learning experiences. Getting a proper rest out on the prairie proved difficult, especially with quarry that didn’t want to stick around long. A bipod would have helped- got one on order now. More practice with a countdown timer, too.

I can recommend the Eklund hotel in Clayton, lots of characters, but the restaurant was only good for dessert imo. 87 was better. Unfortunate that no camping was available but, showers are nice too.

Access was, as we expected, spotty. We ran into one locked gate on public, which humorously had a threaded link in the chain, so no harm done I guess?? I have no idea what was going on with that.

Access through private… if there were visible tire tracks through private to public, and the gate was unlocked, we used it. How to determine if something is a “road” or not? It’s always a bit disconcerting when in unfamiliar territory.

All in all, fun trip, lots of driving, would have been nice to have brought home two- but it wasn’t for lack of driving.

JFBNORTHERNHUNTER · Oct 16, 2024

FYI New Mexico is a no fence state so just because a gate is unlock doesn’t mean a thing. Count your blessing you did not get caught because that would have been bad. Some ranchers and outfitters still operate the old west way if you know what I mean.