Antelope unit 90-2

[sniper14]

My son drew this unit and he is exited to have a chance to connect on his first big game animal. We are from out of state and were wondering if there is any places to stay in a hotel that are in the hunting unit. We could bring out a trailer but it would probably be as much in gas as it would be to rent a hotel. Just wondering what options we have. Also any advice on where not to look for antelope would be nice, and also what time is best to get out. It is a big unit and we don't want to waste to much time in the wrong area, and with it being a month long hunt with probably only one chance to get out to the unit we would like to go at the right time. Sorry for the long message but just want to give him a good hunting experience. Thanks in advance!

 

[TOPGUN]

Any time you can make it is a good time to hunt antelope! You need to figure on camping out in the unit, as there are only a couple of towns to the west of it that aren't even in the unit. Plan on staying as mobile as possible and have plenty of extra food, gas, and water or you'll be driving hundreds of extra miles to get anything important that you might need. Also, if it gets wet you'll want to have at least one set and preferably two sets to chain all 4 wheels of a 4x4 to have any chance of getting around.

 

[mulecreek]

Pinedale, Big Piney and Labarge all have motels. Pinedale has more options. Antelope all over. Wont have any trouble finding them. If it was mea I would wait until after the first week. Most people will be gone, Antelope will be a little more educated all of which equals a more enjoyable hunt. Good luck.

 

[TOPGUN]

>Pinedale, Big Piney and Labarge all
>have motels. Pinedale has
>more options. Antelope all
>over. Wont have any
>trouble finding them. If
>it was mea I would
>wait until after the first
>week. Most people will
>be gone, Antelope will be
>a little more educated all
>of which equals a more
>enjoyable hunt. Good luck.
>

Yep, those are the towns I was referring to, but I prefer camping out in the hunt area, rather than driving a lot of miles back and forth every day. To each his own depending on how you want to do it.

 

[nripepi]

I would stay in Pinedale if it were me, some nice small cabins there and also a few hotels. Great small Wyoming town, I would go check out the lake if you have time.

 

[wyohighcountry]

Stay in Pinedale or Farson and hunt that side of the unit. I have hunted there quite a bit and a majority of the animals will be on the east side. You will have no problem finding lots of animals

 

[sniper14]

For all those who have responded so far thank you so much for your responses. What quality of bucks on average can I expect to see on this unit?

 

[sniper14]

What lake would be good to check out if we have time? Is there fishing in that lake?

 

[nripepi]

A good representative buck is mid 70s and you should see a few daily, but there are definitely a number in the upper 70s in there.

 

[kilowatt]

Just west of Farson is this sign along that highway heading west.

Brian
http://i44.tinypic.com/es7x8z.jpg[/IMG]

 

[sniper14]

So I finally got a map of the unit and I'm trying to figure out the best way to scout the area as it is very large. Would you drive up 191 and just try and spot some from the main road and then get out and glass or is it better to take a razor on some of the dirt roads. I guess I'm just wondering where to start. We are thinking of getting a hotel in La Barge.

 

[kilowatt]

There is a good motel in La Barge and it is called the Wyoming Inn
129 W. Birch Creek Dr.
307-386-2654

Close's Meat Cutter is up in Pinedale and that is Neal Nelson @ Noble Flying U Ranch
11 mi n/o Pinedale @ Rd.352 & Cora Rd.
307-231-1596

Never hunted out there or been out in there either, get a good map or have a GPS w/ WYO Chip.

Brian
http://i44.tinypic.com/es7x8z.jpg[/IMG]

 

[mulecreek]

LAST EDITED ON Jul-18-16 AT 09:19AM (MST)[p]Not sure you will need the razr. Lots of oil field roads that are well maintained. A truck should be fine. Your plan of going up 191 is fine. Also take 351 across the unit. Then branch off on the established two tracks. Not much to worry about with private unless you want to hunt the east side of 191 around Pinedale. In my earlier response I did not notice that you have a type 2 tag. The antelope will be plenty educated by the time your season starts so disregard my earlier post about waiting until week 2. You are going to easily see a lot of antelope so enjoy your scouting and just get a feel for the main routes.

There is also a meat cutter that runs out of Daniel Jct. They have a refrigerated semi trailer that they put out at the storage lot. Cant remember the name but we took a friends buck there last year and they had it turned around is very short order. There are also cabins and a new restaurant, "The Den" at Daniel Jct. Ate there last weekend, it was good.

 

[sniper14]

So my boy just got his tag and I am so confused right now. According to the Wyoming hunting website, tag 90-2 is a tag that allows you to hunt west of highway 191 and 90-1 is a tag that allows you to hunt east of highway 191 both hunts starting at the same time, September 10. In the book that was sent with my boys tag, unit 90 is just one big unit not divided into 2 smaller units, and indicated by your post 90-2 may be a hunt that starts later. Does anyone know the answer to this question or is there someone I can call that would have an answer. I would hate to be hunting the wrong time or in the wrong unit.

 

[nripepi]

LAST EDITED ON Jul-19-16 AT 00:08AM (MST)[p]Both tags are Sept. 10 - Oct. 31. The 90-2 tag is west of 191, while the 90-1 tag is east of 191. They basically took one unit and split it in two. I would stay in Pinedale on both tags and hunt out of a truck or honda civic!

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Regulations#Big-Game

Have fun, it should be a great hunt. A decent bit of oil development around there.

Any time you can make it should be good. I think I would go early October.

 

[mulecreek]

>So my boy just got his
>tag and I am so
>confused right now. According to
>the Wyoming hunting website, tag
>90-2 is a tag that
>allows you to hunt west
>of highway 191 and 90-1
>is a tag that allows
>you to hunt east of
>highway 191 both hunts starting
>at the same time, September
>10. In the book that
>was sent with my boys
>tag, unit 90 is just
>one big unit not divided
>into 2 smaller units, and
>indicated by your post 90-2
>may be a hunt that
>starts later. Does anyone
>know the answer to this
>question or is there someone
>I can call that would
>have an answer. I would
>hate to be hunting the
>wrong time or in the
>wrong unit.

I would go by what the book says and not me. Any type 2 tags that I have had for other units had latter start dates than type 1 so I just assumed the same for your tag. It appears I was wrong.

 

[TOPGUN]

nripepi is correct. The G&F uses the Type 2 tag for more than just starting dates. You need to look right in the Regulations to see what a tag is good for. In this case the dates for the 1 and 2 are the same, but each Type is only good for one part of the unit. Sometimes the Type has a different starting or ending date, while sometimes it is only good for private land or land within a certain distance of irrigated crops. The Regulations on the website or in the pamphlet they send with a person's license is very definitive of what is legal for each tag.

 

[jm77]

Don't go by the pamphlet in this case, there is a misprint.

 

[sniper14]

So I called the fishing game and it looks like there was a typo in the regulation book. License 90?2 is west of 191 while license 90?1 is east of 191. He told me I'd be receiving in the mail a new packet containing the exact unit boundaries because of a typo in the regulation book.
So I've been hearing that most of the antelope are East of 191 are we still going to have an enjoyable hunt with the unit being west Highway 191. Are the antelope just as plentiful and big on the west side as they are on the east side of highway 191?

 

[nontypical]

The only way you won't find antelope is if you're blind in one eye and can't see out of the other.

 

[sniper14]

>The only way you won't find
>antelope is if you're blind
>in one eye and can't
>see out of the other.
>

Lol. I hope that's the case

 

[mulecreek]

>The only way you won't find
>antelope is if you're blind
>in one eye and can't
>see out of the other.
>
Sniper,
I don't know much but I do know this is a 100% true statement. Don't over think your tag. You are going to have a great hunt. You will see plenty of antelope even if your tag was only valid for the 191 barrow ditch. Good luck and have fun.

 

[Blank]

The nice thing about antelope and highways is they were born to congregate along them, and run across in front of your vehicle. Highway 191 is no different and you will see lots of rutting bucks in mid to late Sept., right from the blacktop!

 

[sniper14]

Thanks guys I'll let you know how everything turns out.

 

[massNtrash]

Ok I feel like I should chime in. I actually live in Pinedale and have spent my whole life in this area.

First things first, Yes the 90-2 is only valid for the portion of the unit west of 191 and the type 1 is for the east. The dates are the same for both.

Best meat cutter is Neal Nelson as others have already mentioned his contact info. Hog island is the other one that has the trailer at Daniel junction but they don't actually do the cutting there they take it up to their Jackson facility every night and cut it there. Due to this I have heard of people not getting back what they took in. I have no experience with them but that is what I have heard. I take all my stuff to Neal (I actually graduated high school with him) and have never had any problems.

I do not see any reason you will need a razor to hunt this unit. The Jonah field (gas field) takes up the majority of this unit so there are roads everywhere. You can get away from the gas field if you feel like as well though. Since it is your boy who has the tag and it is his first big game animal I feel like it will more than likely be a short hunt for you. There are a LOT of mid 70s bucks out there and if you really want to trophy hunt there are some low 80s bucks out there too. I killed a 83" goat out of there with my bow a few years back.

I would recommend Pinedale for a place to stay. We have more options and are just a 20 minute drive down to the unit. There are also a lot more places to eat here as well. The lake that was referred to I am sure was Fremont Lake which is just a couple miles outside of town (12 miles long, 4 miles wide, and 700ft deep). There is also Boulder Lake, Half Moon Lake, Burnt Lake, Meadow Lake, Willow Lake, Soda Lake, New Fork Lake, and Green River Lakes just to name some of the larger ones. All of them have good fishing in them as do all of the rivers and creeks around here. If your hunt is short and you want some tips on where to fish just hit me up. You may also want to bring a smaller rifle to shoot prairie dogs since there are some large towns of them out in that unit (I was just out shooting them on Sunday).

Don't overthink this hunt, with a rifle you can be done within an hour if you want to be. Great first hunt for a kid. Have fun! Feel free to hit me up for any specifics.

 

[sniper14]

Thanks for all the info. We are going to scout the middle week of August, I will update you all on how it went hopefully with some pictures.

 

[littlebighorn]

Hey Sniper,
My son's first successful big game hunt was a Wyoming antelope. It was the first of many magical adventures with him.

I wanted it to be a good experience, so I took him out "rock busting" with his antelope rifle. We went out in the desert and walked around. I would pick out a rock for him to shoot at from different shooting positions, etc. It was tough for him to find the rocks in the scope at first, but after a couple of trips he got real good at it. It definitely paid off on the hunt with a great trophy. Maybe you can do that while you scout in August.

I will second the idea of going a little later on in the hunt, when the rut gets going. (late September) You are able to avoid most of the hunting pressure and you also have the greater chance of finding a big old isolated buck that has suddenly got ladies on his mind. It's wild watching the bucks chasing each other over a group of does.
If you have the time, take him for several days...be picky and don't shoot the first buck you see. It will really add to your memories.

Be sure to share your experience with us, and best of luck.

 

[sniper14]

So we stayed in La Barge and due to family events we were only able to scout the area for a day. After hearing how many antelope were in the area I was thinking we would have to push them out of the way so we could get down the road. We went down every road possible in our allotted time and probable saw a total of 30 antelope and 5 bucks, with only one of them being big enough to even think of shooting. We were a little disappointed and are getting a little nervous that with a total of 150 tags in that unit there won't be enough antelope to go around. Here's to hoping something changes dramatically in the next couple weeks.

 

[grouseslayer]

Don't get too discouraged with what you seen they are there. I scouted a unit close to there and you will find them in pockets. If there are farm fields in the unit they will be concentrated around them but there should be antelope throughout the unit. You will find pockets of them in random spots. I scouted the same unit about 6 weeks apart and when we first scouted off of one road we seen a pile of antelope with a couple bucks we wanted to try to relocate. When we went back last week there were very few antelope to be seen off of that road. I am sure they are still there just the wind was blowing 20-30mph and it was mid day when we checked there. From previous experience I am sure they were hunkered down either in a hidden spot out of the wind or just laying down. As open as it seems remember they are little so it doesn't take too much for them to dissapear. On the last scouting trip we spotted 8 or so around a trough at about 700 yards away in the middle of the desert so we decided to get a closer look. As we drove closer antelope stood up everywhere. There ended up being about 50 antelope that we didn't really notice. I also regularly hunt a area that all the sage brush is about a foot tall and there is a lot of times when you don't see much and then the more you glass you will start seeing them bedded. From my experience antelope will often have one usually standing as a look out while the rest are bedded so if you see one look around and there may be more right there. Hopefully this helps and gives you a little more hope. Good luck to you guys

 

[_rutN_]

Sounds like my exact experience in that unit last year. Spent 2 days & 300 miles on gravel scouting before the sept 10th opener and was extremely disappointed. Didnt even stay for the opener, turned around and went home to archery elk hunt. I'll send you a pm

 

[sniper14]

>Sounds like my exact experience in
>that unit last year.
>Spent 2 days & 300
>miles on gravel scouting before
>the sept 10th opener and
>was extremely disappointed. Didnt
>even stay for the opener,
>turned around and went home
>to archery elk hunt.
>I'll send you a pm
>

A pm would be great! Thanks!!