States Best Pronghorn Unit ?

440sixpack · May 21, 2015

Seems most people would take 61 if they could have any tag in the state . just loking for some opinions.

I'm just buying points this year because I drew a sheep tag but next year this will be my main focus. thought if I tagged out early I'd drive south and size an area up.

Stay thirsty my friends

30Hart · May 21, 2015

57 is pretty good! South of 61, you can scout out both!

dz · May 21, 2015

23 is my favorite. Lots of private to keep everyone else from thinking you can find a place to hunt. You can buy tags over the counter. Shoot 12 inch bucks all day. No stress to shoot a 80 inch buck because there are none. No points no app fees just a great time out chasing goats. I know that is not what you are looking for. How many points will you have next year?

DZ

440sixpack · May 21, 2015

I have max points. I'll hold out for for a book goat or eat my tag it wouldn't bother me.

IF, I can judge him that well. I have a hard time on pronghorn telling the difference between a book goat and almost book. therefore I have two that score 79 and change .

Stay thirsty my friends

HalfAce · May 21, 2015

If I could pick a tag or had max points, Ide be going for 60. Not cuz of what the draw odds or mags say, just what I have seen driving by it. Great looking antelope country too.

easyelk13 · May 21, 2015

Most people would pick 60 or 61. My choice if I had max points (which I don't because I like to hunt every other year or 2) would be area 57.

440sixpack · May 22, 2015

Most years Garth used to list 57 as his top pick. the advantage to 60 or 61 that I see is lower tag numbers meaning less yahoos out there. but if that's because there's less goats not because of trophy managment I guess it doesn't mean much.

I'm not sure if age class is a managment factor or just herd numbers for WY pronghorn. here in OR all species have some units where quality is a prority .

Stay thirsty my friends

easyelk13 · May 22, 2015

I think all the south central units have some big goats in them. I like 57 because of some of the remote country in it and that I have seen a couple of monster deer there too.

Bwht4x4 · May 22, 2015

LAST EDITED ON May-22-15 AT 12:02PM (MST)[p]I recently hunted unit 60 and over the course of the hunt and looking at a couple of hundred bucks I shot the biggest buck we found. He scored 78 and I was happy to have him! Lots of 12-13" buck running around in those units. Finding a big one will take wading through the little ones and most importantly being able to judge them.

Here's the buck I shot.

Zeke · May 22, 2015

>I recently hunted unit 60 and
>over the course of the
>hunt and looking at a
>couple of hundred bucks I
>shot the biggest buck we
>found. He scored 78
>and I was happy to
>have him! Lots of
>12-13" buck running around in
>those units. Finding a
>big one will take wading
>through the little ones and
>most importantly being able to
>judge them.

You said it all right there!
Even in the BEST units an 80"+ buck is difficult to find.
Zeke

jims · May 22, 2015

LAST EDITED ON May-22-15 AT 03:19PM (MST)[p]

I had a premium antelope tag last year and was sorely disappointed with quality....especially after knowing how much moisture there was in the late winter/early spring in that unit. I saw over 700 different bucks during my hunt and only a handful were remotely close to 80". From what I've been told by a couple pronghorn experts buck fawns born during drought years will have smaller mass from the day they are born until they die...even though they shed their horns each year.

With that said it may be a few years in some of the reknown South-Central units to rebound. Last year (2014) and this year have been great years for moisture. Years prior to that were history dry years. My prediction is that 2-3 years from now are going to be a banner years for B&C bucks in Wyo.....if there isn't bad winterkill between now and then. Fawn crops were good last year and should be excellent this year so I would expect tag numbers to also gradually increase with relatively mild winters.

Some of the highest scoring bucks I've shot in Wyo were shot in years with historic drought. 2012 was one of these years and I shot a magnum buck with over 7" bases and was 5" immediately above the prong. I saw 3 other monster bucks that same droughty year. I really didn't understand what was going on until I realized that maybe how dry/wet it is any particular year may not be the only deciding factor for horn mass that same year. The moisture the year bucks are born may be more important! I think if a guy hunts hard enough the year he draws a premimium tag he'll be rewarded for all his hard work. There are always a few bucks that slip through the cracks and have everything it takes to make B&C!

2_Point · May 22, 2015

I have been through many of the top end units and all seem to be over-rated. There are some units which take less points and have a better chance at killing larger bucks. My son only has four points this year, just outside the needed points to draw units which offer a good chance to produce 80"+. Nephew shot an 81" last year.

nontypical · May 22, 2015

Wyoming doesn't manage any unit for any species for "trophy" hunting. Ask any G&F employee and they'll proudly tell you so.

Tag reductions are due to lower population levels. Low fawn recruitment has been a major culprit in many units.

That being said, there are still 80+ bucks killed every year( including last year). There will be more killed this year as well. And next.

My buddy's hunter killed an 86&7/8 last season. My last 2 tags have both resulted in 80+ bucks( 80&5/8 and 82). All green scores.

80" goats are like 185" deer or 365" elk. They are few and far between. You gotta weed through the little ones to find the big ones. You also have to know what you're looking at...