My 2025 Pronghorn is done

Scott CWO said:

Don’t mean to take over your post but thought you might like this one I guided a while back. 16”+ on normal horn and 18”+ on the dropper. Had to talk Dale into shooting it!View attachment 790639

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That’s a stud of a goat. You wouldn’t be able to talk me out of shooting that.

Maybe we need an AH American Antelope thread

Tdsmith517 said:

Maybe we need an AH American Antelope thread

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Have at it!

Tdsmith517 said:

Maybe we need an AH American Antelope thread

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One exists somewhere

Nice goat. Being in the Eastern states, I have led a sheltered life and have never gotten to hunt Pronghorn. Now, I am getting interested. How's about some of you guys who have done a few non-resident goat hunts, start a thread about how to's for us newb's? When I looked at the Wyoming regs last year it seemed daunting with so many different units and no info at all about where/how to hunt. How does one choose a unit to go after?

I know we could pony up for a guided hunt but honestly, I would rather do a DIY style hunt if I can.

Tdsmith517 said:

My taxidermist has sent me a picture of my 2025 Pronghorn. One of my favorite things about Pronghorn is how different they can be.
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Very Nice. Sounds like an awesome hunt.....

JG26Irish_2 said:

Nice goat. Being in the Eastern states, I have led a sheltered life and have never gotten to hunt Pronghorn. Now, I am getting interested. How's about some of you guys who have done a few non-resident goat hunts, start a thread about how to's for us newb's? When I looked at the Wyoming regs last year it seemed daunting with so many different units and no info at all about where/how to hunt. How does one choose a unit to go after?

I know we could pony up for a guided hunt but honestly, I would rather do a DIY style hunt if I can.

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Super high level 50,000 foot summary view since I’m originally an East Coast guy as well - the rest you need to learn on your own or pay someone to do

You can only hunt the unit you’re drawn or selected for. Each unit has a specific number of licenses. Some license code are for bucks and some for does. Leftover licenses might be tied to private land or in units with very little public land.

Each unit will have different draw odds, and specific number of points (years of unsuccessful loyalty applications) to theoretically guarantee a tag. This is based on last year’s application data and it can go up if someone or multiple people jump in with more points than required. In Wyoming there’s a special license (more expensive) and regular license. Theory being if you pay a premium for a special license it won’t require as many points. This isn’t always true.

Unit selection:
Percentage of private land to public land. Is the public land accessible or is it landlocked? Is it the correct habit to hold pronghorn (or whatever species you’re after)? Does it have the trophy quality you’re looking for (check record book entries)? Have there been outside factors (fires, new highway, major housing project, drought, huge winter storms/die-offs, introduction of wolves, etc) that could impact the hunting, population, or migration?
Generally speaking the better the trophy quality the more points it takes. The easier the access and lower physically demanding units also drive the number of points required up. Conversely, the more physical the hunt is, then often the lower the points to draw. Most people are fat and lazy and don’t want to work for it. Exception again is typically tied to trophy quality.

Since you’re just starting and don’t have points you need to decide when you want to hunt. That’ll tell you what units go look at bc you’ve established a timeline and now know if you’re buying a leftover license or you’re going to establish points and how long you’ll build for. Just remember what it took to draw last year can go up for this year and isn’t a guarantee.