Antelope 2019

[Bulseyetom]

I have a 14x16 wall tent that has spent many days in the Wyoming wind but it didn't take me long to throw my exterior frame away and build an internal frame. With the external frame it was a royal pain to try to keep the guy stakes in the ground. We often tied off to a corral or extra pickup! Not to say you still don't need to anchor the internal wall frames but they are more stable. Also all of the firewood seems to have been used up by the wagon trains and there are no buffalo for chips. I bought a bag of coal for my wood stove thinking my problem was solved but you couldn't light that coal with a propane torch! I always hunted in late October and it was cold at night where a fire in the wood stove made life bearable. Most of the roads are dirt and when it rains it is very difficult to get around. The ground dries up soon after a rain. If antelope weren't so fun to hunt I am not sure I would ever try to camp. In fact the last time we went we "camped" at the Best Western in Casper for several nights. You could see antelope from our second story room most mornings. Tom

 

[HARPERC]

.....Also all of the firewood seems to have been used up by the wagon trains and there are no buffalo for chips. I bought a bag of coal for my wood stove thinking my problem was solved but you couldn't light that coal with a propane torch! ....I always hunted in late October and it was cold at night where a fire in the wood stove made life bearable. Most of the roads are dirt and when it rains it is very difficult to get around. The ground dries up soon after a rain. If antelope weren't so fun to hunt I am not sure I would ever try to camp. In fact the last time we went we "camped" at the Best Western in Casper for several nights. You could see antelope from our second story room most mornings....

Not unusual for many to get blown into motels, or spend a night in the cab of the truck.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

I camped in a very good wall type tent for 3 nights up northeast of Buffalo in 1992 on my first trip to Wyoming and the 4th night when the wind really picked up it came down on top of us and we had to stay in a motel the rest of the week. The next time I went DIY in 1997 I stayed in a PU with a hard top camper on the back. It was fine, but way too small for me and the owner for more than 2 or 3 comfortable nights. In 1999 I bought a 14' A Liner that pops up into a triangle with a hard roof and it was fine every year out there until as I started to get older (I'm 71 now) I wanted something bigger and more comfortable for long stays, so after my hunt in 2012 I sold it. It didn't take long searching the internet for used trailers and I found a 1997 19' travel trailer that was like new inside and out and I got it for $3700 cash. That trailer new sells for at least $15K, so I got a hell of a deal on it. It was owned by a couple less than 2 hours from my home that decided to get a bigger one. Last year was my 6th year in a row with it out of 20 straight years hunting in Wyoming and I'll use it until I can't hunt any more. I store it out there for $300 a year about 50 miles from where we hunt. The savings in gas alone for what was a 3000 mile round trip from MI more than pays that $300 storage fee. It's also nice because it's a lot less time on the road now being able to drive 80 mph through SD and WY without it.

I would suggest that if a person figures on making more than one or two hunts out west that they look into a used trailer at a decent price to have a lot more comfortable hunt anywhere out there than a tent will provide, especially with the winds that blow out there a good share of the time.

 

[manitou]

All the WY antelope I have eaten were great. The areas I hunt, I usually kill in prairie grass with just a little sagebrush. Maybe that makes the difference, but they have all been delicious.

 

[NBShooter]

My brother frequents Wyoming for antelope about yearly. Never takes the four wheelers and usually stays in a local motel. Not sure which area he pulls tags for but they stay in a cheap motel for simplicity and there's a meat processor right there in town.

 

[jimss]

Make sure to get the hide off your antelope ASAP! It will cool down a lot faster plus it's good to get the stinky hide off the meat (especially if they have started rutting). Some claim that antelope is excellent and others claim it has a wild flavor. I usually make jerky and summer sausage out of mine.