Do I stay or do I go? Antelope

[Raptor]

Priority guarantee for trophy or non trophy antelope. Is this the year I go? R

[Smoky buck]

Only a question you can answer

If it was me and I had the time/priority I would go antelope hunting. Really why not? You are a hunter and you put in the priority to hunt antelope so you must have interest hunting them

But if you don’t share pics and story after let someone else enjoy the tag who will lol

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by Raptor

Priority guarantee for trophy or non trophy antelope. Is this the year I go? R

I'm gonna guess the survival rate was pretty high last winter due to lack of snow out east and down south but haven't really talked to anybody out there to confirm that. My guess is it would be a good year to pull it

[ol whitey]

I would go, should be good numbers of pronghorns, and the ranchers should be in a better mood with the rains we've had. Still have to get permission and do your scouting but should be a decent year for antelope.

[huntinstuff]

I am in the same boat, but I have no permission. I have made several attempts to secure permission the past 2 years with negative results. In all cases, it was due to the landowners prior negative experience with hunters.

I am now at priority 21.

Have permission NAILED first. Otherwise it will be a horrible waste.

[stob]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

I am in the same boat, but I have no permission. I have made several attempts to secure permission the past 2 years with negative results. In all cases, it was due to the landowners prior negative experience with hunters.

I am now at priority 21.

Have permission NAILED first. Otherwise it will be a horrible waste.

Try EID land?

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

I am in the same boat, but I have no permission. I have made several attempts to secure permission the past 2 years with negative results. In all cases, it was due to the landowners prior negative experience with hunters.

I am now at priority 21.

Have permission NAILED first. Otherwise it will be a horrible waste.

We have killed all of our pronghorn on the same community pasture, no permission required. They have shut down access twice over the years that I know of, once during a mad cow outbreak, the other time during extreme drought, but we didn't draw those years.

[bonedogg]

its never a bad year to draw your antelope tag.... some years for sure have better numbers or maybe more quality based on regional climates and stress. But IMO, the hunt is what you make of the conditions the year you draw and getting back onto the waiting list sooner rather than later can mean one or two more antelope hunts throughout one's lifetime perhaps.

[bonedogg]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

I am in the same boat, but I have no permission. I have made several attempts to secure permission the past 2 years with negative results. In all cases, it was due to the landowners prior negative experience with hunters.

I am now at priority 21.

Have permission NAILED first. Otherwise it will be a horrible waste.

i love the fact you can draw any zone you want with that high of priority, but the fact that others with about 11 years are gunna make the same pool as you says you waited too long perhaps? go hunt them and get back into the game...lol

[-JR-]

Im pulling mine next year . Will be 65 and chances are it will be my last trophy hunt. To bad a guy cant pull both tags in the same year , trophy and non trophy . Long ways to go for 40 lbs. of meat

[huntinstuff]

Originally Posted by bonedogg

i love the fact you can draw any zone you want with that high of priority, but the fact that others with about 11 years are gunna make the same pool as you says you waited too long perhaps? go hunt them and get back into the game...lol

Id just like to legally hunt one. Not an animal Im interested in pursuing numerous times.

Kinda like a bighorn sheep. Ive never been remotely interested in hunting them. They just dont do a thing for me.

[BuckCuller]

I would go this year so you can hunt and start building priority for the next time.
If you have the time to go this fall it’s just as good as any other year.

[BuckCuller]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

I am in the same boat, but I have no permission. I have made several attempts to secure permission the past 2 years with negative results. In all cases, it was due to the landowners prior negative experience with hunters.

I am now at priority 21.

Have permission NAILED first. Otherwise it will be a horrible waste.

Just go down three days early, do some scouting and get some permission while you’re scouting. Face to face interaction down there is the best way to go.

[waldedw]

I have been drawn 4 times since 1990 and have never had a problem getting permission anywhere down in antelope country, 4 successful trips, the last of which took priority 14 to get a tag in 2019 at that rate my next one will be when I am 80 but I am putting n every year, my goal is to get 1 more

[W921]

All that public land in South east and really public can't access it. Huge public grazing reserves but no place to park overnight. Can't shoot from public road but you can't ride a horse across it either. Tons of public money poured into the so called community pastures and grazing reserves ever since 1930s but yet only benefits guys who already own everything and some beurocrats that geta full time job off it.
There is some private land ucan access but it's usually not best place to hunt because everyone else hunts there as well.
I would try to use your draw before to old or your circumstances change

[Tom Cat]

Literally hundreds of hunters scattered out on these grazing reserves every fall, a simple email to the government and you have access, where do you come up with this stuff?

[Smokinyotes]

Go down between haying and harvest and talk to farmers. Go down 3 days before the season and try and get permission on anything that is green, either alfalfa or second growth cereal crops.

[yoteblaster]

I’ve taken 4 trophy antelopes since about 1986. Never ever had trouble getting permission. There’s hundreds of thousands of acres to choose from.

[W921]

Originally Posted by Tom Cat

Literally hundreds of hunters scattered out on these grazing reserves every fall, a simple email to the government and you have access, where do you come up with this stuff?

You can't park overnight or use horses. No way you can access most of it or what used to do on horseback.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by W921

You can't park overnight or use horses. No way you can access most of it or what used to do on horseback.

We hunted in 150, we were allowed to drive on trails, and we stayed in Jenner, cheap and close to our hunting area.

[W921]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

We hunted in 150, we were allowed to drive on trails, and we stayed in Jenner, cheap and close to our hunting area.

I'm talking about the huge provincial grazing reserves in 102. Example pinhorn but all the same type of deal. Basically it's the same as being able to fish the oceans but not us a boat or flotation device. And don't park by the ocean either

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by W921

I'm talking about the huge provincial grazing reserves in 102. Example pinhorn but all the same type of deal. Basically it's the same as being able to fish the oceans but not us a boat or flotation device. And don't park by the ocean either

We hunted on community pastures, no permission required, they even had a sign up stating that at one time stating that , but over the years it basically fell apart.

[Tom Cat]

Originally Posted by W921

I'm talking about the huge provincial grazing reserves in 102. Example pinhorn but all the same type of deal. Basically it's the same as being able to fish the oceans but not us a boat or flotation device. And don't park by the ocean either

If that were the case it would probably be an awesome place to hunt but it’s one of the most heavily driven places in the southeast, you think you hiked way out into the middle of nowhere then 3 trucks drive right by you, truck trails everywhere.

[W921]

Originally Posted by Tom Cat

If that were the case it would probably be an awesome place to hunt but it’s one of the most heavily driven places in the southeast, you think you hiked way out into the middle of nowhere then 3 trucks drive right by you, truck trails everywhere.

They changed the access I'm trying to remember but few years before covid. There are all kinds of public grazing reserves down there. Some like one four and stavely research centers used to be federal but harper gave it back to the province and the crooked ag department gave it to their buddies. Still under provincial control and these are the ones that stopped allowing horse access or any transportation devices. They wouldn't even let me ride across public grazing reserve to access private land behind it which is outrageous.
There are also a few municipal pastures but I'm not sure about them.
This is a sore point with me be because it's all crooked who can run cows and who can't down there. This is bad enough but then when they tell me I can't even ride a horse across it. Well that's how comfortable they are in their ability to just screw over Albertans.
Dont ever move down there with idea of running cows on so called community pastures.
But yes years ago people used to drive all down there. Not anymore or not legally.
There are a few places where you can cheat and find a place to park overnight but these few places used to be always crowded with other hunters.

[RussAlexander21]

How do you guys know if you have a priority draw? I've seen quite a few hunters say a certain amount of points is basically a guaranteed draw but is there somewhere we can see that number? I've seen the % of draws but am curious how many points I need to get a Trophy Antelope for example. Thanks in advance!

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by RussAlexander21

How do you guys know if you have a priority draw? I've seen quite a few hunters say a certain amount of points is basically a guaranteed draw but is there somewhere we can see that number? I've seen the % of draws but am curious how many points I need to get a Trophy Antelope for example. Thanks in advance!

Draw summary from previous year found on Alberta relm

[RussAlexander21]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

Draw summary from previous year found on Alberta relm

Thank you! Found it

[waldedw]

The way antelope hunting is going it now takes 14 or 15 years in most zones to get drawn, when your eligible for a tag go or in my book it's a wasted year on your next eligibility which could take 20 years by the time your drawn again.

I have been drawn 4 times for trophy antelope 1990, 1994, 2005 and 2019 and I went every time I was eligible as I thought man not sure how long it will take next time. I have taken 4 nice trophy bucks and my goal is to live long enough to get 1 more. As you see the progression in time it took to get drawn, last time was 14 years, I'm thinking it may take 20 years this time and if that's the case it will be in 2039 and I'll be 85 years old and hopefully still alive and able to go.

Don't waste a year when your young, able and eligible, time goes by really fast.

[AB2506]

Considering how long it takes to be drawn for pronghorn these days, I would put in so that I can begin building priority again.

I was drawn last year at age 59. I will be in my 70s the next time I'm drawn in Alberta.

[whitetail Junkie]

These 3 Bucks were all taken in AB within the last 3 years by my family and a friend , all 3 over 80" gross,1 B&C net.

Id be applying this year if i was eligable