I have an opportunity to hunt antelope in TX northwest of Amarillo.

Can anyone tell me if the antelope there are of any quality?

I do not want to pay $1000 for a landowner tag if the bucks are, on average, no larger than 12" prongs or score mostly in the high 50s to mid 60s.

Anyone with any knowledge on the TX antelope, please let me know.

While it will depend upon the management of the particular ranch, there are ample high 70s/low 80s to be found if you are patient.

We hunt just over the line near Logan New Mexico and there's some whoppers there.

Great. This guy told me that they've only been doing this for 4 years now and so far, no one has taken longer than their first day.

I suppose that could mean that those hunters are not concerned about prong size, but that is a lot of money to pay for so little meat.

I get the tag if the other hunter goes to Africa. The landowner is out of town but will be able to email me some pics this weekend.

The actual ranch is very near Dalhart, so not far from NM. The landowner also stated that there is a significant antelope problem but Game and Fish will only allow 2 tags. He said he just doesn't get it.

I'll know more when he sends pics this weekend.

If the ranch is closer to Hartley, I wouldn't hesitate. You can probably find a buck in the mid 80's.

I'll look at a map. He described the ranches but I won't know for sure until he emails me the details this weekend.

I went pheasant hunting just north west of Dalhart a couple of years ago and saw many very nice pronghorns up there. I stayed in Dalhart and hunted about five miles from the NM border and there were decent numbers and good quality that we saw on the drive to and from.

This trip is sounding better and better. The only problem is that the season this fall runs Sept. 29- Oct. 7.

If in fact I draw for WY again, the TX dates will certainly interfere with the WY season.

The WY opener for our first choice is Sept 25 and the second choice opener is Oct. 5.

good country up there.. I took an 82 net buck from Hartley county back in '04..

Back in 1997, I got drawn for one of the Public Hunt Permits that Texas puts out annually, for the Rita Blanca Grasslands in the northwest corner of the panhandle. This is nortrh of Dalhart and east of Texline. On the first morning I shot a pronghorn that measured 75 and 4/8ths. inches. At that time the application fee for the drawing was $2.00 and I spent $40.00 at the processors getting it processed.

From what I have seen over the years, there are some really great antelope up in that area.

Crazy, if you dont mind me asking how many years did it take you to draw for Rita Blanca. Thanks Karry

Well I am not "Crazy" but in fact this is the first person I have every heard of that got drawn for the Texas antelope hunt. I have put in for over fifteen years and not even a sniff! Good going Crazy glad to hear that someone is drawing that hunt.

MUY, i know what you mean this will be my 12th or 13 year.

Two of my hunting buddies were drawn for the 2005 season. One of the guys had been entering the drawing for almost 20 years. He listed the other buddy on his entry form, so they both were able to hunt.

Doc,

They both took very nice bucks, but they saw larger bucks opening morning. They didn't shoot the larger bucks as they were still scouting and had heard some bucks were even larger. They never saw the first bucks again, but still have mounts with 14" - 14.5". They found a processor in Texline.

The odds of drawing the Rita Blanca hunt are not very high. I've been applying since the early 90s or so and have yet to receive anything other than the standard "you have not been selected" postcard. But maybe this year...

I got very lucky that year. My hunting partner and I got drawn for 3 hunts. The Pronghorn hunt, a deer hunt at San Angelo, and Feral Hog south of the DFW MetroMess. Over the past 15 years, I have averaged getting drawn for at least 1 hunt a year. I just set ansd study the book when it comes out and since I don't hunt trophies only, I look for places with lower chances of shooting a big deer or places with good success rates, but normally lower numbers of applicants. Getting drawn for the Goat hunt was a fluke, we started putting in for it in 92.

Doc,

I have driven through that area many times. Anytime we go to CO or WY to hunt or vacate we drive through DFW then up through Amarillo on 287/87 on the way to Raton to hit I25.

I will say the closer you get to NM is when you start seeing the big boys along side the hwy. I have seen some absolute monsters near the NM line.

Last year when we returned from CO after I got the Buck and Bull we came through the state line area just before dark(prime time). We saw several herds with bucks in each and just before dark we spotted a monster about 75 yards from the hwy. I stopped the truck and he let us take several photos.

Just from my observations while driving out that way, I'd personally prefer to hunt on the NM side as we usually see many more on the NM side from the state line on to Raton but, there are some lopes on the TX side as well.

Good Luck

Reloader

My son and I both took nice Pronghorns just outside of Hartley a few years ago. The area has the capability of producing some excellent scoring heads.

Pronghorns are not hard to find -- just hard to approach within rifle distance. I suppose you could spend a lot of time glassing and turning down bucks, but the difference between an "average" and a "monster" Pronghorn is rather minimal. Most Panhandle hunters tag out on the first or second day.

However, don't spend your whole a trip to the Panhandle on Pronghorns alone. At that time of year there is some great prairie dog shooting to be had, as well as potentially excellent wingshooting for doves.