Me and a friend of mine want to put in for goat tags this year. Is there any unit in south west wyoming that would be a fairly easy draw with some descent bucks in it? Also, if we drew, how could we get a few doe tags as well? Thanks.....wapiti7

Go to the WyG&f website and look at draw odds. With the new point system in place if you didn't apply last year and have no point, it might be hard to draw anywhere. As for left over doe/fawn tags, it is some timies easy to get them if they are issued. Look at the applications. I think there is a place to apply for them also. If the G&F issues a lot of those tags there are some times left overs which go into a first come first serve draw. That draw is later in the summer I think.

It has gotten a little more complicated and I don't follow the nonresident procedures much any more.

The eastern portion of the state offers you your best bet, but lots more private land. As for the SW part, those areas used to be primo antelope but with all the drilling going on, tremendous poaching it might not have the opportunities as it once had. Not sure what the weather is doing there either this year. WE have had colder than normal and more snow than normal here in the Basin. The deer and antelope don't look to good. A terribly dry summer followed by a bad winter will change things here for sure.

A quick answer is no. All of the Western Wyoming goat units are hard to draw. With the new point system started last year you are a point behind. It will take 4-10 years to run the current point guys thru the new system. They do give 25% of the tags to a real draw (anyone with points or not), but those will be some long odds. Go further East and choose a unit which had 100% odds last year and you should have a great chance to draw it this year. Problem is most of the country is private.

quote:

Originally posted by wapiti7:
Me and a friend of mine want to put in for goat tags this year. Is there any unit in south west wyoming that would be a fairly easy draw with some descent bucks in it? Also, if we drew, how could we get a few doe tags as well? Thanks.....wapiti7

There are a few areas that could meet your expectations. A couple of the hunt areas around Casper have decent draw odds, pretty good amount of public land, and doe tags are usually available. Generally speaking, you can put in for doe/fawn tags when you put in for your buck/any antelope tag, they have a box you can check that takes you out of the doe/fawn draw if you don't draw your buck tag. Kind of a safety measure.

Good luck.

MG

Wapiti7,

You looking for a do-it-yourself hunt?

Alot of the private land ranch owners think of them as pest and will let you hunt them for nothing or a small tresspass fee. The draw is more difficult now but, like the others said find one of the areas that had 100% last year and then try and find a ranch that will allow you to tresspass. The WFD should be able to help you out.

Not the West part but, I think the area around Elk Mountain is 100%, we used to bag quite a few goats in that area. We just paid a small tresspass fee and camped on the ranch for a couple of days until we all tagged out.

I know some nice folks that have a nice ranch around Casper. Only problem is it's in an area that only has a draw rate of around 30%.

Good Luck

Reloader

wapiti7, the first time hunted goats was down in unit 99 out from Limon, that was in 93'. The group I went with put in for like 5 years after that and could not get drawn. The year I went I had both a buck and a doe tag. They had a couple of rehard winters and the numbers dropped. I believed the last time I discussed going with one of the folks from the group I went with, they had started trying to go over around between Baggs and Rawlins, and I think they had been drawn 1 or 2 times in that area. Good Luck, hope you get drawn and get a chance at a nice goat.

Up here in NE Wyoming there are several areas that are 100% + draws. In area 3 where I live I can get 2 buck tags, south of Gillette it is the same thing, there is a lot of private land and it make it tough as most ranchers are "outfittered" up and can't let you in. The public land has some good goats but they are here today and gone tomorrow so it is tough for a guy with limited time.As suggested look up the demand index at the WGF site it will show you the hi success draw areas

Put in for unit 25, do it yourself, have a good time. You'll be done by lunch opening day.

My brother and I ran into 2 guys in our hotel parking lot. They saw our Monroe, Ohio tags on our car, turns out they are from here too. One guy is my neighborhood UPS driver, the other was his friend, also a UPS employee. They were on their first western hunt ever.

They got drawn, drove out, killed 2 bucks and 2 does (all were in the trunk of his Toyota Corolla--- ), opening morning and were back at the hotel by 11am. Said, "well, it was a blast, but shortlived. We'll be back."

Both bucks were very nice.