Unit 116

[Sanpete]

I have been waiting for a while now to put in for antelope in Wyoming and have saved up a few points. I am going to be putting my wife and me in for a unit that we might not be able to draw, but I figure it's worth a shot. During my research for a second choice I noticed that 116 was an archery only unit, but it is listed as a white chip unit even though it is bordered by some blue chip units. So my question would be to anybody that has been on the unit, what makes it so undesirable? It seems to have a lot of public ground and we are both die hard bowhunters so it seem to be a good second choice on the surface, but I am sure there is a down side if it is listed as a white chip. Thank you for all of your help.

[Drhorsepower]

I the answer lies in the question, it is darn hard to get within striking distance on an animal that has some of the best eyesight of any animal god put on the face of this earth. that is why it is not a blue chip. Alot it factors go into colors for units, success rates is one

[Umpqua Hunter]

I do not know that unit specifically. But if you look on the Wyoming Game and Fish website, the success on that bow hunt was good, but there are VERY few tags, indicating there are very few antelope on the unit, which is probably why it is a white chip unit. I would think descent antelope density would be really important for an archery hunt where you might primarily sit water.

Here's a thought. If I remember correctly most units open for rifle hunting allow archery hunting on August 15 until the rifle season opens (please verify). That means you could draw a unit and hunt archery well before the rifle hunters hit the unit. That would be a blast!

If it were me, I would do some homework on some of the marginal public land units that have great antelope densities. Since you would be hunting before the rifle season, the antelope would not be pressured and driven on to the private. If you found a unit where you could access a few sections of public I think you could put together a great bow hunt.

[Sanpete]

Thanks for the quick response on this question guys! I think I am going to drive myself nuts trying to pick a location to hunt. This is something that we have been saving to do for the last three years so I really want to make sure that this is going to be a fun trip for both of us. We are bringing our two kids along for the adventure and hopefully we can keep them wanting to hunt! I have thought about doing the early archery hunt and that really does seem to be a great way to go. We love to bow hunt and we would love to find a good unit around that part of the state so that is what got me to wondering about 116. Thank you once again for the responses.

[Umpqua Hunter]

I'm gonna send you a Personal Message (PM).

[Elkoholic307]

Not sure why 116 is "white" but there are some good goats in there. The area has seen it's fair share of poachers, that may be why?