We book self-guided and semi-guided antelope hunts in Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming and Montana.

You must draw a permit in a computer license lottery to hunt in Wyoming and Montana. Most of the self-guided or semi-guided hunts in Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico include a transferable landowner voucher that allows you to buy a tag from the state. In some cases landowner permits are valid in an entire game management unit; in others the permits are valid for a specific ranch. If you are willing to apply for a tag in the permit drawings in Montana or Colorado, we have some inexpensive hunting opportunities on large ranches.

We can serve you best when we know where you want to hunt, your realistic goal for trophy size and your price range.

Colorado: To hunt some ranches you should apply for a permit in April. Drawing odds are virtually 100%. Hunts are on private ranches covering 10,000 to 50,000 acres. Horns are typically 13 to 14 inches long with the largest buck of the year usually around 15 inches long and anything larger a rarity. A limited number of landowner permits are available in the best trophy units, where Boone and Crockett bucks have been taken on both public and private land. Landowner permits are actually vouchers that allow you to bypass the drawing and buy a tag valid in the entire unit. In some cases, the privilege to hunt posted private land is included in the price. In the top trophy units the landowner vouchers are more expensive and harder to come by because most of the land is public. Selective rifle hunters in the trophy zones can usually take a buck in the 15 to 16-inch range, while bowhunters who wait in waterhole stands in dry weather usually do well on Pope and Young quality animals.

Montana: You must draw a permit in the annual computer lottery to hunt antelope; however, bow tags are unlimited. Applications are due in June. Semi-guided archery and rifle hunts on large private ranches typically are reasonably priced, and you can sometimes add mule deer or whitetail deer. The odds of drawing a rifle tag are higher in eastern Montana than in the eastern part of the state.

Nevada: Some landowner permits are available to hunt private ranches or portions of game management units. They tend to be fairly expensive in Nevada. 13 and 14-inchers are common with 15 and 16-inchers a possibility. Though occasionally there's a really big buck in Nevada, overall we think the trophy quality is overrated in comparison with the price.

New Mexico: Some landowner permits are valid an entire game management unit, while others are good only on a specific private ranch. Prices vary greatly, depending on the area. The odds of taking a 13-inch to 14-inch buck are excellent in areas with cheaper tags with an occasional exceptional animal. In the better areas, 14 to 15-inchers are average with the bigger animals usually ranging between 15 and 17 inches.

Utah: Private ranches enrolled in the state's Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit get permit vouchers that are transferable to resident or non-resident hunters. Most ranches hold bucks scoring in the 70- to 75-inch range with bigger bucks taken occasionally. Most private land permits are used by guided hunters who employ the rancher or an outfitter, so it's very hard to find a ranch that will let you hunt on your own.

Wyoming: You must apply for a tag by March 15 in some areas, especially those that offer good trophy quality with the better bucks in the 14 to 16-inch class; in other areas tags are available after the drawing. Units with left-over tags typically are composed almost entirely of private land and don't offer high trophy quality with mostly 11 to 13-inch bucks. If you have a group of three or more hunters, we can usually find a place to hunt.

Self-guided antelope hunt in Montana

Self-guided and semi-guided antelope hunts
Hunter success	Prices
Typically 90-100% on rifle hunts. Bow hunts usually produce 50 to 75% hunter success. Bowhunting from waterhole blinds often produce 100% hunter success in dry years. Decoy hunting also can be effective. Archers on most ranches can expect shooting, but sometimes it's hard to get as close as necessary. Antelope have fantastic eyesight. Practice shooting until you can hit a pie plate at 70 yards and bring a laser rangefinder if legal in the state you're hunting.	Prices vary a great deal from state to state and from ranch to ranch. Our least expensive hunts are on private ranches in Montana where you must draw a permit in a tag drawing. Hunts with guaranteed tags are more expensive. Don't automatically reject the idea of a guided hunt. Some of our guided antelope hunts are no more expensive than many self-guided or semi-guided hunts. Some self-guided hunts with lanowner vouchers do not become available until mid-summer.
Hunter success	Terrain
Typically 90-100% on rifle hunts. Bow hunts usually produce 50 to 75% hunter success. Bowhunting from waterhole blinds often produce 100% hunter success in dry years. Decoy hunting also can be effective.	Usually flat to slightly rolling with a few coulees or juniper-covered hills. Private ranches often feature croplands that attract and hold animals. Most northern ranches have lots of sagebrush.
Trophy size	Licenses
Varies according to the area. Average ranchers produce a lot of 11- to 13-inch bucks with the bigger bucks usually 14 or 15 inches long. Many of those animals will make Pope and Young Club minimum scores but hardly ever qualify for Boone and Crockett. The best ranches produce many bucks with horns from 14 to 16 inches long and exceptional trophies exceeding 16 inches. Average bucks score in the 70s B&C; exceptional animals score 78 to 82 or more.	Some self-guided hunts in Utah, New Mexico and Colorado include a landowner voucher or permit that allows you to buy a tag over the counter. To hunt in Wyoming or Montana or on some ranches in the other states, you must draw a tag in a lottery. In game management units that are composed primarily of private land, the drawing odds are usually 75 to 100 percent. Areas with bigger animals or lots of public land have lower drawing odds.
Application deadlines	Accommodations
Wyoming's tag application deadline is March 15. Sometimes you can buy permits left over after the drawing. You must apply in June in Montana. To hunt some ranches in Colorado you must apply for a tag in April.	Not included with most self-guided hunts. Most semi-guided hunts and some self-guided hunts include lodging in a tent camp, ranch house, motel, bunkhouse, trailer or motor home.
Landowner vouchers	Note
Some self-guided hunts include a landowner permit voucher. You can send these in with your license fee to buy an antelope tag.	Antelope seasons are usually early enough in the fall that weather is typically dry and most roads are accessible by two-wheel-drive.

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