Feeling lucky after having been drawn for bison in Alaska, I made my Utah drawing hunt application with less than my usual cynicism. In truth, I've been fairly successful in DRAWING (but not hunting) in Utah. Now that I am in my fourth year of applying, I have a little better idea about how I should be applying. So this year I applied for just "POINTS" for bison and elk, and actually applied for HUNTS for deer and pronghorns.

I just applied for "Limited Entry" hunts for the deer and pronghorns. It is unlikely that I will be drawn for either given that I only have 3 points for each. However, should I get drawn, they are both in areas that have 100%, or very nearly, hunter success, AND the average bucks are 4.5 or 5-year-olds. Meaning "big". So the most likely outcome is that I will not get drawn for anything, and just get points. But... if by some minor miracle I do get drawn, (like getting drawn for Alaska bison), the odds of success will be very high.

I'm not sure when the drawing results come out for Utah. The application period ends March 7th, so some time not too long after that I should know. I am planning a certain (God-willin'-and-the-creek-don't-rise), trip to central Missouri this coming fall for deer. Just no better odds in the US than that hunt for me. I'm also trying to figure out how to schedule a FISHING TRIP! All those ice-fishing pictures of sakorick's are driving me crazy.

Paul

Best of luck to you. Sounding better all the time.   :D    I would love to hunt the speed demons myself. To me that would be a really nice trophy. Another one I would love to hunt is sheep. Any wild sheep. They're delicious. My favorite meat animal. Never tasted antelope. Keeping my fingers crossed for you. ......Paul H

Wild sheep is my favorite wild game to eat AND hunt! No close second in either category as far as I'm concerned. I have met only few people (JaDub is one) that likes to eat pronghorns. I LOVE pronghorn meat! Right up there with caribou. Furthermore, I do like to hunt pronghorns because they are so much like hunting sheep. That may sound odd because sheep are mountain animals, and pronghorns, as flatland animals, are pretty much the opposite, but the similarities are: 1) You usually get to see lots of animals in any given day, 2) you get to look over animals and choose one to stalk, 3) you get to PLAN a stalk - this is the part I like the best, and 4) antelope, like sheep, aren't difficult to "get" if you know HOW to hunt them. With sheep, it's simply a matter of "get ABOVE them". They will stand and look at you if you are above them. If they spot you when you are below them, they will go up and over the mountain and you won't see them again. With pronghorns, getting a buck off by himself, or with only other bucks is one way to increase success. Bucks rely a great deal on the eyes of the does in a herd to watch for danger. By themselves, they are not particularly wary.

Paul

Wild sheep is my very favorite meat, domestic or wild is good. I much prefer wild. I think my 22-6mm Rem. AI with 80 or 90 grain bullets at full throttle would be an excellent long range antelope cartridge. The 90 grain bullets would require an 8 inch or faster twist. I get fairly good accuracy with 80 grain bullets with a 9 inch twist.  (around 3/4 inches) I have to drop the velocity to 3655 FPS though. At 3740 FPS, pressure is hairy for my liking. .......Paul H

I think the .25 caliber is just about the 'best' caliber for pronghorns being both flat-shooting, and having at least some 'diameter'. The .257 Roberts AI or the .25-06 are both excellent pronghorn cartridges in my opinion. There's also the .25 WSSM, with which I have no experience, but probably is a good 'goat' gun due to it's MV capabilities.

While my experience with hunting antelope is far from extensive, what I have seen is that for their size/weight, they are surprisingly tough to put down. Honestly, I wouldn't raise an eyebrow at the use of a .45-70 Gov't other than it's rainbow trajectory. I have seen them take good (and bad) shots from 7mms and keep on truckin'. They seem to be able to "run on fumes". A doe I saw shot in the butt with a 7x57, lost more blood than I have ever seen an animal lose and stay on its feet. We found it dead, bled out, almost a mile from where it was shot.

Paul

Hmmm, one displays a penchant for shooting critters in odd places.... ... not talking about geography.

Quote from: j0e_bl0ggs;152550Hmmm, one displays a penchant for shooting critters in odd places.... ... not talking about geography.

Wasn't me that shot it in the butt. I have never personally used a 7x57 Mauser to hunt big game. Based on considerable experience around hunters using 7x57 Mausers, that cartridge would be among my absolute LAST choices for hunting big game of ANY sort. In fact, I cannot at the moment think of a SINGLE big game hunting cartridge I would place lower on a "cartridge choice" list.

Paul

Just got results from drawing applications from Utah for 2019. Neither  my daughter nor I got drawn for anything. However, I wasn't expecting to  get drawn as I put in only for "trophy" areas that usually require many  'points' to get. See post #1 in this thread.


Paul

 That's life.  Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. The latter is usually my road. ......Paul H

That's OK you were drawn here without even wasting a stamp!:)