[quartz]

My site trophyunit.com is a free, open (no sign up required) web database that lists hunts in a table with draw odds and harvest statistics from past years. I built it last year because of a couple of earlier bad experiences in which I put down draw choices that I couldn't realistically get, just because I didn't check the odds or one time, plain misunderstood them. It's a real bummer to waste a year and once I started asking, it turned out a friend and a neighbor had made similar mistakes.

I just finished updating it for 2015, and you can visit the tables here:

http://www.trophyunit.com/lists/2015-utah-antlerless-deer
http://www.trophyunit.com/lists/2015-utah-antlerless-elk
http://www.trophyunit.com/lists/2015-utah-doe-pronghorn

The columns in the tables are sortable. I need to hunt fairly close to home, so I like to sort by the "Distance in miles" column. The default origin is SLC airport, which works for me, but if you want to customize it for your own home, just sign up for a free account and click the little 'Change' button to set it to a different town or address. With an account you can also click a star icon in the rightmost column to save hunts that interest you to a 'My Starred' list. This is all private of course.

Before the draw deadline I hope to roll out a few new features, including a color-coded map. I did a prototype map for the Wyoming doe/fawn antelope units that helped me see that yep, sure enough, the softer units are a long drive from Utah. The other thing that is badly needed is the ability to filter the table rows by some of the attributes, for example to show only the public land hunts and hide the CWMU hunts. If you have any feature ideas, please comment here or send me a pm. If you want to get an email when I add features or new hunt data, you can sign up for the mailing list.

Also, please keep in mind that while I have tried really hard not to make any mistakes with this data, and the data should be reliable, you should definitely double-check everything against the official publications before finalizing your application. (I provide links to the official DNR pages in the table to try to make this easier.) See the site terms for the complete legal disclaimer.

 

[yak4fish]

Thanks, That is really cool.

I'm surprised the cwmu harvest percent isn't better. I thought it would have been lower pressure better success rate.:-?

 

[Bobh92057]

Greatly appreciated. I keep previous years data, as most, but your your data is much easily sorted. Great info and thanks for sharing!

I might have missed it, but do you have data on Bull draws?

 

[polarbear]

Great job, quartz. Looks like you put a lot of work into this. I like it! Are you planning on adding antlered hunts? Thanks!

 

[Airborne]

Thank you very much for all the hard work!! for those willing to spend some time there are some pretty darn good antlerless hunts out there that can be had every year or every other year. I wish the DWR would give the harvest rates for 2014. I don't understand why it takes so long. Thanks again, this is a great resource!

 

[quartz]

Hey, so glad to hear you guys like it.

@Bobh92057 and @polarbear, until the antlerless deadline I will just be trying to improve the presentation of this data, first adding some filtering controls (only show within x miles of my location, better than x odds, etc), and second, a color-coded map.

Then, I was thinking I would try to do something showing statistics for the OTC antlered elk units, because that is the next decision people are facing: spike or any bull, and where to hunt.

Regarding LE and OIL antlered hunts, it should be pretty easy to do, just a little more math to get an odds number for the bonus point rather than the preference point system. I will do it!

 

[nelsonccc]

Thanks so much. This makes it so easy. I really appreciate your hard work to make this.

I was reading this morning on the difference between bonus and preference points. Am I correct in my understanding that you do not get bonus/preference points for doe pronghorn if you don't draw your first choice but do draw your other choice? For example, last year I put in for 5503 (john valley) for my first choice and 5506 (plateau) for my second choice. I had thought that since I didn't draw Johns valley last year, but did draw plateau that I had a better chance this year at Johns. But reading through the info (http://wildlife.utah.gov/hunting-in-utah/hunting-permits/684-how-bonus-and-preference-points-work) this morning it looks like I misunderstood. I thikn the only way I have a chance of drawing Johns Valley is to pretty much only apply there for a few years since if I keep listing Plateau as a second choice and drawing it I start over each year?

PS, did some antelope skewers yesterday that were amazing. There's something about Hoisin and soy that just makes antelope amazing.

 

[quartz]

@nelsonccc I am pretty sure that it is only with general season deer that you get to keep your points if don't get your first choice. But that's just what I recall from memory. If you log in to the DNR site, does it say you have 0 points for antlerless pronghorn?

Your cooking looks great. We had guests from Colorado on Friday who are wildlife biologists/mountain guides but not hunter, and got to feed them pronghorn meat for the first time in their lives. These are people who have spent countless days studying the sagebrush habitat and know more about what antelope eat than I could ever hope to learn. In fact the woman is a vegetarian but she decided to eat the antelope when I told her I had killed and processed it myself. Awesome, proud moment for any hunter. Just salt and pepper on the steaks though, I wanted them to get a clear taste.

 

[Airborne]

Regarding antlerless preference points (all species) You lose your preference points if you draw a tag, regardless of the choice that was drawn. This is different from the general buck deer preference point system and I think this is why we have confusion. A few weeks ago I was in your same boat and just as you did I looked up the regs and sure enough, you draw a tag you lose your points.

The level of complex laws and regulation regarding how we kill wild animals is astounding. Sometimes I have to take a step back and just shake my head.

 

[brisket]

PS, did some antelope skewers yesterday that were amazing. There's something about Hoisin and soy that just makes antelope amazing.

Those looks delicious. Really hoping a draw a WY antelope tag this year.

 

[nelsonccc]

Regarding antlerless preference points (all species) You lose your preference points if you draw a tag, regardless of the choice that was drawn. This is different from the general buck deer preference point system and I think this is why we have confusion. A few weeks ago I was in your same boat and just as you did I looked up the regs and sure enough, you draw a tag you lose your points.

The level of complex laws and regulation regarding how we kill wild animals is astounding. Sometimes I have to take a step back and just shake my head.

Yep, Triple checked again this morning and I have no doe pronghorn points since I drew last year, even though I drew my second choice. I think hunting every year on the plateau is more important than hunting every three years in Johns Valley. So I just did my antlerless app and it's pretty much the same as last year. Hopefully I'm up hunting the plateau unit again in November!

 

[nelsonccc]

Your cooking looks great. We had guests from Colorado on Friday who are wildlife biologists/mountain guides but not hunter, and got to feed them pronghorn meat for the first time in their lives. These are people who have spent countless days studying the sagebrush habitat and know more about what antelope eat than I could ever hope to learn. In fact the woman is a vegetarian but she decided to eat the antelope when I told her I had killed and processed it myself. Awesome, proud moment for any hunter. Just salt and pepper on the steaks though, I wanted them to get a clear taste.

I always hear people saying how it's bad meat and doesn't taste good. In fact we had our neighbor, who's also a hunter, over for dinner last night with the antelope skewers and he didn't believe they were antelope. He's always discounted those hunts since he didn't 'want to eat a tire'. He was blown away. Even plain the steaks are amazing, slightly gamier than elk or venison but still great. The only issue we have is with the hamburger we had made. I had them cut it with 20% pork fat and I think that was a bad idea. It works well for meatloaf and such but for burgers it's too gamey. I've just been making jerky in the oven with the hamburger and it's pretty good, would probably be loads better without the pork fat.

 

[Dunkem]

I always hear people saying how it's bad meat and doesn't taste good. In fact we had our neighbor, who's also a hunter, over for dinner last night with the antelope skewers and he didn't believe they were antelope. He's always discounted those hunts since he didn't 'want to eat a tire'. He was blown away. Even plain the steaks are amazing, slightly gamier than elk or venison but still great. The only issue we have is with the hamburger we had made. I had them cut it with 20% pork fat and I think that was a bad idea. It works well for meatloaf and such but for burgers it's too gamey. I've just been making jerky in the oven with the hamburger and it's pretty good, would probably be loads better without the pork fat.

Next time mix your burger with 30% reg gr beef.Should take away alot of the gamey taste.(reg ground beef has about 28% fat)As far as the jerky goes the leaner the better.

 

[quartz]

@nelsonccc I have had medium rare, barely seasoned 100% antelope burger from a number of different does and fawns and it is always amazing. Fantastic clean taste. I always cook it in a cast iron skillet in clarified butter out of fear the patty will fall apart, and because it is so lean.

 

[johnnycake]

quartz has the right idea on antelope burgers. If you cook it past medium-rare it can get really strong

 

[nelsonccc]

That burger looks good!
Pretty sure this year I'll just get it straight up. I think that the pork fat mix does not go well with the antelope but it's what the butcher recommended. I've heard other people recommending mixing it with beef burger so this year I'll have to try that. If we use a strong seasoning with the burger, like a taco mix, then they are fine, but plain, straight up burgers with the pork fat mix is not ideal. I still think it's okay but the rest of the family says 'nope'.

Hopefully I get another this year!

 

[Bowhunter50]

Thanks a ton. I've been trying to decide which antlerless hunt to put in for with my brother. Looks like our decision just got easier!

 

[OldEphraim]

Great work! The website is very helpful.

 

[Tyme]

Quartz,

Thank you very much for the info!

 

[utskidad]

It was an enormous help making sense of the draw options. Thank you.