COLORADO
Getting a rifle permit for a public-land hunt in Colorado is easier than it is in Arizona, and the landowner voucher program also offers another alternative to hunt private land by paying a fee to the landowner or in some cases, an outfitter.

In 2006, 11,445 rifle, bow and muzzleloader hunters killed 7,300 pronghorns across the state, for a 64 percent harvest rate. That included 4,081 bucks and 2,992 does.

Another special program in Colorado is the Ranching For Wildlife permit, which requires a drawing but allows the holders to hunt on private land not otherwise available to the public. These hunters produced an 86 percent success rate in 2006.

Public-land rifle hunters weren’t far behind them, with an 85 percent success rate. Muzzleloaders scored at a 39 percent pace, and bowhunters came in at 15 percent.

IDAHO
Although Idaho has some of the best and most varied hunting in the West, it’s not known for its antelope hunting. If you live there and get a tag, however, the chances of killing an antelope are decent. In 2005, in fact, it was 65 percent; The 1,550 hunters who held controlled-hunt permits tagged 1,001 antelope -- a figure slightly down from the average of 1,300 of the past few years.

The highest success rate in 2005, at 96 percent, was in Unit 30 where 27 out of 28 hunters killed their antelope. The next-best unit was 39, with a 92 percent rate and a harvest of 23 out of 25.

Predictions for the 2007 seasons are about the same, with 1,505 controlled hunt permits available in the annual lottery.

MONTANA
In 2005, about 58,000 permit-holders killed 27,500 antelope of both sexes, for an overall success rate of 47 percent. The either-sex non-resident success rate for any weapon was 72 percent, while the resident rate for the same permits was 48 percent. Nonresident and resident bowhunters enjoyed success rates of 40 and 13 percent, respectively.

The pronghorn population had done well over the last few years because of successive mild winters, but the 2006-07 winter was particularly harsh and could affect the hunting this fall.

The top-producing areas are the 700 districts in Region 7, which encompasses the southeast part of the state. There are 13,000 permits for this area, and the success rate usually hovers around 75 percent. The districts around Helena should also be good for trophy bucks.

There are many acres of private land in Montana where permits are easier to get, but they often require paying a trespass fee or hiring an outfitter to gain access.

NEVADA
In 2006, the bad news in Nevada was the wildfire that destroyed more than half of the critical antelope winter range in management units 061, 062, 064, 071 and 073 to the north and west of Elko.

Biologists at the Nevada Department of Wildlife concluded that the burned winter habitat, which had also been degraded by an Aroga moth infestation, was not sufficient to sustain the 1,000-plus antelope in the area. Thus, they initiated a special depredation hunt to cull 200 animals and also began relocating up to 350 of them to other parts of the state.

The good news is the pronghorn population, estimated at 20,000 in the rest of the Silver State, is doing well, and nearly every unit should produce decent hunting.

Some of the best units for pronghorn numbers are 031 to 035, 041 and 042. But if you want to take an above-average trophy, units 011, 012 to 014, 021, 022 and 033 north of Reno are the ones to apply for.

In 2006, 2,580 rifle and archery hunters killed 1,735 antelope, for an overall success rate of 68 percent.