Coming off of a successful October antelope hunt this year, I first would like to thank the contributing members of the Eastmans forum and the Eastmans staff themselves. I have learned a lot about pursuing antelope from the magazine, MRS and the forum that can be credited to my success this year. Thanks to all.
I've waited to pursue my first antelope hunt for 7 years. I first got the desire after going on a few Elk hunts in Idaho. At that time, I lived in Arkansas and drove through Wyoming on the way to Idaho. I really wanted to hunt an animal that was so different that anything I've hunted before and maybe save 12 hours of driving in the process.
Fast forward to 2014, now living in Nebraska, I was unsuccessful in the draw again. I was a vicitim of point creep and very disappointed. I settled for an OTC Colorado Elk hunt that was unsuccessful but a lot of fun. This spring I didn't want to take the chance to getting clipped by point creep again. I appied for the special tag and I am glad I did. The applicants in the regular pool with my amount of points only drew at a 60% clip. While I dont do it often, I learned my lesson the first time on this deal. I got my tag
In early September I was fortunate to have the opportunity to take a weekend to scout the unit. As big as it was, I only had the time to check out about 25% of the areas I wanted to view. Focusing on water, I targeted these areas that were distant from asphalt and gravel roads. I saw LOTS of bucks that day and a half. No big bucks, but a lot and the experience in the unit was invaluable.
Wanting to miss the opener and hopefully have the unit to myself, I didn't leave for the hunt until October 8 and gave myself until the following Friday to hunt. I left the house at 3:50am and after a short stop for extra gas and water in Riverton, I was setting up camp by 3:30pm.
I spent the next three days working over as much country as possible. Friday yielded about 50 bucks, Saturday 70 and Sunday maybe 50. Most of the bucks were in the 12" range. I had saw two that I figured would be good bucks to take late in the hunt, but wanted to hold out for something better.
I definately wasnt seeing as many as I did during the scouting trip, but that was to be expected. I first started hunting some different areas than what I had scouted, the weather was very warm, and a severe windstorm passed through the area that Saturday night. Afraid that camp would get blown apart, I didn't hunt until noon on Sunday. I'd have to admit that I am surprised that my tent held. It is a Cabelas Bighorn III and it performed very well. It sustained 50 mph wind gusts that rocked the tent, but it made it through the storm without any damage.
That Sunday evening I worked an area about 10 miles of the nearest gravel and found a big basin that held water, cattle, and a lot of antelope. The largest buck in the basin was difficult to see in the spotter, as my spotting location was west facing. Between the glare and the distance, I couldn't judge the buck very well. I left the area with an hour of daylight left and planned on returning in the morning. Getting back to the main road, I decided to spend the last hour of light spotting a nearby drainage that held a lot of bucks. I had been in the area late on Saturday morning and wanted to check it out a little better. This time with the sun at my back, the drainage lit up with antelope. Working over the whole area, I "accidentally" spotted the biggest buck I had seen on the hunt to this point. I was glassing a nice buck feeding on the hillside and bumped the spotter. Looking through the glass to judge where I was, I spotted a bigger buck bedded down by himself in the shade of a sage bush. He had good cutters, decient mass and I liked the 'flair' to his cutters. He just looked good from the front and back. I did think he was a bit short, but I wanted to get a better look at him. By this time I was tired of glassing and ready to start stalking.
The following morning I worked the drainage from the opposite side to have the sun at my back. If you have hunted much, you know that when you enter an area from a different direction it looks way different that what your memory recollects. Well, very true this morning. I was having a hard time telling if I was close to the location of the buck from the previous night. I decided I needed to be a quarter mile further to the north so I backed off of the drainage and worked my way north. Hiking through the foothills at the top of the drainage, I came across the buck much sooner than anticipated. He was bedded in a tight pocket in the hills and had the bead on me. When I saw him, I quickly decided I wanted to try to get an opportunity. I figured he may not be the biggest in the unit, but right here right now, he was big enough for me.
Luckily, I only had my head above the hillside and backed off out of view. I worked around the hill to my left to try to get to a better shooting location and to an unexpected angle, hoping to get time to get a shot. The plan worked, as I had time to set up on shooting sticks just prior to him spotting me again. I squeezed off the Timney trigger and the 7mm did the rest. He expired within 30 yards from the 175 yard shot. Relief set in as he didn't move. I was calmed not so much from punching the tag on a nice antelope, but because it is important to me to finish an animal as quickly as possible.
I still think about the buck the buck spotted prior to the one I had downed. He may have been bigger, I don't know. All I knew is that I loved the look of mine and I had shot the largest buck I had a good view of in 5 days of hunting and scouting. Happy and thankful, my hunt was over.
I've waited to pursue my first antelope hunt for 7 years. I first got the desire after going on a few Elk hunts in Idaho. At that time, I lived in Arkansas and drove through Wyoming on the way to Idaho. I really wanted to hunt an animal that was so different that anything I've hunted before and maybe save 12 hours of driving in the process.
Fast forward to 2014, now living in Nebraska, I was unsuccessful in the draw again. I was a vicitim of point creep and very disappointed. I settled for an OTC Colorado Elk hunt that was unsuccessful but a lot of fun. This spring I didn't want to take the chance to getting clipped by point creep again. I appied for the special tag and I am glad I did. The applicants in the regular pool with my amount of points only drew at a 60% clip. While I dont do it often, I learned my lesson the first time on this deal. I got my tag
In early September I was fortunate to have the opportunity to take a weekend to scout the unit. As big as it was, I only had the time to check out about 25% of the areas I wanted to view. Focusing on water, I targeted these areas that were distant from asphalt and gravel roads. I saw LOTS of bucks that day and a half. No big bucks, but a lot and the experience in the unit was invaluable.
Wanting to miss the opener and hopefully have the unit to myself, I didn't leave for the hunt until October 8 and gave myself until the following Friday to hunt. I left the house at 3:50am and after a short stop for extra gas and water in Riverton, I was setting up camp by 3:30pm.
I spent the next three days working over as much country as possible. Friday yielded about 50 bucks, Saturday 70 and Sunday maybe 50. Most of the bucks were in the 12" range. I had saw two that I figured would be good bucks to take late in the hunt, but wanted to hold out for something better.
I definately wasnt seeing as many as I did during the scouting trip, but that was to be expected. I first started hunting some different areas than what I had scouted, the weather was very warm, and a severe windstorm passed through the area that Saturday night. Afraid that camp would get blown apart, I didn't hunt until noon on Sunday. I'd have to admit that I am surprised that my tent held. It is a Cabelas Bighorn III and it performed very well. It sustained 50 mph wind gusts that rocked the tent, but it made it through the storm without any damage.
That Sunday evening I worked an area about 10 miles of the nearest gravel and found a big basin that held water, cattle, and a lot of antelope. The largest buck in the basin was difficult to see in the spotter, as my spotting location was west facing. Between the glare and the distance, I couldn't judge the buck very well. I left the area with an hour of daylight left and planned on returning in the morning. Getting back to the main road, I decided to spend the last hour of light spotting a nearby drainage that held a lot of bucks. I had been in the area late on Saturday morning and wanted to check it out a little better. This time with the sun at my back, the drainage lit up with antelope. Working over the whole area, I "accidentally" spotted the biggest buck I had seen on the hunt to this point. I was glassing a nice buck feeding on the hillside and bumped the spotter. Looking through the glass to judge where I was, I spotted a bigger buck bedded down by himself in the shade of a sage bush. He had good cutters, decient mass and I liked the 'flair' to his cutters. He just looked good from the front and back. I did think he was a bit short, but I wanted to get a better look at him. By this time I was tired of glassing and ready to start stalking.
The following morning I worked the drainage from the opposite side to have the sun at my back. If you have hunted much, you know that when you enter an area from a different direction it looks way different that what your memory recollects. Well, very true this morning. I was having a hard time telling if I was close to the location of the buck from the previous night. I decided I needed to be a quarter mile further to the north so I backed off of the drainage and worked my way north. Hiking through the foothills at the top of the drainage, I came across the buck much sooner than anticipated. He was bedded in a tight pocket in the hills and had the bead on me. When I saw him, I quickly decided I wanted to try to get an opportunity. I figured he may not be the biggest in the unit, but right here right now, he was big enough for me.
Luckily, I only had my head above the hillside and backed off out of view. I worked around the hill to my left to try to get to a better shooting location and to an unexpected angle, hoping to get time to get a shot. The plan worked, as I had time to set up on shooting sticks just prior to him spotting me again. I squeezed off the Timney trigger and the 7mm did the rest. He expired within 30 yards from the 175 yard shot. Relief set in as he didn't move. I was calmed not so much from punching the tag on a nice antelope, but because it is important to me to finish an animal as quickly as possible.
I still think about the buck the buck spotted prior to the one I had downed. He may have been bigger, I don't know. All I knew is that I loved the look of mine and I had shot the largest buck I had a good view of in 5 days of hunting and scouting. Happy and thankful, my hunt was over.
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. But, as has been said, you have to take care of the animal right away and not wait.