Antelope Behavior Question

[Rich M]

This is a first trip for me. Have a couple doe tags.

Say I set up on a doe group at first light on opening day and shoot the biggest one - what are the others gonna do?

Will they spook and run for miles?
Run 100-200 yards and look back?
Stand there and go what just happened?

This is at first light on opening day - not after they've been bothered for a couple days.

 

[kidoggy]

more then likely ,they won't go far and will be back in same spot by next morning.prairie goats tend to remain in same area

I have had em run off and I have also had em stand there, within a hundred yards, the entire time I field dressed their fallen comrade.
in the end they will do what they will do.

 

[Work2hunt]

Even after they have been bothered I find that most of the time they run 100-200 yds and will give you another chance. I say most of the time because of unknowns but we have taken 3 doe from the same group because they only went 50 yds between the 1st and 2nd shot. After the 3rd shot they finally got out of there.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Opening day...they have been bothered a lot less. Both posts are right. But later in the season ....all bets are off. I usually hunt middle to end and I have seen them run until out of sight, just seeing a vehicle and no one shooting!

 

[wy-tex]

You never know, they will stand or they will go to the next county. I've seen a herd go for miles out of sight after a shot.
If you have terrain and they can't pick you out or figure where the shot came from then a chance you'll get another shot.
Don't sweat filling those doe tags, you'll get em done then have time for some great fishing. Brown and brook trout spawn in the fall.
Wave a white hat at them and see if they will circle back.

Don't harvest a running or has been running antelope, lactic acid in the muscles can affect the quality of the meat.

 

[lostriverproductions]

My experience is if they don't know where the shot came from and you dropped the first one they will look around, this is from 200 yards and out mind you. But anything is possible in hunting, I have once had one group run towards me looking back I guess maybe the echo of the ridge behind them? But 2nd shot on 2nd doe was 42 yards.

Side note, depending on terrain, I would be cautious of taking more then one at a time by your self, you would be surprised how they can blend into the sage brush when there a couple hundred yards apart, specially if its flat it all looks the same.

 

[wy-tex]

If you get that doe at first light, get her dressed out and propped up on a sage bush to cool out. Get her set so you can find her easily, lostriver has a good point.
Then go after a second. With the body cavity opened she will cool in the early morning and give you a little time to fill that other tag. The rest of the group may well only crest a rise to get out of sight. Don't take a straight line from where they go over to look, they will be watching their backtrail. Get yourself a little different angle on them.

 

[Rich M]

Thanks, guys. This is very new for me. Will be in Unit 1, so want to get my mental game on with the limited access and potential for close competition.

Good suggestion on marking them well - had not considered shooting one and leaving it there to peak over the next rise and see what is there. Have a couple orange hats - will leave one with any left laying/propped up to drain and cool. Hoping for cooler weather - would be great if it is in the 40s in the mornings. We shoot deer here in FL in the 90s, just plain too hot to hunt.

What defines a running or has been running antelope? Shoot one and the rest run over a rise 1/4 mile away & stop - is that detrimental to the meat? Or is it more like miles of running?

 

[Hilltop]

I wouldn't have any idea on the amount of running required but it is a very good point. Antelope harvested when calm do make much better table fare. I shot my last two out of their beds- amazing meat.

 

[JimP]

Quite often when I have been with someone that has two doe tags we will get where he can get a good 100 yard shot on the first one. Then if all goes well usually a fawn will stop within another 50 yards or less where the shooter can pop that one. We have done this quite often with the tag holder getting both of his does in less than a minute.

 

[480/277]

Just my .02
If you see a big one and two small ones , shoot a small one, no sense killing them all by taking the Doe.
I would look for big dry does only .

Oh and if you kill one, concentrate on taking care of it rather than the other tags in your pocket.

YMMV

 

[wy-tex]

No need to take a fawn, they will yield much less meat.
For antelope hunting I prefer to wear an orange or camo orange vest. No orange hat peeking over the rise.

Try to find some feeding or bedded animals. They can take off at 45-50 mph so even a short but intense sprint can affect the meat.
I wouldn't take an animal that just ran over a rise or one you watched run from other hunters. Trotters are not as bad, but those running full bore will have some lactic acid .

 

[Work2hunt]

No need to take a fawn, they will yield much less meat.
For antelope hunting I prefer to wear an orange or camo orange vest. No orange hat peeking over the rise.

Try to find some feeding or bedded animals. They can take off at 45-50 mph so even a short but intense sprint can affect the meat.
I wouldn't take an animal that just ran over a rise or one you watched run from other hunters. Trotters are not as bad, but those running full bore will have some lactic acid .

Definitely dont shoot if they ran any distance full bore. A quick trot has not caused me issues but something about antelope and a full run causes a meat taste change.

 

[jtm307]

I've had unpressured antelope run away at full speed never to be seen again after simply seeing me. I've had pressured antelope stay within 50 yards after a gunshot. You never know what they'll do. They're strange creatures... but very tasty.

 

[Rich M]

Great stuff! Looking forward to opener. Less than 2 months to go...

 

[480/277]

Wy-tx
I am not advocating shooting fawns. My point was if you shoot the doe, the two fawns have a harder time surviving without mom to help.
I suggested shooting a fawn in that example, so as not killing 3 with one bullet.
I suggested shooting dry does.

 

[JimP]

The problem with shooting "dry does" is that how do you tell that they are dry does?

Granted if you have the time and see one or two fawns hanging around here then odds are she is dry, but what if a doe wonders away from the herd a little while the little ones are still with the herd?

It isn't quite cut and dried.

 

[Rich M]

I understood the comment and respect it. Was going to reply that I would see what happens, and decided not to. Figuring it was understood this is a case by case basis.

My dad is the same way - he talks about shooting "all" the deer and I put him in the best stands, then when the time comes he just watches them - I ask him what he saw and it is always does with fawns and he won't shoot them - no matter how far we drive.

I do not like guys shooting a doe or cow with a fawn in tow when there are others nearby - way too many videos showing that. It's like why did you shoot that elk and not the one 30 feet to the left????

That brings up the herd nature of the antelope and elk as opposed to the doe/fawn pair nature of whitetail deer. Different habitats, different predators, different cover, etc.

 

[wy-tex]

My misunderstanding.
Antelope fawns will survive next year if their doe is taken, if winter is normal.
They will have their fawns in nursery groups, meaning one doe may watch many fawns while the rest of the group feeds away. That can make it very hard to make out a dry doe.
I have no problem with someone taking a fawn if necessary but just saying they are really small. Many years they will have twins, it is not uncommon.

 

[Rich M]

Thanks for making it clear - this is a steep learning curve for me. Definitely not used to hunting herd animals.