Antelope Behavior Question

[Againstthewind]

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.

Lots of good info here I think. I think what 480/277, might also have mentioned, there is a lead Doe, and sometimes they will mill around if you get her. But yeah, they baby sit each other's kids, and I think they are pretty well weaned by rut time or long before or the bucks will make sure they are so they can get at mom again. The white hat thing does work I think. They can be pretty curious and will try and figure out what the white thing is all about. White I think works because their butts are white so they will come check it out to see if its their buddy. They can be pretty vocal, too. Didn't see that mentioned. If you are creeping over a hill and you hear this weird weezy, vibrating, snort it is kindof a warning call and they have spotted you. The lookout a lot of times will hang back to see what you are while the rest take off. Hopefully that add some, but there is good info. on this thread already.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

One thing no one has mentioned is behavior dur the rut. I hunted antelope for over 30 years and never during the rut. Last year I drew a tag for a unit here along the NM border. My first hunt for antelope outside of Wyoming & California. The hunt was in early Oct and the rut was in full swing. Every buck was chasing any doe that was in season. They would run for over a mile chasing a doe...several bucks in tow. Really hard to hunt. I did shoot a nice buck that was standing watching everything. Oh ya... he was a lot stronger tasting than anything I have ever shot before.

Just sayin.......

 

[Rich M]

Great info that I haven't seen before.

Will be paranoid of shooting running critters now. Hope to miss the rutting activity - still, calm critters only, please. Oh, and maybe a couple dumb ones that try to figure out where the noise came from.

Thanks for the tip on the vocalizations - will pay attention for it.

Will the lead doe be obvious? Biggest one?

 

[wy-tex]

She'll be the one in the lead when they run away. She may not be the biggest but most mature usually. Where she goes the herd goes.
Good advice on the rut C-C. What a pain to try for the rutting buck, they never stop. They will relentlessly chase a hot doe and any young buck trying to get close.

You can use that call to your advantage, commercial ones are made and if used right they will calm the herd.
I heard it more down in NM from antelope than I have heard in Wyoming.

 

[fackelberry]

another thing you can do if there is alot of pressure in your hunting area is, find a water hole and make a small natural blind out of sage brush if there is any around. Doesn't have to be very tall, just tall enough you can sit behind it and block most of your body and movements. try to stay 100 yards or so away. I have seen many antelope getting shot at or chased around swing by for a quick drink and head on there way again. Specially if its hot out. They will have to drink at least once a day and the times vary from when the last time they drank or how long they been running and the heat. Plus you can watch all the action going on around you too.

 

[Rich M]

While I am hoping for it to be on the cooler side, there are a handful of ponds where we'll be hunting. If we can't find much driving or walking, will try the water holes. I was taking note of some back off the beaten path.

Will they still need to water if it is say 50 or 60 out?

 

[Hilltop]

While I am hoping for it to be on the cooler side, there are a handful of ponds where we'll be hunting. If we can't find much driving or walking, will try the water holes. I was taking note of some back off the beaten path.

Will they still need to water if it is say 50 or 60 out?

60 is warm out there... But yes they will still need to drink.

 

[Rich M]

Perfect! If it was 40 the whole week, I'll be a happy camper.

Are they going to be very spooky coming into a water hole with everyone chasing them around?

 

[Hilltop]

Perfect! If it was 40 the whole week, I'll be a happy camper.

Are they going to be very spooky coming into a water hole with everyone chasing them around?

They are spooky coming in to water all year generally. I think most ungulates are as this is coded into their instincts as a typical predator ambush point. For this reason, most guys place archery blinds weeks before the opener. As mentioned, for rifle, you can hide in the sage a further distance away or construct a small blind 100-200 yards away so they won't be too freaked out that there is something new by their water source.

 

[Rich M]

Got another one - will they react to scent like deer do?

Being from FL, I'm not even remotely practiced at shooting in the wind. Shooting up or downwind would be a way around that. Upwind means powder residue, downwind means spooky animals????

Also - someone said to use a piece of duck blind material as cover when crossing openings - would they be alerted by that iff'n it didn't blend in perfectly?

 

[wy-tex]

They will scent you but really only pay attention to the wind when you get in close from my experiences.
Downwind and upwind shots are far better in Wyoming wind. If I have to take a crosswind shot I try to get the animal situated so that the wind blows the shot towards the front and not the paunch.

 

[Rich M]

That makes sense - better to miss than to hit too far back in the paunch or leg quarters.

That leads into the wind question - I keep seeing "Wyoming Wind". Someone said that if you took a week in WY, that it would hit 40-50 mph at least once during that trip. Does it really blow that hard?

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Lots of the time, out of the N & NW.

 

[JimP]

Once you get past the Rockies there is nothing to stop the wind. I have heard of some native Wyoming folks that walk with a lean to the west.

 

[Againstthewind]

Yep gusts to 60+ according to the road signs. That Area 1 actually gets some of the worst storms in this NE part lately. Pretty big hail and winds. 40-50 isn't super common I would say in this part, Cheyenne, Casper, Rawlins, a lot more common. The 40-50ers seems to blow through in the spring for a couple days/sometimes a week that are kindof miserable, but not all year I think. There is a pretty steady wind during the day a lot of the time, 15-25ish, with the morning not as bad sometimes. All in all probably mild compared to hurricane season.

The leaning is true, plus the talking with your mouth closed so dirt doesn't fly in, an added 25% mph going east, and flying windwills. It does help a little that its down hill going east from the Big Horns for example.

 

[Rich M]

Road signs! It is slowly coming back to me - tractor trailers laying on their sides along the highways. You guys are tough.

Does the wind lay down at dusk & dawn? It often goes calm in the woods around here, peak sea breezes from about noon-sunset.

While we do get some good blows during the hurricane season, it's only for a couple of days at a pop, with the peak 80 +/- mph being measured in hours and not days. During winter time we have some blows but again, only a few days at a time with 30-35 mph winds, early spring is 15-25 mph winds on average. Of course we duck hunt the winter fronts and have learned to aim upwind of the bird when it is windy.

What's the best way to tent camp in the wind?

Game Warden said most guys use some areas of timber to break the wind. My hunt partner wants to set up a base camp on BLM with a big tent. I'm wanting to use a 2-man tent cot I have - can always put it on the downside of the truck and not get blown over... Don't need a deadfall in the tent either.

 

[wy-tex]

Winds of 20-30 are very common and can blow all night.
Usually winds pick up in the SC part of the state about noon or so.
We have had 60 mph winds all day too.
We once had our wall tent put up in western wyo during at least 50-60 mph winds. Stake it down well and tighten the fly ropes and you will be fine. Try to find some sort of wind break, terrain or trees. We had to park our truck on the windward side to help with a wind block.

 

[Rich M]

I saw some pics Wy-tex put up on another forum. the last one had a herd of antelope - about 10-12. Pretty even mix of bucks and does.

They were pretty tightly packed - do they spread out much when feeding, traveling? Or will they be pretty tightly bunched?

 

[Hilltop]

I saw some pics Wy-tex put up on another forum. the last one had a herd of antelope - about 10-12. Pretty even mix of bucks and does.

They were pretty tightly packed - do they spread out much when feeding, traveling? Or will they be pretty tightly bunched?

When alert they can really bunch up but generally if they don't know you are there they will have some space between. I can't remember many occasions where I struggled to get a clear shot if I made a good stalk.

 

[JimP]

I saw some pics Wy-tex put up on another forum. the last one had a herd of antelope - about 10-12. Pretty even mix of bucks and does.

They were pretty tightly packed - do they spread out much when feeding, traveling? Or will they be pretty tightly bunched?

Also when were the pictures takes? It does make a difference.

Usually when they are going somewhere they will single file it out but if just feeding I have seen them cover a pretty good size of area depending on the herd size.