Hopefully my wife and I will draw our Wyoming antelope tag next month. In preparations for that hunt, besides the obvious gear (clothes, food, water, camping/sleeping gear), what gear might I miss as a first time antelope hunter?
Antelope hunting gear
- Thread starter Work2hunt
- Start date
A rangefinder might be helpful if you don't already have one. I have seen many people shot over an antelope because they misjudged the yardage. My guess is it's because many times antelope are out in the sage flats with no trees to help discern distances.
HiMtnHnter
Active Member
Good tires, cooler that will keep ice, game bags, some trash bags, bipod, nice pair of broke in leather gloves . . . Just a few things that came to mind that I wouldn't be without . . .
Umpqua Hunter
Veteran member
I just ran through my gear list and here are a few things we take antelope hunting:
Ice chest loaded with ice. Most antelope are shot in the desert. We use the gutless netted, put each quarter in a large garbage bag, the rest of the pieces in another, and get it submerged in ice right away.
Rangefinder. It is pretty difficult to estimate range on antelope. Missed a LOT of shots early on by misjudging range.
Some guys like knee pads for stalking (or is it stocking..like women wear ;-). I prefer to stick my knees in cactus and other sharp objects.
Window mount for your spotting scope. Many times we do spotting from the vehicle, like a mile or so away, then plan a stalk.
Shotgun...check if there are any game bird seasons, some areas have a great population of birds.
Bipod...almost a must.
Cow decoy....I have never used one, but some guys use them to walk behind when stalking and antelope with great success. I have never had a problem without one...I have a different trick when they are in a bad place to stalk.
GPS...Antelope tend to be very territorial. I like to find several, mark where they are at, then go back for the best one.
Packframe. It can be fun to head into a roadless section to look for a good buck.
Ice chest loaded with ice. Most antelope are shot in the desert. We use the gutless netted, put each quarter in a large garbage bag, the rest of the pieces in another, and get it submerged in ice right away.
Rangefinder. It is pretty difficult to estimate range on antelope. Missed a LOT of shots early on by misjudging range.
Some guys like knee pads for stalking (or is it stocking..like women wear ;-). I prefer to stick my knees in cactus and other sharp objects.
Window mount for your spotting scope. Many times we do spotting from the vehicle, like a mile or so away, then plan a stalk.
Shotgun...check if there are any game bird seasons, some areas have a great population of birds.
Bipod...almost a must.
Cow decoy....I have never used one, but some guys use them to walk behind when stalking and antelope with great success. I have never had a problem without one...I have a different trick when they are in a bad place to stalk.
GPS...Antelope tend to be very territorial. I like to find several, mark where they are at, then go back for the best one.
Packframe. It can be fun to head into a roadless section to look for a good buck.
stevevan
Active Member
Spotting scope. Look at all the spotting scopes you can afford and then spend the money necessary to buy a better one!
6mm Remington
Very Active Member
Looking at everyone's list and trying to not duplicate here are a couple more items. A couple of tow straps are real life savers as well as a short handled shovel with more of a scoop shovel front than one for digging. I always carry a come-along too if you don't have a winch on your rig. Even if you do they come in very handy. Make sure you check your spare tire for air and that it's in good shape. Having two spare tires is not unreasonable either as sometimes it can be along way to driver just to get a flat repaired. What's that saying two is one and one is none!
David
David
bigshot
Very Active Member
The small pockets of public land I hunt in Wyoming are surrounded by private property, so knowing where I am at all times is very important, so a GPS with on X maps micro chip is a must have. Also makes it easy to find your way back to the hotel. Lots of dirt roads are not marked and you can get lost easy. We also take fishing poles cause Wyoming has some awesome fishing in the creeks and lakes. We usually tag out within a couple days and fish for the rest of the trip.
laxwyo
Very Active Member
ssliger
Very Active Member
Good points. Got a scope, binos, range finder, gps and chip. Probably should add gas can and at least chains to my list. Thanks. Keep the tips coming.
lostinOregon
Member
laxwyo
Very Active Member
You might be crawling a little bit, so having some of the pants with knee pads wouldn't be a bad idea.
Hilltop
Veteran member
I like to have several large water jugs along. Where I like to hunt clean water is hard to come by. Washing out the cavity after field dressing really speeds up the cooling process. We use 5 to 10 gallons per antelope and then pack the cavity with ice. I like to skin and quarter my antelope at camp in a more controlled environment. This allows me to keep the meat much cleaner than doing it in the field. Also the water is also really nice to wash any blood off the cape as it is really difficult to get out once it dries on. Another item that is nice to have along is a predator call. If you finish early calling in coyotes is a blast.
CrossCreeks
Veteran member
I have not seen mentioned but gloves that will protect you from cactus ! If you have to crawl to make a stalk not only the knee pads as already stated but some type of leather gloves really come in handy at least for me. Also a small tarp that you can use as you quarter the animal if you are going to do this in the field !
I second this. I don't go anywhere while hunting and not wear a pair of leather gloves.
Murdy
Active Member
Even with the gps & chip, I'd order a few topo maps. Sometimes it's nice to be able to lay out a map and look over an entire area rather than scrolling around on the little gps screen. And they're relatively cheap. (especially if you've got old eyes, like mine).