I was cleaning out my sent messages and ran across an old PM I sent. I thought it would be helpful to have a thread for us to share advice on how to hunt antelope. Here are a few things I listed:
1. Plan to glass with the sun at your back, in the mornings and evenings. Antelope stand out like a flashlight when the sun rays are low (first and last light) and the sun is at your back. Look for "white". Your best hunting is the first and last 2 hours of daylight. Plan to be driving and glassing with the sun at your back.
2. Antelope have very distinct territories. If you bump a good buck, don't push him. You will be hunting the rut and antelope will be extremely territorial unless you push them out hard (like chasing or shooting at them).
3. I love to stalk antelope. My strategy is to spot them a mile away, and then never let them see me during the stalk. Use draws, folds in the topography, tall sage, so they can't see you.
4. If you find a buck and have no way to stalk him, I have taken a couple bucks by stalking at first and last light (last or first half hour) with the sun at my back. It seems to nullify their high power vision. I've done this numerous times.
5. If you find a knob where you can gain 100-200 feet of elevation, it is worth the climb to look the country over, particularly if there are no roads up to it, you will likely see country others have not looked in to. I tend to find hunters are very lazy getting off of the road when hunting Wyoming antelope. Big bucks are often just a draw or two off of roads.
6. Don't shoot the first good buck you see. My strategy is look over a lot of bucks, keep notes where the best ones are then go back and relocate the best ones. Remember antelope have distinct territories, particularly in late September which is the peak of the rut. My plan on my next hunt is to inventory 100+ bucks then go back and hunt the best ones.
7. During the time you are hunting in late September, the bucks will be VERY aggressive and chasing off intruder bucks. If the buck runs off (which he likely will), stalk his does, and wait for him to return to them. He will come back.
8. Antelope horn growth begins in November. This year was a VERY mild winter, so there is a great chance for some BIG antelope this year. The problem may be the dry summer so far.
9. If there is no way to get the wind right for the stalk, I've found I can often stalk well with a marginal wind direction. Antelope have such great eyesight, they primarily depend on their eyes rather then their noses.
10. Carry a rangefinder. Antelope are extremely hard to judge the range on, and I often under shot and over shot them when I first started.
11. Heavy mass and big prongs is FAR more important to antelope score then the length of the horns. Mike Eastman's book has great notes on judging trophy antelope.
1. Plan to glass with the sun at your back, in the mornings and evenings. Antelope stand out like a flashlight when the sun rays are low (first and last light) and the sun is at your back. Look for "white". Your best hunting is the first and last 2 hours of daylight. Plan to be driving and glassing with the sun at your back.
2. Antelope have very distinct territories. If you bump a good buck, don't push him. You will be hunting the rut and antelope will be extremely territorial unless you push them out hard (like chasing or shooting at them).
3. I love to stalk antelope. My strategy is to spot them a mile away, and then never let them see me during the stalk. Use draws, folds in the topography, tall sage, so they can't see you.
4. If you find a buck and have no way to stalk him, I have taken a couple bucks by stalking at first and last light (last or first half hour) with the sun at my back. It seems to nullify their high power vision. I've done this numerous times.
5. If you find a knob where you can gain 100-200 feet of elevation, it is worth the climb to look the country over, particularly if there are no roads up to it, you will likely see country others have not looked in to. I tend to find hunters are very lazy getting off of the road when hunting Wyoming antelope. Big bucks are often just a draw or two off of roads.
6. Don't shoot the first good buck you see. My strategy is look over a lot of bucks, keep notes where the best ones are then go back and relocate the best ones. Remember antelope have distinct territories, particularly in late September which is the peak of the rut. My plan on my next hunt is to inventory 100+ bucks then go back and hunt the best ones.
7. During the time you are hunting in late September, the bucks will be VERY aggressive and chasing off intruder bucks. If the buck runs off (which he likely will), stalk his does, and wait for him to return to them. He will come back.
8. Antelope horn growth begins in November. This year was a VERY mild winter, so there is a great chance for some BIG antelope this year. The problem may be the dry summer so far.
9. If there is no way to get the wind right for the stalk, I've found I can often stalk well with a marginal wind direction. Antelope have such great eyesight, they primarily depend on their eyes rather then their noses.
10. Carry a rangefinder. Antelope are extremely hard to judge the range on, and I often under shot and over shot them when I first started.
11. Heavy mass and big prongs is FAR more important to antelope score then the length of the horns. Mike Eastman's book has great notes on judging trophy antelope.
Last edited:
