Does anybody know when antelope have reached there full horn growth for the year? Also i know antelope migrate during the winter, does anyone know when they are back on their home range?
Horn Growth/ Home Range
- Thread starter ADavid
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Mike
Eastmans' Staff
- Feb 21, 2011
- 34
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By the 1st to 2nd week in August they are done. Some are done the end of July. By now, the prong and above the prong is grown. It seems the antelope start back to the summer range as the snow leaves. I have seen them out on the summer range in April in one of those bad spring storms. It all depends on the winter and summer range distance. Mike
Mike
Eastmans' Staff
- Feb 21, 2011
- 34
- 0
In my book Hunting Trophy Antelope DIY I outline the range of a Alpha buck. He will come back in the spring to the same country summer after summer. He is very protective of his territory. It seems they will depending on buck numbers have a 3 to 4 miles of territory. He will protect it all summer and during the rut from other bucks or until a more aggressive buck runs him off. Antelope bucks are very aggressive even in the summer months. Mike
wby4life
New Member
Hey Mike! I am currently reading your book Hunting Trophy Antelope, A DIY Guide and it is very interesting and I can tell it is definitely something that you have a great passion for and know a lot about! I just got into antelope archery hunting 2 years ago and let me tell you, I haven't found any type of hunting thus far as addicting! There is nothing like that charging speed goat coming at you and your decoy as you pull your bow back! I also am a big whitetail hunter (bow and rifle) back in Eastern SD, but more recently I have tried to expand to western big game hunting. My dad and I went to the Greys River area last fall to hunt some trophy muleys so I bought your other book Hunting High Country Mule Deer, which was also a really good read! I couldn't put it down. We ended up getting a couple 170" class bucks, but we are definitely going back to search for those 200" monsters, because we found out that they are there! I also am a new subscriber to EHJ and EBJ and really enjoy them. I really like the MRS sections and the format of the magazine. Anyways, just thought I'd say hi and to keep up the good work!
P.S. I own both a .257 Wby Mag and .30-378 Wby Mag. I am planning a western WY mule deer/antelope combo hunt for the fall of 2012 with my dad. I have shot many whitetails in Eastern and Western SD with the .257, but recently bought the .30-378 for bigger game potentially longer shots. I used the .30-378 last fall on my WY mule deer because I was preparing for 400-500 yard shots, well it turns out I shot my buck at about 100 yards anyways...the rifle was definitely sufficient at that range...ha! Anyways, since preparing for that trip with 2 summers of a lot of shooting, I have fell in love with the .30-378 Wby. I can shoot it so accurately out to 1/4 mile, but it is a lot of gun and even the reloading costs plenty of money (which I can manage when you look at the big picture). Which rifle would you use for each hunt or single rifle for both hunts? If I took the .30-378 for the mule deer part of the hunt, then I could get by using it on the antelope too and not "need 2 rifles with". I know the .30-378 would be great for long distance for either, but I am sure is plenty for an antelope. Otherwise, it seems like ol' Roy Weatherby would be turning in his grave right now if he heard me because the .257 was his favorite caliber and he even hunted elk with it. I don't know if I could think of a better caliber for antelope than the .257 Wby - it is fast, flat, with sufficient energy for antelope-sized game. Your thoughts? Thanks!