I wrote this story to describe my WY Antelope hunt last year. It was submitted to Eastmans, but I was only able to get into the Hornady Trophy Submission picture section in the most recent Hunting Journal. Still an honor. Thank you Eastmans!
I'm now posting my story here in order to do my part in priming-the-pump for all you antelope hunters this season! Good luck to all who will be chasing the mighty prairie speed-goats.
As luck would have it, Russ, and I were unsuccessful in the draw, but Plan B was enacted and we were able to secure a couple leftover tags. The unit had more private than public accessibility, but we were going west. During the 1,800-mile trek, we received news of a sudden change in the weather forecast. An Arctic Blast, with temperatures dropping into the single digits, was moving in and it was going to coincide with our hunt. Throw in the gusting wind and our tent was about to feel like an igloo on the open prairie floor.
The first few days were cold and slow with only a few antelope sightings with no mature bucks. Being late in the season, coupled with the major change in weather, the antelope were on high alert. As the third day was about to end, we spotted a small heard of antelope about one-half mile to the north. With only 30 minutes of legal shooting light to make something happen, I dropped my pack and scurried through the sagebrush, dropping into small drainages on the open prairie floor in order to close the distance undetected. The frigid air had my lungs burning, but determination and adrenaline drove me to reach a comfortable shooting distance and get my first opportunity behind the trigger.
After running out of cover and nearly out of daylight, I got setup on the bipod and started to look over the herd. Disappointment set-in seeing only doe?s and small bucks. Then, there HE was! A mature buck near the back of the group. As the herd started to move out, he cleared and the 162-grain SST was on its way, dropping him at 452 yards. I waited for Russ to catch up and together we recovered my biggest antelope to date. The following day, the weather improved and Russ took a nice buck of his own, notching his first western game tag.
I'm now posting my story here in order to do my part in priming-the-pump for all you antelope hunters this season! Good luck to all who will be chasing the mighty prairie speed-goats.
As luck would have it, Russ, and I were unsuccessful in the draw, but Plan B was enacted and we were able to secure a couple leftover tags. The unit had more private than public accessibility, but we were going west. During the 1,800-mile trek, we received news of a sudden change in the weather forecast. An Arctic Blast, with temperatures dropping into the single digits, was moving in and it was going to coincide with our hunt. Throw in the gusting wind and our tent was about to feel like an igloo on the open prairie floor.
The first few days were cold and slow with only a few antelope sightings with no mature bucks. Being late in the season, coupled with the major change in weather, the antelope were on high alert. As the third day was about to end, we spotted a small heard of antelope about one-half mile to the north. With only 30 minutes of legal shooting light to make something happen, I dropped my pack and scurried through the sagebrush, dropping into small drainages on the open prairie floor in order to close the distance undetected. The frigid air had my lungs burning, but determination and adrenaline drove me to reach a comfortable shooting distance and get my first opportunity behind the trigger.
After running out of cover and nearly out of daylight, I got setup on the bipod and started to look over the herd. Disappointment set-in seeing only doe?s and small bucks. Then, there HE was! A mature buck near the back of the group. As the herd started to move out, he cleared and the 162-grain SST was on its way, dropping him at 452 yards. I waited for Russ to catch up and together we recovered my biggest antelope to date. The following day, the weather improved and Russ took a nice buck of his own, notching his first western game tag.
Good and bad, I know. LOL
