375H&H
Well-known member
As some of you may know for the last 3 years I have hunted the "worst" antelope unit in Wyoming and this year I took my best buck ever in this unit after finding him and zeroing in on him until he made a mistake (after I made more than he did).
Opening day found me walking a chunk of public land and seeing a good buck at the far end of it. I ended up screwing up the stalk and scaring the antelope out of there, but no sweat. It was only opening day and I had my sights set on nothing less than I have shot previously. As I was returning to my truck about a mile away, I almost set my foot down on a rattler, only to draw it back at the last second and jump around for a bit while realizing how close I was to getting bit. I watched him for a while and let him slither away since he did not hurt me I saw no reason to hurt him. End of day 1 came with 1 good buck seen but no shots.
Day 2 I went to a different chunk of public land and saw all that was there as well with many mule deer bucks seen (2 over 180") but nothing more than young 1-2 year old antelope bucks. I will keep that place in mind for the upcoming mule deer season and am curious how many other people saw those deer...time will tell.
Day 3 I went back to the same chunk of public land that my dad shot his antelope on last year and glassed up a herd from about 2 miles away and decided to check them out not knowing if there was a buck around let alone a good buck. I stalked up to about 300 yards away from the herd and glassed them over finding the buck milling around. At first glance I decided he was not worthy of shooting, but then he turned sideways and I could see his significant mass and as I watched even closer, I could see visible ivory tips of at least 1" long...all of that combined to make him a shooter. I decided to watch him until he walked down the hill a little bit and got within about 300 yards before I would take a shot. I rarely take shots over 100 yards but after watching him for so long I figured I should give it a try. I was shooting prone and got a little excited (ok a lot excited) and did not use my backpack as a rest which would have definitely made my shooting more comfortable and steady. After pressing the trigger in his general direction the buck ran a little and then stopped and looked back at me while the rest of the 12 or so does got up and began to filter out taking the buck with them. I followed them for the next 2 draws and was assured he was not hit so turned around to get my pack and begin the 3 mile pack out. I was kicking myself on the entire hike out knowing that I should have gotten closer and kept to my usual 100 yard or less shot opportunities for increased efficacy. I also saw another 180"+ mule deer in this area as well so kept that stored in my head for deer season.
Day 4 I went back to the same area where I missed the buck previously and low and behold the whole herd was in the last draw I saw them in. I again tried to stalk in on them but with all of the does around they blew out again and made me look like a keystone cop.
Day 5 I again went back to the same area and the entire herd was in the same draw once again with the buck present. I was starting to see a pattern with the herd LOVING this one draw likely because they had water, shelter, zero pressure (other than me), and could see danger coming from many directions and an almost impossible chance to get within easy rifle range without one of the antelope in the herd knowing about it. Unfortunately I was not able to glass the herd in this draw but blew them out while bumbling back to the truck thinking there was nothing around. This was my 3rd attempt at this buck and 3rd time I failed to connect.
Day 6 Back to the same spot and this time while sitting down for a mid day snack and drink, glassed up the herd again in the same draw. I decided they were in a suitable position for a stalk after watching them for a while and not seeing them move very much at all before heading off around the ridge out of sight. After cresting the ridge and not seeing them, I continued walking and out of nowhere I see a doe that has me pegged. She soon got antsy and started running off while the whole herd followed her including the ivory tipped buck. Frustration began to creep in in a big way but after each time seeing him it was apparent he was the biggest buck I had seen and possibly in the entire unit and worthy of the rest of my antelope season and tag if I could ever get my chit together. 0-4
Day 7 Up bright and early and back to the same spot but this time I assumed the antelope would be where they were the previous 4 times and I was right. They ended up being higher up on the ridge than usual, but still in a location suitable for a stalk (or so I thought). My stalking route would be approximately a 1 mile loop that would keep me out of sight the entire way until I would crest a knob, pop over, and shoot the buck. With less than a quarter mile left to stalk all of a sudden I see the herd running over the ridge in front of me, not sure if I spooked them or something else did. I sat down and watched them continue to run out of sight and began to get deflated once again at my missed opportunity. I decided to walk around a bit and see where they may have gone as they did not appear to be too spooked. I have found that antelope that are not overly spooked won't go too far, but if they are very spooked, don't even bother chasing them as they usually show up a couple miles away in about 3 minutes. After not seeing them I looked at the time and decided I should head back and call it a day. While cresting the ridge into the draw this antelope herd loves to be found in, I saw the entire herd bedded down about 350 yards away. Apparently they went around the corner and back into the original draw I saw them in instead of running off of the property. I could not believe my fortune and began to belly crawl in their direction. After about 20 yards of belly crawling I began to see that there was no way I could get within 300 yards for a shot if I continued on this path. I decided to back out and try another path that would eventually bring a small rise between me and the herd which if I crawled over it in the correct location would put me within an easy 100 yard shot...thats what I like not to mention believing that this antelope buck deserved a great stalk given how many times he had given me the slip. The belly crawl would be about 1/4 mile long in their view the whole time so care would need to be taken. Slowly and steadily I crept forward and reconfirmed that as long as you don't poke your outline above the sagebrush or vegetation surrounding you, they will not get concerned and allow you to get closer. As I crested the ridge my heart was pounding out of my chest with the thought that my plan actually might result in a dead antelope buck. I spotted the buck about 100 yards away but there was too much sagebrush in my way for a shooting lane so I continued to creep closer. Right about this time a prairie dog sounded off in my direction putting the whole herd on alert looking straight at me. I inched closer and finally found a shooting lane as the antelope were beginning to become uneasy. I knew I needed to squeeze off a shot so I found the buck in the crosshairs and let a shot go. It felt good, but the herd ran off with the buck, but the buck was showing signs of being a little slow. As the herd was running off I raced after them and saw they were coming to a halt at least 200 yards away (I don't use a rangefinder). I got down and steadied off another shot this time with a noticeable effect of the buck running back downhill the way they had come towards a muddy spring. As the buck hit the spring he got stuck in it and could not get out. I quickly made my way down to him and finished him off with 1 more round.
While walking up to the buck I could not believe that I had actually got the single buck I was after during the course of 5 attempts but also felt a little remorse as he was a worthy adversary and was a little sad that he was no longer on the landscape (the good news is that I saw him breeding does during my first encounter so his genes will be passed on). He ended up getting really muddy from the spring that he fell into but his horns were even better than I judged them to be; he actually was my biggest antelope ever and most unique with the large ivory tips. I would guess him at roughly 75" but his score is irrelevant to me; the fact that he provided me a very high quality hunting experience and had a great look while being a mature animal is what is awesome about him.
I will post another pic that I took on my phone but what a great antelope season made even sweeter by the fact that I got the buck I was after and was able to squeeze the season out to 7 days.
Opening day found me walking a chunk of public land and seeing a good buck at the far end of it. I ended up screwing up the stalk and scaring the antelope out of there, but no sweat. It was only opening day and I had my sights set on nothing less than I have shot previously. As I was returning to my truck about a mile away, I almost set my foot down on a rattler, only to draw it back at the last second and jump around for a bit while realizing how close I was to getting bit. I watched him for a while and let him slither away since he did not hurt me I saw no reason to hurt him. End of day 1 came with 1 good buck seen but no shots.
Day 2 I went to a different chunk of public land and saw all that was there as well with many mule deer bucks seen (2 over 180") but nothing more than young 1-2 year old antelope bucks. I will keep that place in mind for the upcoming mule deer season and am curious how many other people saw those deer...time will tell.
Day 3 I went back to the same chunk of public land that my dad shot his antelope on last year and glassed up a herd from about 2 miles away and decided to check them out not knowing if there was a buck around let alone a good buck. I stalked up to about 300 yards away from the herd and glassed them over finding the buck milling around. At first glance I decided he was not worthy of shooting, but then he turned sideways and I could see his significant mass and as I watched even closer, I could see visible ivory tips of at least 1" long...all of that combined to make him a shooter. I decided to watch him until he walked down the hill a little bit and got within about 300 yards before I would take a shot. I rarely take shots over 100 yards but after watching him for so long I figured I should give it a try. I was shooting prone and got a little excited (ok a lot excited) and did not use my backpack as a rest which would have definitely made my shooting more comfortable and steady. After pressing the trigger in his general direction the buck ran a little and then stopped and looked back at me while the rest of the 12 or so does got up and began to filter out taking the buck with them. I followed them for the next 2 draws and was assured he was not hit so turned around to get my pack and begin the 3 mile pack out. I was kicking myself on the entire hike out knowing that I should have gotten closer and kept to my usual 100 yard or less shot opportunities for increased efficacy. I also saw another 180"+ mule deer in this area as well so kept that stored in my head for deer season.
Day 4 I went back to the same area where I missed the buck previously and low and behold the whole herd was in the last draw I saw them in. I again tried to stalk in on them but with all of the does around they blew out again and made me look like a keystone cop.
Day 5 I again went back to the same area and the entire herd was in the same draw once again with the buck present. I was starting to see a pattern with the herd LOVING this one draw likely because they had water, shelter, zero pressure (other than me), and could see danger coming from many directions and an almost impossible chance to get within easy rifle range without one of the antelope in the herd knowing about it. Unfortunately I was not able to glass the herd in this draw but blew them out while bumbling back to the truck thinking there was nothing around. This was my 3rd attempt at this buck and 3rd time I failed to connect.
Day 6 Back to the same spot and this time while sitting down for a mid day snack and drink, glassed up the herd again in the same draw. I decided they were in a suitable position for a stalk after watching them for a while and not seeing them move very much at all before heading off around the ridge out of sight. After cresting the ridge and not seeing them, I continued walking and out of nowhere I see a doe that has me pegged. She soon got antsy and started running off while the whole herd followed her including the ivory tipped buck. Frustration began to creep in in a big way but after each time seeing him it was apparent he was the biggest buck I had seen and possibly in the entire unit and worthy of the rest of my antelope season and tag if I could ever get my chit together. 0-4
Day 7 Up bright and early and back to the same spot but this time I assumed the antelope would be where they were the previous 4 times and I was right. They ended up being higher up on the ridge than usual, but still in a location suitable for a stalk (or so I thought). My stalking route would be approximately a 1 mile loop that would keep me out of sight the entire way until I would crest a knob, pop over, and shoot the buck. With less than a quarter mile left to stalk all of a sudden I see the herd running over the ridge in front of me, not sure if I spooked them or something else did. I sat down and watched them continue to run out of sight and began to get deflated once again at my missed opportunity. I decided to walk around a bit and see where they may have gone as they did not appear to be too spooked. I have found that antelope that are not overly spooked won't go too far, but if they are very spooked, don't even bother chasing them as they usually show up a couple miles away in about 3 minutes. After not seeing them I looked at the time and decided I should head back and call it a day. While cresting the ridge into the draw this antelope herd loves to be found in, I saw the entire herd bedded down about 350 yards away. Apparently they went around the corner and back into the original draw I saw them in instead of running off of the property. I could not believe my fortune and began to belly crawl in their direction. After about 20 yards of belly crawling I began to see that there was no way I could get within 300 yards for a shot if I continued on this path. I decided to back out and try another path that would eventually bring a small rise between me and the herd which if I crawled over it in the correct location would put me within an easy 100 yard shot...thats what I like not to mention believing that this antelope buck deserved a great stalk given how many times he had given me the slip. The belly crawl would be about 1/4 mile long in their view the whole time so care would need to be taken. Slowly and steadily I crept forward and reconfirmed that as long as you don't poke your outline above the sagebrush or vegetation surrounding you, they will not get concerned and allow you to get closer. As I crested the ridge my heart was pounding out of my chest with the thought that my plan actually might result in a dead antelope buck. I spotted the buck about 100 yards away but there was too much sagebrush in my way for a shooting lane so I continued to creep closer. Right about this time a prairie dog sounded off in my direction putting the whole herd on alert looking straight at me. I inched closer and finally found a shooting lane as the antelope were beginning to become uneasy. I knew I needed to squeeze off a shot so I found the buck in the crosshairs and let a shot go. It felt good, but the herd ran off with the buck, but the buck was showing signs of being a little slow. As the herd was running off I raced after them and saw they were coming to a halt at least 200 yards away (I don't use a rangefinder). I got down and steadied off another shot this time with a noticeable effect of the buck running back downhill the way they had come towards a muddy spring. As the buck hit the spring he got stuck in it and could not get out. I quickly made my way down to him and finished him off with 1 more round.
While walking up to the buck I could not believe that I had actually got the single buck I was after during the course of 5 attempts but also felt a little remorse as he was a worthy adversary and was a little sad that he was no longer on the landscape (the good news is that I saw him breeding does during my first encounter so his genes will be passed on). He ended up getting really muddy from the spring that he fell into but his horns were even better than I judged them to be; he actually was my biggest antelope ever and most unique with the large ivory tips. I would guess him at roughly 75" but his score is irrelevant to me; the fact that he provided me a very high quality hunting experience and had a great look while being a mature animal is what is awesome about him.
I will post another pic that I took on my phone but what a great antelope season made even sweeter by the fact that I got the buck I was after and was able to squeeze the season out to 7 days.
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