"A Veteran's Antelope"

pointingdogsrule

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Joined
Aug 8, 2010
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Location
northeast Iowa
So at 57 years of age I have a "bucket list". One of my goals was to take a veteran on an all expenses paid antelope hunt to Wyoming. I have such as GREAT life and feel I owe so much to those that allow me to live this life... the veterans. This year I pulled the trigger. I advertised and veterans applied for the trip. Denver was the lucky guy (served in Afghanistan & Iraq).. I offered a guy a gun hunt, however, Denver asked if we could archery hunt. Yep! We would archery hunt two days before rifle season and hopefully be successful... if not then the gun comes out. (by the way... just my luck,,, the first year I did not draw and antelope tag for this area..... I'll shoot prairie dogs)

Sunday we loaded the F-150 and headed west. Stayed overnight in Wall, South Dakota. Monday we arrived in Wright, Wyoming. Toured the ranch that we would hunt and looked over the goats. We picked out three shooters...... one a really nice buck. No success the next morning. One nice buck at 52 yards and a clean miss due to winds. Amazing what winds will due to an arrow's flight out here on the open plains of Wyoming. Then sat in a blind for 4 hours.... no luck. That afternoon we tried once more and after numerous stalks we were able to close the distance to 54 yards on the biggest one on the ranch. Denver had been advised by me to practice out to 60 yards. One doe broke away from the herd and as the buck looked back at his other does..... Denver made the perfect shot, just behind the elbow. Heart and lung. He ran 70 yards and piled up.

It will be a great trip back home to Iowa with this buck in the truck. By the way.... Couldn't have picked a better guy for the hunt.... really great guy and easy to get along with.

Time for me to go and shoot more prairie dogs :)

Denver with his antelope :)
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good luck to all.
the dog
 
Holy smokes that's a great antelope! Sorry about you not drawing a tag, but somebody is building major karma points along with a WY preference point.
 
That is a sweet story. Congrats on an awesome hunt. Very nice to see someone doing that for our troops.
 
Very nice! You don't meet too many good people from Iowa, but you appear to be an exception... :)
 
Awesome story. What you're doing for the veterans is a tremendous blessing. Congrats to you and Denver on a great goat!
 
Thanks!! Know that we vets (i have been the recipient of a couple of gestures like this) are truly humbled by the gratitude we receive. For many of us hunting in one portion of our lives where we get a good measure of peace and solace. Glad he got such an outstanding goat!!
 
Congratulations to Denver and thank you for what you did; that takes real class. The last time I was in Wright there were several feeding on the grass there in front of the hotel and two more across and within 50 yards of the road.
 
Very cool thing you did. The vets deserve so much more, and every gesture of thanks we can give them is needed.
 
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