BuzzH
Well-known member
Pat and I didnt hold much hope for today as its been raining, snowing, hailing, wind howling, etc.
But I figured I'd at least go see just how bad it was. Really couldnt even get off the blacktop, but there was some public to look at from the highway. Any dirt 2-tracks were total slop so we decided to just look off the highway.
Saw a fair number of pronghorns right away, but nothing that I wanted to pursue. Finally about 1:30 pm we sort of decided to bag it for the day and started heading home. We hadnt gone far when Pat noticed a small herd of pronghorn with a couple bucks chasing does, one of them a really cool buck with a bent horn. I looked down at the GPS and they were on 1.5 mile block of BLM/State, but just barely on the public. We stopped and they immediately ran clearly onto the Private. I found who owned the private on my GPS and went to the nearest house and it was the same ranch as the GPS said it was. I knocked on the door and I asked if they allowed any antelope hunting. They said, "No, sorry its outfitted, and we're booked"...about what I expected as that ranch owns a bunch of land in the unit.
We drove back down the highway again and about in the middle of the public were 2 bedded bucks. I thought for sure it was going to be crooked horn, but it wasnt. We continued down the highway and in the very next draw, there he is, right smack dab in the middle of the BLM.
I quickly got my stuff together and off I went. I drove well past him and walked back to peek into the draw. He had worked up the draw about quarter mile so I made a big loop to cut him off. Just as I got to where I thought he would be he comes out on top of the ridge in front of me and crosses a small saddle. I reversed my original stalk and looped around to my right and started edging around a small hill. I look up and see just the tops of one horn, quartering right towards me at about 70 yards. I knelt down and let him walk up to 50 yards and he stops and looks directly away from me. I placed the leupold dot on the near shoulder and pressed the trigger...he just collapsed and never moved. Really starting to like the 7-08...
I've had several chances at bucks with odd horns before, but never one this good. I'm very happy with this buck, and in particular because its on a second choice tag.
A few pics:
But I figured I'd at least go see just how bad it was. Really couldnt even get off the blacktop, but there was some public to look at from the highway. Any dirt 2-tracks were total slop so we decided to just look off the highway.
Saw a fair number of pronghorns right away, but nothing that I wanted to pursue. Finally about 1:30 pm we sort of decided to bag it for the day and started heading home. We hadnt gone far when Pat noticed a small herd of pronghorn with a couple bucks chasing does, one of them a really cool buck with a bent horn. I looked down at the GPS and they were on 1.5 mile block of BLM/State, but just barely on the public. We stopped and they immediately ran clearly onto the Private. I found who owned the private on my GPS and went to the nearest house and it was the same ranch as the GPS said it was. I knocked on the door and I asked if they allowed any antelope hunting. They said, "No, sorry its outfitted, and we're booked"...about what I expected as that ranch owns a bunch of land in the unit.
We drove back down the highway again and about in the middle of the public were 2 bedded bucks. I thought for sure it was going to be crooked horn, but it wasnt. We continued down the highway and in the very next draw, there he is, right smack dab in the middle of the BLM.
I quickly got my stuff together and off I went. I drove well past him and walked back to peek into the draw. He had worked up the draw about quarter mile so I made a big loop to cut him off. Just as I got to where I thought he would be he comes out on top of the ridge in front of me and crosses a small saddle. I reversed my original stalk and looped around to my right and started edging around a small hill. I look up and see just the tops of one horn, quartering right towards me at about 70 yards. I knelt down and let him walk up to 50 yards and he stops and looks directly away from me. I placed the leupold dot on the near shoulder and pressed the trigger...he just collapsed and never moved. Really starting to like the 7-08...
I've had several chances at bucks with odd horns before, but never one this good. I'm very happy with this buck, and in particular because its on a second choice tag.
A few pics:
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