Tips for a Disabled Hunter in WY

[MNElkNut]

Good luck and I am following this thread. I am bringing my 15 year old daughter out to hunt 'lopes next week out there. Be kinda nice if you WY folks got the weather straightened out a little before we got there.....I think NEWhunter would appreciate it as well!

Drive safe NEWhunter. The antelope will be there when you arrive.

 

[NEWHunter]

Well that was rough. Took us an extra three hours to get here. We passed at least two dozen vehicles in the ditch and several overturned semis. And I got about 30 minutes of sleep.

Spent the day driving and getting familiar with the unit. We tried to find something my Dad could get a shot at but no dice. Decided to try the come back as the sun is setting trick and my dad got off a 300 yard shot at a great buck but missed. Filling his tag is going to be tough.

Also saw some nice muleys and a mountain lion. First mountain lion I’ve ever seen - seemed on the smallish side. By the time we saw him he was going 90 mph in the other direction.

 

[NEWHunter]

Made a plan with my Dad last night to wake up at 5 am so we could be in the unit as day is breaking. The idea was to hopefully have a bit of an advantage in the low light again. I asked him if he wanted to sleep in after the long day we had. Nope, he’d be good he said.

Well, I’ve been up for the last hour. Gave the vehicle a once over and took a shower - he’s still sleeping after all that. Doing much of anything takes a lot of energy for him and yesterday was a really long day. I’ll let him rest and hopefully it makes a more productive remainder of the day.

It was a bit discouraging yesterday covering a large part of the public in the unit and only finding about 30 antelope on public. Lots on private though. Doesn’t appear we’re going to get a lot of opportunities, something I think we’ll need with our limitations. I hope that one opportunity yesterday was more of a fluke and we’ll get several today. It didn’t help that the antelope were getting ready to take off and he had to rush the shot. I was having trouble getting a range on them and called out 300. My dad thought a bit under 200. Just frustrated and venting. Anyways, at least it was a clean miss.

The plan for today is to cover the main roads again in the morning and see if maybe some antelope moved into those areas where they were absent yesterday. After that we’ll cruise around on the atv and check areas we couldn’t see from the truck. Maybe we’ll get lucky and ride up on one. Also hoping to find a good area to sit in the blind. If we don’t turn anything up real promising by lunch, I think we’ll put out the blind in the area we took the shot yesterday and wait it out for the afternoon. And the one thing I forgot was my Dad’s really nice blind chair. Hoping he can tough it out in crappy camp chair.

 

[wytex]

Good luck, when you head into town for lunch make sure he has on something orange. Someone might notice and offer up some access. Doesn't hurt to just ask also, all they can say is no.
Hoping for a success pic today!

 

[oleefish2]

Call the game and fish in that area and ask if anyone would give permission and drive up to a ranch house and explain your dads needs and see if they will help or if they know someone that will help? good luck.

 

[cahunter805]

Stick with it! Like stated. Doesn’t hurt to knock on a few doors and explain your dads situation. Many great people in WY. Good luck.

 

[Focus]

Following......with my fingers crossed for you and your dad.

 

[thusby]

Been in this situation with a less than able bodied hunter. Patience is all you can do. Gotta get used to letting a few animals walk out of your life.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

Your luck can change in a heartbeat on an antelope hunt. Stay at it. My dad was 87 when he got his last one.

 

[NEWHunter]

Good luck, when you head into town for lunch make sure he has on something orange. Someone might notice and offer up some access. Doesn't hurt to just ask also, all they can say is no.
Hoping for a success pic today!

Yeah, waived at the warden real nice today and was trying to get him to stop and he kept going. Guess we looked too law abiding. Hoping to bump into somebody and get some access - we’d even waive some cash at them if need be but it just hasn’t worked out. Be nice to bump into the right person. We’ve been pretty hard at it. Yet to stop for breakfast lunch or dinner. Been living off beef jerky, granola bars, apples, and water. The hour and 45 minute one way drive from the hotel is kinda brutal but necessary. Early starts and late finishes.

Had three opportunities today that just didn’t workout. Pushed/pulled my Dad on his walker to get the 30 feet off the road and stood him up and got him on the sticks. The little spike buck stood up and took a step up the hill. My dad asked if it was the bigger of the two, I said no. He passed and waited for the big one - which might have made 12 inches. Then the big one stood and took a step downhill. No shot, only a bit of his back is visible. Needs to step up hill. T-shirt on a stick didn’t help. They take off - ugh!!!! If we had just moved up a little further before setting up to get a little more of that crest out of the way. Maybe.

Another time we were unloading the atv and as we were doing that an atv and side by side, from Wisconsin no less, come up the trail and get ahead of us and the antelope wander out to 350 before we can get there. Too far. All we needed was to be 3 minutes quicker and we would have had a decent opportunity. Maybe.

Too tired to type up the third one.

Anyways. Maybe it’s tomorrow. Still trying to find a set up we feel good about for the blind. Dad decided he wants to keep after the bucks rather than put meat in the freezer, so unless lighting strikes we’ll be making tag soup with those four doe tags. Planning on getting up before 5 tomorrow and going to try getting out early.

Saw some neat stuff today. Swear I saw sharp tails today which seemed odd given our location in WY? Sorry, not a great photographer. I’m taking PMs if anybody knows the unit and has any ideas.

 

[NEWHunter]

Dads alarm goes off at 4:30. Really loud. Fumbles for the phone and turns it off with authority. I let him sleep. I got out of he shower at 5:30. Sit on the bed. Dad, you awake? Nothing. Needs his rest. Another post.

After the driving and the miss and some medical issues, Day 1 was really rough. Felt pretty bad. Saw more antelope on Day 2 than Day 1. Got some more chances, just not very good ones. Need one to do one of those crazy stupid scratch your head pronghorn things. Day went well enough that we talked about how much more enjoyable a six point unit will be next year during the rut.

More people around on Day 2. Feels like we’re running out of time. Seems odd with 2 days down and 4 to go. Plan is to check some good looking areas with the atv today and maybe sit in the blind for several hours. Hopefully it comes together today. Good luck to all.

Private land - spear range. Proof for my kids they exist.

 

[duckhunt]

Stick with it. Im really pulling for your dad on this hunt.

 

[Kevin W]

A long shot for sure but take a couple hours this afternoon and drive around, knock on a few doors. Explain you are looking for one buck for your dad and the challenges he and you have had. I like the others on this thread are pulling for you and your father!!!!

 

[NEWHunter]

So we got off to a bit earlier start yesterday. And in the first spot we checked we found a small herd and I hurried to get the truck in position. Got everything set up and I called 225 - I told him to drill him. Crack. Dirt flies just over his back.

It’s been several years since my Dad has shot something. But in the early 2010s he took several animals at 200 +\-. Not sure what’s going on. His health has declined since so maybe that’s playing a part. Getting worried we’re going to run out of opportunities or worse, wound something.

I decide we’re going to have to check the zero. We drive on and a few hours later find a great spot to check what should be about a 225 zero. I find a white spot on the embankment about the size of a small paper plate and touch one off. About 2 inches low - we’re on. I get out my gun to check zero and the warden pulls up . . .

Nice guy. We talk for a bit and I show him our tags. Get some names from him. Ask what he’s seeing. Tell him about a couple shady looking hunters we saw. Ask if he wants to check the coolers - nope he’s good. Handshake and he’s off.

My Dad and I talk about the ballistics. He isn’t quite understanding. I pull the table up on my phone. See, 5 low at 300. Remember the bullseye I just shot at 225 - yeah I said. Oh he says. Seems he hasn’t been trusting/ understanding his spotter and holding higher than directed. 5 inches low, hold for his spine, somehow meant hold 5 inches over his back. We proceed with a bit of new found optimism.

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We drive around a bit and spot a good sized group about 500-600 yards off the road. I check OnX (sponsor plug) and 3/4 of a mile down there’s a two track that loops around and parallels the main road 900 yards out on the backside of the herd. Maybe.

We haul over there. I race to get the atv ready and loaded, rig up a sweet antelope attraction device, and off we go. Just so happened there was a nice clump of juniper with a small pine tree in the middle of it and it’s right next to the road - about 250 yards from the herd.


(Obviously it’s going to be a Leupold scope)

We stop at 300 yards as the see us. I think the cover is helping.

 

[NEWHunter]

They settle down but there is a bit too much hill crest between us and them. We wait, maybe they’ll move up or left or right a bit. We talk. There’s two bucks and a dozen does. How big? Not very I said, but he’s got a dozen does. Pronghorn euros look nice. We had a chance at big and we have six points next year. Lots of hunters around I said. OK, you just tell me which one he is Dad says.

Decide we should try and get closer. Atv in neutral and we coast 50 yards. Set the bipod. No I said, put the sticks out towards the barrel. Use your left hand to support the butt/your right arm. It’s a .243 - it’s not going to jump off the sticks - trust me. Steadier. Better.

They see us again. But we still have some cover and they settle. We wait a good five minutes. I’m certain the range is 250. Hold for high lungs. They bunch up. He beds. We wait. Does moving left. He’s up and following. He stops. Crack. Thwop. Does go right, he runs left. Definitely hit. Hit him again I yell. Dad offhands one on a dead run (literally) at 250 - spined him. Guess he can shoot.






If you were wondering, .243 with coppers didn’t damage the back strap too bad and no lead.

Thanks for all the positivity guys. And finally I’d like to thank the good people of WY and the hunters in our unit. We spent about 45 minutes to an hour on the stalk and recovery. Got back to the truck and in my haste to get going saw that:




yep, left the door open. Shiny new Beartooth hanging out, spotter, my rifle, etc. Everything was still there.

 

[thusby]

Congrats! Glad it all worked out. Now the old man can tell everyone he’s still got it.

 

[NEWHunter]

Congrats! Glad it all worked out. Now the old man can tell everyone he’s still got it.

Yep, thanks. He’ll be telling this story for years and before you know it he’ll be talking about the 350 yard shots he made

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Glad to hear your dad got one!

 

[Focus]

Well all right!! Awesome conclusion to the story! But then again, don’t you have four (or two) doe tags to fill? Maybe a buck tag too? I’m hoping you yourself get a chance to notch some tags today!! Good luck!!

 

[Deleted member 16014]

Congratulations on the family success.