Brian in Montana
Well-known member
Yesterday was the first day of antelope season in Montana. The weather was awful most of the day, snow and rain, and I nearly packed it in at at about noon. I sat on a rocky little point and ate a sandwich feeling wet and cold and irritable, but it finally started to clear up a little. Glad I stayed.
I'd seen quite a few goats in the morning, but there was a veritable mobilization of road hunters pushing them around. At about 3:00, I climbed up high to glass while I ate a snack. I spotted a pair of antelope about a mile and a half away and it looked like they were shielded from the view of a nearby road by a little rise that might also conceal my approach. I went for it. Skulked up the rise and got my range finder on the buck - 468yds. I can ring steel at that distance at the range, but I didn't like the shot on a live critter, so I sneaked down lower, a little further down the ridge and got to within 350. That was getting there, but I could see a little rise in the sage even further down that would be even closer. The buck was bedded down and neither one seemed inclined to go anywhere, so I backed out and made a stalk toward the little rise. This was nasty. I crawled, gobblin-walked, army crawled through rocks, sage, and greasewood. All told the stalk probably took an hour. At one point I army crawled into a patch of cactus - that was unpleasant. Then I got a cramp in the hammy of my left leg and had to get up on a knee and stretch it out. Ultimately, I rose up and ranged that buck at 250. He was still bedded and looking placid as ever. I thought I could cut the distance even more and maybe even take a prone shot if I moved in to a clump of sage about 40 yards away. I didn't quite make that far before I looked up and the doe was looking right at me. The jig was up. I extended my bipod and drew a bead on the buck. The doe's white rump patch was flared and she bounded up the hill a ways past the buck. He got up and stretched, looking at her as if to say, "what are you so upset about". That's when I braced my elbows on my knees and squeezed off the shot with my 7mm-HT. 140 grain Nosler Accubond apparently does bad things to a heart. He dropped. Got up and bounded a few paces and went down for good.
I've killed 3 bucks with my bow sitting at a water hole, but this was the first time I'd stalked into striking distance and shot one with a rifle. It was also the first animal I've killed with ammo I handloaded. I'm completely worn out today, but what a great hunt and a great memory. I haven't actually hunted antelope in several years, and I forget how unique they are and how awesome is the country the live in. I tend to spend so much time chasing elk and deer around in the close timber of the mountains that I forget how breath-taking the high prairie can be and how excellent are the fleet-footed little goats that call it home. Even though my knee hurts and I have still have cactus in my right hand, I can't wait to do it all again.
I'd seen quite a few goats in the morning, but there was a veritable mobilization of road hunters pushing them around. At about 3:00, I climbed up high to glass while I ate a snack. I spotted a pair of antelope about a mile and a half away and it looked like they were shielded from the view of a nearby road by a little rise that might also conceal my approach. I went for it. Skulked up the rise and got my range finder on the buck - 468yds. I can ring steel at that distance at the range, but I didn't like the shot on a live critter, so I sneaked down lower, a little further down the ridge and got to within 350. That was getting there, but I could see a little rise in the sage even further down that would be even closer. The buck was bedded down and neither one seemed inclined to go anywhere, so I backed out and made a stalk toward the little rise. This was nasty. I crawled, gobblin-walked, army crawled through rocks, sage, and greasewood. All told the stalk probably took an hour. At one point I army crawled into a patch of cactus - that was unpleasant. Then I got a cramp in the hammy of my left leg and had to get up on a knee and stretch it out. Ultimately, I rose up and ranged that buck at 250. He was still bedded and looking placid as ever. I thought I could cut the distance even more and maybe even take a prone shot if I moved in to a clump of sage about 40 yards away. I didn't quite make that far before I looked up and the doe was looking right at me. The jig was up. I extended my bipod and drew a bead on the buck. The doe's white rump patch was flared and she bounded up the hill a ways past the buck. He got up and stretched, looking at her as if to say, "what are you so upset about". That's when I braced my elbows on my knees and squeezed off the shot with my 7mm-HT. 140 grain Nosler Accubond apparently does bad things to a heart. He dropped. Got up and bounded a few paces and went down for good.
I've killed 3 bucks with my bow sitting at a water hole, but this was the first time I'd stalked into striking distance and shot one with a rifle. It was also the first animal I've killed with ammo I handloaded. I'm completely worn out today, but what a great hunt and a great memory. I haven't actually hunted antelope in several years, and I forget how unique they are and how awesome is the country the live in. I tend to spend so much time chasing elk and deer around in the close timber of the mountains that I forget how breath-taking the high prairie can be and how excellent are the fleet-footed little goats that call it home. Even though my knee hurts and I have still have cactus in my right hand, I can't wait to do it all again.
