Eric.MN
Well-known member
A couple weeks ago My wife and I got back from our first western hunting adventure for antelope. This last winter I decided it was time for me to finally head west for a hunt trip of some sort that I always wanted to do. So I took to the internet and came across this site which helped me tremendously. So a big thanks to Randy for all the things he does and all members for the insight and stories you all share, it really helps a fella like me from central MN to make a successful DIY western hunt on public land possible. So i'm happy to share my story with all you.
I figured antelope would be game to start for my first hunt. So I asked my wife if she would be on board for going on a hunt, and with out hesitation she was all in. Months of planning and assembling the right gear with much excitement October was here and we were on our way. Being we had 0 points we got or third choice buck tags and I purchased a couple extra doe tags. Sunday morning, our first day, we quickly found many road hunters all over, and the those antelope sure knew where the public land stopped. We saw many antelope but on the wrong side of the line, so we thought we would move on and that afternoon we spotted a small group bedded in the sage by a long but narrow sliver of BLM. We got out and got after it, we made out way down this drainage to post up on a hill 200 yards away from them. There were a few in the group, small bucks and a few does, but I just wasn't comfortable taking a shot where they were being right on the public/privet line so we decided to wait it out. I will say a good gps with OnX map chip is awesome, cant say enough about how great that is to hunt with. They got a little nervous as I moved in a little closer which resulted in them moving to our right well onto the sliver of BLM and with conformation from my gps I was confident to take a shot, and just like that I put down my first Wyoming antelope, a nice healthy doe. Both of us were pretty excited to get one down and on our first full day of hunting. Thanks to Randys gutless video we quartered it up and in the games bags it went into my pack. It was an awesome feeling to get meat on my back for the walk out.
Monday resulted in much of the same as Sunday morning, saw more hunters on hunt-able land than antelope but we got to see some cool country made one long busted stalk on a nice buck but wasn't able to get anything on the ground. On Tuesday the morning started out slow, driving to sections putting on miles, hiking in and hiking out and onto the next place. As we were driving to a place I had picked out we noticed a small bedded buck and a doe with two fawns a hundred yards or so off the road. we perked up and thought "Great!, lets try a stalk!" To our luck once we drove out of sight and got our guns and pack ready to walk in the crossed to road behind us. We shuffled over out of sight in a little drainage to get ahead of them and when we popped our heads up there they were 200 yards ahead of us. We got up on the level group and got set up. So my wife got the gun up and cross-hairs on one. We had a couple days left so she decided she wanted to take the doe over the small buck, I ranged them at 185 and told to shoot when you're ready and sent a round off and just like that she tagged her first western big game as well! Another nice doe for us. I was so excited and proud of my wife, she was thrilled to get one down. As I was quartering out this doe i was somewhat startled by a man saying hello behind me. He was a nice guy and congratulated us on our kill and after chatting for a bit with the gentleman it turned out to be a fellow Hunt talker from Wisconsin JohnP. We shared a few tips and got our quarters in the pack and headed back to the truck.
With both of us punching our doe tags and one in the cooler that day we set off to a new spot for the evening hunt. It was much more enjoyable to hunt mid week after the first weekend being many hunters already moved out. We traveled to the north to some flatter BLM land we have been to before. As we were getting closer we spotted a group of about 12 antelope and sure enough on some public BLM land not that far from where we were. The group had a couple small bucks with one decent one you can tell was the man of the group. Both of us knew this buck was it, were after it so we set off to stalk him. We used the land to get cut the distance in half as he got set up for a shot. Everything just seemed to happen so fast, but after waiting it out for that perfect shot I got worried we were about to bust it as some in the group grew suspicious of us. Good thing for us that buck was more worried about his does then us.The buck was moving around the group when he stopped and presented me a clean shot and I squeezed a shot off. He took off like I didn't hit him so instantly I thought crap I blew it, what did I do?? He made a 180 loop in about 60 yards and I saw the exit wound and he went down. Man was I pumped! Hes not big to many but a dandy for all we saw. I just was so blessed to punched my tag on a nice buck, especially in a unit with limited access and being this was our first hunt.
We hunted the next morning with out any luck so it was time to pack up camp and hit the road. We ended up with a cooler full of meat, great memories and successful hunt. I am so proud of my wife who was such a trouper roughing it out there while doing all this being 20 weeks pregnant with our first child. We had a great time, we took the ups and downs in stride and I couldn't have asked for much more. I'm hooked on this western adventure for sure and am already thinking of whats in store for next year.
I figured antelope would be game to start for my first hunt. So I asked my wife if she would be on board for going on a hunt, and with out hesitation she was all in. Months of planning and assembling the right gear with much excitement October was here and we were on our way. Being we had 0 points we got or third choice buck tags and I purchased a couple extra doe tags. Sunday morning, our first day, we quickly found many road hunters all over, and the those antelope sure knew where the public land stopped. We saw many antelope but on the wrong side of the line, so we thought we would move on and that afternoon we spotted a small group bedded in the sage by a long but narrow sliver of BLM. We got out and got after it, we made out way down this drainage to post up on a hill 200 yards away from them. There were a few in the group, small bucks and a few does, but I just wasn't comfortable taking a shot where they were being right on the public/privet line so we decided to wait it out. I will say a good gps with OnX map chip is awesome, cant say enough about how great that is to hunt with. They got a little nervous as I moved in a little closer which resulted in them moving to our right well onto the sliver of BLM and with conformation from my gps I was confident to take a shot, and just like that I put down my first Wyoming antelope, a nice healthy doe. Both of us were pretty excited to get one down and on our first full day of hunting. Thanks to Randys gutless video we quartered it up and in the games bags it went into my pack. It was an awesome feeling to get meat on my back for the walk out.
Monday resulted in much of the same as Sunday morning, saw more hunters on hunt-able land than antelope but we got to see some cool country made one long busted stalk on a nice buck but wasn't able to get anything on the ground. On Tuesday the morning started out slow, driving to sections putting on miles, hiking in and hiking out and onto the next place. As we were driving to a place I had picked out we noticed a small bedded buck and a doe with two fawns a hundred yards or so off the road. we perked up and thought "Great!, lets try a stalk!" To our luck once we drove out of sight and got our guns and pack ready to walk in the crossed to road behind us. We shuffled over out of sight in a little drainage to get ahead of them and when we popped our heads up there they were 200 yards ahead of us. We got up on the level group and got set up. So my wife got the gun up and cross-hairs on one. We had a couple days left so she decided she wanted to take the doe over the small buck, I ranged them at 185 and told to shoot when you're ready and sent a round off and just like that she tagged her first western big game as well! Another nice doe for us. I was so excited and proud of my wife, she was thrilled to get one down. As I was quartering out this doe i was somewhat startled by a man saying hello behind me. He was a nice guy and congratulated us on our kill and after chatting for a bit with the gentleman it turned out to be a fellow Hunt talker from Wisconsin JohnP. We shared a few tips and got our quarters in the pack and headed back to the truck.
With both of us punching our doe tags and one in the cooler that day we set off to a new spot for the evening hunt. It was much more enjoyable to hunt mid week after the first weekend being many hunters already moved out. We traveled to the north to some flatter BLM land we have been to before. As we were getting closer we spotted a group of about 12 antelope and sure enough on some public BLM land not that far from where we were. The group had a couple small bucks with one decent one you can tell was the man of the group. Both of us knew this buck was it, were after it so we set off to stalk him. We used the land to get cut the distance in half as he got set up for a shot. Everything just seemed to happen so fast, but after waiting it out for that perfect shot I got worried we were about to bust it as some in the group grew suspicious of us. Good thing for us that buck was more worried about his does then us.The buck was moving around the group when he stopped and presented me a clean shot and I squeezed a shot off. He took off like I didn't hit him so instantly I thought crap I blew it, what did I do?? He made a 180 loop in about 60 yards and I saw the exit wound and he went down. Man was I pumped! Hes not big to many but a dandy for all we saw. I just was so blessed to punched my tag on a nice buck, especially in a unit with limited access and being this was our first hunt.
We hunted the next morning with out any luck so it was time to pack up camp and hit the road. We ended up with a cooler full of meat, great memories and successful hunt. I am so proud of my wife who was such a trouper roughing it out there while doing all this being 20 weeks pregnant with our first child. We had a great time, we took the ups and downs in stride and I couldn't have asked for much more. I'm hooked on this western adventure for sure and am already thinking of whats in store for next year.
