mdunc8
Well-known member
If all those pictures don't get you excited to chase goats in Wyoming, I don't know what will. Congrats to the both of you. I can't wait for my turn.
Wyoming Pronghorn are calling me
- Thread starter Big Fin
- Start date
Redfishing1983
Member
Ummm wow, you sure to know how to make a comeback after a heart attack!!!!! Nothing gonna slow down that TV host!!!! Congrats on some great bucks!!!!!
bmack
Member
What a stud. Great photo of Mark. I've gotta try chasing these suckers in Oct. rather than Aug. here real soon.
Good work guys.
Good work guys.
npaden
Well-known member
WOW, very nice! Looks like a book buck to me?
The game warden talked me out of looking for a buck like that when I was there. I'm happy with the buck I ended up with though.
Congrats!
The game warden talked me out of looking for a buck like that when I was there. I'm happy with the buck I ended up with though.
Congrats!
Finished with a long day. This was one of those days where everything comes together, as opposed to those days when very little seems to go as planned.
We got up and headed to the hills a half hour earlier, hoping we could find the one buck that slipped through our fingers the day before. That was one of those bucks that was really hard to judge from some angles, but once you got to see him from all sides, you knew he was a shooter.
An hour of glassing his regular area revealed nothing close to that buck, just a lot of other nice bucks that seem to be in ample supply in central Wyoming. Mark suggested we take a look at the buck we put to bed last night, as I had been checking out pics I had taken of that buck and was now convinced he was bigger than I had originally guessed him to be.
Sounded like a good idea, given Mark really seemed to like that buck and the camera guys had lots of footage from that buck in the previous days. So, off we went.
We had left this buck last night, given it was late and any shooting would have been pretty far, a combination that is not very conducive to good footage. I told Mark that the odds are, this buck would not be more than a quarter mile away from where we left him.
As if the buck read the script, we parked the truck and within a minute, Mark had located a buck. I put the spotter on him and confirmed it to be the buck from last night. Mark was now as excited as I usually get when I find a buck I would like to shoot.
A plan was made to intercept the buck as he slowly grazed away from us. While readying to employ that plan, the buck bedded down for his morning nap. This could not be. He bedded straight upwind from our position, putting the sun at our back and in his face, and as if he really wanted to make things easy, he put a sage knob right between us, allowing this circus of two hunters and two cameras to get under 200 yards, undetected.
I never dreamed this buck would stay there as we tried to pull this off. I was sure something would go awry, causing us to alter our plan in midstream.
By the time we got close to back side of this ridge, I was getting more and more confident. I stopped the production crew and made sure all batteries were full, all media cards open, and all audio working. Once we got to the crest of this ridge, things were going to happen fast. No margin for missteps.
We reached the short hedge of sagebrush that gave us cover to this point. I slowly peaked over and saw the buck still bedded. Amazing. I motioned to Mark and the camera guys that the buck was right ahead, still bedded. I told Brad it would be easier to get the tall camera set from here and just raise the tripod, while Mason followed Mark to get the action right over his shoulder.
I ranged the buck. 180 yards. Perfect. Mark had the bipod dropped and had now eased to the right, giving him a clear shot through a gap in the sage brush.
The buck could see the commotion and stood to further investigate. I started to worry, knowing the buck could flee at any second. Brad told Mason he was set and ready. Mason then gave Mark the "Ready to fire" command.
I kept glassing, hoping the buck would stay broadside. Before I could worry any longer, the .270 cracked and the buck collapsed. I was hooting and yelling, as I could now see this buck was way better than I first thought. Mark seemed almost in shock that it all worked out so well.
We walked up to the buck and he continued to look better and better. When we got there, I was very pleased. We had taken two great bucks on the later part of a hunt, seeing not one single hunter in the areas we focused on. Finally got some good luck to come our way.
If you look at the first set of antelope photos I posted, you will see a distant pic of this buck. I completely missed his score that day, talking myself into the idea that his mass was not much. Well, sometimes good height can disguise good mass. This buck was right at 16", due to his long hook going back. His prongs are 5.5" and 5.75". His bottom masses are 6.25" and 6.5". Top masses give another 6" on one side and 6.25" on the other. Very symmetrical, with little differences.
Mark will have a hard time topping this buck. To do this on a public land hunt that is relatively easy to draw, shows what Wyoming can produce, if a person is willing to look at lots of bucks and not get too antsy. Doing this under the pressure of cameras and the complication that provides, shooting rifles that were not his own, adds even more challenge.
Big thanks to those who helped and provided some advice. Really big thanks to Mason and Brad for their great camera work. We looked at the stalks and shots on both these bucks and I think viewers will really like the new approach we are using for kill shots this year. You will think you are standing there with us. The new cameras with new extender lenses are making a big difference on long shots. These guys work very hard to get the shots and spend hours each day making sure we get what is needed to make the best possible episodes.
To share a hunt with a great friend like Mark makes it even sweeter. Thanks to him for being such a great friend and gracious guest hunter.
Next on the schedule is New Mexico. Hopefully a Gila elk will cooperate to the degree these Wyoming pronghorn did.
We got up and headed to the hills a half hour earlier, hoping we could find the one buck that slipped through our fingers the day before. That was one of those bucks that was really hard to judge from some angles, but once you got to see him from all sides, you knew he was a shooter.
An hour of glassing his regular area revealed nothing close to that buck, just a lot of other nice bucks that seem to be in ample supply in central Wyoming. Mark suggested we take a look at the buck we put to bed last night, as I had been checking out pics I had taken of that buck and was now convinced he was bigger than I had originally guessed him to be.
Sounded like a good idea, given Mark really seemed to like that buck and the camera guys had lots of footage from that buck in the previous days. So, off we went.
We had left this buck last night, given it was late and any shooting would have been pretty far, a combination that is not very conducive to good footage. I told Mark that the odds are, this buck would not be more than a quarter mile away from where we left him.
As if the buck read the script, we parked the truck and within a minute, Mark had located a buck. I put the spotter on him and confirmed it to be the buck from last night. Mark was now as excited as I usually get when I find a buck I would like to shoot.
A plan was made to intercept the buck as he slowly grazed away from us. While readying to employ that plan, the buck bedded down for his morning nap. This could not be. He bedded straight upwind from our position, putting the sun at our back and in his face, and as if he really wanted to make things easy, he put a sage knob right between us, allowing this circus of two hunters and two cameras to get under 200 yards, undetected.
I never dreamed this buck would stay there as we tried to pull this off. I was sure something would go awry, causing us to alter our plan in midstream.
By the time we got close to back side of this ridge, I was getting more and more confident. I stopped the production crew and made sure all batteries were full, all media cards open, and all audio working. Once we got to the crest of this ridge, things were going to happen fast. No margin for missteps.
We reached the short hedge of sagebrush that gave us cover to this point. I slowly peaked over and saw the buck still bedded. Amazing. I motioned to Mark and the camera guys that the buck was right ahead, still bedded. I told Brad it would be easier to get the tall camera set from here and just raise the tripod, while Mason followed Mark to get the action right over his shoulder.
I ranged the buck. 180 yards. Perfect. Mark had the bipod dropped and had now eased to the right, giving him a clear shot through a gap in the sage brush.
The buck could see the commotion and stood to further investigate. I started to worry, knowing the buck could flee at any second. Brad told Mason he was set and ready. Mason then gave Mark the "Ready to fire" command.
I kept glassing, hoping the buck would stay broadside. Before I could worry any longer, the .270 cracked and the buck collapsed. I was hooting and yelling, as I could now see this buck was way better than I first thought. Mark seemed almost in shock that it all worked out so well.
We walked up to the buck and he continued to look better and better. When we got there, I was very pleased. We had taken two great bucks on the later part of a hunt, seeing not one single hunter in the areas we focused on. Finally got some good luck to come our way.
If you look at the first set of antelope photos I posted, you will see a distant pic of this buck. I completely missed his score that day, talking myself into the idea that his mass was not much. Well, sometimes good height can disguise good mass. This buck was right at 16", due to his long hook going back. His prongs are 5.5" and 5.75". His bottom masses are 6.25" and 6.5". Top masses give another 6" on one side and 6.25" on the other. Very symmetrical, with little differences.
Mark will have a hard time topping this buck. To do this on a public land hunt that is relatively easy to draw, shows what Wyoming can produce, if a person is willing to look at lots of bucks and not get too antsy. Doing this under the pressure of cameras and the complication that provides, shooting rifles that were not his own, adds even more challenge.
Big thanks to those who helped and provided some advice. Really big thanks to Mason and Brad for their great camera work. We looked at the stalks and shots on both these bucks and I think viewers will really like the new approach we are using for kill shots this year. You will think you are standing there with us. The new cameras with new extender lenses are making a big difference on long shots. These guys work very hard to get the shots and spend hours each day making sure we get what is needed to make the best possible episodes.
To share a hunt with a great friend like Mark makes it even sweeter. Thanks to him for being such a great friend and gracious guest hunter.
Next on the schedule is New Mexico. Hopefully a Gila elk will cooperate to the degree these Wyoming pronghorn did.
passinthru
Active member
Nice work and story!
Good luck when you head south.
Good luck when you head south.
Wow, they don't always work out like that! That's a great buck. I was really impressed on my first WY antelope hunt how big the head was on a mature buck down there, looks like that's still the case. Congrats on a great hunt!
BOHNTR
Well-known member
Way to go, Randy. Nice speed goat.....truly a blessed day when we can enjoy the outdoors.
bjtc_brian
Member
Awesome job Randy!
MNHunter
Well-known member
Congrats Randy and Mark!!
NVLongbow
Active member
Congratulations guys. Those are some very nice bucks!
SagebrushSlayer
Active member
Great job! Good thing your healing okay and I am sure you shooting a 'lope helped alot. Keep up the good work!
Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
good luck on the Gila, hunting is the best medicine for anything....... I can't wait of next year, another long wait..... congrats too both of you on the great antelope....
Matt
Matt
dan.kirkpatrick
Well-known member
congrats on your hunt,,,I too just got back from wyoming and got a old battler with his eye poked out,,,lots of mass and knarles all over but his prongs were broken.your not kidding about the wind around casper wy,,,also topped it off with my 2 antelope doe tags filled also.
elkrchr
Well-known member
Congratulations on two great bucks! I just returned from WY as well (sixth straight year) and as soon as I'm back from work related travels, I'll write up and post photos of my trip. Safe travels to NM.
