WYO Antelope

[AT Hiker]

Just wrapped up a filling meal. Fresh mountain trout from the high country and a pronghorn back strap I've been saving. I have this tradition of eating whatever I'm going after the night before opener. I have zero American Indian in me, mostly Irish, but something about consuming what I'm going after just feels primal and spiritual. Maybe it is the beer(s)I have with dinner that gives me that spiritual feeling while flowing through my Irish veins

Headed out early tomorrow to a glassing spot where I found the biggest lopers in the portion of the unit I scouted a few days ago. I cashed in a lot of points for this unit. I knew the winter was rough but didn't realize how rough until last week. I really didn't have a choice, I needed to use these points.
I'm optimistic and the fact that there is basically unlimited public land and low tag numbers will make it worth it. I've made my mind up, not going to be super picky as I feel like I looked over most of what's available to hunt. I would have chased them with the bow but the country is wide open and massive. However, as random luck would have it, I did get on the outside of my range of an average buck. 75ish yards, never knew I was there.

Stay tuned…

 

[tellico4x4]

Good luck!

What have you seen for deer this trip?

 

[@fulldraw]

Good luck. Send me pics. Nothing here to hunt yet.

 

[clwg97]

Ready to see one hit the prairie dirt tomorrow!!

 

[AT Hiker]

Good luck!

What have you seen for deer this trip?

I'll be honest. I haven't seen a dozen mule deer this whole trip. Ironically the ones I have seen have been does with fawns.
Even the alfalfa fields are lacking whitetails.

 

[Turkeychaser]

Good luck!

 

[batten_down]

I'll be honest. I haven't seen a dozen mule deer this whole trip. Ironically the ones I have seen have been does with fawns.
Even the alfalfa fields are lacking whitetails.

Maybe you're too high? You should drop below 10k?

 

[Gravey]

Good luck!!!

 

[Buzzard Breath]

I'll be honest. I haven't seen a dozen mule deer this whole trip. Ironically the ones I have seen have been does with fawns.
Even the alfalfa fields are lacking whitetails.

Some of the reports I've been reading have said does were aborting fawns this year. So, it's good that you're seeing some.

 

[tellico4x4]

I'll be honest. I haven't seen a dozen mule deer this whole trip. Ironically the ones I have seen have been does with fawns.
Even the alfalfa fields are lacking whitetails.

Been wondering, knew you'd be looking. Glad for the few fawns

 

[Tn Joe]

Good luck buddy!

 

[Hduke86]

Good luck, keep us posted

 

[megalomaniac]

Hard to bear antelope backstrap. Good luck!!!

 

[Huntaholic]

Ive been blessed to have hunted antelope for over 20 years, every year, on the same ranch. I quit the game a few years ago when the ranchers son decided he was going to start "guiding" antelope hunters. LOL My group always killed bigger antelope than he knew existed on the ranch. I was hunting there when he was toddling around in the yard wearing diapers. With all that said, Im not near as mad or bloodthirsty anymore when it comes to killing stuff. Some of those years I actually felt sorry for the pronghorns. Ive took as many as 14 hunters at a time out there and with 2 or 3 tags each, well you get the idea of the slaughter Ive seen. Im old, (58) and Im done with numbers. Just because the game agencies say we can, doesnt mean we SHOULD.
Good luck on your hunt! Pick you out a good one and after you kill him thank GOD for providing you the opportunity to enjoy what he has provided us.

 

[bigtex]

Good luck to ya buddy. Kill whatever makes you happy. The stalk and the shot were what made my Pronghorn hunts memorable, not the size of the horns.
Looking forward to an update!!

 

[AT Hiker]

Good luck to ya buddy. Kill whatever makes you happy. The stalk and the shot were what made my Pronghorn hunts memorable, not the size of the horns.
Looking forward to an update!!

Man oh man are you one wise man! This hunt ranks in the top of my antelope hunts, probably #2 behind the one when my wife and 9 month old daughter tagged along. I've learned that some high point units aren't all about horn size, it's about endless opportunities.
Once I get done butchering this prairie lobster I'll give the update.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Man oh man are you one wise man! This hunt ranks in the top of my antelope hunts, probably #2 behind the one when my wife and 9 month old daughter tagged along. I've learned that some high point units aren't all about horn size, it's about endless opportunities.
Once I get done butchering this prairie lobster I'll give the update.

Sounds like congratulations are in order. Will have to check back for a story and pics.

 

[bigtex]

Sounds like congratulations are in order. Will have to check back for a story and pics.

Unfortunately it's been several years since my last Antelope hunt with my Grandson. I posted it on here but it's been so long ago it would be hard to find.
Was a great hunt and time well spent one on one with my Grandson. I'll always cherish the memory.
Didn't want to hijack AT's thread so I messaged ya with a link to my hunt.
https://www.tndeer.com/threads/pronghorn-with-the-grandson.351619/

 

[ROVERBOY]

I'd love to hunt antelope in Wyoming but, hate the hoops they make you jump through. I wish you could just buy a tag and license.

 

[megalomaniac]

Man oh man are you one wise man! This hunt ranks in the top of my antelope hunts, probably #2 behind the one when my wife and 9 month old daughter tagged along. I've learned that some high point units aren't all about horn size, it's about endless opportunities.
Once I get done butchering this prairie lobster I'll give the update.

Dang, you still packing him out? Getting weak in your older age?

 

[AT Hiker]

Just been busy living it up out here. Spent yesterday taking care of the meat, got the skull in water hoping maceration starts taking place before I fly out so I can get those sheaths off and in borax.

Little back story. Got here last week and went into the unit. Immediately I could tell numbers were way down. Which we all knew but to see it first hand gives you a different take. Also, what bucks I found just didn't look super impressive. Especially having the genetics to produce world class bucks.

One thing for certain, the views from this desert area are superb.

I knew this year wasn't "the year" but I needed to burn these points. Why? Because we (family) were planning to make a move to WY sometime in the near future. Having a dozen points as a resident does you no good, it's all random draw for them. At the time of application season my September was wide open…so after a lengthy talk with the biologist I was in. Figured I'd spend a solid week picking out "the buck". Things changed a bit and my September became full, really full.

After a couple days of scouting I quickly realized I found 90% of the critters. Couple of them were pretty good but nothing stood out. Honestly I've killed bigger ones on 2nd choice units with limited public land. Not because I'm a good antelope hunter, but because I was persistent and shot the first one I could find on public…ie lucky.
But this unit was anything like I've hunted before. A metric crap ton of accessible public land. Here is a view of a glassing point I found. Probably 5 miles to those buttes in the top left corner and only one two track between me and them. Unbelievable, plus it had elk and antelope in it.

 

[AT Hiker]

One of my scouting days I stumbled upon this guy at 77 yards. I could have attempted to make it happen with the bow but I felt like I needed more time to survey it all.

The road to get on this side of the unit is rough. I'm in my wife's Lezbaru outback and it's tougher than most rigs. Maybe a side by side would be better but she would also kill me if something bad happened to it.
Check this wash out in the road. Plenty of these made the go, slow. Unfortunately they were calling for thunderstorms coming off the mountain for the evening of the opener.

 

[Joe2Kool]

Speed hunt goat hunts are fun Good luck and post some more pics!!

 

[AT Hiker]

It was hot down low, I was by myself and felt like I had scouted every antelope possible. I was stir crazy and to be honest, wasn't completely in the mood. Those mountains in the distance were calling my name. So I headed up high, strap the 10mm, spray and fly rod on and went after some trout. Leaving those Praire ghost a day to relax before I went in with a rifle.

A couple brookies and a cutthroat died on the mountain that day. 8 miles into the high country I was determined to bring dinner back.

 

[AT Hiker]

You may or may not like beer, nor may you like Marzan styles but you gotta love a micro brew that recognizes fall is the best time of year and provides the best hunting and fishing there is.

 

[megalomaniac]

You may or may not like beer, nor may you like Marzan styles but you gotta love a micro brew that recognizes fall is the best time of year and provides the best hunting and fishing there is.
View attachment 194937

After drinking Moose Drool last year per your prior recommendations, I'll be looking for that Marzan my next trip!

 

[AT Hiker]

After drinking Moose Drool last year per your prior recommendations, I'll be looking for that Marzan my next trip!

Speaking of the devil….

 

[megalomaniac]

Speaking of the devil….
View attachment 194939

That $hit is GOOD!

 

[AT Hiker]

I pulled into my unit at shooting light. The biggest buck I'd seen was attempting to cross the highway into my unit. Unfortunately, me and the cattle guard stopped him. Maybe fortunately for him because the unit across the road still has another week before it opened.

I drive about two miles into the unit and spot another buck. This one was big too. Probably 78", def shooter. He was right off the road though, like 300 yards. It would have been a chip shot n stalk, something just didn't seem right. I glassed him for a few minutes, thinking to myself "I'm not here for this". The spot I wanted to kill one in was on the edge of a roadless area, technically a wilderness study area and as a non resident I was allowed to go in and hunt. Something about a legit spot n stalk antelope hunt just turned me on.
So, I made my way down the iffy road and onto an even more iffy two track. Put my pack on, weighted down with a heavy tripod, 20-60-85 hd vortex and my rifle then hiked up to a butte that overlooked thousands of acres that in times past, held thousands of antelope.

 

[AT Hiker]

It was mid morning, NPR on the drive in warned me about the storm coming off the Rockies into the flats. It had already increased the humidity a tad and dark clouds formed around the buttes. You can pee on these bentonite and clay roads and get stuck.

In the distance I had spotted a herd of antelope, about 8 doe and at least one buck.
I kept glassing. Found a herd of elk, with a nice bull in it. Then down in a draw I found another lone bull. Amazing, I've seen just as many bull elk as id seen buck antelope.

The two bucks id seen had separated from the other antelope. Probably a couple miles out, I watched as they would challenge each other then back down. One was really nice, prob a mid 70s and pronged up high above his ears and mass that carried all the way out. The other one was average but the fact they kept working back n forth at each other provided a chance to put on a legit stalk and got me excited. When I mean legit, I had to drive a couple miles around the draw to a landmark I was able to ID. Best I could figure on my map was if I parked behind the knob id seen, I'd have about a 3/4 of a mile walk through the wide open till I hit the draw, then id be below them and should be able to get within 500 yards of where they seemed to stick around.
I'm obviously horrible at judging distances. As the saying goes "better be tough if you're gonna be dumb".

I'm always on the look for sheds. Obviously elk n deer sheds are the norm. This was the first antelope sheath I've stumbled upon. Needle in a haystack for sure.

I had to be stealthy on this stalk. Antelope can see for miles, scent doesn't seem to worry them much. However, I had mature elk to contend with. If I blew them out I'd surely blow the antelope out too.
Then I had wild horses. How these invasive prairie rats survived the worse winter ever is beyond me. It also pains me to say this but dang it, this was a beautiful moment when I walked up on them…