Antelope hunt next week!
- Thread starter cam1936
- Start date
Good luck and enjoy the hunt. Don't be in a hurry to shoot the first one you see. After the first few days there is a lot less people around and it is more enjoyable hunting. Walking and taking advantage of terrain one can get close for a shot. Have been down a few times when guys were complaining about only really long shots and after hearing them shot one at about 12 yards and another at about 40. Getting out and walking has always worked well for me and on both those shorter shots the antelope had been moved by others and came right by where I was walking.
Suka
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
If you can see them, they've already seen you. Just keep telling yourself that.
Wear gloves, those little cactus spines in the palms of your hands and knees suck. Think I've still got some in my knees.
Also, never shoot, "over". They're closer than you think.
Lastly, keep the liver. If you like liver, antelope liver is like candy.
Very cool animals. I was raised where they live and have always been mystified by them.
Best of luck. Oh, btw, they Will respond to calls.
Wear gloves, those little cactus spines in the palms of your hands and knees suck. Think I've still got some in my knees.
Also, never shoot, "over". They're closer than you think.
Lastly, keep the liver. If you like liver, antelope liver is like candy.
Very cool animals. I was raised where they live and have always been mystified by them.
Best of luck. Oh, btw, they Will respond to calls.
Falconflyer
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
A good spotting scope is of real value!
Falconflyer
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
It takes practice to judge antelope at a distance and there's lots of things to take into consideration such as turned down tips looking shorter than tips that aren't turned down as much. A general rule of thumb is that it's 8 inches from the nose to the eye socket so you can use that to get an idea of horn length. The ears can be about 6 inches long so a good buck will be more than double that length. The horn bases should be wider than the eyeball to be a reasonable circumference. You need a clear scope to see these details at any distance.
This helps a lot, thanks!
maple_leaf_eh
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
As the others have noted, antelope hunting is different.
They are curious critters, but don't expect them to come up and sniff your boots.
The bull will push his herd, not lead it.
They wriggle under fences not over.
Expect the herd to circle when moved. Naturally they won't come back to the exact same spot, but expect them to return eventually.
Learn to read the vegetation. In my experience, they like grazing fields just like cattle but will cross stubble if necessary.
Yes, the bodies are smaller than you expect. Visualize a big German Shepherd dog, not an elk.
Pick your bullet. I kept a small stone with a drop of dried blood for a long time. It was a reminder of the hole I punched through an antelope with a solid bullet. He kept going and probably died of blood loss that night. I was overthinking the kill and didn't want to lose one if I hit it, and went with a solid Barnes X Bullet. Sure it was fast and flat, but they aren't very tough animals and I didn't need anywhere near that kind of terminal performance. But, know your trajectory and hold overs right away.
And, avoid the temptation to "flock shoot". Pick your target and make sure the background is clear. The herds tend to bunch up.
They are curious critters, but don't expect them to come up and sniff your boots.
The bull will push his herd, not lead it.
They wriggle under fences not over.
Expect the herd to circle when moved. Naturally they won't come back to the exact same spot, but expect them to return eventually.
Learn to read the vegetation. In my experience, they like grazing fields just like cattle but will cross stubble if necessary.
Yes, the bodies are smaller than you expect. Visualize a big German Shepherd dog, not an elk.
Pick your bullet. I kept a small stone with a drop of dried blood for a long time. It was a reminder of the hole I punched through an antelope with a solid bullet. He kept going and probably died of blood loss that night. I was overthinking the kill and didn't want to lose one if I hit it, and went with a solid Barnes X Bullet. Sure it was fast and flat, but they aren't very tough animals and I didn't need anywhere near that kind of terminal performance. But, know your trajectory and hold overs right away.
And, avoid the temptation to "flock shoot". Pick your target and make sure the background is clear. The herds tend to bunch up.
Jealous!
Don’t get too hung up on judging for score if you’re not an expert, you’ll talk yourself in to one. I’m no expert so just class them as small, med, and large. 75% of the bucks will be medium and a large one will stand out. Good luck!
Don’t get too hung up on judging for score if you’re not an expert, you’ll talk yourself in to one. I’m no expert so just class them as small, med, and large. 75% of the bucks will be medium and a large one will stand out. Good luck!
My two buddies and I all got the early season draw in the 150 zones. We all tagged out by the end of the second day. 3 decent goats. No monsters. It was our first time hunting them so we weren’t crazy picky score wise. We did a few spotting trips throughout the summer. The best animal of our group we actually spotted in June less then a mile from where my buddy shot him. We caught the tail end of the rut, we used a decoy to close distance. It never caused the bucks to charge in like I’ve seen in other videos, but it did seem to put the animals at ease and let use close several hundred yards. My particular buck came in to about 100 yards because he was trying to herd his doe away from our decoy. Look for cutters above the ears, try to get and angle to see how they hook, some tend to hook in and creat that hear shape while others hook back and hide their length. It’s a great year to take your draw, most land owners told us it is the best year in 6 seasons for animal quantity and quality. So don’t rush your hunt and enjoy. We got two of the hunts on video as well.
I'm heading out this week too. Glad I came across this thread. Never hunted them before. Fortunately / unfortunately work prevented me from doing any scouting but the area is not unfamiliar, and as it is my first antelope I will not be picky. 25-06 is sighted in at 200 yds.
