Frog Eye Salad and Antelope Hunt

Part 2 is at the bottom

Dates – August 30-September 2, 2013

Location – Just west of Springer, New Mexico on the CS Cattle Ranch

Agent and Guide – Jim Welles, JFWRC Ranch Consulting - http://www.newmexicobiggamehunting.com/ , 505-294-7861

Game Sought and Taken – Pronghorn Antelope

Game Seen –Pronghorn Antelope, Elk (20+ bulls), Whitetail Deer, Mule Deer

Weapon and Bullets – Winchester Model 70 Super Grade in .270 Win accurized by Hill Country Rifles, topped with Swarovski Z6i 1.7x10x44, ammo was German made factory RWS 130 grain Rap-X bullet ( similar to a Partition but with a solid base)

Food – Frog Eye Salad and assorted other delicacies

Executive Summary for ADD AR readers
Travelled to northeast New Mexico to hunt trophy pronghorn antelope with Jim Welles, a long time New Mexican and agent for some seriously good hunting in the Land of Enchantment. My goal was a 15” or so pronghorn, something a bit bigger than what I usually take in Wyoming. We scouted a few hours the day before the hunt seeing 20 or more bucks, nothing eye popping but lots of animals. Got up early and spotted another 20 or bucks before finding “Mr. Tall and Wide”. Stalked up in open ground and made a 278 yard shot to take this fine pronghorn. Tale of the tape – better than 15” and a great buck.



Details
I found Jim Welles via Accurate Reloading about three years ago. I booked an antelope hunt and had a good experience in one of the good but not great areas of New Mexico. My son and I each took good antelope and had a great time. Jim dealt with me straight up and told me what to expect and how the hunt would go. His word was good so I re-booked this hunt in an area that should hold some near Boone and Crockett antelope. I had told Jim that I had taken a dozen or so bucks in the 12” to 14” range and would like the opportunity to see some a bit heavier and bigger. Jim told me that I needed to go this area near Springer, New Mexico and see what he could do.
I am not an “inch” hunter but enjoy going after good quality animals in a free range hunt. This hunt met my criteria. Jim agreed to guide me on a ranch that he has hunted for many years. After a couple of moves from the US to Egypt and back, we stayed in contact (mostly with the brains of the outfit, Kelly Welles, his bride of many years).

I made the 450 mile drive from Midland to Springer and we hit the ground scouting until dark on Friday.

The drive from Midland was full of great scenery....




An unpretentious sign for a very large ranch -




We saw plenty of bucks, several that were close to what I was looking for. With what we saw, there was a real good chance of finding “Mr. Tall and Wide” the next morning. As a bonus to the antelope scouting we bumped two large groups of elk that were in close to a river that crossed the area. We saw at least 20 bulls in one group, several of which I would have shot had I a tag to do so. This area of New Mexico has seen plenty of rain since July and the grass was belly high to the antelope and high enough to conceal bedded down elk. We spotted the elk by seeing the horns of a 6x6 and several rag horns that rose above the three foot tall grass. We watched them for quite a while just enjoying seeing that many calm elk in one place.

Not the best picture a person would take of elk, but it gives you a clue that they will be in the flat country.



Scouting for "Mr. Tall and Wide"




Not him but close -








We made a plan for the next day and made dinner in a nice hunting/vacation cottage a friend of Jim’s owned very close to the hunt area.
Dinner was the norm for men doing their own cooking – steaks, baked potatoes, salad, chips and salsa and whatever else we could make easier and clean up even easier. The surprise of the evening was a dessert that Kelly Welles sent called “Frog Eye Salad”. I have travelled the world and seen sheep eyes being offered for a delicacy, I have seen fish eyes being eaten but never had seen Frog Eye Salad. What’s in it I have no clue but it was tasty and very good. The recipe is available from Kelly via email at jfwrd@comcast.net.

A caveat – from what I can tell, no frogs were blinded in the preparation of this great dessert.



The cabin we stayed in. Very nice and comfortable.



If you have ever been to Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico, you will recognize the Tooth of Time mountain in this picture. It was in sight of our hunting area. We were 22 miles from Cimarron.



Sidebar
We had another hunter and guide join us for dinner that was hunting with a friend of Jim’s, a master gunsmith named Chris Bettsworth. Chris is a gun nut like many of us and guides on the side. I learned more from Chris about barrels, bullets, gun cleaning, bedding and triggers than I have learned in many years and many thousands of dollars spend on “fixing” guns. Great guy who will build a gun for me very soon.
However, he was guiding a confirmed, incurable antelope inch hunter. This gentleman was consumed with hunting and shooting extremely big antelope. He could quote chapter and verse of every trophy antelope area in New Mexico, who was hunting which ranches, who recently shot what may be the next number one in the world pronghorn (scored right at 100 SCI, saw the picture and this antelope looked like it was on steroids), what the cost of the landowner tag is in the best areas and carried dozens if not hundreds of pictures of his antelope and those of others on his iPhone. If the antelope did not score 82 or higher, he had no interest. He had taken a 92 on his first hunt and said he had 5 or 6 other B&C antelope to his credit. I was impressed with his passion and his knowledge but could not help but think he was missing out on some fun hunting by his relentless pursuit of “bigger and better”.

He was also a caliber nut/expert. He was shooting a .257 STW, a custom gun he commented would shoot 100gr bullets at 3900 feet per second. That was new territory for me as I just had my plain old .270 Win that shot 130gr bullets a paltry 2900 feet per second. I hope I have enough gun!

After I took my antelope, he took one that was “bigger” than mine but I think I enjoyed my hunt a bit more. When his hit the ground, he took the head, gave away the meat and took off for a bear hunt. He ended up using the guide’s gun (.300WM) as he said he had lost confidence in his gun. So much for 3900 feet per second custom whatevers.

This antelope took less than 6 hours for him to kill and he complained it was the first antelope he had to work for. I think he is missing out on the fun of hunting and not just shooting.

Back to the Story

We were up at a reasonable hour and started the search again. We quickly saw a number of good bucks but no “eye poppers”. We even scouted around a prison located just out of Springer that was in our area. Jim said we would have to call the prison if we were to fire any shots within range of the prison to keep the warden informed of what we were doing. That was new to me.
We bumped more elk in our scouting along a river bottom – a few cows and a couple of bulls – then spotted three whitetail bucks meandering along a stream about a quarter mile from the prison. Jim got excited about the whitetails as there are not many in the area and they are not hunted much either. We shot some video and took a couple of pictures as well.

A little later, we spotted the buck I eventually shot. We saw him at about a mile and glassed/spotting scoped him enough to decide to get a better look. We stalked up to about 600 yards and decided he was Mr. Tall and Wide. We had the benefit of the sun behind us and a hill to work over to get within my shooting range of him. We confirmed he was a great buck and set up on a Bog Pod tripod arrangement that Jim said he used when hunting with old guys and kids – well, rather than be insulted, I decided I was an old guy so I used the shooting aid. Oh well, put pride in the pocket on a longish shot and take no chances. ) I ordered one of these contractions just before I sat to the type this report. It is ok to be an old guy!)

We ranged him at 278 yards on the first shot, a hit in the shoulder. He staggered a few steps and I hit him again in the shoulder and down he went. The bullets I used were a type of Nosler Partition looking round made in Germany by RWS. The bullet was called Rap-X, a rapid expanding front with a solid base. We recovered the base of one of the bullets. For light deer sized game, these are good bullets.

When I walked up to him, I knew he was a dandy -









Summary
Jim did a great job of getting me to and on a great buck, easily the best pronghorn I have taken. He ran a great hunt and I am itching to go back next year. As I say in most of my hunt reports, my criteria for a great hunt are – did the agent/outfit provide what they said they would provide? Was it a fun hunt? Would I do this hunt again? Darn right I would and I have my name on a tag for next fall.
Thanks Jim for a great hunt!!!

Part 2 in 2014

Same hunt, same place, same great lodge and guide.

However, this time I was running late and got there about 5pm on the first day I could hunt. Jim Welles got there a little ahead of me and started scouting. In summary, he looked at 80 bucks or so and I looked at about 40 - all in about 2 hours.

We spotted a big group of bucks that one special buck in it and made a couple of unsuccessful stalks. Finally, as we were about to give it up, they trotted toward us and near a dirt road we were on. We spotted Mr. Big Cutters and he darted over a hill. We thought that it was last light and we might as well give a look over the hill, so off we went. We went about 500 yards and spotted him just grazing. We stalked to within 350 yards as he watched us and I set up on the tripod for the shot. He was actually curious about us as we were dressed in street clothes with me in a neon yellow golf shirt as you see in the picture. Anyway, we ranged him and I made the shot with a recently modified .280 Rem with 140 gr TSX bullets. Down he went. He is a really nice one at a little over 15" with heavy mass and 6" cutters. He scored in the high 70's.

Great hunt and lots of fun.



If you want a real nice pronghorn, call Jim Welles!!!!

PS- We have Frog Eye salad for breakfast again this year!!!! Thanks Kelley

Great speed goat - congratulations!

Wow! Outstanding dogcat! Looks much longer than 15" to me!! Yes, I know that area, having been to Philmont and trekked there twice, once on a 60 miler in the back country. I've been to the top of the Tooth as well. Thanks for the Tooth of Time pic and the great hunting report! And, Frog Eye Salad is wonderful. She probably had to blind at least 200 frogs for that dish!! LOL!!

Great goat!!!

WOW!

Great story, fine pictures and mighty impressive goat.
I used to truck all over NM. Watched what turned out to be a 19" though not really wide like yours it was plenty wide too. Was along side the hwy just E of Des Moines among the lava outcroppings. A few times I stopped and walked out toward him. Once I got within 50yds or so while he just stood there watching me. I talked to him, "I'm not gonna hurt you, I just want to look at your horns etc". I've never seen one with such massive horns. I'd talked to several folks along the area about it that summer. So when it was killed they made sure I knew about it and what it measured. I never got to see the head other than live.

Glad you got the one you were looking for and had a good time doing it. That's what counts much more than just killing for the books. That's never made much impression on me.
George

Great antelope! Congratulations.

You are killing me with those pictures, though. I have hunted the last 9 years just a little furthur north near Raton and some near the little town of Maxwell.

To see the grass that high is great. Last year it would hardly hide a grasshoper. They have had several years of drought and it is good to see them get some rain this year.

I am really envious, I have been there for several years and had some great hunts. However, a bought with colon cancer kept me home this year. My dad and my buddies went and, as usual, killed some great bucks.

Great country and great people to hunt with. The outfitter I hunt with lives on a ranch adjacent to the Whittington Center and he has good hunting for antelope, deer, elk, turkey, and black bear.

Again, that is a great antelope. Hopefully you took it over to Louie at Wild Country Taxidermy in Cimmaron. He does great work.

What a great story--- I have dreamed of a Pronghorn hunt----it's my number 1 on my bucket list. I love my 6.5 caliber, so I'll being my 260 Rem.
Cheers Malcolm

Great Goat!!! Outstanding report.

I always look forward to your reports.


When (if) I grow up can I be like you?


.

Well done. Beautiful goat.

Outstanding Antelope!

Nice goat and trip!

Enjoyed the report. Thanks for sharing.
JCHB

Nice goat and story.Congrats!!!!

Great goat! Thanks for sharing the story.

That's a nice antelope! Much better than anything I have ever taken. Congratulations

Real nice buck!

Great story. Almost felt like I was there. Congrats on a fabulous speedgoat.

2014 report added!!!!

See another great pronghorn from Jim Welles.

Great and thanks for putting up your hunt. I don't know how I missed it the first time.

One of these days I might have to give the 280 a go. But I already have it bracketed with the 270 and 7mm too. You probably do too.

I like the looks of all of those antelope. I just like them in general.

Very nice NM pronghorn. Thanks for sharing Round 2. Headed back next year?

Headed back again. Would like a crack at an 80" or better. It is fun and my favorite hunt each year.

Where else can you see as many bucks as you do and have a chance a big one? I am not terribly skilled and enjoy the low key hunt...

Nice post. Been to Philmont several times.. Great country.