Just got back from taking my 12 year old son on a Pronghorn hunt in Wyoming. I am not an experienced big game hunter but have hunted off and on for the last 40 years but mostly small game. My son as I said is only 12 but already has 3 deer and is very excited about hunting. Decided pronghorn would be a good first Wyoming hunt. Booked a 2 day hunt with a well known guide service. I was very clear to them that it was our intent to HUNT. We had been to TX and shot a deer over a feeder and my son was just not real thrilled with that. We were assured that this would be fair chase hunting and to wear comfortable hiking shoes.

As it turned out, our 2 day hunt was over in about 2 hours. Within the first 30 minutes of daylight the guide drove within about 300 yards of a couple antelope and told my son to get out of the truck and shoot the buck! My son just kind of looked at him and the guide said what are you waiting for? So my son starts getting out of the truck and putting in his ear plugs and looks at me to see how far it is and if he needs to add any elevation. Guide starts telling him to hurry up they aint going to stand there all day. So naturally after all this my son is rattled and misses. So we get back in the truck and go about 200 yards down the road and see another on on the right side of the truck so the guide tells my son to stick the rifle out the window and shoot it. The guide did advise that he had to open the door and put one foot on the ground to be legal. Now my son is more rattled and shooting from an unfamiliar position and misses again. Guide finally gets out of the truck to make sure the antelope was not hit. We decide to let me take the next shot so we can make sure there are no issues with the rifle as my son is pretty frustrated by this time with his shooting. So before we get back into the truck we see a couple antelope about 300 yards away go behind a slight rise. So we hustle over to the top of the rise which is about 75 yards and see a buck about 275 yards out so I get in a sitting position and take a shot and he drops in his tracks. OK, rifle is fine.

The next 20 minutes was about the same. My son missed a couple,the guide got out of the truck I think once. Finally he was able to get the truck within about 175 yards of one and he got out of the truck with my son and was able to connect on him from the side of the road.

Whole thing was done and over and we were headed back to the motel by 11:00 having walked maybe 1/2 mile total.

My question is this typical pronghorn hunting, or did we get swindled? I was expecting maybe a little more stalking, maybe actually hunting from outside the pickup truck. Maybe looking at several before shooting the first buck we see. If this guy knew he could get us a shot whenever he wanted, why not spend the day actually hunting so we could have something to remember and enjoy? Did I have unrealistic expectations?

Thanks,
John

This is a fairly typical style of hunting for pronghorns. The guide could have taken more time with you but on a 2x1 three day hunt I think most of them want to get started early. My bet is that most guided hunts on private land under these circumstances are finished on the first day.

Shooting from the vehicle is another matter altogether, as it is not legal unless you have a disabled permit. I am not sure that it is wise to post about how your son took a shot out of the window of the truck.

I have killed several antelope in WY, all DIY, so I cannot speak to whether or not this is typical for a guided hunt.

However, next time you will know to ask the outfitter how they hunt, and what you should expect. And ask if they can hunt in a more spot/stalk style if that's what you would like.

I cannot stand shooting anything near my truck, so I walk a lot when antelope hunting. I'm actually about to post a report, where me and a couple friends hiked 7/10/5 miles in 3 days of hunting SE Wyoming.

I do not think you got swindled, but if the guide/outfitter did not know your hunting expectations, trophy expectations, etc... they may've just treated you like just another guy that wants an antelope, and lets get him one as fast as possible.

They sent us a questionnaire prior to the hunt for us to fill out so they could get an idea of what our expectations were. I felt I was pretty clear on what we expected. I believe the questionnaire went into the round file without them ever reading it. Of course the guide asked for his full 10% tip at the end of the hunt.

It was one of the bigger outfits with nice web site and a lot of fancy talk.

John

Guide, seemingly, only knew that you wanted to "shoot two pronghorn." Even when you've told an outfitter what your expectations are, it's extremely important to go over it with your guide before the hunt starts. You are paying for the hunt, and should get to hunt the way you want within reason.

I took my daughter to RSA on a safari. When we went to sight in at the camp range, PH says "I've got a real nice rifle rest on the top of my truck for her."
I replied: "Uhhhh, she won't be shooting from the truck." and proceeded to tell him what I wanted: A walk & stalk hunt, where she could be proud of anything she gets.
He was surprised at first, but understood, and we had no problems on that front.

My first pronghorn hunt was a lot like yours. In fact, it was my first guided hunt... done in 2002.

Since then I and my kids have taken 15 or so pronghorns, and haven't shot from anywhere near the truck. Consider putting in for some public land pronghorn tags next year, and go do it the way you want. I think it's one of the most fun hunts you can do, and easiest to outfit for, as the weather is usually nice.

I think you should have told him: "NO, we don't hunt that way" the first time he told the boy to shoot.

Thing is though, antelope are spooky when they see people out walking around after they've been hearing shooting. I've seen the majority of them take off running hard for miles at the first sight of a truck. Even worse is when they see someone walking around the pastures.

Last time I went out some others had painted a goat on a full sheet of plywood. Paint job was decent, but, 4 feet tall, mounted on stakes.
I had a good laugh and drove to the other side of the section. Heard a faint shot and saw a
man and young dau out in the brush 300yds. Girl had shot hers. I set around watching.

Someone drove by and said: Did you see those guys kill that buck that walked up to that plywood? "hell of a deal!"

I've tolled a couple in with a hanky once and TP another time hung on cactus. I've walked a whole lotta miles and never gotten close for ten years while a herd was on the other side of the road once. Got permission to shoot the buck and my partner did so. 200 yds from the road. He laid under the fence and shot the third day we'd been walking the 5 mi x 19 mile pasture, full length of it one day a mile apart with other hunters out there. Not a chance.

One major thing about those goats is: You chase 'em all over the hills and gut shoot one. They're too nasty to feed the coyotes. So an undisturbed animal, especially a buck should be shot without making them run. With more experience you'll learn that lesson hard too.

I saw a bunch and watched them go to a wide open valley and scatter, laid down facing every direction. Only time I've ever crawled on hands n knee's much other than getting into position. Crawled over half mile and got within 100 yards of a small buck. I was in full camo coyote hunting on private land. Face mask, gloves etc.

Got behind the last tiny sage and when I looked around the buck was standing facing me. Guess I'd made some noise and alerted him. All the rest were watching him too. I laid down in full sight and set the bipod, fired. Just didn't allow quite enough for the scope height. He ran 50 feet or so and stopped to look back. I put one thru his ribs. funny thing, my first shot cut a groove in the hair center between his ears down to about 1/8" high. Another 1/2" lower and he'd been brained. At the first shot all the rest took off and never looked back.

Just never know how it's going to work out. The majority of antelope kills are made the first day, most of the rest the next day. IF you don't get one in two days, hunting will be tough.

Better luck next time. Go on public land and do it your own way without any big time paying deal.

George

It seems to me the guide just wanted to get paid as quick as possible. A write up here in the hunt reports naming him would help others to avoid this outfit.

But by the same token you could have expressed your expectations at the beginning but if you've never done a hunt like this it's hard to know what's "normal". But pressuring a kid like that definitely isn't.

I know for me at least it doesn't include shooting from the truck or shooting the first one we see. I expect to get out and stalk them. If that doesn't work out oh well, there's another one around the next corner. Bottom line is the hunt is mine and I plan on enjoying all of it.

Thanks for the input everyone. Being my first time using a guide and only second time hunting out west I was probably a little hesitant to get forceful with him. I did suggest a time or two that me and my son wouldn't mind trying to stalk one, but he indicated he wasn't doing that much walking unless he had to.

Lesson learned, next time will be a self guided hunt.

Funny thing is before the hunt I was thinking that maybe a using this guide for a Elk hunt for my sons graduation present might be cool, but not chance after this experience.

John

Try it without an outfitter, about two weeks after the opener, on public land. Your experience will probably be a lot different.

John,

I don't like the flavor of all of this. He asked you for his tip?????????? He wouldn't hunt any of my clients again.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
John,

I don't like the flavor of all of this. He asked you for his tip?????????? He wouldn't hunt any of my clients again.

Mark

Well said!

As was mentioned I hate to see you post about the guide asking your son to shoot from the truck. If I remember it right the regs for WY say its illegal to shoot from a vehicle or from or across a road. I question if some of the 2 tracks across the sagebrush qualify as a road. Still not right. Antelope do get spooky when you exit a vehicle, especially after they have been shot at a time or two. Next time please make your expectations clear to the guide. I'll bet he never saw that you wanted to do walk and stalk. Better yet, DIY for antelope is a great way to go. Arrive a couple of days before the opener and spend some time looking for where you want to hike to for opening morning. I'll bet you have a great time.
Bruce

Thank you for the input everyone, it does give me some perspective. I do realize there are 2 sides to every story and the outfitters story may be very much different. I have reached out to the outfitter as I do not like to complain about someone without bringing the issue to them. I do not expect anything from them, but feel they are entitled to the feedback.

Regards,
John

First of all, yes it is your fault for not squaring the guide away as soon as he started giving orders to your son.


In the 1980's antelope hunts were generally done by 10:00 am on opening day. One in the hand is worth 2 in the sagebrush.

Weather is a bastard. If you get any rain at all then the prairie is pretty much untravellable. The little two-tracks are so slick that you can't keep a vehicle on one, let a lone find some kind of forward momentum.

Walking in the rain on the prairie is worse. That gooey wet slurry we have for top soil will eat your shoes. Generally takes a few days to dry it out.


Could be his intent was to get done before you couldn't hunt because of the rain.


Probably more likely that the guy is an asshole, or has really shitty communication skills.


It is a hard rut to get out for someone used to the done by 10:00 on the opener plan. The old man and I had doe tags and he had a buck tag for an area near Rawlins one year. He drew it as a first choice, and it is considered to be the best area in the state for big bucks well it was 15 years ago.

He shot the first buck we saw. It happened to be a 12 inch buck with really big cutters. An 84 inch antelope, which put him 2 inches into the Boone and Crocket, he has this bucks twin on his wall as well from 1980 something.

He wouldn't have cared if it was huge or just an average buck. He was going to shoot the first male adult buck he saw.

Many Wyomingites would do the same.


Sorry that the hunt didn't turn out like you would have liked. You got a pair of antelope and saw some sagebrush. Not a bad day in any book.

You can hunt the things on your own, just as easily as you can with a guide.

.

Interesting post. Sorry it happened like that. Antelope is certainly on our 'to do' list. I'll make it very clear to the guide(s) how we want to hunt!

Better luck next time!

.