Okay......so Im new to this flat land. Back where Im from shots over 200 yards are rare. So I get my shiny antelope tags this year and figured I would give it a whirl. My results were shall we say less than stellar.

I did shoot one this morning. However it was dumb luck and probably the dumbest antelope in the universe.

How do you stalk this animal when there is NO cover? The other guys I saw hunting the past two days got within about 400 yards and just started slinging lead. This morning I crawled about 100 yards through cactus to get within 200 yards only to have another hunter scare them off.

Any advice? Or should I just get over not wanting to shoot something that far away. Truth be told Im just not very good at it.

Bill, I've developed a real affinity for antelope hunting. I hunted mule deer quite a bit when I was a kid, but I've been in Georgia for 35 years, and the open ground is a different challenge for sure, especially on the antelope. They'll put a sentry goat up on a ridge, and when it barks the jig is up! I've worked hard at my field proficiency at long distances, and have scored at well over 400 yards, but I like to get a LOT closer if at all possible.

I've found the key is pretty long stalks, using the slopes as 'cover'....The one I shot a few weeks back, we spotted at about 1500 yards out, with our spotting scope we decided it was a shooter. We then drove away from the goats, and around a hill about 1 1/2 miles behind the goats. We then set off on a brisk stalk, and crested the hill slowly peering over the edge until we located the goats. They had moved about 1/4 mile up the hill and were only about 250 yards over the crest. We then crawled around a while, and got a little closer, then they moved away again, and being confident, took a pop at 250.

I've found that there always seems to be enough topo to get a little hill or such in between, but getting close to the antelope is a real challenge, especially if they've been shot at once or twice! After that, sometimes getting within 400 is pretty good.

I guess you already figured out, be careful where you put your hands and knees, that cactus in the fingers and kneecaps sucks!

Good luck and good hunting--Don

I gotta agree with Don. The one I took two weeks ago, we spotted with his harem at over 1,000 yards and watched him for over 4 hours.

I was in position uphill and downwind of him and did one of those stooped over run/walks for about 400 yards to get behind one of those 6 foot tall rolls in the prairie. My partner stayed up on the hill behind a rock and I used my binoculars to get hand signals from him as to which direction they were moving and set them up for an ambush. I wound up shooting though a hole in the sagebrush on my ridge as he walked out on the ridge 286 yards away.

My brother stalked a big buck for 2.5 hours and while he was sighting in on him another hunter shot the buck and my brother watched the bullet strike in his scope. The other guy had stalked the buck for 1.5 hours and neither hunter knew the other guy was there until after the shot.

Sometimes 'stuff' just happens.

My other hunting partner during his stalk, laid on a cactus crotch first. He was on his own checking for damage from that

Bill
I've shot one Antelope at 400 yards but all the others were between 100 and 175 yards for me.
My classic trick when moving through Antelope Country (driving) is to stop the vehicle in plain sight of the animals ( usually you are 1500 yards away at this point), if there is a shooter in the bunch spend a lot of time glassing your approach and keep in mind anything for cover for the final several hundred yards. Last one for me was an ant hill that wasn't more than 18" tall if that. Also look for cover very close to the vehicle to get behind right away. If you can exit the vehicle and get away from it and disappear quick they will nervously watch that truck waiting to see what it does. Meanwhile you are closing on them from out of sight sometimes for me this has been a mile and a half or 2 mile stalk for Antelope that are 1500 yards away. Also remember that once you crawl over the top make sure you only do this within shooting distance because they nearly always are already looking at you and won't hold there forever while they figure you out.
Plenty of Antelope get killed under 200 yards, I would bet the majority are killed at that or a lot less, if the truth be known most hunters don't practice enough to be shooting 300 yards let alone 400+ yards.
One last trick in my book is if they make you for sure but are not bolting for the next prairie maybe just casually walking away like they do sometimes you can try bending low at the waist and fast walking right at them, make sure you are going straight at them, I think they have excellent vision but there depth perception seems to be compromised. The last big Antelope I got I tried this squat "low walking" technique and cow called to him and it seemed to calm him, I was able to close to 400 yards on him after many other attempts where he wouldn't let me close within 600.
I know it sounds unbelieveable cow calling and walking straight at them but it has worked.

Bill,

This is probably not what you wanted to hear but stop hunting antelope on public land. On private land they are not a slam dunk but they are not going to run full tilt boogie at 500 yards. On a properly managed property you can plan on shots at 200 yards and you'll be able to look over many bucks. On public land you beter shoot the first buck you see. My clients in Wyoming have already killed as many as 3 does and a nice buck on a 3 day hunt.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Soverns:
I did shoot one this morning. However it was dumb luck and probably the dumbest antelope in the universe.

I've frequently found a dumb one, and am not too proud about putting them in the freezer.
One time I was out with my father and we saw a bunch a couple of miles away; I tried walking over there in gullies but ran out of gullies about 500 yards out. They took off, and I went where they'd been and took a nap. Another bunch came over the same hill, keeping an eye on the truck ( and my father, who was also napping ). While they were watching the truck, I was setting up a nice rested shot and dumped the lead goat.

Most times I have used features of terrain to hide, as there isn't much vegetation in antelope country.
Animals can hide in little bowls that you'd never suspect, and so can we.

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Bill,

This is probably not what you wanted to hear but stop hunting antelope on public land. On private land they are not a slam dunk but they are not going to run full tilt boogie at 500 yards. On a properly managed property you can plan on shots at 200 yards and you'll be able to look over many bucks. On public land you beter shoot the first buck you see. My clients in Wyoming have already killed as many as 3 does and a nice buck on a 3 day hunt.

Mark

What a complete crock of shit.

Often on private land, they are very wild as well. You have to use the creases in the land as cover, it is more rolling than it usually appears at a glance. Surely you've by now walked up on a bunch of antelopes just over a rise that you didn't know were there at all. The ones you see out in the middle of a bowl a mile wide, you sure won't have much luck approaching.

I have hunted on public & BM (Block Management) land. Usually there is quite a bit of topo to work w/. My longest shot has been 140yds but I have passed on shots right at 400yds because the bucks were on the move. You just have to work it hard, be patient & you'll get your shot. Kind of like most hunting.

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
This is probably not what you wanted to hear but stop hunting antelope on public land. On private land they are not a slam dunk but they are not going to run full tilt boogie at 500 yards.

There is something to be said for hunting private land, but there is also some very fine BLM land that costs nothing and delivers nice antelope at reasonable ranges.

What Mark said.

Bob Smith

Mr. Hawg, What part of Marks statement is a crock of shit?
It's true that good antelope are taken by good hunters every year on public land all over the country. But goofball truck chasing half mile shooters screw most of it up for everyone else. Do you enjoy making a 2 hour stalk on a decent buck, only to have some moron come flying in in his jacked up 4x4 going 60 and trying to cut them off for a 500 yard running shot that they couldn't make if thier life depended on it. That is puplic land hunting in much of Wyoming. I manage and hunt some of the land Mark is talking about. You can change antelope habits and I have done it here. We don't chase in trucks, we don't shoot from trucks, and we keep our antelope where you can get a good look, before deciding to make a stalk. Then you stalk to a range that is comfortable for the hunter and he has a high probability of a one shot kill. A dead antelope is not a wild antelope. It's a good program if you have control of what happens on a particular piece of property. Or you can be happy about the long shot, legs shot off, ran to death, situation on much public land.

My brother, a friend & I went to Dalhart Tx. to antelope hunt opening weekend. My brother & I got antelopes big enough to make Tx big game awards, & friend came close. Shots were lasered & are as follows.
1. brother 368 yrds
2. me 293 yrds
3. friend 319 yrds

I find that most antelope have a 200-300 bubble that is tough to penetrate, at least where we hunt.

Regards Mike

I had done a fair amount of antelope hunting on a small private ranch and took about fifteen antelope over the years, most shots between 80 and 150 yds, the longest maybe 300 yds. It was generally pretty easy to look them over from 500 yds or less before putting a sneak on them. This last year I hunted on BLM land, and while the four of us filled all ten of our tags in a day and a half, the animals were fairly skittish within a few hours of the opening gun (I use the term quite literally) and we really couldn't afford to be real picky about the size of our bucks. All of our shots were over 200 paces.
Bottom line is that even on public land, making sure you work hard on opening day and using the scant cover provided by the terrain should allow you to fill your tags at reasonable ranges, but in my limited experience, hunting on private land is a lot easier.

I just got back from my antelope trip in the Forsyth/Colstrip Montana area. I hunted 2 ranches. One was Block Mgmt and the other was restricted access to friends and family. There was a definite tension in the Block Mgmt herds even after only 2 days of rifle hunting.

I tried this tactic and I scored on a nice average 14" buck at less than 150 yards (sorry pictures taken with a 35mm camera will post when I get my mount back). I left the antelope alone and let them find safety in my management unit, very similar to how I hunted Whitetails in SE Nebraska. No pressure on the herd and put on a stalk, dressed like Charlie Brown's Halloween Pumpkin using the many hills in the area. I left them alone until later that day and came back to find them almost exactly where I thought. I found if you let them have an escape zone from surround units you can have good luck in the evening when they bed down.

I would also watch for the "sentry" animals or bedded animals that can sometimes be invisible when you are watching the main herd or your monster buck.

Public lands will produce some great animals. Look at Eastman Outdoors, they hunt public land.

NOTE: Do not hunt north of Forsyth, near Ingomar during opening week as there are so many "road hunters and driving hunters" that it is dangerous especially the idiots on the highways.

quote:

Originally posted by MrHawg:

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Bill,

This is probably not what you wanted to hear but stop hunting antelope on public land. On private land they are not a slam dunk but they are not going to run full tilt boogie at 500 yards. On a properly managed property you can plan on shots at 200 yards and you'll be able to look over many bucks. On public land you beter shoot the first buck you see. My clients in Wyoming have already killed as many as 3 does and a nice buck on a 3 day hunt.

Mark

What a complete crock of shit.

I agree. You could pay an outfitter $2000 or more to put you on a 200 yard shot or you could get drawn for a limited entry area and shoot one for the price of a tag at the same distance. Last year in WY three of us killed 3 bucks (13.5" being the smallest) and two does in two days. We had two other does tags we could have shot 10 a piece if it were legal.

quote:

Originally posted by Cal Taylor:
Mr. Hawg, What part of Marks statement is a crock of shit?
It's true that good antelope are taken by good hunters every year on public land all over the country. But goofball truck chasing half mile shooters screw most of it up for everyone else. Do you enjoy making a 2 hour stalk on a decent buck, only to have some moron come flying in in his jacked up 4x4 going 60 and trying to cut them off for a 500 yard running shot that they couldn't make if thier life depended on it. That is puplic land hunting in much of Wyoming. I manage and hunt some of the land Mark is talking about. You can change antelope habits and I have done it here. We don't chase in trucks, we don't shoot from trucks, and we keep our antelope where you can get a good look, before deciding to make a stalk. Then you stalk to a range that is comfortable for the hunter and he has a high probability of a one shot kill. A dead antelope is not a wild antelope. It's a good program if you have control of what happens on a particular piece of property. Or you can be happy about the long shot, legs shot off, ran to death, situation on much public land.

Mr. Hawg is right on...sounds like outfitter BULLSHIT to me! I've killed bigger antelope on public land in WY than you could ever show me on any of your leases.

Make no mistake about it Cal, you and Mark are in it for the green to line your pockets, your so called management is a crock of shit as well.

MG

Outfitters are the reason some public lands are over crowded... The days of knocking on doors for permission to hunt farmer bob's ranch are history, because the outfitting industry leases up everything they can so they can make an easy buck. The end result is loss of hunting opportunities for the average joe, and a check in the mail for greedy outfitters. It's that simple. And we wonder why our kids are shooting meth instead of antelope.

What do you mean by "properly managed" anyway? I seriously doubt you give a shit about anything but your paycheck. I bet you are pretty concerned about the ranchers' financial losses due to this year's drought. Don't give me your crap about managing the land and the habitat the wildlife depends on. I'm guessing that you spend very little time on the ranches you "manage" except during hunting season, and maybe a little time kissing the ranchers ass after you pissed him off all season.

I hope your momma is proud. But you probably suck away her earnings during the off season, so she's probably pissed too. It must suck to be your kids, especially if they in fact know that they are indeed your kids.

In a way, outfitters are smart though, since they know that the average hunter is getting lazier each year and wants everything handed to him on a platter. The entire concept is just like a whorehouse. Sluts and pigs making a buck on lazy slobs who can't get'r done themselves, so they take the easy route. Then, to make things better they video tape themselves in the act and really become heros. If you think about it, hunting shows and porn TV have quite a bit in common. Yep, it's all fake, and it's all about money. Big tits, big dicks, big guns, big antlers. It's all the same. Thanks for fucking everything up so bad for everyone... I truely believe that commercialization of wildlife (uh, outiftters for example) is the end if hunting as we know it. I have a 1 year old boy, and wonder if he will ever go hunting. People like you are the reason I'm so worried.

Good night.

Cal, sorry I left it out in the previous reply but could you enlighten me on how you change an antelope's habits? That's a new one to me.

Man, tell us how you really feel!

You guys are funny, just due to the fact that you haven't got a clue what you are talking about. First off, there are bad outfitters. Just like there are slob hunters. There are plenty of both, so I have a clue as to where you think you are coming from. But as for me, don't lump me into that group unlwss you know it to be a fact, and I'll try not to lump you into the slob hunter group (yet). Here's a good example of management. I lease my cousin's ranch near Kaycee. He used to take all comers at $50 a hunter. On 8000 acres he took as high as 40 deer hunters and 20 antelope hunters. They killed everything on the place from spike on up, and most hunters went home with the "experience". Now we kill 4 or 5 deer and the 6 to 8 antelope. He makes 3 to 4 times as much money as he used to and has less hassle. No gates left open, no trash, no campers, no fires. He is very happy to make an extra 10 grand or so, since he has had to have a construction job on the side due to the drought and selling down his cows. And the public that surrounds us has more animals than ever just simply due to spillover. He wouldn't go back to tresspass hunters for anything. I grew up on a ranch. I am familiar with what they are going through and this hunting is helping alot of ranchers and their families through tough times. The rest that I lease is from a coal company near Gillette. Without a Outfitter to be resposible for what happens there, NO ONE would get on this property. If something is wrong, like gates left open, tire tracks in the grass, torn up muddy roads, they don't have to try to figure out which hunter did it. They have one outfitter (me) and I am responsible for everything there. But we have never had a problem. I make a portion of my income from outfitting, but don't rely on it. I have a several other careers also. That way I don't HAVE to take too many hunters. I mange what I have. If I was one of the pissheads you guys are talking about, I would be taking about 4 times the hunters that I am. But trust me, I know that they are out there. But you were right about one thing, I do have a big dick.

By mthunr

quote:

NOTE: Do not hunt north of Forsyth, near Ingomar during opening week as there are so many "road hunters and driving hunters" that it is dangerous especially the idiots on the highways.

Just talked with a friend that returned from there this afternoon. He and his buddies brought 8 goats home, so they had some pretty good luck. Acorn Flats is where they were hunting.

I'm on my way to Hysham and a couple very large block mgmt areas this weekend. Hopefully they're not too skiddish by then.

My hunting partner and I are just back from a WY antelope hunt. We drew an area that is mostly private ground, so I worked telephone and Internet contacts to find a rancher to hunt with.

Wyoming also has an active access program, and they can help you find a place to hunt on their website. We had a public area to hunt as a back-up.

Anyway, we planned to go later to avoid the crowds. We both got our bucks Oct 2nd our first day, he got his in the morning and I got mine in the afternoon.

The trespass fee was very moderate, and we went out with the ranch foreman in the morning, and the owner in the afternoon. They wanted us to go after particular bucks that were often found around their cows.

It helps when the ranch owner used to be an outfitter.

jim

I'm sure local terrain features have differences, but very frankly, I thought to myself out there that antelope hunting was easier than finding mushrooms in the forest or catching a decent brown trout here in New England. Where we hunted, it was for the most part a simple matter of glassing, then stalking (OK so we maybe would have to walk 6-8 miles before seeing anything, but they were out there). With grass in places two feet high, it was easy to belly crawl to gain 100 yards or more. Even with them hanging in the open, but watching them one can see how they're moving and get ahead of them, and otherwise use terrain features (all in conjunction with wind direction) to mug them.

I was surprised it was so easy, very frankly. On the 5 day trip I saw a total or perhaps 1000 antelope, and 500 deer. I saw more game in one day hunting and driving along the highway to and from the ranch than I have in my entire life in New England. My opinion of the great western hunters has truly plumetted. With that much game, how hard can it be to take home some?

Oh, and when we (my wife and I) left, our party had 6 down. *All* shots were under 100 yards.

quote:

I've frequently found a dumb one, and am not too proud about putting them in the freezer.
One time I was out with my father and we saw a bunch a couple of miles away; I tried walking over there in gullies but ran out of gullies about 500 yards out. They took off, and I went where they'd been and took a nap. Another bunch came over the same hill, keeping an eye on the truck ( and my father, who was also napping ). While they were watching the truck, I was setting up a nice rested shot and dumped the lead goat.

I'll do you one better. After the pair of hunters we were with shot two, a buck came running to 4 of us in plain view to see what all the hallaballoo was all about. He stopped at around 75 yards and stood there as the pair were gutted. After 5 minutes, he wandered off looking bored...

And no, we were not hunting in a zoo, and these animals were all wild. Many of them dumb, but still wild. I just remembered another instance: as we pulled onto the ranch road, a buck split with the doe herd. He then spooked and ran across us to escape. He ran up to the fence, and tried for 10 or 15 seconds to get under. When he got his rack all tangled and he finally figured out what he was trying wasn't agreat idea, he turned tail and ran right back in front of us, not 20 feet away, to get back to the herd. Must have been the Curly of 3 Stooges fame of the goat world...

I've caught plenty of easy trout, your ruff grouse sit on logs to be pot shot and you don't have much game back east anyway. Spare us all your one time expirence as the usual.

I noticed a lot of "dumb-ones" during a hunt a few years ago. It was rut and we watched antelope as much as we hunted them. Bucks were defending does all over the place. We were able to get in tight on a number of bucks. I think they were worn out, and cock-locked. They seemed to view us as curiosities, and just wished we would go away so they could try to get one more piece of tail.

Almost all the bucks we saw were running doe, chasing other bucks away, or resting. It was quite a sight. I ended up getting one at about 325 yards.

On public land in New Mexico I have seen antelope run so hard by hunters in vehicles that you couldn't get a standing shot at any range. They were moving constantly. The bucks were in the middle of the herds when they stopped and towards the rear when they ran.

quote:

Originally posted by Planemech:
I've caught plenty of easy trout, your ruff grouse sit on logs to be pot shot and you don't have much game back east anyway. Spare us all your one time expirence as the usual.

That's right, I'm green. Also, unlike many here, I don't claim to be an expert when I'm not; I related *my* recent experience. You don't like it? Tough shit, and fuck you very much, OK?

As far as the grouse to be pot shot: you must be elderly, because in ME and NH where I hunt them, they often flush 30+ yards out in thickly forested growth, *if* you can find them. But then being the expert on everything, including areas you've never been, I guess you'd know that, right? Asshole.

quote:

Originally posted by Kamo Gari:

With grass in places two feet high, it was easy to belly crawl to gain 100 yards or more.

Now I'm curious; where did you find antelope along with two-foot-high grass? As you may have surmised, most of us are discussing sage flats where there is nothing higher than eight inches tall and sneaking skills are at a premium.

All over an ~8000 acre ranch in NE Wyoming. These were NOT sage flats. It was hilly, with knee-high grass in many places. I'll post pics tomorrow if you like. As I explained in a previous post, I am aware that not all antelope areas are created equally in terms of geogrpahic features, and was speaking only for myself, and where I hunted. What I found I posted above. It wasn't a dream, I don't think. Let me ponder it over some antelope sausages...

Oh so when I find game you've hunted easy you get to call names? Grew up in Michigan- hunted alot of ruff grouse, and fished alot of trout. I'm fully aware of the cycle in grouse numbers, and have seen a whole bunch of grouse pot shot with a .22lr, I hunt them with a dog and shotguns personally but I've seen plenty of the .22's used. If all your grouse jump at 30 yards you need to change tactics, walk quieter or trade in the dog you are using- it's bumping the birds.

For the record I've also had spooky grouse and nervous trout, not all the time but some of the time so there can be a variety of expirinces on the same game. I've also found more or less of them in various areas.

Glad you got a nice hunt on unpressured goats Kamo Gari, I suggest you hunt them more than once in different places across their range before spouting about western hunters. Your posts have certainly confirmed a sterotype or two about eastern seaboard city types though....

quote:

Originally posted by Kamo Gari:
All over an ~8000 acre ranch in NE Wyoming. These were NOT sage flats. It was hilly, with knee-high grass in many places. I'll post pics tomorrow if you like.

Please do post pictures; I haven't been up that way yet...

quote:

Originally posted by Kamo Gari:
Pics attached for TomP.

Nice place, think I need to take a look at that part of Wyoming...

The last buck I shot was at about 60 yards with my muzzleloader.
I found a water hole (dugout) that was being used by pronghorn (and coyotes and mule deer) and set up a box blind on top of the earthen spoil pile. I slept in mu truck 3/4 of a mile away and road a mountian bike to the waterhole as the sun was painting the prarie sky crimson and orange. Hid the bike in some weeds and got into the box blind. Watched a coyote and a bunch of different birds come to drink and then some does and fawns. Then a couple bucks came down to drink and I ventelated the largest one.

So pronghorn hunting does not always have to be a LOOOOOONG range affair.

Robin down under

About 2 hours ago I shot a nice 14in goat on public land, actually in a PD Town, there was a herd of maybe 50 head..I live here and when not elk hunting I'm checking out the goats sooner or later they will come to a place where i can get at them.It works for me..I will jump on the wagon and state I also think this outfitter situation is screwing up a lot of the hunting in NE wyoming, several will try and chase people off public land, and the days of helping a rancher during the year in exchange for a deer are pretty well gone they are "outfittered up"..

quote:

Then a couple bucks came down to drink and I ventelated the largest one.

Why, did he have a heart attack? "We're losing him; I need 50 ccs of adrenaline and get me the paddles, STAT!" Rimshot, please!

quote:

So pronghorn hunting does not always have to be a LOOOOOONG range affair.

Quite.

Congrats.

KG

Most antelope country has some folds in the land that you can use to get within 300 yards. But sometimes the closest you can get is 600.

I usually agree with Mark Young, but not on this one. In Western Wyoming we have no trouble succesfully hunting public land. That is all I hunt for antelope. I can't imagine not being succesful on an antelope hunt unless your holding out for a goat over 15".

Scott,

I was addressing Bill's comments on interference from other hunters and having to make long shots. I didn't say public land hunting wouldn't work but if you want the place to yourself you can't hunt public land. If you do hunt public land then you have to put up with other folks and the possibility of long shots. I don't see how anyone could disagree with that.

I recently hunted both of Calvin Taylor's ranches and it is possible to hunt a ranch were you can look over a 100 bucks in one day at reasonable ranges. These antelope don't run as soon as they see you and getting within a 150 yards for a shot should be a slam dunk. These antelope as opposed to the first ones I hunted in Montana don't even act like the same species so I guess you can change their behavior. I shot a nice goat at a lasered 206 yards and that was very long shot on Cal's ranch near Gillette. The antelope were supposed to be wilder at Kaycee but I took the one I wanted at 162 yards which is a pretty easy shot.

I'm not inferring that anyone has to hunt private land with an outfitter to be successful on antelope but if you do sometime you might change your mind about what antelope hunting can really be like.

Mark

Mark,

I live here and I am aware of many of the ranches around here famous for high antelope densities. Looking at 100's of bucks in one day, all in reasonable ranges is complete bullshit and you know it. Is "reasonable" to you 1/2 mile from the highway while you drive across the entire county to and from your lease?

That's the problem I have with you and most outfitters. You exagerate things to your benefit, because your clients don't know better, and it's your bank account that wins.

I don't doubt that your clients have a good time with you, but you could at least be honest.