Dear Friends:
As "Billinthewild" generously advanced to all of You, we were hunting in New Mexico & Az !!!. After the usual connections between Cordoba-Chile, Chile-Dallas, Dallas -Phoenix I arrived to the States.
Like always... with a huge smile in his face, standing at the baggage claim site, Bill, The "Gringo" was waiting for me.
After concreting other interesting activities planned before, on September 8, we left Pinetop-Lakeside, heading to New Mexico for the Antelope hunt.
On Friday Bill drove to the farm in order to scout the place and look for the antelopes.
The property is huge (70.000 acres) even with Patrick Holehan outfitter / gunsmith & the owner property help, was very difficult to Us to cover all the area, even more... find the pronghorns !!!.
The severe draught turned all the grass almost yellow and the color did not help in any way to find the bulls (same color as the animals skin).
Every yuca, dry bush or stone, looks like "something like an animal " at 1000 yards.
Thanks to the experience of Bill (he already had more than seven pronghorns hunted) and Patrick, both hunters brought their huge spotting scopes so we can "make out" some pronghorns, but just a few and very scattered for the tough terrain condition.
About 10 hs of scouting time, ( we had launch on midday some slices of sumer saussage and cow elk jerky, wonderfully made by Bill some months ago ) we saw no more than 20 female spread and about 5 males in all the property. Next day, 5 hunter will be in the property (Nobody expected that States hunters visit this year that place...even the outfitter, that increased our difficulties, more hunters and less trophies...)
After spotting the best and marking them in the GPS, we came back to take a rest at Roswell city, a delicious grilled lobster at the "Red lobster" was waiting or us.
The weather was nice (65 ºF), better than (Phonenix 105 Fº) .
Early in the morning, Bill woke me up, and He drove for me to the hunting place again ...about 50 miles from the City.
We departured at 5:00 in order to be there with the first lights. At 7:00 we were hunting. Considering many aspects, like an incipient storm behind us, four more hunters in the same place, and no so many animals seen the prior day, I decided to not take any risks and tried to catch the first representative trophy that pass in front of my scope. A long trip from Argentina to come back home with my bag empty....
About 1000 yards of the main road, walking straight to a water hole, we saw some females (four) and a nice male behind.
I took "Billinthewild"s rifle ( a Rem 700 BDL 270 Winchester Magnum feeded with Hornady 130 grs SST) with a 6,5-20x50 Leupold scope, nice assembled 20 years ago by Patrick Holehan, my Steiner 10x40 and Bill rangefinder and started the approach. I walked about 300 yard and stopped, looking at the ridge of a small hill in front the water hole......nothing......I walked about 400 yards more & I stopped again, took a general view and I saw a nice male standing just in front of me, about 300 yards seeing me ......S....t !!! I said, He saw me.... I knew that if I make any movement, will be a dead man, so...I got lie down, covered my head with the cammo jacket, put the binoculars as a rest, check the distance: 285 yards.... the rifle was smartly zeroed by Bill at 300 yards, so, nothing to calculate, I put the crosshair just in the middle of the chest cavity, easily squeezed the trigger and bang....some hundreds of seconds later I heard the classic flommmmb....and the antelope got down from the ridge, but the hunt did not stopped there, the animal still have some energy to walk and try to run for a little behind the cows, I wake up and shoot again on run, but this time, the bullet stopped him for complete. My heart was at 4000 RMP, what emotion !!!, my first Antilocapra Americana.
A few minutes later I was undressing the animal with a buck folder that I bought 6 years before and just this year I gave it as a gift to Bill for all His attention when He visited my country last time. I never imagined in my life when I bought that folder, that the tool would be "the knife" that I would use to skin a Pronghorn 6 years later !!! with a State friend.
We left only the carcass to "the butchers" and that night, Bill made some pieces of antelope tenderloin grilled with cowboy chilly.
Thanks to Bill, David May and Christ from botany nursery, I could manage to take some prairie dogs too with Bill Rem 22-250 & Ruger 22 Hornet, and a nice Fox called at the American way with a jack rabbit sound from an electronic predator caller. My comments are strictly related to the hunt in order to not bother all of Your with other amazing things that Bill gave me, but You can take a look at Southmerican forum tomorrow for more "non hunting" (Touristic) details about my wonderful trip with Him . Many Thanks Bill, Patrick, David, Christ for making all my dreams true. I hope You like the report. Kind Regards:Guille

Very nice pronghorn!

great goat - congrats!!!

Very nice pronghorn!

Guillermo....a fine story and you told it so well....it pleased me greatly to be able to repay you in some way for all the wonderful times I had with you in Argentina....you are the very best, amigo....G-d willing I will see you in March...

GREAT ADVENTURE CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH OF YOU MY FRIENDS.

Juan, we spoke of you often, and would have enjoyed so much if you were with us.....maybe another time, amigo....

Guillermo - that's a fine antelope there! Congratulations on a hunt well done.

Bill, if you check back on this thread, would you mind telling me about your pickup shell? That looks awful handy for overnight/weekend solo hunts. Thanks.

Congratulations! I bet you had a wonderful southwestern experience.

Congratulations! Nice antelope. I took my first one in New Mexico two years ago. I'm saving up the pennies to do another antelope hunt, but taking my wife so she can get her first "goat".
Paul B.

quote:

Originally posted by Paul B:
Congratulations! Nice antelope. I took my first one in New Mexico two years ago. I'm saving up the pennies to do another antelope hunt, but taking my wife so she can get her first "goat".
Paul B.

PM sent

Gille,

Glad you had a good hunt in our fair state. Hope you get to come back again.

Guillermo,

Good job and nice buck!

Many Thanks Gentlemans !!!, was a pleasure visit both States ( Az & N. Mexico) all the people was very kind & plenty of hospitality. Foood great !!! I am very Happy. Kind Regards Guille.