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200? 250? 300? 350? Mike Never under estimate the internet community to use any opportunity to reply to a post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence problem.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | ||
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Mike I do not know about Montana , but I hunted antelope for 6 or 7 years in a row in Wyoming. There were between 6 and 8 of us each year, plus the landowners 3 sons, one daughter and their friends, who usually shot their speed goats while we were there, nost shots were between 250 and 300 yards. some were as far as 350 to 500, and some as close as 90 yards. I would say to be prepared for a 300 yard shot for sure. Rifles used varied from a 243 to a 300 WBY mag. Truth be told the 243 killed them as good as anything. Most of the locals used the 25-06 with 100gr Sierra bullets. Over the years I killed them with a 308, 7MM Rem Mag, 300 WBY Mag and a 30 Herrett Contender. My buddy killed some with his 30 and 35 Herrett cvontender handgun. My wife always used a 243. We each shot a buck and one two two does appeace as we all liked the meat. I saw a lot of antelope killed. Hit them right and the job is done. I killed several one year with a H&K 91, and my buddy shot one with a BP muzzleloader. Still I would be prepared for a shot in the 300 to 400 yard range, just in case I saw a good buck and could not get any closer. DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | |||
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I don't know the typical distance but the average distance is 237.46914587 yards. I would suggest sighting in at 239.11164 yards to be safe.  Kyler | |||
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who wound you up tonite Kyler...if you're not careful I am going to send my son over to your place from Cal Poly at dinner time to start eating you out of house and home. Mike Never under estimate the internet community to use any opportunity to reply to a post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence problem. What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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If you actually "hunt" them less than 50 yds. If you shoot at em' w/ a rifle as far as you're capapble of. | |||
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I shot 4 last year in NE Wyoming. None were longer than 275 yds, one was around 100yds. | |||
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Mike, I have hunted them in eastern and northern Montana, and in general, NE 450 No2 and Kyler are pretty close in their estimates of 250 ish to 300 yards as an average. One factor that you might think about, is when you will be hunting them relative to the start ot the season. We have found that if you are hunting them after season has been on for a while they can be much more skittish. The locals in the areas we hunted tended to chase the Pronghorns around agressively with their vehicles, and byt the time we were hunting them if they saw or heard a vehicle within a mile they were already super skittish. There will usually be a sentry goat or two, depending on the size of the group, and if they bust you, they are usually right out of there! I will tell you this, regardless of how good of a hunter you are, a fellow would win a bet most of the time if you wagered that Antelope would take off if you tried a sneak on them WAY before you could close to 50 yareds! I think a laser rangefinder is a must for Antelope hunting, I've sold a bunch of Leica rangefinding bino's after folks tried mine on a goat hunt I let them borrow mine for a bit. Good luck. | |||
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 Ken.... "The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant, but that they know so much that isn't so. " - Ronald Reagan | |||
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Don't forget that some us actually bowhunt for these, and shots are less than 50 yards doing that. I'll be archery hunting for one next month in fact here. That's not to say don't be ready for a longer shot though with a rifle and within your capabilities, just that it is possible to get close. If you have never tried using a decoy, you may want to try it by the way. It can be a lot of fun, and they will come to it if you work it...may charge it even if fired up protecting his harem during rut. It's best to have your kid or buddy hold/work the decoy separately. They can actually be pretty curious critters, and my buddy was able to get one to come within say 75/80 yards just jiggling his T-shirt in the air believe it or not. We were taking a break from the heat in one of the few shady spots, and a group came out of nowhere in the distance. Having read about it, we gave it a try and it worked. Use the terrain, and be patient. Their eyesight is incredible, and if spooked will be in the next county in seconds, ha ha. There is an old joke here about seeing some small brownish blips miles away out on the prairie and getting a spotting scope out to investigate. When finally in focus, all the 'lopes were looking right back... Good luck. PS- we got real close once be cutting off a bushy branch of Juniper tree and hid behind it acting like a bush to get within bow range, ha ha. It was slow moving/going out in the open, but it worked too...almost...sigh. "Hunt smart, know your target and beyond" | |||
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Of the dozen or so I've shot only one was over 100 yards, he was the exception at around 200. Several were shot at under 50 yards thanks to careful stalking. More fun for me that way. | |||
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There are places where I can get a 50-100 yard shot with a little work, others where it's pretty hard to get much closer than 200 yards. It seems the longer I hunt antelope, the shorter the shots get. Use stealth and terrain whenever you can, beats a rangefinder and cannon. There are times when there isn't any second way but a long shot, and I've walked away from any number of them because of wind or some other imperfection. There have been times late in the season when antelope have taken off two miles away from seeing a truck approach. One hunt, I started sneaking from about a mile off, they spotted me a half-mile away and left, I went the rest of the distance and took a nap. An hour or so later a band of antelope showed up and I took the lead goat for freezer meat at less than 100 yards. Another time two of us sneaked up on a band of antelope in a late-season snowstorm and took one from about 200 yards when the snow let up, not such a long shot from prone if conditions are reasonable. Check for small cactus before lying down. I am planning to take a 6mm-284 and a 6x45mm this year, one gun for longish shots and one that's really a 200-yard gun on its best day. The 6x45mm is a rebored Savage 24V that doubles as a bird gun. There will be a 7mm Remington in the back of the truck as the rifle-of-last-resort... TomP Our country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right, when wrong to be put right. Carl Schurz (1829 - 1906) | |||
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My brother and I did a DIY hunt in Eastern Wyoming in 2003. We both scored on 13" bucks. I shot mine at 80 yards with a 30-06. My brother shot his at 175 yards with a 25-06...FWIW. Good luck on your hunt! X | |||
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My wife and I have shot about 60 antelope, bucks and does, (yes we actually like the meat). We hunt on public land or block management and I'd say most of our shots have been around 200 yds. That's not to say that we haven't wacked a few at longer range, longest a lazered 425 yds, but we've killed a whole lot more at under 100yds than over 300yds, including some nice bucks. We both use 270's and have had good success with 130 and 140 grain Hornady's. In the course of time we have settled on 150gr. Nosler Partitions at about 2850 fps. This gets the job done and we don't have to fiddle-fart around with our scopes or ammo for elk or mule deer. | |||
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My three of my four have been at less than 200 yards, one was at 250. | |||
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I bow to the superior numbers shot by HunterMontana...that's a ton of speed goats but the meat is the best of all wild game as far as I'm concerned. Of the 15 or so that I've shot I'd say most were at about 150. IMHO the funnest part is seeing them over a mile away and figuring out the terrain and stalking as close as you can. | |||
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In 40 years of hunting them in Colorado, Whoming and Montana, I've shot somewhere between 30-40 of them. All were shot on public or block management land. I would say that more were shot at under 200 yds than over that distance. NRA Endowment Life Member | |||
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The art and fun of antelope is the stalk. My wife and I have spent hours, or even the whole day, getting under 200 or even 100 yds from a herd to get a shot or shots. We've had a few "triples", bang-bang-bang, 3 dead goats, over the years. Seems like fun but it was a hell of a lot of work last time as they dropped nearly two miles from the truck and, of course, it was up hill! Eastern Montana seems awful flat until you're pulling a game cart with 3 dead antelope in it. On public land and block management we rarely see other hunters since we get off our butts and out of the truck. Sadly, we have seen a few wounded or dead from wounds animals. We've also seen the idiots that cause that waste, taking shots that are 400, 500 or more yards in a stiff wind. Just because they can fire a 6 or 8 inch group, at 500 yds., from a bench rest on a calm day at the range doesn't mean they can do it after walking 4 hours in the hot sun, with a variable cross wind on an animal that's walking diagonally from them. I realize that the 60 animal count for my wife and I may sound a bit high to some fellows that only come out to hunt every few years, but we live here. My personal count would probably be higher if I started to rummage through the shoe boxes of tags I've collected over nearly 40 years of hunting. Keep in mind, I was and still am a bit of a meat hunter. The best way to keep an antelope cool without much work in my experience is to wrap it in a concrete insulating blanket after stuffing the animal with water filled frozen plastic gallon milk jugs. Butchering on the spot is great but FWP can and does get real picky about matching up body parts, evidence of sex and such. Keep in mind that antelope are extraordinarly well insulated animals and if you can get them cool they will stay that way with little effort if you leave the hide on. I also prefer to hang them a few days before I cut them up and my preference here is to leave the hide on as it seems that the meat dries out less. | |||
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There is no reason why a person should be shooting at an antelope that is over 250 yards from them. If you are unable to close the distance on a goat to within 200 yards maybe you should take up gardening. The 300+ shots I hear about are from people who are a)full of shit, b)too lazy to make a stalk or c)too lazy to get farther than 100 yards away from the pickup. MG | |||
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My wife and I were talking about this and came to the conclusion that the distance you shoot has a bit to do with the week of the season. The first week the antelope are still in the hills and small valley areas were getting a shot under 200yds. is only a matter of small effort. However, as the weeks go by the animals move further out into the flat pans and broad valleys were getting close requires a great deal of effort and often quite a bit of luck. For the Montana 4 week season you could say that as the weeks go, so go your typical shot oppurtunities: Week 1- 100yds, week 2-200yds, week 3-300yds and week 4-400yds. Sort of makes sence to me as when I look at my scrap books it seems that the long shots that were noted were later in the season. | |||
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Mike, Having taken 25 speed goats over the last 26 years, my ranges have been 35 to over 600 yards. I would say the average has been 200 yards but I would be confident out to 400 yards. Mature bucks have a safety zone of comfort, and I've had friends miss a good number of 14 inch and up bucks because they couldn't connect at longer ranges. Remember, their eyesight is second to none in North America. However, they are creatures of habit. Know their travel corridors, staging ground (breeding) food (they love wheat & green fields) and water source. They tend to hang in the same general area each day. They are very curious and come to calling like ducks on a string. You can't be too camouflaged or hidden too well. Good hunting, David  Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333 Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com NRA Benefactor DSC Professional Member SCI Member RMEF Life Member NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor NAHC Life Member Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt: http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262 Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142 Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007 http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409 Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941 10 days in the Stormberg Mountains http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322 Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232 "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running...... "If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you." | |||
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+1 16 years of antelope hunting in montana, lived in montana all my life. longest shot that i had witnessed - 330 yards. most shots were under 200. if the only shot you can get is a 500-yard shot, then you must be doing something wrong. it might pay to learn to stalk or wait for a better opportunity. i know that the country seems wide open and empty, but its not THAT wide open and empty! not meant to flame or disrespect anyone, jsut offering a suggestion. | |||
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tasunkawitko, I take no offence to your remark, as I tend not to pass on Antelope that will measure over 15 inches when there is no cover present of any type to reduce my distance. If I were uncapable of taking a shot like that I would never attempt it. I grew up shooting Ground Hog's at long range and after I grew into big game I retained my shooting skills. It's not a practice, nor the norm for me, but I am not uncomfortable at taking what I consider within my skill level. I do enjoy pulling in any game that will respond to calls, decoys or other trickery, but long shots are OK when needed. Good hunting, David  Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333 Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com NRA Benefactor DSC Professional Member SCI Member RMEF Life Member NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor NAHC Life Member Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt: http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262 Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142 Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007 http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409 Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941 10 days in the Stormberg Mountains http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322 Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232 "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running...... "If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you." | |||
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You can run into different shooting situations all over eastern Montana. Work commitments kept us from hunting until the last 2 weeks of the season one year and it took me 4 days to fill my 3 tags. Dawn to dusk effort and miles of walking on my part gave me 2 shots around 250 and one at 350+. The last week of the season my wife and I were in an area known for mule deer (seasons overlap) and she had not filled her antelope tags yet. She collected her 3 antelope in 2 days all under 100yds and two of them within sight of the truck! Evidently almost no one hunted the antelope in that area and they were as dumb as dirt all season. In some areas that have lots of pressure, BLM or Block Management land, antelope will move out into the big alkali flats and unless you are shaped like a postage stamp you're not going to get within 500yds of them. Though one year we had a wool bag (large burlap bag) in the back of the truck and by draping it over us (we looked like a really weird cow of some sort I suppose) we were able to get within 200 yds of a herd that was "hiding out" on a small hill with no cover for a thousand yards. Got 2 out of that bunch. Probably the most fun we've ever had. | |||
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...as for me it seems the farther I walk from my truck the more likely it is that I'll shoot one that's been sitting in the shade of the truck when I walk back. Some sort of an evil curse. I mostly park and walk like crazy to get as far away from the roads as I can. Half the time I'll quarter the lope where I shot it and pack it back. Cools it off quickly but a lot of the meat gets dirt on it. The other half goes like I mentioned above. Two years ago we were pulling up to a place to park and there lies a nice buck 50 yards away. My buddy whacked it after we'd waited for him to bolt (never even got up). I walked the equivalent of Alzada to Alder and came back to find a herd grazing all around the Subaru. | |||
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Mike-for the most part I've been able to work my way to a minimum of 300, note I say work my way. And that for me a big time piece of the fun of hunting them. I have shot a few at over 300, some of those were I had no time and had to take the shot. Some were I was set and had no reason to try to get closer as I knew it was a done deal as soon as I dropped the hammer. Personally I feel that the notion that one "needs" a long range super whammy jammy high speed round for goats is a highly abused topic! And I've found that those who use LRF's tend to get a closer to game than those not carrying them...grins Mark D when you coming this way to hunt and is it out east or around here? | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting American Big Game Hunting How far is the typical Eastern MT Antelope Shot?
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