Colorado Pronghorn Success
Pronghorn
This year, using 23 points, I drew a Ranching for Wildlife buck antelope tag on Silver Spur ranch. I’ve hunted antelope quite a few times and I have to say that it was the most challenging antelope hunt that I’ve ever been on.
To begin with, there is water everywhere in North Park, so I couldn’t just pick a waterhole to sit and wait. Next, it is rolling country with mainly low sagebrush (6” – 15” tall) and hay meadows that have been cut. That meant that there wasn’t much cover for a stalk. Finally, most of the antelope were very spooky (especially the bucks). They were particularly wary of vehicles. I had one spot my car from a mile away and take off on a dead run.
On the first day, I made a stalk in the evening, crawling for 150 yards only to have the buck bed down out of sight. There was no cover to let me get closer and a group of mule deer moved into the same meadow, a strong wind came up blowing straight from me to them and the sun started to set.
In the end, I did finally find a herd of about 12 – 15 does and fawns with a single buck. I had to resort to my rifle. Here is a picture of my buck. He scored 76 3/8, plus he had a 3rd prong on the back of one horn that had 2 more inches (but that doesn’t count). Height was 14 4/8 on the side with the extra prong and 14 7/8 on the other side.
I didn't get a good picture out of the bunch that my wife took. Here is one and if you really use your imagination you can just barely see the extra prong on the antelope's left side (right side of the picture).
Congrats its amazing how differently they react when your not really trying to get close to them iv driven right up to goats on the surrounding blm gotten out and watched them feed at 20 yards a few times in that general area! Anyway pretty goat bow or rifle kill I don't really care, I just love them speed goats.
RIFLE?? Isnt this BOWsite?
"Isnt this BOWsite?"
Yes, but he HAD to resort to his rifle, so it's OK.
Rough crowd. Don't worry about it. Great goat and thanks for sharing.
Carcajou - You're right and so is Ziek. This wasn't the hunt that I had expected. I've always hunted antelope in Unit 3 - Maybell and Craig area. Over there, there are lots of draws and gullies that give a decent chance for a close stalk. Also, over there, the antelope aren't nearly as spooky as these were. One time near Maybell, my son and I had sat down to take a break. We were completely in the open - not one bit of cover. We watched an antelope turn onto a ranch road and walk straight toward us. It left the road and continued up the hill toward us. My son didn't want it, so I shot it at about 15 yards. I didn't see any like that in North Park.
What deerslayer said. A couple times I've bowhunted unsuccessfully and finished with a rifle. End results are the same. I came to kill something and I did. For the money I spend, it's dumb ( for me ) to go home empty handed and especially empty coolered just because it wasn't taken with my weapon of choice.
That said, this is Bowsite and I won't post gun kills here unless it's a coyote. YMMV.
