whats a good antelope?
Pronghorn
i am going on my first antelope hunt this fall near laramie wyoming. being new to antelope hunting, all i have to go on is what i read in magazines and books, or watch on video's.
i know an antelope that scores 80" will make B&C, so i would assume thats an exceptional antelope. so what would be considered a good antelope, 60", 65", 70", 75". i want to be prepared if guys in camp or my guide starts talking about antelope scores, at least i will know a little about what they are talking about.
thanks
80 will make the B&C book for the period, but it must score 82 for permanent entry. By comparison, minimum for entry to P&Y is 67.
Antelope scores vary a lot by region. While Wyoming probably has the most antelope in the record books just because of the shear number of them taken, a very low percentage of Wyoming antelope make the books as compared to many other Western states. A B&C buck in Wyoming is MUCH harder to find than one in Oregon, Arizona or New Mexico. I believe the biggest antelope Chuck Adams has ever taken scored 76, even though he has taken lots of them! It's because he hunts those states that don't tend to produce the larger antelope. If you can take an antelope in most parts of Wyoming that scores in the mid-70's or higher, you are generally doing pretty well. Perhaps some folks from Wyoming can tell you specifically what you can expect from that particular area in Wyoming.
Good luck, you'll have a lot of fun. There are LOTS of antelope in your area. Marvin
By the way, there used to be a little photo tutorial on this site on how to judge antelope scores. You might try to find it, as it seemed reasonably helpful for a beginner.
Marvin
I think they start getting character at about 75", but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I would say that any antelope that you are proud of is a good antelope. Antelope hunting (spot and stalk and decoy)is my favorite type of hunting. I hope you enjoy your hunt and i hope you dont have to sit in a blind the whole time ( unless you want to)... Goodluck... Dave
It depends on your personal preferences, and how the hunt works out.
My general idea, from hunting northern Co & Southern Wy is about a 13-14 inch goat with good cutters.
I shot a 13.5 incher last year that was really cool b/c he had a 19 inch spread, and some goofy horns.
If you hunt spot and stalk, a dead antelope with an arrow through it is a great antelope! If you have the patience to pick and choose at a water hole it's whatever trips your trigger. If you're after a book antelope then what StickFlicker said is right - you can't kill a book goat where he doesn't live, no matter how good you are.
If you are going for a good trophy antelope, listen to them. If you are wanting a good eating antelope, there is one secret. Skin the antelope before you gut it, their fur is full of oils and if not skinned immediately it seeps into the meat and ruins the flavor.
I am going on my first antelope hunt as well this coming Sept. I will be going to Montana. I am looking for a legal buck, period. Can't wait. I took a monster P&Y chocolate colored black bear on a DIY hunt a few years back. He was awesome. He would still have been a trophy to me if he had been half that size. Any animal with a bow is a trophy!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Enjoy the hunt and love the game you pursue. It will make memories!!!!!
I shot my first last sept in SD, he was 15 on each side and scored around 70. He made the best looking mount I have.
That pic dodnt work?? here's another
first of all Marvin is probebly well informed on what areas to hunt as i beleive he shot a large goat a few years back. if you shoot a goat in the 70-75 range you have done well. personally i believe that any mature buck with any mass will make book it is getting above 75 that is a trick and breaking 80 is even more impressive.
personally i also feel that any antelope is a good one as they are about the best table fare out there. like martin girl said be carefull in handleing the meat. the largest problem i ever see in horn fondling during trophy photos and then handling the meat. be carefull about how you touch horns and hide they do have oils but they do not seep through the skin after death. that and i really believe that the sooner you get it cooled down the better tasing it will be.
this one is a 79" buck i shot last year. once in a life animal for a Idaho goat.
You can't tell from the photos but a good buck looks very black in the face.
Antelope is tasty table fare, to me, almost as good as elk. That alone is a great reason to hunt them. The fact that they're fun to hunt with a bow is a huge bonus.
I LOOK AT IT THIS WAY, YOU LOOSE THE ARROW OR PULL THE TRIGGER. YOU ARE TAKING A TROPHY ANIMAL....
What's a good antelope? Any one that was killed quickly; handled respectfully and properly; and has had the loins sliced about 1" thick then quick grilled to a delicate rare doneness!
I do disagree with Shortbow...they're BETTER than elk!!
Boris and COLOH2OFWLR have it right, IMO.
Mathewsgirl, you wrote, "...if not skinned immediately it seeps into the meat and ruins the flavor." That hasn't been my experience. I've probably taken well over a dozen pronghorn (not keeping count) and I've never skinned one right away. I hunt about an hour from home so I just gut them and head home. You don't load the meat up with sand, dirt, and cactus spines that way. I have never had one that wasn't excellent eating. I don't leave the hides on for too many hours, though, because that hair will hold the heat in forever and cause spoilage.
Unlike the oily skin theory, there is some science behind the logic of removing the skin and beginning the cooling process as quickly as possible. Try it some time and see if the the meat doesn't taste even more excellent! Any animal begins to decompose the minute it hits the ground and quickly reducing the temperature of the carcass is the biggest first step you can take toward slowing the decomposition, particularly during August and September antelope hunts. A 5x8 Sil tarp in the pack to spread out on the ground while processing does away with the "gunk" on the meat issues.
I had no idea they were that good to eat (better than elk). Even more reason to get excited about Sept.
I love the meat, have not particularly done anything special with it in processing, and it's turned out great. I think the biggest thing is getting the animal on the ground quickly - I've had two friends take antelope - 1 bow shot that was a little too far back - took about 6 hours and a little chasing to finally get him, and another with a rifle that was hit low, just breaking the leg, and causing a chase to finally get it. In both cases, the report was that the meat was terrible.
I really tend to believe that running the animal around spoils the meat more than anything (on antelope in particular) - I think that explains why some folks love the meat, and some folks hate it. . . as antelope are often chased around a bit - my processor said that of all the animals he recieves, antelope are consistantly the ones with the most bullet holes in the wrong places!
Just for a data point, I hit a buck just over the spine that I finally killed 24 hours and 15 miles later. We relocated him the next morning and followed him and follow him until we got him killed. The meat was fine.
My theory as to the love/hate thing is either their forage (grass versus sage) or getting the oil from the hair on the meat. When I skin, I use one hand for the knife and one hand for the hide and never the tweo are switched.
Better than elk? Absolutely!
Matt, I don't know how else to explain it - both the cases mentioned above, I shot an antelope within a couple miles. . .so they were eating the same stuff and the meat on mine was fine. I don't understand the "sagey" argument - all the antelope I've eaten has been very mild in flavor.
thanks for all the input guys (and gals), cant wait until sept, it should be a blast!!
Whatever makes you happy it doesnt matter what the score is.
i went on a hunt last summer in wy there was 19 of us in camp we killed 19 goats in 4 days 11 py 2 bc rest were nice goats you should shoot what makes you happy just remember dont pass one that you would shoot on the last day good luck
