What a week.
I worked 11 hours Monday, 15 on Tuesday, got off work at 3 am on Wednesday and proceeded to drive 900+ miles to near Alamosa, CO. I got there and walked around for just a few minutes before crashing in the back of my Sequoia in one of the worst nights sleep I've ever had.
I use to could sleep anywhere - not anymore.
Thursday morning I walked for a few miles, saw one dink antelope buck.
This is the kind of country I am looking at - vast, it swallow everything
I have a Be The Decoy- and I have now renamed it Scare the Prognhorns Hat - because that's what it did ! Stil - nice pronghorn.
I found another one - not as big - same results with hat
before wrapping back to truck and taking another route to the group I'd seen earlier. I spot/stalked them - and got to where they were, no pronghorns
walked all the way BACK to the truck and driving out? there they were, 100 yards below the very ledge I'd walked
the swells and sways and gully's and dips .... they hide EVERYTHING
grrrr
I slept very hard and uncomfortable Thursday night but don't ever forget to stop and smell ....
I probably drove a good 40 miles of dirt 4x4 type roads, and saw NOTHING when a nice buck and 4 does crossed the road in front of me. I watched them from a distance, and the terrain being as it were they had a path, almost a funnel but you couldn't really call it that in such big country but there was a depression, a low area ... a way to maybe sneak in on them.
so, I 1/4 mile belly crawled, ranged the buck at 82 yards and BAM!!!! busted
goodness these things have scary vision
plenty of these though and they LOVE people
and I think huh .... if he follows the same path/trail ..... hmmmm
so off I go, high tailing it back the way I came, over a hill, down the roads and park then back up towards that funnel type area ....
anyway, I get to where the pronghorns were earlier, get low in that gully and I can't believe it in 10 minutes here he comes
I don't remember the shot really ... I image he was right at 60 yards.
the shot was a bit quarter to, taking out lungs, liver and exiting back ........ two small circles and down he went, arrow #2 because I can't stand to watch an animal dying when I can make it quicker.
I didn't know how good he was ..... and I'm not a scorer on antelope, but I think he's a mid 70's buck ... great mass, 14" length, 6 1/2" bases, broomed prongs but gorgeous gorgeous
I had him quartered by dark, and I drove all night to get back here by 3pm with just 2 hours sleep
what a whirlwind - looking back, I think my buck saw the smaller buck with does from a way off ... and he was simply coming to whip the smaller buck, and claim the does .... lots of luck, I was just accepting that you can walk/drive tens of miles and not even SEE a pronghorn in this country
so lucky
Sometimes when you work as hard as you did the good Lord blesses you.
Congrats!!!
BTW If you get the met in a cooler with ice it will be fine for many days.
If you think about it ... you're driving 1000 miles, no pre-scouting, you've got to find them, and get within 60 yards or so ..... and you've got to do all that PLUS try to find a good one? Its a huge challenge, one we all do when we go on bowhunting trips but the enormity of the challenge never goes away.
Yes - I know he's likely the biggest pronghorn I'll ever take, archery or rifle. I can hunt a long time and not see many bigger, much less get close enough with archery to take them.
I was very lucky.
!!!
elkmtngear's Link
Best of Luck, Jeff (Bowsite sponsor)
Mark
P.S. Charlie is right on the measurements...a great buck nonetheless!
Congrats!
Rudy
BB has had a bad influence on me, reaching for camera first !!!
Spot-n-Stalk is way to much fun.
Congrats
Good luck, Robb
And I used a compound - last 7-8 years I've used my recurves/longbows mostly. I can't imagine spot/stalk with trad gear, talk about upping the challenge !
I had a bunch of chances on opening day of Colorado pronghorn last Thurs but was missing - thing in the open country - a decoy.
I had numerous bucks 200 yards plus and had ribs of stare downs.
Managed 1 stealthy stalk on a bedded buck over a ridge. I saw him grazing from about 300 yards on the rise of the ridge. Them I had another buck bedded on the other side of me about the same distance.
I decided to stalk the one that went over the ridge after about a half hour wait. Figured he had to be bedded somewhere close.
Made my way to the top. Glassed. Nothing.
Slowly stashed the top and them boom. He got up from behind another rise about 50 yards from me at full speed. By the time I could draw, he was over 100 yards away and looking back my way.
I got low. He was looking everywhere for me but didn't see he. He got nervous. Took off again. Stopped andromeda back again.
If I had a decoy maybe I cold of held him or not spooked him as much.
Tomorrow I'll be at it again in the 95 degree CO plains.
This time, with my new decoy.
Can't wait.
Take that longbow next time. Its the ultimate challenge, I have been in longbow range a few times but have only killed them from behind a decoy.
Blind hunting is hot and boring as hell, I honestly would rather eat the tag.
I tried to find water - and found none. Found two stock tanks, and it never dawned on me those old 4x4 roads had deep ruts that had water - I could have tried to locate those.
Spot and stalk and decoying - all super exciting no doubt. If you'd have asked me my goals before the hunt, I'd have said 12-13" and 60" plus - after I'd hunted 2 days I'd have said any legal buck !!
Congrats again man, its refreshing to read a good hunting story that doesn't involve sitting in a blind or stand texting. I would be out right now spot and stalking if it wasn't for work! Damn money!
family, job, my love for chasing whitetails ..... this was my year to elk hunt and SO glad I drew that tag, got that pronghorn .... I mean the Weminuche burned hot in the area I so loved to chase elk anyway :(
Congrats on a great buck!
Thanks for sharing.
D1 was 6" and 6" D2 was 6" and 6" D3 was 3 3/4" and 4" D4 was 3 1/4" and 3" prong 2 3/4" and 3 1/4" 14" for each horn
Right around 72" a couple of his extra points could be measured at 1/2" and 3/4" ..... and something I never mentioned, he's got a bone/growth on his nose - ya'll ever see that ?
is the bone growth on the nose unusual ??
My 2013 buck had a growth on his "nose" as well, it was about an inch long and you can see it in this pic. First time I've seen that before though.
my pronghorn had zero fat - I don't know how he'd have made it through the winter