Wyoming Speed Goat
Pronghorn
Our trip to Wyoming had less than stellar beginnings. Due to a traffic accident on Loop 635 in Dallas, we lost about two hours the first morning. Then another slowdown on I35 cost us another hour. We made Hays, Kansas as planned, but at 9:00 pm instead of the 6:00 pm expected. No sweat, carry on. Left Hays at 6:00 am and rolled into the metropolis of Bill, Wyoming about 4:00 pm MT. The rancher was off visiting and told us to make ourselves at home, so we took the opportunity to refamiliarize ourselves with the ranch. We drove and glassed until dark, then checked into the ( only ) motel in Bill. Sunday morning we drove and glassed until about noon, then decided where we were going to hunt. BTW, this is the Broken Arrow Ranch, the same place we hunted last year, and Floyd is a great guy.
Well, they had a lot of rain this year and our options were slim. A couple permanent blinds were mudded in and some ponds were too big to effectively cover since we don't shoot at animals at 60/70 yards. I chose to hunt a blind that covered a water trough. There were two more ponds in that pasture so I parked my truck between them to maybe keep the goats from using them. This is my view. Very close shot ! Too close for me.
I had only been in the blind for about three hours and I stood up to stretch and take a look out of my little peep hole on the north side of the blind. A goat was coming straight to the water ! I had the door open on the west side because it was 90* outside and felt like 140* on the inside ! I closed the door without him breaking stride, sat down, grabbed my bow and set the cam on my knee. The wind was quartering away from him, and I knew if he didn't go too far past the trough, he wouldn't smell me. He came straight to the trough, looked over at the blind, and I could see he was nervous. That made me nervous. He began to drink, and I began to slowly raise my bow to eye level. I thought he was going to run several times, but evidently he was thirsty ! I finally had my bow up and I leaned back into the wall of the blind ( mostly out of his sight ) and drew my bow. When I leaned back out, he was staring a hole through me ! I settled the top pin on his heart ( thanks BB ! ) and tripped the release. I saw the arrow through his heart ! I scrambled to look out the south window and watched him on his death run. There was a deep rugged coulee just south of me and I was hoping he didn't go that far. He didn't !
Good Job, nice goat. Forrest
Nice goat. Wyoming is great place for goats. Just got back myself a few days ago. Great time and hunt, can't wait to do it again.
Nice job. I love those Pronghorns.
Good stuff! I'm wanting to do another antelope hunt with my wife next year too.
Congratulations!
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This was not intended to be a live thread, but it may turn into one. All the above started Friday morning and I got my goat yesterday. We sneaked my buddy into his blind at daylight and I'm just glassing goats right now. I brought my not-very-expensive spotting scope on this trip for the first time and I'm enjoying looking at animals from farther away than I'm used to viewing them.
Thanks guys.
This guy had some girls he was keeping company with, and he was staring me down from several hundred yards away. In typical antelope fashion, when I spotted him, he already had my name, rank, and serial number !
Sorry for the crappy pic. Taken by ipad through an Alpen spotter. At least I'm not bored !
Congrats! Keep your adventure rolling!
Mark
Don,
You had a "speed hunt" for your "speed goat"!
Congrats on a beautiful Buck.
Hopefully, you can now guide your hunting partner to tag out.
Safe travels.
Well done drycreek! I'd take 90 in Wyoming hunting rather than 72 in my office right now.
wth i didnt even get a chance to break chops and u killed a goat !!congrats can u pick up a doe tag!! it seems wy sold out many of there LO tags this year.
congrats!
I hunted the Bill, Wy area for pronghorn three times,,,I really like that area,,,,
As I was sitting in my truck, listening to Willie's Roadhouse on the radio, I was also glassing other blinds and waterholes just in case my buddy's first choice didn't pan out. This is the windmill stand where I killed my goat last year. Unfortunately, it had no water and evidently the pump is broken.
During our initial scouting foray, we tried to find the stand where our other friend killed his goat last season. After a little friendly argument, we decided that the stand was gone at the water trough he was hunting. We found it ! The wind does blow in Wyoming !
At 12:18 ( Texas time ) I got a text saying " He's hit ! " . Then came the phone call, " He left with the arrow in his side, but I think I hit him a little far back ". Oh hell, I thought, wonder where this is going ? I told him to stay there and I would come to him and glass the pasture for a dead or dying goat on the way. At about 300 yards north of the blind, I see the goat, dead on the side of the hill. So we go and get him and the entrance and exit are perfectly placed for a double lung hit. I can't see how he went that far, but he did. His lungs were shredded from the NAP Spitfire. He was nervous at the pond, so maybe that explains it.
Needless to say, we came back to the motel after getting him quartered and on ice, took a short nap, and we are now imbibing an adult beverage. ( George Dickel and Coca-Cola if you're interested )
Rearranged the truck, loaded up, and headed to Texas before daylight.
Thanks for following along and I wish all of you success this season !
Congrats to your buddy for a nice goat !!
Just proves it's not how you start, but how you finish that counts.
Ya'll had a cool hunt. That's for sharing a short but memorable adventure with us. Safe travels home.
Good job, sounds like fun!!
congratulations! wyoming antelope hunts are a unique experience
I love it. Congrats gentleman. Hunt
Excellent hunt, congrats...
congrats, on the hunt. have to love the big booming town of bill, wyo.
