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I hunt Colorado elk at the beginning of their bow season which is always the last Saturday of August. I'd like to hunt Wyoming pronghorn (2019...not this fall) just prior to this...spot and stalk...not interested in sitting on a watrhole. Any suggestions?
Get one of those antelope hats and get after em.
Antelope bucks usually don't get much into the rut until around the middle of Sept....if that helps? A lot depends upon the unit you are interested. If there are hills and brush you can always try spot and stalk. If there are lots of water sources it may be tough waterhole hunting plus hunting when it's hot and dry.
One tip would be to buy an antelope PP this summer to have a better chance in drawing a buck tag in Wyoming next year.
I like the Montana decoy for concealment. (mainly to hide me than to draw them in)
Put lots of miles on your vehicle. Find one you like in a vulnerable spot and then do your best to use whatever cover/terrain you can to make a move. Sometimes there is no move to be made and you just have to be patient or move on to another one that is in a better position. For every successful spot/stalk there are 20 that weren't. Just be patient and keep after it. They can be hard to get close to, but certainly not impossible.
Main thing: be as proficient as possible at 60+. Antelope spot/stalk is not typically a 20 yard game. Also I would recommend a big mechanical. They're not tough at all too penetrate and a low profile mech helps in windy plains. If you hit a goat with a big mech they're not likely going far.
This was my first pronghorn I shot several years ago in SD. Wheat stubble field with some contours. I was stupid even to try the stalk. Went from weed to weed. Shot him at 55. Still consider it one of my best archery accomplishments.
This was my first pronghorn I shot several years ago in SD. Wheat stubble field with some contours. I was stupid even to try the stalk. Went from weed to weed. Shot him at 55. Still consider it one of my best archery accomplishments.
Easy ----Get point this fall. Pick a unit you can draw next summer with one point. Draw a tag for both a buck and a doe. Get a Onxy chip or use your phone so you know public and private. Set up bow to shoot as fast as you can with as low a profile as you can. Skinny arrows, small vanes, and mechanical heads. Tune it up perfect. Practice out to the longest range you can. Get some construction Knee pads and some elbow pads. Good binocs and range finder. Find pronghorn on public land and try to stalk in close. I have made hundreds of stalks. I have Killed 6 spot and stalk at 40, 55, 65, 70, 74, 80 yards.
If you played baseball it helps. If you bat .300 on getting within 100 yards of wild pronghorn you are doing pretty good. If you can close that last yardage needed to kill one with a bow then you will feel like you hit a home run in the bottom of the 9th to win the game.
Young bucks are fairly dumb. I walked up to one last August in NM using a rutted road and some rocks as cover. A doe alerted him and he stood up at 60 yds trying to figure out what I was. I passed shooting at him with my bow and ended up taking a much bigger buck with my rifle a few hours later. I've had young bucks chase does within 40 yds of me when I bowhunted them in Colorado.
Easy to find, to stalk but hard to kill on the ground. I have not been lucky though have taken a few shots. Antelope can be very jumpy.
My best advice is to shoot when they aren’t looking at you! I remember one buck at 60 yards bust me. I decided to take the shot anyway, and was amazed as the buck did a 180 and sidestepped as he watched the arrow pass by harmlessly where he was!
I hunted antelope last year for the first time. I started off hunting in a blind over a water hole but it started to rain and the antelope avoided the water hole and blind so I decided to get out and try and stalk. It was much more fun but still frustrating ! I found that where I was in Montana if you approached slowly and not dead on they would tolerate you up until about 60 yards then move off. I did manage to get to 45 on one but as said he ducked the arrow with ease ! I think he was just toying with me ! I am going back again and hoping to have my poundage up and a little longer range ! I would say the biggest thing would be being able to shoot well out to about 70 yards. I would have had shots at several in the 60 to 70 yard range. They are definitely fun to hunt!
