Ground blinds and pronghorn
Contributors to this thread:Pronghorn
From: Ucsdryder
31-Jul-18
I was given permission again this year to hunt a ranch for antelope with my bow. Last year I had a great time chasing them around. I missed one, (they’re really small and it makes them look farther away than they are!). My plan last year was to hunt one of the 8 water tanks (metal) around the ranch. I bought a ground blind and put it out a 5 days before the season. The camera showed antelope watering daily before the blind was put up. After the blind was put up only 1 antelope came for water in 5 days. They just moved to a different tank 1/2 mile away.
I gave up and played the spot and stalk game which was more fun, but my 7 year old daughter wants to go again this year and wants to do the blind thing, (snacks, iPad, blanket.)
Any tips for spooky antelope that shouldn’t be spooky? They get a little rifle pressure from the ranchers friend but that’s about it.
I was thinking about putting the blind up earlier? If I put it out tomorrow that’ll give them 2 weeks to acclimate. It’s wide open, so nothing to brush in the blind with or back the blind up to structure.
From: Ucsdryder
31-Jul-18
Not much cover...
Not much cover...
From: Topgun 30-06
31-Jul-18
Put it up as soon as you can to give them as much time to acclimate to it as possible. You can put one up to turkey hunt in and they will come by immediately with no problem. Ungulates usually take some time to get used to a new landmark especially in an open are like your picture shows.
From: alpinebowman
31-Jul-18
I have a friend that would set stands on the windmills. Besides that I would try digging a pit blind.
From: drycreek
31-Jul-18
You can put up several at different ponds if you do this: Drive three T posts in a triangle about the size of a blind. Wrap them in camo burlap. Camera on each until a day or two before opening. Replace the one you want to hunt with a pop up. Kill your goat.
From: Ucsdryder
31-Jul-18
Damn dry creek, that’s smart!
From: Rock
31-Jul-18
Drycreek is correct as that is a great way to cover more ground. Also alpinebowman has a great idea that I was going to mention, building a stand on the windmill.
From: Kevin @ Wisconsin
31-Jul-18
What dry Creek said.
Or you could buy several cheapo blinds and stack all of the waterholes and pick and choose. Weird that you've had them avoid it. I once had a really nice buck run in the first morning broadside at 15 yards to check out the new blind. He tasted great.
Good luck!
From: Ucsdryder
31-Jul-18
I can imagine the look on her mom’s face when she sees a picture of her 6 year old in a hanger attached to a windmill. I’m going to give drycreeks idea a shot. I considered putting a blind at 3 different tanks but didn’t want to invest the money.
From: Treeline
31-Jul-18
The longer the blind is there, the less attention the antelope pay. Hard part is setting up a blind or mock blind that won’t blow away or get mauled by cattle.
4 t-posts and some net-wire fencing with burlap tied on the fence will hold up better than a pop up. You can set the posts big enough to drop in your pop up blind when you go out to hunt so it doesn’t get destroyed. If needed, you can cut holes in the burlap or fence to work with the holes in your pop up blind.
Digging a pit in eastern Colorado is TOUGH! I wouldn’t do it without a backhoe and then you will want to backfill when you are done so a cow doesn’t fall and beak a leg...
From: WapitiBob
31-Jul-18
The problem I've seen with blinds is a poor job of anchoring and guy lines, allowing the fabric of the blind to shake in the wind.
From: drycreek
31-Jul-18
Ucs, I had an epiphany when I thought of that one. Here's the story. My wife and I met in ND, and honeymooned at Ft. Peck, MT. On our 25th wedding anniversary we passed through Wyo. on the way to Ft. Peck and I thought how nice it would be to put my blind up for my goat hunt in September, but that was last of July, so I thought and thought and came up with that. Three el cheapo T posts and some burlap ! The day we actually arrived to hunt I swapped it for a pop up and they paid no attention to it whatsoever. The next year I got the landowner's kid to do it. Worked like a charm again so I know it will work for you. Good luck and post pics !
From: hoytshooter1
01-Aug-18
been doin this for years ^^^^^^^^^ makes it easy to switch water holes, sometimes you have to put up barbwire around fake blinds to keep cows from knockin em down tho. good luck!
From: cnelk
01-Aug-18
If you get pronghorn drinking from the far side of the pond, put 2-3 duck decoys there and the pronghorn will come to your side
From: bwhntr
01-Aug-18
I second the T-post idea. Been doing that for years. While working on the T-post mock blind, I'll wear a bandanna around my neck. Last move is to wire that onto one of the T-posts to disperse my scent and flap in the wind. Lopers come right in after I switch out and put my blind up after two weeks of acclimation.
From: drycreek
01-Aug-18
hoytshooter, I can see that. Nothing but horses where I was hunting, they have much better manners than cows. On that same place, but across the highway, I set my blind up against a barn overlooking a water trough one year. Trouble was, there was a bull coming to that trough that did not like the looks of that blind. He was following a cow in heat, she came to water, and he stood about 25 yards away the whole time staring at the blind. I got just a tiny glimpse of what it must be like to hunt buffalo with a bow. I was raised on a dairy, and I know that a domestic bull CAN be one of the meanest bastards on four legs. Needless to say I was glad when he left because my only exit was much closer to him than where I sat in the blind.
From: hoytshooter1
01-Aug-18
A good friend and I were sitting on a water hole one day, he is deathly afraid of cows and beyond terrified of big bulls. We had a big ole nasty prairie bull come in and circled behind the blind bellowing the whole time..... It was all I could do to hold him down and literally not bust out the side of my DoubleBull blind to get away. The look in his eyes was sheer terror.... I bust on him about that all the time now. Never had one charge before, if they get too close or too curious and stick their nose in the shootin window, I just poke them on the nose with an arrow..... It's funny to watch their reaction. Won't be too fun if I catch the wrong bull in the wrong mood..... Probably will turn out to be a bad day if that happens....
From: drycreek
01-Aug-18
^^^^^^ We had a registered Jersey that tried his best to kill Dad. I was watching when it happened and it scared the hell out of me. He was a bad actor and Dad sold him to a slaughterhouse because he was so dangerous. Lost money over it, but he wanted that sucker dead ! I've had a healthy respect for them since.
From: Stoneman
01-Aug-18
pre hunt temp blind
pre hunt temp blind
young bucks
young bucks
better buck
better buck
better yet
better yet
You are lucky if you don't have to deal with cows... if so, you can always fence in your temporary blind(s). I prefer to use pallets, they hold up in wind, weather, etc. Put them out 3 to 4 weeks before I plan to hunt. The night I arrive, drop the pallets and pop up my double bull. This works for both stock tanks and water holes. I dont use trail cams. I do scout so I know what is in the area, just depends on how it all unfolds.
From: Stoneman
01-Aug-18
meat!
meat!
perseverance pays off - put in the work and time in the box
From: Padfoot
01-Aug-18
Because you are in an area where the water sources are close together the multiple blind approach is best. But I found that if water is a couple of miles or further apart they will come in even if I put up my blind the day before. But if you spook them by missing a shot they will walk the distance to a new water source. Not all water sources are created equal and they prefer certain ones for various reasons. Sounds like you're in an area where water is easy and its all the same.
From: hoytshooter1
02-Aug-18
Stoneman..... I really like the pallet idea
From: cnelk
02-Aug-18
Moo cows at water holes can make the hunt very challenging
From: oldgoat
02-Aug-18
Go buy some of the smaller T-Posts and some longer ground stakes and really secure it! Bound to be a big thunderstorm or ten come through the area between now and then that will wreck your blind. Seen some good setups on other threads on how to put out tougher windproof options that you build yourself pretty easily.
From: Ucsdryder
02-Aug-18
Old goat don’t even say that! All my hopes and dreams are wrapped around 8 6” stakes!!
From: Bowmania
02-Aug-18
Wrist rocket works on cows. With a bull it takes a lot of shots.
Don't know if this works for pronghorn, but it does for mule deer and elk. If there's other waterholes around sprinkle mt lion urine around the other holes.
Bowmania
From: Bowmania
02-Aug-18
Wrist rocket works on cows. With a bull it takes a lot of shots.
Don't know if this works for pronghorn, but it does for mule deer and elk. If there's other waterholes around sprinkle mt lion urine around the other holes.
Bowmania
From: drycreek
02-Aug-18
Collecting the urine from a mt. lion is a whole nuther story. It belongs in the "Have you ever been scared in the woods" thread !
