Grendel strykes again

Hooked up the camper in a hailstorm that whitened the ground for the roadtrip to Wamsutter to try to fill a 57 that took 6 years to draw. Took the 30-06 and the new 6.5 Grendel AR build.
Got there in time to set up camp and settle in, confident this was not going to be a difficult hunt we turned in early.

Ate a good breakest and took off with both rifles in the Commander. Only made it around the corrner when i bumped 3 bucks 50 yards off the road, a small buck, what turned out to be a joe average 70" and an old boy that went shy of 80 by a little. Well its early and there has to be a bigger one right? Got down the road a little farther this guy just stood there and whatched me pull up and level him with the 06, the other side aint pretty.

Down the road a little farther I ran smack dabb into a prairie dog town soooo.... out came the 6.5Grendel for some sight in time. First dog is right at 100 yards, aim center mass and blow it in half. Second dog is at 425 yards, so i dial the Arken up 7.25 and at the sonic crack he starts doing the chicken dance after loosing his mind. A few more here and there till the 10 round mag is empty and off we go looking for a big goat.
Saw a lots of goats around the water holes but nuthing big. The antelope seamed to be in the breaks and not on the flats and we have not got weather yet to get them herding twards the winter grounds. The next morning had me heading due west accross a few drainages to Adobe wilderness. Antelope here and ther and hundreds of these guys.

6-12 per herd and lots of herds. Very easy to see and best of all where there are mustangs ther are antelope. Somewhere around 3 oclock this guy stood out in the sage, not sure why but for some reason he drew the short straw. Pulled off the road, got out and settled in behind the Grendel. The Geovids put him at 348 yards so I dialed 4.75 into the Arken and trip the trigger. At the shot he drops like someone shut the power off. The bullet centered both lungs and cought a little bone on the nearside shoulder, lot of damage but just like the 4 others shot with the Grendel no exit. Just dropped in thier tracks dead!


Got him boned out and iced with what little I had left for the 20 mile trip back to camp. Back at camp I cleaned the meat a little more and got it in the cooler.
Sunday morning before heading home I took the better half up to the high country to see the mustangs. Quick trip allowed her to see two herds and off we go for home.

Thank you for sharing, looking like a great time!

That's a lot of critters to experience, great hunt in my book.

Well done...

Thanks for sharing. What is your preferred Bullet in the Grendel?

Have filled tags with the 100,120 and 123 eld. They all worked but the 120eld groups best in both guns. No luck finding any 120s lately so the 123s and ARCOMP i had stockpiled where used this fall. The eld might not be the tuffest bullet out there but niether are antelope. Elds are easiest to find and just plain work for me.
Have some 130elds but to me they are too heavy foer the little case and better served in the Sweede

My kind of hunt. Love it when a plan comes together.

MachV said:

Have filled tags with the 100,120 and 123 eld. They all worked but the 120eld groups best in both guns. No luck finding any 120s lately so the 123s and ARCOMP i had stockpiled where used this fall. The eld might not be the tuffest bullet out there but niether are antelope. Elds are easiest to find and just plain work for me.
Have some 130elds but to me they are too heavy foer the little case and better served in the Sweede

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I've been shooting the Grendel since 2008-2009 time frame and I'm still searching for that "perfect" load. I've shot every weight class from 85 grain to 140 grain and I agree, 120 class bullets are the upper limit with most bullets to provide reliable consistent expansion.

So far 99 grain hammers at 2848fps show a lot of promise as does the 97 absolute hammer at 2961fps. I still have more to go with the absolutes; I believe I can touch 3000fps in a 20" Bartlein 5R barrel.

Nice article! I know the area well as of buddy of mine grew up in Red Desert (the gas stop, or what used to be). He and I have spent a lot of time on those back roads. Nice job on drawing a permit and getting a nice goat.

I got friends in Wamsutter. What side of I80 was you hunting on?

South of 80. I actually only covered from the duckponds west to Adobe wilderness

Mike
The Grendel fills my antelope tags and loves prairie dogs. Hammers might be the answer for other critters but the price and getrdone of the ELDs has me sticking with them for antelope.......I had some GS 100s from the sweede but just like the sweede the Grendels dont like to group them good enough to take hunting.
Would give the hammers a try but the heavier elds in the 6.5Sweede and 30-06 work great for deer and partitions are my goto elk bullets
Who am I kidding? I have no idea what I'm going to use next year, it changes with the wind and has just as much reason

Nice goat and great write up. Thanks for sharing!