Just got back from a highly anticipated Antlope hunt in the great state of Wyoming this weekend. What an incredible time we had scouting, camping and ultimately the hunt!
We started last Saturday on a Doe hunt and ended up shooting a perfect shot through the vitals at 600 yards which needless to say was a personal best, she did not run 5 yards and rolled. Then off to our second hunt South of Casper, this is a hunt that I wanted to do right. I have scouted this area twice within the last month for a total of 7 days prior to the actual hunt, so I knew there were a few real nice bucks in there. When we arrived on Sunday I went right to the area I left the biggest buck I found and sure enough there he was! Season did not start till Thursday so I watched him everyday in the morning and afternoon and putting him to bed every evening.
All was going good, almost too good!
Then came the evening before opener, and the area started to fill with anxious hunters doing there last minute scouting. At this point I am very nervous wondering if anyone has made the buck that I have been working so hard at.
The opener was a beautiful and crisp fall morning that just makes you be glad to be alive and able to take part in such a great sport! I arrived an hour before shooting time, just in time to notice alot of traffic on the highway leading into the area which made me nervous, and I am sure the animals that had been around for awhile and seen seasons come and go also was getting nervous. As the sun stared to come up I had 4 trucks pull in to hunt the same area I was in and I knew that if I did not tag this goat within the first few minutes of shootable light someone else would. My advantage was I put him to bed the night before so I knew exactly where he would be and he was used to me and my vehicle. However when I found him he was very nervous and stared running with his doe's, and after 2, 150 yard belly crawls I knew this was not going to be as easy as I thought. So I put away my 25-06 and grabbed my trusty 300 Win Mag and decided if this is going to happen its going to have to be Long Range! As I crawl up to the top of a ridge overlooking the small herd a perfect shot at the big buck presents itself, so I laser the goat and enter the yards into my trag software on my palm pilot, all other info was entered as I waited for the hour to tick off prior to shooting time. I clicked off the elevation on the target turret, got the rifle steady and started to control my breathing and when everything was perfect I gently squeezed the 2lb trigger and broke the silence of the perfect morning! Just in time the scope settled down to see the perfect impact and the much anticipated THUD that follows. Just that fast all the days and hours of scouting, anticipation and preparation had payed off, and sadly so was the hunt but not without many good memories and a longing to do it again ASAP. By the way the shot was 446 yards, not long for some of you, but for me it is awesome and to boot this goat should be a Booner at an unnofficial 82 1/2 with 15 1/2 horns and 9" bases. Needless to say he is at the taxidermist.
Thanks for listening and sorry for the length, but I am still very excited. By the way,
Thank God for Wyoming!!!!
We started last Saturday on a Doe hunt and ended up shooting a perfect shot through the vitals at 600 yards which needless to say was a personal best, she did not run 5 yards and rolled. Then off to our second hunt South of Casper, this is a hunt that I wanted to do right. I have scouted this area twice within the last month for a total of 7 days prior to the actual hunt, so I knew there were a few real nice bucks in there. When we arrived on Sunday I went right to the area I left the biggest buck I found and sure enough there he was! Season did not start till Thursday so I watched him everyday in the morning and afternoon and putting him to bed every evening.
All was going good, almost too good!
Then came the evening before opener, and the area started to fill with anxious hunters doing there last minute scouting. At this point I am very nervous wondering if anyone has made the buck that I have been working so hard at.
The opener was a beautiful and crisp fall morning that just makes you be glad to be alive and able to take part in such a great sport! I arrived an hour before shooting time, just in time to notice alot of traffic on the highway leading into the area which made me nervous, and I am sure the animals that had been around for awhile and seen seasons come and go also was getting nervous. As the sun stared to come up I had 4 trucks pull in to hunt the same area I was in and I knew that if I did not tag this goat within the first few minutes of shootable light someone else would. My advantage was I put him to bed the night before so I knew exactly where he would be and he was used to me and my vehicle. However when I found him he was very nervous and stared running with his doe's, and after 2, 150 yard belly crawls I knew this was not going to be as easy as I thought. So I put away my 25-06 and grabbed my trusty 300 Win Mag and decided if this is going to happen its going to have to be Long Range! As I crawl up to the top of a ridge overlooking the small herd a perfect shot at the big buck presents itself, so I laser the goat and enter the yards into my trag software on my palm pilot, all other info was entered as I waited for the hour to tick off prior to shooting time. I clicked off the elevation on the target turret, got the rifle steady and started to control my breathing and when everything was perfect I gently squeezed the 2lb trigger and broke the silence of the perfect morning! Just in time the scope settled down to see the perfect impact and the much anticipated THUD that follows. Just that fast all the days and hours of scouting, anticipation and preparation had payed off, and sadly so was the hunt but not without many good memories and a longing to do it again ASAP. By the way the shot was 446 yards, not long for some of you, but for me it is awesome and to boot this goat should be a Booner at an unnofficial 82 1/2 with 15 1/2 horns and 9" bases. Needless to say he is at the taxidermist.
Thanks for listening and sorry for the length, but I am still very excited. By the way,
Thank God for Wyoming!!!!
