krshntr81
Member
Congrats!! Saratoga is one of my favorite places! Killed my one and only Antelope just outside of town.
2018 family Antelope hunt!
- Thread starter Duck-Slayer
- Start date
LCH
Well-known member
Great memories made! I was just in Saratoga the other day. Friendly folks at the tire shop.
Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
Day 2 & 3
The only tag left to is my wife’s buck tag. We did a lot of looking, tons of miles in the mud, rain, and snow today. We found 2 bucks on day 1 that we’re good. First one is Limpy, a really nice heart shape w big prongs! About a 78” buck. Second is hook, he goes up with mass all the way to the tips. Goes up about 10” than does a 90 degree backwards for 2”-3”. Not much for prongs. Good 76” or so buck. We found both these bucks on Day 1 and passed, not sure the quality in the unit so I opted to look around more.
Day 2 we explored some more, checked out some other places and could not find anything bigger than Limpy. Right at dark we found the crazy buck, normal left horn but the right horn went straight toward the nose and looked like a crab claw. He made our list as a shooter. Day 3 found us looking for the crazy buck first thing in the rain/wind. No luck.... we than decided too check out another part of the unit and loop around and try to find Limpy. We did find a wide short buck perfect heart shape with great curl. Just short, maybe a 73” buck. But he was intermingled in private public checker board stuff, fairly wild also. He officially made the list. We ended hitting a private road gate and had to go back around the way we came. We finally get over near Limpy and the snow starts hammering us! We hung out in the truck for a bit than continued on. Limpy and his herd were right where we left them. We had a couple of quick chances at him but seemed to be pretty wild today. Still chasing the same Doe. We tried several stalks with no success.... I got frustrated so we went after the 90 degree buck and could not find him. So we went to try and look for the crazy buck before it got dark. No luck with that! So now we’re back at the motel drinking a cold coors light!
Matt
The only tag left to is my wife’s buck tag. We did a lot of looking, tons of miles in the mud, rain, and snow today. We found 2 bucks on day 1 that we’re good. First one is Limpy, a really nice heart shape w big prongs! About a 78” buck. Second is hook, he goes up with mass all the way to the tips. Goes up about 10” than does a 90 degree backwards for 2”-3”. Not much for prongs. Good 76” or so buck. We found both these bucks on Day 1 and passed, not sure the quality in the unit so I opted to look around more.
Day 2 we explored some more, checked out some other places and could not find anything bigger than Limpy. Right at dark we found the crazy buck, normal left horn but the right horn went straight toward the nose and looked like a crab claw. He made our list as a shooter. Day 3 found us looking for the crazy buck first thing in the rain/wind. No luck.... we than decided too check out another part of the unit and loop around and try to find Limpy. We did find a wide short buck perfect heart shape with great curl. Just short, maybe a 73” buck. But he was intermingled in private public checker board stuff, fairly wild also. He officially made the list. We ended hitting a private road gate and had to go back around the way we came. We finally get over near Limpy and the snow starts hammering us! We hung out in the truck for a bit than continued on. Limpy and his herd were right where we left them. We had a couple of quick chances at him but seemed to be pretty wild today. Still chasing the same Doe. We tried several stalks with no success.... I got frustrated so we went after the 90 degree buck and could not find him. So we went to try and look for the crazy buck before it got dark. No luck with that! So now we’re back at the motel drinking a cold coors light!
Matt
Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
Day 4
D4 was a Saturday, I expected to see a lot of other people out hunting and that was the case. As we drove out of town we checked a small piece of state land that The crooked buck was hanging around. As we pulled up we looked out to the south onto the BLM land and there is a buck walking straight toward us, it was the crooked buck! He walked up to about 80 yards and we got a great look at the buck. He is right horn went straight out toward his nose and made a crab claw, his left horn was a small 10 inch horn with little 1 1/2” prongs. I let my wife make the decision, I asked her if she wanted to shoot the crooked block or go look for limpy the big 79” goat that we saw the day before. She made the decision to pass on the crooked buck. So we left him and went out toward where we could locate limpy. Well we got out there and the roads were really really muddy, but they were passable with a 4 x 4 truck. We also saw for other trucks and a side-by-side out driving the same area. We looked all day but did not find Limpy. There was another book that we thought we should go check on, this back we located on the first day but he had a busted right side prong. We nicknamed this antelope the dugout book since we found him by a Dug out with his Does. The only problem is that the antelope he hung out with were super wild. About one hour before dark we found him Wayback on the backside of a BLM chunk of property. He had pushed his dose up to a chicken wire fence that they could not cross. We use the Fenceline as cover and walk directly toward them. It was working out perfectly and we got to 180 yards from the buck and his Does. When all of a sudden his does took off running up the hill and stopped at 400 yards And he was right with them. I look back at the truck and the lights were on on the truck and I heard a bang right before they ran up the hill. One of my kids has gotten out of the truck and had to use the bathroom and then climb back in and slammed the door. Oh well that’s the way it happens I guess. We never were able to get close enough to you that buck again that night. So ends another day of the family antelope hunt in Wyoming. I only got one picture on Saturday since it was supposed to be our last day and I was concentrated on getting my wife a buck that was bigger than the one she shot with her bow. I only got this selfie of my wife and I are sneaking up on the dugout book along the fence.
Matt
D4 was a Saturday, I expected to see a lot of other people out hunting and that was the case. As we drove out of town we checked a small piece of state land that The crooked buck was hanging around. As we pulled up we looked out to the south onto the BLM land and there is a buck walking straight toward us, it was the crooked buck! He walked up to about 80 yards and we got a great look at the buck. He is right horn went straight out toward his nose and made a crab claw, his left horn was a small 10 inch horn with little 1 1/2” prongs. I let my wife make the decision, I asked her if she wanted to shoot the crooked block or go look for limpy the big 79” goat that we saw the day before. She made the decision to pass on the crooked buck. So we left him and went out toward where we could locate limpy. Well we got out there and the roads were really really muddy, but they were passable with a 4 x 4 truck. We also saw for other trucks and a side-by-side out driving the same area. We looked all day but did not find Limpy. There was another book that we thought we should go check on, this back we located on the first day but he had a busted right side prong. We nicknamed this antelope the dugout book since we found him by a Dug out with his Does. The only problem is that the antelope he hung out with were super wild. About one hour before dark we found him Wayback on the backside of a BLM chunk of property. He had pushed his dose up to a chicken wire fence that they could not cross. We use the Fenceline as cover and walk directly toward them. It was working out perfectly and we got to 180 yards from the buck and his Does. When all of a sudden his does took off running up the hill and stopped at 400 yards And he was right with them. I look back at the truck and the lights were on on the truck and I heard a bang right before they ran up the hill. One of my kids has gotten out of the truck and had to use the bathroom and then climb back in and slammed the door. Oh well that’s the way it happens I guess. We never were able to get close enough to you that buck again that night. So ends another day of the family antelope hunt in Wyoming. I only got one picture on Saturday since it was supposed to be our last day and I was concentrated on getting my wife a buck that was bigger than the one she shot with her bow. I only got this selfie of my wife and I are sneaking up on the dugout book along the fence.
Matt
Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
Last morning! We got up a little earlier than we have been getting up, the plan was to be glassing as the sun came up and putting the first decent buck we saw in the cooler. My wife and I are not much of trophy hunters, so this hunt was difficult to hold back. But we both decided that she wanted a really tall one. So that’s what we hunted for, since Wednesday, it’s now Sunday morning. We still had a 9 1/2 hr drive home and work on Monday. Filling freezer time! We headed out of town and checked the small chunk of state land for the crazy horned buck. He was nowhere to be found. We continued down the road and did a quick sweep for the dug-out buck, notta. So we decided to go out and look for big ol Limpy 1 more time than it’s time to head home. Well we got to his little hidden hole, no Limpy but there were 2 bucks and 5 Does just over a little rise by the trail. Wife and I look at each other and we both immediately knew it’s tome. Snuck up to the edge of the little hill, ranged them, 120, wife laid down got comfy Boom! Miss, lol she forgot to hold a touch low, shot some hair off the back, they take a few steps, Boom! It hits the ground immediately for a long term dirt nap lol. My son said 8:22 is when you got your buck mom. A quick photo session and than we dragged it to the truck and boned him out and he road on the top of the cooler for a bit to cool down. It was 36 degrees out and had snowed about 1-2 inches where we were at on our way out.
Matt
Matt
elkrchr
Well-known member
Thanks for sharing the day by day experiences with us. What a fantastic family vacation. Congrats!
