Antelope...Lets See Them!!!

[NEWHunter]

WY 2021

 

[Marshian]

Took my wife and daughter out with me for my daughter’s first experience. They all loved it!

 

[Schaaf]

Pops and I went out and got this one for him. The kids and I put him to bed last night, road was too muddy to get to him this morning so we didn’t get in there until after lunch. Found him again at 3:00 and he hadn’t gone 200 yards

 

[Schaaf]

Night before the opener.

 

[wihunter12]

First Antelope buck for me last week in WY. Got him opening morning which allowed for 2.5 day of fishing the rest of the trip. Great time and happy to have my Dad with me.

 

[mtmiller]

Slash wasn't a fan, but did find him when I release him from the pick-up.

 

[Hunting Wife]

Slash wasn't a fan, but did find him when I release him from the pick-up.

The look on his face Congrats on the buck.

 

[MNHunter67]

Got my first pronghorn this past Tuesday in eastern Montana. I know pronghorn are supposed to be easier quarry than elk and deer, but that has not been my experience. It’s taken me multiple years, lots of miles, and blood, sweat, and tears to finally notch a speed goat tag. He’s not the biggest buck I saw this year, but I am plenty happy with him. I used my trusty Ruger M77 mkII in .270 Win with 130 grain Hornady GMX. Hit the heart at 300 yards and he was dead within seconds. Super happy to have some meat in the freezer again after being out for the past few months.

 

[Brian in Montana]

Just a doe, but first blood of the fall for me. I put a handloaded 140gn Federal TBT (.270 win) right through the top of her heart. I don't think I ever saw so much blood come out of an animal. Anyway, it was a fun hunt and I still have my A tag. Had tenderloin medallions for dinner tonight.

 

[ChrisAU]

Had a blast on my first Pronghorn hunt this past week. First time going to WY too. We expected it to be easier, which in a way made it more rewarding in the end. Awful weather midweek and hiking over 50 miles (yes, 50+), straining a hip flexor hiking in snow, and barely seeing any animals on public until deep into the hunt has me also thinking this was tougher than Elk! In the end me and my buddy both got very nice ones!

 

[blackbeard]

Not bad for my first buck

 

[Chad Gus]

I made a strong case for the worst shooter in all of SD this past weekend, missing 4 different big bucks on Friday and Saturday before finally, getting this little guy on Sunday morning. It was the last spot we were checking out before heading back home. After killing this buck i realized it was one of the bucks i passed up on the opening weekend of rifle season.

 

[ndhunterman]

Belly crawled through a pdog town and shot this guy in his bed at 250.

 

[Oak]

S’mores Club getting it done in WY.

 

[Four22]

Stretched the legs on the 280 ackley. 365 yards and done.

 

[Troutkilla]

Nice.

 

[Tymebandit951]

Wrapped up my first hunt in WY about a week ago and took this Antelope from about 200y out.

 

[matthewmass]

Able to finally take my 1st antelope in Wyoming this October. Not a monster by any means, but it was an awesome hunt and we put up with some strong Wyoming wind before I was able to put a shot on this guy!

 

[jpcoll01]

Able to finally take my 1st antelope in Wyoming this October. Not a monster by any means, but it was an awesome hunt and we put up with some strong Wyoming wind before I was able to put a shot on this guy!

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That's a nice goat, I didn't get drawn for hte first time in several years for a private land hunt in WY...was sad to miss it.

 

[MTHeifer]

I was only able to spend a weekend hunting antelope his year. I kept hearing about how bad the drought in central Montana was, and I went in with low expectations. The first day was pretty uneventful. The only antelope I saw were running before I noticed them. On the second day, I got a tip from a rancher. There was a herd hanging out near a reservoir on the opposite side of the BMA. I hiked in and found the herd of about 15 bedded on top of a gently rounding ridge. I stalked up a coulee and relocated them.

I was only 100 yards away, but the hill's contour didn't give me any way to get a solid rest. If I stood up, I could see them (and they could see me), and when I was kneeling, they were blocked by the top of the hill. I opted to crawl closer and try to get a kneeling shot. At about 75 yards, I could see the tips of ears and horns when I was on my stomach, so I decided to try to get a shot. I switched to a kneeling position, found a buck in my scope, and flicked off the safety. Then, they bolted. They only ran about 50 yards, and they turned back to face me. Once again, their bodies were obscured by the hilltop, but I could see the buck's head and neck clearly.

I'm not proud of my shooting on this one. I aimed right at the base of the head and started to squeeze the trigger. I shot, and he dropped. He only laid on the ground for a split second before he regained his feet and took off with the rest of the herd. I figured that I had hit him in the nose or the jaw, so I kept shooting at him, hitting him twice in the stomach and once low in the hind leg. He ran to the bottom of a sandstone coulee and laid down. I was walked to 30 yards and killed him with a shot in the neck. The first shot had hit him in the base of the prong, stunning him momentarily.

Even though I made some poor shots, I'm happy with the hunt. I recovered the animal, the meat was fine (thanks gutless method), and I filled a tag in the two days I had this year. I might reconsider taking neck shots in the future based on how this one played out.

What are all of your thoughts on head and neck shots?