AZ Pronghorn - A lifetime dream

With all the rifle hunters driving up and down the roads they may have them running more and avoiding the roads. Water away from the roads that might not have been hit may as the more they run the more water they will want. Also, any pinch areas away from water that they may run through may present a shot. This late in the game, you gotta think outside of the box. If you are thinking it is not going to happen, pack up and head home. You can still make this happen. This is what it is all about. Never give up!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6E4Oy6pFKQ
 
Last edited:
With the exception of one nice buck I spent the last two hours chasing through the junipers, this place had suddenly become a pronghorn wasteland.

I am sure they are just laying low until this evening, at which time there will be a veritable stampede of pronghorn trying to overtake my position.

Not sure who is going to die today, a pronghorn, or 'Ol Fin.
 
Hang in there. Time is winding down.

I hope your wait for this tag has been worth it.
 
Found a buck to chase for the last hour. Finally got close enough to size him up. Not what I came here for. Even at that, it appears I don't have the skill to kill him of I had wanted to. He had me pegged at 150 yards.

Hope to find more big one that offers me the chance of a stalk. Probably be the same result, but still enough to get the legs shaking, which is why I am here.
 
An old coach of mine used to say "It is not what your start that counts---it is what you finish!"
Go get'em Fin!!
 
Stopped by camp. PBJ on a bagel, two bottles of water, a fifteen minute nap, and I am now ready for the final assault on the pronghorn of Coconino County.

This is it. Shooting the works. All in. Going for broke. The Hail Mary. Last hurrah.

The staff of Team Pronghorn have just asked the Fat Lady to warm up with a few lines to We Will Rock You.
 
Stopped by camp. PBJ on a bagel, two bottles of water, a fifteen minute nap, and I am now ready for the final assault on the pronghorn of Coconino County.

This is it. Shooting the works. All in. Going for broke. The Hail Mary. Last hurrah.

The staff of Team Pronghorn have just asked the Fat Lady to warm up with a few lines to We Will Rock You.

No more shannanigans! It's the 11th hour, the jig is almost up. Don't mail it in sink it to the fletching's and let's see some pics.....Good luck Big Fin.;)
 
Sitting on the ridge above their evening feed benches. Waiting for them to get closer. Can see a herd off to the north. They are feeding this way. Can't tell what the buck looks like.

Me and BTD are waiting for the sun to drop behind the big peak. That peak gives me twenty minutes more of low light right here, as the sun drops directly behind out while still illuminating the areas north of here.

Charge!
 
Anyone have an MP3 version of "Dandy Don" singing Turn Out The Lights?

Stalked them until it was the end of shooting light. Still over 100 yards. A group of five is hard to stalk, even at low light.

Oh well., I hunted as hard as I could. Would do some things different, but that is part of the learning process. Had two weeks of fun doing something I always wanted to do.

The bucks here, at least this year, are beyond any place I have ever hunted. I will never chase this many 80+ bucks ever again.

I was warned that these bucks were different - here today, gone tomorrow. I expected struggles in relocating bucks each day, but underestimated how hard it would be.

Met some really cool people who stopped by camp or stopped me on the road to visit. Got to spend time with some Hunt Talkers and some old friends. Hunted from daylight to dark, every day I could.

I have no regrets about spending 16 points on this hunt. Even today I was passing on bucks that I would have shot in a second in any other place. I had a plan to shoot one of these big ones. Probably not the best plan, but I stuck with it.

If there is one thing I would do differently, it would be this. A point I will take with me on all other hunts, and something I knew even before this hunt. Just need to remember it.

When you find a buck that is something you would hang your tag on, do everything you can to kill him, as soon as you can. Do not leave him and go look for greener pastures. Look for fall back options if the one you want somehow disappears.

The bucks were much more approachable during the first four days of the hunt. As more people chased them, more people came scouting for rifle pronghorn or archery elk, and the normal stream of weekend recreationists, they moved into the thick stuff.

Most places, big bucks are very predictable this time of year. Most often, if you find them, you will kill them. Not here. They travel a lot, they hang out in strange places, and they are almost nocturnal.

Learning this much is worth the effort invested. Not just about pronghorn, but about how to approach a two week hunt. How to focus on the mental things that will get you out of bed in the morning when you know the weather or other things might be stacked against you.

So, that is the gig. Will be nice to get home for a couple days before heading off for MT archery elk next Wednesday.

The camera guys say we have a great episode. I hope so. Lots of footage, cool story line, great scenics, and many other things that make for good TV. Guess we will see.

Thanks to all who helped. Too many to mention. Thanks for following along and providing encouragement when I might have otherwise been lees persistent.
 
Thanks for keeping us updated throughout Fin.
Sounds like an amazing hunt, and I'm glad you've got the right perspective about eating the tag.
Can't wait to see some of these bucks on the show.
 
Great job Randy in sticking with it and not compromising. Holding out is much easier said than done. All of us in the bleachers were rooting for you. Nice to catch up with you a little at your camp. Good luck when you get back to AZ in a few weeks. I'll see if I can exact some revenge on the lopes for you this weekend with some rifle hunters......
 
My wife will be happy that it is over. She was beginning to think that checking for updates was more important than her, and maybe it was ;). Congrats on a great hunt!
 
Yeti GOBOX Collection

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
113,544
Messages
2,024,582
Members
36,226
Latest member
Byrova
Back
Top