Been doing a little Antelope Scouting

[iminrut]

Finally got out on Monday for a full afternoon of Scouting.....covered a couple hundred miles and lots of backroads.......saw lots of nice Goats, several that would go P&Y.........but I hadn't viewed any really big n heavy bucks...........I decided to head to the area where I had witnessed the same "heart-shaped" buck two years in a row............If some of you remember from last year, I couldn't find him during bow season, but located him right before the rifle opener.......had my crosshairs on him as the season opened only to have the hunt ruined by some slob hunters...........I felt sure that the buck had not made it through the gauntlet of lead slingers and pasture patrols last year.......

So imagine my suprise as I stopped my rig once again like so many other times to glass goats, and find him once again in my Nikon optics ?!?!?! There was no mistaking him.....and a mere 2 miles from where I had watched him last year.......he was solo and just a little jittery.......I couldn't get any close ups of him this time around.....will have to wait till he get's some does rounded up in the next month or so...........but I did snap one quickie as he headed over a hill......it's pretty grainy and doesn't do the buck justice, but he was out there quite a ways (this was a 30x digital zoom cranked).........

For those of you that didn't catch the pics last year.......here he is with a smaller buck which i did end up filling my rifle tag on.....that smaller buck went just under 75"......

And here is a good pic of him last year.........from all indications, he is shaped nearly identicle.........can't wait to scout him a little harder and get some more pics for you guys in these closing months.....

 

[ELKCHSR]

Those look like they will make some excellent wall hangers...Thanks for the pics..

 

[iminrut]

The top pic, middle pic-big buck, and the bottom pic are all the same buck........I'm hoping to put him on my wall......

 

[ELKCHSR]

Well good luck to you and will be waiting to see the success pics...

 

[SJ]

What do you reckon he will score?

 

[iminrut]

I'm guessing he will go high 70's, maybe crack 80"

Here's another pig I got on film.....located on coal mine property, so he's off-limits.....but a pig none the less....forgive the grainyness, they were taken through my spotting scope.....

 

[The Hedgehog]

Very pretty bucks, but no way are any of them going to hit the 80" b&c mark, closer to the 70" range, which is still a pretty nice antelope buck.

 

[iminrut]

Very pretty bucks, but no way are any of them going to hit the 80" b&c mark, closer to the 70" range, which is still a pretty nice antelope buck.

Greenhorn, I'm sorry but I have to disagree...respectfully......in my first set of pics, middle pic, I shot the smaller of those two and he went 74-1/8".......the bigger buck may not have had the curl, but he has alot more mass and carries it through out....

These were the two goats I shot last year...one with bow, one with rifle(the one I mentioned)......both went 74 and change......in fact the bow buck scored a little higher if I remember right.

For any that are curious, the bow-whitey grossed 130 and the rifle-whitey went 137

 

[iminrut]

OK...I checked that....the rifle goat went near 72.5"......they were both 15"rs, but the bow bucks prongs were a little shorter....mass measurement were roughly the same.........and these are gross measurements...not net...net's are for fish.....

 

[Big Sky]

iminrut, just curious, who measured your antelope? Are those official P+Y measurements?

 

[iminrut]

No, they sure weren't officially measured...simply taped myself......is there something I'm missing......length, bases and 3 mass measurements per side, and length of prongs.....that should be it right ??

But my whitetail bucks were officially scored, and the most I was off was 1 1/8" on three different heads....I like to think I'm doing things right, but I may have missed something........I mean even my first bow buck only was 13" and scored 64......he was no where near the buck of these ??

 

[The Hedgehog]

I think you may be doing something incorrect with the scoring. I'm not trying to rain on anybody's parade, just trying to give my opinion. Shape of horns and the angle you are looking at can really be deceiving on antelope. I've been tricked so many times.

I'll tell you what I think that buck scores, the one from last year. 14.25 length, 6,6.25,3,2.25 mass, and 4" prong. I'm even gifting it on some guesses, but that comes to 72" That's just my guesses. Go nail him and I hope he's way bigger than I think, maybe he grew some since last year. For your area, he may be the king of the hill. I honestly think (from the one angle in the photo) your archery buck is a much better one.

I think the last buck, by the bails is a better one too, maybe by 3-4" in score. I'd say 15" and a little better mass and prong.

I guess after having studied, guessed, judged, then shot... and way too many times had them end up way smaller than I thought they might be .. I'm a little leary to throw out 80" unless it's really an outstanding buck. The last half dozen or so that I've shot, I've watched them pretty hard during the summer several times up close with really good optics, videoed, photographed and tried to figure out what they might be. I've been off by about an inch on all of them, they've been between 81 and 83 gross, measured by an official scorer after drying period. To find a buck that size where I hunt (and I think it's a very good area) I have to look at in the neighborhood of 500 or more buck antelope.

Also, what you see now is what you get during the season. They ain't growing any more. They are 99% done by early June.

 

[iminrut]

Here's something for simple reference.......this man is a taxidermist out of Bismarck, and he lists everything possible with P&Y that he arrows......I prefer to not pay the fees, but wish I had sometimes....

I guess I would never figure this for a buck in the 70" range either, but he has the score sheet for it.....something I don't........what I am saying, is pics are deceptive......unless you see a critter first hand and up close (like having your hands on it) it is really hard to judge.....and Antelope have got to be the hardest to judge......even if just field judging...

Scott Hettinger of
Bismarck with a MT
Antelope scoring
73 5/8 P&Y

 

[The Hedgehog]

I don't think antelope are the hardest to judge. Try bears and mountain goats. I'd definately give that one 73+. He looks all of that and better. The mass on that buck down low is very good, mediorce length and less than a 5" prong.

Here's the last buck I arrowed. While watching him at times I thought he just had to be a 86-88 range goat, just looked giant, but then when looking at the different angles on video and pictures, I just couldn't get more than 82-84" and that's where he ended up. Not like I was crying about it though.

 

[BuzzH]

Greenhorn,

My buddy Doug and I both tried to guess the score on that buck from the pictures you sent before you killed him. We both thought there was NO way that buck would net score less than 85...and we thought we were being VERY stingy with the measurements.

Even after holding that bucks horns in my hands...its hard to believe it doesnt score considerably more than it does.

That being said...I wish I had him on my wall.

 

[The Hedgehog]

I got really lucky on the big one one day. Most of my other pictures are crappy, but I got 13-14 killer shots of him in June that year. Buzz, I thought he would be over 17", would have bet money. But he wasn't, that wide spread makes them look longer.

Here's some other antelope pictures I've taken while scouting. The ones that offered a good photo opp without too much effort.

 

[iminrut]

Besides forgetting to mention the base measurement, I must be doing something right actually with scoring.......and we struggle with the same things........angles and perception.......That top buck that I think will go near 80, I watched him and an extrememly similar buck off and on for some time a year and a half ago.......a fellow I happen to know managed to shoot the prettier one (prongs stuck out) with rifle before I could get close enough to stick an arrow in him......that buck grossed 83"........I know this buck was close to his size, maybe just not as long.........he's got excellent mass and good prongs, it's just hard to tell from the pics...and the prongs are up high so he carry's those mass measurments on up, that's what I like..........I am talking gross scores now just never agreed with the net method.....though if I ever got a booner, it would sure mean something, LOL

Seems like to me here in ND, a mid 60's buck is fairly common.......mid 70's attainable.......and it seems harder than heck to find one that will crack 80......rule of thumb for me has been if it will go 13" it will go P&Y..........and it doesn't seem like it takes much to go from the mid60's to the mid70's......a little length, a little mass and a little more prong........what I look for is bases 1.5 to 2 times as wide as the eyes, prongs above upright ears, and hopefully near twice the ear length...

Don't know if I'll ever get the chance to glass Mountain goats, but somedy soon I hope to cut my teeth on a bear or two......maybe looking for some tips when the time comes...

By the way GH, that buck is a toad.......and just from the pic, I would have guessed him higher too....he "looks" like he would go allof 17".....he werent' short on groceries either . Congrats on a fine animal....

 

[The Hedgehog]

Here's two more bucks. 70" at best, but not likely.

iminrut, in order to be big they have to look big from every single angle, not just one. The buck in that picture that I guessed at doesn't appear to have much mass at all from the front and quartering to views. From the front, his eye is bigger than the base of his horn, at least from that angle. And get closer to take pictures would you...

 

[iminrut]

See we do actually agree...LOL....I need to take closer pics

I'm seeing the same thing as you are in those last ones......I've seen many just like it in the past couple of weeks scouting.....they're nice and all, but nothing I would try for early on......I'd put a friend on one in a heartbeat, but I'm getting a little more selective as each year passes........plus I like to see what they may become, if they make it another year.....

Keep the pics coming........come on September 2nd........ hump

 

[The Hedgehog]

Here's some better ones. First one I believe is close to 80 but doesn't have the mass to quite be there, second buck is 80+ even with weak tops and 15" length. The last one scored 81+ gross P&Y and was tricky to judge.