Mudranger1
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2010
- Messages
- 2,894
We just got back from Wyoming after a long week of traveling. We started out heading down near Gunnison with a first rifle elk tag for my wife...long story short had an awesome first day with bugling everywhere but they were in the timber before daylight and we never did see an elk. It was probably 20 degrees warmer than the other 2 times we have hunted first rifle season and I think this brought the people out of their normal low land spots as each day more and more people showed up where we were (~11,000ft) So on Thursday we picked up my son and headed to Wyoming for antelope on a leftover tag I bought him a couple weeks ago.. We had never been to the area but got a little intel from a hunt talker before leaving. We spent Thursday night and Friday morning just cruising before spotted our first goats. I had stopped at a small section of state land to relieve myself and while doing so caught a flicker on the backside of the property. We spent the next few hours getting into a long shot position on a decent buck but my son missed and off they went.. We found some more located on the far end of the unit but man it seemed they knew when they were on public land, they would cross onto and get some pep in their step lol no real opportunities happened again that night but I did watch a group of does and small bucks until dark on a small piece of blm.
With Saturday being our last full day to hunt we decided to make it a whatever presented itself day. Sunrise came and they were nowhere to be seen. (now either I'm a bad hunter or everyone else leaves these parts out) I start skirting a knob ...nothing nothing bam 4 full lopes looking directly at me...off they go ...dejected I walk back to my son and decide just to circle the other way just in case. We finally relocate 1 of them on a hillside and we started the sneak.. We got about 150 yards away when she started down towards the bottom and I notice the other 3 have appeared down low...We start up this old creek bed which obviously they had been walking in. We get back to within 150 of the group and try to get set up where he can get a shot thru the taller sage. after fidgeting around for a few minutes I realize he can't see them as he is looking way to far away (for some reason he has been very hesitant to tell me these things in the moment) So I move over and as I do I catch a glimpse of butt and horn not 50 yards away...thinking to myself miracles do happen I try to get him on the buck but he just can't seem to see him..after some louder the words (you know to express my sense of urgency) the buck takes a few steps and gets a little higher to see what is going on. BOOM!! the bucks takes off to the does looking like nothing every happened (internally fuming at this point) I tell him to reload and for some reason they all stop for a look around 200-250 yards aways.. BOOM!! I see him dragging his shoulder and he goes around 30 yards before piling up! Now the harassment and congrats piled in. another successful Wyoming trip.. I don't know how to insert pictures in text so they are all at the end. One new thing about Wyoming.. I guess the mining companies change the roads because the maps we had showed roads going one way and they often went another(anyone know how to be prepared for this let me know).
With Saturday being our last full day to hunt we decided to make it a whatever presented itself day. Sunrise came and they were nowhere to be seen. (now either I'm a bad hunter or everyone else leaves these parts out) I start skirting a knob ...nothing nothing bam 4 full lopes looking directly at me...off they go ...dejected I walk back to my son and decide just to circle the other way just in case. We finally relocate 1 of them on a hillside and we started the sneak.. We got about 150 yards away when she started down towards the bottom and I notice the other 3 have appeared down low...We start up this old creek bed which obviously they had been walking in. We get back to within 150 of the group and try to get set up where he can get a shot thru the taller sage. after fidgeting around for a few minutes I realize he can't see them as he is looking way to far away (for some reason he has been very hesitant to tell me these things in the moment) So I move over and as I do I catch a glimpse of butt and horn not 50 yards away...thinking to myself miracles do happen I try to get him on the buck but he just can't seem to see him..after some louder the words (you know to express my sense of urgency) the buck takes a few steps and gets a little higher to see what is going on. BOOM!! the bucks takes off to the does looking like nothing every happened (internally fuming at this point) I tell him to reload and for some reason they all stop for a look around 200-250 yards aways.. BOOM!! I see him dragging his shoulder and he goes around 30 yards before piling up! Now the harassment and congrats piled in. another successful Wyoming trip.. I don't know how to insert pictures in text so they are all at the end. One new thing about Wyoming.. I guess the mining companies change the roads because the maps we had showed roads going one way and they often went another(anyone know how to be prepared for this let me know).
