Drew my 1st Montana Speed Goat 🐐 Tag

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

Finally gonna get a chance at a lope , I’ve never had the chance to hunt one, this is my 1st tag ever ,I have no expectations for this hunt I’ll be on smaller chunks of BLM , don’t think I’ll be passing up any opportunities, 1st buck I can get in range of is gonna be in jeopardy of a ride home with me in the truck

 

[ForkieShooter]

It’s SO much fun! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Congrats!

 

[6mm Remington]

Antelope are fun to hunt and are beautiful animals. The meat is superb also!! What is you district?

 

[Forkyfinder]

Dont be afraid to pass on one. I swear - almost everyone ive ever harvested ive seen a better buck not long after...

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

Antelope are fun to hunt and are beautiful animals. The meat is superb also!! What is you district?

596-20 tag
A lot of country but it’s mostly private but my first couple years here. I’ve explored a lot of the BLM out there and I’m finding goats on some it.

I don’t think it’s gonna be can I find one ? there’s not a ton of antelope in this unit I think, but but for me it’s gonna be can I get close enough before it gets on private? Where is it in relationship to my boundaries , all the different things.
And that’s why I’m considering not passing up an opportunity just because I don’t know how many I’ll actually get, I mean, I can’t shoot a doe, but I really like a buck of some kind

I have a friend I do CrossFit with they’ve got a small 300 acres or so in my unit and he said if there’s not cows on it, when I told him I put in for it, he might be able to get me on his property so I might have access to a small chunk of private, but I’m not Counting on that .

Then I’ll run up to Lake Elmo and grab the BMA book and see if anythings changed and have it with me while I’m bumping around out there. I’ll probably take a few days off in the next month to go check out some other pieces and do it a little recon maybe some areas I haven’t looked at.

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

Dont be afraid to pass on one. I swear - almost everyone ive ever harvested ive seen a better buck not long after...

I’ll try , but right now I don’t have any time off but Fridays and Saturdays, i’m sitting on a couple extra weeks of on used leave so I’ll look at the board today at work and see if I can get that first full week off of season , if I can I’ll definitely keep that under advisement.

 

[ForkieShooter]

I’d personally shoot the first buck I see in a unit with that much private land. Could spend every weekend of the season watching them chill on some inaccessible private otherwise.

Just my $0.02, preferring some meat in the freezer over the possibility of an extra inch of horn on the wall.

Promising that you’ve laid eyes on some that spend time on public. They might skedaddle after they hear the first shot of the season though.

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

I’d personally shoot the first buck I see in a unit with that much private land. Could spend every weekend of the season watching them chill on some inaccessible private otherwise.

Just my $0.02, preferring some meat in the freezer over the possibility of an extra inch of horn on the wall.

Promising that you’ve laid eyes on some that spend time on public though. They might skedaddle after they hear the first shot of the season though.

That was kind of my thoughts since I first started exploring that area because yeah I’ll see some, but I don’t know exactly how many opportunities I’ll get and I just checked the board at work. There is an open week so I’m gonna sign it up and turn it in and have a full, nine days to try to fill that tag

 

[ForkieShooter]

That was kind of my thoughts since I first started exploring that area because yeah I’ll see some, but I don’t know exactly how many opportunities I’ll get and I just checked the board at work. There is an open week so I’m gonna sign it up and turn it in and have a full, nine days to try to fill that tag

Hope you get one! Always appreciate your enthusiasm for all things hunting and college football on here.

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

Hope you get one! Always appreciate your enthusiasm for all things hunting and college football on here.

Thanks

 

[Jbotto]

Congrats! I’m going through the same kind of scenario here in Wy. First pronghorn tag I’ve ever drawn since moving here and I’m stoked! Good luck!

 

[Tlrussell]

I wouldn’t do a lot of scouting. Drive through the country day before the season opens. If they are on public and can be seen from the road this is even more true.

 

[Straight Arrow]

As a chronologically challenged pronghorn hunter, I'm not that horny anymore, so a doe is fine for me. Number one criteria is for an alfalfa fed antelope ... good eating!

Good luck out there, Chris. I know you will have fun.

 

[PRO MO]

congrats! Hope you get a 80 incher.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Talk to the bios & check your maps for landowners in areas that look good. Lots of landowners offer up pronghorn access freely.

The best trophy pronghorn is the fattest one in the herd. Second is a freaky-deaky weirdo, thirds is a book buck.

 

[JEL]

Yep! Don’t be afraid to knock on some doors. I always found land owners pretty open to pronghorn hunting.

 

[Shawn Rene]

Finally gonna get a chance at a lope , I’ve never had the chance to hunt one, this is my 1st tag ever ,I have no expectations for this hunt I’ll be on smaller chunks of BLM , don’t think I’ll be passing up any opportunities, 1st buck I can get in range of is gonna be in jeopardy of a ride home with me in the truck

Best of luck! This year will be my first pronghorn hunt as well. My dad and I both drew a tag - I am fortunate that he has been on a few speed goat hunts in the past.

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

Drove out to my buddys ranch in Wyoming to practice shooting at distance. Something I don’t normally do , he has targets out to 1500 yds and does long range shooting all the time. So I went to spend time and figure out my rifle at 300 to 400 yds . Just so I’m as comfortable and prepared as I can for the lope hunt.

I don’t have a rifle with the ballistics and the present range and distance built in , I'm just old school. My scope is a tree teared multiple crosshairs type , so I spent the afternoon figuring out what crosshairs at distance I need to use



The shop


Out this window is 100 , 200, 300 yd targets , shooting over some cows. Ha ha ha

The 400, 500, 700 yd targets is this way


Took the longest to figure out where I needed to be at 300 , then at 400yds 1st shot …. Money …. Never have tried this distance before


Heading back to Billings tomorrow, feeling comfortable and confident if I have to try a longer shot on a buck

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

Ps it’s Beer 30 in Wyoming, this mobile camper is ready for season

 

[David58]

Drew my first one this year, got a nice one last Saturday. Had backstrap and a baked tater tonite.

I lived 26 years in Oregon, never drew a tag (gave up after a while). Nine years here in NM before drawing. I guess WY might have been available to me over those years, but while in Oregon I was busy raising my kids and home was the important place.

All that said (more than you asked for), I would humbly submit that you fill your tag before chasing a trophy. A Wall Hanger is nice, but the point is to fill your tag and have fun. The one I got is destined for wall hanging, not a Boone and Crocket, but a first and pretty nice, and my first. But even without the head, filling the tag and having fun while at it is the most important part, with filling the tag falling after the having fun part.

You will love the meat. And you might well do what I have done - become addicted to antelope hunting.

Best of luck to you!!!

David
NM