My 2009 Wyoming Antelope

[BrianID]

My friend and I ended up tagging out on our Wyoming mule deer early and we had a couple days to burn before I had to fly back to San Antonio. My wife wasn't too happy about it but I picked up a left over antelope tag. The first morning of the antelope hunt we look over about about 50 buck antelope. Trapper and I spotted the buck I decided to take from about a mile away but there were about 100 other antelope on the same sage flat. We knew it would be difficult to get close enough for a shot. Trapper and I were able to get within 700 yards of the buck by walked down a wash the antelope couldn’t see in. There was a steady cross wind so I wanted to get much closer for a shot. I belly crawled through the sage about 300 yards before I felt like I was close enough for a shot. I was able to take him clean through the lungs at 425 yards.
He barely goes 14" but I'm happy with him.

 

[Buschy]

No doubt you're having a great year! Nice goat!

 

[fowladdict]

Nice goat! Private property or public?

 

[Oak]

Nice buck. Should be about ready to start shedding.

 

[1_pointer]

Very nice! 425yds is a pretty 'far piece', good shooting Tex! Gotta love having leftover tags to pick up! Congrats.

 

[BrianID]

fowladict1,

I killed him on public land. Not a lot of public land in the units with left over tags. Fortunately there are a lot of antelope in Wyoming and some of them will stray onto public land. I wouldn't recommend picking up a left over antelope tag to most guys. As long as you really know how to read a map and are happy with a goat like the one in picture the left over permits are an option. If I was in the same situation next year I wouldn't get overly excited about a left over antelope tag because of the lack of public land and difficulty of finding a decent antelope buck on public land.

Surprisingly earlier that day my friend and I were about 10 miles back on a two track road in an area that was a checkerboard of public and private land. My friend decided to kill an antelope. A G&F officer watched my friend take the shot and checked us for tag, stamp, etc. Most of the land is not posted but in Wyoming it doesn't have to be so you really have to know how to read a map. We were also stopped on the highway earlier that week when my friend had his deer in the back of the truck. It was good to see the Wyoming G&F were out checking people.

 

[duckhead59]

congrats on the hunt...that's a nice goat to me...enjoy!

 

[mconway951]

Congrats on a nice goat especially one that was just an after thought and not what you had planned on hunting.