My biggest/longest road trip yet.

[BAKPAKR]

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That didn’t take long.

 

[Arrogant1]

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Boom! Can’t wait to hear all about it!

 

[SCliving Outdoors]

I spent Sunday night somewhere in Colorado. I don’t even really know where. I was getting tired. I looked on the map and there were some public land so pulled in, parked and went to sleep. Monday was a travel day. A friend of my wife and I lives in Cody Wyoming now. I hadn’t seen her in years so I texted her and I was able to stop and get dinner with her. She’s doing great and it was good to see her.

I arrived at my unit in Montana between 9 and 10pm. I found somewhere to park and went to sleep. I slept in on Tuesday morning. Well, I woke up at 5:15 but the sun wasn’t close to coming up and I really wanted to be able to see so I just laid around for 2 1/2 hours until the sun came up. I got my gear organized and ready and headed out to look for antelope. The first piece of property I looked at was not a large piece of BLM and I did not see anything except cows grazing. I moved a few miles up and went into the next piece of BLM. After about 15-20 minutes of riding, I spotted a white pick up truck stopped in the road a mile or so in front of me. I scanned with my binoculars and there was a group of 8 antelope about 400 yards from them staring them down. The truck turned around and headed off as the antelope ran away. There was a good buck in the group that I knew I would be happy with him.

I parked my truck and headed in in their direction. I worked my way around the backside of a mound to stay out of sight and as I came around the backside the antelope either saw me or they were still spooked from the truck earlier. This was definitely an area that was hunted a good bit and this buck was smart. I got up on top of the little mound and the antelope kept moving away from me. Finally, I saw them join up with another group making them 19 in total. One good buck and 18 does. I watch them for a while until they bedded down and then decided I would try to use the terrain to move in on them. There were lots of little rolls in the terrain. I tried and tried to range them, but I couldnt getting a reading. My rangefinder would not pick them up. I started my move when I was about 800 yards from my glassing point, I dropped my pack and my trekking poles because I thought I was getting close. I was wrong. I kept moving crawling from little ridge to little ridge every time stopping and glassing when I could get a decent bush in front of me. After an hour and a half or so of this, I thought they had given me the slip at some point when I was out of sight. Finally came up over another ridge and a few antelope were standing and the rest bedded. At this point, i moved up slowly from bush to bush. Finally I got to 433 yards and got set up. There was wind, but it was in my face, so I felt like it would not have that much effect on my shot. All of a sudden, all the antelope jumped up when a crow flew by, but the buck was covered up by some of his harem and eventually they all laid back down. The waiting continue another hour and a half and they all got up again and started moving around. I could not get a clear shot, they were acting skittish and all of a sudden I saw a coyote and I knew why they had gotten up. They started slowly moving away from me. I finally got a shot at the buck but it was over 600 yards away. I didn’t want to shoot that far with wind. The antelope continued to moved away. I crawled from bush the bus trying to stay within eyesight and maybe even gain some ground on them because they were just feeding. Finally they got up on a higher ridge and I knew I could not shoot them there and they were still about 700 yards away, but I was hoping they would feed over the backside and I could make up some serious ground. I sat and waited and waited and waited. It took over an hour and a half or two hours until those last few does went over the backside of the ridge. I took off as quick as I could after them. When I got to 50 yards from the ridge, I slowed down and crawled up to peak over. Even with me crawling up one or two of them picked me out from about 70 yards as I came over the top of the ridge through the grass. I froze laying down flat for about five minutes. They stared and all I could see was lay still in the grass. They began to relax a little bit, so I lifted up my binoculars, looking through the grass. I was able to pick out the buck. I could hear other antelope close to me within 20 yards walking on the backside of the ridge. The antelope began to move off at a quick walk. They knew something was up and I could tell they were not going to stay around. I sat up in the grass putting the gun on my knee. The buck began to walk away from my right to left. I tracked him in the group waiting for him to clear. Finally I had an opening with no dow in front or behind him and I shot. Immediately he dropped while the rest of the group bolted.

It had been 6.5 hours since I first saw the antelope, but I finally got him. He’s a nice buck and I’m happy to have him. I apply for antelope in plenty of states and have points all over but this was my first time ever having a tag. This is also my 7th animal in my pursuit of my super 10 leaving me with mountain lion, bison/muskox, and a ram. It was a fun hunt and leg 2 out of 4 is now complete.

Now I’m on the road. Headed to Idaho.

 

[Arrogant1]

I spent Sunday night somewhere in Colorado. I don’t even really know where. I was getting tired. I looked on the map and there were some public land so pulled in, parked and went to sleep. Monday was a travel day. A friend of my wife and I lives in Cody Wyoming now. I hadn’t seen her in years so I texted her and I was able to stop and get dinner with her. She’s doing great and it was good to see her.

I arrived at my unit in Montana between 9 and 10pm. I found somewhere to park and went to sleep. I slept in on Tuesday morning. Well, I woke up at 5:15 but the sun wasn’t close to coming up and I really wanted to be able to see so I just laid around for 2 1/2 hours until the sun came up. I got my gear organized and ready and headed out to look for antelope. The first piece of property I looked at was not a large piece of BLM and I did not see anything except cows grazing. I moved a few miles up and went into the next piece of BLM. After about 15-20 minutes of riding, I spotted a white pick up truck stopped in the road a mile or so in front of me. I scanned with my binoculars and there was a group of 8 antelope about 400 yards from them staring them down. The truck turned around and headed off as the antelope ran away. There was a good buck in the group that I knew I would be happy with him.

I parked my truck and headed in in their direction. I worked my way around the backside of a mound to stay out of sight and as I came around the backside the antelope either saw me or they were still spooked from the truck earlier. This was definitely an area that was hunted a good bit and this buck was smart. I got up on top of the little mound and the antelope kept moving away from me. Finally, I saw them join up with another group making them 19 in total. One good buck and 18 does. I watch them for a while until they bedded down and then decided I would try to use the terrain to move in on them. There were lots of little rolls in the terrain. I tried and tried to range them, but I couldnt getting a reading. My rangefinder would not pick them up. I started my move when I was about 800 yards from my glassing point, I dropped my pack and my trekking poles because I thought I was getting close. I was wrong. I kept moving crawling from little ridge to little ridge every time stopping and glassing when I could get a decent bush in front of me. After an hour and a half or so of this, I thought they had given me the slip at some point when I was out of sight. Finally came up over another ridge and a few antelope were standing and the rest bedded. At this point, i moved up slowly from bush to bush. Finally I got to 433 yards and got set up. There was wind, but it was in my face, so I felt like it would not have that much effect on my shot. All of a sudden, all the antelope jumped up when a crow flew by, but the buck was covered up by some of his harem and eventually they all laid back down. The waiting continue another hour and a half and they all got up again and started moving around. I could not get a clear shot, they were acting skittish and all of a sudden I saw a coyote and I knew why they had gotten up. They started slowly moving away from me. I finally got a shot at the buck but it was over 600 yards away. I didn’t want to shoot that far with wind. The antelope continued to moved away. I crawled from bush the bus trying to stay within eyesight and maybe even gain some ground on them because they were just feeding. Finally they got up on a higher ridge and I knew I could not shoot them there and they were still about 700 yards away, but I was hoping they would feed over the backside and I could make up some serious ground. I sat and waited and waited and waited. It took over an hour and a half or two hours until those last few does went over the backside of the ridge. I took off as quick as I could after them. When I got to 50 yards from the ridge, I slowed down and crawled up to peak over. Even with me crawling up one or two of them picked me out from about 70 yards as I came over the top of the ridge through the grass. I froze laying down flat for about five minutes. They stared and all I could see was lay still in the grass. They began to relax a little bit, so I lifted up my binoculars, looking through the grass. I was able to pick out the buck. I could hear other antelope close to me within 20 yards walking on the backside of the ridge. The antelope began to move off at a quick walk. They knew something was up and I could tell they were not going to stay around. I sat up in the grass putting the gun on my knee. The buck began to walk away from my right to left. I tracked him in the group waiting for him to clear. Finally I had an opening with no dow in front or behind him and I shot. Immediately he dropped while the rest of the group bolted.

It had been 6.5 hours since I first saw the antelope, but I finally got him. He’s a nice buck and I’m happy to have him. I apply for antelope in plenty of states and have points all over but this was my first time ever having a tag. This is also my 7th animal in my pursuit of my super 10 leaving me with mountain lion, bison/muskox, and a ram. It was a fun hunt and leg 2 out of 4 is now complete.

Now I’m on the road. Headed to Idaho.

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Drive a little faster so we can get our next update! Living vicariously through your adventure is making me get through this day at my desk. Safe travels and thanks for sharing your adventures with us.

 

[CPAjeff]

Congrats on your antelope! Best of luck and safe travels on the next leg of your trip!

 

[Jbotto]

Man this is a fun one to follow! One of the MANY great threads this year! Congrats on a great first pronghorn!

 

[noharleyyet]

SCI, I'll bet you've never ever been bested in a treasure hunt.