Nevada muzzleloader pronghorn

[Scott85]

The Nevada draw this year was full of highs and lows this year. When results first came out it was all red with nothing drawn. About 30 minutes later I get an email saying that I was drawn as an alternate for a longer than the ears pronghorn muzzleloader tag!!!!



Well I have a brand new muzzleloader still in the box so it’s time to head to the range to sight the rifle in. Get to the range and the rifle would only shoot about a 12” group at 25 yards. I go out and get some different bullets to try, still the same thing. Nothing looks wrong with the rifle, and after talking it over with Paul we decide that we should send it back. I get home from the range and start looking a different muzzleloader to use. I find a cool left handed Hawkins do I order it and everything that goes along with it. The rifle comes in and it’s shooting ok at 25 yards but will not hit paper at 75 yards. Tried different patches, balls and load size. Still nothing this rifle doesn’t want to shoot either. I then get the original muzzleloader back and they said they tighten up action screws and adjusted the headspace. They sent back a target showing a cover leaf 3 round group. We go back to the range thinking we are cooking now. Go to load the rifle and the sabots will not even load. I tried some different sabots with the bullet I wanted to use and the bullet is tumbling when it hits the target. Lucky for me Paul is such a great guy and lets me borrow his muzzleloader. We make sure it’s sighted in for me and my load and I’m ready to hunt.

 

[Scott85]

A little slow to get to the unit today after playing 3 softball games in 4 hours yesterday. I was sore and wore out by the time I got home. I got everything loaded up yesterday and had to finish some homework for college this morning.

I’m now in my happy place in the sage. Got camp set up and I was scouting at 430 this afternoon. I glasses up 4 this evening with the only buck not being a legal buck. I think Randy said it you spend a couple days scouting for pronghorn to extend the hunt and that’s what I’m doing since the season doesn’t open up until the 25th.

 

[Nick87]

Good luck!

 

[Scott85]

Today was a very eventful day. I decided to sleep in and woke up around 7. After breakfast I left to go scout. It didn’t take me very long to get into pronghorns. I first spotted a buck chasing a lone doe. They went over a hill and pulled forward and parked. I eased around the hill and got a good view before the doe decided she wanted to run towards the truck. They stopped about 20 yards from the 2 track and about 60 yards from the truck. I watched them until they fed off. By this time I had to go take care of some business in the sage. As I was walking out a doe came hauling butt across the 2 track. I thought it was the same doe that I just watched but here comes 4 more does and another buck. I watched them go over the hill and followed them and caught up to them as they drank from a spring. The rest of the morning was uneventful and I went back to the camper for lunch.
After lunch I decided to go check out country to the south of me. It was about an hour driving before spotting the next group of pronghorns. It’s another buck with a doe. This buck is a lot better than the ones I spotted this morning. I watch them as they went up and over a hill. Driving down another 2 track I spot a white butt in grass near a dry creek bed, this group of pronghorn is 3 bucks and no does. I watch them for a while and then get back in the truck and drive right by them. The next pronghorn I see is the biggest buck of the trip and he is with a doe. I watch them for a while and mark their location. That was it for pronghorn for the evening until I get back to the camper and there is a small buck about 200 yards from the camper. Today was a good day scouting!

Total pronghorn: 16