New Mexico Archery Pronghorn - 2009
- Thread starter Big Fin
- Start date
JoseCuervo
New member
Get the pics posted.... now, damn it!!!!
montanadogs
New member
Congrats fin...........fingers crossed for bugler. Hopefully his sights aren't too high.
elk_hunter
Active member
Indeed...slam some ice on him and post the carnage! 
Grizzley
Member
Pictures Please...if the meat spoils Buschy will replace it with ELK or Mule Deer!
I would say this process of posting segments of a hunt is working...Like 4blade I too am checking this sight for new posts like a rat pushing a button!
My wife wants to know if I am on the "hunting" sight again and if so when is the guy going to be done so that I can get some things done around the house! I told her I am sure he will be done posting lope pictures in the next day or two but I was sure he would be posting more stories real soon!
This new addictive process of following a hunting story will end up costing me money...I think I will need to hire the neighbor boy to walk the dog and mow my yard!
I would say this process of posting segments of a hunt is working...Like 4blade I too am checking this sight for new posts like a rat pushing a button!
My wife wants to know if I am on the "hunting" sight again and if so when is the guy going to be done so that I can get some things done around the house! I told her I am sure he will be done posting lope pictures in the next day or two but I was sure he would be posting more stories real soon!
This new addictive process of following a hunting story will end up costing me money...I think I will need to hire the neighbor boy to walk the dog and mow my yard!
BuzzH
Well-known member
Congrats on the lope Randy...nice work!
ashersdad
Well-known member
Congrats guys!! Can't wait to see pics and hear the story.
M
MN Public Hunter
Guest
Can't wait to see the show....You can tell us though...you really killed it on the first day and you have just been stringing us along...right...LOL...Have a safe trip home!
shoots-straight
Well-known member
Where are the Fn pictures? I just read the whole thread only to have the movie end rudely. PICTURES!!!
Well, Bugler is back out of the blind and we (me and the antelope) are in camp, icing down "the dude." It is a long story, so hang with me.
We sat the blind diligently, making sure if the pronghorn showed up, we would be there. Lots of critters coming in throughout the morning, with a couple smaller bucks, and then three really nice bucks, any of which I would have shot, had they given me the broadside, before the does spooked them.
At noon, a single doe eyed us for almost an hour. Finally, she moved off. I fell asleep twice during her inspection period. Something about too much heat and not enough rest each night. Bugler kept an eye on her, when I was sleeping, and I did the same, when he slept.
'Round about 1:45, a buck starts coming in from 12:00 O'Clock and makes is obvious, he is thirsty. He is all by himself, and is trying his best to make it across the flat. He stopped once and bedded. A few minutes later, he continued his vector to our position.
Once he got to within a couple hundred yards, we noticed he was limping severely. Through the spotter, we could tell he was not one of the lunkers we were holding out for.
As he came to within 100 yards, he stopped and was licking his mouth. No doubt he was thirsty. Anyone who has archery hunted knows that the longer you see an animal come in, the higher your excitement level gets.
While the buck stopped to inspect us, I told Bugler I was going to shoot this buck. He was suffering badly, and even though he is not what I had my sights set on for this hunt, it seemed like the right thing to do.
The decision to shoot was not important, if the buck did not come all the way in. Bugler told me that if I didn't shoot him, he would, as we both could tell he was in pain from something.
I readied for him to close the next 60 yards. I told the camera guy I intended to shoot, if a good angle was provided. We cleared the blind of debris, so I could have as much room as possible to shoot, depending upon what shooting port would give me the best opportunity.
It took him fifteen minutes to get to 55 yards. He stood straight on, looking us over. I was trying my best to stay calm and breath normally. My mind was going through the shot routine. Draw, plant under the chin, pick a spot on the animal, bring the pin to the target, relax, release. He gave me ample time to do this over and over.
Finally, he continued straight toward us, and stopped at 30 yards. He watched us and looked at the water. The wind was coming to our left. He slowly hobbled that direction, hoping to get our wind.
Bugler gave me a range of 28 yards. I drew. I had put my hat on cockeyed, so the bill was to my right, rather than my left. My released got hung up on the bill of my hat and I had to let down. In doing so, I ran a Magnus stinger five inches through the blind.
Bugler and I looked at each other and were trying our best not to laugh. The buck heard to commotion and hopped a couple steps out to 35 yards, then turned to see what kind of idiots were in these blinds.
Then, my cell phone starts vibrating. I had a conference call earlier in the day, and I had forgot to turn it off. What else was going to happen? The buck watched us as the phone vibrated, and when it stopped, he looked away from us for a minute.
He started toward the water, and was going to be broadside, facing from our left to our right. He stopped, but gave a very slight "quartering to" angle. Bugler read the distance to be 25 yards. I don't really remember much from that point, but the mental rehearsals must have worked, as the arrow flew true and instantly, the buck reared and was staggering away. The arrow had entered just front of the right shoulder and exited behind the left front leg. A perfect hit.
The buck stood for a short time, and then dropped less than 30 yards from where he had stood. All I remember is Bugler slapping me on the back and saying, "Great shot, great shot!"
I will admit, that for a nano-second, I wondered if shooting this buck was the right thing to do. Don't get me wrong, I will love the meat that is on ice, and he will be a trophy of many lifetimes, given what a great hunt this has been. But, all of us, or most of us, have the inkling about whether or not we shoot an animal that is not what we were dreaming about.
Thankfully, that thought lasted for less than a second. I quickly realized that the planets had aligned, and I was able to spend the last week with another great hunter, capture an amazing hunt on film, and most of all, took a beautiful animal, that probably would have suffered for a few more weeks, before the "less than swift hand of nature" would have eventually taken him.
As I think about Bugler telling me that if I wasn't going to take that buck, that he would take, due to the obvious injury the buck had, it tells me I am hunting with the right kind of guy.
This is a great buck. Great mass, though short in length. Will be great to eat, and the pics and film will serve a lifetime of memory of another hunt for the pronghorns I dearly admire.
I will post a few pics of the buck here, and have some better ones, but cannot load them from the SLR to this little laptop.
After this, I left Bugler in the blind and he continued to hunt. I took care of the meat, and within one and a half hours, had him fully skinned, quartered, and on ice.
Fin is happy.
A great buck, for a guy like me.
While scouting this evening, I did find a couple other bucks that Bugler will have a chance at. I will post a few pics of those also. When you see the size of these other bucks we are seeing, you will see why Bugler is holding out.
In the time it took me to make this post, Bugler ate dinner and is already in bed. As he was heading to the tent, he said, "Tell the Hunt Talk guys that tomorrow I will post my lecture about aiming low on the target, when the animal looks ready to bolt." That should tell you a little about what Bugler's evening hunt was like. Looking for the anti-depressant meds to administer in the event he cannot sleep.
We sat the blind diligently, making sure if the pronghorn showed up, we would be there. Lots of critters coming in throughout the morning, with a couple smaller bucks, and then three really nice bucks, any of which I would have shot, had they given me the broadside, before the does spooked them.
At noon, a single doe eyed us for almost an hour. Finally, she moved off. I fell asleep twice during her inspection period. Something about too much heat and not enough rest each night. Bugler kept an eye on her, when I was sleeping, and I did the same, when he slept.
'Round about 1:45, a buck starts coming in from 12:00 O'Clock and makes is obvious, he is thirsty. He is all by himself, and is trying his best to make it across the flat. He stopped once and bedded. A few minutes later, he continued his vector to our position.
Once he got to within a couple hundred yards, we noticed he was limping severely. Through the spotter, we could tell he was not one of the lunkers we were holding out for.
As he came to within 100 yards, he stopped and was licking his mouth. No doubt he was thirsty. Anyone who has archery hunted knows that the longer you see an animal come in, the higher your excitement level gets.
While the buck stopped to inspect us, I told Bugler I was going to shoot this buck. He was suffering badly, and even though he is not what I had my sights set on for this hunt, it seemed like the right thing to do.
The decision to shoot was not important, if the buck did not come all the way in. Bugler told me that if I didn't shoot him, he would, as we both could tell he was in pain from something.
I readied for him to close the next 60 yards. I told the camera guy I intended to shoot, if a good angle was provided. We cleared the blind of debris, so I could have as much room as possible to shoot, depending upon what shooting port would give me the best opportunity.
It took him fifteen minutes to get to 55 yards. He stood straight on, looking us over. I was trying my best to stay calm and breath normally. My mind was going through the shot routine. Draw, plant under the chin, pick a spot on the animal, bring the pin to the target, relax, release. He gave me ample time to do this over and over.
Finally, he continued straight toward us, and stopped at 30 yards. He watched us and looked at the water. The wind was coming to our left. He slowly hobbled that direction, hoping to get our wind.
Bugler gave me a range of 28 yards. I drew. I had put my hat on cockeyed, so the bill was to my right, rather than my left. My released got hung up on the bill of my hat and I had to let down. In doing so, I ran a Magnus stinger five inches through the blind.
Bugler and I looked at each other and were trying our best not to laugh. The buck heard to commotion and hopped a couple steps out to 35 yards, then turned to see what kind of idiots were in these blinds.
Then, my cell phone starts vibrating. I had a conference call earlier in the day, and I had forgot to turn it off. What else was going to happen? The buck watched us as the phone vibrated, and when it stopped, he looked away from us for a minute.
He started toward the water, and was going to be broadside, facing from our left to our right. He stopped, but gave a very slight "quartering to" angle. Bugler read the distance to be 25 yards. I don't really remember much from that point, but the mental rehearsals must have worked, as the arrow flew true and instantly, the buck reared and was staggering away. The arrow had entered just front of the right shoulder and exited behind the left front leg. A perfect hit.
The buck stood for a short time, and then dropped less than 30 yards from where he had stood. All I remember is Bugler slapping me on the back and saying, "Great shot, great shot!"
I will admit, that for a nano-second, I wondered if shooting this buck was the right thing to do. Don't get me wrong, I will love the meat that is on ice, and he will be a trophy of many lifetimes, given what a great hunt this has been. But, all of us, or most of us, have the inkling about whether or not we shoot an animal that is not what we were dreaming about.
Thankfully, that thought lasted for less than a second. I quickly realized that the planets had aligned, and I was able to spend the last week with another great hunter, capture an amazing hunt on film, and most of all, took a beautiful animal, that probably would have suffered for a few more weeks, before the "less than swift hand of nature" would have eventually taken him.
As I think about Bugler telling me that if I wasn't going to take that buck, that he would take, due to the obvious injury the buck had, it tells me I am hunting with the right kind of guy.
This is a great buck. Great mass, though short in length. Will be great to eat, and the pics and film will serve a lifetime of memory of another hunt for the pronghorns I dearly admire.
I will post a few pics of the buck here, and have some better ones, but cannot load them from the SLR to this little laptop.
After this, I left Bugler in the blind and he continued to hunt. I took care of the meat, and within one and a half hours, had him fully skinned, quartered, and on ice.
Fin is happy.
A great buck, for a guy like me.
While scouting this evening, I did find a couple other bucks that Bugler will have a chance at. I will post a few pics of those also. When you see the size of these other bucks we are seeing, you will see why Bugler is holding out.
In the time it took me to make this post, Bugler ate dinner and is already in bed. As he was heading to the tent, he said, "Tell the Hunt Talk guys that tomorrow I will post my lecture about aiming low on the target, when the animal looks ready to bolt." That should tell you a little about what Bugler's evening hunt was like. Looking for the anti-depressant meds to administer in the event he cannot sleep.
JFWRC
New member
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2009
- Messages
- 27
Right on Randy!!!
chasendeer
New member
Randy
Great job.
Jay
Great job.
Jay
Wally Dog
Well-known member
Attaway Fin.
WD
WD
montanadogs
New member
Bigger then the ones I've seen in eastern Montana last year. Way to go. Better luck tomorrow bugler....
