Shortbowshot
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- Joined
- Jan 28, 2021
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- 295
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Best of luck! There is real dense fog this morning, can't see more than 100 yards if that. There is too much moisture in the air for my range finder to work. Not sure I am going to take my muzzleloader out in these conditionsYeah that’s a real nice buck! Hopefully I can find one like that. I’m leaving this morning for my own muzzleloader hunt
Day 1 Recap:
We will chalk day one up as a scouting day as that is what most of the day ended up being.
To pick up from where the morning update left off. After scouting the better part of the morning and having put eyes on at least 50 Pronghorn Antelope I decide my best setup was on the morning buck with three does. I returned to where I had left them and they hand only moved about 300 yards farther south than where I had last seen them.
The buck must have convinced the doe he was chasing all morning that it's best for her to just give in already. He wasn't chasing her anymore if you catch my drift. After watching him mount her no less than three times I decided to make the stalk. The setup is they are about 850 yards to the south of my walkin point. To either side of them there are small hills, and when I say small I mean you gain 5-10 feet at best. The wind and light rain are blowing at a west by northwest direction. The hill to the west of them has a small divit or saddle about even with them and a water tank directly west of it on the west sloping side.
I decide my play is to walk the fence line to the west, drop down behind the hill and walk in 850-900 yards to be directly parallel with them. By this time the wind is really starting to rip but the rain has let up and their is a break in the clouds. So I execute the plan and head on out. Being on the west slope of the hill gave me really good wind protection and allowed me to cover the distance in a stealthy amount of time. When I get to the saddle in the hill I start the army crawl to the ridge.
As I make the ridge I find that there is a ditch that has been cut to lay a waterline to the tank about 100 yards directly behind me. There is also a well worn cattle train leading to the tank right through the saddle in the hill. I decide this is the best place to setup as it's about 2pm and my thoughts were the antelope would need a drink sooner rather than later given their morning activities.
So it setup behind the burn of the ditch, in the saddle of the hill, dead center in the cow path. The burn gives me perfect cover and the cow path gives me a clear vantage point clear of grass or weeds. The buck and his does are still lying where they were when I started to walk in. The buck is farthest from me and laying with the wind to his back, basically facing me. I pull the range finder out and try to get a range, first reading was 506 and the second 610. So he's in that range give or take 100 yards.
View attachment 240815
From a prone position I watched and waited for about 35 minutes before he stood up. He walked around checking his does, taking a pee and then returning to his bedding spot. I watched him for another 15 minutes before he decided to stand. This time he chased his does from their beds and started them in my direction.... water time!
View attachment 240816
In the span of 10 minutes him and his does are within about 250 yards of me and heading directly for me! Over the next few minutes the does decide they want to head my way a bit faster than he does. Turns out there is another buck to the south of him, and he is being sure to keep the does ahead of him. The does close the distance on me and before I know it they are at 40, 30, 20....10 yards from me. The problem is they left the buck some 150 yards behind them! He is still 160+ yards out. What to do, what to do.
I was trapped..... absolutely stuck. Does at 30 feet or less walking right to me, straight down the cow path nowhere for me to go. The lead down busted me trying to get a range on the buck as it was the only thing I couldn't think to do. As soon as she saw my arm move to bring the range finder up she was booking it to the south. The other does didn't wait to see what she was running from and took off right behind her. Mean while the buck is too busy looking back at the other buck. When he sees his ladies on a dead run in the direction of the other buck he cuts then off, or tries to at least. They end of doing a 45 degree south by south west loop. The buck never got closer than 150 yards and that's well past my muzzleloader skills.
View attachment 240817
Still think he was a dandy of a buck, and I had a blast making that stalk!
I spent the rest of the day scouting up other herds but was never able to find a setup that would work in the remaining day light I had. I ended up marking 3 herds to check in the morning along with 2 lone bucks.
Till tomorrow folks!
This is awesome! Thanks for sharing this! F.Y.I. Heading up towards Mammoth/ Stunner tomorrow night or SaturdayDay 2 mid day update:
The rain moved in last night around 11pm and persisted throughout the night. This morning I woke up around 5:30 to the sound of hail bouncing of my truck. I had a headache so I drank some water and went back to sleep. When I woke again it was already 6:30. I did the morning routine and was headed out by 6:45.
The air was heavy with the humidity and the fog reduced visibility to less than 100 yards at times. With that I wasn't in any big hurry, as I can't really see much to start with and not too enthused with the idea of bringing my Hawken out in these conditions.
I hadn't made it 2 miles before spotting my first Pronghorn. He was a young buck, not but a few feet off the county road, laying against the fence line. He was sheltering in place given the wet and cold conditions and had no care in the world about me. He would have been a prime candidate for a quick pot shot and an easy load, but being a man of ethics, and someone pursuing more than just a kill, this was not my intention. I figured if he stayed there the next person coming along may not be as like minded. I honked the horn and hollered at him till he jumped up and ran like his hind end was on fire, which didn't take much. I thought removing temptation from a weaker man, and giving this critter a chance at life and some day a fair death, was the right thing to do.
I continued down the road to the locations I had marked the herds from the night prior. To my disappointment not a single GPS coordinate held any antelope. The antelope I did find close to my coordinates were now on private. So I opted to check some new locations.
It didn't take long before I found some more antelope. The first ones I came across were a pair. The buck was young, but had think horns, just no length. I liked the setup a lot as they were hunkered against a hill side in a wind break. I decided that even though I wasn't impressed with this buck it would be an opportunity to gain some experience if nothing else.
The pair was only about 150 yards off, which is twice my preferred range. So I started the stalk in. I made it only about 40 yards off the road before the hunt was foiled by no less than 5 googans in a fancy truck with NM license plates. The driver had the audacity to yell at me and ask if I had a buck or doe tag. I think he had the intentions of trying to some how coordinate hunting this pair with me. But as it would go, him stopping and yelling at me, spooked the antelope off. Who would have guessed that would happen!
I walked back to the road and tell him I have both tags, not true as I only have a buck tag, but I didn't want him to get the idea that I needed him and his party of five to tag along. I told him he could have this setup as those two are headed 60 mph in the direction of private. I wished him luck and went on my way. I was pissed, but I am a passive aggressive person and avoid confrontation more often than not. I was also giving him the benefit of the doubt that he meant well, but I hope he is part of this forum and reads this some time, as he is an asshat and pissed me off.
I got back on the road and headed down to a creek bottom I had e-scouted the night before. With the weather I thought it would have to hold something as it was a sanctuary setup. Well sure enough first thing I spot was a lone buck walking my way. He was a decent looking buck, much larger in body and head gear than the one previous. He dissappear behind some willows at maybe 50 yards, so I jump out of the truck, fumble a cap in my muzzleloader and get at least 50 feet off the road. I get setup in a way that when he walks out ill have a 45 yards shot at most...... but he doesn't come out. Rather he decided he was bedding down behind that willow. By this time the rain started again. I was doing my best to keep my muzzleloader dry while not having to go back to the truck. It rained for about 15 minutes before it let up. When the rain stopped I started working my way to the east trying to get a vantage point around the willow, and I did that perfectly with scaring the buck. I got perfectly lined up with and then I stood up to get him to stand, which he did quickly.
We locked gazes with one another. I had my bead perfectly center behind his shoulder. He was slightly quartered away. I squeezed the trigger and ploof.... thats right ploof not BOOM! My round ball went flying maybe 10 feet followed by a burning wad of wet powder.
I've never seen anything like it before. I could have thrown that ball farther than it went. I can only think that the top portion of the powder got wet, while the bottom stayed dry enough to ignite. Either way I think that buck laughed at me before he ran off, I knew I sure did.
That's the morning Recap, now I am off to find an afternoon stalk.
Thanks for tuning in!
It was brutal! I had to pick that buck up over the fence and then walk all the way back to the truck! And then I could only get the truck within about 20 feet of the buck!Congrats nice buck. Should be an easy pack out lol