Ok everyone, this is my first post on this forum; happy to be part of the talk. So, I put in for a very limited draw pronghorn tag in north west Colorado and was shocked to find that I drew. I have a couple of months to plan, but the tag is all private land and I have yet to see all the rules for access. I am going to attempt to get on the properties to scout in late July and August if allowed. This will be my first pronghorn hunt in several years, and I am trying not to get my expectations up to much, but obviously want to make the most of the opportunity. What suggestions would you experienced speedgoat hunters give?
Successful limited draw: now what?
- Thread starter Werfavrd
- Start date
Sagesniffer
Member
I take it you already have access to private land? If that's the case the best advice I can give you is take your time and don't shoot the first buck that comes along.
HighDesertSage
Well-known member
Which Ranch is it? You might want to read the ranch rules as a lot of them do not allow scouting. Here is a link where you can find that information: http://cpw.state.co.us/thingstodo/Pages/RFWParticipating.aspx
Is this a doe tag?
Is this a doe tag?
Jorgy
Well-known member
I've never hunted big gulch, but I've hunted Visintainer a handful of times (they border each ohther in a few places), you will have good hunting. Normally you cannot get access to the ranch before your season starts, they do have the ranch rules on the DOW site, but not a whole lot of info on it.
http://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/Hunting/BigGame/Ranching/Big-Gulch-Ranch-Rules.pdf
Best advice is sit back and relax, you won't have to do any advance scouting to find goats on that property. I do normally print out the maps on the DOW site and do some google earth scouting before the season just so I can find the lay of the land before I get there
http://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Maps/BigGulch_East.pdf
http://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Maps/BigGulch_West.pdf
http://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/Hunting/BigGame/Ranching/Big-Gulch-Ranch-Rules.pdf
Best advice is sit back and relax, you won't have to do any advance scouting to find goats on that property. I do normally print out the maps on the DOW site and do some google earth scouting before the season just so I can find the lay of the land before I get there
http://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Maps/BigGulch_East.pdf
http://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Maps/BigGulch_West.pdf
HighDesertSage
Well-known member
Nice Draw BTW, How many points did that run you?. As stated above, I wouldn't worry to much about scouting, there are lots of goats up in that country. I was cruising around CR 3 and Hwy 13 out of Craig 2 weekends ago and they are everywhere.
LopeHunter
Well-known member
First of all, have you harvested a pronghorn before? If not, are a fantastic critter to hunt. The largest 10% of bucks on a given property most likely do not dwarf the middle 10% if you had Euro mounts side by side of one of each of those groups. Mass is very difficult to judge yet contributes much of the difference in score between one of the best and one of the average bucks. Look for a buck that looks nice to you as some folks like a heart-shape to the horns while others look for wide-spread horns or for ivory tips or length of the horn or size of the prong or the mass below the prong. If you can find most of the above on a buck then no need to compromise.
I have three pronghorn tags for this fall, each in a different state. One unit averages horn length around 14" while another is around 12" and the other unit is 15". My goal is to find a non-typical during Day 1 hunting. By mid-morning on Day 2 will have most likely viewed over a dozen bucks through a spotter and if nothing is atypical then when find the next buck that looks representative to the nicer bucks I am seeing then will attempt to fill the tag.
Tips from my experience are that pronghorn will bed by mid-morning and if there are thick swaths of sage then they will disappear as bed. They will then get up a couple of hours prior to sunset. I hunted a unit in NM years ago that was a short 3 or 4 day muzzie hunt with lots of hunters and the pronghorn were being bumped from beds all day long. Heatwaves make it very difficult to judge mass and even on cool days can pick up heatwaves in a spotter. If you bump pronghorns they often will run then trot and at 200 years or so will fishhook to look back at you to see if you are following. Use some shooting sticks and be ready. I was on a hunt in MT one time and the pronghorn would run 1000 yards before trotted and apparently the locals would potshot at the pronghorn all year long so the pronghorn were very spooky. Use the terrain to drop out of sight and try to get closer to a buck. Their eyesight is very, very good. Some people swear waving a white rag on a stick will get a buck to trot closer. Others claim a cow decoy will let you get closer where the terrain is flat. I think flags and decoys work very early in a season before the pronghorn are pressured. If you get a pronghorn down, the hair is hollow around the neck so try to keep blood from getting on the hair if care about using the hide. Also, the hair is fragile if drag the animal. I have never had a cape go bad but my taxidermist says the pronghorn cape is the most likely to have hair slip since is often warm during pronghorn hunts so bacteria growth can cause more issues than with deer or elk taken a bit later in the year. Good luck on your hunt!
I have three pronghorn tags for this fall, each in a different state. One unit averages horn length around 14" while another is around 12" and the other unit is 15". My goal is to find a non-typical during Day 1 hunting. By mid-morning on Day 2 will have most likely viewed over a dozen bucks through a spotter and if nothing is atypical then when find the next buck that looks representative to the nicer bucks I am seeing then will attempt to fill the tag.
Tips from my experience are that pronghorn will bed by mid-morning and if there are thick swaths of sage then they will disappear as bed. They will then get up a couple of hours prior to sunset. I hunted a unit in NM years ago that was a short 3 or 4 day muzzie hunt with lots of hunters and the pronghorn were being bumped from beds all day long. Heatwaves make it very difficult to judge mass and even on cool days can pick up heatwaves in a spotter. If you bump pronghorns they often will run then trot and at 200 years or so will fishhook to look back at you to see if you are following. Use some shooting sticks and be ready. I was on a hunt in MT one time and the pronghorn would run 1000 yards before trotted and apparently the locals would potshot at the pronghorn all year long so the pronghorn were very spooky. Use the terrain to drop out of sight and try to get closer to a buck. Their eyesight is very, very good. Some people swear waving a white rag on a stick will get a buck to trot closer. Others claim a cow decoy will let you get closer where the terrain is flat. I think flags and decoys work very early in a season before the pronghorn are pressured. If you get a pronghorn down, the hair is hollow around the neck so try to keep blood from getting on the hair if care about using the hide. Also, the hair is fragile if drag the animal. I have never had a cape go bad but my taxidermist says the pronghorn cape is the most likely to have hair slip since is often warm during pronghorn hunts so bacteria growth can cause more issues than with deer or elk taken a bit later in the year. Good luck on your hunt!
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Lopehunter, to answer your question, no I have never harvested a pronghorn.. Just started putting in for a tag and building points when I took up hunting again. My dad took me a couple of times as a kid, but did het the fever until about 10 years ago. To be honest with you, I have realized I have a lot to learn about hunting. I have been increasingly interested in hunting pronghorn the last 2 years. Now I've drawn a tag. have you hunted around unit 3 before? If so, do you know the approximate average horn length in northern Colorado? I certainly would like a trophy buck, we all would, but really looking to get a good representative buck. I have my ideas about the buck I'm looking for, and have been looking at a lot of photos trying learn to judge a buck. Hopefully it all pays off.
Who knows, I may have found my wife's new least favorite thing.
Who knows, I may have found my wife's new least favorite thing.
The Hedgehog
Well-known member
If you spent 9 years building points, I'd venture to guess you don't want to get it over with in one day.
Spend as much time looking at antelope and enjoy exploring the place as much as you can before pulling the trigger.
Reality is that antelope is hands down the easiest, and highest odds of success of any animal you can hunt. Bad winter regardless, you're gonna get one.
Don't look at a dozen and shoot the best one you find on a weekend. Look at a few hundred and pick the best 3, revisit them all a few times and make the right decision.
Spend as much time looking at antelope and enjoy exploring the place as much as you can before pulling the trigger.
Reality is that antelope is hands down the easiest, and highest odds of success of any animal you can hunt. Bad winter regardless, you're gonna get one.
Don't look at a dozen and shoot the best one you find on a weekend. Look at a few hundred and pick the best 3, revisit them all a few times and make the right decision.
ColoradoKurt
Member
Wow! Congratulations on drawing a tag. I'm new to Antelope as you are so please post back here anything you've learned in your scouting and hunting and be sure to tell us (show us!) how well you did.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Well, lope season is over for me for the year, but I have found a new addiction. Had a great time on my hunt. Saw lots of heads and made a few fun stalks. The biologist for the area was right about the winter being rough in the area and didn't see but a few really good bucks, but one of them was a real brute. I regret to say this story does not end up with the brute on my wall, as he made sure he was on the other side of the fence line every time I saw him. He and his 14 does we're having none of me stalking in close, but that's why they call it hunting and not shopping. I was able to connect with a good buck that green scored at 75 5/8, but most of all I had a great time with my cousin and made some memories. Hope all of you have a great antelope season as well. 
LopeHunter
Well-known member
Nicely done!
PAGOAT
Active member
Very nice, congratulations
Goat
Goat
HighDesertSage
Well-known member
Well done!
BeartoothFront
Well-known member
Congrats on a great first pronghorn.
bigdonniebrasco
Active member
I love the aesthetics of that one! Will make a great mount!
