NEWHunter
Well-known member
We’re out
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We Got Tags
- Thread starter NEWHunter
- Start date
Bowmannate2000
Well-known member
Best of luck to you all!
NEWHunter
Well-known member
Hit the road a little after 8:30 am. However, during my preflights I noticed problem number two of the trip. See if you can see it. 
Driver side rear tire is on backwards. Well, it had been that way for quite some time, so I decided a little longer wouldn’t hurt. Stopped for a break just over the Minnesota line.
Learned a bit about “changing” a tire and we got back on the road.
We’re somewhere in SD right now. We’ve got just under seven hours until we hit the unit. If all goes well we should be waiting for the sun to come up in a spot that looked like it should have some antelope around based on how it looked on my phone. Fingers crossed.
Driver side rear tire is on backwards. Well, it had been that way for quite some time, so I decided a little longer wouldn’t hurt. Stopped for a break just over the Minnesota line.
Learned a bit about “changing” a tire and we got back on the road.
We’re somewhere in SD right now. We’ve got just under seven hours until we hit the unit. If all goes well we should be waiting for the sun to come up in a spot that looked like it should have some antelope around based on how it looked on my phone. Fingers crossed.
NEWHunter
Well-known member
Well just got to the hotel and hit the first real problem of the trip. Going to turn a semi live thread into a post hunt recap.
seeth07
Well-known member
Filled tags that quick? Typical antelope hunt problem
Gosh, what happened?
seeth07
Well-known member
Sheltowee
Well-known member
NEWHunter
Well-known member
So we got back on the road after the tire change and made our porch pick up in Rochester.
We still had a long ways to go though. They slept a bunch and I drove.
We had a Culver’s stop for lunch in there before we left Wisconsin and then McDonald’s for dinner somewhere in Minnesota. Throw in several bathroom breaks and all the stops increased total travel time quite a bit.
Slowly but surely we were getting there.
And the weather was looking promising?
Mule deer started to show in the headlights. Then a whitetail. Then a group of big muley bucks. Then several bull elk. A herd of pronghorn crossed the road too.
We still had a long ways to go though. They slept a bunch and I drove.
We had a Culver’s stop for lunch in there before we left Wisconsin and then McDonald’s for dinner somewhere in Minnesota. Throw in several bathroom breaks and all the stops increased total travel time quite a bit.
Slowly but surely we were getting there.
And the weather was looking promising?
Mule deer started to show in the headlights. Then a whitetail. Then a group of big muley bucks. Then several bull elk. A herd of pronghorn crossed the road too.
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NEWHunter
Well-known member
We finally got to our unit around 4:30 am. We filled up on gas, switched drivers, and I got the phone set to go. 
We still had a good hour to hit my planned starting spot, so down the road we went. We got to the area right as light was breaking and saw our first antelope. He was a young buck - a good sign.
We started to see antelope here and there and people, lots of people. I was shocked at the number of other folks using the area. A camper here and a camper there and trucks all over the place. It took us a bit to figure out, but I think a lot of the people we saw were after sage grouse.
We arrived at the waterhole I was interested in shortly after daylight and somebody was already there. I couldn’t believe it. A closer inspection revealed it was grouse hunters. A bit of a relief, but it didn’t really help to watch them ping pong antelope all over the valley.
We still had a good hour to hit my planned starting spot, so down the road we went. We got to the area right as light was breaking and saw our first antelope. He was a young buck - a good sign.
We started to see antelope here and there and people, lots of people. I was shocked at the number of other folks using the area. A camper here and a camper there and trucks all over the place. It took us a bit to figure out, but I think a lot of the people we saw were after sage grouse.
We arrived at the waterhole I was interested in shortly after daylight and somebody was already there. I couldn’t believe it. A closer inspection revealed it was grouse hunters. A bit of a relief, but it didn’t really help to watch them ping pong antelope all over the valley.
NEWHunter
Well-known member
We drove around some and spotted a nice buck in the adjacent unit. He was moving his does up in to our unit so my son and I quickly hopped out and hoped to get lucky with the crossbow. Unfortunately we weren’t fast enough and he crossed the road before we could get set.
He kept going and wasn’t going to give my Dad a shot either. He ran into the grouse hunters and disappeared to parts unknown.
We drove around some more and spotted some of those elusive sage grouse. My Dad asked how big they were - I said small turkeys. He didn’t believe me, so I sent out our flusher.
My Dad conceded the big bomber rivaled a small turkey in size. All these sage grouse made me wish I had brought a shotgun and not fishing rods.
We did some more driving around. After a while we decided to unload and start cruising in the UTV as there certainly seemed to be decent numbers of antelope around. We found a dead cow.
We drove around a bit and spotted a decent buck. Probably somewhere over 14 inches tall with some mass and weak prongs. He was maybe a bit better than the one my Dad took in 2021 in a better unit. I put the UTV in position and my Dad lined up the 200 yard shot. However, he said he wanted a big one and elected to pass him.
We continued our search.
He kept going and wasn’t going to give my Dad a shot either. He ran into the grouse hunters and disappeared to parts unknown.
We drove around some more and spotted some of those elusive sage grouse. My Dad asked how big they were - I said small turkeys. He didn’t believe me, so I sent out our flusher.
My Dad conceded the big bomber rivaled a small turkey in size. All these sage grouse made me wish I had brought a shotgun and not fishing rods.
We did some more driving around. After a while we decided to unload and start cruising in the UTV as there certainly seemed to be decent numbers of antelope around. We found a dead cow.
We drove around a bit and spotted a decent buck. Probably somewhere over 14 inches tall with some mass and weak prongs. He was maybe a bit better than the one my Dad took in 2021 in a better unit. I put the UTV in position and my Dad lined up the 200 yard shot. However, he said he wanted a big one and elected to pass him.
We continued our search.
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NEWHunter
Well-known member
I thought about that buck some more and the more I thought, the more I thought my Dad should reconsider based on what we had seen thus far. We went back and found him again and again my Dad declined.
By this point we had driven around for several hours and looked at quite a few bucks. Unfortunately, nothing special showed itself. Shortly after lunchtime we had to stop back at the truck for a bathroom break. At that point I decided I’d sit back and watch the waterhole from a distance while my Dad and my son cruised around in the UTV to check out some more of the two tracks.
After a bit of a wait, a herd approached the waterhole. I waved the two of them back over. He wasn’t that big so off they went again.
A while later a second buck started making his way to the waterhole. I waived them back over again. While I waited I set up the spotter for a closer look. One of the two looked fairly average.
Once they got back by me, I told my Dad he should go take a closer look with his grandson and one of the two bucks might be worthwhile. I suggested it might be nice if the two of them got it done together and I sent them down the two track to the water hole.
As they drove I looked over the bucks a bit more and decided we could do better. We’d already passed on much better. I called my son and told him to let grandpa know that neither was very big. As I watched the bucks walk off, I started to get a bad feeling. I didn’t like the way my son had ended the conversation when I called them off. At this point though, the antelope were getting pretty far away and I figured he had passed.
But like I said, I had a bad feeling so I stayed on the spotter. Then I heard it - the rifle crack. I hoped he had missed him clean as I guessed the shot to be pushing 350 at this point. Nope. The buck reared up and I saw his leg flop. Not good. Crack number two and he didn’t go down. Also not good.
At this point I knew it was go time. I threw the spotter in the truck, grabbed my rifle and bipod, and took off. I’m running full out and loading as I go. While doing so, I hear shots 3 and 4. Definitely not good. I cover the 400 yards to the UTV relatively quickly. I toss them the truck keys and ask how far the shot was and a direction of travel. They didn’t know how far it was because they couldn’t get a reading. Now I’m irritated.
So off I go again. This time the 400 yards is uphill. I look around and see two groups of pronghorn, each quite a ways off. While I road bike quite a bit, I don’t run anymore, and at this point I’m afraid that I won’t be able to get to either herd in time and that I might die if I try.
I start trying to figure which group he’s with when I notice something 50 yards up in the sage. It’s an antelope’s backside. Thank goodness. It doesn’t take me long to figure out that he’s not done yet. Unfortunately, he required another round - I obliged.
By this point we had driven around for several hours and looked at quite a few bucks. Unfortunately, nothing special showed itself. Shortly after lunchtime we had to stop back at the truck for a bathroom break. At that point I decided I’d sit back and watch the waterhole from a distance while my Dad and my son cruised around in the UTV to check out some more of the two tracks.
After a bit of a wait, a herd approached the waterhole. I waved the two of them back over. He wasn’t that big so off they went again.
A while later a second buck started making his way to the waterhole. I waived them back over again. While I waited I set up the spotter for a closer look. One of the two looked fairly average.
Once they got back by me, I told my Dad he should go take a closer look with his grandson and one of the two bucks might be worthwhile. I suggested it might be nice if the two of them got it done together and I sent them down the two track to the water hole.
As they drove I looked over the bucks a bit more and decided we could do better. We’d already passed on much better. I called my son and told him to let grandpa know that neither was very big. As I watched the bucks walk off, I started to get a bad feeling. I didn’t like the way my son had ended the conversation when I called them off. At this point though, the antelope were getting pretty far away and I figured he had passed.
But like I said, I had a bad feeling so I stayed on the spotter. Then I heard it - the rifle crack. I hoped he had missed him clean as I guessed the shot to be pushing 350 at this point. Nope. The buck reared up and I saw his leg flop. Not good. Crack number two and he didn’t go down. Also not good.
At this point I knew it was go time. I threw the spotter in the truck, grabbed my rifle and bipod, and took off. I’m running full out and loading as I go. While doing so, I hear shots 3 and 4. Definitely not good. I cover the 400 yards to the UTV relatively quickly. I toss them the truck keys and ask how far the shot was and a direction of travel. They didn’t know how far it was because they couldn’t get a reading. Now I’m irritated.
So off I go again. This time the 400 yards is uphill. I look around and see two groups of pronghorn, each quite a ways off. While I road bike quite a bit, I don’t run anymore, and at this point I’m afraid that I won’t be able to get to either herd in time and that I might die if I try.
I start trying to figure which group he’s with when I notice something 50 yards up in the sage. It’s an antelope’s backside. Thank goodness. It doesn’t take me long to figure out that he’s not done yet. Unfortunately, he required another round - I obliged.
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NEWHunter
Well-known member
A look from the UTV. He was on the other side of the waterhole at the shot.
I could tell my Dad wished the buck was bigger. I had indicated initially that it might be a good sized buck and that it might be nice if the two of them got one together. I know my son was anxious to see one hit the dirt. But based on what he had passed on earlier, his statements about wanting a big one, and me calling them off, I can’t figure out what possessed him to take the shot. I can’t help but feel I let him down in some way.
I’m hoping that smiles like this make it all OK.
I spent the next couple hours taking pictures and cutting up the animal. Some bowhunters stopped to chat - they were from IL. Once he was on ice we spent some more time looking around. We eventually decided that after all that we had accomplished in the last 30 hours, retiring to the hotel early would be OK.
However there was still a bit more excitement to be had. On our way out we passed a decent looking buck close to the road with a couple of does. We turned around and with some terrain between us, we coasted to a stop. My son and I hopped out of the truck and geared up. We circled around to get the wind in our favor and slowly worked our way in.
We came to the first little bowl and no antelope. That meant they were going to be over the next little rise or in the next county. The plan was for me to get him set on the sticks and call the range so my son only needed to focus on the shot. We eased over the crest, and there he was at 50 yards. Unfortunately as my son was getting on him he decided he’d had enough and took off. Nuts!
Exciting none the less and I think a bit of an accomplishment to say we got to 50 yards.
We saw more of these.
My son didn’t see them.
I could tell my Dad wished the buck was bigger. I had indicated initially that it might be a good sized buck and that it might be nice if the two of them got one together. I know my son was anxious to see one hit the dirt. But based on what he had passed on earlier, his statements about wanting a big one, and me calling them off, I can’t figure out what possessed him to take the shot. I can’t help but feel I let him down in some way.
I’m hoping that smiles like this make it all OK.
I spent the next couple hours taking pictures and cutting up the animal. Some bowhunters stopped to chat - they were from IL. Once he was on ice we spent some more time looking around. We eventually decided that after all that we had accomplished in the last 30 hours, retiring to the hotel early would be OK.
However there was still a bit more excitement to be had. On our way out we passed a decent looking buck close to the road with a couple of does. We turned around and with some terrain between us, we coasted to a stop. My son and I hopped out of the truck and geared up. We circled around to get the wind in our favor and slowly worked our way in.
We came to the first little bowl and no antelope. That meant they were going to be over the next little rise or in the next county. The plan was for me to get him set on the sticks and call the range so my son only needed to focus on the shot. We eased over the crest, and there he was at 50 yards. Unfortunately as my son was getting on him he decided he’d had enough and took off. Nuts!
Exciting none the less and I think a bit of an accomplishment to say we got to 50 yards.
We saw more of these.
My son didn’t see them.
NEWHunter
Well-known member
So @seeth07 this is where that first real problem of the trip popped up I referenced in post #24. You were kinda right in that the tag was punched too quickly.
However, we get to the hotel and somebody’s car is blocking the entrance making it a pain in the @ss to get my Dad unloaded and in to the hotel - a problem when he really needs to use the bathroom. I’m irritated by the situation.
Then it hits the fan. I get to the front desk and check in to the handicap accessible room I booked months ago. THEY HAVE NO ACCESSIBLE ROOMS TONIGHT OR FOR THE ENTIRETY OF OUR STAY!
They have hearing impaired rooms but no accessible rooms! Maybe I hit the wrong button at checkout they say. At this point I’m livid, I can’t find the email showing what I booked and my Dad is suffering because needed the bathroom 10 minutes ago. Oh, and now I’m blocking the entrance and somebody needs ME to move. &$!??!/&!!
I tell them to give a room and send my Dad and son up while I park the truck. I get that done and head up to the room. My key isn’t working. I found out it was the wrong room when the lady that was blocking the hotel entrance at arrival came out and gave me an attitude. What are the odds - I was so flippin pissed.
I eventually located my reservation and confirmed our handicapped room. I spent the next couple of hours trying to locate a suitable room somewhere in town. Stewing all the while knowing it was going to cost us at least half a day to deal with this and move rooms and add over 20 minutes of driving each day to already long days.
This should never have been an issue. After what had happened earlier, I definitely didn’t need this.
Eventually I got something booked and took a breath for a minute. I decided we needed to talk to the manager at 8 am the next morning, so no early start.
However, we get to the hotel and somebody’s car is blocking the entrance making it a pain in the @ss to get my Dad unloaded and in to the hotel - a problem when he really needs to use the bathroom. I’m irritated by the situation.
Then it hits the fan. I get to the front desk and check in to the handicap accessible room I booked months ago. THEY HAVE NO ACCESSIBLE ROOMS TONIGHT OR FOR THE ENTIRETY OF OUR STAY!
They have hearing impaired rooms but no accessible rooms! Maybe I hit the wrong button at checkout they say. At this point I’m livid, I can’t find the email showing what I booked and my Dad is suffering because needed the bathroom 10 minutes ago. Oh, and now I’m blocking the entrance and somebody needs ME to move. &$!??!/&!!
I tell them to give a room and send my Dad and son up while I park the truck. I get that done and head up to the room. My key isn’t working. I found out it was the wrong room when the lady that was blocking the hotel entrance at arrival came out and gave me an attitude. What are the odds - I was so flippin pissed.
I eventually located my reservation and confirmed our handicapped room. I spent the next couple of hours trying to locate a suitable room somewhere in town. Stewing all the while knowing it was going to cost us at least half a day to deal with this and move rooms and add over 20 minutes of driving each day to already long days.
This should never have been an issue. After what had happened earlier, I definitely didn’t need this.
Eventually I got something booked and took a breath for a minute. I decided we needed to talk to the manager at 8 am the next morning, so no early start.
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NEWHunter
Well-known member
I decided to use this situation as a teaching opportunity for my son. Even though the previous 48 hours were a challenge we went down to address the situation with the manager.
I started off by asking for help with our situation. I explained the issues, that a handicap room was not a nice to have because of a broken leg or something, it was a have to have.
She apologized and said she understood. My ears perked up when she said they were renovating their first floor and all their accessible rooms were on the first floor. I said that wasn’t acceptable because they knew we wouldn’t have our room and they never called. She said they were over a month behind. I said that wasn’t my problem until yesterday when they made it my problem. I could see this tact likely wasn’t going to help as they weren’t going to take full responsibility.
I said they needed to fix the situation. She offered a discount and asked if that would work. I said it wasn’t good enough. I said I’d like a 9 pm check out so it wouldn’t screw up my plans even more - she couldn’t do that. She cut the rate more. I said I thought the room should be free because of the potentially avoidable situation they put us. She came back with a discount a bit under 50%. I said fine. I tried to focus on peace and not justice.
After the interaction I explained to my son about how and why I handled the situation the way I did. I was firm and direct. I said I didn’t get angry because that usually doesn’t get you anywhere and that I could always be a jerk later if need be. I explained that if somebody asks you if that’s good enough they can usually do better. Adult stuff, but an opportunity for him to start learning.
With that situation handled we packed up and headed for the sage.
I started off by asking for help with our situation. I explained the issues, that a handicap room was not a nice to have because of a broken leg or something, it was a have to have.
She apologized and said she understood. My ears perked up when she said they were renovating their first floor and all their accessible rooms were on the first floor. I said that wasn’t acceptable because they knew we wouldn’t have our room and they never called. She said they were over a month behind. I said that wasn’t my problem until yesterday when they made it my problem. I could see this tact likely wasn’t going to help as they weren’t going to take full responsibility.
I said they needed to fix the situation. She offered a discount and asked if that would work. I said it wasn’t good enough. I said I’d like a 9 pm check out so it wouldn’t screw up my plans even more - she couldn’t do that. She cut the rate more. I said I thought the room should be free because of the potentially avoidable situation they put us. She came back with a discount a bit under 50%. I said fine. I tried to focus on peace and not justice.
After the interaction I explained to my son about how and why I handled the situation the way I did. I was firm and direct. I said I didn’t get angry because that usually doesn’t get you anywhere and that I could always be a jerk later if need be. I explained that if somebody asks you if that’s good enough they can usually do better. Adult stuff, but an opportunity for him to start learning.
With that situation handled we packed up and headed for the sage.
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NEWHunter
Well-known member
We decided to check out a different part of the unit. After driving for a bit I spotted a herd up on a hillside. We pulled over and I pulled out the 12x Leopolds.
WOW - he was big . . . but something wasn’t right. He had one horn! Seriously? Wait. Nope. The left side kinda runs down along his nose. I can’t tell how big this left side is, but he’s definitely a special buck. About this time he starts to get nervous and takes his harem almost straight up 150 feet to a tree covered slope. I couldn’t believe it.
On the plus side, he was in an area most people wouldn’t expect to see or look for antelope. I put in the way point and made a date to come back for him. Things were looking up.
We pulled in to a nearby campground for a bathroom break and what a spot. In all his 72 years my Dad had never felt compelled to own a camper - until that day.
Spirits were high.
WOW - he was big . . . but something wasn’t right. He had one horn! Seriously? Wait. Nope. The left side kinda runs down along his nose. I can’t tell how big this left side is, but he’s definitely a special buck. About this time he starts to get nervous and takes his harem almost straight up 150 feet to a tree covered slope. I couldn’t believe it.
On the plus side, he was in an area most people wouldn’t expect to see or look for antelope. I put in the way point and made a date to come back for him. Things were looking up.
We pulled in to a nearby campground for a bathroom break and what a spot. In all his 72 years my Dad had never felt compelled to own a camper - until that day.
Spirits were high.
NEWHunter
Well-known member
We found more cool stuff. 
And later we found a pretty good looking buck in a WIHA pasture. After that we attempted a futile stalk with the crossbow on yet another buck.
And later we found a pretty good looking buck in a WIHA pasture. After that we attempted a futile stalk with the crossbow on yet another buck.
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NEWHunter
Well-known member
We closed out the day by going for what turned out to be a very long UTV ride in yet another part of the unit. The map showed a two track but it was a lot rougher than anticipated and rated pretty high on the pucker scale in a few places. Admittedly, our threshold is lower than most due to my dad’s situation - but I definitely got concerned a couple of times. Having an accident ten miles back in would be a real problem for us.
Glassing lesson.
The views were awesome
And we found more antelope
We got back to the hotel late and were exhausted.
Glassing lesson.
The views were awesome
And we found more antelope
We got back to the hotel late and were exhausted.
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NEWHunter
Well-known member
The plan for day 3 was to check out more of the unit, try something a bit goofy and formulate a plan for day 4. We found a couple of more concentrations of antelope, and one pretty good looking buck (again).
Learned some stuff.
We had an area we called “the culvert” for reasons that will be very apparent. We had seen some nice ones in this area the day before, including one that had been better than average, and had tried that second fruitless stalk with the crossbow in this general area.
We noted the presence of water and the antelope hanging around it. So . . .
The set up wasn’t ideal, but it allowed us to get some homework done and maybe give us a bit of a chance. My Dad sat a 1/4 mile up the road and watched from the truck. It became very obvious that vehicle traffic had increased as well. After a while it seemed stupid, until . . .
Learned some stuff.
We had an area we called “the culvert” for reasons that will be very apparent. We had seen some nice ones in this area the day before, including one that had been better than average, and had tried that second fruitless stalk with the crossbow in this general area.
We noted the presence of water and the antelope hanging around it. So . . .
The set up wasn’t ideal, but it allowed us to get some homework done and maybe give us a bit of a chance. My Dad sat a 1/4 mile up the road and watched from the truck. It became very obvious that vehicle traffic had increased as well. After a while it seemed stupid, until . . .
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NEWHunter
Well-known member
This guy and his does messed around up on the hills at 3-400 yards for an hour or so. They didn’t seem real interested in watering. Maybe it was all the traffic. After they left it had been closer to three hours in the culvert and we decided to call it a day in there.
We emerged and hiked up to the truck. My Dad asked what we were doing and we said we were done. He said he had just had two bucks walk by the truck under 50 yards and they were headed our way. Son of a . . .
Based on all of the traffic I was starting to get nervous for day 4. Ideally I wanted my son to get a chance at a relatively relaxed animal before they kinda knew they were being hunted. We went back for a closer look at the buck on the WIHA piece. He wasn’t big but he was nice. He had some mass and prongs. I asked my son if he liked him - he said he did.
I was a bit unsure because one minute he’d look nice and the next time I looked I questioned my judgement. Then another buck showed up and they got to running and eventually they came by at 75 yards. Instantly we all knew he was the buck.
He kind of fit the MO of what I’ve come to look for on opening morning. A nice buck that appears to be a relative home body, in a far corner of the unit, in an area he’s not likely to stray far from due to terrain, fences, etc. He disappeared over the ridge and we decided to call it a night.
I looked at shooting light, factored in drive time, prep time, and a buffer and set the alarm. Things were looking up.
We emerged and hiked up to the truck. My Dad asked what we were doing and we said we were done. He said he had just had two bucks walk by the truck under 50 yards and they were headed our way. Son of a . . .
Based on all of the traffic I was starting to get nervous for day 4. Ideally I wanted my son to get a chance at a relatively relaxed animal before they kinda knew they were being hunted. We went back for a closer look at the buck on the WIHA piece. He wasn’t big but he was nice. He had some mass and prongs. I asked my son if he liked him - he said he did.
I was a bit unsure because one minute he’d look nice and the next time I looked I questioned my judgement. Then another buck showed up and they got to running and eventually they came by at 75 yards. Instantly we all knew he was the buck.
He kind of fit the MO of what I’ve come to look for on opening morning. A nice buck that appears to be a relative home body, in a far corner of the unit, in an area he’s not likely to stray far from due to terrain, fences, etc. He disappeared over the ridge and we decided to call it a night.
I looked at shooting light, factored in drive time, prep time, and a buffer and set the alarm. Things were looking up.
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