Ben Long
Well-known member
Good luck! I think the reason backpack pronghorn hunting is a rare thing is that most of pronghorn country is so easy to drive on that motorized use has been established for decades. Keep us posted!
Wilderness Backpack Pronghorn Hunt
- Thread starter BackofBeyond
- Start date
CPAjeff
Well-known member
Best of luck - should be a great adventure, can't wait to hear how it turns out!
Carl 9.3x62
Well-known member
Awesome. This is why I love antelope hunting, you can turn in into whatever type of hunt you want. I have a few pack in spots I want to try as well. Good luck and can't wait to read about your hunt!
woods89
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2021
- Messages
- 821
Solitude would be worth more than inches of horn for me.
This sounds like a fun thread to follow!
This sounds like a fun thread to follow!
Elkmagnet
Well-known member
Sounds like an adventure! Keep us posted. Get that meat cool asap!
Irrelevant
Well-known member
gonna be sweet...
2rocky
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2010
- Messages
- 5,136
My NV rifle antelope was killed in a wilderness area, but was in view of a road. I still had a 2 mile packout on my back though.
WSA's are funny. Lot's of times locals don't abide by the designation because they think it's not a REAL wilderness. If you see a 2 track don't be surprised if you see a SXS or 4 wheeler at the end of it.
My best suggestion is find water and hunt like you are after open country mule deer. If you are in canyon country, ID the trails that go off the plateau to water in the river below. I've seen more than a few bucks bedded 200 - 500 yards back from the rim.
Also look where legal roads bisect the wilderness, and get to a view point where you can look at the country behind the ridge shielding the area from view of the road. Add water to the mix and you have a good recipe for finding pronghorn.
Now don't get the idea you are gonna park one place and walk around finding antelope. You gotta find the high point from where the road ends, and hike to it. 3D exaggerated view in On X or Gohunt will help you ID that. You are still gonna be driving to access points.
Don't be surprised if you find antelope in the trees.
WSA's are funny. Lot's of times locals don't abide by the designation because they think it's not a REAL wilderness. If you see a 2 track don't be surprised if you see a SXS or 4 wheeler at the end of it.
My best suggestion is find water and hunt like you are after open country mule deer. If you are in canyon country, ID the trails that go off the plateau to water in the river below. I've seen more than a few bucks bedded 200 - 500 yards back from the rim.
Also look where legal roads bisect the wilderness, and get to a view point where you can look at the country behind the ridge shielding the area from view of the road. Add water to the mix and you have a good recipe for finding pronghorn.
Now don't get the idea you are gonna park one place and walk around finding antelope. You gotta find the high point from where the road ends, and hike to it. 3D exaggerated view in On X or Gohunt will help you ID that. You are still gonna be driving to access points.
Don't be surprised if you find antelope in the trees.
BackofBeyond
Well-known member
Scout weekend #2 postponed because life happens. I ended up working Saturday, then my youngest got sick Saturday night, so Sunday was a no-go. Fingers crossed for this weekend, plan is still to explore the north side of the unit, then hopefully concentrate my efforts down to a couple practice runs for opening day.
BackofBeyond
Well-known member
Scout weekend #2 was back on this weekend…
Had everything packed up and loaded Thursday night, took it to work with me so I could play hookey in the afternoon. My hunting partner, I’ll call him Dan-O because that’s his name, was going with. Plan was to pack in Friday afternoon and cruise the high desert until Sunday.
Dan-O had some scary medical stuff kick off Thurday night and spent the night in the ER with directions to follow up with his cardiologist the next day. Second part of his instructions was to do nothing that would elevate his heart rate. There goes packing into a wilderness area. Solo trip it is.
Work went sideways Friday afternoon so I didn’t get out until 5:00, so I hit one of the other areas I’ll save for when my Father-in-law on my way out. Did a long glassing session, found a herd of around 30 does/fawns with a decent buck starting to push them around a little. They were over a mile away, so photos aren’t great.
Had everything packed up and loaded Thursday night, took it to work with me so I could play hookey in the afternoon. My hunting partner, I’ll call him Dan-O because that’s his name, was going with. Plan was to pack in Friday afternoon and cruise the high desert until Sunday.
Dan-O had some scary medical stuff kick off Thurday night and spent the night in the ER with directions to follow up with his cardiologist the next day. Second part of his instructions was to do nothing that would elevate his heart rate. There goes packing into a wilderness area. Solo trip it is.
Work went sideways Friday afternoon so I didn’t get out until 5:00, so I hit one of the other areas I’ll save for when my Father-in-law on my way out. Did a long glassing session, found a herd of around 30 does/fawns with a decent buck starting to push them around a little. They were over a mile away, so photos aren’t great.
BackofBeyond
Well-known member
I got up early the next morning after sleeping in the back of my truck, and drove the 30 minutes further to the trailhead.
I headed in at 6:30 and was to a waterhole I wanted to check out 5 miles back by 8:30. The glassing knob that looked so great in OnX was overgrown with juniper, but the far side had a great big cliff overlooking it. As I headed across the flat a small buck popped up out of no where, not wide or tall, but still sporting ivory tips as plain as day.
Which begs the question, because I have no idea - what does, if anything, do ivory tips signify? Is it a mark of age? Size? Anything? Educate me please…
He headed off with a doe and dawn while I headed across to try glassing from the cliff. Once I got up there I discovered this will be about as good of a glassing point as I could hope to find.
I headed in at 6:30 and was to a waterhole I wanted to check out 5 miles back by 8:30. The glassing knob that looked so great in OnX was overgrown with juniper, but the far side had a great big cliff overlooking it. As I headed across the flat a small buck popped up out of no where, not wide or tall, but still sporting ivory tips as plain as day.
Which begs the question, because I have no idea - what does, if anything, do ivory tips signify? Is it a mark of age? Size? Anything? Educate me please…
He headed off with a doe and dawn while I headed across to try glassing from the cliff. Once I got up there I discovered this will be about as good of a glassing point as I could hope to find.
BackofBeyond
Well-known member
I glassed for an hour or so, watched that buck join up with some more does and bed down, then decided to head out to check out another spot.
Headed another two miles in to discover the second spot was completely overgrown with juniper, but something was living in there.
Headed another two miles in to discover the second spot was completely overgrown with juniper, but something was living in there.
Attachments
Hem
Well-known member
Late to this one.
Sounds like a great hunt will happen.
I'm liking the solitude thing too.
Enjoy your time, my last three antelope bucks came from an area that doesn't produce whoppers, but I also didn't see a single human.
Good luck.
Ps...last year I came to the conclusion that a boned out antelope, and head, along with my hunting gear is a load.
BackofBeyond
Well-known member
I never did see the bull, but all the rubs were topping out a couple feet over my head, and I found his bed from the night before… sizeable. Has to have some size to him.
On my way to spot #3 I decided to pop a squat and have some lunch. Between the hiking, the heat, and the smoke I was sweating like a pig. My back was soaked.
After having a bite and hitting the straw in my platypus I started to get ready to head out and discovered that my platypus had sprung a leak and I was now about 2L short of where I thought I was.
This is where it went sideways.
I decided that my best bet was to cut across the big flat in the direction of the truck, hit a waterhole I had discovered a couple weeks ago, then get back to the truck where I had more water.
I put my head down and headed for water telling myself ut wasn’t going to taste great, but I could dose it up with aqua Mira and at least be safe.
On my way to spot #3 I decided to pop a squat and have some lunch. Between the hiking, the heat, and the smoke I was sweating like a pig. My back was soaked.
After having a bite and hitting the straw in my platypus I started to get ready to head out and discovered that my platypus had sprung a leak and I was now about 2L short of where I thought I was.
This is where it went sideways.
I decided that my best bet was to cut across the big flat in the direction of the truck, hit a waterhole I had discovered a couple weeks ago, then get back to the truck where I had more water.
I put my head down and headed for water telling myself ut wasn’t going to taste great, but I could dose it up with aqua Mira and at least be safe.
BackofBeyond
Well-known member
By the time I got into view of the water hole my left hamstring was starting to cramp. I limped the last 1/2 mile to the mud hole. In the last two weeks it had gone from waterhole complete with ducks, to mud.
Shit.
The last two miles from there to the truck were painful. Cramps, nausea, headache, all the things… at least the last 3/4 mile was downhill then road back the truck.
Made it to the truck just in time to beat the thunderstorm. Sweet.
Garmin weather page was calling for rain and thunderstorms until Sunday afternoon so I called it a trip. Over the 3 hour drive home I drank 100 ounces of water, then a Nalgene at the house before the cramps lessened. Still feeling it the next day in my hamstring.
Long story short, lesson learned - bring some electrolyte packets, and better to have (2) two liter bags instead of (1) three liter.
Shit.
The last two miles from there to the truck were painful. Cramps, nausea, headache, all the things… at least the last 3/4 mile was downhill then road back the truck.
Made it to the truck just in time to beat the thunderstorm. Sweet.
Garmin weather page was calling for rain and thunderstorms until Sunday afternoon so I called it a trip. Over the 3 hour drive home I drank 100 ounces of water, then a Nalgene at the house before the cramps lessened. Still feeling it the next day in my hamstring.
Long story short, lesson learned - bring some electrolyte packets, and better to have (2) two liter bags instead of (1) three liter.
BackofBeyond
Well-known member
Not sure how much more high country I could get in Idaho. That buck from Friday was at 7500’.
I had the same thought this weekend, even came up with a plan. I have a 100L dry bag that I plan to take in with me. I can easily stash that with all my non-essential camp gear in a tree while I haul out the meat, and make a return trip. At least that was my thought on how to get the meat to a cooler as fast as possible.
perma
Well-known member
I’m inspired to try this. This seems like a very good entry level backpack hunt.
Hem
Well-known member
Wise to have a plan. I'm certain I was maxed out and if I had camping gear it wasn't all coming out in one load. But then I only had three miles and likely a few years on you, so take with a grain of salt.
