WyoDoug 2020 Antelope

[LCH]

Nice job! Glad you're enjoying your retirement.

 

[TheBenHoyle]

Congrats on getting it done. Thanks for sharing.

 

[WyoDoug]

Two more doe tags yet, good to end of year. Still not done.

 

[Nathanj]

Congrats, looks like a good trip.

 

[WyoDoug]

Made it out this morning to see what conditions are for next month of November, more as scouting and seeing how they are behaving so I can strategize a bit. Now get this, I got within 20 yards of two bucks that were grazing together. They realized I was there as soon as I stood up but they just trotted over the hill in a more relaxed posture. The damn things must know I did not have a buck license and was not going to poach them.

Found two herds of antelope and got an idea how and where they move so going to hit them when I got full days to hunt in November. Seems the older bucks have split off the herds as in the big herds all I am seeing are does and younger bucks. My guess is the rut at least in the area I hunted is over for the antelope. Very few fawns this year for some reason. I think that has to do with extreme drought and related lack of food and habitat. Doe hunting is going to be harder than my buck. Sheez.

Why don't the ladies just cooperate? LOL

 

[WyoDoug]

Well, got my first doe tag filled. Got one more doe tag left and will fill that Saturday. I had to get this back to the house and washed down and cleaned. Notice the snow in the back of my pickup. In this case, I do not mess with icing the meat down plus being a half hour away from home, I just hauled ass back home and skinned it there.

I had another shot earlier today, but was not sure if I was on public or private so I did not take the shot. Turned out to be a walk in area I could of shot on. But one thing I will not do is trespass while hunting.

Speedgoat herds are massing up right now and I am finding late season doe hunts MUCH easier than beginning of the year. Antelope hunts so far are successful. Started out a ton of work finding them, but learning a new area, I finally got it figured out.

 

[WyoDoug]

Oh yeah, forgot something. As I was tagging the antelope, I noticed a coyote that was watching me. Thinking the boy wanted lunch. Coyotes are following antelope herds in the area I was hunting. Second herd I found in that general area that had a coyote following it.

 

[Addicting]

Well, got my first doe tag filled. Got one more doe tag left and will fill that Saturday. I had to get this back to the house and washed down and cleaned. Notice the snow in the back of my pickup. In this case, I do not mess with icing the meat down plus being a half hour away from home, I just hauled ass back home and skinned it there.

I had another shot earlier today, but was not sure if I was on public or private so I did not take the shot. Turned out to be a walk in area I could of shot on. But one thing I will not do is trespass while hunting.

Speedgoat herds are massing up right now and I am finding late season doe hunts MUCH easier than beginning of the year. Antelope hunts so far are successful. Started out a ton of work finding them, but learning a new area, I finally got it figured out.

View attachment 161765

Congrats on filling your tag, but I don’t think you could of posted a worse pic of her.

 

[Crossbowguy]

Congrats on retirement and a great hunt! Thank you for letting us tag along!!!!

 

[WyoDoug]

Tomorrow's agenda: Making antelope burger for both myself and @Wildabeast for letting me stay in his cabin. Sausage makin is on hold until I can locate pork fat. None of the butchers in my area have it. Might have to order mail order at end of the month. Going to do half bulk and half patties. Got 20 pounds of beef fat to make the burger with.

Still got another antelope tag to fill which will be after turkey day. Going to make most of that one into burgers and sausages except for the tenderloin, heart, liver, sirloin tip roast and back straps which I cut into chops.

 

[WyoDoug]

2nd antelope (doe) butchered and grind was made into antelope burger patties. My patty machine makes 1/3 pound burgers and since I made them 85% lean, they do not shrink much and man are they good. Sampling a couple as I type this. Got 7 pounds of antelope burger patties which goes to @Wildabeast for allowing me to use his cabin this year. With the patties, absolutely no gamey taste at all. It was below 40 when I shot this doe so meat had no chance to warm up and no need to skin, quarter or ice it at that temp. Just hauled home and cleaned it good with the hose and butchered next day. Very mild flavor for antelope. She never got a chance to run either.

One more antelope tag remaining. Plan is to make most of that into sausage and jerky.

 

[JLDemo]

King Soopers butcher use to hold a bag of pork fat when I'd call ahead and request it. If not there Sam's usually had some or at least pork shoulder.

 

[WyoDoug]

King Soopers butcher use to hold a bag of pork fat when I'd call ahead and request it. If not there Sam's usually had some or at least pork shoulder.

I was informed the commissary will give me pork fat at no charge. Going to call them first.

Albertsons will too, but I was told I have to talk to the meat manager directly because some of the line workers do not know about taking specials orders. Most grocery store meat departments will set aside and hold pork fat if you talk to the right person. Found that out today.

Sausage making is on the schedule after I get my final antelope tag filled.

 

[TWC]

Congrats!

 

[WyoDoug]

Antelope steak for dinner. Not sure if it is habitat or the fact it didn't get a chance to do much running. Both my buck and doe were shot in the earlier part of the day. The buck was shot in fairly hot weather but I got it on ice fairly quick and hauled it home to butcher it. Habitat for both is prairie grass, rye grass, wheat and alfalfa. Antelope prefer forbes but in severe draught, forbes become scarce so they eat what is available, in this case grasses and alfalfa. The round steak we ate tonight is tender compared to what round steak usually is. No gamey taste and really mild, pleasant flavor. Both cases I got the meat cooled down quickly. I think combination of cooling the meat and habitat paid off.

 

[WyoDoug]

Spent an hour grinding up beef fat to make hamburger out of my grind meat from the buck I got in early October. Going to make bulk burger which will be going into a meat loaf. Bettin speedgoat meatloaf as mild as these antelope are (back straps about melt in yer mouth) is going to be extraordinary compared to plain ole beef meatloaf.

Depending on weather, I may wander out Saturday and get my final antelope tag filled. The way the does and young of the year and last year bucks are massing, I should have no problem, especially on the private I got permission to hunt on. I will do another update with the third one once I get it because it is going into brats, sausages, burger, jerky with exception of heart, liver, back straps and tenderloins which will be cut into steaks. Then I fire up my smoker again.

 

[WyoDoug]

11/21: Tough day hunting. I saw LOTS of antelope but today was cold and windy. Problem was I could not get close enough for a shot. Wind drift was horrible and I could not get a headwind or tailwind shot. I spent all day following four different herds of antelope around and trying to anticipate and outmaneuver them. Got home after dark and my feet were freezing and numb. Going to go out again after turkey day and try again.

 

[WyoDoug]

Did not get pictures of third antelope I shot on type 6 tag. Got in a hurry and went out on spur of moment with just my rifle, a few bullets and my knife and license. Took less that one hour after legal shooting light to get it. Anyways, this hunt is done.

What I learned:

• Muleys hang in the area I hunt so getting a general tag. Still putting in for areas I can hunt muley does though but I got an idea where I can get a nice four point muley next year.
• Antelope herd up after main rut is over. Notice I refer to it as main rut. Perhaps not correct biologically, but something I observed is after October I found mass herds, some over 100 head including bucks, some but not all with the sheaths on their horns shed. Almost none of the bucks were particularly aggressive or territorial after end of October. I expect by end of December all of the bucks or most will have dropped the sheaths on their horns.
• Grouse in area, guess what other gun I am going to have next year?
• Get out and walk. I found several big water holes that I would of never knew existed if I didn't e-scout prior to hunt or stayed on the roads. I also found several valleys where I can make use of the terrain to hide myself. This is where familiarity with the terrain will pay off.

I rate this year's antelope hunts very successful though I had some difficulties getting started, mainly because I was not familiar with the area at all. But once I gained familiarity, hunting became a whole lot easier.

 

[duckhunt]

Sounds like a fun season.

 

[WyoDoug]

Sounds like a fun season.

It was once I got things figured out. This was my first year hunting in that area and did it mostly solo. Got to meet a few of the locals and the game warden several times and all of those meetings were cordial and great. Got some permission for private on top of walk-in, state and BLM land. Found a spot to set my pop-up camper so I don't hafta drive all the way from Cheyenne every day I hunt. I also found a lot of deer in the area and they will be nice and tasty if I draw next year feeding off a mix of alfalfa, wheat, rye and whatever dryland or irrigated farming they do in the area. There is very little sage so the meat don't get that wild taste.