Wyoming 24-2

[duck wrangler]

Hey guys, I have been stalking this site for over a year while waiting on an opportunity to get to hunt out west.
I have access to area 24 and will be coming out the second week of Oct to hopefully get my first pronghorn.
I am mainly a duck hunter(hence the call name), but have always had a thing for pronghorns and mulies.
What little deer hunting I do here in Virginia is during our 2 week muzzleloader season and maybe 2-3 days during rifle season.

I have a 7mm which I know is a little large for pronghorn, but I didn't see spending money on another rifle for what I hope is one shot.
I am comfortable with it out to 300yds and have ordered a rangefinder to help know what distance I am shooting(not a problem in the woods of VA!)
I plan to use binoculars for glassing. Do you guys think a spotting scope is required, or just very helpful?

I've read on here about cooling down the animal as soon as possible, so I have that in my plan.
I will be driving from Virginia(26-28 hrs) and my wife will be along for us to see the country on the way back
One question; any problem in keeping the meat in a cooler for the ride home? It may be 3-5 days to work our way back.
I plan to keep the meat off the bottom of the cooler and plan to keep the water in the bottom drained.
I normally keep my deer in the fridge for a week to age back home, so thought this would be similar

Sorry for a long first post; just wanted to get a few things out there.

Thanks

 

[VikingsGuy]

If your cooler is in the back of a pickup, in a trailer, a trunk or in a ventilated car, you can always get a little dry ice in WY to keep things cooled down.

 

[antelopedundee]

If you hit them right which is a couple inches back of the shoulder and where white meets brown like in the pic, then your 7 mag should be fine from a meat damage standpoint.
As far as keeping the meat cool I'd get a large enough cooler so that you can have bagged ice on the top and bottom of it. If you bone it without freezing it you'll get 40 pounds if you're lucky. Most of the time dry ice is a waste of money. I've gotten home with the meat still completely frozen and sometimes half thawed out.

 

[duck wrangler]

I plan to take at least two coolers, so if I need to divide the meat to allow ice over/under, it should not be a problem.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Spotting scope is not required, but very helpful, especially if you are trying to judge horn size.

 

[bts09]

Spotting scope is not required, but very helpful, especially if you are trying to judge horn size.

Completely agree with Carl. Spotting scope for antelope is mostly for judging how big of an antelope it is, not to actually find them. Your binoculars will be fine.

 

[antelopedundee]

Spotting scope is not required, but very helpful, especially if you are trying to judge horn size.

Otherwise you waste time chasing after something that you'd end up passing on anyway.

 

[madtom]

Shouldn't be any problem keeping the meat on ice that long. You'll melt a lot of ice for the first 1-2 days, then basically none once the meat is cool.

 

[CRAZYCARL]

Id have to disagree with "antelopedundee" about the dry ice. It usually takes us 20-22 hours to drive home and we always stop and get some for our coolers. All of our meat is frozen solid when we get home, plus we don't have to keep draining the bottom of the cooler every time we stop if we would have used bags of ice.

 

[duck wrangler]

Id have to disagree with "antelopedundee" about the dry ice. It usually takes us 20-22 hours to drive home and we always stop and get some for our coolers. All of our meat is frozen solid when we get home, plus we don't have to keep draining the bottom of the cooler every time we stop if we would have used bags of ice.

Pretty easy to find dry ice around Gillette/Wright?
Thanks

 

[teej89]

put the meat in the bottom of your cooler, then cardboard then dry ice and you'll be set. That's how we bring everything the 32hrs back, elk, deer, pronghorn...

 

[VikingsGuy]

Pretty easy to find dry ice around Gillette/Wright?
Thanks

Many grocery stores carry during hunting season. There was some shortage in Lusk opening weekend last year.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Otherwise you waste time chasing after something that you'd end up passing on anyway.

Thats the part I enjoy, haha

 

[duck wrangler]

Thank you for all of the replies; I appreciate the help.

I'm not sure what I will pass on yet, but I don't plan to shoot the first buck I see.
I'm not looking for a score as much as what I call a typical pronghorn.
IF he happens to score well, that would be great, but I feel like I will be happy regardless.

My wife and I celebrated 25 years of her putting up with me this July, so she is coming along to see the country.
She is not a hunter(nor an anti hunter), but I convinced here that she will have fun seeing the country.
We plan to take in Devil's Tower and Mt Rushmore and will see what else the area has to offer on the way home.

 

[CRAZYCARL]

Pretty easy to find dry ice around Gillette/Wright?
Thanks

We always stop at Walmart to get ours.

 

[teej89]

Thank you for all of the replies; I appreciate the help.

I'm not sure what I will pass on yet, but I don't plan to shoot the first buck I see.
I'm not looking for a score as much as what I call a typical pronghorn.
IF he happens to score well, that would be great, but I feel like I will be happy regardless.

My wife and I celebrated 25 years of her putting up with me this July, so she is coming along to see the country.
She is not a hunter(nor an anti hunter), but I convinced here that she will have fun seeing the country.
We plan to take in Devil's Tower and Mt Rushmore and will see what else the area has to offer on the way home.

Go to Wall Drug! Don't tell me about it as I haven't been there but years and years of suspense is killing me. I have a secret passion for it and no one has ever let me stop there yet but those damned signs the whole way across the state get to you.

My to-be wife and I are moving to WA the week after we get married and I told her we are 100% stopping there for the "honeymooners special" haha!

 

[duck wrangler]

Go to Wall Drug! Don't tell me about it as I haven't been there but years and years of suspense is killing me. I have a secret passion for it and no one has ever let me stop there yet but those damned signs the whole way across the state get to you.

My to-be wife and I are moving to WA the week after we get married and I told her we are 100% stopping there for the "honeymooners special" haha!View attachment 112344

If you have ever been on I95 from NC to SC, you see "South of the Border" signs forever! Tourist trap, but very creative signs!
One said "Keep screaming kids; they'll stop!"

 

[Bluffgruff]

South of the border was a disappointment.
I won't stop at wall drug for fear of the same letdown.

 

[Cheese Curd]

For antelope I use a 7 mag, rangefinder, and 10x42 binoculars. You will be fine. IMO dry ice is worth it. For $10-20 it will freeze solid everything in the cooler for the trip home and it sublimates so no water to mess with.

 

[duck wrangler]

For antelope I use a 7 mag, rangefinder, and 10x42 binoculars. You will be fine. IMO dry ice is worth it. For $10-20 it will freeze solid everything in the cooler for the trip home and it sublimates so no water to mess with.

That is the same setup I plan to use. I do have a small spotting scope that I may bring along just in case, but plan to use the binos more often.
I will definitely look in to the dry ice option.

Thanks