Back from Wyoming Mulie/Pronghorn hunt
10-30-2002, 12:37 PM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 259
Back from Wyoming Mulie/Pronghorn hunt
I'm back from two weeks of chasing around the wilds of northern Wyoming. The deer hunt was super tough this year. Deer numbers were way down. I hunted the same areas in Y2K and saw 4-5 times as many deer as I did this year. I helped a friend of mine who was a first-time western hunter to kill a pretty decent mulie buck. He was a huge bodied mature buck with modest antlers. A 4x5 about 22" wide with good mass. I didn't find a buck I wanted to take. Actually that isn't entirely true. I did find a buck on the third day that I would have loved to have taken. The problem was that WY has added a four point or better antler restriction to this area. The buck in question was a huge bodied mature buck that sported a 3x3 rack that was 28-30" wide. He had G2's that were at least 20" long, long mainbeams and front forks, and excellent mass. He just didn't have any brows or back forks. I studied him from 80 yards with my spotter set on 45x for 20 minutes trying to grow a fourth point anywhere on his rack. I saw several legal bucks, but all of them were youngsters.
I did manage to take my first pronghorn buck. I looked over at least two dozen bucks before stalking and shooting a buck with 13" horns. The season had been open since Oct. 1st in the unit we were hunting and if there were any bigger bucks left I couldn't find them. I really enjoyed hunting speedgoats and plan to see if I can take a better buck next year.
One of the biggest highlights of the trip was getting up close and personal with a Shiras Moose. On the day we left deer camp headed for our antelope area we spotted two moose in a willow marsh alongside the road. There was a family from Wisconsin parked by the road watching a nice bull and a cow feeding about 200 yards out in the marsh. After stopping my truck and digging out the camera I took off across the swamp in an attempt to get closer for a few good pictures. I ended up shooting half a roll of slide film of the bull. Some of the pics being taken as close as 12-15 feet away.
I was shooting slide film and had to send it out for processing. Should take about two weeks. When I get them back I'll post pics of the deer, antelope, and the moose.
One of the biggest lowlights of the trip was killing a 130 class eight point whitetail just east of Peoria Illinois. The reason it was a lowlight was because I killed him at 4AM on I74 with the front end of my truck. This was the first deer I've ever hit with a vehicle. Let me tell you those big corn fed bucks do a lot of damage at 75 mph, about $4,000 to be exact. I had to limp the truck home with a leaking transmission cooler.
Blackhawk357 - I didn't check the board after my initial post about leaving, or I would have called you. While we were hunting antelope we stayed at a motel in Buffalo. How close were we to your place? How is your campaign going? Stopping off at your place without a tag in hand might have broken my heart, especially after striking out on a mulie in Wyoming.
"If you can't change your circumstances then you need to change your perspective."
Edited by - RuRu12 on 10/30/2002 21:04:30
I did manage to take my first pronghorn buck. I looked over at least two dozen bucks before stalking and shooting a buck with 13" horns. The season had been open since Oct. 1st in the unit we were hunting and if there were any bigger bucks left I couldn't find them. I really enjoyed hunting speedgoats and plan to see if I can take a better buck next year.
One of the biggest highlights of the trip was getting up close and personal with a Shiras Moose. On the day we left deer camp headed for our antelope area we spotted two moose in a willow marsh alongside the road. There was a family from Wisconsin parked by the road watching a nice bull and a cow feeding about 200 yards out in the marsh. After stopping my truck and digging out the camera I took off across the swamp in an attempt to get closer for a few good pictures. I ended up shooting half a roll of slide film of the bull. Some of the pics being taken as close as 12-15 feet away.
I was shooting slide film and had to send it out for processing. Should take about two weeks. When I get them back I'll post pics of the deer, antelope, and the moose.
One of the biggest lowlights of the trip was killing a 130 class eight point whitetail just east of Peoria Illinois. The reason it was a lowlight was because I killed him at 4AM on I74 with the front end of my truck. This was the first deer I've ever hit with a vehicle. Let me tell you those big corn fed bucks do a lot of damage at 75 mph, about $4,000 to be exact. I had to limp the truck home with a leaking transmission cooler.
Blackhawk357 - I didn't check the board after my initial post about leaving, or I would have called you. While we were hunting antelope we stayed at a motel in Buffalo. How close were we to your place? How is your campaign going? Stopping off at your place without a tag in hand might have broken my heart, especially after striking out on a mulie in Wyoming.
"If you can't change your circumstances then you need to change your perspective."
Edited by - RuRu12 on 10/30/2002 21:04:30
10-30-2002, 05:32 PM
#2
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: durango Colorado USA
Posts: 567
RE: Back from Wyoming Mulie/Pronghorn hunt
Welcome back !! Glad you had a good time. Antelope hunting is alot of fun. Only problem is it takes 8 years to draw a tag here in Colorado. RuRu---- I may have a South African that will interest you ? 4 animals--- $2500. I can give details if interested.
10-31-2002, 09:16 AM
#3
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 33
RE: Back from Wyoming Mulie/Pronghorn hunt
RuRu12,
Sounds like a great adventure. Too bad about the unfortunate whitetail harvest,I'm suprised you got your truck home! Congrats on the antelope and your friends deer. The 3x situation is frustrating I'm sure, but if it's the law so be it. I don't blame you for passing on the young ones, when I travel that far it's a mature buck or nothing for me also.
I just returned from an Idaho hunt. My wife and I drove out from PA with a slide on camper and parked along a road in the Bitterroot National Forest. I had a deer and an elk tag. I only got a good look at one animal the whole time. It was a LARGE mulie buck. I missed him clean with an off handed fifty yard shot.(should have been easy but I screwed up) I was bummed. I'm looking at eastern Wyoming or Montana next year for deer only. (mabie an antelope also). If you dont mind, any advise would be appreciated. It obvious that you knowledge about western deer hunting far exceeds mine.
Sounds like a great adventure. Too bad about the unfortunate whitetail harvest,I'm suprised you got your truck home! Congrats on the antelope and your friends deer. The 3x situation is frustrating I'm sure, but if it's the law so be it. I don't blame you for passing on the young ones, when I travel that far it's a mature buck or nothing for me also.
I just returned from an Idaho hunt. My wife and I drove out from PA with a slide on camper and parked along a road in the Bitterroot National Forest. I had a deer and an elk tag. I only got a good look at one animal the whole time. It was a LARGE mulie buck. I missed him clean with an off handed fifty yard shot.(should have been easy but I screwed up) I was bummed. I'm looking at eastern Wyoming or Montana next year for deer only. (mabie an antelope also). If you dont mind, any advise would be appreciated. It obvious that you knowledge about western deer hunting far exceeds mine.
10-31-2002, 12:46 PM
#5
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 259
RE: Back from Wyoming Mulie/Pronghorn hunt
Guys thanks for the congrats on my speedgoat. They really are a lot of fun to hunt, but man do they stink! Has to be the smelliest critter I've ever hunted.
Colorado Bob - shoot me an email on the South Africa thing.
Country Nate - send me an email and I'll be glad to help you with anything I can. Maybe you can give me some info on Idaho.
oldelkhunter - I talked with the Game&Fish bio for the area a couple of times before we hunted and he blaimed the decline in numbers on the drought. He said that because of the poor quality of forage on the winter range - due to the drought - that fawn recruitment had suffered. He also cited high hunting pressure from resident hunters as being a problem. This is a general area for residents and can be hunted with an over the counter tag by them. Even though the bio didn't cite predators as being a problem I would believe that they probably are. The area I was hunting has a very high number of mountain lions.
The four point restriction was put into place to allow some of the younger age class bucks to survive and rebuild the age structure of the herd. The four point restriction also keeps a lot of the residents that are only interested in tagging a buck for meat out of the area. I knew going in that it was going to be tough hunting this year. The only thing that bothers me is that G&F knew going in to the season that deer numbers were way down yet they still issued the same number of nonresident tags as in previous years. Hunting pressure in the area was very high. There a lot of guys that will not go home with an empty tag, that cost them several hundred dollars, when they can shoot a spindly racked young buck that just happened to grow four points on one side.
"If you can't change your circumstances then you need to change your perspective."
Colorado Bob - shoot me an email on the South Africa thing.
Country Nate - send me an email and I'll be glad to help you with anything I can. Maybe you can give me some info on Idaho.
oldelkhunter - I talked with the Game&Fish bio for the area a couple of times before we hunted and he blaimed the decline in numbers on the drought. He said that because of the poor quality of forage on the winter range - due to the drought - that fawn recruitment had suffered. He also cited high hunting pressure from resident hunters as being a problem. This is a general area for residents and can be hunted with an over the counter tag by them. Even though the bio didn't cite predators as being a problem I would believe that they probably are. The area I was hunting has a very high number of mountain lions.
The four point restriction was put into place to allow some of the younger age class bucks to survive and rebuild the age structure of the herd. The four point restriction also keeps a lot of the residents that are only interested in tagging a buck for meat out of the area. I knew going in that it was going to be tough hunting this year. The only thing that bothers me is that G&F knew going in to the season that deer numbers were way down yet they still issued the same number of nonresident tags as in previous years. Hunting pressure in the area was very high. There a lot of guys that will not go home with an empty tag, that cost them several hundred dollars, when they can shoot a spindly racked young buck that just happened to grow four points on one side.
"If you can't change your circumstances then you need to change your perspective."
10-31-2002, 01:30 PM
#6
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: durango Colorado USA
Posts: 567
RE: Back from Wyoming Mulie/Pronghorn hunt
Antelope are a little smelly, especially when they are in rut.----But I think they are the prettiest animal we have here in lower 48. I got my antelope mounted---- just like the looks of him in my den !!!
LoL--- Here awhile back we had some doe antelope tags for an after Christmas hunt-- when they wanted to thin the herd around Craig, Colorado. Make a long story short, I rode back in the CJ-7 Jeep with 3 antelope. The temperature was about -10 and I had the heater on high--- after the 4 hour ride back to Glenwood Springs-- I was dang near nausea. To this day I can stand the smell or eat antelope. My wife loves the meat & I love to hunt them so I still put in for the tag.
LoL--- Here awhile back we had some doe antelope tags for an after Christmas hunt-- when they wanted to thin the herd around Craig, Colorado. Make a long story short, I rode back in the CJ-7 Jeep with 3 antelope. The temperature was about -10 and I had the heater on high--- after the 4 hour ride back to Glenwood Springs-- I was dang near nausea. To this day I can stand the smell or eat antelope. My wife loves the meat & I love to hunt them so I still put in for the tag.
10-31-2002, 01:42 PM
#7
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 259
RE: Back from Wyoming Mulie/Pronghorn hunt
Colorado Bob - Luckily it was only in the high 40s when I took my buck, but we did ride all the way to the meat cutters with all 4 windows down in my Explorer! The drive included about 5 miles of I90 at 75mph. We repeated the same scenario after dark that evening with my buddies buck. Much colder, but the cold was easier to take than the smell. I'm having my buck mounted too. I also agree with you that they are exceptionally beautiful animals. I just hope my mount doesn't retain any of that smell<img src=icon_smile_dead.gif border=0 align=middle>.
"If you can't change your circumstances then you need to change your perspective."
"If you can't change your circumstances then you need to change your perspective."
10-31-2002, 08:10 PM
#8
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NW Montana / SW Alberta Rockies
Posts: 3,258
RE: Back from Wyoming Mulie/Pronghorn hunt
Alright Ruru. Sounds like you had a pretty good time but had to pay the hunting spirit, its all relative. As far as hunting next time in a restricted point system on deer, heck just take a few extra points with screws on them into the woods so you can add a point or two.<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>
11-01-2002, 11:04 AM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: , Wy USA
Posts: 2,415
RE: Back from Wyoming Mulie/Pronghorn hunt
The game& fish guy is prob right about the drought affecting deer numbers here. Theres very little ag land here too , a few irragated hay fields is about it.
But he( g&F) forgot to mention there computer mistake about 6 yrs back& there mismanagment of our states natural resourses.
Handing out4 -& 5 deer tags to everyone& his brother& his cuzin.(the computer said it was ok? )
><'>
Congrats to ya ru on yer goat
You didnt see a shortage of goats here did u?( i sure havent lol)
But they are always limited quota draw for All ,including residents.
But he( g&F) forgot to mention there computer mistake about 6 yrs back& there mismanagment of our states natural resourses.
Handing out4 -& 5 deer tags to everyone& his brother& his cuzin.(the computer said it was ok? )
><'>
Congrats to ya ru on yer goat
You didnt see a shortage of goats here did u?( i sure havent lol)
But they are always limited quota draw for All ,including residents.