Pronghorn 2013 with pic's
 

What a week.

I worked 11 hours Monday, 15 on Tuesday, got off work at 3 am on Wednesday and proceeded to drive 900+ miles to near Alamosa, CO. I got there and walked around for just a few minutes before crashing in the back of my Sequoia in one of the worst nights sleep I've ever had.

I use to could sleep anywhere - not anymore.

Thursday morning I walked for a few miles, saw one dink antelope buck.

This is the kind of country I am looking at - vast, it swallow everything





Its gorgeous country - it really is, it has its own beauty.



I returned to truck for lunch, and then proceeded to drive, and try to get acquainted with this vast unit. I found a group of pronghorn, one small buck. I decided to get closed, but you have to wrap way, WAYYYY around - and in the process of walking the miles needed to do that, I came across a NICE buck over the lip of a ridgeline.

I have a Be The Decoy- and I have now renamed it Scare the Prognhorns Hat - because that's what it did ! Stil - nice pronghorn.

I found another one - not as big - same results with hat

before wrapping back to truck and taking another route to the group I'd seen earlier. I spot/stalked them - and got to where they were, no pronghorns

walked all the way BACK to the truck and driving out? there they were, 100 yards below the very ledge I'd walked

the swells and sways and gully's and dips .... they hide EVERYTHING

grrrr


I slept very hard and uncomfortable Thursday night but don't ever forget to stop and smell ....






and don't forget the type of country ...




Friday morning, I'm back at that ridge. I walked..... gads I walked 10+ miles. I came into this area - kinda cool, great place to hide from a storm .... you never see these areas glassing




and I saw this and thought, what the heck? middle of prairie and there's a page from a book? really ?








aside from the paper, miles and miles of open sagebrush and one decent buck that saw me and ran for 20 miles the other way .... nothing. I got back to my truck, exhausted, and drove to another area, hiked it .... nothing so I'm now thinking I have to drive more, hike less because you can walk for days and not see a pronghorn I think.

I probably drove a good 40 miles of dirt 4x4 type roads, and saw NOTHING when a nice buck and 4 does crossed the road in front of me. I watched them from a distance, and the terrain being as it were, they were "funneled" between a private fence, a steep hillside, and a waterless gully about chest deep




so, I 1/4 mile belly crawled, ranged the buck at 82 yards and BAM!!!! busted

goodness these things have scary vision

plenty of these though and they LOVE people





so I drove some more, and back to where that group was, and then opposite direction from where I came and I see this nice buck side hilling at a steady pace - towards where that group was an hour back.

and I think huh .... if he follows the same path/trail ..... hmmmm


so off I go, high tailing it back the way I came, over a hill, down the roads and park then back up towards that funnel type area .... and guys I don't mean literally a funnel, I mean like as funnel as it gets in open prairie !

anyway, I get to where the pronghorns were earlier, get low in that gully and I can't believe it in 10 minutes here he comes

the shot was a bit quarter to, taking out lungs, liver and exiting back ........ two small circles and down he went, arrow #2 because I can't stand to watch an animal dying when I can make it quicker.


I didn't know how good he was ..... and I'm not a scorer on antelope, but I think he's an upper 70's buck ... great mass, 14" length, 6 1/2" bases, broomed prongs but gorgeous gorgeous

I'm guessing 78" B&C score .... maybe 74-75" P&Y

I had him quartered by dark, and I drove all night to get back here by 3pm with just 2 hours sleep


what a whirlwind - looking back, I think my buck saw the smaller buck with does from a way off ... and he was simply coming to whip the smaller buck, and claim the does .... lots of luck, I was just accepting that you can walk/drive tens of miles and not even SEE a pronghorn in this country

so lucky

What a hunt! Great story. Nice goat. Anyone that can take an antelope has my respect.

Great story and photos. Thanks for sharing them.

Great Hunt.

Awesome story with great pics. Congrats on the goat. Sounds like you earned him.

Great story and pics... what range did you ultimately take him at?

I didn't range him - I've been shooting to 65 yards and put the pin above his backline .... I'd guess 60 yards.

Nice shooting.

Congrats and a great post.

lots of luck guys ..... as with any hunting

I'm 44, hunted all my life, had some good success and after 48 hours I was really down because of the sheer vastness of the land, not knowing it, not seeing any animals ...

Lesson learned - don't EVER get down or out, be positive, always ..... even when we know it we can lose it so easily you know ?

Nice story,congrats!

Great pics and story both. I don't know what he scores either, but does it matter. He's a great buck and you saw and experienced some great stuff searching for the opportunity to fill your tag.

Great story and pictures Brad. Super speed goat and a trophy to be proud of. That area is close to where I have hunted and shot the 5 elk and 1 muley over the past 7 years. Alamosa is a bit west from the range where I have hunted but is the place we go when we have to go to town. I usually get my OTC elk tag at wally world in Alamosa. We always go out to the SL valley to sight in since there isn't anything there and it is wide open. I have had a few animals processed close to New Mexico at Mels Custom meats in Romeo CO near the NM border about 50 miles from our hunting area so we bought a freezer for the cabin and started to process our own. Not going back this year but will be back there in 14. Great area of the country.

Awesome stuff mate well done, would love to take one myself one day

Thats great brother congrats on a wonderful story and awesome success!

Niccum

After getting to the country and re-remembering just how open and big and how good pronghorns can see ... any legal buck would have been a trophy

I got lucky with one a bit bigger ....... taxidermist has already sent the cape off, should get him back in a few months maybe.


I need to focus on a big muley buck next .... a possibility of a cougar hunt maybe this winter too :)

I haven't seen a lion yet. Plenty of tracks but haven't had the pleasure of a sighting. Some of the friends I have who live in Alamosa and hunt my area have seen them though.

Thanks for posting. I really enjoyed reading your story and seeing the pics. I'm heading out elk hunting in 3 weeks in country I've never hunted and my plan is to keep a positive attitude and keep moving until I find them. Thanks again for sharing your story.

Good story with pics. Glad you enjoyed my neighborhood. It's a great land. COngrats on the nice buck.

SILVERTIP-CO you know just north of the airport, wayyyyyy up on top of one of the biggest peaks was a bachelor group of I think 7 muley's that were .... .... uh ..... worth watching shall we say :)


I'd liked to have taken my kids in the Elephant Rocks stuff - they'd have played all day in and around it all

Looks like the old Spanish trail to me. Congrats on the buck looks nice.

Great story - great pics - congrats on a well deserved animal