How my antelope hunt went.
 

Well my hunt lasted a couple of hours. Well that is not true, I have been scouting and getting ready for the last 16 years. I got out to my area on Thursday night. When I was driving up to the area I planned to camp I saw a good sign. A little stinker in the road.



Well I went on up to camp and got ready for the night. I planned to hunt with a friend but he never called and never told me what he planned to do. So much for showing someone a great hunting spot.
The next morning look who cam and made a visit to camp.



Well that day I spent some time scouting some more and found a spot I thought I would get a shot at. I found a waterhole that had been used by only a couple of animals. I hung around that hole but never saw anything but the little pain in the hind end



Well this morning I got up early and decided to find some brush and wait and see what showed up and the waterhole. I got there early and found a spot that was thick enough to cover me. I had my gun loaded and I set the sights as close as I could for the distance to the water hole 89 yards. Now I know what some might say, but Ron you built that rifle for LONG range. Yes I did but I have wanted another antelope since the last one I got in 1992. I was not about to risk a long shot when a close one was possible, so I settled in for the long wait. As I sat there waiting I wondered if my friend ever made it but I never heard anyone shoot. I assumed that he made it but I didn’t know for sure. At 8:40am I looked over my shoulder and here comes a herd. Three does, the small buck and a good one. I looked him over with my binoculars for a little bit and decided that he was a pretty good buck. I had seen a couple that were bigger but not by a great deal. I eased my Renegade up onto the home made shooting sticks and thumbed the hammer. I set the trigger and held it on him for a couple of seconds that felt like minutes. The does had all drank and he was the only one left to take the water. All of a sudden he jumped and trotted off a couple of yards. I look up and another buck is coming in hard and fast. I didn’t have time to look at him with the binoculars I had to trust that I was doing the right thing. The buck was at a hard angle away from me. I was going to have to hold a little farther back to angle the bullet through the chest. I held the pin steady on the buck took up the slack in the trigger and BOOM, the smoke blew back in my face but I heard the unmistakable W H O O O P of the bullet as it found it mark. Looking quickly I saw the buck still on his feel but he was wobbly. I started to get ready to reload, but the 460 gr bullet had sealed the deal. Down he went and the does just stood there. The other buck came in hard and fast, he never went for water he wanted the does. He came in took the girls and headed out and would have never given me a shot. I think that second buck would have came in and both big bucks would have took off running each other around had I not took the shot. I think I got lucky that I got my shot when I did. I took my pictures and loaded up and headed home. I am very happy with this buck. I did see some that were larger but not many. I just hope I don’t have to wait for another 16 years to get another tag. Ron

Ron, awesome story! Congrats and well done.

Nice tale, nice buck, nice hunt, nice post. Congratulations are in order.

Congratulations, great story, and a awesome buck.

Good Story and Nice Buck, Congrats! But how's Antelope Taste??? Sorry never had the Pleasure of eating it. How is it cooked (color of the meat when done)?

idahoron

CONGRATS!!! :cool2: from northern Idaho...

Great read...

10-10-10 is coming it is just around the corner

I had one in 92 that was the best wild game I ever ate. The next one I had was one my dad shot and it was good. We will see what happens with this one. Ron

Congrats on the nice antelope.

great story congrats

You yourself would cook it just like you cooked them many deer you have eaten. The thing about pronghorn is they can be the stinkiest smelliest critter you have ever killed; the smell seems to stay on one's hands for a week or so. The amazing thing to me is a big buck that stinks like nothing else in the field, when taken to the kitchen, can be a delight.
Myself, i have never been able to cook a nice buck deer in the kitchen, and handle the cooking smell, and then eat it. Whereas the buck antelope smells fine, and is delicious. I have been known to cook and eat buck deer around the campfire, but not at home.

Congrats!! He is a dandy. Are you going to mount him?

Congratulations... that is an excellent adventure. And a great shot. What a nice buck.

I am guessing, that is a .50 caliber 1-28 twist LRH Green Mountain Barrel on that Renegade? What powder and charge did you shoot?

Yes that was one of my 1-28 twist guns. I used a Lee C-501-440-RF 500 S&W bullet paper patched and sized to .501 with 80 gr of Pyrodex P and a over powder wad.
Those big meplats on those bullets smack HARD. I have never heard the sound of the bullet hitting with Hornady great plains bullets. I have seen three animals killed with this 500 S&W bullet AKA "Moose Maulers" and the sound is unmistakable. Ron

Congrats Ron! Great report.Great hunt.I always enjoy reading about your style of hunting.
I would love to be able to hunt that way.

That was an excellent read Ron. I really enjoyed it. Congrats on a fun hunt and fine kill.

congrats! Awesome story & pics! 16 years is a long time to wait...

Nice looking buck. I hope my antelope season goes just as well this year.

Thanks for the report. Nice job.
I never hunted antelope, but had a friend give me one once. It kinda smelled like sgae hanging in my garage, but we couldn't really tell the difference between that and whitetail on the plate.

I took him in today for a mount. Ron

Thank's Ron, I kinda thought I heard that Antelope are some Smelly Critters, and that some like em and some dont. As for Buck Deer, if your Talking about (Whitetails) as there the only ones in My Area, Yea, some are really Smelly too, but it's because most are taken during the Rut, or befor or soon after it and the smell of there Urine on there Tarsel Glands is what most smell. I know a Big Ol Buck sure looks good on the Wall but for Taste there not that good, Tough and Gamey.And yes they will smell up your Kitchen when cooking them.
I'd Much Rather Eat a Young Doe, but I wont shoot them so enough said. But I will let My Wife take a Adult Doe or 2 for the Freezer and that's what we eat, ummmm Good! And this year My Wife Wont Be Hunting with me as she's had 2 of her 4 Surgerys and cant shoot this year, hopefully next.
Also I know with Whitetails that what they eat has a-lot to do with how they taste (besides age) Im lucky to live In Farm Country and the Deer have a vast array of things to eat from Corn, Soybeans, Oats, Apples, Nuts ect so they have a good tast to them. Im sure those Antelope livin out in the Plains dont have a great Diet, and them Ruttin Antelope Bucks cant help but Smell from all the fun there Havin untill they Hear BOOOOMMMMM!
Thank's for the Reply and sorry I've been gone so long, not because I did'nt want to be here, but because I've been real busy through the Summer and I have to work hard to be able to Play Hard so I can have the time to Enjoy this Special time of the year and all of your Company.
All My Best, Ron (BP)