Plateau Antelope

FHMAN13 · May 13, 2009

My wife and father inlaw drew the Plateau tag this year. My father inlaw drew the tag 6 years ago. We have not been down to this unit for 3 years. My question is who hunted this unit last year and how did you do. Pics of your hunts would be great. This will be the first big game hunt for my wife. She is still not sure about it. I think it will be a great hunt for her even if she doesn't get anything. Thanks for your help.

HillbillyNnevada · May 13, 2009

We took some does up there last year for the freezer. However, I have hunted up there with someone in my family for the last 3-4 years and I think you will find the quality and numbers less than it was 6 years ago when you were up there last. Still a good hunt, just not like it used to be.

400bull · May 26, 2009

Thats dang funny! My wife and father-in-law drew that tag this year also. My wife hunted the unit three years ago. Yes this was her first year putting in after her waiting period. The DWR has been taking a bunch of animals off that unit the past couple of years. They have been given out close to 1000 tags (doe and bucks) for at least the past two years. Like has already been meantioned the hunt more then likley will not be the same hunt it was six years ago. Having said that there are still plenty of speedgoats on the unit. Your wife should have a great time on the hunt. Of all the animals to chase my wife talks more about hunting speed goats then she does anything else.

400bull

FHMAN13 · May 26, 2009

400bull I sent you a PM

AZBuckSnort · May 26, 2009

My 19 year old daughter, Mallorie, had this tag last year in the 2nd season...we we're "snowed off" the mountain by the afternoon of day 1. The morning started out just nifty with two front flats on our pickup after driving through an old campfire that had a bunch of nails in it, arrrgh! Luckily, I had brought two spare tires along; however, one of them turned out to have lost most of it's air during the trip from AZ.

We limped into town just in time to get the tires fixed before the tire shop closed. By the time we returned that afternoon the sleet/snow was horizontal and Mallorie was struggling to stay upright trying to put a stalk on a worthy buck. She had a shot opportunity, hesitated, and then had another chance but ended up missing at a range longer than her practice routine. The freezing howling wind and wet conditions didn't help and were not the things of typical first week of October antelope hunting in the southwest.

Scouting the day before the opener...

A group of does and fawns out in the sage...

Typical country on the Plateau...

snowfall by late afternoon...

400bull · May 27, 2009

FHMAN13,

PM send back.

AZBuckSnort,

Your hunt sounds about like how my wifes hunt started out. Two days befor our hunt start a thunderstom blow throw and droped enough rain in southern Utah to raise Lake Powel 18 inches. No joking, the news stations where reporting how much Lake Powel raised from the storm. Needless to say everything was a muddy mess and the road were completely covered with water.

The night before her hunt started a weaked wind storm kicked up keeping us up hoping that the new tent we just bought would hold up. After faceing 40-60 MPH winds for a couple hours the tent poles could not stand it anymore and started to bust up on us. In a last minute effort to save the tent we collapsed the tent and spent the rest of the night in the front of the truck. That had to have been the longest night of my life. Hopefully your daughters hunt had the same ending as our hunt did.

400bull

AZBuckSnort · May 27, 2009

She went home and cooked "tag soup" with her long-waited for Utah nonresident pronghorn tag. She attends college and had to be back in classes on the following Monday so her hunt was a one and done deal. Maybe she'll draw again in a few years, who knows, but it is on to elk as she drew an antlerless tag in AZ for this winter.