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nwbucknbullchaser
Guest
That's what I told my much better half when she asked what it was like to hunt Antelope... "shopping for shoes???" she asks... I replied "Yep, you roll outta bed at daybreak, eat a good breakfast and go from location to location until you find something you like". Hey folks, it was the only analogy I could think of at the time when I asked her if she wanted me to put her in for a tag as well.
To set the stage, we've been dating for the better part of three years and she's never hunted in her life prior to our relationship. She took an interest in my passion for hunting and we started out "easy" with Turkey hunting. To date, she has two really good long beards under her belt. Anyone who hunts Turkey's knows you're up really early and to bed really late. So knowing we could sleep in a little on an Antelope hunt was an easy sell for her.
Opening day broke with a little rain and a lot of wind. Those of us who have hunted Antelope in Wyoming know the weather will change in fairly short order. I told her there's no reason to go out and get soaked when blue sky isn't far behind. We drove out to a large drainage and just glassed through the front windshield until the rain and wind let up. Around noon, I stepped out and hunkered down in front of the truck and glassed up several bucks of interest. However, one in particular looked rather heavy even though he seemed a little short. I said "hun, I think we need to go take a closer look at that buck across the drainage". So we unloaded the ATV and dropped off the rim. Stopping about a mile short we made a stalk to a good vantage point in the rocks. This buck had 13 does with him and was bedded smack in the middle of a ridge at 350 yards over looking his harem with no cover for a closer approach. Now keep in mind this is her first go around hunting big game, shooting a .243 and I wanted this to play out as perfectly as possible. She asked if he was a shooter and in judging him I thought he was a little short but carried his mass really well and thought he would be a great first Antelope for her. Being mid day we waited for him to make the next move. And time went on... and on... Of course in stepping off the ATV I failed to pack the lunch and water.... 4:00 rolls around and I can tell she's staying pretty quiet. It finally dawns on me we haven't ate anything since breakfast, the sun is getting hot and she's getting a bit tired of waiting. So I start adding things up and figure even if she did tip him over, by the time we take pics, get him dressed out, loaded on the ATV and back to the truck... there's no way we'll get him to the taxidermist & processor in time. So I say "hey, let's just leave him here and we'll come back in the morning and tip him over first thing". Now I know most of us would wait it out but I didn't think the pressure in the area was all that great as this guy was tucked up tight to the mountain, away from most of the other Antelope. So back to camp we went. Had a great dinner, cracked open a couple cold ones and shared the day?s events with the rest of our group around the campfire.
Sunday starts off bright and sunny. A little brisk but with little wind. Upon arriving at the rim we find the buck's still within 200 yards of where we left him. So again we unload, drop off the rim and get to the same vantage point we did the day before. Only this time he's roughly 150 yards out feeding with his does in the draw. Problem is, the shooting lane is narrow up in the rocks and I don't let her take the shot on a moving animal. Of course with my luck he starts chasing a doe out of sight over the adjacent ridge. Now, for those of us who have hunted a fair bit know it can be a game a patience but at that moment she blurts out something under her breath to the effect of "I should have just pulled the D@#n trigger" and I just start chuckling, trying to be quiet. Knowing the does are still on our side of the ridge I tell her to just be patient as I'm confident he'll bring her back. An hour later he's standing on the ridge. We get the rifle set up again and wait for him to move up the ridge a bit to make it a fair shot. At 233 yards she touches off and I see the effect of the .243 Accubond punch through his heart followed by the spilt second sound of a solid hit echoing back. Folks, I'm sure you understand the emotion that carries when someone close to you takes their first big game animal... Talk about one of the proudest moments of my life...
So we gathered up our equipment and made our way down through the rocks and across the sage. I ask her to hold back 10 yards or so in the unlikely event he still had life in him. Upon first glance at his head I turned to her a said " Oh hun!!! You just smoked one heavy goat!!!" After all the high fives and such we punched the tag and proceeded with the pics. I didn't think he would book but I knew the mass and the ivory just made for a great looking buck. Later we ran the numbers just for curiosity's sake and found he grossed 80 1/8. Without question a pedistal mount was ordered up for this Antelope.
Regardless of score, the most important aspect is the fact she enjoyed the hunt and is looking forward to doing it all over again. So, for those of you trying to figure out how to get your wife, daughter or girlfriend out hunting, tell them it's like shopping for shoes...
Thanks for letting me share,
Cheers.
To set the stage, we've been dating for the better part of three years and she's never hunted in her life prior to our relationship. She took an interest in my passion for hunting and we started out "easy" with Turkey hunting. To date, she has two really good long beards under her belt. Anyone who hunts Turkey's knows you're up really early and to bed really late. So knowing we could sleep in a little on an Antelope hunt was an easy sell for her.
Opening day broke with a little rain and a lot of wind. Those of us who have hunted Antelope in Wyoming know the weather will change in fairly short order. I told her there's no reason to go out and get soaked when blue sky isn't far behind. We drove out to a large drainage and just glassed through the front windshield until the rain and wind let up. Around noon, I stepped out and hunkered down in front of the truck and glassed up several bucks of interest. However, one in particular looked rather heavy even though he seemed a little short. I said "hun, I think we need to go take a closer look at that buck across the drainage". So we unloaded the ATV and dropped off the rim. Stopping about a mile short we made a stalk to a good vantage point in the rocks. This buck had 13 does with him and was bedded smack in the middle of a ridge at 350 yards over looking his harem with no cover for a closer approach. Now keep in mind this is her first go around hunting big game, shooting a .243 and I wanted this to play out as perfectly as possible. She asked if he was a shooter and in judging him I thought he was a little short but carried his mass really well and thought he would be a great first Antelope for her. Being mid day we waited for him to make the next move. And time went on... and on... Of course in stepping off the ATV I failed to pack the lunch and water.... 4:00 rolls around and I can tell she's staying pretty quiet. It finally dawns on me we haven't ate anything since breakfast, the sun is getting hot and she's getting a bit tired of waiting. So I start adding things up and figure even if she did tip him over, by the time we take pics, get him dressed out, loaded on the ATV and back to the truck... there's no way we'll get him to the taxidermist & processor in time. So I say "hey, let's just leave him here and we'll come back in the morning and tip him over first thing". Now I know most of us would wait it out but I didn't think the pressure in the area was all that great as this guy was tucked up tight to the mountain, away from most of the other Antelope. So back to camp we went. Had a great dinner, cracked open a couple cold ones and shared the day?s events with the rest of our group around the campfire.
Sunday starts off bright and sunny. A little brisk but with little wind. Upon arriving at the rim we find the buck's still within 200 yards of where we left him. So again we unload, drop off the rim and get to the same vantage point we did the day before. Only this time he's roughly 150 yards out feeding with his does in the draw. Problem is, the shooting lane is narrow up in the rocks and I don't let her take the shot on a moving animal. Of course with my luck he starts chasing a doe out of sight over the adjacent ridge. Now, for those of us who have hunted a fair bit know it can be a game a patience but at that moment she blurts out something under her breath to the effect of "I should have just pulled the D@#n trigger" and I just start chuckling, trying to be quiet. Knowing the does are still on our side of the ridge I tell her to just be patient as I'm confident he'll bring her back. An hour later he's standing on the ridge. We get the rifle set up again and wait for him to move up the ridge a bit to make it a fair shot. At 233 yards she touches off and I see the effect of the .243 Accubond punch through his heart followed by the spilt second sound of a solid hit echoing back. Folks, I'm sure you understand the emotion that carries when someone close to you takes their first big game animal... Talk about one of the proudest moments of my life...
So we gathered up our equipment and made our way down through the rocks and across the sage. I ask her to hold back 10 yards or so in the unlikely event he still had life in him. Upon first glance at his head I turned to her a said " Oh hun!!! You just smoked one heavy goat!!!" After all the high fives and such we punched the tag and proceeded with the pics. I didn't think he would book but I knew the mass and the ivory just made for a great looking buck. Later we ran the numbers just for curiosity's sake and found he grossed 80 1/8. Without question a pedistal mount was ordered up for this Antelope.
Regardless of score, the most important aspect is the fact she enjoyed the hunt and is looking forward to doing it all over again. So, for those of you trying to figure out how to get your wife, daughter or girlfriend out hunting, tell them it's like shopping for shoes...
Thanks for letting me share,
Cheers.
