Antelope hunting made for a high-quality day

I used to antelope hunt rather a lot in Colorado and Wyoming but haven’t shot one in years, so I was once excited this 12 months once I drew a tag in southwest Idaho. In the event you’ve been studying my articles these days, you recognize that I’ve been sighting in my rifle for long-variety shots and scouting lovely rough.

I had one trophy buck and yet another first rate one lined up. The season opened Friday, so I headed out Thursday to set up camp and scout around slightly more. Plus, I inspiration it’d be fun to get a couple of sage-grouse and probably even a deer with my bow.

I did some final-minute scouting and sage-grouse hunting and then at dusk went to mattress early. I’d thrown up my tent 1 / 4 mile from the place I’d noticeable the tremendous buck, so an hour earlier than daylight I rolled out of bed, ate breakfast and took off hunting.

Compared to antelope searching in other places, it is a lot exclusive here in Idaho. Certain, we've the large open areas, however a lot of the first rate bucks I’ve visible are in spots that you simply’d usually see elk or deer. Such used to be the case this morning.

I set up and glassed from all the ridges with my Leupold compact spotting scope however would now not find the enormous boy. I moved on down out of the comb to a broad open subject like you’d count on to search out them in and abruptly saw two cows. Then a bull. Even from a nation mile away I would inform he used to be a bull. Ok, antelope hunting was once on keep for a 2d. I needed to run and assess out this bull.

Wow, he used to be usually the largest bull I’d ever seen. I obtained within 200 yards and he quickly took off with his cows. What a bull. Well, time to get back after the antelope.

I glassed from each ridge however no person was once house. Good enough, time to leap. I ran back to camp, jumped in my truck and went to my 2nd spot. Nothing there either, so I drove to the back finish of the pasture, hopped up on a ridge and mounted my spotting scope. A mile off I spotted just a few.

I ran again to the truck and grabbed my equipment and took off. At a half of mile, I ran out of cover so I backed up and went to the highest of the mountain and curled at the back of it. This wasn’t going to work either, so I reduce over one more ridge and part-hilled down to them. At one spot I had to go, I’d be seen. They threw up their heads but didn’t spook. I was soon within 1,000 and then at four hundred-500 yards ran out of cover.

I’d installed a Leupold VX3 four.5-14 best spotting scope on my 25-06 and had proven a number of ammo however had gotten the pleasant organizations with Hornady Superformance 117 gr SST ammo. I’d practiced loads at lengthy distances, so I felt cozy taking a shot.

I’d left my spotting scope within the truck however had my Leupold Mojave 3 professional advisor HD binocs. Boy are they crisp. He wasn’t a giant buck, however after staring at him slightly I determined he used to be the one. I’d put on a Harris bi-pod for shooting out on the prairie but had crawled up underneath a giant juniper tree, so I laid my rifle on a enormous branch and bought comfortable.

I waited unless he moved over by himself so I wouldn’t pass via and hit considered one of his does. I slipped off the safeguard and took a long squeeze. At the bark of the rifle he took off. The does stood looking round a minute earlier than spooking.

I jumped over the top of the ridge, hoping they’d cross by using. Within a minute the first doe came over the crest. Pretty soon there have been eight does and one smaller buck. The giant buck hadn’t adopted. Excellent, supposed he used to be down. I backtracked towards where he was once and quickly saw a snow white stomach over a small hump. I ran over and definite ample, there he used to be. I had some new steel Will knives to test out and skinned and boned him out proper fast. What exceptional knives.

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Whew, this had been the hardest antelope hunt I’d ever had. It’d been more like an elk hunt with the 2-hour stalk. And to prime off the day, at the same time packing him back to the truck I jumped the largest three point buck I’ve ever noticeable. He was an easy 30 inches. What a first-rate day.