Wyoming Antelope Hunt

[Missouri Sherpa]

Missouri Sherpa here, kicking off my 2007 hunting season.  This year I am hunting on the Richard Johnson family ranch about 8 miles north of Wheatland Wyoming.  Interstate 25 runs through the middle of it so you have probably seen it if you have ever driven I-25 out of Cheyenne to points north.  This year I took a friend of mine on his first antelope hunt and this actually is his animal.  Very nice goat for your first archery kill I would say.

   

The ranch is nearly 39,000 acres now with the addition of the Devil's Washtub ranch this year.  There are some irrigation ponds on the ranch and we camped by this one.  Lots of wildlife attracted to these ponds, including ducks, geese, cranes, mule deer and antelope.
   
This fellow also lives there.  He is some kind of a leopard frog but of a different color than we have in Iowa so I wanted to capture a picture of him.

   

We had a daily rainbow every afternoon.  Not so good for antelope hunting but good for the antelope having enough to eat.  The forage was as green as I have seen in Wyoming for Mid-August.

   

I saw abundant antelope from my blind.  These four yearling bucks came in every day.
   
This is another picture taken from my blind of the water tank where I sat.  Lots of little birds all day long.  Doves, meadowlarks, sparrows and several little brown and black birds I did not recognize.

   

There were several hawks hanging around too.  Some would land on the post at the water tank.  This one spent every afternoon perched on this irrigation pivot.  One small hawk was hot after a little bird that escaped death by crashing into my blind.

   

I am sure he was really as surprised as I was to have him crashland into my lap.  He was pretty well spent from evading the hawk.  I let him catch his breath and released him.

[robslifts]

congrats nice goat also saw a lot last year in douglas, wy but was hunting mule deer and did not come home with one but an experiance I will never forget.

where were you hunting at??

what did you take it with
any stories??

[Missouri Sherpa]

This is what the antelope look like as they are coming in to water.  Sorry for the fuzzy picture but they are about 600 yards out.  As they feed up the hill you will first see the tips of their ears or horns.  It can take them anywhere from a minute to 2-3 hours to make it in for a drink.  As soon as I see them I button up the blind except for one hole to shoot through nearest the water tank and a small opening to see through on one other side.  I am shooting a Super Shrew 58" bow with 600 gr carbon arrows so I do not want to risk shooting through the mesh window covering and I leave only one hole open.  A compound bow can shoot through the blind mesh but with the archers paradox causing the arrow to flex as it leaves the bow I am afraid to try shooting through it with a longbow.  Closing up the blind stops the breeze from coming through and that sweatbox heats up in a hurry in the 95 degree heat.  I tried leaving some ventilation holes open but that allows scent to escape and I had several antelope blow out without a drink once they caught a nosefull of me.

     
I saw a lot of bucks like this, usually in groups of 2-6 animals.  The bucks were all running separate from the does this time of year.  Sometimes the bucks would hang up and wait for some does or fawns to come in to drink to make sure the coast was clear but they were usually going their separate ways.
     
One day I had ten bucks come in together.  You can make out 9 or them in this picture.  I think 6 of the 10 would be shooters for most people running 12-13 inches or better.  I saw one buck that had to be 16 inches.  I was holding out for a shot at him but he was either very smart or very lucky and never exposed himself to me for a shot by keeping in between does as he went to water.  I have taken several good antelope and don't need the taxidermy bill for any more unless its a hog, so I passed on several nice antelope this trip.
   

This is Ray's first antelope.  He tagged out the second day.  He makes precision custom rifles and likes long range shooting.  He went prairie dog shooting the last couple of days while I continued my hunt.
       I had this guy at 16 yards and shot over his back the first day.  I took this picture the last day through the blind mesh.  He is a pretty good goat that I wish I had taken but still not the big dog that rules this piece of the prairie.  I wish I had a picture of him but I was too busy trying to keep still and ready to kill him I wasn't able to get a pic.  I spent over 45 hours in that sweatbox blind trying to get my antelope and find no shame in coming home with an empty tag.  I had a very good hunt.  This ranch charges a tresspass fee and they have some elk, antelope, mule deer, praire dog shooting and trout fishing.  I will probably go back some day with my son for antelope and I want to try the spot and stalk mule deer hunting along the river and in the tall sage.  If you are interested in talking to these people about a hunt send me a PM.

[bmfer]

Yeah, let's hear the story!

[Dave Coalter]

Dosen't look like you had any fun to me, by the way who has the bigger smile you or the goat. Congrats.

[wingnut]

What bow and arrow combo did you use for the goats?

Mike

[mmgrode]

Cool hunt!(well, maybe "cool" isn't the word for it;)  Congrats to your friend on the goat!! Thanks for taking us along.       Cheers, Matt

[Onestringer]

Very Very Cool,  sent you a PM.  Love the pics.

Scott

[geno]

PM SENT

[fireman_3311]

Looks like a success to me!!! I hope mine goes as good or better, next week out near Douglas, Wyo!!!

[Pinecone]

Great pics!  I'll be hunting WY antelope starting September 3rd and your photos just add to the excitement.  Very cool!

Claudia

[BigRonHuntAlot]

   

[vermonster13]

Very Nice!

[Brian Gillispie]

Hey there,


Are antelope tasty to eat?

Brian G

[Missouri Sherpa]

Properly cared for antelope is, in my mind superior to whitetail and mule deer but not as good as elk.  To me, properly cared for means you get it gutted, the hide off and off the bone in the cooler within an hour of putting the arrow through him.  If you can't do that you may not care for antelope meat.

[snufer]

Excellent advice Miss. Sherpa, antelope meat is some of the finest wild game to eat, but the trick is to get it iced down quickly! Although, the last one that I shot was heavy into the rut and the meat was very strong tasting, (even my dog didn't like it!)

[IB]

Anybody eatin Goat (Antelope) will Drink Bath WATER      :eek:        

[Charlie Lamb]

Thought you liked "aged" bath water??

[hormoan]

Charlie, if Vance has been in it, it is aged.    Could'nt resist old buddy  :D  


                   Brent