I just returned from WY and thought I would share my adventure. My hunt did not culminate in a harvest, but I had a great time nonetheless. I hunted a combination of private and public lands. I was hoping to hunt water tanks with a blind and/or use a ladder stand over a windmill water tank. As it worked out, there was so much rain that hunting water tanks or seeps would not have been unproductive. That said, I chose to hunt the pronghorn with an antelope decoy, and on private land, the use of a ground blind overlooking an alfalfa field. While watching the pronghorn enter and leave the private land alfalfa field, I noticed a row of round bales the antelope seemed to walk past. I placed my ground blind on the end of the round bale line in hopes that an antelope would walk past. Every day, and almost all day long, there were pronghorn in this alfalfa field. Most of the antelope would enter and leave the field from the north and back to the north.
Image of the tent setup
Image of the blind facing the alfalfa field
On the second day of season and while hunting the private ranch, I an antelope walked past my blind, within 10 yards, however, it was four minutes before shooting time. Ugh! The antelope trotted over to another doe who entered the field at the other end of the round bale line.
One of the does in the alfalfa field about 70 yards away.
During an afternoon scouting trip, I was driving along a stretch of Walk In Area (WIA). I stopped to photograph these two bucks. They were only 30-40 yards away and they began walking toward me. It immediately occurred to me that these bucks might be in the right mood for a stalk. I drove down the road to a location where there was a hill blocking my approach. I gathered my decoy, bow and began my stalk. The bucks noticed my approach once I topped the hill, behind the decoy. I approached them slightly obliquely and forward. They walked toward me. One buck began making a scrape and they both became very excited. I began moving toward them, as they had moved toward me previously, in hopes they would continue to approach, but then spooks ed and ran further out. I held my in hopes they would reproach. They ran off and the hunt continued.
While walking into my blind on the third day, I began my approach toward my blind an hour before legal hunting time. As I was approaching my blind, I noticed a low, guttural sound best described as a hum. It was a sound I've never heard in my life. As I continued my approach toward my blind, I noticed the sound/animal continued to follow me at a very close distance. At some point, I stopped and turned on my red lens headlamp. I could see nothing. I continued forward and entered my blind. The sound continued as the buck antelope (I presume) continued to make this low, guttural hum before moving on. I have done some research and found that antelope make basically four sounds: Snort, Snort-chuckle, Wheeze and Hum. I've heard a snort before, usually not a good experience.
Here are a few more pics from my hunt:
Mule deer
And