OH NO......IT'S SNOWING/TradGanger adventures and the hunt for old Crooked Horn.

[Charlie Lamb]

Well, not being one to give up on a situation...what do they say about hope springing eternal?... I headed back up into that same meadow yesterday. (I'm going back up there today as well)

Having learned my lesson, I took the long way around. Maybe I should say "the dry way around".

I'd already spotted what I thought was the same herd of antelope not far from the adventure of the day before.
Once again the goats were outside the fence near the willows. It suddenly occurred to me just why they were there.

The fenced in meadow contains the cows when they are present. What that means is that the cows crop every blade of grass inside the fence to a nub.
Just outside the fence in the fifty yard strip between fence and willows, the grass is untouched. Duh, Lamb!!

I'd closed the gap to about 60 yards with good willow cover between the antelope and my approach. There was one opening to cross before I could make a final move. The only direction I could be seen from was the side toward the open meadow.

Rutty buck antelope are constantly herding their does here and there and chasing down any "escapees". Guess what?

A yearling doe broke from the group and headed out into the open meadow with the buck hot on her heels.
For whatever reason he gave up on her and headed back to the rest of the girls, leaving the yearling standing...you guessed it...right across the fence from where I stood in the open. Arrrrrrrrrrgh!

She spotted me immediately and although she didn't have a clue what I was, she knew she didn't like what she was seeing.

So the battle of wills began. She waiting for some kind of movement out of me and me refusing to let her see any movement.

She stared at me for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only...er... an eternity!

Just when I thought she would lose interest, and go away, I looked up and saw the rest of the herd running my way down my side of the fence line.

Taking the chance of blowing the whole deal I knelt quickly and readied my bow.

(cont.)

[Ted Fry]

Nice pause Charlie , now we can all take a deep breath!

[bbassi]

like molasses in January...  

[Roughcountry]

Great reading for lunch, thanks bud    

Like the chicken pic a bunch  

[Charlie Lamb]

It was looking better by the second. The antelope looked like they'd split up to navigate around an old hay slide and the one's that came on my side would be within 15 yards.

And then of course things really went south. The leader of the pack keyed in on the lone doe in the field and stopped, as did the rest of her sisters.

It was obvious that her sister in the field had seen or was seeing something alarming and she wanted to know what. I held my ground.

She could just not pick me out as a threat, but in short order decided there must be something there and led her charges away into the field and out of my life once more.

As before I let them move completely out of sight before heading for the house.

[Charlie Lamb]

It is almost a ritual that Vance and I get out the last hour or two of daylight to hunt sage grouse and we wouldn't break tradition this day either.

I'd taken almost as long with the stalk on this day as the day before and once again Vance was waiting for me.

I threw my bow in the back seat along with my shoulder slung side quiver that my good buddy Robin Severe had made me. I had all my chicken arrows in it and reserved the arrows in my bowquiver for big game.

It's absolutely perfect for this hunting. It's solid construction and padded shoulder strap keep my arrows safe and me safe from them. The strap won't allow the quiver to slip and I like that a lot. You have to physically move the quiver where you want it and it stays there.

[Charlie Lamb]

As it turned out the evening was much better for me in the shooting department.
I had taken three shots at grouse and bagged two (the limit). The other shot cut feathers but didn't hurt the bird that I could tell.

I was shooting broadheads and they put the birds down where they were hit.

   

   

I like to get photos of multiple animals when hunting small game, but with birds it's critical to get them cleaned and cooled as quickly as possible, so the cleaning took place as soon as the kill was made.

To get two birds from the same flock is very tough. I've only done it once that I can remember.

[Charlie Lamb]

That's about it for now. Maybe tomorrow or the next day I'll have more to add. As Chet would say, I've gotta "go where I can have an adventure".

Robin... Thanks so much for the quiver. I love it and will be trying to wear it out over the next couple of years.
 

[Lawrenceu]

Mr. Lamb,
I love reading your stuff.

[Guru]

Very nice Charlie!!  Can't wait to hunt with you again in TX!

What happened to Santa?

[Charlie Lamb]

Curt... Vance A. Clause has been busier than anyone needs to be during hunting season.

His obligations to work have kept him hopping all day everyday since I've been here. He's only had a minimum of time to chase sage grouse in the evenings with me.

By the time the day is over and he could write, he's to mentally exausted to deal with writing.

The big problem is that he's getting slammed with work from now until the end of the month.
I'll be slipping out of here this morning so I don't get any of that work stuff on me.
 

[Charlie Lamb]

Yesterday turned out to be one of those days. There was lots of equiptment maintenance to be done.... chicken arrows resharpened, laundry, cleaning my living quarters and a trip to town.

In the afternoon I slipped off into sage hen country. I got one more with a great twenty yard shot.
I was tickled because it was the only shot I had, so I was at 100%.

While I was up that way, I stopped to talk to another rancher for a while. That resulted in permission to antelope hunt on his property, so the time wasn't really lost even though it cut into my chicken hunting.

It looks very promising up there and I'll be spending the day at it.

With only a few days of my trip left, I need to be working hard at filling my last doe tag.
I'm getting a lot of guff from the wife about dragging my feet on this permit.... she thinks I can just go out and kill stuff at will.
I don't think she has a good grasp of the whole process.
     :D  

I've received some great news from back home in the last two days.

Chris Kinslow has sent me trail cam pictures of the area we'll be hunting toward the end of October. It looks very promising to say the least.

When I called the wife last night for my "no honey I'm not out partying with showgirls" check in, she told me that a lawyer friend of hers wants me to check out his new 300 acre property when I get back.
Since it's in the middle of prime Missouri whitetail country I'll be taking him up on that.

But of course that's another adventure waiting to happen and I've still got lots to experience here.
     

[beachbowhunter]

Charlie, sounds like you hit the hunting Trifecta right there!  :D

[Guru]

I know Vance is very busy.....I wish I could be there to help my bud out with his work. I know the story...and it's a great one....just can't wait for the gang to hear it....All good thing to those who wait!!

 Charlie, Sounds like you have some good hunting waiting to be done at home bud...good for you!

Then there's always TX to look forward too    :eek:    

[Barney]

Vance, sorry to hear about all the work. You know my situation right now. I ended up with pretty much mandatory 5 10's or more.  

[Roughcountry]

Great tellin and pics Charlie, hope you get the last goat before you pull out.    

I hope that quiver lasts at least ten or twenty hard years of chicken huntin. It does have a lifetime warrentee, when it wears out, thats the lifetime  :D  

Vance, I'm willin to wait for the story. You'll have plenty time when the cold hits  

[Charlie Lamb]

Robin... It's sure getting a work out. Lots of arrows going in and out of it. Dang those gripper sure hold on to the arrow!!

By the way, I'm still at 100% with my chicken shooting (if we're only counting since day before yesterday    :D  ), added one more to the list yesterday afternoon.

Also found what I believe will be a honey hole for antelope, so cross your fingers for me.

[Budog56]

[Guru]

[bowhunterfrompast]

     Sitting in my easy chair by the fire waiting for the rest of the story.

bhfp