Antelope from portable blind on public land?

[T-Bone]

This season I am going to try antelope hunting from my pop up blind on public land, however, I have to put it up in early mornings and remove it in the evening after the hunt each night.  I intend on hunting near water holes.  Can any body offer some sound advice as it relates to this or offer some experiences that may help me have success.  Or is this attempt simply a waste of time because the antelope will be too skitish to seeing a blind just recently set up at their water hole.  Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Tom

[birddogdoc]

Tom...thanks for the post, as I'd like to hear the advice people give.  I plan to do the same thing this summer!

[4 point]

Tom, it will work fine. You might find they are skitish at first and will look your blind over real hard for awile. It might take awile but they will give in and come to get a drink. Sit all day from daylight till dark and you will get a shot at one. Good Luck                             Travis

[Don Thomas]

Funny thing... The two species we hunt that have the best vision--antelope and turkeys--are also the most naive about blinds. Chances are they will ignore it. If you are on a large piece of water they may come in as far away from you as get, but they'll still come in. The solution to that problem is to find water small enough so that you can shoot them wherever they are. Take advantage of whatever terrain feature are available to break up the outline of the blind. That may not be much in typical antelope terrain, but just getting off the skyline will help. Your plan is sound. Go for it. Don

[nurayb]

If you can not shoot to a certain part of the water, you can create a barricade with some debris.  The animals will avoid it and come to the water were you want them.  Like Don said, if you can use any terrain to your advantage in hiding your blind do it.

[Chad Lewis]

My experience, I'd put something there while your blind isn't.

You're in for some long sits that can get very frustrating on blinds that haven't been set up.

Sure many does and some smaller bucks will come in the first day, but I can guarentee any decent buck will not come in the first day or so unless it's hotter than you know what, and you are on the only water source around.

There is nothing more frustrating than waiting on that buck, and watching him from 100yds out decide your waterhole isn't the one he wants to drink from because of the new blind.

I should add if you can find a water source with a windmill on it, or some sort of structure for cattle, I'd place it there.

Sounds like you're hunting one of the walk in areas.

[Mike Yancey]

Any structure that is already there will help you so much. I have seen it where a few fence post at a corner of a water hole was all it took. When the blind was set away from it the antelope would avoid it all together.
 There again like Chad said, if its smokin' hot and there is no other water in the area they will come in no mater what but many times the big bucks will stand off and look at you all day long. But they are wild animals and there is no figuring them out, there was a guy hunting in the same area that I was in WY last year and walked in and set up a double bull blind and took a 80'' buck the first day and there was nothing but the blind on that hole.
 Either way if you stick it out and the wind don't mess you up you should get a shot.
Mike

[T-Bone]

I can't thank you all you guys enough for all the good advice.  I will be hunting in North east Colorado and I will definitely post the results of this hunt.  Please keep the posts comin in regarding past experiences on huting antelope becuase they are fascinationg.

Thanks again,

Tom

[Whitetail Chaser]

Not to divert the attention of the thread, but I have a public land waterhole used by muleys a bunch.  Would the same walk-in tactics work for a double bull with muleys?

Brett

[Goke]

Tom,

I have succesfully killed antelope from a ground blind placed the same day. I think the two key things are: 1) a small water hole; and 2) something that will break up the outline of your blind. Here is a photo of a buck I shot last year. Not huge but I had two good shots at him. He was not concerned at all with the blind. You can see the blind in the background.  

[sweeney3]

I appriciate this thread.  I'd like to try a public land hunt on my own this fall.  I've read some about it and it sounds interesting.

[Jack Skinner]

As far as directing them towards your blind if the water is large. We have been sucessful with just some two to three foot stakes and string. Tie on a few pieces of your blood trailing tape to flap in the breeze for show and most antelope will walk around it to the spot you want close to your blind. I say most because there was this ragged pore doe with twin fawns that were sucking her dry and she would jump the string like a deer and go to the water where ever she wanted. We were lucky and had a old railroad bed as a backdrop to help hide our blinds outline.