St. Jude's Firefly Makes Meat in Wyoming!

[Pinecone]

Oh. my gosh...what a week in Wyoming!!!  

I tuned up my 47# St. Jude's longbow before my annual Wyoming adventure and was shooting 3" groups at 20 yards with a STOS tipped 565 grain carbon arrow.  The arrow was burying deep into my foam target, so I was certain that if I did my part, the bow and arrow would do theirs at the moment of truth.

Unlike my wet and cold hunt last year, this year the weather was expected to be perfect, so I hit the road early last Sunday morning and pointed my SUV South and West.  In less than eight hours I would be there and as I sped along, my vehicle eating up the miles,the excitement was growing...

[Drew]

ahhh you story draggers, on with it!

Congrats!

[Irish]

I have a plane to catch to Australia tomorrow morning, don't wait too long to post some pictures.  I want to see them before I leave - so don't Charlie Lamb this Claudia!!!    

[Ray]

Well if I forget to check back on this one,let me say now - condrads.

[bentpole]

   

[BUFF]

tease....congrats

[Pinecone]

I arrived at camp by 2:30 Sunday afternoon, quickly greeted everyone and began unpacking and organizing my gear.  Within an hour I was set.  Now I could relax, meet the other hunters as they began to arrive, and catch up with all of my old Spearhead ranch friends.

As hunters began to drive into the ranch and settle in, I quickly noted that there were several other traditional enthusiasts among this week's group.  In fact, including me, there were four of us toting either longbows or recurves...the highest number ever in my nine years of coming to the ranch.

Some of hunters in camp were like me, repeat clints who had been to Spearhead multiple times.  Still others were here for their first time and even more, their first outfitted hunt ever.

I was particularly hopeful that those hunters who had saved for years in hopes of taking their first Pronghorn would be richly rewarded with beautiful animals and amazing memories to be carried throughout their lifetime.

[Pinecone]

Day one of the hunt was magnificent.  The sky dawned clear and bright and as the morning progressed from temperate and warm to breezy and hot, the steel blind felt like an oven.  In another couple of hours, I was sure that I would be "done" way past medium!  Thank goodness I had plenty of water.  I was sure that I would need it.

In the years I have been hunting this ranch, I have learned that the best way to kill a trophy Pronghorn is to read a book.  I realize that to the less informed this may seem an atypical, even unusual hunting tactic, but I have come to know it as my ace-in-the-hole for getting a shot at a dandy.  So this year, I deployed Louis L'Amour's "Radigan" as my secret weapon and insurance policy at getting a shot.

[Killdeer]

I thought that you had to be a prisoner somewhere before you had to sit in "the box". You PAID to do that? Well, prisoners don't get to read Louis L'Amour.

Being on a sprawling ranch with a bow and good arrows is enough to justify paying, to me. Now...The Rest of the Story!
Killdeer  

[Pinecone]

It was just after noon and I was learning about Radigan's secret hideaway in a cave not far from his ranch when I peeked up from the book and caught sight of a huge set of cutters drift across my shooting window.  DRAT!  Although my stategy had worked, I was caught flat-footed with my bow hanging to my right and still sitting in the chair.  I would have little time to put the book down, stand up undetected, and get my longbow ready for a shot.  I quickly went into stealthy action...

Simultaneously, I put the book down and stood up to a crouching position, out of the pronghorn's line of sight.  There were does and fawns at the water with this buck and I needed to be particulalry careful to avoid the many sets of eyes.

I slowly reached for the bow, immediately nocking an arrow, and began to rise from my crouched position to face the 18" x 10" shooting hole.  The buck was broadside, but a doe was easing up beside him just opposite.  If I was going to shoot without endangering the doe, it was going to have to be now.

The bow raised without hesitation, I drew the string to anchor and focused my full attention on a spot low in the chest.  In an instant, the red fletched carbon shaft tipped with 260 grain STOS BH's was on its way and in another instant found its mark.

Antelope exploded out on to the prairie, white and sand bodies bounding through the golden grass and dense sage, anxious to put distance between themselves and the unseen danger.  But behind the group of fleeing pronghorns, a mighty buck lay in the tall grass of a shallow draw...finished.

[Pinecone]

I checked my watch...12:15 pm MT.  There was no hurry, so I waited plenty of time before retreiving the big goat.  When I finally walked up to him, I was amazed.  He was a real beauty...a perfect pronghorn with thick bases, massive cutters, and good length.  Although I am certainly not a trophy hunter, I was certain that this buck would score over 70".  My goodness, I was in awe...and grateful beyond words to take such an beautiful animal.  Needless to say, first I thanked God and then acknowledged my new friend Radigan for all his help   !

 

[fatman]

fine antelope, Claudia  

[Pinecone]

Day one was finished, but I still had more time to hunt and as my hunt was for two animals...either a mule deer and pronghorn or two pronghorns, I had plenty of options to think about as I began Day two...

[rastaman]

Beautiful animal!

[kennym]

Congrats!! Fine job!  

[Killdeer]

Don't order yet, there's more?
Grand hunt, and the perfect shot.

Killdeer      

[Widowbender]

Great story, Claudia!!! That's a nice buck!!! Congratulations!!
   

[Pinecone]

Day two found me a blind called the Solar Well and if I thought my first day was hot, well...I sure had a new definition of misery by the end of this day!  Holy smokes was it a scorcher!

I watched countless aniamls quench their thirst a scant 17 yards away from my position on this day, including quite a few young mulie bucks and some other dandy pronghorns, but I decided not to shoot. I had several days left to hunt and I wanted to look over a few more animals before I filled my next tag.

[Pinecone]

The heat had sure taken a toll on my energy level and felt myself get up a little slower on Day three.  As Killie said, given that the temperature inside the blinds is typically a blazing 100+ F during the early weeks of antelope season, I wasn't sure why I insisted on paying for this "fun" year after year.  But then again...I sure wasn't going to see any pronhorns at the bunk house, so off I went to a blind called the Studio for Day three.

I had numerous opportunities at immature mulie bucks as well as some nice prongorn bucks throughout the day, but again I decided to pass on the offerings.  I wasn't really looking as much at horn size in filling this tag as I was at the age of the animal.  I wanted to take a buck that had lived his life, one that had passed his genes along to the fawns on the prairie.  I wanted to beat a mature animal at his own game on his own turf...and beat him fair and square.

At just before 7pm MT and about an hour before the days hunt was to end, a group of pronghorns approached the water.  Among the swirling mass of does, fawns, and small bucks was a broad chested, thick horned brute of a goat.  I am not sure that he was the biggest buck I had looked over, but he was massive and more important, mature.  I knew immediately that if the other animals cleared and the shot opportunity was right, that I would try to take him.  This was the the calibre of animal I had been waiting for.

It took some time, but one by one all the antelope eventually peeled off from the pool of water, leaving the big buck staring after them.  He was facing the blind then and I wasn't sure that I would have a shot at him.  Just then he began walking around the water hole until stopping broadside at 15 yards, his head held high, staring out over the distant swaying of the grass, looking every bit like the monarch he was.

For the second time of the week, I raised the 62" St. Jude's Firefly longbow, drew to the right sight picture, and released.  The arrow hit the buck perfectly in mid-chest and after a blistering 100 yard dash, he collapsed on the prairie.  It took only seconds for him to expire and I was again grateful for the humane manner in which the well-placed arrow dispatched this noble creature.

 

When we got him back to the ranch he was quickly rough-scored by one of the guides and I learned that he too had horns that were beyond the P&Y minimum.  What are the odds that a non-trophy hunter would kill two P&Y trophys a day apart?  Well, at Spearhead Ranch...pretty good.  The place is literally crawling with them and once in a while, a hunter can get lucky enough to actually arrow one (or two)    I was deeply humbled at my good fortune...and that is an understatement.

But the story of my 2009 Wyoming hunt does not end with me, it actually only starts there.  All of my hunting partners killed beautiful animals and I am proud to say that my fellow trad hunters were 100% on great shots and rapid recoveries.

Much can be said about hunting camps and those who frequent them, but suffice it to say in the shared experiences of the hunt, in a place where our individual journeys converge and co-mingle, we become connected to one another in a community like no other. I am proud to be associated with such men and women...to be a part of their stories and to have them as a part of mine.  And so, my thanks go out to this year's hunting companions...to Luke, Scott, Tom, Billy, Dan, Forrest, George, Ed, Steve, and Bob.  It was a pleasure sharing your campfire    .  May many blessings be yours.

Claudia

[Pinecone]

Second antelope pic...I didn't mean to post the little buck up top!