Camping on the prairie?

[centaur]

Typical Wyoming prairie in August

[Greg Skinner]

I have to echo Hunt Its remarks about the tent.  The ordinary family camping type tent is no match for the wind you will likely experience, no matter how well you guy them down.  Whip's pyramid style or a tepee style is much more wind resistant than any dome type in my experience.

[John3]

I do the exact thing with the frozen gallon milk jugs...

Don't forget bug dope and sun screen..!  I've had mosquito's like to eat me alive with the sun beating down on me in 95 degree heat..  Yeah!  As fun as it gets....

 

 

John III

[wisconsinteacher]

Well, I got my tag today.  Zone 19 WY.  The more I read, the more I am thinking about sleeping in the bed of the truck on an air bed with the topper windows open if need be.  I hope the truck does not blow away.  I have a Ford 150 SuperCab so a single bed should fit just right.  I ran to town today and got a few things.  A nice chair to sit in.  I sat in it at the store for 10 minutes to test it out.  I also got some brush trimmers to cut grass and brush in the blind.  I am really getting pumped up for this.  I am planning on taking three blinds.  Two to be set out and one as a back up.  I have knee pads and leather gloves, spotting scope, binos, camera, and coolers.  I need to pick up a solar shower.

[AZ_Shooter]

These pictures are making my life very, very difficult.  The prairies have a way of getting into your blood.  I moved from the prairies of NE Montana 13 years ago, and I have been trying to get back ever since.

Depending on where you pitch your tent, you may need an extra thick/strong ground cloth to prevent the grass from tearing the bottom of your tent.

[ksbowman]

Matt, My hunting has been best over water holes and if there is a cut feeding the tank (pond) cut some sage and build yourself a blind in the cut. Practice out to 40 yards if you can.Our last trip to Wyoming we had kill shots from 10 to 40 yards.I didn't want to bad mouth the Coleman tent, but I've seen the Coleman and Ozark tents laying flat in Wyoming winds, made me real proud of my Cabela's EWT tent!  Ben

[Pete Arthur]

Wow. Those prairie camp pictures are great! I love it out that way.
Whip- how did you contend with the "creepy crawlies" in that tent without a floor? Yikes.

[JEJ]

Centaur's "typical Wyoming prairie in August" pic sure looks inviting doesn't it? I've been following Wisconsinteacher's plans for this hunting trip too, and it's getting close for him. Keep us posted on this, and best of luck!      

[wisconsinteacher]

Thanks for the luck, I will need it.  I have to shingle two more homes this summer and the trip will be covered plus a little extra incase there is to be a new addition to the wall of fame in the house.

[bucksaw]

If you are back in off the gravel on ranch roads and 2 tracks be aware that if you get a big downpour
you could be in trouble, even with 4x4. The prairie top soil turns into a greasy, slippery slime goo "Gumbo" that you would not believe.

[knobby]

Keep your camera inside a ziplock bag until you use it. Cameras don't like all the dirt and sand getting into the working parts. I failed to think of this on my first antelope hunt, and I could feel the grinding inside the camera whenever I had to advance the film. It's not pretty.

[wisconsinteacher]

I just talked to the rancher and said there are three wells that I can camp by so that water is close.  If I get an antelope, he has a room where I can process it with hot and cold water also a freezer if I needed to keep the meat cold until I came home.  He said it can get cold at night and that there are trees around the ranch to camp next to and to hang an animal if need be, if not there, he said I could use the shed to hang an animal in.  I can't wait to meet him and give him some bear sausage, WI beer, and WI cheese.  My wife is going to make cookies for him also.

[Jack Skinner]

Others have great advice also

A few things on care of antelope meat. Antelope is different from other animals like deer/elk. Dont hang unless it is cold period. Antelope will go bad in one hour or less in 75+ heat. I am not sure what is different about the meat but you want a good tasting animal. If you have shade hang and skin immediately and cool in cooler if available. IF NOT, quarter your goat up and put in cooler (coleman type) with ice as soon as possible. If you have to to get it to fit bone it out. I have been doing this for years. Here in WY most people dont like the taste of antelope that is because they shoot a goat and gut then drive around looking for another one to fill their tags (mostly gun but some others as well). They usually throw the meat out and keep the horns by the time they get home or to camp. Dont make this mistake antelope is excellant but needs field care immediately. Keep proof of sex if needed for G&F.

Sleeping in back of truck works great I have done that myself. Use tarp off truck for additonal shade if needed. Dont let the wind scare you but a cheap style tent will not stand up to a WY wind/thunderstorm for very long. So if you dont have good tent with fly then truck will work great.

Wear a pair of shorts under your pants and carry some sandals in your pack, when you strip to almost your birthday suit and you will if you stay in a blind most of the day, you will be glad to have sandals on your feet and at least your naughty parts covered when that shot opportunity comes. I have seen my friend hop-skip-jump over the ground to try for a follow-up shot. It took a couple of days to get all the thorns from his feet.

Good luck.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

Oh man, I forgot about the skitter spray. The kicked are butts one time in southeast Montana. Don't forget it!!

You guys are sure getting me fired up for are antelope/muledeer trip this fall to western Kansas.  :D  

Tracy

[VTer]

Sounds like you're going to have a good time and the rancher really wants to help you. If you really want to thank him proper though, you should get him some VT chedder!  

[Whip]

Originally posted by VTer:
Sounds like you're going to have a good time and the rancher really wants to help you. If you really want to thank him proper though, you should get him some VT chedder!      

Hey, we don't wear cheese hats on our heads for no reason.  Nothing better than a good Wisconsin cheese.      And lots of them are a whole lot better than cheddar           :D

[pronghorn23]

Do you think a Eureka Tetragon 9 dome tent would hold up to the winds/storms?

Thinking of purchasing one of these for a fall trip to SD.

[wisconsinteacher]

I want to get him different kinds of cheese.  The only thing I will not take is German Brick and Limberger (sp).  I don't want my truck smelling like a teenagers sock.

[bowslinger]

One other suggestion.  Take an extra 5-gallon bucket with a lid for storing your hunting clothes.  When you arrive, clip some sagebrush and crush the leaves and branches and put them in the bucket with your clothes as a cover scent.  I have even soaked crushed leaves in water in a separate bucket and refilled a spray bottle to use as a spray on cover scent.  The sage can be a pretty strong cover scent.

I am really getting excited about this hunt and I'm not even going!  Great tips guys!  Take lots of pictures to share!!

[smoke1953]

Todd you might want to look at the aluminum pole tents like the Cabelas XPG. The fiberglass poles just don't stand up in the wind as well. I have the Cabelas Quad Pole which has been a great tent but flattened out in the winds of Comptons last year.  It didn't go down but one pole snapped.