Selfbow Antelope 2012

[Jack Skinner]

Three strikes and you are out that is what I told myself when the dry doe stuck her head in the seep and gave me a quartering shot. The three strikes were on bucks, all of which I shot over their backs. Does anyone else have a time spand where they just dont shoot up to par? Well mine is in Aug and that happens to be antelope season. I struggle in Aug it starts at the local 2 day shoot in early Aug and continues until Sep which I then get my grove back. I need to fix this situation but that will be for another forum.
Here is practice range
 
 
Not bad here
 

Season opens on the 15th and I was there driving around and seeing this. This is my water hole from last year.
 
These are ponds dug out and the burm left to help the snow drift in. When it melts instant water hole. A lot of these normally last thru Aug and some till it snows again but all were empty this year. And out of 4 Solar wells, two wind mills, and a spring only one solar was operating properly, one was leaking at the well and all the others were none functing and dry. The one solar that did work the antelope avoid it like the plage, not sure why but they just dont like it and two of us have sat this well.
 
Here is Maggie helping me put in my blind. I did miss a yoddle dog here.
 
More to come

[Jack Skinner]

This solar well was leaking from the well head. It caused a seep to run from the well to the pond, and then someone had dug out part of the earthen damn. We repaired the damn and set up on the pond. We could also shoot the seep between the the well and pond. Sonny got a good goat from the seep with his recurve.
Here is the well
 
Here we are discussing the set up.
 
These ladies came in to water, they are safe. Season doesnt open for them until 1 Sep
 
As I said Sonny got a buck here but when I sat this well the goats were wired. After the deer water a half dozen goats that had been watching the water for a hour came in but they were so nervous that I couldnt get shot. Mostly they watered facing me.
I spent the rest of the first hunt on the spring which was the hot spot. But not without its challanges.
When I say hot spot look at this herd of bucks
 
This is the spring
 

[Jack Skinner]

This spring has been built up and protected so the livestock dont stomp it in and close it off.
   
Here is where the water seeps in the old tire. Then it is pump into the water hole.
   
Normally it then runs out of the first water hole and there are two others down the line. In a good year the third pond has water till the middle of Aug and the middle pond always holds some water. This year both lower ponds were dry and there was a little seepage down past the pond. We use twine to make a temp fence around pond to get goats to water in the seep. It worked great. We set two blinds on the seep below the water hole.
Here is what it looks like.
   
You can see the double bull setting on the corner. We set another blind father down the seep. Todd got the second goat of the hunt from the double bull while I sat below. The shots from my blind were a little far for me, so I let a darkside hunter that came along to learn to blind hunt sit it the next day. Tye, Sonny's son was in the double bull, and Ron was in my spot when they got surrounded by about 24 antelope. Both shot goats within a few minutes of each other. It was a first for us a double at the same water hole. After recovering both goats I let this spring rest and then sat the spring the next morning and MISSSED my second buck which was a mighty fine buck. He water to my left at 8 yds but I couldnt shot in that direction from the blind. As he left he gave me a hard quartering shot and I thought in the liver and up thru off shoulder and or clean miss. Should have had the positive thought last because it was a clean miss (the second best shot in archery hunting). We ended this hunt with 4 out of 5 getting antelope, it was a great hunt.
Here is one of the locals. These guys are tuff! 3 grown men will break a sweat just flatting a spot for a blind. When these guys dig they look like they are having a fun day at the beach tossing the dirt like sand. Love their gruff manner.
   

I return Fri buy myself and set up on the sping again. Tyed off the water hole and placed my blind down from Todd's double bull which I borrowed. Use my blind to get the goats to cheese up my way for closer shot like a decoy blind. My set up on return hunt.
   
You can see the top of my second blind. The idea is to get the goats to water in the middle of the two. It works well.

[FerretWYO]

Awesome stuff so far Jack.

[Tater]

Waiting for the rest of the story....    

   Nice pictures...Thanks

[Jack Skinner]

So on Fri I am in blind by 3pm. Our hotspot was no longer. It had rained you could tell because the dust was way down. The critters here are experts on finding water it is after all a matter of life and death. Well around 630 two decent bucks come in and walk in perfect and one gives me the old broadside and I procede to shoot over his back. I am just dejected 3 missed bucks. At dark I make a tent camp 1/4 mile away and sit and brood. Well a beautiful starry night help my mood some and also an adult beverage. In the morning at first light I shot a bunch of arrows and well all of sudden I was hitting the clumps I was looking at. This just may be the day. Well I sat from 0700 till around 1000 with nothing, then finally a little spinly yearling came in to water. I was not that desperate I have seen more meat on a year old carcass. I let him water unmolested. Hour later the doe I referred to earlier came in with another doe who had fawn. Well fawn recruitment in this area was not looking good. So doe with fawn off limits but older dry doe why she is just a grocery eating machine. I believe in listening to fate Three misses and now an offering. Well the arrow intered a little back but angled up got liver and one lung lodged in off side rib. She ran a huge circle around to my back side and stopped in the grease wood. I jumped out of the blind to watch her and saw her lay down. It was over. It just wasnt to be for me to get a buck this year but a fine doe was offered and will fill my freezer with great steaks and breakfast sausage.
where she layed down
   
A fine old girl
   
   
This one is for Steadman. Love his black tee in the blind early in the morning before the heat sets in and you begin to melt like butter in the microwave.
   

It was a great season but for the first time we had more hunters than water holes. And if I learned anything it is that I have to find a way to beat my Aug slump. O and antelope are a lot like people all have their own personalities. What does not bother one antelope will make the next nervous and crazy. Speed goats on the high plains what a great hunt and good way to sweat off 5 lbs.

[gringol]

very cool.  congrats!

[Tater]

Congrats...Well done....!

[FerretWYO]

Congrats Jack. Thats how you come back from a miss right there.

[frassettor]

Great job, a great accomplishment !    

[rushlush]

Very cool, congrats!

[wooddamon1]

   

[centaur]

Way to go!    

[Fritz]

Too cool, dude!!! Congrats!  

[Flingblade]

Congrats on the fine doe!  Great pictures, thanks for sharing the story.  I know how you feel on the Aug. shooting slump.  I just returned from Nebraska where I missed three bucks and one doe.  I was sitting on a stock tank as that was the only water around and the goats were high strung, nervous, twitchy buggers when they came in.  When they are on alert I think their reflexes are faster than whitetail.

[Terry Green]

   

[Jack Skinner]

Thank you Gentilemen. A little about my equipment. The selfbow is the shortest I have made. Normally I like longbows not flatbows. It was a 62 inch osage and 58lbs@27. It cleared the blinds with room to spare. The arrows are home made poplar footed with hardwoods such as ebony/brazilian rosewood. The broadheads are homemade single bevel tradepoints in a 3to1 ratio. This is my second lope with all homemade equipment.

[Josh Perdue]

good job

[Bernie B.]

Nice story and a good antelope also!  I like your equipment and enjoyed your pictures.  Congratulations!    

Bernie Bjorklund

NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin

[huntnmuleys]

great pics and story!!  nice goat too.