School me on Antelope

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Tell me how to hunt these critters.

a couple friends and I are planning a public Land Antelope hunt this Fall.

It looks like a  lot of people sit Waterholes....

how do you discover active holes? Do you walk a lot or use binoculars to look for traffic? We have about a week to get a shot off. I'm not particular and will shoot a doe or buck if possible.

Looking at Google Satellite, it appears to have a lot of water in the region where we are heading.

[habujohn]

I like to spend a day glassing to see what water holes they are using or a fence crossing.  They are creatures of habit so if they do it once they are going to do it again.  Late Sept. is a great time to use a decoy and bring one in close when you challenge them.

[woodchucker]

I'll bite... Who's going???  

[Gehrke145]

Glass glass glass, if theres a bunch of water (cattle tanks) put a blind up on the one with the most tracks and put an old shirt on the others near by.  Give it a few days and hunt.

[highlow]

Great idea 145. Just make sure the shirts are offensively odoriferous. I'm no expert having hunted with an outfitter the two times I have hunted these guys and both times from waterholes. The one thing I can tell you is when an animal does come in, they will initially act much like a whitetail,i.e, they will put their head down and then jerk back up quickly. They do this a few times but when they do start to drink they will stay down as they have reassured themselves that all is well and that's your opportunity. I think you'll enjoy yourself no matter what. Wish I was going again.

[TSchirm]

Antelope are neurotic critters that are wired tight with piano wire.  they can be very high strung, especially in the morning.  They often seem to mellow out and relax a bit in the afternoon.

Water hole hunting is the most probable method for success.  Decoying can work, and they can be stalked if you can find some in broken terrain.  As you read about, their eyes are incredible.  When I worked for WY Game and Fish, I did antelope surveys pre-season and it is amazing how you can come into an area and glass antelope watching you from a mile away.

Use binoculars a lot.  find a high point and glass to locate animals and plan your stalk or decoying approach.  Depending on where you are hunting, if water holes are at all limited, then most will be used, although bigger bucks seem to tend to have favorites that have little cover around them.

Awesome animals.  Good luck, one of my favorite animals to hunt.  I miss Wyoming everyday.

[mnbwhtr]

Time your hunt in the rut,(after Sept 15th) use a decoy and expect some fast action. It's loads of fun, much more exciting than sitting on water.

[monterey]

If you Water hole Hunt, watch for them to come in and put their heads down to drink.... And then suddenly snap their heads back up like they made You.  Sit tight, it's some kind of evolved mechanism that probably help's them avoid unseen predators.

They are peculiar things.

[monterey]

If you Water hole Hunt, watch for them to come in and put their heads down to drink.... And then suddenly snap their heads back up like they made You.  Sit tight, it's some kind of evolved mechanism that probably help's them avoid unseen predators.

They are peculiar things.

[drewsbow]

they are fast    :rolleyes:

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Thanks for the replies guys.

We will not be hunting the rut.

Do you leave a  blind set up the whole time you are there or do you take it out each day?

[drewsbow]

I would leave it

[BigTimber]

I love hunting Speed Goats!

[Gehrke145]

I can tell you if you decoy them stay ready!  I remember the first one I had in (compound bow).  I  crawled in to about 175 yard, kinda dejected covered in cactus (oh yea bring a little leather man or something similar) kinda had my lower lip hanging out a bit lol.  Stuck up the decoy, laid my bow in front of me dug out my range finder, looked up and boom standing 20 yards away the buck.  Could of killed him with a stick, no problem!  When they come in, by god they come!

[drewsbow]

how about a cow decoy to cover your stalk ?

[akdd]

Take leather gloves and knee pads. Makes stalking a lot more comfortable.

[Mike Gerardi]

If the area your hunting has received a lot of rain then watering holes might be hit and miss.

[Roadkill]

They see everything, movement, glints off equipment and your intention to shoot at them.
Out here if you find a waterholes and a herd of mustangs is using it, chase the mustangs off.  The stallion will not permit anything but his harem to use it

[Cyclic-Rivers]

So thats it?

walk out, plop a blind over water and cast a line while you wait for antelope. This will be easy    :rolleyes:      :rolleyes:  

I'll have to get a good book to read while there? I think I need to find Monty Browning's book for the trip.

[Jack Skinner]

A Good book is a must as far as I am concerned.
 

Advice that antelope are neurotic is so true. And it can be just as easy as plop and cast but....not always. I could fill a book on things that antelope will do and not do. One goat will come in like they own the place and drink as if nothing else in the world matters the next goat will circle for an hour snorting, wheezing, blowing and scareing everything in a mile radius. If you cant cover your whole pond be sure they will water where you cant shoot. We take twine and cheap post and sometimes rope off areas we dont want the goats to water at. It works great, and helps funnel them to where you want them to drink for a shot.
 
In this picture the large pond in front of the old wood blind? is used by the wild hoarses and most goats wont drink there. But some will so we used twine and the post already in place to "fence" off the large pond and get them to water in the seep draining off to the right.
 
This picture shows the set up. to the left is the large pond. The DB is on the seep where most of the lopes were watering. You can just see the top of a blind to the right and behind our main setup. Part of the seep split off and ran behind out blind and into the grease wood. A lot of the goats avoided our main setup and started to water there. So we placed a decoy blind and they came back to their normal watering location. This set up resulted in 4 goats on this three day hunt.
 
If only it was as easy as plop and wait. Those are all bucks and only one the smallest of the group came in to water. He came straight at me drank swapped ends and walked away never giving me a shot, even though he was only 15 yds away. The rest found a spot I could not cover with a shot and drank and left untouched.