antelope

So I've been drawn for antelope and plan to use my .45 cal longrifle that I made this spring. Any tips on getting into muzzleloader range on prairie goats?? The season is the first week of Oct.

Thanks
Cody

 

[musketman]

"Outrun the wind."
The pronghorns have been clocked at nearly 60 mph.


An old indian trick is to hold a white flag in view of the pronghorn, the antelope's curiosity of the fluttering flag was well known by the plains indians of the west.

They would move within range to see what the flag is.

 

[Rancocas]

I tried the white flag waving once. The antelope watched me, but made no attempt to come any closer.
I have stalked the eagle-eyed pronghorn, but that is tough going. Spot the animal. Note wind direction. Drop into any ditch, coolie, wash, or canyon and get as close as you can. Crawl out of the hole, and snake along on your belly through the sandburs and pricklypear cactus, while keeping yourself lower than the sagebrush. When you feel like a pin-cushion risk lifting up enough to take a peek. Make sure you rise behind a taller sage or other bush and look through it, not over or around it. The antelope will immediately spot you anyway. They may stand and stare at you, trying to figure what you are, or they may immediately run off. Hopefully, by this time you will be within range, but your hands will probably be too full of spines to get a good grip on your rifle.
Of course all that is after you have had the good luck not to spook a range cow that you hadn't seen. The cow could either run out and spook the pronghorn, or some old bull could decide take you on head to head.
It's all a whole lot of fun. I really enjoyed antelope hunting.
I would suggest that you find a well used waterhole, set up some kind of blind, and stay in it from pre-dawn to dark.
Good luck, and have fun.

 

[Juniata]

I tried the white flag waving once. The antelope watched me, but made no attempt to come any closer.
I have stalked the eagle-eyed pronghorn, but that is tough going. Spot the animal. Note wind direction. Drop into any ditch, coolie, wash, or canyon and get as close as you can. Crawl out of the hole, and snake along on your belly through the sandburs and pricklypear cactus, while keeping yourself lower than the sagebrush. When you feel like a pin-cushion risk lifting up enough to take a peek. Make sure you rise behind a taller sage or other bush and look through it, not over or around it. The antelope will immediately spot you anyway. They may stand and stare at you, trying to figure what you are, or they may immediately run off. Hopefully, by this time you will be within range, but your hands will probably be too full of spines to get a good grip on your rifle.
Of course all that is after you have had the good luck not to spook a range cow that you hadn't seen. The cow could either run out and spook the pronghorn, or some old bull could decide take you on head to head.
It's all a whole lot of fun. I really enjoyed antelope hunting.
I would suggest that you find a well used waterhole, set up some kind of blind, and stay in it from pre-dawn to dark.
Good luck, and have fun.

Haha you sure are making me want to do that hunt! NOT! Just kidding, that won't bother me, that's all part of the adventure!
I have an Aunt and Uncle in western Nebraska, I farmed out there for 4 summers.
I ran out there for a one week turkey hunt with a friend this past April. Tore em up....6 birds in 6 days.
I want to go back for antelope.
Hopefully in a year or two!

 

[TFoley]

This thread is over EIGHTEEN years old.

 

[Juniata]

Haha I see that now.
I'm just going down through the hunting thread section. Why it was on the first page is beyond me. This forum is kinda lame to be navigate.
So at what age do you leave these threads die and be rest in peace??? lol

 

[William Sublette]

Old threads have great info.

 

[.36Rooster]

If you drive past, dont stop the truck just play it cool until you are well out of sight, park, and hike back in for a stalk. You can even circle back around for a second look to examine cover and terrain to plan a stalk, but don't slow down, and dont stop. They will run two miles if you do. Literally. Its because during rifle season they are having guys jumping out of trucks and shooting at them. They get pretty weary. You can get away with a lot more fuss during bow season...

 

[.36Rooster]

If they're not in position for a stalk, keep driving and look for others, and make your rounds every so often and keep tabs on them.

If the terrain affords it, and there is good chance of them moving into sage, or a ridgey knobby landscape with gullies, it pays to stalk to a high point, and sit and stay on them all day through glass, waiting for them to move into a stalkable position. Sit there glassing them and examining the land scape and and formulating a plan. You only get one chance once you start a stalk. If the sun goes down on you, no need to rush something, just go home. They won't be far in the morning and you wont have trouble getting on them the next day as long as you dont blow them out with a fumbled attempt.

 

[Rendezvous Valley Trading]

I have taken many antelope in my life with a muzzleloader here in western Wyoming. They definitely get spooky during our season which is early and kinda before the rut. I usually try to target satellite bucks that are trying to get a herd. Way less eyes to deal with in my opinion. And they travel alot which in my opinion makes it easier to get in front of them in a wash or whatever if you know the topography. If we could hunt them right now it would be simple. They full rut and acting like idiots. Had two bucks fighting in my driveway and tearing it up when I came home this afternoon. Didn’t even pay attention to me until I was 20 feet from them in my truck then all they did was move off my driveway and keep trying to kill each other.

 

[Idaho Ron]

Hunt scrapes with a decoy.

 

[.36Rooster]

Well, guess i fell for it too. Hope the guy has got his antelope by now.

 

[Rendezvous Valley Trading]

Right?!! probably told it that it was bingo night and it got in the truck with him!!

 

[TNGhost]

This thread is over EIGHTEEN years old.

Gotta be some kind of record.