My 2015 antelope With my Hot Rod Hawken

[Idaho Ron]

I have been working on shooting and scouting a lot this year. This is the third antelope tag I have drawn in 30 years.
I went out scouting a couple weeks ago and I took this picture of what I think is my buck.

I got out there on the 22nd and sat in my blind on the 23rd and 24th. I got this picture of him on the water.

I decided that with all the competition this year I was going to get in the blind early. At 8:00 or so a nice little buck came in and I thought about it hard. I passed him and at 9:00 or so in came my buck. He came in from a different way and I was worried that he wouldn't actually give me a shot. After a long wait he came in, but too close. I had my sight set for 100 and he was at 89. At the shot I was slightly above him and straight on. The bullet hit his shoulder and turned and followed the spine and exited the flank. YANK the rug. I reloaded and watched for a minute and all of a sudden he was up. I could not believe my eyes that buck was up and walking (wobbly) I set my sight for 150 yards and put the rifle on the shooting sticks. I then used the range finder and when he got to 150 yards I was going to shoot again. He stopped quartering hard to the left. Then he turned his head and looked back at me. In my haste I didn't think of the wind. I had a solid 15 MPH wind that was a factor and I didn't know it yet. At the shot the buck was DRT. I gathered my stuff and walked out. That is when I realized that the first shot had been turned by the shoulder blade because of the angle. The second shot blew 4" to the left and hit the same shoulder and exited the neck.
I got it to the river and let it cool down in the river for a few hours and took a few more pictures. I used a gun I built from parts, a bullet I made my self, and I skinned it and gutted it with a knife I made last winter.

 

[Patocazador]

I love it when a plan comes together.

Great story and photos. You should embellish it a little with "azure blue sky" and "wind whipping around" etc. and send it in for publication. They pay real $$$ for good hunting tales.

He looks like a pretty good lope too .. 13"???

You'll grin real big for several days .. rightfully so. :hatsoff:

 

[Idaho Ron]

Yes one side is 13.25 and the other is 13.75 the circumference on the first three is 6.25, 6.5, and 7". He should go very close to 80" for the book.

 

[Ben K]

Very cool! Happy for ya!

 

[longcruise]

He'll run maybe 76!

:haha: just yanking you, Ron. That's a fine trophy and will probably make book if you submit it.

I've not killed a Buck antelope in about ten years. I go for the Doe tag and Hunt pretty much every other year.

You sure could polish that story up and sell it.

 

[Idaho Ron]

I don't think your going to be far off. I had a quick gross of 80 but I wasn't it picking. After adjustments 76 to 78 would make me happy.

 

[Idaho Ron]

It was a super fun hunt.

 

[longcruise]

You can score them yourself on one of the scorekeeper sites. I think B&C. I scored my best that way and it came in as a new world record by about ten points. :shocked2:

I had it scored for real a few months later and I came down hard. :haha:

I think your guess at 80 is dang close.

 

[Idaho Ron]

Only on the gross. Like I said if I am in the 76 to 78 finished I will be happy.

 

[Spikebuck]

I've never hunted antelope, but it sure looks like a nice one. Congratulations! :hatsoff: :thumbsup:

I do have one question...at the beginning you said you had your sight set for 100 and he was at 89. Is there that much difference in your POI over that 11 yards? I read your posts and I guess I thought your rifles were pretty flat shooting at those distances. Antelope are a bit smaller of a big game target, but not that much smaller. Is this just a matter of your personal attention to precision? Just curious based on what I think you strive for in your shooting. Or maybe I read more into it and you weren't concerned about that yardage difference at all. :idunno:

 

[Kapow]

I was wondering the same thing. Nicely done Ron. Who cares about size. He's your antelope. Something to be proud of.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Ron, what a great story and outcome.
The craftsman spirit and patient hunter.
Well done indeed. :hatsoff:

B.

 

[wattlebuster]

Well done sir :thumbsup:

 

[Idaho Ron]

I've never hunted antelope, but it sure looks like a nice one. Congratulations! :hatsoff: :thumbsup:

I do have one question...at the beginning you said you had your sight set for 100 and he was at 89. Is there that much difference in your POI over that 11 yards? I read your posts and I guess I thought your rifles were pretty flat shooting at those distances. Antelope are a bit smaller of a big game target, but not that much smaller. Is this just a matter of your personal attention to precision? Just curious based on what I think you strive for in your shooting. Or maybe I read more into it and you weren't concerned about that yardage difference at all. :idunno:

I normally set the sight for the exact yardage. Having it set for 100 instead of 89 plus shooting down hill made the shot hit a couple inches higher than it should have. I would say it I strive for " personal attention to precision?" more than anything.

 

[Skychief]

Congratulations Ron. How hard was your boolit? :hmm:

Skychief.

 

[larry wv]

Good job. :thumbsup:

Larry

 

[Idaho Ron]

Congratulations Ron. How hard was your boolit? :hmm:

Skychief.

8 BHN.

 

[pab1]

Congrats! That's a nice antelope! :hatsoff:

 

[agill]

Congratulations! :hatsoff:

 

[wvbuckbuster]

That is quite a feat! I like it when the details of load and shot placement is given with the story. Nice pics,lope all way around :thumbsup: Dan.