KyFlintlock
50 Cal.
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2004
- Messages
- 1,199
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First 2 kills were modern rifle, then I came to my senses!!! :v
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We drove the 24hrs straight and just before we hit Wyoming the snow started falling. Visibility went to zilch and we finally arrived at the hotel. Shortly after checkin we were notified the interstate was closed due to the freak snow storm.
One day turned into 2! Then, they reopened the roads and we were off. The initial spots my buddy had picked out on the BLM maps didn't pan out, one of the tracks had apparently been traded or sold, or so we were told so we decided to look elsewhere. A bunch of the BLM squares were land-locked by private ground so you couldn't get to them.
Private land at Point A:
We saw a lot more animals in-route to "Plan B" and were soon setting up camp. About that time a guy pulled up and said there was a large herd crossing onto pub ground just below us. My buddy looked like a kid in a candy shop so I told him to take the 2 boys and go get them, while I finished up camp w/his brother. Soon, we heard shots in the distance. More than a few!
About 15 min later my buddies truck rushes up and he yells at us to come on. I hadn't unpacked the flintlock yet but jumped in and soon was at the bottom of the hill looking at 2 nice antelope they had taken. He said my son only shot one time and I asked Devan why didn't he kill one. "I am not here to just kill one", he told me. He then explained that he did not wait 9 months and ride 24hrs in the backseat of a truck to kill one 5 feet from the truck. NICE!!!!!
About that time a small herd came around the butte and we were after them. We humped it across the small stream and up the hill, I wanted to get above them. We moved quickly and soon Devan was sick...too long of a car ride and nothing to eat. He told me to get the buck, but I waited for him to catch up and we crested the hill together. There about 250-300 yards was the herd with 3 bucks. I handed him the rifle but he was shaking to badly from the quick run/climb and he told me to take him. I plopped down got a good hold and BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM, had my first pronghorn.
We field dressed and dragged him out to the truck and when I turned around, several pronghorn filtered across the butte we just came off of, one was a monster buck! I yelled at Daniel (buddies brother that was w/us) and soon he was sitting down trying to get a bead on him. "The back one, shoot the back one", I strongly whispered. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM, the one in the front went down. Man, what a shame I thought as the back buck kicked it in overdrive and disappeared over the hill. Afterwards his taped 15" and had great curves, sure makes me wonder what the big boy was!
WIthin seconds I had Devan and we where huffing after the big boy to see where he was headed. By the time we crossed the creek and adjoinging hill, he was long gone. We could see for 1/2 mile and there was nothing but what seemed an endless supply of sage brush. We continued on across the flat as I wanted to peek over the next ridge. About a mile later we peered over the ridge and nothing but sage and antelope trails in the snow could be seen for another mile. I slowly panned the adjoining butte adn spotted 3 antelope about 400 yards across, 1 was a decent buck. They had seen us and were moving down the valley at a trot. We went into sneak mode and quickly hit a ditch and ran down the hill to cut the distance. As I peered over the hill they were about 300 yards. I decided to move left a short ridge hop in hopes they would cross there and soon we were where we wanted to be and here they came! They crossed where I had hoped and now the buck was about 150-200 and as he stopped and faced us Devan was ready. "Son, do you want me to crawl around so you can shoot off my shoulder", I asked. 2 seconds went by and BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM, the antelope folded immediately and we were up and celebrating.
I was so glad that he didn't kill one at the bottom, mere feet from the truck and with me at camp. What a great hunt w/him!!!
My buddy informed me that we would have to go in the morning. Something had come up and as bad as we hated to leave, we had to head. I looked at the flinter and told him, since I put up camp, you can take it down while I try to fill my doe tag with the .45 longrifle flinter. "Absolutely", my buddy said and shortly after daylight I was headed down the hill.
I setup on the point overlooking the bottom and didn't see anything for about an hour. Then, they started filing over the hill about 1/2 mile over.....a large herd. I watched to see what direction and took the lay of the land into account, then smiled and bailed over the hill into the creekbed. I quickly made my way to where I thought they would cross and took a peek. 150 yards and closing! I moved to the next knob and got ready. About 5 minutes the first doe popped into view about 75 yards out, then a mixture of bucks and does, several bucks larger than the one I killed the day before! Dang it!!
I took aim on a big doe about 60 yards out and as I started to pull the trigger time seemed to stand still. I thought of the long trip out, the constant joking and laughing we had ripping/teasing each other. The fact that we were stuck in the hotel for a few days, then couldn't find anywhere to hunt when we first looked. The thought of us taking our bucks the day before and then time rushed back and I squeezed. Ker-flatch-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!! SMoke filled the air and the doe went down immediately!! I thanked the good Lord for such a morning as this and for this fine animal as other antelope exploded in all directions. I then thought back on what Devan had said, "I didn't just come out here to kill, but to HUNT"!!!!
I wished we could have stayed the rest of the time we had, to explore and hike the country, but we headed back on the road for the 1400 miles back home. What a great hunt.
View from the tent:
.45 longrifle PBR - 70gr FFF
Wess
------------
We drove the 24hrs straight and just before we hit Wyoming the snow started falling. Visibility went to zilch and we finally arrived at the hotel. Shortly after checkin we were notified the interstate was closed due to the freak snow storm.
One day turned into 2! Then, they reopened the roads and we were off. The initial spots my buddy had picked out on the BLM maps didn't pan out, one of the tracks had apparently been traded or sold, or so we were told so we decided to look elsewhere. A bunch of the BLM squares were land-locked by private ground so you couldn't get to them.
Private land at Point A:
We saw a lot more animals in-route to "Plan B" and were soon setting up camp. About that time a guy pulled up and said there was a large herd crossing onto pub ground just below us. My buddy looked like a kid in a candy shop so I told him to take the 2 boys and go get them, while I finished up camp w/his brother. Soon, we heard shots in the distance. More than a few!
About 15 min later my buddies truck rushes up and he yells at us to come on. I hadn't unpacked the flintlock yet but jumped in and soon was at the bottom of the hill looking at 2 nice antelope they had taken. He said my son only shot one time and I asked Devan why didn't he kill one. "I am not here to just kill one", he told me. He then explained that he did not wait 9 months and ride 24hrs in the backseat of a truck to kill one 5 feet from the truck. NICE!!!!!
About that time a small herd came around the butte and we were after them. We humped it across the small stream and up the hill, I wanted to get above them. We moved quickly and soon Devan was sick...too long of a car ride and nothing to eat. He told me to get the buck, but I waited for him to catch up and we crested the hill together. There about 250-300 yards was the herd with 3 bucks. I handed him the rifle but he was shaking to badly from the quick run/climb and he told me to take him. I plopped down got a good hold and BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM, had my first pronghorn.
We field dressed and dragged him out to the truck and when I turned around, several pronghorn filtered across the butte we just came off of, one was a monster buck! I yelled at Daniel (buddies brother that was w/us) and soon he was sitting down trying to get a bead on him. "The back one, shoot the back one", I strongly whispered. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM, the one in the front went down. Man, what a shame I thought as the back buck kicked it in overdrive and disappeared over the hill. Afterwards his taped 15" and had great curves, sure makes me wonder what the big boy was!
WIthin seconds I had Devan and we where huffing after the big boy to see where he was headed. By the time we crossed the creek and adjoinging hill, he was long gone. We could see for 1/2 mile and there was nothing but what seemed an endless supply of sage brush. We continued on across the flat as I wanted to peek over the next ridge. About a mile later we peered over the ridge and nothing but sage and antelope trails in the snow could be seen for another mile. I slowly panned the adjoining butte adn spotted 3 antelope about 400 yards across, 1 was a decent buck. They had seen us and were moving down the valley at a trot. We went into sneak mode and quickly hit a ditch and ran down the hill to cut the distance. As I peered over the hill they were about 300 yards. I decided to move left a short ridge hop in hopes they would cross there and soon we were where we wanted to be and here they came! They crossed where I had hoped and now the buck was about 150-200 and as he stopped and faced us Devan was ready. "Son, do you want me to crawl around so you can shoot off my shoulder", I asked. 2 seconds went by and BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM, the antelope folded immediately and we were up and celebrating.
I was so glad that he didn't kill one at the bottom, mere feet from the truck and with me at camp. What a great hunt w/him!!!
My buddy informed me that we would have to go in the morning. Something had come up and as bad as we hated to leave, we had to head. I looked at the flinter and told him, since I put up camp, you can take it down while I try to fill my doe tag with the .45 longrifle flinter. "Absolutely", my buddy said and shortly after daylight I was headed down the hill.
I setup on the point overlooking the bottom and didn't see anything for about an hour. Then, they started filing over the hill about 1/2 mile over.....a large herd. I watched to see what direction and took the lay of the land into account, then smiled and bailed over the hill into the creekbed. I quickly made my way to where I thought they would cross and took a peek. 150 yards and closing! I moved to the next knob and got ready. About 5 minutes the first doe popped into view about 75 yards out, then a mixture of bucks and does, several bucks larger than the one I killed the day before! Dang it!!
I took aim on a big doe about 60 yards out and as I started to pull the trigger time seemed to stand still. I thought of the long trip out, the constant joking and laughing we had ripping/teasing each other. The fact that we were stuck in the hotel for a few days, then couldn't find anywhere to hunt when we first looked. The thought of us taking our bucks the day before and then time rushed back and I squeezed. Ker-flatch-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!! SMoke filled the air and the doe went down immediately!! I thanked the good Lord for such a morning as this and for this fine animal as other antelope exploded in all directions. I then thought back on what Devan had said, "I didn't just come out here to kill, but to HUNT"!!!!
I wished we could have stayed the rest of the time we had, to explore and hike the country, but we headed back on the road for the 1400 miles back home. What a great hunt.
View from the tent:
.45 longrifle PBR - 70gr FFF
Wess
:thumbsup: 
