Applied for my first Antelope tag

[molliesmaster]

So I have applied for my first ever "out west" hunt. Coming from the south east, I have seen exactly 4 antelope in my entire life, all from the window of a car driving down the highway. A few questions, as I try to contain my excitement:

1- What are the typical shot ranges for a rifle hunt? In other words, what ranges should I be proficient and confident at?

2- Quarter the antelope and pack out, or field dress and drag? I guess this would be somewhat relative to how far away from the road the animal is killed.

3- And a hail mary question, What's the number 1 rookie mistake?



Very excited about this potential hunt, I know the units I have applied to have some limited public access but it hasn't slowed me down much. I've already gotten the onx maps on my phone to do some studying, until I get a new gps that I can put a chip in, also looked at the county GIS maps. Also, plan to put in a phone call to the local Fish and Game office to pick their brains a little too.

A huge thanks to this site before this thread even gets rolling. Would have never had the guts to venture out had it not been for you guys.

 

[Bryan B]

1- What are the typical shot ranges for a rifle hunt? In other words, what ranges should I be proficient and confident at?

Up to 400 yards. IMO you should be proficient and confident to at least 300 yards, 400 would be better. Wind can be a factor at the longer distances so you need to keep that in mind which might reduce your range on the hunt.

2- Quarter the antelope and pack out, or field dress and drag? I guess this would be somewhat relative to how far away from the road the animal is killed.

I would do the gutless method, quarter and pack out but I'm usually far from roads and on foot.

3- And a hail mary question, What's the number 1 rookie mistake?

For public land only hunts, not having a good understanding of access before your hunt. You should know what public land is accessible before even applying for a tag. Get the BLM and county road maps and figure out where you have access. Also, IMO the OnX Map chip is a necessity in the limited public access areas.

 

[NoWiser]

You're in for a fun hunt! Last year I was in your shoes, getting ready for my first antelope hunt. We also hunted in a unit with limited public access, but it wasn't an issue for us. We just had to do a bit more walking and couldn't use the hood of our truck for a gun rest like most antelope hunters seemed to want to do.

We practiced shots out to 350 yards, but when it came down to it, all but one of our animals was shot from under 150 yards and two were under 60 yards. For us it wasn't a contest of who could take the longest shot, but a contest of who could get closest. That is what made it fun! Honestly, just killing antelope seemed easy so stalking as close as we could made it seem a bit more sporting.

Use the gutless method. It's quick, clean, and easy. We heard that getting the skin off ASAP was critical to making the meat taste good, so that is what we did. In a taste test I did with friends, the antelope meat beat out the elk meet unanimously and it's not even a contest between whitetail and antelope, the goats are so much better. We had a chest freezer in the trailer along with coolers of ice to get the meat cooled off as soon as possible.

I don't know what the #1 mistake would be, but some other advice I'd offer is that if you are thinking about mounting a buck, do some research on caring for the cape. I've never seen an animal where the hair falls out so easily. We had no plans on mounting any, but if we had, I would not have been prepared for how to care for it.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[molliesmaster]

Thank guys.

Nowiser- Your post gives me a lot of hope! I look forward to the hunt more and more each day. And I'm glad you mentioned something about the cape, seems like I have read that a time or two before. Don't know if I will want to mount one, but if I got a nice one I would want the option. I'll do some digging on it.

Thanks and keep the info coming.

 

[Murdy]

I did the same thing 2 years ago, antelope hunt/first western hunt, and had a blast, also in a limited access area.

I reiterate what Bryan says about the wind, I missed one at 250 on a windy day, and I'm sure the wind had something to do with that.

It can be hard to tell whether a road is public or private based on the map, do your map research, have some specific roads in mind, and make some phone calls. In my case, the BLM office was very helpful.

If your planning on having your meat processed, make contact with a processor before you get out there.

Good luck, I'm planning on heading back this year, but haven't finalized plans.

 

[Bulldawg]

Be ready to shoot out to 400 if you can it'll make things more enjoyable to be able to know you can pull the trigger on one that far if that's one you want to shoot.

Quarter as quick as you can the gutless method and get it in a cooler asap! Doesn't matter how far away you are from the truck. I quarter them when they die 40 yards off the road. Makes a world of difference.

Won't bringing enough ammo! Haha I don't know what it is but everyone I have taken hunting always misses a lot!! But that is also a testament to how many antelope you can get on in a couple days of hunting.

Have fun and don't shoot the first buck you see unless he's a giant

 

[NoWiser]

If you're missing a lot you're going to be wounding a lot. Stalk closer.