@huntabsarokee Killed a few with a bow spot and stalk and some with decoy. Hunted them in CO, WY, UT, NV, AZ and the non Colo tags took a lot of pref points. 13 points used for upcoming NV hunt, my 2nd archery lope tag in NV. I hunt them this way for the fun and thrills it provides, knowing and accepting the odds are not great other than the odds (high) of having a blast.
Mentally I resist equating points and distance travelled to hunt with pressure to succeed and to fling arrows I should not. Probably why I do not attempt shots past 50 yards. If guys are taking very long shots that for them they know are further than confident in, they are being impatient and irresponsible. The universe does not owe you a poke at an antelpe just because you are working so hard for a chance or burned a pile of points.
It is a numbers game, do a bunch of stalks and a dumb or blind one stands still in pretty easy bow range is my experience. It is FUN. Just shake off the blown stalks and get after another one. In an area with a lot of antelpe it is as much fun as you can have with a bow with right attitude.
IN a flat as a pancake area with shin high cover I stalked a lope as it meandered, feeding away from me over a distance of 900 yards till I reeled it in to 40 yards and killed it while standing for the shot. In a million years should that have worked? No. But it did work. Point being TRY try and try some more and that odd situation that works out happens. That smaller buck I was thrilled to tag after 3 incredible days of very close calls is in 2nd photo below.
Disagree spot and stalk forces you into long shots—do not believe it. Only the hunter makes a decision to fling long shots on alert animals, and they are usually alert (and curious enough to get themselves killed) when stalking. Have never arrowed a lope from a blind. Go for it and have fun, it is cool seeing them approach with nothing but a decoy for cover or just waving a white cloth. Try things that seem absurd and be happily surprised once in awhile.
Drew archery antelope for NV this year. Will likely be all spot and stalk and decoy. The latter may not work well on Aug. 1st but will try cuz why not.
Listen to the guys above that say 1 in 10 stalks or so come together—it is true.
This first pic my buddy is 35 yards from the pronghorn I ended up killing a few days later. He was trying to push it towards me where I waited with a bow. He wishes he had carried his bow as he never expected to get so close. You NEVER know till you try. Orange hat is cuz we were bowhunting 3rd week WY rifle season peak rut and rifle guys were done already, orange hat required. Any time I draw WY I hunt the archery season and if not tagged out return about Oct 1 which is 3 weeks into rifle season and have place to myself to safely spot stalk/decoy. Then if needed can pull out rifle and easily kill one that last day if archery does not pan out. Bow hunted a few days of rifle season on this particular tag then killed this same buck the morning needed to go home.
Walked up to and killed this one in WY a week after arrowing my first ever spot/stalk antelope in Colorado. When it was grazing away I was fast walking to close distance. When it stopped and stared at me I stopped. Head down to graze I was moving. Was a yo-yo of a stalk going from 90 to 300 to 200 to 300 to the final 40 yards when I shot as it was slow walking from my right to left and I stopped it long enough to shoot. Any sane person would have laughed their asses off if observing from a distance a hopeless effort from the get go right up until it tipped over.
Chased this WY antelope a long ways, finally got him in a bottom that seemed to give me an upper hand. After spooking it twice trying to stalk earlier, looped around a mile and a half to get on a ridge then sneak down a finger ridge to bow range. He knew I was there at the shot highly alert to my pronghorn “disguise”. Barely got it done before he was gonna bolt.
Utah, used a decoy. Got to 223 yards of this buck that was rutting with 20+ does on August 17. Never thought a buck decoy would work that early in season. Killed at 23 yards when he ran in to challenge my immature buck decoy that I only popped up once he was at about 220 yards . Spent 14 or 15 points to draw tag, killed opening day after lots of action.
This AZ lope came into 10 feet of me and decoy in area with little cover and circled for a minute about 270 degree around me. Could have killed easily but as it approached decided it was a pass so had camera ready to snap pics. Decoy is in foreground. I was kneeling over loving every second of the expereince. Went home after 7 hard hunting days in super challenging terrain empty handed and smiling having spent 14 points.
My first ever spot and stalk antelope, first time trying. Hunting solo and knew almost nothing about how to do it, which freed me to just try everything and it panned out. Did same a week later in WY as mentioned in the 2nd photo caption above.
Wyoming decoy success. Shot at 18 yards, frontal. It ran in at a gallop from 250 yards immediately after popped up the decoy. Went 5 steps gushing buckets of blood. My buddy was in an elevated spot 10 yards from me and got quite the show. I was 15 yards from him watching him arrow a whopper when it ran in from 200? yards to 25 yards after he showed the decoy the same morning.
Another archery antelope in Colo quote a few years ago.
