Mark
WKR
- Joined
- May 2, 2013
- Location
- Northern NV
Went out last weekend for the opener of my late season antelope hunt. Friday was overcast with temps in the low 60's. Uneventful day with only a few animals seen. That night the rain started - Noah's Ark rain - and we woke up to slick roads and decided we should get over the pass before the roads got worse. Reminder to all... never leave home without your chains. Ask me how I know.
We got to the first small hill on the road out of camp and both my truck and trailer slide off to the side of the road. I had to ditch the trailer and leave it up there until Tuesday. Thankfully nobody bothered it. After getting stuck 5 or 6 times we finally made it out of the canyon. Four hours to travel less than 10 miles. Diesel trucks are heavy and even with aggressive treads I seldom had any control on these snot slick roads. Chains would have been really nice.
Opening weekend is a bust with no opportunities for a stalk.
Made a mental note... chains, always remember the chains.
I went back Thursday night solo with clear skies, no rain in the forecast and I brought my chains anyways. I headed out at sunrise Friday morning. At 7:00 AM I located a group of antelope feeding a couple of miles off and started the hike in. There were two bucks and 5 does. I stopped several times to glass on the way and the terrain kept me hidden for the walk in. By 8:30 AM I was within 400 yards with no chance to get closer and too much brush in the way to make a clean shot. Wind was good and I had a nice tall sagebrush to sit behind and watch them feed. Neither buck was a giant, but both were average for the area I was hunting. I settled in and waited to see what they would do.
By 9:30 the bucks were bedded and the does were feeding off to the south. Once the does got out of sight the bigger buck got up to follow. I moved down the back of the hill I had been watching them from and waited for them to step out. The first doe I saw stepped out at 250 yards so I got set up to wait for the buck. The rest of the group stepped into the open with the buck at the rear as expected. They were a little higher up the hill than the lead doe. I ranged them at 300 yards.
I got the bipod adjusted and I settled in for the shot, relaxed and rested, with no cross wind at all. Leaned in to the set the legs and with the buck broadside I touched off the shot. I saw the dust cloud behind him and knew the shot placement was good. The buck hunched up and put his head down and staggered to his left with his hind legs. He was stationary and the does scattered and were all looking at him. He stood there for a few minutes and now I'm thinking he may not be hurt that bad since he hasn't gone down. I can't see the entry wound since he moved. I decide to put another round in him. He's quartering away hard now and at an incline facing uphill so I have to line up way back. The shot entered high in his right hip and he goes down hard. The does take off and I grab the pack and head over.
Turns out the first shot was lethal after all. I had center punched his lungs. The second shot wasn't necessary after all but not knowing exactly where I hit I feel I made the best decision to anchor him right there with the second shot. The first shot felt and looked good, but I didn't want to take any chances. I've been bit by that more than once.
I snap a few quick pics, and start breaking him down. Got him caped, quartered and bagged up in 30 minutes. Fifteen minutes later I had him packed up and was heading back to the truck.
Great hunt, and a perfect end to my 2014 big game season. Between my son and I we both filled our antelope tags and he filled his bull tag, but no luck on the archery deer hunts.
We got to the first small hill on the road out of camp and both my truck and trailer slide off to the side of the road. I had to ditch the trailer and leave it up there until Tuesday. Thankfully nobody bothered it. After getting stuck 5 or 6 times we finally made it out of the canyon. Four hours to travel less than 10 miles. Diesel trucks are heavy and even with aggressive treads I seldom had any control on these snot slick roads. Chains would have been really nice.
Opening weekend is a bust with no opportunities for a stalk.
Made a mental note... chains, always remember the chains.
I went back Thursday night solo with clear skies, no rain in the forecast and I brought my chains anyways. I headed out at sunrise Friday morning. At 7:00 AM I located a group of antelope feeding a couple of miles off and started the hike in. There were two bucks and 5 does. I stopped several times to glass on the way and the terrain kept me hidden for the walk in. By 8:30 AM I was within 400 yards with no chance to get closer and too much brush in the way to make a clean shot. Wind was good and I had a nice tall sagebrush to sit behind and watch them feed. Neither buck was a giant, but both were average for the area I was hunting. I settled in and waited to see what they would do.
By 9:30 the bucks were bedded and the does were feeding off to the south. Once the does got out of sight the bigger buck got up to follow. I moved down the back of the hill I had been watching them from and waited for them to step out. The first doe I saw stepped out at 250 yards so I got set up to wait for the buck. The rest of the group stepped into the open with the buck at the rear as expected. They were a little higher up the hill than the lead doe. I ranged them at 300 yards.
I got the bipod adjusted and I settled in for the shot, relaxed and rested, with no cross wind at all. Leaned in to the set the legs and with the buck broadside I touched off the shot. I saw the dust cloud behind him and knew the shot placement was good. The buck hunched up and put his head down and staggered to his left with his hind legs. He was stationary and the does scattered and were all looking at him. He stood there for a few minutes and now I'm thinking he may not be hurt that bad since he hasn't gone down. I can't see the entry wound since he moved. I decide to put another round in him. He's quartering away hard now and at an incline facing uphill so I have to line up way back. The shot entered high in his right hip and he goes down hard. The does take off and I grab the pack and head over.
Turns out the first shot was lethal after all. I had center punched his lungs. The second shot wasn't necessary after all but not knowing exactly where I hit I feel I made the best decision to anchor him right there with the second shot. The first shot felt and looked good, but I didn't want to take any chances. I've been bit by that more than once.
I snap a few quick pics, and start breaking him down. Got him caped, quartered and bagged up in 30 minutes. Fifteen minutes later I had him packed up and was heading back to the truck.
Great hunt, and a perfect end to my 2014 big game season. Between my son and I we both filled our antelope tags and he filled his bull tag, but no luck on the archery deer hunts.
