Scouting

[Mckinnon]

Went out scouting in my unit again today and ran into 38 antelope! Also found 5 waterholes dried up that were full 3 weeks ago, hot out there...

 

[Jared Bloomgren]

The goats here in SD have some good horn this year. Afterall it only takes a buck 3 years to reach maturity so that is good!

Although not ideal for our state and others, the dry summer will make hunting specific waterholes more productive because of the lack of water. I am a spot and stalker to the bone but if I find a specific buck that I want I may be looking at a water hole sit if the stalking situation does not present itself!

 

[velvetfvr]

Going to go scout for mine this weekend. Should have a bunch of pics and then will have to find the one that I want to tag.

 

[Evan Williams]

I get off work a little early tomorrow and there is some public ground right around the corner from work that I am going to go take a look at. Typically here though we get super dry during the summer and then 2 weeks before season opens we get hammered with rain and there is water EVERYWHERE so spot and stalk works best.

 

[Mckinnon]

Sounds similar to out here evan, thunderstorms can really spread them. Although there is a random alfalfa farmer out in the middle of my unit, and with his sprinklers running all the time i have seen both 50 and 60 antelope in the corner of his field, my best bet may be to wait till they go to bed in the evening, or go to feed in the morning and ambush one... any thoughts on that?

 

[Jared Bloomgren]

Sounds similar to out here evan, thunderstorms can really spread them. Although there is a random alfalfa farmer out in the middle of my unit, and with his sprinklers running all the time i have seen both 50 and 60 antelope in the corner of his field, my best bet may be to wait till they go to bed in the evening, or go to feed in the morning and ambush one... any thoughts on that?

Depending on the height of the alfalfa and if you can hunt the farmers property.....That can be a great stalking situation regardless. Taller alfafla is great to crawl in! But if you know where they mostly enter and exit the field and have a location to set up an ambush may be a good option as well! Since there are quite a few goats it may be pretty hard to stalk a bedded critter if they are bedded with numerous others. But if the bucks are alone you might have an option to try a stalk.

 

[Nick Muche]

"Depending on the height of the alfalfa and if you can hunt the farmers property.....That can be a great stalking situation regardless."

I don't want to totally disagree with this, maybe you had some luck in the past doing this, but I can vouch only for my experience. Last year I spent countless hours in an alphalfa field trying to stalk a group of bucks. Seemed like no matter what I did they would see me. I went slow. I went straight at them. I went parrallel to them. I tried a decoy. I tried to pick out a buck that was away from the group. I think out of 31 stalks that I did last year, there were 10-12 just in this field alone. Each time I got busted and they'd run to the other side of the field. NOW, after knowing what I know now, I would have been better off setting up very early in the morning along the side of the field in some sage and just wait them out, they did the same thing every day, but I didn't figure that out until it was too late. Definately try it just to try it, but it's not as easy as you'd think. Those darn goats are smart and they got eyes like no other!

 

[Mckinnon]

Not sure I will be able to get permission Jared but if I can the alfalfa is easily tall enough, you are right about all those eyes, ears, and noses though, gonna be tough. From what I have seen they typically enter the field in 2, and 3's, biggest group I saw slide under the fence at the same time was 6. They all entered from the same corner though, so I am thinking find a nice thick sage patch and trying to catch them as they enter/exit the field like Nick described. Did you end up tagging one Nick? Also Jared, it seems like if I were crawling around in there it would be tough to keep the alfalfa from shaking around a bunch when I was crawling through it, just wait for the wind and move with it? Also, what would you do with your bow when crawling through that stuff?

 

[Nick Muche]

LOL.. What do you do with your bow...? Well, you just do whatever you can, trust me, it's a PITA but so much fun!


If they are entering the field in the same place each day, that you can tell anyhow, I'd be out there soon and try to either set up a blind or make one, that way they are used to it by the time you can hunt them.

Did I get one? Nope... I have had 3 tags, for three different states in the past 2 years, missed an easy shot in KS because when you have 11 bucks running at your decoy set-up it becomes difficult to focus Missed another in CO and I missed 5 last year, closest was about 18 yards and I totally screwed the pooch. I have never in my life been so flustered with a particular animal as I am with speed goats. I have learned alot through the past 2 years and I can't wait to get after them again. I refuse to sit on a waterhole, so that is a handicap right off the bat. Went 19 days last year, 80 mile round trip, each night after work.. had goats to stalk every time. It is a blast!

Wish I could get even with them this year, but I can't. Next year though.

 

[Nick Muche]

The best advice I can think of is this... Treat EACH stalk like it is the ONE. If it takes you 8 hours to complete it, so be it! I was so focused on the next one and the next one and the next one that I really didn't figure out how important it was to focus on THE NOW instead of the next one until it was too late.

The LAST night of the season is when I finally got the point. That is also the evening I missed a nice PY goat at about 18-20 yards. The walk back to my truck was quite humbling... I can't remember the last time I missed a shot like that, but I can still hear his hooves making contact with the ground as he came into the opening in the sage brush chewing on some grass, I can see him clear as day.

It wasn't until then that I realized that I was rushing everything... Just relax and treat every stalk like it's the one!

 

[Mckinnon]

Haha, that question seems stupid looking back on it. I was just wondering if you found it more comfortable to carry it one hand, put on your back... anyways, your response makes sense, wherever it is comfortable keep it there. Thanks, sorry for the stupid question, I am new to archery... thanks for all your advice Nick!

 

[Hardstalk]

I wouldnt bet on the size of alfalfa staying the same. Its hayin season there going to cut it as soon as its tall enough. Then sit back wait and cut it again. Those goats will dissapear for a couple days when they cut.