HunterHawk
WKR
pronghorn are my nemisis!
As I have previously stated I switched back to my recurve earlier this year.
I picked up an OTC pronghorn tag once again this year, I have never shot a pronghorn with a rifle, compound, or a recurve. I have taken hair off one my first year living in Colorado and haven't gotten close since.
Well this year i put up a ground blind on a private piece of property out east on July 31st so they would get used to it. It's over 1 of 2 water tanks on this parcel. The other tank is too close to a house so this was the spot.
After a week I went out to the property only to get to the spot and not see the blind. I got closer and located the blind. Apparently there was 70 mph winds out there and my blind was laying flat with the poles out of it. I checked my trail cam and the trail cam died... great start.
Put up a new trail cam and set up the blind. Went back out the next week and the blind was still up. Checked the trail cam and had a great buck drinking out of the tank and some does.
Opening morning started out great. It was hot and animals were on the move. I saw a muley buck and 5 does walk by and then a hawk and dove come drink out of the tank.
After that wiley coyote started coming in only to spook. 300 yards away was a couple walking their property so no suprise he turned around.
At 930 I was just about to take a nap as the pronghorn werent coming in until around 3 on camera. I closed my eyes for just a second and something told me to open them. I look and here is the big buck coming towards me over the ridge but at 200 yards.
He finally bedded down 200 yards away facing the blind down wind. I thought for sure he was going to wind me and beat feet.
He bedded down for 2 hours right in that same area.
I had previously looked at the weather and saw the wind was going to switch to the north which would be blowing from him to me perfectly.
Sure enough the wind had switched and he was on his feet.
It was now approximately 1130. He started angling towards me but only slightly. He walked approximately 130 yards to my left now after coming from my right and i figured he was going to walk around my blind again and try to get down wind.
Instead he fed for a while then made a line straight towards the water tank.
The side he was coming from was wide open on the tank and on trail cam appeared to be the side they drink out of as there is tall weeds on the other side, so this is the side I set up for the shot.
Well, as luck would have it he walked past the tank at 37 yards and passed the water tank and to the side of the blind.
I thought for sure the hunt was over and i went from shaking nervous to depressed rather quick. When he went passed the tank and blind he was angling to me and about 12 yards so not the best shot and it was on my right side so not easy to try and get a shot.
After what seemed like an eternity he came back to the water tank and appeared only 5 yards away and looking at me, to what felt like to me right through me. He kept walking and got to the water tank but came in to the right side where all the weeds were and on the right side of the blind where i was not set up for a shot.
I switched my body around and had to lean to the right. He was still drinking, when i moved slightly in my chair (he was 12 yards away) he heard me move and flinched as I was already drawing.
I ended up rushing the shot as i thought he was spinning to leave and sent my feathers through the hair on his back.
Throughout this whole thing I was trying to self film. I thought I had the camera positioned perfectly on the tank (which i did) but when i did a quick glance I didn't realize i was also filming the side of the blind so though he is in the frame he is blury, so not only did I miss the shot I didn't get it on film.
This was by far the biggest pronghorn I have been close to. I have no doubt in my mind that it would have been an easy shot with my compound as i have made several shots to the right with it but a recurve is a whole different story out of a blind shooting to the right. The compound was next to me during this whole ordeal and I almost picked it up and would have had no problem still putting him on the wall with the compound, but I made the decision to try to stick with it but after the ordeal I kept second guessing that decision and still am, totally depressing realizing that was most likely my only shot at that buck.
I left my trail cam and blind out there and can't wait to check the camera friday night to see if Saturday is a go or if my hopes and dreams are gone to get the buck of a lifetime.
After watching my second angle from my gopro I realized just how hard of an angle I had to shoot at the pronghorn.
I'm confident with my recurve and I know my mistakes, under different circumstances I am making a completely different post!
I love the hunt, I hate the failures, but love the experience! On the brite side I got a shot at a monster pronghorn with my recurve!
May have the wife edit the video at some point and still post it but for now I'll look forward to friday and hope that I'll be back out Saturday with recurve in hand.
As I have previously stated I switched back to my recurve earlier this year.
I picked up an OTC pronghorn tag once again this year, I have never shot a pronghorn with a rifle, compound, or a recurve. I have taken hair off one my first year living in Colorado and haven't gotten close since.
Well this year i put up a ground blind on a private piece of property out east on July 31st so they would get used to it. It's over 1 of 2 water tanks on this parcel. The other tank is too close to a house so this was the spot.
After a week I went out to the property only to get to the spot and not see the blind. I got closer and located the blind. Apparently there was 70 mph winds out there and my blind was laying flat with the poles out of it. I checked my trail cam and the trail cam died... great start.
Put up a new trail cam and set up the blind. Went back out the next week and the blind was still up. Checked the trail cam and had a great buck drinking out of the tank and some does.
Opening morning started out great. It was hot and animals were on the move. I saw a muley buck and 5 does walk by and then a hawk and dove come drink out of the tank.
After that wiley coyote started coming in only to spook. 300 yards away was a couple walking their property so no suprise he turned around.
At 930 I was just about to take a nap as the pronghorn werent coming in until around 3 on camera. I closed my eyes for just a second and something told me to open them. I look and here is the big buck coming towards me over the ridge but at 200 yards.
He finally bedded down 200 yards away facing the blind down wind. I thought for sure he was going to wind me and beat feet.
He bedded down for 2 hours right in that same area.
I had previously looked at the weather and saw the wind was going to switch to the north which would be blowing from him to me perfectly.
Sure enough the wind had switched and he was on his feet.
It was now approximately 1130. He started angling towards me but only slightly. He walked approximately 130 yards to my left now after coming from my right and i figured he was going to walk around my blind again and try to get down wind.
Instead he fed for a while then made a line straight towards the water tank.
The side he was coming from was wide open on the tank and on trail cam appeared to be the side they drink out of as there is tall weeds on the other side, so this is the side I set up for the shot.
Well, as luck would have it he walked past the tank at 37 yards and passed the water tank and to the side of the blind.
I thought for sure the hunt was over and i went from shaking nervous to depressed rather quick. When he went passed the tank and blind he was angling to me and about 12 yards so not the best shot and it was on my right side so not easy to try and get a shot.
After what seemed like an eternity he came back to the water tank and appeared only 5 yards away and looking at me, to what felt like to me right through me. He kept walking and got to the water tank but came in to the right side where all the weeds were and on the right side of the blind where i was not set up for a shot.
I switched my body around and had to lean to the right. He was still drinking, when i moved slightly in my chair (he was 12 yards away) he heard me move and flinched as I was already drawing.
I ended up rushing the shot as i thought he was spinning to leave and sent my feathers through the hair on his back.
Throughout this whole thing I was trying to self film. I thought I had the camera positioned perfectly on the tank (which i did) but when i did a quick glance I didn't realize i was also filming the side of the blind so though he is in the frame he is blury, so not only did I miss the shot I didn't get it on film.
This was by far the biggest pronghorn I have been close to. I have no doubt in my mind that it would have been an easy shot with my compound as i have made several shots to the right with it but a recurve is a whole different story out of a blind shooting to the right. The compound was next to me during this whole ordeal and I almost picked it up and would have had no problem still putting him on the wall with the compound, but I made the decision to try to stick with it but after the ordeal I kept second guessing that decision and still am, totally depressing realizing that was most likely my only shot at that buck.
I left my trail cam and blind out there and can't wait to check the camera friday night to see if Saturday is a go or if my hopes and dreams are gone to get the buck of a lifetime.
After watching my second angle from my gopro I realized just how hard of an angle I had to shoot at the pronghorn.
I'm confident with my recurve and I know my mistakes, under different circumstances I am making a completely different post!
I love the hunt, I hate the failures, but love the experience! On the brite side I got a shot at a monster pronghorn with my recurve!
May have the wife edit the video at some point and still post it but for now I'll look forward to friday and hope that I'll be back out Saturday with recurve in hand.
and will practice a lot more out of it shooting at different angles because i also have a turkey tag.
