What don't I know from watching YouTube hunts?

[camelcluch]

Well if your education is YT and going to UT let’s clear some stuff up.
You WILL NOT need a flat bill hat nor will you have to slam insane amounts of Mtn Ops to be successful.
However, you should have a good time. Goats are tons of fun to hunt.

 

[CCOBB]

In addition to just good eyesight. They have great peripheral vision. Also if they spot you don’t try to disappear. They’re super curious and if they loose sight they don’t like it.

 

[Rich M]

Thank you Rich. Pronghorn are fun to hunt, perfect for taking kids. Typically nice weather, easy to spot, multiple stalks a day.

My dad used to take me hunting and fishing when I was that size. When i could carry a small shotgun i did. Him walking me around looking for pheasants and rabbits and when we were done for the day I got to shoot some kind of target. Great memories.

He's just turned 84 and we hunt/fish all the time.

You have some good, long-term friends there.

 

[3855WIN]

Carry more beer and bullets than you think you’ll need.

 

[bpeay4]

Don't overthink it. You will likely have plenty of opportunities and a good amount of bucks of too look over. Some of these comments make you think you need to be a navy seal to stalk antelope which is typically not the case especially for a Utah tag.

An experienced western hunter like yourself should have no problem tagging out on an 80% success hunt. My advice is not to kill on day 1 or 2 unless you know its a good buck. Kind of sucks driving home on day 2 when you could have still been hunting for another 5 days.

 

[Uncle_Danno]

I think most YouTube videos of antelope stalks don’t do a good job of talking a person through their decision making process. Antelope country is flatish, but the slightest wash depression can make the difference between duck walking 100 yards or crawling. I think it’s often misunderstood that you don’t want to simply hand and knee it until you’re “close enough”, but rather aim for a shooting location, usually a slight knob or maybe just thicker/taller sage.

There is no amount of reading that can take the place of doing it. When you first arrive in the field as a rookie, I’m a big proponent of doing a few practice stalks on the first bucks you see. The more you do the better you’ll become, and the last thing you want is to be practicing on the biggest buck of the trip.

There is a “feel” you need to develop to know when to push it hard and when to move slow, and which animals aren’t approachable. The farther you can shoot accurately the better, but beware wind will usually be present - sometimes the stalking end point is chosen to be directly down wind so very little wind correction is needed.

The videos I don’t understand show guys on wide open public land hunting on foot like it’s mule deer season. You will get laughed at by the locals doing that. Unless you’re driving a Geo Metro, hunt like the locals do - glass from roads or jeep trails, especially with spotting scopes, until you find something worth going after. Randomly walking sagebrush country hoping to run into a buster buck is a very low odds method. This is also a reason to hunt out of a 4x4 vehicle with decent clearance - jeep trails are usually easy going, but being able to make it across washed out sections, or draws with very large brush, can save miles of back tracking. Maps showing the smallest two track jeep trails are essential - figure out where to glass from to see areas other people aren’t seeing - look up drainages, get up high to get a feel for what’s where, and constantly look for slight depressions that hide a few goats. You may look at the exact same country 10 times and think you know every antelope by name, until something pops up from an unseen draw that has kept them out of sight the whole time.

This will become obvious eventually, but don’t ever follow a two track over a ridge or knob if you can’t see where it’s going. Seismic trucks have made two tracks all across the west, sometimes going to the edge of drop offs - don’t make the locals laugh by driving over a bluff.

I’m not saying you need to be super aggressive, but antelope are known for moving around - when you see a good one, don’t diddle around with a plan that will take hours - the goat will walk off, or another hunter will assume he’s fair game and put the smash on him. This is combat hunting - don’t share information on the big buck two miles away with everyone that happens by, or that person may drive straight there and kill it. When you’re passed by another vehicle stop glassing and tell them you haven’t seen anything. If you’re stopped and looking at a decent buck 1000 yards away, don’t be offended if another truck stops 50 yards from you and kills the goat. It’s combat hunting. Lol

Get to know what you’re looking at and how realistic your expectations are. Some good years we’ve passed on half a dozen 15” goats a day, because they were funny shaped, or had small or broken prongs. In a bad year there may not be that many 14-1/2” racks. Hunt with your eyes.

This is great information. Thank you for such a thoughtful reply.

 

[TaperPin]

This is great information. Thank you for such a thoughtful reply.

Glad it helps. The fun thing about antelope hunting is it’s one of the few times almost everything is out in the open so it’s easy to see what works and what doesn’t. It’s also a great family activity and who doesn’t get a rush out of watching Uncle Bob and Little Jimmy sneaking up on something, while you’re enjoying a comfortable pickup seat, drinking a cold soda right out of the cooler, sharing a box of CrackerJacks with the kids, and deciding if you’re ready for another handful of jerky or not.

 

[Uncle_Danno]

The bright morning/evening sun is the Achilles heel of an antelope. Get it behind you and you can often move in much easier.

An antelope herd will often have a lead doe that acts as a lookout. While you are moving in, it will pay off more to watch her rather than the buck. Often the buck will rely on her to alert the herd if there is danger. If you are able to beat her eyes you are usually in good shape.

These two will flatout get goats killed.

 

[Bueller12]

It's tough to get the smell of rutty goats out of your gear lol. Antelope are super fun to hunt and usually in areas where good glass will cut a good chunk of walking until it's time to stalk.