How is your Antelope hunting going?

I'm headed out tommorrow afternoon the 6th. Cort & I have buck tags and Brett has a doe tag. We scouted this area a couple weeks back and saw 2- shooters. All of the goatalopes were spooky and would take off running if they spotted us. They seem to be nervous all the time in this part of the state, even we season isn't on. I'll check in with you all when we get back on Tuesday or Wednesday and hopefully the Lord will give us some nice bucks and a fat, dry doe. :thumb

We had a great time on our Colorado Goatalope hunt. It took us 5 PP to draw these tags, so we wanted to make the best of it and spent some time scouting a few weeks back. We narrowed down our hunting area and thought we had found the majority of the bucks in this area, so we camped and planned accordingly. On opening day we drove in 2 miles or so and dropped one guy off. We then went another 3/4 mile and dropped off another, which was me and the Cort continued on for another mile or so and park his Truck and started hiking. I hiked in a little over a mile and starting seeing some antelope, so I dropped down and hid behind a Chola cactus and started glassing. I saw a few does and smaller bucks about 500-600 yards away and a herd of 30 or so a mile out. I stayed put for a hour or so and then noticed some other speed goats working my way. 2 bucks and a doe, the larger buck looked pretty good and might be a shooter so I got set up and ready, just in case he was. They finally came into range and he looked like a decent 13"er with nice cutters but his bases weren't really thick so I decided to pass. I watched them rut and chase the doe for a couple of hours, which is one of my favorite things to do on a antelope hunt. A few more antelope passed through but no shooters, so I decided to try to reach Cort on the walky talky. He responded and we decided to meet up for lunch and get a new game plan. On the way out I kicked up that 13"er and he ran right toward Cort. Cort saw him coming and got ready for a shot but the 50 yard-50 MPH shot was to tough. ??? That would be a hard one to practice..... :-k
After lunch we headed back out and tried another area and saw a few bucks but nothing worthy of the 5PP tag, so we decided to pass. On the way back with Brett we see Cort staking this buck about 1,000 yards away and then Cort disappears into the Chola. This buck is curious and continues to come into Cort. We have our shooting sticks up with our binos firmly rested on top of them, taking it all in and waiting for a rifle to bark but the bark never comes. We started for the truck and was excited to hear about Cort's close encounter. It turns out this buck wasn't big enough. On the way back to camp it starts to rain, the rain will continue for the rest of the trip......to be continued

So far so GOOD, I'm enjoying the hunt.

The next morning we headed back out to the same area but a little farther west. I hiked in around 2 miles this time and set up behind a big chola and started glassing. I saw some a ways out and after 45 minutes or so, I decided to try to get closer. I had only went 100 or so yards and saw something out of the corner of my eye....Busted!!!! #-o Some does are walking toward me and the lead doe sees me. I freeze and when it turned it's head I dropped down to the ground and tried to hide in the 6" grass. As I study them through my binos, I notice a few bucks with them. In the next 10 minutes a dozen more bucks and does make their way into view and one buck really stands out.....finally a shooter. He's 14" or so with big cutters and thick, thick horns. I crawl on my belly to a chola and get my rifle onto my shooting sticks and start lining up when all of a sudden the does take off and the bucks start chasing them, away from me. I keep glassing them but they move a long ways off. I don't think they saw me, just rutting and chasing each other. I stayed still for the rest of the morning waiting for them to come back but they don't show. I didn't want to try to stalk them as I had very little cover and it would have been near to impossible to get into shooting range in taht open country without being seen. I decide to see how the others are doing and call them on the walky talky. Cort answers back and tells me that Brett killed his doe, great his first antelope. I'm pumped for him and decide to start toward them. On my way over I see a 11-12" buck 400-500 yards away and I keep walking. This buck starts to parallel me and is keeping up with me and now has walked close to a half of mile paralleling me. I call Cort on the radio and tell him to look 400 yards to my left. I asked him if he sees the buck and if is interested in it. He said yes and he's going to get in front of it and hide. That buck walked the whole way back with me and got within 250 yards of Cort. Cort chooses to pass on him. I enjoyed that experience and it never seizes to amaze me how curious antelope are. I see Brett and we rejoice together over his speed goat. We then drive around for a little and look over some new country that we might hunt later that night. We head back to camp, eat our big meal for the day and talk over the days events. The rain really starts to pour and the roads become a muddy mess. Brett takes off back home with his prize and Cort and I go over to another area on better roads. We saw a few bucks and even 2 shooters but both of them were on private land.
The next morning we head back to the same area we hunted the previous two mornings. I hike all the way back in, beyond the area where I saw the nice buck from yesterday, it is still raining, really muddy and my socks, pants, coat are soaked through. I'm cold and shaking like a quakie leave on a windy day. I put on my rain coat and started glassing. I see the big herd a mile away. I then see a couple of antelope bedded 500 yards or so out. A couple of bucks and a doe. I glass for some time and decide that one of the bucks is worthy of some lead poisoning, so I start the long stalk. I had only a few chola to hide behind and the doe was bedded looking my direction, so I had to be patient and wait for her to turn or get up to feed. An hour later she decides to stand up and starts to feed and one buck stands up with her. They move out a little and I start crawling on my belly and make it a hundred yards or so before they bed back down next to the other buck. I can only see the horns of this other buck and now can see them well. After 30 minutes or so, I never see his head move. By now I am freezing and my teeth are chattering and I start doubting to myself if these horns are really attached to a antelope. :-k
I haven't seen him move in over a hour but hey maybe he's a sleep. By the way their heads are tilted I can tell the other two are sleeping now and decide to get closer and be ready for a shot. I move in 300, 250, 200 yards and they still don't see me.....I keep pushing it and get within 150 yards before they jump up and scream out of there. Only two run off and sure enough the other is a perfectly shaped antelope horn, STICK!!!!!!!!! I stalked a stick for three hours! ](*,) I sat down in the mud and ate some lunch and thought of how much I love hunting, even when things don't turn out. That's why they call it hunting and not killing.
I am soaked all the way through and am looking forward to getting dried off, eat a hot meal and this afternoon I plan on hunting that big herd. I head out toward Cort and the truck. I was about a mile into my hike and noticed a small buck. I didn't pay him to much attention and kept walking and glassing, when all of a sudden, three bucks come up out of the bottom. They must have seen me and were running as they passed in front of me. I throw my rifle up onto my shooting sticks and find them in my scope and the second one is a shooter. I wait for them to stop but they only slow down to a slow walk. They are a ways out there and I don't have time to get my range finder out to range them so I guess where to hold and sweeze one off. Boom and I thought I saw it drop. I take a look and only two bucks are running off. I watched for a little while to make sure he was down. I start over towards him, thanking The Lord for giving me a buck. As I approached I'm taken back by the bullet placement. He was walking and he must have stopped as my bullet hit right where I aimed but a foot or so forward, right in the base of the neck. I never take neck shots, matter of fact I don't think in all of my big game animals that God has blessed me with, I have ever hit one there. I get on the radio and call Cort and tell him, "I got my buck, yahoo" and he said I'll be right over. It took him about a half hour to arrive, and he says come here, I have something for you. I knew he was up to something and sure enough he also killed his buck that morning.
I'll try to post some photos of the bucks.......

This is Cort"s

This is mine...............

Sweeeeeeeeeeet!!!

Thanks for sharing the story with us and photos. Looks as if you guys were indeed blessed with success.

Congrats!

I'm Cort, new to this forum, by not new to hunting, or my long time huntin' partner Jeff, aka "HIKER".

We had an awesome hunt, I got my first buck, Jeff got a huge buck, and Brett got his first antelope.

We were seeing bucks everyday, I had passed up on several. On Monday I only saw one antelope over a mile away. Thought I would slowly work my way over that way through the cholla and fog and see what I could find. Moving realllllll slow, 10 yards and glass, 10 yards and glass..... Saw the antelope and it was a decent buck about 600 yards off. Dropped to the ground and low crawled aways back to better cover. Circled a small hill using it for cover for about a 1/2 mile to get a little closer. Finally low crawling up to a cholla for cover. Now lie down and wait. After a while I still don't see that buck crest the hill for me so I sit up. BUSTED. He rambles off a few yards and I duck back down. He is curious and comes back to investigate, then runs off a ways. This goes on and on for several minutes. I then wiggle my hat around just over the top of the grass to make him curious again and amazingly he comes forward some more to investigate (go figure!). He then decides he wants no more of this and takes off a little ways. I said "ENOUGH" and stood up to make a shot with my 30.06 and my shooting sticks. Thank God for shooting sticks! Drop him at 200-225 yards, goes 20 yards and drops. MY FIRST BUCK!!!!

See Hiker's pic of my buck below.

Absolutely awesome hunt. SE Colorado may not have the most animals, but we hunted hard and got a couple of nice ones.

Cort,

Thanks for taking the time to register and share your story. I really enjoyed it. You've got yourself a great friend and partner to hunt with. :)

congrats on the 1st one. :thumb

Thanks Brett! I got my first turkey in southern CO last month and now my first buck goatalope. Looking forward to deer and elk coming in the next month or two.

Jeff congratulations I know you were stoked about getting your antelope tag this year and Im really glad it all worked out for you. That is a very nice buck. Definately a shooter everyday in my book. Jeff helped me out on antelope this year even though the tag fairies didnt bless me with a license. Glad you were rewarded for being such a great guy and a dedicated hunter.

Cort- Welcome to Muleymadness and what a way to come in on. congrats on your antelope and good to hear your stories.

Thanks Meathunter. Jeff and I go way back, hunting together for several years. I've been a baldheaded meathunter for years. Freezers full so now trying for horns for the last couple of years.

Jeff kept encouraging me to join. So here I am. Couldn't think of a good forum name, then I remembered my trail now from when I completed the Appalachian Trail when I was 17. All_American_Boy.

Good talkin!

great buck Jeff and Cort welcome to muleymadness

AAB: Awesome job on your first goat!! I absolutely love antelope hunting! You guys surely do hunt them more than I do, as I usually just camp out, ride some wheelers, and hope to get lucky.. but that makes it MUCH more rewarding to really hunt them like you guys did. Congrats again and he's a great trophy! Welcome to the site as well :thumb

Hiker: What a great buck!! Congrats man, that things a beaut! - he looks like a really cool buck. regardless of that congrats on a completely successful hunt! I'll bet that was a blast being with two good friends on there first hunt (or first buck goat hunt). Sounds like you two had a blast and your makin me sad that all my antelope hunts are over for the year #-o

Cort, WELCOME TO THE SITE and CONGRATS to both you and Hiker on some great lookin' speedgoats!!! Sounds like one heck of hunt!!!!!!!

Cort, you made it! Welcome to Muleymadness. :) Thanks for adding your imput on the hunt. I really enjoyed hunting with you and Brett, you two are a blast. HH, you're right. Thanks for the nice comments guys and we are thankful to be able to share with you the hunt. :thumb

AAB and I have a Muley hunt planned later this year together and hope to get a couple of decent bucks. This one will be tough, 8-10 miles per day into blow downs and misery but hey that's where the big boys live, in this unit. Hopefully God will bless us with a couple of nice ones and if He does we will post the hunt and photos on here.

Hiker, Thanks for sharing your hunt. You guys do it right. :thumb

Cort, welcome. And good work on staulking your lopes guys.

A couple more photos.....

Both very nice!

Again - great trophies there! thanks for the photos

some more great pics guys

nice bucks hiker and cort ! thanks for the story and pictures . welcome to the site cort .

Thanks! zatarain6 & Meathunter13, with all of your Points that you have, you both could draw that area next year, let me know if you're interested and I'll give you some info.

Here's mine...

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r307/jbglover/DSCN1719.jpg" alt="" />

264MAG

Nice one. :thumb

Thanks for posting!

congrats!

264 Mag, Nice buck! Congratulations.

I like that .264 Winchester Magnum! It sure reaches out and touches them.

Good lookin' Buck 264 Mag. Tough hunting when it's as flat as a griddle with no cover!

We had a great Pronghorn hunt in WY with some dear friends. When I get some time I'll try to post some photos and share the hunts.

Shot at 351 yards with a 25-06 & 120 grain HP handloads from her late Great Grandfather Ernie.

This is my wife's buck, killed with a 25-06, 120 grain HP handloads from GrandPa Ernie.

That GREAT Hicker!
I love to see young people get involved! A memeory that will last forever.

Thanks! 264Mag. We had a blast.