I just got back from my Stallion Range hunt. If you plan on putting in for this tag you may want to consider Rhodes Canyon first. This was a lot more difficult of a hunt then I expected. I did go guided and had a great guide that has hunted the base a lot.
We couldn't hunt after orientation on Friday so we got there really early on Sat. We were told on Friday the hunt was ending early on Sat because of missions that night so we had to be out by 6:00, so no long stocks after 4:00PM.
Got to a glassing area first thing and glassed up a couple of nice ones at 1000 yards. Got to 800 yards of the nice one and ran out of cover. I had a nice shooting stick rest but he wouldn't turn broadside, just a quartering away shot and he was walking away slowly. No way to get into another position and I couldn't get prone. I just couldn't get comfortable enough for that long of a shot off of a small tripod shooting rest so I passed. If the animal had turned broadside I would have made the shot. At least I was hitting the bulls eye at 650 yards off the same sticks the day before at the range.
Hiked a mile into an area that used to be a honey hole but is now all dried up.
After the hike glassed up some bedded bulls and put a mile or so stock onthem. Got busted by some Oryx we didn't see along the way. I didn't have the Bog Pod but the smaller sticks so I couldn't get steady as a nice one ran 350 yards or so on by. So let that one go.
Over the next hour we glassed and moved along the base of the mountains were we blew the stock on the bedded bulls. Then we came up to an area we glassed 45 minutes earlier to see 3 trucks pulled over. They were all watching a guy that had got into position of 12 or so Oryx a half mile in. We watched as the guy missed. The Oryx ran in the direction our truck was pointed and we were off to the races. Everyone else just stood and watched.
3 or so miles down the road we bailed out and started to hustle to the base of the mountains. 30 minutes later the 13 Oryx were walking single file into our position. We got to 350 yards and were setting up when the lead cow busted us. I only had a shot at the first 4 animals because of the bushes. 2 avg to small bulls were now stacked on top of one another so no shot. My guide saw the 4th bull but I couldn't because of a Yucca. The rest of the string had stopped and were not visible from our position.
The lead Oryx was a non typical. The left horn was at a 90 deg angle running straight along the back. The other horn looked to come up a little higher and then go back as well.
In all the excitement I didn't see the rt horn was broken off. My guide was looking at the other 3 and I said I have one in sight and am going to shoot. The .338 RUM built by Kirby Allen barked and the animal dropped hard. My guide didn't know which one I had shot but we knew it was down and we saw a huge dust cloud as the animal kicked violently before expiring.
It was a cow, no big deal, and her rt horn was busted off. Something I didn't see in all of the excitement. During her thrashing on the ground she broke off her left side as well. No big deal, this is something that can be easily fixed by my taxidermist.
Here's where it goes from bad to worst. We shot the animal at 2:45PM and it was 90 deg or hotter. My dad watched this from the car now 2 or so miles away. We knew we had to get moving so we took some quick pictures and I headed back to the truck to get the game cart. There was a game official there who saw what happened. He warned my dad we had to hurry.
Finally got the game cart to the animal and we started to wheel her out and the wheel bends. We can't drive the truck back to here because the terrain was too nasty. My guide goes back to the truck, my dad who is now with us, stays with the animal and I head back to help the guide.
The guide gets to the truck and the official says we don't have time to retrieve the animal. It's 4:45 and we will get fined a million dollars a minute for every minute we are on the base after 6:00. So just leave the animal and get out.
My 64 year old dad is still a mile up the hill. Jim, my guide, is now running up to me yelling we have to go. I couldn't understand what was going on and he explains it once he reaches me. I now go running up the hill yelling to get my dads attention. He finally hears us and starts to come down. Jim runs up and helps to push my dad along. All the while I'm now ****ed.
We are 40 minutes from the gate according to the officer who has now taken off. We break all the speed laws and get to the gate in 20 minutes, 5:15. Now I"m really ticked off. The officials new I had an animal on the ground at 2:45. They came up with some bull **** that we were going to get fined this large amount. It's hotter then snot and my animal is rotting on the hillside. And no game officials offered to help.
Head game guy said come back in the AM. They new the story and would discuss what would happen. I was ****ed about the animal rotting in the sun. Next AM they said I would not get another tag and if the animal is wasted to just leave it on the hillside. My once in a lifetime hunt was over.
Thanks jerk offs. I was so frustrated I couldn't tell you. I guess it's OK to waste an animal like that. We ended up packing 4 quarters and the back straps out. The biologist, game warden, guide and butcher said we got lucky. The meat appeared good and the hide appears to have not slipped. So I'm taking the meat to my butcher tomorrow and I think the meat will be OK. Will have to wait to see about the hide once it comes back from the tannery.
Why the officials let anyone shoot an animal after 2:00 or so is beyond me if you can't get help when things go bad. They knew we were in trouble 2 hours into the pack out. Yet not one offer to help and yea, it's OK to possibly waste the meat. They didn't care. Plus the one official with the BS million dollar fine just wanted us out of there. This was never mentioned in the orientation.
Over the course of the day we saw a couple of animals here and there but all were broken up. After we failed on a couple of stocks and seeing very few intact animals we were quickly realizing this first hunt of the year was a lot tougher then any of us were expecting.
On that fist day there were 85 hunters and only 23 harvested. Sun when we got out it was up to 26 and we saw 4 other animals that came out after us. I don't know what the final numbers are yet but I would be surprised if it was no higher then 50%. This hunt used to be 75% with 110 tags given out.
F&G has sold so many licenses over the past years they have wrecked the heard because of greed. Very sad to see. I believe the Rhodes Canyon hunt is better. They had a youth hunt there before ours and were 47 out of 50. I'm not sure how any of the next 3 hunts will turn out on Stallion this season but if you are heading out be prepared to hunt hard.
You may get lucky. On our way in on Sunday to my animal one truck in front of us and 3 trucks behind us failed to see 2 nice bulls 150 yards from the road. They all missed them but we didn't. That was easy for someone because on our way out a truck was in the field where we saw the 2. So someone was paying attention and was rewarded.
I don't have any pictures to post. My guide had his camera and will send me some. I was expecting to take some with mine when we got the animal out. Never thinking we were going to have to leave it on the hillside all night. Then in the AM I was pretty disgusted and forgot it in the truck as we hiked up to the animal.
If anyone has any questions about location or tips on this hunt feel free to contact me. I also have a great guide to recommend if you decide to go that way.
We couldn't hunt after orientation on Friday so we got there really early on Sat. We were told on Friday the hunt was ending early on Sat because of missions that night so we had to be out by 6:00, so no long stocks after 4:00PM.
Got to a glassing area first thing and glassed up a couple of nice ones at 1000 yards. Got to 800 yards of the nice one and ran out of cover. I had a nice shooting stick rest but he wouldn't turn broadside, just a quartering away shot and he was walking away slowly. No way to get into another position and I couldn't get prone. I just couldn't get comfortable enough for that long of a shot off of a small tripod shooting rest so I passed. If the animal had turned broadside I would have made the shot. At least I was hitting the bulls eye at 650 yards off the same sticks the day before at the range.
Hiked a mile into an area that used to be a honey hole but is now all dried up.
After the hike glassed up some bedded bulls and put a mile or so stock onthem. Got busted by some Oryx we didn't see along the way. I didn't have the Bog Pod but the smaller sticks so I couldn't get steady as a nice one ran 350 yards or so on by. So let that one go.
Over the next hour we glassed and moved along the base of the mountains were we blew the stock on the bedded bulls. Then we came up to an area we glassed 45 minutes earlier to see 3 trucks pulled over. They were all watching a guy that had got into position of 12 or so Oryx a half mile in. We watched as the guy missed. The Oryx ran in the direction our truck was pointed and we were off to the races. Everyone else just stood and watched.
3 or so miles down the road we bailed out and started to hustle to the base of the mountains. 30 minutes later the 13 Oryx were walking single file into our position. We got to 350 yards and were setting up when the lead cow busted us. I only had a shot at the first 4 animals because of the bushes. 2 avg to small bulls were now stacked on top of one another so no shot. My guide saw the 4th bull but I couldn't because of a Yucca. The rest of the string had stopped and were not visible from our position.
The lead Oryx was a non typical. The left horn was at a 90 deg angle running straight along the back. The other horn looked to come up a little higher and then go back as well.
In all the excitement I didn't see the rt horn was broken off. My guide was looking at the other 3 and I said I have one in sight and am going to shoot. The .338 RUM built by Kirby Allen barked and the animal dropped hard. My guide didn't know which one I had shot but we knew it was down and we saw a huge dust cloud as the animal kicked violently before expiring.
It was a cow, no big deal, and her rt horn was busted off. Something I didn't see in all of the excitement. During her thrashing on the ground she broke off her left side as well. No big deal, this is something that can be easily fixed by my taxidermist.
Here's where it goes from bad to worst. We shot the animal at 2:45PM and it was 90 deg or hotter. My dad watched this from the car now 2 or so miles away. We knew we had to get moving so we took some quick pictures and I headed back to the truck to get the game cart. There was a game official there who saw what happened. He warned my dad we had to hurry.
Finally got the game cart to the animal and we started to wheel her out and the wheel bends. We can't drive the truck back to here because the terrain was too nasty. My guide goes back to the truck, my dad who is now with us, stays with the animal and I head back to help the guide.
The guide gets to the truck and the official says we don't have time to retrieve the animal. It's 4:45 and we will get fined a million dollars a minute for every minute we are on the base after 6:00. So just leave the animal and get out.
My 64 year old dad is still a mile up the hill. Jim, my guide, is now running up to me yelling we have to go. I couldn't understand what was going on and he explains it once he reaches me. I now go running up the hill yelling to get my dads attention. He finally hears us and starts to come down. Jim runs up and helps to push my dad along. All the while I'm now ****ed.
We are 40 minutes from the gate according to the officer who has now taken off. We break all the speed laws and get to the gate in 20 minutes, 5:15. Now I"m really ticked off. The officials new I had an animal on the ground at 2:45. They came up with some bull **** that we were going to get fined this large amount. It's hotter then snot and my animal is rotting on the hillside. And no game officials offered to help.
Head game guy said come back in the AM. They new the story and would discuss what would happen. I was ****ed about the animal rotting in the sun. Next AM they said I would not get another tag and if the animal is wasted to just leave it on the hillside. My once in a lifetime hunt was over.
Thanks jerk offs. I was so frustrated I couldn't tell you. I guess it's OK to waste an animal like that. We ended up packing 4 quarters and the back straps out. The biologist, game warden, guide and butcher said we got lucky. The meat appeared good and the hide appears to have not slipped. So I'm taking the meat to my butcher tomorrow and I think the meat will be OK. Will have to wait to see about the hide once it comes back from the tannery.
Why the officials let anyone shoot an animal after 2:00 or so is beyond me if you can't get help when things go bad. They knew we were in trouble 2 hours into the pack out. Yet not one offer to help and yea, it's OK to possibly waste the meat. They didn't care. Plus the one official with the BS million dollar fine just wanted us out of there. This was never mentioned in the orientation.
Over the course of the day we saw a couple of animals here and there but all were broken up. After we failed on a couple of stocks and seeing very few intact animals we were quickly realizing this first hunt of the year was a lot tougher then any of us were expecting.
On that fist day there were 85 hunters and only 23 harvested. Sun when we got out it was up to 26 and we saw 4 other animals that came out after us. I don't know what the final numbers are yet but I would be surprised if it was no higher then 50%. This hunt used to be 75% with 110 tags given out.
F&G has sold so many licenses over the past years they have wrecked the heard because of greed. Very sad to see. I believe the Rhodes Canyon hunt is better. They had a youth hunt there before ours and were 47 out of 50. I'm not sure how any of the next 3 hunts will turn out on Stallion this season but if you are heading out be prepared to hunt hard.
You may get lucky. On our way in on Sunday to my animal one truck in front of us and 3 trucks behind us failed to see 2 nice bulls 150 yards from the road. They all missed them but we didn't. That was easy for someone because on our way out a truck was in the field where we saw the 2. So someone was paying attention and was rewarded.
I don't have any pictures to post. My guide had his camera and will send me some. I was expecting to take some with mine when we got the animal out. Never thinking we were going to have to leave it on the hillside all night. Then in the AM I was pretty disgusted and forgot it in the truck as we hiked up to the animal.
If anyone has any questions about location or tips on this hunt feel free to contact me. I also have a great guide to recommend if you decide to go that way.
