How to Hunt Antelope at long Range

[cole]

12 yr old antelope hunt in 08

I will be taking my 12 year old son antelope hunting this fall. He has already killed 2 whitetail buck deer with his 243. He seems fine shooting a 308. What would you recomend for a caliber for him? any other suggestions for a young hunter for antelope would be appreciated. Thanks all.

 

[Buffalobob]

Antelope are not much different in size than a small eastern whitetail. They have fragile bones being as they are built for speed not strength. The 243 with high BC bullets will be fine. Wind may be a big problem so use as much muzzle velocity and BC as you can get and then try to get some practice.

 

[cinch]

Jim's right on. They are not hard to kill at all. Get your son practicing at some longer ranges and that 243 will do great. Depending on the terrain, you may be able to get him up close to some. Wear a white T-shirt. They may come right in to you. Watch out for rattlesnakes. They live in the same country as antelope. Where are you going to be hunting?

 

[Bob33]

The best suggestion is for him to practice. Get away from the bench and shoot under real world conditions: on the ground, off a bipod, from shooting sticks or whatever you plan to use hunting. Shoot at distances from 200 to 400 yards. Learn the drop and what wind does. This develops confidence, and knowledge of the rifle/bullet combination. Then go have fun chasing the "speed goats". They are my favorite specie to hunt. Your son should have a great time.

 

[cole]

Thanks for all the Info. I've loaded up some 55 grain nosler bt's to practice on p-dogs. Hoping this will help him alot. We will be hunting in area 31. Also I was thinking of loading 95 grain nbt's for antelope. Is this a good bullet for antelope?

 

[Buffalobob]

I have never shot anything with the Nosler 95 and do not usually provide advice on things I have not personally done but nobody else has replied so I will say that the 95 grain has decent sectional density but not really great. For a 243 it is probably a good choice for an intermediate range of say 300 - 500 yards (that would be a very respectable shot for your son and you should be proud of such a shot). I have shot quite a few whitetails with 85 grain bullets and see no reason a 95 grain bullet would not do an even better job on an antelope.

Maybe somebody who really knows will answer.

 

[Stormrider]

I use the 100g Nosler solid base bullets on whitetail deer (at least when I can find the deer, anyway...

) I don't see any reason that the 95g bullet wouldn't work just fine. Antelope aren't hard to kill.

 

[tillroot1]

I have been putting in for a 81 type 2 tag in Wy (south of Cody) for some time now, are any of you familiar with that area? if so any advise? its a late hunt, Nov1, the reason for applying for that tag is because its the same general area that I hunt deer and its the same time as deer season. thanks for your time. Ron Tilley

 

[VarmintGuy]

Cole: I have taken many Antelope with Rifles in caliber 243 Winchester.
Antelope have a "built in" (when broadside) aiming point for the heart/lungs shot.
A Harris type bi-pod (swiveling model) is highly recommended.
I also highly recommend NOT shooting the Antelope through the shoulders!
Use the heart/lung shot let them run off (usually about 60 to 100 yards) and they will completely bleed out in about 5 seconds.
This heart/lung shot helps the taste of the meat to be at its best also.
Psych your son up to be able to Hunt ALL day!
Get him well rested at night and have Visine on hand to help deal with the dry and sometimes dusty air/wind induced eyestrain!
Also have sunscreen along to help protect the youngsters skin.
If its windy for your stalk try to get the wind at you and your sons backs as you approach. This simplifies the shot as wind deflection will be minimal.
I NEVER shoot at running Antelope, EVER!
Its one thing to shoot at a walking or trotting Antelope but when they are stretched out and dashing - save your ammo and save the high probability that an unintended Antelope may be hit, wounded etc.
Best of luck on your upcoming venture.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

 

[cole]

Thanks for all the great sugestions guys! They really help alot! Will give a report at years end.

Cole

 

[115vld]

Thanks for all the Info. I've loaded up some 55 grain nosler bt's to practice on p-dogs. Hoping this will help him alot. We will be hunting in area 31. Also I was thinking of loading 95 grain nbt's for antelope. Is this a good bullet for antelope?

Cole, you need to practice with the exact same bullet you will be hunting with!!! This way you will know exactly what the bullet will do in any given condition. I have seen quite a few people make the same mistake. They will practice with a cheaper round and then when they get to the field and try a certain shot and hit in a completely different spot then what they are expecting! I strongly advise against practicing with a different bullet then you will hunt with.

By the way, when I went hunting antelope both times, we lured them in by waving a hat in the air. They came in out of no wear! We had 3 come in the first time and one of which I shot at only 120 yards. He was 17.4". We did the same thing around Springer, NM and though the goats came in, they hung up around 300 or so. The ewe's were actually more cautous. They were much more timid to break the 500 yard barrier. This was back when I was around 14 years old and before I learned to shoot at long range. But, if nothing else is working, try waiving a hat or towel or even try putting something like a shirt in a high bush. Goats are so farmilier with their territory that they will come in to inspect things!

Chase

 

[huntinco]

Great post you hit the nail on the head! I get to guide hunters to several of these every year and they really are a fun animal to hunt. I would like hear more about the gear you use.
Thanks
Justin

 

[Oilfield Cowboy]

As far as the .243 goes for hunting antelope, it was the only caliber I had ever killed a speed goat with until this year. Happend to have the .280 with me when out looking for a buck and used it to drop him.

last day of our huntable season, wound up seeing how close we could walk straight at him. Shot was from ~ 75 yards away after he finally stood up, DRT.

Longest shot I've taken to date was 300 yards, that was on a whim. We normally don't shoot unless closer to 100 yards. The new goal is to get one DRT ~ 1,000 by the end of the 09 season gun)

 

[Buffalobob]

Welcome OC

While I am sure you know a lot more about antelope than I do, I have some small amount of understanding concerning the difficulty of antelope at 1K DRT.

First, rangefinding is difficult and you will need a first class rangefinder and it will need to be steadied with some type of stick or tripod.

Second will be a good windmeter. As best I can determine you will get about a two hour window of time with wind under 5mph about once very three days. It is about impossible to kill an antelope past 1 K in winds over 10 mph. Every day many people claim to have guns that shoot better than mine and they claim to never miss and to routinely shoot in the 1s but they never post any dead animals. I can make a kill in about 15 mph winds up to about 800 yards and that is about all I can manage. So my advice to you is to only hunt on the calm days. Watch the weather forecast and hunt when you can make the shot if you get an opportunity

Third, an antelope at 1K is a 1.0 MOA target. This requires an accurate rifle with good glass. A fast muzzle velocity with a very high BC bullet is just very helpful.

Fourth, there is a certain skill level required. This is accomplished by practice and not just with a rifle at a range but practice in the whole hunting setup including making a first round cold bore shot.

Finally, you should understand that you may miss or make a less than wonderful hit. Things go wrong on occasion at short and at long range and that is just the way it is.

Once again, welcome and I look forward to watching your progress toward your goal.