branwill25
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2012
- Messages
- 662
To put into context as to why I titled this thread this way we have to go back to 2007. A friend and I both drew on antelope that year and the story goes as follows.
Opening day fell on a work day that year so we couldn't make it out until that Saturday. We decided to go on an early afternoon/evening hunt. We made it to our area within just a few minutes of leaving home. The unit we hunted is only a few miles down the road.
After searching for a while we came upon several groups of antelope and we decided to put on a stalk for a very nice looking buck that was in the herd. After getting to within 300 yards of said antelope I positioned myself for the shot. With a nice buck in my cross hairs I let the bullet fly. It was a solid hit. I immediately signaled to my friend James that I had a goat down. We eagerly ran to where the antelope lay to find out that somehow the horns were gone and it grew boobs!
Still to this day I do not know what happened and why I was left with a doe instead of the buck I so admired that day. Moving forward 6 years and I find myself the recipient of that same unit antelope tag I drew in 2007. I put myself and my daughter in on the same hunt and we were lucky and drew the tag.
Opening day was Wednesday, September 25 and we went out looking for a few hours with no luck. Friday, September 27 I decided to take my kids and go looking for antelope. We were driving around the desert circling a big hay field when we saw a bunch of goats loitering in the middle.
After looking at them for a few minutes we decided to drive around the field to get a better look. As we drove we found more and more antelope everywhere we looked. There was a particular buck I noticed and when we got closer to him the does he was with took off running. They were heading towards the fence and off the private property they were on. With rising hopes I turned the truck around and paralleled them as they ran out into the desert where I could get a shot. I stopped the truck and jumped out with my rifle in hand.
The herd ran out about 120 yards and stopped. The buck turned broadside and I let him have it with my 6.5-284. The berger bullet found its mark. I thought for a minute I might have missed because he just seemed to keep running with no sign of slowing down. He went 400 yards after I double lung shot him and finally laid down and expired.
I apologize for the picture as I did not think at the time that holding his horns with my big meat hooks would make it hard to judge his size and admire his true beauty. He is at the taxidermist now getting mounted as he is my first and only antelope buck. A very long time coming. I will post pics when my daughter connects with one also. Thanks for reading.
Opening day fell on a work day that year so we couldn't make it out until that Saturday. We decided to go on an early afternoon/evening hunt. We made it to our area within just a few minutes of leaving home. The unit we hunted is only a few miles down the road.
After searching for a while we came upon several groups of antelope and we decided to put on a stalk for a very nice looking buck that was in the herd. After getting to within 300 yards of said antelope I positioned myself for the shot. With a nice buck in my cross hairs I let the bullet fly. It was a solid hit. I immediately signaled to my friend James that I had a goat down. We eagerly ran to where the antelope lay to find out that somehow the horns were gone and it grew boobs!
Still to this day I do not know what happened and why I was left with a doe instead of the buck I so admired that day. Moving forward 6 years and I find myself the recipient of that same unit antelope tag I drew in 2007. I put myself and my daughter in on the same hunt and we were lucky and drew the tag.
Opening day was Wednesday, September 25 and we went out looking for a few hours with no luck. Friday, September 27 I decided to take my kids and go looking for antelope. We were driving around the desert circling a big hay field when we saw a bunch of goats loitering in the middle.
After looking at them for a few minutes we decided to drive around the field to get a better look. As we drove we found more and more antelope everywhere we looked. There was a particular buck I noticed and when we got closer to him the does he was with took off running. They were heading towards the fence and off the private property they were on. With rising hopes I turned the truck around and paralleled them as they ran out into the desert where I could get a shot. I stopped the truck and jumped out with my rifle in hand.
The herd ran out about 120 yards and stopped. The buck turned broadside and I let him have it with my 6.5-284. The berger bullet found its mark. I thought for a minute I might have missed because he just seemed to keep running with no sign of slowing down. He went 400 yards after I double lung shot him and finally laid down and expired.
I apologize for the picture as I did not think at the time that holding his horns with my big meat hooks would make it hard to judge his size and admire his true beauty. He is at the taxidermist now getting mounted as he is my first and only antelope buck. A very long time coming. I will post pics when my daughter connects with one also. Thanks for reading.
