Home from Wyoming Antelope chasin'!!!

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

What is it about folks from Missouri dragging out stories? Gotta be something in the water.  

[cjones]

Good start but let get on with it. We are dying here!

[Golden Hawk]

Brad you're a tease. Tell these guys the story like you told it to me on the phone.

[Jack Denbow]

Aw come on I am leaving Friday for Douglas I need to get this finished before I leave.    
Jack

[fireman_3311]

Jack Denbow, what ranch ya huntin???

Alright, finally got back to the computer...been washin camo, trackin down a bugsuit..blah, blah...Now, where were we...Ahh, yes, morning of the 2nd day, blind #4...



No water right near the blind, but has been a salt lick since the 30's...Had a beautiful fat doe come in with triplett's, which I guess is quite common out there...but most youngin's don't make it thru the winter. No doe tag yet, so just watched, and learned again, how skittish they are. Went in around noon for a quick bite and back out to the blind. I parked the truck, about a quarter mile away, in a metal, semi circle wind break, that the Rancher had built for the cattle...I shoulda turned it the left, instead of pulling it in on the right...MR. BIG got a couple of hundred yards up the dirt road from me, saw the truck, looked at the blind, and booked south...No doubt he was 15" plus, long cutters, and awesome mass...yea, I was shakin...This happened with a second shooter, and several herds of does and fawns...so no action on day 2...

[fireman_3311]

Day 3, stand #4, got there extra early...yup, hid the truck better today. Cloudy and misty today, so not many pics this morning...cold too, wind ALWAYS blows in Wyoming! I kept a close eye up the road, where the 2 nice bucks came down yesterday...finally, MR. BIG was headed my way, around 8-830am...he stopped, looked at the wind break, and didn't see the truck this time, and headed towards the salt. I snuck up out of my campstool, had to keep my 6'5" head below the 6' back board on the blind, and did a "Popeye" on him, peeking one eyed between the boards. He was committed to the salt, and came right in, at 10 yrds...SHOULD HAVE shot him walkin in broadside...lesson learned...he neared the salt, circled away, and headed straight in to me...he didn't come lick broadside, like I'd hoped...When he finished, he backed away, turned around quick, and walked DIRECTLY away...I came to full draw, bleated with me mouth, hey, it works on whitetails...He blasted away, quartering, I swung and yea, missed...bad...What a dandy...I sat my shakin self down, thanked God for an awesome morning...and drank more water...lol.
Here's a buck from day 2, one of the other guys got...

[fireman_3311]

About an hour later, it tried to quit misting, and I did a quick scan around me with the bino's...goats galore, 360 degrees around me, but at a distance! Here's a pic of some buffalo rings...the Ranchers grandpa told him, that back then, there were buff's and wolves...the buffalo would gather the sick, weak, old, and young, inside the herd, and the healthy part of the herd would plod around them, in a circle...even walking a trench into the ground, to keep the wolves at bay!! Prolly saw 10-15 of these thru out the ranch...

[fireman_3311]

Oh yea, about an hour later....a nice herd...2 shooters, 2 1 1/2 yr. old bucks, 2 does with twins each, had been north of me, 1/2 mile at a big waterhole, and were feeding towards me, up the lush green dry creek bed, that feeds the pond. They eventually fed out in front of me, and one of the little bucks headed towards the salt! His little buddy saw him headed my way, and followed at a full run...the 2 bigger bucks just slowly fed my way, and pretty soon, all 4 were at the salt lick, eatin dirt...and there I was, sittin down....I tried 3 times to get stood up, each time, the stand would sway and creak and rattle, and the 2 bigger bucks would look me right in the eye...Finally, I got caught about halfway up, they looked up, so I just stood on up....scatterin' em like a covey of quail...the 2 bigger bucks, and one yearlin, stopped out about 40 yds, and the one little yearlin at 20...I had me chance at MR. BIG, so I came to full draw, picked that spot, and let Mr. Snuffer fly...I hit forward, about 3 inches, of where I was lookin, and heard a loud CRACK...but could tell right away, that he was hurt bad...he whirled, ran back left, about 40-50 yds, and piled up!!!! My first ever antelope was down!!!



The snuffer had cracked thru the right shoulder blade....not the flat part, the upright part, that seperated the 2 muscles, on thru the center of the windpipe, and buried deep on the off shoulder, seperating the 2 large round bones, right at the joint...I will be boilin out the blade, and the end of one of those bones today, for a pic!!! Snuffer stopped right inside the hide on the off side!!!!!

[fireman_3311]

OH yea, a hero pic...the self timer on the new camera works purty good!!!

[Izzy]

Good shootin man, congrats.

[the Ferret]

well I'll be darned, the beanstalk from Mo got one  

Congrats Brad    

[fireman_3311]

Little graphic, but ya gotta love gaping chest wounds!!!

[fireman_3311]

Here's a few more pics from the week...Another nice one...taken on thursday.



A little miss with my Bingham homemade longbow, on a fat doe...shot just under!!!



Nice walk in cooler for butcherin'

[fireman_3311]

Nice quarterin shot!!!



Pick a spot!!!



Did someone say CUTTERS????

[fireman_3311]

King of the Mountain....in a few years...lol



The whole Mo. gang!!! Thanks guys, glad ya had me along!!!



One last Wyoming sunrise, on our way home!!!

[fireman_3311]

Top front cowling blew off on the way home...nuttin better'n duct tape!!!



The Chevy's dashboard computer, that tells ya you have 16 miles worth of fuel, was a wee bit WRONG!!!



Luckily, we were sitting at the stoplite, and only had a couple hundred yards to pull him in with Chris' DODGE....LOL



End of story...we'll know in about 2 weeks, but I'm hopin to be booked with this ranch, for the next 3 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[the Ferret]

 

[fireman_3311]

Mickey...THANKS!!! Was a good hunt...start to finish, good to get the blood up another time...was a time where I wondered about that!!! Can't wait for ontario this next weekend, maybe Mr. Snuffer will make one ROAR for me!!!!!!!!!!!!

[the Ferret]

Looks like there were plenty of nice goats around Brad.

I prefer pit blinds myself vs sitting out in the sun and wind all day.

Good luck on the bar next weekend (grumble grumble jealous of retired guys)

[fireman_3311]

Nice pick, Mick...looks like a little right helical on that arrah...lol. Yea, they had 2 pits, but they were already full..lol, and yea, they produced...one pit filled 3 tags!
I'll be sure to take  a few pics in Ontario for ya!! Tell Momma hi for me!!!