Well I made up for hunting in that storm on Saturdays antelope opener. I tried to make it to my WIA spot in the middle of a ranch I call on this morning. Well like yesterday the 2 tracks are under 1-6' of snow berms the wind nicely placed there. I made it about 3 miles in and proceeded to get hung up again in a 4' deep drift, not one track made it to where I got stuck. I should stop thinking I'm a tracked snow cat!
Heck with it, got the truck backed out and headed to a spot next to I25 that is also WIA.
The winds were only about 15 or so today, but in the 30-50s this am.
I hiked about 3 miles total and was able to see the entire WIA area...yup not one Antelope. At 7am Im sitting looking around for speed goats and see movement at about 900 yards...a coyote & I have no calls on me this time. I follow it and see another one in a hill facing me, the sun is up and warming that side. I glass and see still another one...Hmmm...my luck!
So then I see the hill side move HOLY hide!..I count 11 coyote just hanging out there. I have never seen that many in this spot even though Ive killed 3 there.
I sit there for 1.5hrs waiting for goats to move into the area hopefully and they never move. I hear a shot on the ranch side 1/3 mile away, they scatter about 200 yards, then come in to maybe to 700 yards after they realize they weren't shot at. Most laying out in the snow on the hill side and 3 lower in the grass snoozing and 4 playing w/each other. There is no way to approach them. I mouth bark, stand up move and it don't bother them, so I start to head back to the truck and they finally move out over the hill single file in no hurry. Wind was in my face this entire time.
After all that and no antelope I pull out of the spot and there are 2 trucks w/CO plates coming in. I stop and tell em I was out there for 4 hours and not on antelope seen, they turn around to look for another spot. NOW this will play in my favor in about 20 min!!
I decided to drive to the backside where I was to look over in another spot, nothing. I circle the area and on the frontage road coming from the north and holy antelope I see a buck and 17 doe on the leeward of a hill from the area I was just in and walked through. I can only think they were pushed form the other side of the interstate under the drainage overpass. I pull off the road behind a hill that has a water tank on it. Wind NOT in my favor. I trot 100 yards to the hill, duck low and then belly crawl at the top by the tank, now every driver on I25 can see me as its about 300 yards from I25.
I scoot forward and see the buck laying w/his back to me, I draw on it and a doe spots me and jumps as do the rest. Buck stands up, nice long back as he is facing away from me.
I put a 95g nosler HBT into the middle of the shoulders & down he goes w/out a step. The does take off & I start to cry like a fawn, they all stop at 200 yards, wondering why Mr buck is laying down. I draw on a nice Doe and she drops like bricks and the rest spilt.
SO at 1030 am I fill both my Buck & Doe tags within 40 seconds. Savage 22" sporter .243, 95g NHBT in front of W760.
Heck yea I am one happy hunter, but I still have to drag em 300 yards to the truck.
He is 12.25" base to tip, my best do far since I just go for meat anyway.
The only thing about hunting alone...no one to take better pics w/me next to them
Heck with it, got the truck backed out and headed to a spot next to I25 that is also WIA.
The winds were only about 15 or so today, but in the 30-50s this am.
I hiked about 3 miles total and was able to see the entire WIA area...yup not one Antelope. At 7am Im sitting looking around for speed goats and see movement at about 900 yards...a coyote & I have no calls on me this time. I follow it and see another one in a hill facing me, the sun is up and warming that side. I glass and see still another one...Hmmm...my luck!
So then I see the hill side move HOLY hide!..I count 11 coyote just hanging out there. I have never seen that many in this spot even though Ive killed 3 there.
I sit there for 1.5hrs waiting for goats to move into the area hopefully and they never move. I hear a shot on the ranch side 1/3 mile away, they scatter about 200 yards, then come in to maybe to 700 yards after they realize they weren't shot at. Most laying out in the snow on the hill side and 3 lower in the grass snoozing and 4 playing w/each other. There is no way to approach them. I mouth bark, stand up move and it don't bother them, so I start to head back to the truck and they finally move out over the hill single file in no hurry. Wind was in my face this entire time.
After all that and no antelope I pull out of the spot and there are 2 trucks w/CO plates coming in. I stop and tell em I was out there for 4 hours and not on antelope seen, they turn around to look for another spot. NOW this will play in my favor in about 20 min!!
I decided to drive to the backside where I was to look over in another spot, nothing. I circle the area and on the frontage road coming from the north and holy antelope I see a buck and 17 doe on the leeward of a hill from the area I was just in and walked through. I can only think they were pushed form the other side of the interstate under the drainage overpass. I pull off the road behind a hill that has a water tank on it. Wind NOT in my favor. I trot 100 yards to the hill, duck low and then belly crawl at the top by the tank, now every driver on I25 can see me as its about 300 yards from I25.
I scoot forward and see the buck laying w/his back to me, I draw on it and a doe spots me and jumps as do the rest. Buck stands up, nice long back as he is facing away from me.
I put a 95g nosler HBT into the middle of the shoulders & down he goes w/out a step. The does take off & I start to cry like a fawn, they all stop at 200 yards, wondering why Mr buck is laying down. I draw on a nice Doe and she drops like bricks and the rest spilt.
SO at 1030 am I fill both my Buck & Doe tags within 40 seconds. Savage 22" sporter .243, 95g NHBT in front of W760.
Heck yea I am one happy hunter, but I still have to drag em 300 yards to the truck.
He is 12.25" base to tip, my best do far since I just go for meat anyway.
The only thing about hunting alone...no one to take better pics w/me next to them
