Newbie questions on Antelope hunting

[tjhuels]

Retired, finally have some time to do more than local Minnesota hunting. A buddy and I would like to try pronghorn hunting, but don't have much knowledge on the subject.

Any ideas on where to begin (what state, area, etc.).

We have hunted deer, moose, caribou and elk, saw a few pronghorn while driving South Dakota and Montana.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks

[GF.]

In some respects, WY is probably your best bet; unless things have really gone south there, you should be able to buy doe tags OTC so that you won't go home with an empty cooler, and there is plenty of public land around, especially in the Red Desert. Unless you're a dedicated horn hunter, the biggest trick with speedgoats, as I recall, is getting to them before they've been run ragged by jackasses on ATVs and their road-hunting brethren whose idea of 'sport' is taking quarter-mile (& up) shots from sandbags across the hoods of their pick-ups. That's the up-side of the doe tags, I'd expect - the season lasts long enough for the idiots to have tagged out or given up, and then you can enjoy the hunt more after things have settled down a touch....

Probably the best way to avoid the circus it to get into a drawing for a low-pressure public land hunt, in which case you could hunt the entire front range from NM to Montana & the Dakotas. Have you considered a muzzleloader option? Either that or you can consider paying for access to private land somewhere; just depends on your budget and whether or not you're willing to pay for 'trophy' potential. Makes me wonder, though, if the Nebraska panhandle might be a bit of a sleeper area. Avoiding high-profile destinations has always appealed to me. :cool:

BTW - whereabouts in MN are you?

[tjhuels]

Thanks for the info, GF. I'm from Stillwater, sometime home of Cole and Bob Younger after they tried the bank robbery in Northfield MN. Located on the beautiful St. Croix river, home of great smallmouth and walleye fishing. Just east of St. Paul on the Wisconsin border.

As for ML hunting, I've done some with a .54 Hawken replica, and I just finished building a .45 "Kentucky" percussion rifle from a CVA kit. The oil isn't dry on the finish yet, so don't know how that one will shoot. Waiting for it to get above 15 degrees to take it to the range. :biggrin:



Panhandle Nebraska sounds like a good idea.

Thanks again!

[GF.]

All familiar territory to me - went to college in Northfield and one of my best friends from that era lives in Stillwater now....3-Emmer... I lived for a little while in Oakdale, and shot at the gun club there a bit; worked in ESP for about 5 years..... down to da brew-rey, dontchaknow..... Matter o' fact, that's where I picked up my handle.... Used it on the Pioneer press bulletin board and kinda stuck with it....

How's the Silver Carp situation these days? I hear wingshooting 'em has kinda taken off as a new pastime. Does the DNR require steel shot for that? :rofl:

A .45 RB would be a nifty goat load, though a .54 does carry more whomp once you get out there a little ways... It's amazing how much farther you can see to shoot with irons when there's no brush in the way and a bit more sunlight to work with....

But yeah, I think I'd look into limited-entry seasons first, just because it can get to be a bit of a zoo. There's sooo much public land out there to work with that you oughtta be able to get away from the insanity. A Minnesotan might even have the equipment and experience to to canoe down a river into the badlands or some similarly tough terrain and really get away from it. I read about a hunt done that way in a Field & Stream some years ago... They said it wasn't for rookies, but it sounded like great hunting. Missouri River breaks, maybe? Too long ago to remember the area off the top of my head, but I'll let you know if it comes to me....

[Wild_Bill_Hiccup]

A buddy and I would like to try pronghorn hunting...
Any ideas on where to begin (what state, area, etc.).

As GF mentioned, Wyoming is an obvious choice and perhaps the best bet for any DIY hunter. I personally prefer Montana, however. To get away from the doltish crowds and have a very high chance of success (and with trophies not just any ol' lope), I would recommend looking into finding access to large tracts of private land. This is not easy for a person without local contacts, but your hunt quality will be much better - on average.

The various state f&g websites will give all the initial info about licensing and odds of drawing tags, etc. If you're an archery hunter, I highly suggest bow hunting pronghorn as both a challenge and an extremely fun hunt. In Montana at least, the tags are also much easier to come by during the bow season (100% in most areas).

Good luck in your quest!

Oh... I'm originally from Minnesota too! ... Clay County farm boy... eastern Red River Valley

[Wild_Bill_Hiccup]

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http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh65/wild_bill_hiccup/LateNov-Pronghorn.jpg

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh65/wild_bill_hiccup/AntX3.jpg

http://www.adventures411.com/uploads/Ant4.jpg

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh65/wild_bill_hiccup/XAnt3.jpg

[tjhuels]

Been an Oakdale Gun club member for ten years now, club has gotten better and better. 200 yds still the longest range, and no skeet area, but great friendly guys with a lot of gun info in their heads. There's Bob, the ML guru, used to rebuild the factory stuff for Track of the Wolf to make it shoot straight, and Mike who builds his own centerfire actions, everything from a .308 pump (built on an action like a Winchester 62), and Martini-like centerfire pistols for silhouette shooting. Then there's guys like me who just want to shoot.

Great club!

I've done my share of canoeing on flat and white water. When we got our Minnesota moose permit in 1999 I wanted to canoe into the BWCA for one. My buddy, who can make a canoe move like no one else, said "You're crazy if you want to haul 800 lbs of meat, hide and horns over six portages!!!" so we only had to haul that amount over 3/4 of a mile of slash and cutover to get to the trailer....

Now, a horse trip for antelope or elk would be my real cup of tea, but I don't think Ben Bernanke's going to bail us enough for me to afford it!

Thanks again for the info.

tom

[LeeInSC]

tj, did you bag a moose in 1999? There are not that many permits in MN.

I hunted the BWA in the late 1990s for bear. Easy to draw an out-of-state tag. Saw moose every day. Saw bears, saw wolves, but didn't get a good clear shot at a bear. Got as close as 10 yards to a big boar in thick stuff. Stalked a cow moose to within 7 or 8 yards, just for the thrill of it, with my bow in my hands. We saw few other hunters, but two guys did come by on day 4 in a big canoe with a dressed moose, all wrapped up. We pointed them to a single portage that would get them into Moose Lake, gave them some hot coffee and some baked trout to go, and they gave us a small roast.

[tjhuels]

Yup, our party of three bagged a nice 4-1/2 year old bull in 1999. Had been putting in for permits for seven years, finally got one.

I made six scouting trips up there over the summer, just SW of Sawbill Lake, found several likely looking areas with lots of sign. Worked up 175-gr loads for my .284 Win. Opening day the three of us got up at 3 AM to drive from camp to our chosen area, sat 'til sunup then headed out each about 250 yards apart on different ridges.

Ten minutes into the season I was three steps up into my tree stand when I heard "BAM!", and one of my buddies shot the bull. Still haven't seen a live moose.... :frown:

Great eating; nice midsize set of horns as a traveling trophy for the three of us.

Tom H

[LeeInSC]

"Yup"... now we know you are from Minnesota. LOL!

Sounds like you guys had a great trip. When everybody doesn't tag out, that means you all have to go back, right?
It is such a beautiful place in the fall. I just hope that when my son finishes college, he can arrange some fall and spring time off so I can take him places I have hunted before like the Boundary Waters, and out West. Next time I go back, I am taking a shotgun, so I can shoot ducks and grouse. In fact, I would take two weeks so I could go after bear and move down to the grain belt for some deer hunting.

[tjhuels]

"Sounds like you guys had a great trip. When everybody doesn't tag out, that means you all have to go back, right?"

Great trip, yes! But in Minnesota it is one moose per party, and for every member of the party it is a once-in-a-lifetime shot, whether you get a moose or not. So our Minnesota moose hunting days are over. Will have to go to Alaska, Canada, or Montana if I want another moose.

But, yes, the BWCA is truly a beautiful area.

TH

[Bushman]

Wild Bill, I was just looking at your antelope pictures and that guy with the bow looks totally pissed at everything. Getting any antelope with a bow I think would be quite an accomplishment, but that guy with the scowl doesn't look too pleased with himself, the antelope or the camera man. Pretty funny actually.

[Altjaeger]

Wild Bill, I was just looking at your antelope pictures and that guy with the bow looks totally pissed at everything. Getting any antelope with a bow I think would be quite an accomplishment, but that guy with the scowl doesn't look too pleased with himself, the antelope or the camera man. Pretty funny actually.

Nah, thats just indigestion from the breakfast Bill cooked!!!:laugh:

[Chuck S]

Antelope and Wyoming are one in the same! Come on out and hunt most anywere but specifically Shirley Basin, north of Laramie, Rock River, Medicine Bow, Rawlins, Red Desert to name a few. Likely too late to find left over tags now but perhaps they are available as does are cheap and delicious, and the antelope are thick.

[Hi Ball]

I have hunted the Rawlins area for both mule deer and the speed goats, Rock River and Medicine Bow a bunch. Wyoming has the numbers (lots of 13 & 14 inch goats) but if your looking for a real trophy animals, you must go to New Mexico. This is where those 17 inches run but you will have to pick up an Outfitter etc to make that dream come true.