Antelope!

HARPERC

HARPERC

Moderator
Staff member
Well this could be interesting. Could also go in the humor section. After 17 years I drew an Utah Antelope tag.

It will have been 3 years since my last trip. My support team seems willing for another round.

Now I need to pick a rifle, and load!

On the gate! Let her buck!

iu
 
HARPERC said:
Well this could be interesting. Could also go in the humor section. After 17 years I drew an Utah Antelope tag.

It will have been 3 years since my last trip. My support team seems willing for another round.

Now I need to pick a rifle, and load!

On the gate! Let her buck!

iu
Click to expand...
Congrats HARPERC. That's a very long time to wait for an antelope tag, so I'd say you milk it for all it's worth.
I'm from Utah. I'm curious what unit. Never hunted lopes here, but I've taken a dozen or so in Wyoming and it's always been a way fun hunt.
I don't know what rifles you have to choose from, but anything that reaches out will be great. I'm in the process of building a 22 CM and I would love to test it on a lope if it were my tag. Steve's Rum suggestion sounds like signifiant overkill to me, but whatever floats your boat.
I'm sure you will easily slide back on that horse!
Keep us posted.
 
It will be in West Desert Snake Valley. I've hunted them in Nevada, Wyoming, and Alberta. If my 23 points in Oregon come in, it will be interesting.

@Steve Davis first choice is the 199 LOL! Maybe the 203 HHT these days.

Me I've shot them with most stuff, from 6mm to .375 H&H. Last one was with a 6.5 Ultracat with 124 HH. That rifle was a struggle to handle @ 16.5 lbs, and I was stronger then.

Before that was the 180 Accubond in the .338 RUM, to destructive with that bullet, but the 175 HH could be an interesting choice.

My Ruger #1 handles the best around ATV's, the 154 HHT could work as well.

Pick up some wind, and given target size, more is better. I've finished a few that were hit by lesser cartridge/bullet combo's.

The Sierra 165 was unpredictable. At 150 yards it looked like buckshot on exit. At 300 yards, 3-4" penetration at best

So yes I tend towards more is better.
 
It sounds like you have lots of rifle choices and plenty of "goat" experience. I'd love to know what you decide to use.
That unit is big and dry. It's also very remote, but I think that's the kind of country antelope were made to live in.
No doubt it will be fun.
 
Congratulations on the speed-goat tag. Thirty years ago (can't believe it was that long ago!), I got back into bow hunting so I could more easily draw a tag in Oregon. Back then I could draw a tag every other year. Here in Idaho, I can draw a bow tag almost every year. I'm hoping for number 5 speed-goat this year. I'll be shooting a 405.5 grainer at 280 feet per second! Hopefully it will be like my last one a 22 yard shot.
 
Steve Davis said:
I'll get out and shoot your rum at distance and confirm drops. 3570 fps with the 163g Hammer HHT should do the trick for this hunt.
Click to expand...
I probably understated this in the all around antelope rifles discussion.

Plan is to use this, only hedged my bets as I've been around a bit. Anything can happen, and yes plenty of back ups in the safe.

We (group effort) started planning this rifle from a hospital bed. Thought was Australia, and I may get there yet. Yesterdays PT was best I've done in months.

I am giving it to my son in law, unlikely he won't let me use it.
 
If you are asking about a rifle and a load I will be the first to suggest a 7mm variety.

It's a given there will be a Hammer projectile in the equation so having only shot an antelope species in Africa I expect 7mm will be just, right.

My 7mm-08 is deadly on pigs and my .280a.i. was built on a whim but it's got a lot going for it.

The velocity nuts here might even go for a bigger case but anything from a 7mm-08 should be ok.

Find a 7x57 if you want an older classic cartridge.
 
Trubkir17 said:
I have never been able to shoot an unsuspecting pronghorn. They have all had eyes on me but couldn't figure out what I was. 1 shot was 180 yards but everything else was at least 300.
Click to expand...
Antelope are a difficult animal to surprise, for sure, but I've pulled the rug out from under a bunch of them that never knew what hit them.
In every case the "unsuspecting" part was achieved via a long range assault or a crafty crawl through the sage approach. Regardless, I've never had a bad antelope hunt, and in the end they always leave me wishing I could hunt them more often. I'm sure HARPERC is in for a good time.
 
I can't recall where its at, but a good picture exists, of how far their eyes come around the head to provide 320* vision. The largest eyes of North American ungulates.

I have snuck up on them, this will likely be a camp chair, and water hole affair. ATV's make a decent rest.

The last one I shot at about 90 yards. No way he couldn't see us, didn't care. Nimrod's camo I suppose. Gift from God I know.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top