Antelope in Wyoming 2008

My son convinced me to put in for the Wyoming buck antelope draw. I put in with him in Febuary and more or less forgot about it. Guess-what? We both drew tags! I am sure my son's bonus points put me in the running for a tag and I really appreciate his help and sacrifice.

By the time Fall rolled around we had very little time to hunt as we were in the heat of building his new house. We didn't get to go up for the opening of the hunt in September. We were so busy framing the house we couldn't get away even for just a few days. Late in October, like the 27th, we crept out of Roosevelt, Utah and drove up to Pinedale, Wyoming arriving after 9 p.m. (extra dark) I had my little pop-up camp trailer behind my truck and we followed a dirt road as outlined on a BLM map way after dark and camped on a flat spot just off the road we found.

In the morning we awoke camped on top of a small plateau. We had a good view of the country for several miles in every direction. We drove about one mile to the top of another plateau to the west at 7:45 a.m. From this new vantage point we could see some 10 - 12 antelope further west and a bit north of our location maybe one - two miles away. Dax had his high powered spotting scope with him and he zoomed in to see if there were bucks in the small herd. There were, so we made a plan to drive about 3/4 of a mile toward them and then stalk up to within shooting range.

We parked the truck and walked as quiet as possible toward where the antelope were last seen while keeping down in the little ravines and ducking below the sagebrush. At one point we were within about 450 yards of the herd who had not seen us yet. Dax wanted to get closer. We had to actually belly crawl on the dirt for about 80 yards over the top of a small hill to the next ravine to stay out of the line of sight of the antelope. Dax was anxious to get closer and decide if the bucks were "shooters". We got over the rise on our bellies and then were down in a ravine again. We walked silently but quickly toward the antelope. As we rose up the next hill and out of the ravine we were hidden in we could see the antelope and they didn't know we were watching them. Several were still laying down from their night's rest. I raised my binoculars to evaluate the bucks. There were two small bucks and one fairly large older one. I was looking through my binoculars and said in a quiet voice "the one on the right is a shooter". No sooner had I said "shooter" than Dax's .30-06 rang out loud and clear. He was not looking through his binoculars he was looking through his 9X scope setting. I heard the telltale "ploop" as the bullet hit the largest buck antelope in the chest. He stood up weakly and then gave himself the last rites and fell over dead. It was a 204 yard shot according to my range finder. Ya-hoo! We got one. The other antelope were so surprised they only ran about 75 yards away and stopped to look back at us. We were still laying down hidden by the sage and they really couldn't see us even after the shot.

We walked up to the antelope and took photos and I congratulated Dax on the stalk and the excellent shot. I went back to get the truck and drive to as close as possible to the downed antelope. I wandered around looking for the truck for about half an hour and then walked back to the downed antelope and Dax and told him I couldn't find the truck. He said he knew where it was and went to get it. Yes, I was looking way foolish to have lost my whole pickup truck. I waited near the downed antelope and in about 15 minutes or so there appeared on the horizon my Chevy Silverado. Dax was so kind to not make too much fun of me for loosing my truck. We took photos and loaded up the meat and trophy. We went looking for some snow to store the meat in and keep it cold. NO PROBLEM on the shady side of a low peak we drove up and tied the meat in a tree just out of coyote reach. We returned to camp to eat and relax before the next adventure. We picke up the cold meat before heading home.

Later that afternoon we found a herd of about 20 antelope about 3 miles east of our camp. We tried to figure a way to get close enough to glass them but they were skittish. They had seen us and were constantly smelling the wind and watching for us. We decided to come back tomorrow.

Next morning we went on a big circle drive to the west and saw some antelope. We parked in a valley made an excellent stalk with the wind in our face and keeping low to not be seen. As we finally raised up over the sagebrush hills to evaluate our prey we noticed the animals were all does. We watched for awhile hoping the girls would attract a buck or two but no luck. We stood up and scared the bee-geebers out of the girls. The antelope ran off to the east as fast as their legs could carry them. We went back to the trailer for a camping lunch.

We went for a drive to the east side of our area after lunch. We parked the truck near the asphalt road. {I marked the location on my GPS.} We started a stalk to where the large herd of antelope were the day before. We didn't know where they were exactly but we knew they were in a long north to south running valley 3/4ths of a mile east of where we parked. Dax kept us low and into the wind. We walked a long way it seemed. Finally, we spotted the herd. They were laying about chewing their cud and sleeping out in the flats of the valley. They had no idea we were near. Dax got me to belly crawl again for about 50 yards at the top of a hill over looking the valley. We seemed to not be able to get any closer without exposing ourselves to the antelope. I put up my bi-pod and started to scope out the animals. I saw a maure buck some distance out at 2 o'clock. Dax saw another buck about the same distance at around 11 o'clock. I was setting my scope and targeting on the 2 o'clock buck and Dax told me to wait. We both had dropped our packs for the belly crawl. He belly crawled backwards to the packs and got his 40X spotting scope. He crawled back and we glassed the animals for a good 20 minutes. I had a great angle on the 2 o'clock buck still and was looking at targeting him through my scope. Dax asked if I could get a clear shot at the 11 o'clock buck and I said "yes if I move 2 yards over to the west." He asked what power my scope was on and I said it was on 14X, maximum. He said "trust me, I have a 40X spotting scope and the 11 o'clock buck is better." It was finally the time in life when the son tells the father what to do -- I wiggled over about 2 yards to the west and re-targeted to the 11 o'clock buck laying in the flats. I could tell he was a buck but due to the angle of the sun I couldn't tell if he were even as large as the 2 o'clock buck. I took Dax's word for everything and held the crosshair of my second stadia line on the far right side of the buck as the wind was blowing from right to left and I though he was more than 300 yards out. Of course my lazer range finder was 50 yards of backwards belly crawl behind me. I had lots of time to make the shot. I held my breath and gently squeezed the trigger. Boom! The bullet hit the antelope in the lower chest area and through the heart. He stood up as did all the 20+ others with him and they ran to the east. The mortally wounded buck only walked a few yards to the east and I cycled the bolt and shot again with the same hold. Boom again and he went down for good.

We stood up and walked over to the antelope. I was about 460 paces. I marked the shooting spot with my GPS and again at the downed antelope again. I calculated the distance to be about 440 yards. I thought the hours of shooting practice in Santa Clara had paid off. Both bullets were with in 3 inches of each other and both were mortal wounds. Antelope are tough so I don't feel two shots from a .30-06 is excessive. Dax and I took some photos and I went to get the truck and drive as close as I could. I got out my GPS and headed directly to the truck thanks to modern technology. We had to carry the meat and trophy a short distance but not too far.

Our animals were similar in size and maturity. They scored in the mid 60" range. I thought they were excellent. I really had a great time with Dax over the 3 days we escaped to hunt. The father and son time is great. I hope some day soon my other son can come and even though he is not a hunter, perhaps he could scout and video for us.

Utah Deer Hunt 2008

The Utah deer hunt proved to be a real hunt. I didn't see many bucks and the ones I did see were so young I just couldn't bring myself to shoot at them. On the last day I saw an 18" 3X3 and thought about shooting but he will be much better next year. It was tempting as he was about 30 yards from a road and could have driven almost to him. But, still ... no shot. I had a great time hiking around looking for something larger than Bambi. I really enjoy the experience of getting out in nature and hiking around with a rifle, some snacks, and the tag that allows me to harvest a deer if I want to. I had a great time and will do it again when I can.

Chizzlers vs. the Supreme Commander

CHIZZLERS beware. I brought the Supreme Commander with me to Beryl on 6-4-08 and went after chizzlers with .22 L.R.'s. She got the hang of our duty to preserve agriculture pretty fast and soon I was hearing the familiar shout "I got one!" -- over and over and over again. We shot for about two hours and she did really well. I think she saved at least two or three bales of hay that afternoon. Just as the wind started to pick up we decided to go home. I took the trophies photo just as the wind was blowing her hat off, lucky picture I guess, it sure wasn't planned.

CHIZZLERS

I have been working on a construction job in Central the last while. I take my rifle with me to work and when I get the fellows going on the project I run on up to Beryl for some CHIZZLER hunting. On May 29, 2008 I took two bolt action .22's. One has a 5-shot clip feed with a 4-16X 40mm scope and the other has a tube feed that holds 18 rounds and has a 6-24X 40mm scope. I asked the farmer, Dave, where to go to hunt the little crop robbers. He told me a spot that proved to be magic. I set up my squirrel-o-matic in the back of my pickup and started to shoot the critters at around 11:00 a.m. I actually shot as fast as I could load my rifles. I went through over 400 rounds of .22 L.R. ammo before 1:30 p.m. My shots were at a distance of from 20 yards to around 110 yards with the majority at 40 - 50 yards. I hit probably 50% of the time, maybe more! Near the end, I had the range dialed in with one scope on 16X and the other at 20X. I knew where to hold and all I did was adjust the A.O. for the sharpest focus on the varmints. I ran through several sessions with 5 out of 5 or 10 out of 10 hits in the last hour of hunting. Bounty Hunter 6 missed this one, too bad old pal. The various hunters had not taped this area before. I had brought my .243 Win. but didn't even get it out of the case as the shooting was so fast with the .22's. In 2 1/2 hours I shot over 200 chizzlers. It was amazing. The farmer thanked me for my efforts to preserve his crops.

Turkey Hunting 2008

What a great hunt ! My son and I drew Utah southern region turkey tags and he came over to hunt with me the first week of May. He had harvested a turkey before, but this was my first time. I bought some turkey loads for my 12 gauge. I patterned the shotgun at 30 and 40 yards and knew it shot a bit to the right. I needed to hold one bead to the left for a center hit on the head region of the gobbler head/neck target. I already had a camo jacket and hat and could wear my camo facemask from coyote hunting. I bought a boxcall and my son showed me how to use it more or less. I am not much of a caller – yet. I want to practice and get a real "sexy" turkey voice for the gobblers in the future.

You have to hunt turkeys to know the thrill of the calling, the replys, and the anticipation of harvesting a turkey. We spotted a flock of maybe 10 turkeys near the lake shore eating and scratching about 6:30 p.m. We tried to make a plan to get close enough to get a shot at one. I went into the ponderosa pine trees north and west maybe 400 yards from the turkeys and my son went to the south and west about 350 yards among some real big rocks also in the ponderosa pines. The turkeys were gradually feed toward me into the roosting trees. My son was calling a soft call to encourage the turkeys to come into the trees and an ambush. I was hiding in some fairly dense pinion pines and sagebrush when the turkeys came within range. I was kneeling down and holding perfectly still. I was even holding my breath as the turkeys fed to within 25 yards +/- of me. I waited until they were eating or had their heads down to raise my shotgun. I held on the jake’s head but couldn’t shoot as there were too many other turkeys bunched together and way too near. Finally, the flock moved off a little to the south and left the lone jake staring at me. He would move his head up and down trying to change the angle of his sight on me. He would move his head all around to see me, I just kept perfectly still and hoped my camo would work as it was supposed to. The jake would look at my shape knowing only I was a rather odd shaped and ugly pinion pine tree. I waited until all the other turkeys were clear and shot one bead to the left. He went flop-flop-flop just like on the hunting channel shows. Ya - hoo! I just harvested my first turkey.

With the report of my shot the flock of turkeys ran off to the south and my son called with is boxcall some to encourage them to come to him. I waited for a 3 or 4 minutes which seemed like forever. I thought I should not pursue the turkeys too fast to push them into my son’s position as they might scatter. I figured he would get a shot or come see what I had going on verses my shot. I just stood there waiting for what seemed like an extra long time and finally I heard a shot. With the tall trees and the rain just starting the shot sounded far away or even as if it were indoors. I walked slowly toward the shot watching in the direction of the sound and saw a turkey fly through a little clearing in the ponderosa pines onto a large rock, maybe the size of a pickup truck, and land rather unsteadily. Another shotgun blast echoed through the forest canopy and the tipsy turkey rolled off the rock and flop-flop-flop feathers floated up in the wind from west to east.

BOTH MY SON AND I HARVESTED TURKEYS FROM THE SAME FLOCK ! This had been a wonderful day. We scouted around in various areas, hiked and looked for sign and likely spots to hunt. We called and listen all day together. We had a picnic lunch and had a great time together as fathers and sons can only do. When your son has a wife, 3 kids, and a full time job it is a rare occasion when he can spend so much time with his good old dad. Turkey or no turkey we had a great time together all day and when we both got to harvest our birds it was the ending of really a perfect day. I won’t ever forget my first turkey hunt.

Hunting Anyone?

Work gets in the way of having fun. However, I have been taking my varmint rifle and my pal, Bounty Hunter 6, to work with me. I check on work things then go 20 miles further north to hunt chizzlers in Beryl, Utah. Bounty Hunter 6 has several friends who are farming large tracts of alfalfa in Beryl. Chizzlers are large ground squirrels that eat lots of the farmer's hay. The farmers cannot seem to get them out of the alfalfa fields so ... I have been trying hard -- to do my best to do my duty and send them to the alfalfa field in the sky.

On several of the work/hunting trips we have forwarded over 150 little critters each time to the "next level" in just one 3 - 4 hour session.

We have been using .223 Rem. and .22-250 for long range calibers on shots of 125 yards out to 400+. Close in, less than 125 yards, the .22 L.R., .22 Magnum, and Bounty Hunter 6's .17 HMR

are effective as can be.

Good binoculars, a range finder, some water, some snacks, and a hat. Pretty easy set up. If it gets too windy, or too cold or too hot the chizzlers go down their holes and wait out the weather. I just head home. Real Gentleman's hunting I'd say.

ADL remodeled

These are the photos of the rifle after some 10 hours of work. I think the stock doesn't show how fine the wood is, but what the heck? This is the most beautiful piece of wood I have personally ever worked on.

The Best Hobby

I recently purchased a Remington 700 ADL rifle in .30-06 caliber. I guess it is about 25 years old. It has been used but not necessarily abused. I am in the process of re-doing the rifle. I will attach some photos of the "before" rifle now and add some "after" photos when I get it completely restored. Basically, the rifle needs the copper fouling taken out of the bore, the blueing touched up, the stock stripped and re-finished, the trigger turned down to 2 1/2 pounds from 8 pounds of pull, and a recoil pad installed for the .30-06 caliber kicker. I think the wood in the stock is exceptional. As I have sanded it down and exposed the fiddleback and grain I have been really impressed. I hope I can do the re-finished stock justice with my limited photographic skills.

Hunter Education

I have had over 500 students in Hunter Education over the years. I just finished two classes of Utah Hunter Education. 40 of my 41 students passed the course. There seems to be more and more girls and women as a percentage in the classes every year. I am glad for the interest from females. Even if women don't hunt much they will have husbands and children who do hunt and being versed in the safety procedures of hunting and shooting is valuable.

I really like to get these younger kids going in their hunting career. They are the future of my favorite sport.