PRONGHORN 2020

 I had several bonus points for pronghorn in Wyoming this year.  Although the year 2020 has more or less been a dumpster fire I did get lucky and draw a tag from the Wyoming Game and Fish. Thank Heavens.

My son and I had just had a excellent cow elk hunt in the Bookcliffs area of Utah {see prior post} and were resting/working at his home for a few days prior to our trip to Wyoming.  He had work to do, and I had grand kids to tease and spoil.  On Friday morning October 9, 2020 we headed off to the adventure.

We stopped at Vernal, Utah to buy food and drink for the antelope camp.  We topped off the fuel in the truck and checked the connections on the camping trailer we were pulling behind.  All was well and we had a wonderful father and son conversation for a few hours heading to our hunting area.  NOTE:  Wyoming is not notorious for having too many road signs but, we did not get lost, even once.  We drove more or less straight to our intended camping and hunting site.

 

                                     CAMP at N39º42.??? and W109º10.??? Elevation 6846

We went directly to where we had camped before and set up the trailer and leveled it.  Then we went out in the truck looking for pronghorns.  We drove to the north of our camp for a few hours and saw about 12 bucks running around with different groups of does in the sagebrush ocean.  Content with the prospects for the morning when the season opened we went back to camp and had a great dinner.  

I slept well and had set the alarm for 8 a.m. because we had seen so many bucks running around the area I though there would be no worry to harvest one.  We had a breakfast of hot chocolate and donuts.  Then out to hunt.  My son was driving and I was on the look-out!  We had seen a fairly massive buck the day before.  Dax told me it was a good one and we should try and get it.  I was having a great time so I agreed, plus he is an expert.

After about 45 minutes of driving north from camp Dax spied the buck we were after.  He was with some does and a young buck across a small valley to the west from us.  We stopped and turned off the truck to take a closer look.  I said how do we get over there it is too far to shoot?  The country is so open there is no way to make a stalk.   Dax used his lazer range finder and said it was only 370 yards.  CRAP-O-RAMA, I had been looking for and at elk for so long in the past weeks my eyes were adjusted to the elk size of animals vs. distance and therefore I assumed the pronghorns were 700+ yards away.  NOT SO.   I bailed out of the truck and took up a prone position on the road behind the truck.  I set up my bi-pod and dialed in the focus on my scope.  I asked Dax once again the distance and took aim at the big buck using the correct stadia lines on my Burris 6.5-20X 50mm scope and chambered a round in my Remington 700 300 RUM rifle.  I was shooting Barnes 180 grain TSX bullets over Hodgdon Retumbo powder.  I pushed off the safety and gently squeezed the trigger while holding my breath.  The shot went off and the buck dropped.  The buck did not even take a single step.  The does kind of trotted away and the young buck went with them.  He will be the "MAN" now.

Dax said he was going to walk over to the antelope and I should drive the truck over on the oil well roads to as near the animal as possible.  He would wave to me to get me as close as we could for conveyance.  We embarked on our tasks.  I arrived near the down animal just as he arrived walking.  I was able to drive to the antelope.  We were within 5 feet of the animal with the truck !  We set up for photos and congratulated each other a lot.  The pronghorn hunt 2020 worked more or less perfect.  We saw the big guy the night before and we knew where he was hanging out with his does.  We went there in the morning, one shot, and were able to drive right to the carcass.  AWESOME HUNT !!!

                                        Speed Goat down N42º19.762'  W110º20.642'

We loaded the pronghorn after photos and headed back to camp to hang it in the trees and skin it to cool the meat down.  I have since eaten some of the meat and it is a good one.  It wasn't running and dropped on the shot.  It was cleaned and chilled quick.  Good meat thanks to my friend and excellent chef Eunice from Sonora.  

Dax, ever the hunter he is, had to measure the green score on the buck.  It measured and calculated to just under 75" using Boone and Crockett methods.  When we were headed back home we stopped at his office and he brought out some other trophies he had on his desk to compare to my new guy.  

I am please with this buck pronghorn.  It does have good mass in the diggers and the bases are strong.r

It is a joy beyond measure to hunt in wide open nature and be with my family.  {Even if your son eats the last donut just because it has his name on it.}  Raspberry filled donuts are a family hunting tradition for over 30 years.  I only get into them once a year but in hunting situations they are a must have.