Son In Laws first
Sept 26, 2024 23:18:01 GMT -5
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Stump Buster, James, and 6 more like this
Post by kings6 on Sept 26, 2024 23:18:01 GMT -5
I have mentioned I wanted to take each of my boys on a guided hunt while I am still able to tag along. This week was Streks chance to go on his first ever big game hunt and it was for antelope in eastern Wyoming. He hunted with Table Mountain Outfitters out of their Douglas WY bunk house base camp. The camp is on a huge ranch and it has tons of speed goats to choose from. The hunters were a mix of basically professional hunters down to Strek who had never been on a hunt in his life.
Opening morning saw us crawl into Nico, our guides truck and head out on the gravel at around 6:30. We only went a mile or so before we veered off on a two track and literally parked under a wine turbine and started glassing. There was a couple goats here, a few over there with a few mulie bucks thrown in for good measure. While we were all doing the social two step of learning about our guide and him us, it became clear Strek did not want an easy, step out of the truck and kill a critter hunt. He was more interested in learning, asking questions and looking at various bucks do he could get a picture of the type of antelope he wanted to shoot. He could have even sent a nice buck to the hunting grounds while servicing a doe 30 yards of the road but decided to let the big guy his fun since his brain was definitely elsewhere!
After a couple hours we spotted a nice buck with seven does feeding about 3/4 a mile away and Strek said he wanted to try for that one. Off we went all the while trying to stay down wind and out of sight of eight living pairs of eyes that can see as well as we could with our binos. The final 30 yards was a hands and knees crawl to get to where they could see critters ( I stayed back aways just to keep the numbers of bodies down) and Nico set up the shortened sticks for Strek to hunker down behind. Actually hunker is a kind word since Strek is 6’2” and 240 pounds! This was his first time trying to shoot of a set of sticks and it took a few seconds to find a good position to get into. Just as he was ready to shoot a doe spotted them and stepped forward a step and blocked the buck. Off they went and back to the truck we headed.
That started us off looking again but we kept seeing that sand bunch on the skyline so we decided to try the old end around trick and get in front of them. Plan worked like a charm and Strek got set up and was able to take his first shot at a game animal. It was probably a combination of nerves and awkward shooting position but the result was a shot that clipped the back of one upper front leg and off they went again.
We could see some blood on the leg and it slowed the guy down enough that the does peeled off away from the buck but he sure wasn’t laying down and saying “I give!” What followed was several miles of sneak over the hill and try to find him for a shot. Finally the guide left Strek on a knob watching the buck while he hiked back to bring the truck around to where we were. He asked me to go up with Strek and try to keep eyes on the guy so we could plan another stalk. Long story short from there is while Strek had headed off after the buck, it looped around a hill and back into my view and I watched him for about 3/4 a mile then saw him bed down. Once Nico drove up I described where the buck was bedded and after driving out and around, the two of them were able to sneak in from above the buck and locate him by seeing the tips of his horns above the sage brush. Nico got Strek up on the sticks in a standing position then he gentley blew his reed like a cow elk and when the buck stood up, Strek made the 60 yard shot. I was back a quarter mile or so watching through my glasses and when I saw the shot and the buck jump I knew he had got his first animal the right way. Selection, challenge, perseverance and commitment to finish a task when he could have gone after another animal were shown by the man. He hunted his way and in my mind, the right way.
Pictures once I get home.
Opening morning saw us crawl into Nico, our guides truck and head out on the gravel at around 6:30. We only went a mile or so before we veered off on a two track and literally parked under a wine turbine and started glassing. There was a couple goats here, a few over there with a few mulie bucks thrown in for good measure. While we were all doing the social two step of learning about our guide and him us, it became clear Strek did not want an easy, step out of the truck and kill a critter hunt. He was more interested in learning, asking questions and looking at various bucks do he could get a picture of the type of antelope he wanted to shoot. He could have even sent a nice buck to the hunting grounds while servicing a doe 30 yards of the road but decided to let the big guy his fun since his brain was definitely elsewhere!
After a couple hours we spotted a nice buck with seven does feeding about 3/4 a mile away and Strek said he wanted to try for that one. Off we went all the while trying to stay down wind and out of sight of eight living pairs of eyes that can see as well as we could with our binos. The final 30 yards was a hands and knees crawl to get to where they could see critters ( I stayed back aways just to keep the numbers of bodies down) and Nico set up the shortened sticks for Strek to hunker down behind. Actually hunker is a kind word since Strek is 6’2” and 240 pounds! This was his first time trying to shoot of a set of sticks and it took a few seconds to find a good position to get into. Just as he was ready to shoot a doe spotted them and stepped forward a step and blocked the buck. Off they went and back to the truck we headed.
That started us off looking again but we kept seeing that sand bunch on the skyline so we decided to try the old end around trick and get in front of them. Plan worked like a charm and Strek got set up and was able to take his first shot at a game animal. It was probably a combination of nerves and awkward shooting position but the result was a shot that clipped the back of one upper front leg and off they went again.
We could see some blood on the leg and it slowed the guy down enough that the does peeled off away from the buck but he sure wasn’t laying down and saying “I give!” What followed was several miles of sneak over the hill and try to find him for a shot. Finally the guide left Strek on a knob watching the buck while he hiked back to bring the truck around to where we were. He asked me to go up with Strek and try to keep eyes on the guy so we could plan another stalk. Long story short from there is while Strek had headed off after the buck, it looped around a hill and back into my view and I watched him for about 3/4 a mile then saw him bed down. Once Nico drove up I described where the buck was bedded and after driving out and around, the two of them were able to sneak in from above the buck and locate him by seeing the tips of his horns above the sage brush. Nico got Strek up on the sticks in a standing position then he gentley blew his reed like a cow elk and when the buck stood up, Strek made the 60 yard shot. I was back a quarter mile or so watching through my glasses and when I saw the shot and the buck jump I knew he had got his first animal the right way. Selection, challenge, perseverance and commitment to finish a task when he could have gone after another animal were shown by the man. He hunted his way and in my mind, the right way.
Pictures once I get home.
