My 2012 antelope

[seek100plus]

It is done! I have been putting in for antelope for 17 years and never knew if I was drawn , how antelope hunting would be so physically and mental demanding hunt . The day my permit tag showed up in the mail, the scouting started, I spent every weekend in my hunt unit trying to figure out where I can hunt and not hunt. Second thing on the list is to find a antelope worthy of 17 years of putting in for a tag.

Day before opening morning, I found the buck I wanted, I waited tell the sun went down and return the next morning. I made my way up a hill with 2 hunting partners to glass my buck back up . I hear the words I GOT HIM , I set up for the shot , then I hear 330 yards , I line up the cross hairs ,squeezed the trigger and hear HIGH and jacked another round High , 3rd round I hit him , the shot end up being a bad shot . We, all watched as the buck run tell it disappeared around the mountain. My partners and I gathered up all the stuff and made are way off the hill to start tracking the hit buck . We found blood right away and followed it and followed it and then I hear BANG BANG. All I can think was REALLY! My partners said you better call that guy (Member on this site) you where helping out and check to see if he just shot your buck. It was confirmed, he shot the buck after we trailed blood for ever. So after words are said and waiting for the ethical thing for him to do is let me claim my buck, I knew the law and he had the right to tag the animal . Partners and I left the scene of the harvested buck and headed back out to glass for antelopes. I had a very hard time focusing on glassing, my mind was spinning around and around, how could have I missed that many times and my others thoughts where on loosing a nice buck like that one.

I called it quits on the rest of the day and drove my truck out of the unit to check my gun. I set up a target at 200 yards and I tried to jack a round in and it wouldn’t feed, I looked down inside my gun and there was a case with out the belt still in my gun. This is not happening; please tell me this not happening! I have spent days and hours behind this gun and this gun is a tack driver. I drove back home and researched my loads I loaded , some how my powder scale was way off and my loads where WAY HOT! I grabbed my girlfriend’s gun and stopped to shoot it a couple times and headed back up.

Next 2 days my girlfriend, son and I hunted hard, we walked every inch of land with foot traffic only for 12 miles a day, we checked every where for a buck and all we could find was young bucks and 15 hunters chasing one nice buck.

Day 3 , I found a really nice buck and all I can hear is my girlfriend say I want that one . I spent the next 10 min glassing him and called my friend and said I found a toad of a buck and he asked me to wait , before I pulled the trigger , because he had a film crew in his elk camp and he wanted to send them down to film my hunt . My mind is going nuts, what happens if I miss again and it will be all on film , plus everybody watching .

I worked my way towards the buck , the does and buck bust me , off they go for ½ mile , I’m back on the buck again with long stock and the film guy right behind me all the way . I came to the final spot, I can not get any closer or they will bust me again. I get my gun set up with a good rest and practice a few dry fires and I jack around in the chamber and hear the camera guy say I GOT HIM! I squeeze the trigger and all I see is white flash and does running everywhere. I hear very loud screams, where my son and girlfriend where up on the hill a mile away, I asked the camera guy what happen . He says you smoked him! I said for real, what happen? YOU SMOKED HIM and he is lying right where he was standing. I waited for my family and friends to come down from the ridge, for all of us to look at my buck together. I have never had a chance to have my son and girlfriend share 100% of a hunt with me, which this was the greatest trophy to me.

I don’t know what the buck scores , but think upper 80’s

[Coues Sniper]

Real nice goat. Glad you were able to find another one worthy of your tag. How about some more pics???

[AZ402]

That is one cool looking buck! Congrats......

[trophyhnter]

Congrats on your 17 year journey and prize! Looks cool the way the horns are set forward!

[bonecollector]

Very nice goat, Way to stick with it and overcome a bad situation with the first one. Congrats

[tjhunt2]

Congratulations on getting the job done.

 

TJ

[naturegirl]

great looking goat!

 

That's a tough situation. personally if i could tell it was wounded and somebody was right behind it, id let him tag it. if it looked fine and I thought I stalked and shot a healthy goat, I may tag him. just my 2 cents.