Antelope Question

[standman]

Hello everyone. I know this is a coues site but I have an antelope question for all of you. I drew a rifle antelope tag in an area that is not known for many trophy bucks. The area really isnt all that big either. What would you guys consider a shooter buck on a hunt like this? I have found a lot of bucks but all but one would be 13 inches or less. The one bigger is probably a 15 incher with average mass and after archery season he may not be in the same unit since he can be seen by everyone that drives the highway. I scout 4-5 times a week and have looked nearly everywhere i can look. I am going to keep searching as much as I can, but I just can't find one that has "shoot me" written all over him. So I am just wondering what you guys consider a good solid buck to shoot? As far as I can tell there isn't any 80+ bucks and very few that will even go low to mid 70s. Just wondering what your opinions are. By the way the unit is 3C.

 

Thanks

[ronaldo]

Standman, You arent the only one who is having trouble finding shooter bucks in the 3's. A friend of mines wife has a antelope tag and all they have seen is average bucks, nothing great.

My son who is 12 has a 2A rifle antelope tag and we have several bucks already picked out. The top buck should go 80-82 and has great character. I guess we are blessed. I'll keep my ears open for you. Have you checked south of the paper mill??? I know there was some good ones running there last year.

Any body else have that 2a antelope tag???

Ron

[azpackhorse]

Me personally, I would not pass a 15" buck but I aint never been much of a trophy hunter. If I had another rifle tag I would probably hold out til the last couple of days and then decide.

I have a unit 1 archery tag and I aint gonna picky at all!!

 

ronaldo,

I had that tag in 2001 and it was amazing, I ended up taking a 13" buck, perhaps I shoulda held out but oh well, like I said, I aint never been much of a trophy hunter.

[DEERSLAM]

standman, maybe you'll get lucky and a bigger buck from another unit will get pushed to your unit during the archery or the beginning of the rifle hunt. I'd hold out for a bigger buck for atleast the first few days of the hunt and see what gets pushed around. Just my .02

[SunDevil]

dont get to discouraged just yet. there will be some bucks that will come out of the woodwork once the rut kicks in and you will be asking yourself where did he come from and how come I havent seen him before.

 

if you know you are going to have a hard time finding a monster, I would try to decide ahead of time what kind of buck is asthetically pleasing to you and then look for one that fits that bill. some people like traditional heart shapes, others like bucks with horns that go out flatter, still other people prefer bucks that have horns that hook down and back instead of in.

 

Then if you can find a big one that fits your bill you will be even more satisfied. Good luck. CB

[billrquimby]

Don't knock those 15-inch bucks. They may not look as spectacular on the hoof or wall as a 17-incher with short hooks, but they can score higher if they have good mass and better prongs. Any 4-5 year old pronghorn is a trophy. Good luck.

 

Bill Quimby

[standman]

Thanks for your replies guys. I am having a ton of fun know matter what happens. I don't have a problem even having tag soup. I just keep plugging away and enjoying myself. I know one thing, in this unit these antelope love hanging around in the trees which makes it that much tougher. Thanks again for your replies.

[COOSEFAN]

Hello everyone. I know this is a coues site but I have an antelope question for all of you. I drew a rifle antelope tag in an area that is not known for many trophy bucks. The area really isnt all that big either. What would you guys consider a shooter buck on a hunt like this? I have found a lot of bucks but all but one would be 13 inches or less. The one bigger is probably a 15 incher with average mass and after archery season he may not be in the same unit since he can be seen by everyone that drives the highway. I scout 4-5 times a week and have looked nearly everywhere i can look. I am going to keep searching as much as I can, but I just can't find one that has "shoot me" written all over him. So I am just wondering what you guys consider a good solid buck to shoot? As far as I can tell there isn't any 80+ bucks and very few that will even go low to mid 70s. Just wondering what your opinions are. By the way the unit is 3C.

 

Thanks

In my experiences, that unit is hard to find a tall buck. My suggestion would be to pay close attention to any buck, even if he is short, and look for mass and prongs. Antelope are, in my opinion, the hardest to field judge and have learned some shorter bucks that get passed up by most hunters, may score better than a taller, bigger looking, buck. Mass is everything when scoring antelope, check out Tony Grimmet's video, it's repetitive and fairly boring to watch, but is very informative for field judging 'lopes, he is probably the best I've ever met at field scoring 'lopes. If I had your tag, I would be out looking for a buck with character rather than a high score, I love the "one-of-a-kind" bucks and it would be alot easier to do than looking for a 80"plus buck in that unit. Just my .02 here, but I hope you are successful at finding the buck you want! JIM>

[TLH]

The trophy is in the eye of the beholder and only you know what you will like. There have been some very good advise on this thread--the best is that you really don't know what you have out there until the rut kicks in. Keep an eye on the areas that hold the does--this is where the big guys will be nearest at this time. They will stage and let the little dudes get the girls together and then when the time is right they will head down and chase them off.

 

Last year there was a buck shot in that unit that scored right at 82" and he had two inches of horn busted on his left side--so, the big one's are there and you will get to see them when the action begins.

 

Don't think because a buck is short he won't score well either--if they look like they have a ton of mass but are only 13" or 14" the mass will make up the difference and if they have about 3 to 4 inches of prong hanging in front of the horn they will score even better.

 

Hold off for a few days if you can and then shoot the one you like the best--there all good as far as i am concerned and like someone said--a 4 or 5 year old buck is a trophy for sure.

[Gr8 White Jr]

TLH is absolutely right! Just because a buck may only be 13 or 14 inches doesn't mean he wont score high. It is very tough to judge a lope but you have to pay attention to their mass every bit as much as their hieght. I took a decent buck in Unit 8 in 2002 on the muzzleloader hunt. He was only 14 1/2 inches tall but he still scored 78 5/8 because he had some mass. Nothing huge but not to bad for a 14 1/2 inch buck. Just remember its all about what you want and what you would consider a trophy. In my opinion any antelope is a trophy. There aren't too many people who get the chance to take one or even hunt one so just having that tag you allready have a trophy. Good luck buddy and let us know how it turns out.

 

Gr8 White

[standman]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate all the great advice. I'm going to have lots of time to find a good buck since I will have the whole season off to hunt. I'll keep searching and maybe that buck that stands out will show himself. I appreciate everyone who took the time to respond. Thank You.