*Monster Goat in the Dirt* 2014 Antelope Hunt

[Couzer]

I thought BBD was big bear down? Congrats flatlander, can't wait to see pics

[Chef]

I was just wondering this weekend how your hunt was going.

Sounds like a big buck down! Congratulations. Can't wait to see the pics!

[Chap2015]

Let us see

[Flatlander]

Sorry for the wait guys, yesterday was a LONG day and I wanted to take one night to recover. I considered writing an article on this one, but with the all the support you guys have shown over the last 6 months, I just didn't think it would be right to make you guys wait. I have really enjoyed sharing this experience with all of you this summer (some of you literally sharing the experience) and I couldn't wait to come back and let you guys be a part of the celebration.

 

After spending all of Labor Day weekend in the unit and looking over a ton of bucks, I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed with the idea of trying to judge and score these bucks on the hoof. I wanted to make the most of this experience possible in every way, and I did not want to end it early unless it was with a truly unique animal. With this in mind I spent way too much time on Tuesday and Wednesday looking at antelope field judging articles and blogs.

 

I had not seen my number one buck in over 6 weeks, and decided to spend Thursday afternoon looking for him. I put 6 miles on the boots, and turned up several very interesting bucks, but never turned up numero uno.

 

A few of the Thursday bucks:

 

 

 

Friday morning I decided to go to a different part of that same area and see if I could find any other good bucks that I hadn't seen, but committed to myself and my hunting partner Mark that we weren't pulling the trigger unless we came across a no doubter. From the time we got out of the truck Friday we were covered up in bucks, but were not seeing anything that made my heart pound.

 

 

 

 

When we saw this buck we agreed he needed a closer look. However, Mark reminded me that we were going to make a hunt out of this and not to get trigger happy.

 

 

We scurried across a meadow to close the distance and unknown to us at the same time the buck was heading our way. We ended up 20 yards apart, and the buck had no idea we were there. I took this photo with my phone without using any glass at all.

 

 

 

At 20 yards he was tempting but we knew he wasn't going anywhere. I called Sir Royal who had been coaching me up on goats all summer and he suggested we keep looking. Throughout the day I had been sending pics to a few friends and after I told a few that I passed on this guy, my phone lit up. One buddy even called and told me to turn my butt around and go kill that buck. I appreciated the concern, but there was another buck on my mind. We drove to a different part of the unit to check on my #2 buck who I had found over Labor Day. He was in a little known part of the unit and I was confident no one would be hunting him, so hopes were high as we headed his way.

 

When we started glassing the valley he had been in we found this guy with the does that #2 had the week before. I decided that if he was man enough to take the does he was man enough to hang on my wall and the stalk was on . . .

2 hours of cat and mouse ensued, and soon I was at the last cover between me and them but still 50 yds beyond my comfortable range. Onto my belly I went with nothing but grass and elevation between me and the 13 bedded goats. I was able to get to 154 yds, which I knew I could shoot effectively, but the grass was too tall for my bipod and I did not have my shooting sticks. I moved to a sitting position without being detected and used my knee as a rest. Soon the buck stood to check a doe and I had my opportunity, the buck was walking to the right and as I swung over onto his chest I did n't let the cross hairs settle before I started to squeeze. The .50 cal bucked sending a sabot harmlessly in front of the buck. The goats were gone in a flash and I was ready to put my muzzleloader on ebay and walk away. All that hard work and I had failed to execute.

 

 

butt we drove out of the valley Mark stopped to look at a small buck we had seen earlier about 300 yards off the two track we were on. As soon as he raised his glasses he said Andrew you better take a look. I had been staring at the floor boards while I beat myself up over the blown opportunity. I got out and put the spotting scope on what was now 4 antelope in the pasture. The second I saw him I realized that I was looking at #2 200 yds away and totally pre-occupied keeping two other bucks away from a hot doe. I grabbed the shooting sticks, Mark grabbed his tripod and we started closing distance. It wasn't 5 minutes before that doe trotted at an angle that brought her 125 within 125 yards and #2 was right behind her.

 

 

This time I was sure to settle the cross hairs and squeeze. When the smoke cleared I fully expected that buck to be toes up in the dirt. No dice, we watched as he ran off after the doe for half a mile. He never slowed down. I hoped for blood but never found any. To say my confidence was beginning to drop would have been the understatement of the century. So much hard work had gone into making this moment happen, and I had blown it with poor execution.

 

Saturday Morning Josiah (Sir Royal) decided to join us and I was excited to have a real goat expert helping me validate the quality of bucks I was seeing. At first light we went looking for the buck I had missed the night before (either of them . . .) and we had him briefly at 200 yards but couldn't get ourselves together quick enough to respond, we watched as the buck slipped two fences and into private land. He stood on the other side staring at us defiantly. I thought I was going to throw up.

 

As we got back on the highway we stopped to look at a buck who was bedded on land we could not hunt. he was a buck we called the Legend, but never thought he would be huntable so he was never on my list. If he had been there he would have been #1 for sure. As we watched a car drove by that made the Legend restless and he and his does took off for a bedding spot higher on the hill. We realized if depending on where they decided to water, there was a chance he could end up in a spot where we could get a crack at him.

 

Now I should tell you I started applying for this tag 13 years ago after an archery hunt, and I put in for rifle and muzzleloader only, because I did not want to ever sit a water hole again. So when Josiah suggested I go lay in the grass for 7 hours and wait for the buck, I had a minor anxiety attack. But, for this buck, I would do anything. It didn't work. It was hot, it rained, there were flies and mosquitoes and it sucked. That night we did a little homework and thought there was a chance that buck would be where we could get to him in the morning. We took a chance and set up on him at first light.

 

 

 

By 6:30 Mark, my best friend Chuck who had joined us Saturday, and I had the Legend in our glass. Soon Josiah also had him from a different vantage point and it was go time. It was all coming together. As I prepared to close the distance Mark could tell I was rattled and asked if I wanted him to come with me. I assured him that I would feel very good about that. We slipped up and over a rise, crawling as we got to the crest, and there he was, 200 yds away and staring at a doe in the bottom of the drainage between us. I knew he was going to follow her and got on the shooting sticks. Mark gave me a range finder reading of 153 just before the buck turned and trotted a half dozen steps towards us. When he turned broadside I settled my 150 mark on his shoulder and squeezed. Before the smoke cleared I could here the whack of the 250 gr. Hornady Sabot. The buck went down in a pile and I started hugging Mark, I could here Josiah across the valley screaming and were all coming unglued. It was premature. The next thing I know Mark says, he's up, he's up and moving. As the buck was walking away I tried to get reloaded and composed for another shot but never felt confident.

 

We watched as the buck put his head down and walked for 1.5 miles in a big circle around us. As he crested a ridge on the horizon Mark and I used the hill for cover and took off running after him. I'm 31 and Mark is a little bit older than that, I run 4x per week and somehow that guy kept pace with me the whole way. We skirted around the ridge he was on and found him standing in the shadow of a point across from us. More belly crawling ensued, and I knew that this time I had to shoot from a prone position using the bipod. The buck saw us and started to trot, but with blood running down both sides, he couldn't go far in one stretch. He stopped at 180 yards I split my 150 and 200 yard marks on his white patch and dropped the hammer. This time it was for sure. I couldn't believe it, we had taken a wold class antelope on a hunt that was known as a quantity, not quality tag. All of the reading, the studying, the calculating of draw odds, the scouting, the phone calls, the friends who had come to help, the advice, it all came together. I rolled onto my back cried like a baby, Mark jumped on me, we could here Josiah and Chuck hooping and hollering. I couldn't speak, I was shaking now more than ever. It was incredible.

 

Thanks to all of you for sharing this experience with me, it has been the highlight of my Summer. Too many people contributed to this for me to thank here, but please know that every piece of information lead to me beign able to find this giant.

 

And AZKiller, I was never scared to share the pics, I just wanted to do it justice when I did. The BBD post was sent from the field just after I called my Dad and Wife. I wanted you guys to know that WE did it, I wanted to share that excitement with all of you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mesabulls]

Awesome story and a stud goat! Congrats you really earned that guy!

[Guest 300ultramag.]

nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mr.smith]

What a freak buck! Congrats!

[Big Browns]

That's an AMAZING Buck! After all the hard work you went through you definately deserve getting that Buck! Great Job!!!!!!!!!!!!! You da man!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jim]

Completely fricken awesome goat. Congrats.

[SirRoyal]

I was in my church clothes. I just made a huge detour to get to church which I still made. Could a been worse if I would of had my suit on!!!

 

Andrew,the hunt was one of the highlights of my life. Thank you for letting me share your hunt with you!!!!

Thats a Pronghorn of a life time and with a muzzleloader!

God was truly with us as we pursued this Monster!

[IA Born]

What an awesome story! Cpngrats on a great hunt and a great buck!

[tjhunt2]

I've been waiting for this story and you certainly didn't disappoint us Sounds like it was an awesome hunt and I kicked myself every day I worked thinking I should have been there helping in some way or another. Your write up along with all the pictures was one of the best I've read. Congratulations on a killer of a buck. It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Big kudos to all that helped. Thanks for taking each of us along on your journey from the very beginning to the end.

 

TJ

[CouesWhitetail]

Wow! Great ending to a wonderful, fully enjoyed hunt! Congratulations and thanks so much for taking us on the entire journey!

[Heat]

Very Cool story and pics! Thanks for sharing your hunt with us! This is how it's done ya'll!

[yotebuster]

What a pig! Great story to boot! I don't think there is a more deserving guy on this forum! Congrats!