Going antelope hunting!

[bmc]

Gonna be heading out to western South Dakota the 3rd week of September for my first antelope hunt. I'm very pumped to say the least! I've got my Hoyt Carbon Martix dialed into 40 yds and the Muzzys are flying great.

Anyone else been out there and hunted antelope? Any tips?

Thanks,

Brian

[sdpikehntr]

You might want to dial in for the 50 to 60 range as well. They will sometimes be a reach.

Good luck and find a nice water hole.

[mrklean]

i was looking into making it out west to go speed goat hunting as well. Everyone i have talked to has said make sure you are dialed in out to 70 yards, if you can get them within 40 yards of you your darn lucky. Let us know how it goes post pics

[DonBo]

I cranked my bow up and shot tiny arrows with tiny fletch and tiny expandables expecting to shoot those long distances WITH A PRAIRIE WIND, then I took my buck at 7 yards!

If you're water hole hunting there's no reason to shoot beyond 30-40 yards. If it's spot and stalk or decoy hunting you may need to stretch it out some. My advice is bring a rangefinder-and use it.

It will be hot! Bring and drink lots of water. Be prepared to butcher and cool the meat very soon after taking the animal.

Don't drag a downed goat unless you have no desire to mount it, the hair/hide is very fragile.

Good luck! Oh, and Brian...lots of pictures, we want pictures!

[Archerysniper]

Bring leather gloves and knee pads if your stalking you will be doing more crawling than walking.

[Wanderer]

Bring leather gloves and knee pads if your stalking you will be doing more crawling than walking.

Those little cacti suck. You will bleed if you're not careful about it.

Wear the lightest camo you own unless you're blind hunting.

[bmc]

Thanks for the tips guys! Keep 'em coming!

I got "acquainted" with those lil' cacti out by Amidon, N.D. a couple of years ago. In a lapse of better judgement, I took a glove off and proceeded to trip, landing my bare palm on one of those miserable little so and so's. Good thing I had duct tape and a good set of tweezers with me. The duct tape worked awesome, getting most of them off right away and the tweezers were handy for the stubborn ones.

Sounds like we're gonna be doing mainlys spot and stalk, so I gotta get a decoy made. Any thoughts or ideas on making a homemade antelope decoy?

I was thinking of buying a full sized antelope paper target, cutting that out and gluing that to a sturdy piece of cardboard or thin luan flooring, then putting on some piano hinges so I can fold it up. Anyone else have any ideas?

Brian

[mrklean]

i have seen people use big old cow cut outs for decoys as well if there are cows in the area makes them feel relaxed

[Scoot]

Good advice and info above. Very importantly, don't take a shot at a game animal from a distance you are not accurate enough at. Telling you that you'll need to be able to shoot at 60 or 70 yards isn't helpful if you can't shoot accurately that far out (and most guys can't). Determine the maximum distance under optimal circumstances and be honest about it. Then, stick to it.

I've had tough luck decoying and calling the dang things. My buddy, who usually is the decoy and caller for me, has done well. Apparently the key ingredient is that I'm not there...

Good luck!

[bmc]

Sounds like we have the same type of luck Scoot!

The name of the game now is practice, practice, practice.

Knowing one's effective range is one of the most important things when it comes to taking a shot. Plus there is nothing worse then wounding and losing an animal.

Keep the info coming boys!

Brian

[rbs]

I have never hunted them but I would consider shooting bow when it is windy out. That way you will know what your arrow will do with a good side wind. I do that for ground hunting whitetails as well. Good luck and keep us informed. Goats is on my hunting wish list for the next few years...after I lose some weight that is!

[huntnfish]

How about something like this for a decoy. Its actually a hat and shirt. If I were hunting with someone wearing this I wouldn't even be able to draw because I'd be laughing my butt off.

[HNTNBUX]

I have several suggestions for you.

Decide what you want to shoot before you leave and bring good glasses to decide if you want the antelope before going after it. I would not "practice" stalking an antelope you don't want it will waste time looking for the one you want.

Practice rising up from your stomach, draw and shoot from your knees.

Take your quiver off. Shooting in the wind with the quiver on your bow is no fun.

If you can see them they can see you. Use the terrain as much as possible.

Try to anticipate where they want to be and stalk that location if easier. Find a good fence crossing. If you blow a stalk and they run to an open fence or low spot they will use it again. Both when they come back to the field and if you or your partner push them off again.

You can set up pretty close at night. Try setting up your ground blind where the antelope like to feed and stay in your blind. Sunrise could be interesting.

Good luck.

[Scoot]

Great tips and info, HNTNBUX!

[Jackpine Rob]

How about something like this for a decoy. If I were hunting with someone wearing this I wouldn't even be able to draw because I'd be laughing my butt off.

A couple of weeks ago we were driving in Montana through an area that was just polluted with speed goats. They were everywhere, and I was on hair trigger - expecting one of those varmints to dart in front of us at any time.

Movement in the ditch caught my eye, and I slammed on the brakes - only to have a young fellow wearing one of those goat helmets stand up.

Laughed for the next 20 miles!

[sticknstring]

You're in for a treat. I think about our '08 SD goat hunt quite a bit. It was a learning experience for sure. A lot of great advice has been given already. We went in late August but you'll be there prime time for decoys. Think about bringing one. I'd definitely practice out to 60 yds if you can. Knee pads are a must for stalking. Watch for fence crossings. Unlike whitetails, antelope like going underneath instead. You'll see the worn paths in the grass. We primarily hunted alfalfa fields from blinds and spot & stalked during the day. For whatever reason, water holes were a bust. Most importantly, have fun. I can't wait to get back out to the prairie.

[matchset]

i got my '09 Wyoming antelope...actually i got two with the help of a lot of practice and little luck!

the three of us had exclusive permission to hunt 15 sections of private land...and boy did we have fun!

the ranch we were on had LOTS of water holes; so pay attention to that! check the rainfall amounts for that area.

get the right camo! Prairie Ghost works great; but even better was the Army Digital Camo. a Sage top and Brown on bottom was a huge part of our success!

practice, practice, practice! and a RANGE FINDER IS A MUST! with no objects between you and the critters, judging distance is tough!

Best of luck! and i hope you have just as much fun as we did! it was a BLAST!

three guys, two days, five antelope taken by bow! spot and stalk!

seize every opportunity! its not like hunting whitetails.... antelope are visible ALL DAY!

stalked to within 31 yards of this bad boy!

[HunterLee]

Any one know how the antelope are doing down there? We may make a trip depending on how some draws go, as we lost out on a montana tag this year. Where is the best population plus lots of public land?

[matchset]

hunterlee! wyoming has the most abundant population of antelope; but if you're looking for a trophy go to new mexico!

[mrklean]

prepare to wait for new mexico i think its spendy and tough to get a tag there

[slopmaster]

I will be heading antelope hunting in western SD for the first time also this season, I leave the 22nd of august. From what i've heard/read is with the past winterkills that numbers are down 50-60% and from talking to others who have been consistently going for many years, last year was by far one of the worst and it isnt looking much better this year. Regardless there is still goats out there though. One tip to add onto others suggestion is im going to tape my knee pads right onto my pants so im not having to re-adjust them. Last time we went prarie dog hunting in ND i sat on a cacti and that was plenty for me I'll be keeping the odds in my favor this time around.

Good luck!