Post by GonHuntin on Oct 15, 2003 16:21:28 GMT -5
It all started back in April when I applied for the Oklahoma special hunts.....one of which is a "once in a lifetime" antelope hunt in Cimarron County. I have been unsuccessfully applying for this tag since they started hunting antelope in Oklahoma about 16 years ago........
I had made plans to hunt antelope with Bobcat in NM and also had an invite to visit and hunt with a good friend in Alaska.....both in September.....
Well, long about July, just before they released the special hunt drawing results, I told my wife that I would draw an Oklahoma antelope tag this year.....she just said sure honey.....but I insisted with the reasoning that drawing that tag would be the only thing that could keep me from hunting either NM pronghorns or Alaskan bear/moose this year.......when the results came out......I had drawn a tag! So much for hunting NM or Alaska this year ::)
Fast forward to Sept.......my wife and I made the 8+ hour drive to scout the ranch I had made arrangements to hunt....scouting went well and we found several nice bucks.......about three weeks later I left for the hunt.
It all started out fine, with everything packed, loaded and ready, I left the house at 5:30 a.m........no problems.....two hours later, as I was headed through the first town.....my truck died at the first stop light.....it started right up but was running rough.......I drove to an auto parts store and waited for them to open so I could see if they had a code checker to diagnose the problem......I caught one of the employees going in early and asked if they had a code checker.....no......so I limped the truck on to the dealer.....the service dept was already open.......I got right in and, when the mechanics arrived they got right to work.......they said the problem was the fuel pump........even though it was an in tank pump, I could easily have fixed it myself..... but not 2 hours from home........2 1/2 hours and $360 later, I was back on the road.......
I made it to the ranch about 4:00 p.m......checked in at the ranch house and found nobody home.....left a note and headed out to do some last minute scouting to see if the bucks were where I had left them.......started to unload the 4-wheeler and the lady rancher shows up.......she said the other 3 hunters that would be on the ranch had been there since the day before and that they weren't seeing many antelope.......great news.....
I scouted anyway and found 2 bucks and a few does.....one of the bucks was average and the other was nice........I knew where I planned to be at first light.......
On the way back to the truck......I was riding the 4-wheeler slowly down the fence line.....just putting along thinking about the next day.......I caught movement just next to the 4 wheeler and stopped.......bad idea!....that movement was a 3' prairie rattler and he was now just next to my right foot!!!! Talk about almost running the 4-wheeler through a barbed wire fence!!!! Well, he won't do that again.......no harm done except to my life expectancy ;D probably took a few years off the top!
I loaded the 4-wheeler back into the truck and decided to drive to the north part of the ranch......there, I ran into the other three hunters and asked where they were planning to hunt the next morning......two of the three were hunting together and said they were planning to hunt right where I had just put the 2 bucks to bed.....since they had arrived at the ranch first......I couldn't really say much.....unfortunately, it was too late in the day to scout further.....so I decided to start a mile south of where I wanted to be.......
The next morning I hit the ranch early, unloaded the 4-wheeler and headed up to the top of a hill to glass....... after about 20 minutes......the two other hunters came riding there 4-wheelers right through the area I was glassing.........so....I moved on........
I saw my first antelope about 10:30 and it took me about 30 minutes to get to them only to find that they were across the fence on another ranch........they ran down the fence and settled down.......I got within 700 yards and started glassing them......there was a nice buck in the bunch and he was chasing the does......one of which jumped the fence.........yes, I know, they aren't suppose to jump fences but this one did.....the buck followed and, a few minutes later, the rest of the group came through the fence......alright, they were now on my side.........I started crawling toward them using what little cover I had.......the buck continued chasing does and the group slowly drifted over the next hill......I was now a half mile from the 4-wheeler.....so I went back after it and tried to catch up to the herd.......no luck....they just disappeared..........
I headed back to the truck for lunch and to gass up the 4-wheeler......I decided to move to another part of the ranch, so I loaded the 4-wheeler in the truck and headed that direction........I saw the rancher and he told me where he had seen a nice buck that morning.....I headed over to check it out........no joy......if that buck was around, I couldn't find him!
After lunch, I decided to drive to the base of a big hill, climb it and glass.......I decided to take just my binoculars and rifle, not expecting to see anything close enough to shoot.......as I approached the base of the hill, a small buck walked out and started feeding about 250 yards out......he didn't have a care in the world and just ignored me......so, I climbed the hill......as I got to the top and peaked over, I saw a buck with three does.......they started running.....but they didn't run straight away......they ran at a 90 degree angle......I made a quick retreat down the back side of the hill and around to the side, hoping to cut them off.......it worked......the buck was headed over an edge, but the does stopped and were looking back toward the top of the hill where I had been.......well, the buck didn't want to leave his ladies and he came back and began butting them with his horns trying to herd them away........I looked at his horns, they looked twice as long as his ears, so I grabbed a handful of yucca for a rest and lined him up.......at the shot, he just disappeared........ the does ran straight toward me..........
I went over to check him out and was surprised that he wasn't quite as big as I thought........too late now...... this ain't catch and release!!!! He is an average buck for the area........right at 12"........
Of course, as I left the ranch that evening I saw the "nice buck" the rancher had told me about earlier......he was less than 150 yards from the road and hardly even looked my way when I stopped and watched him!!!!!
.....and the two guys hunting the area I had scouted..... well, one of them took a 14" buck with lots of mass and a really wide spread........the other took a buck with 15 1/2" and 14 1/2" horns that went straight up with almost no curve and one cutter completely broken off.....UGLY!!
In retrospect, even though I was hunting in difficult circumstances, I let it get to me and pulled the trigger too soon.....that's hunting.....guess they can't all turn out great.........but, hey, I did get a buck antelope in Oklahoma and not many people get that opportunity...
I had made plans to hunt antelope with Bobcat in NM and also had an invite to visit and hunt with a good friend in Alaska.....both in September.....
Well, long about July, just before they released the special hunt drawing results, I told my wife that I would draw an Oklahoma antelope tag this year.....she just said sure honey.....but I insisted with the reasoning that drawing that tag would be the only thing that could keep me from hunting either NM pronghorns or Alaskan bear/moose this year.......when the results came out......I had drawn a tag! So much for hunting NM or Alaska this year ::)
Fast forward to Sept.......my wife and I made the 8+ hour drive to scout the ranch I had made arrangements to hunt....scouting went well and we found several nice bucks.......about three weeks later I left for the hunt.
It all started out fine, with everything packed, loaded and ready, I left the house at 5:30 a.m........no problems.....two hours later, as I was headed through the first town.....my truck died at the first stop light.....it started right up but was running rough.......I drove to an auto parts store and waited for them to open so I could see if they had a code checker to diagnose the problem......I caught one of the employees going in early and asked if they had a code checker.....no......so I limped the truck on to the dealer.....the service dept was already open.......I got right in and, when the mechanics arrived they got right to work.......they said the problem was the fuel pump........even though it was an in tank pump, I could easily have fixed it myself..... but not 2 hours from home........2 1/2 hours and $360 later, I was back on the road.......
I made it to the ranch about 4:00 p.m......checked in at the ranch house and found nobody home.....left a note and headed out to do some last minute scouting to see if the bucks were where I had left them.......started to unload the 4-wheeler and the lady rancher shows up.......she said the other 3 hunters that would be on the ranch had been there since the day before and that they weren't seeing many antelope.......great news.....
I scouted anyway and found 2 bucks and a few does.....one of the bucks was average and the other was nice........I knew where I planned to be at first light.......
On the way back to the truck......I was riding the 4-wheeler slowly down the fence line.....just putting along thinking about the next day.......I caught movement just next to the 4 wheeler and stopped.......bad idea!....that movement was a 3' prairie rattler and he was now just next to my right foot!!!! Talk about almost running the 4-wheeler through a barbed wire fence!!!! Well, he won't do that again.......no harm done except to my life expectancy ;D probably took a few years off the top!
I loaded the 4-wheeler back into the truck and decided to drive to the north part of the ranch......there, I ran into the other three hunters and asked where they were planning to hunt the next morning......two of the three were hunting together and said they were planning to hunt right where I had just put the 2 bucks to bed.....since they had arrived at the ranch first......I couldn't really say much.....unfortunately, it was too late in the day to scout further.....so I decided to start a mile south of where I wanted to be.......
The next morning I hit the ranch early, unloaded the 4-wheeler and headed up to the top of a hill to glass....... after about 20 minutes......the two other hunters came riding there 4-wheelers right through the area I was glassing.........so....I moved on........
I saw my first antelope about 10:30 and it took me about 30 minutes to get to them only to find that they were across the fence on another ranch........they ran down the fence and settled down.......I got within 700 yards and started glassing them......there was a nice buck in the bunch and he was chasing the does......one of which jumped the fence.........yes, I know, they aren't suppose to jump fences but this one did.....the buck followed and, a few minutes later, the rest of the group came through the fence......alright, they were now on my side.........I started crawling toward them using what little cover I had.......the buck continued chasing does and the group slowly drifted over the next hill......I was now a half mile from the 4-wheeler.....so I went back after it and tried to catch up to the herd.......no luck....they just disappeared..........
I headed back to the truck for lunch and to gass up the 4-wheeler......I decided to move to another part of the ranch, so I loaded the 4-wheeler in the truck and headed that direction........I saw the rancher and he told me where he had seen a nice buck that morning.....I headed over to check it out........no joy......if that buck was around, I couldn't find him!
After lunch, I decided to drive to the base of a big hill, climb it and glass.......I decided to take just my binoculars and rifle, not expecting to see anything close enough to shoot.......as I approached the base of the hill, a small buck walked out and started feeding about 250 yards out......he didn't have a care in the world and just ignored me......so, I climbed the hill......as I got to the top and peaked over, I saw a buck with three does.......they started running.....but they didn't run straight away......they ran at a 90 degree angle......I made a quick retreat down the back side of the hill and around to the side, hoping to cut them off.......it worked......the buck was headed over an edge, but the does stopped and were looking back toward the top of the hill where I had been.......well, the buck didn't want to leave his ladies and he came back and began butting them with his horns trying to herd them away........I looked at his horns, they looked twice as long as his ears, so I grabbed a handful of yucca for a rest and lined him up.......at the shot, he just disappeared........ the does ran straight toward me..........
I went over to check him out and was surprised that he wasn't quite as big as I thought........too late now...... this ain't catch and release!!!! He is an average buck for the area........right at 12"........
Of course, as I left the ranch that evening I saw the "nice buck" the rancher had told me about earlier......he was less than 150 yards from the road and hardly even looked my way when I stopped and watched him!!!!!
.....and the two guys hunting the area I had scouted..... well, one of them took a 14" buck with lots of mass and a really wide spread........the other took a buck with 15 1/2" and 14 1/2" horns that went straight up with almost no curve and one cutter completely broken off.....UGLY!!
In retrospect, even though I was hunting in difficult circumstances, I let it get to me and pulled the trigger too soon.....that's hunting.....guess they can't all turn out great.........but, hey, I did get a buck antelope in Oklahoma and not many people get that opportunity...
