Just got back from Wyoming where Jake and I had a great antelope hunt. I met Lindsay in Shoshoni on Wednesday and picked up Tagg. Jake was working and coming from Cheyenne—the opposite direction. We met up in Casper that evening. By then Tagg and I had driven through our area and checked things out so we knew where we wanted to go Thursday morning. Jake still had to work, so it was just me and Tagg in the morning. We found one nice buck that was on the wrong side of the road, but it looked like he was going to come to our side so I was waiting and getting ready to shoot. Then out of a small draw an even bigger buck that I had not seen came running out and chased the other buck back away from the road.
In early afternoon we headed back to town to eat lunch and to pick up Jake. We got back to our area about 5 p.m. and went straight to a spot where I had seen a couple good bucks in the morning. We found one of them with a group of three other smaller bucks. We put on a couple of stalks but could not get close enough. We kept trying to cut them off and finally they started to head up a hill so Tagg and I dropped Jake off to chase them. In the meantime, Tagg and I kept driving in case they doubled back. We had not driven very far and I spotted the bigger buck and one of the smaller bucks from the road.
They were about 400 yards, but I had a good rest so I decided to take a shot. I thought I hit him but they took off running. I shot a couple more times while he was running and he appeared to slow down. So Tagg and I ran to get to another spot where we could shoot. The buck finally stopped, and I shot again, but this time he was probably 600 yards away and I could see the bullets kick up dirt underneath him. Then I heard Jake shoot from the other direction. He could see the buck, too, but we could not see each other.
Finally the buck walked over the top of a little hill and out of sight. We went back to the truck to pick up Jake who was running toward us. When he made it to us, Jake said the buck was definitely hit hard. So he grabbed his stuff and took off while Tagg and I followed. After a long hike, we saw Jake finish it off with a final shot. He waited for us and we all walked up to it together. It was a beautiful buck with amazing hooks and prongs.
It was getting dark so I left Tagg and Jake to start cutting while I walked back to the truck to get some more gear, jackets and flashlights. It was quite a hike and by the time I got back it was pitch black and cold. Jake carried the meat. I carried the guns and all the equipment and also shepherded Tagg.
It took us a long time to make it back to the road and Tagg was crying long before we got there because he was cold and tired. Then, because it was so dark, we had no idea exactly where we were on the road in relation to the truck. So Jake took off running one way while Tagg and I went the other. Tagg and I found the truck and picked up Jake on the road. Then we had a long ride out on a bumpy dirt road in the dark. We got back to the hotel about 10 and ordered pizza. It was well after 11 when Tagg finally fell asleep.
We slept in the next morning because Tagg was still zonked. Meanwhile, Jake was having trouble getting a deal closed for work and was on the phone. So we got a late start. When we finally reached our area, we spotted a good buck right away but Jake decided to pass. Then we drove down the road a little ways further and the buck that I was planning to shoot the day before was on the right side of the road. So Jake hopped out and shot him and our hunt was over. Jake’s buck was really nice with huge bases on his horns.
We watched the BYU versus Utah State game on the hotel TV Friday night and drive home Saturday.
We had unusually warm weather with daytime highs in the 80s. At South Pass the leaves were all changing color and it was spectacularly beautiful.
There are some more pics on Facebook.
No comments:
Post a Comment