Cowpoke
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South Dakota Pronghorn.....
Residents could get two tags this year. One tag for any antelope and one tag for a doe/kidd antelope. In past years they gave out 500 tags for my area however this year they cut it down to 250. There is also a choice for two hunt periods so I think most residents still ended up drawing a buck tag if they wanted it. The good news is that there are still plenty of Pronghorn around. The herds are in the usual places for this time of year, however individual herd size was down 40-60 percent over what it was two years ago. Unfortunately the number of mature bucks is way down in my area this year.
The better news was the weather. It was about 75 degrees all week with blue bird skies. A gentle breeze with no real wind to speak of. And the best news was that it was dry! No mud to content with this year. It is always nice to be able to drive out and pick up your game. The drive up to the ranch was pleasant. We drove up on Sunday and started hunting on Monday morning. I don’t care much for the opening weekend. Usually too many hunters and a few of them get excited and become careless. And the herds tend to get pushed onto private land after being pursued on public land for two days.
Driving along at sunrise on the first day I spotted a herd of about 20 with one buck. I drive up out of sight and got out for the stalk. It was so still you could hear a pin drop. They heard me crunching on sage and slowly moved off behind a hill. I went up to the top of the hill and they moved off to another hill. I crawled up that hill and then I heard snorts. Then all I saw was white rumps and a lot of dust. They don’t call them speed goats for nothing! Oh well, it was only a two mile hike. Kept driving and about 7 miles down the road spotted a herd of about 10. Put the glass on ‘em and no bucks but what the hay, I had a doe tag to fill.
They were in a draw coming down from a stock tank. I know this area well and there are a series of small mounds around the draw which are just high enough to meander around without being seen. I walked out and made a slow stalk around the mounds. Came within a hundred yards of the herd without being detected. I sat down and put the scope to work but they were all behind tall grass and I just did not have a clear shot. I waited for about 10 minutes but none of them walked out into the clear. About that time the lead doe started snorting. The wind had shifted and I reckon they made me. Once again white rumps bobbing up and down and they were gone in a flash. More exercise but I was getting tired.
Drove only a mile down the road and spotted a lone doe grazing and not far off the road. I walked out around the low side of a hill and peaked around and now she was bedded down. I backed off and went up to the top of the hill. On the way I adjusted my bipod for a sit down shot. I peaked over the top of the hill and she was about 150 yards away. I very slowly crouched a few yards over the hill for a clear shot. I figured that if I quickly dropped into the sitting position that I might have a few seconds at best. I dropped, put the crosshairs on it and she quickly made me out, stood up and looked at me. I had enough time for a good, well placed, clean shot. She ran about 30 yards and dropped.
As I headed back to the ranch to hang the doe, I spotted a herd of 12 with one buck. They were too far out to tell what the buck looked like and I didn’t want to stop and glass them and run the risk of spooking them. I called up my friend and he said: “Yup, that is my property, go for it”! I parked but the lead doe heard the commotion and then poked her head over a rise and quickly took the herd off. Well I was off playing musical hills once again. This time though they ran toward my hunting camp. They settled down and loafed on the side of a hill above a stock tank. I went back to camp, hung the doe and pulled out the spotting scope. They were content to stay there until sunset. I figured that if they were there at first light the next morning that I would walk from camp and set up an ambush on the other side of the stock tank.
The next morning the plan came to fruition, so I walked about a mile and a half behind the hill. I walked up the side of another hill and figured that they would come back through the draw below the stock tank. I was going to hunker down on the edge of some tall grass to conceal my position. I was still standing up adjusting the bipod when I heard a pronghorn snort. The lead doe had poked her head up and was looking straight at me. I quickly sat down when the entire herd ran like a streak down the draw in front of me. The buck was running behind with a doe about 300 yards behind the herd. He was on a dead run though. The herd stopped about 700 yards away and the buck stopped also. He was about 400 yards away. I put the crosshairs on him and squeezed off a round. I have a lot of confidence in my Tikka in .270 winchester. I have the trigger adjusted just right and it is a very accurate rifle. I saw the dust cloud and thought: “oh no, I shot high”. Then I heard the “shwooosh whack” like a good hit. The buck barreled out about 75 yards and began to stumble….a few seconds later he piled over!
The buck does not have a typical rack. Very tight curls and very wide bases.
Residents could get two tags this year. One tag for any antelope and one tag for a doe/kidd antelope. In past years they gave out 500 tags for my area however this year they cut it down to 250. There is also a choice for two hunt periods so I think most residents still ended up drawing a buck tag if they wanted it. The good news is that there are still plenty of Pronghorn around. The herds are in the usual places for this time of year, however individual herd size was down 40-60 percent over what it was two years ago. Unfortunately the number of mature bucks is way down in my area this year.
The better news was the weather. It was about 75 degrees all week with blue bird skies. A gentle breeze with no real wind to speak of. And the best news was that it was dry! No mud to content with this year. It is always nice to be able to drive out and pick up your game. The drive up to the ranch was pleasant. We drove up on Sunday and started hunting on Monday morning. I don’t care much for the opening weekend. Usually too many hunters and a few of them get excited and become careless. And the herds tend to get pushed onto private land after being pursued on public land for two days.
Driving along at sunrise on the first day I spotted a herd of about 20 with one buck. I drive up out of sight and got out for the stalk. It was so still you could hear a pin drop. They heard me crunching on sage and slowly moved off behind a hill. I went up to the top of the hill and they moved off to another hill. I crawled up that hill and then I heard snorts. Then all I saw was white rumps and a lot of dust. They don’t call them speed goats for nothing! Oh well, it was only a two mile hike. Kept driving and about 7 miles down the road spotted a herd of about 10. Put the glass on ‘em and no bucks but what the hay, I had a doe tag to fill.
They were in a draw coming down from a stock tank. I know this area well and there are a series of small mounds around the draw which are just high enough to meander around without being seen. I walked out and made a slow stalk around the mounds. Came within a hundred yards of the herd without being detected. I sat down and put the scope to work but they were all behind tall grass and I just did not have a clear shot. I waited for about 10 minutes but none of them walked out into the clear. About that time the lead doe started snorting. The wind had shifted and I reckon they made me. Once again white rumps bobbing up and down and they were gone in a flash. More exercise but I was getting tired.
Drove only a mile down the road and spotted a lone doe grazing and not far off the road. I walked out around the low side of a hill and peaked around and now she was bedded down. I backed off and went up to the top of the hill. On the way I adjusted my bipod for a sit down shot. I peaked over the top of the hill and she was about 150 yards away. I very slowly crouched a few yards over the hill for a clear shot. I figured that if I quickly dropped into the sitting position that I might have a few seconds at best. I dropped, put the crosshairs on it and she quickly made me out, stood up and looked at me. I had enough time for a good, well placed, clean shot. She ran about 30 yards and dropped.
As I headed back to the ranch to hang the doe, I spotted a herd of 12 with one buck. They were too far out to tell what the buck looked like and I didn’t want to stop and glass them and run the risk of spooking them. I called up my friend and he said: “Yup, that is my property, go for it”! I parked but the lead doe heard the commotion and then poked her head over a rise and quickly took the herd off. Well I was off playing musical hills once again. This time though they ran toward my hunting camp. They settled down and loafed on the side of a hill above a stock tank. I went back to camp, hung the doe and pulled out the spotting scope. They were content to stay there until sunset. I figured that if they were there at first light the next morning that I would walk from camp and set up an ambush on the other side of the stock tank.
The next morning the plan came to fruition, so I walked about a mile and a half behind the hill. I walked up the side of another hill and figured that they would come back through the draw below the stock tank. I was going to hunker down on the edge of some tall grass to conceal my position. I was still standing up adjusting the bipod when I heard a pronghorn snort. The lead doe had poked her head up and was looking straight at me. I quickly sat down when the entire herd ran like a streak down the draw in front of me. The buck was running behind with a doe about 300 yards behind the herd. He was on a dead run though. The herd stopped about 700 yards away and the buck stopped also. He was about 400 yards away. I put the crosshairs on him and squeezed off a round. I have a lot of confidence in my Tikka in .270 winchester. I have the trigger adjusted just right and it is a very accurate rifle. I saw the dust cloud and thought: “oh no, I shot high”. Then I heard the “shwooosh whack” like a good hit. The buck barreled out about 75 yards and began to stumble….a few seconds later he piled over!
The buck does not have a typical rack. Very tight curls and very wide bases.
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