Hunted the last weekend of the Antelope season in South Dakota. Harvested this buck on the first morning of the hunt the 17th of October at about 0800 (Friday morning). I have been rather successful hunting Antelope over the years but I think I have learned enough about them to understand that they are more often than not: predictably unpredictable, and to expect the unexpected. This buck helped prove that theory.
I spotted him from the road running down a fence line trying to get through the fence. I pulled over and thought that if I could walk around the back side of a hill that I might be able to intercept him when he did get through the fence. I walked down the fence line trying to get through the fence myself. This was a range border fence which was "high and tight". As I started up the hill along the fence, the buck the buck came running at me from over the hill. My natural reaction was to crouch, but I began to think that those hooves have some sharp points and I wasn't going to jump out of the way.
I raised my arm, waved and said "HI!". At about 10 feet away he put on the brakes, did the roadrunner thing, picked up his feet and was gone like a shot! Hence the term: "Speed Goat"
I walked over a hill about 1/3 of a mile away to see if he slowed down any when he got out of sight. All I saw was a tiny white dot moving away at what seemed like the speed of light. I was thinking about just packing it in, walk back to the truck and keeping looking for another one, but a little voice told me to stick it out since I was already out there. I glassed him for a while and noticed that he was moving side ways and back and forth. Ahhh huh! he was trying to get through another border fence I thought. I sat down in the grass, extended the bi-pod and kept my eye on him. He started running back as quikly as he had gone. This time he was headed for an open area that might have put him in range if he kept on a straight track. He was on the other side of the hill and I waited for him to come over and he did, but behind me. I wheeled around while in a sitting position and put the cross hairs on the fence about a hundred yards away. He kept running past the scope sight, stopped and looked at me. I picked up the rifle, wheeled around, set it down, got the cross hairs on him, and made a hurry up shot. Dropped him like a rock! 100 hundred yards away.
Some hunters had watched the whole ordeal and made the comment: "That's what we want, for our goat to come running to us!"
Anyway that's my story and I am sticking to it, because afterall, I have witnesses!
I spotted him from the road running down a fence line trying to get through the fence. I pulled over and thought that if I could walk around the back side of a hill that I might be able to intercept him when he did get through the fence. I walked down the fence line trying to get through the fence myself. This was a range border fence which was "high and tight". As I started up the hill along the fence, the buck the buck came running at me from over the hill. My natural reaction was to crouch, but I began to think that those hooves have some sharp points and I wasn't going to jump out of the way.
I raised my arm, waved and said "HI!". At about 10 feet away he put on the brakes, did the roadrunner thing, picked up his feet and was gone like a shot! Hence the term: "Speed Goat"
I walked over a hill about 1/3 of a mile away to see if he slowed down any when he got out of sight. All I saw was a tiny white dot moving away at what seemed like the speed of light. I was thinking about just packing it in, walk back to the truck and keeping looking for another one, but a little voice told me to stick it out since I was already out there. I glassed him for a while and noticed that he was moving side ways and back and forth. Ahhh huh! he was trying to get through another border fence I thought. I sat down in the grass, extended the bi-pod and kept my eye on him. He started running back as quikly as he had gone. This time he was headed for an open area that might have put him in range if he kept on a straight track. He was on the other side of the hill and I waited for him to come over and he did, but behind me. I wheeled around while in a sitting position and put the cross hairs on the fence about a hundred yards away. He kept running past the scope sight, stopped and looked at me. I picked up the rifle, wheeled around, set it down, got the cross hairs on him, and made a hurry up shot. Dropped him like a rock! 100 hundred yards away.
Some hunters had watched the whole ordeal and made the comment: "That's what we want, for our goat to come running to us!"
Anyway that's my story and I am sticking to it, because afterall, I have witnesses!
