My 2014 Antelope hunt

[mr.smith]

I was pretty stoked when AZGFD charged me for two elk and an antelope tag. When the official results came out I was glad to have drawn a tag but I had hoped that it was Felicia who had drawn it. I didn't get much of a chance to explore the unit early on after the draw results came out due to river trips and then Cuda's passing. I made several scouting trips in July and a couple in August. I had seen some good bucks and some serious beasties. Then the archery hunt happened and they knocked the heck out of them. Every big goat I had seen was dead. My later scouting trips revealed few bucks and fewer big bucks.

I headed down to the unit two days before the hunt. Wednesday (9/10) I hiked in to the fain ranch from Sallie Jane rd. That morning I saw 6 bucks and 100+ does. One of those bucks was a stud. I knew if I wanted I could hunt him and have a really good chance. Wednesday afternoon Danny and David joined me and we glassed from camp off the 643 rd on the east side of the ranch. We saw several bucks and a couple really good ones. We also saw that most of them were really inconsistent in where they hung out. As of that evening the tentative plan was to walk in from camp to a tree out in the middle and wait/ take directions from my glassers in camp. Thursday morning (9/11) we glassed from camp early and saw most of the same bucks including the bigger one I had seen Wednesday morning. We discussed it and all figured the Fain ranch would be a total war zone zoo opening morning with trucks lining the boundaries and people walking in and shooting from all directions. I was a bit nervous about sitting in the middle of the fray. Danny wanted to go get some breakfast so we decided to go explore more of the unit and to see if there was something we were missing or if we could find a buck in a place that wasn't going to be a war zone opening morning. We first went and looked at the Deep Well ranch and only saw one buck that was way out there. We couldn't get a real good look at him and we moved on. As we were entering Chino Valley we saw some antelope on the side of the road and stopped to check them out. These were town goats and in the wrong unit so naturally it was a giant buck with 5 satellite bucks 3 of which were also big. Conveniently we saw them right across from a breakfast joint so we ate and discussed where to look next. From there we headed in on the Perkinsville rd, checked out the area northeast of the Haystack subdivision and then took the 318a rd through the Perkins ranch. At one point we stopped to look at some antelope and Danny noticed that they were on a state trust land inholding and suggested that they were legal to shoot if they were there during the hunt. We debated this a bit so I called the game warden and was told that if it is public land with a public rd touching it I could hunt it regardless of it being inside a private ranch. But, if I got there on a private rd it was not legal. The 318A is a public rd so Danny was right and if that buck was there during the hunt would be legal. Good to know. From there we went to the power station and didn't see anything back there. Next we headed south and while looking for a way back to the highway we saw a single lone buck in the middle of a field surrounded by development/private property. But, the buck was on public land. It was just big enough a piece of land that one could get far enough from houses/structures to legally shoot. We watched him for a bit and he seemed pretty unconcerned. He looked pretty good out there but we didn't get out the spotting scopes to see how big or pretty he really was. We just saw that he looked somewhat tall. We saw a couple other vehicles moving in there area and we didn't want to draw attention to him so we left. Back at camp we glassed Fain some more and had lunch. Around 5:45 Danny and I headed back to the buck to see if he was still there and if it would be a good plan for opening morning. He was there but now he was a mile and a half out and we couldn't get a great look. We were sure he'd be in the area in the morning and decided to try for him. We still really had no idea how big he was, just that he was a pretty buck and looked to be tall. I'd pretty much decided that if the buck was there in the morning I was going to shoot him. We had found him, relocated him and bedded him. If we found him in the morning and got him it would be a text book hunt. And I do love it when a plan comes together. Plus it seemed nobody knew he was there and we wouldn't have any competition.

Opening morning. We get up at 3:00am get ready and head over to the meadow where the buck was. I hike in from the northwest corner of the prairie and Felicia, Danny, and David drive over to the opposite corner. I hiked in to the middle of the mile+ square prairie and sit down. Glassing around I can't find the buck. I saw three coyotes and a fox. Around 5:45 right at gray light a pickup truck drives the rd that borders the prairie drives past our trucks and turns up a road that cuts right through the prairie. We are thinking this spot is a bust and the buck is gone. Around 6:15 Danny texts me that he has found the buck on private land to the south. I figure the hunt in this spot is done and hike out of the meadow. As soon as I get to the road Danny texts me that the buck is moving towards the meadow and was about to cross the fence on to public land, headed right for where I came from. At that point I was standing right next to a house. I boogied back out into the meadow using terrain to hide from the buck periodically turning and ranging the houses to make sure I was outside the legally required quarter mile. Right at 420 yds from the house I see the buck and he sees me. I drop down and start crawling to make the rest of the distance away from the houses. I turn and range the house and am now 450yds. Now I'm legal. I find the buck and try to get a range on him. 356 yds. I get prone and the grass is too tall. I crawl to try and find a spot that I can see the buck over the grass and he keeps moving. He is just circling me at that 350-ish yards range. I sit up to range him again and he takes off running. I keep crawling looking for a spot to shoot from finally I get to a spot where the grass is low and the buck has moved far enough to the north that I am no longer looking into the sun. I range him again and he is still in that 350 range. He moves a little more and I range him at 365 yards. I get behind the gun and set up for the shot. The buck moves a little more to the left. I adjust and reset. The buck seems to relax and starts feeding so I take my time. I aim for his shoulder assuming the 365 yard range. He disappears at the shot. Then I see him flailing. I stand up and rerange him he is now at 350. He must have fed towards me. I put another shot in him and he is done. The first shot hit high and hit his spine, that is why he dropped immediately. It was 6:45am.


As I walk up on him I see he is a little smaller than I expected, "ground shrinkage", but he is pretty. To be disappointed would dishonor the animal so I appreciate what he is instead of what he is not. He has good length and a nice curl. He has scars all over his neck and throat as well as his rump. Clear signs that he was taken down by a lion and in it's death grip but somehow got loose. It seems the lion grabbed his neck just a little too outside and didn't get his throat, Maybe the lion tried to adjust his grip and the antelope got away? Regardless, he is mine now. Everybody hikes out to the kill site and we take some pictures. I gutted him on site and we dragged him the 1/3rd of a mile to the road. Brent showed up right after I shot and helped drag him out. Right as we are getting to the Jeep I step by a cactus and right over a snake. I shout out watch out there's a snake but we are all moving so quick that me, Felicia and Copper step right over the snake. I go back to see what we just stepped over and it was two prairie rattlers who were still cold from the morning dew. One starts to rattle and moves off an the other just slithers away. That was lucky that none of us, especially our new pup, got bit. Thank goodness it was still really cool and they were lethargic. We took the buck back to camp to cut it up. We wanted it whole so George could see it and get some pictures.





There are mixed feeling about killing an animal so early on opening day. Your hunt is over and some would say you didn't fully experience it or get to enjoy it. Others will be disappointed that you shot a "small" buck on opening day when you could have held out and maybe shot a bigger one. I figure my scouting is part of the hunt. The two days of scouting right before the opening is part of the hunt. Hanging out with good friends is part of the hunt. Making a plan and following through to success is part of the hunt. I feel like I hunted this buck and I was able to include my friends and wife in the process. A lot of antelope are simple shot from the side of the road or guys hike in and go solo only involving others for the pack out if at all. For me, opening day, albeit short, had highs, lows, uncertainty, and success. I consider this a very successful hunt and I enjoyed it. That is what is important to me. I earned it.

 

Edit:Clarification on characters. I wrote this story for my friends and family on Facebook but decided to share it here. Danny is Danny Martinez, David is his brother, Brent posts here as BrentP. Felicia is my wife. Cuda is our old dog who we lost to cancer mid-July. Copper is our new pup we got last week. George is George Cordova, Felicia's uncle.

[mattys281]

Congrats on a great buck. Id hang him on my wall any day. As for closing out early, I wouldnt pay it a second thought. I feel exactly as you said: its all part of the hunt! Scouting, practice shoots, training ahead of time, all of it. And every year its a long season.

[cramerhunts]

Congratulations on a very nice buck! First day or not I'd say you did very well.

[200"mulie]

very cool ... congrats and thanks for sharing

[CouesWhitetail]

Good story! And I can sympathize with not wanting your hunt to end so fast, but it sounds like it was a good hunt anyway! Congratulations! Nice photos!

[naturebob]

Congrats!, I get My turn in Wyoming next week. Shot My AZ. Lope on 2nd morn. of hunt 8 years ago. Gonna look over many in WYO.. Got 6 days. I will be tired of looking at em if I wait that long..................BOB!

[Guest wdenike]

I agree with ya 100%. Every thing that leads up to the hunt is part of it. Nice goat, and ya do know a bird in hand is worth two in the bush. Main thing is all involved look HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY.

 

 

 

Take care, Willie

[Matt Meyer]

Very nice buck. Congrats

[pyle762]

Nice job and great antelope buddy.

[deserttacoma84]

Great buck! Love the tuxedo tshirt!!!!

[hunter01]

Nice job and a great story on getting it done!

[Couzer]

Great job!!!

[mr.smith]

Thanks all! I know it was a long read. It was fun. I just hope I don't have to wait 10 more years to do it again.

[Coach]

The tuxedo t-shirt makes the picture! That is awesome! Congrats on the goat too.

[az_shooter]

Awesome tuxedo t-shirt!