Favor... Can you measure some ears for me?

[Rockymtnx]

Well as most of you have seen the past few weeks I have been asking 8 million questions about Antelope hunting. Thanks to everyone who has been patient and helped me out.
Just over a month away and I will be on my first Trophy Antelope hunt. I have been looking at pictures getting my judging of small vs large bucks down. Now I think I am ready to possibly start guesstimating horn length. If anyone has a buck mounted on their wall would you be able to measure the length of one of his ears? If I had two or three ear lengths I could possibly start doing a little bit of guesstimating.

Thanks again

Depending where you measure from 5.5-6 inches.

[Rackmastr]

I'll measure one when I get home tonight man.......but I think if you allow for 6" you'd be cool...

[Rackmastr]

Which WMU's did you draw in Rocky?

[mulecrazy]

When field judging 'lope I generally look at where the prong comes out. if it appears to be above the ears it is a good sign. also I look for the length of the curl. It is amazing how much it adds to the length. They can be decieving. One might appear taller than it is if it has no curl and can look shorter than it is if it curls down. IMO if the tip is pointing to the ground it is a shooter. They are tricky buggers to judge and mistakes are made. but thats hunting as we all know! With antelope a trophy is anything that you are happy with. what zone are you hunting?

[Rockymtnx]

Thanks Sheep
I know that it will vary on where you measure from and from one animal to another, but at least it gives this rookie an idea.
By the time I get done this hunt I will owe you GPS coordinates to thirty secret fishing holes and have tied a big whitetail buck up to a tree for you.

[Rockymtnx]

That would be great Rackmastr.
I drew 150, 151, 152.

I'll settle for the big whitetail tied to a tree...lol

Mulecrazy is right though...watch where the ear is in relation to the prong. If the tip of an errect ear is below where the bottom of the prong comes out of the horn, you are likely looking at an antelope in the 15.5 to 16" range.

[Rockymtnx]

Thanks Mulecrazy
Those are some very good logical points you gave me. I will indeed be keeping those in my memory bank.
To be honest I will be happy with any buck a bring home. Kind of like shooting your first deer. Antlered or Antlerless it puts a smile on your face and a memory in your head.

[Rackmastr]

Rocky....toss me a PM sometime and I can give you a jingle and tell you what I know about 150-152 as I drew there in 2005....it was a great zone and had a lot of fun and stayed away from the 'crowds'......

Here's a 16 5/8" antelope. See how small the ears look from the side profile. This buck scored right on 82 and would have gone close to 85 had he not broke over an inch off the one horn tip. He actually still had the horn tip the day before I shot him.

[Rockymtnx]

Yup the ears sure do look small at a side profile. The angle that your horns are tilted can almost be judged agaist the legnth of his nose. If they were tilted back it may be harder to compare.

[Rackmastr]

Thats a pig TJ......awesome goat....

Yeah..ears are the simplest method for judging that I've found. When you start looking, there aren't many where the tip of the ear is below the bottom of the prong.

Thanks Trev......yeah, I doubt I'll ever see one bigger but guess you never know. I still love to get out there and hunt them though. I've got a load worked up for the muzzleloader and am ready to go!

[mulecrazy]

What a pig that one is. He sure holds his mass well and has a nice curve. Congrats on that trophy. What zone was it in if you don't mind me asking?

He came out of WMU119. My buddy shot one the same day the was right on 16 inches and scored just over 81. We saw several others that definitely stretched the tape past 15 inches and one that we were sure was 17" but he lacked the mass and prongs of the one that I shot. Sadly I haven't seen antelope of that quality since.

[BrownBear416]

Rocky,

I just measured a few of ours and they are right on 6 inch's,so it is like the other Gents said,if there prongs are above there ear tip and they have a good curl you are looking at a tall buck.

But remember mass is the most important if you are looking for a high scorer,big prongs really help also.

Most important find one that you like and have a great time.

Here is an example of a buck that is not very tall but nets 80 inch.My brother shot him in Alberta.

[Rockymtnx]

What would you guys would be average for Alberta?

Personally...I think any buck that measures around 14.5" and scores in the mid to low 70s is one heck of a buck. There should be lots of that calibre out there this year.

[Rockymtnx]

I just noticed one thing with the pics you guys have posted. You can get a look at mass from the side by comparing the width of his horn to the eyeball. I would guess that their eyes dont vary a whole lot on a mature buck.

[Batman]

Not going to be much help on the size thing. I learned that you need to get out see some live animals on the hoof and then start deciding. I had that same draw last year and it was my first time out. My advice is to go a day early and drive, look at some lopes without the temptation of shooting one. Then spend the next day doing pretty much the same thing. Stop and talk to the oil and gas guys they are there all day every day and alot of them are hunters and they know what they are looking at. They will help you out a ton if you are nice....sorry landowners as well, make sure you are getting permission. Most we spoke to...in fact 100% of them were glad to let us on and they were happy to actually speak with us. I guess they are used to guys doing the run and gun on their land.

Unless you see "the one" try not to shoot the first or even the second day and when you watch the yahoo's come screaming down the gravel road, cutting you off and shooting the first buck they see....just laugh and move on.

It is not like deer hunting, in my opinion it is much easier and you can take time, relax and choose your animal (once the idiots have all tagged out).

A good place to look is on the East side of the river at Finnegan ferry. Lots of goats there.

[cmfic1]

Sheep, that Goat is awesome. Before I clicked on it to make it bigger I just about gagged at the Mass.....the shadows on the wall give off a crazy image!

Rockymtnx, I have only hunted Antelope once, but have seen some real toads in the area you drew, I used to guide there years ago, if you like pm me, & I can share some areas with you, that supposedly are still producing good heads.

FWIW, I think a good Antelope is one of the most impressive looking shoulder mounts in N.A.

[bearbuster]

Thanks for asking all these questions Rocky. I also drew those zones and never seen a lope on the hoof in my life! Look forward to the hunt!

One characteristic that I have always found deceiving when judging pronghorns is the amount of curl in the horns.The straighter horned bucks look much longer,and some of the really deep curled horns look very short.I passed on one nice buck that was later killed by a friend because the horns curled down so much,that I underestimated the length of the horn by a considerable margin.

[Rockymtnx]

I am probably going to shoot something I will consider decent. Which would be anything with the horns being longer than the ears. lol But since I have a few to days to hunt I will look for something first. As long as I come home with something I will be happy.

Thank you everyone for all of your tips, hints, and suggestions. They are all very much appreciated.

[packhuntr]

Rocky, i dont have a bunch going on this fall, and am only doing some archery w/t and a 2 week mule buck in Nov, be chasin birds daily though. Anyways, i just had my draw last fall in there, and am from Brooks area, if you want a hand, I might be able to help you out. Where are you from?? I spent prob between 1500 and 2000 $ scouting antelope last summer, and have some awesome video of some up and comers, some good ones, and no doubt some dead ones. I didnt get the king kong i was after, but no doubt ended up killing the most expensive resident antelope taken in 2006, and he only went 72 Ah wadaya do, ya gotta take one, even if youve hunted your primary so long, that there aint time to find your back up buck/bucks. If you want a hand, pm me, I will give you my phone #.

keep a strain on er.