My NT antelope

220swifty · #1 10-07-2010, 08:54 PM

After scouting with my dad (a non-hunter and his first time out with me) yesterday, we woke up to thick fog. As the fog started to lift we spotted a herd at 8:00 am. After a half mile belly crawl, i found myself in a position where the tall grass wasn't interfering with the shot. The rangefinder told me 3 times in a row that it was 340 yds, so i believed it. I shot off a bipod in a sitting position and i thought i had missed. The recoil took my eye off the target, and when i reaquired the sight picture, the herd was on the move, none of them appeared to have damage. I watched them for a couple minutes, when one started to sag in the rear end. I thought she was about to tip, but then realised she was just having a ****. I thought about the situation and knew that i had heard the telltale whack of a high speed bullet finding the sweetspot, so i stood up and the herd vanished. I walked to the last know location of the antelope to see if i could spot any signs of a hit, and found one big one. A doe antelope, dead right there. A 129 gr Hornady SST at 3000 fps did the trick. First hunt with my first custom rifle, a remington 700 based 6.5-06

This was the second kill for this rifle, as I also took a 320 yd coyote while scouting the day before.

gravedigger · #2 10-07-2010, 09:00 PM

Congrats on the NT and that's a sweet rifle!

Stop Staring at my Rack · #3 10-07-2010, 09:08 PM

great shot! Congratulations!!

slopeshunter · #4 10-07-2010, 09:20 PM

Good going Swifty, great calibre!

ishootbambi · #5 10-07-2010, 10:02 PM

congrats swifty. i bet the success rate on them antelope girls is pretty high.

220swifty · #6 10-07-2010, 10:10 PM

These ones were pretty edgy, being it was the second season on does and they have also contended with a couple buck seasons already. The first herd we spotted last night was on the move in a hurry when we were more than a KM out.

The only reason i think the herd i hunted was huntable is because they were in a depression where they felt safe, as it was invisible from the area roads.

JustinC 2 · #7 10-07-2010, 10:35 PM

Congrats on yours.I dont see any horn on yours.... Hope you had a great time with your dad on your hunt.

220swifty · #8 10-07-2010, 10:37 PM

About 3/4" nubs, no monster like yours.

ishootbambi · #9 10-07-2010, 10:39 PM

B&C wont keep the records, but i said it before....justin's doe has to be the world record for a girl. throw up a scoresheet justin.

hey swifty....did you notice if the herds you saw had any fawns?

SugarCreek · #10 10-07-2010, 10:43 PM

Nicely done swifty.........congrats.....Marco

220swifty · #11 10-07-2010, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ishootbambi

B&C wont keep the records, but i said it before....justin's doe has to be the world record for a girl. throw up a scoresheet justin.

hey swifty....did you notice if the herds you saw had any fawns?

The first herd was only 8 animals, and no fawns, but the herd that i harvested this doe from had about 30 animals, and about 8 or 9 of them looked like fawns.

whitetail Junkie · #12 10-07-2010, 10:47 PM

Nice to see that you got to break in the custom 6.5-06,great picture and nice antelope,quick kill should taste really good!!!

ishootbambi · #13 10-07-2010, 10:50 PM

there has been some talk of an antelope herd in serious jeopardy.....i say pppppffffftttt! there are gazillions of them. i dont think they are at or near historical highs by any means, but they are a long way from in trouble. when i shot my buck, he was number 135. i didnt count does....but id guess well over 400 in the 2 1/2 days i hunted. what i did see that concerned me though was a distinct lack of fawns. i suspect the weather this spring was tough on them, and that will translate to a missing age class down the road. with recruitment being such a low percentage to begin with, hunters 4 or 5 years from now may see a tough year for mature bucks.

220swifty · #14 10-07-2010, 10:51 PM

I packed her full of ice after a total rinse, and dropped her at the butcher shop on the way home, i am excited for some nice grilling steaks.

Rockymtnx · #15 10-08-2010, 11:45 AM

Congrats on the NT antelope.
She should be some good eats!

packhuntr · #16 10-08-2010, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ishootbambi

there has been some talk of an antelope herd in serious jeopardy.....i say pppppffffftttt! there are gazillions of them. i dont think they are at or near historical highs by any means, but they are a long way from in trouble. when i shot my buck, he was number 135. i didnt count does....but id guess well over 400 in the 2 1/2 days i hunted. what i did see that concerned me though was a distinct lack of fawns. i suspect the weather this spring was tough on them, and that will translate to a missing age class down the road. with recruitment being such a low percentage to begin with, hunters 4 or 5 years from now may see a tough year for mature bucks.

The people that dont know what they are talking about are always the ones doing the talking.... Why is that?

Congrats on your doe Swifty, just right,,, and a young unproven mother to boot. The perfect one to take! Good luck with the rest of your fall

ishootbambi · #17 10-08-2010, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by packhuntr

The people that dont know what they are talking about are always the ones doing the talking.... Why is that?

Congrats on your doe Swifty, just right,,, and a young unproven mother to boot. The perfect one to take! Good luck with the rest of your fall

ok, 2 questions. if numbers are so low, then why are tags up, and for the first time in a log time non trophy tags are available? the count says numbers are o the upswing and based on what ive seen id say thats correct. i saw well over 500 in 2 1/2 days of hunting.....how many do we need?

and most people think that a dry doe is ideal. many feel that an old doe past her prime years of reproduction is better than a young one with many years of fawns ahead of her, but you think opposite. why?

packhuntr · #18 10-08-2010, 09:21 PM

Well, didnt I try having this talk in antelope discussion before the season started? I dont recall for sure, but back then you knew it all,,,, seems a couple days afield has made you an antelope specialist, and you now want to hear what you ignorantly believe to be untrue... Not happening, it would be totally different if you had a sniff, then a conversation worth reading might happen. No offence intended Dale, I honestly just dont have the time to fight this one, its too big, Im not the right guy, and this isnt the place to educate, nor is it the place to promote change.

ishootbambi · #19 10-08-2010, 09:39 PM

so what im hearing is.....you dont know? you said before that youd like to get together to discuss the problems going on in this province. you have my phone number, so let me know when its good for you. talking is much easier than typing anyway. im serious.

Donny Bear · #20 10-08-2010, 10:24 PM

I like it! good work sir!