I've antelope hunted a fair number of zones when you got drawn every couple of years, but eventually settled on hunting 102/108. Generally go out for a look-around a couple days before the opener, find a nice area, knock on doors and get permission. Carry your paper map to the farmhouse ( hunting boundaries will be clear and a rancher will often put an X on the spot for you - nothing's sweeter than hearing "Well, when the shooting starts, the big ones usually head here..."). I look for wide, open valleys/coulees or low spots that are not visible from the road, but usually within 1 km of the road. If there's a fence-line cutting the valley, all the better - it'll provide a little cover. Then take my rifle for a walk opening morning. I seldom see another hunter.
Or, use the truck traffic to your advantage. If you see a herd moving towards a road a mile away, slip in behind them once they've past, and find some good cover and get concealed. Chances are, they'll be intercepted by a cruising truck as they approach the road. As the truck stops and the shooter jumps out, the herd'll do a 180, and head right back the way they approached - they feel safer retreating over terrain that they just covered......and come right into your lap.
Have exactly where you want to be a 1/2hr before sunrise on opening day all picked out in advance - even build a rough blind with tumbleweeds if you need to. The rough ground and a little height from livestock dug-outs works well. Use flagging or GPS so you can find it in the dark, and be there with time to spare on opening morning. Try to approach in low runs or wash-outs - even in the dark. Don't let the low, morning sun light you up, no matter how good your camp is, stay broken-up shaded and sit tight - antelope can be late risers, but once they're up, the low sun will make them pop. And take the time to breath it all in - it's a classic Alberta experience!
__________________
The world is changed by your action, not by your opinion.
|