Antelope on the Run
By Joel Johnson
My first antelope hunt did not become a reality until September 2010. Until then my
work and family schedules as well as other hunts made it impossible to work an antelope
hunt in. After an accident in 2008 left me incapacitated, many surgeries and physical
therapy left me with doubts that I would ever make it on another hunt. I could not draw
my bow and did not have a crossbow that I felt I could do justice with now that I had to
shoot left handed. I did get a nice Minnesota black bear earlier in the month hunting with
my daughter Jackie, cousin Chet and his boy Jerrod but that was a 20 yard shot. I was
under the impression that the shots were going to be beyond the range I could shoot
comfortably left handed, but needing time away from the hospitals and rehab centers I
decided to give it a shot.
Going to the Wyoming Fish and Game web site I started searching areas that had over
the counter tags left. I then went to check the walk in areas as well as G.I.S. maps to see
where the public and
walk in areas were. After
a few hours of studying,
and analyzing the maps
and data I picked a spot I
thought would be my
best opportunity at a
speed goat. I had my
wife Bev help me pack
up the truck which has
not moved out of the
driveway in a couple of
years. I grabbed my
daughters Ruger 77
chambered
in
257
Roberts topped with a
Simmons Pro Hunter
Scope which I thought I could handle along with a couple of boxes of Hornady 117 grain
cartridges. Bev could not go along to take care of me on this trip but knew this trip was
going to do me good. As worried as she was I told her I would be very careful and call
often, a reassuring hug and a kiss goodbye and I was on my way.
It felt good to be on the road again along with the anticipation of a new adventure. It
took me three days to hit Douglas, Wyoming as I could only drive a couple of hours at a
time as I needed to rest to help relieve my pain, so there were not many rest areas that I
missed along the way. I stopped at the Fish and Game Department for a License and any
additional local information that would aid me in my hunt plus other instructions I may
have overlooked. I have found these folks are very helpful wherever and whatever state
or province that I have hunted and fished in. They want you to be safe and successful
while being a guest in their state or province as you then become their ultimate
ambassador.
I swung over to the local market for food and ice, gassed up the truck, and headed
roughly forty miles north towards the town of Wright to where I was going to set up
camp. I took notice of the vastness of the public areas that where open to me for this hunt.
The creek beds, draws, cottonwood bottoms and other topographic features. Antelope,
mule deer, cattle and sheep grazing. Ranch’s and oil wells and very few other hunters this
the day before the rifle opener.
I arrived at my pre selected camping spot which I picked off a satellite image and
existing topo map. It was
on a BLM piece of land
which may have been
small to the folks out
here but to me the 300
plus acres was going to
be my home for the next
few days. I was excited
to get my little camp set
up and then start doing
some glassing. Soon
camp was up and I sat on
my chair sipping a cola
and
watching
the
antelope bucks that I
would go after in the
morning.
After
the
sunset and the large moon rose over the horizon I whipped up a couple of grilled cheese
sandwiches for dinner then I hit the hay early as I was beat and hurting and wanted to be
ready for a early start.
Although I did not sleep a wink, I was up long before sunrise. As the pot of coffee
started percolating I readied my gear for the day. It was chilly in the pre dawn and my
down vest felt good under my light jacket. I slipped my orange vest on and downed a
couple of cups of coffee while I waited for first light. As it gradually got light enough to
see I was amazed at the amount of game that was now in my field of view. I decided to
slip out of camp and head for a rock outcropping high a hill to my north on a walk in area
where I could scan many of thousands of acres. It was tough to restrain myself from
shooting what I thought were good bucks as I made the half mile hike. As I set up my
spotting scope I had many animals as close as thirty yards of me grazing and chasing
around. I was not on my overlook very long when I heard a couple of faint shots on the
ridges a couple of miles north of my lookout. I was seeing some good bucks fighting and
chasing one another about six hundred yards below me. Although it was only 8 AM I
decided to swing down wind and along a saddle to another large rock to see if I could get
within my effective shooting range of not to exceed 200 yards.
It only took me about 10 minutes to cover the distance. I looked back to where I had
just come from and noticed a small band of does and fawns standing by my spotting
scope. This was more fun then a barrel of monkeys and was soon to get better. I slowly
and silently worked my
way up to take a look to
see if the bucks I was
after were still within
range. As I inched my
way along on all fours
and only mere seconds
before peeking over for a
look I felt the pain. Oh! it
was difficult as I was
trying to hold back a few
choice words because of
the cactus that attacked
me. I did not see it prior
to placing a hand and a
knee on them. I now
tried to compose myself
the best I could as I
silently moved and readied myself into position behind the rock. I drew a deep breath and
looked over the rock, and to my amazement the whole dang herd was standing and
staring at me from as close as 15 yards. Before I had a chance to shoulder my rifle for a
shot, someone else fired off a shot below and to my left about 800 yards. The antelope
took their eyes off of me and looked in the direction of where the shot came from. I
shouldered the rifle and settled the cross hairs on the larger of the two bucks in front of
me waiting for a doe to move from behind the buck in case of a pass-through. I noticed
out of the corner of my eye a herd running full out right at us. I quickly focused on my
target and just before they where preparing to bolt the doe took a couple of quick steps.
As I squeezed off a shot, the already nervous herd bolted and headed for the next county
at full speed. My buck however quickly ran out of gas and tumbled over after only about
a 30 yard sprint.
Excited in taking my first antelope I went back up to gather my gear from were I had
left up on top the rock outcrop. As I started back toward trophy I noticed a couple of
hunters cross the saddle about 100 yards to my left. They waved at me and I back, I
walked over to see the young fellow with a nice doe he harvested. They crested the hill
just in time to for my shot. We congratulated each other and went directly into field
dressing the animals. The young mans grandfather owned the ranch and the walk-in area
we were hunting and the uncle was up from Texas bow hunting and visiting as well as
helping with the chores. They were kind enough to help me drag my buck down the hill
and loaded him in the bed of their truck. I gave them the landowner stub from my license
and they drove me back to my vehicle. I thanked them for the help and waved goodbye.
It was now very warm so I decided to stop and wash up and head to town to the game
processing plant. I stopped at the roadside game checkpoint which was manned by a gal
who was a wildlife biologist for the state. She was very polite as well as professional. She
told me this was an exceptional buck for the area. I told her that the joy and excitement of
the hunt as well as the beauty of the land was worth its weight in gold and the bucks
horns which scored in the mid 70’s was irrelevant. I dropped the buck off for processing
and taxidermy work. I like to utilize the local businesses when I travel whenever possible.
I purchased an over the counter doe tag and headed back to camp to explore for a few
days and scout for future hunts in the area.
I broke camp on day five, I needed to drop a nice doe I removed from the local
population at the meat processors in Douglas. I checked my voice mail and was informed
that my Orthopedic Surgeon back home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin needing to reschedule
my October appointment to November. With that change in my schedule I new just what
to do. I called Bev to let her know that all was well and the hunt was a success as well as
the change in my appointment. Bev wanted me to email some photos if I could and that
our good friends Kelley and Monte Sandberg form Coffee Pot High Country Outfitters
out of Montrose Colorado wanted to know if I wanted to come down to the lodge and
hang out for a couple of weeks. With Bev’s blessing I was off.