Live Hunts - Wyoming Archery Antelope Hunt - September 20

Live Hunts - Wyoming Archery Antelope Hunt - September 20 - Day 4

September 20 - Day 4
Wyoming Archery Antelope Hunt

Thursday A.M.
This morning I hunted an area I've been seeing antelope in while driving past, but haven't hunted yet. There is one big group of does with a good buck, and probably half a dozen or so satellite bucks hanging around as well.

The 2 buddy bucks from this morning

I got out shortly before sunrise, spotted the big buck and his does, and decided to try and get around behind them since the frontal approach was completely open. While doing that, I spotted a satellite buck walking by himself and decided to try and get in on him. I was able to get to about 100 yards, but then got pegged by a doe I hadn't seen. I backed away out of her sight, and while waiting for her to move, looked back towards the big group to see the big boy chasing away a satellite buck. The satellite buck crossed the ravine and came onto the hill where I was. Initially it didn't appear that he would come close to me, but then he changed directions and started walking to where I thought I might have a shot. He went out of my sight and I noticed a steep bank that I could crawl to and possibly have a shot. If I had noticed the bank about 15 seconds earlier, it might have worked. As it was, I was only to get about 15 yards from the bank and then the buck appeared. If I had been at the bank, I would probably have had a 30 yard shot.

A nice buck with a group of does near the road

Directly the buck I had initially been stalking came towards this buck and I thought there might be a showdown but it turned out they were good buds, and I didn't get a shot at either. It was a fun "almost" situation, though. They sauntered off, and I decided to get back to the task of getting close to the big group.

By now, antelope were scattered pretty well over the hillside I had intended to include in my approach, so I had to switch back to the frontal route to the big group. I got into a creek bed and observed them at about 150 yards for a little bit, until they wandered over a little rise. I slowly creeped up there with my decoy, and by the time I got to where I could see them again they were about 200 yards away, and the big buck was running off another satellite. I thought perhaps the decoy would work. As he worked back to his does I popped it up, but all he would do was stare. I guess I was a little too far away still. By then obviously their attention was fully on me, so I had to back off. Might hit the area again tomorrow.

One interesting thing I saw this morning was a coyote chasing a group of 6 antelope. The coyote never really got close to actually catching one, but it was comical watching those antelope running circles in every which direction. After about 10 minutes, with the coyote still trying, they put on the afterburners and left him wishing for an easier meal.

Thursday P.M.
I spent most of the afternoon and early evening driving around to new areas, looking with my binoculars for antelope that I hadn't bothered or stalked yet. I saw very little, so I went back to the area where my water hole blind had been, and decided to try and decoy one of those bucks.

A good buck giving serious chase to the object of his affection

Almost immediately I spotted several bucks in an area I've seen them each of the last several days. I dropped into a ravine to gain some distance while out of their sight, and came back up to see a good buck and his 5 does slowly walking down the hill several hundred yards distant. I was going to try and get closer, when all of a sudden another buck came running up behind and apparently challenged the first buck. I got to see something I've never seen before - an antelope buck fight. It was pretty exciting, they had a real shoving match going for about 3 minutes. Unfortunately, after they were done the whole group started running the other direction (away from me), straight to private land.

The lone buck I made my last stalk on

His "unseen" does

On the way back to camp I saw a lone buck and doe on a hill and tried a stalk, but when I got there was busted by unseen does. That group didn't stick around.

Engaging in the most critical part of this hunt - serious glassing time
with a good pair of binoculars - I use B&L Discoverer 7x42's

That was the end of today's hunt. I'll give it another go tomorrow, my last day of the hunt.

- Go to Day 5 of the Hunt -

Trip Notes
This hunt takes place about 60 miles northeast of Douglas, Wyoming. I'll be hunting public land on the Thunder Basin National Grasslands. This is a self-guided hunt. When looking for an area to hunt, my criteria were: lots of public land, good numbers of antelope, and broken terrain for stalking. I don't have the patience to sit all day every day at a water hole, so I'm starting this hunt out as a spot and stalk hunt. I have my ICE blind and may resort to using it at the end of the hunt if I've not had much success stalking and decoying. I believe they should be in the rut right now and hopefully responsive to a decoy. I'm not holding out for a trophy, just an average buck would make me happy. Like each of the last 3 Live Hunts, in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, this is new country that I've not previously hunted. I've hunted antelope in Wyoming, but nowhere near here. As always, it's very exciting to hunt new areas.

Equipment
I'm shooting a Martin Jaguar bow, set at 72 lbs. Arrows are 29-inch Easton 3-60 ACC's, with Wasp 125 gr. 3-blade SST Hammer broadheads. Depending on the terrain, I'm wearing almost exclusively Predator camoflauge. I have Fall Gray, Spring Green, Fall Brown, and Evolution with me on the trip, and will probably use all of them. Predator is awesome, and particularly in the Rocky Mountain West. I've also got a new Master Guide backpack made by Crooked Horn Outfitters that I'm eager to try out.

e-mail Joshua Flournoy

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