First Western Hunt this year I’m up for any and all advice

[horsemen61]

Hey everyone I am looking to go hunt pronghorn in Wyoming this fall and I’d love any advice I can get on the subject thank you any tips will be appreciated plan is to take my 6.5 Creedmoor my 6.5x284 is to heavy and same for my 6.5 prc

 

[Scooter22]

All I can add is adjust your watch. Good Luck!

 

[horsey300]

Hey everyone I am looking to go hunt pronghorn in Wyoming this fall and I’d love any advice I can get on the subject thank you any tips will be appreciated plan is to take my 6.5 Creedmoor my 6.5x284 is to heavy and same for my 6.5 prc

We have lots of wind, but if you can make it into their feed ground or near their watering hole BEFORE they see you (i.e. dark) they'll come within 50 yds easily. So while you'll hear a lot of advice about shooting distance, scouting and perfecting your wind calls will pay the largest dividends.

 

[Patocazador]

plan is to take my 6.5 Creedmoor my 6.5x284 is to heavy and same for my 6.5 prc

Pronghorns aren't hard to kill if you make a good shot. A flat-shooting cartridge and your proficiency with it will make the difference.

My advice is to find a rancher who offers access for a fee. He can tell you where to hunt and what to expect.

When you go in the future this experience will help you to learn how to go about it on your own. Use horsey300's advice and don't silhouette yourself when stalking.

 

[.308 Norma]

So while you'll hear a lot of advice about shooting distance, scouting and perfecting your wind calls will pay the largest dividends.

plan is to take my 6.5 Creedmoor

Your 6.5 Creed should work swell.
I envy you. I haven't drawn a pronghorn tag over here in Idaho in 10 years, and as strange as it may sound to some folks, I love pronghorn meat. Every pronghorn chop and bite of pronghorn stew I ever eaten was real good. In fact, I like pronghorn meat so much that if I don't draw an Idaho pronghorn tag soon, I've been considering getting a Wyoming pronghorn tag myself. The Wyoming border is only about 75 miles from here - closer than the area where I'll be hunting if I ever draw another Idaho pronghorn tag.

 

[Muddydogs]

My advice is wait until you can draw a 4 point or better unit. If the unit is easy to draw you'll have the Colorado yahoo's chasing every antelope they can down the fence lines in there pickups.
Apply for any private land access that may be available in your unit. During the first week of the season this access is normally limited.
If you draw a unit with good public land and or private access you'll have no problems finding places to hunt without paying a fee.
Get onX hunt and know how to use the app before you leave home. Knowing we're the public land boundaries are is priceless.
Be prepared for 80 degrees or 40 below weather and the wind is always blowing.

 

[Muddydogs]

More advice
If you want the best game meat to stay the best have a cooler in your vehicle full of frozen plastic bottles. As soon as you kill an antelope get it skinned, quartered and in the cooler and you will have the best eating meat there is. Throw a gutted antelope in the back of your pickup and drive around for a few hours and your antelope meat will taste nasty.
Why a cooler full of frozen water bottles you might ask. Well the bottles will stay frozen longer if the cooler is full. A few bottles on the bottom of the cooler will keep the meat out of the draining blood. Placing bottles between meat layers speeds cooling and frozen bottles don't leak water all over when thawing.
If you plan to bring the head back with you have a pot and burner to boil it in to meet chronic wasting disease requirements for transport.

 

[Kingcreek]

Muddydogs is right about the meat.
We always carried coolers with ice bags, fresh water and a canvas drop cloth. Get it clean and cool as quickly as possible and it’s great venison.
I shot several with .243
285 yards was my longest shot, most under 150.

 

[jmr40]

Get in shape and prepare for the altitude. Especially if you live at lower elevation. Pronghorn aren't typically hunted in the mountains but even the plains in Wyoming can be from 5000-7000' above sea level in places. If you live somewhere under 1000' above sea level that's enough to make a difference.

The airport where I live is 550', but I live on a ridge at about 900'. I've only hunted in the west a few times but have made several summer camping trips all over the west. It takes about 3 days above 5000' for me to acclimate to the altitude.

 

[Chuck R.]

IMHO, the rifle/ammo isn't as important as training/practicing to shoot it in the conditions you'll encounter. As long as you've got a combination that's 300+ yards capable.

We watched public land antelope, but paid a trespass fee to hunt a private ranch. The animals were night & day in their warriness.

"Practice" translates to getting off a bench and practicing prone and sitting in varying wind. I'd put more energy into sitting, because on my WY antelope hunt going prone was problematic due to vegetation. Sitting is also a lot harder than prone, I'm about 200yds less effective sitting. Learning your practical effective range from various positions and rests takes time. Dryfire and .22LR can go a long ways in getting used to positions and stability.

Everytime I travel to hunt, I end up outside my normal comfort zone, so I set up practice "lanes" that stretch my ability. For instance, if I believe the average shot will be 300 than I practice at 5-600yds, IF the hike will be 3 miles, then I'll do 4-5 and add weight to my pack. I've yet to be disappointed when a shot or hike was easier than what I practiced for.

Get a good set of knee pads, and gloves. I had a set and ended up doing about 60 yds worth of hands/knees crawling to get into a position to get a shot.

Also, IF your DIY, I'd invest in one of these:

On my antelope hunt I skinned and quartered on the ground using a tarp, then boned-out on my tailgate. It was windy and the blowing dust sucked. I now carry a hoist in my truck and made a portable butchering kit which makes things a whole lot easier while travelling.

 

[Larry in wyoming]

Of the probably dozen antelope I've killed, all but two were with a 250 savage. The exceptions were with a 308 and a 6.5x55.

Crossed sticks or one of those bog pods are your friend. Shooting well from them takes some practice. Start now.

 

[horsey300]

Re reading some of this brings up a solid point, the only time you can absolutely count on shooting prone is over a harvested field, (wheat/alfalfa stubble) otherwise the grasses and sagebrush generally force a sitting/kneeling position, so getting comfortable with that would be a solid recommendation that likely can't be expressed enough.

 

[Larry in wyoming]

As far as meat care is concerned, I have a 15gal tank I put in the back of my truck and fill with water. I have an electric pump that runs off an inverter in the cab with a short extension cord. Having that running water to clean out the carcass and to wash up with is really nice. After that, stuffing the carcass with ice or butchering on the spot and putting in a cooler is the way to go. I also usually keep a pallet in the back of my truck. Allowing air to flow under the carcass really helps as well. Note: I've killed most of my antelope in late October so game care was easier than in mid September. I've even been able to hang antelope whole for a week. Very tender and tasty!

 

[.308 Norma]

Re reading some of this brings up a solid point, the only time you can absolutely count on shooting prone is over a harvested field, (wheat/alfalfa stubble) otherwise the grasses and sagebrush generally force a sitting/kneeling position, so getting comfortable with that would be a solid recommendation that likely can't be expressed enough.

Yep.

MTM Shooter's Walking Stick

Combination walking stick and adjustable shooting rest. It provides assistance in traversing difficult terrain, and a strong, stable rest from which to...

www.midwayusa.com

I've used one of these MTM "Shooter's Walking Sticks" for more years than I care to remember. I learned a long time ago while hunting harvested "stubble fields" or the grass and/or sagebrush covered hills that I could seldom shoot prone because when I laid down, I could no longer see the deer or antelope I intended to shoot - even when I could use my pack for a rest. Besides, using an MTM "Shooter's Walking Sticks" as a 3rd leg (a cane) takes a lot of the pressure off my arthritic right ankle, and it helps keep me stable while traversing steep, rocky terrain.
The only thing I have to warn you about using one of these "Shooter's Walking Sticks" is: Don't tie it through the antlers of a large, mule deer buck in order to give yourself a convenient place to grab on to when you get ready to drag the deer back to the road or truck. Your great "Walking Stick" will snap in two, and you'll go tumbling, head over heels, down the hill, backwards! And your hunting partner(s) probably won't even give you a "10" for your efforts!

 

[Larry in wyoming]

Yep.

MTM Shooter's Walking Stick

Combination walking stick and adjustable shooting rest. It provides assistance in traversing difficult terrain, and a strong, stable rest from which to...

www.midwayusa.com

I've used one of these MTM "Shooter's Walking Sticks" for more years than I care to remember. I learned a long time ago while hunting harvested "stubble fields" or the grass and/or sagebrush covered hills that I could seldom shoot prone because when I laid down, I could no longer see the deer or antelope I intended to shoot - even when I could use my pack for a rest. Besides, using an MTM "Shooter's Walking Sticks" as a 3rd leg (a cane) takes a lot of the pressure off my arthritic right ankle, and it helps keep me stable while traversing steep, rocky terrain.
The only thing I have to warn you about using one of these "Shooter's Walking Sticks" is: Don't tie it through the antlers of a large, mule deer buck in order to give yourself a convenient place to grab on to when you get ready to drag the deer back to the road or truck. Your great "Walking Stick" will snap in two, and you'll go tumbling, head over heels, down the hill, backwards! And your hunting partner(s) probably won't even give you a "10" for your efforts!

Bummer! DISCONTINUED

 

[Larry in wyoming]

I used 2 fiberglass tent pole sections. Lashed them together using some of that old boyscout knowledge, about 6 inches from the end. Adjust the height by spreading the legs. Light, quick, simple, cheap.

 

[Muddydogs]

On my antelope hunt I skinned and quartered on the ground using a tarp, then boned-out on my tailgate. It was windy and the blowing dust sucked. I now carry a hoist in my truck and made a portable butchering kit which makes things a whole lot easier while travelling.
[/QUOTE]

After a trip to WY where we killed 6 bucks in three days I purchased one of these back savers. I'll drag an antelope a few 100 yards to be able to hoist it up behind the pickup. A 300 yard drag is probably a stretch as antelope hunting is my easy hunt, I save the mile long hikes and packouts for the elk.

 

[Larry in wyoming]

We've settled the rifle question and we've covered the game care. I'll once again stress practicing shooting from your bipod or whatever rest you've chosen. It's 6 months to September. How many range trips do you have between now and then?

Bullets
Antelope aren't particularly hard to kill. You'll occasionally find that one that just won't die; but generally a good shot and it's over. Look around the forums and find the stories of bullets that expanded too much, too fast and those are the bullets for antelope. Ballistic tips, SSTs, TGKs were just about tailor made for antelope. Antelope were made to run and as such they have a large and efficient circulatory and respiratory system. It takes a lot of wrecking to put it out of service. Fast expanding bullets are the ticket. An antelope has thin hair and skin and a full grown buck will only go about 120 to140 pounds. Premium bullets don't bring much to this party.

 

[Larry in wyoming]

Aiming at antelope is super easy they have that uber convenient line between white and tan and a dark spot right behind the front shoulder. Aim for that dark spot on the line and you're done. Never in the shoulder.

 

[.308 Norma]

An antelope has thin hair and skin and a full grown buck will only go about 120 to140 pounds. Premium bullets don't bring much to this party.

 

[Rubone]

Muddydogs is right about the meat.
We always carried coolers with ice bags, fresh water and a canvas drop cloth. Get it clean and cool as quickly as possible and it’s great venison.
I shot several with .243
285 yards was my longest shot, most under 150.

+1 on the frozen bottles. I fill one cooler (Cordova) completely full and don't open it until I have something to put in it. 1 liter soda/juice bottles are perfect. quarters packed with the bottles around them are easy to deal with. I have a hinky back so I also take a folding table to skin and quarter on if I can get close to the down animal.

 

[Larry in wyoming]

Gatorade or body armor bottles are heavier duty and have wide mouths.

 

[Larry in wyoming]

+1 on the frozen bottles. I fill one cooler (Cordova) completely full and don't open it until I have something to put in it. 1 liter soda/juice bottles are perfect. quarters packed with the bottles around them are easy to deal with. I have a hinky back so I also take a folding table to skin and quarter on if I can get close to the down animal. View attachment 1255427View attachment 1255428

Nice goat!

 

[Peakbagger46]

Epic hunt and great meat! Should be plenty of animals and if you hunt correctly there is no need for shooting over 300y, you can likely cut shot distance to half that if you use terrain and crawl a bit.

I’d recommend practicing with a good sitting height bipod, even though its open country vegetation often negates prone shots. Above all, avoid long shots on those tiny critters if it’s windy.

 

[Rubone]

Oh, and the other part of frozen bottles is the extra drinking water always available....