Speed goats!

[Orcon]

For two days I duck-walked, I low-crawled, I stooped and I crouched. I swore copiously at myself and the scrub and the goats eluding me. This was not the leisurely hunt I had been imagining on the two and a half hour drive from my home to Ekalaka, MT. The most recent Fish and Game survey had counted over 18,000 antelope in this hunting district, a fact certain to draw a large number of hunters. The antelope were certainly feeling the pressure and getting within 500 yards was proving impossible.

In the last hour of daylight I found myself in advantageous terrain. The goats I had been following were calmly grazing in a small depression about 600 yards away. I made my advance with the concealment of several small hills and crawled the last few hundred feet to a small group of sage brush. The buck and ten does, ranged at about 170 yards, hadn't spotted me. I adjusted the bipod and leveled the crosshairs on the broadside buck. Deep breathe, safety off...squeeze.

The goats took off running, a scarlet stream visible with the naked eye streaking the side of the buck. After covering 50 yards or so the buck stumbled, stopped and steadied himself. His head bobbled. He attempted to take a step and went down for good.



Antelope hunting was much more challenging than I had expected and I can't wait to swear it off next year, too.

 

[wankerjake]

Nice goat, I want to go chase them one of these days. Congrats!

 

[luffy100]

great kill, nice big horns

 

[Nature Boy]

Congrats. Nice field report. Tell us about your rifle

 

[Orcon]

Congrats. Nice field report. Tell us about your rifle

Thanks! It's a Remington 700 "tactical" (whatever that means) chambered in 308 Win wearing a Stocky's Long Range stock and a Leupold VX-3 LR 6.5-20x44. I honestly never take the scope over 12 power unless I'm sizing up a rack. The load was a 165 grain SST over 43.5 grains of Accurate 2495, approximate MV: 2625 ft/s. For the record, I'd say the 165 grain SST is a bit stout for antelope sized game at 308 Win velocities; I honestly expected to poleaxe the critter but didn't. Upon inspecting the internal wounding the bullet entered on a rib and through the the lungs about 3 inches 10 o'clock of the heart and didn't reach full expansion until about half way through the second lung, leaving a quarter sized hole on exit. I'd wanted to use the 168 grain A-Max for my goat hunting but I've shot them all and my last purchase has been on back order since the beginning of September. I wanted to take the forward shot, cross hairs on the front leg line, but didn't want to spoil meat on such a small animal. I will try the forward shot on deer this year to evaluate the effect, I have 3 mule deer b-tags.

 

[Nature Boy]

Well, I'd say by judging from the crime scene photos the 165 SST did its job

 

[Coltdriver]

Hey Orcon congratulations on your goat!!! It is possible to sneak up on them and its a true rare feeling when you see them first. I got mine in Colorado a couple of weeks ago within an hour of going into the field. Then tried again in Eastern Wyoming and did all the sneaking and crawling and still got skunked!

 

[Dog Soldier]

The Prong Horn Antelope habitats 6 Western States. Wyoming Bands normally exceeds 600,000 head. That is over the human population of Wyoming by 100,000. Wyoming has more "Goats" than all of the other 5 states combined.The population has dropped over the last decade due to extended droughts.
Prong Horns are the rifleman's game. In order to get a trophy it takes a lot of preseason scouting. The Big bucks will normally avoid other goats and go high laying up in Grease Wood breaks. They don't grow big by being dumb. Study the proper field dressing methods. They have a high body temperature and spoil quickly. The scent glands in the rump expel an odorous oil. This oil can contaminate the meat giving it a bad taste.

 

[eastbank]

i shot one with a 7mm08 with a 120gr nosler at 3000fps at 310 yards with a rem sps left hand rifle with a 2.5x8 leupold bc, did a little semi circle and dropped dead, near newcastle wyoming. eastbank.

 

[Orcon]

Very nice, eastbank. I wanted to take a longer shot but the wind was just too gusty and unpredictable for me to shoot with confidence . How windy was it down there in Newcastle?

 

[eastbank]

as i shot it in the morning it was not bad at all, but later in the afternoon i took my .22 mag to shoot P dogs and had a bad time at any shots past 100-125 yards judging the wind and missed many. eastbank.