Wyoming Pronghorn

eleaf · October 13, 2011, 09:30:59 PM

I just returned from a 5 day pronghorn and mule deer hunt in Weston and Crook counties in far Eastern Wyoming. We lost my mulie buck in the sagebrush flats after a good shot that resulted in a busted front right shoulder (went through the left shoulder and broke his right shoulder but didn't hit anything vital unfortunately), but I got my antelope buck later that day. A decent looking buck from 257 yards, through the front shoulder and in to the liver.

Rem 700 LSS Mountain Rifle in 7mm-08 restocked with a B&C Alaskan II using Federal Premium ammo with Nosler 140 grain Ballistic Tips (I will NOT use this bullet again). I finally tagged him after a BRUTAL walk during which we stalked one other (known as The Ghost) before getting this guy. Most of the walk was in a mucky creek bottom from a full day of rain, and traveled about 12 miles.

HaMeR · October 14, 2011, 05:18:20 AM

Too bad about the mulie!!

Nice looking Antelope tho!! Congratulations!!

FinsnFur · October 14, 2011, 06:00:42 AM

Nice looking Antelope, but that recovery trek doesnt sound any fun at all.

Tell us what you disliked about your Noslers, or was it just the grain and you wish you woulda used a heavier bullet?

Hawks Feather · October 14, 2011, 09:03:56 AM

Nice looking pronghorn, but the walk in the muck doesn't sound good at all.

Jerry

shaddragger · October 14, 2011, 08:06:06 PM

I personally have had better success with the Nosler Accubond vs. the Ballistic tip on game bigger than a groundhog. We find fewer bullet fragments in the deer which leads me to think less fragmentation than the BT.

Biscuit · October 14, 2011, 09:38:22 PM

Congrats Chris it was good hearing from you the other day!! Good job on the Speed Goat. Damn shame you didnt find that muley

If you hunt long enough it will happen again. Cant wait to smack some coyotes later in the year

eleaf · October 15, 2011, 01:11:41 AM

Quote from: FinsnFur on October 14, 2011, 06:00:42 AM
Nice looking Antelope, but that recovery trek doesnt sound any fun at all.
Tell us what you disliked about your Noslers, or was it just the grain and you wish you woulda used a heavier bullet?

Actually, I think it was too much bullet and very little expansion. I bet a 120 would have been better. The 140s are enough to put down elk theoretically, and a mulie is much smaller than an elk. I blasted his shoulder out and he was able to get away which says to me that the rest of the wound channel didn't cause enough serious damage, and from where he was hit and how his opposite shoulder was busted, I didn't miss his vitals more than 2 or so inches. I think it was simply too big and too fast to expand enough to cause serious enough trauma to put him down and instead was a quick through and through. A different bullet, or a smaller one would probably have done the trick due to better expansion.

The bullet fragment I retrieved from the goat was about 1/2 the bullet split lengthways, and it showed very little evidence of having expanded much. At a closer range I shot the goat at 257 and the mulie at 197), I imagine that there was even less expansion than in the goat. I'll be looking at the 120 Barnes TSX and TTSX for my next loads.

eleaf · October 15, 2011, 01:17:54 AM

Quote from: Hawks Feather on October 14, 2011, 09:03:56 AM
Nice looking pronghorn, but the walk in the muck doesn't sound good at all.

Jerry

The muck was brutal. Our boots were caked in it making traction virtually impossible. There was a whole lot of slippin' and slidin' goin' on, that's for sure. The extra weight from the wet and muck on our boots made it a VERY tiring trek. But you use what you can to keep from being seen by animals who've specialized in seeing things approach them from a great distance. Them eyes ain't 2" across for nothin'!

It was worth it though.

WldWldWest · October 18, 2011, 06:58:12 AM

Nice Speedgoat Eleaf! Congrats!

eleaf · October 25, 2011, 12:20:22 AM

Quote from: WldWldWest on October 18, 2011, 06:58:12 AM
Nice Speedgoat Eleaf! Congrats!

Much appreshatated!!

How's you and your son?

WldWldWest · October 25, 2011, 06:52:43 AM

Were doing great man! Thanks for asking!

He was suppose to go too Wyoming last week and after spending 700.00 on his license for Antolope and mule deer back in the spring but he wasnt able to make it, Oh well, maybe next year!?!?

Congrats on your hunt man!!!

Okanagan · October 31, 2011, 08:02:29 AM

Nice antelope and good story. I love that part of Wyoming, though the mud has to be seen to believe. We stopped in the middle of a main haul road, unpaved, and after sitting a minute or so our pickup started slowly sliding off the slight crown of the road it was so slick! Astounding amount of game however. Good on you!

WldWldWest · October 31, 2011, 10:58:08 AM

Quote from: Okanagan on October 31, 2011, 08:02:29 AM
Nice antelope and good story. I love that part of Wyoming, though the mud has to be seen to believe. We stopped in the middle of a main haul road, unpaved, and after sitting a minute or so our pickup started slowly sliding off the slight crown of the road it was so slick! Astounding amount of game however. Good on you!

I've said it before....The only place I have ever been where you get rained in!
Ice isnt as slick as that mud!

bambam · October 31, 2011, 06:58:26 PM

Nice antelope !!

eleaf · November 03, 2011, 12:23:28 AM

Quote from: WldWldWest on October 31, 2011, 10:58:08 AM
Quote from: Okanagan on October 31, 2011, 08:02:29 AM
Nice antelope and good story. I love that part of Wyoming, though the mud has to be seen to believe. We stopped in the middle of a main haul road, unpaved, and after sitting a minute or so our pickup started slowly sliding off the slight crown of the road it was so slick! Astounding amount of game however. Good on you!

I've said it before....The only place I have ever been where you get rained in!
Ice isnt as slick as that mud!

There was one day I wish we'd a got rained in. It didn't keep us home, but one day it sent us home. Bad weather on day 3. About 40F with 25MPH winds and rain. Just plain miserable. Feet sloshin' in the boots (mole skin is the best invention ever). Slippin' and slidin' in the mud. Having to dig mud out of your muzzle. And not an animal to be found because they were smarter than we were.

Good times right there!

eleaf · November 03, 2011, 12:24:48 AM

Quote from: bambam on October 31, 2011, 06:58:26 PM
Nice antelope !!

He tastes pretty good too!! Ain't had the backstrap or loins yet, but a bunch of summer sausage. I'll bring some along to LBL.

Okanagan · November 03, 2011, 10:13:08 AM

Quote from: eleaf on November 03, 2011, 12:23:28 AM
Having to dig mud out of your muzzle.

You likely already have thought of this but a piece of tape over the muzzle keeps out mud, snow, etc. and does not effect accuracy a bit. That has saved my bacon more than once. I picked that trick up from an old pro wolfer who would cut out round pieces of black electrical tape that exactly fit the crown of his muzzle. He would keep a bunch of them stuck on his stock and replace the one on the end of his muzzle each time after he shot. He did a lot of prone shooting and crawling up on stuff in snow.

Some people put a lot of tape on the muzzle, but I like as little as possible. I cut a strip of tape to the width of the muzzle crown, then cut pieces of it just long enough to cover the muzzle and stick on each side of the barrel 3/8 to 1/2 inch. On the buck I shot Sunday in mud and snow, not a trace of tape was left after the shot. With longer pieces, it will sometimes blow a hole in the tape or tear one side off. I put tape on always, rain or shine or anything else. But I am clumsy sometimes and prone to getting stuff in the barrel.

eleaf · November 03, 2011, 11:18:08 AM

Quote from: Okanagan on November 03, 2011, 10:13:08 AM
Quote from: eleaf on November 03, 2011, 12:23:28 AM
Having to dig mud out of your muzzle.

You likely already have thought of this but a piece of tape over the muzzle keeps out mud, snow, etc. and does not effect accuracy a bit. That has saved my bacon more than once. I picked that trick up from an old pro wolfer who would cut out round pieces of black electrical tape that exactly fit the crown of his muzzle. He would keep a bunch of them stuck on his stock and replace the one on the end of his muzzle each time after he shot. He did a lot of prone shooting and crawling up on stuff in snow.

Some people put a lot of tape on the muzzle, but I like as little as possible. I cut a strip of tape to the width of the muzzle crown, then cut pieces of it just long enough to cover the muzzle and stick on each side of the barrel 3/8 to 1/2 inch. On the buck I shot Sunday in mud and snow, not a trace of tape was left after the shot. With longer pieces, it will sometimes blow a hole in the tape or tear one side off. I put tape on always, rain or shine or anything else. But I am clumsy sometimes and prone to getting stuff in the barrel.

I had read that before, but never used it. Thanks for the reminder. I'll give it a shot.

Frogman · November 08, 2011, 05:58:08 PM

Wyoming is nice!

Jim

yotefever · November 09, 2011, 10:47:19 PM

Nice speed goat. Sorry there's no pic of a muley.
Last time in '09 I was fortunate to get a nice BIG 2x2 mule deer and an ok antelope buck.
We always have a great time in WY, even though I was pushing out a 6mm kidney stone on the last hunt. ( even the er doc was giving hunting tips

)

A finger off of a latex glove works well for keeping the barrel clean or a condom too then you are shooting safe.