2007 Wyoming DIY public land goat hunt.

In ’06 I started researching some areas in Wyoming, that had lots of antelope and some public land. After lots of phone calls, and many internet hours, I had all the information I was looking for. When the ’07 antelope application period came, my dad and I applied as a group application. Along about June, we got confirmation, we had drawn one of Wyoming’s “green” chip units. Plans were made for a 10 day hunt, as we had never been in the area, and would be rolling cold. We each had a buck and two doe tags.

Rifle season opened Saturday Sept. 15th. Anyone who knows me, sees I am an archery fanatic. So plans were made to leave on Tuesday the 11th after work. I would drive until the eyes said no more, than sleep for a bit, then continue the rest of the way through, and arrive Wed am, sometime. My dad is in his early 60’s, so my main purpose was to get him out west a few more times, and hopefully get him some animals. By getting out there on Wed, it would allow me 2.5 days to scout for his rifle buck tag, while carrying my bow.

Well Tuesday the 11th rolled around and we headed out that evening. I only had a few hours of daylight driving, but we continued on. Around 2 am, the eyes were heavy. I pulled into a gas station, filled up, and pulled aside. We tilted the seats back, and it wasn’t long, and I was out. About 2 hours into this nap, my windshield mounted suction cup based GPS came unsuctioned. It hit the dash, bounced off, landed on the turn signal lever, then hit the floor. My dad survived a year of humping the brush, in the army, in Vietnam, and he is a “little” jumpy. Let me tell you, he thought he met his maker that morning. Needless to say, after that incident, there would be no more sleep that morning.

On we rolled. Most off the way across S. Dakota, just after daylight, we spotted 3 big bulls, about 1/2 mile off the road in a big meadow. Wow, was I getting pumped.

We arrived to our Wyoming destination, around 10:00 am. Went directly to the BLM office, and outlined all unit boundaries, and picked up duplicate maps.

By noon, we had gotten about 30 miles from town, and entered our unit.

If you haven’t personally witnessed the antelope in Wyoming, it is hard to describe. There are literally thousands of them.

We were approaching the first segment of public land that I wanted to look over, and it was looking promising. As we hit the boundary line, there were antelope in little groups spread around. Game ON!

I really wanted to scout, but I knew I also only had about 2.5 days to get it done with my bow. I spotted a buck, with some does about a mile from the road. He looked to be a fair animal. Dad could tell, all he said, was give it a try, with a bil old smile. I already had binocs, and rangefinder strapped on. I jumped out, grabbed the bow, and took off to get the wind with me. Dad moved the truck back a ways, and put the scope on the window mount, to watch things play out.

I was able to get within about 120 yards, before I was pegged by a doe in a different group, I hadn’t spotted. As these animals ran off, I was a little disappointed, but just happy to be where I was at that exact moment. I started back to the truck. I was actually going in a straight line, which took me around a different end of that canyon face. As I come around the corner, I spotted antelope about 150 yards away. Dropping to me knees, I glassed them. 3 does and 4 fawns. I was able to crawl up a wash, towards them at a slight angle. They were feeding towards the wash I was in. The wind was really tight, it would be close. I got to within 70 yards, and reached my last cover, a small sage bush. I could go no farther. They continued forward. As the first one came into the wash I ranged her, 62 yards. The next two were fawns, then another doe, but she went through without stopping. All that was left was a fawn and the last doe. When the fawn stepped into the wash I noted her position after ranging her at 57 yards, and then drew. In about 10 seconds the last doe was in the open. Although, not rutting yet much, I gave a buck challenge call, to stop her. Perfectly broadside, I squeezed it off. I did not take into account the wind drift, and my arrow was farther back than I wanted. As they ran over the top, I come around the side, by that time they had reached the bottom and were going across the prarie. I only counted 6 in the group. I headed back and found my arrow, she crested the top of the canyon face, and went about 40 yards, about 90 in total. I hadn’t been in the state for 6 hours, and had my first antelope. I was pumped.

It was around 85 degrees. I had previously found a meat locker in town, who would take care of animals for a very fair fee.

Being 3/4 mile from the road, we snapped some pics, then started the quartering process. I had this doe back to town in the meat locker plant in one of my coolers freezing by 3:30 that afternoon. After only sleeping 2 of the previous 36 hours, we decided that was enough hunting for one day. We spent the rest of the afternoon scouting from the air-conditioned Silverado.

Sleep was extremely easy that night.

After awaking 2.5 hours before daylight, we hit the road. Dad dropped me off in an area we had seen quite a few bucks in the evening before, then went to watch a different area himself. I was able to get within distance of lots of does, and 6 different smaller bucks. I just couldn’t get where I needed to get a crack at one of the bigger ones. It was still early for the rut, so the calling and decoying wasn’t working that well. About noon we met up, and had some lunch then were off to another part of the unit to check out another area we had marked on our map.

Dad dropped me and my bow off to check out this section, and he headed on to another. This was a real neat area, with multiple rock canyons in a row, with prarie on either side of them. Once I got the wind, I started stalking and glassing slowly. About a 1.5 miles in, I was approaching a big boulder, about the size of a small car. I was using it as a shield from a cut in the canyon, that would have left me exposed to the prarie beyond. As I reached the big rock, I set my bow on top. At that exact moment, rocks started tumbling, and a mule deer doe, popped out the other side bounding away, she had been bedded a mere 6 feet away in the shade.

Spying antelope on the prarie below, I devised a plan to try a stalk. These animals were out on the prarie, probably close to a mile from the bottom of the rock canyon I was midway up. A few hundred yards away, I could see a grass strip, coming through the canyon. My way through. I headed that way. I was about 30 yards from it, and through it strolls a nice antelope buck, a definite shooter. I was standing in the opening, as I was descending down, to the point where he was, but I wasn’t spotted. As I froze, thinking where the heck did he come from, he saw me. Once his 8x binocs locked on me, he was outta there. Their eyesight is absolutely uncanny.

I continued on, as I got closer I could tell the antelope were going away from me. After checking GPS I was almost 3 miles from the road, and still had a long ways to go to reach the antelope, which were now approaching a different road. At that time, I decided to end that stalk. It would be easier to approach them from the other road. I headed back. That little walk, took 3.5 hours, and dad was back waiting, when I got to the road. I’m now down to 4 hours, and Friday, then it is rifle season.

We studied the maps, then decided to come in on the other road I was approaching, and check that for huntability.

It was mostly private land on that side. I was able to use my maps and GPS to find about a 100 yard window that we could enter on, which led to the public land after about the first 3/4 mile in. According to the gps maps, and topo maps, there would be some water about 1.5 miles in, in this area. Jackpot.

We decided to hike in and check this area out.

Once we hit the creekbed, it was dry. Not unusual, as it had been pretty dry all summer. The creek made for easy stalking conditions. We followed it, all the way to the pond it led to, also dried up. Talk about deflation, although we had been seeing a few animals around. We continued to follow the creek bed to where it met the prarie again. I was now looking in a direct line, back towards the canyon faces I had been hunting earier that day. They appeared to be about 1.5 miles away.

Using the sage brush, and dried creek, we continued stalking/scouting this area. There was definitely a good number of antelope, that were relatively unpressured. Not wanting to move the animals out of the area, we worked really slowly. As hunting hours approached, we decided to work towards the truck. With one day left, time was running out before the pumpkin fest of Saturday morning would take place.

Having put on 400 truck miles, and a bunch on the boot leather over the last two days, it was time to forumlate a plan that would give me the best chance at sucess on Friday, and my dad Saturday.

My dad thought we should head back to the area we hunted tonight, as there were lots of animals, some bigger goats, and they were definitely unpressured. For a couple of these reasons, I decided to instead go where I had hunted earlier in the morning. There were also lots of animals in that area, although not as many big ones. The area also would have more pressure on opening day of rifle season, than the other area. The way I figured, I could hunt this area on Friday without much pressure and have a chance. If no luck, we could go to the other area, hike in, and split up, without bothering each other. Most likely having no pressure from other hunters.

The area I would go back to was a lot like a big funnel. It was saddle type area between two tall rocky peaks. Animals traversing the area, either had to go around, a long ways out of the way, or through the bottom of this saddle area. The bottom was about 250 yards wide, and filled with green sage. I decided to get in the area well before daylight, and set up the double bull blind. About an 90 minutes before light, my dad dropped me at the roadside. I headed in, he headed up the road, about 3/4 of a mile to a good vantage point. By the time I hiked in, with the blind, my bow, pack, and other “necessary” gear, it was approaching light quick. Antelope aren’t night time animals, so I knew they would be on their feet shortly to feed and head to water. I needed to hurry and get the blind blended in as best as I could. With the saddle being fairly big, I decided to set in the middle, giving me the best chance to intercept an animal.

Still waiting for the ending…