October is going to be extra busy this year!

Fun. I’ve always wanted to chase those critters. I have ate a few and they are really yummy. Good luck and shoot straight. ” Aim small – Miss small ”

I wasn’t expecting to actually need it this year but as luck would have it I started working on a new 22 Creedmoor earlier this spring and have it shooting 80 grain Bergers at 3450fps lights out which should work great on antelope.

With a NM elk hunt earlier in October before the antelope hunt I’m going to spend the rest of the summer and early fall banking points with the wife.

Anyone else have a fun hunt out west planned this fall?

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That’s awesome James. A once in a lifetime hunt. Good luck to you sir.

fishthumper wrote:

Fun. I’ve always wanted to chase those critters. I have ate a few and they are really yummy. Good luck and shoot straight. ” Aim small – Miss small ”

That’s what finally got me to put in for this tag, in addition to wanting to hang out with Scott, was I had the chance to eat some antelope. A couple friends had told me in the past they had shot one and they found it to be inedible. I wont speculate on what went wrong with the meat care but I can tell you the antelope I ate that won me over was fantastic. Honestly some of the best wild game I’ve ever had.

Congrats and good luck! That rifle look like an awful lot of fun to shoot!

Joe Jarl wrote:

Congrats and good luck! That rifle look like an awful lot of fun to shoot!

It is! It is a TS Customs build and my first suppressed rifle and it is, without a doubt, my favorite rifle to shoot by far. There’s little to no felt recoil or muzzle flip and the suppressor makes it sound like someone stomping on bubble wrap on a wood floor.

One thing I didn’t know about titanium suppressors is that when they’re machined small pieces of titanium get left behind in the internal baffles. I point this out because titanium powder is used in fireworks to make the shower of sparks.

During the first couple firings things can be a little…startling…for the uninitiated…lol

Let’s just say I was more than a little surprised the first time I pulled the trigger.

As luck would have it my buddy was behind me taking pictures and nailed a good one of what I’m talking about.

After about 4 rounds the show was over as the heat from each of the firings burned off the remnant titanium.

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That’s AWESOME!
I’ve only eaten it a few times but it’s always been deliscious. Definitely want to do it someday, but I’d need someone to set me up and I’d need a lot practice. I come from a shotgun-only deer zone and don’t shoot a lot of rifles above .22 caliber. Not a lot of long-distance experience.

Is that a 6.5 Creedmoor in your pic?

What state did you draw a tag for?

bigcrappie wrote:

Is that a 6.5 Creedmoor in your pic?

No, that’s a 22 creedmoor. It’s a necked down 6mm pushing heavy .224 bullets FAST!

Here’s some info on the 22CM.

https://www.primalrights.com/library/cartridge-guides/22-creedmoor#:~:text=The%2022%20Creedmoor%20is%20quickly,224%20bullets.

gim wrote:

What state did you draw a tag for?

Montana!

James Holst wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>gimruis wrote:</div>
What state did you draw a tag for?

Montana!

What part of Montana ? On our Elk hunts, the drive out, Winette was FULL of lopes

James Holst wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>gimruis wrote:</div>
What state did you draw a tag for?

Montana!

Guess I coulda looked at the photo of the tag better. It says Montanta Wildlife & Parks in the top left.

gim wrote:

James Holst wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>gimruis wrote:</div>
What state did you draw a tag for?

Montana!

Guess I coulda looked at the photo of the tag better. It says Montanta Wildlife & Parks in the top left.

All good. The way the photos get cropped for display makes it easy to miss.

big_g wrote:

What part of Montana ? On our Elk hunts, the drive out, Winette was FULL of lopes

The 007-20 covers a lot of ground. Unit 700, where we’ll likely spend most of our time, is filthy with them. 700 is Missouri River Breaks, south of the river / Fort Peck.

The 007-20 multi-unit tag has always been a popular choice for non-resident hunters as it holds a good amount of Block Management area as well as a fair amount of public land. This tag is valid in the southeast corner of the state in units 700, 701, 702, 703, 704, and 705.

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Those sound like 2 awesome hunts! Look forward to hearing how they go, those speed goats are a challenge from what I understand. I lived in Gillette, WY for a bit and they were everywhere out there, but vanish once hunting season hits I was told. At least vanish within range anyway

BigWerm wrote:

At least vanish within range anyway

Yeah, I wish I could be there on opening morning but my elk hunt essentially starts at the same time as the goat hunt and in that tug of war the elk hunt wins. There’s no doubt that the antelope will get shot up a bit and get skittish and a lot harder to hunt after the first couple days of the season.

The plan right now is to do the elk hunt and when that wraps up drive from NM to Montana to hunt antelope. The wife had agreed to the back to back hunts but I’m not sure the reality of that has sunk in yet. I feel like i need to get it in writing…

Congratulations, our group of 6 haven’t drawn a tag in 5 years in ‘Montana. I did manage to shoot a high Boon and Crocket goat 6 year’s ago so I can’t complain. Your new “22” is very interesting. I shot mine with a Weatherby 257 mag, also a very fast flat shooting rifle.

Good luck on your hunt.
Wayne

James Holst wrote:

The wife had agreed to the back to back hunts but I’m not sure the reality of that has sunk in yet. I feel like i need to get it in writing…

You better get it notarized as well. LOL

Congrats on the tags! Maybe a chance at an IDO hunt video here!

Hey James, I lived in Denver for 7 years in the Air Force, and we used to go antelope hunting every year up in the Shirley Basin near Medicine Bow WY. Anyway, they were thick up there in those days and doe tags were $20 each over the counter. We’d sometimes get our bucks and 2-3 does each to bring home. The meat was excellent, best wild game I’ve ever had, as you said, provided we got them cooled down really quickly. Our routine was to skin and quarter them immediately and get them on a bed of ice in coolers with the plugs pulled so they didn’t sit in water. Good luck!

I’ve had to shoot a few questions back and forth to MT G&F the last few weeks. It seems like between ’21 and ’22 they restructured some of their units (smaller ones absorbed by bigger ones) so looking at the draw odds for antelope the last few years has been quite confusing to say the least!

Congrats on the tag, James! Kiddo #3 arriving shortly put a damper on my western hunts for this year but will be back in full force next year with HOPEFULLY archery elk and rifle deer or lope.

waldo9190 wrote:

I’ve had to shoot a few questions back and forth to MT G&F the last few weeks. It seems like between ’21 and ’22 they restructured some of their units (smaller ones absorbed by bigger ones) so looking at the draw odds for antelope the last few years has been quite confusing to say the least!

Congrats on the tag, James! Kiddo #3 arriving shortly put a damper on my western hunts for this year but will be back in full force next year with HOPEFULLY archery elk and rifle deer or lope.

Trying to keep up with Big Game laws from one year to the next takes time and commitment and about the time a guy feels like they have an understanding of how everything works in a particular state they change everything up.

Congrats on kiddo #3. If ever there’s a good reason to sit out a hunt that would be the top of the list!

Pailofperch wrote:

Congrats on the tags! Maybe a chance at an IDO hunt video here!

If someone tried to get within 500 yards of me with a camera on either of these trips I would do violence on them. Just saying…

This is my chance to get AWAY from those guys.

Wayne Daul wrote:

Congratulations, our group of 6 haven’t drawn a tag in 5 years in ‘Montana.

Points creep for Western Big Game hunts is very, very real. I missed out on MT General Elk this year for the first time in 4 years and it about broke my heart which is how the NM elk tag came into being. I couldn’t stomach the idea of missing out on an elk hunt completely this fall so I bought a landowner tag in NM.

I did manage to shoot a high Boon and Crocket goat 6 year’s ago so I can’t complain.

I’d love to see a picture of your goat if you’re inclined to share it.

Are you doing these trips solo or with a buddy or two?
Ive never eating antelope, but after watching a ton of Meateater shows and hearing Steven Rinella talk about how some say it tastes bad he said its all about handling of it once harvested. Generally the conditions are quite warm and you have to cut it up quickly and get it cooled down. Id love to try it some time.

CaptainMusky wrote:

Are you doing these trips solo or with a buddy or two?
Ive never eating antelope, but after watching a ton of Meateater shows and hearing Steven Rinella talk about how some say it tastes bad he said its all about handling of it once harvested. Generally the conditions are quite warm and you have to cut it up quickly and get it cooled down. Id love to try it some time.

I couldn’t find anyone to go along with me on the NW elk hunt so I decided to hire a guide for that hunt. I’m doing the antelope hunt with a buddy in MT – Scott Collinsworth.

I can definitely see how a combination of high temps and some marginal efforts handling the animal after the kill could lead to some funky tasting goat meat. I likely won’t have a chance to get to MT until mid-October so there’s a good chance temps will be mild and more conducive to maintaining good meat quality. Or that’s the way I hope it plays out for me, anyway.

Well good luck James! Make sure to take lots of photos and post a recap. I would love to do an elk hunt one day. I have a buddy who had some great contacts in WY and had a great outfitter who let them stay, provided horses, etc but some of his buddies burned the bridge and he no longer goes out there. He is major bummed about it, but might try to work it out with him again. A good outfitter/guide goes a long dang way!

James Holst wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Joe Jarl wrote:</div>
Congrats and good luck! That rifle look like an awful lot of fun to shoot!

It is! It is a TS Customs build and my first suppressed rifle and it is, without a doubt, my favorite rifle to shoot by far. There’s little to no felt recoil or muzzle flip and the suppressor makes it sound like someone stomping on bubble wrap on a wood floor.

One thing I didn’t know about titanium suppressors is that when they’re machined small pieces of titanium get left behind in the internal baffles. I point this out because titanium powder is used in fireworks to make the shower of sparks.

During the first couple firings things can be a little…startling…for the uninitiated…lol

Let’s just say I was more than a little surprised the first time I pulled the trigger.

As luck would have it my buddy was behind me taking pictures and nailed a good one of what I’m talking about.

After about 4 rounds the show was over as the heat from each of the firings burned off the remnant titanium.

My daughter went to hugh school with Travis. He has built a good business at a young age, I have heard nothing but good about his work.
wmd

James Holst wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Wayne Daul wrote:</div>
Congratulations, our group of 6 haven’t drawn a tag in 5 years in ‘Montana.

Points creep for Western Big Game hunts is very, very real. I missed out on MT General Elk this year for the first time in 4 years and it about broke my heart which is how the NM elk tag came into being. I couldn’t stomach the idea of missing out on an elk hunt completely this fall so I bought a landowner tag in NM.

I did manage to shoot a high Boon and Crocket goat 6 year’s ago so I can’t complain.

I’d love to see a picture of your goat if you’re inclined to share it.

Here’s the picture, note the very rare double “cutters” on right side.

Speaking of Elk tags I have the big slap in the face from Montana this year received a Elk tag in mail and two weeks later a letter asking me to send it back! Seems they sent 1,200 hunters tags instead of refunds by mistake. That really hurt.

Wayne

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