The Wife & I both drew buck antelope tags starting 9/28 here in NE CO. Neither have hunted antelope before, although seeing thousands on other trips, etc. Didn't seem like they'd be all
that hard - whenever you stop, they just hang out. Proves different in practicality - I think they must be related to crows.
Nonetheless, The Wife tagged hers at about 9AM. A decent enough firster - 8" horns & a solid shot right behind the right high elbow at about 325 yards.
Her deer/antelope rifle's a Rem M7 in 7-08 - the 18.5" barrel - with 120 gr Nosler Ballistic tip handloads right at 2600 fps. Was very curious as to how they would perform at a lower velocity than is "standard." Certainly not a barn-burner.
On a quartering shot, she held right at the back & the bullet hit midway on the 'lope - pretty much what was expected for the known trajectory. Bullet blew through the top arteries of the heart & exited out the farside with front shoulder meat loss of about 1/4 pound. Lungs, especially farside, were trashed. Exit hole in hide about nickle size. Critter took about 3 1/2 wobbly steps & collapsed dead.
Big grin rest of the day - her first big game anything. She's still got that smile ....
Took mine at 1PM, not 50 yards from where The Wife's dropped, with a standard barrel length .243 I've used since '63-'64 for deer. Used a different load than usual - a Sierra 85 gr HPBT pushed about max, but accurate. Critter walking away at about 425 yds. Put the crosshairs right at the top of his head & the bullet John Wilkes Booth'd 'im = DRT, in a heap. Measured out at an honest 12"
(FWIW, I've shot a few deer & this antelope with 85-87 grain bullets outa this .243 & not one thing has ever walked out of its steps ... quite the ticket-puncher these .243s within reasonably game size.)
Back at the house, all the critters is skinned, quartered up, the best stuff boned out & all on ice - having a celebratory adult adult beverage (spelling may be a bit off about now) .....
Not a bad day at all.
that hard - whenever you stop, they just hang out. Proves different in practicality - I think they must be related to crows.
Nonetheless, The Wife tagged hers at about 9AM. A decent enough firster - 8" horns & a solid shot right behind the right high elbow at about 325 yards.
Her deer/antelope rifle's a Rem M7 in 7-08 - the 18.5" barrel - with 120 gr Nosler Ballistic tip handloads right at 2600 fps. Was very curious as to how they would perform at a lower velocity than is "standard." Certainly not a barn-burner.
On a quartering shot, she held right at the back & the bullet hit midway on the 'lope - pretty much what was expected for the known trajectory. Bullet blew through the top arteries of the heart & exited out the farside with front shoulder meat loss of about 1/4 pound. Lungs, especially farside, were trashed. Exit hole in hide about nickle size. Critter took about 3 1/2 wobbly steps & collapsed dead.
Big grin rest of the day - her first big game anything. She's still got that smile ....
Took mine at 1PM, not 50 yards from where The Wife's dropped, with a standard barrel length .243 I've used since '63-'64 for deer. Used a different load than usual - a Sierra 85 gr HPBT pushed about max, but accurate. Critter walking away at about 425 yds. Put the crosshairs right at the top of his head & the bullet John Wilkes Booth'd 'im = DRT, in a heap. Measured out at an honest 12"
(FWIW, I've shot a few deer & this antelope with 85-87 grain bullets outa this .243 & not one thing has ever walked out of its steps ... quite the ticket-puncher these .243s within reasonably game size.)
Back at the house, all the critters is skinned, quartered up, the best stuff boned out & all on ice - having a celebratory adult adult beverage (spelling may be a bit off about now) .....
Not a bad day at all.