What are the common mistakes Antelope hunters make?

Thats crap, there is no reason what so ever to shoot at a running antelope.

I've shot running boar (targets not animals), use to be good at it, I've taught shooting movers in sniper schools BUT I'd never shoot a running antelope or any other critter.

I don't care how many tires you shot, its not the same.

How many here can tell the difference between an antelope running 30 mph or 45 mph at 100 yards? I doubt any of us can, so what do we have.

At 45 MPH a critter is running 66.15 fps, at 30 its 44.1 fps. The time of flight of a 243 @ 3000 fps MV has a time of flight (TOF) of .1034.

So you have to lead the critter 6.615 if running 30 MPH or 4.41 if running 45 mph. That's two feet difference.

Can you judge 2 feet in front of a running antelope???? I highly doubt it, but if you're off, you have a wounded critter off to die a painful death.

Also when the critter jumps up and starts running, it takes a second to get up to speed, (suckers are quick), In that second can you tell if the animal is 100 or 110 or 90 yards away, I highly doubt it.

Again, there is no reason what so ever for shooting at a running antelope (or any other animals).

Antelope are majestic creatures and deserve fair chase and clean kills. Not having their legs shot off or gut shot by an unethical hunter who's too lazy to wait until they stop and start your stalk all over.
 
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A lot of good advice here. The reason the flag/hankerchief trick works is their eyesight is amazing but they're stupid as a stump. I've had to literally get out of my car wave my arms and yell from 10ft away to get them off of the road in front of me! I think they didn't realize I was a human while I was in the car.:D
 
Yesterday afternoon I went to our club range to rebuild the target frames on our 25 yard pistol range.

This little doe antelope stood on the firing line for about 30 minutes watching me build the frames.

They are curious creatures.
 
Wyoredman is dead on. I have seen too many Prairie Goats wasted because they were not properly cared for after the kill. You should skin and bone a Goat in hot Sept. weather pronto. I also wash the body cavity with warm 7-Up to clean body fluids from the animal. Goats have scent glands in the hind end that often expell musk when shot. Get this on you hands and it gets on the meat. I use rubber gloves and wash them before cutting up the meat. Antelope eat Sage Brush Hay fields or not. They must have Sage for their stomachs to digest properly. As for Areas I much prefer the Western Desert Public Lands over the private lands in Eastern Wyoming.

Oh yes as Wyoredman warned the Winter and the Wolves have killed off most of the Wyoming Goats.:D
 
I'm definitely on board with not shooting at running goats. If you do the math (like Kraigwy's example), it shows that you have to make several very precise judgments in a split second. I'm sorry, but my brain can't calculate an exact range and speed that quickly. What my brain does calculate that quickly is, "I'll pass, and wait for one that's sleeping." (The meat will be better, anyway.)

I do make an exception, though: wounded animals. If you or some one you're hunting with manages to screw up a shot and wound an animal, you'd better stop them as soon as possible. In that case, I will shoot a running goat. (Not "shoot at", but shoot. If you're just lobbing bullets at them randomly, you shouldn't be there, anyway.)


The easiest solution to avoiding the "bouncing" herds on opening day is to not hunt opening day. ;)
 
When it comes to hunting Pronghorn, what are the most common mistakes you see hunters make?
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Getting to close to quick. Even a hasty stalk of one could spook them and then they are four valleys away. I was introduced to what I thought rather odd ways to hunt in Wyoming on an Antelope hunt. For one, It's legal to shoot from the road as long as you are not shooting across the road. One foot on the ground from your vehicle and you're legal to shoot. So I was taken out early one morning and came to a stop at the top of a hill. Shut the engine off and opened the door using the "V" formed by the door and the frame of the car. Lined up my sights and shot my Antelope. All legal and fun to boot. My health would not have allowed any other means of take. A friend in the same hunting party went on foot for a 4 hour stalk (he had a buck tag) and at about 250 yards away, not him, but another hunter was taking a shot at a different antelope and it spooked off my friends target. Four hours down the drain. Smithy.
 
For one, It's legal to shoot from the road as long as you are not shooting across the road. One foot on the ground from your vehicle and you're legal to shoot.
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Not true. Shooting from any maintained road is a sure way to get yourself a ticket in WY!

I think Gun Smithy may be refering to two track roads or roads on private property. On two tracks and private roads, it is legal, but not very safe to shhot from the roadway. On all public, maintained roads, you must be either across the right-of-way fence or if no fence exists, across the barrow ditch/established shoulder area of the roadway. It is also illegal to fire a firearm form inside the vehichle. You may use the vehicle for a rest, but you must have both feet on the ground and not be fireing from a maintained public road.

Here is the link to the WGFD regulation concerning vehicles and roadways:
It Is Illegal To
• shoot or attempt to kill any wildlife from, upon, along or across any public road or highway. This includes any roadway that is publicly maintained or privately maintained but open to public vehicle traffic.The area between the fences on a fenced public road or highway or the road surface, borrow pits and shoulders of unfenced public roads or highways shall be considered the public road or highway. Unmaintained two-track trails on public lands are not public roads.

• shoot any wildlife, except predatory animals, from a vehicle.
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http://wgfd.wyo.gov/web2011/education-1000243.aspx
 
No big game animal is more mishandled,maimed and just plain wasted than the Antelope.Local Game Officials estimate as many Antelope will be harvested ehtically and cleanly as are wounded,wasted with legs shot off.CA hunters should not be allowed to hunt in WY unless they pass an ethics/law test.If your health does allow for "fair chase" find another activity that does not require breaking laws and killing animals.
 
Just a note for those of us who ride motorcycles in Antelope country. If one starts running with you back off the throttle and let it beat you. If you pace them they will get tired and cut in front of you. This is a disaster on a bike.

Once paced our local herd in my utv. I was running 35 mph and they had not even started to run.

A lot of go info thank you for your contributions.
 
Too much gun and not enough practise with it.

Antelope are small creatures compared to mule deer. They're easily toppled with 22-250, 243, or 6mm. Some say 25-06 is IDEAL.

Jack
 
They're easily toppled with 22-250, 243, or 6mm.
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True, true. But if you are hunting in Wyoming, be sure you bring a caliber larger than .23"!

Legal firearms for BIG or TROPHY GAME must have a barrel bore diameter of at least 23/100 of an inch and be chambered to fire a centerfire cartridge not less than two inches overall length including a soft or expanding point bullet seated to a normal depth
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