I think the coolest part of my antelope hunting story is how all of the pieces came together. The effort of everyone involved from beginning to end aligned to create the perfect, complete puzzle. And it happened organically. Spoiler alert: I get the antelope.
I work for WTA, but I’m also a WTA client. This hunt is a perfect example of not having the time to do my own research and counting on WTA to point me in the right direction.
Let me go back a bit further. In April 2022, my wife Kristin and I had our second child, Etta. With our two-year-old Barrett also at home, we had our hands pretty full. Let me put it this way, time was an issue. I knew I couldn’t leave my family for a 5-day elk hunt. I wanted to go on a guided hunt, but I needed a shorter window. That’s why I thought of antelope (pronghorn if you prefer). I think antelope are one of the prettiest critters out there. I have a nice elk on a pedestal mount and I wanted a cool antelope mount to go with it.
I’d been collecting points in Wyoming for a while and I thought it would be a great time to cash in my 5 points. It’s kind of funny, because I’ve published a bunch of blogs and articles: all sorts of hunts, trophy quality, how to plan, what accommodations to expect, and what to look for in a hunt. But when it came down to it, I didn’t know where to start. I called my WTA TAGS consultant and friend, Erik Schell. I told him I had 5 points, I wanted to chase antelope, and I would love the opportunity to take something in the potential near-record-book class, something approaching the 80″ range. We talked a bit and Erik said, “Let me make a few phone calls. I think I know an outfitter who would be right up your alley.”
The next day, Erik called back and said, “Hey, I think I’ve got something for you. It’ll be in Casper. It’s hotel-based so it’s not the typical stay in a lodge with meals provided type of hunt, so you’ll save a little money doing it that way. But the outfitter has a big lease that he’s been hunting the last couple of years and they think there’s potential at the 80″ mark.”
Now, as a hunter with a decent amount of experience, I don’t really care about being in the record book but I did want to get after an antelope that was on the bigger side of the equation. Again, I think they are really unique animals and with the cool chest patterns, the tans and whites, the dark faces and horns—they are a unique animal on the planet.
Then, Erik gave me good advice. “We can put you in for the regular draw and with your 5 points you’ve got about a 90% chance of drawing. But if you know you absolutely want to go this year, we can put you in for the special draw. It’ll cost a bit more, but based on previous year stats, you’d be essentially 100% guaranteed to draw.”
I said, “Yes, I’ll kick in a little more to better guarantee I’ll be hunting antelope in 2022.” That was really good counsel.
The day before leaving for the hunt, I texted the outfitter, gave him my license information, and thanked him for connecting me with my guide. I touched base with the guide, Simon, so we wouldn’t be complete strangers when I showed up in Casper. I asked the outfitter if he’d seen any good bucks in the area and he texted me a photo of one he said was the best they’d seen in all their pre-scouting.
I got to Casper on the day before the season opened and linked up with Simon. He was very courteous and said he was sure I’d practiced, but if I didn’t mind, we could go to a range and make sure my rifle was still on. We set up a 200-yard target and I was happy with my three-shot group. Simon asked if I wanted to go back to the hotel and relax, or he’d be happy to take me out and look over some ground and maybe spot some antelope. I wasn’t there to sit in my hotel room, so we headed out. I had optics I wanted to test, including a MagView digiscope adapter that allows me to video through my binoculars. We got some footage of antelope and saw a few mule deer, but Simon was adamant that we were absolutely NOT going into the area where they had spotted that good buck.
It was great. I had 2 ½ hours with my guide to get comfortable, establish rapport, and use my new MagView. This was my first proper, paid-for, guided big game hunt. I wanted to shake off the nerves, and I did that by shooting well at the range and BS-ing with Simon for a few hours. We talked about a little of everything, including that I am not very good at judging antelope. That’s one of the reasons I hired a guide who could distinguish between a 70″ goat and an 80″ goat. I could tell that Simon was really good at judging them. He’d capture a little video on his phone, then we’d watch and he’d explain what he looked for, how he wanted them to turn their heads so he could see alternate views and better tabulate and get pretty close to what they would actually score once they were on the ground.
To me, that’s the benefit. That’s why you invest in a guide. They’ve studied thousands of animals. The guides can say “That’s a shooter” or “That’s not a shooter.”
Back at the hotel, Scotty, an intern guide learning the ropes, joined us for dinner. Talk turned to the buck. I asked if the buck in the photos they’d sent was the best. “I know it’s impossible to say, but do you think he’s at the upper end in this unit?” Simon said, “Yeah, I do. I think he’s definitely the best we’ve seen and I think he’s going to be in the upper end of what we can find. Now, is there a giant out there somewhere? That’s always a possibility.”
I asked Simon if this was his hunt, would he target that buck? He said, “Absolutely.” It was decided. If we could find that buck, I would be very happy taking him. He had a super dark face and the characteristics of an old bruiser. He really was what I was looking for.
Some guys in the antelope world are into hunting the freaks, the ones with odd-shaped horns. I feel like after I’ve killed some nice antelope, then maybe I’d want to find a freak. Maybe. Simon had seen a couple of freaks, but I had no desire for that on this hunt.
We called it an early night so we could get up early. Wheels up at 5:30 a.m., ready to rock and roll.
The next morning I rolled into the lobby for coffee. Simon and Scotty were ready with the vehicle running and the heater on. Simon asked, “Do you want an energy drink, or are you good with coffee?” “I’m good with coffee,” I said. “Let’s go.”
It was a rainy, hazy morning as we cruised in Simon’s super tricked-out Toyota 4Runner, totally geared for him to be the most successful hunting guide he could be. He had modifications and additions, gas cans on the roof, lift kit, big tires, and all kinds of lights. Even so, he said the property we’d be hunting could get slick when wet, but hopefully we’d get in and out before it got too mucky.
We drove about 30 minutes, having a good conversation. As we rolled in to the property, Simon said, “With this wet weather we’re probably looking for a bedded buck, which will make it a little tougher to see. The rain probably has them hunkered down so as you’re glassing, look for an antelope shaking his head. Look for movement.”
Within the first 10 minutes, we had glassed up a doe and a buck that were way off, like 1,000 yards away, so we kept going deeper into the area. We saw a pretty solid buck, but he was fairly far away. Simon didn’t think it was our target buck, but he pulled out the spotting scope and shot some video on his phone through the scope. We were probably 800 or 900 yards away, so the antelope wasn’t concerned about us at all. It was opening morning so the general feeling was that antelope had seen vehicles on this ranch all year and weren’t skittish because they hadn’t been shot at for a year.
Simon showed me the video and explained that the buck had good mass and his cutters were pretty high, but his tops didn’t amount to much. His hooks looked like the claws of hammer. “This isn’t our buck. He’s definitely not the one we’re targeting and he’s also not a shooter.”
It was apparent to me that this was exactly why I hired a guide: to help determine that buck was not what we wanted to go after. He’s a fine buck, a handsome buck but won’t go near the 80″ mark.
So we proceeded deeper into the property and came to a crossroads where we could go left or right. Either way could potentially lead to where the buck was roaming, Simon suggested we take the road to the left and drive up to a little knob to glass and see what we could drum up. We got to the knob and I stepped off 20 yards past the truck to “get rid of some of the coffee” while Simon and Scotty started to glass the area. I heard Scotty say, “Hey, Simon, come look at this.” When I heard that, it sounded like we had just found our buck. I got myself sorted out and walked back just in time to hear Simon say, “Yup, that’s him.”
The buck was down the road a hundred yards and staring right at us. But it was opening day and the antelope was not perturbed. He looked like he was used to seeing trucks on the ranch. Simon told Scotty to stay put and keep his eyes on that goat.
Simon and I hopped in the Toyota and backed down the road, stopping when we saw the buck again. When we had first spotted him, he was about 10 yards off the ranch road. Now he’d moved about 50 yards off the road and we were nearly at eye level with him about 50 yards away. He looked at us and we looked at him. And then he snorted. It was pretty cool to see him that close, flaring his nostrils and giving us three big snorts. He looked away, looked back at us, snorted again, and then casually trotted off over a ridge. Simon said, “Get out of the truck, load your rifle and let’s go.” He threw on his pack, grabbed shooting sticks, and I had my Gunwerks 7mm SAUM ready. I was carrying a rear bag, hoping for a prone shot.
We walked about 75 yards down into a little valley then up along a ridge. Simon said he thought we’d be able to see the goat when we got over the ridge, so he went up and peeked over the top, then motioned for me to come up and lie beside him. I extended my bipod, took a deep breath, and started up, keeping low until I was lying beside Simon. I got my rear bag in place under the stock of my rifle and I could see the buck. At this point, I knew he was THE buck. I was breathing hard. The antelope was about to go over a slight hill and all I could think was “I hope this happens now, because if not we’re going to be chasing this guy for who knows how far.” Simon noticed I was breathing hard and said, “Hey, take your time, get your breath under control. He’s at 260 yards.”
I dialed in my scope, then settled my rifle on the rear bag for a comfortable, prone shot just as I’d hoped. It was like the antelope had read the script I had in my mind. Simon said, “Fire when you’re ready.” I flicked off my safety, felt good about the shot, and sent it. I felt like I hit him good. By the time I jacked in another round and found him in the scope again, he was down. I had heard that SMACK you want to hear, indicating a hit. He was on his side and I could see him slightly breathing. We agreed to wait and I would keep on him, keep on him, keep on him. After a bit, it looked like his breathing had quit so we stood and, rifle back on safety, we walked to him. Simon, always thinking of every detail, said he thought we had him, but he preferred to be overly cautious and ready in case he got up. “Let’s take it slow and easy, but I think he’s done.”
We walked the 260 yards, and he never moved again. We got up to him and Simon said, “Holy crap.” I was like, “OK, OK, is he as good as you thought?” Simon said, “He’s better.” He stretched his fingers and laid his hand on the horn, starting at the top of the cutter. He explained that it measures 9″ from his thumb to the tip of his middle finger, and he couldn’t reach the tip. “I think he’s every bit of 80″,” he said. Then he held the antelope’s ear up and it didn’t reach to the top of the cutter, or prong, which he said was a good indication of tall horns. So, even after the antelope was on the ground, Simon was still teaching me how he field-judged this particular antelope. He could tell I wanted to learn, so he gave me a lesson from scouting to goat on the ground.
Of course, at that point I started to relax a little bit. I went over the hunt in my mind. These guys had pre-scouted, found a great buck, put me on that great buck within about an hour, and my job was to not screw it up and make a good shot. Now that the buck was on the ground I could take a deep breath. I had done my part.
In my mind this was the perfect scenario. They found a buck in the trophy vicinity I was looking for. He scored 79 ⅞ gross. He was a beautiful goat with a dark face and beautiful coloring. And the stalk was perfect. I was hoping for a prone shot, and I got one. One shot, one kill, and we were standing next to the gorgeous buck.
“Listen,” Simon said, “I’m not fast at this but I’m good, so I’m going to start working on this animal.” I asked how I could help, but Simon said he’d rather I just relax. He wanted to walk Scotty the intern through the process of caping and breaking down the antelope. About an hour later, we were packing the meat, head, and hide back to the truck about 360 yards away. Certainly not the craziest pack-out I’ve ever been on.
Simon had everything in place in his truck. We opened up his cooler and, lo and behold, there was a bottle of Jameson. We toasted on what the hunt meant to each of us and took a pull from the bottle. To me, that’s a bit of family tradition, usually once we get back to the lodge, but he had it in the field and I was pretty appreciative.
Simon was right about another thing. The roads were slick and a little sketchy, but it was clear he knew how to run his 4×4 rig to get us out of there safely. He made it look pretty easy despite the lack of traction on the slick, muddy road.
Flush with success, we pulled into town. At that point it was probably 9:30 a.m. We went straight to the processor, and I think we were the first ones in. Simon told the processor that I wanted to hit the road back to my wife and kids the next day, so could they process the antelope in 24 hours? They said, “Absolutely, show up at 11:30 tomorrow and we’ll have it fully frozen and you can pick it up and hit the road.” We talked about what I wanted from the antelope, steaks from the backstraps and tenderloins, burger, and about 15 pounds of breakfast sausage. Driving away, I mentioned to Simon that we hadn’t discussed price. “Are they going to charge me an arm and a leg?” He said they have a deal for their hunters to get 24-hour turnaround at no extra charge. I ended up paying $133, which is a super reasonable price in an economy largely supplied by hunting and hunters, especially out-of-state hunters. The following day when I picked up the meat, it was professionally packaged and frozen solid. That’s as good as it gets.
Next we went to the taxidermist. I had achieved my goal. I shot an antelope that I was proud of, one that was pretty and exactly what I was hoping to find. So yes to the taxidermist. Simon said I was welcome to take my antelope home to a taxidermist, but he recommended at least talking to his guy in town. “He’s one of the best,” he said, “so we could hear what he had to say and if he doesn’t meet your needs, then by all means take the head and hide elsewhere.” It was really low pressure. “We have no skin in the game,” Simon said. “We don’t get a commission or anything for bringing you to the processor or the taxidermist. We just think they’re the best in town.”
It turned out that the taxidermist had won a blue ribbon earlier in the year for his work with antelope, thanks to a new form he created and custom builds. I decided he was the guy, so I paid my deposit. The antelope’s horns are heart-shaped, a little canted on one side. He was an older goat, and like many older goats had knots and knobs on his horns, what you’d call stickers or extras on deer. He has a ton of character, a super dark face. Simon had mentioned as antelope get older they usually get darker and darker and the black runs further down their nose toward their mouth. Essentially, he looks like an old stud. After looking at my antelope some more, the taxidermist asked if he could enter him in competitions next spring. He said he’d throw in a few extras, the best eyes, special attention and creativity with the ears and other details, and all-around extra work on the habitat. That made me feel even better about the quality of my buck.
The outfitter met us at the taxidermist shop and complimented me on my buck. Then we were off to breakfast to rehash the whole hunt. He even paid for the meal and I felt like I was given the royal treatment. It was such a great experience all around.
Looking back, I can sum up the experience. You collect points toward a tag, and sometimes you don’t have a specific goal in mind when you begin. But at a certain point, you think the time is right. The time was right to chase what I hoped would be a trophy antelope. But I didn’t know exactly where to start, so I made a call to my WTA consultant and told him this is the year for antelope and I’ve got this many points, where should I go? 24 hours later, he had the answer. And, of course, it doesn’t always go like this. But it’s really cool that on the day before I left for Casper, I had photos of this goat on the hoof that I could pass around for evaluation by guys in the office who know more about antelope, and 36 hours later he was on the ground.
I took the shot at 8:01 a.m. on opening day. In my opinion it couldn’t have gone better. I have high praise for WTA, the outfitter, and the guides. I have pretty high standards for everything in life and these guys 100% met my expectations. It was billed as a 3-day hunt, if I needed to go that long. I was fine with the hunt going quickly. I don’t have to work hard for three days to feel like I got my money’s worth. They did their pre-work, drummed him up right at the start of the hunt, and I fulfilled my responsibility to be practiced behind the rifle and take a good shot. On an antelope hunt, 260 yards is probably considered a chip shot, especially when shooting a Gunwerks rig, but I made a good shot. Only one shot, no tracking involved, he died where we could see him. I believe if you’re out there on someone else’s time and they set you up for success, you need to do your part. It made me feel really good that I did.
It was a good partnership from start to finish. Big thanks to the entire WTA TAGS crew, Erik, and Simon. I appreciate you guys!
Wyoming Draw Deadline – May 31
May 31 marks the deadline to apply for Wyoming’s deer and antelope tags. This diverse Western state has it all when it comes to these species. It holds the very best antelope hunting available to today’s sportsmen. It also offers the opportunity to hunt mule deer from several different landscapes—from game-rich, low-stress private ranches to the most rugged mountain ranges found in North America. Wyoming is also the pinnacle when it comes to combination hunting for these species. Watch as WTA TAGS Consultant Jeremy Ivie gives more detail on the fast-approaching Wyoming deer and antelope draw.
