BowCast Blog

Hey Everybody... All this talk about Antelope hunting really has me ready to get chasing some speed goats. Below is the story of my 2007 NM Antelope hunt. I wish I would have taken better pictures but when I dropped him it was AFRICA hot and I wanted to get him cooled down ASAP.

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Let me first say that I was very grateful and lucky to have the opportunity to hunt. My dad had been in the hospital with an infection and so I needed to be around just in case things got little more serious but my dad said I wasn't a doctor so I should go and chase some goats. Tommy, my hunting buddy from Gila Wilderness Hunting had an elk hunting client in the same unit a fews years earlier and he had seen some good goats so we had a good idea where to star. I was going to be hunting alone and this was this first tag I had ever drawn, so this was going to be a learning experience.

The plan was to try and spot and stalk in the morning while I was working my way to a tank. Once I got to the tank I would setup my blind and wait one out. On ther way to my hunting area there were goats all over the place. After setting up camp I went straight to bed. As usual the morning came WAY too early, and I hate mornings.

When I got to my general area I started seeing goats right away. I glassed this group of goats from about a mile and I my stalk was ON. I got to within 90 yards before they busted me. I was using a decoy and a call to try to get them to come in but the timing was just wrong, they didn't give me the time of day.

On a previous trip, I had found a hidden tank that had some sign around it so I was hoping that something was feeding or watering around it. So I parked my rig and "stalked the tank". When I peeked over the dam this little guy was feeding about 30 yards way. He was well within my range but I decided to pass. It was too early in the hunt to let my Silver Flame eat.

With temperatures well above 95 degrees, It was starting to become obvious that the only way I was going to get one of these suckers on the ground was to either get one to come to me or wait one out. So I made a beeline for a tank that I wanted to sit. While working my way to my tank I came across a ton of elk. I was able to get these pictures but there was probably about 75 in the herd. It was pretty neat to see these guys in such open country.

My sit in the blind started started at noon, it had to be an honest 100 degrees plus in there. Let me say that I don't strip down for anybody, not even my wife but DAMN it was just crazy hot. I completely stripped down to my AC/DC Boxers and my Danner boots. Sitting in my blind I must have looked like the white filling in a Little Debbie Cup Cake. If I saw a buck coming in I would quickly put on my black T-shirt so the antelope wouldn't see me.

At 3:30, a buck came in downwind of my setup and busted me. The funny things is he just ran around my blind until he got out of my scent stream then came in to the tank. It looked that after only 3.5 hours in my pressure cooker that I was going to get a shot. I wish I had a great story about why I missed but I just blew it. When I setup my blind I range the area before I setup my blind. I didn't to take the time get a second reading from my rangefinder after I settled in. I miss judged the distance by 10 yards. I held for 40 yards and he was at 54 yards.

Sitting alone in a blind gives you a lot of time to think and the only thing I could think about was that I had a chance and I blew it. I was just hoping and praying that I would have another chance.

YEEEEE HAAAW!!!!!!!!! ANTELOPE DOWN!!!! Well it happened, with about 30 minutes left of shooting light I had a buck come to the tank. His body language was much different than the earlier buck and it was obvious that he was committed to water. It was just up to me to make the shot. He seemed to be watering forever, but once he stopped he turned broadside and my arrow was on the way. All I have to say is the combination of my Hoyt bow, FMJ's and Silver Flame broadheads is scary. At 53 yards my arrow blew right thru his shoulders and pinned him to the ground. He was down and out but I just wanted to make sure that I got another arrow into him, the second arrow cut his spine in half. GAME OVER. Below is a picture of my setup and if you look to the left of the blind about 4 feet above the water you can see my buck.

With the temperatures ranging around 95 degrees I needed to get this goat gutted and processed asap. Tommy always gives me a hard time about not taking good photos but pictures are the least of my worries when I harvest an animal. SOOO I was not able to get any field photos other than with my phone but I did take some photos at the taxidermist (to bleach the skull). He is a pretty good buck he is 14 inches.

Take Care

J-