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Bow hunters tend to be loners. The majority of their hunts are
solitary affairs with little to no support group to aid in the
success of a hunt. Most would rather rely on careful scouting, good
stand locations and light hunting pressure on the game they pursue
instead of trusting someone else's opinion, such as a hunting buddy,
outfitter or rancher. Yes, bow hunters can be a hard headed lot.
But, even hunters who like to wing it on their own need help from
time to time. When hunting game out of state or far from home, team
efforts can have a positive effect on the outcome of the hunt. My
recent New Mexico Archery Pronghorn Antelope hunt is a prime example
of that theory.
I'm sure
you're familiar with the Team Building workshops that are so popular
with large corporations and government agencies. Employees that
complete these short courses on working with others are taught to
rely on each other to reach solutions to common problems or
challenges. The cumulative efforts of several individuals increases
productivity, lowers costs and boosts moral in the workplace. I've
been participating in a Team Building workshop since August of 2003
when I first bow hunted pronghorns with
Kyle Bell
of Folsom Outfitters. I'm proud to say the results of this
process have been very rewarding.
In order
to succeed in taking an antelope with a bow, you have to know where
they are feeding, bedding, traveling and watering. Unlike our rifle
hunting cousins, bow hunters must be close to cleanly take an
antelope. My first 5 day hunt for these interesting game animals
resulted in a lot of lessons learned but no trophy. As a matter of
fact, I never even drew back my bow. I spent most of the next year
thinking about what I could do to shift the odds into my favor. I
made the 10 hour drive out to Folsom, New Mexico in July, a month
before the season started in early August. My thinking was if I
could get a couple of ground blinds in place in July the antelope
would not pay any attention to them come August. Spending a long
weekend out on the plains would also give me an idea of where I
should concentrate my efforts once the season began.
Bow
hunters take the majority of antelope at or near water holes.
Whether it's a water trough fed by a windmill or a stock tank, these
animals are most vulnerable when seeking water. Pronghorns have
excellent eye sight and can cover some serious ground in a hurry
with their blazing speed, a talent that has resulted in the nickname
"speed goat". The habitat they call home makes stalking almost
impossible, offers very little cover and will humble even the most
accomplished whitetail hunter at first glance. It's so open, there
are few if any trees. How is a bow hunter supposed to get within say
40 or 50 yards of an animal that locks those eyes on you at over 600
yards away? I'll tell you how. You have to be waiting in a place
they want to be.
Does
this sound like a tough enough hunt yet? It gets worse. The summer
of 2004 will go down in the weather books as one of the wettest in
recorded history. This unseasonably wet year resulted in water
standing in several places on the 20,000 acres we were to hunt. The
pronghorns would have many choices as to where they would quench
their thirst. Kyle assured me he would put in some extra scouting
time before the opener to narrow down which pastures the antelope
seemed to still be using traditional water holes.
My
hunting companion on this year's hunt is TexasOutdoorsman.com's
newest Field Editor, Bruce Letbetter. Bruce and I have hunted
together for a couple of years now and have become close friends. We
both applied for the limited draw license needed for this archery
only season through the
New
Mexico Game & Fish Department. Once we had been notified of our
success in the drawing, we started planning our hunt down to the
last detail.
First,
we contacted Ronnie and Chad Bradford of
Woodsey Too
Treestands and acquired a couple of their Grey Ghost treestands.
Bruce and I both have digital video camera setups so we put our
heads together with the Bradford's and came up with an accessory
that would allow us to video the shot from our stands. These stands
are simple and quick to hang, super quiet and have a swivel seat to
keep movement to a minimum. They were the perfect choice for the
hunt.
We also
discussed ground blind setups with our outfitter. Kyle and I had
came really close to connecting on bucks from an old, abandoned
truck which rests in a main travel route between two large pastures.
This year we would be adding homemade camouflage panels with some
natural vegetation to help us blend with the surroundings. We
setup a Double Bull blind inside the panels to conceal the blind a
little. The ground blinds we built in July were useless, according to Kyle,
as little antelope sign could be found around the water holes they
were setup on. Though disappointed in the fact I would not be
hunting those blinds, the information and feedback Kyle was offering
was welcomed. Nothing is worse than sitting in a blind or on a stand
location that is unproductive.
Our
arrival in Folsom was not what we expected, heavy rain and
thunderstorms pelted the area all through the night. Our first
morning of hunting found us setting in locations just off the main
roads because of the mudding conditions. We had lots of antelope to
look over and Bruce got his first taste of the frustration that is
antelope hunting when he misjudged the yardage of a young buck that
came by him to check out the
Renzo's Decoy
he had setting in front of his ground blind. The arrow passed
harmlessly over the buck at 50yds. My first day of hunting was good
for photos but no arrows were released.
Day two found us sitting in the ground blind Bruce had occupied the
day before. We were still using the decoy in hopes of luring in an
interested buck. We watched four bucks for three hours as the they
fed our direction. They bedded down just over a rolling hill from
our blind and it was decided we would try a stalk. i knew from the
previous year how hard it is to crawl within bow range of a buck,
much less four of them. Our attempt failed but it was really
exciting getting to within around 80yds of this group before being
caught by a watchful pair of eyes.
By day
three I had decided to move to another pasture where we had found
some good sign at a windmill. Antelope bucks make scrapes on the
ground with their hooves and horns, then deposit urine and droppings
to mark their territory. They often frequent these scrapes to
refresh them, much like whitetail bucks do. The location I wanted to
hunt was at the far end of the ranch and Kyle had only seen one good
buck with several does in his previous scouting trips there. I felt
like it was a good spot and really wanted to give it a try. Kyle was
supportive of my intuition but felt another windmill just down the
county road where I had been hunting offered more opportunity, since
he had been seeing more bucks there, including two bucks watering
from the trough on our second morning of hunting. I opted to listen
to my guide and moved to the windmill he suggested.
As I climbed up to my perch some 30' above a water trough and salt
block, I could see around 30 antelope off in the distance bedded
down. They were nearly a mile away. A well beaten trail wound it's
way from the bottom of the windmill, through the prairie grasses and
right past their beds. "This could be the day", I thought to myself.
An hour later, the lone buck that was with the does got up and shook
his head from side to side. He then gently persuaded all his
girlfriends to rise and graze. As the fed in my direction, my pulse
went up a notch or two.
It seemed like forever but the herd was getting closer with every
passing minute. Five or six of the lead does finished the approach
to the salt block in a dead run. I turned my video camera on and wa tched
as 28 does and fawns poured into bow range. It was quite a sight.
The buck held back a couple of hundred yards out, feeding and
scraping his horns on the grass in a mock fight with another buck.
For a minute it looked like he was not going to come in for a drink.
He finally looked up and stared at the group of does and the water
trough for a minute. Once he decided all was safe with his world he
began his approach. The first time I checked the range to him with
my
Nikon rangefinder he was at 72yds. At 62yds I almost gave in to
the temptation and drew back my bow. I'm not comfortable with a bow
at that range and convinced myself to be patient and wait for a
closer shot.
A
passing truck brought all 29 heads up at once, they were getting
nervous. The buck held his ground at 60yds as several of the does
retreated away from the vehicle. As the truck drove off down the
road the buck turned and made his way to the water. I had ranged
several spots along the path and knew that a certain weed with small
yellow flowers was my 45yd mark. When the buck reached this mark I
drew my bow and settled my 40yd pin behind his shoulder. The split
second I started adding pressure to my release he raised his head
and looked back over his backside. As the arrow left my bow and made
its way to the target, the buck's head and neck were covering up the
vital zone! It all happened so fast that I didn't realize what went
wrong until I later reviewed the video tape. My arrow caught the
buck high in the neck but the
Magnus Stinger broadhead had
penetrated well. I was sick for a moment as I watched the buck
leave. When he bedded down a short time later I was able to sneak up
behind him and put a finishing shot in a better location. I had just
taken my first pronghorn with a bow and captured it all on video. To
say I was a bit excited is an understatement!
One very happy bow
hunter and Kyle Bell of Folsom Outfitters.
Upon recovering the buck
it was evident that the first shot would have been fatal, as massive
internal bleeding had occurred. Like any hunter, I want my animals
to expire quickly and humanely. But, I also realize that not every
shot can be perfect. In hindsight I should have let the buck square
up to me a bit more broadside or waited for a quartering away
presentation.
Our 2004 New Mexico Antelope hunt was truly a team effort. With the
help of two friends who traveled with along with me in July, my
outfitter Mr. Kyle Bell, the rancher, a few antelope hunting
veterans and my hunting buddy Bruce, this hunt had a happy ending
for me. I've come away from it with a more open mind and learned it
pays to do your homework, listen to the thoughts of others and not
be afraid to change the game plan if the conditions dictate you
should. Bruce came home with an unfilled tag but enjoyed several
days of hunting in some of the best antelope country you can
imagine. I'll bet you'll find him back out on the prairie next
summer, trying to even the score. I think Team Antelope is a fitting
name for our little group and can't wait to suit up again next year
when we return to the Folsom area for another hunt.
At full draw,
Tyge Floyd
Editor-TexasOutdoorsman.com
Be sure to check back next month as we return to Folsom in pursuit
of trophy Rocky Mountain bull elk with Kyle Bell and
Folsom
Outfitters. Our one week bow hunt begins on September 16th.
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