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Wyoming Antelope
- Thread starter jjohnson
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Speed Goats are surprisingly elusive. Unless, that is, you are closer to Cheyenne or Laramie and you get those dumb ones that are acclimated to people. That's few of them, though.
Did you know that only a Cheetah is faster over land than an antelope? It's true. They can hit 40mph in a burst.
It doesn't take much in terms of power to bring one down, but accuracy is super important.
You'll want to choose bullets with high ballistic coefficients as much as possible. When I lived in WY, all the rage was the Berger VLD in 7mm. The Bergers come from benchrest shooting, and have stellar long range trajectory consistency and still superb killing power. That said, plenty of speed goat kills have been made with Partitions, Amaxes, BallisticTips, or Barneses.
I would stick with something between .243 and 7mm in caliber. The .30 cal class rifles tend not to do so well in the wind-- and you WILL have wind in WY. LOTS of it. Cheyenne gets 300+ days a year with gusts over 30mph. You'll also end up having to shoot pretty heavy bullets (200gr+) in a real bruiser like .300 win mag or .300 WSM. Lots more recoil, more cost, for not much in return.
The sweet spot really is 6mm (.243) to 7mm (.284). Stay in that range. I'm partial to 7mm just because you can get the most ballistically efficient bullets in that caliber.
My highest recommendation is a 180gr Berger VLD in 7mm Rem Mag. This round in a good rifle is useful to well over 500 yards. Berger Hunting_Bullets.
Bergers can be hard to find in factory loads, as they cater to handloaders and benchrest shooters. But there is at least one place that does factory load the Bergers: http://www.thehuntingshack.com/catalog/retail/ProductList.pdf
If you won't be shooting at extremely long ranges, you can drop down to a 7mm-08. Other calibers worth considering are any 6.5mm (Creedmore, 6.5x284), or any .243 (WSM, RSAUM, reg .243). There are also lots of great .270 loadings out there. The 150gr Berger in .270 is a great loading, and should have slightly less recoil than a 7mm Rem Mag.
In all calibers, you will want to load the heaviest bullet you can get into the cartridge. Heavier bullets are higher BC and also do much better in the wind for just sheer mass. So you get a two-fer with the heavier bullets.
A longer (26") bbl is a good idea, but not required.
You might also want to check your optics setup and if it's good to longer ranges. A nice spotting scope will be VERY useful. Most binocs aren't long enough range to be useful.
Other random WY advice:
-- Be prepared for wind. I already said it, but it bears repeating. Anything not heavy or staked down will blow away.
-- Be prepared for rapid changes in temperature. Most of WY is pretty high elevation, and you can go from hot days to very cold nights to a degree many Hoosiers might not fully appreciate. You'll probably want both shorts and long johns. Dress in several loose layers.
-- Sunscreen/sunblock if you are white. The thin air means you will burn way faster than normal. 20 minutes from white to toast is common.
-- Bring some super-high density snack foods. You're going to be humping a long way through lots of hilly and (possilby) mountainous terrain. You will be burning lots of calories. (This is also why you need to deal with temp swings-- sweating while hiking to freezing while not, on top of the weather swings!)
-- Stay hydrated. It is SUPER dry in WY, and the colder it is, the dryer it is.
-- Bring a better first aid kit than normal. There are only 600K people in a state with a LOT of land, so if the worst happens, you're mostly on your own. Assume you are about 8-12 hours from emergency medical care, because in most cases, you are.
-- GOOD boots. I mean REALLY good boots are your friend. Quality boots that fit well and are broken in. You will be hiking at least 3-4 miles a day, but as many is 10-15. You will never do anything that justifies great boots better than a WY hunt does.
Have fun and take lots of pics. The closer you are to the Tetons, the more you'll want that camera!
Did you know that only a Cheetah is faster over land than an antelope? It's true. They can hit 40mph in a burst.
It doesn't take much in terms of power to bring one down, but accuracy is super important.
You'll want to choose bullets with high ballistic coefficients as much as possible. When I lived in WY, all the rage was the Berger VLD in 7mm. The Bergers come from benchrest shooting, and have stellar long range trajectory consistency and still superb killing power. That said, plenty of speed goat kills have been made with Partitions, Amaxes, BallisticTips, or Barneses.
I would stick with something between .243 and 7mm in caliber. The .30 cal class rifles tend not to do so well in the wind-- and you WILL have wind in WY. LOTS of it. Cheyenne gets 300+ days a year with gusts over 30mph. You'll also end up having to shoot pretty heavy bullets (200gr+) in a real bruiser like .300 win mag or .300 WSM. Lots more recoil, more cost, for not much in return.
The sweet spot really is 6mm (.243) to 7mm (.284). Stay in that range. I'm partial to 7mm just because you can get the most ballistically efficient bullets in that caliber.
My highest recommendation is a 180gr Berger VLD in 7mm Rem Mag. This round in a good rifle is useful to well over 500 yards. Berger Hunting_Bullets.
Bergers can be hard to find in factory loads, as they cater to handloaders and benchrest shooters. But there is at least one place that does factory load the Bergers: http://www.thehuntingshack.com/catalog/retail/ProductList.pdf
If you won't be shooting at extremely long ranges, you can drop down to a 7mm-08. Other calibers worth considering are any 6.5mm (Creedmore, 6.5x284), or any .243 (WSM, RSAUM, reg .243). There are also lots of great .270 loadings out there. The 150gr Berger in .270 is a great loading, and should have slightly less recoil than a 7mm Rem Mag.
In all calibers, you will want to load the heaviest bullet you can get into the cartridge. Heavier bullets are higher BC and also do much better in the wind for just sheer mass. So you get a two-fer with the heavier bullets.
A longer (26") bbl is a good idea, but not required.
You might also want to check your optics setup and if it's good to longer ranges. A nice spotting scope will be VERY useful. Most binocs aren't long enough range to be useful.
Other random WY advice:
-- Be prepared for wind. I already said it, but it bears repeating. Anything not heavy or staked down will blow away.
-- Be prepared for rapid changes in temperature. Most of WY is pretty high elevation, and you can go from hot days to very cold nights to a degree many Hoosiers might not fully appreciate. You'll probably want both shorts and long johns. Dress in several loose layers.
-- Sunscreen/sunblock if you are white. The thin air means you will burn way faster than normal. 20 minutes from white to toast is common.
-- Bring some super-high density snack foods. You're going to be humping a long way through lots of hilly and (possilby) mountainous terrain. You will be burning lots of calories. (This is also why you need to deal with temp swings-- sweating while hiking to freezing while not, on top of the weather swings!)
-- Stay hydrated. It is SUPER dry in WY, and the colder it is, the dryer it is.
-- Bring a better first aid kit than normal. There are only 600K people in a state with a LOT of land, so if the worst happens, you're mostly on your own. Assume you are about 8-12 hours from emergency medical care, because in most cases, you are.
-- GOOD boots. I mean REALLY good boots are your friend. Quality boots that fit well and are broken in. You will be hiking at least 3-4 miles a day, but as many is 10-15. You will never do anything that justifies great boots better than a WY hunt does.
Have fun and take lots of pics. The closer you are to the Tetons, the more you'll want that camera!
trailrider
Expert
^^^^^
Great advice. I think you're hunting the Glenrock, Casper area? My brother lives @ 30 miles from there in Douglas. I've been there every year for the last 7 yrs. Long range and WIND. you'll see a ton of "goats". If you're driving on I-80 there's a nice Cabelas in Sydney,NE. makes a nice stop. What gun ya takin? optics? Good luck!!
Great advice. I think you're hunting the Glenrock, Casper area? My brother lives @ 30 miles from there in Douglas. I've been there every year for the last 7 yrs. Long range and WIND. you'll see a ton of "goats". If you're driving on I-80 there's a nice Cabelas in Sydney,NE. makes a nice stop. What gun ya takin? optics? Good luck!!
You will absolutely love it. As mentioned above, prepare for wind and potential drastic changes in temperature and condition. I took my oldest son 2 years ago for his first western big game hunt. We both killed nice goats. His was at 380 yards with a .243. Mine was at 230 yards with my old trusty '06. Hunting goats lets you go into your "combat scout/sniper" mode and allows you the opportunity to use terrain an sneak and crawl like no other hunting.
A few other tips:
Do not shoot a goat the first day if you have never hunted out west. You will be amazed at the number of animals you see. We saw 300-500 per day on the ranch we hunted. I knew what to expect, my son was used to hunting whitetails around here and couldn't believe the amount of animals we saw. He was ready to shoot one 10 minutes into the hunt. You need to see several to understand what is a good goat and what is just an average goat. Spend the day sneaking and peaking.
Bring good leather gloves. Crawling on the ground is often required and it's no fun to get a hand full of cactus needles. The cactus on the prairie are low growing and don't look too offensive, but the extremely fine needles suck when you get a handful of them. They will be imbedded in your clothes for months after you return home.
Strongly consider a set of knee and elbow pads for the same reasons described above.
Bring good rain gear that is quiet.
Practice shooting off of a pack laying prone out to 300 yards.
Bring good optics. Goats can see very well and you need to see them first and devise a plan.
Badgers, when encountered or surprised are mean.
Prairie dogs are explosive targets.
Antelope have a unique odor. You'll see.
Antelope are actually excellent table fair, despite what some say. Make sure you skin the animal and let it cool or get it to a locker plant as quick as you can. Don't let it sit in the sun or ride around in the back of a truck all day.
Above all, have fun and don't take it too seriously. You WILL get a goat if you can shoot to 200 yards and are patient.
Dirty Steve
A few other tips:
Do not shoot a goat the first day if you have never hunted out west. You will be amazed at the number of animals you see. We saw 300-500 per day on the ranch we hunted. I knew what to expect, my son was used to hunting whitetails around here and couldn't believe the amount of animals we saw. He was ready to shoot one 10 minutes into the hunt. You need to see several to understand what is a good goat and what is just an average goat. Spend the day sneaking and peaking.
Bring good leather gloves. Crawling on the ground is often required and it's no fun to get a hand full of cactus needles. The cactus on the prairie are low growing and don't look too offensive, but the extremely fine needles suck when you get a handful of them. They will be imbedded in your clothes for months after you return home.
Strongly consider a set of knee and elbow pads for the same reasons described above.
Bring good rain gear that is quiet.
Practice shooting off of a pack laying prone out to 300 yards.
Bring good optics. Goats can see very well and you need to see them first and devise a plan.
Badgers, when encountered or surprised are mean.
Prairie dogs are explosive targets.
Antelope have a unique odor. You'll see.
Antelope are actually excellent table fair, despite what some say. Make sure you skin the animal and let it cool or get it to a locker plant as quick as you can. Don't let it sit in the sun or ride around in the back of a truck all day.
Above all, have fun and don't take it too seriously. You WILL get a goat if you can shoot to 200 yards and are patient.
Dirty Steve
there has already been alot of good advise so i wont be able to add much. ive only been once but here is my thoughts. i took a 260 remington and my father took a 7mm rem mag. both did fine
brings some shooting sticks of a very tall bipod. i took 3 bipods and im glad i did, because the 6-9 and the 9-13 bipods were worthless due to the grass heights.
be prepared to shoot in the wind
south dakota feels like it will never end when you drive across it. i think it was 402 miles across when we were on our way to gillette.
its impossibable to describe the number of pronghorn out there. when we first started seeing them on the way we were saying "there is one, there is one" after a couple hours we were seeing so many you didnt bother to mention it any more
some pics
brings some shooting sticks of a very tall bipod. i took 3 bipods and im glad i did, because the 6-9 and the 9-13 bipods were worthless due to the grass heights.
be prepared to shoot in the wind
south dakota feels like it will never end when you drive across it. i think it was 402 miles across when we were on our way to gillette.
its impossibable to describe the number of pronghorn out there. when we first started seeing them on the way we were saying "there is one, there is one" after a couple hours we were seeing so many you didnt bother to mention it any more
some pics
I am taking my 30-06. It has a 4-12x40 nikon scope on it. I am very comfortable shooting at 300 yards. However, I have heard a lot about the high winds and need a windy day to practice at that range before I go. Our unit does not have a ton of public land. I have found 2800 acres of walk in area and about 6 square miles at the top of my unit. This should be enough land to hunt on, but I am always on the look out for more. Do you have any suggestions? I will definitely stop at the Cabelas on the way up
30-06 will work, just a little more movement in the wind. The regular 180gr loads are still not BC enough to buck the wind really well. The wind isn't steady, so you can't just dial in a couple clicks and be set all day.
I'd recommend paying a little more for ammo like this: Trophy Gold
The Bergers are legendary for long range WY hunts, and the extra bullet drop is worth paying for to get the great stability and accuracy at range. Yes, these loads are only 2500ish fps at the muzzle. And if you were shooting antelope at 5 yards, it might matter. But the Bergers work so well at range because they don't slow down as much, and they are far less sensitive to wind.
You're not going to be popping off 200 rounds, so don't be afraid to pop for premium ammo.
Cabela's is, of course, great. It's the original Sidney store before they got bought out and started popping up like Starbucks (the store in Kearney is small, and off the beaten path, so skip it). But they won't carry rounds heavier than 180gr bullets, and if they do carry the 220gr Remington softpoints, those are not that ballistically efficient-- they are old soft point bullet designs. You'd be better off with a 180gr load in a more modern shape.
Anyway, I'm overblowing caliber and bullet choice. You'll have a great time and a great trip.
Please post pics of your best Antelope!
JH
I hunted right above area 25 in area 23 just below Gillette. I only bowhunted so can’t help you much on rifle needs. I would think as flat shooting as possible would be best..
IF you are being guided go out a couple days before season and have the guide take you around and tell you what is and what isn’t a good buck.
This one wasn't quite as big as I thought.
These two were much better. I learned that there is more to judging a pronghorn that looking at his ears in relation to his horns. My first one (above) was a short eared pronghorn.
IF you are being guided go out a couple days before season and have the guide take you around and tell you what is and what isn’t a good buck.
This one wasn't quite as big as I thought.
These two were much better. I learned that there is more to judging a pronghorn that looking at his ears in relation to his horns. My first one (above) was a short eared pronghorn.
i hunted area 23 on a private ranch. the main reason we hunted on the ranch is because we didnt know anything about pronghorn hunting.
next time we go we will hunt public land
next time we go we will hunt public land
we went threw the draw, then when we got there we could have bought our tags over the counter at walmart for the same price as we paid by getting drawn.
trailrider
Expert
There are more antelope in Wyoming than people.
Redskinsfan
Expert
I have hunted antelope in Wyoming just east of Gillette. You have received good advice and I have nothing to add. I too used a .30-06 and it did just fine. There are antelopes all over the place, it is awesome to see. Hunt safely and have a great time.
I've been goat hunting in South Dakota and found it is hard to practice here in the same wind you'll find out west. The days are few and far between when we have wind here in Indiana that compares with the sustained winds out west. I had a blast, I'm sure you will too.
Ditto on the wind. I had to play the wind in an 18 yards bow shot. The arrow hit 8" from where I aimed. He was quartering away and I aimed right at his arse and entered the third rib from the back and exited at his off shoulder. Perfect shot but it sure felt strange aiming at his butt.
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