ONLINE BOWHUNT: Antelope In Wyoming
Sept 9, 2000 - Day #2
First Antelope
At daylight the wind was blowing about hard as it can blow and not be a hurricane. Everyone went out except me, I was still tired (and I've done this Wyoming 50-60 mph wind deal before) so I took advantage of the situation and slept in. When I woke up I ate a real (cooked it myself) breakfast and talked to the hunters who came back to camp to get out of the wind. Mid afternoon the wind started putting on the breaks and I went to my blind area. Two antelope bucks watched me from a ridge 200 yards away as I got my stuff together at the truck. When they walked back down the ridge I went to my blind and moved it to the spring water area I found yesterday and set it up in the reeds. I saw 4 bucks and a few does, all at a distance. Curt Ladich had better luck.
Curt Ladich hunted an elevated blind by a water hole. Nothing happened until the wind dropped from 50mph to a gentle breeze. A buck came from behind Curt and walked into view beneath him. The buck drank from the water hole and then walked behind the blind, where Curt couldn't see it, but it came into view again -- 15 yards away, broadside. Curt drew his 73 lb. bamboo longbow (made by Dave Stringham), aimed and put the arrow in the vitals. The buck ran about 100 yards, stopped and laid down in the sage brush. Curt waited half an hour and went to his arrow. There was a very heavy blood trail on the ground and it led right to the buck. He field dressed the buck and drove to camp. Curt tagged the first antelope of our bowhunt.