Bowhunting Wyoming Antelope

In the spring of 2016 I received my copy of the Good News, a magazine, newsletter put out by the Physically Challenged Bowhunters of America, PCBA.  The PCBA sponsors hunts in different states for disabled hunters and an antelope hunt in Lyman, Wyoming in this issue caught my attention. This was a draw hunt and they were only taking seven PCBA members. I filled out the application, sent it in and began my wait for the results, 

My luck held and in June I got the call from the hunt coordinator that I had been selected as one of the hunters.  The hunt was going to take place Aug 14^th in SW Wyoming and I couldn’t wait to start planning for the hunt.  First up was finding someone to go with me.  After a little convincing, my wife agreed to go with me.  Next was getting the trip planned.  Lyman is a 1,150 mile drive so we needed to figure out how far we could travel in one day and where to stop for the night.  With everything set we waited for the departure day. 

I needed to be in Lyman by noon Sunday the 13^th  so we left home Friday evening for the long drive and after two stops we arrived in Lyman.  We all met at the Lyman Heritage Barn, an old barn that had been remodeled and was the hunt headquarters.  There I met the hunt coordinator Jeff Sanderson and my guide Eric Welchman.  I also met the other hunters, Dirk Price, Theresa Brod, John Tengletch,  Fred Romero,  Nancy  Snyder,  and Pat Lattrel.  Dirk was a blind hunter from Alabama and I was eager to see how he was going to shoot a crossbow. 

After getting settled in the hotel it was off to the range to sight in.  I took some practice shots at 20, 30, and 40 yards and confirmed my bow was on.  That night we had a hearty meal and made plans for the opener the next day. Then it was back to the hotel and wait for the 5:00 wake up call.  The next morning we all met at the barn for breakfast and then it was time to get out and hunt.  We loaded all our gear in Eric’s truck and it was off to our hunting spot.  After a 20 minute drive we arrived at the waterhole and set up the Barronet ground blind.  Diane was going to sit with me so Eric drove a half a mile away and watched things from there.  Once we got settled in I took out my range finder and checked some ranges.  Then, with binoculars in hand we just sat back and waited for the action to start. 

It wasn’t long before I saw antelope moving in the distance.  Diane tapped me on the shoulder and whispered, “Antelope coming in on our left”.  And, in came a doe with two fawns. Not bad d having only being there 20 minutes. I thought that was a good start and a short time later another doe and fawn came in for a drink.  We had been there for about two hours when off to our left we saw two does and a good looking buck making their way to the water.  The does came in first as the buck hung back but eventually his thirst got the better of him and he came over the mound to the water. As he cautiously made his way in he finally took two steps into the water and started to drink. This gave me time to range him.  The reading was 25 yards, so I picked up my Ten Point crossbow, centered the crosshairs on the sweet spot and sent the Rage tipped missile on its way.  I heard the loud smack of a good hit and watched him walk, not run away.  We could tell it was solid hit by the way he reacted and then we saw him lay down about 150 yards away. 

I called Eric and told him I had one down but he had been watching the whole time and saw the action unfold and was already on his way to the blind.  We watched as he retrieved my prize, brought it back and loaded it up in the truck to take it to the skinning shed.  After that we went to the local locker plant where they cut and wrapped the meat for the ride home.  At the end of the three day hunt the tally was three antelope.  While not everyone took an antelope, everyone did have shot opportunities and we couldn’t ask for more than that. The high light of the hunt was Dirk got his antelope.  For a blind hunter this was a major accomplishment.  

  To apply for this hunt you need to be a member of the PCBA.  Once they have your application you are entered in the drawing and if you are selected you are eligible for the hunt.  The PCBA provides land to hunt, guide, transportation, processing and all the meals.  You are responsible for you own hotel.  As an added bonus we could buy our antelope tags at a resident price. This was a fantastic hunt and I was taken care of very well.  If you would like a chance at the prairie speedster join the PCBA and check out the Good News for upcoming hunts.  To join go to pcba-inc.org you won’t be disappointed.

For more please go to: The Disabled Archer