Antelope Hunting Tips!

[cnelk]

Antelope season is fast approaching.
archery and rifle and ML.

Share any tips or experiences you have that other could use!

I have never actually hunted them, but I listen to some guys that have and here is a tip I won\'t forget.

A guy had a problem with the antelope watering on the opposite side of the pond of where his blind was.
He ended up putting 2 duck decoys across the pond in the water and the antelope immediately watered on his side!

 

[bowhunter]

I don\'t hunt antelope but that is a cool tip. I bet it could be used in other hunting situations too. Like maybe a couple turkey decoys for deer hunting :think:

 

[colorado russ]

Good tip Brad. I\'ll be bowhunting the speedgoats this year so welcome any and all hints. Thought about getting one of the slip systems with the moo cow as I think it might be my only chance of spot/stalk given my petite size and stealthy approach!!

Have private land access but my buddy says the grass along the creek is taller than the antelope so they\'re going to BLM land for water. If nobody else is hunting one of the BLM water holes, I\'d say my chances are pretty good from a ground blind.

Will be doing scouting next weekend and taking a couple of days off around the opening weekend.

 

[iccyman001]

In my experience with bow hunting antelope, I found a few things out early:

- Their eye sight is amazing, but they are still curious.
I was able to walk within 100 yards of them, but to get any closer I had to work for it.

- DONT DECOY TOO EARLY. I am not talking moo moo cow like Russ mentioned, I am talking buck or doe decoy.
I used a buck decoy and had many failed attempts because it was too early. The big bucks didn\'t try to stand their ground for territory and if anything it gave me away. I had an easier time sneaking in on them alone than I did using a buck decoy.

- Be smart hunting over water. They bucks I dealt with came in cautious. They would get to the tank or pond, lower their head to drink, and then jerk it up quick to look around. Wait for them to COMMIT to drinking.

 

[bnsafe]

take plenty of water and snacks, its hot hot hot. but they are fun to hunt. if you get one get the meat off the bone as quickly as possible. dont wait til that night.

 

[cohunter14]

Good glass definitely helps. They will come to water, so if you can find the right water hole, you are in great shape. Their eyesight is ridiculously good, so make sure you do whatever you can to avoid being seen. This means that spot and stalk needs to be done in fairly rolling terrain...flat ground is extremely difficult. Antelope are also very predictable...they will be in the same areas year in and year out at specific times of the year. Getting close is very tough, so if you can, learn to shoot them from far away :upthumb:

 

[timberland]

When setting up on a tank, they would rather water out of the spill area than the tank itself. I\'ve seen them drink out of a muddy cow track before the clean tank water.

 

[elkmtngear]

I\'ve never had the opportunity to hunt them, but I can tell you what I\'ve learned from successful customers:

If using an antelope buck decoy, as Dan mentioned, it is more effective to crawl inside 80 yards or so, and then flash the decoy.

If you are shielding with a pronghorn decoy, or a moo cow...take a lot of time moving in. Do not approach directly...rather, in a wide arc. Give them plenty of time to get used to the decoy. I can tell you from experience, that this approach works in wide open terrain, on multiple game species with the Moo Cow as well (deer, turkeys, waterfowl, elk).

You can use the Moo Cow decoy at a waterhole as a \"confidence\" decoy as well. And, the antelope will not crowd it, so you can use it on one end of a large waterhole to \"push\" them toward your ambush location.