Field Judging Antelope - 3 things to look at

[cnelk]

here are some links that may be helpful for those heading out to chase antelope soon!

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[Deertick]

Interesting. I\'ve found pronghorn are like bears: You will know when it\'s a big one.

 

[colorado russ]

Thanks for the info Brad. Not being a trophy hunter per se, I\'ll be within 30 yards so should be able to judge size. Plus, I plan on taking the first buck that\'s a minimum 12\" who gets within range unless I\'m just seeing a crazy number of bucks then I\'ll hold out. I don\'t expect anything over 14 1/2 to 15\" where I\'m hunting but who knows.

Trail camera pics earlier this week had a buck chasing a doe so hopefully the rut will be picking up in 3 days! He was in the 13-14\" range from what I could tell.

 

[Deertick]

A little early to see rutting ... usually, that\'s the end of September.

As for field judging, keep in mind, any mature pronghorn is a pretty trophy. I have both \"good\" pronghorn and average ones in the living room, and they all sort of blend together. Don\'t sweat it! It\'s tough to go wrong on pronghorn.

Maybe the key is to learn to identify SMALL ones, and avoid them!

I\'m hunting Saturday, and I\'m not going to be real picky. I don\'t have a ton of time to devote to hunting them this year, and Brad is coming along, so the hunt is more about getting out and bringing home backstraps.

 

[otcWill]

I look at mass, mass, and mass. Lopes have 4 mass measurements and a short (12 inch) buck can be a whopper if he has good mass. A few years ago I shot one that was 12.5 on both sides and grossed 77 inches. This year I don\'t have to worry about judging as I only have a doe tag. Good luck to all who are chasing lopes this season!

 

[iccyman001]

I look at mass, mass, and mass. Lopes have 4 mass measurements and a short (12 inch) buck can be a whopper if he has good mass. A few years ago I shot one that was 12.5 on both sides and grossed 77 inches. This year I don\'t have to worry about judging as I only have a doe tag. Good luck to all who are chasing lopes this season!

I ended up picking up a point because I want to chase a WY buck.
How many do you usually save up before you can draw one, Will?

 

[otcWill]

Here\'s a shot of a buck that\'s short with great mass and 8\" prongs.

Dan, I have hunted a unit that is about 60% odds with 1pt but I\'m saving up for a 3pt unit now. I want an 80\" buck with the bow :upthumb: Let me know when you plan to come hunt WY. If you haven\'t killed any I\'d recommend getting a 1pt tag, plenty of decent bucks to be had.

 

[Deertick]

Lots of mass there, Will!

Just curious ... did you score him? I wonder what he\'d measure.

I agree ... most pronghorn look pretty much the same until you see one with MASS.

Here\'s last year\'s pronghorn for me ... rifle ... this is LENGTH. Tall and skinny. I\'ve never shot one like this before, so when he came along, he was the goal. But overall, MASS is more impressive, IMO.

 

[iccyman001]

Here\'s a shot of a buck that\'s short with great mass and 8\" prongs.

Dan, I have hunted a unit that is about 60% odds with 1pt but I\'m saving up for a 3pt unit now. I want an 80\" buck with the bow :upthumb: Let me know when you plan to come hunt WY. If you haven\'t killed any I\'d recommend getting a 1pt tag, plenty of decent bucks to be had.

Great buck, Will!
I hope you draw your 3pt unit because I have no doubt you\'d put in a great effort to get you an 80\".

I have not killed one yet, so I\'d definitely be interested in doing a 1 or 2 pt unit.

I believe that the season is early enough where it wouldn\'t interference with my elk hunts!

 

[colorado russ]

Deertick, you\'re correct on the CO rut being Sept - I think I was just reading more into the trail camera picture than what it was. Wishful thinking on my part! Either way, will be sitting in a ground blind in 2 days.

 

[F M]

Good luck this weekend guys. Hope it\'s not to hot out this weekend for you.

 

[cnelk]

Here is the weather forecast for Laramie
I can only imagine it will be another 50 degrees hotter inside a blind!!!

 

[otcWill]

Lots of mass there, Will!

Just curious ... did you score him? I wonder what he\'d measure.

I agree ... most pronghorn look pretty much the same until you see one with MASS\"

Low 70\'s John. Good luck this weekend! According to Brad you don\'t need any luck where you\'re huntn :upthumb: Aim small!

 

[cohunter14]

I\'m not too picky...I just want one that is as tall as John\'s from last year with the mass of Will\'s.

I tend to agree with what John said regarding judging antelope: you know when it\'s a big one. Mass + length = big!