End of season Texas Pronghorn hunt Success

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crs
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End of season Texas Pronghorn hunt Success

Post by crs »

The last weekend of the Texas season saw 86er, my son Colin, and I driving 7.5 hours from Farmersville to Dalhart and the outfitter lodge location on H54 to begin our hunts. With all the usual No-Fault papers signed and only a couple of hours of daylight left, our guide, Joe Pope, said "lets go get one" and off we went with Colin in the front passenger/shooter seat and another guide and I in the back seats. After a week of rain, all unpaved roads were very muddy and care was required to stay on the road. Even so, within 1/2 mile from the pavement the vehicle slowly slid backwards off the mid-road crown and into the left bar ditch. Fortunately, the truck owner was in the back with me and he coached the driver and with 4 wheel drive and the rear end locked, we easily crawled back onto the road . After that, Joe drove VERY carefully and we soon saw game far out on the prairie off to our left. Joe wisely left the road and drove on to the prairie grass where there was better traction. We manuvered to get into range, but every time we stopped and Colin stepped out to shoot, the herd of a dozen moved again. After four such attempts, when Colin set the tripod of his .308 on the car hood, he had time to make a one shot kill of a very nice first buck.
Image

We made it back to camp in time for the staff to clean, quarter, and drop the game into our cooler and cover it with ice before dark. After supper, we drove 11 miles into Dalhart to our hotel (this hunt was all inclusive and included food and lodging).

CRS Buck:
Image
The next morning, Joe Pope drove for us and I was the shooter and Colin an observer along with another staff guide. After several valiant attempts, we were not able to get withing good shooting range and went back to camp for a break and snack. We were back at it by noon and Joe tried a few fields before slowly driving counter clockwise around a large circular irrigation area; we would drive a few yards and glass ahead and then drive on. At last Joe spotted a herd with two bucks over a half mile away and still in the one section (Texan speak for one square mile) field. Rather than crawl the distance, we chose to try to fool the game by driving in their general direction but not directly at them. The other guide and I clambered into the bed of the pickup and sat still as Joe drove at an angle that would put us within range before reaching the far side of the field. A we approached shooting range, the herd spooked and ran around us so they were in range behind us. The guide quickly set up shooting sticks and I was drawing a bead on the bigger buck when my foot hit a leg of the tripod and it collapsed. Fortunately the herd then circled back to their original location just 238 yards out. My guide had placed a folded jacked on the roof of the cab and it made dandy rifle rest from which I shot and dropped the larger buck. After taking pix, we headed back to camp to relax and watch for 86er and other incoming hunters.

86er Buck:
Image
Yes,,that is a muzzle loader flint lock he used. But first, the rollover of their first pickup.
While Colin was shooting his buck that first evening, the driver of the pickup with 86er was driving too fast and running that truck forcefully into a bar ditch where it rolled over onto the drive side doors. The air bags deployed knocking the driver out and the front seat passenger into the back seats on top of a guide and 86er. Oh woe! 86er kept his cool and had all climb up to the right side which dropped the truck onto its wheels with the nose in the mud and the rear pointed at the road. He then got uninjured guide behind the wheel, started the truck, put it into 4WD ( first driver had left it in 2 wheel when leaving the pavement) and they backed it onto the county road. Both folks in the front seat required medical attention, so while the guide drove the five miles back to camp, 86er called the cook and told her to get her truck ready to take her son and son in law (driver) to the hospital in Dalhart. Colin and I were sitting around the camp fire when the injured rolled in and the parental ambulance rolled out to Dalhart. Then an emotional 86er told the whole story with at least 10 times the detail above. Those readers acquainted with 86er can imagine how upset he was and how let it out!
All returned OK from the hospital and were able to hunt the next day.

Flintlock hunting- after some hours the next day, some game was located and the guide dropped 86er off to stalk close enough for a shot; he did this and killed a nice prong buck.

That night, we has grilled pronghorn back strap and it was great! We had breakfast at the lodge Saturday morning and drove back to Farmersville.


FYI:
The outfitter was Pope Brothers Guide Service and Outfitting, based in Junction, Texas.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/PBGSO/about ... e_internal

They have been hunting the Dalhart area for 20 years and have made arrangements with many farmers and ranchers to buy their Texas Landowner Antelope tags for the hunters they book. A look at a map of the Texas Panhandle will show you that Dalhart is near the borders of Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma and just south of the Rita Blanca National Grasslands (Pronghorn Honey Hole). This is a target -rich environment and the Pope Brothers have a near 100% success record over many years of hunting the area. If a flintlock shooter can get a buck, most any shooter of a modern center fire rifle should certainly score!
Theirs is a family operation that includes a Taxidermy business- A2Z Taxidermy.
Last edited by crs on Tue Oct 22, 2019 8:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: End of season Texas Pronghorn hunt Success

Post by piller »

Sounds like an adventure.
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Re: End of season Texas Pronghorn hunt Success

Post by Griff »

Lookin' forward to the "rest of the story"!
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Re: End of season Texas Pronghorn hunt Success

Post by piller »

I think someone sounds as if he needs to learn a little more about driving. I grew up not too far from there. Yes, I got stuck a time or two, but I never turned a vehicle over. I can imagine 86er's demeanor about then. That flat smile was probably bent down like a wet spaghetti noodle.
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Re: End of season Texas Pronghorn hunt Success

Post by crs »

Antelope chili tonight!

The mild meat really takes to the seasoning and makes great chili. I use Wick Fowlers mix, but my daughter volunteered to do the cooking honors, so she will make her own seasoning.

Post Chili Pigout Report due tomorrow.
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Re: End of season Texas Pronghorn hunt Success

Post by Pete44ru »

.

Nice speed goats - CONGRATS ! ! . :mrgreen:

.
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Re: End of season Texas Pronghorn hunt Success

Post by marlinman93 »

I personally think antelope is one of the finest wild game meats around! Those are all good looking goats!
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Re: End of season Texas Pronghorn hunt Success

Post by Pitchy »

Cool, congrats all. :)
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Re: End of season Texas Pronghorn hunt Success

Post by M. M. Wright »

I've been through that country many times while hunting prairie dogs and saw a bunch of antelope. Even talked to farmers who asked us to shoot as many antelope as we wanted but alas, not in season. Most consider them a nuisance or pest.
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Re: End of season Texas Pronghorn hunt Success

Post by crs »

MM
Yes, some farmers and ranchers seem to value their grass more than the Pronghorn. Some also make money from selling their tags to hunters and outfitters.

We had our first pronghorn chili last night is several years. I get some more for supper tonight.
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Re: End of season Texas Pronghorn hunt Success

Post by piller »

There have been pronghorn sighted in the SouthWest corner of Kansas in recent years after an absence of somewhere around 100 years. My relatives were quite happy to see a small herd running wild out there.
D. Brian Casady
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Re: End of season Texas Pronghorn hunt Success

Post by Nath »

Great report.
Good to see familiar faces again.

Amazingly I just read a similar accident story on another forum . I salute 86er and not just for using that flinter 8)

You all keep looking out for each other.

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