We finally set up about 400 yards or so above a small reservoir, glassing the few animals that were in the area. After a bit, two single bucks left the draw and climbed to the top of the ridge to our right, about 300 yards from us. She didn't want to take a skyline shot, so we waited until the bucks were out of sight over the ridge, then walked up to the top, peeking over a small hill. Both bucks were there just grazing, about 100 yards apart. She made her way to a small group of sagebrush about 50 yards from me, got down into prone, rested the rifle on a bush and dropped the larger of the two bucks: one shot, one pronghorn. Shot him in the base of the neck, he never stirred out of his tracks. I later ranged the distance, 242 yards. We had him dressed, skinned out and cooling on the tailgate by 10:00 AM. Back home by 1:00 PM, boned and trimmed, in the fridge by 4:00 PM.
I was proud of my wife, she has hunted for years and this was one of her longest shots. She shoots a model 722 Remington , a Weaver K6 scope from the same era, 257 Roberts cartridge, with 100 grain Hornadys and 44 grains of H4350. What a great old cartridge, she has seldom had to shoot twice.
Coming through the checking station, the G&F biologist measured the buck at 14 1/4' and said he was about 4 years old.
Was plumb disgusted when I loaded the pix I took, me "autofocus" camera didn't, came out blurry but you get the idea. A perfect day for this geezer and his geezerette.
Happiness is a cool carcass and a cold Bud.
