Archery speed goats in SE Idaho

[520backyard]

Thanks for the update. Are you trophy hunting, or just trying to fill your tag?

Well I have seen a few toads that I'd like to take home, but I'd settle for a decent buck. Had a really nice buck come in with a group of about 25 yesterday but he'd never come closer than 85 yards. There was probably a 20 mph headwind with stronger gusts blowing off the desert. A decent buck a little better than average  with that group worked into 53 yards and I decided he'd do. So I pinned up and let go. I didn't see where the shot hit cause he jumped the string and was moving so damn fast. They ran off about 100 yards and looked around to see what the hell that noise was, then they turned and worked off. I couldn't see them too well and glassed them as they cleared a hill and the brush about 300 yards away. I couldn't quite pick out the buck I shot at or even know if he was with them. As they walked away I was watching to see if any of the bucks were acting funny and at the end of the line I picked out a buck that would lay down then get up walk a bit then lay down. I watched him lay down and put his head down and I was thinking just stay down. I knew then the shot had to have been in a non vital if he had worked out that far. He laid down one more time then got up as the group moved further out over a hill and out of site. I couldn't see any signs of blood or a wound on him on either side.

As soon as they went out of site I exited my blind and went to look for my arrow. In the foot high alfalfa it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. I looked for better than an hour and didn't find the arrow or any blood. I started to get a knot in my stomach and went over the direction where they had stopped at 100 yards away to look for blood but did'nt find any. I worked out to where I had seen him lay down but the desert all looks the same and it was hard to find exact spots. I didn't find any blood or green ooze and went to where I had seen him go over the hill. I glassed and started doing circles furter and furter out until I came to the next hill and then turned around and glassed no seeing anything. I thought they might have gone left or right so I went left for a ways doing circles then came back and went right doing circles not seeing anything. I then continued over the next set of hills looking didn't see anything. I looked for the rest of the day not seeing anything, but with out a trail or sign to follow it was pretty thin going and it's a big desert. There were tracks here and there but the desert has tracks all over it.

It could be that I missed 53 is a good poke but not out of the realm but between the wind and his jumping the string it's possible I did. But his behaviour was out of the normal and made me think he was hit. I just felt sick as I drove home.

Then it went from bad to worse.

When I got into the blind today and settled in for a long wait after about 2 hours I had a plane buzz my blind barely over the top. I was like what the hell is it the owner or someone looking for lops just having some fun. then they did it again. I turned to look again and the SOB started crop dusting right next to me. I grabbed my stuff and headed up to my truck 400 yards away breathing whatever it was he was spraying. I threw my stuff in my rig and turned around as I watched him spray the alfalfa field. I c

[520backyard]

The rest

 I called my father in law an old retired tater farmer and asked him what in the hell they would be spraying on alfalfa and he said fertilizer. So I went to another area and looked around, I did find where those lops have a serious fence crossing. I waited till he was done spraying and went back an hour later. I got out of my truck and smelled what he had been spraying and went and got in my blind. I did notice a couple dead flies on my blind chair and began to wonder if it was indeed fertilizer he had sprayed. I wasn't in my blind ten minutes when I heard some snrting and blowing bhind me and about 90 yards away was a pretty decent buck looking my direction and snorting and blowing to beat hell. He was there about a minute and took off out into the desert. I waited about an hour and saw a group headed exactly my direction only to stop 200 yards out they then paralleled the field but wouldn't come in and turned and headed off back into the desert. It wasn't me they smelled but the spary. So I decided that I'd better bail out and have a look to see if he was running his irrigation pivot and he wasn't so I think it was pesticide that was sprayed. Funny thing was he had to have seen my truck and my blind and more than likely me in it and he sprayed anyway. I know they are supposed to post when they are going to spray but it wasn't posted cause if it was I would not have been in there. So my blind is out of commision for a couple days till he turns his irrigation  back on and that spray dissipates and the antelope start comming back in.

I'm going to set up a secondary blind on that fence crossing I saw cause thats the way to the closest water and feed and it's used alot by the looks of it. Hell it's only the third day of the season I'm wondering what will happen next.

[rasbo]

wow sounds like a bad ass day.hope it was nothing bad on you...

[520backyard]

wow sounds like a bad ass day.hope it was nothing bad on you...

Well I had a headache for awhile but I think I'll live. Probably should have bailed out after I saw those dead begs in my chair but right after that I also saw that buck and well the hunting instinct kicked in.

[520backyard]

Yesterday I went back in and the irrigation pivot was watering so I settled in and waited. Saw two diffrent lops herds but they went to the bottom and did not come to the area near my blind. They come in two diffrent ways and they really like that bottom. On my way out I looked at the alfalfa and it was grazed low for about 500 on the edge and about 50 feet in. So I decided to park my rig down there the next day and see if it would change their pattern.

Today I did park down there and it sure as hell worked. They would come in and look at it from about 300 yards out and then turn my direction and work in. Right off the bat two does, a fawn and a decent buck came in. The closest the buck came was 86 yards. Then a shootable buck came in within 55 yards but didn't stop to feed just kept walking through to the middle of the field. Then the large group came in with 3 bucks one of which is  the toad I'd been seeing over the last week. 90 yards was the closest he worked in to my blind and 65 yards was the closest one of the decent bucks was. The second time they came in they came in a little closer one of the decent bucks worked within 55 yards and the toad was working my way and had my attention. He worked towards me and got within 65 yards when the wind shifted and one of the does about 45 yards away winded me I think and off they went. Had a shot at one of the decent bucks but wanted to see how close the toad would get before I did anything. He's at least 16" and thick and worthy of my patience to say the least. Seen him every day and I'll see him again tomorrow and maybe just maybe the antelope gods will reward all those hours in the blind.

The best I can describe how antelope are is to say they are like elk the day after modern season X's 100. They are cagey and wily and you never know what the hell they will do.

[520backyard]

Had two diffrent groups of lops come in but the closest bucks were 80+ yards out. I did see the biggest buck yet but he stayed out about 500 yards and didn't come in. He bedded down on a hill and stayed there for hours, he was with another buck that was pretty big too but neither would came in. I also got buzzed by another plane but it wasn't a crop duster. I have 5 days left so any buck that gets within range gets pinned.

[rasbo]

anyway to set up off the trail out further

[520backyard]

anyway to set up off the trail out further

I'm off the edge of the field where 3 trails come in at the top of the hill. My feeling is that they are used to my blind now and it's a 160 acre field. The does have been within 40 yards but there are 4 does or more for every buck. Just gotta wait for the shot.

[520backyard]

I'll also add that from what I have seen with all the road hunters for lops I bet I am getting closer than the majority of hunters. Not many guys wanna sit in a blind for 10 to 14 hours a day. I'll wager I have gotten closer to the toad than anyone has this lop season at 65 yards. Not sure how those road hunters figure they will ever get a shot because just walking anywhere near those lops will cause them to bust out to 500 yards to stare back at you. I just keep being patient, believe me I wanted to stalk them at first when they'd go out of range, but I know better now. But with their eyes, the lack of cover and the country being so open they'd bust you easy.

[dreamingbig]

Have you tried a decoy on them yet?  They can be curious buggers.

[bearpaw]

Sounds like you had a fairly solid hit on that one lope if he was laying his head down, but on occasion I have seen them go a long ways bedding down many times, then after a few days I notice them getting stronger and within a week they were back with the herd, so hopefully he will recover.

Decoys
Works best after the rut starts usually roughly about September 8-22.

Fence Crossing
That sounds to me like your best bet, especially if it is well worn, they will likely use it again. I'd get a blind set up there

Moving Antelope closer to your blind
Put up a new blind or two on the other side of the field, the new objects will cause the antelope to move closer to your hunting blind which they are used to seeing. (Are you sure they have never seen you get in and out of it? If you notice them grazing close to one of the other blinds, then you know where you need to hunt.