S.E. Idaho Speed Goat 2015

[520backyard]

Well the only thing I can say about archery pronghorn hunting is you had better expect to be very very patient. And in the end my patience paid off. After 11 days of sitting in my blind anywhere from 12 to 14 hours a day in 90 to a 100 degree heat this guy finally got within range and I got an arrow in him at 62 yards.
 Between the 15 to 20MPH wind and him jumping the string it wasn't a particularly good hit. He ran off 100 yards and started walking and went down. I watched him for a half an hour during which time he displayed no movement, so I climbed out of my blind and made my way up to him. I had no sooner ranged him at 26 yards thinking about sticking another arrow in him, when he picked up his head took a look at me and got up and took off running into the desert. So I went and got my day pack(water) and binos out of my blind and started off after him keeping him in sight, because while the desert looks flat it is anything but and it can swallow a hit buck up fast and forever. He'd run 400 or 500 yards and then walk and stop and I'd catch up and try to work within range to get another shot in only to have him take off again and again. I knew he was hit pretty bad from the way he went down but also knew that a wounded pronghorn can go for miles and miles so I kept at him always trying to keep him in sight.
 Finally I worked up on him to about 60 yards again but by this time the winds had really kicked up to about 25-30 mph and I waited till I thought there was a lull before I shot again only to have the wind toss my arrow around and watch it go over his back. Now I knew I was going to have to get pretty close because I only had 1 arrow left out of the 3 I originally started the day with. He ran off and this time he laid down when he got done running so I worked up on him and up he'd jump and take off, by now we were 2.5 miles into the desert. Finally he got done running and laid down again and I got within 30 yards and took the shot (again in the what I thought was a lull in the wind) which was partially blocked by rocks and a couple bushes. It was a good hit he jumped up went 10-15 yards and went down for good.
I went back to my truck got my meat pack, hiked back cut him up and decided to pack him out the 2.5 miles in one trip. After I got him to the butchers to cool him down and we weighed the meat it was 84 pounds and with the head weighed 115 so I know he was a pretty big buck.

He's got really good mass, good cutter size and is 15" on the one side and slightly shorter on the other. I'll get him scored for P&Y I think he might just make it.

[520backyard]

Couple more pics.

[bowhunterforever]

Nice goat congrats

[520backyard]

The other things I can say about pronghorn hunting from my experience (three years) is that the wind will most likely be a factor in your shot as it seemed to blow 75% of the time. One day I actually had to pack it in at 10:30 am as a storm blew in and the winds got to 60 mph. I saw lots of bucks at 80 to 90 yards just out of range. And that pronghorns all jump the string like no other.

[520backyard]

Nice goat congrats

Thanks this was my first pronghorn.

[pd]

Boy that was a lot of work!  Job well done.

[Duckhunter14]

Way to stay at it! That's a nice ID pronghorn. 

[GoldTip]

Dandy speed goat, congrats!

[andrew_in_idaho]

Nicely done, I got in a little experience chasing those things for the 1st time the weekend before last and even though I was hunting spot and stalk you are right patience is key. Hopefully I'll be able to pull it off when I try again in a couple weeks