Wyoming opening day

[Mulie87]

I start of the year out buying and waiting for parts to build a new 6.5 PRC rifle for the upcoming hunting season. You might have read about this build in my “my 2020 build” while building the rifle I put in for antelope draw for Montana and Wyoming. My plan and hope was to do a Tuesday hunt. The summer came around and I did not get drawn for Montana, but I did draw for region one in Wyoming, which is a 100% dry unit. I was happy but I had work to do. I scouted on onyx maps and talk to a buddy that had hunted the unit before and got some advice.

None of my normal Hunting partners could make it, so I invited my girlfriend to come along and she agreed. She has Been with me on two turkey hunts and enjoys tagging along. For this hunt we got her some hunting clothes and a brand new pair of vortex Viper 10 X 42 binoculars.

My rifle build was done and I got my rifle back three weeks before the hunt. I quickly conducted a load development-which took me three days- then spent a day behind the gun extending my ranges and building my confidence.

Our plan was to not only hunt, but to make a vacation out of it. My girlfriend really wanted to go to Mount Rushmore. The plan was to get the hunt out-of-the-way and then do some sightseeing. But the story is not about the entire vacation, but about this hunt.

September 29Th rolls around and off we were to Northeast Wyoming.

Day one: we drove to Butte Montana where we stayed the night.

 Day two: we started the day off by visiting Lewis and Clark Caverns-which I have been to about 10 years ago-but the girlfriend had not been to. The tour taco took about two hours and then we ate lunch on the tailgate of the truck before we finished our seven hour journey Southwest to Wyoming. When we finally cross the border into Wyoming we immediately started seeing a deer. And when I mean dear, I mean all kinds of deer. Mule deer, Whitetail deer, both deer intermingled on crop fields. We even had to stop for or five times to let the deer cross the road. I’ve hunted Montana during the rut, and that is the only time I didn’t see this many deer; even then I have not seen as many deer.

Day 3: Opening day. We started opening day off like any other first day of the hunt. We ate a quick breakfast at the hotel, grabbed a coffee to go and got in the truck. With a tank full of gas, the rifle in the backseat and our optics at the ready, we hit the road at dawn.

It took us about 30 minutes to get out of town and passed all the private property to our first piece of state land. No this was about a 400 acre piece of property, but from the road you can only see a piece of it due to hills. In a small meadow we counted six Mule deer, nine turkey and nine antelope does. We thought, “now the hunt has started.“ We were excited and anxious now that we were seeing animals and wondering what was around the next bend.

We made it through that piece of public property without seeing any more animals. From that point to the next piece of blm land was about a mile. Not more than five minutes later we were 100 yards away from the boarder of a huge section of BLM land. As luck has it before we reached the public land we found antelope. We found for antelope with a buck amongst them. They were off of the passenger side on a Brushy hillside. I stopped and we raised our binoculars to glass the buck. Unfortunately his prongs started below the ears and his horns weren’t that tall. We guesstimated that his height was about 10 inches which was below my minimum of 14. We sat and watched them, admiring nature’s beauty.

The antelope meandered off crossing the road in front of us and then proceeded to walk away towards the public land. We were at the start of a small incline up the dirt road and at the top of this incline was the border to the BLM land. Once we reach the top of the hill I stopped to admire the vast beauty of barren grass Land with Ponderosa Pines in the distance. But I was wondering where those antelope were. I was looking off my left shoulder behind me for those antelope when I heard the girlfriend exclaimed, “antelope!“ I look forward and about a quarter mile off to the right side of the road I saw the herd she was talking about she then said, “buck. He’s a shooter baby.“ My heart rate went up as I felt the rush of adrenaline hit me. I quickly open my binocular harness and raise the glass to my eyes. I was looking through the windshield, and normally looking through a windshield makes your view blurry, but this time it worked. I found the bag per her directions and I also Immediately knew I should shoot him.

With buck fever fully set in, I told her I was going to pull over and park. If I didn’t say earlier, we were on a desolate dirt road with little to no traffic. I pulled off on the dirt shoulder and parked., I inserted my ear protection and told her I was going to shoot him. I Slowly exited my truck and gently closed the door. I then open the rear driver side passenger door to retrieve my rifle. This time I didn’t close the door so softly and it slammed! I just knew the antelope had heard me and they were going to be a Country mile away when I looked up. I rounded the rear of my truck to the passenger side and to my dismay they were still there. I raise my rangefinder and measure the distance to a small bush next to the buck. 230yds. I then adjusted my elevation turret to 2.25 MOA. There was little to no wind so I left the windage turret alone.

To my right was a dirt bank roughly 15 feet high at a approximately 20 to 30° incline. I slowly crawled up the bank and laid on my right side before I reach the top. My Harris bipod’s do not pan or tilt preventing me to level my rifle even if I lowered the right bipod. I knew I had to move, but I was nervous that the sharp eyed speed goats would spot me; bit I had to move. I slowly crawled the last couple feet to the top of this incline. Once at the top again I could love my rifle. I collapse the right bipod and bingo, my rifle was level. I assume the sitting position and looked through my vortex PST II scope. Finally, I had him in my crosshairs. He was not paying attention to me, and frankly I didn’t think he even knew I was there. I put the center floating dock of my ERBC7 radical right on his shoulder as he stood right to left. My thumb push the safety off and my right  finger rested on the trigger. Boom! 6.5 PRC barked sending the 143grn Hornady ELDX bullet down range at 2930 ft./s. Due to the fact I had a muzzle brake on my gun I saw the results of my shot; The box but sat down and then his head hit the dirt. He didn’t move a muscle. I did it, he was down. My adrenaline was pumping and I was overwhelmed with joy. I could see him out there in the flats, his white underbelly facing me from 230 yards. I saw they got up, breathing heavy, And walk back to the truck. I saved the rifle and start it in the backseat. Once I got in the truck I asked my girlfriend, “did you see that?” She had, she had her binoculars glue to her eyes the whole time. See before the hunt I talked to her a bout how to be a spotter. She knew to watch the animal before I shot in after I shot in case it ran off She could tell me either where it ran off to, or where it fell.

After I calm down we drove the half mile parallel with a buck. I got my rifle and pack and off we went to find my trophy. During the 100+ yard walk to the back I was telling her about ground shrinkage. I had experience ground shrinkage in the past and was hoping that wasn’t going to be the case this time. As we got close to the Buckeye slow down and crept up to him revealing pieces with every step. Once I saw his headgear I knew he was a trophy. We took our trophy pictures and then the work started with keeping and De-boning.

Even though my last hunt lasted only one and a half hours out of a multi day hunt, I couldn’t be be any happier. This was a very special hunt and I was lucky to share it with someone I love. She was so excited that she now wants to start hunting.

Day 3 was Mount Rushmore.

Oh, he scored 74 5/8”

[Mulie87]

And here’s what happened at Mount Rushmore:

[Axle]

Cool! 

[Stein]

What a cool trip, except the stay in Butte of course.     (inside MT joke)

I forgot about the caverns, they are a cool place to see for sure.

[Mulie87]

Thanks. Ya, I agree, “butt” Montana. We just needed a bed for the night.

[opdinkslayer]

Congrats on a quality goat & a good trip.

[WAcoueshunter]

Congratulations! 
🍾

Great buck and story too! 

[Widgeondeke]

Great goat. 

Congrats

[jasnt]

Sounds like a great trip.  Congrats on both

[Sutherland]

 

[Bob33]

Looks like you scored a couple trophies on the trip.

Congratulations.

[huntnphool]

 Congrats

[Mulie87]

Hahah, good one Bob. Thanks guys, it’s a great trip. NE Wyoming is beautiful.