# In the nick of time



## MEEN (Jan 27, 2009)

I have spent every weekend since the last week in July scouting antelope. I had seen plenty of antelope but had spent 2 weeks prior to the opening of the season patterning one particular buck that I estimated to be at least 74". He was in a difficult area and was constantly harassed by coyotes. I passed on some smaller bucks the first week of the hunt and finally got my opportunity over Memorial weekend.

Saturday morning the antelope came in with the buck I have been after since I started scouting him 2 months ago. A doe fed in front of a mound of dirt I knew was 65 yards. Ranged her with my finder at 64. He followed right after her and stopped. Instead of drawing and shooting I wanted to double check the yardage.... Yep still 64 yards but his butt was facing me. I didn't want to draw and wait ten minutes till he turned broadside so I waited until he turned. He finally turned and I got set to draw but he stepped in front of the doe. So I waited until she moved. Just barely started to draw back and he stepped behind a mound of dirt where I couldn't shoot. I waited it out but to make a long story short, I belly crawled out of my blind and to the mound of dirt he was behind but when I got there, him and his does had bedded down 120 yards away. So I belly crawled back to the blind. He got up and came back down to feed so I belly crawled back out there. At 40 yards he heard me knock an arrow and ran back to his does where he bedded down. Belly crawled once again back to the blind. 3 hours later they got up to come drink but the wind changed and they smelt me and got the heck out of dodge.

I was so frustrated I screwed up my chance that I packed my bow up and hiked out to the truck to call it quits for goods at 1:30 pm. Started my truck and put it in drive but decided I couldn't quit yet. So I hiked back to the blind. At 7:15 p.m. I was finishing eating some snacks and tossed a box of plastic forks on the ground. When I looked up, the freaking buck was staring at me in my blind 30 yards away. In no way was I prepared for him. Bow was too far away and I was sitting in a comfy chair with arm rests. I managed to get my bow, knocked an arrow, but didn't want to waste time range finding him because I thought I had remembered that spot was a 30 yard shot from last week. He started drinking, I drew back but as I leaned to the side so I could shoot out the window my chair fell forward and I lost the anchor on my draw. Luckily he didn't pick his head up but his 9 does were on to me and about ready to bolt. I redrew, put my 30 yard pin on the boiler room, and let it fly.

Well to my dismay the arrow sailed just barely under his stomach and all the antelope took off running. I ranged the yardage....... 40 yards... not 30 like I thought I had remembered from last week. So I packed my stuff up and came home. I swore I was done for the season.

The last day of the hunt I got the itchin to go give it one last shot. So I left work at 3 pm and made it up to the area I wanted to hunt at 5:30 pm. I pulled the truck off to the side of the road so I could change out of my dress clothes. Before changing I scanned the area for antelope with my binoculars and spotted one 700 yards off in the distance. When I put the binoculars down there was another antelope that appeared out of thin air 200 yards down the hill from me and was walking away from me. I threw on my camo shirt, boots, and mask but didn't have time to take off my dress pants.

I got lucky. The buck spotted some antelope off in the distance and was fixated on them which allowed me to sneak up to 60 yards behind him. He turned broadside and my arrow went clean through him. The lope piled up 80 yards away.

He is definitely not the biggest antelope but beggars can't be choosers when it's the last evening of the hunt. He has 2" broken off of his left side and tapes at 63".


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## Briar Patch (Feb 1, 2010)

Congratulations on filling your tag!


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## bugchuker (Dec 3, 2007)

congrats.


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## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

Nice Job Meen! Why the empty quiver?


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## MEEN (Jan 27, 2009)

elk22hunter said:


> Nice Job Meen! Why the empty quiver?


Thanks! I store my bow and arrows in a hard case separately. When I spotted him I had to hurry and get my stuff out of the case and didn't want to waste time loading my quiver with arrows. In fact I was in such a hurry that you will notice i forgot to put my stabilizer on.

Great looking bull by the way. Can't wait for the vid.


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## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

Good Answer. ha ha

Just making sure that there wasn't more to the story than we were getting. 

Thanx on the Bull. I'm thinking that we both have had some great fun this early fall.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

did you gut it in the back yard? lol
nice goat how did you get it to stand up all by its self?

dont mind me it really is a nice goat with a bow!


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## Size Matters (Dec 22, 2007)

Congrats on the nice Lope. 8)


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## MEEN (Jan 27, 2009)

swbuckmaster said:


> did you gut it in the back yard? lol
> nice goat how did you get it to stand up all by its self?
> 
> dont mind me it really is a nice goat with a bow!


Paid my wife five bucks to crawl up in its cavity so it wouldn't tip over!


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## MEEN (Jan 27, 2009)

Anybody know of anyone near the salt lake valley that does a good job on European mounts for a decent price?


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

MEEN said:


> swbuckmaster said:
> 
> 
> > did you gut it in the back yard? lol
> ...


lol you got off easy my wife would have told me $10 and Id still be doing honey do's 10 days after. lol


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## wileywapati (Sep 9, 2007)

MEEN Get a hold of PACKOUT on this forum. Sagebasin Taxidermy. www.sagebasin.com


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

congrats on a nice buck.


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## stablebuck (Nov 22, 2007)

way to get it done...better late than never!


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

Very nice goat. Sounds like fun!


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