So, I got a late rifle prong horn tag this year for several units in the eastern plains of colorado. It's a first for me. I've never been pronghorn hunting, so I had no idea what to expect.
Luckily, my wife has a college friend who she is still tight with and that friend grew up on a ranch outside of Pueblo. Her dad agreed to take me out on his property.
Which made all the difference, b/c the first thing I learned was:
1. I know nothing about pronghorn.
I'm used to hunting deer and elk. When you spook a deer or elk, yeah, sure, they'll run a bit (elk a bit farther), but then they stop. Pronghorn will run around a hill and then keep going for another half mile as a reaction to a mildly uncomfortable feeling. Prong horn hear a car? Run for half a mile. Hear a butterfly fart? Giddyup for half a mile. My guide (60+ years in the ranching business) was completely nonplussed by this. "Heck, they're not even scared," he said. "If they were scared, they'd kick in the jets and be 5 miles down the road." Ok, note to self: spot and stalk is not gonna happen today.
2. I don't know anything about gauging distance on the plains.
Maybe it's because I've been spending too much time this year with a bow and looking at short distances, but when faced with an endless field that is a flecktarn pattern of catcus and scrub bush and rocks, I couldn't really guesstimate how far the pronghorn were from me. I took a Nikon Promaster 3 but ranging was really tough. Either they were moving and hard targets to put a laser on, or they were just so small and far away that they were hard to range. I pretty much didn't use it after the first couple tries. Maybe other models would be better.
Note to self: good optics are important, knowing distance is better.
3. Tactics are key. Scouting is a must.
The rancher I was with knew the land like he'd been on it his whole life which enabled him to predict where the herd was going. If you have a blind and a water hole; then that's your tactic. Either is valid. You have to get ahead of them, b/c you're not going to catch them. Be patient.
4. Pronghorn are as elusive as 4-hoofed ninjas.
On a day with flat light, they're almost invisible in the distance. In sunlight, they pop out. The rancher mentioned this and a friend of mine from Montana who used to hunt antelope said the same thing. Absolutely true. I chose to use my 6x Viper binoculars over my 8x Hensoldt as the Vipers didn't have a military-issue laser filter and the colors were more true. Several times, we would spot the herd, go around a hill and they were just gone. We'd spend a couple minutes looking about and eventually, we'd spy some wee little pronghorn a half mile farther away. Just gone. Did I mention "be patient"?
5. Don't practice shots under 200 yards.
It's just a waste of time. If you can see a pronghorn at less then 200 yards, you're in a zoo, museum or a blind. Sight your scope in at 200 or more. My Savage had a Nikon with the ballistic drop reticle, so although I was sighted in for an inch high at 100 yards, the next bubble down was 225 and that's what I used. Expect that you might have to make a shot on a moving target and practice for it. They might not be moving quickly, but they are often in motion.
6. Equipment: go light b/c you will be moving a lot.
I debated bringing a bipod or not. I see now that, with the constant presence of 3' tall walking man cacti in all directions, the bipod would have been useless unless I was on an overlook. A tall shooting stick would have been functional. Don't expect to have a solid rest. Food and camel back type water supply are musts.
7. It doesn't take much to kill a pronghorn.
Relatively speaking. I used my Savage 11 in 260 Remington loaded with 120gr. ttsx Barnes Vor-tx to shoot flat and buck the wind. I hit mine head on b/c, well, she was looking at me and I thought it was better to shoot head on than wait for her to turn and start moving again. It went in the front of her neck, through her body, and out her side just ahead of the rear quarter. She fell where I shot her.
.243Win, 6mmRem, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8SPC, 6.5x55, or any of the former wildcats based on the necked down .308Winchester would be sufficient to 300-350 yards. Of course, any long action classic cartridge or any super-thumper would also work but the increasing variables of wind and distance past 400 means you need to know your rifle, scope, your ballistic numbers and your abilities as a shooter.
Don't know if this will help or deter any other first-time pronghorn hunters, but good luck out there.
Luckily, my wife has a college friend who she is still tight with and that friend grew up on a ranch outside of Pueblo. Her dad agreed to take me out on his property.
Which made all the difference, b/c the first thing I learned was:
1. I know nothing about pronghorn.
I'm used to hunting deer and elk. When you spook a deer or elk, yeah, sure, they'll run a bit (elk a bit farther), but then they stop. Pronghorn will run around a hill and then keep going for another half mile as a reaction to a mildly uncomfortable feeling. Prong horn hear a car? Run for half a mile. Hear a butterfly fart? Giddyup for half a mile. My guide (60+ years in the ranching business) was completely nonplussed by this. "Heck, they're not even scared," he said. "If they were scared, they'd kick in the jets and be 5 miles down the road." Ok, note to self: spot and stalk is not gonna happen today.
2. I don't know anything about gauging distance on the plains.
Maybe it's because I've been spending too much time this year with a bow and looking at short distances, but when faced with an endless field that is a flecktarn pattern of catcus and scrub bush and rocks, I couldn't really guesstimate how far the pronghorn were from me. I took a Nikon Promaster 3 but ranging was really tough. Either they were moving and hard targets to put a laser on, or they were just so small and far away that they were hard to range. I pretty much didn't use it after the first couple tries. Maybe other models would be better.
Note to self: good optics are important, knowing distance is better.
3. Tactics are key. Scouting is a must.
The rancher I was with knew the land like he'd been on it his whole life which enabled him to predict where the herd was going. If you have a blind and a water hole; then that's your tactic. Either is valid. You have to get ahead of them, b/c you're not going to catch them. Be patient.
4. Pronghorn are as elusive as 4-hoofed ninjas.
On a day with flat light, they're almost invisible in the distance. In sunlight, they pop out. The rancher mentioned this and a friend of mine from Montana who used to hunt antelope said the same thing. Absolutely true. I chose to use my 6x Viper binoculars over my 8x Hensoldt as the Vipers didn't have a military-issue laser filter and the colors were more true. Several times, we would spot the herd, go around a hill and they were just gone. We'd spend a couple minutes looking about and eventually, we'd spy some wee little pronghorn a half mile farther away. Just gone. Did I mention "be patient"?
5. Don't practice shots under 200 yards.
It's just a waste of time. If you can see a pronghorn at less then 200 yards, you're in a zoo, museum or a blind. Sight your scope in at 200 or more. My Savage had a Nikon with the ballistic drop reticle, so although I was sighted in for an inch high at 100 yards, the next bubble down was 225 and that's what I used. Expect that you might have to make a shot on a moving target and practice for it. They might not be moving quickly, but they are often in motion.
6. Equipment: go light b/c you will be moving a lot.
I debated bringing a bipod or not. I see now that, with the constant presence of 3' tall walking man cacti in all directions, the bipod would have been useless unless I was on an overlook. A tall shooting stick would have been functional. Don't expect to have a solid rest. Food and camel back type water supply are musts.
7. It doesn't take much to kill a pronghorn.
Relatively speaking. I used my Savage 11 in 260 Remington loaded with 120gr. ttsx Barnes Vor-tx to shoot flat and buck the wind. I hit mine head on b/c, well, she was looking at me and I thought it was better to shoot head on than wait for her to turn and start moving again. It went in the front of her neck, through her body, and out her side just ahead of the rear quarter. She fell where I shot her.
.243Win, 6mmRem, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8SPC, 6.5x55, or any of the former wildcats based on the necked down .308Winchester would be sufficient to 300-350 yards. Of course, any long action classic cartridge or any super-thumper would also work but the increasing variables of wind and distance past 400 means you need to know your rifle, scope, your ballistic numbers and your abilities as a shooter.
Don't know if this will help or deter any other first-time pronghorn hunters, but good luck out there.
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