Antelope in back yard, so what the heck! Tons of questions

[rocktot]

I will be living up Fairplay way, and there is an antelope herd that runs around there on some fed land in the back. Just some questions:

1. Whats a good size gun for antelope? Not looking to upgrade, or 400 yard shots. I can get close to 100 yards or less, (for now) but say 200-300? (I may be looking for a good used Savage or something with a wooden stock)

2. What is the deal with hunting on private property? Alot of the land is owned but unused.

3. How much is license, tags etc? I will only need one antelope.

4. Processing: I would like to make steaks, and mainly ground antelope, is there any special prep, I want to try to can some to last all year. Is canning game meat acceptable if done properly or does it get really gamey??

5. Do you go for doe or buck or what is the deal? Don't really like the idea of taking out the top end of the gene pool.

6. Whats antelope taste like compared to beef or buffalo? Some good ways to prep it??

7. Basic tools for beginner (processing, etc) ?

Thanks!

[spqrzilla]

Any legal big game caliber will do. 6mm or .243 caliber or larger. You can hunt on private property but only with permission. Go see the DOW website for tags, you'll have to apply in early April. Have you got a hunter education card?

Eat a speed goat? EEEeeeeyyyyyuuuuu.

[fly boy]

They are like deer... Can potentially be gamey, just depends on processing and what they eat. Have the meat thaw in bloody marry mix the day before you want to eat, then season with rub.... DELICIOUS!

if they are used to open prairie.... your going to be shooting 2-300 easy. if they are like the ones up here... you can damn near club them :D

[ray1970]

2 words....

beef jerky.

[fly boy]

2 words....

beef jerky.

LOL :facepalm:

[porfiriozg]

in order from
1. 24cal and up
2. permission on private
3. 34 plus habitat stamp of 10
4. any way you like (self or Processer)
5. depends on whats available and when you apply (i prefer doe)
6. acquired maybe? onion soup in ground antelope
7. knife and maybe a meat grinder

[Great-Kazoo]

They are like deer... Can potentially be gamey, just depends on processing and what they eat. Have the meat thaw in bloody marry mix the day before you want to eat, then season with rub.... DELICIOUS!

if they are used to open prairie.... your going to be shooting 2-300 easy. if they are like the ones up here... you can damn near club them :D

Or drive lincoln way between 9pm & 7 am. Newer car always helps your odds of success.

[sniper7]

looks like you got your answer. be respectful of private property. be respectful of the game.

[Colorado Osprey]

Pronghorn as related to goats should be treated and cooked as such. Medium rare is about the most you want to cook it quickly like a steak or burger... or slow roast it.
Careful prep to not touch the scent glands on the back legs and touching any meat should be very strictly followed. This taints the taste of the whole thing!
I've seen many people grabbing and handling the rear legs touching the scent gland while field dressing, then while gutting and/or cutting open the pelvis or chest cavity having those same hands touch meat. This scent/taste is now in the meat. This is a common reason people don't like the taste of antelope.
Antelope like all animals taste like their environment. A lot of antelope in northern Colorado and Wyoming eat a lot of sage and reek of it. Personally I won't hunt antelope north of US Highway 24 and I-70... to much sage. Antelope that graze along side cattle are usually pretty tasty.

[spqrzilla]

The last time I shot a speed goat, I just boned it out right there on my tailgate, put the meat in large zip lock bags in a cooler on ice. Didn't take an hour. Then later cut it up in convenient roasts/steaks at home and wrapped 'em up.

[GlockDog47]

Yum tasty. .. jerky, steaks, stew alll good eating.

[SideShow Bob]

You don't need any firearms, just call the Boulder PD, they will take it down for you...............

[Dave]

Just drive at it with your headlights on and the horn blowing at around midnight, hard to miss.

Really though, I use a 30-06 for anything bigger than coyote and smaller than bull elk.

[rocktot]

Ok, well, I'm looking at 20 odd 6's right now. This is central Colorado, not alot of sage, (thanks for the tip) and yea, graze next to and around the cows. About the private property, it all blends in, no one would know, not even sure how to find the 'owners'. There is no one out there for miles around. But sometimes they are right in the backyard on Fed land. I just don't want to spook them off that territory if they go through there. It seems to be one of the major throughways for one of the herds.

So no one cans antelope meat? (Or deer, elk??)

[wreave]

You don't need any firearms, just call the Boulder PD, they will take it down for you...............

It's coming right for us!

[wreave]

So no one cans antelope meat? (Or deer, elk??)

Generally just freezer bag it, get as much air out as you can, and freeze it.

[CO Hugh]

My friend shot 2 two years ago, and based on the comments I had heard about the taste and all I was leery. However, they are damn fine meat. He hunted in the SE section of the state so no sage.

They are easy to process, I helped him. I read the post about the scent glands and that could be good advice. They are not big, almost look like a dog when you have them in the refrigerator. Butchering all animals is about the same, primal cuts, backstraps, tenderloins and then the leg roasts or grind.

Search online and you can find meat charts for game, like the butchers used to have in the stores. I use the beef ones as a guide. Freeze the steaks. We ground up the roasts and made summer sausage. Sonnn!!!! that is about the finest summer sausage i have ever had, outside of game sausage, I don't eat summer sausage. The meat has a slightly sweet taste to it, with some horseradish and mustard damn fine.

The steaks are good too. Regarding the goat comments, goat is often consumed in other countries, try tacos. We did not process it that way.

For rifle as this has been a recent topic of our conversation, you probably cannot beat a 270. The bullet weights and construction are better than the 25s and smaller. I checked the ballistics for say a 7-08 and the 270 shoots a few hundred feet per second faster. Use bullets about 110gr-120gr, Barnes makes some this size. The smaller bullets, 95gr are designed more for varmit hunting and the heaver bullets are for game hunting. You may have to handload as when I looked online for quick comparisons it was hard to find factor loads for 270s and up with light bullets: the smallest factory 270 loads are typically 130s. Good luck.

As a funny story, my friend said they were hunting and looking over a hill toward a herd, the herd spooked and ran toward them, so they shot one at less than 50 yards charging them. I thought it would have been a great story to shot one with a 44 mag.

Rifle antelope pretty much has to be applied for on a draw tag, unless you an find private land in an area with private land only tags. I recall that rifle antelope in the NW section of the state takes several preference points, more than 6, so start boning up on the regs. I hear ranchers hate the things so if you do some leg work you may be able to get permission to hunt.

[spqrzilla]

About the private property, it all blends in, no one would know, not even sure how to find the 'owners'. There is no one out there for miles around.

The idea that no one would notice is an illusion. All over Colorado, property owners are paying more attention than you would believe. And the Division and local sheriff's know who owns what.

Hunting on private land without permission is a 20 pt infraction, which means automatic suspension of hunting priviledges.

[Rucker61]

All the ones my buddies and I killed this year are going into sausage, but they've been sage fed. I'd like to try to rescue a backstrop or loin before the grinding and curry it. Curried goat was pretty tasty in India.

[birddog]

The idea that no one would notice is an illusion. All over Colorado, property owners are paying more attention than you would believe. And the Division and local sheriff's know who owns what.

Hunting on private land without permission is a 20 pt infraction, which means automatic suspension of hunting priviledges.

+1, out of respect for the landowner and the sport do not go trespassing for sake of an antelope. There are available GPS programs with county platte info that you can buy and will show you who owns what. Otherwise just knock on some doors and someone will get you squared away.

[rocktot]

+1, out of respect for the landowner and the sport do not go trespassing for sake of an antelope. There are available GPS programs with county platte info that you can buy and will show you who owns what. Otherwise just knock on some doors and someone will get you squared away.


Ok, thanks. With respect to what you are saying, the landowners are weekend campers for the most part and most of the land is vacant, mostly undeveloped 5-10 acre plots on open land. No one would know, nor care unless its on their land with a house on it, further in than I am. This is mostly unfenced land. And cattle graze it so the lopes are competition, but maybe I can come up with a call-list I guess. I'll ask about it because of the penalty issue. Don't need that.

So, I guess its also illegal to use a dog to softly cajol the lopes onto your land or Fed land? (herding dog) - really, I don't know.

[birddog]

Ok, thanks. With respect to what you are saying, the landowners are weekend campers for the most part and most of the land is vacant, mostly undeveloped 5-10 acre plots on open land. No one would know, nor care unless its on their land with a house on it, further in than I am. This is mostly unfenced land. And cattle graze it so the lopes are competition, but maybe I can come up with a call-list I guess. I'll ask about it because of the penalty issue. Don't need that.

So, I guess its also illegal to use a dog to softly cajol the lopes onto your land or Fed land? (herding dog) - really, I don't know.
Not 100% sure but I'm pretty sure the pup would be considered "harassing wildlife."

[MileHighOutlaw]

1. Whats a good size gun for antelope? Not looking to upgrade, or 400 yard shots. I can get close to 100 yards or less, (for now) but say 200-300? (I may be looking for a good used Savage or something with a wooden stock)

I have used my .270 for several different animals since I moved here.

2. What is the deal with hunting on private property? Alot of the land is owned but unused.

Do your self a favor and get permission. I shot my antelope on our private land this year and it ended up on another persons land that had no building on it just open land. I retrieved it and within an hour DOW was pulling us over. Thank god he was super cool with us,just took my info and gave me a nice verbal lesson!

3. How much is license, tags etc? I will only need one antelope.

If I remember it was right around $45.00 you are living in a land that is pretty hard to draw a rifle tag in. I hunted it 2 years ago with a bow and it was OTC but not anymore.

4. Processing: I would like to make steaks, and mainly ground antelope, is there any special prep, I want to try to can some to last all year. Is canning game meat acceptable if done properly or does it get really gamey??

Gamey? I heard stories after stories of how gamey it is but I tell you what it is damn tasty! I recommend to process it as fast as you can and cool it down. My antelope this year gave me 65lbs of meat including steaks and three types of ground. Regular,Breakfast,spicy. If you would like I can give you a 2lb brick of plain ground adn you can taste for yourself. I made tacos the other night from it.

5. Do you go for doe or buck or what is the deal? Don't really like the idea of taking out the top end of the gene pool.

Meat is meat

6. Whats antelope taste like compared to beef or buffalo? Some good ways to prep it??

I shot mine up near Wy and lot's of sage around. I didn't taste the big sage taste like others claim it has. I think it tastes like wild game. Medium rare on the steaks is the way to go I tried medium and well done and didn't care for it as much but I like my beef steaks medium rare so that was probably it.


7. Basic tools for beginner (processing, etc) ?

I pretty much used my swing blade for the entire process except when I split the pelvis and then used a Wy saw.

[TRnCO]

My antelope this year gave me 65lbs of meat [/B]]that must've been one damn big antelope to get 65#'s of eadible meat.

[spqrzilla]

Dogs seen chasing wildlife can be legally shot.

And don't hunt on private property without permission. Beyond the penalties, which are substantial, it gives us hunters a bad name. [Rant1] In the field, I'm happy to report anyone I see doing it.

[budda]

I process my pronghorn myself takes a few hours but I do it to save $. Try to not let it hang to long. The last few years I let it hang over night before I started. My buddy that I went with last year took his to a processor and the processor had to let it hang for almost a week before they were able to get it processed and his had a lot stronger game flavor. I process it like a deer in the way of cuts. I watched some youtube vidios on it and it took me about 12 hr the first time but I was also learning and went over bourd with trying to get every last peice of meat. This year it took be about 6 hr but I also decided to learn to make my own sausage this year so next year it should be quicker.

As for prepping and cooking it. Two words: Apple Cider. I think pronghorn has slite sweat flavor and making filet mignons from the backstrap after soaking in apple cider over night and then cooking medium-rare to medium is fantastic. (ooo god now I am hungry). My wife marinated the ribs in cider this year then stuck them in the crock pot and when they were done pot BBQ sause on them and broiled them for about 20-30 minutes and they were also good. Sausage wise I like german and chorizo sausage and if you feel like making it your self I was able to get pork and beef fat for free from the supermarkets here in Greeley.

[MileHighOutlaw]

My antelope this year gave me 65lbs of meat [/B]]that must've been one damn big antelope to get 65#'s of eadible meat.

Indeed it was a big beast. Also bow hunting leaves no bullet trauma to the meat.

[birddog]

that must've been one damn big antelope to get 65#'s of eadible meat.

Indeed it was a big beast. Also bow hunting leaves no bullet trauma to the meat.[/QUOTE]

nor do head shots, under the right conditions of course.

[BladesNBarrels]

Please request permission in advance from the land owners before you cross or hunt their property.
If you are starting at your property near Fairplay, you can go to the Park County Assessor's website and start tracking the owners around you from those records and maps.
By contacting the owners, you will also be meeting your neighbors.
Treat them the way you would want others to treat you and your private property.
I have rarely heard no when I asked.
When there is a no response, it is usually because they have already given permission or are hosting other hunters at the same time.
Good Luck with your hunt!

[Larry Ashcraft]

Pronghorn as related to goats should be treated and cooked as such.
Uh, no. Pronghorn aren't related to anything. They are their own species.

And the meat is delicious, if treated right. I've killed 7 or 8 of them over the years, and the only gamey ones were the ones that got chased around before being shot.

[Colorado Osprey]

Uh, no. Pronghorn aren't related to anything. They are their own species.

And the meat is delicious, if treated right. I've killed 7 or 8 of them over the years, and the only gamey ones were the ones that got chased around before being shot.

Sorry, I was wrong... not goat... actually it is giraffe
http://www.arkinspace.com/2011/10/pronghorn-american-almost-antelope.html
"Its closest relative is the giraffe."

Cool pics and info on that site

[def90]

I will be living up Fairplay way, and there is an antelope herd that runs around there on some fed land in the back. Just some questions:

2. What is the deal with hunting on private property? Alot of the land is owned but unused.



The county assessors office will have all of the ownership data and is available to the public. Some counties have an eMap database available online, just zoom in on a satellite map like Google and it tells you who owns that plat of land. Park county looks to only have a simple property search look up online so you would need to know the address. If you went into the assessors office they will have maps showing every piece of property in the county with a number associated with it that you can then use to look up the owner.

http://www.parkco.org/search2.asp?