2019 Hunt photos and stories

[Hummer]

The Big Game seasons have been underway for a while. The 1st rifle deer and elk season begins tomorrow so here's a chance to share your photos and stories whether you bring home the groceries or just tag soup and good memories. I'll start with my pronghorn hunt last weekend.


I hunted public land in Northwest Colorado where I've taken several pronghorn in the past. There's never been large herds, only small groups and individuals, and the success rate continues to fall there. I actually got skunked for the first time there in 2016--there were very few animals on the small area of public land. So, I went this year with guarded optimism.

On opening morning I was in the field when hunters started pouring in. I saw only one pronghorn at 3/4 mile, a buck by it's behavior, on the other side of the hunters from me. It didn't take long for that guy to vamoose onto private ground closed to hunting. While most hunters were staying on or close to the road I hiked deep into the back 40 of the property. From a good vantage I glassed the area but didn't see a single pronghorn anywhere within five miles, not even on the private ranches that used to hold herds. By mid morning I decided to head back to the truck and probably hang it up. I didn't walk a hundred yards when I looked below to see the horns of a bedded buck about 75 yards below me. He was in a little swale looking away and over a big dry lake. l stalked closer for a broadside shot and took him right there. It was a true Hail Mary!

One shot, 62 yards sitting, 7mm-08 with 120 gr. Barnes Vor-Tex (ttsx).

The area is walk-in only and my truck was 2 miles away. I hiked to the truck and moved to a mile from the animal and hiked back in to drag the buck out on a sled. It was a tough haul as much of it was up hill, but easier than dragging the carcass or carrying it out. I wanted to keep the head, hide and rib/spine whole.

I think I was incredibly lucky. I didn't see that any of 25-30 hunters in the area took an animal. Personally, I think CPW should close the area to hunting for a few years to let the herd repopulate. I doubt that I'll apply there again next year.

P.S.: Pronghorn steak is delicious!

[whitewalrus]

Good job, always best to get away from where everyone else is going...not many get too far from the road for big game in general, but its even worse for pronghorn from what I seen. Most think you should be able to spot them from the road to see if its even worth your time.

[def90]

Awesome! This year was my second year of hunting though I kind of consider it my first as last year I was only out 3 days and had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Learned a lot and hope to apply what I learned and be successful next year. After having spent 9 days in the woods this year I have to hand it to the guys that get it done on public land.

[Irving]

I also got an antelope down on opening day.




The steaks ARE excellent. We've eaten the heart, both tenderloins, and some of the neck. I've always just dropped animals off at the processor in the past, not to mention split them with 3-4 other people. This year I decided to try and process the meat myself. It was a lot of work but we're very satisfied.





Seems a lot smaller all cut up.

[Irving]

Tomorrow I'm going out to scout for my third big game season this year. I'm taking my .22lr because a lot of species have opened up for small game. So, is it really scouting, or just more hunting?

[henpecked]

Savannah got her first bull.
150 yards with a 30 06 in southern Wyoming.

6 x 7

[henpecked]

Cousin was in southern Missouri last week.

[Hummer]

Savannah got her first bull.
150 yards with a 30 06 in southern Wyoming.

6 x 7

That's a beauty of a bull. Lots of mass in those bases. Would make a fine mount.

[FoxtArt]

Just a PSA to get your heads tested prior to consuming! CWD has jumped to elk, antelope, even moose now. In deer populations it exceeds 20% in NW Colorado.

In labs they have successfully infected monkeys with it (physically placing the prions into spinal fluid). It's the only contagious CJD related disease - and it seems highly likely it can at some point make the jump to people if it hasn't already. The only "good" news is that if you don't eat a significant amount of nerve tissue, the incubation period would be expected to be quite long if it makes the jump - possibly 20 - 40+ years based on Kuru. Because of that fact, you cannot say "well if it could'a, it would'a" because:
a) high likelihood of misdiagnosis and
b) it hasn't been around that long.

The bad news, if it ever infects people, its a prion (protein), not a virus or bacteria. No currently used sanitation methods protect against prions, so surgical instruments etc. would infect other people for a long time to come, as well as simple saliva (the only contagious CJD....) with much shorter incubation times.

It has even jumped the ocean thanks to shipment of hay - deer saliva transited that far and infected caribou in Norway. They exterminated the whole herd and pretty much salted the earth, since it can still be "infectious" in nature over a decade later.

So, PSA to not brush it off as no big deal - be careful and get your heads tested. Better to be safe....

Back to regularly scheduled programming, congrats on the takes gentlemen. Fine animals.

[Irving]

What do you do if your head tests positive? There has been zero evidence of it jumping to humans, and to say "if it hasn't already," is a pretty big exaggeration.

Also, this is the picture thread. Not the place for CWD alarmism.