2026 Hunting Season

Saturday the 26th dad and I did our annual antelope hunt. This year was a little different and even more special. About 6 weeks ago my soon to be 8 year old granddaughter asked when she could go hunting with me. Of course I said next time I go, with the caveat that we had other make sure it was ok with her parents. I also had a requirement that she at least watch a video of the field dressing process so there were no surprises. Well permission was gotten, video was watched and she was ready. Her and her younger sister were staying at the house on the 25th anyway so it worked out. We headed to meet dad/great grandpa at 6:30 AM, played I spy with my little eye for 2 hours in a vehicle, challenging to say the least. We have permission to hunt the property where my dad grew up, there are 2 homestead sections so 2 square miles. We have been doing this hunt for about 4 years and have never had and issue getting our antelope, last year we had 2 by 10:30. This year was different. There were only about 12-15 total on the property and I won't say they were wild they were certainly using the terrain to their advantage and staying just out of range. This year is the first year I am carrying a XP-100 bolt pistol for hunting, it is chambered in .284 win and zeroed at 200 yards, first year with this gun not my first year handgun hunting. We finally found an approachable one and with my granddaughter beside me prone I managed to flub a 245 yard shot, went right over his back. I followed him for over a mile and Zarhya got back with me only for me to miss again, a little farther but still makable shot. I told dad let's take a break and let everything settle down and eat some lunch. We ate Zarhya shot her 22 at some steel targets I brought, she was very proud of her hits and figured since she had shown me how I could probably connect now. We went back to where they had been congregating and they were there but out in the wide open and unapproachable. At this point it was late enough we were just heading back to the trucks to load up and head home and like it happens when you least expect it there was one just hanging out by the road(200 yards) Zarhya and I bailed out of the Razor and headed straight at him as there was no cover. We got out there and I got a good steady prone position built only to watch him walk over the ridge with his behind to us the whole time, never turned even quartering. We decided to follow him and jumped him at about 80 yards where he was bedded over the ridge, with a specialty pistol off hand is a no go and I didn't have a tripod like xphunter uses or a revolver. So over the ridge he goes, we went after him, well we found him bedded again at about 200 yards, I say about since I didn't range him, I knew he was close enough that no hold over was necessary with the 200 yard zero. We went prone again and this time I executed a good shot. At the shot I heard the hit and he took off, I saw him fall as he went out of sight around a rock pile. Zarhya asked if we got him and I said yes we got him. We made our way over to him and I showed her how to approach from behind and make sure he is dead before we touch him. She was a trooper and jumped in and did her part holding the legs while field dressed him. To finish the story we got him back to the pickup and loaded, dad said he had enough and would come back another day to fill his tag, lo and behold 5 minutes later as we were driving out another buck presented himself for dad at about 100 yards, Zarhya will not let him live down that he had to shoot a second time, second shot probably wasn't needed but with a young person along you want things quick and clean if possible. Zarhya jumped in and helped again and we got dads taken care of and loaded. The topping on the cake was when we got home and started skinning the antelope my son's youngest was at the house and she wasn't sure about what was going on and had to take a few minutes to process, once she did that she was right in the middle of things helping with washing the skinned and halved buck then proceeded to watch as I cut the horns off even after I warned that we would be seeing the brain. I was extremely blessed to share the day with my dad and my granddaughters.
Congratulations. That is a great story. Thanks for sharing.
 
I'm on the board now, shot a 96 lb doe yesterday AM. Big lone doe came out around 730 and fed a while. I've been seeing groups of does on camera but no others appeared. This was first blood for my 257 Weatherby in an Accumark. Load is 110gr Hornady Interbonds, H1000, Norma brass & Federal 215GMM. Load clocked a tick over 3500 fps. The doe was almost perfectly broadside at just beyond 100 yards. Hit her just behind the shoulder and bullet exited in the offside shoulder. She pretty much hit the ground, regained her footing and made it about 30 ft into an 8 ft deep ditch. It was interesting pulling her out solo!

There was a 4 ft V of blood & pieces of lung where she was standing and a really nice blood trail.
Congratulations and a fine doe. The 257 Wea. performed perfectly for you.
 
Muzzle-loader season opened in my neck of the woods Oct 1. Went this morning and after seeing a couple deer earlier this buck came through eating water oak acorns about 10:30 this morning. A 300 gr Scorpion PT Gold ended it for him at 30 yds. These bullets are devastating!

That looks like a great buck. Congratulations on taking it with a muzzleloader.
 
And a very respectable representative of Odocoileus virginianus it is! Congratulations. Giver us some details.
It was last night that I took him! Was hunting a hilltop in Southern Ohio, old logging road that seems some SxS traffic, but not a heavy riding area. It was a pretty uneventful sit actually, the nights prior I had seen 8+ deer, just no bucks. People I was with had sits where they saw 15+ deer, stuff we never see in NH.

But last night I had a doe come in at 430 and hung out feeding for about 30 minutes. She left then another one came in around 515, she fed, bedded a bit, fed some more then took off around 615. I was in an old highly uncomfortable tree stand so when she left I made my final adjustment so I could lock in for primetime. About 645 the buck came just taking his time down the logging road, at 650 he had crossed my shooting lane at 23 yards. I let loose, got a good double lung pass through broadside with one of the Megameat broadheads. I heard the crash, came down from the stand about 10 minutes later, got my arrow, found the first few blood droplets and stuck the arrow in there so I could see the lighted knock and start tracking after I let him sit for an hour or so. About 820, it was very dark, we went in and found him. He J hooked into the woods then turned parallel to the logging road for about 60 yards and found him piled up nicely. Great blood trail, perfect double lung, beautiful deer, and I couldn’t be happier with my trip to Ohio!
 
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