xphunter
Handloader
- Sep 15, 2005
- 1,857
- 3,909
Two and Done… with my doe/fawn antelope tags.
On October 1, I went out with two different center-grip bolt action, specialty pistols: Borden Alpine XP, chambered in 6.5-284 (127 grain LRX), McMillan stock and a HS Precision HSP, chambered in 25 Creedmoor (134 grain ELDM), HS Precision stock.
The goal was to use each pistol in the field to fill both of my tags.
The morning started off was seeing a herd that I did not have access to. As I began going from location to location to glass. Each time I would see a group of antelope, the closest I ever got was 550 yards, and I did not want to shoot that far. I tried two different stalks, and each time I got busted before I could get close enough to get set up for a shot.
On the last stalk, I tried to use some trees and old buildings from an old homestead and had a doe at about 350 yards. I had to move to my right so I wouldn’t hit a tree, once I moved over, ranged, dialed, looked through the Mark 5 Leupold scope (6.5-284), only then to recognize it was a very small buck-Rats! As I was making the walk back to my Yukon, I was talking to Emily and told her that once again it didn’t work out. I told her that I had seen two does by themselves north of where I was about 3/4 of a mile away when I had driven around to come in at this spot.
I was going to head north and check and see if they were still around.
Instead of opening the gate where I was at, I had just climbed over it, because it is so tight.
I had just climbed over the gate and was beginning to put my XP in, and I saw two does, coming toward me. They had to be the same ones I had seen earlier, but when it comes to antelope and their behavior, sometimes, you don’t know what to expect. Now, I am climbing over the fence again, as they had stopped heading south, and it started going more in a westerly direction, which was like a small draw, and they would not be able to see me. I hurriedly climbed over the fence again (it really wasn’t that fast
), and set up my tripod, as there is no way a prone shot was going to be possible where they were likely to show up.
At first, I thought they might have come out into the clearing and then dropped out of sight while I was getting over the fence again, but I didn’t think that was likely, because they were not spooked or scared when I had seen them previously. I barely had time to get set up, when I saw the first doe show up with the second one behind her. The range was under 250 yards, but I’m standing in the wide open, and I knew I didn’t have a lot of time. I used to be of the mindset that the shot needed to be perfect, and then with the help of a friend, I realized that a kill is a kill if I can keep it inside of the kill zone. With that in mind, and not having the steadiest rest, I made a high shoulder shot and she went down immediately.
The Alpine XP 6.5-284 drew first blood. The second doe moved off to the right, almost out of sight behind this little ridge and then she came back around and showed up just enough where I could see her as she was checking to see what it happened with her partner. I thought to myself, “the vehicle is close. I’m going to try to get my 25 Creed HSP out and maybe I can get two animals down with two pistols.”
I put down my 6.5-284 Borden Alpine XP, and slowly begin walking toward the vehicle, climb over the fence again, grab the 25 Creedmoor HSP and my ammunition, go over the fence again, and set up right where I was from the first shot.
I can’t see the second antelope. I had a strong suspicion she was too the right of the dead doe, where it goes down into a little draw and then there is a little hill in front of that. This is why I could not see her and to my delight, she could not see me.
After waiting a bit, I popped the bolt open, and began to slowly move west, which was also uphill, hoping I could see her. I probably walked 20 or so yards and I caught a glimpse of her again. I set up, as she was moving back towards the first antelope. Ranged her, and again she was under 250 yards. Again, I am out in the open, she is quartering slightly toward me, and I recognize I’m not going to have all day to make the shot. I can tell in my set up that I have more vertical wobble than I want, but I’m glad that the distance was short, and I press the trigger, and she breaks right and goes down in about 30 yards. The two does were probably around 70 yards from each other. Tender Viddles!
This week, I will hopefully be able to do some hunting to fill my buck antelope tag. The center-grip 300 SAUM XP-100 is up for that.
On October 1, I went out with two different center-grip bolt action, specialty pistols: Borden Alpine XP, chambered in 6.5-284 (127 grain LRX), McMillan stock and a HS Precision HSP, chambered in 25 Creedmoor (134 grain ELDM), HS Precision stock.
The goal was to use each pistol in the field to fill both of my tags.
The morning started off was seeing a herd that I did not have access to. As I began going from location to location to glass. Each time I would see a group of antelope, the closest I ever got was 550 yards, and I did not want to shoot that far. I tried two different stalks, and each time I got busted before I could get close enough to get set up for a shot.
On the last stalk, I tried to use some trees and old buildings from an old homestead and had a doe at about 350 yards. I had to move to my right so I wouldn’t hit a tree, once I moved over, ranged, dialed, looked through the Mark 5 Leupold scope (6.5-284), only then to recognize it was a very small buck-Rats! As I was making the walk back to my Yukon, I was talking to Emily and told her that once again it didn’t work out. I told her that I had seen two does by themselves north of where I was about 3/4 of a mile away when I had driven around to come in at this spot.
I was going to head north and check and see if they were still around.
Instead of opening the gate where I was at, I had just climbed over it, because it is so tight.
I had just climbed over the gate and was beginning to put my XP in, and I saw two does, coming toward me. They had to be the same ones I had seen earlier, but when it comes to antelope and their behavior, sometimes, you don’t know what to expect. Now, I am climbing over the fence again, as they had stopped heading south, and it started going more in a westerly direction, which was like a small draw, and they would not be able to see me. I hurriedly climbed over the fence again (it really wasn’t that fast
), and set up my tripod, as there is no way a prone shot was going to be possible where they were likely to show up.At first, I thought they might have come out into the clearing and then dropped out of sight while I was getting over the fence again, but I didn’t think that was likely, because they were not spooked or scared when I had seen them previously. I barely had time to get set up, when I saw the first doe show up with the second one behind her. The range was under 250 yards, but I’m standing in the wide open, and I knew I didn’t have a lot of time. I used to be of the mindset that the shot needed to be perfect, and then with the help of a friend, I realized that a kill is a kill if I can keep it inside of the kill zone. With that in mind, and not having the steadiest rest, I made a high shoulder shot and she went down immediately.
The Alpine XP 6.5-284 drew first blood. The second doe moved off to the right, almost out of sight behind this little ridge and then she came back around and showed up just enough where I could see her as she was checking to see what it happened with her partner. I thought to myself, “the vehicle is close. I’m going to try to get my 25 Creed HSP out and maybe I can get two animals down with two pistols.”
I put down my 6.5-284 Borden Alpine XP, and slowly begin walking toward the vehicle, climb over the fence again, grab the 25 Creedmoor HSP and my ammunition, go over the fence again, and set up right where I was from the first shot.
I can’t see the second antelope. I had a strong suspicion she was too the right of the dead doe, where it goes down into a little draw and then there is a little hill in front of that. This is why I could not see her and to my delight, she could not see me.
After waiting a bit, I popped the bolt open, and began to slowly move west, which was also uphill, hoping I could see her. I probably walked 20 or so yards and I caught a glimpse of her again. I set up, as she was moving back towards the first antelope. Ranged her, and again she was under 250 yards. Again, I am out in the open, she is quartering slightly toward me, and I recognize I’m not going to have all day to make the shot. I can tell in my set up that I have more vertical wobble than I want, but I’m glad that the distance was short, and I press the trigger, and she breaks right and goes down in about 30 yards. The two does were probably around 70 yards from each other. Tender Viddles!
This week, I will hopefully be able to do some hunting to fill my buck antelope tag. The center-grip 300 SAUM XP-100 is up for that.
