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Post by trophyparadise on Mar 23, 2015 9:18:07 GMT -5
I will be going to Wyoming in sept. to hunt antelope for the first time. I have access to a 3k acre private ranch, but will be hunting DIY...I'm not hunting with an outfitter. I really want to shoot one with a bow...but as it's my first trip there I will be taking a rifle also...thinking of buying a 25-06 to take. Any suggestions/tips? I really have no idea what to expect since I have never hunted antelope before Trophy Paradise Habitat Consulting "Trophies are built from the ground up" www.facebook.com/trophyparadise |
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Post by drs on Mar 23, 2015 10:14:41 GMT -5
I will be going to Wyoming in sept. to hunt antelope for the first time. I have access to a 3k acre private ranch, but will be hunting DIY...I'm not hunting with an outfitter. I really want to shoot one with a bow...but as it's my first trip there I will be taking a rifle also...thinking of buying a 25-06 to take. Any suggestions/tips? I really have no idea what to expect since I have never hunted antelope before Trophy Paradise Habitat Consulting "Trophies are built from the ground up" www.facebook.com/trophyparadiseFor hunting Antelope, I'd go with a .270 or .30-06. Since you'll be hunting in Wyoming your shot might be long ones, around 300 yards or more. Another good caliber would be 7 m/m Remington Mag. |
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Mar 23, 2015 10:33:16 GMT -5
Seems like a lot of guys are going west this year.
.25/06 should be plenty of gun for antelope.. They are built incredibly light, and a big one may go 120-130 lbs. The calibers DRS mentioned would be good as well. I don't think you should have any problem getting on animals either on a private ranch.
If it's dry, you would probably have the best luck with your bow sitting over water. Find a water hole near where you've been seeing antelope, and pop up a ground blind.
What unit will you be hunting in? |
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Post by trophyparadise on Mar 23, 2015 11:04:51 GMT -5
Seems like a lot of guys are going west this year.
.25/06 should be plenty of gun for antelope.. They are built incredibly light, and a big one may go 120-130 lbs. The calibers DRS mentioned would be good as well. I don't think you should have any problem getting on animals either on a private ranch.
If it's dry, you would probably have the best luck with your bow sitting over water. Find a water hole near where you've been seeing antelope, and pop up a ground blind.
What unit will you be hunting in? Unit 38...near Laramie Trophy Paradise Habitat Consulting "Trophies are built from the ground up" www.facebook.com/trophyparadise |
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Mar 23, 2015 11:15:27 GMT -5
Good luck! I noticed rifle season doesn't open up until 10/5. How long are you planning to be out there?
If the draws go as I hope they will, I'll be in 27 the second week of October. I saw that they cut tag #'s for 27 for this year though, so keeping my fingers crossed.
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Post by trophyparadise on Mar 23, 2015 11:21:24 GMT -5
I have a.300 mag....I just want to kill the antelope...not disintegrate it;D The 25-06 is one of the flattest shooting rounds there is. Used to hunt down south with a guy that could drop deer at 5-600 yds with one. I want a light gun that is a tack driver. Plus....."honey I don't have an antelope gun" will probably go over better than "yea I've got a rifle that will work but it's a heavy rascal so I think I should buy another one"  Trophy Paradise Habitat Consulting "Trophies are built from the ground up" www.facebook.com/trophyparadise |
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Post by drs on Mar 23, 2015 12:17:11 GMT -5
I have a.300 mag....I just want to kill the antelope...not disintegrate it;D The 25-06 is one of the flattest shooting rounds there is. Used to hunt down south with a guy that could drop deer at 5-600 yds with one. I want a light gun that is a tack driver. Plus....."honey I don't have an antelope gun" will probably go over better than "yea I've got a rifle that will work but it's a heavy rascal so I think I should buy another one" Trophy Paradise Habitat Consulting "Trophies are built from the ground up" www.facebook.com/trophyparadiseWhile the .25-06 is a fine cartridge; the only issue I see, is it looses velocity and energy at longer than 300 yard ranges. If you choose this cartridge please keep your shots < 350 yards and use 120 grain SPBT bullets. It also make a fine Varmint load too with using bullet weights < 100 grains. I agree your .300 Magnum is a bit over gunned for Antelope sized game. Personally, I would use a .270 with 130 grain bullets, again with SPBT bullets. But to each his own choice.  |
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Post by trophyparadise on Mar 23, 2015 13:50:10 GMT -5
I have a.300 mag....I just want to kill the antelope...not disintegrate it;D The 25-06 is one of the flattest shooting rounds there is. Used to hunt down south with a guy that could drop deer at 5-600 yds with one. I want a light gun that is a tack driver. Plus....."honey I don't have an antelope gun" will probably go over better than "yea I've got a rifle that will work but it's a heavy rascal so I think I should buy another one" Trophy Paradise Habitat Consulting "Trophies are built from the ground up" www.facebook.com/trophyparadiseWhile the .25-06 is a fine cartridge; the only issue I see, is it looses velocity and energy at longer than 300 yard ranges. If you choose this cartridge please keep your shots < 350 yards and use 120 grain SPBT bullets. It also make a fine Varmint load too with using bullet weights < 100 grains. I agree your .300 Magnum is a bit over gunned for Antelope sized game. Personally, I would use a .270 with 130 grain bullets, again with SPBT bullets. But to each his own choice. That's another reason I was considering it...some 85 grain bullets would make it an awesome coyote gun Trophy Paradise Habitat Consulting "Trophies are built from the ground up" www.facebook.com/trophyparadise |
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Post by steiny on Mar 23, 2015 13:57:44 GMT -5
I think the 25-06 is a near perfect choice for antelope. They are not very big critters and it doesn't take much to kill them. I wouldn't feel under gunned with a .223
Sitting on a waterhole in a ground blind is about the only reasonable way to take one with a bow. If that doesn't work out you can usually fill a tag with rifle in a day or two doing spot & stalk.
Good luck !
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Post by trophyparadise on Mar 23, 2015 15:06:40 GMT -5
I think the 25-06 is a near perfect choice for antelope. They are not very big critters and it doesn't take much to kill them. I wouldn't feel under gunned with a .223 Sitting on a waterhole in a ground blind is about the only reasonable way to take one with a bow. If that doesn't work out you can usually fill a tag with rifle in a day or two doing spot & stalk. Good luck ! Thanks steiny! Ever hear of guys stalking them behind a decoy with a bow?......BTW.... How's the walk plank on your boat trailer working out?  Trophy Paradise Habitat Consulting "Trophies are built from the ground up" www.facebook.com/trophyparadise |
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Post by trophyparadise on Mar 24, 2015 7:30:14 GMT -5
Good luck! I noticed rifle season doesn't open up until 10/5. How long are you planning to be out there? If the draws go as I hope they will, I'll be in 27 the second week of October. I saw that they cut tag #'s for 27 for this year though, so keeping my fingers crossed. I'm going at the end of Sept. I'll be there a couple weeks probably unless I fill all 3 tags really early. There's a group of 6 of us going. Trophy Paradise Habitat Consulting "Trophies are built from the ground up" www.facebook.com/trophyparadise |
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Post by trophyparadise on Mar 24, 2015 10:34:05 GMT -5
What type of bullet recommendations do you have? Rapid expansion/ controlled expansion...etc. I want enough inertia to knock one down, but don't really want to deal with a giant exit hole or an entire shoulder being purple and useless Trophy Paradise Habitat Consulting "Trophies are built from the ground up" www.facebook.com/trophyparadise |
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Post by swilk on Mar 24, 2015 19:23:44 GMT -5
Even the 300 mag with the right bullet wouldn't be a bad choice if you reload. Pretty small critter with very thin skin....but if you are like most guys a new rifle is always appealing. Just about anything will work. 243. 7mm-08. 260. 280. 25/06. And on and on.
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Post by drs on Mar 25, 2015 4:51:30 GMT -5
What type of bullet recommendations do you have? Rapid expansion/ controlled expansion...etc. I want enough inertia to knock one down, but don't really want to deal with a giant exit hole or an entire shoulder being purple and useless Trophy Paradise Habitat Consulting "Trophies are built from the ground up" www.facebook.com/trophyparadiseIf your going to use a .25-06 then I suggest using a 120 grain BTSP bullet. Reloading your own ammunition is a good way to match an accurate load to your rifle. There is several brands of 120 grain bullets on the market and any should do the job without excessive damage to the animal. Also IMR-4831 is an ideal powder to use in this cartridge. |
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Post by trophyparadise on Mar 25, 2015 6:00:29 GMT -5
What type of bullet recommendations do you have? Rapid expansion/ controlled expansion...etc. I want enough inertia to knock one down, but don't really want to deal with a giant exit hole or an entire shoulder being purple and useless Trophy Paradise Habitat Consulting "Trophies are built from the ground up" www.facebook.com/trophyparadiseIf your going to use a .25-06 then I suggest using a 120 grain BTSP bullet. Reloading your own ammunition is a good way to match an accurate load to your rifle. There is several brands of 120 grain bullets on the market and any should do the job without excessive damage to the animal. Also IMR-4831 is an ideal powder to use in this cartridge. Thanks. I have never reloaded anything as I am primarily a bowhunter. So I will be sticking with factory loads unless I find someone to load me some. Trophy Paradise Habitat Consulting "Trophies are built from the ground up" www.facebook.com/trophyparadise |
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Mar 25, 2015 7:10:20 GMT -5
I've never shot a 'lope with one, but I've had good luck with Hornady's SST on similar sized deer. I shot a young whitetail buck in Wyoming last year with a 180 grain SST, in before one shoulder and out behind the other, very little meat damage. Shot placement is going to be more important than anything though; I shot an elk twice through the shoulder with the same load, which pretty much destroyed that front quarter (as you would expect). This year I'll be using 125 grain SSTs out of my .30/06 since we'll only be hunting antelope and maybe pick up a whitetail doe tag.
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Post by trophyparadise on Mar 26, 2015 17:34:34 GMT -5
So I just found out I'll actually be hunting unit 43 instead of 38 Trophy Paradise Habitat Consulting "Trophies are built from the ground up" www.facebook.com/trophyparadise |
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Post by esshup on Apr 22, 2015 10:18:24 GMT -5
I've been out there a few times for antelope and Mulies. If it's a normal to dry year, a pop-up blind at a waterhole is the way to go, or you can try stalking with a decoy since you will be on private land.
My buddy shot his with a .300 Win Mag - yes the exit hole was pretty large. That's with 180g Accubonds.
If you want an even flatter shooting .25 caliber gun, go and get a .257 Weatherby Mag. That's what I used out there, and it worked great. Most of the antelope that we saw were pretty skittish out to about 300 yds, after that they were nervous, but not "run away" nervous. I handloaded and used a 115g Barnes TSX for one, and a Berger VLD for the other. There are some Weatherby Vanguards that are sub-moa out of the box, and they are a good value for the $ spent. Bullet drop is easy to figure out, it's the wind drift that will bite you in the butt. Take a range finder - with the flat land there, and clear air, distances are deceptive, even for a bowhunter.
For great tasting antelope, have a cooler full of ice. Don't shoot one that has been running his butt off chasing does. After it's shot and field dressed, fill up the body cavity with ice, turning the antelope on it's back to keep the ice inside. That will get it cooled down quick. You could be hunting in 90°F temps. One that I shot out there was in those temps, and by doing so, it cooled the meat down quickly and it was good eating.
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Post by esshup on Apr 22, 2015 10:26:51 GMT -5
Oh another thing. Whatever you do, look at the ground before you kneel down or lay down to take a prone shot. Wear leather boots, not cloth ones. There are all sorts of cactus out there, and the thorns will go thru cloth boots easily. You don't want to be picking thorns out of your knees either. One guy that I know wears knee guards so he doesn't have to worry. I brought a shooting mat to put on the ground for shooting prone, and it STILL has cactus thorns in it. There's cactus there that isn't any taller than 1" but they still have pointy thorns!!!!
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Post by trophyparadise on Apr 22, 2015 11:23:13 GMT -5
Oh another thing. Whatever you do, look at the ground before you kneel down or lay down to take a prone shot. Wear leather boots, not cloth ones. There are all sorts of cactus out there, and the thorns will go thru cloth boots easily. You don't want to be picking thorns out of your knees either. One guy that I know wears knee guards so he doesn't have to worry. I brought a shooting mat to put on the ground for shooting prone, and it STILL has cactus thorns in it. There's cactus there that isn't any taller than 1" but they still have pointy thorns!!!! Thanks for the info! I actually picked up a 25-06 yesterday. I'm excited to play with it once I get my scope. I also bought 3 different kinds of ammo to see which one it likes. 100gr federal fusion btsp, 117gr hornady superformance sst, and 120gr. Nosler custom partitions Trophy Paradise Habitat Consulting "Trophies are built from the ground up" m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=852914431431752 |
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