I have a good friend who started working on drawing an antelope tag in the Owyhee unit of SE Oregon 20 years ago. Originally he was doing this with his brother but his brother died suddenly four years ago, but John kept at it. A couple of months ago I got a call that he'd finally pulled the tag and was going, with that I told him I'd go with him to drive, spot and range distances. There were only 58 tags issued for the area, he'd never hunted there but did have a family contact of a rancher where we could park the trailer.
We got there a day and a half early to scout a part of the unit, but the first thing the locals told us was that since the winter of '16-'17 the herd was way down and there weren't nearly as many antelope as there used to be. However, the rancher gave us a general direction and instructions go high and glass down. So up into the mountains we went in his 4 wheel drive Suburban. After we got up on top and headed south on a trail, John spotted a pronghorn buck, 90 yds off to our right just working through the sage brush. We stopped he looked at us then took off to the west down into a draw and up to a ridge about 200 yds away. The next day (Friday) we headed out south and drove around all day, stopping and glassing no luck. Then on our way back in and about a mile due west of where we saw the antelope the day before we spotted another lone buck in the middle of a large dry meadow, just cruising through. We ranged this guy at 145 yds. Two days, two bucks we thought this is could be quick, what were the locals telling us?
Saturday AM we went out early and started where we saw the first buck. Stopped glassed and glassed and glassed, nothing, the word was out, the season had opened. For the next 4 days we drove all over Hell's half acre, driving on roads that were like dry creek beds, over mountains and through huge valleys and didn't see one antelope and only one other hunter. Over the four days we saw over 50 elk, mule deer, ducks (yes in the desert), quail, chukar, dove, rabbits, coyotes no antelope. We even shot a coyote on the ranch.
On Wednesday morning back in the same area we had seen the first buck we stopped to glass and finally saw an antelope the only problem was he saw us so we were busted. I ranged him at 200 yd told my buddy but he was watering a sage bush nearby and was a little slow getting there. He took a shot, missed, there were actually 5 in the herd, they took off and stopped at about 400 yd, he took another shot an missed again. We were done for the day!
Next morning we decided to head back to the same area as the night before but this time no sky lining. We were going slow and low. Sure enough as we came up over this rise he spots 5 antelope below us. I ranged them at 300, John lined up the shot and takes his buck. When we got down into the bottom of the draw to his buck, we saw another group of 5 antelope headed for the hills. So on Thursday we were done by 8:30, all that was left was to haul him up the hill, skin and quarter him. Lot's of miles on bad roads, ate a lot of dust, covered hundreds of miles and took a really nice buck older buck. How did we know it's older? He had no incisors, he must have been gumming the sage brush. We'll find out how old, the taxidermist is sending in the root of a tooth to fish and game to age him. Great trip with a good friend and a great time, 20 years worth the wait.
We got there a day and a half early to scout a part of the unit, but the first thing the locals told us was that since the winter of '16-'17 the herd was way down and there weren't nearly as many antelope as there used to be. However, the rancher gave us a general direction and instructions go high and glass down. So up into the mountains we went in his 4 wheel drive Suburban. After we got up on top and headed south on a trail, John spotted a pronghorn buck, 90 yds off to our right just working through the sage brush. We stopped he looked at us then took off to the west down into a draw and up to a ridge about 200 yds away. The next day (Friday) we headed out south and drove around all day, stopping and glassing no luck. Then on our way back in and about a mile due west of where we saw the antelope the day before we spotted another lone buck in the middle of a large dry meadow, just cruising through. We ranged this guy at 145 yds. Two days, two bucks we thought this is could be quick, what were the locals telling us?
Saturday AM we went out early and started where we saw the first buck. Stopped glassed and glassed and glassed, nothing, the word was out, the season had opened. For the next 4 days we drove all over Hell's half acre, driving on roads that were like dry creek beds, over mountains and through huge valleys and didn't see one antelope and only one other hunter. Over the four days we saw over 50 elk, mule deer, ducks (yes in the desert), quail, chukar, dove, rabbits, coyotes no antelope. We even shot a coyote on the ranch.
On Wednesday morning back in the same area we had seen the first buck we stopped to glass and finally saw an antelope the only problem was he saw us so we were busted. I ranged him at 200 yd told my buddy but he was watering a sage bush nearby and was a little slow getting there. He took a shot, missed, there were actually 5 in the herd, they took off and stopped at about 400 yd, he took another shot an missed again. We were done for the day!
Next morning we decided to head back to the same area as the night before but this time no sky lining. We were going slow and low. Sure enough as we came up over this rise he spots 5 antelope below us. I ranged them at 300, John lined up the shot and takes his buck. When we got down into the bottom of the draw to his buck, we saw another group of 5 antelope headed for the hills. So on Thursday we were done by 8:30, all that was left was to haul him up the hill, skin and quarter him. Lot's of miles on bad roads, ate a lot of dust, covered hundreds of miles and took a really nice buck older buck. How did we know it's older? He had no incisors, he must have been gumming the sage brush. We'll find out how old, the taxidermist is sending in the root of a tooth to fish and game to age him. Great trip with a good friend and a great time, 20 years worth the wait.
