prong horn

Going prong horn hunting in Wyoming next week. I was wondering what is a good tip for a sucessful hunt?

TIP #1: Have a place that you have permission to hunt with a lot of Pronghorn on it. Here is SE Montana the biggest problem hunting pronghorn is access to land where they are at. There are places to go that are public but, by far, the best pronghorn hunting is on private land. You have to have a place to hunt lined up first. Assuming you have that base covered we'll go on to other tips.

TIP #2: Spot and stalk is the most fun way to hunt these critters. You need to find them and judge if you can get a sneak on them and, of course, if you are looking for a trophy buck judge if there is a buck worth going after in the group. If you do have one picked out you have to remember their eyesight, nose and their speed is their best defense. You need to keep the wind in your face and use the contour of the land and any cover you can find to get close enough for a shot. Usually this means crawling through sagebrush and cactus up to the top of a hill or ridge, peeking over the top and getting a shot from there. The best sneak I have done yet was to come in to a group after crawling through a culvert under a road and sneaking along a creek bottom downwind of a group of pronghorn. We got to within 20 yards of the group and had 3 shots at them with our bows. The only bad part was none of us hit them but it was still a great stalk. If only my aim was better! *&^$^&

TIP #3: I haven't done this yet but saw it on one of those hunting shows and it makes sense. I will try it this year. Take a piece of camo burlap and hold it up in front of you as you get close to them. I saw this on the show when two guys, the hunter and his guide, each held a side and were able to get really close to a group of pronghorn. The guide claimed that they have been doing this for years and it has always worked well for them. Pronghorn are really curious and the material breaks up human form so it makes sense.

TIP #4: If you are sucessful be careful not to get any hair on the meat, at least as little as possible. It has a stong small and I have noticed that meat that had hair on it had an off taste to it. I have also been told the best thing to do is to get it skinned out and quartered as quickly as possible and then pack it in ice to cool it down really quick and that will keep the flavor good as well.

TIP #5: I do not know about the part of WY you will be going to but here is SE Montana we have to be careful of cactus when you are crawling around to get close to those things. I have YET to go through a season when I do not get some cactus in me somewhere. Usually my knee or hand. OUCH!!!

TIP #6: Have FUN. Pronghorn hunting is just plain fun! It offers a great hunt against a worthy adversary and they are just neat