Panhandles Guide Service Does It Again
Sept 20, 2014 20:31:29 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2014 20:31:29 GMT -5
This hunted started a few months back when we realized we both drew antelope tags for Nebraska here. For me I am fortunate that Zen lives where we hunted and as soon as we knew we were hunting goats he started scouting. He spent the last two months pretty much going out everyday and keeping his eye on every shooter buck he saw. We both spent our time researching and trying to learn how to shoot long range 400+ yards. We both tried out the MH and both found loads that would work for what we were going after. Both of us spent a lot of time at the ranges figuring out drop data and trying to figure out how to shoot the wind. After our range sessions we kinda felt that it was good to limit ourselves to 450 yards, wind changes too much and can't chance missing or wounding anything.
On Sept 19th I left Omaha for the 7 hour trip to Zen's house and as soon as I got here at 9:30am we went out scouting. Zen had located what he thought would go low 80's to about 85" about two to three weeks back. Saw him about 3 times and then he vanished. When I got here he wasn't sure if we would find him. Well I was soo excited from all the goats I saw on the way up that I didn't care what I saw. We checked some spots found some decent shooter bucks and then after I finally calmed down mentioned the bigger buck to Zen. So we made a trip out to the area he saw the buck and after about an hour of scouting we finally located him on a hill side with about 8-10 does. Once we knew where he was the plan was to hunt him all day Saturday until we got him or spooked him out of the country.
Saturday morning came and we headed out after my bone head move of trying to load a bullet that was too tight (which leads me to a question, if a bullet is sized then heats up from warmer temperatures will it swell back up making it difficult to load?) After we got that mess cleaned up we headed out and he dropped me off where we last saw the buck. I was to go up over a hill and start working south towards another herd of goats that we spotted the day before. After Zen drove off I popped over a small hill getting ready to heads towards the hill we located the buck the night before and spotted the herd of goats about 150 to 200 yards west of where they were the night before. Zen didn't even see the goats as he drove off but the herd buck was probably 200 yards south of him. The herd goat returned to the herd and I ranged them at 370 yards. However the grass was so tall I didn't feel comfortable making the shot. Ended up sneaking around to 250 yards but then they picked me up and stare down was on. One of the does spooked over the hill and pulled the rest of the herd. I hurried up over the hill to try to watch them and they ended up being completely in the wrong direction I thought they would be in. The herd goat must have thought he left a doe behind and was on a run right to me. Well that was a mistake for him because I ended up shooting him at a LONG 51 yards. He ran maybe 15 yards and piled up.
Zen herd me shoot and was on a goat at a long range (I'll let him say yards). So he decided he would try to be the longest kill shot on Doug's long story short and 4 loads less the goat ran off.
Once we grouped and got pictures it was off for the bigger goat we located about 30 miles away. We chased him around for over an hour and Zen again tried to make a LONG shot and again the goat ran off. Well know Zen has only 2 MH left from his stash and was ready to be done. It was a long day chasing goats.
We located another group he found earlier in the week and the sneak was one. He used an old Indian trick by waving his hat with the inside part towards the goats (white inside) and the goats were curious and started working towards him. The buck stepped up around 340 yards and Zen finally had it and figured 19" drop was so high and Kentucky windaged it. I watched the whole thing over 1000 yards away threw spotter and the buck DRT. I could see the flesh and hair blow out the back of the neck and buck just dropped. The goat was a decent goat and Zen was done.
We are figuring around 82" for mine and around 72" for Zen's.
Zen and I are so blessed to be able to do this and I am so thankful for his help in my western hunting adventures.
On Sept 19th I left Omaha for the 7 hour trip to Zen's house and as soon as I got here at 9:30am we went out scouting. Zen had located what he thought would go low 80's to about 85" about two to three weeks back. Saw him about 3 times and then he vanished. When I got here he wasn't sure if we would find him. Well I was soo excited from all the goats I saw on the way up that I didn't care what I saw. We checked some spots found some decent shooter bucks and then after I finally calmed down mentioned the bigger buck to Zen. So we made a trip out to the area he saw the buck and after about an hour of scouting we finally located him on a hill side with about 8-10 does. Once we knew where he was the plan was to hunt him all day Saturday until we got him or spooked him out of the country.
Saturday morning came and we headed out after my bone head move of trying to load a bullet that was too tight (which leads me to a question, if a bullet is sized then heats up from warmer temperatures will it swell back up making it difficult to load?) After we got that mess cleaned up we headed out and he dropped me off where we last saw the buck. I was to go up over a hill and start working south towards another herd of goats that we spotted the day before. After Zen drove off I popped over a small hill getting ready to heads towards the hill we located the buck the night before and spotted the herd of goats about 150 to 200 yards west of where they were the night before. Zen didn't even see the goats as he drove off but the herd buck was probably 200 yards south of him. The herd goat returned to the herd and I ranged them at 370 yards. However the grass was so tall I didn't feel comfortable making the shot. Ended up sneaking around to 250 yards but then they picked me up and stare down was on. One of the does spooked over the hill and pulled the rest of the herd. I hurried up over the hill to try to watch them and they ended up being completely in the wrong direction I thought they would be in. The herd goat must have thought he left a doe behind and was on a run right to me. Well that was a mistake for him because I ended up shooting him at a LONG 51 yards. He ran maybe 15 yards and piled up.
Zen herd me shoot and was on a goat at a long range (I'll let him say yards). So he decided he would try to be the longest kill shot on Doug's long story short and 4 loads less the goat ran off.
Once we grouped and got pictures it was off for the bigger goat we located about 30 miles away. We chased him around for over an hour and Zen again tried to make a LONG shot and again the goat ran off. Well know Zen has only 2 MH left from his stash and was ready to be done. It was a long day chasing goats.
We located another group he found earlier in the week and the sneak was one. He used an old Indian trick by waving his hat with the inside part towards the goats (white inside) and the goats were curious and started working towards him. The buck stepped up around 340 yards and Zen finally had it and figured 19" drop was so high and Kentucky windaged it. I watched the whole thing over 1000 yards away threw spotter and the buck DRT. I could see the flesh and hair blow out the back of the neck and buck just dropped. The goat was a decent goat and Zen was done.
We are figuring around 82" for mine and around 72" for Zen's.
Zen and I are so blessed to be able to do this and I am so thankful for his help in my western hunting adventures.
