Preparing for antelope hunting can be a super exciting time of the year. Many of us have gone through a long hot summer and can hardly wait for the kick-off of the season.
Here are a few ways to get ready for your antelope hunt!
Preparing for Antelope Hunting
Locating antelope
First things first, the best way to prep for a spot and stalk antelope is to locate groups of antelope. If you can have multiple groups picked out before the season opens, then you have a good chance of at least finding antelope during the season to stalk. The best way to find antelope is to cover miles. I simply drive, and drive, and drive, using my binoculars and spotting scopes to locate these animals. Typically the best areas are agricultural areas that have a water source nearby. Irrigated alfalfa fields seem to hold lots of antelope and are one of my favorite places to look.
Reaching out to local ranchers and farmers
Since agricultural areas hold so many antelope, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask if you can hunt their land. Lots of farmers and ranchers would be more than happy to let you shoot antelope on their properties if, of course, you respect that it is indeed their property and you treat it respectfully. Antelope have a tendency to run through agricultural fields and ruin a lot of crops.
Scouting with onX
onX is a great way to scout for anything, making it great for antelope, too. You can use this app to find property boundaries between private and public and to find different landowners. You can also use it to find out the lay of the land such as locating water holes, finding grasslands and agricultural fields, and seeing if a general area would be conducive for these animals before even driving out to the area.
Decoy setups
Most of the time, antelope are on the flats. Flats are extremely difficult to navigate during a spot and stalk hunt. Sometimes you can find small things to hide you, such as hay bales, sagebrush, or just little pockets. But other times, there’s just nothing. So investing in good decoys is never a bad idea. “Montana Decoy” makes great 2D life-size animal decoys such as antelope, mule deer, whitetails, elk, and even cows. These decoys are awesome when you have a hunting partner that can run the decoy while you run your weapon. When you are hunting solo, “Ultimate Predator Gear” makes great decoys similar to Montana Decoys. These decoys can be mounted to your bow, so that way you can be at full draw or be ready while your decoy is “in action”.
Good rangefinder
A good rangefinder is a great investment for any bowhunter. Precise ranges can make or break a shot. I’ve heard lots of stories of ranges being off slightly, but just enough to ruin shot placement.
Hunting antelope is so much fun because of its laid-back mentality and many opportunities.
