Reporter to learn what later season antelope hunting is like

By Nick Gevock - 10/08/2008

Courtesy photo Reporter Nick Gevock readies to leave hunting camp with an antelope buck in this 2007 file photo.

I'm a little spooked about antelope hunting this year.

It's not that I'm scared to go. Antelope, after all, are one of my favorite game species to pursue, even though I only get out a day or two each year.

Rather, I'm a little nervous to find out what it's like to hunt antelope a week into the season after they've been hunted for a week, and possibly had their herd shot at a time or two. It will be a first for me. Every season since I've lived in Montana I've gotten out on opening day, which is Sunday, Oct. 12, this year.

Now when it comes to opening day for deer and elk, it's never been that important to me to get out the first day of the rifle season.

Deer aren't in the rut in late October, so there's little advantage in my opinion to getting out early. And elk are often still high in the mountains and difficult to get at, although some years an early blast of winter weather will push them into the foothills and make for good opening day hunting.

Yet for the most part, I subscribe to the school of that that elk hunting just gets better and better as the season goes on.

Not so with antelope.

They are a game species where you have a distinct advantage on the opening day. The reasons are many.

Antelope have evolved perfectly to the open plains they inhabit. They have incredible eyesight — I once read that their eyesight is equivalent to an eight power binoculars — and are the second fastest land animal on earth.

They are usually found in herds and post a "sentry" atop ridges to keep an eye out for intruders. And once they spot a hunter coming in, they're usually gone.

That wariness only grows as the season wears on and they've received a lot of pressure. At least that's what I've been told, and I've seen that through the years by simply driving around in antelope country and watching the look they give a passing vehicle.

In fact, in some mountain valleys of southwest Montana where antelope are visible in large numbers before the rifle season, they're tough to spot at all. It seems they move a little higher into the foothills to get away from hunting pressure.

Last year was a good example for me of why I like to get out opening day. After spotting a few herds and taking a couple walks in flat country, my hunting partner and I hiked into some rugged, broken hills trying to spot some antelope.

Sure enough, after about half an hour I saw a buck top a ridge walking straight at me. He spotted me from about 600 yards and froze, never moving for a full 15 minutes.

But four other antelope with that buck kept coming along. Amazingly, they walked directly at me and came crossing broadside at about 100 yards with the antelope checking me out. They seemed more curious than anything else.

I embarrassingly missed my first shot at a decent buck at that range. But the group ran to about 275 yards out and again stopped to look at me. I centered the .243 Winchester I was using right behind the buck's shoulder and squeezed off a shot, clocking him right in the heart.

I doubt those antelope would have continued toward me later in the season. And it's unlikely they would have stopped for a second look, yet I suppose I'll find out this season how it is to hunt antelope that have been pressured.

I'll let you know.

Reporter Nick Gevock may be reached at nick.gevock@mtstandard.com.