Good Luck. You will have lots of fun. If you want to CRAWL into position for a shot, be sure to throw in your elbow pads and knee pads.

 

It will probably be HOT! So be prepared. Find some water and be patient.

 

The old adage holds true here...practice, practice, practice. I drew 4 years ago and just shot at the range...dialed in same 1.5" @ 100...blah blah blah....

I got 3 shots at 3 different antelopes and missed each time. Went back to the range, gun was right on. It was my problem just shooting off the bench.

So....kneel, sit, prone.....know where your bullet is going to hit in a variety of situations.

I still kick myself when I think about it.....I am now 56 and hope someday to go again.

 

Bring more water than you think...borrow a neighbor's 5 gal jug!! It's dryer than a popcorn fart out there!

If you're hydrated, you'll stay out longer!! Sunscreen and a wide brimmed hat.

Water on the 'lope side: Hunt the water!! They'll come around like clockwork!!

Knee pads and elbow pads=YES

On the two I've shot, they were 111 yards and 75 yards. So, just know where you shoot in any position like you would a deer hunt. One can over think ballistics etc.

I am way envious as pronghorn is perhaps my favorite animal to hunt. Yet to get Mr. Big, but still am looking.....if I draw an Oregon tag again!alm:


Good LUCK! Take pics!!

BU

 

lots of water last year and record amounts this year. most ponds will be full depending on what unit. i would say if you have the time to pattern one or two bucks over a couple days.

 

I am pretty famillar with that unit if you want more info, send a PM and I will reply.

 

shooting sticks
gloves
kneepads
rangefinder
comfortable shooting at 300 yds
big cooler with lots of ice

:smash:

 

I and a friend drew Warner last year. 95 degree days,work on your 400yd shot,bring alot of water. There are closer animals,100 yd, but the big ones stay out 400 or better. Crawling is a must. Use the shade well. Good hunting, gods speed.:applause:

 

My first antelope was shot without a bipod. the next 4 were shot with one. A BIPOD IS YOUR FRIEND!!!

I got a pair of youth soccer shin guards for my forearms. They sure are nice if you have to do any crawling where there is cactus or sharp rock. Ditto leather gloves and Cabelas (ifish sponsor!) Boar Hide pants.

If possible with your ice chest, bury it lid-deep in an area that's in the shade, or at least in the late afternoon shade. Cover it with something. Your ice and whatever is in the cooler will last longer.

 

I wanted to add my :twocents:. Not hunting advice, but still important.

I had a tag last year. I had a large cooler with block ice in it. Nothing else. Just over an hour after shooting my buck, it was on ice. It's been some of the best eating meat I've ever had. I think getting it on ice quickly is the main reason for the quality of the meat.

The block ice will stay for quite a while, too. I only bought 5 blocks (it was all they had). They fit perfectly across the bottom of my cooler. After we parted out my buck, we put a tarp on top of the ice, then the meat bags on top of the tarp, to keep the meat dry. I bought the ice on Friday evening, shot my buck Sunday morning, and got home late Sunday night. Took care of the meat on Monday. Tuesday night, I dumped the ice out in the yard.....the blocks were well over 90% after 4 days. The next morning, I still had 5 blocks in my yard. That night, everything that had full sunlight was gone, but the two that had shade part of the day were still there. Block ice is your friend!!!

I've talked to quite a few people that have very mixed results with pronghorn meat. Those with bad stories either ran their bucks a bunch before shooting them, didn't get them skinned out for quite a while, or let them hang for a day or more before coming home (or some combination of the 3). Take care of your meat! It can be fantastic table fare, but you need to be prepared to get it out of the sun and heat reasonably quickly. Parting out an elk when it's under 40 degrees is one thing....a pronghorn in 90 degree heat with the nearest shade 2 miles away is something else altogether.

Have fun and good luck!

 

I wanted to add my :twocents:. Not hunting advice, but still important.

I had a tag last year. I had a large cooler with block ice in it. Nothing else. Just over an hour after shooting my buck, it was on ice. It's been some of the best eating meat I've ever had. I think getting it on ice quickly is the main reason for the quality of the meat.

The block ice will stay for quite a while, too. I only bought 5 blocks (it was all they had). They fit perfectly across the bottom of my cooler. After we parted out my buck, we put a tarp on top of the ice, then the meat bags on top of the tarp, to keep the meat dry. I bought the ice on Friday evening, shot my buck Sunday morning, and got home late Sunday night. Took care of the meat on Monday. Tuesday night, I dumped the ice out in the yard.....the blocks were well over 90% after 4 days. The next morning, I still had 5 blocks in my yard. That night, everything that had full sunlight was gone, but the two that had shade part of the day were still there. Block ice is your friend!!!

I've talked to quite a few people that have very mixed results with pronghorn meat. Those with bad stories either ran their bucks a bunch before shooting them, didn't get them skinned out for quite a while, or let them hang for a day or more before coming home (or some combination of the 3). Take care of your meat! It can be fantastic table fare, but you need to be prepared to get it out of the sun and heat reasonably quickly. Parting out an elk when it's under 40 degrees is one thing....a pronghorn in 90 degree heat with the nearest shade 2 miles away is something else altogether.

Have fun and good luck!

you must also keep there hair off of the meat. its hollow and has a musk too it that will taint your meat.

 

congrats on the tag - you're getting some good advice here
you'll find pronghorn hunting to be highly addicting - but since drawing in Oregon is so rare these days, you may want to check out Wyoming for the next several years

 

Amen, Diver Killer

 

There is usually a refer truck parked at Adel and you should know the exact address and phone number for the meat locker in Lakeview. They will show up after hours during hunting season. My last buck was 375 yards after a belly crawl using sticks. The bigger the buck, the farther out it is. The bigger the herd, the harder it is to sneak up.. too many eyes. Get your 300+ yard figured out. I would not count on a 9" drop to figure in. I would get a much flatter load figured out. I would find the farthest you can shoot with an 8" total drop from point blank. And I would know exactly both distances you cross the bullseye climbing and dropping and at 4" high and 4" low if you split it ( possibly 4 high @ 125 and 4 low at 300... just a guess). That will keep your 8" drop centered and help remove some guess work at a long distance. I think it would be easier to know that any shot out to 300 yards has a 4 inch radius vs worrying about a 9" radius. If you are looking for a big buck to do head mount, you will probably take a cavity shot instead of a neck shot anyway. I had my 300 Win Mag at 3" high at 250 and 3" low at 400. After 400 yards it dropped 12" more out to 500. I was able to pick a spot and shoot all the way out to 400 yards and just make sure I had the radius on the body part. I will try to find the website that helps compute your trajectory. It computes the cartridge type, primer type, type of powder, quantity of powder, size bullet, type of bullet, bullet coefficient and altitude. I drove out to my hunting/scouting area a month in advance and tested the computers trajectory.... spot on match. I dropped that last buck in one shot.


Did any of that make sense to you? It does to me.

 

Thanks for all of the great advice so far guys. I really appreciate it.:thisbig:
I still plan on doing more shooting practice. Do you think a monopod or sticks will work instead of a bipod? I have an older rifle and was told a bipod would be difficult to mount on it. I am trying to find clothes that will keep me as cool as possible. I was also told that wearing a white shirt or waving a white flag is effective. Thanks for all of the advice

 

I hunted deer in the Warner unit so I know the terrain. Did alot of scouting for deer but kept an eye open for antelope. Hunt the desert out by plush and adel. There's big bucks everywhere. Saw the biggest bodied antelope of my life out there. It's really just spot and shoot. You can see for miles. The bucks were standing, looking at us at 100-200 yards. Camp in the Warner national forest, but not near water, too many bugs. It's a bit of a drive but antelope are active all day contrary to deer who are early and late. When you kill one, haul arse back to camp. Skin it out and hang it over night. It does cool down overnight. Never hang it through the day. In the meantime head to plush, adel or lakeview for block ice. Put a tarp between the ice and meat. Part it out and pack it in the cooler. Keep the cooler in the shade and you should be fine. Also treat your trophy like your meat. Don't want the hair to fall out. Antelope are delicate. Lots of salt. Oh and take black pepper and generously sprinkle it on the meat as you skin, it should stick. This keeps the flys and bees at bay cause they can be thick.

 

i hunted over ther with a buddy a few years ago and the Adel store had a cooler available also.

 

I bought a small chest freezer for the BB unit deer hunt. I froze a bunch of one gallon water jugs ahead of time. I took a small generator, and ran it enough to keep the ice frozen. We shot 5 bucks over nine days, and had no problem keeping them cool.

 

I actually prefer shooting sticks over a bipod for antelope hunting. They just seem to be more versatile and are very steady with a little practice.

Skin the antelope on the spot, use a painters plastic to help keep the meat clean, keep the hair off the meat. The weather will dictate the method of meat storage. If the air temp at night remains warm, you will have to use some type of cool storage. If the air temp is cool at night, you can simply hang it over the canopy of a pickup and then store it under a pile of sleeping bags during the day. Meat will dissipate a lot of heat if in the shade and a slight breeze is blowing.

My last speed goat was shot around mid-day, skinned on the spot, hung on the shady side of the pickup the rest of the afternoon and over night. Cut up and vacuum packed in the morning and placed in a small chest freezer for the extended trip home.

 

sticks

 

I have had that tag twice and hunted with my friends and family 6 other years. The people at the Adel store are great. They have a walk in cooler and did not charge us to hang our antelope the last few times. Its worth stopping in just to see all the old mule deer mounts. Probally one of the most important things you will need is a range finder, preferably one that goes to 800 yards. You can't always get a reading when ranging antelope but you can often range something near by. Another thing I recommend is going on Google Earth and look for water holes. There are alot of dirt tanks in that country and if you can find the ones that are away from the roads you can have a great hunt. You can spot antelope from the truck but you will be shocked at how much shoe leather you will use. Another thing is patience. Alot of people will shoot 12"-13" bucks the first couple days. That unit is filled with 14" bucks so hold out. Our biggest was near 16". By the 3rd or 4th day most hunters will be done and you will have the place to yourself. They are tough to judge. I have been over there quite a bit and still don't consider myself good at judging antelope.

 

what desperatehills says.......

"By the 3rd or 4th day most hunters will be done and you will have the place to yourself."

Thats the truth!!!!!!!!!!

 

Cheeseburgers and fries at Papa Dan's after the hunt.

This buck came from 2004:

P