Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Field to Freezer Weekend (Pic Heavy)

We find a group on a neighbor's place. Tate knows the neighbor who happened to be working at his bin site. We ask for permission and get the standard eastern Montana answer…”go ahead but you have to shoot two for every tag”. I can hear Rodney Dangerfield “no respect. I tell ya...I get no respect”.

Carsten and I make our move and I can tell right off it isn’t going to work. The field is too open and there is not enough contour to get within range. We spook them and start heading back to the truck.

We hadn’t made it ten steps when we see a group trot over the rise from the northeast. They are 500 plus yards out but on a line that will take them within 400 if they stay on the same path. We run to cut them off and I lay down with my bipod extended.

They follow the script and stop right where we hoped. One doe stands out slightly quartering to me. Carsten gives me the range…”360”. I guess the hold and touch off my .25-06. I can tell the little 100 grain Speer connected and as the herd takes off she slows and drops.

We walk toward her and her head is still up. At around 75 I drop to a knee for a finisher but she decides to stand up and run. I swing and pull and she hits the deck. Hard.



While gutting her out we found that my first shot was low. I check my drop chart (kinda late for that) and the shot landed where the chart says it should (10-12 inches low) but I simply should have aimed higher. The second shot was way far back and shattered her femur (swing through the shot dumb ass!). The bullet performed well it just needed a better driver.

While gutting we hear a UTV heading our way. The landowner had watched the whole thing and enjoyed the show. He told Tate to take his Gator out and get the antelope for us. No complaints!



We are all tagged out so we head to the ranch and find a suitable meat pole. Adequate horsepower is essential.



Luckily it is cool and getting cooler so we can leave them hang with the hide on. Much cleaner and less trim work later. We will head back the next day and process at home…