For the past three years we've set out to learn to hunt as a family. A handful of friends have graciously taken us for cow elk, but we never were lucky enough to see one during season in the area we were looking.
This year my brother in law offered to include us on any hunts they would do, and the first opportunity presented itself for Antelope today.
We got on site at about 8a. My wife, daughter (tag), son (tag), BIL (tag), nephew (tag) were all along. We decided early that if a shot presented itself that our daughter would get first crack.
For the past few months I've pored over a load for my son on a 243 Ruger American - and finally landed on a GREAT load of 43.7 H4831sc with a 95gr NBT - 2900fps. This will shoot a penny sized group at 100. For our daughter, I didn't have another light caliber so I set her up with a rifle that's actually my wife's, a Tikka 308. The load for the Tikka is one I developed for Elk, a 165 NAB over 45gr Varget - 2700fps. This also shoots a penny group. I didn't have time to get a lighter bullet set up for the 308 - so we had to roll with the 165NAB load.
Back to the ranch. Temps were forecast to be a high of 38 with a 10mph wind. Well we didn't get the wind - but we also didn't get the temp. When we got there it was 11deg. Thankfully there was a ton of acreage to work and little cover so we used the trucks for access road scouting, stopping to glass every now and then.
We had driven and glassed for about an hour and a half when we saw them North of our position as we drove East. The BIL and I were both looking and he says - I think I got something. He put me on the spot and I could tell it was distinctive - but was also a looooooong ways off. He set up the spotting scope - this nifty mount that clipped over the window to stabilize it - and scanned the area. Ten or so antelope, far, far out. All does and all heads up, they were 1200-1500 yards based on the furthest spot I could get my rangefinder to get a reading then multiplying the distance that I couldn't.
We set the plan to drive the access road further East on our current course, parallel to them until we were out of sight, then cut North towards them, then set out on foot working back West. We drove aways, then stopped. We got out, grabbed the sticks & Tikka and started making our way back West. Just BIL, me & daughter set out. Wife & Nephew stayed with the trucks.
We had walked a couple hundred yards, cresting a hill, glassing - nothing, then working down into the gulley then back up to the next hill. We decided a better plan would have been to leave the truck with the spotter back on the main road with nephew, then take the other truck and a walkie and have him walk us right up to them. At this point we weren't even sure they were hanging around. We decided on one more hill, a bit North and West. We crested the hill and scanned, still nothing. We looked again, still nothing. We decided to go back to the trucks and get them to drive instead of walking West because we had lost our point of reference on how far East we had initially driven since we spotted them. Before we were set to turn and head back - I saw them. About 400yards off. I don't even know where they came from. But they were all up and moving. We immediately set up the sticks, got the daughter on the rifle. I ranged it - 400+... she sighed... "whoa.". I sighed (ha). I told her, 'third subtension.'
Last night I called the kids to the dining room table for subtension class. They'd seen their reticles a lot on their rifles, but this was going to be different. Earlier this week they both got on 200yd steel, so I was confident in their ability. So we sit down, I show them the strelok app printouts of their reticles and corresponding ranges. They are the overly simple (sometimes hated) BDC style (one burris, one vortex). The subtensions on these loads line up pretty close with 200, 300, 400, 500 for the 308. For the 243, they're good to 200 & 300. Both are zeroed @ 100. The reticle I showed them from strelok showed the correction for a 10mph crosswind. I challenged them to mark on the reticle printout where the 200yd shot would be with the 10mph crosswind, ensuring they understood the extra wind carry over greater distance. Then 300. Then the wind from the other direction. They had it down. In theory, I guess, because none of us really knew what we were doing - just all the learning we could soak up and hope it applied to the field.
At 400 she was overwhelmed. She lifted her head, it was all spinning pretty quick because the Antelope were antsy and already moving East. We verified sex and I told her second one from the right. She was looking with both eyes, over the rifle. They started to move. They were due North just a shade West of us - and for some reason they were cutting a path South East - they were going to cut North across us. BIL says - they're coming to us, stay calm. Sure as [bleep], here they come. 300. She's having to adjust to track them. BIL says - if there's a good shot, you need to take it. 250. I tell her, just below 1st subtension. Still adjusting as they sweep across in front of us. I look at my daughter, she's got both eyes over the rifle. I tell her - get on the gun - you've got to get on the rifle here. She starts to argue back - she's headstrong - but I tell her she can do it, force yourself to get ready, you can do it. She gets on the rifle and continues to track them as they move across in front of us. Down a gulley, back up the side, now they're East of us and although still just a bit North. BIL says - pick one for a shot. 200. I tell her, last one in the group, 1st subtension, if she stops, shoot. 225. They're moving away to the South East at this point - getting further away. It's at this point that BIL sees they're moving pretty good - but they were curious enough to cut past us, so maybe they want a look. He whistles a few times, waves his hat. The last one stops - she turns, stares straight on at us. I tell her, put that 1st sub right there in the middle of her torso, bottom third.
After subtension class last night we looked up pictures of Antelope to quiz them on male female. Just typed Antelope into google, clicked images, and scrolled through. I had each of them point and call out if it was male or female and why they thought so. It was actually a bit of fun. The next thing we did was look for images of vitals and shots. I showed them the leg and shoulder structure and where the vital bits were from a number of angles. This included the head on shot like she was staring at today. The internet has been extremely helpful to us due to a lack of personal experience. That brief time spent yesterday evening was super important this afternoon.
After looking for a moment, the doe must've had her fill of hanging around and started to turn to the South ever so slightly and move away. Just as she took her first step, I heard the crack of the rifle. A second later we hear this THWACK as the NAB hit home. The bullet entered just behind the right leg. She jumped, ran clean for a few yards, then started breaking down in about 20 yards and that was it.
All three of us were ecstatic. Her - for the shot. Incredible for a first time. BIL - for the scouting and for whistling her to stop and give that split second window for a shot. Me - Proud dad - and over the moon my reload had done the job.
The entry wound was about 2" across - the bullet hit just behind her right leg, traveled lengthwise and ended up in the pelvis area. (I weighed it after we got home - 131.4, so 80% retention.) While BIL was showing daughter a couple points about field dressing, I took our son and went and found ejected brass casing.
We glassed for another hour or so but no luck. We're going to try and hit it again one more time before the month is over and fill one of the other tags.
What a rush. Not a trophy, but absolutely something to be proud of and something I hope we all remember for a long, long time.
Pictures
Antelope
