Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Pronghorn Optics?

Get yourself Leica's 10x42 Geovids, with built-in rangefinder.
It's all you will ever need for antelope hunting.

Same here... scope was a 2-7 however

A good pair of binocs and any decent rifle with any scope from 4X to a 3-9 will suffice. A rangefinder is a far more intellegent place to put your shekels than a spotting scope. They're useful for sure, but not a necessity by any means

I've put in for goat tags in Montana every year since I've been old enough to hunt. I average a tag every 3-4 years it seems. Montana, once you draw an either sex tag, they usually give you a chance at 1 or more doe/fawn tags (back in the day, it was usually 3 doe tags)

The spotter is the easy part. Take the one you've already got, and spend the money on a good truck window mount

Binos... I use the same pair of early Pentax 8x40 DCF WPs I've had for the last 5 years or so. just make sure they're a pair that you can spend HOURS behind. If I lived in goat country, I'd buy a pair of 10x'ers.

My goat rifle for the last 14 years has been a Model 7 in 260. Once Nosler came out with the 100 grain Partition, I needed look no further for a goat bullet. It wears a 2-7x33 Loopy with a Duplex reticle...

Which brings us to my favorite range finder. An average antelope goes 13" from the top of its back to the bottom of the briscut (a bigger buck might go 14") At 400 yards that same antelope fits between the horizontal wire and the pickett perfectly and that means its inside my "comfort zone" shooting prone with a Turner 1903 sling (also why I like a 2-7x, less apparent wobble)

Which brings us to the more important equipment... Elbow and kneepads that are nicely padded and cactus-proof Leather gloves ain't a bad idea either. And don't forget good tweezers either (buy them from a medical supply house if you can)

Get a belt buckle that you can wear out, you're going to do some crawling.

Brad and Bob, my very first goat was with a 30-06 and a 2-7 VariXII.

I agree with the cactus proof stuff. My combo is a RDX IV range finder, 10X56 binoculars, 6.5 to 20 power scope, .257 Weatherby working on the third barrel, 115 gr Barnes. This combo has worked for me for years except the RDX range finder, which is only two years old. You'll laugh, but I used a Weaver range finder for over ten years before. I am not sure who made it, but there were about five or six brands who sold the exact same unit with their name on it.
Good shooting,
Marcus.

x3 on elbow/knee pads and leather gloves. Spend money first on real good rangefinder. It will have a 6x 7x or 8x objective. I like my 10x28 pocket swarovski binos. Spotting scope will definitely cut down on miles traveled on foot/belly

IMHO for Antelope a quality pair of 15X bino's and leave the spotter behind

I like my 8x30 Lieca or Swaro binos. Light, compact, and easy to slide inside a shirt or vest while crawling in.

I agree wholeheartedly with the cactus recommendations. You will wear out your endurance, hands and knees crawling around the country long before you get to enjoy any optical benefits if you aren't in good shape and somewhat protected.

Never had any use for a spotting scope, too much weight to crawl around with. Unless you spend your hunting time behind the wheel or over the hood. You'll know a good buck when you see it through a quality bino. Heavy horns and a solid black face are easy to see.

I also use an old Lieca rangefinder, I think it is the 800 model. It does everything needed. Anything less will not work well on a furry critter in normally flat, treeless ground. You've got to be able to get a read off of the antelope and will not find many nearby rocks, shrubs, barns, fenceposts or other things to get a good return from.

Riflescope selection is not critical, after all it is only a sighting instrument when used in normally high light antelope hunting. You'll use your bino constantly and your scope only once or twice in a hunt. I have Leupold Vari or VX-III 2.5-8 scopes on most of my big game rifles. Clarity and resolution is more important than power. I usually shoot at less than 6 power anyway, as it helps to reduce the shakes from a less than solid rest, even using a bipod. I'm usually stretching to get above grass or a roll in the topography. Spend lots of time at the range shooting from various uncomfortable prone positions to get used to the less than ideal conditions you'll find in the field. Even better is to find some open ground (BLM, grassland, or a rancher friend's property) and practice walking crouched over and crawling for 100 yards or so, dropping to prone and getting off an aimed shot in less than a minute. That will get you used to a less than perfect set up and you won't be prone to spend as much time in the field trying to get comfortable and studying the shot. Bench shooting is meaningless.

Since my first inexperienced kill at 325 yards many years ago, I've only shot one antelope beyond 150 yards. They are rather easy to sneak in on once you get the hang of using the topo and any vegetation present. Stay low, then get lower. They may have great eyesight, but aren't particularly wary if you stay off of your feet and below the skyline. In fact, they often walk closer to see what is rolling around in the grass.

Good luck and enjoy what I believe is the best of all big game hunts.

Last year I used 10x42 Geovids and pard used 8x42 Minox HG's. We used them a TON and both worked very well. Any good 8x or 10x will fill the bill. We used a spotter quite a bit as well, not just from the truck. In the AM we'd leave the truck and generally not be back until at or near sunset so I stuffed the spotter in my pack. The spotter saved us untold miles by being able to judge whether a particular group had a good buck in it or not. We both wore Badlands 2200 packs but packed them pretty light. Enough water for the day, a couple granola bars, a knife, some Lg ziplocks (3gal) for meat, and the spotter in my pack. IMO, the spotter was worth packing the weight. We were both running 4.5-14 scopes, pard has a Zeiss, Leupold for myself. Both Antelope were taken on 4.5x, pards @ 175yds and mine @ 80yds. 270Win with factory 130 Interbonds for my pard and 257Wby 100TSX for myself..

These guys are giving great advice. If you can swing the Leica rangefinder, you will use it.

As far as binoculars, if you don't have a phobia about Chinese, the Zen Ray ED glass in either 8 or 10X is geting rave reviews. They are under $500, and are said to rival the big three Europeon brands.

While I think you are overgunned (I prefer a .25-06 or 6.5x55), if you are confident in the rifle, use it. Practice at 2-300 yards if possible using a bipod-another useful tool. If you do your part, shots will be closer to 100 yards than 300+.

Have fun. If we get drawn this year, maybe I will see you up there.

I don't believe you need the highest priced pair of Bino's or most expensive rifle or rifle scope to collect your antelope but I do believe that you need very good magnafication to be able to see those animals afar.

I have hunted antelope or speedgoats with a .270 Winchester and later with a 6mm Remington caliber model 700 BDL. My choice of power in a rifle scope back then was a 3 x 9 power Weaver. Nowdays I use a 25-06 or 6.5/06 with a 6 x 18 Leupold VX-2. However, this year I am going to take along a 6.5/300WSM and a Bushnell 3200 elite with turrets in a 5 x 15 power....who knows, maybe I'll get lucky far out youndar way!

My Bino's are 10 x 50 power Pentax model DCF SP, a mid-range price at $700 dollars. There is no subsitute for a top of the line range finder like the Leica, beats the Bushnell by far in my humble opinion. As was mentioned by another forum member, a good "spotting scope" is a must. I have an 80mm lense with variable power from 20 to 60 power. You really need a good spotting scope, to distinguish the cream of the crop in a trophy animal.

You will do more looking then shooting, so glass is important. A good pare of 10x50 glasses will work and it really helps to have a spotting scope once you spot them. I have my 20 power spotting scope on a stock and I love it. You still need to steady it on something when you can but its much handier then a tri pod.

Ditto 10x on binoculars, but in my opinion 50mm objective is not necessary. Antelope are not noctournal like deer and elk. Most of the time you will have plenty of daylight. 50mm is nice but heavy. If you're getting the binocs strictly for antelope, I think 10x40 is a better choice since you may be doing lots of walking, and you don't want something heavy around your neck. That's my $.0x.