Montana Antelope

Share your tales (tall or otherwise) of hunting adventures.

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Constable Bill Manning
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Montana Antelope

Post by Constable Bill Manning »

Just an antelope but they were hard to come by due to the devistation of the herds from blue tongue in the center part of eastern Montana.

Shot this buck north of Sumatra using my 74 Shiloh Sharps in 45-110. Paul Jones 546 gr gg wheelweight bullet over 95 grains of Swiss Fg and using a King .030 veggie wad (about .1" of compression). Also had on my lucky UofND Fighting Sioux camo hat for good measure!

Used my sights that I use shooting gongs and they aren't the best choice for hunting but it worked. A barrel sight may be easier to use but wouldn't have the long range potential that my MVA has. Should have changed out the front sight aperture to maybe a post or something.

Also had a premature firing on a buck previous to shooting this one because he was moving and I had set the trigger and in the process of shifting, I touched the trigger just before I was really on him. Shot just over his back. Would suggest not using the set trigger for hunting unless you are really set up and have the time to use it.

Got two grooves, one in each muscle on each side of my shoulders, from carrying my Sharps for about 10 miles. I need to invent a shoulder pad like a shooting pad except on the top for packing one over your shoulder kind of like a sawyer's shoulder chap.

Shot him at 220 yards through both shoulders and suffered very little blood shot meat. Shot him at that place which is just over the lungs but just under the backbone which most times isn't fatal but when it's a bullet about half an inch in diameter, it fairly well screwed up his locomotion. Like in the movie, "The quick and the dead", I could see daylight through the hole in his shoulders just before he went down... :o)

And I used a LEAD bullet... Bullets are made of lead, always have been, always will be... Lead, it's a wonderful thing...

He was still very much alive so I shot him again through the back of his neck and out the throat which made cutting the head off simple. Amazing energy in that big bullet!

Rinsed the blood out of the backstraps (the blood carries most of the gamey taste), rolled in flour, salt, and pepper, seared in real cows butter and ate till my belly hurt.

Love antelope. Love hunting antelope. Love eating antelope. Love being in eastern Montana in the fall chasing antelope. Love the friends and camping while hunting antelope. Just love antelope...

Oh, and did I mention that I love antelope?? :o)

Also, and in case you're wondering, this photo was taken the following morning at our camp along the highway where I had forgotten my camera. Hence, I didn't have my orange vest on... Just in case you were wondering.

I can also highly recommend the Chicken Fried steak at the Jersey Lilly Bar and Eatery in Ingomar... They even had Moose Drool in a bottle!!

Image

Photo by "Shrapnel"
Brent
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Post by Brent »

The Jersey Lilly must be the worst kept secret in MT. Good place though and nice buck!

Brent
Just straddling the hard line between "the arrogance of dogmatism and the despair of skepticism"
bobw
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Post by bobw »

Looks good to me, even if Shrapnel was involved. Did old Shrapnel try to bone him in the field?Or did you just drag him? bobw
Constable Bill Manning
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Post by Constable Bill Manning »

Ol Shrapnel didn't help me process this one but he did follow up my missed shot that I mentioned above with a 100 year old Model 94 winchester in 25-35 I believe and filled his tag... A stupid little buck that appeared to have a death wish.

Love this 100 plus year old cowboy hardware!!
pete
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Post by pete »

Bill;
Congratulations on the antelope and I like them too. I have to say though I think your opening statement of "Just an antelope...." does a diservice to antelope. They're a worthy challenge and accomplishment especially if undertaken with one of the more primitive methods.
Constable Bill Manning
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Post by Constable Bill Manning »

"Just an antelope" only meant that he was a small, representative buck. Gave his all for me, though, and I appreciate that.

I have shot antelope with a number of firearms ranging from .223s to 22-250s, several .243s, a 25-284 Wildcat, a .270, a 30.06, a 45-70 Montana Centennial Winchester, a 9mm Baretta Pistol, a 50 cal Amac, and lastly my 45-110 and I would have to say that my 45-110 doesn't give anything up to any of these others.

It already ranks as one of my most accurate rifles. Carrying it was a bit of a chore but not excessive even for an 53 year old fat guy like me. The sights, while not being magnified, are the most easily adjusted and repeatable sights that I have. I feel more confident shooting this rifle at serious distances than all the rest that I own.

It's a hoot to shoot. I shot this buck with ammunition that I cast and brewed in my garage, with open sights and black powder. What can be any cooler than that!!! :o)
pete
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Post by pete »

Bill;
Ok I understand what you mean. Maybe I'm the only one but most every year I've hunted with bp, muzzleloader or cartridge I could have had shots at bigger bucks with a modern style scoped rifle than with what I was carrying. But that's ok I'll take bp anyway.
A 9mm Baretta? :shock: :)
Dakota Dick
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Post by Dakota Dick »

Bill

Congrats...nice buck and a great shot with that rifle and sight combo. You are totally right about the set trigger...did the same thing with my 38-55 Highwall a few years back...a slow learner I am and just can't get past not using it...but when the blood is pumping and the buck is in the sights, even the regular trigger pull can seem like a set trigger pull.

Been about 20 years or more since I hunted antelope. Last time was up in NW corner of SD. It's on my list of things to do with one of my BPRCs...just have to decide which one....good to have such problems!

Thanks again for write up and sharing the picture.

Cheers
Dick Savage
aka
Dakota Dick
Keystone, SD
Constable Bill Manning
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Post by Constable Bill Manning »

Pete,

The Baretta was handy, the weather was a miserable, cold, windy, dumping sleet kind of miserable that only you find in Eastern Montana, and I needed to fill one last tag before leaving. Not the best antelope gun I am the first to admit. Actually, it's a damn poor antelope gun. They are made to shoot sideways the way you see in the movies which really doesn't lend itself to even short range accuracy. It does keep you from slinging flaming hot shells into your buddies shirt collar, however!

I wouldn't have even mentioned it but my buddy snapped a picture of me so it's now documented. The one good thing it does have is lots of on-board bullets.... Nuf' said!

Surprised you weren't curious about the 50 Amac?? Kind of the big and small of it, don't you think?


Dakota,
Thanks for the kind words. 20 years IS too long to miss antelope hunting. If nothing else, it's the best time be out in antelope country driving around. There's jack rabbits, birds, some places have prairie dogs, coyotes, and a ton of other stuff.

We even mixed in a 3 day fly fishing trip to the Bighorn River with one of our first antelope trips. Now, you want to try to explain something, try to explain to a rancher over there that you are looking for antelope with a drift boat tied behind you pickup... Raised his eye brows!!

Yep, 20 years is tooooo long to be away. Lifes short. I know. I lost of close friend two weeks ago to a heart attack. Times awastin'!
Shrapnel
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Location: southwestern Montana

Re: Montana Antelope

Post by Shrapnel »

Here is the update and photos of the antelope Bill was referring to...

9mm Antelope and 25-35 antelope that was missed with his Sharps, but not shrapnel's 25-35...

Image

Image
I swear I didn't do it
bobw
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Re: Montana Antelope

Post by bobw »

Shrapnel what kind of tags you get for this fall? Are you going to use any of your old guns for the hunts? bobw
bobw
Shrapnel
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Location: southwestern Montana

Re: Montana Antelope

Post by Shrapnel »

So far I have gotten nothing. I am hoping still for an antelope, elk and spare deer "B" tag. I am planning a trip to North Dakota for Whitetail deer. I haven't decided which 6 guns I will take there. I am hoping Kirk at Shiloh will have my 40-90 bottle neck running by then and I will take it. It is hard to decide which guns to use and I still keep acquiring them...
I swear I didn't do it
Constable Bill Manning
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Re: Montana Antelope

Post by Constable Bill Manning »

Thanks Shrapnel for scanning the pix and getting them posted. You wouldn't have one of the 50 AMAC of Russ' when we were shooting the sandstone cliff and I shot that doe would you. I sort of remember taking some pictures at the time.
jdb3
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Re: Montana Antelope

Post by jdb3 »

Bill, go to Kifaru.net and look at their gunbearer under hunting accessories. It is the best way of carrying any long gun that I have found. Very quickly accessible too. Jim
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" Benjamin Franklin.
Constable Bill Manning
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Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 8:58 am
Location: Lakeside, MT
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Re: Montana Antelope

Post by Constable Bill Manning »

Looks like the "Gunbearer" only works with a backpack. Is that how you use it or have you figured a way to deal with the upper strap without having a backpack on?
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