4-19 SS Antelope Hunt

 The other day I was having a conversation with Smokey Canyon Outfitter  Ryan Merritt from Wyoming.  While I was asking him what kinds of trips he offered he mentioned that one of the easier hunts that he offered was an antelope hunt. Now I can believe that if you’re sitting in a behind at a waterhole on a hot day. That’s not too taxing. But Ryan was talking spot and stalk. I know Wyoming has more antelope than the rest of North America combined but antelope are very wary with great vision and hearing, so I asked him to explain. Antelope are pretty easy. We hunt them out on the desert and the biggest problem with them is hitting them. It’s a real great hunt for kids or older people who can’t get around real good. Four-wheel drive hunt, we go out in the pickups and we spot the antelope we are after and then usually it is a short stalk. Antelopes have great eyesight and they can move really fast so the biggest thing is to get close to them and get a shot off on him without spooking them. Just a real relaxed, fun hunt for people. Now when you say that, you drive out with a pickup and you see the antelope, he sees you and hears you and so on. How in the world do you get out of the truck and stalk that animal? You want to see them before they see you. The area we hunt we have hunted for a long time so we know when to stop the rig and then go for a short hike to get up on top of little plateaus or see where they are. They are real leery of vehicles.