2009 Muzzleloader Pronghorn Success

We went out this last weekend on our ritual Unit 52 muzzleloader antelope hunt. Luck was on our side on opening morning. Despite an army of other hunters, I was able to harvest this buck. We are very proud of him. The many hours of pre-hunt preparation paid off. Thanks goes out to all that were part of this hunt with me and the boys.





Me and the boys


Team Ranchitos

Very nice. Pretty cool to have the whole family with you.

WAY COOOOL! congrats on the buck!! fun to have family together!!

vinihunt

Nice goat cisco..

Nice looking Antelope, Congrats!

Nice goat. Out of curiosity what did he measure?

He roughed out at 81 2/8 inches gross.

"our ritual Unit 52 muzzleloader antelope hunt?" How many times have you drawn it? I need some of your luck. I can't seem to draw that tag to save my butt. Nice goat. More important looks like you had fun.

CONGRATS!!!! Nice Goat!!

In the last 20 years I have drawn this hunt 7 times with muzzleloader. I think it was the first seven years I put in for it. I drew every year. On group applications, all my hunting party usually drew. Back in the good old days there was little to no interest in this hunt. Heck I think one year, I stood in "fireline" sale in Raton after the draw and got this tag.

Before the muzzleloader hunts, I hunted this unit with my dad, grandpa, and uncles when it was open to rifle and then bow. My uncle has a great buck he killed near Laguna Larga out a tree stand with his recurve bow.

At present time this hunt is almost impossible to draw. My wife has drawn twice in 4 years and my son once in 3 years. I have not drawn since 1995 or 1996. Since about 1997, I starting obtaining a unit-wide antelope landowner authorization for this unit from a real good family friend. If I do not use it, either my wife or my oldest son uses it. Since they have become more interested in hunting antelope recently, they've always had first dibbs. This year, they told me to hunt. I gladly agreed!

My youngest son will be taking hunters ed. this year. After our success this weekend, he has already claimed the tag for next year. That's cool. He is welcome to it, but will have fight his older brother for it. To me, it will come down to who gets the better grades in school or something like that. I'm sure they both will try to get staight A's. We shall see....so game on boys. I hope you are reading this.

With that, I have been very fortunate to have hunted Unit 52 for antelope for many years. I have enjoyed every minute of it as kid learning from grandpa, dad, and uncles. Some great memories there. Now I am enjoying this by spending quality time with friends and passing this ritual to my own family. Through the years we have taken some good animals. Some years not taken any. Our hunts have never been measured by bagging a buck, but by spending some quality time together. This would have not be possible without our great friend hooking us up with an antelope hunting opportunity over the years. For this, I am in debt and very greatful to him.

Man, I can't wait until next year........

Congrats on the great buck! Question....is that your ground blind under "the tree"?? see it there every year... My buddy has been lucky enough to draw that tag four out of the last five years(lucky sucker). This was my first tag after four years of trying. again, awesome goat! good luck this season

AZ_TXhunter,

I saw your post. Congrats. Nice buck. What did he score? I like his width.

No, that was not my blind. I think, I know what blind you are talking about though. You are correct, it is there every year. I think it belongs to an outfitter. I have seen the same truck parked near that blind over the years. Or we might be talking about different parts of the world and two different blinds. Especially the last couple of years,it seems like there is a blind under every tree out there, same locations year after year. Some guys are putting them up a day or two before. I tried a pop up blind last year when my wife and older son had tags. I did not like hunting out of one. It seemed like the older bucks shied away from our blind. Immature bucks and does did OK with the blind, however the older buck seemed to be very nervous around our blind and run off. I saw every kind of blind out there this weekend. Most of them stuck out like a sore thumb and were shinny, even if they were put under trees. Again, the more mature bucks seemed not to like the .50 cal muzzy barrels sticking out of shinny looking trees. Plus for me it's tough to sit in one for a long period of time. So this year I left mine in the truck. I like wearing my blind in the form of a ghillie suit. It works really well if you sit a stand for a while or need to put the Rambo sneak on.

I do have a spot or should I say, had a spot. Some guys over the last three years have decided they liked my spot better than theirs and have been setting up their "shinny" blinds a day or two before the opener. Oh well, they can have it. I have adapted to another area and other tactics.

Kiko,
Nice buck! I am back on here again so good to see ya here and good to be back. Roaque

LAST EDITED ON Aug-21-09 AT 04:06PM (MST)[p]It scored right at 79. My buddy and his pregnant wife sat in a groundblind, it worked out good for her. She shot an 83 inch buck. With all of the hunters and blinds out there i just sat by a cedar tree opening morning and let everyone push them around. Worked out pretty good, i shot mine just after sun-up.
AZ_TXhunter (changed my profile name)

Chase,

Would love to see the pic of the 83" buck your buddy's wife took.

What a monster goat. He is going to make a nice mount. Way to go.