Anyone else for antelope?

[Elkhunter]

I will be heading to area #88 in western Wyoming for antelope again this fall.

[ELKCHSR]

I hope you do well, I didn't put in for it this year, for the last 2 years I get the tags and am so busy running the mountains where the elk and deer are that I havent had a chance to use it, so decided to wait till next year, now watch, I will probably have lots of time for them this year..LOL.. smilies/biggrin.gif

[Deerslayer]

I drew a unit that is 100% with my brother and a friend. Mostly all private with a coupe of small patches that hold lopes. We will all tag, but I doubtit will be anything to brag about......I will tag last after I guide them to their first ever lopes. Probably a pile of 12-inchers will be in our near future smilies/rolleyes.gif ...Pug will be proud of me smilies/tongue.gif

[1_pointer]

Do they ever have any buck tags available after the draws?

[Deerslayer]

If so, it would only be in units dominated by private lands. Most units run about 30-40% odds that have reasonable access.

[Weathered Horn]

I usually hunt a unit near laramie that goes undersubscribed during the draw. I havent checked to see if that is the case this year yet or not. My grandfather lives in Cheyenne, and knows several landowners that are practically begging people to take some lopes off of thier ground. However he is trying to sell his place so I dont know if he will be there in Sept or not. It is alot like what DS says, lots of 12-14 inchers. If you are interested, 1ptr check units 44 or 45.

Todd

[wyote]

I drew 107 up on South Pass. It's a pistol/muzzleloader so it's not an easy hunt. I don't have a muzzleloader so I be using pistol only.

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1">[ 07-03-2003 06:33: Message edited by: wyote ]</font>

[1_pointer]

Thanks DS and WH. A 12-14 incher wouldn't bother me as I've never hunted them before!

[tnctcb]

i put in with del and danni for arizona. i will know in a feww weeks about that.if not it will still be on my wish lust next year.

[HoundDawg]

Never hunted for antelope or eaten one... but I heard tell when you do go hunt them take lots of ammo!! I might like to try it one day...

I also heard they aren't fit to eat even if you shoot them and they fall over in your cooler. Had a buddy who shot one and his hounds wouldn't even eat it. Now that's some foul stuff if a dog won't eat it.

Given the choice between antelope and Olive Garden, I might actually have to take Olive Garden based on what I've heard about those Wyoming goats.

[BuzzH]

I dont know why theres so many "antelope arent fit to eat" rumors out there.

I like them better than deer and prefer antelope steak over elk steak. Elk are good for burger, antelope are good for steak, and deer are great for jerky and sausage, IMO.

I'll be killing a few antelope this year and enjoying eating them too.

[Calif. Hunter]

Antelope is good eating. I don't know why it gets such a bad rap. Must be guys driving around with them in the back of the truck for half a day before dressing them out.

[Troy Jones]

Goats can be really good or really bad. If your running an old buck around and finally down him, then let him lay in the back of your pickup in 70 degree weather for 4 or 5 hours and truck him home catching bugs for 200 miles. Then yes, it's not going to taste real good.

[JB Florida]

We hear the same thing about our deer down here.....same as above. Killem in front of dogs, let them ride around in the truck on a warm day and wonder whats wrong with the taste.......

[Greenhorn]

Antelope can be the best piece of venison by far.

I do know if you shoot an old buck in the leg during the rut when the temperature is about 90 degrees out and you have to chase him around for few hours before you kill him.. the meat aint so good.

My dogs really appreciated one such antelope from which I couldn't even bring myself to eat the burger from. But almost every other antelope has been better eating than any grainfed whitetail I've taken.

[HoundDawg]

I suppose there will always be a minority that will say they love antelope... hell, there are people out there who don't eat any meat at all if you can believe that. smilies/wink.gif

But as for me, I'll stick with my elk, occasional bison and BEEF... it's whats for dinner!!

When I hear 100 people tell me they had to lick a skunks butt to get the taste of antelope out of their mouth... and then 5 people tell me they love it and it's delicious... sorry but I'm going with the majority on that one.

I'd like to try it myself sometime if I could ever draw a tag, but I know that won't happen. The odds are better that Al Gore will re-invent the internet.

[imported_Delw]

LOL hound dog....


I like antelope better than deer and just as good as elk...
Delw

[Calif. Hunter]

Well, HoundDawg - don't take this wrong, but so far you are the only one on here that says antelope doesn't taste good, and you've never tried it. Kill an antelope quick, get the meat cooled off quick and it's delicious. Look who is telling you it's good and look at who's telling you it stinks... 100 idiots are still idiots, democracy or not.

Besides, how many of them are going to tell you that they botched the shot and the buck ran forever, or that they didn't dress the antelope right away?

[Elkhunter]

Dito Cali....... smilies/wink.gif
I have never had a bad antelope yet. To me they are a great tasting game animal..

[HoundDawg]

I guess I should clarify what I meant a little bit. Yes, 8 or 10 people have stepped up on this site and said they love antelope.

But for most of my life, all I've ever heard was how lousy antelope was, and a number of these people are diehard antelope hunters that go to Wyoming every year.

So yes, I agree with you that most on this site have come forward in favor of antelope. But based on what I've heard in the local hunting cirlces here, you line up 1,000 hunters and ask them how many of them would like a freezer full of antelope meat, you aren't going to get many takers. I could be wrong on that...

But I'll be honest, I know a bunch of people that hunt antelope religiously but I've never known any of them to actually eat them. This site is the first I've ever really heard of people eating them and loving them.

But again, I have never tried it so maybe I'm really missing the boat here. But on any given site I can find 10 guys who are just as passionate about eating bear meat and claim it has no rival.

But let's face it, the vast majority will not buy into this. I just wonder if that's kind of how antelope is. I dunno.

I hear they are sure fun to hunt but wouldn't know about that either. I do know they'll give a trashy hound dog a helluva race, as per my buddy in Arizona.

[Calif. Hunter]

I'll be honest with you - I don't like venison myself. It has to be soaked in Italian dressing for about a week in order to be edible, as far as I am concerned. (or soaked in soy sauce and made into jerky.) Elk is great. Never had, and probably never will have, bear meat. I've had moose - it was good. I've had buffalo and it's just like beef.

I think a lot of people hear the same bad things about antelope and don't try it or take proper care of the meat. The antelope I've had was pretty bland, actually.

[Nut]

I will eat just about anything( smilies/wink.gif ).

I have had caribou,game farm elk,whitetail(more than 1 species),gator,bison and a couple others.

Get me a tag and I would try prairie goat. smilies/biggrin.gif

[Greenhorn]

Hounddog, there's nothing like beef in my opinion, but I eat a lot of venison. Elk, lope, mule deer, whitetail, and a little bear. Bear has never tasted bad, it's the thought of it that keeps me from eating much of it.

BY FAR, lope is the best meat.

But sadly enough most antelope are killed on the opening day of rifle season and have been chased for miles in vehicles, then gut shot, and not cared for properly. It's a redneck tradition.. those animals probably tastle like ass.

Shoot one that hasn't been run down and try it. Honestly, all the guys I know that hunt lopes like it better than deer and elk.. and they kill one or more of each every year.

[Ithaca 37]

Antelope are great eating. The problem is that they have a large heart, lungs and very efficient vascular system to help them sprint. If you've ever seen an antelope take off from a dead start and go from 0 to 60 in about three seconds you'd know what I mean. smilies/biggrin.gif The exceptionally well developed vascular system pumps freshly oxygenated blood through the antelope very quickly, allowing them to sprint and sustain a high speed run very well, probably better than any other North American animal.

The problem is that the great vascular system also pumps the adrenalin throughout the antelope's body very quickly. Adrenalin negatively affects the taste of any meat. So if you shoot an antelope that's been alarmed or if you wound one and it stays alive for much more than a minute the meat is probably gonna be getting worse tasting. The trick to getting the best tasting meat from any animal is to shoot one that is calm and relaxed and kill it instantly. Any animal that is in a stressful state---especially one that has been running for awhile--is gonna taste worse.

The problem is compounded with antelope because they're often hunted in warm or even hot weather. To get the best tasting meat you gotta shoot one like I explained and cool it down real fast. If I was hunting in hot weather I'd take a tub and a lot of water and ice and as soon as I killed one I'd skin him and take the ice outta the cooler and put it in the tub with about twenty gallons of water and throw in the antelope meat and cool it down. That's the best way, unless you can get to a refrigerated cooler real fast.

Contrast that method with the way most guys do it and you'll understand the difference. Most guys chase the antelope around for a while in ninety degree weather and then shoot it in the ass or guts and chase it some more until they get it. Then they gut it and drag it thru the sage brush until it's all full of sage pollen and dust and dirt. Then they drive around with it for a few hours before they skin it, if they bother to skin it at all. What the hell do you expect the meat to taste like?

If you bought a steak and dragged it around a dirt field for a while and then threw it in the back of your truck and drove it around in the heat for a few hours would you expect it to taste great?

Kill a calm, relaxed animal instantly. Cool the meat down to about 35 degrees within a few hours and you'll have the best chance at good tasting meat. The way most guys handle the killing and care of their game meat I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. smilies/eek.gif

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1">[ 07-18-2003 23:14: Message edited by: Ithaca 37 ]</font>