Gastro Gnome - Eat Better Wherever

Girls Rule!

Awesome job by both of you! Looking forward to the story and more pics! Hope to have one to share next week after my daughter and I get back from SE WY and our first try at antelope. 2 more days till we head west! Thanks for the thread to pump us up even more!
 
What's in a name - Wanger McDoodle?

Here are a few 'live' shots of Paige's pronghorn. We found him the night before the opener and got to watch him for a while. All the way to our hunting spot she kept saying she wanted a freak. That opened up a great conversation on how her boyfriends better not resemble what she's looking for in a pronghorn! I wish her and Kenz could understand how truly funny their dad is. :rolleyes:

He definitely had some character. Left side had a big knot/twist above the cutter. Right side was really massive with bumps/knobs all over. He had broken almost 3 inches of tip sometime during the summer. It had healed over with the splinters rubbed smooth. The pics don't really do him the justice he deserves for the extras.
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We saw some better scoring bucks that evening, but she was first on the trigger. As I've said before, when it's my kids turn to shoot there is no pressure on score, points, length, etc. Whatever makes them happy, makes me happy. The only problem is they've been in the field with me enough that they know a good buck from a young buck. This is Paige's first time with a tag in her hand, but she's been in on over a dozen pronghorn, deer and elk kills. Don't wait until they're legal to hunt to try and get them interested. Most the time that is too late....... She could recognize his length and mass. That he was kinda freaky was just icing on the cake. I once read a pretty serious pronghorn hunter that said something about 'gnarly or cool trumps score EVERYDAY'. Paige agrees.
With his big knot/twist and extra bumps her and Kenz named him Wanger McDoodle. When they are doing their hair and 1 or a clump of hairs don't cooperate and stick out from their head, it's called a Wanger Doodle. This guy looked like he was having a 'bad horn' day so the name stuck. ;)
Their mom is a little concerned that they are naming animals they are trying to kill. :eek:

We found him at first light in his bed. Pretty soon we're at 95 yards with Paige on the shooting sticks. I could tell that she was pretty wound up. She just looked at me with eyes as big as silver dollars and said, 'Dad I'm shaking too bad. I can't calm down!' Her buck then stood up and walked about 15 yards before starting to feed. I snuggled in behind her and calmly but very firmly told her to close her eyes, take some deep breaths, put the crosshairs on his shoulder and squeeze........ I could see the muzzle start to settle when, BOOM! He bucked and ran 15 yards then stopped butt towards us. 5 seconds later he laid down and it was all over. :W:

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14 year old Kenz with the assist.
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Pretty proud papa.
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Beautiful sunrise on the Wyoming pronghorn grounds.
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Paige killed him with my Weaver 300 Win Mag. I just put a new Vortex HS-T scope on it and apparently she got to christen it. She has been shooting my 300 since she was 10. It's a little long, but recoil is less than the back-up .243 She shot it quite a few times this summer off the bench, prone, sticks,,,,,,,,,,,,

Thanks everyone for the kind remarks. Both Kenz and Paige couldn't stop grinning reading them last night.

Just a FYI for you pronghorn nuts - he has over 9 inches of mass ABOVE THE CUTTER on his right side!

Paige has a couple doe tags and Kenz and I have buck tags. Next post will be about Kenz and her friend 'Sham-Sham'. :D Mother beware!

-Cade
www.HuntForeverWest.com
 
Great story! That's a great job Dad. I hope to do as well with my two boys.

PS- Glad the girls look like their mother! ;) :D
 
I once read a pretty serious pronghorn hunter that said something about 'gnarly or cool trumps score EVERYDAY'.

I believe there are a few on this site that agrees whole heartedly, I am one of those Pronghorn freaks...... can't wait too read more of your family hunting stories.... that is one sweet goat, love that mass and character..... great post....
Matt
 
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