Loping Along

[Big Sky]

All I can say is this day sure beat working. How could I have anything but a good day with a cute little guide like this? My daughter spotted 90% of the lopes before I did, including this buck.

A little later in the day we also took this doe. The shot was a little over 300 yards and I was pleased with the bullet placement especially considering the 20mph crosswind. Sorry about all the blood, but we were in a hurry. I had to get back to my son's football game. So it was basically: Boom, take a photo, gut, toss the doe in the truck, and hurry home. All in all, it was a very GOOD DAY!

 

[Moosie]

Thumbs up pops !!!!!

 

[GFHunter]

Nice photo's Troy and as always, love to see your personal hunting guide showing you the lopes. I hope my girls turn out the same way. NIce buck!!!!

 

[mtmiller]

Once again, way nice.

 

[Elkhunter]

Nice going.

 

[csutton7]

congrats--hunting with kids is great---chris

 

[Horn Seeker]

Way to go Amigo!

 

[Tom]

Hey, that's great. She spotted a good one for you!!! With 300 yards and a 20 mph cross wind and placement like that, I'm thinking you had a pocket full of bullets?

You're talking a couple of feet to the side, right? Wow, good shot!

 

[Big Sky]

Tom, I practice a lot of distance shooting in the wind. Living in eastern Montana one either learns to shoot in the wind or stay home. I only fired one shot at the doe. The wind was blowing from left to right. The doe was facing to the left/broadside. I held for the front of her brisket, a couple inches inside the hair line. As you can see by the entry wound in the photo your prediction is pretty close. I fired two shots this day and collected two antelope. I was pretty pleased as between this year and last year I'm 5 shots for 5 antelope. Anyone that has hunted them much can appreciate just how difficult that can be. I'm just wondering how much longer my luck will hold out.

 

[Tom]

Do you adjust those big tall turrets on your scope for long shots or just change your hold? Good shooting, I hope it holds!

 

[Big Sky]

Tom it depends on the situation. In this case I didn't adjust the turrets. There wasn't time as she was fix'in to leave. The rifle is zereod to be dead on at 250 yards. The majority of practice I do is from 250 yards to 300 yards. I try to get out several times a month and shoot milk jugs filled with water at those distances and sometimes further. All from field positions, never from a bench rest. It doesn't matter whether it's raining, windy, calm, cloudy, or the sun is shining I go. I figure the closer I can come to duplicating the situation in the field the better my odds when hunting. All this to say, I was quite confident shooting the doe before I ever touched the trigger. One other little trick I used on this doe is I keep my scope set at a power with a known measurement. Adult antelope in general are 15" from the top of their back to the bottom of the chest. I keep my scope dialed to a power that brackets 15" at 300 yards. That way if the lope is broadside I just put the scope on it and determine whether it's over or under 300 yards. If I see a bunch of daylight between the back of the lope and my bracket measurement I know it's too far for me to shoot. If it matches up to the back and chest or exceeds it, I know there won't be much if any hold over. Probably more information than you wanted, but now you know it's not all luck.

 

[MarvB]

Nice speed goats Troy and great spending time with your daughter....congrats!