A Disappointing Great Time

If I said it wasn't a great time, I would be lying. If I said I wasn't disappointed, that would also be a lie.

It all started last May, when after finding out that I had not drawn a tag in Utah, Nevada or Colorado (all states where I thought I had a decent shot at drawing), I realized that there were just a few days left to get an application in to Idaho before the deadline. I talked to my friend Mike from Oregon who is crazier about hunting than I am, and he was game to apply. We put in for deer, elk, and on a whim, applied for antelope too. We chose an antelope unit neither of us knew much about, we had heard about the area, and Mike has a friend that lives close, but as far as antelope hunting goes, we would be starting from scratch. There were over 1,500 applicants for 150 tags, and only 5 non Idaho residents drew. Mike and I were 2 of the the 5. We had beaten some daunting draw odds and I assumed we had an awesome hunt in store.

I drove 7 hours from Roosevelt to Grand View, Idaho and after checking all my tires, including the spare, I started out on the 107 mile dirt road to our unit. When I passed the sign that read "You are responsible for search and rescue charges beyond this point, travel at your own risk." I knew that this area was indeed, very remote.

Opening morning found Mike and I starting out under a gorgeous sunrise on the appropriately named "Antelope Ridge". We spotted a nice buck about an hour into the opening morning, but he gave us the slip and disappeared into the endless grasslands. We did manage to find a few antelope later in the day. There were 2 average looking bucks in the group and Mike decided that if he could get to within 500 yards he would take the shot. He sent one warning shot over the top of the bucks back, and anchored him for good on the second shot. We had to quarter and pack the antelope over 1 mile up a hill to get back to the road.

The next two days were much slower than the opening day. Antelope were hard to find. Unlike the typical Wyoming antelope where you spend your time driving around judging animals trying to find one you want to go after, we spend 2 days just trying to find an antelope, any antelope. It was discouraging. One evening just when I was about to give up, we spotted a group of antelope across a large rocky ravine. It was getting dark and I didn't have time to try a stalk that evening, but I knew where I would be first thing the next day.

The next morning at first light I started towards where I had seen the antelope the day before. I found a group of over 20 animals gathered on a hillside above a pond. There were two bucks in the group and while neither of them were huge, they looked respectable.

To get into a good shooting position, I hiked over 3 miles and dropped down to the bottom and back to the top of the rocky ravine. Just as I sneaked over the top of the hill ready to shoot, I saw that the antelope had moved and were only about 20 yards away from me. They were off like a shot, and I never did get an opportunity at either of the bucks. I followed them all day long trying multiple stalks that all were foiled by one thing or another. In the end, they disappeared into a vast yellow sea of grass.

I was out of time, and it just wasn't meant to be. I enjoyed the scenery, the other wildlife, and the company, but I do wish I had seen a few more antelope. I don't know that I will ever apply for an antelope tag for that unit again... but if I ever get a chance to chase deer or elk in the Owyhee Mountains you can count on a return visit.