Revolver for Pronghorn?

I'm not sure how to start this thread... I guess I'll just say that one of my bucket list items is a DIY Pronghorn hunt. So how would one go about such a hunt with a wheelgun?

I have taken maybe 8 or ten with revolvers; all does. First weapon used was a Super Blackhawk .44 mag with a 2X Leupold.

Later on in my handgun hunting career, I decided to try it with iron sights. Again, the SBH was used, successfully, with factory irons, on 3 or four 'lopes. Along the way I took one with my FA in .454 Casull, scoped. And then several years ago, I killed a nice horned doe with my FA Model 83 in .500 Wyoming Express; filmed it and it is featured in my handgun hunting video. Calibers used were what I had at the time, obviously I was way over-gunned for doe antelope with all but the .44 magnum.

Now having said all this, the HARD PART was the hands and knees crawling on my belly, literally, on cactus and hard and rocky Wyoming prairie, hoping I didn't come up eyebrow to eyebrow with a rattlesnake. And many, many of my stalks were "blown." An antelope is a very worthy adversary if you choose to stalk him and hunt him with a revolver.

In short, yes it can be done; but you will likely earn it. Definitely not for the faint-hearted.

Gregg, thanks for your reply. I don't know if the crawling sounds fun, exactly, but it'll sure make for an experience unlike any I've had. And that's just what I want to go for- the unlike-anything-i've-ever-done EXPERIENCE. Just think of it as a poor-boy's safari.

So, a couple questions-

What kind of distances are we talking about here, shot-wise. I've got a 475L that I could top off with my 2x Leupold. I imagine with enough range time I could get plenty confident for a 100-125 yard shot with an improvised rest. But closer is always better.

And why does? Is that because tags for does are easier to come by, or are the bucks just that much harder to hunt?

Also, are decoys recommended? As in, do they really work? I'd hate to blow the money on something that's really not helping me any. But I'd gladly pick one up for such a hunt if guys truly saw them as a viable tool for getting within "bow distance".

The stalk is my favorite part of pronghorn hunting! Plan your route, play the dead space, and get your "sneak" on!

It's challenging, tasking, and rewarding all in one.

Go for it!

I've never used decoys, though I've seen and heard they work in certain situations. At least, on hunting shows where the decoy company is a sponsor.

I've never used a revolver. I have used Specialty Pistols and other methods. I just enjoy stalking.

Terrain dependent, and aside from a flat out field, there is almost always some dead space to be found. A small rise, a culvert, a coolie, ditch, hedgerow, or rutted two track............the sky is the limit. Unless you're on a salt flat, there are usually terrain features to be exploited. You may just have to be patient and wait.

Plan and execute. There is no greater satisfaction than closing the distance and crawling in their lap.

Odin,

Antelope does because the licenses are so much cheaper than a buck tag. I do not think bucks are "harder" to hunt animal for animal; however from the standpoint of number of does vs. bucks in most any given herd, if you are just trying for "any doe" then popping a doe would understandably probably be "easier."

Distances? For my scoped revolvers, with the "rain-bow" trajectories in the calibers I use, I wanted 75 to 100 yards max. For my irons, I wanted 50 yards or less. These are my own limitations with my guns/calibers and experience and ability, others have their own preferences.

Decoys apparently work, but keep in mind that depending on where you hunt, and whether it is public or private land, you may have other hunters "scoping" out your decoy.

Get in a bow hunter mindset and you will do fine.Pick what your max yardage will be a stick to no fudging and soon you will be taking game closer than you dreamed.

Odin,

Zee and Gregg hit the highest points, terrain and crawling. I would add that getting away from roads also is pretty high on the list. Like deer and elk, most hunters will drive around and glass, and like to use that 400 yard rifle that they had specially built.

I've never taken one with a pistol, but quite a few with rifles, and no shots over a hundred yards. Several I could have probably gotten closer. Crawling with a bow sucks. A rifle is only slightly easier, and a pistol can be a joy, if not on a sling. All gear close the body, and not flopping, gun, binos, rangefinders, whatever.

Another nice thing is that they can be hunted all day long. You might have more wind during the mid-day hours, but that can be used to your advantage.

While I never tried cardboard cut-outs, I always figured the moo cow silhouette made a lot more sense than an antelope ;^)

Craig

They guys have already summed it up well. Several years ago I decided to use a FA 454 for antelope and mule deer. Pretty much did what the guys suggested to you and took both.
Good luck in your endeavor.

It has been almost twenty years since I went on my first Western hunt one late summer.

The hunt was for pronghorn antelope on private land in NE New Mexico. What a wonderful experience and a great pronghorn taken with a handgun. Looking back I'd like to do something like this on my own. From that hunt I learned a few things.

I'd get some leather knee pads. You will spend some time walking and crawling.

Practice using hunting positions. You may stand out but do some belly crawling on the range and shoot from realistic position.

Wow. A huge thank you to all who have chimed in.


I figured this much to be true and it does my heart good to know that a significant percentage of pronghorn hunters are so closely related to their deer hunting brethren. Me, I'm a runner, so a couple miles here and there are pretty routine.



Well, my revolver's aren't black and made of plastic, so I already stand out. Might as well go all-in and crawl around in the dirt a bit too.

Again, thank you all for your input. Your replies have really given me confidence that I can successfully hunt speedgoats with a revolver.

And while I'm thinking about it, is there some sort of rest that y'all prefer - shooting sticks, bipod, beanbag, backpack or whatnot?

All of the above... and keep track of that barrel-cylinder gap and what it will do to a backpack or your own flesh if you get a bit careless.

I made a blast shield out of two pieces of elk leather glued together for double thickness, and I use it for my backpack. It gets a real good workout, but it saves the backpack. Yeah...I forgot to use it once and my good backpack sports some pretty ugly holes in it.

Sage advise.

I always carry a bipod or tripod with me, but I imagine a backpack would be a much more stable rest.

Odin, I just moved to Kansas a couple of months ago, would be interested in meeting and hooking up with a fellow local handgun hunter? If so, drop me a PM.

Dewayne

Since the late 80's I try to take at least one doe every year with my revolvers. Several years I have taken 2 does.

I've only taken one (buck antelope) with a scoped revolver. All the others have been with open sights. I'm thinking I might get a red dot for my old eyes, but I hate giving up on open sights.

I'm with the others when they say there's lot's of crawling involved when stalking antelope.

Several years ago I took a small buck with an iron sighted S&W model 29.

One bit of advise I will offer is to hunt during the rut if you can. Makes stalking much easier.

A few years ago I was stalking a small herd during the rut and the does knew I was there & kept trying to leave but the buck wouldn't let them. Got close & shot one with my .300 mag.

I've crawled around the sage in Wyo. after pronghorn a time or two and you best be prepared the 1st time - I wasn't fully prepared the 1st time and I had the red marks and itch for a month afterwards to show for it.

You can get by crawling on your hands & knees with thick leather or rubber protection but belly crawling takes a whole lot more. Might want to consider a light weight, quiet, puncture proof tarp to lay on once you get into position to ambush those puppies.

Sounds easy, but once on the ground you'll find everything either bites, sticks or attaches itself to your sic arse and you might find yourself in survival mode, which in turn, means you'll spook that small herd and it doesn't take long before you start doubting your intelligence level. Enjoy your hunt.

I would add wear good tough boots, I prefer leather boots due to the cacti, good leather gloves that fit good and work for you for shooting, Carhart pants and coat, cacti again. Of course if it is all too hot. Trade offs. I hate those little needles they take forever to work out if you make a mistake you are paying for a few days. You can also park a blind in front of a water source if you get tired of the crawling. Good luck. The doe tags are easier to get and sometimes you can get some left or even over the counter depending on the area.

7P's, dvan, thanks for the brass tacks. It's good to hear of gear and tactics actually used in the field.

With all the replies I've gotten here one might begin to think such info is common knowledge (I'm surprised at how many of you guys have chased pronghorn with a pistol), but I've Googled the livin' daylights out of every combination and variation of handgun, pronghorn, hunt, speedgoat, and revolver you can think of with very little to show for it.

So thanks again to all of you. I'm somewhat surprised, but to me this thread has turned into a very nice little primer on how to chase pronghorn with a wheelgun. And that couldn't have happened without all you gentlemen who are so willing to share what you know with those of us who are wanting to learn.

I don't know if you've watched this video of Fred Eichler taking a pronghorn doe with a revolver. Its been posted here before but its worth watching. Freds videos are fun to watch. He gets just as excited taking a doe/cow as he does a big buck/bull.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gPBKt3fFCw

If you have not bought it yet, Gregg Richters DVD Handgunning Mule Deer and Pronghorn Antelope is very good.

Thanks for the reminder Pab1. I saw that link previously but can't view it on the outdated machines we use here at work. I'll have to remember to check it out when I get a free minute at home...

I think Gregg Richter is clearly the expert on this topic. I doubt that anyone has a close familiarity with more pronghorn being taken with handguns than him.

+1

On the rest, I've always had a backpack with me and use it to rest on with a leather shield that sounds a lot like what Gregg mentioned, but last year started carrying one of the BogPods in my larger backpack for when I make a stand to sit for a bit. I also used it in the box stand when I was back home in MS. With the PSR attachment, its amazing! even if slipping along, with it folded up, its not cumbersome and allows for a very stable handgun. If you are anywhere near the KC area, you are welcome to check mine out and see what you think. Where in KS are you located??

GS

Personally, I enjoy spot-n-stalk for antelope with both bow and revolver. With my vision, I use a reflex or dot sight or a scope with a handgun for hunting.
Key thing is to practice from different field positions. I have shot prone, used Bog-Gear, used my pack in both prone and in sitting positions with revolvers

Glenn, thank you for your offer. I'm out in Salina and if I knew I was headed to KC any time soon, I'd certainly take you up on your offer. That being said, I'm really, really trying my hardest to scale BACK with the amount of hunting stuff I own - it just helps keep me a bit more sane. I think I'll have to toy around with some sort of setup that utilizes my daypack.

Man, belly crawlin' and backpack shootin! That should really get some chuckles out at the range!

Here is a friend that I took to Wyoming a few years back and hunted with Ernie. He took a nice buck with his S&W 41 Mag the last day of the hunt setting in some brush next to a water hole.
It was a fair piece to where he shot it but he did bring home some goat. He was using my 210cast bullets with H110 and open sights.
Mike

Last year I was living in the eastern side of the antelope unit here in Kansas since it was too late at the time to put in for the draw I was planning on bowhunting. My plan was to try stalking and if I could find a good water hole to maybe sit in a blind as well. That all being said I didn't get a chance to hunt. But in the past my dad has hunted them in western Kansas and a buddy of his had a nice buck at 20 yards while he was carrying a .243 encore pistol but found out when he pulled the trigger that the gun was set up for when he had a rimfire barrel on it. That was a heart breaker after the stalk those guys pulled off on that buck. If I was still out further west I would consider a revolver hunt with my .357mag and just stick to my archery tactics and distances.