This is a great story about making new friends in the hunting world. DAK was a local hunter that contacted me and met with me at the local Burger King for lunch in 2010. David (DAK) wrote a great story about his hunt, which probably should have been in a magazine or real time public land hunting. Since that time DAK contacted me that he would love to go back over to South Wagontire, if I had a hunter that would like another set of eyes and field work. DAK definitely is a man that is analytic in the field and how he hunts. Mike contacted me and I thought about DAK. The rest is history now and once again there is a successful hunt in South Wagontire.
Frank, Once again, thank you for assisting me on my Antelope hunt. It was a great success! As agreed upon, I am providing a story, and photos. I must add that it’s an honor to do so. I don’t consider myself a journalist in any way, shape or form, but here it goes!
After fourteen years of applying for a South Wagontire Rifle Antelope tag, I was finally successful in drawing! The excitement level was off the chart! My wife Cristine and I immediately planned a scouting trip for the long Fourth of July weekend. I gathered all the maps that I had, and acquired some more from the local BLM office. After studying the maps, we decided on starting in the southern end of the unit. We were on the road early the morning we left to scout. It was about a four hour drive from Grants Pass to the small town of Paisley. We started seeing Antelope after we headed north on Hwy. 395 out of Lakeview. Our first stop was at the Hot Springs RV Park that’s about six miles west of Paisley to see if we wanted to park our trailer while we were there to hunt. What a rustic, but neat little park with full hook-ups, and mineral pools to soak in after a long days hunt! Cristine was really excited about that perk!
We started to see game immediately, but all the property that they were on was ZX Ranch land. No hunting there! We headed north out Red House Rd. and headed out into open country. I had no idea that this unit was so vast, and we were just seeing a small portion of it! After five hours of driving back roads and jeep trails, we had glassed some Antelope, but not the numbers that I had expected. We did see animals in most of the spots that looked “gamey” too me, but putting a stalk on them would be difficult at best, and sitting on a spot and waiting would be an inefficient use of hunting time. After hitting pavement on Hwy. 395 north of Abert Lake, we found a place to stay for the night and talked about what we had seen that day.
Sunday morning we started at the northeast corner of the unit and went west to Christmas Valley. We did see one small herd of three does between Hwy. 395 and Christmas Valley. Antelope do have a way of disappearing on the landscape, and then reappearing again, but we just weren’t seeing them. After doing a complete loop of the entire unit, we were back in Paisley, and seeing some game again. After a scouting until early in the afternoon, we started on our drive home.
I was at a conundrum as to how to approach this hunt, and this is where I found Frank (AKA Cobra). After going online and googling South Wagontire Antelope, his sight came up and I made contact via an email. Cobra seemed excited to finally hear from a hunter that was lucky enough to have drawn this tag! The rules of engagement where made clear and that’s where this success story started. First of all was to get a gps unit that would support the information that Cobra was going to provide, and best of all he mentioned that he had a friend that had a successful hunt in 2010, and he might be interested in meeting up with us to show us how to really hunt this unit.
Cobra made contact with his friend DAK and explained the situation, and DAK made contact with us, and an instant connection was made. After a few weeks of communication and going over GPS way-points on the map, it was time to hunt! Cristine and I pulled out of Grants Pass at 3:00 am with the trailer in tow Thursday before the hunt so we would have time to set up camp and get some more scouting in. The drive over was awesome like always, and the excitement level was high. After camp was set up, we changed into hiking boots and Camo to go out and scout some of the new way-points that we had acquired. Some of the waterholes we went into had very little traffic coming in, but there were a couple that had lots of fresh tracks surrounding their entire perimeters. BINGO. We planned how we would set up a hide depending on the wind direction at each spot. We were also seeing lots of game, including some really nice bucks. After running around all day we headed back to camp to bib some steaks, and to enjoy a cold drink.
DAK pulled into camp around 9:30 Thursday evening and introductions were made. What an outstanding man with allot of knowledge of the quarry we were to pursue. After enjoying dinner, it was time to get down to business and discuss what Cristine and I had seen earlier in the day and which areas that where left to scout the next day. We all hit the sack around 11:00 pm Thursday night and were up at 5:00 am Friday morning to get out and cover some more ground. Cristine planned on staying back at camp and soaking in the mineral pools and hiking around camp for the day. DAK and I started on a marathon day that would bring us back to camp at 8:30 Friday evening! We started to see animals immediately as soon as we left the pavement on ZX Ranch property. After checking out one water hole that had some light traffic, we proceeded on to the next spot and glassed a couple does with a nice buck in tow. I was great for me to get DAK’s opinion of all the bucks we glassed that day to help in making an informed decision on what kind of buck to look for. The day scouting was most productive and several bucks were seen. When we arrived back at camp, there was one happy rested and relaxed wife that had amazing fajitas waiting for us! What a great day and the anticipation were high!
We were up at 3:00 am Saturday morning. I don’t think I hardly slept a wink! It was about an hour drive to the spot that we decided to try first so we were rolling down the road by 3:30. That would give us plenty of time to hike in and get our hide set up before the sunrise. We pulled onto the trail that leads to our parking spot, and what did we see? A rig with a tent pitched had come in Friday night and had the same spot picked out! -No trouble. We had covered enough ground the day prior to have a “plan B” up our sleeve. So off we went with about seven miles to cover and an easy half-mile hike in to our hide. We were still in and on our spot with a make shift blind set up against the rimrock before the sun came up. The nearest cover to the water hole was 244 yards to the near side, and 298 to the far side but that was okay! I had been practicing shooting from field positions and had sighted my 257 Weatherby in at 300 yards. The outcropping that we chose also had a perfect rock “bench rest” to shoot from I had humorously pointed out to DAK the day before while scouting.
A lone coyote came into the water hole at 7:30 am for a drink of water. He headed up into the sage brush on the opposite side of the canyon and started hunting for breakfast. What a treat to watch him through the binos! This was the second time that my wife Cris had been along on a hunt with me, and she was amazed at how fun it is to watch animals in their natural surroundings. I was busy watching the coyote and she whispered “here they come!” I first thought she meant more coyotes, but when I panned to the right through the Binos, ANTELOPE!
Seven does single filed up the edge of the canyon on the opposite side towards the water hole. About 50 yards out from the water hole, they all squatted and went pee at the exact same time. We both giggled about that. I knew that there should be a buck with them and when I glassed further down trail from them, there he was! I watched him walk the last 150 yards to the water hole and I could tell he was a nice buck. Possibly the “one”. He next strolled up on top of the berm to the right of the water hole like he was saying “look at me”. When he turned his head and quartered away slightly, I could see his deep hooks. I wasn’t going to settle on the first buck I saw, but this guy was really appealing to me. I whispered to Cris that I was going to take him when he gave me a shot. She asked me if I was sure about him, and I said once again I was going to take him. He dropped behind the berm and was out of sight. A few seconds passed and he walked around to the back side of the water hole, drank some water and then turned perfectly broadside to us. I made sure that the does were all clear of him and placed the crosshairs right behind his shoulder and squeezed the trigger. At the shot I heard that solid “whack” that you get when a bullet connects solid with an animal. He dropped at the shot and didn’t even kick. He was 298 yards according to the laser range finder. What an emotional moment for the both of us! Cristine now understands the feelings and emotions that we go through when an animal is taken. She wants to start to apply for the same hunt next year!
There’s a phenomenon known as “ground shrinkage” that is sometime experienced after taking a game animal. This buck looked bigger and bigger the closer we got to him. We were stoked! Once we got to him we must have spent at least 20 minutes looking at him before I took off to get the pickup. I managed to get a hold of DAK on his cell phone and told him what had transpired in the last half hour. He was busy watching another possible spot and took some great pictures of another herd at a waterhole. DAK double timed it out and made it to our location to join in the celebration. After caping, skinning, and quartering my buck out it was off to Paisley for ice to cool the meat down.
Cobra, what a great hunt for all of us thanks to you my friend. To all of you those are fortunate to draw this tag, have a great hunt!!! Mike & Cristine
Many waterholes that were dry last year had water this year. Wildcat waterhole, which was full up last year, was dry this year. Very strange! Had a blast! Mike and his wife are great folks and fun to hunt with. We glassed many Lopes Friday (8 different bucks and lots of does). While Mike shot his buck on waterhole _13, I was sitting on _7.2 with a camera (classified). Watched 13 does and a smallish buck come in, water and feed, and head out. They never knew I was there. I got some great pictures which Mike has. Here are two good ones from the waterhole. Last picture is a monster buck I saw by the highway coming in Thursday night but was not in the right unit for us to go after. Biggest lope I have ever seen by a long ways. If you have anybody in South Wagontire next year keep me in mind. DAK
