Emily’s Booner Day

We ran across a huge buck on Laynee’s antelope hunt just a week prior. It really didn’t hurt my feelings that Laynee's attempt on this buck was unsuccessful as your first big game animal shouldn't be a record-book type of animal. This buck was big and I wanted to find it again.

 Emily had the same buck tag so after work one evening, I took her back up there with just an hour and a half to hunt. Questioning whether this short-duration hunt would be worth it, we slowly drove into the area where the buck had been days prior. Through the glasses, I found some does bedded up. He stood from his bed within the sagebrush, I knew it was him. We tried to set-up but as they did with Laynee, they got nervous and left the safety of the small ravine in which they were bedded and headed over a bald ridge into more open country that would make shooting closer distance more difficult.

We got back in the truck and parked short of where I thought they would be, we packed the 6.5 PRC and in the frigid cold made our way to a lookout post. Sure enough, they were there, but they had attracted the attention of more bucks, which were coming in to check the does which got the big ol' buck kicking, urinating, and posturing up to these newcomers. He was raking brush with his horns as Emily got set up for the long 600 yard shot. 

There was a big rock Emily was able to lay the bipod and rear bag on for a steady shot. The buck stopped broadside momentarily and she let one fly, hitting the heart and dropping him instantly. "Nice shot! but you shot the smaller buck", I whispered to her. She ripped her head back at me in disbelief, but could tell by my smirk that I was kidding. Emily wanted to walk up to the animal by herself, so I ran back and got the pick up and met her at the kill site.

 I approached the buck and the horns kept growing bigger and bigger. The mass and character were unbelievable as we admired every curve and crack in it's slate-black horns. I most likely will not ever kill an antelope that big, but I’m OK with that. This was the hunt for the books, and her hour and a half antelope hunt produced a  gross score of over 84" of horn, but who’s counting! 

Emily has become quite the huntress herself and every year we enjoy our time together outside connecting with our local landscape, wildlife, and wild food. Great shot on a true buck of a lifetime Emily!