Pronghorn with a Bow

[chocolatelabs]

I have killed 3 pronghorn up in the panhandle and I have access to some permits with unpressured animals.

I am going to try to get one with a bow this year to see if I can do it.

I am going to get a decoy but need recommendations.

I think the ones with two stacks for support look the best.

anyone every done this and have tips?

[Aggiehunter08]

Pop up on water.

[Mudslinger]

Only pronghorn I killed was on a spot and stalk and shot at 96 yards with a bow, but I did use a thick cardboard decoy with some success, just not enough to get a shot. There were enough hills, draws and creek areas that I could use to get closer to the critters. Friends used horses to walk upon them since horses were in the pasture that the antelope were in. They said it worked really well.

[tradslam]

I killed them over several decoys, the full sized 3d flambeaus (I think that’s the brand) are the best.

[Raypo]

I’ve killed several with a bow. Spot and stalk only blows them off the property and gets them spooky at the very least. Water hole for 3-4 days should do the trick.

[chocolatelabs]

I’ve killed several with a bow. Spot and stalk only blows them off the property and gets them spooky at the very least. Water hole for 3-4 days should do the trick.

even with a decoy?

[S-3 Ranch]

If you hunt out of a pop up over water the only training you need to do is sitting in a sauna
For 12 hours at a time, and some range time with the bow

A cow decoy to hide behind works some time

[Phillip Fields]

I got mine out of a pop-up over a water hole.

[Drycreek3189]

I've killed six with a bow over water. It takes a lot of patience sometimes, but sometimes it happens pretty quick. The last one I was only in the blind about an hour before I ran a Wasp through his heart. My first took three and a half days. Long days !

My first trip for goats was in Montana hunting the rut with a decoy. It was much more fun but wore my fat *** out ! I got two opportunities and muffed them both, but it was still fun. I shot right under one's chest, and shot the other one too high. I know all the "experts" say there is no "void", but it was too low for spine and too high for a good lung shot. I might have clipped the top of them, but we saw him chasing does the next day. He was pretty obvious with two little trickles of blood on his sides.

Good luck, they're a blast and taste really good !

[Raypo]

even with a decoy?

In my experience, going all Mossy Oak on Pronghorn often runs them off, even with a decoy. Just my experience... if I had 10 hunters wanting to kill. I’m Pronghorn with a bow, I’d sit them all on water.

[bow up]

I’m going to Wyoming this year for my first pronghorn hunt. I will be sitting in a pop up blind with the bow over a water hole. Good luck

[Texans42]

I’ve killed several with a bow. Spot and stalk only blows them off the property and gets them spooky at the very least. Water hole for 3-4 days should do the trick.

Agree even with Decoy..... but it suxsss like no other to sit in a ground blind over water in Sept.

Op blow them out of the country and have fun. I’ve used ever decoy, Montana(Fred series), heads up and ultimate Predator is the best. I Archery Hunt pronghorns ever year on my ranch, only time I pick up a rifle is when I get winter CD doe tags.

Have fun and blow some stalks, you never know when it will works out.

[bowhuntvideo]

I spent a full day in a pop up with only two does showing up. Longest most boring day of my life. Next day I asked to be put on a windmill platform. A much more pleasant experience and very effective. No cover but they seldom look up. Filmed a friend trying to stalk on public land but that was an exercise in futility.


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[chocolatelabs]

Thanks guys. don't have much desire to sit in a water hole and not sure where they water yet on place I can hunt. I will have to find out though.

Does any kind of pop up work? just wonder if it would spook them unless its been out there a while.

[AtTheWall]

Went two times - back to back years on draw hunts in New Mexico. Scored both times - hunting water holes in a pop-up.

Used a decoy and spot and stalked a few. The odds go down with a bow doing either. Had a pair of solid lopes run into the decoy but they ran a full circle around me and the decoy before blowing off into the sunset. I had to hold the decoy in front, circle with them, with my bow on the ground. No way to drop the decoy and grab the bow for a shot. And moving slowly up over a rise with the decoy moving a bit, brought this pair in but.....they were cautious and ran in and continued to run, circling me to see if the decoy would engage. With a rifle, easy to shoot one. With a bow, getting drawn with them staring at you behind a decoy = next to impossible.

A static decoy - they catch on pretty darn fast at distance somethings up. If the decoy doesn't move a bit, and just sits there, they walk up and stare but they will do so at a long range. So setting up a decoy like turkey hunting, isn't very productive.

If there isn't any rifle pressure prior to your bow trip, you can stalk up to within 100 yards to literally any antelope, with that lope staring at you. They will then walk away - keeping at least an 100 to 150 yard buffer from you.

Not too terribly hard to close to 75 yards but, getting drawn and moving into a shooting setup without them catching you with their unbelievable vision is tough.

Stalked 4 days - had a blast closing the distance but, never had a decent shot angle into the few I closed to within 75 yards.

Sat on a water hole in a pop-up, had my antelope down in a single hunt on both trips.

Got to slither into that blind before sunrise, then it's a long waiting game. They will typically hit water around 0900 - 1100 AM for the first fill. Then they will return around 1400 - 1700 for an afternoon fill.

The blind doesn't spook them - movement does. But if the winds up and the blind starts to shake, they will eyeball it cautiously and will not get closer than 50 yards or more.

My first lope shot was 71 yards. The second one went 55 yards at shot range.