Pronghorn. Say the word and hunters think 800 yard shots, precision bench rest rifles, and endless, wind swept prairie. Yes, many speed goats are taken at longer ranges, but if you try just a little and apply some old-school techniques our ancestors used, you can cut a 400 yard shot down to 100, perhaps even less.
Pronghorn country in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana is not flat, it’s more rolling hills than billiard table smooth like Kansas. It’s cut by gullies, covered in tall sage brush, and topped by stark buttes. A clever hunter uses this terrain to good advantage.
For example, I took my first speed goat at about forty yards with a .300 Win. Mag. after a fifty yard stalk. True, I had brought my reach out and touch something gun, but it turned out I could have made the shot with a .30-30. Did I have a Harry Potter invisibility cloak? Am I a certified Ninja? Neither. I just had the good fortune to spot the buck when he popped into the open. Then I put a line of pine saplings between me and him. One cautious step at a time, I closed to the point I could no longer stay concealed. The trees weren’t too thick, either. It doesn’t take much to break up your outline and confuse wildlife; they look for motion more than form. The buck provided many fine meals once I got him home.
Our video today shows how it’s done. This bow hunter use the terrain like a Jedi master. You’ll have to see it to believe.
Other helpful stories you’ll like:
LocaCarnivore Expert: The Creedmoor Brothers vs. the World [Virtual Test]
LocaCarnivore’s Know Your Prey Series: Pronghorn
LocaCarnivore Test and Review: Ameristep Battlefield Ground Blind
