Antelope Spot n Stalk with decoy

[John3]

I am going west this August with my BBO. To those that have hunted this way how close usually will the bucks come in?

thanks,

John III

[kennym]

John,never decoyed lopes,but while muley huntin,held my black binos up in front of my face and headbobbed a small herd in to bout 25 yds by imitating what they were doin.I was sittin on a stool in a clump of sage,and they grazed to about 50,so I just hadda mess with em! Got the buck to wheeze,that was cool.Probably wouldn't work if ya had a lope tag tho.LOL

[KSdan]

Talked to a  guy on the national bowsite antelope thread who takes them regularly with a LB.  He said if you set up right, they will come right in on top of you. Raise up from behind the decoy and the buck will stand there for a few moments in confusion.  In pm conversation and pics-he sure seemd to know what he was doing.

[NDTerminator]

Depends. I would say the average shot I've seen decoying is 30-35 yards out here in ND.

Sometimes a buck charges right in, sometimes he comes in a bit then stops, comes in a bit & stops.  Sometimes he takes one look at the decoy and goes the other way with his girls.  You never know.

Decoying is pretty much a two man operation, as shoving the decoy stakes into Badlands ground about as hard as cement is nigh onto impossible, as is holding it up against a 30MPH prairie wind as you try to get ready for a shot.

Personally, my favorite method is to hunt the rut then find a herd where the boss buck is being challenged by satellites.  I dog the herd and wait for a chance to get between the boss buck & the does when he goes out to run off a satellite.  This is a game of endurance, quick decisions, and a bit of luck.  Fairly low percentage method, but intensely interesting.  It can take a guy miles into the Badlands on foot in 80+ degree temps.  I carry plenty of water and salted nut rolls!!!

Waterhole hunting is the closest thing to a sure bet, but it just chaffs me to sit in a ground or pit blind when I'm out in the Badlands.  That country is meant to be travelled on foot (or horseback) so as to bring joy to an outdoorsman's heart.

Funny thing about an antelope, if you get within a certain distance (say... 25-30 yards) of them without them seeing you, it really seems to screw them up when they do.  Often they kind of stand there and gawk as if they can't believe their eyes.  A whitetail or mulie in this situation is gone before you can even begin to draw.

Any way you go about it, one thing is for sure, and that is bowhunting (or even rifle hunting) antelope is about as fun as it gets.  Antelope are just plain cool animals and live in some of the neatest country God put on earth.  Because they are daytime critters, you'll see all their activities and habits.

Good luck and have a ball....