I’m hoping to get out in the field to chase an antelope this weekend. Between the high temperatures and family plans, I wasn’t able to try to lure one in with my decoy at the end of the bow season. Besides, I’ve only recently started seeing the goats acting rutty, so even if I’d gone out earlier in the season and chanced the heat, they might not have responded to the decoy.
But now that fall is officially here, I’ve seen more and more bucks herding their does around and acting like complete idiots when other bucks wander by. In short, they’re acting like college-age human males on Spring Break. I know the decoy would work like a charm, but now that it’s rifle season in my area, taking the decoy out into the field is a really bad idea.
But that’s OK. I don’t need to lure an antelope in to 60 yards or less when I’m hunting with my rifle. I wouldn’t pass up a shot at that range, but I can reach out a little farther with my scoped .270. So I think I’ll try to run out to the walk-ins in my area on Saturday morning while the kids are off spending the night at their friends’ houses.
If I’m lucky enough to get one on Saturday, I can leave my rifle at home on Sunday and take my oldest son and my wife out and concentrate on getting goats for them. Even if I don’t get one on Saturday, I probably won’t pack my gun, but at least I should know where the speed goats are hanging out. I can always go hunting for an antelope later in the season, but it would be nice to get one for my boy and his mom this first weekend of the season.
And it’ll just be good to get outside, away from phones, computers and other distractions. I’ve waited all year for this – it’s time to go hunting.
