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2009 saw me returning to Wyoming to look for another antelope and whitetail deer.
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On this hunt, my camp included some very comfortable cabins with a separate cook shack behind the outfitter’s ranch house.
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The rut was in full swing and I hoped to find my buck by spot-and-stalk hunting in the foothills of the Big Horn mountains west of camp.
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We found several bands of deer in the mountain, but being early in the hunt, I passed on all of them, hoping to find something bigger.
In addition, hundreds of antelope were on the plains below.
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One afternoon, while moving to a new area, we spotted a buck worth taking. It was another one of those long shots: 323 yards according to Jays rangefinder.
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We hunted hard throughout the week, but failed to find a decent whitetail. On the very last day, we returned to a large ranch where we had found some nice deer earlier in the week.
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There was just 15 minutes before the end of legal shooting time when we spotted two bucks chasing a doe in the bottom of a dry wash. With a little luck, I was able to catch up as the larger buck chased off the smaller one. A quick 50 yard shot allowed me to fill my tag in the last minutes of the hunt.
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On my way home, I stopped by Adventure Ranch Preserve in Missouri to take a buffalo to fill the freezer.
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Accommodations here were great.
I had a cabin to myself just a short walk from the dining room on the other side of the pond.
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The preserve is very large, and by afternoon we found a small herd of cows and calves.
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As I only wanted meat rather than a trophy, I waited until a 2½ year-old bull was clear of the herd and presented a clear broadside shot.
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Finally back from the taxidermist, my antelope was now ready to go up on my wall.
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Instead of an expensive shoulder mount for my buffalo, I chose to have a skull mount.
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I got the hide made into a rug.
In spite of him being a young buffalo, the rug still covers the studio floor.
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