NDR: my Dads first Antelope!

Capt. John

Capt. John

Active member
I've had to listen to my Father talk about wanting to shoot a Pronghorn since I was about 5. After we lost my Mom to Cancer last year we decided to get the ball rolling with it finally. I have a friend in the Texas Panhandle that ranches and owns most of the land between the Rita Blanca National grasslands and the Texas/Oklahoma Border. He does a few guided trips every year so we booked a hunt with him. My Dad flew down from Illinois and we made the 13 hour drive from my home in Corpus Christi to Dalhart. Things started kind of shaky when my dads scope mounts shook loose on his flight and we found it the night before the hunt while shooting. It was to late to fix it and start over so he had to use my rifle. First thing in the morning we found a bruiser at a water tank with about 12 does. We made a mile long stalk with a cow decoy and got to with in 300 yards. My dads knees were killing him so we set up without pushing it any farther and got him on the shooting sticks without the goats even paying attention to us. They ended up walking towards us a bit and my dad put the smack on him at about 245 yards! It was great! I dont think I have ever seen him so happy. We got some good pictures and were off to the cleaning shed at the ranch. That afternoon we went back out and I scored on a nice one also. Not quite the caliber of my dads but I'm good with that! I really wanted him to get the big guy of the trip and he did. The next day we went and shot some prairie dogs at the grasslands and Dad had a blast with that also! We happened upon BIG prairie rattler and got some good pics of him to. The ranch we were on has some grreat history to it. It still has the original homestead house on it. Along with a car body in the yard that seems to have been there since the beginning of time. I could write about this trip for a day and not get all the details out but I'll just keep it short and sweet. Thanks for reading it guys!
John Ven Huizen

Dads Goat!
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My goat,
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The old homestead
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The big prairie rattler!
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Historical marker on the ranch
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Hope ya'll like the pictures and story, John
 
I'm glad that you were able to do that. Great story and the pics came loaded with a lifetime of memories.
Al
 
Capt, outstanding goats and story! When it's all said and done the memories are always with us. The hunts w/ my late father are the few things that are etched in my my mind never escape me.


Gene R.
 
Hey could you send me your guides email address so I could talk to him about antelope,I too have been talking about it for about 30 years,got the rifle just dont have a place to go
 
Thanks guys, I was really looking foward to this hunt since we planned it and I was not let down. And, sure I'll PM you his info right now!
 
John,
way to go. I am sure you both have a few good stories to tell about how this came together. Looks like a cool place to see and hunt.
 
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