Day 1

Where did all the Antelope go?  

The alarm went off at 4:15 and I was at the ranch by 4:45. My blind is setup on the back fence line of the 1200 acre ranch and I didn't want to spook any animals that might be bedded in the fields so I chose not to use a flashlight and snaked my way along the perimeter roads then cut across the base of a dam and finally reached the blind at 5:35am. 

By the time I got setup it was shooting hours. I scanned the hillside with my glasses and nothing. I tried to convince myself that that was a good thing assuming all the Antelope were still in the fields. The sun had just peaked over Hunter's Ridge when I spotted two fawns stand up and stretch in the middle of a huge wild sunflower patch. The sunflowers were new this year and probably a result of all the thunderstorms this last month. 

They were about 500 yards north on a huge flat when they came to attention looking back to my left. Not one but two coyotes were on the hunt and for the next 20 minutes I watch a cat and mouse game all the way to the top of the hill. When the coyotes realized they couldn't close the distance enough for a fair chase they wandered off up a side canyon.  I never saw mom until they reunited back at the bedding area in the sunflower patch. 

Mom and her twin fawns started feeding up the mountain and again came to attention looking down the hill but a little right of my location. When I looked out my side window and down the levee there stands a really nice buck looking up the hill with love in his eyes. At least I fascinated love because he was about 125 yards away and my heart was trying to jump out of my shirt. After a few nibbles of grass he slipped further out of range closing the distance to his future love on the hill.  About 300 yards up the hill he paused to make a scrape and then urinated in it to mark his territory.   Rather than meet face to face and start a conversation he crossed her path about 20 yards behind and sniffed her tracks. She looked over her shoulder as to say don't even thing about it Buster.  When the girls are hot their hot and I guess she's not so he climbed the hill a little further and bedded down for a snooze.

Well, that was it for excitement on opening morning. It's now five hours later and who knows we're all the Antelope are hiding. I'm still in the blind and plan on staying here until dark, maybe.  

I've watched the same four goats walk up and down the hill twice but they are using a break in the fence about 300 yards east of my blind. I haven't seen the buck in about two hours so i hope he is in the fields behind me. My hope is Carl will have business tending the pumps and will push him my direction. Unless something changes this afternoon this is Day 1 report.