series of shale hills. With the morning’s
glow at our backs and the buck unaware
of our presence, we took our best stab at
where we thought the buck would end
up and beat feet.
Small dips in the hills and knee-high
grass quickened our approach. I’d just
settled in behind a small clump of sage
and flipped my video camera on, when
the buck appeared. He was walking right
at us. Jason snapped a quick range, and
when the buck turned to glance at a near-
by cottontail, he drew, settled, and fired.
The arrow missed its mark. We were both
deflated but super optimistic. One stalk,
and one shot. In the pronghorn world,
that doesn’t happen very often.
Over the course of the next three
days, Jason and I would go on numerous
stalks — 14 more to be exact — but none
of them ended with loosed arrows.
With the three-day weekend over,
Jason had to head back to work, and I
was off to chase antelope with my friend
Kent Thomas in Nebraska. I love hunt-
ing in Nebraska, but this was to be my
maiden pronghorn sojourn in the state.
We were set to hunt with Cody Kuck,
owner of Heartland Pride Outfitters.
Kent and I had hunted with Cody be-
fore for big Kansas whitetails. He runs
a great outfit, and he has become a good
friend. The plan was a simple one: ar-
row thirsty bucks over water. That plan
didn’t pan out. My drive to Nebraska
was a wet one. The closer I got to camp,
the more intense the rain got. Cody and
his head guide, Jordy, were standing in
the driveway shaking their heads upon
our arrival.
“Too wet, boys,” Cody said as we
jumped out of our trucks. “I’m going
to give you guys some maps and turn
you loose on some good spot-and-stalk
ground.”
Seasoned DIY bowhunters, Kent and
I were only too happy to have the keys to
the proverbial gate. This was Kent’s first
pronghorn adventure, and I wanted to
see him find big-buck gold. We hunted
hard for three days. Kent was able to
get off a pair of shots. One was by way
of spot and stalk, but his arrow fell low
and right. The other was behind a decoy.
He misheard the yardage I gave him. It
was my fault. I was trying to be quiet and
whispered the range. That miss ended
our Nebraska adventure.
Our decoy attempt took place on Au-
gust 22. Although this is still early when
it comes to pulling an effective decoy
dupe, a major dip in the barometer had
the bucks feeling frisky. Even though
they were reluctant to commit to those
30 and 40-yard ranges a decoy often pro-
vides later in the year, a few did wander
bowhunting-close. Keep this in mind
during the early season, especially if you
encounter cooler temperatures.AUGUST 30 – SEPTEMBER 6
Since harvesting my first buck, this
was the longest I’d gone into a pronghorn
season without punching a tag. I wasn’t
bummed or upset. I’d been on some great
stalks, and a pair of my buddies had got-
ten close several times. As for me, I’d yet
to pull an arrow from my quiver.JasonandI werebackin thesaddleon
August 30, and we hunted hard for a few
days. My target bucks remained unap-
proachable, and hours spent behind glass
told us decoying wasn’t an option. Tem-
peratures were scorching, but water was
still abundant, and my bucks’ waterhole
habits were about as random as a mosh
pit at a country music concert. We opted
to wait.
Jason did get mighty close once
again, using another tactic I’ve come to
love when the stars all align. The buckOPEN-TO-CLOSE PRONGHORNS
Whether you choose a homemade or manu-
factured model, a cow decoy is a must-have
item for the flexible pronghorn hunter. When
the conditions are right, you’ll be surprised by
just how much you can get away with.