Antelope From Above
By Adam Keyser | ANT-MT-DIY-P
Archery antelope is one of my favorite seasons. I’ve connected on an antelope buck 12 of the last 12 seasons with archery equipment. Early on I was strictly spot and stalk hunting these bucks. The last several years I’ve keyed in on using our dry climate to my advantage and started hunting water holes. When Montana legalized the use of game cameras, I began placing them on water holes that I had scouted out. Finding the right water hole is key.
The summer of 2023 I began scouting for antelope in July as I normally do. Numbers seemed lower than past years. I checked a few familiar spots and was pleased to find that one particular water hole that has a tree large enough for a stand, had water for once. This “tree stand water hole,” as I’ve come to call it, has only had water in it three times in twelve years. I spotted a large and unique buck near the water. A few days later I went to hang the stand and cameras. This buck was larger than any buck I had taken. I gave the two cameras a week and checked them. The large buck was only on the camera once. The second camera had an issue and didn’t take any pictures. About 10 days later I had no pictures of the buck on either camera. Other spots I had were producing very little action at the water as well.