Nevada and gambling are nearly synonymous, yet savvy hunters know that the Silver State has excellent hunting for antelope and mule deer, much of it on public land.
As you might expect, Nevada’s creatures live in vast, desert landscapes which are ruggedly beautiful. Join Andy McCormick, president of Legacy Sports, as he and his gal tackle pronghorn antelope at maximum range.
I am so very proud of my gal Debbie for all of her hard efforts this year after learning that we drew antelope and deer tags in Nevada. From her yearning to learn how to shoot a rifle proficiently at various ranges, her learning to hunt and what to look for, hours and hours of glassing and staying focused and not giving up and being willing to go to the next ridge or canyon to glass or sit on a waterhole for 9 hours.
Hunting Antelope in Northern Nevada’s high desert country is no easy task by any means, let alone harvesting a trophy quality animal amongst some tough competition from other hunters and the harsh environment of the August Heat, sun and wind in Nevada.. On top of that, the remoteness of just getting into the terrain where you begin to hunt for trophy game is a task in and of itself.
With that said, after glassing and passing on several smaller antelope bucks this past weekend , Debbie ended up putting the Hammer on a great speed goat at 568 yards uphill in a 5 mph right to left crosswind, coupled with the sharp angle of the uphill shot and the bullet drop trajectory, we calculated and decided to shoot the goat for an actual yardage of 500 yards. It’s the 3rd< hash mark on the BDC reticle of her Vortex Viper 3-9 scope atop her Howa (a shot that Debbie had practiced).
Debbie’s Howa 20” lwt 7mm-08 Vortex combo was zeroed for 200 yds coupled with the Hornady 139 gr SST super performance ammo it turned out to be quite the deadly cocktail mix.
I had Debbie put the 3rd hash mark on the top of the antelopes shoulder where the brown hide meets the white in a right angle. As the trophy stepped out of the shade into the sun and turned broadside, I asked Debbie if she was ready. She said “yes,“ and I said, “take him.“
As the rifle sounded, I watched through the 15 x 56 Kaibab Vortex binos for the results. I saw the bullet pass through the goat and hit the hill behind him and with that the antelope immediately fell and Rolled down the hill several times until it was lodged into some sage below … truly a trophy of an antelope .. sporting 15 “ horns, 7.5 “ bases and 5 “ prongs. When all was said and done an 80” + goat … ! The bullet hit it’s mark only 4” left of where Debbie’s hold was.. simply the result of some slight wind drift. What an amazing shot for anyone, seasoned or new.
We had watched this rim rock runner for over an hour bedded in the shade of the Junipers high above Mesquito lake, with hopes of him giving us a shot.. and when the shot finally presented itself.. Debbie maintained her composure and sealed the deal as if she had been hunting with a rifle for years. Not only a testament to Debbie’s skills and trigger control but also a great testimonial to the capabilities of a 20” lwt Howa 7mm-08 package with the Howa H.A.C.T. Trigger, barrel and action and pillar bedded Hogue stock that can deliver such a terminal shot as such yardage proficiently.
Well done!
