With Cole's pronghorn down and two birds killed with one stone (his first big game archery kill and a TV show) I had no stress to shoot another pronghorn. We'd give it another day, maybe two and then wrap the trip as successful. My first day with my Mathews bow in hand turned out to be a waste. The winds came up and whether the pronghorns weren't thirsty or simply flighty from the roaring winds didn't matter. No bucks showed.
The next day we arrived in the dark and actually bumped some pronghorn while sneaking to the blind. The forecast was for light winds and moderate heat in the high 80s. Everything looked great, especially the six bucks lined up a mile in the distance nonchalantly making their way to the water.
At 8:30 a.m. the entire group closed in. Most were yearlings, but two stood out and one even more the closer they crept. At 100 yards it was obvious only one shooter hid in the group and I handed Cole the rangefinder to keep tabs on him while I prepared to shoot.
After a few tense minutes the group began to water and Cole whispered "22 yards" as I lined up the pins on my IQ bow sight. The shot angle wasn't perfect, quartering to me, but I've shot plenty of pronghorn at the same angle with devastating results. My arrow hit home and the Rage broadhead went to work. Soon after the big buck tumbled in the sage.
When Cole and I recovered the buck I could hardly believe my luck. He was huge! I knew he was big, but not that big. Tall horns, extra mass and huge prongs were worth the wait and quite the consolation prize. I was more than pleased with Cole's first-ever bowkill, but my buck was icing on the cake.
P.S. For those of you commenting on why we didn't dine on venison that evening I have to admit...I was tired! It was the end of day four, which consisted of sitting in a ground blind for 13 hours straight in nearly 100 degree temperatures daily. We opted for meals out of a bag instead of dirtying dishes and having extended camp cleanup. It gave us an extra hour of sleep. Rest assured the Kayser clan eats plenty of game including venison steaks, venison burgers, venison roasts, venison stroganoff, venison chili, venison, tacos, venison enchiladas, venison meatloaf...I'm starting to sound like Forrest Gump's friend Bubba Blue.
Yea, he's a nice one, but remember dad, my first pronghorn was 14 inches and yours was only 9.