Antelope stuff

So as to not keep diluting Red One Five's thread on his antelope hunt I started this. Today my wife and I were on our daily walk when about 3/4 of a mile from home I saw an antelope along the barbed wire fence along the road. I looked closer and she was still alive with her front leg trapped between two twisted strands of wire. She was pretty beat up, breathing very fast and trying to get loose. I tried to separate the wires but they were too tight. I was going to run/ walk back home to get some wire cutters when luckily a neighbor came driving up. Luckily again she had a multitool and cut the wire. The doe took off limping some but hopefully she'll be alright after awhile. I went back later and fixed the fence.
I've read that their leg bones are stronger than a cows and as tight as that fence is, to twist the wire over like that and not break her leg is amazing. We have seen them jump fences several times but this fence was choked with tumble weeds so that probably messed her up.
An irony to this is we have been eating spaghetti with antelope the last couple of days.

Good on you for helping her out. I’m a hunter to the bone, but I can’t stand to see something suffer.

Well done.

Thanks guys.

We as true hunters are really a strange breed. We will spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars to go kill an animal in season but if we find one in distress we are usually the first ones to go and try to give them help. Just goes to prove to the liberals and anti-hunting community that we're not the heartless killers they say we are.

I’ve never seen an antelope jump a fence, all seem to prefer to go under and generally they have a preferred spot. Some will run past an open spot to go under the fence. A unique animal!

I like to think most folks would try to help an animal caught like that, I would. Good on ya.

Glad you could help her. They are one of my favorite animals. In fact, I ate antelope breakfast sausage this morning with my eggs.

Thanks guys. It is a good feeling to help them out. The ranch just had this new fence put in and the bottom wire is pretty low and they have a hard time going under it.
Phil Coffins.
We've lived in antelope country for over 50 years and have seen a few jump fences. One time we were driving and a doe ran across the road in front of us and jumped from the edge of the road, over the ditch and cleared the fence. That's some serious jumping. But you're right most of the time they go under and have regular places that they do that. We only have 2 strands so they don't have any problems with ours.

Phil Coffins said:

I’ve never seen an antelope jump a fence, all seem to prefer to go under and generally they have a preferred spot. Some will run past an open spot to go under the fence. A unique animal!

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I've seen the same. Having spent a lot of time antelope hunting I've only seen one instance of an antelope jumping a fence and that one was going full out and in a fence corner with no other escape option.

Others who have hunted them a lot agree on that habit. When hunting antelope a habitual fence crossing is as good an ambush point as a saddle in rough elk country.

Glad she had you guys to help her out of that fix! I've seen a few jump fences, but not many. One time saw one running down a road toward a cattle guard. Stopped way back to allow it time/space to change it's mind, but instead it jumped the cattleguard at full throttle....knew better than to step on it.

Thanks mtnfishn for the story. That would be weird and cool to see one do that. They do some strange things sometimes.