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August Heat - Issue 57 Jan/Feb 10
Steve Schulz
Wyoming, 2008, DIY, Public Land
The heat of the August sun began to turn my blind into an almost unbearable sweat box. I knew that the hotter I got, the thirstier the antelope were getting. I also took some solace knowing that I had capitalized on a solar well that was miles from any other water source.
We began to get parched visitors to the well at 6:30 a.m. In fact, my hunting partner, Darren Douglas, arrowed a very respectable buck just 15 minutes later. The buck he shot had made it over a ridge to the north, and we set out to find him. As I looked back to the south past the blind, I saw 20-30 antelope moving toward the well. I bailed on Darren and left him to finish on his own.
Being a good hunting buddy, he didn’t come back to the blind while there was any action on the water. He made it back about an hour later, and after gulping down a few bottles of water, he left to retrieve his trophy.
As he left, I ventured out of the blind to the south to view the large herd, and to gauge their arrival time to the blind, as well as to determine if there was a shooter buck in the bunch. As I knelt on the ridge glassing the herd, I could see a very distinct mass of black on one of the bucks, but with the distance and mirage, it was hard to truly tell how good of a goat he really was.
As I sat watching, the majority of the herd got up and started feeding in different directions. Finally, a few does started to line out in my direction and the rest of the herd fell in line. As they drew closer, I jogged back to the blind, folded up the 
chairs, and moved my gear, making sure there was enough room to move around for any shot opportunity.
Finally, a smallish buck came in to the west side of the tank, slowly easing up for a drink. I peered through an opening in the blind and could clearly see 20 or more antelope, some standing and staring in the direction of the blind and some feeding. Finally, the bulk of the herd came in, choosing the far northeast corner of the overflow pond to slip in and get a gulp.
As they maneuvered, I noticed a massive buck tucked in the herd. I estimated his massive bases at close to seven inches.
This is where it started to get frustrating. Once the first one came in to water and finally made it, the rest of them all started in at once, covering the buck against any possible shot opportunity. As the majority started to drink, one would spook and all would gallop off a short distance, still all bunched up. Every time they came back in, the same scenario played out. I’d pull my bow, hold and wait for a shot opportunity, then have to let down.
This played out about a dozen times in half an hour. Finally, the big guy made it in, lowering his head for a drink. As he did, the entire herd engulfed him while they all greedily drank.
It appeared that they were going to fill up on water and depart shortly. The herd then jerked and bolted again to the east, and as I pulled back, the buck stepped clear at 30 yards. Centering the 30 pin, I touched the release. Just as fast as I heard the bow, the arrow disappeared behind his shoulder. He raced off behind the blind and over the ridge out of sight, with the herd scattering in all directions (most of which still indicating they wanted to come back in for a drink.)
I gathered my gear and set out to locate the buck. As I crested the ridge, I spotted a few antelope running in a group, but none that indicated they had been hit. I slowly moved forward and looked down the other side and spotted a white patch in the sagebrush. There he was; one of the nicest bucks I’ve ever taken! He had bases of 6-7/8 and carried the mass all the way up his horns, grossing just over 80 P&Y. It was the kind of buck that made every second in that hot blind worth it.
