By far, the most popular bowhunting tactic for pronghorns involves water holes and blinds, and many bowhunters hire outfitters to help them find a hot water hole. But you can hunt water-hole antelope on your own--and public BLM, national forest, and state land in Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona provide the places to do it. Just ask Bob Bergquist of Rawlins, Wyoming. He's been at it for 35 years, with 26 Pope and Young antelope and 9 Boone and Crockett bucks to his credit. 1. Scout "Scouting accounts for 90 percent of my success," says Bergquist. "My hunting starts in July. I'll target an area with good bucks, find the animals or the specific buck I want to hunt, then watch where they water." 2. Set Up Bergquist sets up a pop-up blind. "You really don't even have to brush it in," he says. "If you can, give the antelope time to get used to the blind. Wait at least two days to hunt. You could hunt the first day, but the pronghorns will be real antsy. " Is wind direction important? "I've been using portable blinds on water holes for 10 years," says Bergquist, "and I have yet to be winded. Scent that escapes the blind is not strong enough to turn antelope away."
