The Marlin levergun gets it done!

[DanWalker]

Went out today to scout for a nice buck for a friend who's coming down tomorrow to hunt antelope. I had a buck tag, but figured I'd just shoot another doe, unless I saw something bigger than what I have on my wall right now.
After a few hours of looking, and riding, and just generally enjoying a warm fall morning out on the prairie, I decided to go ahead and try out the 35 remmy on a meat antelope.
I found a nice, healthy yearling, and hit him broadside at a lasered 88 yards. The bullet impact was clearly audible, yet he still wheeled and tried to run off. I could tell I hit him in the shoulder by how his front leg was flopping as he managed a 30 yard stumbling run, before collapsing.
He was dead when I got to him, but it was still impressive how far he got on 3 functioning legs.
The bullet went in tight behind the shoulder, but because he was quartering more than I thought, it hit his shoulder. It exited the center of his ribs, after blowing the top of his heart off. I wanted to wait and break this gun in properly by hunting with Ranch Dog boolits, but I just ran out of time. I had to use what I had available. My load was a 220 grain Speer JSP over 33 grains of H335.
I built a game hoist a la DK17hmr, and used it today. It worked GREAT! I got him gutted skinned, quartered, and on ice, and was pulling up onto the road headed for home, exactly 1 hour after I pulled the trigger on him.
Here's a couple pics.
This is the exit wound.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e179/crowshooter223/IMG00159-20110928-1134.jpg

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e179/crowshooter223/IMG00160-20110928-1203.jpg

[richhodg66]

Outstanding! Congrats, I really want to go pronghorn hunting one day, we have some in Kansas but they're all way out west of me in counties with no public land. One day I'll take a trip to Wyoming or S.D. I like the .35 Remington, I have an old Marlin I've killed a couple of southeast whitetails with.

Are plans available for that game hoist? I've seen them advertised, but that one looks a lot more robust than ones I've seen in catalogs. One of my Boy Scouts learned to weld his senior year, maybe I can get him to make me one before he leaves for basic this winter.

[DanWalker]

Mine is made from 3/16" wall, 2" square tubing. The horizontal pieces are 36" long and the vertical is 72" long. Mine is not foldable. I couldn't find hinges robust enough. The angled brace at the bottom is cut from a chunk of 1/4" thick steel plate. the brace at the top is 2" angle iron that has been notched so that the ends wrap around the square tubing on 3 sides.
We load tested it with 2 200lb guys hanging and bouncing on it at the same time.
The pulley and gambrel came from a kit sold at Wal Mart.
My total investment is around 70 bucks.

[TXGunNut]

Good hunting, Dan! 336 in .35 Remmy quite popular around here! Hope you and your buddy have a great hunt tomorrow.

[richhodg66]

Mine is made from 3/16" wall, 2" square tubing. The horizontal pieces are 36" long and the vertical is 72" long. Mine is not foldable. I couldn't find hinges robust enough. The angled brace at the bottom is cut from a chunk of 1/4" thick steel plate. the brace at the top is 2" angle iron that has been notched so that the ends wrap around the square tubing on 3 sides.
We load tested it with 2 200lb guys hanging and bouncing on it at the same time.
The pulley and gambrel came from a kit sold at Wal Mart.
My total investment is around 70 bucks.

Thanks. I'll see if I can't get one done. On a doe I shot last week during muzzle loader, my boy and I skinned and quartered her in the field (I usually bring them home) and I like doing it out there,less mess. Besides, I may eventually hunt somewhere that's more than ten minutes to the house, so quartering in the field and icing it down there would be necessary.

[dk17hmr]

Nice Dan!

My game pole has had 4 antelope on it so far this year and it has to be the cleanest way to get them boned out and cooled down, we skin, than gut almost no hair on the meat this way. One thing I might add is a boat winch just in case I get one of the big desert mule deer and cant get it hung up by myself. I think for an elk or 1/2 an elk it might need a leg going to the ground or just a log.

[DanWalker]

harbor freight has hand winches for 20 bucks. Going to check them out tomorrow.

[richhodg66]

We have enough trees here that I could probably find something close most of the time, or so I thought. The other day when I started looking around where I was parked, there didn't seem to be any good, horizontal limbs of the right height and strength, but we got one to work.

Truth be known, 90% of my deer hunting is on one big tract of public land and I always park the truck at the same point, I might just knock together a 4x4 frame out there and hope nobody comes along and destroys it, but it would be nice to have the flexibility of doing it anywhere.

[EMC45]

I too am building a game hoist the likes of what you and dk17HMR built. Have a nice little tow package on an Isuzu Trooper I just bought. Hanging game from the kids swing set is getting old. I also have an old target stand made from 1/4 round rod that I am gonna "re purpose" for the gambrel. Talking to Dad yesterday and he said we have plenty of welding rod and scrap at the shop. Time to flip down the hood and strike an arc! Great write up and congrats on the goat!

[oneokie]

made from 1/4 round rod that I am gonna "re purpose" for the gambrel.

You may want to find something larger than 1/4 round rod to use for your gambrel.

[superior]

Excellent job Dan! Awesome!

What do they taste like?

[DanWalker]

Excellent job Dan! Awesome!

What do they taste like?
Wasn't much to it. Shooting an antelope in natrona county is about as much of an accomplishment as shooting a whitetail in south Texas.
As far as taste goes, antelope are right at the top as far as any wild game I've ever eaten.
They have a wonderful, venison flavor that's delicate without being overpowering.

[white eagle]

nother one bite's the dust
great job Dan

[EMC45]

You may want to find something larger than 1/4 round rod to use for your gambrel.

I did. I had a 20 ft stick of 3/8" hot rolled round rod in the back yard. Made my gambrel last night. Bent the hooks on the end at 45 degrees and made it look like a big coat hanger. Put a brace bar down the bottom and all is good. Also found enough 2" thick wall square tubing at my Dad's shop to build the trailer socket game pole! I was pretty excited when I saw it all piled up down the shop. Now I don't have to buy a stick of it ($52).