Colorado Antelope Hunting with a Muzzleloader

There are certain hunts that remind you just how quickly an opportunity can disappear. This Colorado antelope hunt with Tanner Crist and the team at Sandy Hills Hunting Co. was one of those hunts. We had three days to make it happen, a mature buck with incredible character, a muzzleloader with open sights, and weather moving in that could shut the entire hunt down. What followed was a hunt filled with long days, unexpected distractions, a missed opportunity, and one more chance when it mattered most.

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Colorado's wide-open plains and rolling hills are beautiful, but they don't make antelope hunting easy. There isn't much room for mistakes when you're working through tall grass, sagebrush, and cactus, and an animal can pick up movement from a long way off. We were hunting with Sandy Hills Hunting Co., and Tanner quickly helped us understand where this one particular buck liked to spend his time. Micah was along to capture the hunt, and from the beginning, we knew this was going to be a story worth telling.

The Buck We Came to Find

On the first day, we located several antelope and quickly identified the buck we wanted to pursue. He was an older buck with plenty of mass, deep hooks, and a distinctive cheater point that gave his horns a lot of character. He was also tending a doe and spending time in the same corner of the property, which gave us a place to focus our efforts.

Finding a buck is one thing. Getting into position in open country is something else entirely. During one of our first stalks, sirens from a serious accident on a nearby freeway disrupted the approach. The accident was only about 200 yards away, and the sudden noise put the antelope on alert. The animals were already aware of their surroundings, and the commotion made closing the distance even more difficult.

Later that day, another opportunity came together at approximately 185 yards. The shot was close, but it missed just in front of the buck's chest. It was the kind of moment that can stay in your head for the rest of the hunt. We had found the buck, we had an opportunity, and we hadn't finished it.

When a Hunt Doesn't Go According to Plan

One thing we never want Driven Hunter to become is a highlight reel where everything always works perfectly. Because that's not hunting. The miss on Day One was frustrating, but it was also part of the story. We had to put it behind us, learn from it, and keep looking for another opportunity.

The weather added even more pressure. Heavy rain—potentially as much as four inches—was forecast for the following day. If that much rain arrived, the plains could become impassable, which meant Day Two might be our last real chance to get back after the buck.

Thankfully, the buck was still in the same area. He was back in the corner we had been watching, and this time we had a better plan. Using an open gate and a fence line, we worked our way into his backyard. From there, the stalk became a slow crawl through the grass, with a decoy and a large cactus providing just enough cover to keep us moving forward.

One More Chance

There are moments on a hunt when everything slows down. After the miss, the changing weather, and the difficulty of hunting with open sights, this was one of them. We weren't trying to force a long shot. We were trying to get close enough, stay hidden, and let the buck make the next move.

Eventually, he came within range.

The muzzleloader fired once, and the buck went down almost immediately. The relief and excitement that followed were impossible to miss. After everything that had happened on Day One, we had another opportunity—and this time, we made it count.

Up close, the buck had exactly the kind of character we had seen from a distance. His horns carried plenty of mass, the hooks tipped forward, and the cheater point made him a unique trophy. It was a successful harvest, but the best part of the story was everything it took to get there: the patience, the adjustment after a miss, and the decision to keep grinding when the first opportunity didn't work out.

Why We Keep Coming Back

After spending time in some incredible hunting destinations, it's easy to focus on the final result. The animal. The trophy. The photograph. But the hunts that stay with us are usually about more than that.

We'll remember the wide-open Colorado country. We'll remember watching the buck settle into the same corner and trying to figure out how to get into his backyard. We'll remember the frustration of the first-day miss and the pressure of knowing the weather could end the hunt. And we'll remember crawling through the grass, using a cactus for cover, and watching one last opportunity come together.

That's what keeps us coming back. Hunting doesn't always go according to plan, but when you stay in the game, sometimes you get one more chance.

Stay Driven,

Pat & Nicole