November 2025
Story By: Tom Winstel
Wyoming Antelope | A Father-Son Antelope Hunt
James and I met up in Casper, Wyoming for our big father-son antelope hunt. It had been eight years in the making, accumulating preference points since James was 16. He’s now 24. The anticipation was intense as we both dreamed of an “American safari” out on the Wyoming plains, hoping for a shot at some big antelope to fill our coveted area 32 tags.
I reached out to Huntin’ Fool and spoke with Logan. He mentioned that both units 68 and 32 were excellent options for us, but we probably couldn’t draw in 68. However, with our eight points each, we could make the regular draw in unit 32, just southwest of Casper. He recommended Matt Swartz of Massive Buck Outfitters, who guides his father, Tom. I called Matt, and he shared references and photos of big bucks from previous years. I called James to see if he’d like to go on an antelope hunting adventure together. He said, “I’m down,” and it was game on! We put in for the draw and were thrilled to receive the news from Wyoming Game and Fish that we’d drawn tags for the 2024 rifle season.
We started making plans, practicing our shooting, and buying new gear. James arrived at the airport looking like he’d had a “retail therapy” session at Cabela’s, decked out in fresh camo gear. James flew directly into Casper, while I flew to Denver, rented a car, and drove north for four hours to meet him at the C’mon Inn. It was a great hotel, pretty palatial by hunting standards, with a real western motif, game mounts, waterfalls, and hot tubs.
We headed straight to the nearby range to make sure our Red Rock Precision 7MM Rem Mag was dialed in. It was. Both of us rang the 350-yard gong! Later, we met up with Matt to confirm our licenses and tags and to go over the game plan for the next day.
At 4:45 the next morning, we were up and met Matt at 5:30 in front of the hotel. He let us know we’d be out in the field all day until dark at 7 p.m. It was the start of our big adventure afield. As newbie antelope hunters, we were about to serve our apprenticeship in what felt like an antelope simulator. This was the real deal!
It turns out that a lot of antelope hunting involves driving to good areas Matt had previously scouted and some areas he was exploring for the first time. We spent much of the day glassing abundant herds to find larger bucks. Matt’s demeanor would shift as he scanned the herds through binoculars. To us, they all looked big, but he quickly schooled us on the difference between an average 12-13” buck and those pushing 15”. We knew he was serious when he’d go from binoculars to his scope to confirm a high potential “speed goat.”
We checked out a promising area where a previous group from Michigan had seen a huge buck crossing from unit 47 into our unit 32 the day before. We decided to pass on a buck that Tom’s group, Mike, later took.
Then, we went to “The Meadows,” an oasis of green alfalfa fields surrounded by brown prairie grass and sagebrush. The antelope could see the lush farm and creek bottoms from the high plains for miles. It looked like a Garden of Eden with hundreds of antelope on the ranch. The multi-generational ranchers were happy to have us on the property, and we were grateful Matt had permission to hunt there. We began glassing, and it didn’t take long for Matt to spot an impressive buck, estimating it to score over 75” with big prongs. We went from binoculars to scope to a stalk and then to bear-crawling across the alfalfa field in no time.
We hit an impasse about 850 yards out, and the only way to close the distance for a shot was to bear-crawl. We managed to crawl 450 yards, getting within 400 yards for a shot. I was hoping for a nice prone shot on sandbags, but Matt suggested shooting off sticks instead. I took the shot, shots, actually, as it took a few to bring down a magnificent buck scoring 76 4/8”. I was thrilled to punch my tag and take this majestic buck.
Now it was James’ turn. We started scouting again, and that continued for the next two days. We looked at buck after buck on ranch after ranch, glassing hundreds of antelope, and Matt would just shake his head and say, “Nope.” Late on the second day, though, we came upon an alfalfa field where Matt spotted what he called “the giant,” the biggest buck he’d seen all year. We ended up tracking that buck for four miles, eventually bedding it down in the dark. Needless to say, James went to bed dreaming of that big antelope.
At 4:30 a.m., we met Matt and made our way to the ranch, planning to stalk two and a half miles to a funnel where Matt thought the big buck would come from the bedding field to the alfalfa field at dawn. I was carrying James’ sandbags, doing the equivalent of weighted bear-crawls so he’d have the chance for a prone shot if possible. We passed hundreds of antelope before reaching the final pinch point in the funnel. Then he appeared – the giant cresting over the ridge backlit by the rising sun with eight does around him.
It took him another 45 minutes to close the gap from 1,300 yards down to 285. He bedded halfway and held us in suspense for at least 45 minutes before coming closer. James adjusted his turret yardage for the shot. Matt looked at him and said, “I want him dead.” One shot, a perfect double-lung hit, and James had his giant, scoring just shy of 80”. It was surely the speed goat of a lifetime.
Wow! What a hunt with both of us filling our tags and making memories that will be remembered forever more.