Trevar Hansen
Comp. 1
Compare Contrast Essay
Antelope vs. Whitetail Deer Hunting
This year I found out what the difference is between antelope hunting and
whitetail deer hunting. I went antelope hunting for the first time this fall. I had always
heard from my dad about his other hunts but I had never had the experience before.
It takes a long time to get antelope licenses because of the few antelope and the
many people that want a license. Only getting a license about once every seven years is
what makes antelope hunting more special than deer hunting. Anybody could get
whitetail licenses every year because there are so many licenses and deer available. Deer
hunting loses some of its pizzazz because you can get a license every year. Antelope are
mostly found west of the Missouri river. Whitetail deer are found just about anywhere in
the state. Although I enjoy hunting antelope more than deer, hunting both animals is
pretty fun.
The difference between hunting them is a very big. Average people might think
that there isn’t much difference because they don’t know. Whitetails are usually found in
slews or in wooded areas. Antelope are found on the prairie, in stubble fields, or in
alfalfa fields. The most common way to hunt whitetails is to walk cover to try to kick
them up. There isn’t much excitement in deer hunting except for when the deer actually
gets up and you have a chance to shoot it. One thing that is exciting about deer hunting is
if you wound a deer and have the chance to follow a blood trail. Although wounding a
deer is not the best thing either. Antelope are out in the open already so you don’t have
to go and find them. The antelope is not tough to find but very difficult to get close to
because of their speed and that’s what makes it so fun to hunt them. Antelope can run up
60 or 70 miles per hour. The great thing about hunting the antelope is the stalk. People
either belly crawl or crawl on their hands and knees to get close to the antelope. When
the antelope get moving they are gone. Deer feed in the morning and then bed down for
the day in cover somewhere. Deer then get up in the evening and feed again, and they
will bed down at night again.
Antelope lounge pretty much all day. They sometimes
lay down for a while to rest but it usually is out in the open so you can still see them.
Antelope can and will feed all day if they choose to. Deer are easier to get close to
because they don’t really detect you until you get pretty close to them. The antelope will
see you, smell you, and or hear you from a great distance away. Experts say the
antelope’s eyes are like a nine power scope on a rifle. That is enlarging the image they
are looking at nine times. That is a big disadvantage to the hunter. Deer have a good
sense of smell and hearing too, but the deer don’t see near as good as an antelope. When
deer cross a fence they usually just jump it like it is nothing. The crossing of a fence is a
little different for an antelope. Antelope actually go under the bottom wire of fences. It
is a neat thing to watch. This is the time you want to be ready to shoot because they have
to stop and pick a spot high enough for them to crawl under the fence. When deer run
they will take off and then they might stop and look at you to see what you are. If
Antelope run they just take off and you won’t see them again. So you need to make your
first shot a good one. Antelope season starts in early October and is done in late October.
Deer season doesn’t start until early November and ends in late November.
There is also a little difference in the choice of weapons used. You can for the
most part use the same weapon, but you can get too big of a gun for antelope that
wouldn’t be too big for deer. Antelope are quite a bit smaller than deer so you don’t want
to blow the antelope away or anything.
The antelope have horns like goats and sheep. Deer have antlers that are actually
different than the horns on an antelope. The horns are made of dead hair that has massed
itself together. Antlers are actually made of veins and other parts. Both the antelope’s
horns and the deer’s antlers fall off each year during the winter and grow back during the
spring. The antelope’s hair is hollow to keep them cool in the summer. Antelope would
actually float if they went into water. Deer just have normal hair. The antelopes hair is
so fragile it will just fall out it you touch it.
If a person doesn’t do a lot of hunting they wouldn’t know or even
understand the difference between deer and antelope hunting. Hunting antelope and
hunting deer are two very different sports but I enjoy them both. If I had to chose one I
would go antelope hunting because it not the usual kind of hunting I do. I like antelope
hunting more not because it was tougher but because it is more mental hunting and not
all-physical hunting. It takes some planning and strategy to get close to the antelope.