In 2020, I drew a unit 68 Wyoming antelope tag. I have hunted nearby units and have had great hunts. I just didn’t know what kind of bucks unit 68 had. I started scouting in August during the archery season. Of course, I had my bow with me. I made some stalks on some upper 70" bucks but just didn’t make it happen. My girlfriend, Kym, was along for the scouting. We looked over about 150 antelope a day, and about a quarter of them were bucks.
One day, we discovered a huge ranch with a lot of river bottoms. The ranch had some huge green fields. I glassed it, and I had never seen so many antelope in one area. From one glassing spot, I could see over 100 antelope with many that looked to be upper 70s into the 80s. Wow! I later found out that this was the Split Rock Ranch. It’s about 200,000 acres and is managed for hunting by Quentin Smith with QRS Outdoors. A little research found that Outback Outdoors had filmed some hunts on the ranch.
I phoned Quentin Smith. We discussed his operation and what he had to offer. Due to prior archery elk obligations, I really didn’t want to hunt the September antelope opener. Quentin assured me that we would find some really good bucks in October. The Split Rock Ranch has produced some 82-90" bucks. I booked the hunt with him for early October.
October came, and my girlfriend, Kym, and I drove to the Split Rock Ranch. We met with Quentin, and he showed us around the ranch. The lodge was beautiful, and the views from it were incredible. The lodge overlooked fields full of antelope, and in the backdrop were the red-colored split rock mountains. Quentin said he had located one buck I might like. He said it had great diggers and was fairly heavy. He also said it was average height of about 14" and his diggers sat a bit low on his horns. He guessed him to score 80-81". He also said there was a lot of ground to cover and we might find something bigger.
The first morning came, and we were off hunting. We were seeing bucks in the mid 70s just outside the lodge. We drove a lot of country and glassed at least 60 bucks, with some that were pushing 80". We were in the general area where Quentin had last seen the buck he had told me about. At about noon, Quentin spotted a buck that he thought was the same one about 1,200 yards off chasing does. We needed to get closer to get a good look at his horns. The buck chased the does into some foothills and went out of view. Quentin pointed out a ridge and suggested that we hike to the top. He believed we would be able to see the buck. The three of us hiked to the top of the ridge and located the buck who was still on the move chasing does. He was about 900 yards away. We started to close the distance as the buck was just running around in circles chasing the does. We were about 700 yards away. Quentin said it was the same buck he had seen before. I looked at him in my spotting scope. He looked good to me.
I proned out for a shot and quickly realized I was laying right on some low-crawling cactus. Ouch! I moved off the cactus. It would take me weeks to remove all the thorns from my belly. The wind was blowing on and off, but where we were, it didn’t feel like it was a factor. I dialed my scope for elevation and squeezed off a shot. I missed. Quentin said the elevation was good but I was maybe a minute off him to the right. The buck was running hard and went out of sight. The does were trailing him. Quentin said he was fairly sure we could relocate him, so we went back to the truck. We drove to a location where Quentin thought the buck may go to hide and spotted a group of does standing in some flats. There were no bucks with them. Quentin said he was sure it was the same does. He said the older, smarter bucks commonly leave the does when pressured. We were glassing the entire area and spotted a buck walking in a completely different direction than the does. Quentin confirmed it was the same buck. I ranged the buck at 500 yards. There was a 15-mph wind straight in my face. I exited the vehicle and went prone for the shot, dialed my turret, and the buck stopped. I squeezed off a round, and the buck dropped.
We made our way to the buck, did a photo session, and then went back to the lodge with him. We had a great lunch. Quentin and his crew took care of my buck. The lodge was super nice with everything you could ask for. Quentin’s wife, Jody, was a great cook and a fun person to be around. The views and the amount of antelope on the ranch are incredible. Quentin, known as “Q,” has all the qualities you need in a guide. Like all good guides, he had vast knowledge of the hunt area and the animals in it. He also has a calm demeanor and had vast knowledge about long-range shooting.
I hope to be hunting with Quentin “Q” and QRS Outdoors in the near future.
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