Pronghorn hunting in Montana looks simple on a map — wide open prairie, animals you can spot from a mile out, and tags that are comparatively easier to draw than elk or deer in most districts. What the map doesn’t show you is the wind swirling across a dry coulee, a buck that closes to 60 yards and then hangs up just out of range, or the particular brand of mental torture that comes from watching a shooter antelope stare down your decoy for ten minutes before turning and walking the other direction. Ayden from the Twin Elements channel knows that feeling well — and in this video, he finally gets his answer.
The decoy game for pronghorn bucks during the rut is one of the more exciting — and humbling — tactics available to archery hunters in Montana. When it works, it works fast and it works angry. Territorial bucks will cover ground in a hurry to run off what they think is a rival. When it doesn’t work, you’re lying flat in a prairie dog town with a foam antelope strapped to your back wondering where your dignity went. Montana’s archery antelope season typically opens in early September and runs into October, which puts hunters right in the window of early rut activity — bucks are starting to get territorial, herding does, and willing to do something stupid if the setup is right. Ayden hunted through multiple close calls before the stars aligned at 44 yards.
What makes this hunt worth watching beyond the shot itself is the persistence it took to get there. Days of setups, blown opportunities, and the grind of spot-and-stalk bowhunting on open country Montana public land — that’s the part the highlight reel usually skips. If you’ve ever burned through a hard-won antelope tag on a stalk that fell apart in the last 100 yards, you’ll recognize every frustrated exhale in this video. And if you’re planning your first pronghorn bowhunt, pay attention to how Ayden uses the decoy — the approach angle, timing, and positioning relative to the buck matter more than most first-timers expect.
Montana pronghorn populations have remained strong across the eastern prairies and high basins of the southwest, and FWP continues to offer either-sex and buck-only archery tags across a range of districts. For hunters willing to put in the boot leather on Block Management areas or BLM ground, there’s real opportunity out there — but fair-chase archery hunting for antelope is a different animal than rifle season, and videos like this one are an honest look at what it actually takes. Congrats to Ayden on a hard-earned first buck. Go watch the shot.
Editor’s note: Corrected the Montana archery antelope season timing: it opens in early September and runs into October, not mid-August.
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