The One Shot Antelope Hunt in Lander, Wyoming

What do these four people all have in common:  Roy Rogers, Chuck Yeager, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, and Vice-President Dick Cheney?  Yup, they have all taken part in the historic Lander, Wyoming one shot antelope hunt.  My father talked about, and yearned to take part in this hunt for as long as he lived.

The one shot hunt began around a campfire in 1939.  Two hunters, Harold Evans of Lander, Wyoming and Hank Dahl of Golden, Colorado talked about the difficulty of hunting with muzzle loading guns where only one shot was possible before the animal (dinner!) was on the run.  Evans and Dahl ended up challenging each other to such a hunt, selecting the high flying antelope as their prey. 

By 1940, the One Shot Antelope Hunt became a reality.  It has continued ever since, excepting the war years of 1942-1945.  Teams were originally from Wyoming and Colorado; Texas joined the competition in the second season and the teams grew to the present 8, each with three members. 

 It is a low key event.  The hunters are easy to identify in bright hunter orange hats and badges.  They are unassuming and polite—focused on their job.  The hunt itself starts at 4:00 a.m. on Saturday and ends with a dinner at 6:30 p.m.  Every hunter gets one bullet to bring down his antelope, but endless opportunities to embellish the tale of why he missed.  My Dad would have loved that; but Dad would have gotten his antelope.

Dad was an affable man and not at all afraid to stretch a story to make it more entertaining.  Even at a young age, I learned to take what he said with a grain of salt—until I had my, “Atticus Finch” moment.  While visiting my Aunt and Uncle on the family farm we were standing in the barn when Uncle Joe saw a, “varmint” that had been ripping up the garden.  The raccoon was so far away I couldn’t even see it.  Joe handed Dad the rifle that always rested inside the door to the barn (people who live in rural Minnesota understand why) and asked, “Can you get him, Frank?”  Dad sighted down the rifle, steadied the gun against the door frame, aimed again and squeezed the trigger.  Joe whooped and slapped my father on the back, telling my Dad he hadn’t lost a step.  And that is how I learned that my father could hit just about anything he aimed at.    

It is no wonder that I grew up hearing about the famous, “One Shot Antelope Hunt.”  Dad would have loved to be here.  When he was secretary of the Western States Dairymen’s Association he though he might have a chance, but it never happened.  The hunt is by invitation and reserved for the wealthy, the powerful and the well-connected.  It celebrates opening day of antelope season in Wyoming and steeps itself in tradition and ceremony. 

I landed squarely in the middle of it quite by accident.  My husband and I were traveling through Wyoming with the idea of exploring the Wind River area, rich in beautiful canyons and rewarding hikes.  We pulled into an RV park outside of Lander and drove to town on our way to Sinks Canyon.  I knew serendipity was at work when we drove under the banner across Main Street announcing the, “One Shot Antelope Hunt” September 19-22^nd, 2013.”  For the last few days we have shared this beautiful land with serious hunters, friendly people and the memory of my father. 

God bless the cowboys, they keep the faith.