first antelope

we were up north of town(chinook MT) and we saw a herd of them moseyin around up there on some state land they were about 1/2 mile away so i stalked up on them which was pretty hard considering i didnt have anything to use for cover she was about 250 yards away when i finally decided i was close enough to take a shot there was a buck and another doe around her all i saw of the buck was the top of his head and i figured at 250 yards that wouldnt be very good to try and she was bigger than the other doe so i took her she was walking forward so i led her and unfortunately the bullet went through the front of the hind quarters but i just dropped a 9mm round from my glock in her head after i told her i was sorry

i've writtien some basics about cooking and eating antelope here, if anyone is interested:

http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/forum_posts.asp?TID= 872&title=pronghorn-antelope

here's some basic stuff to know about antelope:

• pronghorn habitat is often home to sage brush flats and other vegetation that can affect the taste of the meat, possibly (along with other factors) giving it a "wild" or "gamey" taste. where we live and hunt, both deer and antelope are usually very close to alfalfa hay and grain fields and have a diet that is just as good as any "organically-fed" beef. this goes a long way toward providing some very good eats.
• many hunters shoot anything with horns just to have something to drive around town with in the the back of their pickup (or, worse yet, on the engine-warmed hood or fender of their car, although that seems to be a thing of the past) for curious onlookers to oogle at. further, hunting season for antelope and deer generally coincides with the rut, which is the time for mating; during this time, antelope bucks are full of raging hormones and are secreting scents from glands under their cheeks and on their legs that might attract does, but are pretty wild-smelling for humans. the obvious solution to this is to shoot a big doe, such as mike's above, but even if you shoot a buck, you can take care not to touch the glands; many hunters even take a moment to cut them off the carcass. another way to deal with this is to shoot fully-mature, older bucks, if you want a buck. one of the best-eating antelope i have ever was a very good-sized buck (horns measuring just a bit over 14 inches long) who was an old campaigner and probably past his breeding prime. his meat was fork-tender due to his advanced age and the fact that he was a pretty fat boy. 
• shooting any game animal when it is calm and hasn't been running around, harried or excited will help the flavour of the meat as there will not be any adrenalin running through it, a hormone which will affect the taste of the meat.
• care in the kill is also very important. because antelope have very good eyesight, many less-consciencous hunters will shoot beyond their ability, taking risky shots at distances beyond their ability (or that of their rifle), or perhaps at angles or other situations that do not present a clean, fast, one-shot kill though the heart and lungs. these impatient, bad shooting practices often result in animals being hit in the guts, in large muscle groups (MEAT) or in other areas that are not compatiable with a quick, clean and humane kill. one thing i have learned over nearly three decades of hutning is that if the hunter is calm and rational and above all patient, he will be presented with a good, clean shot on a calm animal at a distance that is within his abilities and that of his rifle.
• another factor affecting the taste of the meat is how it is treated after the kill. immediate field dressing, quick cleaning and cooling of the carcass and letting the animal hang and age a few days will greatly improve the taste of the meat. for antelope, at this time of year in this latitude, two or, at most, three days is sufficient. for deer, 10 days up to two weeks is just about right, due to temperatures well below 40 degrees at that time of year and the fact that deer meat is not nearly as delicate as antelope. this aging of the meat allows the muscle fibres to relax and allows enzymes to begin to break down (NOT rot) the meat. this process is extremely similar to aging beef for prime rib roasts, etc.
• finally, care in butchering, processing and packaging is paramount. keep the meat clean, keep the meat cool, bone out the quarters, loins etc. without using a saw, trim the roasts very, very well, package it in tight, well-trimmed sealed packages (preferably vacuum sealed or with the air removed by other means) and freeze it quickly before ice crystals can ravage the meat. if it thaws for any reason, eat it immediately without re-freezing.

put it this way: if you chase any animal, even a prime angus beef, around while it is hyped up on hormones, run it ragged over a mile or two to get it riled up, shoot it from half a mile away in the guts, blowing gastric juices (and worse) onto the meat, drag it through the dirt under a hot sun, throw it on the hood of your car and race back into town and drive around with it on your hood then chop it up before the meat can relax and age, and then process and package it badly, you are going to have bad meat, no matter what. you can read more about good care of wild game at the field and in processing here: