LITTLE ROCK (AP) - Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said his successful hunt of an antelope in Wyoming over the weekend was literally a one shot deal.
Huckabee bagged an antelope on Saturday at the One Shot Antelope Hunt in Lander, Wyo. Huckabee shot the antelope from 250 yards away at the event, where participants only have one chance to shoot their game.
"Once you've shot one bullet, you're finished," Huckabee said. "It's literally a one shot deal.... The only thing you get credit for is one shot taking an animal, so the pressure's on."
Huckabee participated in the annual hunt with Forrest L. Wood, the founder of Ranger Boats, and Rob Keck, chief of the National Wild Turkey Federation. The hunt, now in its 63rd year, is an invitation-only event that draws celebrities from across the country.
Huckabee said Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal and West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, both Democrats, also participated in the hunt.
Huckabee, an avid hunter, said the weather for the hunt was some of the worst the event has had in recent years and said a combination of sleet, snow and rain made the hunt difficult.
"I've never been in a snow that comes like this," Huckabee said. "It was rugged conditions."
Huckabee said the antelope is still in Wyoming and he plans to have it mounted and eventually sent to Arkansas. The governor said he brought the meat home and had antelope sausage for breakfast Wednesday morning.
"Antelope is much more like venison than anything else," Huckabee said.
Huckabee said organizers had said the antelope would be between 50 and 75 yards away, and said shooting the animal from 250 yards away was beyond his normal hunting ability.
"For me, I'm not that great a shot," Huckabee said. "So it was a shot of a lifetime."
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