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Texas
As I said in a post a while back, I was given a Texas Deer hunt for my 60th birthday. My Wife took care of the airfare and my Daughter and SIL took care of the outfitter. I was 1 of 10 in the group and they have done this trip for several years with mixed success, but always a good hunt. I flew out last Sunday and returned on Friday the 2nd. I will tell you up front that I didn't connect. I had 1 opportunity for a LARGE shooter buck that I needed 5 seconds to make the shot, and only had 3. I could have taken the shot but wouldn't shoot through the branches of a Mesquite tree that could have fouled the shot, and the big ol boy deserved more respect than a bad shot. I was shooting a Kimber 270 that belonged to Mikes Dad, a very nice rifle. He's still there making Muley babies and maybe a trophy for another hunter.
In the group I was in, I was the inexperienced one in comparison. Even my daughter has been around this class of hunting more than I. The hunt was very good with lots of deer to be seen, just not many shooters. Of the 10, 3 of us came home without a deer on our tag. Total was 8 separate hunts with 3 different stands being used. The first day I was complimented by the guide for being able to spot the deer before he was. We saw a young Muley 3X3 and a limping whitetail that was young and would have had a small 8pt rack, but he had most of his right side busted off from fighting, along with 1 of the left points. This got him the reference of 'Busted". He visited the feeder and wandered off after a while, looking like he needed a couple of days off. 6 Rio Grande Turkeys visited that stand each time I sat there to visit the feeder, running off the young deer that were there feeding. For those who have never seen one, the colors are bright burnt orange on their shoulders and iridescent in appearance. Very different than the Eastern and Osceola we have in the east. So went the next 2 hunts at that stand with no shooters showing up. Next I was taken to a bowl that couldn't be seen until about 30 yds away from the lip with a feeder in the bowl at 104 yds. Again, though small bucks came and went, no studs came to visit.
The last stand was in the area of the headwaters of Skillet Creek. Hows that for a real Texas name. Everywhere we passed a planted wheat field, referred to as a green field, there were always deer early and late in the day. Most were on other properties or forbidden in the terms of the lease, but this stand had a big one. A 222lb 5X6 muley was taken by the SIL near this stand, so my hopes were high. The morning hunt had small deer movement much heavier than any other stand I had been in. I took a short lunch and was back in it by about 2, hoping for some mid day movement. About 3:45 the does started filing into the far side of the field. The feeder was 94 yds and the very back corner of the field was every bit of 450yds. At about 250 yds straight down the fenceline was the hump, or the center of the hill that divided the filed from left to right. The right side flattened out just enough to be able to see deer there with the Binoculars and there were 3 or 4 gates to different areas that could also be seen. 40yds to the left of those gates the rise of the hump could hide the deer began and continued to the fence on the left. The last hunt of the trip was in this stand and was the best hunt of my life, even without the tag being filled.
So here I sit with spikes and 3X3 and 5 points feeding away at the feeder, the Bobwhite coveys are coming and going, and there are 8 or 9 Muley does on the far side of the field with young bucks chasing them. All total, at least 15 deer in the field, and not a shooter in the bunch. This lease demands the rack be outside the ears and tall tines of at least 8inches on the G3's. Failure to do this had already gotten one of the other hunters a $1000 fine. A fine 8pt but smaller than described. I had to pay attention. The shadows began to stretch, deer kept coming and going, and I heard something behind me. Looked through all the windows and tried as hard as I could for as long as I dared to see what the noise was. It sounded like antlers in the branches of a buck tending a rub or scrape, but there was 3 mesquite trees between me and the sound. I stared. Moved a little and stared some more. Couldn't see anything. Now I notice that the younger deer are all looking in the same direction I was. Now I know I have something going on. I keep staring and wanted to stick the barrel out the window to be ready but there are deer within 30 yds and it wouldn't do to spook them and blow the whole thing. Rifle in my lap I waited, ready to lift to the window. I notice no more branch noise. I glance to the right to make sure my movement hasn't gotten me busted, still good. I caught a movement with my left eye and there he is, at a trot, parrallel to the fence about a 130 yds out, right ham to me as he goes. As I started to lift the Kimber I knew it wasn't a good shot. When I got it settled on the window sill and started to bring my head down, he went behind some more mesquite and I couldn't get a clear shot and he wasn't slowing down. He continued on that track, 50yds to the left of the fence over the hump where I lost sight of him. With all the does in the field I was confident that he would hop the fence into the field and I might get a chance. Well, he might have but it wasn't anywhere I could see him. I kept watching and caught a brief glimpse of the profile of his rack as he cut left to right just over the top of the hump, and I would have been in good shape for meeting the requirements. At about 400yds he came into view on the opposite corner of the field and began chasing 2 bigger does, who promptly cleared one of the gates and never slowed down, him right behind. I glimpsed his rack a couple of times as he gave chase in some broken woods but never got another look at him, he was gone. I kept watching the deer close by for indicators of another big deer but they just went on feeding, some of the 2 1/2 year olds chasing does. As the light was fading and the sun had long gone from the sky, something flies down to land on a gatepost about 40yds off. Fluffs and settled the wings and sits up tall, a Great Horned Owl looking for dinner, his day just beginning. Muley Does are illegal to take as they are building the herd in that part of Texas, so taking a doe for the meat in low light wasn't even a consideration. Now the light had faded past safe shooting light and Texas had said goodbye with a wonderful sunset, the best since I arrived. I texted Megan who was 3/4 of a mile or so off in another field, and she said lets go. Text the guide to come get us and it was all in the memory book.
She had also seen a shooter at too long a distance. She had a shot the day before but 3 drops of blood was all that was ever found and she wasn't confident that it had been a good shot. The guide on this last hunt spent 3 hours looking for sign and none was found. We shared stories and enjoyed the ride as we headed for dinner and a hot shower, both well needed.
As I said before, this was the best time hunting deer ever in my life. I heard does bleat and bucks grunt in response. Coyotes at less than 100yds 3 times. I did take 3 shots at the turkeys I spoke of earlier. I had them at 40yds and had an ammo failure. I hate it when the gun just goes "CLICK". Dented primer, reload and catch the dud, and now they knew where I was and didn't like it. All this plus a 17* morning and I was cold to the core and shivering. I tried everything to hold that crosshair still but I couldn't do it. By the time I got reloaded and found the 1 longbeard out of the 5 left in the group, waited for the others to move and him to out from behind brush, they were at 110 yds and a turkeys neck is pretty small at that distance. I just couldn't get it done.
So I have my memories and stories to share with those who will listen to or read them. Have I said I have the best Family a man could ever ask for? This was a trip that I never thought I would ever see with my own eyes. I would never have spent the money to do this on my own. You can mark this down, I don't know what to say, or how to express the thanks I feel in my heart. All the words I can usually come up with escape me. This old man is as happy as I can ever remember being. I have truly been smiled upon from above.
A few pics from the trip, Megan and Mike's sister Jennifer, who is in the foreground. A 3X3 muley that visited the first hunt. Some of the Deer taken by some of the others. And the greenfield that I hunted the last day. My camera doesn't do well at long distance so the owl pics and several others were too fuzzy to use. And as always, Thank You for taking the time to read this and visiting with me today........Skeet.
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