Just got back from West Texas and it was a great and exciting trip. I met a new friend as it is this ranches policy to team up former visitors (me) with new guys visiting the ranch.

His name was Larry, and boy was this guy great at spotting the deer. We did a lot of driving and spotting and rattling during the mid-day hours, after sitting various types of blinds in the early morning. He almost always was the first one to see a deer, before me or the guide.

We stopped on a ridge we had seen a good deer on earlier, and actually a really nice Mule Deer buck, which is extremely rare in that part of the state--very cool! Larry began to rattle, and almost instantly a huge buck jumped up about 80 yards away! Larry and the guide moved in front of me, as I was actually between them and the buck. our guide got his glasses on him, and instantly starting shouting for Larry to shoot, shoot, shoot! He had recognized the buck from a drop tine it had, he had actually video taped the buck 5 or so weeks ago, ambling along a nearby ridge.

Larry made a great shot as the buck ran directly away--it made it about 200 yards straight down the steep mountainside, but we let it alone for a hour or so, and then recovered him. Larry was great in his awe and respect for the buck--he had never shot such a big buck, (he mostly hunts in south Ga. and north Fla.) B&C score in the high 150's, 23 inch main beams, and 20" inside spread!

If he sends me a pic, I will ask if it's OK to post it here, and if he says yes, I will.

Well Larry said yes, as I thought he would, he's a good guy! Great pic of the buck huh? Larry had a good hunting partner who got down in the cactus to take it
Check out the hook off of the back of the right G-2, thus his bucks nickname, Captain Hook!



I had a little tougher luck, saw a lot of different bucks in all kinds of hunting styles, walking the senderos, and rattliing on the ridges and the bottoms, and sitting various blinds. The neatest was sitting in a ground blind in a Cleche pit, where I saw 59 deer in one sitting, 27 of them bucks! Not a real shooter in the bunch, they were all there for the small bit of water in the corner of the pit, and the little bit of corn the guide had spread around the pit. What a fun hunt, it was like hunting on the moon! I just kept the faith and hunted hard the last several days of the hunt. We had to leave a day before we had actually planned, but I got lucky on the last nights hunt, and my guide and I found several bucks in a river bottom, and a decent buck presented a shot after a long while.

In the end, I took a nice buck, who will score low 140's, and has a split brow tine, and a small G-4 on one beam, basically a 9 with a split brow. I made a nice shot on him at about 160 yards, dropped on the spot.

Here he is--



I always enjoy the quantity of deer you see on a west Texas hunt, and do like to vary the hunting tactics, not just sit the blinds around a feeder. In fact, we find the bigger bucks away from the feeders always. I am becoming a bigger and bigger fan of rattling, and ghosting through the cedars and mesquite spotting and stalking--if it's not too hot!

Very nice! What did you shoot him with?

That's a great buck.

Congrats!

Thanks Doc, and Bobby. Long day when I made the post--how do you forget the shot details????

This one dropped at the spot to a 168 gr. CT BT. It was a duplicate (to the best of my ability) of the Win Factory load, around 41 grains of Win-748, CCI-LR primer and WW nickel plated cases from fired factory ammo. It shoots ,1/2 moa at 200 anyways. I hit him on the exact spot I was looking to, dead on the shoulder with him quartering to me.

The rifle was a Surgeon action in a McMillan stock, 24" Krieger barrel, Jewell trigger, standard drop bottom floorplate magazine. Dang thing is really a tough rig, integral picatinny rail in the action, and Burris tactical mounts make it a tough dependable rig, which I feel confident traveling with. Action isn't as smooth as my Sako's and some others, but it sure shoots good without a lot of fuss!

Congratulations!Nice Buck!Sounds like you had a great hunt

Congratulations on hanging tough until a good one showed itself for you. Sounds like a fun time.

Good Hunting and clean 1-shot Kills.

Here's a couple of pics of the rig I took him with, like I mentioned, really a stable rig, that shoots better than me!

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Good job on a very nice buck

What a really nice trophy. I was interested in the area of West Texas where the hunt took place because even just the Western part of the state is a vast area. Great hunting. Rodney.

Thanks guys. It was indeed a fun hunt, I shot my best buck ever with only 20 mins left before we had to leave to go to the airport once, it is nice when you're persistent and have success, and even when you don't sometimes!

I hunted on a Ranch west of San Angelo Texas, there are many in the area, but this one is newly leased ground, with an active oilfield operation on it, which is part of the reason it hadn't been leased before.

One of my hunting partners stayed an extra day, and was absolutely, ridiculously, insanely giddy afterward-- he rattled in a buck which stopped literally right beside him! He shot it without even sighting the deer, just point and shoot at 4'--it was a HUGE 8 pointer, scored 158+ change
If he gets me a pic, I'll post it.

You know the best thing about a hunt is the people that you meet and the ones that you are with. Nice deer.
Butch

I was just wondering about the area because I hunt just out of Mertzen which is a little Southwest of San Angelo. Wonderful place to hunt and I can vouch for the quality of the deer. Rodney.

Buthc you are sure right, it's the folks!

Rodney, that's it! It's in Mertzon (zen) in Irion county I think it is. Lot's of good deer, and lot's of hunting out there!

That sure is a fine looking rifle.

Do you have to carry the pillows afield in case you want to lay it down?

Nice buck Fish!!!

Nice rifle as well.

Congrats

Reloader

quote:

Originally posted by Hot Core:
That sure is a fine looking rifle.

Do you have to carry the pillows afield in case you want to lay it down?

Only if you want to take a pic of it, kind of diappears on the couch or the mesquite scrub

Thanks Ronnie, hope to find his big uncle or grandpa up in Kansas!

I like that rifle! Don't you need it cleaned or something? Send it to me (include all your ammo as it should be cleaned as well); turnaround is only a couple years...but it will be cleaned for free

Bobby, I'll think it over, she probably could use a good cleaning......

Got a pic from Larry, it's in the original post now!

quote:

Originally posted by Fish30114:
Got a pic from Larry, it's in the original post now!

hey donnie. i finally got approved to post on here. the pics turned out great.
what a hunt.i couldn't have had a better partner.
that split brow nine you killed is a stud. the video of the shot was cool.
i think the deer moved a little farther than you anticipated though. i think you were trying to keep it from moving 6inches but i watched the video and i think it moved 7 inches.
what a shot. no blood trailing needed. unlike my texas heart shot. LOL!
Later, Larry

Congradulations on a very nice buck

Nice buck, fish! Congrats!