Hunting trips on unfamiliar territory can often have a way of going a little different than planned, especially the short term kind of outing.As the saying goes, “that’s the way the cookie crumbles”.Or, as my new friend, Rick, kept repeating, "It was just meant to be".There was evidently a lot of truth to his statement because of the bazaar events that happened on this genuine South Texas trophy buck hunt.These events seemed at times to be definitely crumbling, but if to be compared to cookies; the end result was one of a “good” fortune variety.
The idea of my hunting on this fine South Texas lease actually began many months earlier.A friend and fellow IHMSA competitor, Jommy Holder of Beaumont, Texas, who was well aware of my desire to harvest a really nice ten point buck, mentioned the possibility of my hunting 'his' buck on his one buck lease in Zavala County, Texas.I agreed to his reasonable fee considering the excellent area. We were to hunt as many trips as needed, and the package included Jommy providing all the transportation including picking me up at San Antonio airport and his expertise in rattling.I had always wanted to hunt this brush country; consequently, this was truly a deal I just couldn't pass up.The first trip was set with a fly‑in late on December 3 and a departure afternoon of Monday, December 7th.All I had to do now was wait patiently, and that was certainly more easily said than done for there was nothing new about the tales of the big bucks in this area of south Texas.
The impatience in waiting had me watching weather reports quite often and things were looking rather gloomy for the planned weekend trip.However, December 3rd finally arrived, and my flight from Love Field in Dallas and Jommy's meeting me at San Antonio airport were both on time.In the two-hour drive south from San Antonio we observed a number of deer which stirred plenty of excitement.
When we arrived at the ranch we found other hunters there and more on the way.So much for the planned, relatively low pressure, weekend.I wondered whether or not there would be too many hunters, but consoled myself to the fact that sixty-five hundred acres could accommodate large numbers of hunters and even larger numbers of deer.Besides, here we were, so why not make the best of a situation I had no control over.
Friday, my first morning, I awoke to find a dense fog and my partner Jommy feeling a little lousy.He did however, manage to rattle up a large freaky‑horned buck to excite me and to show me how the rattle really does work.(Funny, it never seemed to work for me.)
Later in the day, Mike Whitwell of Cotulla, Texas, one of the three ranchers who owned the lease on this famed Pryor ranch, showed up for a visit.Mike shared stories of all the big bucks being killed in the region. He trumped the enthusiasm with tales of bad weather predictions for Saturday.The hunting continued, but ended in a relatively uneventful day, although we did find a really nice scrape in the Nueces river-bottom section of the ranch.More hunters arrive later in the day.In my often-pessimistic opinion, things were not looking real good for me.I don't like crowded places, more especially hunting camps.But, so much for my personal hang-ups.
The rain held off on Saturday morning so we left camp early to set up a tripod near the riverbottom scrape we had found.Setting-up the stand to the sound of a large flock of roosting turkeys was a thrill in itself.I took my position in the tripod just before the break of first daylight.Activity was slow until Jommy started rattling about 8:30.Bucks started making themselves seen then, but none were special nor did any seem concerned with the scrap nearby.Before taking a break for lunch, we checked the scrape to find it had been checked the evening before or during the night.This prompted us to leave the tripod for an afternoon hunt.
We toured the ranch more, trying to rattle-up a buck at several different spots before I returned to the river-bottom tripod to again see if I might get a glimpse of the buck working the scrape.Almost as if planned, about five o'clock I saw a big buck coming to the scrape.With the aid of my Ziess 8 x 20's I was able to judge him closely as he checked his special ground.At a mere fifty yards, I can easily rough score this fairly heavy, long tined buck at around 130 B & C.He lost strength in his rack due to lack of the left brow tine and only a short version on the right side.This seven-pointer seemed to suspect something unusual yet he stayed near the scrape.He snorted and stomped trying to get a reaction to this new figure that had invaded his territory.I remained motionless knowing this was not the buck I came so far to call mine.I observed two or three other bucks before darkness ended the exciting afternoon.
That night the weather cleared to an absolutely, beautiful yet cold, Sunday morning.Again though, I had another rather unincidental hunt.Jommy still not feeling well suggested that I go out with lease member Robert to a new location in the afternoon.There were tales of a nice buck being seen at the tripod there.Jommy elected to recuperate at camp.Me, well I was entertained by a nice nine-point buck at the tripod to which I was delivered.The day ended with me helping Robert bring in his nice, heavy horned eight-pointer.
Back at camp, I was slightly harassed about passing up the nine-point.That is, until Jommy saved me by confessing that he took a little scouting walk on his own and saw not only a ten-pointer but also a twelve-point just below the camp.Passing on the nine-point suddenly sounded like a very wise decision.
After a quick supper we proceeded to the area below the camp and scrambled around in the darkness setting a tripod in place for the following morning’s hunt.This was to be my last outing before my departure to the airport.If I was to get my big buck on this trip, I had but a few hours of the Monday morning hunt.
Sleep wasn’t easy thinking of all the what- ifs and knowing I was to leave the camp the next morning.As a result, we were up early.Jommy stayed in to pack, and my new acquaintance Rick gave me a lift in his truck to shorten my early walk to the stand.It was a clear, cold deer hunting morning for sure, and as I eased out of the truck Rick wished me good luck.I proceeded, wind in my face, to the tripod we had set up during the night only ten hours earlier.About thirty minutes into shooting time I saw my first deer, a small eight point buck.Other deer then joined it.Suddenly, coming through the brush to my left is a huge deer.At my first glimpse I thought it must be a cow because of how it dwarfing the other two deer that were feeding on some corn that had been scattered along a nearby fence road.The big guy moved to about 80 yards of me revealing his stylish eight-point rack.He was a splendid buck but certainly of no interest to me knowing the ten or twelve-point Jommy had seen could be near.After hooking some bushes and pawing around this big buck moved away.As he departed I slowly turned my head to the right just in time to see the partial rack of a buck moving in from behind me.In a glance I was quite sure of at least ten points however, he had appeared to me so quickly I could not even get my revolver up without presenting movement.I anticipated that he would step on out in front of me because my presence hadn't seemed to be noticed by the other deer.This fellow was a little different from the others though, for as he stepped out he turned and looked right up at me.“Thank you very much, kind sir”, but Mr. Hunter was not what he wanted to see.All within the same motion, he turned back into the brush to avoid me.I tried to swing with him but there was too much brush.As badly as I wanted to shoot, I cautioned myself not to do something really stupid by taking a poor shot.I sat stunned to have missed such a chance.With time running out, I stayed a short period longer in case he came back, knowing that was simply a fantasy thought.Truth was this was south Texas hunting at its finest, and I had to leave...or did I.I remembered that Jommy had mentioned that I might stay longer with his friend Rick if I could arrange it back home.At first I had told him that would be impossible as I needed to get back to my own ranch in northeast Texas where I had a sick cow needing some extra attention.Also, at the pharmacy, my relief pharmacist was due to leave at the close of the next day.The more I thought of the beautiful buck I had just encountered, the more I thought of how, with a few phone calls and a little luck, I might be able to get in a couple of more hunting days.
Pondering my options on my walk back to camp, I’m picked up by Billy Whitwell, another one of the ranchers.I related to Billy how this buck had “taken the wind out of my sails".Billy got a kick out of my story, and with his friendliness made me feel a little less tense over my dilemma.Jommy and Rick were late getting back to camp as they had gone to retrieve the tripod I had just left.Jommy needed to be on his way back to his business in Beaumont, and expected that I needed to gather my things also.I told my story to the twosome and Rick, who was really becoming a pal, welcomed me to stay and volunteered to carry me to the airport when I had to leave.He offered a cellular phone so I could make the proper calls.I promptly called my wife, Joyce, who also encouraged me to stay.She in turn talked to my business partner who cleared up all job obstacles.Ranch matters would just have to wait; I had some serious hunting to do.
With that taken care of, we wished Jommy a safe trip home. Rick and I then went back to the area and this time set-up two tripods along the fence road.We placed them to put the sun in my favor for morning and evening hunting.In only a couple of hours I went to the new evening tripod with new enthusiasm.Activity started shortly with javelinas approaching to gorge on the corn that had been thrown out along the road.This was not a good sign, as deer often do not like to eat with the peccary pigs.This was evident as I watched some small deer and a high horn buck waiting in the brush for the noisy intruders to leave.Finally the pigs depart and two small bucks appear for a snack.In the distance I watched a large buck jump the fence from the direction at which Mr. Wise Guy had gone that morning.I sat still watching in the direction the buck was traveling.The buck neared, and I watched with my binoculars as he revealed that he had ten very impressive points.He was an exceptional buck and quite possibly, a different buck from the one seen in the morning frenzy.He jumped the fence again at about seventy yards moving from left to right cautiously into brush partially concealing himself.I cocked the hammer and steadied the Casull.A closer buck hears but returns to his feeding unalarmed.I tried to be as calm as possible as the big scamp stepped out in the road beside the fence at about fifty yards.With all the discipline of two decades of handgunning, I centered the crosshairs of the four-power Leupold scope behind his shoulder and gently pulled the trigger.I hardly noticed the recoil or load crack of the mighty revolver as the 250-grain XTP smacked into the buck.He fled for about 25 yards into the brush, but I could still see him slightly as he stood twitching his tail.I assumed him hit and mortally wounded; yet he wasn’t down.I waited very impatiently before going to check for a blood trail.Sure enough, I didn’t wait long enough and jumped the buck.I am sure I hear the sound of him pulling air through his wound as he runs.With time becoming a factor now, I quickly pick-up a perfect blood trail.I followed trying to avoid what sounded like the pigs in the bush just ahead and to my right.I did not want to disturb the pigs, so I tried to stalk along the blood trail as cunningly as possible.Suddenly the trail made an abrupt turn to the right toward the noises that I thought to be the pigs.There under a bush less than ten paces away lay my buck, and it was he who is making all the grunting and groaning noises.I knew I must deliver the coup de grace as daylight was fading.I didn't want to spook him and began a hard night of trailing. The buck was lying with his head away from me and his feet up under his body not aware of my presence.I fired an angling shot from flank to shoulder in order to prevent ruining meat or damaging a beautiful cape.
This big sucker must have had adrenaline overflowing for when hit, he jumped to his feet, swapped ends, and put his rack down as if to charge his pursuer in his last seconds of a standoff.At that frightening second, I didn't really know what to do.I didn't want to fire into that awesome rack, but in my own defense most anything near I could get into or climb sported heavy thorns.I guess the survival instinct took over and like Matt Dillon I frantically fire another shot or was it two, anyway the buck was mine ... as meant to be I guess.
As the sun was setting, I field dressed this absolutely gorgeous animal, took some prized pictures and waited for Rick to drive into camp on the hill above me.As he drove up, I signaled to him with my flashlight from the tripod.Upon arrival he got about as excited about my buck as I was.We had made such a team and what a great friendship had evolved from this hunt.
With plenty of time now to properly tend to this truly magnificent south Texas buck, we weighed him and began the scoring process.Mike and Billy Whitwell came to help, for this fellow seemed to have gotten their attention also.The buck’s ten points, wide spread, and 26-inch main beam put him with a rough score of over 161 B & C points.That was more than enough to place big in SCI book.He field dressed 152 pounds and was aged at 7 ½ years of age.He was just, no, more than, what I came after, and like Rick put it, “it was meant to be”.
The hunt had at times seemed to be turning into a bummer then luck would be before me.Good fortune was indeed the reward for the weekend, not only because I harvested the buck of one’s dreams but also I had made a new friend for life in Rick.Who could ask for more fortune of a weekend hunt?
Side Bar (12/92)
I used a Freedom Arms 7 1/2" 454 Casull revolver topped with 4x Leupold loaded with 33 grains H110 behind a 250-grain Hornady XTP's bullet at 1600 fps. The load was not what I consider a tack driver, but shot quite decently for hunting. This was my third buck taken with the XTP's and my observations were that the bullets showed definite signs of turning upon impact of the hard surface such as rib.I will probably change to a FA bullet or try 300 XTP in the future.I know I'm driving the 250's at peak velocity but still don't feel I should be experiencing this problem. Oh well, that is why they make different components.
By the way, Rick safely delivered me to the airport then returned to lease to hunt a few more days at my spot.He called about 8 am the next Sunday morning to report that he got the twelve-pointer who incidentally had three kickers to make a fifteen pointer.Just meant to be I guess.Don’t you love it when a plan comes together?Good hunting.
BB
9/99 Editor’s notes:
A number of years have passed since the above article was written.Since, the Freedom Arms 454 has become like a personal friend.I have tried a number of options including barrel lengths, finally picking the 10” and 6” tubes as my favorites.The ten-inch is great for blind hunting (Texas hotel fashion), late afternoon elk perches, or any position where a good rest is available.On the other hand, the six-inch has its advantages in ease of handling and carrying for general field use, especially morning climbing on a chase of a bugling bull.
Trying different optics through the years has been a real experience also.For handguns, the Bushnell HoloSight has become my present favorite for hunting, followed by the 2X Leupold and B & L 2x6 Elite 3000.The latter being my preferred group tester and the only variable I find to stand up continuously to heavy 454 loads).While on the subject of optics, I’ve gone from Zeiss 8x20s to 7x50 Steiners.I soon went to a pair of Swarovski SL 10x50s thinking I had found the ultimate hunting glass.Well I had.That is, until last year when Swarovski’s SLC series 10x42WB became available.For now, I’m convinced that it will be quite sometime before I find a pair of binoculars that will satisfy me as much as these.They have excellent clarity as the SLs, but with lighter weight and much more compactness.Yes, they are expensive, but when you glass distant shadows in the timber for hours, your eyes deserve the best.(I intentionally left out any discussion on open sights, but my favorite style is FA’s express sights).
The disappointment I wrote of in 1992 about my handloads proceeded to a rather extensive amount of time working with load data at the range as well as in the field.My choices of loads have changed considerably, and have narrowed to basically three particular loads: The FA 260-grain FP & 36/H110 at just under 1900 fps (10”) for elk and larger.Another hefty favorite is the Nosler 260-grain Partitions bullet with 35/WW296.This load runs 20-30 fps faster than the FA 260 load and is ideal for anything smaller than elk.I know it is probably adequate for elk, however I’m not totally convinced of that yet.And yea, it’s over-kill for whitetail, but I like big holes and the sure thing.My lighter load is much like Winchester’s new mid-range fodder that fills a void for a reduced load, it is a Nosler 185-grain JHP (heavier bullets can be used here also) over 10.5-11.5 grains of Bullseye at around 1400 fps in my 6”.These are excellent for plinking, shooting very close to POA of full throttle 260s at 50 yards, and for small game.I have found the load ideal for coyote, javelina, and don’t doubt they would work fine on close shots at whitetail, judging from the beautiful mushroomed recoveries I have found.
As one reads more articles I have written in years past, they will notice the change in equipment such as optics and barrel lengths as the years progress and my hunting experience grows.It’s all about having fun shooting/hunting, and as long as God grants me the means and health I plan on doing just that.
By the way, Rick’s friendship continued.His name appeared in latter articles as he, Jommy, and I joined up on a new Whittwell lease in 1994.Oh, the buck of good fortune placed #1 in SCI book in the Texas Whitetail with a Handgun category and ranked #136 in Texas Big Game Awards for that season..Hasta luego.BB
