Just got back from the hill country of Texas and it didn’t disappoint! I will start by saying the outfitter we hunted with does not hunt any high fence, he won’t hunt over water or feeders and likes to pursue all species he guides for one of two ways, spot and stock and still hunting. Now that’s out of the way, I went to Texas not knowing what to expect. I went on an invite from a good buddy of mine who is one of three guides on the Tejon Ranch. When the opportunity presented itself I hopped all over it! We arrived on Thursday late afternoon and settled into the small hunting lodge on an extremely large low/no fence ranch. After checking zeroes, we were off into the mountains, each of the three of us hunters were one on one with a guide. A short but steep and rocky hike led us to a glassing point called mosquito where we spent 4 hours behind the glass looking into deep valleys and openings in the thick vegetation. We glasses up a couple dozen or so Axis along with a few white tail. Apparently, Axis don’t need water as often as other deep species so we couldn’t focus our search on any one particular area. The night ended with a much needed downhill hike in the dark and a phenomenal meal of homemade Texas bbq with all the fixings! The next morning, after only 3-4 hours of sleep, we left the property for a hour and a half drive to another property. We were told we were going to still hunt some rolling hills for the entire day. Immediately, we were covered in deer!! We wove our way through dispersed timber working into the wind. A few times we had to quietly sneak past white tail does out feeding. We located a group of Axis does about 25 strong after a buck screamed from within the group. What an amazing and unfamiliar sound. The buck that was with the does was only a three year old deer, though I wouldn’t have known. We stopped and watched them as they fed into 37 yards before setting eyes on us and hurrying off. An hour or so later, we caught a glimpse of another group of does through the trees, with a doe and fawn feeding about 100 yards away. We sat and watched as the guide Jordan explained that patience was the key as the does yelp when they are alerted to danger, and if that happens, the entire valley would be put on notice. After 20 minutes give or take, as we had a conversation about differences in our polar opposite states, he looked at me a whispered, GIANT BUCK!! Luckily the Dow and fawn had fed back into the larger group so we quickly gathered our packs and went in for a closer look. As we got closer, Jordan got more and more excited for what he would tell me after my shot rang out, was the buck of a lifetime. The final yardage was 110 yards from a pack on the ground. The deer immediately dropped to the ground as the entire herd ran off! As we walked up to the deer, his excitement grew and honestly, I was was excited but I didn’t have anything to compare the size and magnitude of the deer I had just taken. What an amazing example of right place at the right time!! I do intend on reaching out to SCI to have the deer officially scored but for know I can tell you the main beams are roughly 35 inches in length! The same buck had been spotted on a neighboring property two weeks prior and had broken 2-3 inches off his left beam. Thanks for reading as I wanted to share this story with you guys!!
Jon Z.
Jon Z.
Last edited by a moderator:
