Blackfork
September 12, 2007, 10:55 PM
Last night we ran a spotlight count up at the ranch where I deer hunt near Clarksville, Texas. We started after dark and informed the local Sheriffs dept. The count was done for the district wildlife biologist. Based on our data he will issue doe and buck management tags for the property.
We drove proscribed lines on the ranch (proscribed from earlier years so the data will match) Every 1/4 mile we stopped and recorded visibility left and right. I was on a raised bird hunting seat on the 69 Bronco and swept left and right looking for green eye reflection. The elevation helps. When I spotted deer I usually was able to keep the spotlight on them with one hand and look at them with binoculars with the other. We recorded them as buck, doe, fawn, or unknown.
We counted 50 deer on our census. We will make three census runs all together. Two are already done with one to go.
Saw a lot of does. Got to see about four big bucks and four smaller ones. We also saw owls, coyotes and coons. We have seen bobcats, pigs, armadillo, possums, et. I saw a lot of big brown spiders up close on top of the Bronco. Gives me the willies!
Last night we drove past a doe on the ground who stayed down even though we were twenty feet away on the Bronco. Another doe stood and stayed at about the same distance. Most deer start moving or at least get up. The land owner thinks they like coming out in the opening at night and laying down in the clear to be away from predators. They looked very social to me. Usually we saw deer in small groups.
Last year we had 30 doe and 10 buck tags to shoot for the 1200 acres. We didn't get them all shot. Hope to do better this year. I've got my P17, 1903A3, K98, Garand, K31 and a couple others lined up. I'm not shooting any horns this year, just doe tags. The list of folks who want a deer from the processor is growing and I am taking several people out to shoot their first deer.
We drove proscribed lines on the ranch (proscribed from earlier years so the data will match) Every 1/4 mile we stopped and recorded visibility left and right. I was on a raised bird hunting seat on the 69 Bronco and swept left and right looking for green eye reflection. The elevation helps. When I spotted deer I usually was able to keep the spotlight on them with one hand and look at them with binoculars with the other. We recorded them as buck, doe, fawn, or unknown.
We counted 50 deer on our census. We will make three census runs all together. Two are already done with one to go.
Saw a lot of does. Got to see about four big bucks and four smaller ones. We also saw owls, coyotes and coons. We have seen bobcats, pigs, armadillo, possums, et. I saw a lot of big brown spiders up close on top of the Bronco. Gives me the willies!
Last night we drove past a doe on the ground who stayed down even though we were twenty feet away on the Bronco. Another doe stood and stayed at about the same distance. Most deer start moving or at least get up. The land owner thinks they like coming out in the opening at night and laying down in the clear to be away from predators. They looked very social to me. Usually we saw deer in small groups.
Last year we had 30 doe and 10 buck tags to shoot for the 1200 acres. We didn't get them all shot. Hope to do better this year. I've got my P17, 1903A3, K98, Garand, K31 and a couple others lined up. I'm not shooting any horns this year, just doe tags. The list of folks who want a deer from the processor is growing and I am taking several people out to shoot their first deer.
