We just got back Monday night from Sweetwater Creek Ranch in Decatur TX. The 6 members of our group left on Wednesday the 21st heading South. We arrived at the ranch Wednesday afternoon. At camp we met 8 other hunters we would be sharing the ranch and lodging with. There were two other hunters from Kansas, 3 people from Pennsylvania, 1 from Washington State, and the final member from Arkansas. Everyone got along very well and soon we were all chating like old friends.
The first mornings hunt which was Thursday proved to be somewhat successful. Two members of the 14 were able to take feral hogs. Neither hog was all that big around 60#. Yet the meat pole was happy to be under some weight. Tasha the ranches cook had prepared her typical spread of wonderful food for brunch. We all sat back and enjoyed good food and told are tales of the mornings hunt. Seemed that everyone had at least seen several animals even if they were not within range or the right animal to take this early in the game.
Thursday night no animals were taken by anyone at the ranch. Dinner was wonderful and the conversation great. After dinner most of us shot our bows and goofed off. After that we sat around with a glass of group tighteners and told lies and just enjoyed the company of new friends.
Friday morning my friend Brian broke the ice for the group from Topeka. He took a very nice Sika deer buck a 3x3. Other members of the group also proved successful. A couple other hogs a fallow doe were also taken. Friday evening Brian proved he was on a role. He took very large Red Deer cow. Dan another member of our group took a hog. Mark had a clean miss on a Black buck. I got busted drawing on a Auodad at 7 yards. These animals as very skitish and spook very easily. Sad thing I was sitting in the same stand that I took a Auodad from last year. This one came in along the same trail and was standing not 3 feet from where his buddy got shot.
Saturday morning I drew on a coyote at 38 yards. He was walking along the top of a dry creek bank. There was a opening around 12 feet wide that would give me a good clear shot. When the yote went behind some bushed I drew my bow and waited for him to step into my shooting lane. The yote emerged and I gave a soft whistle. I figured he would stop and give me time to let the arrow fly. Wrong he heard the whistle and flat took off running. something tells me he has heard that trick before. Had several whitetail does a couple whitetail bucks, and some fallow does on me the rest of the morning.
Saturday evening got pretty exciting at least for me. I got into my stand at around 4:15 pm. The weather turned out to be a fair bit warmer than Thursday and Friday were. I chose a stand deeper in the timber. The open areas being pretty barren from the heat and drought. I had only been in my settled into my stand for 20 minutes or so. I caught movement across a dry creek bed. After a little bit I could make out that it was a Red Deer. A few more steps reveiled that it was a Hind. A pretty nice looking 3x3 not huge but bigger than any Red Deer I have ever taken. Considering I had never taken one. He come across the creek to my side. He comes in at 9 yards broadside with his head behind a tree. Only one problem he stops at my 10 o'clock. For most folks this would be a blessing. For a left hander its the one shot you can't make. I got stood up in my stand turned my body 180-190 degrees and try to draw. My elbow hits the tree so i let up and turn a little more. The red deer hasn't even twitched yet. I come to full draw and settle my pin on his vitals. My heart is going bonkers and I can see my broadhead dancing. I take a deep breath and try and calm down. I settle my pin again and pulled my finger from behind the trigger of my release to in front. Just about ready to touch it off when he takes a step forward. He covers his vitals and casullay starts walking straight away. I follow hiw still at full draw. Ten yard pin, 20 yard pin, 30 yard pin, I follow him to 50 yards seeing nothing but rear end. He gets out of range and stops at 60 yards and looks around for a minute and wanders off.
An hour goes by with not much happening I spyed a axis doe bedded down 70 yards away. A couple whitetails come in a go then the second highlight of the evening. I have two little hogs come in and I mean little. Suckers to much bigger than a football were within 20 yards foraging on acorns and honey locust pods. I caught movement to my 4 o'clock but I can't make it out. I get my bino's up but still can't find it. Then it moved again and wham there it is plain as day. A bobcat sneaking in for a pork dinner. I watched the cat creep in silent as the dawn. He made it to around 40 yards out when 7 more pigs came runnining in. They had no idea about the cat who rushed up a tree at 63 yards. So here is this bobcat hanging on the trunk of a oak tree about 12-15' off the ground hissing at the pigs. After expressing his displeasure for a few seconds he bolted for parts unknown.
A 6:50 all I see is horns coming out of the dry creek bed. He comes up facing me and i thought that is a nice looking fallow deer. Well he turned his head and body and I realized it was a Axis deer not a Fallow. So here he comes on a trail that should take him to with 23 yards of my stand. He gets behind some bushed and i get my bow into position and my release clipped on. He take a few steps beyond the bushed but not yet into range and then changes direction. The goes to my 3 o'clock which is flat perfect for a LH shooter. The 3x3 buck stopped at 38 yards broadside. I had already ranged the tree he was standing by. The buck starts feeding on honey locust pods. He looks away and I get my chance to stand up. I come to full draw and settle my 40 yard pin just a touch high and behind his shoulder. I touch off the release and watch my nocturnal nock turn into a fireball as it lights up leaving the string. The arrow is tracking just right when i see it deflect. I heard a snap a thwack and a thump. I wasn't eating rice crispies either. The buck hunched down and bolted. So here i am confused as hell wondering what happened. I can see my arrow stuck in a fallen tree. (The thump). I can't see blood on the arrow and honestly thought i missed. I knew the arrow when to far back and looked low. The snap I could not figure out. I looked and looked through my binos. Finally I saw it a freshly cut branch of the honey locust tree. The branch not very thick maybe the size of your pinky delfected my arrow. (the snap). So I wait 20-25 minutes and get down to have a look at the arrow. Sure enough it was covered with blood. I could smell a little gut on the arrow. The shot at least was a pass through. (the thwack).
I backed out of the woods wanting to get the heck out with a gut shot deer. The last thing you would ever want to do is push them. Better back out and let them bed down and die. I headed back for camp freaked out and frustrated. After waiting until around 11:30 pm. headed back to woods to try and track this deer. The nock still glowing and stuck in a log left no doubt as to where the hit occured. You could see the four foot prints of the deer in the dry soil. You could see where he hunched down and bolted. The arrow being right in the middle of the legs. We searched for almost a hour and found the old boy. He made it less than 150 yards. He never bedded down and was hit better than I thought. I caught the righ side lung just barley but caught it just the same. The liver was severed and exited through the left side paunch. The deer was stiff as a board when he was found. He had been dead for some time. Better safe than sorry.
Got the animal back to the lodge and field dressed. i was to tired to skin him out and wanted some pictures in the day light. i rinsed the cavity out well and hung him up in the walk in cooler by his horns. Got to bed at 1:15 am and was back up at 4:30 am and hunted again that morning.
In the end this was the only animal I took off the ranch but I sure think he is a nice one. Main beams measured 28 1/16 AND 27 3/4. Not a trophy class animal but he is already at the taxidermist.
The first mornings hunt which was Thursday proved to be somewhat successful. Two members of the 14 were able to take feral hogs. Neither hog was all that big around 60#. Yet the meat pole was happy to be under some weight. Tasha the ranches cook had prepared her typical spread of wonderful food for brunch. We all sat back and enjoyed good food and told are tales of the mornings hunt. Seemed that everyone had at least seen several animals even if they were not within range or the right animal to take this early in the game.
Thursday night no animals were taken by anyone at the ranch. Dinner was wonderful and the conversation great. After dinner most of us shot our bows and goofed off. After that we sat around with a glass of group tighteners and told lies and just enjoyed the company of new friends.
Friday morning my friend Brian broke the ice for the group from Topeka. He took a very nice Sika deer buck a 3x3. Other members of the group also proved successful. A couple other hogs a fallow doe were also taken. Friday evening Brian proved he was on a role. He took very large Red Deer cow. Dan another member of our group took a hog. Mark had a clean miss on a Black buck. I got busted drawing on a Auodad at 7 yards. These animals as very skitish and spook very easily. Sad thing I was sitting in the same stand that I took a Auodad from last year. This one came in along the same trail and was standing not 3 feet from where his buddy got shot.
Saturday morning I drew on a coyote at 38 yards. He was walking along the top of a dry creek bank. There was a opening around 12 feet wide that would give me a good clear shot. When the yote went behind some bushed I drew my bow and waited for him to step into my shooting lane. The yote emerged and I gave a soft whistle. I figured he would stop and give me time to let the arrow fly. Wrong he heard the whistle and flat took off running. something tells me he has heard that trick before. Had several whitetail does a couple whitetail bucks, and some fallow does on me the rest of the morning.
Saturday evening got pretty exciting at least for me. I got into my stand at around 4:15 pm. The weather turned out to be a fair bit warmer than Thursday and Friday were. I chose a stand deeper in the timber. The open areas being pretty barren from the heat and drought. I had only been in my settled into my stand for 20 minutes or so. I caught movement across a dry creek bed. After a little bit I could make out that it was a Red Deer. A few more steps reveiled that it was a Hind. A pretty nice looking 3x3 not huge but bigger than any Red Deer I have ever taken. Considering I had never taken one. He come across the creek to my side. He comes in at 9 yards broadside with his head behind a tree. Only one problem he stops at my 10 o'clock. For most folks this would be a blessing. For a left hander its the one shot you can't make. I got stood up in my stand turned my body 180-190 degrees and try to draw. My elbow hits the tree so i let up and turn a little more. The red deer hasn't even twitched yet. I come to full draw and settle my pin on his vitals. My heart is going bonkers and I can see my broadhead dancing. I take a deep breath and try and calm down. I settle my pin again and pulled my finger from behind the trigger of my release to in front. Just about ready to touch it off when he takes a step forward. He covers his vitals and casullay starts walking straight away. I follow hiw still at full draw. Ten yard pin, 20 yard pin, 30 yard pin, I follow him to 50 yards seeing nothing but rear end. He gets out of range and stops at 60 yards and looks around for a minute and wanders off.
An hour goes by with not much happening I spyed a axis doe bedded down 70 yards away. A couple whitetails come in a go then the second highlight of the evening. I have two little hogs come in and I mean little. Suckers to much bigger than a football were within 20 yards foraging on acorns and honey locust pods. I caught movement to my 4 o'clock but I can't make it out. I get my bino's up but still can't find it. Then it moved again and wham there it is plain as day. A bobcat sneaking in for a pork dinner. I watched the cat creep in silent as the dawn. He made it to around 40 yards out when 7 more pigs came runnining in. They had no idea about the cat who rushed up a tree at 63 yards. So here is this bobcat hanging on the trunk of a oak tree about 12-15' off the ground hissing at the pigs. After expressing his displeasure for a few seconds he bolted for parts unknown.
A 6:50 all I see is horns coming out of the dry creek bed. He comes up facing me and i thought that is a nice looking fallow deer. Well he turned his head and body and I realized it was a Axis deer not a Fallow. So here he comes on a trail that should take him to with 23 yards of my stand. He gets behind some bushed and i get my bow into position and my release clipped on. He take a few steps beyond the bushed but not yet into range and then changes direction. The goes to my 3 o'clock which is flat perfect for a LH shooter. The 3x3 buck stopped at 38 yards broadside. I had already ranged the tree he was standing by. The buck starts feeding on honey locust pods. He looks away and I get my chance to stand up. I come to full draw and settle my 40 yard pin just a touch high and behind his shoulder. I touch off the release and watch my nocturnal nock turn into a fireball as it lights up leaving the string. The arrow is tracking just right when i see it deflect. I heard a snap a thwack and a thump. I wasn't eating rice crispies either. The buck hunched down and bolted. So here i am confused as hell wondering what happened. I can see my arrow stuck in a fallen tree. (The thump). I can't see blood on the arrow and honestly thought i missed. I knew the arrow when to far back and looked low. The snap I could not figure out. I looked and looked through my binos. Finally I saw it a freshly cut branch of the honey locust tree. The branch not very thick maybe the size of your pinky delfected my arrow. (the snap). So I wait 20-25 minutes and get down to have a look at the arrow. Sure enough it was covered with blood. I could smell a little gut on the arrow. The shot at least was a pass through. (the thwack).
I backed out of the woods wanting to get the heck out with a gut shot deer. The last thing you would ever want to do is push them. Better back out and let them bed down and die. I headed back for camp freaked out and frustrated. After waiting until around 11:30 pm. headed back to woods to try and track this deer. The nock still glowing and stuck in a log left no doubt as to where the hit occured. You could see the four foot prints of the deer in the dry soil. You could see where he hunched down and bolted. The arrow being right in the middle of the legs. We searched for almost a hour and found the old boy. He made it less than 150 yards. He never bedded down and was hit better than I thought. I caught the righ side lung just barley but caught it just the same. The liver was severed and exited through the left side paunch. The deer was stiff as a board when he was found. He had been dead for some time. Better safe than sorry.
Got the animal back to the lodge and field dressed. i was to tired to skin him out and wanted some pictures in the day light. i rinsed the cavity out well and hung him up in the walk in cooler by his horns. Got to bed at 1:15 am and was back up at 4:30 am and hunted again that morning.
In the end this was the only animal I took off the ranch but I sure think he is a nice one. Main beams measured 28 1/16 AND 27 3/4. Not a trophy class animal but he is already at the taxidermist.
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