Well this past weekend was a special weekend for me and for our family ranch. We have been very successful in growing big deer in an area of Texas that is not really known for big deer. For those old Timers on TBH you have seen the ranch deer grow over the years. Not only in horn size but body size. We have killed several bucks that weighed in at over 200lbs. With all that said, This buck is not one of those. 
The deer I just killed on Sunday night was one of those Small framed bodied deer. Big horns, but just small bodied. So when you combine them together the horns look ridiculously big.
Last year this deer had the start of 15 points. But they were just bumps. But I was hoping they would pop out with another year. When he showed up on trail camera this year I was not disappointed. In fact I was shocked. Just have never seen one like this on the ranch. In fact no one has. So plans were made to go take a peak at him.
Last weekend rolls around and as most of you know that hunted, we had weird winds both mornings. It was blowing out of the west till about 10 am, then shift to Southeast winds for the rest of the day. Where he was going was not good for a west wind. So I hunted with my son on Opening morning in a different location just hoping to catch up with a couple other big deer on the ranch in the mornings while waiting on the evenings to hunt this deer.
We did not see the bucks were were looking for on opening morning, so plans were set for my approach into this setup. It is the hardest blind on the ranch to get into so you have to be very careful. Well I decided a long walk in would be the way to avoid most of the deer knowing I was coming. Did I say Long walk, I mean really long walk. Over a mile. So Off I went. By the time I had made the walk, I was drenched in sweat. I had brought an extra change of clothes so when I got up in the Krivoman Tower that I could dry off an change. Plus the ozonics, which by the way is the single best invention ever made in the hunting industry since Compound bows were developed, cover up all my stinkyness..
Almost immediately I had a buck in the pen. Way before the feeder went off. IN fact I had snake boots off, shirt off and was sitting in blind with shorts on. He came in from down wind and did not smell me. First evening was a great hunt, lots of bucks. A shooter on any other day or blind, but not this one. I was looking for one deer.
Day 2 was the same in the morning, bad wind. So the afternoon hunt I decided to come in from a different direction, even though I had buggered not animals on the walk in. This direction afforded me a 1/2 mile walk in. Still a little sweating getting in, but not to bad. Same buck came in at the same time. I was once again shirtless in tower blind trying to dry off. Then like a ghost, i look up and there the big deer is. In the pen, in the correct spot. Only problem was no corn. Feeder was not set to go for another 10 minutes. So I turn camera on and start filming while i grab the bow. The deer moved out of my lane while he was trying to find a few scraps of corn left on the ground. There were none. Then as if he was on a mission, he walked across the pen, jumped out and trotted away from me. I was mad at myself as I was not as fast as I should have been. 10 min pass and feeder throws. It was slow until about 5:45 when the flood gates opened. Had 6 bucks come in from down wind. By this time I had shirt on and was ready to go. Buck after buck jumped in the pen. But not the right one. I was starting to think it was not going to happen. Then it happened. I caught movement to my right. He had already cleared that window so I only saw his rump going through brush. When he popped out at the feeder pen edge I was floored. It was the guy.
He jumped in the pen and made his way right up through all the bucks. They moved out of his way even though he was a smaller bodied deer. Must have been attitude or something. Well after not shooting him the first time in, the camera was rolling and I was ready. As soon as he hit my lane the arrow was away. I smashed him. Probably one of the best shots I have put on a deer. He ran out in the field 30 yards and flipped over a small cedar tree into some tall weeds.
So tracking was easy. When I laid Eyes/ hands on this deer it was an amazing feeling. I knew I had the best deer every taken or seen on our place. It was so bitter sweet. Had this deer could have been allowed to make it to 6-7-8 years old he would have blew past 200 inches. He has points everywhere and had bumps on every tine where he would have thrown more tines in the future...
so here he is... 18 points. 1 broken, so 17 scoreable.
My mom named him Thicket cause he looked like a thicket bush.. Want to also Say thanks to my mom and dad for being the best parents a person could ask for. They instilled the passion of hunting in me at a very early age and it still burns just as strong as it did the first time I pulled the trigger on a deer at age 10.
The deer I just killed on Sunday night was one of those Small framed bodied deer. Big horns, but just small bodied. So when you combine them together the horns look ridiculously big. Last year this deer had the start of 15 points. But they were just bumps. But I was hoping they would pop out with another year. When he showed up on trail camera this year I was not disappointed. In fact I was shocked. Just have never seen one like this on the ranch. In fact no one has. So plans were made to go take a peak at him.
Last weekend rolls around and as most of you know that hunted, we had weird winds both mornings. It was blowing out of the west till about 10 am, then shift to Southeast winds for the rest of the day. Where he was going was not good for a west wind. So I hunted with my son on Opening morning in a different location just hoping to catch up with a couple other big deer on the ranch in the mornings while waiting on the evenings to hunt this deer.
We did not see the bucks were were looking for on opening morning, so plans were set for my approach into this setup. It is the hardest blind on the ranch to get into so you have to be very careful. Well I decided a long walk in would be the way to avoid most of the deer knowing I was coming. Did I say Long walk, I mean really long walk. Over a mile. So Off I went. By the time I had made the walk, I was drenched in sweat. I had brought an extra change of clothes so when I got up in the Krivoman Tower that I could dry off an change. Plus the ozonics, which by the way is the single best invention ever made in the hunting industry since Compound bows were developed, cover up all my stinkyness..
Almost immediately I had a buck in the pen. Way before the feeder went off. IN fact I had snake boots off, shirt off and was sitting in blind with shorts on. He came in from down wind and did not smell me. First evening was a great hunt, lots of bucks. A shooter on any other day or blind, but not this one. I was looking for one deer.
Day 2 was the same in the morning, bad wind. So the afternoon hunt I decided to come in from a different direction, even though I had buggered not animals on the walk in. This direction afforded me a 1/2 mile walk in. Still a little sweating getting in, but not to bad. Same buck came in at the same time. I was once again shirtless in tower blind trying to dry off. Then like a ghost, i look up and there the big deer is. In the pen, in the correct spot. Only problem was no corn. Feeder was not set to go for another 10 minutes. So I turn camera on and start filming while i grab the bow. The deer moved out of my lane while he was trying to find a few scraps of corn left on the ground. There were none. Then as if he was on a mission, he walked across the pen, jumped out and trotted away from me. I was mad at myself as I was not as fast as I should have been. 10 min pass and feeder throws. It was slow until about 5:45 when the flood gates opened. Had 6 bucks come in from down wind. By this time I had shirt on and was ready to go. Buck after buck jumped in the pen. But not the right one. I was starting to think it was not going to happen. Then it happened. I caught movement to my right. He had already cleared that window so I only saw his rump going through brush. When he popped out at the feeder pen edge I was floored. It was the guy.
He jumped in the pen and made his way right up through all the bucks. They moved out of his way even though he was a smaller bodied deer. Must have been attitude or something. Well after not shooting him the first time in, the camera was rolling and I was ready. As soon as he hit my lane the arrow was away. I smashed him. Probably one of the best shots I have put on a deer. He ran out in the field 30 yards and flipped over a small cedar tree into some tall weeds.
So tracking was easy. When I laid Eyes/ hands on this deer it was an amazing feeling. I knew I had the best deer every taken or seen on our place. It was so bitter sweet. Had this deer could have been allowed to make it to 6-7-8 years old he would have blew past 200 inches. He has points everywhere and had bumps on every tine where he would have thrown more tines in the future...
so here he is... 18 points. 1 broken, so 17 scoreable.
My mom named him Thicket cause he looked like a thicket bush.. Want to also Say thanks to my mom and dad for being the best parents a person could ask for. They instilled the passion of hunting in me at a very early age and it still burns just as strong as it did the first time I pulled the trigger on a deer at age 10.
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