I have wanted to hunt a blackbuck for the past couple of years and finally booked a few blackbuck hunts this year. After missing out on a few opportunities at KJO in April, I booked a hunt at Double Arrow Bowhunting in June. Curtis has an excellent ranch with lots of animals, and most importantly, a ton of big animals!
The first evening I had 2 monster axis bucks, both would have gone well over 32 inches, at 15 yards. I had my heart set on a blackbuck so, I did not “pull the trigger” on either axis. I was hunting with Mesquitecountry, his girlfriend Amy, and Curtis. After showing them the video tape of the two monster axis bucks, they all told me I was CRAZY for not shooting at either axis. Amy was lucky enough that same evening to connect on a huge Gold Medal velvet axis!
Travis and I had several run-ins with animals, blackbuck, axis, oryx, red stag, fallow, barasingah deer, but the blackbuck and axis would not close the distance to get into bow range. Finally, the last day I decided to sit from dawn until dusk. Curtis dropped me off around 5:45 am and as daylight broke, I was surrounded by blackbuck. Literally 40-60 blackbuck with several mature bucks. I had my eye on a big, wide, mature male, as I watched him chase off several smaller bucks and try and court the does at 50-60 yards, another mature male with tall narrow horns walked right underneath me. I was between a blackbuck and a hard place. Which one to shoot?
I had a chip shot at 19 yards on the tall, narrow buck, but really wanted the darker dominant male that was quickly closing the distance! As the big male came in and stopped at 35 yards, I quickly drew back, held tight and let her fly….Boom, blackbuck jumped high, perfect heart shot I assumed, he jumped again…..He didn’t seem injured he trotted off about 20 yards, I see no blood, I see my arrow, I quickly throw up my binoculars to check for a wound. NOTHING! I watched the mature buck for the next hour at long ranges to verify the buck was ok. To my disappointment the buck was fine and I had totally missed and blown my opportunity! After reliving the shot and seeing where the arrow was, I realized the buck had jumped my string and I sailed my Goldtip right over his back. I had several more encounters with mature males the rest of the morning and early afternoon but none of them would break the 60 yard barrier.
Around 2 pm I decided to take a nap, as I awoke, I pressed my hand on the chair and quickly felt a strong burning sensation….I had been stung by an asp, I was in extreme pain. Anyone who has ever been stung by an asp worm before, knows, it is almost intolerable pain. My armpit started hurting, and my chest started feeling tight. I got worried and called Curtis and Travis to bring me some medication. It was well over 100 degrees at this point. Well, Dr. Mesquitecountry came and dropped off some Advil and some other Flatonia home remedies and I quickly climbed back into the stand.
My thumb and hand still pounding, the evening was quickly drawing to a close. Around 7 pm I hear a BOOM! Well, ol’ Mesquitecountry had picked up the boomstick and layed the smack down on a monster axis. As I was reading about all the excitement of his axis hunt through text message, my phone died. I had now been in the stand for 13 hours in 100 degree temps. Animals were in the field but nothing had come into bow range. The sun was setting fast, when a group of red stags made there way through the thick brush out into the open field and stopped to eat corn at 35 yards. The blackbuck surrounded my treestand, but they would not close the distance, choosing to stay 75-100 yards out.
As dusk was setting in, I had my eye on a big blackbuck that was coming in from 200 yards away. I looked over my shoulder to notice that 10 axis doe had snuck into 25 yards and started eating the leftover corn the red stag had been munching on. I refocused back on the blackbuck, 200, 150, 100, 75 yards, he was closing, when a blackbuck doe caught his attention and he took off after her. I thought, ****, there goes my chance….
I spun around in the stand to check out the axis does when I saw a large rack in the faint sunlight. It was a MONSTER axis headed my way. As he came into 35 yards, he nudged all the females out of the way. I quickly ranged him at 31 yards, the sun already faded, I released my range finder and click…The range finder bumped my release and all the axis trotted off. I quickly realized that I may be the worst hunter ever! Well my fortune was about to change for the better and I caught a break. The axis buck paused for a few seconds and came back in.
I ranged him again, this time he stood 29 yards away. I put my 25 yard pin high on his shoulder and THWACK! He bolted off and quickly started to do the no pants dance and tumbled to the ground 40 yards away from where I punctured him with my 2 blade Rage! I heard a whoop and a holler….Little did I know, in his boredom and need for a cool shady area, Travis had been watching the whole hunt conspire from the brush and was jumping up and down in excitement as the buck fell 50 yards from where he was sitting! I climbed down from the stand and Travis came up on me like a bolt of lightning! We quickly exchanged high 5’s and took off for my buck.
As we walked up to him, he was an absolute monster! 31 inch beams, 31 inch spread, 10 inch brows and 9.5 inch cottles! SCI Gold! Although I didn’t get a blackbuck, and I had spent 15 hours in a stand that day, I had an axis buck of a lifetime! I will definitely be going back to Double Arrow Bowhunting, Curtis has top notch animals and works with you as a hunter to help increase your chances to succeed in killing a trophy animal!
The first evening I had 2 monster axis bucks, both would have gone well over 32 inches, at 15 yards. I had my heart set on a blackbuck so, I did not “pull the trigger” on either axis. I was hunting with Mesquitecountry, his girlfriend Amy, and Curtis. After showing them the video tape of the two monster axis bucks, they all told me I was CRAZY for not shooting at either axis. Amy was lucky enough that same evening to connect on a huge Gold Medal velvet axis!
Travis and I had several run-ins with animals, blackbuck, axis, oryx, red stag, fallow, barasingah deer, but the blackbuck and axis would not close the distance to get into bow range. Finally, the last day I decided to sit from dawn until dusk. Curtis dropped me off around 5:45 am and as daylight broke, I was surrounded by blackbuck. Literally 40-60 blackbuck with several mature bucks. I had my eye on a big, wide, mature male, as I watched him chase off several smaller bucks and try and court the does at 50-60 yards, another mature male with tall narrow horns walked right underneath me. I was between a blackbuck and a hard place. Which one to shoot?
I had a chip shot at 19 yards on the tall, narrow buck, but really wanted the darker dominant male that was quickly closing the distance! As the big male came in and stopped at 35 yards, I quickly drew back, held tight and let her fly….Boom, blackbuck jumped high, perfect heart shot I assumed, he jumped again…..He didn’t seem injured he trotted off about 20 yards, I see no blood, I see my arrow, I quickly throw up my binoculars to check for a wound. NOTHING! I watched the mature buck for the next hour at long ranges to verify the buck was ok. To my disappointment the buck was fine and I had totally missed and blown my opportunity! After reliving the shot and seeing where the arrow was, I realized the buck had jumped my string and I sailed my Goldtip right over his back. I had several more encounters with mature males the rest of the morning and early afternoon but none of them would break the 60 yard barrier.
Around 2 pm I decided to take a nap, as I awoke, I pressed my hand on the chair and quickly felt a strong burning sensation….I had been stung by an asp, I was in extreme pain. Anyone who has ever been stung by an asp worm before, knows, it is almost intolerable pain. My armpit started hurting, and my chest started feeling tight. I got worried and called Curtis and Travis to bring me some medication. It was well over 100 degrees at this point. Well, Dr. Mesquitecountry came and dropped off some Advil and some other Flatonia home remedies and I quickly climbed back into the stand.
My thumb and hand still pounding, the evening was quickly drawing to a close. Around 7 pm I hear a BOOM! Well, ol’ Mesquitecountry had picked up the boomstick and layed the smack down on a monster axis. As I was reading about all the excitement of his axis hunt through text message, my phone died. I had now been in the stand for 13 hours in 100 degree temps. Animals were in the field but nothing had come into bow range. The sun was setting fast, when a group of red stags made there way through the thick brush out into the open field and stopped to eat corn at 35 yards. The blackbuck surrounded my treestand, but they would not close the distance, choosing to stay 75-100 yards out.
As dusk was setting in, I had my eye on a big blackbuck that was coming in from 200 yards away. I looked over my shoulder to notice that 10 axis doe had snuck into 25 yards and started eating the leftover corn the red stag had been munching on. I refocused back on the blackbuck, 200, 150, 100, 75 yards, he was closing, when a blackbuck doe caught his attention and he took off after her. I thought, ****, there goes my chance….
I spun around in the stand to check out the axis does when I saw a large rack in the faint sunlight. It was a MONSTER axis headed my way. As he came into 35 yards, he nudged all the females out of the way. I quickly ranged him at 31 yards, the sun already faded, I released my range finder and click…The range finder bumped my release and all the axis trotted off. I quickly realized that I may be the worst hunter ever! Well my fortune was about to change for the better and I caught a break. The axis buck paused for a few seconds and came back in.
I ranged him again, this time he stood 29 yards away. I put my 25 yard pin high on his shoulder and THWACK! He bolted off and quickly started to do the no pants dance and tumbled to the ground 40 yards away from where I punctured him with my 2 blade Rage! I heard a whoop and a holler….Little did I know, in his boredom and need for a cool shady area, Travis had been watching the whole hunt conspire from the brush and was jumping up and down in excitement as the buck fell 50 yards from where he was sitting! I climbed down from the stand and Travis came up on me like a bolt of lightning! We quickly exchanged high 5’s and took off for my buck.
As we walked up to him, he was an absolute monster! 31 inch beams, 31 inch spread, 10 inch brows and 9.5 inch cottles! SCI Gold! Although I didn’t get a blackbuck, and I had spent 15 hours in a stand that day, I had an axis buck of a lifetime! I will definitely be going back to Double Arrow Bowhunting, Curtis has top notch animals and works with you as a hunter to help increase your chances to succeed in killing a trophy animal!
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