Hotter'n Hell Double Down

[Texastaxi]

This past weekend marked the 8th annual Hotter'n Hell Ram Hunt.

We left for the ranch, a day early, to build what is now, The Rocks. Well, it hasn't been officially named, but that's what I'm calling it. I kinda wanted it to be the altar, but after thinking it seemed a bit sacrilegious.

Anyway, we got there about 2, and were done with the project by 6. A few guys decided to tromp around the mountain pasture to see what they could stir up. As I was shooting a few arrows through the butter smooth 60# Elite Hunter (I recently bought from focushunter), I hear them yelling that I needed to come down there, with my bow.

As I made my way through the gate, they explained that the rabid four horn had been whooping up on a good sized Catalina. It was described as a made for TV fight, in typical head butting fashion. The first blow, was head to head and had stunned the Catalina. The four horn had backed up, ready for another round. The Catalina turned 90 degrees, before the second hit and took one square to the ribs, and fell to the ground.

When I finally got there, the four horn had just finished trying to stomp a hole in that poor goat. The way that thing laid there, I knew I was dealing with the resident bad ***!

He started to walk away, and then saw me come in the gate. That's when his cape buffalo like instincts kicked in and he stared at me like I owed him money!

to be continued

[Shake N' Bake]

In

[rednecktbrizz7]

In lol

[TUCO]

That's when his cape water buffalo like instincts kicked in and he stared at me like I owed him money!

to be continued

Let me guess.....

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvwHxn_ziD4"]Crocodile Dundee (5/8) Movie CLIP - Mind Over Matter (1986) HD - YouTube[/ame]

[tiny]

The story is completely true as I was closer to the ram than texastaxi. The rabid devil sheep was stomping on the wooden trough that the catalina goat gotten under when he fell from the shot to the ribs.

[TallTexan]

In

[Texastaxi]

Sorry, the dinner bell rang!

So, as he was staring me down, I could tell that he wasn't sure if it was going to be fight, or flight, on his end. I'm assuming that he heard the rumors of an Indian chief that wreaked havoc, in the same area, about this time last year.

The same thing was going through my mind. I wasn't sure if I wanted to back out and put the safety of the high fence, between us ... or if I'd stand my ground. As he looked back and forth, from me to Tiny, I decided that only one of us would be left standing at the end of this.

I slowly knocked a Hartcraft tipped FMJ and came to full draw, in one fluid motion. I was only able to get this far because he was focused on tiny. I really think he would have taken us both out, if given the chance!

He looked at me again, as he was deciding who he would take out first.

His next move, was his demise! He turned to look at tiny, one last time; opening up a perfect vital shot, and I seized the opportunity. Instinctively, my finger tripped the release and the rocket was on its way!

The arrow zipped through him like he was a stick of butter, and I immediately saw blood squirting out of the left side of his chest. Because this beast was still full of adrenaline, from his bout with the Catalina, coupled with the fact that he was obviously immune to pain, he made a death run, towards tiny.

Tiny dodged him like a matador, barely escaping death. He circled, about 15 yards uphill. At this point, I am certain he had his eye on me!

I stood my ground, he ran out of steam and dropped dead, not 30 yards from where he started.



You can still see the anger in his eyes. Hunting these beasts is not for the timid.

He scored GOLD in the ROE record book of dangerous game.

[Texastaxi]

Everyone loved the fact that I got to put the FIRST blood, on The Rocks. I hadn't thought of it that way, but I wasn't going to pass up the honor.

[jhuddleston]

Man, yall did a good job on the "Trophy Picture thingy"!
I will have to put my next ram up there and get some decent pics!

[Slick8]

Ruark, Hemingway...TexasTaxi; all clasic must reads for the big game hunter...

[SwampRabbit]

Nobody cares about your silly encounter with a ram... post up more info about building "the rock"









P.S. congrats on the ram BTW.

[ajm2nac]

fallowing

[Pullersboy]

Good story.

[Texastaxi]

All this went down, and the hunt hadn't even officially started. I guess it's a good thing that I got the cape four horn, out of the pasture, before the regular hunters got there.

Friday, we didn't get in a hurry, to get up. Ate some leftover pulled pork, from Thursday night, and then made a plan to do a sweep of the mountain pasture.

Thompson had a bunch of big rambos, that he was hell bent on getting me to shoot, and there were some big ones. Like over 40" big. Since I had used up all my cotton balls, I made up my mind early on, that the big rambos weren't on the menu.

Thompson had text me a picture of another four horn, earlier in the week. Only problem ... he'd broken a horn. I wanted to put my eyes on him, to see how big he actually was.

We spent the next half the day following the sheep around the mountain pasture. Every time we were in range, there wasn't a clear shot. After 4 trips up and down the hill, I finally got a good look, and a clear shot op, at the other four horn. He had split off with 3 other rams, and tried to catch a breath under the shade of a cedar tree. If he'd been a little more attentative, he would have noticed that his running mate moved off a couple feet. He was left, unprotected, with only two cedar tree trunks, and 45 feet of air, between me and him.

Somehow, I'd left my back quiver at home, so I was only carrying two arrows. I quickly laid one down, by my feet, and nocked the other. I came to full draw, picked a spot, and as Buff describes, I went into "auto pilot". Next thing I know the ram is running down the hill with my bright orange fletching waving like a dune buggy safety flag. He made it about 35ish yards before he gave up.

A few seconds later I had my hands on my NINTH four horn!





I wasn't expecting a high score, since he'd broken off about half of his right, top horn.

Thompson measured him, Sunday morning, and surprised me with another GOLD medal ram!

[solocam_aggie]

Awesome! Congrats.