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Stacked them up this week at MNH. Lots of LDPs and a long read. Enjoy!!

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    Stacked them up this week at MNH. Lots of LDPs and a long read. Enjoy!!

    We had a blast this week up in the panhandle. Started the weekend after a big gemsbok and a 140ish whitetail. Got on the gemsbok several times Saturday morning, but couldn’t get a clear shot on the big bull that we were after. Between all the cows busting us and a coyote running out of a canyon and spooking one of them, we went in for breakfast and a new gameplan. Got back out for the evening hunt and were looking in the canyons for the gemsbok when we saw a stud wildebeest bull and our plans changed. The herd moved up on a flat on top and Clayton made a perfect shot on him. Dropped where he stood.



    After we got him caped and hanging, we went back out to look for the gemsbok or a good whitetail for our other hunter. We were glassing from the top of some of the canyons when we saw this big bull elk. We had seen him a few times throughout the weekend and talked about how nice he was, but that last sighting was more than Clayton could handle. We made a plan on how to get around to him and were off. We got down to him about 15 minutes before the sun went down. He finally gave us a small window and he hammered him. He was hit great, but was able to make it down into a nasty little canyon, way too thick to get in there and load him out. We took some pics, went and got knives and refreshments and the work began. 366” on the elk.







    Sunday morning we were full force for a good whitetail. After looking over several bucks, this guy came out and was just what we were after. 148” and Rhett nailed him on the move while he was pushing a young buck away from the girls.



    We loaded those guys up and they were on their way home and we changed gears for the next group. Hated to see them go, but they looked good on the way out the gate.



    While we waited for the next guys to get here from the airport, we made a quick run out to check some feeders with the owners family. Lucky for Kix, we threw his rifle in and came across a buck that they had been after. He was a great typical that hadn’t been seen many times the last two years and Kix busted him when they spotted him. 196” and some change, a beautiful buck for an awesome kid.





    Our father/daughter group showed up shortly after and we headed to the range to check guns and play around a bit. Being the last day of mule deer season, we decided to ride around on the low fence part of the ranch and try to find a nice Texas muley to ride back to California and wait until the next morning to chase whitetail. We drove all over the canyon glassing on one side and were on our way back past the house to check another canyon when we spotted this guy up close to the lodge, a nice panhandle buck for a quick evening hunt.





    Monday morning, we were out early for whitetail. We spotted the buck Vanessa wanted, but couldn’t make it happen on the morning hunt. Fast forward to the evening and we caught him on a hillside with a few does and another buck. 240 yards wasn’t safe enough for him and he was down with the 25-06. 161” on this old guy.





    Love at last sight



    We ran him back and hung him up and were off looking for a certain buck that I had sent pics to Dave of. He said he would be happy with any buck, but would love a chance at this guy. As luck would have it, we caught him out with a doe feeding their way out of a creek bed not long before dark. The 28 Nosler spoke and this buck didn’t like what it said. 193” with a little bit broken off.





    Tuesday morning we decided we’d take it easy and maybe run out with Dave’s new 28 Nosler and shoot a few does for the owner to make sausage with.

    Vanessa didn’t take long and she had two does smoked at 530 yards. We loaded them up and went to look for a few more at a bit longer range. We were glassing the hillsides and spotted a group of cow elk at 1100 yards. Perfect. We got set up but with the wind, we couldn’t quite dial it in right and hit just to side of a big cow. They dropped down into a small canyon and we moved up to the next ridge to hopefully find them again. While we were moving they moved another ridge closer and we went peaked over, they were at just under 600 yards. Dave set up and let the biggest one have it. She went about 10 yards and crashed. At the shot another big cow came out into an opening at 570 and I told my wife, Erin to get on her. She hadn’t ever shot that far and after Dave dialed her in and the cow turned broadside, she smoked her.





    So much for relaxing! We had a pile of meat down now. Luckily we could get a loader to the cows and we got them taken care of with about 2 hours left of daylight. Erin stayed at the lodge to get dinner ready and the owner and I drove Dave and Vanessa out on the low fence side of the ranch to close out the day with a nice drink and enjoy the views before they had to fly home the next morning. Of course the 28 came with us and as we were just pulling out on a nice lookout point, we spotted a decent aoudad ram and a ewe standing on top of the next ridge. Can’t pass up a chance at a nice free range ram and we sure wouldn’t want the 28 barrel to cool down, so out it came and Vanessa made a great 300 yard shot and hit the ram solid. He made his way down to the next ledge and died right on top of a big vertical drop. Perfect. At the shot, the whole herd that was just out of sight came running over the ridge toward us and a big ram stopped about halfway down to her ram. Dave grabbed the gun and folded him up. Unfortunately, he didn’t stop at the ledge and off the rim he went. Falling perfectly into a crack and hanging up between two rocks. Never mind that relaxing we were taking about. Haha. We were able to get the ranger over above them and had enough rope and winch cable to reach her ram. She and I slid off the edge and down to her ram fairly safely.





    We hooked him up and winched him out without too much trouble. While we were doing that, Dave dropped into the bottom and finally found his ram. He was able to get him out of the rocks and to a decent flat spot before it got dark. Vanessa and I climbed out with hers and then I went back in with a rope and cell phone light to try and reach Dave and his ram. We were able to get a rope on his and with some sketchy working around and winching were got him out too. Probably would have been easier to just cape him out there like we normally do, but we were already there and had the reach so we tried it. Only casualty was a pair of ripped jeans and some cold “boys” but I survived. The rams were 26 1/2” and 30”.









    It was a busy week with some sore muscles, but we had a blast and there are some nice trophies making their way back to California.




    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    #2
    Awesome pics and write up!

    Question: What is the hose attachment on your Outback feed hopper? The PVC pipes are growing old on me.

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      #3
      Great write up and awesome animals

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        #4
        That wildebeest is actually kind of pretty, most of those things are god awful looking.




        All really nice animals, especially Kix' buck! Looks like a lot of work too!
        Last edited by Dale Moser; 12-06-2018, 09:48 AM.

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          #5
          WOW, what an awesome week with some awesome animals !!! Congrats to all of yall.
          Now you can take some of your tip money and buy some new britches......... lol !!!

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            #6
            Some great animals.

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              #7
              Great write up for a hella fun weekend looks like. Congrats on all the nice animals

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                #8
                Looks like the hunt of a lifetime! Random question, was Cutter y'alls cook?

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                  #9
                  Awesome animals and recap. Congrats to the hunters.

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                    #10
                    Matt as always you do it up big. Very nice animals. Lots of smiling faces. Where is that ranch. Doesn't look the 2 you usually hunt

                    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

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                      #11
                      wow! thanks for sharing!

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                        #12
                        Great read JJ. Congrats to all the hunters on some great animals.

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                          #13
                          Great read and congrats to the hunters, nice looking animals.

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                            #14
                            Execellent read! And congrats!

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                              #15
                              Originally posted by GigEmAgs07 View Post
                              Looks like the hunt of a lifetime! Random question, was Cutter y'alls cook?
                              No sir. Not sure who Cutter is. My wife does all the cooking on our hunts.

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