'' Colin and I each shot Axis does this morning and meat is at the processor. Note the rain water standing in the flat field.
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Why “at last” ? When Axis venison is touted as the tastiest of all?
Because for years , I have passed up easy shots at Axis because I was hunting other species. A few years ago, on the Long View Ranch, after taking a cow elk for meat, I decided to also shoot an Axis doe since there were trophy Axis bucks seen all over the property and the ranch manager said it should be easy hunting. You guessed it, two days of hard hunting and only one careless coyote to show for it. The only Axis does seen were either several hundred yards away or just disappearing into dense thickets. Axis and elk bulls were easier to approach!
Again, on another game rich ranch this year, my shooting seemed faultless- dropping two running hogs with a single shot each and dropping a standing Axis doe at 50 yards! So the guide and I thought! As we carelessly chatted and walked to the grove of trees where the Axis had stood facing us, it bounced up and bolted away into the thicket, never to be found! After the guide and I searched, twice the rancher sent a search and recovery team to reenact the shooting and try to locate the animal; no luck. The PH hunting with us said the only explanation was that the bullet had passed just under the neck and spinal column(and above the internal organs) and shocked the doe temporarily unconscious and it collapsed into the ground cover, invisible to the guide and me. More bad luck and/or dumb hunting. Such luck plus bad weather (washed out by rain multiple times) led up to this hunt in the second rainiest year in north Texas history.
As it had rained 3.5 inches just before the hunt, I gave the outfitter the option of delaying a few days. He assured me that the road to the ranch lodge and barns was all paved and we would use 4 wheel drive UTVs when in the field, and the blinds were spacious and heated, so we agreed to meet him there at 6AM Friday morning. Colin and I were up and on the road at 5am for the 47 mile drive from the farm to the ranch and arrived right on time.
The rancher/guide drove the UTV and dropped Colin and his guide off at a blind on a field near the barns and then drove us on through some really muddy trails into some woods toward a creek drainage. We parked and walked the hundred yards or so to the blind trying to avoid knee deep puddles. The elevated blind had a nice staircase, was spacious, had a propane heater situated under the shooting table! I took the right handed shooter position and we awaited shooting light. Eventually, we were able to see some game in the woods and finally had shooting light. But a sharp eyed Axis doe barked and led the others off at a dead run. No wonder they are called “barking deer”. The we heard Colin’s .308 fire and soon received a text saying they were ready to be picked up (hunter humor).
We closed the forward opening in the tinted window so even the sharp eyed Axis could not see motion and soon a lone whitetail doe drifted like a grey ghost into the area from the right. We hoped it would serve as a decoy and within a few minutes, two Axis does drifted in from the left. The rancher/guide opened the window just enough for my rifle and using his binoculars, determined the doe in the front to be the one to shoot. As I had been tracking the doe with my scope, I then shot it in the lower shoulder as soon as it stopped and raised its head to look around; it went down hard and in view. Not to allow another miracle recovery and escape, I jacked in another round and watched the deer closely for a while (as did my guide) and when we agreed it was done, he went for the UTV while I collected items and exited the blind.
We then picked up my deer, drove to the first blind, took pictures, picked up Colin, guide, and deer and drove to the cleaning barn where we saw that the two deer were both mature, the same size, and very fat and healthy. Big smiles all around.
In the daylight we could see several types of deer and antelope out in the fields and also the house used as a Lodge when staying overnight. It is new, clean and spacious with two bedrooms downstairs and one up. Next time down, we plan to come early, eat dinner at a well known nearby catfish café, and spend the night sleeping rather than rising early and driving in the dark. The ranch is located just north of a bass fishing hot spot, Lake Fork. Maybe some fishing in the spring?
All in all, a successful Father & Son hunt.
