Trad Gang
Traditional Bowhunting/Archery Videos => Tarz Antics => Topic started by: sunny hill archer on January 04, 2010, 02:49:00 PM
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I reckon everyone is still getting home. So I'll kick things off.
The wet Fall made things tough on us this year. The deer had plenty of browse and were not hitting the feeders as hard. We still managed to have a good hunt though. There were a lot of new faces this year. All that meant was a lot of new friends.
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Looking forward to it.
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Here are some pics on the 1st afternoon.
(http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w43/silvertip70/IMG_4789.jpg)
(http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w43/silvertip70/IMG_4788.jpg)
(http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w43/silvertip70/IMG_4785.jpg)
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Gregg bout needed all those arrows one afternoon...... But I'll let him tell that story when he gets back from Odessa with his son.
(http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w43/silvertip70/IMG_4790.jpg)
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My first afternoon was kind of slow.No hogs 2 small bucks and 3 does.
The next morning the wind was squirrely and I only saw a small buck and a doe.
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:campfire:
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Thursday afternoon the wind was out of the north and a front was coming. Ole Shep asked me if I wanted to sit in a ground blind. After experiencing a front move in from a tree last year I jumped on that!!!!!!!
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I found out later that night that particular ground blind was called "The Death Trap". Boy howdy did it ever live up to that name New Years Eve night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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First chance I have had to get on, as I didn't make it into my driveway until 4:15 this morning. climbed into bed and then went into school at 7. My eyes are burning and my mind is a bit muddled on only an hour and half of sleep on the last leg of the journey. It was a great time, even if a bit slow for Texas standards. I will say that from my first experience there those deer are wired! I'll let Michael continue his story. I was sitting in a tree a couple of hundred yards away gripping the limb with my butt cheeks to keep from being blown out by the steady wind and stronger gusts. I kept picturing Michael in that comfortable ground blind tucked in all those wind breaking branches. Little did I know that was not the only benefit of that little blind.
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I think that Charlie said in greggs thread not to turn down the chance at one of those ground blinds.
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The first deer to come in was a big doe. She was sort of
calm(relatively speaking that is). I looked closely at the set up and it was sweet! A small lane in front and a lane to the right. As I waited I thought a out all those nice bucks everyone else tagged over the years. Tarzan told me before I got out I was due. Boy... He should have played the lottery that day. Gotta go to Webelos. See ya later.
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Awwww man...looks like I better brew some coffee :)
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I'd love to hear about your trip I missed it this year, but, I'll have to check back in a few days when you ladies have FINALLY said what you got to say ! :campfire:
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I was supposed to be at this hunt this year I am major league bummed about not getting to me Y'all.I was on my way to the airport and took a spill on some black ice and got busted up pretty good.Between the pain,the perks and tylananol and lack of mobility it just wasn't ment to be this year.Enough about me bring on the stories and pics. :readit: :campfire:
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Hunted hard, as Michael said there was a lot of "green" down there...
Didn't see a shooter buck while on stand, and never drew my bow on a deer...
I did see the best doe fight I've ever seen. Two groups of does came into the feeder on the second morning, they were 40 yards away from each other and had their ears back and hackles up. Then it looked like a scened from West Side Story as they circled the feeder. They finally squared up and reared up on their hind legs and pawed the heck out of each other. This went on and on several times, probably all of 20 minutes or so. I was so enthralled in the proceedings that I'd never thought to shoot one of them... then when I did finally went to shoot a cow came in and blew everything out of the area...
I saw more small bucks than I have ever seen there, 6 points or less... probably 20 - 25 overall the hunts. On the last evening hunt I did have 15 or so tom turkeys come into the area several different times. Robert had said the deer will not come into the feeder with them there. So I had to figure out how to get drawn on one of them when they all know where the stand is... I finally got drawn on a 8" Rio and took a shot. Arrow went right where I wanted it to go, but if you think the deer are fast try a keyed up turkey! He was probably 4 feet in the air when the arrow skipped off the rocks where he was standing a split second ago!
That was my trip in a nutshell hunting wise. Hard hunting this year, but didn't stop me for a second on putting my deposit in for next year!
Met a lot of new folks this year, and formed some new friendships. Of course seeing Peanut, Robert, David, John, Jim, and Gary was nice, and as always they did a bang up job as usual! Terry, Michael, and I were the only "Vets" to the trip, and of course it was nice to see both of them again.
I'll let the people who took game spin their own yarns, so stay tuned!
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Arrived at my families house about 0430 this morning. Still have another 4.5 hours until I get home and unpack my gear...that is where my camera is. So I will be back tomorrow with my story and pix.
All I can say is what I great time I had and am hoping to make the hunt next year.
It was a pleasure to share a camp with fellow Trad Ganger's. Great times and great folks!
Chris
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Sorry Webelos ran into supper.
Where was I.... Oh Yea in the Death Trap. I thought about David and Thomas.
(http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w43/silvertip70/IMG_0974-1.jpg)
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What a one-of-a-kind hunt! Solana staff labeled this as one of the slower hunts, but this being my first, it was a great experience.
Here are a few pics to share in the "Solana Experience":
A group of birds the first night -- there are many not pictured in front and in back of these
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg20/lsurtees/IMG_0058.jpg)
Outstanding TGers and Solana staff (you haven't lived until you've heard David's stories) and enjoyed all the "great" meals.
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg20/lsurtees/IMG_0101.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg20/lsurtees/IMG_0102.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg20/lsurtees/IMG_0097.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg20/lsurtees/IMG_0099.jpg)
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I thought about Curt.
(http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w43/silvertip70/IMG_0977-1.jpg)
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Here are a few pics around the Ranch:
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg20/lsurtees/IMG_0063.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg20/lsurtees/IMG_0071.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg20/lsurtees/IMG_0077.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg20/lsurtees/IMG_0079.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg20/lsurtees/IMG_0083.jpg)
(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg20/lsurtees/IMG_0087.jpg)
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Great report and photos so far! Keep 'em coming guys. >>--->
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I thought about Jeff...
(http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w43/silvertip70/IMG_0981-2.jpg)
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And I thought about all the other great Bucks I have seen come off this Ranch
.... And then I looked up and to the left and thought "OH S#$@".
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:thumbsup:
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All I saw was horns sticking out 4 inches past this deers body.... ON BOTH SIDES!!!!!!!
I instantly thought"I am going to shoot this buck if he gives me an opportunity."
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He then immediately turned and faced me. All I could see was horns and hams.
This went on for at least 3 minutes. But it seemed like an eternity.
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Finally he turned broadside. My heart was pounding so loudly I knew he would surely hear it..
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You can't stop right there!!!!!! :readit:
Looking forward to the rest!! :D
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I aimed at his heart and ended up spining him. After two follow up arrows he was done. I don't have any field pictures hopefully Terry, Gregg and Mike will post some. Here he is
(http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w43/silvertip70/IMG_4795.jpg)
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He was aged at 8 1/2 years. Inside was 20 1/4 inches. All David said was "You shot my deer" I'll put some more shots up soon.
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Michael, that is a great Texas deer! Note to self, don't pass up ground blinds at Solana.
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Congrats Michael!! Awesome buck!
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Congrats again Michael.
I was last to be picked up that night but there was nothing better to walk to the back of the truck and see him laying there.
Getting the story first hand from Michael on the way back in was a real treat as well.
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congratulations Michael ! killing an 8 1/2 year old buck is something to be proud of, does'nt matter what kind of headgear he has, that's a bonus. Great buck !
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Congradulations sir that is a grand old beast, wish I were there to see him firsthand :thumbsup:
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Congrats Michael!
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Very nice!!! :clapper:
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After I had climbed down shivering from my stand after seeing a couple of does and one buck at a distance we headed over to pick up Michael. He came to the truck with a nonchalant "You need to drive around to load something I shot" a few more hints and we knew it was buck, but weren't ready for the giant we saw. We were all excited for him. I snapped a couple of picts of Michael with the big boy. Here is the best one.
(http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/Solana_014.JPG)
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Most excellent!!!!
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Great buck...especially one that old! That's a true trophy to take an 8 1/2 year old buck, he's seen alot in his day.
Congrats and a great deer!!!!!
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Beautiful buck michael, nice job.
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A little tired from the drive back to north Georgia but had a great time at the ranch and enjoyed the company of a bunch of great guys.
I just took up trad archery from gun hunting last Feb so I am a rookie and had never shot at an animal other than one hog until this trip. I was 0-5 on my shots and I'll explain to you how each happened and what I learned. Also talking with everyone I probably had more deer come in to my stands than anyone but compared to last year one of our group had more deer come in the first afternoon last year than I saw the whole trip.
It was explained to me that these deer come in wired and you have to shoot low as they will duck and you will shoot over them. Something I later describe as the Texas two drop. The first afternoon I had a doe come in at about 15 yards broadside and I took the shot shooting right under the doe. It didn't seem to drop. The next morning I was in a ground blind. Here in a photo...
A little tired from the drive back to north Georgia but had a great time at the ranch and enjoyed the company of a bunch of great guys.
I just took up trad archery from gun hunting last Feb so I am a rookie and had never shot at an animal other than one hog until this trip. I was 0-5 on my shots and I'll explain to you how each happened and what I learned. Also talking with everyone I probably had more deer come in to my stands than anyone but compared to last year one of our group had more deer come in the first afternoon last year than I saw the whole trip.
It was explained to me that these deer come in wired and you have to shoot low as they will duck and you will shoot over them. Something I later describe as the Texas two drop. The first afternoon I had a doe come in at about 15 yards broadside and I took the shot shooting right under the doe. It didn't seem to drop. The next morning I was in a ground blind. Here is a photo...
(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g279/A007_photos/2010-01-04001.jpg)
The feeders were set to go off at 7 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. Before 7 I had a big pig come in and then step back. When the feeder went off he came back offering a broadside and I let loose. I think I misjudged the distance and later realized I was shooting slightly uphill. It was probably 22 yards and the arrow looked like a roman candle bouncing off rocks as it hit under the hog's belly. But an hour later........
The feeders were set to go off at 7 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. Before 7 I had a big pig come in and then step back. When the feeder went off he came back offering a broadside and I let loose. I think I misjudged the distance and later realized I was shooting slightly uphill. It was probably 22 yards and the arrow looked like a roman candle bouncing off rocks as it hit under the hog's belly. But an hour later........
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Yep....Micheal getting that buck was one hell of a highlight for sure. This was his 3rd year and I was really pulling for him big time, and he sure took care of business.
Wait till you see the hero pics from across the bluff. That will show you the caliber of this buck.
And Yep, it was another grand time at Solana, and I had a hard time leaving again as always. Even though this years hunting was off 75% at least due to all the rain, it sure didn't detract from the mystic of hunting there. AND, like Micheal said...we made a lot of new friends yet again.
I can't wait to go back, and got a call last night about going back again on one of their hog hunts....."A taste of Solana" we'll call it, and maybe put together a hog weekend there soon.
I did't take a lot of pics but I'll see what I've got.
Hope Gary gets back soon, I didn't get to see any field photos of his buck.
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If you look at the photo you can see a bush off to the right. Some doves took off from the feeder and I looked off to the right and saw a nice rack. I readied the bow and saw a nice 8 point strut into the clear from behind the bush. This was a 16-17 yard shot and I took aim at his belly line and the arrow flew. The deer did not drop and my arrow stuck in the mud. I had a lighted nock and thought I ought to get it but when I pulled the arrow out I saw there was a little blood on half of the arrow. Later we found a few white hairs and determined I had skimmed right under him. In hindsight this buck behaved differently than any I saw all week. He was not nervous and came strutting in as opposed to the other deer who all seemed cautious. Lesson learned.
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Great story Micheal. That was awesome. As Thomas
an 8 1/2 year old deer is a trophy that few will ever have. Congrats again.
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I was sitting in a tree stand in the afternoon when I saw a forkhorn down to my left. It came in and fed and looked off in the distance. I followed its gaze and saw a big racked buck about 80 yards out. He came in behind me where I had walked to the stand. There were several deer with him and I ended up watching him, another small 8 point and a smaller 9 point feed for 25 minutes with my heart pounding. I had several shots at the 9 point basket rack but the bigger, heavier 8 point never gave me a shot until they all ran off after a noise from a hundred yards away.
The next day some pigs came running in to my feeder right at dark when some cows came walking in at the same time. Another hunter has a nightmarish cow story but I'll let him tell it. The cows flushed the pigs right under me and I took about a 12 yard shot hearing my arrow hit a rock! The pigs grumbled off and I saw a cedar branch right where I had seen the outline of the pig I was shooting at. Must have clipped it.
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Great Buck Micheal!!! Great spread on a great trophy!
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The last morning I was in a ground blind I had previously hunted and seen some deer and hogs but no shot as the hogs were run out by cows again. A note on the ground blinds. They can be good but most are set up for compound bows so it helps if the truck drops some corn a little closer to you. I would also get out my light and clear off the ground as the deer hear any little sound if you shift your feet or need to crouch to take a shot. I swear the deer could hear the fleece on my arm rub against the fleece on my torso and they certainly could hear you draw your bow if you were'nt real quiet.
I had a number of deer come in an was prepared to shoot a litttle 8 point but he never gave me a shot. But a doe and her button buck came in and I had a broadside at 12 yards with her staring me down. She had a white scar on her spine midway down her back and that should have clued me in. I hadn't really experienced the Texas two drop but I was about to get schooled. I shot with a lighted nock, watched the arrow head strait for her vitals like a lazer. I watch the nock..brown, brown, brown, ...green!!
She dropped her front feet canting her body 45 degrees or more away from me dropping a foot or more as she began a turn to pivot away from the sound of the shot as my arrow flew harmlessly just over her body. So that's what they were talking about!
But another doe and button head came in and fed finally coming a few steps from where the truck had dumped the corn and where I had just missed the doe. As I prepared to shoot the doe, this time aiming right under her she stopped, pricked her ears and ran off as the truck came in to pick me up.
So that's how I went 0-5 and didn't feel like I took a bad shot at any except for misjudging the first pig in the half light. I learned a lot, seeing more game than I have back home in several years. I can't imagine what it would be like in a normal year where the browse has gone and the deer flock to the feeders. I'll be back.
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The deer are certainly tuned in to any sound. the jump at doves, or cardinals. I drew on tree different does my last stand. The first two bolted as I started to draw. The only sound I could pick up was my wool sweater rubbing under my cotton camo jacket. Teh third bolted when my string starrted to pull away from my recurve limb and the wax on the string made small crackle.
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Those deer are tuned up and they are unbelievably fast. Good stories sharptop.
Terry I sent you an email.
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My email is screwed at the moment...can't even log in....Rob is on the case.
Thanks Randy....I'll be in touch...
Anyone wanting in on next year needs to email me.......Deposits will need to be in by March 1st.
The Ranch had the same 'greenery' problem on all the hunts, they were all down not just ours....so, next year should be really good as very few bucks were killed this year.
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Just found out I lost ALL my emails while I was gone....ALL OF THEM.
So, if you emailed me about this hunt I didn't get it unless you are Carlton or Randy. I got you two's email.
Thanks,
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It sure was nice to be in a hunting camp with 14 traditional bowhunters. Usually I am the only trad hunter in my deer camps with the rest being compound hunters. The best part of the Solana hunt though was that all the guys in camp were really great folks. We had people from Washington State to Florida and from Southern California to Maine and lots of places in between and every one of them was a terrific person and a good bowhunter. The camaraderie of the TradGangers was the real reason I went to Solana, and I definitely was not disappointed. I was also very happy with the accomodations, food and staff at Solana. Everything combined to make this one of the nicest hunts I have ever been on.
Preparing for this hunt I got in a lot of new equipment that I had barely been about to take out of the shipping boxes and pack in my duffel bags for the trip, much less actually use. Generally, that is a recipe for disaster, and I was a fool for failing to take items that I had field tested before going on a major hunt like this. For instance, I received my latest takedown Shrew Classic Hunter the day before I left and didn't even have a chance to put it together before I had to pack it to leave on the hunt. I do have a very similar Classic Hunter that I just received about 2 months ago that also had a Bow Bolt, foam/carbon limbs, beautiful Macasser ebony limb veneers, buffalo limb tips, and a Texas Ebony and phenolic riser. With that Macasser bow I had shot a doe though the middle of her heart on the day before Thanksgiving on my first shot with the bow at an animal. So I pretty well knew what to expect of the bow. I also have about 8 other Shrews and am very familiar with them. In addition, I had just bought a bunch of Sitka Gear clothing, most of which I had not even tried on before the hunt. More on my "field test" of the Sitka Gear in a later post.
The Classic Hunter I took to Solana also has a Bow Bolt and is the latest iteration by Gregg Coffey based on Ron LaClair's wonderful Shrew design. The Classic Hunter is 56" 53#@29" with foam/carbon/uni-weft/veneered (highly figured Bubinga) limbs with Kudu tips and Macasser ebony and phenolic riser. It is the second best looking bow I own (after my Blacktail Snakebit) and shoots at least as well as any bow I have ever shot. I put the bow together for the first time when I got to the ranch and was delighted with the way it shot. Everyone else in the Gang who shot it really liked it too. This is the first bow that Gregg has put uni-weft into, and it worked very well. The suggestion for the uni-weft came from Bob Morrison -- someone we all know as a fantastic bowyer and all around great guy. Thanks Bob. The new limbs on this latest Shrew feel a lot like my Morrisons, as they should. We are all lucky to have bowyers like Bob Morrison and Gregg Coffey out there who work together to bring us the best in bows. I didn't want to bring a second bow (although it probably would have been the smart thing to do) because of the weight and bulk associated with hauling all my equipment on a commercial airliner and then stuffing it into the car I was sharing with a couple of other guys, but if I had brought a second bow it would have been my sweet little Morrison Mini-14 ILF with "C" foam/carbon/uni-weft longbow limbs that is also a dream to shoot. While I definitely was not the best shot in camp, my little Classic Hunter held its own. At one point I used the bow to "win" an informal shooting contest among about five or six of us to see who could get the first hit on a half a Mountain Dew 20 ounce plastic bottle at 46 yards. So the bow can shoot.
I only got to shoot a couple of dozen arrows from the bow before it was time to get ready and go hunting the first evening at the ranch. Our guide John took us all to the pasture we would be hunting and let us off at our stands over feeders. I took the highest stand that was almost 30 feet above the ground. The feeder went off at 4:30 pm and soon some does and their youngsters moved in. These were the most skittish deer I have ever seen. Any tiny noise or movement seemed to spook them, and they spend a large percentage of their time looking up into the nearby trees, including the one I was sitting in. The deer would spook at almost nothing and run away, then some would wander back in. There was one small buck that came in, but he was too little to interest me in trying to shoot. One time when all I was doing was wrapping my fingers around the string, all the deer jumped and ran away. I couldn't believe that such a minor movement could cause such a flurry of activity. I got to the point were I would not move a muscle unless all of the deer were looking the other way, which didn't happen very often. I finally had to wait until all the deer except two does had left the area. When both of them were looking down, I slowly and quietly drew my bow and aimed for the bottom of the chest of the larger doe just behind her front leg as she was slightly quartering away from me at 20+ yards from the base of my stand. At my release the doe squatted and began jumping forward. My arrow quickly flew towards her moving body and struck her about midway back about half way down from her back. I immediately saw a grapefruit sized blood spot appear where my arrow had entered as the doe ran off. The run was stop and go and she was unstable on her feet the entire time. In about 75 yards the doe stopped and started teetering back and forth. I knew she was about to fall down dead, and she did so there in plain sight of my stand. That was my first shot at an animal on the first day I had ever shot my new Shrew, so naturally I was very please with the bow and with the arrows that I had also just received from Paul Mattson at Badger Arrows. They are the AD Hammerhead Trad Lites with Steelforce four blade broadheads. The arrow passed completely through the doe and was laying on the ground on the other side of her covered with blood. I did hit her partly in the guts, but that did not seem to affect the speed with which she died from the wound. I had been instructed to wait in the treestand until John showed up after dark, so that is what I did. We loaded the deer and headed back to camp. I forgot to take a camera and no one else took a picture of my deer as far as I know, but I guess everyone knows what a dead doe looks like. I think my doe was the first kill of the hunt.
More later.
Allan
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Terry,
Sent an email for me and my dad.
Chris
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Gptta sk a foolish question - how to sign up for the next go round?
Love hearing the stories - feel it is time to get off my butt and join in!
J
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Great stories by all .... very nice buck Michael
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Sounds like ya'll had another great hunt.
Great buck Michael.
Eveyone talks down hunting feeders, but if you do manage to kill a deer in Texas near a feeder it's something to brag about.
It ain't like shootin fish in a barrel like lots of folks think.
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Congrats to all, nice harvests! :clapper:
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Thanks everyone. I appreciate it.
Here is a pic from the bluff.
(http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w43/silvertip70/IMG_4811.jpg)
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If you look you can see the split in his right ear.
(http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w43/silvertip70/IMG_4819.jpg)
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That is a dandy buck. Just how wide is he? Wide enough to shoot for sure. Congratulations on your success. :thumbsup:
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20 and a quarter inches!!!!
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Congrats Allan!! Great story, thanks for sharing. Looking forward to more good reading about Solana!
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Looks like everyone had a great time.Congrats on a nice buck.Thanks to everyone for the stories.
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I was at Solana in Nov 09 and it is an outstanding place, I saw more deer, pigs and turkey than you can imagine. Killed a nice pig but me and the deer did not agree,LOL. The two I shot at did not duck and I aimed low so of course the arrow went below them,LOL. Come heck or high water I will be at the 2011 TG Solana hunt. Keep the stories and pics coming.
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I ended up passing on two 8 pointers from 'The Killin Tree'...I'll try and post some pics from that stand in the morn....
That stand produced a 10 last year for me, and an 8 pointer on my Bday 3 years ago. Its a special stand for me for sure.
I also passed on a couple of 8s from 'The Grand Stand' that produced a 10 for me a couple of years ago and Guru's funky buck last year.
Its fun revisiting those stands full of memories.
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Thanks Kevin. I got the message while I was there at the ranch that you said "hello".
On with the stories. Two mornings after I shot my doe John dropped me off at a new tree stand. I always volunteered for the highest stand because most of the guys in John's truck (Larry Surtees, Boyd Stayley, Wayne LaBauve and Tommy Bell) aren't too fond of heights. At about 23 feet high, this tree stand was a little lower than the one where I was sitting when I shot the doe. I was taking my usual little cat nap when the feeder went off at 7 am. Even when you are awake and alert, the sound of the feeder going off is always startling. I went back to sleep and then awoke to a crunching noise. As I became aware of my surroundings I realized that the noise was a deer eating corn at the feeder. It turned out to be a young buck, although in the dim early light it initially looked like a doe. After awhile it wandered off. Later I noticed several does coming in to feed. Since we had two does we could shoot, I decided to take one if I could. The does came in, but like all the other deer, they were extremely skittish. Everything seemed to spook them. After awhile, a nice sized 8 point buck and the little buck I had seen earlier walked in and the does decided to leave. Although the 8 point was one that I would always pass on at home in Oklahoma, I had seen that it was a nice deer for the Austin area, so I decided I would shoot it if given a chance. After failing to present a shot, the bucks left that area and I settled down to wait for John to return in the truck to pick me up. To my surprise, I heard corn crunching again and slowly looked over to see that the two bucks had returned. After a long wait, the smaller buck turned to face directly away from me and the larger buck was quartering away 26 yards from the base of my tree and about 28 yards slant distance from where I sat. The bigger buck was just a couple of yards directly on the other side of the feeder, so my shot was between the feeder legs. I aimed low on the buck's body and near the last rib so the arrow would hopefully enter his right side, range up through the buck's body taking out both lungs and exiting his chest just inside his left front leg. The shot was perfect, but as I watched the arrow fly, the buck squatted, pushed off with his left front hoof, and turned directly broadside with his right side facing toward me. The arrow made a beeline straight for the center of his right rear ham and made a tearing noise as it penetrated half its length into the flesh. The deer stiffened at the impact and then slowly hobbled away behind the cedars. Unlike my doe where I immediately saw a saucer sized blood stain around the entry hole, I saw absolutely no blood coming from the buck's wound.
I text messaged Terry the details of my shot and both of us decided I needed to quietly slip out of my stand before the truck got there and leave the buck unpressured so he would hopefully lie down and bleed out or stiffen up. We would then go back for lunch and return with the dogs. I followed that plan, and upon being picked up by John found out that Larry Surtees had put an arrow in a doe a short distance away from me. Larry has a great story that I will let him tell; however, I will say that the story of Larry's hunt was written on the ground where it all took place.
After lunch a number of us went back to look for the doe and the buck that Larry and I had shot. I won't tell you what happened with Larry's doe, but I can say that with my buck we found no sign of any blood and certainly did not see the deer. Robert's dog, Robert, Terry Green, Jeff Berberick, Larry and I did a lot of walking and looking, and some of the other guides helped out too, but it seems my broadhead did not cut any vital tissue. The buck probably pulled out the arrow and went off to heal from the clean cut of a sharp broadhead. I was hoping to recover my arrow with it still attached to that deer. :rolleyes: Although the arrow did not hit where I had hoped, with the way the deer at Solana move upon hearing the string release, I was probably doing well to have even hit the animal. I did find the spot in the mud where the buck had pushed off sideways with his left front hoof and left a mark like someone scraping a flat edge 4 inches across the ground. It sure made it easy to see exactly where the deer was standing when I shot. My hits on flesh were now two for two with the new Classic Hunter, but I was disappointed that my kill ratio was only 50%.
Now a little about the new Sitka Gear clothing I was using. I had brought along the 90% jacket, the Celcius bib, the Celcius vest, the Celcius jacket, the Traverse beanie, and the Kelvin jacket. Some of the other guys like Carlton Carter and Michael Langahans also wore some of their Sitka Gear, although I seemed to have the most items of anyone. I also wore light merino wool long underwear and heavy Polar Dry long underwear along with wool socks, gloves, a hand muff and additional headgear. The Sitka Gear is great stuff, but as many people have observed, most of it is not designed to sit motionless in a tree stand in freezing temperatures and keep you warm. The exception was when I added the Kelvin jacket to the Celcius bibs, vest and jacket. The insulating properties of the Kelvin jacket helped create the warm, cozy (and still non-bulky) protective cocoon around me that I was hoping for. The Sitka Gear is extremely well made and well worth what I paid for it, especially since I got it on closeout sales at almost half off the normal retail price. I have not yet received the Sitka Gear underwear I ordered, but I was very happy with the merino wool and Polar Dry underwear I got from Cabela's. I doubt that I will see appreciable improvement in performance from the Sitka Gear underwear compared to what I used at the hunt; however, the Cabela's underwear cost me about the same as what I am paying for the Sitka Gear underwear, and both were on sale. I also wore a pair of Cabela's Mountain Hunter boots that were fairly new and I had never used before on a hunt. Even though they were the uninsulated ones, they were fairly warm with the merino wool socks and were super comfortable. In fact the boots were the only shoes I wore the entire trip other than using some Crocs around the cabin as house shoes. I am not sponsored by Sitka Gear like Guru and J.C. are, but having used the clothing every day on this hunt, I can say that everything that Guru and J.C. have written about Sitka Gear is 100% accurate, which should not come as a surprise to those who know these fellow TradGangers.
More hunting stories and gear reviews later.
Allan
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Great stories so far, with great times remembered, and with great folks from the "Solana Experience".
I posted several pics earlier in this thread that showed the beauty of the Solana Ranch. I, too, saw a lot of animals. Most were out of my range for shots. But the large flocks of turkeys, the sounders of pigs, and the deer made for an interesting time. On my second morning hunt, I believe I was in one of the most beautiful (scenery wise) stands on the ranch -- even Terry remarked about this stand location as he had not seen it in all of his visits to the ranch. It overlooked a big pond (tank) and the Texas Hill Country theme was in abundance all around. But on that morning, and as soon as I was able to make out the Countryside, 4 does came in. Since I did not have a deer trad kill and I wanted to take a deer, I picked out the biggest doe and waited for a good shot opportunity. She finally gave me a clear broadside shot at about 20 yards. I was told that nine out of 10 deer will duck when that arrow is released, so I figured my odds were better with aiming a little lower. But I got that 1 out of 10 that didn't duck. My arrow hit low in back of the front shoulder. The doe reard up on its hind legs and fell back into a large cactus. The arrow broke off at the fletchings when she rolled over. But she got back up and disappeared into the nearby cedars. The blood trail quickly came to an end, and unfortunately no recovery was made. The afternoon hunt on the 3rd day was the most exciting for me as I had 2 bucks come in -- one was a 5 point and the other a nice 8 point that spent over 15 minutes crunching corn when a real nice 9 point caught the corner of my eye over to my right side. I was holding out for the 9 point not only because he was the largest of the 3, but he displayed a beautiful, deep chocolate-colored set of antlers. This magestic animal kept his distance and was bone still for over 3 - 3 minute intervals just staring off opposite of where I was tucked away in a stand 18 feet off the ground. I thought to myself that the 8 point was looking better and better because the 9 point didn't appear he was going to come in range for a shot. But it didn't matter because there was a faint grunting sound coming from my right side. The grunting got louder and louder and a sounder of pigs appeared and were moving about like ants. The deer quickly left the area. There was one big boar in the sounder, but he never came within shooting range. So as darkness slowly fell, I turned on a rigged-up headlamp on my bow and took a shot at the closest pig who was about 20 yards. The arrow soared right over the back and sparks flew as my broadhead hit the rocks. My last morning, I had another large flock of birds come in, but again the shot distance was too far.
My congratulations to Michael on his very nice buck, as well as to Gary who I'll let tell about his kill.
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Here are some pix of the group hanging out waiting for the brief and first hunt to begin.
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000422.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000423.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000424.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000425.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000426.jpg)
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Couple shots of the moon set and sun rise.
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000479.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000499.jpg)
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Some of the guides tracking dogs.
Here is a young male Blue Lacy (Texas Cow Dog)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000429.jpg)
Couple pix of Stubby John's tracking partner and constant companion.
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000432.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000433.jpg)
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Great Pics Chris, keep them coming!
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Group Photo
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000511.jpg)
Upper row left to right: Stabow (Boyd Staley), Gary Sorenson, Sharptop (Carlton Carter), Buffalo-Hunter (Roland Fraterrigo), sunny hill archer (Michael Langahans), T-Bell (Tommy Bell), Larry Surtees, Chris Surtees
Lower row left to right: Wile E. Coyote (Wayne LaBauve), armar911 (Allan Devore), Bowhunter4life (Jeff Berberick), maineac (Michael Stenstrom), Greg Dudley, Terry Green
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Views from the famed Killin Tree.....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/killintree1.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/killintree2.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/killintree3.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/killintree4.jpg)
Memories of the past from The Killin Tree....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/bdaybuck.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/solanabuc091.jpg)
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I think that is the tree that I took my deer from on the last morning last year Terry. I am almost sure of it. I will look at some pictures when i get home tonight.
The third picture, that large rock in the middle of the road is where he was standing. That is crazy.
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:thumbsup: :clapper:
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Nope Randy, you were hunting in the west headquarters. I hunted that tree on the day the wind switched to out of the north with a vengence! Rodeo ride for sure...
I think Michael hunted the Killin Tree the last morning last year.
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Your right Jeff. After looking at some pictures and talking with Terry it was not. However they look a lot alike in how they are set up.
I think every tree at solana could be a killing tree.
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Here are a couple more shots taken from some of the stands I was in.
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000464.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000466.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000468.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000481.jpg)
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Shots from another stand.
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000491.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000492.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000493.jpg)
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A couple more.
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000501.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000509.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000503.jpg)
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000505.jpg)
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I recognize some of those stands !
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michael, big congrats on such a fine super buck! :wavey:
chris, i was in that very stand a few years back, the feeder crawling with WIRED deer, and a doe that jumped OVER an arrow that should have been a double lung pass thru. dang texas deer! :D
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b175/CLSurt/P1000509.jpg)
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Rob,
I fully understand what you are talking about. I had 3 small bucks at 15 yards for over 20 minutes. I thought they were relaxed when the next thing I know they are headed into the brush at a high rate of speed. Never did figure out what spooked them. I also never seen tree rats run deer off a feeder until I came here.
Hoping to make it back for next years hunt just have to wait for the vets to commit first to see what is left over.
Even though it was a slower year than usual I had a blast.
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Yep...that last pic....I've got film of a big boar hog clearing that 'J' shaped limb and actually backing up and ducking at the shot.
Single boars can duck ya as well. I also got reminded of that again this year. :knothead:
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Hit the nail on the head with the singles Terry. That little hog that came in the last morning was about as spooky as any deer I had seen on the ranch.
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Congrats on a beautiful buck Michael! An eight and half year old deer in Texas brush is as wiley as they come! Them rascals are psychic!
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A cpuple more from the bluff.
(http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w43/silvertip70/IMG_4816.jpg)
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(http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w43/silvertip70/IMG_4833.jpg)
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Ferret, You better show up.If Robert didnt have bowhunter4life with him he would have stepped on his lip. I had couple of vetrans with me and a few other shooters just could not get quality game in the right spot. We did get 2 deer killed over 7 1/2 years old. And hogs. SHEP
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Me thinks Shep needs an AVETAR!!!
Be right back....
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BTW...where is Gary????? I want to hear the story. When was he due back in Calie?
Also, I'd like to see some field pics of him and his buck....can someone email me a couple?
Thanks.
[email protected]
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Great pics and stories guys. Looks like yuawwl had a great time.
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Gary's buck was on the back of the truck by the time I was picked up that morning. He did him good, and he fell in sight...
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Is this a fenced in hunt? I was looking at the pic on the TradGang home page and it looks like a fence.
From their web site the place looks huge!! I bet it's a fun place to go to. :thumbsup:
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No...its not a 'fenced' hunt. Its a 10,000 acre cattle ranch. That's a barbed wire cattle fence in the back ground.
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10,000 acres, man that is a ton of room to stretch!!!! :bigsmyl:
Price for hogs doesn't look too bad either. I really want to get a truly wild one someday.
Supposedly Michigan has wild hogs but I don't know of anyone who has actually seen them. The only way we can hunt them here is on a fenced ranch. Grocery shopping with a broadhead...
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:thumbsup:
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A few more views of Micheal's Dandy buck....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/solanamichael1.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/solanamichael2.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/solanamichael3.jpg)
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Originally posted by ole shep:
Ferret, You better show up.If Robert didnt have bowhunter4life with him he would have stepped on his lip. I had couple of vetrans with me and a few other shooters just could not get quality game in the right spot. We did get 2 deer killed over 7 1/2 years old. And hogs. SHEP
David I forgot that doe I shot was 7 1/2 years old too. Two deer 16 years total age. That's old. Almost as old as you...In deer years.
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Shep I will be back soon. I am bummed I missed this year but I will be there soon. I am really thinking that I may come down there and go hog hunting next month.
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One of you guys needs to e-mail me next year when you come down. I live about 25 miles from the ranch and would love to come up and meet all of y'all.
Congrats to those who were successful this year.
Bisch
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Hello all-
My wife and I spent a couple of days moutain biking in Texas following the hunt before starting the drive back to California. I just got in last night.
I had an incredible time on the hunt and very much enjoyed getting to know some of my Tradgang brothers which was one of the major draws for me in going. Being fairly new to all this, I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to take a nice 8 point buck. I will post some pictures and tell the story a bit later today.
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I have been bowhunting with traditional equipment for about four years now with no prior hunting experience of any kind. The buck taken on this hunt is my forth animal (others were a hog, a javelina, and a small 2x2 California mule deer). This was my first opportunity to hunt from a tree stand as all my other hunting has been from the ground.
It was New Years morning around 7am that I was in my stand and saw several deer starting to move in. There ended up being four bucks, two of them being 8 pointers and the others smaller. I focussed in on the deer with the largest rack and waited for an opportunity. The deer were very jumpy and and with four sets of eyes and ears it took a while for all conditions to be right. Then there it was, all four where busy eating and the deer I wanted was broadside to me at about 18 yards. All I needed was for him to step forward with his front leg and expose his vitals. As soon as he did I drew and shot. I aimed a little low and back as had been recommended by Terry and those with experience here. It turned out to be a very good hit and I watched as the deer dashed off about 60 yards and crumpled within sight. My heart was pounding with excitement as it was obvious he was down for the count.
I was shooting an A&H ACS 60# @ 31.5" with a full length Traditional Only 400 shaft with a 100 grain brass insert and 150 grain 4-blade Magnus Stinger broadhead.
I forgot my camera that moring but fortunatly Carlton had his camera and gracously emailed me the following pictures.
(http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/ss296/GarySorensen/2010-01-04006.jpg)
IMG]http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/ss296/GarySorensen/2010-01-04010.jpg[/IMG]
(http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/ss296/GarySorensen/2010-01-04013.jpg)
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Here are a couple more.
(http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/ss296/GarySorensen/2010-01-04010.jpg)
(http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/ss296/GarySorensen/2010-01-04014.jpg)
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Nice buck, Gary, Congrats!!!!
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Thanks Bob. I was real sorry you were not able to make it this year. I hope to perhaps meet and hunt with you some time in the future.
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Hey Micheal What bow are you shooting?
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Gary that is a dandy texas deer. A great story as well. You called the texas duck and made it work. Congratulations on your fourth kill with traditional.
That looks like roberts Taz in the kennel on the truck there.
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Gary forgot to mention that his arrow went right through the lower heart, hit the off leg and broke it and exited the other side breaking off about 8 inches from the broadhead. So a double passthrough.
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Gary's buck was a beauty. The broken tine adds some great character. I haven't had much to add as I did not end up with any game in the cooler. I thought I would add some picts, though Chris and his dad have done a great job of giving a taste of the sights on the ranch (I really liked Larry's picts of the river crossing).
I did have two deer I considered in front of me, one the first morning who was about sixteen inches wide with nice honey colored antlers. He was only a 7 pointer and I was looking for an 8, so being the first morning I passed. Here is pict of the young buck that arrived a few minutes ahead of the 7.
(http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/Solana_012.JPG)
As you can see there was a lot of lush green in the sheltered areas
(http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/Solana_022.JPG)
But still a lot classic brown and prickly pear views from the stands I had imagined in my vision of Texas before I got there.
(http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/Solana_027.JPG)
Shep and the other guides had some great bow stands. I spent a lot of time in live oak trees with lots of branches and leaves to hide the hunter, with some shooting lanes. I had another nice 8 come in on the night of New Years day. He was only about 15" but good mass and tall tines. When he came into the shooting lane I started to draw when he was broadside and his near side leg was back. Just as I reached full draw he turned into me giving me only a shot into the near side shoulder. I let down and he spun and was out of the lane before I could react. Even slow in Texas is hopping by Maine standards. I saw more deer in the four days than I will probably see in the next four years. It was great to be in camp with the others and some day I hope to get back.
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Congrats again Gary.
Nice pix Michael. Still remember you telling the story of the nice 7 and that little guy in the picture.
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Good stuff fellas...sure miss Solana!
Sure did miss Ol Shep as well, I always loved the rides and talks around camp with David...
Congrats to all...but there sure seems to be a shortage of pictures this year....
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Michael Stenstrom was the last person to sign up for the hunt after some last minute cancellations by others. He and I had arranged to share a hotel room in Austin the night before the hunt, and he arrived there just before midnight because his plane had been delayed in New Jersey. After he woke me up with a telephone call to get me to let him into the room, we stayed up a long time talking. Michael is a good guy, a good hunter, a good shot and even makes very nice knives and turkey box calls. I am sure glad he came along. He was a great addition to a wonderful group of TradGangers.
One day during the middle of the trip John took the hunters in his group to the pasture that was more remote and quite a bit rougher than the other pastures we hunted. I was the last guy to be dropped off at my stand. I liked that spot except that the ladder stand was not secured tightly and would move around and make noise when I shifted my weight to get in a different position. After the feeder went off some deer started arriving. Finally, there were six does wandering around under my stand. Since I had only killed one doe and could shoot another, I decided to take a shot at the largest of the does around the feeder. When that doe was quartering away from me feeding and all the others seemed to be feeding and looking other directions, I started to draw. Immediately the deer jumped and scattered like a bunch of marines who had just had a grenade tossed in their foxhole. The reaction was immediate, and it seemed that the deer I was about to shoot was the one who initiated the panic. I think she saw me drawing in her peripheral vision even though she was bent over eating and facing mostly away from me. I have heard that with their eyes placed largely at the sides of their heads deer can see in a 310 degree arc, just 50 degrees shy of full vision all around their bodies. Perhaps the deer heard some noise I made too, but I have never seen such nervous deer. Those Solana deer are wired with 220 volts, not the usual 110 volts. Needless to say, I never got an arrow off.
Here is another equipment review. As I mentioned earlier, I had Paul Mattson at Badger Arrows build me a couple of dozen arrows for the hunt. Like my new Shrew and my new Sitka Gear clothing, some of my equipment was new and arrived just in time to pack for the hunt. I had never used the new arrows until I arrived at the Solana Ranch. The arrows I got were the wood grained AD Trad Lites and the wood grained AD Hammerhead Trad Lites -- a dozen of each. Each of them was cut to 31" and had 100 grain brass inserts, unibushings, g-nocks, fletching wraps, and 4 x 4" 90 degree left wing feathers. I was using 150 grain points/broadheads. I have found the AD shafts to be very tolerant of differences in draw weight and point mass. The Trad Lite arrows I have shot do well using bows from 45 pounds to 60 pounds or a bit more with 30" to 31" arrows and total insert/point weights of 150 to 400 grains. Obviously, at the extremes of these combinations, arrow flight can become a little ragged, but I am always amazed at how broad the flight envelope really is with the tapered AD shafts. They may not be the best target arrows available, but they sure are good for hunting where you may want to change your setup around to meet the conditions. On this hunt I chose 150 grain points and mainly shot with the Hammerhead Trad Lites. I had never used the HH Lites; however, I have shot the HH "heavies" quite a lot out of my heavier bows, so I had a very good idea how the Lites would shoot. Ted Fry designed the Hammerheads to be very tough, weight forward shafts, and they are both of those things. I have never damaged a Hammerhead by shooting it. I do like the unibushings and g-nocks because they are super tough like the rest of the arrow and the nocks won't come out unless you want them to, but they are easy to remove and replace when you need to. I will go into that more when I talk about the 3 Rivers takedown case I used on this trip. The arrows looked great with the wraps and bright yellow (Trad Lites) or florescent pink (HH Lites) feathers. I used the different colors of feathers so I could tell at a glance which shaft I was using. My new Shrew is 54# at my 29.5" draw, and the arrows were flying very well. When I shot my doe I got a complete pass through and found my blood-soaked arrow lying on the ground on the far side of the deer. Penetration on the buck was good for where I hit him at 28 yards slant distance, but it was going to take a lot higher poundage in bow weight and a lot more mass in arrow weight to get a complete pass through when the deer was hit full broadside in the heaviest, thickest part of the rear ham. The arrows definitely met every expectation I could have had for them. As it turned out, I did not use the Trad Lites on this hunt, but I have used the same shafts extensively in the past and believe they are among the best hunting shafts available. I am now convinced after trying the Hammerhead Lites for the first time that they are even better than the Trad Lites for most purposes. On my Hammerhead "heavies" I had Paul Mattson install aluminum collars behind the brass inserts. That makes the arrows even tougher and more resistant to damage, but it also makes them harder to pull out of targets. I thought the Trad Lites and HH Lites I got for this trip would do fine without the collars, and that was correct. I do have some collars that I could install by pulling the inserts and reinstalling them with the collars behind them, but I probably won't. Because the HH Lites do not cost much more than the Trad Lites, I will favor buying the HH Lites in the future.
I only have one significant problem with the arrows I have received from Paul. They are beautiful and well constructed in every way except for the somewhat annoying problem of some of the inserts coming loose. I had that happen on some of the HH Trad Heavies I bought to take to Africa with me and ended up pulling all the points and re-gluing them using 24 hour marine epoxy. With the current batch of arrows I had a couple of brass inserts and one unibushing come out. I was able to re-glue the unibushing and one of the inserts, but the other insert and a screwed in field tip pulled out when I was pulling the arrow from the target we were all shooting at in camp. That did not make me happy, but I was then even less happy when Gary Sorenson shot one of his arrows into the target and hit my insert/point. To my embarrassment, the insert/point of his arrow was driven backwards into the shaft, splitting it like an old musket that gets fired with mud plugging up the end of the barrel. Chris Surtees was kind enough to provide me with a new brass insert and the glue to put it and another insert back into my shafts permanently. I don't know if it is the glue Paul has been using, or the amount of the glue, or contamination in the shaft, or some other cause, but the bonding of the inserts in the shafts is the only improvement I could suggest to Paul that would make the arrows he has built for me just about perfect. Once the inserts that were loose were re-glued, the arrows looked great and performed flawlessly. I just wish that buck had not run off with my new arrow in his rear!
I still have some more hunting stories and some stories about how stupid I was to take along a whole bunch of new equipment without having tested it before on other outings. I got lucky this time, but things could have gone bad if my untested equipment had not performed as expected. One thing I wish I had brought is a much brighter headlamp. The headlamp I brought was not bright enough to illuminate hogs sufficiently to shoot them after dark. I should have bought one at Cabela's when I went there before the hunt with Terry Green and Gregg Dudley. Oh well, next year I will know.
Allan
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Allen-
That new Shrew of yours is not only gorgeous but a very impressive shooter. Thanks for letting me try it out. I was amazed that a 56" bow could have such a smooth draw out to my longish 31.5 inches. Sometime I would like to add a shorter bow to my 66" ACS and 66" Blacktail recurve. Although its not in the budget just yet, you have me thinking about a Shrew Classic Hunter.
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Gary,
You sure shot my Shrew well, but then you shot your bows well too. I am always amazed that the little Shrews work so well with long draw archers and can offer a good alternative to bows that are almost a foot longer. It was great getting to hang out with you between hunts and back at the bunk house. We had a great bunch of guys there. I'm glad that you and your wife enjoyed the trip to Texas. I hope to see you back next year at Solana.
Allan
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Yes Curt...not as many pics as usual by far...but like stated earlier....too much rain. It not only effected our hunt...but the other 3 hunts as well.....Oct, Nov, and Dec. There were only around a dozen bucks killed the WHOLE season. It was like spring time the whole season and finally got cold for the 1st time half way through our hunt.
That means that next year there will be more and bigger bucks on the ranch....and I'm betting the weather will be better making the hunt more like the 6 I've been to before.
Lord willing....I'll be there!!! :pray:
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Looks like a good time by all. Hunting sometime gets tough, even in Texas. Glad you guys had a safe trip and a good time. :thumbsup:
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Way to go Gary! Now you are hooked for sure.
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I missed Gary's post....Congrats again!!!!
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Waiting on Dudley to get home....He's got a pic or two to share for sure!
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Yep, Terry, got a few.
Congratulations again on the fine bucks to Michael and Gary!
Now that I have finished with the 7th age hunt I will see what I can do about adding a few posts here.
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OK, I will skip the detailed background since almost everyone knows what Solana is all about. I drove out and had a good time doing it. I know it is weird, but I was really looking forward to the time alone ahead of the hunt. I put 882 miles on the truck getting from Edison, Ga to Austin, Texas in the first day and then I had time to relax and explore the city a bit before everyone else showed up. I bunked with Terry at the hotel and at the ranch.
Like he says, after 4 or 5 years of reading someone's posts on tradgang you feel like you know them. It was great to meet all of the fine tradgangers in camp. There was not anyone that I would not like to hunt with again.
Michael, Terry, Chris, Mike and I shared the same guide, David. David was what I expected and more. He is hilarious and knowledgeable which as far as I am concerned is top shelf.
The first night on stand I saw 8 deer, 15-20 hogs, and 15 turkeys. A few hogs and deer came in, but the wind was wrong and the game was spooky. Chris Surtees shot a hog though and Terry, David and I had a fun blood trail to follow:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/PC302016.jpg)
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Day 2 was agood one.
The morning hunt for me was pretty fun. I had a great stand to sit, but the only game that I saw was in the neighboring pasture and food plot. I ended up seeing 7 antlerless deer and 2 rack bucks. One of the bucks was a shore nuff monster. Two of the does did try to come in, but they came up the same trail that I did and turned themselves inside out when they caught my scent stream.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/PC302023.jpg)
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I'm glad you finally checked in Gregg. I'm sure you and your son had a great hunt in west Texas after Solana. It was a real pleasure spending time with you before, during and after the hunt.
Allan
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Camp was always fun. The facilities are nice and company was great.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/PC302011.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/PC302017.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/PC312029.jpg)
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My stand the second afternoon was great. I have never seen a ladder stand that started out on a limb 12 feet off of the ground, but then again I have been limited to what I have read in owner's manuals. Who knew climbing one ladder stand to get to another could be so much fun?
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/PC312046.jpg)
A view of the feeder from ground level:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/PC312051.jpg)
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Glad you made it back safe from the extended trip. Hope you and your son had a great time. Looking forward the rest of your stories and pics.
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I had a lot of action on the second evening. Three does came in and I shot one of them. The deer exploded at the shot and I saw the arrow sticking out of the deer as it ran away. It was hanging by the fletching and was the right spot up and down, but I did not get a good feel for where it was front to back.
I also saw a large spotted hog and 4 or 5 30 pounders. I got a great quartering shot on the large hog.
David picked me up first and we decided to pick everyone else up and come back to look for my game.
As you read before, Michael had killed a nice buck.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/PC312044.jpg)
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After collecting Michael's great buck we tracked my doe and hog. We quickly found the arrow from my doe and it was covered with blood. The blood trail, however, was spotty. We looked for a little while and quit the trail for the night after jumping a deer in the vicinity. We followed the blood trail on the hog for a short way before losing it in near a thicker area. We decided to give both trails the evening. It was cold so I wasn't worried about the meat, but if you have ever left a trail for the night imagine what it is like to leave two.
The next morning we hunted the same stands as the previous evening and then took up my blood trails. Michael, Chris, Terry and Mike are diligent trackers and dedicated to the recovery of game animals. I appreciate their efforts on my behalf. We did not recover the doe. In retrospect, I think it was hit in the liver and we should have backed out right away, but the shot looked good and I kept expecting the blood trail to improve after the arrow came out. We probably jumped the deer the night before and it did not bleed after it left its bed. I think I should have just waited until morning to track it after the blood trail looked spotty. If we had I am pretty sure it never would have left the first bed and we would have recovered it.
Nothing goes to waste in West Texas though. This is NOT my deer, but it is a picture of coyote feeding action on the Solana ranch.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/P1012062.jpg)
The hog, however, was found right away. It had run into a brush pile and died. We had walked all around it the night before.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/P1012058.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/P1012063.jpg)
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My mom used to have an Ford Excursion and she wouldn't let us eat McDonald's in it. David let us spit dip and track mud and cow manure in his. He also drove it over bumps, rocks, and streams that would have cost an "E" ticket in Disney's early years.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/P1012064.jpg)
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The third evening I only saw one doe. I don't know what everyone else saw, but the Sunny Hill Killer shot a doe that was waiting for pick up when we pulled up.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/P1012077.jpg)
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Mike and Allan, Thanks!
The thread about my hunt with Reed is midway down page one now.
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Day 4 AM
DUDE! Whast a morning! I saw 17 deer from the stand. Fifteen of them came in to the feeder. Three were bucks. One was a five point, one was an 8 point (shooter in Gregg Dudley's book) and the third was a wide 8 pointer that would have made anyone happy. The big buck had something funky going on with his right main beam and I instantly thought of Guru's cool buck from last year.
The big boy saved the 8 pointer's life. I was going to shoot the nice 8 when the big one showed. I decided to wait and then lost all opportunities when the deer left without offering a shot. It was a great morning.
Here is a shot of the reinforcement strategy applied to my stand:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/P1022101.jpg)
I don't think that the stand really needed the rock. I think David put ti there to screw with hunters.
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That evening I saw nearly 40 hogs from stand. I took a shot that should have killed something, but the arrow was not seated properly on the string and it launched off the shelf like alawn dart. The result was nearly a dry fire and I was happy to see the bow was still in good shape. The hogs ran off wiser, but unharmed by the experience.
The next morning, I sat the stand where I had seen the big buck. I saw the five pointer and four does, but neither of the nicer bucks showed up. It was a great morning.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/P1022094.jpg)
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Like Guru and DW had told me before. Solana is a special place. If this was an "off" year, I can't wait to see a "good" one.
Thanks to all my campmates for sharing your hunt with me and thanks to Terry for putting it all together through Tradgang.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/P1022085.jpg)
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Since I forgot my camera, I didn't get to take any pictures at Solana. Fortunately, many of the other guys took them and have posted theirs for everyone to see what it was like on the hunt. To try to make up for my lack of photos, I got some shots of some of the gear I used on the hunt that worked very well for me. I traveled by commercial airliner to Austin, so I had to pack all my stuff in bags that would fit on the plane and in the rental car, unlike some of the guys who drove and had plenty of room to haul around anything they wanted. Gregg Dudley brought his club cab truck and still was about to run out of room. He blamed it on his hunting/camping trip with his son in west Texas immediately after the Solana hunt. When Gregg pulled up at the La Quinta hotel in Austin after the Solana hunt with his truck filled with all his gear and the provisions from his recent visit to the store, we all wondered where his son was going to find room to sit in the truck on the trip west. We sort of expected that drive to look like the opening scene from the Beverly Hillbillies with Gregg's son sitting on top of all the gear and supplies with Gregg driving down the road.
Fortunately for Terry Green, Boyd Stayley and me, Terry shipped most of his hunting gear by UPS in a big cooler and a long PVC bow tube. I had a day pack and a carry-on bag that I took with me in the cabin of the plane and a large duffel that I put in checked baggage.
Here is what I used for my shooting equipment. Hanging from the light is my Safari Tuff fletching cover and my Mike's Archery Leather arm guard. On the top of the wall is one of my AD Hammerhead arrows from Badger Arrows and my 56" Shrew Classic Hunter foam/carbon takedown bow. beside the wall is my 3Rivers Archery takedown "recurve" bow case with the rest of the AD arrows I took with me to Solana Ranch. Hanging from one of the arrows in the case is my Eagle Flight Archery Navaho I Chief bow quiver. On the lid of the bow case is my Bateman cordovan tab.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/IMG_1094.jpg)
Here is a closer picture of some of the items. You can see the beautiful, highly figured bubinga veneers on the Shrew and the fine craftsmanship of the arrow, the armguard and the tab. It is a little harder to see how nice the bucksuede fletching cover is, particularly after it has been lying smashed up in my bag since I got home from Austin, but many of the guys on the hunt wanted to know how to get one.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/IMG_1096.jpg)
The next picture shows the handle of the bow better. The materials in the grip are macasser ebony, curly maple and black phenolic. You can also see where the leather is cut to allow takedown using the Bow Bolt. The pictures do not do justice to the beauty of the bow!
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/IMG_1097.jpg)
More below.
Allan
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Here are a few more pictures of the bow from other angles. The last 4 of this set of pictures were taken by Gregg Coffey before he sent me the bow. You can see he is a pretty fair shot. Also, notice the kudu horn tips that are actually almost translucent in real life. This bow has good natural camouflage.
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/IMG_1099.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/IMG_1100.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/IMG_1101.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/100_4254.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/100_4255.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/100_4256.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/100_4257.jpg)
Allan
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Here is what made packing the bow, arrows and "totem" from the EFA bow quiver so cool. The 3 Rivers takedown "recurve" bow case was perfect for transporting my bow and arrows setup by commercial aircraft and will also be great for other travel too. My biggest problem with the case is that I shoot 31" arrows and the case is just a little too short for them, so I not only have to unscrew the points, I also have to pull the nocks to get the arrows to fit. It's not a really big deal, but I am now tempted to remove the front inserts on my arrows, cut a half inch off the front of the shaft, and then glue the inserts back in. That way I would still have arrows that are plenty long enough for my 29.5" draw length and could leave the nocks in place in the case. With the nocks and points out, the arrows fit perfectly at their present length. I can unscrew the "totem" from my bow quiver and put it in the case with the arrows and then don't have any problem packing the quiver hood and gripper sections in my regular bag. But the best part is that I can break the 56" Shrew Classic Hunter in two at the Bow Bolt connection, put the two halves in a fleece takedown bow sock, and then put the bow in one of the sleeves in the case that keeps it separated from the arrows and the "totem" rod. I can put 18 arrows in with the bow with no problem and then have a secure, handy, short package that fits perfectly into my duffle. What makes all this possible are the slim, short, relatively straight pieces of the Classic Hunter bow. A longer two piece bow would not fit at all, and a recurve (even something as slim as a two piece Shrew Lil Favorite) would not leave room for as many arrows. For those of you with shorter arrows, this arrangement would be a piece of cake to make fit. For those with longer arrows, you are going to have to make your own slightly longer case to get the arrows to fit. These pictures don't show the bow in the case with the arrows, because the bow is obviously sitting on the wall. :saywhat:
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/IMG_1095.jpg)
(http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/amar911/IMG_1098.jpg)
I spent a lot of time researching my equipment and what I would take for the Solana Ranch hunt because I wanted to make sure I could actually get everything I needed down there on the plane, plus I didn't want to show up and have everyone think I was totally haphazard in my planning. Like I have said before, I should have planned better and got all my equipment far enough ahead of time to try it all out and make sure it worked before I left. I got lucky. Maybe this will help someone else in planning for a future hunt, especially one as great as the Solana Ranch hunt with two dozen super TradGangers around.
Allan
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Originally posted by gregg dudley:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v611/dudleyg/P1022101.jpg)
I don't think that the stand really needed the rock. I think David put ti there to screw with hunters.
You learn FAST GrassHopper. :biglaugh: :biglaugh: :biglaugh:
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Allan,
When they call me to build my new Shrew I hope you don't mind if I borrow your specs except I will go for 54".
Is your bow/arrow case the large arrow case I see on the 3 Rivers' website?
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Gregg, sounds like you had a great vacation. I recognize some of those stands......You gonna go back with us next year?
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Allan,
Another georgeous Shrew! Congratulations buddy.
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Yes...Allan had arguably the prettiest bow in camp.....and that arrow holder/tube of his will hold twice as many arrows if you turn the other half the opposite way.
Also guys...there was talk about a hog hunt to me my Joel Smith...we've already got our license....so if we can get a cheap flight or you live close....we might put that together for this spring.
I'm going to call Joel now.
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Terry,
So now you tell me about turning half my arrows the other way! :D I actually knew that but for some reason didn't think of it in this application. Thanks for reminding me and for the statement about how pretty my bow is.
The hog hunt sounds good to me. Please let me know your thoughts on dates. I am going to do a two day school/hunt with Rick Welch in March near Abilene, TX, so I will get to use my Texas license again then too.
I learned a lot about Terry on our trip. Here is one small example. After the hunt we came back to Austin and Terry, Gregg, Boyd and I went out to dinner at the Austin Cattle Company steak house. Terry got the seared Ahi tuna appetizer and said it was the best he ever had. So next thing we know, he sends a $10 tip to the chef for raising the bar on his experience with a favored food item. The guy who was our waiter came back out and told Terry that the appetizer chef was a little foreign-born woman who was having trouble making ends meet and that she had never received a tip from a customer for anything and was bowled over by Terry's gesture. That tells you a lot about the kind of guy Terry is. He is caring and generous to a fault. And that story is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the good things I watched Terry do on this trip. Most people don't realize who we have heading up this group, and Terry doesn't ever talk about it.
Allan