Alright, Here we go…. Where to begin? I guess background info first. I have been hunting with traditional equipment for about 6 years now. I took an interest in archery in high school, bought a piece of junk browning recurve that was ~ 70 lbs, attempted to shoot it for a couple of years and then hung it on the wall. My brother, Christopher, picked it up and actually got to where he could shoot pretty decent with it. It eventually began to delaminate and my brother surprised me with the gift of a Herb Meland Pronghorn longbow as a replacement gift. I got back into the sport with that bow, and through Chris met Charlie Lamb. Lamb has been a big influence on Chris and I, helping to guide us and show us the ropes. There to answer the silly newbie questions, and point us on the correct path. I shot my first deer with a bow in Weston, Missouri 5 years ago, and I have been in love with traditional archery ever since. I still feel like I am standing on the shoulders of giants on this site, so I kind of lurk on the forums picking up tidbits and asking some questions here and there. Thanks to all who have given me advice, whether you knew it or not. So that gets you up to speed on who I am and my background. Now on to the Texas Sweat…
Christopher made it down last year for the first Texas Sweat, and had a blast. I have been salivating over stories for the past year or so. Charlie and Curtis extended an invite back last summer, and having heard the stories from everyone, I couldn’t get the deposit in the mail fast enough. The past 9 months have been a blast. (anticipation is half the fun) I had trouble getting off work so I had to arrive on Thursday evening after the rest of the gang was settled in. (Still trying to figure out how I managed to secure a bottom bunk…thanks Charlie!) The gang made me feel right at home right off the bat, and we even had time for an evening rabbit hunt before bed. Up early the next morning, and Curtis took me out to show me the ropes…
Curtis posted earlier about how he saw all of us willing to help the other guy, and he certainly exhibits that characteristic himself. He took me to a prime spot, gave me advice, and like every good teacher, backed off to give me space to figure out things on my own. I shot rabbits and stalked the entire first day. Scouted with the gang in the afternoon, and sat on a roadside with fresh hog and javi sign for the evening. Nothing can prepare you for the terrain in south Texas, and I just soaked it all in the first day. That evening, after dark I got my introduction to rabbit hunting: off the sideboards of a suburban with Timo, Rusty, Curtis, and probably some others that I didn’t see, cause I was to busy trying to hold on for dear life. It was a blast!
Saturday morning Lamb took me over to a prime javelina area, and just like the rest of the guys sacrificed a prime location, gave me some ideas, then sent me out to figure it out. I found a nice 4 way intersection to watch for about ¼ mile in each direction, and watched for movement. Later, I found a clearing with fresh tracks and set up in a brush blind for mid morning. I was about half asleep when 14 Javelina came out of nowhere about 80 yards uphill angling across the clearing toward Charlie’s position. They were moving with a purpose toward Charlie’s area, so I didn’t pursue them any further. Lamb picked me up for lunch and we stalked some Javis (I’ll let him share that story) and headed back for lunch. We came up on Curtis, JC, Terry, and Timo on the trail of a hog that Curtis hit earlier. I learned so much on blood trailing (or better yet, the lack thereof) in Texas, and it was a real treat to watch it all unfold.
I had a feeling about the evening hunt. I don’t know if everyone experiences this, but sometimes things about an area just feel right. It has happened for me in Weston, and on the family farm after time spent scouting, things just sometimes come together. That feeling turned out to be true, beyond my wildest dreams. The next 4 hours would unfold a story for me personally that touched me deeply. Showed me the forged link between our hunting heritage expressed through traditional archery and the fellowship of brothers with the same passion. I’ll pick up the story there in a bit…
Topic: Texas Sweat Update (Read 19215 times)
