Brians Adventure(trophy pics)

[Walkingstick]

8-10 foot snakes???????????    I ain't seen nothing that long since the zoo. Black racers where the longest we ever run into and I have killed 52 inch rattlesnakes which are really big up here. What kind of snakes are they. You and Brian are So Brave  :rolleyes:  My heroes   :D  Let's keep the story going...it's good so far..........Mac~

[Shaun]

Indigos are our frinds, they were imported to this area to eat rattlesnakes. Saw one at Cadena that was at least 12'. Its those diamond patterned bow backing buzz bombs that you don't want to be surprized by.

[Walkingstick]

I don't fear rattlers but do respect them. We used to hunt them when we had them but civilization has won that battle up here. They are actually protected here. Just the size freaks me out..that's long. Got to get your attention fast. I always thought of the desert country as blah but between pics of the hunt wingnut, AZ, Rusty, Frret,etc has shared with us and the pics I get to see now so often from Curtis I can tell you I see it in a whole new light.  It has a beauty all its own ...........Mac~

[Paul R]

Hey CK, show us a pic of that trophy hog that you didn't get a shot at.  :D

[IB]

Let's hear some more about the FOOD.. stuff     Forget them crawley things      

[Doug Campbell]

"I always thought of the desert country as blah"

Anything but Mac, if you ever get started going to that desert/brush country you'll be hooked. I went the first time like twenty years ago when we lived in MO. After that I went practically every year, even been a couple times since coming to MT. Love it anywhere from Feb to mid April anyway, not so much in the summer.      

Keep it coming CK and Brian  

[Brian Halbleib]

Sorry for the delay guys, been buried in orders and phone messages (not that I'm complaining)! Spent the evening with my girls and had dinner with them and my folks. They wanted to hear all about the trip too, well my wife didn't like the snake part.

   

Plenty more to come. I'm gonna put the little ones to bed and I'll continue here shortly.

-Brian
 www.bowyersjournal.com

[Littlefeather]

Well, as luck would have it, the pigs decided to show up early enough this day so that I wouldn't be tracking in the dark. Of course between the snakes and the cutbrush what else could a guy worry about after dark? Ha, Im not gonna start thinking about it now!  

With my pig recovered and nightfall fast approaching, I took the slow ride across the ranch to see what all Brian had piled up. I just knew when I dropped him off that he was about to see the magic of this place explode around him. I'd told Brian comming in that this country down here is a trecherous place where a guy would suspect nothing  could survive. One minute you look across the countryside and see nothing but desolate, unforgiving isolation and the next minute the veil is lifted, revealing magnificant undertakings in every direction. There is life in every form at work all around. Roadrunners slip past carrying a small lizzard, the Blue Quail speak to each other as they slip along, and coyotes, javelina, and abundances of other lifeforms slip from the shadows. I was certain Brian would soon understand the magnetic draw for guys like he and I. Oh had I ever fallen short in my discriptions. Brian had all the hopes of seeing game filled and I couldn't wait to hear every detail.

I rounded the last turn in my travels to pick up my friend. Where was he? I turned the noisy clatter of my diesel off and listened. Somewhere above in the only thing to resemble a tree, I hear him. Im here! Well, where's your quary? Out there he says through the darkness. Im pumped as I hear these words! I know the day has ended well. CK

[Paul R]

Great story and pics guy's.

[Adam Keiper]

Fantastik story guys!  Almost feel like I was there watching over your shoulders...  :^)

[Walkingstick]

Hi Adam, haven't seen much of you lately...Mac~

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

Thanks, guys. This story's just what I needed since there's freezing rain coming down outside. That hunt looks like it was a blast.  

[mike g]

Curtis....
    One of these day's I'll be out to Hunt with ya....

[Brian Halbleib]

[Brian Halbleib]

OK, next day we woke up to a little bit of overcast skies and a few little sprinkles here and there. Things were a little slower in the morning, well it didn't help that we slept in. I was drinking a few mexican beers by a mesquite fire the night before, I don't know what Curtis' excuse was. Said something about an alarm not going off.

No big deal, slow but not dead. Well some things were dead. The rabbits were still running around. Had fun exploring the ranch and headed back to the truck for lunch.

 

-Brian
 www.bowyersjournal.com

[Brian Halbleib]

[Brian Halbleib]

This part is for the food guys...

I asked Curtis if we could eat at a good Mexican restaurant if we had time over the weekend. Well there was no better time than mid day this day.

We made the short trip to Laredo and had some fantastic authentic mexican cuisine. I had the chicken flautas and Curtis had beef tongue. I'm not big on guacamole but theirs was super fresh and prepared like nothing I have ever tasted. Delicioso! Everything was great. Curtis went to the men's room and came out laughing saying "you gotta check out the bathroom". I was scared to go and I'll let Curtis finish that story.

We had some time to kill before the evening hunt so I picked up an authentic Mexican pinata for my daughter and some other trinkets for the rest of the family.

We had to go through a border patrol checkpoint on the way back. I got to see some illegal aliens crossing the ranch and surounding areas while I was there. It's a much bigger part of the south Texas culture and more in depth than this northerner could understand.

 

   

-Brian
 www.bowyersjournal.com

[Brian Halbleib]

OK, back to the hunt. We headed back out for the evening hunt. I was hesitant to sit the stand again but there was so much game in the area I wanted to see what developed.

Before getting settle in, I had to continue our routine of running the deer off the roads we corned. Nice problem to have I guess, they always seem to know when they're not in season.

   

   

-Brian
 www.bowyersjournal.com

[Brian Halbleib]

I climbed into the stand and it didn't take long for the javelinas to show up. They pretty much repeated their pattern from the previous evening. NOW I know where I should have been, along the road on the down wind side. I never expected them to be that predictable.

I watched them until they were out of sight, pretty fascinating creatures to watch. 4 deer shared the road with them for quite some time.

The feeder buzzed just before dark, scaring the crap out of me even though I thought I was expecting it. A while later and just before dark, a group of 3 pigs showed up, a black one the size Curtis killed, a bigger black and white one and a huge brown one which may have been the one that was alone the previous evening. They never came into the shooting lanes. Later on, Curtis and I figured someone had been shooting at them from this stand recently based on their behavior.

They left and headed out to the road, you guessed it, the same way the javies left! Hidden in the tangles on the down wind side of the road was the place to be tonight and I wasn't there.

I was starting to figure this game out but I was down to my last day...

Yep, just stacking up these stupid Texas pigs over corn     :rolleyes:    

-Brian
 www.bowyersjournal.com

[Littlefeather]

Like Brian said, we overslept the next morning. This was quite a landmark in my hunting carreer. I can't remember that last time I overslept on the morning of a hunt. I generally resemble a child the night before Christmas, thinking if I just stay awake the event ahead will transpire more quickly.
The morning hunt was fairly uneventful. I did cover lots of ground, thwacking a few bunnies along the way. At one point I smelled a campfire burning from within the tangle of agony somewhere. I'd long wanted to catch some Illegal Aliens in one of their temporary camps to get some photos. Seems every hunter that comes here from out of state is horrified at the thought of crossing Illegals. I wanted photos with some fondling my Archery Equipment to show other hunters they are just extreemly poor people in search of something resembling a life. Many of them die in pursuit of these dreams and the only marks of their prior existance is their bleached bones lying scattered in the desert sand. Very sad indeed!

I knew the fire was Illegals. Brian and I were the only people on this 4000 acres of realestate. As I krept up toward the growing smell of creosote smoke I begain to hear their voices. Ever so slowly I eased forward till I was almost upon them. Oooppps! My clothing snaggs the brush making obvious human sounds and I break a stick loudly as I try and free myself. The voices ahead are quickly replaced by the sounds of obvious footfall. They, like the animals of this region are driven by the fight for survival and they once again elude the film upon which I wish to capture them. I bid them farwell as I look through the empty cans of corn and try and snuff the life from their abandoned campfire. Best of luck to you guys! Hope you safely find the life you so desperately seek!!!

I continue on......