Gettin goats!! Hill Country Bownanza!

[cjones]

Awesome shot bro!     Looks like a fun hunt and my kind of terrain. Much different than hunting at Laguna.

[Roughcountry]

Hard to hide the red on that feller, Way to Go CK.    
Waitin for the story when your rested up  

[Charlie Lamb]

Because I know CK is on his way to work and internet access is limited in his truck, I'll take this moment to comment on the picture of his goat.

Actually I'll comment about everything but his goat. Like....

Dang! That's some rocky country! Gotta be a test for arrow ruggedness.

Does look kinda like areas of some of the southwestern states. Very different than Curtis is used to around his home.

And did anyone notice he's still shootin one of his Horne bows? I think he likes them a lot.

Mark could alter his sales blurbs... "Horne's of plenty" or "how Horne's got my goat" or "pardon me while I Horne in".   :D  

Mainly I'm just killin time until Curtis comes on and gives us a little info.  

[JC]

Love the juniper and white rock country...although my arrows when they miss....ummmm...I mean pass through, don't.

Tell the tale when you can Curtis. Just don't leave anything out....    

Love the lines on that Horne, sure is one sweet looking bow. My new brushbow should be here in a few months I hope.

[Charlie Lamb]

You reminded me of something Joe. Is that cedar or is it Juniper... been wanting a piece of Juniper.  

[TexMex]

   

[IB]

Sure hope he didn't RUIN any RIBS        

Wait till I gets some DONUTS, fer ya starts a tellin this one Curtis............vance

[trashwood]

Texas I luv you.  We can hunt sumpin real fun 365 days a yr.  

That is a pretty trophy CK.  Wingnut and I were on a ranch a couple of yrs ago that had some goats that had four horns.  Looked plumb spooky.  Dang I wanted one of them  

I'm a Horne guy.     I got three of Mark's bows but the one that really turns my crank is a 58" recurve with a bow bolt.   My 58" recurve, 55#@28",  has bamboo lams.  I like this bow so much I haven't even named it.  I this call it "The Bow".

I love 'em CK stories

rusty

[Littlefeather]

Morning fellas. I'm currently downloading pics from my camera. All 182 pics to be exact. I'll tell a little about this hunt and wait till later to get some pics up.

It all started out when I was at Comptons. My phone rang one evening as I was headed back to the Hotel. It was my Dad on the other end wanting to know if I wanted to run some bowhunts for goats in west Texas. Well, that answer was a no-brainer and the rest is somewhat history. Numerous weeks and phone calls later I found myself behind the wheel in route to the Del Rio area of west Texas. This area is rugged, up and down, cliffs, canyons, pinon pines and cedars. The whole place looks exactly like the Gilla wilderness of Arizona. I was without words upon arriving. This place is harsh but quite beautiful in its own right. Along on this scouting mission was Mark Horne, Travis his nephew, and my wife Debbie. We were planning on exercizing our Horne bows along with one of the Rover gals, "Hope".
 Arrival on the ranch was timely for Debbie and I. We arrived early afternoon on Friday. This left us with plenty of time to tour the jeep roads surrounding the ranch. With our respective hunting spots picked for the evening we'd return to camp for some AC till the temperatures cooled in the evening.
 The ranch we were hunting has never seen a bowhunter except for one of the owners. He's explained to me that they wish to have the deer population increased but the five species of goats running wild for decades have descimated the folage and forbes required to support the deer. The general concences is to shoot all goats till the population is reduced. The owner asked if I thought I could get some bowhunters out there to help with population reduction for a nominal fee. I assured him that I could do just that. We proceeded into the evening hunt with high hopes of what these canyons would offer up in the cooling winds of the approaching sun set. CK

[trashwood]

Da stuff is really Mountain Junpier, it has da berry berries to "proof" [gin] it.  It makes great post but don't make a bow.  In Texas we nicknamed da stuff cedar but it ain't.      

Ahhhhh Texas.  we got mule deer, antelope, and phesant in the panhandle, wild pig every where, white tail (even if they'as a b it small) out the wazoo, cotton tail, squirrel (big red 'ems, little gray ones and some black ones what live in holes along the Coloroda Rive), we got exotics........what ain't we got, we ain't got snow     ........ and for me that is a good thing.

rusty

[Littlefeather]

I'm gonna throw in an AMEN to the "no snow" statment Revrend Craine! I got pics commin! Be back in a few!

[Littlefeather]

The drive to West Texas is a long one no matter where you start from. There just isn't much out there but miles and miles of land.

   

The further west I went the better things started to look. I think a man could certainly get into elk hunting shape out here.

   

The terrain is much different than I generally hunt. The lands I generally hunt don't require the use of any optics. Here in the west, you'd be lost without a good set of bino's.

   

Hey, I think I see a goat on that far ridge. See him? I need to cross the canyon to get to him.

 

Gets a little steep for a flatland dweller in some places. Good thing I'm a Capricorn(goat). CK

[Brian Halbleib]

 

Gotta run to the post office...I'll be right back, keep 'em coming!

-Brian
 www.bowyersjournal.com

[Shaun]

That last picture... like the old English archers, CK likes a bow as tall as him (brush bow). Be back later for the rest of the story.

[Littlefeather]

The first evening on the ranch proved to be quite challenging. Debbie took up stand close to camp and I headed out after the goats in faraway canyons. Mark and Travis were to arrive later tonight so I just meandered around by myself. As evening drew to a close I wandered back to the only water I'd seen since I'd arrived. I knew by the thousand goat tracks around the water that it would be only a short time before they would return. I sat the last half hour of daylight around the water but never saw goats. I did have three foxes come to drink at the same time as goats on far away hill tops braaaah'd. I decided I wanted one of the georgeous foxes for the taximermist but the fox of choice obviously was keen to the way of an Archer. He dodged my attempts to put him on my mantle numerous times. Foxes are quite quick I've come to find. As darkness drew the curtains on another wonderful day, I went to retreive what was left of my broken, twisted arrows. As I reached to pick up the pieces of my first arrow, the grass moves to my right. The Fox I had been shooting at came squirting from his hiding spot. He had stayed there all along! Not only are the quick but they also are a little smart as well.
 
I wound my way around the canyons in route back to camp. I was to meet Mark and Travis at the main gate at dark-thirty. It was now dark and I was late. On the 6 1/2 mile treck to the main gate I was witness to three more foxes along the way. I'd been told there were plenty of foxes here but never imagined anything like this. Mark was sitting patiently at the gate when we arrived and this hunt was now officially underway! CK

[Steve H.]

I love hunting goats and have chased them in the Carribean and a couple of Hawaiian islands and if I was closer I would have you put me on the list!

That last picture looks just like where I hunted javies for the first time around 1994 but I guess it should since I was just up the road near Sanderson.  I found odles of indian artifacts on that trip.  Make sure and peek at the front edge of the caves and dig down a few inches and wathc the ledges for stuff too.

[Whip]

Free range goats?  Cool!  I didn't even know they had those down there.  I guess I always thought they were just high fenced operations.
I wonder how many times a guy can go to Texas in a year?
   
Keep it coming Curtis!

[beachbowhunter]

"The owner asked if I thought I could get some bowhunters out there to help with population reduction for a nominal fee."  

...more beautiful words have not been spoken!

[Littlefeather]

Yea Norbert, My sentiments exactly. I think my response was closer to WAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOO! I mean, "yessir, I think I can"!    

So, with Mark and Travis safely back at the ranch we told hunting stories(lies) till well into the night. I think the excitment of what lie ahead had all of us ready to hunt even though it was sleep that we needed. As the coffee perculated in the minutes before sunrise everyone was assumbling gear and sharpening broadheads. We laid plans on how we would hunt and put them in motion. As the sun was breaking a new day Mark and Travis would take opposite canyons leading straight from camp and I'd take the truck a couple miles around to the bottom. They'd work their canyons and I work up one adjacect, then jump over one to see what they may be pushing. As I reached the top, I could see an orange ball on the top edge of a point of rocks well away from my location. Looking through the optics I could see that it was Travis's face glowing in the morning sun and he was intently watching what I suspected was goats below. A quick call on the radio confirmed what he was looking at. Travis conveyed a quick hunt story of him and Mark meeting up and ambushing some goats but it seems the goats left unscaved. Travis now directed my efforts well down the mountain where he could see the goats rounding the bend. He said I'd have to hurry. They had the lead on me by 600 yards and gaining. I sped toward the center of the ridge above me and gained the flattest ground for a speedy descent toward the canyon the goats were headed into.
After what seemed an eternity and a 500 foot drop in elevation, I rounded a small Pinion Pine to see this dead ahead.
 

Ah yes, now I've found them but the winds are finaky down in these canyons so I will need to circle around and down to gain an advantage. This is not the easiest of tasks in dry, rock laden cliffs. Slowly, meticuliously, I'd move till I gained the ground I needed. There also is a nice ram leading this group. CK

[Littlefeather]

Here's where the seeds of doubt begain to sprout and take root. I always feel the selfdoubt welling up as the gap closes to shooting distance. I now had the wind to my favor. I was slightly off to one side of their now slowing travel. The goats seemed to feel they had escaped danger and were gleefully stuffing themselves with bits of pine and cedar. As I slowly crept into my final position I realized that I had a goat less than 7 yards and closing. She paused breifly and stood up in a cedar tree to get the one tiny forb she obviously couldn't do without. As she raised, I shifted to better hide myself behind some scrub cedar. This is when I realized the big ram leading things saw my upper bow limb move. He stared intently at my location for several minutes. Then, as easily as he had found this position, he turned to leave. I felt the window of opportunity quickly closing and decided to risk the nanny seeing my movment. I made one quick step forward, raised the bow, hit anchor, and away she went. The Billy was broadside and moving when I released. These unfamiliar surroundings had me wondering of the distances. The shot seemed a tad far for my general shooting but upon impact with the goat, I realized that the arrow had been riding the winds of hope in the proper fashion. I'd made an incredible shot for my abilities and was standing drop-jawed in amazment as the Billy made hasty retreat straight down the cliffs.

As I stood quivering from the excitment, another smaller goat scampered by but the shot was too hasty and I missed her. The miss was certainly close enough that she didn't stick around for a second. I laid my gear down, sketched pencil art of the moment in my memories, and paced the steps to the point of my arrow impact. The shot was as good as I've ever made and it was made at a distance of 25 yards, a little further than I care to shoot. The goat was now down. I heard him crash some 100 yards straight below me, somewhere among the tangle of cedars and white rocks he'd made his final stand. A prouder moment I can't remember.

 

After a breif photo session I heard footfall behind me somewhere. Travis had heard the commotion from his vantage above the canyon. He'd come down knowing I'd arrowed a goat. He was here to help. That's when ya know if you have a hunting partner or just another hunter. Travis asked if he could carry anything. I gladly handed him my bow, pack, and quiver. My hands were full with the goat and we headed for lower ground. more later!