Hunting in the 'New Year' @ Solana Ranch....

[Larry Surtees]

Skyler,

Well done!

Larry

[DW]

AS you can imagine, this was THE best hunt I've ever been on. I got to share it with my son, who is my best friend. Curt....what can I say but that you are an awesome role model to Skyler. He has a lot of respect for you. Terry, Thanks for everything buddy, including keeping this Place running. Without Trad Gang we would never have meet any of the great Guys that we shared camp with.....I wish we could've spent more time with everyone......Ole' Shep, David Shepard took Sky under his wing and really did everything in his Power to show him a good hunt. As this story continues to un-fold, you'll see how much they both put into it.....Here's a few pics before some more stories and Bloody Arrows.........                

[Terry Green]

My 1st evening was quiet eventful....one I wont ever forget....

I was the 1st one out as David let me out at "The Killin Tree"...one I was very familiar with as I took my birthday buck there a couple of years ago. The stand is 25 foot up in a live oak with a couple of tricky big limbs that can get in the way if you aren't real careful as I learned the last time I was in the tree.  The deer meander down this side road within 15 yards of the stand making for a steep shot angle, but the way these TX deer duck and lay over it compensates for the angle quiet a bit.

Anyway, I got up in the stand and went through my bow clearance checks and draws to re-familiarize myself with the two real shooting lanes available, then I leaned back and just started enjoying the view and reliving the hunt 2 years ago.

Now this stand has an octagon base and a little polyurethane swivel seat like found on one of those little pond bass boats with a shortish pole connecting it to the base and is quiet comfortable.

About 30 minutes later I hear galloping, and along comes a doe followed by a 2 and a half year old ten pointer.  He was beautiful, absolutely beautiful, and I really enjoyed watching him give the little doe fits.  He wasn't what I was after, and could only think about maybe being lucky enough to see him again from this tree in a couple more years, so I just enjoyed the show till I got this little itch in my throat.  I'd had a little dry hacking cough for a few days, and I did bring along some cough drops and started digging one out of my front pocket.

I got the cough drop out of the package and somehow managed to unwrap it while it was still in my pocket and as I eased it out it slipped from my grasp and slid spinning down into the bottom of the seat. The 1st act was OVER!!!....away they went....

[DW]

The 2nd pic of Charlie and Skyler is some of the first shots out of a super nice SunBear double shelf long bow....very Cool Bow......

[Guru]

So yeah, there ya have it, we were fired up with Skyler's success! It was a definite highlight for me following that blood trail with Sky, Don, Terry and David. All hunters of the highest degree!

Sky made a great shot from a tripod I would become familiar with in the days to come. For everyone that thinks he's a great kid here on TG, he's even more impressive in person, every day proved that to us.....Congrats again little buddy        

wud b style.....

 

So that concluded the morning hunt.....

We went in to have a big brunch....

 


Then it was off to Terry's unfinished business and mine as well......

Your turn boss......

[DW]

Some more.......

[DW]

Chris Surtees' "CUTTER" got in on the Action......

[Guru]

Thanx Don...you know the feeling's mutual my friend    

[DW]

Curt putting his Deadly Edge on a big 'ol Snuffer

[Terry Green]

It didn't take long and here comes another deer, and another, and another.  Soon there were does and small bucks roaming by and around my tree, including yet another 10 pointer.  I gave him a look, and decided to take him even though his tines weren't real tall, as he made up for it in width and his main beam had some mass and was flat on the inside making his head gear unique.

As soon as he was done sniffing a doe, he showed promise of making his way into one of my shooting lanes, and I readied for the shot.  I took careful note of my lower limb and the base of my stand and made sure I was good to go.  He stepped in and I hit full draw.....

We'll, he must have took a half step or something as my lower limb just barely ticked the tree limb on my left sending my arrow straight to the ground 2 feet in front of my mark....act 2 was now over.  I figured that was it for me that evening, and was at least glad it happened on the 1st stand of the hunt. I was sure I'd be given another chance as we were only just beginning....and that chance would come much sooner than I ever expected......

[DW]

See this Big Buck in this pic....He got a special name....'FREAK NASTY'.....You'll see a lot more of him later...but I'm getting ahead of the story....      

[Missouri CK]

Pretty cool when something on Trad Gang makes me smile or chuckle while I'm reading along.   Looking at those pictures of Skyler made me do both.  As a father of a two young boys I can only image how proud your Dad is of you.

Great looking pictures, great hog, and great story telling.  I'm loving this thread.  It's a typical cold midwestern winter day here in Missouri but everytime I get on this thread I can feel that south Texas warmth.

Thanks for taking us along.

Chris

[DW]

Hey Chris, we heard good things about you and your brother from Charlie....He thinks a lot of you.....Don

[Terry Green]

Maybe 30 minutes went by and it was about an hour before dark now, and a few more deer came from the same direction as the others migrating their way along the road. Some didn't know what to think of that bright yellow wrap and fletching lying in  the road.  It was comical to say the least watching the reaction of some of those deer.  One little buck kept rearing up his head like a mad horse, and some of the others looked around and at each other as whether or not to approach it and just walked around in circles trying it figure out whether to move on down the road any closer to it or not, and some just walked around it all the while eyeballing it.

I looked back and could not believe what I saw, yet another ten pointer and bigger than the last.  Now, I wasn't even going to let what happened before happened again so I planned my shot which was going to be somewhat unorthodox.

This buck wasn't having any trouble making his way down the road and was under the last limb of the shooting lane with his head stuck out looking dead at my arrow in the road and he didn't like it.  He turned and circled back about ten yards and started his way back slowly till he got to the same exact spot with only his head stuck out.  This routine was repeated four more times and was driving me crazy.  All the while there were more deer walking by him and side stepping the arrow.  

Eventually after seeing all those others go before him he finally got the courage to proceed and I was in position. I had already checked the seat before hand, and knew I could get away with a lot of leaning without the stand popping, now all I had to do when he took those two extra steps was to make the shot I'd practiced many times.

To make the shot this time guaranteeing me all the limb clearance I needed for this lane, or the 2nd one if need be, required that I lean my body forward in this seat as far as I could without fear of falling out. My bow was held totally horizontal and basically even with the base of the stand.  I looked at the baseline of him just behind the heart and don't even remember drawing the bow but did witness the arrow on its way, and the buck running the script......

[Guru]

Some random pix.....

 


Off limits!!!

 


Natures lighted nock......

 


Red birds......

 


Charlie's doe....

 

 


A familiar fence to Terry and Sky.....

 


Little fella....

 


Re-living all this is almost more than I can stand....what a hunt!  So much more to tell.....

[ishiwannabe]

I am reading this as fast as you guys post. Amazing in so many ways. Congrats again to everyone.

Really looks like a great place with a bunch of great people. The hunting doesnt look bad either...  

[Terry Green]

What I 'though' I surely saw was the buck doing his thing...ducking, leaning away, and laying over with the arrow entering a bit back yet heading forward toward the vitals.  This is the reaction I've seen time and time again here in TX, and the one I had planned on seeing again this time.  The fletching disappeared, and there was a loud ping and a snap with a flying object that I felt was the front part of my arrow ricocheting off at an angle.  The buck was standing on a rock slab in the road, and I thought the sounds I heard were the Zwickey Delta 4 blade hitting the rock and the buck snapping the shaft as he was laying over fast.

Anyway, he made his get away fast for the 1st 60 yards straight away from me by bounding over 3 different prickly pear cactus clumps, and dashing through the open grassy areas in between.  Then his dash was over and he started walking slowly as he turned slightly to his right after about 40 yards, it looked as though his back was arched a bit and that was a good sign for sure.  He then turned back straight away from me for a few more yards and then turned left paralleling two tall cedars where I lost sight of him as the terrain lead him down hill.

I had a good feeling about the shot as it played out just like I thought it would....now I'd just had to wait till morning as I didn't want to push him if all didn't go as seemed.  No, I didn't want to wait, but new I had to.  I've been down that road before.....

[Guru]

When Terry described what he thought he saw as he shot and afterward...I knew we'd be looking for his deer not far from where he last saw it. No doubt in my mind that deer was dead!

So with the next mornings hunt over..Sky killing his hog, me putting an arrow through one, and an awesome brunch...it time to go find a couple critters....

Terry?????

Then I'll get to my hog......

[Terry Green]

Morning comes and I'm back on stand for hogs and does only, and even though there's game abound I can't wait till this morning hunt is over as I'm itching to go find my buck.

Soon as the morning hunt was over, our gang of David, Curt, Don and Skyler headed in to wolf down a big brunch and get back out to track not only my buck, but a couple more animals as well.

As we pulled up to 'the killing tree' I was hoping for the best.  As some were following the blood slowly, normal in this grassy terrain, I steered clear to the right of the path I'd seen him take making my way to the twin cedars where I'd seen him last.   John Shepard, David's brother, was following his little Jack Russel and he was even with me but he was on the blood trail to my left.  As I approached the spot where I'd seen him last, John had strolled up on a little knoll and I heard him say in his soft voice "right there his is".  I took some mighty quick steps ahead and sure enough if I'd see him travel only 30 more yards I'd have seen him go down.

Skyler Wilson has a tag line on his text message "Don't stop believing".....so here's something to remember to back it up.....

If you miss a Ten Pointer, don't give up, there may be a bigger one on the way......

[Terry Green]

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