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Saturday Morning
Saturday Evening
Sunday Morning

 

Live Hunt Details

Hunters
     
Callie Price 
      Palo Pinto, TX

Location
   
Ft. McKavett Ranch
    Sonora, Texas

Dates
    October 5-7, 2001

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Brush Country Youth Hunt!



Saturday Morning

I started Friday morning at 7 am having to drive to Lafayette, La. on account of work.  So, by 4:30 I had already been driving nearly seven hours and hadn't even begun the eight hour trip to Ft. McKavett Ranch!  My lovely bride, Jeanette, and I were the last of the group to arrive, pulling up to the cabin a few minutes after midnight. 

Brush Country's Robert Rutledge had waited up for our arrival, and after a very brief discussion about the morning plans and where to sleep, we turned in for the night!

The 5:00 am alarm sounded what seemed only moments later.  I walked downstairs to find the entire Brush Country contingent, which consisted of Robert, Carl and Paul busily preparing a breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast.  The toast took three attempts, as the first two attempts resulted in well-burnt toast, but the final batch couldn't have been any better! 

As breakfast was cooking, I was finally able to meet Callie and her dad, Curtis.  Callie was dressed in her new set of Brush Country Camouflage, and certainly was a better model for the gear than the other five guys, including myself, that were also adorned in the best camouflage on the market!

Terry drove Callie, Curtis and me to the area where Callie would be hunting, while the three Brush Country members headed out to hunt their own stand locations.  We dropped Curtis out at a tower blind that overlooked the feeder, about 100 yards away.  Terry then took us to the Brush Country camo'd ICE Blind that he had set up the previous morning.  Terry drove away, and it didn't take long for things to get exciting.  While we were still getting our gear set up in the blind, less than 10 minutes from the time Terry pulled away, we heard the sound of rocks turning.  It sounded like we were being invaded!  We could barely make out the shapes of deer converging on the area.  I have no idea how many there were, but they were literally all around our blind!  I don't know about Callie, but my heart began to thump as I strained my eyes to count the deer in the darkness.  It was still at least thirty minutes before shooting light, and we were covered up in deer! 

As the sky began to lighten ever so slowly, we could see more and more deer.  We watched, and could occasionally see the silhouette of an antler on just about every deer we saw!  As the dawn finally overtook the darkness, we could see deer everywhere!  As luck would have it, they were all bucks, and several of them would certainly qualify as trophies!  There was also an Impala in the group that fed with the deer.

Unfortunately, for the morning hunt, we had agreed that Callie would shoot a doe, and perhaps later in the hunt have an opportunity at a management buck.

One buck that fed to less than 8 yards from the well camouflaged ICE Blind was particularly impressive!  The massive 5x4 antlered buck would be considered a trophy by anyone's standards!

Watching the bucks certainly kept us occupied, but we, or maybe I should say "I", became more and more anxious as we weren't seeing any does!  Finally, a small yearling doe came in to the feeder, and behind her was another mature doe.  She was more cautious, however, and sensed something might not be quite right.  Callie had indicated that she felt more comfortable shooting from her knees than sitting on the stool, so we felt like it might be a good time to get into shooting position.  Unfortunately, the metal stool on which she was sitting creaked, causing the deer to become nervous and scatter.  We knew that the deer would return, so Callie continued positioning herself for a shot.  I could see the deer milling around behind us, but the lone doe became more and more nervous, and eventually all the deer walked out of sight into the brush.  

About fifteen minutes later, however, deer began filtering back into the feeder, led by a small spike and another young six pointer.  As I looked back behind the ICE Blind through the Pro Staff viewing windows, I spotted another buck and a doe slowly working their way in.  The were cautious, yet relaxed and unconcerned with the blind.  I told Callie to get ready, and soon the doe made her way into a shooting window.  Callie had to shift slightly to get into position for a shot, and was able to do so undetected.  

I can't speak for Callie, but my heart was racing as the doe was feeding broadside at about 15 yards.  Callie asked whether she should use her 10 yard pin or her 20.  I felt like using her 10 yard pin would be the best bet to account for a potential jumping of the string.  Callie slowly drew her bow while I carefully framed the deer in the viewfinder of my camera.  I heard sound of Callie's bow fire while simultaneously seeing the doe disappear from my viewfinder!  Did she get it?  I looked at Callie and she whispered, "I think I missed." 

I looked back out the window of the ICE Blind and saw that both the young buck and the doe were now standing at only 25 yards, unsure of what had happened.  I instructed Callie to nock another arrow, thinking the doe would relax and return to the corn on the ground.  Sure enough, a few seconds later the doe walked back toward and by the blind at less than 10 yards.   Confident that she was in no danger, the doe made her way back into the shooting lane.  Callie again prepared to shoot while I focused on the deer with my camera.  Callie squeezed the release and the arrow headed toward the deer.  The deer dropped in her tracks as the arrow hit her spine.  The doe made an attempt to get up, so Callie nocked another arrow.  I didn't figure the deer would be able to get up, but figured the best bet was to get another arrow into the deer.  Callie asked where she should shoot, and since the deer was facing away, I told her to try to shoot it between the shoulders.  The deer moved just as she shot, but the arrow hit cleanly through her throat, severing the veins in her throat!  That was it!  Callie had her first deer ever, in her first bow season, on her first morning bowhunt!  I high-fived Callie!  I think she was almost as excited as I was!  Soon, Terry drove to get Curtis, and then they made their way to us for a round of congratulations and pictures!


     Click on image above to see the video of Callie's shot!

We loaded Callie's doe into the back of the pickup and headed back to the cabin.  On the way we saw some very impressive exotics that call Ft. McKavett Ranch their home. 

I knew that we had driven quite some distance west, but I didn't think we had made it into the elk country of New Mexico!