Doe and Management Hunts

[texbama]

Dec 16-18 would be a good weekend to bring a kid. Charles (Oneway) wanted that weekend to bring a kid, and there's one other father/son scheduled that weekend. Plenty of room for another father/son and that would probably seal up that weekend.

Sent you a PM. I would like a spot for this weekend for my son and me.
Thanks
Stephen

[garza]

larry, pm sent.

thanks
chris

[Johnny]

PM sent Larry. I think we are good for the weekend we talked about.

[salth2o]

Update from our weekend at Cross J.

My Dad, son (Noah, little salt is 5 years old), and I were in camp this weekend and absolutely had a blast. The wind, full moon, and heat were not working in our favor, but we still saw some deer and enjoyed the hunt. Larry and Jay were very welcoming to us and really worked hard to make our experience a good one. They welcomed Noah in and by the end of the weekend, he was opening and closing the gates and helping out as much as he could.

The first evening my son and I sat in a box blind and saw some doe and a nice young 7 pointer, my Dad had a nice sit, but did not have much activity at his stand. Saturday morning Noah and I sat in one of the most comfortable stands I have ever hunted from, but got blanked. My dad saw a nice 8 pointer that was 18-19" wide, but he could not get a clear shot. The buck stayed between him and the feeder pen the entire time. This deer really got my Dad's blood pumping because he has been wanting to kill a wide 8 for a long time. When we got back to camp, Jay cooked up an awesome breakfast for everyone which was unexpected, but greatly appreciated.

Saturday evening Noah went with my Dad and I set up in a ground blind on a large flat that was loaded w/ cactus. I had a nice young 8 pointer come out about 20 minutes before dark. He came in to a pile of corn that I had poured out at 15 yards. He stood broadside and tempted me greatly. He would have been the best buck I have ever taken with my bow, but he was young...probably his second set of antlers. He was about 16" wide, but had one busted G2 and in a few more years he could be a good one. My Dad and Noah saw a really nice, big buck right at dark. Big body and heavy antlers. However, they could not tell enough about him to determine if he was a definite shooter or not. When we got back to camp, my dad and I fried some back strap and taters and made a batch of cream gravy for the group. I know this meal was not really on Jay's healthy eating plan, but he was a good sport and seemed to enjoy some down home country cooking.

Sunday morning, Noah and I saw another small 5 pt. buck and my dad saw a 6 pointer and some turkey. We left Cross J ranch without ever drawing blood, but we made some good memories and hope to return for another hunt.

[Larry]

That Noah was a hoot. I really hated having to leave Friday night after your evening hunt. I was looking forward to having all those gates opened for me! You've started him off right. It's awesome to see a kid so into the outdoors and who can spot deer stands and feeders from so far away. Glad he got to see deer. Just wish he'd got to lay hands on one his dad or grandpa put down. Maybe next time! Glad y'all had a good trip.

[Buckshot-73]

Any updates on this weekend's hunt??

[labman]

I hunted with two of my sons at the Cross J last weekend 11/19-20. The ranch is well set-up with plenty of options for bow or rifle. Larry and Jay will bust their a** for you trying to get you on deer. My kids had great hunts. The heat, humidity and wind didn't bring much value for the hunt as the deer just weren't moving. My youngest had a chance at a very solid 8, but we couldn't get him to stop long enough for a shot.

Contact Larry or Jay, great guys, for a good hunt.

[Johnny]

Thanks for the updates Labman. I'm heading out that way with my dad, two sons and nephew the first weekend of December. Looking forward to it.

[TXArrowSlinger]

Great work right there

Awesome job. Big congrats to her on making some great shots.

[TXArrowSlinger]

Cross J have up this buck this weekend! His first buck.

Congrats to yhour boy.........and I know you are proud and probably have a bigger grin than he does

[justhrowit]

Well, I've been pretty busy outside of the Cross J and have neglected to throw out my weekend reviews on the hunts. To say that the last two weeks of hunting have been frustrating is an understatement. Weather, Weather, Weather, and more Weather. Lousy weather, at that. We just couldn't seem to get a break the last two weekends. Full moon (two weeks ago), WIND, and heat. One thing that has been held as a constant is the people. I was a little apprehensive about taking on this Cross J opportunity, and I'm thrilled to have accepted it. I had some wonderful experiences with some wonderful people whom I would not have had the opportunity to meet or work with otherwise. These past two weekends have not been an exception. Having Shawn (salth20), his son Noah, and John in camp two weeks ago was an absolute blast. Shawn's review summed up the hunting portion of the trip very well. It was tough hunting, and we had some opportunities, but just couldn't get things to work out how we wanted them to. Shawn... you and your Dad are class acts and it was an honor to share camp with you. We'd love to have you back and I hope that Noah would make the trip as well. He's one heck of a kid. Camp dog, Dallas, is still warn out a little bit from running laps in the house.

Again, this past weekend was lousy hunting, but the people made up for it. I was able to share camp with two friends who returned to the Cross J for a second time this fall. It's easy to share camp with good friends like David and Bjorn. Labman (Mike) was an awesome addition to camp. He brought his two sons, Cade and Jack, who are well on their way to growing up to be Men among Men. I shared a rifle blind with Jack on Friday evening and had a great time talking about everything from school, to sports, to women! What's not to enjoy. Heck... we even managed to see a couple bucks, but unfortunately they were only a couple dink fork horns. The big boys just wouldn't step out for us. Mike and Cade had their eyes on a heck of a buck Saturday morning. About ten minutes after they saw him, I believe I saw the same deer. He traveled from Jeff's Draw over to the Wire Gap where I was sitting, and I believe he was checking for does. We have several TC pics of this big 8. I know when I saw him in person, he made me grab my bow, but he just wouldn't come over the fence for me. Here he is:

PICT0566 by Jay DeSimone, on Flickr

We worked hard this weekend, but again, the weather didn't cooperate for us. The mornings we 60-65 degrees and windy. The days warmed up to over 80. Frustrating for sure. We have a lot of new bucks showing up on the trail cams, which is great to see. If we can just get them to show up while a hunter is present, that'll be great. The time is coming, I know it.
The Cactus stand seems to be hot right now.
Here is a deer I've nicknamed Skinny. Yes, he's light on the body, big on horn!

WGI_0045 by Jay DeSimone, on Flickr

Here is one of my faves!

WGI_0015 by Jay DeSimone, on Flickr

WGI_0029 by Jay DeSimone, on Flickr

I got to the Cross J on Thursday night and hunting a new ground Blind Friday morning. While I didn't see man deer, but I did manage to see something really cool that most people never have the opportunity to see. A large group of meadowlarks came in and sat in front of the blind eating and making a bunch of noise. I had the my Canon 7D handy so I pulled it out to take some pictures of the birds. All of the sudden and hawk came in and grabbed a meadowlark, and I have pics to prove it. What a cool site to see!

Gotcha by Jay DeSimone, on Flickr

Lift off:

Lift Off by Jay DeSimone, on Flickr

That all being said, I'm looking forward to another great weekend, with more great people, at the Cross J Ranch. Until next week....

J

[salth2o]

Hey Jay, it looks like we were in the rights spots, but just a few days early. Did you get any TC pics of the little 8 I passed up at the Cactus stand? Also, what brand is that ground blind at the Cactus stand? That was a great sitting blind and I am going to buy one.

Absolutely awesome picture of the hawk. Was this taken from the big oak up the hill from the Ridge?

Let me know if a date opens up for me and Noah. Seeing those 8's at the Cactus, get my blood pumping!

[justhrowit]

I believe I do have photos of that 8 up at the cactus. Any chance that buck is one of these guys:


WGI_0151 by Jay DeSimone, on Flickr


WGI_0090 by Jay DeSimone, on Flickr
I think the cactus ground blind is a double bull. I THINK.

Glad you enjoy the hawk pictures. That was fun. Yes, that is the ground blind I put up a couple weeks ago near the Ridge. I'm hoping this thing produces something. I only saw one doe while sitting it on Friday, and she was way out.

Right now we are booking for January and February. All of February is open. The only weekend filled in January is the 13th-15th. Send me an e-mail if you want to talk about booking another weekend.
jdesimone 78 @ g mail (DOT) com

J

[salth2o]

That first pic is him w/ the busted G2 on his right side. 2nd set of antlers? He's a baby.

[justhrowit]

That first pic is him w/ the busted G2 on his right side.

He's been furniture in there. In 4 sits, my buddy David saw him three times. We also have pics of him there on Friday morning.