I am terrible at shorts stories as anyone who knows me will attest, so this gets a bit long, but you can just scroll down to the pics if you don't want the play by play.
I have been chasing one of several large Oryx bulls on our place for three years. The Oryx herds are nomadic and seem to come and go and the bulls don't always run with the cows and seem to hang back more than the cows do. I have set up all over the ranch in several travel corridors, feeding areas and water holes and had many close calls, but could never get it done for one reason or another.
Last year I had a serious brain fart late one evening when I got my first real chance at a bull. It was right at dark and really too dark to be taking a shot, but I did and the results were not good. After tracking the bull up in the dark for about 400 yards we jumped him and decided to back out. The next day we tracked the bull for over 2 miles. About a mile into the track we found my arrow broke off with only about 3 inches missing. At the end of the two mile track we found the bull alive and well and seemingly unaffected by the broadhead stuck in his shoulder. I was sick that he might get an infection and die or be crippled. My concerns were put to rest about 3 months later when we got several game camera pictures or the bull with a perfect Mercedes sign scared into his shoulder and in perfect health. The healing abilities of these animals are amazing.
Sunday morning I set up at a feeder where a large axis buck had been seen. I laid out my hand corn and climbed into the ladder stand an hour and a half before daylight in the cool fall 37 degree hill country morning. Almost immediately I had dark figures feeding below me and crunching on the corn. As light began to break I could make out the 8 whitetail that were filing their bellies on my golden nuggets. As I watch the young bucks swell up at each other and lay their ears back I felt a chill down my back knowing that the rut will soon be upon us.
The feeder breaks the morning stillness and shortly after the sound of one of many packs of corn stealin’ pig mobs crashing through the cedar brings me to attention. We have a real pig problem this year and it is only getting worse. Two sows and 19 piglets rush in under the feeder. With their jaws snapping away my golden nuggets were quickly disappearing. I knew that there was no chance of the axis coming in with the corn thieves hording the corn so I drew back and stuck the biggest sow. As they vacate the premises in a hurry I give thanks for some more sausage ingredients. No sooner than I was done giving thanks the 19 piglets return. I preceded to break off a few dead limbs and chunk them at them that does nothing more than scatter them for 5 feet and then they would return. I climb out of the tree and walk to within 10 yards before they run 30 yards out and hunker down. As soon as I start to move back to the tree the come right back. I end up having to throw rocks at them to get them to leave.
I climb back in the stand figuring my hunt is over but Judy had ridden in with me and was hunting down the road and I had to give her ample time to hunt. I settled back into my seat thinking I would just scan the hills to see what was moving and maybe take a little nap. Within 15 minutes my nap was interrupted by crunching corn and the return of several young whitetail. I watch them for a while and then settled back into a trance of the week to come and the long drive home later that day until the whitetail started moving away with their tails in the air.
I look over my left shoulder to see an Oryx feeding up the hillside. I could not believe it. Based on the mass I was pretty sure it was a bull, but not certain. As he fed closer I could see several others feeding and browsing up the hill as well. The first Oryx came right into the feeder and milled around. They are not great at picking corn up off the ground but this one was giving it a shot. Still not sure it was a bull I was straining my eyes through the binoculars to see the tell tell accessories a bull carries. From an elevated position it is very difficult to see a bulls tool (for lack of a better word)as they have a very tight sheath. As several cows came in he was pushed out to my right and I got a glimpse of his jewels and confirmed it was a bull. He was right at 20 yards and had no idea I was there. I took a deep breath and drew just as he turned to face away from me. I held for as long as I could before having to let down. He then turned quartered away and I drew again to find myself in the same position. Just as I come to full draw he turns to face me. I again hold for what seems to be 10 minutes but I am sure it was more like 2 before having to let down again. He now started to feed further to the right and behind the limbs of the tree I was in. I was a bit sick as I had several opportunities when he was in front of me for a shot, but would not take them until I was absolutely sure it was a bull, and then once I was certain could not get him to stand quartered from me. Now I felt like I would not get a shot.
There was now 6 other Oryx feeding around the feeder and under the trees. 4 cows and two small bulls for 7 in total. The big bull grazed around and actually circled my tree and walked right back in front of me at less than 15 yards but I had no shot. He joined several cows under the feeder. All of them doing a pretty poor job of picking up corn but seemingly happy to keep trying. I drew three different times and each time I would get to full draw he would turn or a cow would step in front of him. The last time I let down I spooked a whitetail doe that had snuck in right under my tree without me knowing it. She jumped sideways and trotted off.
The Oryx were not sure what was going on but seemed to decide it was time to feed on their way and began grazing out away from me. I can’t believe it. I drew 5 times and no shot. All hope faded as the group slowly grazed out of bow range into the meadow. All I could do was watch and dream about the next time I would have a chance. Then for no reason at all the bull seemed to split up from the group and slowly started feeding back in my direction. Over the next 15 minutes as I watched with my heart beating out of my chest he kept getting closer. In the end he worked his way right back behind me and completed the same circle he had done earlier and came out back in front of me at 20 yards. Almost instantly he presented a broadside shot and I drew.
The rest is a blur. As I squeezed the trigger on the release I watched the arrow burry behind the shoulder and slam hard into the offside shoulder. He spun around in an instance and then slowed to slow motion trot out 20 yards. He completed one tight circle and then gave out a loud death groan and collapsed right there.
I pulled of my Texas Bowhunter cap and pointed both hands towards the sky and said many thanks to the Creator that made all of this possible. Then the shakes really set in. It took me ten minutes to calm down to the point I could climbed down the ladder and make my way to this impressive trophy and what an awesome animal he was.
He measured 36-3/8” on one side and 36-4/8” on the other and sported amazing mass. He is not the longest bull we have seen in the area but he has the most amazing cape I have seen. He had no scars on his neck or shoulders and the base mass made the complete package. The shot was much better than my previous attempt and the cleaning station showed a perfect heart shot which produced a quick clean kill.
Judy and I are truly blessed with our piece of God’s country and the opportunity to hunt it and for that I give thanks every day.
I have been chasing one of several large Oryx bulls on our place for three years. The Oryx herds are nomadic and seem to come and go and the bulls don't always run with the cows and seem to hang back more than the cows do. I have set up all over the ranch in several travel corridors, feeding areas and water holes and had many close calls, but could never get it done for one reason or another.
Last year I had a serious brain fart late one evening when I got my first real chance at a bull. It was right at dark and really too dark to be taking a shot, but I did and the results were not good. After tracking the bull up in the dark for about 400 yards we jumped him and decided to back out. The next day we tracked the bull for over 2 miles. About a mile into the track we found my arrow broke off with only about 3 inches missing. At the end of the two mile track we found the bull alive and well and seemingly unaffected by the broadhead stuck in his shoulder. I was sick that he might get an infection and die or be crippled. My concerns were put to rest about 3 months later when we got several game camera pictures or the bull with a perfect Mercedes sign scared into his shoulder and in perfect health. The healing abilities of these animals are amazing.
Sunday morning I set up at a feeder where a large axis buck had been seen. I laid out my hand corn and climbed into the ladder stand an hour and a half before daylight in the cool fall 37 degree hill country morning. Almost immediately I had dark figures feeding below me and crunching on the corn. As light began to break I could make out the 8 whitetail that were filing their bellies on my golden nuggets. As I watch the young bucks swell up at each other and lay their ears back I felt a chill down my back knowing that the rut will soon be upon us.
The feeder breaks the morning stillness and shortly after the sound of one of many packs of corn stealin’ pig mobs crashing through the cedar brings me to attention. We have a real pig problem this year and it is only getting worse. Two sows and 19 piglets rush in under the feeder. With their jaws snapping away my golden nuggets were quickly disappearing. I knew that there was no chance of the axis coming in with the corn thieves hording the corn so I drew back and stuck the biggest sow. As they vacate the premises in a hurry I give thanks for some more sausage ingredients. No sooner than I was done giving thanks the 19 piglets return. I preceded to break off a few dead limbs and chunk them at them that does nothing more than scatter them for 5 feet and then they would return. I climb out of the tree and walk to within 10 yards before they run 30 yards out and hunker down. As soon as I start to move back to the tree the come right back. I end up having to throw rocks at them to get them to leave.
I climb back in the stand figuring my hunt is over but Judy had ridden in with me and was hunting down the road and I had to give her ample time to hunt. I settled back into my seat thinking I would just scan the hills to see what was moving and maybe take a little nap. Within 15 minutes my nap was interrupted by crunching corn and the return of several young whitetail. I watch them for a while and then settled back into a trance of the week to come and the long drive home later that day until the whitetail started moving away with their tails in the air.
I look over my left shoulder to see an Oryx feeding up the hillside. I could not believe it. Based on the mass I was pretty sure it was a bull, but not certain. As he fed closer I could see several others feeding and browsing up the hill as well. The first Oryx came right into the feeder and milled around. They are not great at picking corn up off the ground but this one was giving it a shot. Still not sure it was a bull I was straining my eyes through the binoculars to see the tell tell accessories a bull carries. From an elevated position it is very difficult to see a bulls tool (for lack of a better word)as they have a very tight sheath. As several cows came in he was pushed out to my right and I got a glimpse of his jewels and confirmed it was a bull. He was right at 20 yards and had no idea I was there. I took a deep breath and drew just as he turned to face away from me. I held for as long as I could before having to let down. He then turned quartered away and I drew again to find myself in the same position. Just as I come to full draw he turns to face me. I again hold for what seems to be 10 minutes but I am sure it was more like 2 before having to let down again. He now started to feed further to the right and behind the limbs of the tree I was in. I was a bit sick as I had several opportunities when he was in front of me for a shot, but would not take them until I was absolutely sure it was a bull, and then once I was certain could not get him to stand quartered from me. Now I felt like I would not get a shot.
There was now 6 other Oryx feeding around the feeder and under the trees. 4 cows and two small bulls for 7 in total. The big bull grazed around and actually circled my tree and walked right back in front of me at less than 15 yards but I had no shot. He joined several cows under the feeder. All of them doing a pretty poor job of picking up corn but seemingly happy to keep trying. I drew three different times and each time I would get to full draw he would turn or a cow would step in front of him. The last time I let down I spooked a whitetail doe that had snuck in right under my tree without me knowing it. She jumped sideways and trotted off.
The Oryx were not sure what was going on but seemed to decide it was time to feed on their way and began grazing out away from me. I can’t believe it. I drew 5 times and no shot. All hope faded as the group slowly grazed out of bow range into the meadow. All I could do was watch and dream about the next time I would have a chance. Then for no reason at all the bull seemed to split up from the group and slowly started feeding back in my direction. Over the next 15 minutes as I watched with my heart beating out of my chest he kept getting closer. In the end he worked his way right back behind me and completed the same circle he had done earlier and came out back in front of me at 20 yards. Almost instantly he presented a broadside shot and I drew.
The rest is a blur. As I squeezed the trigger on the release I watched the arrow burry behind the shoulder and slam hard into the offside shoulder. He spun around in an instance and then slowed to slow motion trot out 20 yards. He completed one tight circle and then gave out a loud death groan and collapsed right there.
I pulled of my Texas Bowhunter cap and pointed both hands towards the sky and said many thanks to the Creator that made all of this possible. Then the shakes really set in. It took me ten minutes to calm down to the point I could climbed down the ladder and make my way to this impressive trophy and what an awesome animal he was.
He measured 36-3/8” on one side and 36-4/8” on the other and sported amazing mass. He is not the longest bull we have seen in the area but he has the most amazing cape I have seen. He had no scars on his neck or shoulders and the base mass made the complete package. The shot was much better than my previous attempt and the cleaning station showed a perfect heart shot which produced a quick clean kill.
Judy and I are truly blessed with our piece of God’s country and the opportunity to hunt it and for that I give thanks every day.
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