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**BIG_B** · 12-27-2008, 07:49 AM

good luck...cant wait for the reports to come in

**Rod** · 12-27-2008, 09:26 AM

Let us know what pastures you hunted and what was seen. Good Luck!!!!

**huntinfool** · 12-27-2008, 04:19 PM

Tick.............................................. ..............................................Tock

**GARY** · 12-28-2008, 09:14 PM

NO reports yet!! I should ban the whole group hunting after Christmas!

**Ol Man** · 12-29-2008, 07:51 AM

Hmmm - am waiting to hear the reports as well - I was thinking about booking for 2009.

**JDALEX** · 12-29-2008, 07:57 PM

Just Got Off The Phone With Killem All, He Said He Passed On A Mid 120s 8 Point, Said Its Been Very Slow Since Then, Wishes He Would Have Shot It. He Also Said Heath Has Seen Two Shooters, Passed On The First, Drew Back On The Second But Couldnt Get The Shot He Wanted.more Reports As I Get Them.

**ronny** · 12-30-2008, 08:12 PM

I'm heading to First Point in about 6hrs. Hope them boys left a few for me.

**Killem all** · 01-01-2009, 03:03 PM

We are back. It was definitely tough huntin we did not shoot anything. There are some guys still there hopefully they will have better luck. I would post more but, I think Heath has a 5 page report coming so stand by. I leave in 4 days to go back.

**Heath** · 01-01-2009, 04:31 PM

First Point Hunt December 26 – January 1st

I have wanted to hunt First Point Bowhunting Ranch in South Texas since they opened several years ago, but the stars had never aligned me to make the trip down. I have had a slow season and with some free time coming up at the end of the year, I started thinking about going on a day hunt. I like hunting high pressure day leases, because it is more of a game than just your average hunting experience. I believe that hunting a day leases has made me a better, smarter hunter and taught me to think outside the box.

I decided that First Point and Brushy Hill would be my two options and started inquiring about open dates. A couple of spots for some two day hunts at First Point where posted on TBH, but I like to spend more than two days on a day lease if I can. Shayne (Killem All) sent me a PM and said that he had just learned that 6 days at First Point came open to a cancelation and the hunt was booked. The only problem is we where to leave at 4am on the morning of Dec. 26th from Waco, TX. I have had a tradition with my friends that we do every Christmas called, “White Trash Christmas” which keeps us running around till at least 2am. I would have to sacrifice the 5th Annual White Trash Christmas, so I would be in good enough traveling conditions for my First Point trip. The hunt also meant I would spend New Years Eve night in the middle of a ranch in South Texas and not in a mixed social scene, but I was going to spend 6 days on a ranch I have never laid foot prints on.

We left early on the morning of the 26th to make the 4.5 hour drive to the ranch. After a quick stop for some food we where at the gate to First Point Bowhunting.

We helped Mike and Nancy Palmer finish up some light cleaning of the cabins before we learned what pastures we would be hunting and read the ranch rules. Mike gave us pasture 9 for our hunt. I wished I had taken some notes on TBH as S.Price had just returned from First Point a week before our left and hunted pasture 9. Pasture 9 is also the favorite of Damion (Huntinfool) and he would be in camp on the 28th, so I felt good about our chances. Shayne has hunted First Point 5 times before and killed two nice bucks, so I was relying on his knowledge of the ranch to point me in the right direction.

Once we settled up and was given our map, it was off to the races to take a tour of our home for the next 6 days. Mike had told us that there where several good bucks in our pasture that have been seen over the last couple of days chasing some does. One of the first things I like to do when I setup on a day lease is to find a spot off the beaten path, deep in the brush to corn and leave alone for a few days. I like to set this spot 70 or so yard downwind of roads, feeders, stands, etc. Mike said that the corn route had all the does and the bucks where on the does, so he suggested we stick to the roads. I took the “Pipeline Road” and Shayne took another long road as our plans where to burn a couple of hunts scouting before we set stands.

**Heath** · 01-01-2009, 04:35 PM

The Pipeline Road had been made a couple of months ago right through the brush in pasture 9. I got the wind in my favor and I set in a chair on the North End for the evening. I had a very relaxing sit on the side of the pipeline road watching all the deer filter in and out of the brush. I had a group of 4 does and one buck that started off at 600 yards and feed all the way to 30 yards in front of me. The buck was a 3.5 year old 8 point that was about 19 inches wide, but he had really short tines. The ranch rules say that we can shoot any buck that is 3.5 years old or older. I saw a total of about 20 deer, but not the big boy I was hoping to see.

Back at camp, everyone had reported seeing lots of does and young bucks, but no shooters. JFrank and Zane from TBH where in camp and after a few introductions, it was time to pop the top on couple of cold ones.

Shayne’s cousin, Shawn was in from Abilene on a two day hunt and cooked one of the best steaks I have ever had that night. The side dish was chopped jalapeños, onions, and potatoes that were cooked in foil in the coals our fire.

Nothing says hunting camp better than a big fire in the pit.

The next morning found me back on the pipeline road waiting in the dark. I had a nice surprise when some animal decided he wanted to run right by me to make sure I was awake. I glassed the pipeline road all morning and finally decided where most of the deer where coming out. Due to the recommendation of Shayne, I had taken sticks and placed them in the road at various distances down the road so I could remember where I was seeing the deer. I enjoyed a nice breakfast of a pop tart and bottle of water.

**Heath** · 01-01-2009, 04:38 PM

After the morning hunt it was time to start make some decisions on where to setup. This is a very hard ranch to setup blinds because of the wary deer, but also what you have to work with. Most of our pasture is low brush, so hunting a small tripod was out of the question. I had a couple of Double Bulls with me, but these deer are wise to the “black hole” effect and the big pile of brush. One of the most popular methods of hunting is to dig a pit blind and get below eye level of deer in the middle of the brush. This is very hard work, but is one of the most successful methods used on the ranch. I was checking out the areas on the pipeline where I had seen the most deer crossing and found a very natural looking ground blind spot. Somebody had placed a Double Bull here in the past, but for me I just took a chair and made a natural ground blind. This was an ambush spot 23 yards away from the road. I went with the “less is more” when it came time to build my blind. I wanted to keep everything as natural as I could. The key to this spot and other spots like this is you have to listen for the deer “crunching the corn” and get ready for a shot. Your decisions would have to be quick as most deer are always on the move.

That evening I spent in my new pipeline road stand and had deer all afternoon. I had deer crunching, so I clicked my release on ready to go. I had two does walk by and then I see horns in the brush. The buck stepped out and he was a 3.5yo 115ish 8 point, but I decided to let him walk with 9 more hunts to go. I have heard the old adage, “never pass a deer on the first day that you would take on the last,” but anybody that knows me and my hunting style is that killing just to kill is not the name of my game. Back at camp, most people reported seeing the same thing with lots of does and some young bucks, but no shooters.

The problem for our trip was the weather. It would be hot during the day with S to SE winds and then switch to cool mornings with N to NE winds. This meant that we had to have a couple of different options for the wind and let the wind determine where we hunt. I dug out an old pit blind that had not been used in a few years in the corner of pasture 9 for a SE wind. I spent several hours on digging and brushing in the blind.

**Heath** · 01-01-2009, 04:44 PM

I would have to hunt the pit blind in the evenings and the pipeline road stand in the mornings due to the wind. The pit blind was a miserable sit as I was sucking up dust every hunt. The ranch was extremely dry. Most of my hunts where the same with does and some young bucks during the whole trip. The young bucks where chasing the does, but the big boys never came out to play. First Point is a very tough place to hunt, but there is no telling what will come out of the brush. I feel I did not do a very good job of hunting on this trip. I had several ideas when I got to the ranch and never put any of them to use. I should have built more stands and scouted harder. I sort of let the days left in the trip sneak up on me. Mike and Nancy Palmer are very good host. I also had the chance to spend some days in camp with Huntinfool, Vidorboy, and Ronny. I had a hoot hanging out with Ronny's brother Barry.

The sun sets on another great trip in the South Texas Brush.