It was Labor Day weekend. My family and I were once again fortunate to be invited to Escondido Ranch for the weekend festivities. The days were spent riding ATVs, swimming in the river, shooting clays or just relaxing on the balcony with a cold drink and a laid-back conversation.

The early mornings and the evenings, however, were spent hunting! The first evening, I decided to take along my son. Knowing that hunting with an active 4.5 y.o. would be a challenge, I conceited that the evening would be spent looking at the wildlife. To make certain we had some wildlife to look at, we hunted at Windmill blind which is elevated 25-30 ft off the ground. Throughout the evening, we had several glimpses of black buck antelopes and distant sightings of whitetails. In between, my son was thoroughly involved with a slim digital camera; taking photos of himself and the surrounding country side. Some photos actually came out pretty good.

The following day, I decided that it was time to do some serious hunting. So I left my son in the company of Mommy and younger sister and tracked out on my own. It was still humid that evening from the torrential downpour the day before, but you could feel a distant encroachment of autumn. The days were getting shorter and in the evening, the temperature was notably cooler.

That late afternoon, I set out towards the Ambush blind. This particular spot is located off the beaten path, on an edge of canyon 95 yards up the slope and 130 yards away from the feeder, as the crow flies. The “blind” is really a 3x8 foot wall of pilled brush with a 2x4 thrown across two trees for shooting support. Getting down to the blind could be a bit of a challenge as well, particularly in the early morning hours. You have to follow a marked trail which winds down through the trees and stops just a few feet short of the ledge. However, I particularly like this spot, because it offers the freedom to move around (carefully) while having a clear view of the shooting lanes. The area below is a favorite hangout for axis, hogs and aoudad sheep. I was ready to take on all comers.

Once I got situated, I found a solid rest for my .270. This is a recent acquisition and my second time hunting with this rifle. I feel progressively more confident with the gun, particularly after a shooting session from 300 yard distance, earlier that day.

The evening started slow. Only one porcupine and a couple of squirrels were scouring around below. A bit later, a huge, lumbering “Sumo” porcupine slowly worked its way towards the feeder. It was the largest porcupine I have ever seen. It dwarfed the other porcupine still munching nearby. Whatever protein mix the ranch used as supplemental feed, if it has the same affect on the deer, it should produce some major trophies this season.

Finally, around 7:15 pm, an Axis doe showed up. There was still 45 minutes of shooting light left. I was still hoping to see my elusive prey of choice, the Aoudad, so I decided to pass. The doe pranced around the area for a few minutes and then disappeared in the nearby brush.

Time passed. It was just me and the two porcupines. The view through my scope was still clear, but I was loosing shooting light. I was second guessing myself for passing on the Axis doe.

I had only a few minutes of light left, when the same doe popped out on the other side of the feeder. Ecstatic about the second opportunity, I wasted no time in drawing my rifle. I found the Axis doe in the scope and removed the safety. Its head was down and the vitals were blocked by remnants of a fence post. I waited…When the doe finally cleared the obstruction, I squeezed the trigger. Through the clearing smoke I could see the animal fall hard to the ground. Oh yeah! Axis back strap on the menu…Yum!

Labels: fallow doe hunt, sika doe hunting, texas axis doe hunts

The evening hunt started out pretty slow with only a few animals moving due to the heat and humidity, and, in part, to the recent rain. I was perched in my bow stand in an old oak tree about 15 feet off the ground. The stand itself is situated between two canyons. One of my favorite hunting places on the ranch. I was ready to shoot a wild hog or a young aoudad sheep if they were willing to cross my path. As the late evening progressed, I spied on several young whitetail bucks that were just passing through looking for place to graze. The whitetail buck population with the abundant rains and supplemental year-round feed looks especially strong this year at Escondido Ranch.

It was about 7:00 P.M. when my first potential prey decided to show itself. First, two Aoudad sheep, each with about 20 inches of horn, peeked out from the brush. Not trophy class, but not good eating size either. Aoudad sheep taste better when they are harvested at a younger age. Twelve inches of horn or less is a good reference length for eating purposes. With that in mind I decided to pass. Just a few moments later, two wild hogs surfaced along the brush line. I got into position and waited for the hogs to clear from behind an overhanging tree limb blocking my shooting lane. As the hog moved into a clearing, I became a bit anxious due to the amount of time I had to think about my shot. As I drew my bow to full draw, I set my 20 yard pin sight on the vital organs of the larger of the two wild boars. In a fleeing moment, my arrow screamed through the humid south Texas air and hit the boar on the side, passing through and leaving an exit hole the size of a golf ball. I did it!! The hog ran immediately into the brush and expired briefly thereafter. Well thanks for reading and check out EscondidoRanch.com for all your hunting wants and desires.

Labels: bow hunting, texas boar hunting, texas feral hog hunts, wild hog hunting