My father and I got an invite to go hunt a ranch outside of Kingsland, TX, near my hometown of Burnet. This would not only be my first opportunity to hunt deer for the year, but to shoot my new Mathews’ bow in my new Legendary Whitetails Ridge Runner Performance Tee with God’s Country Camo. Needless to say I was excited. The ranch sits not to far from Lake LBJ right next to the Packsaddles mountain range (That would be using the term mountain loosely, but for Texas it’s as close as we can get!). The property is gorgeous with high peaks, steep rocky slopes, and, of course, a bunch of cedar trees. It was a rare opportunity to hunt, not just for a trophy whitetail, but also for an aoudad sheep or feral hog. To be quite honest, I just wanted to fling an arrow!
As we pulled up to the ranch the property was truly breathtaking and my heart was already pounding. However, as it always seems to do, the weather was not helping our case to kill. It was hot and muggy, about 85 degrees and the wind was gusting from the east. It wasn’t looking good for our chance to cash in on this opportunity, but I refused to let the weather get me down. I grabbed my bow, sprayed down in some scent killer and headed to the stand. The stand was a platform that had been built into an old Oak tree suspended about 12 feet up in the air. It was about 20 yards from a major crossing where deer, aoudad and hogs had been spotted on camera numerous times. I climbed up into my stand and got comfortable for the hunt. Little did I know, the next two and a half hours I would sit there with no action (except for a squirrel- I don’t think he wanted to share his tree). As the sun began to set over the mountains and the darkness loomed I finally caught movement on the side of the steep bluff. It was an Aoudad making its way down. My heart was already beginning to pound. No more than 10 minutes later I had 10 Aoudad within shooting range. The only problem- it was five females with their yearlings. I have to say I wanted to shoot but resisted the urge.
As I watched the aoudad feed, something suddenly spooked them, and off they ran. Surely they didn’t scent me, the wind was in my favor. And to my left walking into range about 20 yards away were 3 little pigs (emphasis on little). I readied my bow and with what little light left I managed to keep the top pin on his lower third right behind the shoulder. Whap! My arrow struck and I followed my lit up nock as my arrow skidded off some rocks and sparks flew. The pigs scattered and I heard no squealing. I missed, how in the world did this happen? Now I was embarrassed to have to admit to my dad of all people that I had missed… I would never hear the end of it! The truck pulled up and I could already hear the banter coming for me. I hopped out and walked toward where my arrow lay. It was soaked in blood and my blades had hair stuck in them. I had connected! My hog lay not 10 yards away just out of sight of my bow blind with a huge hole right behind the shoulder on his bottom third. He certainly was no trophy but he will make a great dinner and a rancher happy! A successful day in adverse conditions and a good start to the hunting season, but it’s hard not to say that any hunt is successful when your in your Legendary Whitetails gear suspended 12 feet in the air with your bow in hand!
