"Counting Coup"
- Thread starter Geedubya
- Start date
22magnum22
Well-known member
So many to choose from if I were a trophy hunter, would not turn down picture #4. What a unique rack!My way of "counting coup"
ya,
GWB
Spurchaser
Well-known member
Low fence or high fence?
Pix 1, 4, 8 & 9 are from an 11,000 acre high fenced ranch in Laredo Texas. No bucks taken there younger than 7.5 years. The others are from a low fenced/no fence 60,000 acre ranch near Woodsboro Tx. No trophy bucks (10 point or better) there younger than 6.5 yrs. were to be taken.
The buck in the 6th pic with his flag up I called "Lucky 13. He was on the low fenced ranch and had 13 points but was only judged to be 5.5 years old so he got a pass.
As an aside, I am not a horn hunter. I classify myself as a short-range meat hunter. I'm 73 and have been hunting since 8 yrs old. I have never scored an critter I've shot. I typically eschew hunting high fence. I won't "hunt" a high fence property where a critter can't exist without supplemental feed. I do make an exception and "do" high fence on two occasions.
I meet 25 other guys once a year at a ranch in Crystal city for a 4 day hoot and shoot/hog slaughter on 15,000 acres that is a combo of low-fence/high fence.
The second I take a meat buck when I meet two other guys there in Laredo each year. I don't call it a hunt, its a shoot.
Ya,
GWB
The buck in the 6th pic with his flag up I called "Lucky 13. He was on the low fenced ranch and had 13 points but was only judged to be 5.5 years old so he got a pass.
As an aside, I am not a horn hunter. I classify myself as a short-range meat hunter. I'm 73 and have been hunting since 8 yrs old. I have never scored an critter I've shot. I typically eschew hunting high fence. I won't "hunt" a high fence property where a critter can't exist without supplemental feed. I do make an exception and "do" high fence on two occasions.
I meet 25 other guys once a year at a ranch in Crystal city for a 4 day hoot and shoot/hog slaughter on 15,000 acres that is a combo of low-fence/high fence.
The second I take a meat buck when I meet two other guys there in Laredo each year. I don't call it a hunt, its a shoot.
Ya,
GWB
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22magnum22
Well-known member
Geedubya, you may have noticed that I said "if I were a trophy hunter". 1984 was last year I hunted deer as my focus was on coyotes and a little later hogs came into my area. So I have been dedicated on those critters ever since.
10/4. Gotcha'.
I am a Texan. I palaver with a bunch of northern and western state hunters that hunt public land. For the most part, my experience in Texas is you either own hunting property, you pay for a "trespass" lease (either working-mans low fence or trophy high fence). There is public land, but........
Consequently when I parlay with the folks referenced above, I make sport by saying "everybody knows Texans don't hunt". I call it "going afield".
I, and eight other guys have been on our current lease for 23 years. Our lease is a low fence/no fence ranch of +/- 60,000 acres out of which we have a 1,700 acre "pasture. No water, no power, no cell service except in a couple spots (none of which are near camp) We have "Vampire Deer". I keep at least a dozen game cams set out year round. I almost never see deer during the day. Typically make it 15 to 20 times per year, stay 3 to 5 nights. I could do a pretty high dollar hunt for what I spend chasing pigs.
I'll queer a deer hunt any day if the opportunity to perforate a porker presents itself. My passion is thermal hunting at nights for hogs in particular, and targets of opportunity on coons, fox and coyotes. If memory serves, a bud and I have snared, trapped and shot over 600 swine since summer of 2018. Here in Texas I can hunt hogs and varmings 24/7/365.
In addition you never know what may show up in the Texas Hill Country............
(South African Zebu Bull)
The key is being there at the right time and place.
ya!
GWB
PS: I shoot a lot more with a camera than `i do with a rifle.
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Spurchaser
Well-known member
That’s interesting on the age. I’ve always said the “mature” deer standard comes from S. Texas.
Here if you wait until 7.5 you’ll lose about 15-20”. Not sure why that’s the case, but it just is. 5.5 and you’ve got a serious trophy. Wait until 6.5 and you’re already losing inches. We’ve based this on sheds from deer we’ve let go “thinking” they’d grow and then taking them the following year and losing inches.
Here if you wait until 7.5 you’ll lose about 15-20”. Not sure why that’s the case, but it just is. 5.5 and you’ve got a serious trophy. Wait until 6.5 and you’re already losing inches. We’ve based this on sheds from deer we’ve let go “thinking” they’d grow and then taking them the following year and losing inches.
22magnum22
Well-known member
Great pictures and great writing. If I had the environment you and Clarence have I would probably never be home
I think I am bloodthirsty for the coyotes and hogs but do shoot a lot of armadillos, raccoons, possums and skunks.
I think I am bloodthirsty for the coyotes and hogs but do shoot a lot of armadillos, raccoons, possums and skunks.Great pictures and great writing. If I had the environment you and Clarence have I would probably never be home
10/4
Folks ask me,,,,
Geedub, how do you manage to hunt so much, doesn't your wife get mad/be upset.
I tell em' I learned the secret many years ago.
What I do is when I head out of town to go afield (remember Texans don't hunt) I leave her with .........
a pile of cash,
three high balance credit cards that have low balances
and.....
An Uber driver on retainer that will pick her up from her boyfriend's within 30 minutes of the time she calls/texts.
Seems she never minds how much I hunt.
ya,
GWB
Never found out for sure what the growth was on the buck in my picture. It didn't seem to bother him any. Wondering if GW's buck has same growth in early stages?? Hunted for 70 years and have never seen another buck so afflicted.
Know what you mean, 22, last buck I shot was 2008, after getting addicted to predator hunting.
22magnum22
Well-known member
Ye Gads, you cad! Was that a learned behavior or an old family trick?
As to the comment from Clarence about the similarity of the growth on the two bucks, there is an older small dog who occasionally wanders the neighborhood and he has that same type of growth in same location. Neighbor says it is a cancerous tumor, so any correlation?