OUTDOORS

In last week’s column I used a good bit of space in this awesome publication elaborating on just how important the opener of deer season is here in Texas. The opener has come and gone for the almost two million deer hunters in Texas, and we all have our stories. Many will be reliving the experience of once again spending a couple days living the hunter’s lifestyle in the ‘wilds’ for months to come. Other will be busy after work this week putting venison steaks and roast in their freezers. Some were fortunate to harvest that wall hanger buck of their dreams, and many connected with ‘their’ trophy in the form of a spike buck or doe for the freezer.

I am fortunate to live within a stone’s throw of some very good deer hunting in an area where big bucks are taken annually. My good friend Kenneth Shepherd lives about a mile down the road and owns some of the best land in the area for intercepting big rutting bucks this time of year when they are on the prowl. We hunt hogs together throughout the year, and when he invited me to open the season hunting with him the answer was an immediate yes. Kenneth has taken many trophy bucks from the area, including a 172 inch typical a few years ago. Look up ‘trophy hunter’ in the dictionary and Kenneth’s picture should be there! There is an isolated 12 acres that is separated from the rest of Kenneth’s land by a creek. This little hotspot must be accessed by boat but the ‘getting there’ is well worth the effort.

There is something about paddling a small boat down a remote creek to a hunting spot that I find exciting. When I round a bend of the creek, I somehow feel as though I’m the first to be there, the first to see that ancient oak growing along the bank. I wonder just how many years ago it was when a farmer left that old piece of rusty farm equipment on the edge of the field. With a 20 inch pecan tree growing up through the steel, it must have been a long, long time ago.

My buddy’s little piece of whitetail heaven is bounded on one side by the creek and is connected on either side by heavy timber; it’s called a pinch point by today’s hunting nomenclature. Waterways are natural travel routes for deer and other game animals. Bounded by the creek and heavy cover on each side, this spot is a natural funnel for bucks that sometimes travel several miles in search of a receptive doe. Any deer traveling along the creek must travel through this area. Years ago, my friend constructed an elevated blind at a vantage point that allows good visibility for most of the land which is a mixture of open country and small groves of trees with enough cover to make deer feel comfortable crossing.

In my many years of deer hunting, I have taken only two bucks that scored over 150 BC inches. My hunting companion on this day has taken several 140-inch bucks on his land. As a matter of fact, bucks of this size are the average for a deer three years or older. A 140-inch buck is considered quite the trophy by most deer hunters, including yours truly, and I was excited about the possibility of taking one so close to home.

We spent some time in the blind the day before the opener. I was trying to get some footage of bucks coming to the rattling horns for our weekly TV show, A Sportsmans Life that airs on Carbon TV. After a few hours in the stand and rattling in a couple of these big 140-inch bucks, we were both excited to get in the blind well before daylight the next morning!

An hour before first light, we were paddling down the creek, spirits high and full of optimism. We knew the bucks were responding to antler rattling and that the rut was in its early stages. I don’t think that, after six decades of deer hunting, I’ve ever been more excited and full of anticipation.

At first light, we spotted 5 deer at the feeder, doe and this year’s fawns. Then, we spotted what I consider a BIG buck crossing the field about 150 yards out. A few whacks of the rattling horns caused him to pause and he immediately came our way, ears laid back and ready to rumble or maybe sneak in on two fighting bucks and steal the doe away!

“How big you think, Kenneth?” I inquired. “Oh, just a run of the mill good threeyear-old, about 140 inches. Take him if you like; he’s a good deer,” was his reply. The buck was only about 70 yards out, and I placed the crosshairs on that crease just behind the front shoulder. And then I paused. I had never before hesitated shooting such a fine buck but this time I did. It was fifteen minutes into the season, and I already had in my scope the type buck I’ve traveled across the country to hunt, one mile from my home!

During the course of the day, we rattled in a couple more good bucks and a big non typical management buck. The majority of my hunting career, I would have ended my hunt the first few minutes of this opening morning. I’ve never considered myself a true trophy hunter. I enjoy the venison as much as admiring the headgear a buck sports. Is my buddy turning me into a trophy hunter? The season is just getting underway, and I’ve passed on a mighty good buck. But they get bigger around here, a lot bigger! We shall see! ********************

In a recent column, I mentioned the video camera that supplies a live feed to a cell phone app. Cost is $220 plus a monthly service charge. These live feed video cameras are revolutionizing the way many of us scout. I’ve had numerous inquiries from readers about this. If interested, contact Waugh at 214-809-5303.

Contact outdoors writer Luke Clayton via email www.catfishradio.org

Luke’s friend and neighbor Kenneth Shepherd rattling in a buck on opening morning.