blikseme300
01-05-2016, 07:21 PM
The past year ended well when late on the 30th I was invited to harvest a white tail doe on the Yturria ranch north of Raymondville, TX. This was the second occasion I had been on the property but the first time I was invited to hunt there. During my first visit there I was blown away by the number of African game I saw on the property and it reminded me a lot of the experiences I had growing up in South Africa and seeing the wild life in the national parks.
We arrived there late in the day and after unpacking and getting the Jeep ready there was less than an hour of daylight left and it was overcast with fog and light drizzle. We went out regardless but even though we saw a large number of animals the situations were not good as there was still considerable amounts of standing water from the heavy rains that fell during the fall. My host did not like the idea of wading to track and/or retrieve in water so we ended back at the camp without any success.
The next morning we were up and ready before day break but the conditions were not great. Low foggy clouds with light rain which let up shortly after day break. Off we went with the Jeep. As I had not had time to go home the previous day to get my own rifle I was set up with a Remington in .243 which I had never fired before but it was what I had available. Sorry, no CB's but I'll make up for it some other time.
Around 7:30am we came across some turkeys and I was told, "shoot a turkey". I had never done this before but I chambered a round and with prompting where to aim to shoot before they moved off further let off a shot. Feathers in the air and turkey down! About 75 yards and a good hit at the base of the neck.
157338
We then drove around for about another 45 minutes before we found a doe in a good spot around 100 yards away. The light had improved somewhat and I had no trouble placing a good shot on the doe which was in the classic side-on presentation. Shot into the heart area she bounded into the brush along with a number of yearlings and spikes. We walked over to where she was when shot but could not find any blood, just many hoof tracks in the mud. I waited about 15 minutes and then started a sweep to find her. I found her dead about 20 yards from where she was when shot, but in about 6" of water. Note to self: your boots are not water proof and wet socks are uncomfortable. Retrieved the doe and off we went back to camp.
157342
Well, the old year ended up well and I will remember this past year with good memories of friendship and the hunt that was.
We arrived there late in the day and after unpacking and getting the Jeep ready there was less than an hour of daylight left and it was overcast with fog and light drizzle. We went out regardless but even though we saw a large number of animals the situations were not good as there was still considerable amounts of standing water from the heavy rains that fell during the fall. My host did not like the idea of wading to track and/or retrieve in water so we ended back at the camp without any success.
The next morning we were up and ready before day break but the conditions were not great. Low foggy clouds with light rain which let up shortly after day break. Off we went with the Jeep. As I had not had time to go home the previous day to get my own rifle I was set up with a Remington in .243 which I had never fired before but it was what I had available. Sorry, no CB's but I'll make up for it some other time.
Around 7:30am we came across some turkeys and I was told, "shoot a turkey". I had never done this before but I chambered a round and with prompting where to aim to shoot before they moved off further let off a shot. Feathers in the air and turkey down! About 75 yards and a good hit at the base of the neck.
157338
We then drove around for about another 45 minutes before we found a doe in a good spot around 100 yards away. The light had improved somewhat and I had no trouble placing a good shot on the doe which was in the classic side-on presentation. Shot into the heart area she bounded into the brush along with a number of yearlings and spikes. We walked over to where she was when shot but could not find any blood, just many hoof tracks in the mud. I waited about 15 minutes and then started a sweep to find her. I found her dead about 20 yards from where she was when shot, but in about 6" of water. Note to self: your boots are not water proof and wet socks are uncomfortable. Retrieved the doe and off we went back to camp.
157342
Well, the old year ended up well and I will remember this past year with good memories of friendship and the hunt that was.