Late season Texas doe hunt

[Fishman]

I'm going to take the time to put up several posts about my recent deer hunt which involved cast boolits in deep South Texas. I hope some of the members who have never been to Texas will find it interesting.

I was fortunate enough to be invited on a South Texas doe and cull buck hunt last weekend, a rare opportunity indeed from a gracious host. I was part of a small group of hunters that had permission to shoot does, spikes, and 4.5 year old bucks 8 pts or less. Texas has a program where private landowners are able to manage their deer herd using Managed Land Deer (MLD) permits. That means that hunters using MLD permits with landowner permission can shoot as many deer as there are MLD permits. In our case, the ranch we had permission to hunt was quite large, so the number of permits far exceeded anything we could likely bag. Like I said, a rare and awesome opportunity.

As one might expect, proper identification of your target is essential. If that spike becomes a 4 point when it hits the ground, you aren't being invited back. If that 8 point management buck is actually a 3.5 year old 11 point, you might just have to write a check. So needless to say, I took some good binoculors and a bunch of corn. Yes, baiting is legal.

To round out this first post, here is the blind that I selected to hunt. It was on a side road on the ranch and actually looked down 6 "senderos" or lanes radiating out in a pattern.


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[Fishman]

The first afternoon of the hunt, I sprinkled the better part of a 50 lb bag of corn down the senderos, from 50 to 150 yards on each. I had neglected to put on my boots so a mesquite thorn got jabbed into one of the knuckles of my toes. It took about a week to fester out because it was jammed in there pretty good. But enough of that, the corn was placed and I got in the blind. I had planned to use my Ruger #1 in 9.3 x 62 with the NOE 280 gr, but continued misfires had forced me to re-evaluate that plan. Accordingly I had brought my Ruger #1 45/70 loaded with the lee 340 gr plain base cast out of straight wheel-weights as well as my Marlin lever gun in 308 Marlin Express. Never having shot my 45/70 at game, I needed a back up to instill confidence. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to work up a cast load for my Marlin on such short notice, so it was loaded with the 160 gr Hornady ftx loads.

So when this doe stepped out at 130 yards, it was the Marlin that was in my hands and she dropped at the shot. A promising start to the hunt!

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[bluelund79]

Congrats! Still my all time favorite place to whitetail hunt. My son killed his first wt in Beeville

[Fishman]

That evening, the doe was hung in the walk in cooler and plans were made for the morning. It dawned crisp and COLD with the truck thermometer showing 18 degrees! I had decided to take a shot with my #1 at the next deer withing 100 yards as my load was moving at a relatively sedate 1350 fps. I didn't have long to wait as a spike stepped out at 50 yards and posed broadside. after ensuring he had, in fact, at least one antler with only one point I squeezed the trigger. The impact sounded like a 2x4 hitting a tree, and he bolted briefly before piling up after about 25 yards. I was elated as it was my first kill with this rifle and only my second kill with cast in a rifle.

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[Fishman]

After securing him in the walk in cooler as well, I headed back out to hunt in the afternoon. I saw plenty of neat stuff, including a kewl 10 pointer with a kicker off his left g2 (poor picture attached), as well as several javelina, which are darned cute.

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[Fishman]

But later, a doe with two doe fawns showed up in one of the senderos. She held up at 130 yards, so I decided it was the Marlin's turn. The doe bolted and made it about 20 feet before falling. The 308 marlin express is very effective. Off to the cooler with her.

[Fishman]

Now about now, some of you are thinking "What a game hog". One of the things about a doe hunt is that the landowner wants you to shoot as many as possible, up to the number that you can use. Those that aren't effective at removing excess does generally don't get invited back. So my efforts were helping my small party of friends who as yet had not scored. To show their appreciation, they helped cut up my deer.

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LOL! Not really. This was a posed pic when I went to go get beers for all as one was helping and the other was providing moral support. I got back and both were working on the deer and I couldn't help it, I grabbed my phone and took a selfie.

[Fishman]

The next morning I went back out after my friends assured me that they would take some deer if I kept getting into them. Resolving to continue the hunt I settled in. Before long, the two doe fawns that I had orphaned the day before came back and began eating corn in the sendero. I felt a little bad, but I thought I'd just shoot one of them. She dropped at the shot which was 100 yards, and I quickly put another round in in case she got up, which she did not. However, her sister came back into the sendero to see what had happened and I took the shot at 150 yards. She only made it about 20 feet before she went down. Then I really felt bad. But only for a few moments.

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[Fishman]

After this hunt, my luck changed a bit. I loaned my Marlin to a hunter who was having a bit of trouble with his gun, and he shot a nice big doe with it. I missed two does with my 45/70 on the next hunt, and it appears my scope went out of zero possibly due to the rough ranch roads. Both should have been dead, but in the end I was glad I didn't have any more deer. 5 deer to process on a weekend is not for the faint of heart. My friends laughed and laughed as they declined any and all offers for a deer. My wife and son pitched in, but wow what a chore. Good thing I'm pretty good at it. After filling most of a chest freezer, my reward was young deer backstrap on a mesquite fire. Amazing stuff. Currently I have several deer roasts corning in a meat lug in the party fridge as well. Life is good.

[Fishman]

On addendum that some might find interesting. We aged the first doe I shot at 8.5 years old. She was fat and pregnant with twins (only about an inch long). When deer aren't hunted heavily and have good forage, they live a long time.

[sixshot]

I'm curious how you knew both of the fawns were doe's?

Dick

[Fishman]

I'm curious how you knew both of the fawns were doe's?

Dick

I spent about 20 minutes watching them with a good set of binocs. You have to watch the top of their head as they turn and look at stuff. Button bucks aren't easy to see but with practice and patience it's doable. Only pull the trigger if you are sure. On these I had the sun quartering in from my left which provided good conditions.

Much less of a challenge than determining a buck's age on the hoof in my opinion.

[popper]

I loaded the MX (SIL's rifle) with 150 FB LRNFP to ~1800, 1/12 MOA. Great rifle with 1:12 twist, normal grooves. Don't sell that one.

[Edward]

Outstanding hunt and do not feel bad about the bambi twins my experience has been they would not make it thru the winter,at least the ones I"ve shot :bigsmyl2: Great photos and a good story!!!!!!

[blikseme300]

I loaded the MX (SIL's rifle) with 150 FB LRNFP to ~1800, 1/12 MOA. Great rifle with 1:12 twist, normal grooves. Don't sell that one.

I like Marlin's and the 308MX is finally showing me promise with CB's. It seems that heavier than 150gn don't work as well and I am still pecking away at this one. I recently tested some CB's cast from a modified C312-155 mold which has a meplat suitable for safely loading in this rifle and so far it is out performing the 311041 at 100 & 200 yards. Currently my loads with LVR are running at just over 2100fps with 3.5" groups at 200yrds off the bench. Still tweaking the load to see how fast I can go with accuracy.

Been fortunate like the OP to be invited a few times to MLD hunts here in deep south Texas and have taken a number of does & bucks typically using my 444SS with RD 265gn CB's. Yes, I know the pain of having to process multiple kills. I did 2 Nilgai's and 3 white tails recently, took the best part of 2 days, but my freezer is stocked with cuts and sausage to last me the rest of the year.

[Boolit_Head]

Oh well I know the mesquite. Should have gotten one of those feral hogs to mix in to make sausage. That is venison and hog sausage is good stuff. That mesquite does make a good barbecue, the best steak I ever has was a longhorn we raised and cooked over mesquite. Still makes my mouth water to this day to think about it.

[Fishman]

Thanks for all the comments. I do plan on developing a cast load for the Marlin. Only had the factory loads because nobody had brass at the time. I love the rifle it is slick.

[TXGunNut]

Good job. I do the cull hunt thing as well but will quit shooting after the second one hits the ground because I simply can't eat more than that in a year, even when I give a fair bit away. Getting two critters into the ice chest is about all the processing I want to do anyway, especially two in one day. You deserved that beer! Hope your scope is OK.

[Fishman]

I am blessed that my family loves venison, including my married daughter and her family. At my house we eat it 4 or 5 times a week if we have plenty. Most years we end up with 3 or 4 deer and maybe a hog or two I'd we are lucky. This year we ended up with 7 deer which is a lot but I think we are up to the challenge. We vacuum seal everything so if any carries over into next year it's first in first out. Up until this hunt it was a sparse year with only 2 deer, one of them small and no hogs. Now we are truly blessed and I am feeling very fortunate.

[skeettx]

Well done, well done
Thank you for sharing
Mike

[popper]

Looking at my notes, the MX did 1875 with the 150gr PB 31-145C, ESPC over 19 gr. of 2400 + dacron - 1/1/2 MOA witch is good for me & levergun. 31-165C drops 170 w/GC and did 1 1/2 MOA also but not chronied. I assume 2500 from the MX. I have a 4x of the 165 that has grooves & shots the same as the C version I don't use anymore. The '041 has a larger meplat and is ~ 180 gr - hard to get going in the MX 1:12 due to lower case capacity. Also have couple hundred MX cases I don't need. SIL doesn't shoot a lot so I don't bother to reload for him anymore. Gave the 243 dies and an unused SS press to his youngest (who got the doe this year), he sounds interested but needs a mentor for reloading. He does like to shoot - and is better than his older bro.

[TCLouis]

Congrats on a multiple deer weekend.

I'm interested in hearing more about your "Corning" process.

Other than trajectory issues I think the 45-70 with a 340 at 1350 fps will likely wound a deer pretty severely, maybe even fatally!

I am sure there are those here with real 45-70 experience that can answer to that.

[ChristopherO]

Fishman,
Though I read this the other day I wanted to chime in and let you know how much I've appreciated the time you took to write this account up. Excellent read. Makes me wanna get invited to one of those late season hunts!
All the best,
Christopher

[Markbo]

I have been lucky enough to bunt South Texas. Shot my biggest deer there. Thrill of a lifetime. I dont think most deer hunters understand what its like when a buck wanders out that has what looks like a yard wide rack. They are spectacular animals. Good going on your hunt. Sounds like good times had by all.

[Fishman]

Congrats on a multiple deer weekend.

I'm interested in hearing more about your "Corning" process.

Other than trajectory issues I think the 45-70 with a 340 at 1350 fps will likely wound a deer pretty severely, maybe even fatally!

I am sure there are those here with real 45-70 experience that can answer to that.
I'm sitting here, just finished off a nice snack of corned deer hash. I wanted to make sure it was good before responding.

My dad, nicholas on this site, actually was the first to test this out with great success, even using it to make jerky. This is my second time doing it, the first time I smoked and cooked some the corned venison to make pastrami.

I use the recipe in Rytek Kutas' book "Great sausage recipes and meat curing, 4th edition. My folks bought it for me and it is getting well used. I don't inject the meat, rather I let it sit in the brine long enough to penetrate through. The ingredients for 25 lbs of deer are:
5 quarts ice water
3/4 cup salt
1/3 cup Instacure #1 (pink salt)
1/2 cup powdered dextrose
1/2 cup pickling spice ( I used Mrs. Wages)

All of these ingredients are available from sausagemaker.com. If you are prepping for the zombie apocalypse, better get you some pink salt for meat curing.

Anyway, I mix the brine up in a meat lug from Cabelas and then place the meat in it to soak for a week to 10 days. I use the large muscle groups off the rear legs because we prefer the backstrap on the grill. Turn the meat every two days minimum. At the end of the cure, rinse the pickling spices off and freeze or cook.

I like putting it in a slow cooker in the morning with red potatoes and carrots or cabbage. Cover mostly with water and it is ready by evening. The meat provides the flavor. Of course the potatoes and vegetables taste better with a little butter.

It can be an acquired taste, so if you have just one deer, I don't see why you couldn't reduce as needed to cure a couple pieces in a gallon zip lock.

[Fishman]

Fishman,
Though I read this the other day I wanted to chime in and let you know how much I've appreciated the time you took to write this account up. Excellent read. Makes me wanna get invited to one of those late season hunts!
All the best,
Christopher

Christopher, thanks for the kind words and the same for everyone else. I don't know what I did to get invited, but I am sure appreciative. If you are from Texas, the best advice I can give is to keep your ears open and pay attention if someone starts talking hunting. Leases generally are 2k and up per gun where I live and I just can't see paying that, even if I had the $ to do it.

[Fishman]

I'm just revisiting my thread since hunting season is almost upon us, and the planning portion is already here. It is time to finish working up the loads we want to use and get our equipment ready. I'm also happy to say that we have had plenty of deer this year despite having a hungry 14 year-old boy. In fact, we had meat loaf last night and we are having kabobs tonight. They are simple: venison chunks, onions, peppers, and mushrooms marinated in Italian salad dressing, skewered on a metal rod, and grilled over high heat and served with jasmine rice. Almost impossible to get tired of it they are so good and easy to make.

Here's wishing everyone success during this hunting season!

[blikseme300]

Fishman, like you I'm preparing for the upcoming Texas hunting season. I still have meat and sausage left over in the freezer from last season as my wife eats less than before due to gastric bypass surgery but my friends are helping to take up the slack!

I have a new to me Ruger M77 in 458WM that I will probably use this season and am ready with my CB loads. Can't wait!

[popper]

Seems like they upped the lic. fee this year. type 506 is $16 but no longer has migratory (dove) on it. Migratory is another $7, so this year type 507.

[Fishman]

No place to dove hunt so I haven't bought my license yet. I always buy the Texas resident Supercombo which lets me hunt or fish for just about anything legal. I think its $65.

[OnHoPr]

In fact, we had meat loaf last night and we are having kabobs tonight. They are simple: venison chunks, onions, peppers, and mushrooms marinated in Italian salad dressing, skewered on a metal rod, and grilled over high heat and served with jasmine rice. Almost impossible to get tired of it they are so good and easy to make.

Here's wishing everyone success during this hunting season!

Same to yah

I guess some of those venison recipes are universal in the big 50 states. Trying to get the peppers and onions done while leaving the venison medium rare can be tricky sometimes. Good recipe


http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=148732&thumb=1&d=1403160353

Corned venison hash. Sandwiches, and mix that in with small diced potatoes in the mornin with a few poached eggs and toast, ummm.

I seen some good recipes over on the Hunting Texas forum, too. I like the fencing touchee emoticons.