ELEPHANT MT. WMA MULE DEER HUNT
The Good Lord smiled on this ol' man, and I got picked for the
"stand-by rifle" hunt this past week, at Elephant Mt, Wildlife Management Area (TEXAS). This is between Alpine, TX and Big Bend National Park. I had never been to this area,
but it is an "AWESOME" place. Very tough hunting (at least it was for
this old fat guy). I met another hunter there and we teamed up, and were drawn
together for the stand-by position. We had a great time. It was pretty cold and
windy, as we were tent camping there. But definitely worth it.
Okay, here's a few details:
This hunt was provided courtesyTexas
Parks
This hunt was provided courtesy
Being very anxious, as I have never hunted in
this area, nor have I ever had the opportunity to hunt Texas
Like I said earlier, the good Lord was smiling on me.
At orientation, we were advised for a buck to be legal, he must have an outside antler spread of at least 18 inches.
Prior to the drawing, I met another guy there, James, and we immediately "hit it off". We realized we both grew up in theFort Worth
Like I said earlier, the good Lord was smiling on me.
At orientation, we were advised for a buck to be legal, he must have an outside antler spread of at least 18 inches.
Prior to the drawing, I met another guy there, James, and we immediately "hit it off". We realized we both grew up in the
We quickly set up camp and set out to scout our
area.
The first afternoon (January 2, 2018), I saw several deer, however, no "shooter" bucks.
The next morning (January 3), my partner and myself hiked up the mountain, where the biologist told us he had seen a couple of nice bucks, a couple of weeks earlier. The hike up the mountain required approximately 1 - 1/2 hours, just to get to the area we wanted to hunt, we split up and spent the entire day hunting, before we came back down. Again, I saw quite a number of deer, including bucks, I did not find a "shooter". However, for the first time in my life, I did see desert bighorn sheep, which was pretty cool. These were "obviously" off-limits, for hunting.
The next morning (January 4), I went to a different location, which I had not scouted previously. Before first light, I parked my truck beside the road, and hiked approximately 1/2 way up the mountain slope. From there I began still hunting laterally, across the slope. At approximately 7:45 AM, I spotted a buck up-slope from me, and after checking with binoculars I realized he was a small fork horn (four pointer). My rangefinder showed that he was at 254 yards. However, immediately I realized there were quite a number of does also in the area. Knowing that we were hunting during the rut, and as this buck was definitely "immature", and with the large number of does, there "must be" a good buck close by. After careful glassing with my binoculars, sure enough, further up hill, I saw him. I quickly looked around for a rest, so that I could possibly make a shot. The closest place was about 20 yards to my right, where there was a "drainage" from the mountain top, with several large boulders. I slowly eased my way to a boulder, where I got set up. However, once I got into position, these deer had spotted me, and had become nervous. They had begun to move further upslope. It took me a few moments, to find the buck that I had spotted a few minutes earlier, and when I checked with the rangefinder, he was now at 309 yards. Presently, he turned broadside and holding my crosshairs at the top of his back, behind the shoulders, with my shot, he dropped in his tracks.
Having spent the last couple of days in this area, at this altitude, I knew I had my work cut out for me. However, I wasn't quite prepared for this. It took me 50 minutes to climb up to where he had dropped. My handheld GPS unit told me that I was at 5020 ft. elevation, and 3/4 of a mile from my truck. When I looked back downhill, from where he was laying, I thought to myself "what in the world was I thinking". It looked like it was straight down. I am 61 years old, and too "fat" for this kind of activity. Where I live it is approximately 500 ft. above sea level. I definitely was not accustomed to this altitude. I knew I would have to take it very slow and easy. I was carrying my rifle and a backpack. From the top, I would set down my backpack and rifle, and would drag the deer approximately 10-20 yards downslope. Then I would climb back up and get my backpack and rifle, and repeat this process. By 1:00 PM I was approximately 1/4 mile from the road, and totally exhausted. At that point I had used all the water I brought with me and had shed 3 layers of clothing. The temperatures were in the 20s, when I set out. I took my orange cap and marked a tall cactus, left the buck at that spot, and hiked out to my truck. I drove back to the headquarters, and the biologist graciously offered to help me get the deer to my truck (what an awesome guy). He went back with me to the area and by 2:30 we had this buck loaded in my truck. I was a happy & relieved man.
Even now, it seems surreal. It is hard to believe that I got selected and then was able to score a great buck.
The first afternoon (January 2, 2018), I saw several deer, however, no "shooter" bucks.
The next morning (January 3), my partner and myself hiked up the mountain, where the biologist told us he had seen a couple of nice bucks, a couple of weeks earlier. The hike up the mountain required approximately 1 - 1/2 hours, just to get to the area we wanted to hunt, we split up and spent the entire day hunting, before we came back down. Again, I saw quite a number of deer, including bucks, I did not find a "shooter". However, for the first time in my life, I did see desert bighorn sheep, which was pretty cool. These were "obviously" off-limits, for hunting.
The next morning (January 4), I went to a different location, which I had not scouted previously. Before first light, I parked my truck beside the road, and hiked approximately 1/2 way up the mountain slope. From there I began still hunting laterally, across the slope. At approximately 7:45 AM, I spotted a buck up-slope from me, and after checking with binoculars I realized he was a small fork horn (four pointer). My rangefinder showed that he was at 254 yards. However, immediately I realized there were quite a number of does also in the area. Knowing that we were hunting during the rut, and as this buck was definitely "immature", and with the large number of does, there "must be" a good buck close by. After careful glassing with my binoculars, sure enough, further up hill, I saw him. I quickly looked around for a rest, so that I could possibly make a shot. The closest place was about 20 yards to my right, where there was a "drainage" from the mountain top, with several large boulders. I slowly eased my way to a boulder, where I got set up. However, once I got into position, these deer had spotted me, and had become nervous. They had begun to move further upslope. It took me a few moments, to find the buck that I had spotted a few minutes earlier, and when I checked with the rangefinder, he was now at 309 yards. Presently, he turned broadside and holding my crosshairs at the top of his back, behind the shoulders, with my shot, he dropped in his tracks.
Having spent the last couple of days in this area, at this altitude, I knew I had my work cut out for me. However, I wasn't quite prepared for this. It took me 50 minutes to climb up to where he had dropped. My handheld GPS unit told me that I was at 5020 ft. elevation, and 3/4 of a mile from my truck. When I looked back downhill, from where he was laying, I thought to myself "what in the world was I thinking". It looked like it was straight down. I am 61 years old, and too "fat" for this kind of activity. Where I live it is approximately 500 ft. above sea level. I definitely was not accustomed to this altitude. I knew I would have to take it very slow and easy. I was carrying my rifle and a backpack. From the top, I would set down my backpack and rifle, and would drag the deer approximately 10-20 yards downslope. Then I would climb back up and get my backpack and rifle, and repeat this process. By 1:00 PM I was approximately 1/4 mile from the road, and totally exhausted. At that point I had used all the water I brought with me and had shed 3 layers of clothing. The temperatures were in the 20s, when I set out. I took my orange cap and marked a tall cactus, left the buck at that spot, and hiked out to my truck. I drove back to the headquarters, and the biologist graciously offered to help me get the deer to my truck (what an awesome guy). He went back with me to the area and by 2:30 we had this buck loaded in my truck. I was a happy & relieved man.
Even now, it seems surreal. It is hard to believe that I got selected and then was able to score a great buck.
I did a moose hunt in Alaska
..........................................................................
Our camp with Elephant Mountain in the background.
This is a beautiful place.
This is the spot where I found my buck,
at the top of the mountain.
Photo taken a few feet from where I found my buck,
at the top of the mountain
This photo was taken back at camp,
with Elephant Mountain in the background
And a great big "Thank You" to
Texas Parks and Wildlife,
for making opportunities like this available!!
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