The "One"

This will be my first year hunting in Texas during the archery only season.  I have read a lot of good articles about how the first day of archery can be pretty triumphant since the deer are still patterning themselves due to low pressure.  That is not to say that just because there has been no hunting pressure, there is no pressure.  You still have to move in and out of the area to recover camera cards, fill feeders, and mend fences, repair waterlines, trim growth, clear paths and the list goes on.
I also read a good article on how a lot of hunters are patterning deer and selecting just one that they want to pursue for whatever their reason.  It’s sort of strange when you think about it to just pursue “one” when you could take just about anyone you wanted (within QDM practices of course).  Then I thought about it some more and realized that even as a “green” deer hunter, I am doing just that. 

I did it last year with a buck I nicknamed “Clean” (never saw him after July 2011), that Axis buck I wanted so badly in August that never reappeared after May.  This coming Saturday September 29^th, I will be on stand waiting for this guy that I have nicknamed “Gimpy.”

You see Gimpy has a broken left rear ankle and it's been infected since mid August as far as I know.  He appears to be pretty healthy and can walk pretty well, just that his trot is off a bit.  He's got a different color than most whitetails I've seen in Texas, and his tail just has a black patch of hair at the tip.  He also walks around with all his "junk" hanging low; maybe this is an indication that he's in pain?  If so, I intend to end his pain Saturday morning.
Back to my point.  If you’ve done your (passive) scouting throughout the year and know where your bucks are coming from and going to at all times of the day/night, it stands to reason that on the first hunting day, the “one” will be where and when you expect him to be.

Good Luck to All.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Austin Archery Country

Today Austin Archery Country is celebrating their 1 year anniversary. They are showcasing a lot of local talent, Mathews pro staff, taxidermists, food preparers and some awesome deals on bows and equipment. Right when we walked in the door, the Governor of Texas was also taking part in the celebration as he is an avid hunter and outdoorsman. He's a great man and took several photos with us to prove it!

 

Can't find the kids!

The Governor and Lauren talk archery/hunting.

All together for this one.

Axis hunt was a no-go!

I said I would post an epilogue to the story posted last month, and this is it.  I did get out to the Gurra Ranch the middle of August and again, the last weekend in August.  I never saw any bucks, just one Axis doe and yearling; I guess the rest were staying cool somewhere.  Well, there is always next year!  I know he is around from April to May (in velvet) and maybe I'll see him then with another year's growth added to that rack?

In the meantime, I challenged myself to learn all I could about the Axis species and now I will forever have that knowledge which I hope makes me a better hunter.