Had a Great Hunt in South Texas

[Dan Bonner]

My brother and I took a couple days off work around Veteran's Day for a trip to my lease in South TX. He flew in from MS and I picked him up at the airport in Houston at Around 7pm on Wednesday 11/9. We had to eat, buy his license and pick up a couple odds and ends before we left town for the 5hr plus drive to the camp which is near Lerado and the border. Mike and I dont get to hunt together much anymore since I moved from our hometown in MS to Houston 12 years ago and we always look forward to these opportunities. We got to the lease at about 1:30am on the 10th. It was raining a little and the temp was beginning to drop as a cold front passed. We elected to check my game cams right away to help decide where to hunt in a few hours when the sun came up. I had been hunting a big 12pt all season without laying eyes on him. I had a lot of pics of him before the bow season opened on 10/1. I couldnt get down to hunt the first weekend of the season and I hadn't gotten a single pic of him since. This is a low fence ranch and the deer are 100% free ranging and I assumed he had been killed on another ranch. I was surprised and elated to find he had been coming to my stand several times over the last few days!
 

we had no cameras and struck out. Bad wind. Wde didn't hunt the spot with the big 8pt till the next evening when the normal southeast wind picked back up. We needed the wind for this spot as we would be hunting tripods stuck under a loan mesquite tree neer the feeder. The sound

We need the rest of the story! That is a beauty in the trail cam pic.

Bisch

[Dan Bonner]

We check the other cameras and find out a big 8pt has been coming to another stand fairly regularly as well.

(he is the huge bodied deer in the back)

we decide I will hunt the 12pt and Mike will hunt the 8pt. We set up camp and jump in the bed for the 2.5 hrs till its time to hunt. Even though I've been up since 5am the privious day I find it very hard to sleep. When we wake up mike suggests we hunt the big 12pt together. I guess we both felt like something special was about to happen and sharing it would only make it better.

Now this is South TX and we hunt feeders. I remember thinking that this would make it too easy when I first moved here from our hometown in MS 12 years ago. We only bowhunt oak trees, trails and food plots there. I was wrong. deer are much more agitated and alert when they come to feeders than they are around natural food sources. Makes it very hard to kill them with a stickbow. Anyway... we head to the blind and get there 45 min before daybreak as it is overcast and dawn comes slow. The blind is 6'x6' so there is plenty of room for both of us. It has three 2'tall x 1'wide shooting windows. The feeder spins before daylight and it seems like forever before we can see at all. I finally spot the first deer of the day about 20 min later. Does and yearlings.A little while later my Mike, who is looking out of the opposite window from me says "I see a Buck." I look and it a young 8pt i've seen several times before. I explain this to him and return to my window. He says "There is a great big buck right behind him!" I look out the window...its him! The deer is on a little sendero that will take him behind the blind and directly downwind at about 10yds. My heart sank as he continued toward our scent cone. He stopped within what had to be a few feet of busting us. Just then the 8pt jumped into the 3ft hog panel feed pen that we use to keep the cows and hogs away from the feed. The big deer did a 180 and headed along the edge of the pen and then jumped in. At this point I slowly opened the window to the blind while I prayed it wouldn't make any sound. It didnt so I very slowly backed to the other side of the blind where I could draw the bow without the arrow sticking out of the window. This narrowed my field of view to a small area right under the feeder. The 8pt was feeding directly in my shot window. My brother was giving me the ply-by-play in a low whisper as he watched out of another window. "He is walking directly towards us at 15yds." "He is headed towards the feeder." "You should be able to see him any second!" Just then the 8pt assumed a submissive posture and disappeared from my view. Suddenly he was there...quartering away and looking away at less than 10 yds! This is closer than I have ever been to a deer this big! I couldn't ask for a better shot but I'm overcome with anxiety that he may hear or see me when I draw. Suddenly the bow is drawn and he is still there! I overcome the incredible urge to release the arrow prematurely. I snug into anchor and pick a spot. Without another consious thought the arrow is on its way. It hits the spot but I remember thinking the penetration looks poor. It has been my experience that I usually underestimate penetration when the arrow stays in the animal.This is the case here as well. The deer bolts directly away but he doesnt appear terribly hurt or allarmed. All of this is happening in super slow motion...at least to me in my adreniline charged state. He jumps over the hog panel pen and when his front hooves hit the ground his knees buckel. His chest and belly skid along the ground for a few feet and he runs hard to regain his feet. All of this is happening less than 10 yds from where I shot him. He slows to a fast trot and stops 50yds from the shot. He stumbles sideways a few steps and colapses. The whole thing took 6-8 seconds. I remember saying "He's down!"

[straitera]

Monster deer & story! Thanks

[MikeW]

Congrats on a fine animal!

[longbowray]

Man what a deer , and to do it with your brother there how great is that !

[huntingarcher]

Wow,congrats on a great deer.Gotta love South Texas.

[Dan Bonner]

It has been my goal for several years to kill a truely big deer with a stickbow that I made myself. This one qualifies! The fact that I got to share this moment with my brother made it even more special.

Now it was his turn to hunt. We hunted that afternoon and the next morning with no luck in a few other spots as the wind was wrong for the spot where we would hunt the big 8pt. The wind switched back to ins normal SE direction around lunch time on 11/11/11. We would be hunting out of two tripods in a loan mesquite bush 22 yds from the feeder.
 
(the feeder is on the other side of the fenc row)
The wind was steady at about 15mph and we would need it to mask noise and movement. We got there at about 3:45pm and the feeder was set for 5:15. it was warm now. probably low 80s. nothing happened until about 5:00pm when I saw horns coming through the brush. It was the big 8pt along with another big 8pt and a young 6pt. Mike couldnt see them and they stopped and stared at us for about 5 minutes. I was sure they would bolt but I guess the wind moving the branches in front of us saved us. after what seemed like forever the big 8 jumped into the pen. the other two deer followed. I could hear Mike's breathing accelerate as did mine. The deer suddenly is head down and broadside at 22yds. Mike lifts his bow fom his lap and the buck jerks his head up and stares us down. About this time a big red anT decides to bite the back of my neck and all I can doo is take it. Finally Mike draws and the arrow is away. The hit didnt look exactly right as the deer left. But I did see blood as he ran. he went into the brush about 40yds and stopped. Mike could see his horns above the brush. he lost sight a few seconds later. we decided to take up the trail right away as we were losing daylight. Tons of blood. The deer fell right where Mike saw him stop. Turns out he ducked the arrow and turned as the arrow arrived. It hit him in the neck and cut both carotid arteries.

[Lonala]

Congrats guys the excitement in Trad hunting is over the top thats why I love it so much plus we get to use beautiful bows and have more then one Aloha and Awesome Buck With a Family Member..Too Cool.

[huntingarcher]

I Knew it was not over yet.No way did your brother come all the way from MS to watch you shoot a big deer.Great story and pics,congrats to both of you.And to think the hunting down there has not even got cranked up yet.

[Lonala]

Congrats guys the excitement in Trad hunting is over the top thats why I love it so much plus we get to use beautiful bows and have more then one Aloha and Awesome Buck With a Family Member..Too Cool.

[LONGSTYKES]

Great Dan, Glad you and Mike had an awesome hunt. Two very nice bucks.

[Dan Bonner]

Thanks all, I cant say i"ve ever had a more exciting hunt. It was truely an awesome experience. I wish you all the best of luck this season!

[JimB]

Wow!That's an incredible hunt and two great deer.Well done.

[Russ Clagett]

WOW........two beautiful bucks, and two brothers hunting and scoring together.

Don't know how you top that...

[billy shipp]

Great story and pics Dan. Congrats on 2 fine bucks.....thanks for taking us along.

[Robertfishes]

nice job, 2 great bucks!

[Bjorn]

Whoa! That was an amazing hunt!! And shared with a brother-too cool!!          

[Margly]

Congratulations to you both

[rastaman]

Awesome hunt sir!