Del Rio 2009 season

[AKTexas]

First deer of the season was taken about an hour after sunrise opening day @85 yards.

All deer were taken with my .270 R700 BDL with my handloads.

5 point cull buck

http://three-dog.homelinux.com/cpg15x/albums/userpics/10018/normal_Photo-0016.jpg

Second deer taken in the afternoon right after 6pm a month later @65 yards.

Doe

http://three-dog.homelinux.com/cpg15x/albums/userpics/10018/normal_Photo-0040.jpg

Third deer taken 1 hour after sunrise on a foggy day @117 yards.

8 point buck

http://three-dog.homelinux.com/cpg15x/albums/userpics/10018/normal_shawn_s_8_point_from__2_-_second_8.jpg

Other deer taken opening day.

http://three-dog.homelinux.com/cpg15x/albums/userpics/10018/normal_IMG_0123.jpg

Buck I was watching at one blind,had a tall 9 point rack and a thick neck.Only saw him one time.

http://three-dog.homelinux.com/cpg15x/albums/userpics/10018/normal_9_pt_at__3.JPG

[Hondo]

:thumbsup:

[Hammerstrike44]

This deer was taken by my ten year old son on our place 80 miles northeast of Del Rio in Edwards County. I can tell by your photographs that you are disciplined shooters. Most folks looking at your photographs would not know what they are seeing. A man managing the deer on his place. We bought our place five years ago and the wall of the ranch house was covered with young eight and ten point racks. We had to cull about 20 does and any cull bucks we found for three years. We took all we could legally and invited most of our hunting friends and guests to hunt culls and does. I can't count the seven and eight point cull bucks, five and six years old that were taken the first three years. I bet I cleaned 50-75 deer in that time period. Now we have a healthy and robust deer population, with trail cam photos and some taken by my family and I in the 140 to 160 class. My son took this 150 class nine point on December 18, 2009, at 7:15 a.m. from a ground blind. He was shooting a custom, single-shot, break open rifle, calibered in 7.62X39mm, 124 grain Federal soft point ammunition, with a Bushnell Sportview Buckmaster 3X9X40 scope at 190 yards. This was the first wall hanger I allowed him to take. I made him nuts passing up bigger, younger bucks, but I wanted him to learn patience and deer management. (Since he and his counsins will inherit the place) He has taken a deer (does and cull bucks) since he was seven and additionally, I wanted him dead on, consistently, at 200 yards before I would let him shoot a mature trophy. This buck was six years old and 17 inches between his main beams (look how far outside the ears this buck's horns are) We are not high fenced and only provide mineral and food plots. We also have about $500,000 worth of exotics we bought with the place. We had an Aggie biologist come out and take a look and he photographed some of the exotics we needed to cull. A local guide from Del Rio came out and splits the money with us for guiding exotic hunts. There is little pressure on the exotics and the biologist said "since you have three high fences around you on smaller places, if you cull these, the rest will stay put as long as there's not a 'commercial hunt' in the planning." No need for high fences. We still take culls, but allow the grandchildren and children, to take the big deer. Our friends and guest have two rules. If you can't age a buck or doe, either one of us or the guide goes with you-no cost. (We pay the guide since he's made us a lot of money) If you can age deer, eight points or better, five years old or older, and horns outside the ears at least two inches (about 14 inches between the main beams) My nieice took a 140 class the same morning and I took a 160 class later in December 2009. I don't have any photos yet because the taxidermist wanted to hang the mount in his shop. I had the buck mounted on a pedistal and it turns 180 degrees. This buck is in my son's bedroom along with a huge Black Buck antelope he took a couple of years earlier. He told me he need a better deer rifle and wants a Weatherby .270. He hears me brag about mine so I guess I poisoned the well so to speak. I also use my most reliable rifle, a simple Savage 11, calibered in .270 with a Nikon Monarch 3X5X50 scope and have had this rifle since graduating from Texas A&M. I taken more deer, at longer ranges, with this rifle, than any other deer rifle I own. I also have a BAR Mark IV, 30-06 with a Swirovski 3X9X40, semi-auto and I can hit anything with it. I have a brother that made all his kids shoot a 30-30 lever action before he would buy them a gun. (By the way, its my son who got me into collecting AK/AKMs)

[AKTexas]

This deer was taken by my ten year old son on our place 80 miles northeast of Del Rio in Edwards County. I can tell by your photographs that you are disciplined shooters. Most folks looking at your photographs would not know what they are seeing. A man managing the deer on his place. We bought our place five years ago and the wall of the ranch house was covered with young eight and ten point racks. We had to cull about 20 does and any cull bucks we found for three years. We took all we could legally and invited most of our hunting friends and guests to hunt culls and does. I can't count the seven and eight point cull bucks, five and six years old that were taken the first three years. I bet I cleaned 50-75 deer in that time period. Now we have a healthy and robust deer population, with trail cam photos and some taken by my family and I in the 140 to 160 class. My son took this 150 class nine point on December 18, 2009, at 7:15 a.m. from a ground blind. He was shooting a custom, single-shot, break open rifle, calibered in 7.62X39mm, 124 grain Federal soft point ammunition, with a Bushnell Sportview Buckmaster 3X9X40 scope at 190 yards. This was the first wall hanger I allowed him to take. I made him nuts passing up bigger, younger bucks, but I wanted him to learn patience and deer management. (Since he and his counsins will inherit the place) He has taken a deer (does and cull bucks) since he was seven and additionally, I wanted him dead on, consistently, at 200 yards before I would let him shoot a mature trophy. This buck was six years old and 17 inches between his main beams (look how far outside the ears this buck's horns are) We are not high fenced and only provide mineral and food plots. We also have about $500,000 worth of exotics we bought with the place. We had an Aggie biologist come out and take a look and he photographed some of the exotics we needed to cull. A local guide from Del Rio came out and splits the money with us for guiding exotic hunts. There is little pressure on the exotics and the biologist said "since you have three high fences around you on smaller places, if you cull these, the rest will stay put as long as there's not a 'commercial hunt' in the planning." No need for high fences. We still take culls, but allow the grandchildren and children, to take the big deer. Our friends and guest have two rules. If you can't age a buck or doe, either one of us or the guide goes with you-no cost. (We pay the guide since he's made us a lot of money) If you can age deer, eight points or better, five years old or older, and horns outside the ears at least two inches (about 14 inches between the main beams) My nieice took a 140 class the same morning and I took a 160 class later in December 2009. I don't have any photos yet because the taxidermist wanted to hang the mount in his shop. I had the buck mounted on a pedistal and it turns 180 degrees. This buck is in my son's bedroom along with a huge Black Buck antelope he took a couple of years earlier. He told me he need a better deer rifle and wants a Weatherby .270. He hears me brag about mine so I guess I poisoned the well so to speak. I also use my most reliable rifle, a simple Savage 11, calibered in .270 with a Nikon Monarch 3X5X50 scope and have had this rifle since graduating from Texas A&M. I taken more deer, at longer ranges, with this rifle, than any other deer rifle I own. I also have a BAR Mark IV, 30-06 with a Swirovski 3X9X40, semi-auto and I can hit anything with it. I have a brother that made all his kids shoot a 30-30 lever action before he would buy them a gun. (By the way, its my son who got me into collecting AK/AKMs)


Great story!

We passed a lot of the good bucks and took the culls out this first year.My younger and less experienced cousin took two deer the opening day and shot at a third.He was using a BLR .358 we had to track the deer but they left a good blood trail.Shot placement was not the best but it did the job and it was not a gut shot.He took a small 8 point,a doe them another doe later on in the season.

I took that little 5 point on opening day after passing on a several good deer.It was an 85 yard shot with my Rem 700BDL and Leupold 2.5-7.5x33 scope.Dropped him where he stood entered his heart and broke his neck.The other deer around just stared at him for what felt like an eternity before they spooked and ran off.My second deer was the doe,another short shot same rifle,she ran about 30 yards then dropped.Her heart was completely destroyed with that shot,I'm still surprised she ran.My third deer and the second best rack out of the four of us that hunt the lease,was the longest shot at 117 yards and a foggy morning.I could barely make him out then he perked up his head and saw he had 8 points,I passed on a 12 and 10 pointed the same morning.I shot and he fell where he stood.Another broken neck from a heart shot.He was the heaviest of the deer we took this season.He weighed after field dressing we weighed him at 135lbs.

My uncle took a doe a few weeks later with his 48 Mauser and his lead cast bullets,she walked about 10 feet then just fell over,his second deer was with a Win Model 70 .270 a cull buck for sure he had 3 points and a stump we called him stumpy.His third deer was an 8 pointed with thicker horns than mine and only 1 inch wider he weighed less than mine did.

My cousin in-law took two 8 pointers toward the end of the season.A narrow 8 point we called a cull and a semi wide 8 point with thin horns.We took a total of 11 deer plus one another one of our lease partners took for a total of 12 out 20 deer taken.None of which are considered trophy deer.There some axis deer with does we can take if we choose,plus turkeys,doves,quail are coming back.No javelina sightings and no hogs.

We have done a lot of work on this place.We put out two mineral licks per feeder and feed corn all year round.Water has been in good supply,the lease holder has also put tubs of minerals out and his water pumps are running full capacity.I'm taking my GF this weekend to pick prickly pears for wine and jelly and maybe some dove hunting.There some spanish goats on the place we are allowed to take if we choose to do so.I might bring me back some cabrito.