Thanks for the Memories

hm1996

Moderator
Staff member
Recovering my pictures due to the Photobucket debacle brought back many very fond memories made over the past fourteen years while hunting on three favorite south Texas ranches.

I first signed on this ranch in 2003 in search of the “Muy Grande” brush country buck. Spent a total of 200 days on the ranch that first year!

Here’s a couple of my favorite bucks; not because they were the biggest but because of the memories of the details surrounding the encounter.

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but didnt cross paths with THIS buck until 2005.

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After finding THE one I was looking for, deer hunting kinda lost its shine. Haven’t shot another buck in many years, but I will never tire of observing the many, deer, and exotics who call these ranches home.

Found plenty of predators (my true love) to fill in between seasons.
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Caught this bobcat chasing a 10 point buck; he now resides in my foyer.

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And a few particular problem bobcats that had developed an apetite for some of the smaller exotics such as springbok and Thompson gazelles.

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Even obliged the landowner by helping him cull hogs and other critters when called upon to do so.

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During one of the culling trips, we were privileged to witness this nilgai bull kerfuffel. The bulls exited the brush and started to slowly circle each other in an ever tightening circle until the first contact was made. Fight lasted nearly 45 minutes and ended just as suddenly as it started, each bull exiting the field in opposite directions, neither seeming any worse for the wear.

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Adios, Photobucket, and thanks for the memories!

Regards,
hm
 
Those are sum very nice pics Clarence. I don't understand how someone can shoot a good buck like that and then just loose interest. Deer is the only hunt I place above coyote. Are those pics collages together?
 
This is why I love Texas. A friend moved down into the panhandle about 12 years ago and Ive gone down there 3 times to chase the plethora of critters they have with him. Mulies, whitetails, coyotes, pigs. I ever spotted an Aoudad once. I have a blast every time I go. Thanks for sharing your photos and stirring up my own memories of Texas
 
IDK, Jeremy, I guess hunting the exotics is just more challenging. The three ranches are 5500, 5700 and 11000+ respectively, so all hunts are fair chase. The exotics make for better table fare and I've shot a lot of deer in my lifetime. If it wasn't for filling the freezer occasionally, I'd just hunt predators.
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The pictures are all single pictures, I just played around w/Flickr and chose different sizes to figure out how it worked.
ETA: Oh, and I chose all the smaller sizes since I was posting so many pictures. I'm really liking Flickr.

Thanks for the kind remarks, guys, glad you enjoyed the pics.

Regards,
hm
 
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Originally Posted By: yotekiller47HM, what photo service do you use now? What service is everyone using now??

I'm using Flickr.

Regards,
hm
 
Thought I had lost this picture, but ran across it while picking up a few stragglers this afternnon on PB; wonder if I'll ever get them all?

Note the left hand bull really putting the stink eye on his opponent. Camera doesn't show true depth of field, they are still circling about 20' apart here:

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Originally Posted By: tripod3The exotics are always interesting while rarely topping a good buck picture. Wish I had shot a couple of those.

These photos are for you, Mark:

Guess they help answer Jeremy's question as to how you stop hunting bucks after shooting a really nice one; you just switch from gun to camera.
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Some pretty fair bucks stay in the heart of the many thickets on this ranch which is 14 miles long. They're just sure that they are invisible........

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...........until you get within their comfort zone, then quickly change their mind:

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Then there was this young buck that walked within a few feet and is trying to figure out if I’m a bush or…………

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Here’s an interesting buck I saw only once on a foggy morning and he was probably 150 yards away, so picture not too clear. He had two well developed main beams on his right side. One appears to be in the normal position, the other looks like it is lower, and in front of his ear?? He was seen one other time by another hunter on the ranch.

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Didn’t take long for a disagreement to arise between these two bucks who had chased an unwilling doe into a water tank:

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After discouraging the other suitor, the victor resumes his quest for the prize:

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Some interesting genes are evident in these two bucks which are obviously related; note the 2nd throat patch on both bucks, observed during same season about six miles apart:

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Another nice, young buck:

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Which brings us to this time of the year in which a new generation of spotted fawns join the herd and the bucks, with new velvet racks abound......

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,,,,,and the circle is complete.

Regards,
hm
 
I've seen new horses turn lose loose with others in a pasture give the same stink eye.

I know a lot of high fence ranches that grow 200+ inch whitetail collect the sheds and have them mounted on a lesser buck. They can get multiple shoulder mounts from one deer.
 
Originally Posted By: Infidel 762I've seen new horses turn lose loose with others in a pasture give the same stink eye.

I know a lot of high fence ranches that grow 200+ inch whitetail collect the sheds and have them mounted on a lesser buck. They can get multiple shoulder mounts from one deer.

Yeah, Jeremy, it's very entertaining to watch how expressive various critters can be.

I've seen a number of pictures of individual deer showing their antler development from year to year, but have never seen a series of mounts using sheds from year to year. That would be very impressive.

I'm still discovering a few photos hiding in the corners of PB. Here's a couple of the more uncommon exotics which I have enjoyed "stalking" with my camera over the years.

Takes a bit of stealth to get close to a pair of respectable lechwe.
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On the other hand, this javelina's poor eyesight makes for an easy stalk, allowing me to get pretty close before she stood up to face the intruder. Her twins showed their strict discipline when mama had enough!
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This pair of young badgers allowed me to get fairly close. I believe the one on the left was a male and the right one, his sister, as he stood his ground while she scurried off into the grass. He finally "blinked" just as I figured I had pushed him far enough. The male appears to have lost his right eye.
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A number of unintended critters have "come to the call" over the years. Not to mention the numerous deer, these include Nilgai, Scimitar horned Oryx, Waterbuck, Wildebeest, Kudu, Sable and Gemsbok. The Wildebeest brought their reinforcements making it all the more interesting. Here's a few of those pictures I've recovered so far.

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And once in a while you just get lucky and stumble across a herd of lechwe silhouetted in their favorite habitat by a beautiful south Texas sunset.

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Regards,
hm
 
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