David Johnson Texas Whitetail Hunt 2005

Texas Whitetail Deer hunting..

I know, I know, everyone tells me deer hunting is deer hunting. Yes, you probably have whitetail deer in your yard, eating your bushes and flowers. So why you ask, should I invest travel dollars and pay outlandish non resident license and tag fees when you can hit one with a rock from your kitchen window? Well, I’ll try to explain!

I my opinion, Texas style deer hunting is something every hunter should at least experience. For me, I find it both relaxing and enjoyable. Yes, international hunting is exciting and physically challenging but the social side of hunting is what makes for long memories and solid friendships.

I have had the pleasure of hunting with the Logan family the past few years. They live just outside of Austin Texas. They are smart, hard working and really nice people. Life long deer hunters and farmers, these two brothers really know how to manage deer.

For me, high fence hunting has always had the stigma of pen raised deer shot while tethered to a stick. This isn’t so in South West Texas. High fence is used to keep the high investment of ones heard on ones own property. On the Logan ranch, which is 3000 acres plus, you’re hard pressed to see the same deer twice in a 3 day hunt. And boy do they have deer. The investment in land leases, equipment, feeders, corn and more drives the prices down here. When you tell people that a 10 point buck can bring a $10,000 trophy fee, most will just stare back with mouth hanging open. But down here, that’s the going rate considering how small the percentage is of mature 10 points. To be fare, that's about how much it costs to produce one.

Midwest deer hunting though strong has remained largely a cottage industry. Composed mostly of localized family groups, hunters often band together to hunt private land or team up to share adjoining public land. Deer are largely free range and traverse many owners properties between feeding and bedding. Some even traverse roads and commercial properties within their range.

Texas deer hunting is much more highly developed. Parcels measured in thousands of acres as opposed to hundreds, are high fenced, stocked with new genetics at times, culled, predator controlled and environmentally managed to produce the best racks possible. It is not uncommon for a parcel to contain three to five hundred deer and more. Since their range is limited by high fences, water, food/forage and bedding areas must be maintained to ensure a healthy breeding population.

The photo attached is a typical 8 point management deer. Its not an old deer but it’s old enough to ensure that it won’t ever product the 10 point rack and the mass the management team is looking for. Therefore, smaller 9 points and below are shot out of the breeding population to expand the more preferred 10 point genetics.

Here’s a pretty typical morning texas hunt profile.
Get up a few hours before day light. ATV within a half mile or so of your stand. Walk a trail in “near total darkness” supported only by star light. If needed use a low power colored beam flashlight to prevent a close encounter with the many species of cactus. Arrive at your elevated box blind and climb up 8-10 feet or so with your rifle and gear open the door and move into position without making any noise. Then, sit in total darkness and shiver from the early morning chill until daylight. As the sun begins to break the horizon you’ll be anxious for a number of reasons. First, you can’t wait for the sun to heat your blind and warm you up, second if your feeder hasn’t gone off, it will any time now. Third, you’re probably starting to see deer moving about along with any number of other animals. Deer, coyotes, armadillos, skunk, bobcats, feral hogs, turkeys and more. By now your blind window is open, rifle is loaded, empty chamber safety on and binoculars scanning for even the slightest of movement. The deer may be watching the bind to see if you are in there or not. Keep your movements to a minimum. One unnecessary thump or flash of gun metal out the blind window and you’ll have an empty feeder. Oddly enough once the first group of deer starting grazing around the feeder, the stragglers that show up are much less likely to even pay any attention to the blind. You will have much more freedom of movement. It must be the security of other deer that allows them to lower their guard a bit. Once your shooter arrives. Wait for it be heads down feeding, preferably facing away from you before you send your rifle out the window in its direction. Settle in now and get comfortable. No need to rush the shot. Load the chamber, scope back on target, safety off, now squeeze and boom. You may be surprised to see that not all the deer take off right away. Some may even stay until you exit your blind.

The pictured deer was actually taken mid morning. The prior evening hunt was a bust since all we saw were either does or exceptional deer. But how exciting it is to be in a stand and put your crosshairs on a 180 class 10 point trophy deer and watch him close up. There is no question who’s in charge around the feeder. Smaller younger bucks keep their distance, the does hang around unconcerned, and the management deer are always alert to see if the 10 point has tired of their presence and its time to move on.

Kirby and I were in the box blind when the feeders went off. It was a two sided box blind (gun ports on opposite sides) to allow a hunter to monitor two different feeders at the same time. Once the buck stepped into the far rear of the clearing heading for the feeder, Kirby we certain that this was the buck to cull from the group. The rifle was a Thomson Center Encore in 30/06 loaded with Sierra 150 grain hand loads, topped by a Bushnell 3x9 firefly. This is more than enough gun for even the largest whitetail.

Our first task was to ensure we could see this deer’s rack from both sides and ensure we knew exactly what we were looking at. Once the good to go was ordered, making the one shot harvest commenced. The deer kicked at impact and took off into the thick stuff. After a bit of searching the deer wasn’t 30 yards from the point of impact. Kirby reinforced the rule of “go where the deer was, pick up the blood trail and follow it to the deer’. Trust me, this is how it should always be done. Thanks Kirby..