I have been hunting for a couple of years now and have taken numerous animals with my rifle. Mule Deer, Whitetail, Axis, Blackbuck, Aoudad, Pronhorn, Hogs, Javelina. It's seems like the challenge of hunting with a rifle is dwindling. Well I bought a bow almost two years ago it was some kind of Hoyt. I didn't really like the bow and was recovering from a rotator cuff injury. Well last fall I got an itch to get out in the woods a little earlier. I purchased a Diamond Rock and I was hooked.

I hunted for four days up in the Panhandle. I saw a couple of really nice deer missed a doe the opening night and had a buck that I would estimate at about 130's never come in. I finnally ended up shooting a buck that horns didn't pierce the skin. I know guys maybe I shouldn't have done it but I couldn't tell at 20 yards.

Last week a long time buddy and myself went down to Carta Valley Tx. Carta Valley is about an 45 minutes in between Rock Springs and Del Rio. I have dreamed about taking a horned animal with my bow since last fall. My friend was rifle hunting because he didn't have a lot of time to shoot his bow before we left.

The first evening I was placed in a tri-pod in a dried up creek bed. It was hot the breeze was the only thing that kept me breathing. I sat there from 530 until 9 without seeing a thing. By the way the guy has 500 acres high fenced and 2500 hundred acres low fenced. I started out on the low fence section. The next morning I thought that it was a good idea to go back to the same location and try my luck again. It was for sure different than the night before. I saw a young white tail feeding at sun up and then about an hour later there he was. A very nice axis buck that I would have estimated at 34 on one side and 25 on the other. He was very unique a really big bodied. I had thrown some corn out before getting up in the tri-pod however the stand was placed in the center of a group of trees. I watched the deer feed for about 10 minutes the whole time knowing I probably couldn't draw my bow back. He saw me at 7 yards and he was gone.

That evening I elected to go to the high fence area. I was excited by what I saw on the way in but knew that I had to seal the deal when whatever came in. About ten minutes after I was dropped off a group of Black Bucks with two bucks and about 7 females and young males. I waited patiently for an chance to draw. I finnaly had a buck step into the shooting lane and I pulled my bow back. I knew that he was in a good position for a shot and I let her fly. I saw my arrow go in and out of him and he took off. He let out a long bleat but ran out of sight. I called the owner on the radio and told him what had just happened. I wasn't really nervous because I felt like I had made a good shot.

We found my arrow and began to track the blood. At the end of the narrow road. There lay my prize under a scrub bush. I hit him about an inch high but high fives were in order. He was a awesome looking buck that only went 14 inches but I knew that with a bow every animal is a trophy. My friend shot a 33 1/2 inch axis and a 300# hog. We were the first hunters on the ranch and boy was it a blast. Clean comfortable accomodations wonderful animals and great memories puts this on up there on my hunting adventures.

BTW i don't have any pictures forgot the camera at home and he took the pictures.


www.axisbluffranch.com
Carta Valley Tx