10 Heads In A Cooler

Alboy · January 25, 2009, 04:29:46 PM

I am showing the end first and then I will make installments on a culling trip to the MOOS Ranch near LAREDO. We left Katy and made the 5 hour drive to the ranch starting about 9:30 Friday night. we slept at the gate from 3:30 am to 5 am and then called in to get the guys to open the gate. No use waking them in the middle of their night.

Alboy · January 30, 2009, 07:02:28 PM

First morning there are two bucks and two does in this cluster at about 150 yards. No shots for me all morning.

adrian got three though so we had something to cut over lunch.

Vermonster · January 31, 2009, 09:26:51 AM

Looks like you'll be eating well this winter..... :)

Alboy · January 31, 2009, 12:36:15 PM

Yes sir, conservative estimate is 450 lbs of fresh meat. we of course are giving a large part of that to those with out the chance to go get their own. Even so I would say 200 lbs in the freezer. Mostly roasts and ground meat. back strap ready to cut to steak as needed.

This is where I was sitting Sat afternoon.

Alboy · January 31, 2009, 12:42:42 PM

Here I am with one of three I pegged that afternoon, adrian got two and a pig.

bowhunter 51 · January 31, 2009, 12:43:26 PM

Well.........you've certainly got my attention....?.....and this is a culling
expedition?....Moose?....in Texas?....no way....must have more.........BH51...

Alboy · January 31, 2009, 05:07:37 PM

Ah Moos is the name of the ranch.

We were working to reduce the white tail ratio of does to bucks. they are at about 3 to 1 right now does to bucks and want to get to 1.75 to 1 bucks to does. Long ways to go. Also tougher since this is not a controled environment (High Fence).

Here is a look from the high blind, the road is about 80 yards here. I saw about 20 does and only 2 bucks on this stand, that can not be taken as an indicator. that morning I saw mostly bucks but had no good shots on the girls.

Alboy · February 01, 2009, 05:48:57 AM

Sunday morning dawned clear and a little crisp in the low 40's (we consider that cold around here, just like 100 is a little warm)

I took 1 doe at around 60 yards and Adrian got 2 more for a total of 11 deer and one pig. I know ?Where is the other head?

Well another of the fellas shooting with us that weekend left his doe head to close to the ground and unprotected, during the night some varmint made off with it. We donated the meat of 1 doe to the camp larder and processed it complete right there. Let Jack have the extra head so he could get home with out chancing a run in with game wardens and possible consequences. Only cost one extra tag and it was last day fo the season.

Here is a picture of a young buck going by my Sunday morning stand.

Alboy · February 01, 2009, 08:52:09 AM

This is Adrian working Sunday morning. we were cleaned up and loaded ready to leave a little befroe noon. The doe run pretty decent size as Adrian is near 6'4" himself.

gitano · February 01, 2009, 12:19:17 PM

Nice, Al! Those are nice-sized does. What were you guys shootin'? .223s by any chance? Were you just taking head shots?

Paul

Alboy · February 01, 2009, 01:39:32 PM

I was using my Rem 700 in 223 as usual for this kind of work and yes head shots. I prefer DRT or clean miss with that approach. If you shoot and they run you did not damage them beyond repair. If they hit the ground and kick put a few more in. Arian and I both experienced 3 head shots to kill on this trip. very unsual. I did pop on on heart lung but had to track her 75 yards and don't like that.

Adrian was using his Savage 110 in 30-06 and doing head shots too. His first shot was heart lung about 120 yards and she ran. We tracked her for over a mile in a big cuircle and finally ran out of blood trail that went from very jheavy with lung blood to just droplets and had to give up on her. 4 of us with me marking the last drop were unable to pick up fresh trail for a 100 yard radius or spot the deer.

Adrian best shot was head down feeding at 250 yards DRT. He told me because of the distance he held high on the neck as the doe fed directly toward him. The bullet went right through the brain pan.

This picture is Sunday morning right after I laid down a doe. There are at least 5 deer in the picture furthest out at about 150 yards. Can you find them all. This about 5 minutes or less after I had shot.

davidlt89 · February 01, 2009, 01:47:33 PM

I think I see them all Al. 2 in the road, 2 off to the right of them and that nice buck by the bush. I know that nice buck has some good cover. God Bless.

bowhunter 51 · February 02, 2009, 07:37:07 PM

That is sooo00 strange (to me) to see deer like that out in the open in
country like that....What do they eat?...dirt?....and good size deer, too...
I would have liked to been in on that...223's would have been kinda fun
doing head shots....and sitting in them house-stands on stilts...ta..he,he..
I never......drinking coffee, eat'n donuts and glassing the brush....cool......
That cactus out there,...is that prickle pear?....ewe.......you don't wanna
trip and stumble into that stuff....and them deer seem to be feeding on
something on the ground...ya'll bait'n with corn?....and with field dressing
all them deer, seem like ought to be buzzards thicker than blackbirds
all around............I gotta visit Texas sometime...see what that's all about..
Raising cows really puts a damper on road trips...can't never git away
very long.....ta, he, he....yea....I never....good stuff, Al..........................BH51...

Alboy · February 03, 2009, 03:36:42 AM

[What do they eat?...dirt?]

I asked the same question. Everything that grows down there has thorns, not just the cactus, yes prickly pear, among others.

[ya'll bait'n with corn?....]

Yep it is legal around here.

In the picture
1. dead doe
2 nice little buck
3&4 are two 8 pointers that put on a show wrestling for a good 15 minutes plus
5&6 are spikes

6 had such short spikes that I waited over an hour for him to get close as I thought it was a big doe, imagine my surprise when those 2" devil horns showed up. Probably a first year so maybe he will make something yet.