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South Central
Rut Reporter Brandon Ray is an expert on the region. Ray was born in Dallas and shot his first deer with a bow in Central Texas at the age of 15. The full-time freelance writer manages his family’s Texas Panhandle ranch, is a licensed New Mexico guide, and last year took a 184 gross P&Y non-typical trophy. States covered: TX, OK, NM.
Texas has a lot more to offer than just four million deer and world-class buck hunting. Exotic species are common across the state. The most common of these exotics are axis deer, blackbuck antelope and aoudad sheep. Middle Texas has the highest concentration of these common exotic species, and many more super exotics on some properties. Some are found on high-fenced ranches, but almost as many are found on low-fenced properties.
There is no closed season or bag limit on these introduced, exotic species. Management is basically left in the hands of the landowner. Depending on where you hunt, ranchers might want their exotics shot on sight, since some compete directly with native whitetails. Others foster those populations and charge trophy fees for harvested animals.
It’s always smart to ask about exotic opportunities when you hunt deer in Texas. Before a 34-inch axis buck or 24-inch blackbuck walks under your corn feeder, know whether or not the rancher says it’s okay to shoot one! And if so, how much?
Beyond the oaks and rolling hills of middle Texas, one of my favorite exotics to hunt is the aoudad sheep. Native to North Africa, they were introduced across the Panhandle and West Texas in the 1950’s. They now roam rugged landscapes as if they’ve been there since the beginning of time. They are free-ranging and wild-as-hell.
Aoudad sheep are always challenging to hunt. Big rams with their crescent-shaped horns, sand-colored hide and long chaps and leggings make fine trophies. Whereas it takes five to seven years to grow a trophy deer, the biggest aoudad rams are usually 10 years old or older. It takes even longer to grow a big ram.
I shot my best-ever aoudad ram in October 2010, with outfitter/guide Hunter Ross of Desert Safaris (desertsafaris.com). Hunter and I scaled a lung-burning spire of rock called the Chinati Mountains. We found a large herd of sheep and slowly dissected the herd. We found a monster.
Laid up in the shade, the massive-horned ram had long horns like mutant bananas. When he stood broadside, my tack-driving rifle, a Nosler Model 48 chambered for .270 WSM, hit him through both lungs. He stumbled 20 steps and tipped over.
His horns were 35 and 35 ½-inches long with huge 14-inch bases. The biggest ram of my life. I’ll never kill one bigger.
To hunt aoudad in wild country you need some essential gear. Tote an accurate, lightweight rifle. Whatever you use for deer is probably fine. I prefer synthetic stocks since a fine piece of walnut would only get scarred up in the rocks. Top the rifle with a 3-9x40 or 4-14x40 power scope. Expect shots from 50-300 yards. The last three aoudad rams I shot with a rifle were taken at 285 yards, 75 and 65 yards. I’ve never felt the need to shoot past 300 yards in almost 20 years of hunting wild aoudads in open landscapes.
Best calibers for sheep hunting would be anything from a 25 caliber up to 30 caliber. In recent years I’ve killed sheep with the .270 Winchester and .270 WSM using 130 and 140 grain bullets respectively. Both of those rounds are close to perfect for sheep hunting. Flat-shooting, manageable recoil and plenty of energy to put even a tenacious aoudad ram down quickly.
Wear top-notch boots. I like Danners with all-leather tops and Vibram or air bob soles for gripping the rocks. Make sure they lace up above your ankles for good support.
Wear 10x40 binoculars around your neck and tuck a variable power, 60mm objective spotting scope in a daypack. An angle compensating rangefinder, like the Nikon Riflehunter, is an essential part of my gear list. Since shots at rams are often at steep angles, the angle compensating rangefinder will tell you where to hold the crosshairs.
When I shot that monster 35-inch ram in West Texas, the true distance was 285 yards, but due to the steep downward angle, the rangefinder said hold for 249 yards.
During the fall of 2011, I saw numerous big aoudad rams while scouting and hunting deer in rugged canyon-country of the Panhandle. I was being picky, but when you see the right one, sometimes you just know it’s time to forget deer and hunt sheep!
I spotted the mud-covered ram rolling in the sand and grit on the edge of a steep cliff. Rutting rams often roll in the dirt, sort of like elk rolling in muddy wallows. He had long, heavy horns and thick, flowing chaps and leggings. A shooter anywhere on planet earth.
I snugged into my pack, dropping off the rim of the canyon, down through thick cedars and prickly pear, then up the opposite side to cut the distance. I hoped to loop way around to the south, in front of the traveling ram.
Despite the skiff of snow still dotting the canyon walls and frosting the fall air, I was overheated and shedding clothes after the ½ mile jog. I eased a 130 grain Hornady bullet into the barrel of my HS Precision .270 rifle. Then I cranked the power down to 4X on my Leupold scope. If the ram was still traveling along the rim of the canyon, the shot would be close.
Just as I stopped to glass, movement caught my eye. A skinny ewe stepped out at 80 yards, walking a trail on the edge of the canyon. Three more ewes followed her. Bringing up the rear, covered in mud from his horns to his hooves, was the big ram. At 65 yards I shot him through the left front shoulder. He stumbled, then tipped over the edge of the canyon, snagging in the tops of a juniper tree like a fly caught in a spider web.
Each horn was heavy and just shy of 30 inches long. I estimated his live weight at 300 pounds.
Exotic game is yet another reason why the hunting never stops in Texas!
Oklahoma Record Buck Confirmed
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October 14, 2011
Ray: A Muley Hunt in Whitetail Country
By Brandon Ray
Rut Reporter Brandon Ray is an expert on the region. Ray was born in Dallas and shot his first deer with a bow in Central Texas at the age of 15. The full-time freelance writer manages his family’s Texas Panhandle ranch, is a licensed New Mexico guide, and last year took a 184 gross P&Y non-typical trophy. States covered: TX, OK, NM.
Mule deer overlap whitetail range in western Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle and parts of New Mexico. So forgive me while I stray from the topic of whitetails for a moment to share this hunt story.
On the afternoon of October 8, I decided it was time to hunt a new setup on a fence crossing. The timing seemed right for a couple of reasons. First, a storm blew through the previous night dropping .5-inches of rain and cooling down temperatures by 20 degrees. That cooler weather would hopefully put the deer on their feet.
[ Read Full Post ] -
October 12, 2011
Bestul: Scraping and Rubbing on the Rise
By Scott Bestul
Rut Reporter Scott Bestul is a Field & Stream’s Whitetails columnist and writes for the website’s Whitetail365 blog. The Minnesotan has taken 13 Pope & Young-class whitetails and has hunted, guided for, and studied deer in the north-central region all his life. States covered: IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, MO, WI.
I’m going to report slightly out of my North Central zone for a bit today, with apologies to Dave Draper. My friend and fellow outdoor writer Zeke Pipher shot a huge buck near his home in Nebraska. Zeke, who walks the walk when it comes to getting his family outdoors, took his son Aidan with him for an afternoon hunt on a farm near the Platte River this week. The father-son pair was entertained by squirrels and two raccoon families while they waited for deer to arrive.
The whitetails did their part, and the Pipher boys watched at least 20 deer work their way toward a feeding area on the farm. As they watched this pretty 10 point, he not only made a scrape and worked a licking branch, he walked within bow range. Wide-eyed Aidan asked Zeke “Can we shoot him dad? Can we?!?” Zeke’s answer was affirmative, and dad made a great shot. Zeke reports that the father/son team will be butchering the deer together as well. Great job, guys!
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October 11, 2011
Ray: Rain Welcome, but Deer Movement Minimal
By Brandon Ray
Rut Reporter Brandon Ray is an expert on the region. Ray was born in Dallas and shot his first deer with a bow in Central Texas at the age of 15. The full-time freelance writer manages his family’s Texas Panhandle ranch, is a licensed New Mexico guide, and last year took a 184 gross P&Y non-typical trophy. States covered: TX, OK, NM.
This week’s first report is a classic good news/bad news tale. The good news is rain. Considering the ongoing drought, rainfall is bigger news than someone killing a Booner buck!
Across eastern New Mexico, north Texas and western Oklahoma, a large, slow-moving storm dumped much-needed rain across the region. At my house we got .5-inches. Some counties received as much as 2-4 inches. The rainfall is obviously too late to help with antler growth, but given the forecast for warmer weather this week, it should cause some weeds and forbs to sprout up. The deer will be happy. And added ground moisture should help recently planted wheat in some agricultural areas. Wheat is an important winter food source for deer in some counties.
[ Read Full Post ] -
October 7, 2011
Ray: Antelope in the Middle of Deer Season
By Brandon Ray
Rut Reporter Brandon Ray is an expert on the region. Ray was born in Dallas and shot his first deer with a bow in Central Texas at the age of 15. The full-time freelance writer manages his family’s Texas Panhandle ranch, is a licensed New Mexico guide, and last year took a 184 gross P&Y non-typical trophy. States covered: TX, OK, NM.
I love deer hunting. And it’s easy to get caught up in the whitetail rut-related madness and forget all the other fine opportunities of fall. Right now it’s antelope season in Texas. The season lasts from October 1-9.
Texas’ antelope are found in two primary regions, the Trans-Pecos of West Texas and the counties of north Texas in the Panhandle. Texas’ antelope hunting is controlled by landowner permits issued by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Landowners that receive these permits can choose not to use them, use them for themselves or family and friends, or they can sell the right to hunt, by way of the permit. Prices for these permits vary, but an average price is $750-$2,000.
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October 4, 2011
Ray: Heat a Factor in Bow Opener
By Brandon Ray
Rut Reporter Brandon Ray is an expert on the region. Ray was born in Dallas and shot his first deer with a bow in Central Texas at the age of 15. The full-time freelance writer manages his family’s Texas Panhandle ranch, is a licensed New Mexico guide, and last year took a 184 gross P&Y non-typical trophy. States covered: TX, OK, NM.
Texas’ archery-only deer season opened on October 1. Throughout the region warm temperatures on opening weekend, some as high as 100 degrees, meant daylight deer movement was minimal. Best bets for seeing a buck were the first 30 minutes of light in the morning and the last 30 in the evening.
I sat in a ground blind in the Texas Panhandle the evening of October 2. It was 90 degrees when I sat down. It wasn’t until sunset, at 7:28 P.M., that I finally saw a doe. In the next 30 minutes I saw a total of four whitetail does and six bucks. All the bucks were young, 2 ½-year-olds, so I let them walk. The biggest one a short-tined 10-point that might score 115-inches. I know there’s a much bigger buck in the area, so I’ll be patient.
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September 29, 2011
Ray: Youngest, Oldest Bucks Hit Hardest by Drought
By Brandon Ray
Rut Reporter Brandon Ray is an expert on the region. Ray was born in Dallas and shot his first deer with a bow in Central Texas at the age of 15. The full-time freelance writer manages his family’s Texas Panhandle ranch, is a licensed New Mexico guide, and last year took a 184 gross P&Y non-typical trophy. States covered: TX, OK, NM
My long-time friend, Ronnie Parsons, is a master when it comes to dropping big whitetails with a bow. To date, he’s arrowed 32 Pope & Young-class bucks. Every one of those from the same low-fence ranch in the west-central region of Texas. This year, the forecast is not so good.
On the ranch Parsons hunts, rain has been scarce, to put it mildly. From January through early August, the ranch recorded less than 2 inches. In Parsons words, “The deer looked like the walking dead. Ribcages and neck bones visible in trail camera pictures.”
[ Read Full Post ] -
September 21, 2011
Ray: Irrigated Crops Drawing Oklahoma Deer
By Brandon Ray
Rut Reporter Brandon Ray is an expert on the region. Ray was born in Dallas and shot his first deer with a bow in Central Texas at the age of 15. The full-time freelance writer manages his family’s Texas Panhandle ranch, is a licensed New Mexico guide, and last year took a 184 gross P&Y non-typical trophy. States covered: TX, OK, NM.
I got 1.2 inches of rain at ranch headquarters last week here in the Texas Panhandle. That makes roughly 2.5 inches at the ranch in the past 30 days. Still a long ways from breaking the drought, but it helps. I almost feel guilty reporting it considering many parts of the region are still as dry as they were in August.
Last year, I hunted whitetails in northwestern Oklahoma with my friend Shawn Hoover. We hunted land that’s been in his family since the 1920s. It’s a mix of agriculture near cottonwood-lined river bottoms, rolling hills with sagebrush, and open rangeland. I asked Shawn to give me an update on the drought and prospects for hunting deer in the Oklahoma Panhandle this season.
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September 16, 2011
Ray: Looking for the Original Owner
By Brandon Ray
Rut Reporter Brandon Ray is an expert on the region. Ray was born in Dallas and shot his first deer with a bow in Central Texas at the age of 15. The full-time freelance writer manages his family’s Texas Panhandle ranch, is a licensed New Mexico guide, and last year took a 184 gross P&Y non-typical trophy. States covered: TX, OK, NM.
Through an unexpected sequence of events, I became the owner of the big whitetail shed in the accompanying picture. It’s not just any giant shed. What makes it special, at least to me, is WHERE it was found. It was picked up less than ¼ mile from the property line of one of the places I hunt, in a creek bottom. I’ve never seen this deer.
Judging by the mass and size, I’d say the buck that dropped it was at least 5 ½-years-old, but probably 6 ½ or older. You don’t get mass like that on young bucks around here.
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September 12, 2011
Ray: Think Water This Season
By Brandon Ray
In drought years like this one, you can bet wild critters will congregate around any available wet spots. Whether it’s a pond, creek, cattle trough, or even a windmill run off mud hole, that’s a good place to scout for game. Check for tracks in the mud or hang a scouting camera.
In the past month, I’ve shot an antelope buck over a windmill run-off pond in New Mexico, shot a limit of mourning dove over a windmill tank in Texas, and sat over a mud hole waiting on a big hog. Looking ahead, those same tactics can pay off for deer hunters in a drought.
Texax Parks &Wildlife biologist Todd Montandon tells me that deer do not have to have free water every day.
“Deer will certainly drink often when it is available, but they can get enough moisture from the vegetation they eat that they do not require it every day. Certainly, in this drought, properties with good water will hold more deer.”
Make sure the windmills where you hunt are working properly. If dirt ponds are dry, this is a good year to dig them out with a bulldozer, so when it rains they will catch more water.
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September 9, 2011
Ray: Drought Has Been Severe on Deer
By Brandon Ray
Rut Reporter Brandon Ray is an expert on the region. Ray was born in Dallas and shot his first deer with a bow in Central Texas at the age of 15. The full-time freelance writer manages his family’s Texas Panhandle ranch, is a licensed New Mexico guide, and last year took a 184 gross P&Y non-typical trophy. States covered: TX, OK, NM.
The short term effects of the 2011 drought are obvious: Dry, dusty pastures. Very limited native browse for deer. No hiding cover for fawns or newborn turkey poults (easy prey for predators). Does are in poor condition, so they often abandon the fawn.
That means fewer offspring this year. And antler size will be down. Because of limited native feed, you can bet deer will congregate on any available agriculture fields. And you can bet deer will be hitting automatic corn feeders hard this season.
So what are the long term effects of a drought like this? The worst in Texas and New Mexico in 150 years according record-keeping. I asked Texas Parks & Wildlife biologist, Todd Montandon, for his thoughts.
[ Read Full Post ] -
September 8, 2011
Ray: Antlers When It's Dry as a Bone
By Brandon Ray
Rut Reporter Brandon Ray is an expert on the region. Ray was born in Dallas and shot his first deer with a bow in Central Texas at the age of 15. The full-time freelance writer manages his family’s Texas Panhandle ranch, is a licensed New Mexico guide, and last year took a 184 gross P&Y non-typical trophy. States covered: TX, OK, NM.
Even when things are horribly dry, there’s still the little things that keep us excited for the upcoming deer season.
A few weeks ago, my sister, nephew and a couple of his friends came to visit the ranch. The teen-age boys, apparently unaffected by the 100-degree heat, made long hikes each day to explore the rugged canyons on the ranch. One canyon in particular produced a few treasures.
[ Read Full Post ] -
September 7, 2011
Ray: Deer Adapting to Drought
By Brandon Ray
Rut Reporter Brandon Ray is an expert on the region. Ray was born in Dallas and shot his first deer with a bow in Central Texas at the age of 15. The full-time freelance writer manages his family’s Texas Panhandle ranch, is a licensed New Mexico guide, and last year took a 184 gross P&Y non-typical trophy. States covered: TX, OK, NM.
So what are deer doing when it’s 105 degrees and were in the middle of a 100 year drought? Judging from my daily observations on our ranch, during daylight hours you would think the country was void of life. When the sun is high, everything is bedded in the shade. I see a few bucks out feeding before sunrise in the morning, when I try to beat the heat and go for a run or hike. And again from sunset till dark, when the temperature starts to drop.
The deer I do see have all been doing the same thing. Every deer I’ve seen recently have been eating beans off mesquite trees.
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September 1, 2011
Ray: The Drought and Deer
By Brandon Ray
Rut Reporter Brandon Ray is an expert on the region. Ray was born in Dallas and shot his first deer with a bow in Central Texas at the age of 15. The full-time freelance writer manages his family’s Texas Panhandle ranch, is a licensed New Mexico guide, and last year took a 184 gross P&Y non-typical trophy. States covered: TX, OK, NM.
I took the accompanying photo in the Texas Panhandle. An ominous gray cloud that blackened the western sky at sunset and seemed on a sure course to bring rain to our dusty ranch. It was only a tease. The big clouds skirted around the west side of our property and while my neighbors got some much-needed rain, we never got a drop.
Unfortunately, that has been a common theme across the region this year. Most of Texas, New Mexico and parts of Oklahoma are in the grips of the worst drought in more than 100 years. Wildfires have burned thousands of acres. At my family's ranch in the Texas Panhandle, through the first seven months of the year we had about two inches of rain. The yearly average for that same period is about 12 inches. Other parts of the region are even drier. It's also the hottest summer on record.
This means there's less forage for wildlife. There's also little to no cover for hiding fawns and newborn turkey, quail and pheasant chicks. Recruitment this year will be minimal at best. The drought and searing heat also take their toll on mature animals.
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January 4, 2011
Ray: Preparing for Next Deer Season
By Brandon Ray
Rut Reporter Brandon Ray is an expert on the region. Ray was born in Dallas and shot his first deer with a bow in Central Texas at the age of 15. The full-time freelance writer manages his family’s Texas Panhandle ranch, is a licensed New Mexico guide, and last year took a 184 gross P&Y non-typical trophy. States covered: TX, OK, NM.
Dec. 30: There is nothing else that can dull the pain of a deer season almost over. Yes, I’ll hunt coyotes this winter. And I love talking to turkeys in the spring, but I’m a deer hunter first and last. Fall is my season. If you are anything like me, you know it’s an eternity from the close of one season to the opening of the next. Try not to cry in your venison chili.
[ Read Full Post ]
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