Bowhunt at Double G Outfitting in West Texas
With Garrett George & Larry Reese

Arrival Day | Day #1 | Day #2 | Day #3 | Day #4 | Equipment Tests | To Double G Outfitting

Last Day - The Crab Claw Buck

Just when it looked like it wouldn't happen, it did!
In a deja vue scenario the deer looked to my left and we all watched a high racked, big bodied buck 80 yards away. The buck circled and came on in. GO...

My Hunt - Day 2 & 3

It's Buck Time!
Day 2 & 3 my luck changed and I started seeing lots of bucks. Here is my hunt and what happened. GO...

DAY 3 

Wyatt McBride with Garrett George and Larry Reese with their bucks.

Wyatt McBride of Kaikiora, New Zealand (single and looking)

In Wyatt's Own Words
"I woke up this morning with the  deer Lords talking to me. The head guide Rick Woods came back last night after siting in a stand while his hunters were out at other stands. He said he saw an 8 point buck with a nice spread.  Since no one wanted to sit in that stand they asked me if I would. I said since the deer lords were telling me last night that today was my day I didn't care were I went."

"At 530 am Rick dropped me off at the stand over a feeder at 20 yards. As the sun started to come over the horizon at my back I saw 8 does coming in but down wind. They took a whiff of me and away went the other way."

"As they ran off here comes a buck straight on. As he got to the feeder the wind was swirling and he was getting nervous. I knew I had to make something happen if I was going to get a shot."

"He was 20 yards and looking over his shoulder at me. Then he took 3 steps stopped and looked over his left shoulder at me one more time.  By this time I was at full draw and ready to rock and roll.  I had a tuff shot all I could see was just a little bit of his shoulder and his butt.  I let it the arrow fly and went in at the rear and came out of his front shoulder."

"He took off like lighting. I did not see a drop of blood but he only went 50 yards.  I tell you what that Hoit eXtec with 80 pound limbs has been a great bow. I've now killed over 10 animals with it from plains game in Africa to Water Buffalo in Australia to Texas white tail with Double G Outfitting. Two nice bucks in two days. I don't know too many places you can go to hunt whitetail and see so many bucks and good bucks at that."

Wyatt McBride with his second west Texas 8 pointer.

Wyatt McBride with Garrett George with Wyatt's west Texas 8 pointer.

Mike Glanden
After every hunt Mike brought in video os the deer he has seen. So far he has hunted the same site since Day 1. Every time he hunts there he has seen from 12 to 25 deer. At least half of them were always bucks. Plus several flocks of wild turkey have come through. Mike has video of 5 different 8 pointers that are regulars and at least 5 of them are mature with nice racks. 

One particular 8 point from the first day looks good on video, he is big bodies with long tines (10 inches or better), and good mass. Garrett estimated it as 5 1/2 years old. It was definitely the dominant buck there at that time and it chased all the younger bucks around. Mike drew on him but elected not to shoot because the buck seemed so comfortable Mike thought it would be back. As daylight faded Mike saw an even bigger buck but it got dark before it got close enough for a shot. 

The bucks have kept coming and so has Mike. But the 8 point and larger buck have not showed up so far.

The video of the bucks Mike has seen will be on his web web site www.goodoleboysoutdoors.com. Mike lives in Maryland's Eastern shore area in the town of Preston. He has always wanted to make a living in the outdoor industry and is finally there. Mike is part owner of the web site and the owner of www.gobocountrystore.com online store for hunting products. 

Larry Reese 
I met Larry Reese back in 1996 when the Bowhunting.net chat was a big thing. After a few time of talking to him I asked if he could do a Taxidermy column for the web site. He took me up on it and since then has written a bunch of articles on Taxidermy and other topics. We have become friends via email and this is the first time I have actually seen him in person. 

Every time he was in his stand Larry saw a minimum of 6 deer and a maximum of 25. He always saw a lot of nice bucks and passed on several bucks holding off for that "once in a lifetime" buck, which I know are on this ranch because I found a very massive 10 point shed and he saw several huge buckskin the helicopter survey pictures.

Today's Hunt
At 5:00 this afternoon Larry began his hunt. (He went to the stand I hunted this morning.) Shortly after settling in 3 does came through. Deer continuously filtered out of the cover. A nice 8 point with a spread outside its ears cam up and fed until dark. At one time there were 6 bucks. Approximately 30 minutes before sunset two larger bucks came up. ONe was a 10 pointer that was wide and had shorter tines. The other was an 8 point with real long antler tines. 

Larry waited a while longer and the 8 pointer moved into position for a clean shot and Larry decided this was it. But Larry heard footsteps behind him. Out of the corner of his eye Larry saw a doe coming. It stopped and all the deer looked toward her. She snorted an alert and all the deer scattered and ran out of sight.

Larry's heart was broken. The deer he had been waiting for all week had presented a shot and he hadn't been able to take it. Soon deer began returning. The large 8 pointer with the long tines was with them. He stopped 20 yards away in the shooting window.

Larry came to full draw, anchored his 20 yard pin behind the front shoulder and squeezed off the shot. Larry uses TRACER NOCKS and he saw the path of the arrow and saw the impact of the arrow his exactly where he was aiming. The Tracer Nock glowed bright red as the deer ran 40 yards and turned left into the thick brush and collapsed. 

Larry was certain the buck was down for good but waited ten minutes started tracking the blood trail. Garret pulled up and they followed the trail. When the trail turned left they saw the Tracer Nock glowing a few yards into the brush.

"I've been quite impressed with the buck to doe ratio on Garrett's ranch.", Larry told me, "Not a day has gone by that I didn't have a chance at a buck would be a shootable buck in any bowhunter's eyes. Garrett and I have been talking over a year about this hunt and some other hunts we are going to do. Garrett set up his ranch with stands that are suitable for bowhunters ranging between 15 and 25 yards. Now that I have seen the quantity and the quality of whitetails at Double G Outfitting I will now be booking bowhunts . Anyone interested can contact me at larry@wildlifeartistry.com or call 410-758-2000."

Larry's business Wildlife Artistry Taxidermy began in 1991 in Centerville, Maryland. It is a full time taxidermy operation. The studio is 1,600 square feet specializing in North American as well as African game. (When he returns home he is putting the finishing touches on an article for us that explains and shows the steps involved in mounting a Nyala that he just finished), it covers the project from receiving the hide from Africa through the finished product. 

DAY 2

Wyatt McBride with his 12-pt and bucks I took pictures of this morning.

This morning and afternoon I sat in a tripod watching lots of deer. There was a corn feeder and it held the interest of the does. The bucks were interested in each other. They chased and harassed each other endlessly. Several mature bucks showed too. I got some swell pictures but since I am uploading via the cell phone it can not handle the size of the transmission -- so I will have to put them up in a few days. The two pictures above ar a couple of samples, I think you're gonna like 'em. 

Mike Glanden  saw 12, seven were bucks. Five were basket rack 8-pointers. Two were big boys. A group of 16 hens also came through.

Larry Reese  saw two 8-points before light. Two owls got in a fight and the deer ran and snorted from the brush. At 8:10 a lone 7 point stayed 10 minutes. A group of Toms fed through the area.

Wyatt McBride of Kaikiora, New Zealand
This is the third day of Wyatt's hunt. His father John told Wyatt last night that he had seen a 12 point buck with a kicker that circles the main beam, so Wyatt hunted there this morning. Deer came to the feeder before the sun rose. Wyatt watched 4 bucks in his binoculars as the light slowly got better. Another buck raced up and pushed the bucks out. It was a heavy 12 point. It raced in and out of the brush and  marked trees and knocked horns with bucks in the brush.

At first good light the 12 point came into the open between the open feeder and Wyatt. From his dad's description he realized this was the same buck. "I knew it was time to rook and roll.", Wyatt told me.

The 12 was broadside and walking as Wyatt drew. Right before the buck was to go behind a bush a fly flew into Wyatt's face mask and into his ear just as he shot.

The buck ran and dropped in 80 yards. Wyatt returned to camp and got us to take pictures and recover the buck.

This is the best of the 3 bucks Wyatt has taken.

Advice to Prospective Texas Hunters
"Call Garrett at Double G Outfitting. "Garrett George's is great. Good food and accommodations. A lot of animals besides deer. Javelina, bobcat, wild turkeys, skunks, rabbits and Black Buck antelope."

Advice to New Zealand Bowhunters
"No snakes or predators. It is all spot and stalk with guaranteed opportunities. I can get a bowhunter within 40 yards of a Red Stag. Be sure and check us out mate at our web site at www.nztrophyhunting.com.

DAY 1

Well before daylight I was dropped off at a tripod stand near a feeder. A deer walked past me and I could see antlers but couldn't see it good enough to tell much about it. After daylight an 8-point came down the trail I had walked in on. It went to the feeder area. Then 18 wild turkeys showed up and spread out. Suddenly the buck saw something in the woods and went to attention and bonked its antlers loudly on a metal bar on the feeder, Ka. Bam. That had to hurt.

The buck got nervous and left the feeder area. Nothing showed up and the buck returned and this time it walked around in the woods and browsed. Here are some excellent pictures from this hunt. GO...

Mike Glanden
Mike saw 19 different deer. Seven were bucks and 3 were very nice bucks, but Mike gave them another year to grow. Larry saw a big, wide buck before daylight and it went to the feeder. They moved away before light. Then an mature 8-pt and a 6-pt came in. Some does came in with several fawns. They filtered into the brush after 8:00.

Larry Reese
Larry's area was deer type busy. He saw 18 and passed on a heavy beamed 8 pointer. 

AFTERNOON:

Mike Glanden  came in with video from his hunt. He saw and a bunch of deer, too many to keep track of. An 8-point with good mass came into the area and grunted, snorted and ran off small bucks from 6:30 until dark. At 6:30 a bigger, heavier body and antlers (After seeing the video Garrett said he was 6 1/2). Five big longbeards walked up underneath Mike's tripod. Suddenly one looked up and putted. The gobblers backed up and went about their longbeard business. Mike drew on this buck twice and let down. "The buck was so comfortable, you could tell it was his home range, so I elected to wait a little while more." At 7:45 Mike saw the biggest buck yet, 70 yards away coming across an open area. The buck circled and slowly came closer. But darkness came faster.

Larry Reese  saw 8 does and as many bucks, but younger 7's and 8's.

Robert - I went to a new area and sat up a Double Bull Martix 360 and cut small branches out of the way for shooting lanes. I got inside the blind and as I arranged my stuff two does walked out of the creek behind me and stopped 10 yards from me. Two more appeared at the edge of the woods. They kept traveling. I spotted a wide racked buck 100 yards away in one of the few narrow openings where I could see that far. I put my binoculars on the opening but he moved behind some brush and I didn't see it again. Quite a bit later a 5th doe walked through.

John McBride went to ta different stand and saw 7 bucks "3 shooters" and 5 does. One was a unique 12 point that had a point that made a ring around the main beam. 

Wyatt McBride saw 15 deer and wanted to shoot a large 10-point but could not get a shot off.

ARRIVAL DAY

Mike Glanden flew from Maryland to San Angelo, Texas with his friend Larry Reese. They were hunting by 5:00 that afternoon. Nine deer came in; two small bucks, 6 does, and nice 8-point but MIke couldn't see his pins clearly.

Larry Reese counted 22 deer at one time -- including a wide 10 point and a heavy bodied, nice 9 point. The 10 point had a droopy right ear and its right knee was swelled up. Larry also saw 4 bobcats. The bucks were shooters but Larry wanted to wait. There are 150-170 class bucks on the ranch and Larry is hopping he will see one.

John McBride of Kaikiora, New Zealand arrived Sunday afternoon and Garret took him to a stand to hunt. He was in a tripod at 6:00p[m. He saw a forky, a 6-pt, two does. At 7:20 a 5x5 came in. It turned broadside at 20 yards and John drew and shot. The 5x5 ran into the cedars and went down within ear shot.

When Garret and Wyatt (John's son) followed the blood trail and found the buck piled up in a clump of cactus in 60 yards.
Because this is an 2 buck, 4 doe area John, plus wild turkey and bobcats is continuing to hunt.

John met Garrett at the Harrisburg, PA sportsmens show. John was with Spey Creek Trophy Hunting, John and Wyatt own and operate the New Zealand operation in Kaikiora. They specialize in Red Stag and Tahr and Chamois. They take 50 hunters a year and 20% are bowhunters. This is a mountainous area. The herd was introduced to the country in the early 1900's and are now well established. This is a father and son operation that specializes in customizing hunts of New Zealand trophy big game. They are the only outfitter that, since they are both bowhunters themselves, has archery experience and caters to bowhunters. On the web at www.nztrophyhunting.com.

John's Advice to Prospective Texas Hunters
Practice, especially the close and 20 yard shots. Scent control is key here because you are right on top of a lot of deer.

Advice to New Zealand Bowhunters
"Be in shape. It is mountainous, our ranch is 1,000 to 3,000 feet so it's not that bad, but you have to be in shape. Practice out to 40 yards."

Arrival Day | Day #1 | Day #2 | Day #3 | Day #4 | Equipment Tests | To Double G Outfitting