Bowhunting Report From Tony Dukes

Bowhunting with Billy Don Van Cleave on Wild Horse Prairie Ranch - Hunt #2

First Bowhuunt Here | Wild Horse Prairie Ranch | Bowhunting.net's Online Bowhunt Here |

Jan. 2 A.M. 
The 8 point was back, unhurt along with another high 8 with a little less mass another small buck and a doe. Had all of the bucks at between 10 and 20 yards, decided the 8 had earned the right to live and passed him with what seemed a certain shot. 

I know there are bigger deer here. I have been saying this all year and coming home with nothing, still I passed.

On the way back to the lodge we saw several huge blackbuck as well as the usual bunches of Corsican and Mouflon rams. Exceptional blackbuck were spotted almost every day.

A group of Corisican Rams on the ranch.

P.M. Got off 2 hours later than had planned, when I arrived at a new location I'd decided to hunt a band of 7 Aoudad were right under my treestand, Two rams were monsters!  They quickly disappeared. Both Aoudad and blackbuck are free ranging on the 7,500 plus acre ranch and are exceptional wild. They have been here for over 20 years and are not under high fence or any form of containment. If you were to get one of these guys you would be worth of every bowhunter''s respect.

Just getting settled when the sound of oak leaves became deafening! Over 30 pigs exploded from the brush and crossed in front of me! All baby pigs with sows.  They hesitated at the clearing and disappeared.

Minutes later the hill was covered with big hogs, all on an organized trot, guess they were on a "pig mission" Billy Don had talked about. I smiled and chuckled to myself, "pig mission!'

The big hogs were barely out of sight when nine more appeared trotting my way. A plane was coming over head at the same time. The pigs froze behind brush at about 20 yards away, then turned and ran as the prop plane noisily passed overhead leaving me with another near shot opportunity gone astray.

The sun had set and shadows had disappeared. Dark was on the way, I surveyed the cedar brakes coming out of a rocky draw and saw legs.  The materialized into a deer, then the deer made it''s way into an opening. A buck! Woah, a very wide, heavy horned buck!

The ol' boy checked the perimeter with patience as precious shooting light continued to fade, he looked right at me for over a minute. Finally the Sticks and Limbs camo apparently convinced him I was nothing. I am CERTAIN this would not have happened in an open tree with the conventional, commercial patterns of camo which are too dark for most bowhunting situations. (Here are two mnore pics of this fine buck. Pic #1 and Pic #2.)

He broke form all brush and presented a broadside shot. The bucks wide rack was at least 6 inches past his ears. He looked to be an old 9 pt. by his grizzled, pug face. Remembering, with a haunting clarity the undershot of the day before, I placed my 20 pin just over mid way up behind his shoulder and released. Once again hair flew, but this time from his back! Now I'm for sure gonna buy the range finder.

I couldn't believe it. I thought I must be cursed by the bowhunting Gods!

Back at the lodge I shot arrows to confirm my 20 and 30 yard pins, they were dead on.

Next Day's Hunt

P.S.  Look for a BOWHUNTING.NET hunt for you to go with us at Wild Horse Prairie Ranch next October! For info email me TDHUNTS@aol.com or Billy Don Van Cleave at bdvanc@aol.com.

Tony Dukes