In West Texas, outside of San Angelo, there are two young Christian men who are working hard to develop a quality hunting operation.  Kenny McCrea and his nephew, Eric McCrea, lease the Rocky Creek 25,000 acre low fence ranch which abounds with wildlife, especially whitetail deer and wild turkey. 

In addition to this ranch they also lease other land bringing 50,000 acres under their control.  One of the properties has exotics including some trophy size axis deer. 

They participate in a Texas quality management program which requires them to harvest a certain number of trophy, management, and cull bucks each year in addition to a set number of does.  In 2004, they were required to take 190 does off the Rocky Creek property to get closer to the 1.5 – 1, doe to buck ratio they hope to maintain on the ranch.  Trophy bucks are defined as deer which are at least 4 1/2 years old and have over 8 points.  Management deer are 8 points or less and 4 1/2 years old, which don’t have the genetics to develop into anything any bigger. 

Although they have only operated this ranch for the last two years, they are not new to running a hunting camp.  Kenny has been doing it for over 10 years and Eric has worked with him for most of that time.

I was fortunate to visit their ranch twice during 2004.  On the first trip, I took my first whitetail hunting from the ground without benefit of a blind.  Eric and I had planned to hunt from a large pecan tree.  Eric agreed to video the hunt and I would be the shooter.  After seeing how large the tree was and how small the seat attached to a slanting limb was, I opted to hunt from the ground.  Eric being younger and more agile climbed the tree anyway and set up for the evening. 

I positioned myself about 15 yards from a feeder behind some very skimpy bushes.  To maximize my “blind”, I laid my camo rain coat over some of the bushes, squatted down on my knees and waited.  Fortunately in a short time a nice buck came out of the mesquite covered hillside and ambled toward the feeder. 

It didn’t take long for the buck to realize something looked out of place.  Many times he looked at me and my hiding spot but relaxed each time and went back to feeding.  Slowly he worked toward the feeder but was still on high alert.  He walked around the feeder and circled me coming as close as five yards.  Although he was nervous, he seemed to calm down after a while and moved toward the feeder.  This scenario was played out over a 20-25 minute period.  My knees and feet had gone numb by this time.  After feeding a while he again spooked himself and backed off a ways stopping behind a tree. 

I saw an opening in the tree where he stopped and figured it was now or never.  Quickly I drew the Mathews, settled the pin on his chest and released.  The buck ran 40 yards before collapsing. 

He was a 13 point wide framed buck and gross scored 136.  Although he wasn’t the biggest deer I have taken, it was one of the most memorable considering the circumstances.  Eric got it all on video and it makes for some interesting viewing.

Later in the week I took a doe and a turkey with an 8 inch beard. 

Once I returned home, I told my wife, Shelby, about the adventure and she wanted to go with me for a return trip over New Year’s weekend.  Shelby is new to bowhunting but she has really picked up on it quickly.  She can follow a blood trail better than I can (I’m a little color blind and dark red blood is hard for me to see) and prior to this trip she had taken two does and a buck in two years of bowhunting. 

The weather was cold but not unpleasant and we looked forward to our few days of hunting.  On the first night I had a beautiful 8 point which would have scored 130 come to my blind.  I opted to video it and save it for Shelby to take the next day.  That was a mistake, we never saw it again. 

On the first day she shot a cull buck Kenny wanted to remove from the herd.    Later in the week she sat with Eric and a 7 point deer came by their blind.  Eric said it was an older deer and she should shoot it.  After waiting for the right shot, she sent an arrow through its ribs and the buck was hers after a 60 yard sprint.  Kenny and Eric aged the deer at 7 1/2 years.

A couple of days later she took a doe with another well placed shot. But her shooting was not done by any means.  She saved the best for last.

Sitting with Kenny in a spot where I had shot a gobbler a couple of days earlier, she hoped to take home her first turkey.  Early in the morning, a flock of turkeys came to the feeder and Shelby shot a tom through the head.  It had a 10 5/8 inch beard.

Suffice it to say, we had a great time hunting with McCrea Outdoors.  The facilities are good as was the food.  The McCreas are easy going people who try to make your stay as enjoyable as possible.  The deer are plentiful and some nice racks can be found.  They took several deer over 140 this year.  Turkeys are everywhere and many sport nice beards.

It’s a place you might want to consider for next year.  With their management program and protein feeding this summer, the deer should be healthy and plentiful in 2005.

For contact information:
McCrea Outdoors
Web Site:  www.McCreaOutdoors.com
Kenny McCrea
Phone:(325)650-9960
Email:  kenny@mccreaoutdoors.com

Eric McCrea
Phone:(325)374-6984
Email:  eric@mccreaoutdoors.com