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It's been a long season and it's almost over. I started guiding for Hunter Ross, Desert Safaris and it extended my season by a bit. I also drew my own personal Antelope tag after 18 years and a muzzleloader Ibex that took 17 years. Been a pretty good year....

Started off in Aug guiding Antelope hunters, took a couple of high 70 bucks the first day despite a horrible drought.

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From Antelope I went into Archery elk. Killed this bull during a full moon over water.

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I pulled up on a popular Glassing hill in the dark one morning. There was a wolf biologist that had been there all night monitoring some wolves. A bull bugled below us and I quickly found him while making small talk with the biologist. Something had the cows nervous so I Scanned out further, 6 wolves! The first that I had ever seen and was positive! I mentioned it to the biologist and he asked to see them. He slid behind my tripod and was excited, "that's sooo cool!! Those are the first I've SEEN in the wild!!" WTF!!!!! The wolves moved on and we slipped down and after an hour of working this bull, I called him into 45 yds.

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My antelope hunt was up next. I was excited but had my sights set high, too high for the ranch I was hunting. I scouted a couple of days and found the best buck on the ranch. Fairly Long but no cutters. I was kind of disappointed, after 18 years I wanted something a little better, and to top it off my buddy got sick and wouldn't be able to join me. Opening morning I found the buck and made a move on him. I was shooting my new 6XC build. At 400 I dialed in and hit him a bit far back. Moving up to finish him I Learned a lesson about turrets, If you move, REDIAL!! DUH!!!
79 and change

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From there I went to Muzzlelader elk camp. After 4 days of passing,on the last morning we decided on a 330 type 6x6. At 90 yards my hunter missed. No pic.

Next hunt was an aoudad hunt, My hunter missed 3 rams over 30" from 110 to 279 yds. gettin tired of missing...

In Nov we started hunting deer in west TX. I had quite a few mgt. deer hunters and we assaulted a bunch of old 3x3s

HUnter had picked up a ranch in the sand country. Growing up in the sand I knew of the potential of the ranch. On the first morning another guide, Chad Gay and I found this buck and another bruiser. We stalked to within 130 yds of him but were unable to get a shot in the shinery. On the third day we found him again with the 30" 4x4 and a big frmed buck with cheaters. Bedding him we stalked to 120 yds... The biggest typical I have guided.

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The next day I got my other hunter on the big cheater buck. He couldnt make the shot at 250 yds. He left at lunch and HUnter went out and found him again with his client...

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Took some more nice bucks during the season but my camera quit on me so I didn't get pics of them all but here are a few.

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Here's a neat hunt that I really enjoyed, It was a mgt deer aoudad combo hunt. My client was well known PH Jofie Lamprecht. I really enjoyed listening to his stories and am proud to say that his Aoudad was only the second trophy he has shot for himself since he was 12 years old! After shooting a great ram, on the way back to the jeep we came across this old mgt deer and he made another fast shot!

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Had a hunter pass this buck in the trans-pecos...
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After two months of deer hunting we went into Aoudad hunts.
On a bunch of these hunts I teamed up with an awesome Alaskan brown bear guide, Zack Shrum. Critters were in trouble when we started planning their demise!! Between Zack and I we killed 12 rams over 30" and a few that were bumping it!

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Packin one out.

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Between aoudad hunts I went on my long awaited Ibex hunt! I wanna say thanks to Toby Joe Truby who gave me some great info!
To be honest this hunt kicked my ass.Had stalks blown. Blew Stalks. This hunt is making me rethink why I hunt personally. I strained a good friendship. My personal hunts have gotten so stressful with the feeling of having to produce a monster it's becoming not fun anymore. On day 8 of the nine day hunt I let the pressure get to me and I shot this billy all by myself, no one else to blame or celebrate with. IT KICKED MY ASS!!!! The worst part... I'M ADDICTED!!!!!

Wamted one of these...

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Shot this one...

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Gonna be almost 200 days in the field, and it's almost over... CANT WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR!!!!!
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Some real fine animals - congrats to all. Those ibex look like something awesome to hunt!!
Congrats on a fine season and thanks for sharing the pictures and stories.
Well no wonder you been MIA around here.
200 days ? Damn! I thought my 130's were long.
Congrats on a safe and sucessful season.
Some great animals. Congrats on all of them.

Thanks for sharing.
Congrats on what looks like one very fun and very rewarding year. I've definitely 'failed' at life planning as I'd love to be doing that.
Thanks for posting and sharing the self examination about personal hunting vs guiding
Great year Pete! PM me some info on those combo sheep and deer hunts!
That's quite a season. Congrats. The ibex billy looks pretty good to me.

BTW, if hunting for yourself is getting too stressful, I'll let you take me. No cost to you. smile
Hell of a year! Nice to see that not every ranch has been shot out in the Sandhills!
Amazing animals, pics, timeline stories!

Metal2meat sent me your Billie pic with his oryx story. You're livin the life!
Thanks for sharing the photos & stories. Great looking, wide-open country! Love that kind of place.

Seems you had a few hunters who didn't shoot so well. Dang...

Great animals. I didn't used to think much of hunting those Barbary sheep, but they're starting to grow on me, the more of these posts I read.

Congrats on a mighty fine season! Guy
Great season!
Looks like a great year!

Hope you can get back to enjoying hunting for yourself.
Very nice season. Congrats.
Nice season and great reflections!! Thanks for sharing.
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