This is one of my favorites, not because it's such a great stalk, but for other (obvious...grin) reasons.

Posted it a few months back, will pare it down a bit here.

We had some friends over and the guys were itching to do a little dove hunting on opening day, so we headed out despite the fact that there weren't many birds around.

A friend and his dad, along with my boys and I, started out walking some fields, but it was pretty slow and my boys are 3 and 5, so I decided to head for a water hole and see if the boys could sit still long enough to get in a little shooting. My buddies were having enough action that they were enjoying themselves, so we headed up to the north end of the place and let them continue walking fields with a plan that they would end up at one tank and my boys and I would hunt the other.

The boys and I parked the pickup a good piece from the tank (pond to y'all non-Texans...grin), and headed up the draw behind the tank dam thinking we might jump some birds on the way in. The boys were tromping along behind me, bb-gun and toy shotgun in hand, ear-muffs firmly in place to keep them from being deaf like Daddy, and having a ball.

As we eased into the draw, I noticed a deer several hundred yards beyond the tank and heading in our direction - obviously coming to water. Nothing unusual, but a second look showed not one of our usual Hill Country whitetails, but a flash of white on the brisket and spots that I could begin to make out even from quite a distance - an axis deer!

My wheels began to turn as I remembered the free ranging axis that we had seen on 3 or 4 other occasions through the past 4 to 5 years. A few weeks earlier, my Dad and I had seen a little bunch that included 4 or 5 bucks and a few does, with one buck that looked like a real bruiser. We were moving horses at the time, and had neither the time nor the right rifle to do more than look, but we got a pretty good view of him - enough that I swapped my usual 223 coyote killer truck gun for my Remington Mountain Guide 243 stoked with 85 grain Barnes TSX's.

I had been keeping an eye peeled for these axis deer, but in years past they had never showed up to stay - always passing through not to be seen for weeks or months or even years later. Accordingly, I didn't much think I'd see them again, and hadn't thought too much about it other than questioning whether Dad and I should have stopped working and started hunting when we had the chance!

Well, my regrets at the opportunity lost turned quickly to hope at a new chance at this beautiful old buck, so I stopped the boys and we hustled back to the truck where I traded my 12 gauge for the Remington 243. This rifle loves 85 grain TSX's and was dialed in, but I had yet to take an animal with it. I hoped that was about to change.

We slipped down into the draw and began to approach the stock tank for the second time. I noted gratefully that the wind was perfect - in our face and quartering just a bit - and that the afternoon sun over my left shoulder was just about perfect as well. This stalk was taking shape, but I wondered if I could pull it off with my 3 year old and 5 year old hunting buddies. I didn't worry about it much, though, since I doubted the big boy was with the lone axis doe I had seen, anyway.

As we approached the tank, the boys had fallen behind me a bit, so I was able to crawl to a little cedar and peer through before they arrived. There was an axis deer at the water hole, but I saw no antlers. I eased back as the boys caught up, grateful for the dam which afforded such perfect cover for our approach. Their eyes were sparkling with excitement, and I cautioned them with hand motions to be quiet and stay low.

Motioning for them to crawl behind me, I circled west to get better cover and to line up the sun a little better behind us on the one deer I had seen. As I crawled back up and peered through a very thick cedar which screened us from the deer, I saw 4 or 5 animals at waters edge, with one buck in velvet with only small nubs showing looking right at me from about 50 yards. I froze, and a minute later, he moved up to drink. As he did, another buck appeared through the limbs which hid me. It was the big boy!

I couldn't believe his mass and body size, or the height of his antlers that seemed to tower three feet above his head. I didn't have long for buck fever to set in, because he had finished his drink and was leaving. What a kind providence of God that the timing was perfect, allowing us to approach undetected and arrive just as the animals were drinking. The low water of the tank due to the drought had required the little herd of axis to move low into the tank to get to water, which hid us perfectly as we approached. The hurricane in the gulf had a north wind blowing - almost unheard of for late summer in Texas. I really believed the Lord had blessed us in a special way to allow this experience and successful stalk with my young sons.

As the biggest buck turned away and started out of the tank and up the hill, I knew I was going to have to be quick to get on him. I stood as he passed behind a little more cover, and eased left a slow half step. I was still screened almost completely, but now I could take an off-hand shot over the brush if one became available. This opened up a good shooting lane in the direction he was headed. There was no possibility for a rest, but I hoped at 70 yards I wouldn't need it. I brought the rifle to my shoulder, the Kahles 3-9 set at its normal 6 power.

The sight picture jumped into focus as the big buck moved across open ground heading uphill to thick cedar, and I snicked the safety forward and slid the cross hair to his shoulder, confident the 85 grain TSX would break the near shoulder and reach vitals. I touched off the shot as I swung the rifle to match his walk, and heard the bullet whack him solidly in the shoulder. He half reared, and plunged up the hill and out of sight, taking the rest of the herd with him. I watched him as far as I could follow him, and felt confident when I saw through the brush that it appeared that the rest of the herd had stopped their run at less than 100 yards and begun to mill a bit. When they moved off, another buck was in the lead, and I didn't see the big boy.

I turned to my boys. My 5 year old exclaimed, "I think you got him, Daddy! I saw where he went!"

I told the boys that we needed to wait a bit and not push him, but that I thought we had made a good hit and had him. I had hardly finished the sentence when my phone rang - it was my Dad asking where we were hunting so he could come join us. Five minutes earlier, and the phone's ring would have blown the whole stalk. Not luck, in my opinion, but providential blessing in the timing, yet again.

We waited for Dad. When he arrived a few minutes later, we headed to the spot of the shot. A good blood trail was soon spotted as we headed toward the last place I had seen him, and we found him easily. I don't know a whole lot about axis deer, but I know this is a good one, especially for a free range buck that just showed up on the ranch where I was raised.

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A couple of other funny and providential details we were talking about last night...

As we got to the tank dam, my youngest boy realized he had fallen a bit behind and might miss some of the action, so he came the last 30-40 yards at a 3 year old dead run - eyes on the ground and dove hunting ear muffs in place so that he couldn't hear if I had tried to call softly to slow him down. As he reached the bottom of the dam, I had spotted the deer and was edging back to move around to a shooting lane, and he looked up and spotted me motioning for him to slow down and be quiet. My 5 year old, seasoned hunter that he is, was creeping up and hoping little brother didn't blow out all the deer.

Well, the little guy saw me and immediately stopped and hunkered half way up the tank dam and began side-hilling around to follow me in a little duck walk - cutest thing you ever saw. Big brother was creeping up, and I turned back to trying to crawl around to where I could get a shot.

As I said above, I was able to ease around and get a shot as the big Axis was leaving. My oldest was ready, and watched the deer run and knew exactly where the big one was last we were able to see him, but his little brother was still hunkered on the fairly steep tank dam when I shot. The shot startled him a little, even though he had his hearing protection on. He was in a pretty good classic Texas hunker when I shot, and when he flinched a little at the shot, he just did a backward roll right over and rolled back down the tank dam. He came up grinning, never lost his grip on his toy pistol which he had swapped for his toy shotgun, and big brother and I about fell over laughing.

Speaking of his leaving his shotgun at the truck, that probably helped save the stalk as well. It's one of those that has batteries and makes noise when you cock it and a pretty loud sound when it shoots. Either would have blown our stalk, but his little pistol barely clicks any more.

Just one more thing that went perfect on a perfect day...

DJ