|
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,179
Campfire Ranger
|
OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,179 |
Returned from the Texas Panhandle after hunting whitetails for 9 days. My 3 coonass buddies have been meeting me up there for 22 years now. Had a great hunt, nothing exceptional killed, just some great hunting, fun, food, and fellowship. We've been real lucky to have this great ranch to hunt for so long. It was 62* when I snapped this pic of an approaching cold front. Temps dropped to 33* in the next 10 minutes, chill factor in single digits. Thought this was a really cool pic of approaching weather over deer camp. These buck's field dressed weights from 160-182lbs. Coonasses' did good....... Shot my buck that would score between 135-140 and quite frankly misjudged him a bit down in the creekbottom. Shot him from a hill overlooking the creek at 349 yards with my newly chopped 7-08 and 120 BT's running 2975'. The 2-12x Helos performed beautifully and is a great hunting scope. It accounted for this buck, 4 hogs, and 3 does that the ranch foreman took and gave away to those who were really excited to get it. I'll see if I can get a field photo of the buck but mine didn't turn out at all. Exit hole perfection IMO out of left shoulder. Edited to add.......I greatly underestimated the usefulness, usability, reliability, and optics of a new to me Vortex Fury 5000 AB. I verified drops at our local range before this hunt, and shot rocks out to 675 yards at the ranch. They remained spot on, got ranges reliably out to 3375 yards more than once in bright sunshine, overcast, and in-between conditions. So far so good.....mule deer hunts coming up.
It is irrelevant what you think. What matters is the TRUTH.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 5,455
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 5,455 |
Congrats - all nice bucks! And that 1st picture is really something, good stuff!!
"Rather hunt Mule deer than anything else" "Team 7MM-08"
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 18,924
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 18,924 |
Great pics.
The fellowship is the best part….
Dave
�The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it.� Lou Holtz
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 26,280
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 26,280 |
Good stuff Johnny. That buck has got some fat on it. Are there more mule deer or whitetail in the Panhandle?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 4,654
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 4,654 |
Looks like a grand time was had by all
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,179
Campfire Ranger
|
OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,179 |
Thanks guys. Paul, way more whitetails than muleys up there except for a very few select spots. We also see antelope on this place from time to time.
It is irrelevant what you think. What matters is the TRUTH.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 2,713
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 2,713 |
Growing up in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s, there were no deer in the Panhandle, literally zero, at least in the northeast part They were wiped out by the Dust Bowl and subsistence hunting in the Depression.
Seeing them come back is a real achievement for conservation.
Great photos, thanks for sharing and congratulations. 👍
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 3,239
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 3,239 |
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went" Will Rogers
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 8,069
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 8,069 |
It was 62* when I snapped this pic of an approaching cold front. Temps dropped to 33* in the next 10 minutes, chill factor in single digits. Thought this was a really cool pic of approaching weather over deer camp. Congrats to your buds and that is a very cool pic.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 68,915
Campfire Kahuna
|
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 68,915 |
Great job JG. I love hunting that TX Panhandle country. Seen some nice Mulies and whitetails while hunting Antelope.
Your Storm photo reminds me of what granddad used to call a “blue norther” rolling in. Always amazed at the quick temperature drops they caused.
"Allways speak the truth and you will never have to remember what you said before..." Sam Houston Texans, "We say Grace, We Say Mam, If You Don't Like it, We Don't Give a Damn!"
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 3,721
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 3,721 |
Nice
Haven't hunted the PH myself much Too windy and cold for me
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 241
Campfire Member
|
Campfire Member
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 241 |
If ifs and buts were like candy and nuts, it would be Christmas every day.
“The .30-06 is never a mistake.” - Col. Townsend Whelan
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 7,124
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 7,124 |
Cool pics, and sounds like a good time shooting at bucks and practicing on long range rocks. I hope your buds cooked up some good cajun food.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 5,788
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 5,788 |
Dandy bucks and good friends. It doesn't get any better than that. Congrats. Anxious for the Mule Deer pics here as well
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 824
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 824 |
Congrats to you and your buddies. Great story about hunting together, nice Bucks. That phot of the storm is wicked.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 6,800
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 6,800 |
Congratulations, nice looking bucks.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 10,653
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 10,653 |
You're Welcome At My Fire Anytime
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,970
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,970 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 171
Campfire Member
|
Campfire Member
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 171 |
Great bucks considering the ones I've seen come out of TX, not many keep in mind. A BIG one down south around El Dorado would be around 120-130". That seem like the norm?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,179
Campfire Ranger
|
OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,179 |
Great bucks considering the ones I've seen come out of TX, not many keep in mind. A BIG one down south around El Dorado would be around 120-130". That seem like the norm? Our avg field dressed buck up in the area I hunt is 170lbs. You're right about the bucks around El Dorado....probably 130-150lbs live weight.
It is irrelevant what you think. What matters is the TRUTH.
|
|
|
621 members (09wingates, 2003and2013, 007FJ, 160user, 10gaugeman, 17CalFan, 57 invisible),
2,518
guests, and
1,152
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
Forums81
Topics1,187,599
Posts18,398,261
Members73,817
|
Most Online11,491 Jul 7th, 2023
|
|
|
|