Like most hunters, we got our start with big game hunting going after that elusive horned ungulate known as the Buck Deer. The only difference is Janice got her start as a child, and I didn’t go hunting until I was 23 years old. Following is a short description of the times and places where we hunted deer. If there is a really good story, there is a link to the page with that particular story. Enjoy!

My father-in-law, Red, has a ranch in East Texas about half-way between Dallas and Houston. After I married his daughter, he invited me to the ranch for opening day weekend. Before he sent me out to a stand, he made sure I could hit paper with my Remington 721 .30-’06. That's about all i do with that rifle. Nothing wrong with the rifle, just an in-experineced shooter! My step-father had given it to me 3 years before. I had fired it 2 or 3 times, but had not practiced regularly, and I certainly was not an accomplished rifleman at that point in time!

I knew even less about hunting white-tail deer. Fortunately, most hunting in East Texas is done from stands, and is more a game of patience than hunting skill. Red has some gorgeous trophies hanging in the ranch cabin. I imagined myself on the trigger-end looking through the scope at one of those magnificent animals. The deer in this area not large, and rarely could you find a what you would call a wall-hanger rack. However, I found that I loved just being outdoors, listening and watching the wildlife.

On the afternoon of opening day, after not seeing anything move (little did I know that it was just becoming time for the deer to move!), I decided to leave my stand and walk to another area. I topped a rise in the road, and low and behold, there was a buck feeding just off the road in front of me, no further than 100 yards, and he did not hear, see or smell me. I stayed amazingly calm as I shouldered my .06 and put the cross hair right behind his shoulder. BAM! And down he went…Then I got excited!

Well, I had no idea how to field dress this guy. As luck would have it, a few of the other hunters happened to hear the shot and see me jumping up and down in excitement. They came to “help”, which is another way of saying they initiated me into the blood and guts club by telling me “exactly’ how to field dress this buck! He was my first trophy, and he really got me interested in hunting and shooting.

Red reloaded his own ammunition, and that concept really intrigued me. Especially when he explained that I could improve the way the rifle shoots by developing a load specifically for that rifle. I started reloading and began to practice my shooting. I was fascinated with the way my 721 would respond to different loads. I spent many hours developing and testing different loads for that old rifle, and got to where I could shoot it pretty well out to 250 yards or so. I looked forward to opening day each fall at Red’s ranch. The white-tails presented me with some interesting opportunities over the next 12 years. With the practice I had put in developing shooting skills, I was usually able to take advantage of these opportunities.

Leaving the Ranch - New Mexico, 1992

We never even considered hunting anywhere else! That ranch was all I knew about hunting until 1992, when Janice, Red and I went on a rifle Elk hunt in New Mexico. We knew NOTHING about how to hunt elk! Nor on how to hire an outfitter… nor on how to make sure the hunt you are contracting for is the hunt you are expecting!. To summarize, we were unprepared, out of shape, under-rifled, and absolutely ignorant about what we were supposed to do! We feel that the outfitter did his job, we just had no idea what to expect! For more on this hunt…which could be titled “Rookie Elk Hunt..Learning the Hard Way!

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The following year, 1993, we went on a rifle elk hunt near Eagle, Colorado, and we had mule deer tags! We didn’t see much in the way of elk. However, one afternoon, Janice and I were walking back to camp about ¼ mile ahead of our “guide” (who had never hunted elk before). I looked over an embankment and down the slope from the road, and spied a nice buck just about 220 yards. Now, he wasn’t a big buck by mule deer standards, but compared to what I was used to seeing in East Texas, he was a monster! Janice was too short to see him. I lifted her up to peer above the bank so she could see the deer. She obviously could not make a shot like that, so she invited me to take him. I shouldered the ’06 and squeezed. The buck dropped like a doll rag, and I had my first animal away from Red’s ranch! Our “guide” came running up and asked what happened. We told him I had shot a deer. He replied, “you must have missed, I only heard one shot”. Oh, well, it was that kind of hunt. But at least we had a nice trophy and some camp meat!

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Idaho, 1995

Janice, Red, my friend Kelly and I went on a pack-in trip to Idaho in 1995, a wonderful bugle season rifle elk hunt…its just that the elk didn’t cooperate! However, one rainy afternoon, My guide, Doug Stuckie, and I crossed paths with a small white-tail buck. He was a mature animal, but had a rack like he was from East Texas. I thought that maybe breaking the ice would change the luck of our group, so I quickly harvested the buck. Once we returned to camp, I thanked Red for shipping one of his East Texas bucks all the way to Idaho for me! Our cook fried up the tenders and we all enjoyed fresh venison as we swapped lies and stories! It was a great trip! There is an interesting story here about inexperience and ethics.

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Colorado, 1999

After being on 3 hunts, and nothing to show except some pretty bad memories …we decided that elk hunting was not for us! That is, until spring of 1999, when our friend Kelly called to see if we wanted to go on a private land, rifle elk hunt outside of Norwood, Colorado…Without hesitation, we said YES!

We decided that we were going to buy new rifles and scopes, and learn how to shoot out to 500 yards, since the outfitter felt that if we could shoot 400 yards accurately, we would be able to capitalize on any opportunities that were presented. This was the hunt that really got us going with this sport. Guided by Joe Buckley, Dale harvested a broken-rack, rag-horn bull…but he was legal…and he was down….and even though he wouldn’t score a plugged nickel B&C, he is proudly displayed on our wall! This is a fun story, with all of the joy of that first successful hunt…please click below to read the details!

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Colorado, 2000

Before we left Colorado Trophies in fall of 1999, we booked a hunt for the following year. We had finally bagged a bull elk, and we were on the road to becoming pretty darn good shooters. All year long, we worked on our shooting skills. We became active in Black Powder Cartridge Silhouette, Benchrest Competition, and spent MANY hours with the Jarretts in different conditions/positions out to 600 yards. And WHAT A HUNT! We were guided again by Joe Buckley ….and have a terrific story of Janice’s first bull…a perfect strike on a very symmetrical 5x5 at 480 yards. The following day, from the same perch looking across a canyon, Dale scored his second bull, at 525 yards…..both of these kills have funny/interesting stories! We were also able to harvest 2 Mule deer bucks with our Sharps Black Powder Cartridge rifles.

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South Texas, 2000

We were able to get on a wonderful lease in Maverick County for the 2000 season. Our friend Kelly was able to put the deal together. We bought a huge blind and two feeders and set up our little hunting paradise on the desert of South Texas. This place had been managed for some terrific bucks. We really enjoyed our time on that property...unfortunately, it was only available for the 1 year.

 

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Colorado, 2001

In the fall of 2001 we again headed for the Colander’s Colorado Trophies ...and with our super-guide, Joe Buckley, we again returned to what was becoming our favorite place in the west!

Janice harvested a beautiful 6x5 bull at 332 yards at last light….(thank goodness for great optics, as you could not see the bull without higher-end binoculars or scope!) ...but Dale did not have as good of luck in his elk hunting. Dale did get an opportunity…and a learning experience….He and Joe RAN about 1 mile straight up (its always that way, isn’t it?)..to get to where they were within 650 yards of this bull... Janice stayed behind (first mistake) acting as a safety valve... Joe is a great guide, but he is not a great spotter, nor had he and Dale worked together in this respect. (second mistake) Dale missed the shot(s) clean….not finding out until later that there was a strong cross-wind at the top of the hill where the bull was. An interesting story to learn by…..Dale did harvest a high, wide and handsome mule deer buck, after crawling 500 yards thru an irrigation ditch to get within 435 yards of this big boy. Please click here to read the details of our 2001 Colorado hunt.

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Central Texas, 2002

Our good friends, John and Jennifer asked if we would trailer a new filly from the Dallas area to their ranch in Central Texas, near Medina. In exchange for the trailer trip, they invited us to hunt one of their beautiful and tasty Axis bucks. Axis bucks are not native to Texas, therefore they can be hunted at any time! We made this hunt in February, 2002. Janice harvested a magnificent buck , still in velvet from 360 yards.

 

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