ARTICLES
Hello, Nuevo, Hello
by Alan Schweer

Once again it was an awesome experience to bow hunt in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico with Dr. George Vogt and the Laredo Hunt Club. My successful hunt taking this beautiful 10 point was one of my most memorable bow hunts ever. One of my best friends and “huntin buddies”, Vance Williamson had seen this same deer the year before and actually got it on video tape. The buck was only 3 1/2 years old then and scored around 120 so he let it walk and just enjoyed photographing the fine buck. It had split G-2’s in 2001 as well and Vance nick named him “Forks”. Vance and I decided we would buddy hunt for Forks on our 2002 trip because we both wanted a successful bow hunt on video.

The desert and predators are so hard on the buck herd each summer we weren’t overlly confident this buck would still be around. To our pleasant surprise on our first afternoon hunt, Forks came to our agriculture plot chasing does really hard. It was verrrrry exciting but we were unsuccessful. We decided to go back to the same stand the next morning and hope he came back looking for the same group of does. We didn’t see anything but a few young bucks until about half way through the morning. I was sitting on the right side of the scaffold platform stand and Vance was on the left side. Both of us had our bow’s in one hand and video camera’s ready for our other hand. About 30 yards to the right of our stand 3 does came busting out of the cactus brush in to the road and then in to the ag plot looking behind them on almost every step.

Then all at once, Forks showed up in the middle of the road and then in to the ag plot in about 3 big steps. While Forks was chasing the does in the plot, Vance and I both stood up to set up and to hopefully video a shot if Forks came back by our stand on either side. Forks chased the does hard for only a few minutes while 2 other smaller bucks watched intensely. Without any warning at all, Forks came back to my side of the stand to quickly eat a little. He acted like he had been chasing does all night. Forks stood facing our stand the whole time as he ate and Vance was video taping the whole time right over my shoulder for what seemed like an eternity. My arms were getting like spagetti when the beautiful buck turned to walk back in to the brush.

When Forks made the turn towards the brush I was able to draw my bow and my arrow hit him just right.....and Vance got it all on video!!! I have always wanted to have one of my successful bow hunts on video and now I have dream come true thanks to Vance and his steady hand with a video camera. Forks was 4 1/2 years old, live weight of approximately 225 pounds, and he scored 149 6/8 SCI. Thanks also to the Laredo Hunt Club, www.laredohuntclub.com.