Whitetails and Hawgs in Texas
By Rick Clark


Llano County, Texas once again lived up to its reputation for excellent deer and hog hunting. This year the crew consisted of myself, my wife Carol, my son Brannon, our friend Brad Spencer, Brad's dad Bud and Brad's uncle Steve.
The first evening Bud shot the largest buck of our trip. It was an eight point with a 17 inch spread. This was his first trip, won't be his last.
On the second day we filled the truck with pigs. Bud and I shot three pigs each and Brannon shot one. When we picked Carol up at her stand it was late and well after dark. She had shot a buck and we couldn't find exactly where it was standing at the shot. I promised to find her buck the next morning because I know she usually hits what she shoots at.
The next morning Carol asked to go back to the same stand. After the morning hunt we were all going to help find her buck. As we arrived to help the girl in the group, she was grinning and I knew why. After daylight she had left the stand, located the deer's trail and found him maybe 75 yards from where he was hit. Her eight point had turned into a six point because he didn't have a sign of a brow tine.
Brannon had a little excitement the same morning. Just before time to be picked up he got down from his stand. While ambling around he noticed a buck staring at him from 80 to 90 yards away. While still behind the brush that was between them he dropped to his knees and began a crawling stalk. Crawling in this part of Texas is not a pleasure or recommended. The only clear view of the buck was his head and upper neck. But, on your belly in the rocks and cactus is still one of the more steady ways to shoot a rifle. He centered the white throat patch under the chin at 96 steps. The eight point was still staring at the same place Brannon had crawled from.
That afternoon Carol went back to the same stand and shot a real nice hog. Her first boar hog didn't take a step, just laid down and didn't even kick.
On the fourth and final morning hunt we were still three bucks short. We went to work. Brad sat on a mesquite tree limb in a pasture that had no stand. A sore butt was small payment for a nice last hour eight point. Brad's uncle Steve and myself were just without. While opening the main gate at the highway Steve saw an eight point chasing a doe. Grabbing for and reloading his rifle, he braced on the truck bed and filled his tag. That made us 5 for 6 on bucks.
We had agreed to be on the road for home by twelve noon. At 10 am we were dressing the last two deer and loading trucks. Someone made the statement that since I hadn't shot a buck I still had two hours left. Everyone agreed to pack and clean camp and leave me to try to rattle in a buck before we left. I had rattled in seven bucks in the last two days, plus the last buck I shot in south Texas I rattled in, so why not?
Now I'm flying back to the lease in my truck with high hopes, but not a lot of confidence. My first stop was the same mesquite limb Brad had shot from earlier that morning. Bad move. Getting up wasn't too bad. Getting down with my short legs and better than average belly was a trick. Next stop (on the ground) brought in a six point and spike who came close, maybe 20 yards. I had time for one more try at a tripod stand in a dense thicket. I beat the horns together for a few minutes, then on a break thought I heard a grunt. I passed it off as one of the cows in the area. As I began rattling again a huge four point dove through the brush, hair standing up on his back. He looked up in the stand. At less than 20 yards he had a wild look in his eyes. He ignored me and pranced stiff legged looking for the other deer. Then I saw movement to my left and spotted another buck circling. When I counted ten points I raised my gun and ended the tension. Just an average buck, he was still too heavy to load by myself. I had to field dress him then tie his head to the tailgate then swing his hindquarters into the bed.
When I arrived back at camp it was 11:35 am, everyone was packed and showered and ready to go. While I showered Brannon put on coveralls and gloves, skinned and quartered my buck. We left at noon, six for six.