c. schutte
Handloader
- Jan 24, 2012
- 578
- 0
Just returned last Thursday from a hunt with my brother "Myles" in Van Horn. We were after mulies and had a great time. Like the vast majority of the state, we hunted private land for 4 days. Just the two of us and a guide.
The ranch is very flat and had a few low draws. I've spent a lot of time in far West Texas and was surprised on how much vegetation the Van Horn area has. It's settled in a bowl with mountains on all side so over time what little soil from the mountains has settled on the plain below. There is also a water table 300 feet below the surface. All that contributes to a soft surface and mesquite/thorny stuff so thick parts of it were like 8' tall shag carpeting. I spent a lot of time walking those low areas but the truth is trying to navigate through that thick stuff does not lend itself to quiet.
The high and low is we did not come home with anything but a good time. The wind was not our friend on this hunt, blowing 25-40 for most of hunt. We did see some young bucks and plenty of doe. One young forked buck did pass within bow range of me but, he got a hall pass.
This is a working cattle ranch and had one alfalfa field which we hunted. My brother has not hunted mulies before so I put him on the field most of the time. The one afternoon the wind died a mature shooter appeared. Unfortunately there was an existing irrigation pipe running the length of the field. This pipe is about 6" in diameter and running 4' off the ground. Myles and the buck were on opposite sides of the pipe and the buck was just far enough away to be blocked by it. That was our one opportunity.
We did see the buck again, at 4:50 AM on the morning we were driving out! :>)
You win some and lose some.
The ranch is very flat and had a few low draws. I've spent a lot of time in far West Texas and was surprised on how much vegetation the Van Horn area has. It's settled in a bowl with mountains on all side so over time what little soil from the mountains has settled on the plain below. There is also a water table 300 feet below the surface. All that contributes to a soft surface and mesquite/thorny stuff so thick parts of it were like 8' tall shag carpeting. I spent a lot of time walking those low areas but the truth is trying to navigate through that thick stuff does not lend itself to quiet.
The high and low is we did not come home with anything but a good time. The wind was not our friend on this hunt, blowing 25-40 for most of hunt. We did see some young bucks and plenty of doe. One young forked buck did pass within bow range of me but, he got a hall pass.
This is a working cattle ranch and had one alfalfa field which we hunted. My brother has not hunted mulies before so I put him on the field most of the time. The one afternoon the wind died a mature shooter appeared. Unfortunately there was an existing irrigation pipe running the length of the field. This pipe is about 6" in diameter and running 4' off the ground. Myles and the buck were on opposite sides of the pipe and the buck was just far enough away to be blocked by it. That was our one opportunity.
We did see the buck again, at 4:50 AM on the morning we were driving out! :>)
You win some and lose some.
