We were back on the “McPherson 4M Ranch” which is 16 miles south of Sonora Texas. It is a short 3 hours from San Antonio and the Ranch is over 12,500 acres in size. This time on the ranch we were searching for an exotic animal called the Black Buck Antelope. Black Buck’s are from India and parts of Pakistan and Nepal.
Daniel Sowell, a great friend of mine, and I were making an afternoon hunt and we left the McPherson 4M Ranch headquarters at 2:45pm. Cody, the Ranch Foreman took us to the Exotic hunting area and set us up in a blind that was raised 10 feet into the air. From that vantage point we could see for miles. We were only there for about 30 minutes and there were animals far in the distant field. They were female black bucks, there must have been 20 of them and they were crossing the valley is a moderate pace. Males were probably there but we did not see them. The Mesquite trees had lost their leaves and we could see them fairly clearly.
While we were looking to the East at these animals crossing the open area, another herd of Black Buck moved in behind us. They were much closer to the blind and we quickly saw two nice Males in the group that were dark brown and or black in color on their backs with two horns that twist or corkscrew to sharp points. These males were very distinctive, they were dark colored over their backs and shoulders. Their bellies and the inside of their legs were white. They had white rings around the eyes and mouth. There were only two Black Bucks with these characteristics. The does are reddish brown in color and they do not have these impressive horns. There were 15-20 does in this herd.
We quickly changed our positioning in the blind which included moving our camera equipment. Cesario Garcia was our cameraman and we shot the entire hunt on HD Video. We were tracking the dominant male and he was strutting across the area, and then around his herd of females and then back across the area in front of us. He was essentially herding his animals and letting them know that he is the top of the hierarchy.
We made plans to take the shot the next time he came across the area in front of us. I was ready, kneeling on my right knee and aiming the 30-ot-6 thru the narrow opening of the window. Daniel was glassing the area and he and I could feel the growing anticipation of the next moment. A younger reddish brown male with 8 inch horns walked into view from the thick Mesquite trees. He stood there for 20 seconds and looked directly at us. We waited, he then began moving right to left and as predicted the shooter Black Buck Male came strutting into view. He was walking steadily and we knew that we could not make a shot while he was on the move. Daniel knocked twice on the wood wall of the blind and he stopped and looked directly at us. We were 130 yards from him. He told me to take the shot and I did. It was a good shot and the animal jumped into the air and then went to the ground. It was a good kill.
Hunters Notes:
Black Buck Antelope inhabit open grasslands. During mating season, the males will strut with a comical mincing gait with the head tossed upward and their horns flattened along their backs. We did not see this dramatic activity but we did capture the strut on video. Black Buck herds prefer open grassy areas and tend to avoid heavy forested areas or really rugged terrain. They graze the edges of patches of low brush and trees so they have access to cover if needed. In India and Nepal, they are the fastest mammals. They can outrun all of their predators. They can reach speeds of 50 miles per hour and sustain those speeds if needed. They are very wary animals, have excellent eye sight and hearing and therefore they can spook easily. As we targeted these animals on this hunt, often they would stop their grazing and look up directly at us. We were quiet but they were alert and very aware of their surroundings.
It was a fantastic afternoon hunt.
Visit the McPherson website at www.mcpherson4mranch.com. Contact the McPherson Ranch at (210) 822-2915 or via Email: info@mcpherson4mranch.com.
They can provide you a great adventure and with the hunt of a lifetime.
Thanks for your Time Today………………. and I’ll see You in the Outdoors !!
Dave
No comments:
Post a Comment