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I HUNTED DEER AT MY RANCH IN EDWARDS COUNTY, TEXAS A FEW TIMES THIS PAST SEASON BUT NEVER SAW A SHOOTER. I HAVE ALSO BEEN DEER HUNTING AT A DEER LEASE IN SOUTH TEXAS ON AN INVITE FROM MY COMPADRE OSCAR GARCIA. HE GETS 2 BUCKS, BOTH HAVE TO BE MATURE BUCKS, 1 OF WHICH HAS TO BE A CULL BUCK (UNDER 140 B&C). HE TELLS ME TO SHOOT ANY BUCK I WANT BUT I AM NOT SHOOTING A TROPHY ON AN INVITE (IN FACT I PASSED ON A M/F 12, 16 POINT BUCK), SO I WAS LOOKING FOR A CULL. THE LEASE IS ON A MANAGEMENT PROGRAM AND DEER SEASON RUNS SEPTEMBER UNTIL THE END OF FEBRUARY BUT THEY DO NOT START DEER HUNTING UNTIL THE START OF THE REGULAR SEASON IN EARLY NOVEMBER, STILL, A 4 MONTH DEER SEASON IS HEAVEN FOR ME.

IN NOVEMBER OR DECEMBER I SPOTTED A WARY, WILEY OLD 9 POINT BUCK THAT LOOKED LIKE A SHOOTER BUT HE WOULD HANG BACK IN THE BRUSH AND NEVER COME OUT TO SENDERO TO EAT CORN. I WUD PUT XTRA CORN, LACED WITH BIG&J ATTRACTANT, 50 YARDS AWAY FROM THE BLIND JUST OFF OF THE SENDERO (TO ENTICE HIM CLOSE ENUFF TO TRY AND TAKE HIM WITH MY OPEN SIGHT RUGER BOWEN PERFECTED BISLEY IN 45 COLT USING MY OLD WEST LOADS BUT TO NO AVAIL). FINALLY ON 2/3/18 I WAS SET UP IN THE SAME BLIND FOR THE MORNING HUNT. A CAMO BANDANA BLOCKING A LOT OF THE BLIND WINDOW, IT WAS EARLY, ABOUT 7:40 A.M., LOW LIGHT AND FOGGY (WHICH ALL HELPED IN HIM NOT DETECTING MY PRESENCE IN THE BLIND). I SEE MOVEMENT IN THE BRUSH ABOUT 100 YARDS AWAY, I QUICKLY GET THE BINO's ON HIM AND ID HIM BY HIS DISTINCTIVE BROW TINES, AS THE 9 POINT CULL I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR. HE MOVES BEHIND SOME BRUSH AND I CANNOT SEE HIM, THEN HE STEPS FORWARD JUST A BIT BEHIND SOME LOW BRUSH AND HIS LUCK RAN OUT, AS I WAS ABLE TO GET A REEDS AMMUNITION 200 gr WFN-GC 357 MAX BULLET OUT OF MY 12 INCH CONTENDER AND INTO HIS SHOULDER. AT THE SHOT HE DISAPPEARED (HE WENT DOWN BUT I CUD NOT SEE HIM BEHIND THE BRUSH). I WENT OVER, FOUND HIM, AND FINISHED HIM OFF.

THE BULLET WENT IN JUST BELOW DEAD CENTER ON HIS LEFT SHOULDER, AS IT PASSED THRU HIS LEFT SIDE RIB CAGE THERE WERE 2 HOLES, THEN THE BULLET WENT UP INTO EITHER SIDE OF HIS SPINE. I RECOVERED MOST OF THE BULLET (TEMPORARILY MISPLACED), JUST UNDER THE SKIN ALONG HIS BACKBONE, IN NOT TOO BAD A CONDITION CONSIDERING.

THIS 9 1/2 YEAR OLD BUCK HAD BEAUTIFUL BROW TINES AND HEAVY MAIN BEAMS BUT WAS ALL CULL AFTER THAT. HE WAS A 130 B&C CLASS BUCK, AND HAD A LW OF 153 lbs WITH NO FAT (HE OBVIOUSLY HAD LOST A BUNCH OF WEIGHT DURING THE RUT).

I WAS USING A 12 INCH CONTENDER 357 MAG BARREL THAT BELLM REAMED OUT TO 357 MAX AND I HAD MNP QUAD PORT, USING THE AFOREMENTIONED AMMO FROM RON REED (ESTIMATED MV OF 1,750 fps), AND MOUNTED WITH A B&L ELITE 3000 2X6 SCOPE.

NOW I NEED TO HELP MY COMPADRE FIND THAT 16 POINTER.