The archery season has finally arrived.  I have been itching to get back in the woods and chase whitetails.  I was unable to hunt opening weekend due to prior commitments, but was not about miss two weekends in a row.  After a few calls I was able to make arrangements to hunt a 7,200 acre ranch in Medina, Texas.  I know this ranch well.  I have hunted it several times in the past, taking some very nice animals in the process, both whitetail and exotic.

I arrived shortly after noon on Friday.  As luck would have it, a front was passing through and it was cold and rainy as I unloaded my gear and got settled in.  My host and the ranch foreman arrived and we discussed strategy for the weekend.  He said that with the heat and all the acorns, that not many animals had been seen this year.  I told him that I was interested primarily with whitetails, but was open to other possibilities.  My jaw dropped when he read off the list of animal species that were available this season.  The only two that caught my attention, other than whitetail, were an Axis buck or Sika bull.  Since I had already taken an Axis this year, I told myself that if a good Sika bull (I mean REALLY good) showed up, I may try to take him instead of a whitetail.  He had a couple of spots in mind, and we headed out to set up my Double Bull Matrix. 

After choosing a location in a small oak flat that was littered with acorns, tracks and droppings, I set the Double Bull in place and brushed it in with lots of cedar.  I climbed in and sat back for the evening’s hunt.  I could hear Sika bulls bugling in the distance.  The Sika rut was in full swing.

I had been in the blind for about two hours when the first deer showed up.  Three whitetail does slowly fed into range.  While I was not planning on taking a doe this weekend, both my host and ranch foreman asked that I did if the opportunity came about.  Not enough does had been harvested over the last couple of years.  The largest doe fed into one of my shooting lanes at 20 yards.  I drew my Mathews Switchback, found my anchor and picked a spot just under the point of her right elbow.  I squeezed the trigger on my Tru-Fire release and sent the Wac’em tipped Terminator Hunter arrow on its way.  At the release, the doe spun to the right, but I could see the lumenok disappear right behind the shoulder of the doe. 

I waited about 15 minutes before checking for my arrow.  There was little sign of blood, and the arrow had an “off” smell to it.  I waited another 45 minutes before taking up the trail.  After picking up the trail, I had followed blood for about 75 yards when a deer blew at me, stumbled out of its bed and ran up one of the ridges.  I had bumped her, and I knew I needed to give her more time.  I backed off, deciding that we would bring the tracking dogs and pick up the trail again after dinner.  That turned out to be a prudent decision as we found her about 250 yards from where I had originally shot her.  Upon later inspection during the cleaning, I discovered that the arrow had indeed hit where I was aiming, but the doe had spun into the shot and was in-fact facing me when the arrow hit.  The arrow exited in the middle of her belly, just past her sternum hitting only one lung in the process.  I am always amazed how fast a whitetail can react at the shot.

Saturday’s morning hunt went uneventfully.  I did listen to the Sika bulls bugle in the distance as they maintained their harems and challenged rivals.  I also watched as two Sika does fed through and were chastised by one of the biggest fox squirrels I had ever seen.  This squirrel was Boone and Crockett class.  That was the high light of the morning.  I decided that I needed to move my blind to another location.

Early in the afternoon, I headed back out with the guide to place my stand.  We were almost to the new location when a large group of Sika does crossed the road in front of us.  Right behind them was a big Sika bull.  I mean a REALLY BIG Sika.  He looked a lot like a small elk.  His full mane puffed out as he bugled his dominance to all in the area.  We stopped the truck and watched through binoculars as he coaxed the does into an opening in the brush some 300 yards away on the side of hill.  This bull was big enough to chase away all thoughts I had on whitetails.  My guide would wait and watch from the truck while I stalked the group in hopes of getting a shot.

I grabbed my gear and sprayed down with some scent eliminator.  I then quickly moved up the hill to get into position to begin my stalk.  Two blown stalks and an hour later, I was finally in position to make my final approach.  The new Realtree Advantage Max-1 pattern I was wearing blended in perfectly with the brush and the cedars.  I could see the does through the brush, but the bull was not to be seen.  Suddenly, he bugled.  He was no more than 50 yards away and behind the does.   Luckily, there was enough cover between us for me to inch closer.  I could now see his rack through the cedars.  Problem was, I had no clear shot with all the does in the way. 

Then, almost as if my wishes were being granted, the group of does moved to the right of the bull.  He stayed put.  I quickly dropped to one knee. His head was still covered by brush, but I had a clear shot of his body.  My Bushnell Yardage Pro ranged him at 29 yards.   My Switchback came to full draw, and I picked a spot along the crease of his shoulder.  The last thing I remember was the Lumenok disappearing in his shoulder.  My shot looked a little forward of where I was aiming, but still looked good.  He let out a grunt and took off through the cedars with the does in tow.  When he stopped in a clearing, I thought he was going down.  But the does kept going and he trailed them, finally disappearing into the woods. 

While I was calm through the shot, I was now shaking like a leaf as I recovered my arrow.  The Wac’em broadhead appeared to have done its job with a complete pass through.  Bright red blood with some bubbles covered the entire arrow.  As I waited for my guide, the entire hunt played over and over again in my mind.  My guide reached me, and 45 minutes after my shot, we took up the blood trail.  We found him piled up in a cedar thicket some 150 yards away.

When I got my hands on him, I could not believe how big he was.  The bull weighed over 200 lbs and sported a very heavy 4 x 4 rack.  Each antler stretched over 22 inches.  He scored 109 R.O.E. and easily surpassed the gold medal minimum of 92.

Best of luck to al this season

Tom Dade

Pro Staff

Bowhunting North America, LLC

This hunt was made possible in part by our sponsors:  

Mathews, Inc., Carbon Express,

The Gean-Edwards Company, Rynoskin, Trophy Ridge, North Starr Tree Stands, 

Shed Hunter Co., Fieldline, DoskoSport, Lumenok, Tru Fire Corp., Rocket Aeroheads, Quake Industries, 

Limbsaver, Bushnell, Huntin' Hoist, Wac'em Broadheads,, Beard Buster, The Beckham Group, Sure Grip Gun & Bow Racks

Copyright 2005, Bowhunting North America

All Rights Reserved