It started off with a Mexican breakfast; Huevos Rancheros, eggs over-easy, corn tortillas and lots of coffee. "Power up," texted a friend, who understands these things and it was good advice, because one funeral, one Mass and a lot of driving later, I was at a ranch in Teague, spotlighting.
And that was a whole lot of fun; driving about the country in search of pigs, coyotes, rabbits and whatever varmint crossed our path. Sure enough, we shot several rabbits and lit up lots of deer, including several bucks. It was ghostly to see their eyes shine out as they bounded off into cover and this was a good omen, because I wanted to shoot a buck in the morning.
5.30 am rolled around with eschatological suddenness and before you could say 30-06, we were heading down a dirt road to a game-camera-proven buck location. The wind was in our favor and we walked in to the cover of a copse, stealthy, senses heightened. Sure enough, there were large deer on a treeline at around 200 yards. Crosshairs on and... they were does, and there's a county ban on shooting them. So no shot.
Still, it was good to see them in the crisp sunrise of a Texan December morning. A bit like Spring, in Canada.
After checking a few other spots, with no luck, my friend shot a duck. I missed one, but consoled myself with a fresh rabbit, a lot of venison sausage (thank you) and the promise of many more hunts to come.
What a good way to spend a Thursday evening and Friday morning! Clean air, good country, the excitement of a hunt, and fun company. Alright, I didn't get my buck but I did get outside myself, which is no bad thing for anyone, and added a rabbit to the freezer. My wild-eyed dog, Blue Spotlight, had a blast too.
I'd say everything about that is right on.
LSP
Hunting is man's right.
ReplyDeleteThere are those who feel that it's more proper to let others do the killing, cleaning, skinning and butchering and to pick up meat at the market...and that's somehow more appropriate.
But it does no honor to the animals who die that we may live.
I totally agree with that.
ReplyDeleteWait a minute Padre, deer corn... really! That's not hunt'n to my way of thinking, and I've hunted my share of game over the years...
ReplyDeleteokay. not to get all sappy Texan... but... the red plastic texmex basket, the wild-eyed blue heeler, the PERFECT sunrise over a dirt road, the hunter and the hunted... these are so perfect that tears have been shed over far less...
ReplyDeleteso.
[sniffle sniffle]
carry on.
way to go, Texas!
I sympathize with that, Brighid, but it was my friend's place (& corn) so we did it his style. As it goes, the shots we could've taken, if the deer had been bucks, were pretty much "stalk and shoot." So I feel let off the bait and kill charge!
ReplyDeleteAll for Texas, Jenny.
ReplyDelete