Spring Fever

They say that everything is bigger in Texas . . Such was my anticipation as I was preparing to board a plane in Buffalo, NY with my final destination being Sonora Texas to hunt with Keith Miller and Texas Trophy Whitetails.

The date was March 19^th. The 2020 whitetail season in New York is a distant memory, and the 2021 season is still an agonizing 6 months away . . yet here I was preparing for a big game hunt in the Lone Star State.

Texas Trophy Whitetails is a premier destination for Whitetail Deer and Turkey as well as exotics like Axis Deer, Sika Deer, Black Buck Antelope, Hogs and more rams and sheep than you can shake a stick at. It truly is a redneck paradise . . AKA: A target rich environment.

The other point of excitement came from knowing who I would be hunting with. Keith Miller has been the owner of Montana Whitetails (Livingston, MT) for many years, and I have had the privilege of hunting with him in both states. His guides are true professionals in every way, the accommodations and meals are second to none and the camaraderie is something that hunters will talk about for years to come.

My targets for this trip would be Rio Grande Turkey and Axis Deer (with Hogs always being a potential target).

The plan for day one was to sit over a feeder in the morning and then re-evaluate for the afternoon sit. That morning offered plenty of entertainment with Whitetail Does and Sika Does putting on a show (I even had a small Sika Buck show up.) but nothing I was willing to take.

The afternoon hunt involved a ton of MRI (Most Recent Information), Planning and Hard Work. Keith and his brother Steve determined that the best place to sit was over a water source. With temperatures rising the bigger Axis Bucks were showing themselves around the water more so than the feeders.

We left early as there was no stand or blind to hunt from. A little elbow grease, dirt under the fingernails and pruning  by Steve created a ground blind that would keep movement concealed and provide an unobstructed archery shot to the water hole.

I was excited to get settled into my temporary home and wait for those big Axis Bucks to show. Unfortunately, my only friends for most of the afternoon where cows. Every time I heard hooves clicking on the rocks, I was sure it was that Monster Axis only to be let down when more cows showed up.

When I heard that tell tail sound again about 3pm I grabbed my bow and hit record on my camera (even though my expectation was for another bovine to appear). Well, you can imagine my surprise when the largest Axis Buck I have ever seen walked by at less than 6 yards  . . . BEHIND ME!!!! With no shot all I could do was watch as this Sutton County, TX monster walked right into my wind and took off for parts unknown when he got a whiff of this New York Hunter.

A little dejected, I leaned back in my chair to wallow in my own misery for the rest of the afternoon. Just as I was snapping myself back into shape, I heard a turkey putting right behind me. He walked a similar path to the Axis Buck, but this bird had no idea I was there. Maybe, just maybe, this bird would come around front and present me with a shot.

Sure enough, 15 minutes later I caught movement in front of me as a long beard made his way towards the water trough (same bird?). As he got close, he spooked a small cow that had showed up and both animals took off in opposite directions. This was just a temporary setback though as that bird came back to the water and proceeded to drink. My original plan was to chase birds the following morning but there was no way I was passing up a 27-yard archery shot.

Just a few short seconds later I was standing over my first Rio Grande Turkey . ..  And I took it with a bow. What a great bird and an even better memory.

With my turkey hunt complete we had to re-evaluate the next morning and the answer was simple . . Let’s head back to the natural blind and see if the warmer weather would drive that monster Axis Buck back to water.

The plan was to sit from First light to last light with the hope that this waiting game would pay off. After 12 hours in the blind, you begin to run out of things to think about. Luckily, there was a constant stream of wildlife to keep me occupied. I saw a small Axis Buck, Turkey Vultures, and more turkeys than I have seen at one single point in time.

Still undeterred I waited it out and as the sun was beginning to set behind the distant hills, I caught movement to my left. A MONSTER Axis Buck was making his way to the water and he had no idea I was there. I was able to get the camera turned on and my bow drawn. All I needed now was for him to offer me a quartering away shot.

As if on que, he turned, I settled the pin solid and released the arrow. I watched, in what seamed like slow motion, as that buck came unglued and literally dropped to his chest as the arrow passed harmlessly over his back. A quick review of the footage confirmed . . I was inches away  from taking this buck back to New York.

Axis Bucks 1 . . John 0 . . But I could not complain! Keith and Steve had done their job (above and beyond) and the Axis Buck had cooperated. I had just failed to make the connection.

With one more day to hunt we made the decision to put away the bow and head out with some firepower. A .270 would be accompanying me the next morning.

First light found Steve and I parked in the heart of the 6000-acre ranch ready to spot and stalk. With gun and binos in hand we began to make the slow walk around the property. After a short 100-yard walk Steve waved me over. He had a small group of Axis Deer spotted and wanted to get a better look at the group.

Sure enough, after some careful glassing we spotted a good buck in the group. We quickly crawled into some thick blowdowns and proceeded to set up shooting sticks to prepare for the shot. That buck certainly didn’t make us wait long as he stepped into the clearing and offered a 150-yard shot.

After the shot we gave that buck an hour just to be safe. As it turned out this wait was not necessary. He barely made it 50 yards from the point of impact. At 34 inches this buck beat my previous buck by an inch and I can’t wait to see what they look like mounted side by side in my office.

Thanks to Keith, Steve and Leah (A great cook who will help you put weight on.) for everything. Your commitment to providing the ultimate hunting experience is greatly appreciated. I am looking forward to coming back during the rut and seeing what that is all about.

And . . Yes Keith . . I have Axis Fever . . and it is all because of Texas Trophy Whitetails.

EDITOR NOTE: Attached are some trail cam pictures prior to John's trip from the water trough this story took place at.