Following our late night hog hunt, and not getting to bed until 5:30, we hit the road about noon. Good friends Tony Hartelius and Kyle Hawkins continued looking out for us on this buddy hunt, and taking great care of my 11 year old son, Kazden, myself, and camera man, Ty Cary.
Moving to the hill country of west Texas, there was no shortage of animals to hunt. What I love about TX is they offer incredible hunting opportunities for youth. As nonresidents, Kazden’s tag cost him $7.00. On it he could take four turkey, multiple deer (both whitetail and muleys), hogs, javelina and exotics. Texas is what more of America needs to be like when it comes to youth hunting opportunities.
It was early April and we were here to film a series of TV shows for Trijicon’s The Hunt. Our goals were to share what Texas has to offer and dispel the myth that all exotics are hunted in high fence settings; I wanted Kazden to experience free-range hunting in this great state. This is where Kyle and Tony helped us arrange multiple hunts on private lands (which is what constitutes most of TX).
The first ranch we hit held a fair nu
mber of blackbuck, an antelope species indigenous to the subcontinent of India. In fact, when Tiffany and I were traveling through India one winter, I laid eyes on my first wild blackbuck. Since that time I’ve yearned to hunt these dainty, black and white antelope with spiraling horns. Finally, thanks to Kyle and Tony, I was living that dream, chasing them free-range on a working cattle ranch.
We saw many animals, and I was surprised at how edgy they were. Stalk after stalk was blown, but then again, I wasn’t eager for the hunt to quickly end, after all, I’d dreamed of hunting these gorgeous animals since boyhood.
Finally, a trio of bucks fed out of the trees and into a grassy opening. Using trees and an overgrown fenceline as cover, Kyle and I stealthed closer. Soon, I was laying prone, my .257 Weatherby Mag. nestled solidly in my pack. This is where I depended on Kyle to help me size-up these bucks. One was immature, but the other two were nice bucks. One was wide, one was narrow. Finally, after watching the bucks for several minutes, I cranked the 5×20 AccuPoint to full power and the green dot glowed as it sat on the edge of the buck’s black chest. The 115 grain Nosler Accubond did the job, and my dream of getting a blackbuck became reality.
The following day Kazden hunted hard, covering a few miles in the heat, spotting and stalking his way to a nice Texas Dall. Again, he made a perfect shot with his .240. He was loving Texas!
Heading to another of the great Thompson Ranch properties, turkey was next on the agenda. We located some toms at
mid-day, set up a ground blind and Kazden and I crawled in. Right away we had multiple toms answering, and one started coming in, but wouldn’t fully commit.
Kazden kept working his box call, me diaphragms and slates. Two hours later the finicky tom gave in, and gobbled and strutted right to us. Kaz’ made a great shot at just over 30 yards with his Weatherby SA08, 20 ga., dropping the tom on the spot.
Making a day’s drive farther north, we were soon in the rugged Glass Mountains of western Texas, looking for aoudad, or barbary sheep. I’ve heard how tough these free-range hunts are, and was thrilled to even be hunting them. Kyle had taken some nice rams in this area. After three days of hard hunting, finding sheep wasn’t a problem, getting to within range, was.
The closest we ever got to two big rams was 750 yards, right before dark. We never saw them again. Some large herds numbered well over 150 head, making it tough to get close in the open country. We covered miles of ground each day, legs burning, chest pounding, and experienced winds in excess of 80 mph on two days; not good for filming or shooting. The rams won. I never fired a shot, and will have to go back and settle the score one day.
Overall, our two week Texas hunting adventure was one Kazden nor I will ever forget. Kazden shot perfect, making one-shot kills on every animal. We had some blessed father-son time, in the field, and Kazden got to see sights he’d never before experienced. From rattle snakes to armadillos, funky cacti to cool insects, Kazden was in to every bit of it, and we have hunting to thank for taking us there.
Forming new friendships with people who share the same passion is always a joy, and Kazden and I are both very grateful for the detailed planning and hard work both Tony and Kyle put in. I look forward to the day we hunt with these two men, again, hopefully soon!
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