Free-range Texas Aoudad, Whitetail, Axis, Black Buck, Elk, Sika-Game Pictues

[1_pointer]

Yup. He politely emailed and I approved.

The continued barbs towards Texas and their style of hunting is somewhat perplexing, yet somewhat understandable.

There was a time when I would see feeders, high fences, exotics, etc. and I felt compelled to provide commentary provided by the anonymity of the cyber wall. That is where comments such as this are understandable to me.

Over time, meeting a lot of committed hunters from Texas, it became apparent that one's impressions and expectations of hunting are a function of your hunting upbringing. That is where comments such as these are perplexing to me.

I think some guys get rubbed the wrong way when they see Texas-type models, methods, and views on wildlife ownership migrating to there states. They see that as imported values and they speak out to try slow down a trend they see.

Most, I think, do it out of humor, however mature or immature that humor might be. Some might do it for other reasons.

Some take it in stride, the way Montanans accept "sheep" humor as part of the deal of being from Montana. Some Montana guys are pretty uptight over that, but if they live here, they know they will be the brunt of sheep jokes. Best to accept it as part of the deal and get over it.

I have no problem with these kind of Texas pics being posted. It is part of the hunting culture in Texas. It might be different than my hunting culture. Neither is right or wrong. Neither side of the fence will convince the other, no matter how much arguing and banter.

It is similar to discussion a couple months ago about crossbows, hunting deer with hounds, lighted nocks, or whatever. What works and is acceptable in on area is not acceptable in others.

The view many in Texas have on wildlife is unusual and uncomfortable if you come from a place with lots of public land and/or a strong history/advocacy of public ownership of wildlife and democratic allocation of that wildlife opportunity. Yet, when I look at a state that is almost completely private, has a different constitution and history of at one time being an independent Republic, it is easier to understand why Texas has evolved with different laws and a different perspective on what constitutes wildlife and who owns it.

Carry on .......

Very true and well stated. Thanks for posting that. Some will read that and still won't or will refuse to get what its saying.

 

[fowladdict]

No worries, I am secure enough in my chosen hunting style.

I dig your style. Having said that I have hunted fowl just like I said, hunted for pronghorn from a blind over a waterhole, hunted dove and waterfowl near baited fields and flooded ponds in Argentina AND I have hunted planted pheasant and I dont care what anyone thinks.

I like to poke the guys from Texas because for all their bravado, I think they suffer from some insecurity in regards to their hunting style choices. Guys from Texas have explained to me that if you don't lease and don't feed the deer on the lease then you don't hunt.

I know what you are talking about, my father-in-law is Texan, but they all sure seem to have hearts almost as big as their state.

 

[mtlion]

It is a pay to play state, but not from my stand point.

So are you saying everyone here can come shoot one of your corn eaters for free?

 

[Nemont]

It is a pay to play state, but not from my stand point. All I'm trying to do is throw some pictures up and a web-site hoping people could just like them instead of having a dog pile on me because there is a feeder there! Like Big Fin said its just the way it is down here. I don't pass judgment on your style of hunting. Please stop dogging on my business and my way of hunting! I am passionate about it not defensive! If I dogged on your ranch and your way of hunting you would get heated too!!

Fair enough.

Nemont

 

[mtlion]

All I'm trying to do is throw some pictures up and a web-site

"All I'm trying to do is advertising"

hoping people could just like them

"hoping people could just like them enough to come to cow creek to hunt"

My standpoint?

 

[HuntCowCreek]

So are you saying everyone here can come shoot one of your corn eaters for free?

No, not at all! Like I said NOT from my standpoint as in I can walk out my front door to go hunting right now and not pay a dime which I just may!! Use your head "mtlion"

 

[idahofishnhunt]

Cool looking animals. I didn't even know these existed. Thanks for sharing them. As for hunting practices, I don't think that was really the point of your thread was it? Not the first time I've seen a thread take a turn for the worst. Different strokes for different folks. Keep with the pictures, they are cool.

 

[smarandr]

^
Yup.

 

[mtlion]

No, not at all! Like I said NOT from my standpoint as in I can walk out my front door to go hunting right now and not pay a dime which I just may!! Use your head "mtlion"

Well schucks ain't you just a lucky son of a gun. Try not to get any corn on yer boots.

Guess from the standpoint of everyone else it's pay to play though.

 

[npaden]

I felt pretty much the same way several on here have posted about hunting in Texas when I first moved here in 1986 at the ripe old age of 18 years old. After graduating from college in 1990 and then settling down here, instead of taking up "hunting" Texas style, there was a period of time there where I just didn't hunt. I made an occasional trip back to Montana to hunt with my Dad, but nothing regular.

When my son was born, I decided that it was time to get back into hunting and the only way I felt like you can do that in Texas is to buy or lease property. I ended up scraping some money together and bought a 160 acre piece of property and got to work on it. Food plots, cutting shooting lanes through the brush, building hunting blinds, and yep, even the dreaded feeders.

What I discovered was that it is still hunting and I get a lot of satisfaction out of working on the land, I've done a lot of habitat improvements and put in some permanent water sources, food plots, I feed protein pellets year round in a fenced off pen to keep the hogs out. I have a couple timed feeders that I can watch from my plywood box blind up on a hill.

I've hunted my place for 5 seasons now and I've shot 4 whitetail bucks. The first one was at the feeder, but the last 3 have been at food plots or just moving through when I shot them. This year I hunted all season for one particular buck that I had trail camera pictures of all summer and fall and even got pictures of him during the season and I never was able to close the deal on him. I saw him in person one time about 5 minutes before shooting light slip into a creek bottom about 300 yards from me, but I didn't ever seem him again before it got dark.

I've also gotten back into hunting out west and have drawn 4 mule deer tags and shot 4 mule deer bucks. One really nice one. The longest I hunted before getting one was the 3rd day of the season.

I've drawn 7 elk tags and shot 4 bull elk in Wyoming and New Mexico, Only get to hunt one week on each of those years and the times that I didn't get an elk, my hunting partners did.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it isn't any easier hunting in Texas than it is anywhere else to me. It's very different, it gets old sitting in a box blind waiting for something to walk through the brush, but it isn't easy.

I don't think many people would agree with me, but in my personal experience about the easiest hunting is for mule deer. You can use your skills and cover a LOT of ground and if you work hard at it, you usually are rewarded.

Being stuck with 160 acres is a completely different ball game. The biggest buck in the world could be standing there 50 yards over on the other side of the fence and it isn't going to do me any good. I have to get them on my property one way or another.

I do want to hunt Aoudad one day and the public land hunting for them in New Mexico is at a terrible time for me when the hunting season is so I'll probably have to pay someone here in Texas to hunt their property. I'm hoping to find someplace in far West Texas like one of the 100,000+ acre low fenced places that will just let me pay a tresspass fee to hunt on my own, but there aren't very many that do that and the ones that do aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest rams on their land.

Oh well, I'm sure no one's opinion is going to change much one way or the other on the subject based on anything I can articulate so I'll just leave it at that.

That's all I got. Nathan

 

[spook12]

I felt pretty much the same way several on here have posted about hunting in Texas when I first moved here in 1986 at the ripe old age of 18 years old. After graduating from college in 1990 and then settling down here, instead of taking up "hunting" Texas style, there was a period of time there where I just didn't hunt. I made an occasional trip back to Montana to hunt with my Dad, but nothing regular.

When my son was born, I decided that it was time to get back into hunting and the only way I felt like you can do that in Texas is to buy or lease property. I ended up scraping some money together and bought a 160 acre piece of property and got to work on it. Food plots, cutting shooting lanes through the brush, building hunting blinds, and yep, even the dreaded feeders.

What I discovered was that it is still hunting and I get a lot of satisfaction out of working on the land, I've done a lot of habitat improvements and put in some permanent water sources, food plots, I feed protein pellets year round in a fenced off pen to keep the hogs out. I have a couple timed feeders that I can watch from my plywood box blind up on a hill.

I've hunted my place for 5 seasons now and I've shot 4 whitetail bucks. The first one was at the feeder, but the last 3 have been at food plots or just moving through when I shot them. This year I hunted all season for one particular buck that I had trail camera pictures of all summer and fall and even got pictures of him during the season and I never was able to close the deal on him. I saw him in person one time about 5 minutes before shooting light slip into a creek bottom about 300 yards from me, but I didn't ever seem him again before it got dark.

I've also gotten back into hunting out west and have drawn 4 mule deer tags and shot 4 mule deer bucks. One really nice one. The longest I hunted before getting one was the 3rd day of the season.

I've drawn 7 elk tags and shot 4 bull elk in Wyoming and New Mexico, Only get to hunt one week on each of those years and the times that I didn't get an elk, my hunting partners did.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it isn't any easier hunting in Texas than it is anywhere else to me. It's very different, it gets old sitting in a box blind waiting for something to walk through the brush, but it isn't easy.

I don't think many people would agree with me, but in my personal experience about the easiest hunting is for mule deer. You can use your skills and cover a LOT of ground and if you work hard at it, you usually are rewarded.

Being stuck with 160 acres is a completely different ball game. The biggest buck in the world could be standing there 50 yards over on the other side of the fence and it isn't going to do me any good. I have to get them on my property one way or another.

I do want to hunt Aoudad one day and the public land hunting for them in New Mexico is at a terrible time for me when the hunting season is so I'll probably have to pay someone here in Texas to hunt their property. I'm hoping to find someplace in far West Texas like one of the 100,000+ acre low fenced places that will just let me pay a tresspass fee to hunt on my own, but there aren't very many that do that and the ones that do aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest rams on their land.

Oh well, I'm sure no one's opinion is going to change much one way or the other on the subject based on anything I can articulate so I'll just leave it at that.

That's all I got. Nathan

Good for you npanen! Sounds like you are creating some ''On Your Own Adventures''.:hump:

 

[Elkmagnet]

I'm not going to kid this makes me sad for you.

Way west Texas you can go hunting on 100,000 acre + pieces of land with no feeders, but thats still wrong in your eyes or a guy like "mtlion" because it has a fence around it? Thats a tad narrow minded to me!

 

[Ultrahunter]

I think its time for someone to post up that picture of the giant cow things head on the barrel. I know a few of you guys know the one im talking about. Its truly unfortunate but everytime I think of hunting in texas I think of that picture.

 

[mtlion]

That's funny! I was asking about that on the other game cam thread

When is someone going to break down and post that pic of the cow head on the barrel?

 

[npaden]

I'm not going to kid this makes me sad for you.

It makes me sad that many people are so close minded that they don't even understand what a fence is. It is usually metal T posts with 4 or 5 strands of barbed wire with the top strand about 40" high. It is designed to keep your livestock on your property and your neighbors livestock on their property. Wild animals can and do freely jump over these fences and go and do whatever they want. This is called a free range animal everywhere except western Montana I guess.

I would bet less than 5% of the property in Texas is high fenced.

 

[HuntCowCreek]

It makes me sad that many people are so close minded that they don't even understand what a fence is. It is usually metal T posts with 4 or 5 strands of barbed wire with the top strand about 40" high. It is designed to keep your livestock on your property and your neighbors livestock on their property. Wild animals can and do freely jump over these fences and go and do whatever they want. This is called a free range animal everywhere except western Montana I guess.

I would bet less than 5% of the property in Texas is high fenced.

I've been hoping someone would chime in on that my goodness!

 

[npaden]

I've been hoping someone would chime in on that my goodness!

I still wouldn't count on anyone booking a hunt with you off of this site though. The key ingredient for most of us is the "on you own" concept, and the site is predominately geared toward western big game hunting.

 

[fowladdict]

I'm not going to kid this makes me sad for you.

Animals can jump fences you know.

 

[Elkmagnet]

I'm talking about how everyone should be in awe of 100,000 acre

 

[Elkmagnet]

Animals can jump fences you know.

Most antelope can't or should I say decide not to.:W: