Hunting the August Rut

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="088085a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Saskatchewan Trophy Hunts</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Saskatchewan Trophy Hunts"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gone Western"><U>Gone Western</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Buck by a String"><U>Buck by a String</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Unbelievable Season"><U>The Unbelievable Season</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Quest"><U>The Quest</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Rock King"><U>The Rock King</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="One Great Week"><U>One Great Week</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Canadian Bacon"><U>Canadian Bacon</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ramblings From a Man"><U>Ramblings From a Man</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Oklahomas OK"><U>Oklahoma's OK</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id45.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="My Buddys Buck"><U>My Buddy's Buck</U></A>   |   <B>Hunting the August Rut</B>   |   <A HREF="id58.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Challenge"><U>The Challenge</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Still Rambling"><U>Still Rambling</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Changing Tactics"><U>Changing Tactics</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Blue Bulls of the Wild Horse Desert"><U>Blue Bulls of the Wild Horse Desert</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id65.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bowhunters Heaven"><U>Bowhunter's Heaven</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="089d2e83.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hunting Articles"><U><B>Back to Hunting articles</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Andys Photo Album"><U><B>Back to Andy's photo album</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="08a07073.jpg"> <div> <I>Hunting the August Rut</I></div> <div> Published November / December 2001 Texas Trophy Hunter magazine.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="232f54d0.png" border=0 width="501" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Bowhunting the August Rut !</div> <bR> <div> While the distance was still out of my shooting range at approximately 80 yards, that didn't stop my adrenaline level from pegging out. With shaky hands holding up the 7x42 Swarovsky binoculars,) scanned the brush to get a first glimpse of the critter that was nearly tearing a tree out by the roots. I could hear branches cracking and see the tops of the brush swaying but couldn't make him out. Still I felt he had to be a good one to wreak such havoc.</div> <div> While the commotion below me would make my blood boil anytime I heard it, it normally wouldn't have shocked me as it did now. The time was mid-August and rut activity was the furthest thing from my mind.</div> <div> While attending a TTHA hunting show, I ran into a fellow, Nolan Harmon, who encouraged me to try hunting Axis Deer on a ranch that he ran. I had always considered the Axis to be one of the most beautiful of all exotics but the opportunity to hunt them had just never come up  or wasn't high enough on my priority list. The ranch he ran was one of many in the Texas Hill Country who had free ranging exotics, the result of years of  animals escaping from game ranches and breeding outside captivity.</div> <div> This particular ranch located in Real County near the headwaters of the Nueces river was extremely rugged and home to many trophies. Only bowhunting had been allowed for several years and I was told the success rate was around 25%.</div> <div> I will admit I gave the hunt little thought, and made no plans to go at that time, but one afternoon when I got back to the office my wife Mary told me there was a message from Nolan. I was stressed to the limit from a hectic schedule with my A.C. business and needed an excuse to get away, so I told her that I thought I knew what he wanted and I was going to pack my bags and take a break. In less than an hour I was on my way.</div> <div> When I arrived it was after dark and Nolan welcomed me to camp and showed me my quarters. After unloading my gear, we sat at the kitchen table and Nolan pulled out a small black and white Topo which revealed country so rough I thought I was looking at Colorado. He said he had been feeling bad so he was going to sleep in and I was welcome to go here, there or yonder. I kept my disappointment contained. I thought I was in for a guided trip and now found I was going to be sent out in unknown country on my own without having ever seen the place in the light of day. I decided then that I would just walk out of camp with what I could carry for the morning hunt and then drive around and see the place afterwards during the mid-day.</div> <div> I woke long before daylight, reviewed the topo map again, and decided to climb the first high hill I came to and glass for starters. I grabbed a portable blind and my bow and took off. I reached the summit of a high hill about a mile from camp just a the first gray of dawn began to light the world around me. I was in a beautiful place and gave thanks to the Lord for the opportunity to be back in the midst of his awesome creation. It wasn't long before I began to see animals in all directions. I saw a lone white Fallow buck bedded on an opposite hill, a couple of Blackbuck antelope chasing does in an open field and a herd of Axis does feeding at the edge of a meadow. Then I caught a brief glimpse of an axis buck, but he disappeared before I could even get a good look.</div> <div> After about an hour of glassing the same animals without sighting another buck I decided to head in the direction where the buck had disappeared and see if I could find some sign.  As I eased through the area where he was last seen I realized that the reason he disappeared was that he had dropped off the edge of a deep gorge into what turned out to be the dry bed of the Nueces river. I eased along the edge for a ways then spotted movement in the bottom of the river bed. It was a young Axis buck feeding. After watching him a few moments, I saw more movement, an Axis doe, then moments later a whitetail doe with two fawns. Carefully, I eased a few yards down off the top to prevent the animals from being able to spot my silhouette, then slowly set my tri-fold blind in front of me and eased to a sitting position. I watched the small group of animals feed in and out of the cover below. As I watched I began to see more movement and began to realize there was a herd of Axis, most of which I had yet to see. Suddenly all heck broke loose and I searched frantically for the source of the commotion, with no idea what it could be. With one hand on my bow and the other trying to hold the shaky binoc's I finally spotted antler tips. Since I had no knowledge of the traits of Axis deer at the time I was shocked to realize that the source of the commotion was a mature Axis buck thrashing the brush. About the time I realized what was going on, a doe ran from the brush and stopped about 45 yard from my location. The buck followed in hot pursuit but as soon as he caught up with her she was off again. This must have frustrated him greatly for he planted all four's and began thrashing another bush. He was perfectly broadside and it was an opportunity I couldn't pass. I eased the 70# High Country Ultra Force into position, released, and watched the Wasp-tipped Easton ACC gracefully arc above his back and drop in perfectly behind the shoulder as if it were laser guided. To this day, it is one of the prettiest shots I have ever seen even if I did do it myself. It seemed as though the shot were in slow motion, one of the joys of a well placed long shot that you don't experience at short range.</div> <div> The huge buck took two wobbly steps and cratered. I couldn't believe my eyes.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> After admiring my trophy I headed back to camp and woke my sleepy host. "Are you fixing to go out, he asked"? No I'm done I replied.</div> <bR> <div> I then learned a few interesting facts about Axis deer. The time that does come into heat and the timing of shedding and growing new antlers is dictated by the time which they are born rather than a specific time of year. Native to India they have adapted well and thrive in Texas. On a given hunt any time of the year you could see a buck which just shed his antlers, another in full velvet, another bull necked in full rut or any stage between.</div> <div> While hunting will be mostly limited to very early and very late due to the extreme heat it is a great way to get in some big game hunting in an otherwise slow time of year.</div> <div> While the ranch I hunted is now season leased, there are many great places to hunt them in the Lone Star State and advertisements are usually abundant in hunting magazines and on the Internet.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>