Bowhunt at Double G Outfitting in West Texas
With Garrett George & Larry Reese

Arrival Day | Day #1 | Day #2 | Day #3 | Day #4 | Equipment Tests | To Double G Outfitting

Robert Hoague 

During the night a Cold front blew in and the temperature dropped into the 40's and the chances for rain went from 0 to 100%. Mid afternoon the rain turned to occasional rain and drizzle and I went back to the Matrix blind. Since I hadn't staked it down I wondered if it was still standing. It was up and was dry inside as well.

By 6:00 there were 14 deer in my area and 7 were bucks and they were busy messing with each other and sparing. In a deja vue scenario the deer looked to my left and we all watched a high racked, big bodied buck 80 yards away. The buck circled to the trees behind the feeder fence and came on in.

It stopped at the fence and did a double take on my blind. Then it retreated to the trees and watched for a few minutes.

But with over a dozen deer hanging out by me the buck marched on over and promptly assaulted the other bucks, making sure they knew he was the boss. I tried to take its picture but it was always on the move.

Hey, look at this! A larger bodied buck was behind the feeder fence. I took a pic through the netting. It is kinda blurry but you can see the 8-pt coming up to the left of the buck. The 8-pt put its ears back and the new buck bopped him one time with his antlers. The 8 went walked off to the side and stood still.

The new buck had a nice rack and very long and fat. His right antler had a crab claw, making him a 9 point. He walked around the pen and took a few steps closer until he slammed on the brakes.

He stared at the blind and I got a pic. (Its a little blurry through the mesh but it shows you what I saw.) I guess he got an eyeful because he turned and let me take his picture again. Then I put down my Sony, glanced at my watch, and picked up my BowTech Justice. It was 6:54 and heavily overcast.

He turned back in my direction and walked to some does that were 8 or 9 yards away. I needed to pivot to my right if I was going to get a shot. I held my breath and slid slightly in my seat to see if it would make noise or bother the deer. They didn't pay attention. I pivoted inch by inch until I thought I would be able to draw and get my top pin on him.

Woops! The 8-point started over to his side and he cut him off -- right behind a scraggly mesquite tree in front of the blind. The 8-pt backed away and the Crab Claw turned and stopped broadside 8 yards from me.

I eased the BowTech back and into the stops, it made exactly the right amount of noise, none.

The fiber optic green of my top pin slid into that spot behind the front leg and held it there ... suddenly I had the goofy thought, "what are you waiting for?." When I touched my release's trigger I instantly heard the pop as the arrow impacted the buck.

Flag up, the buck ran to the trees in front of the blind and he went down about 80 yards out. I mentally marked the area and looked around me. The other deer had not spooked and were looking toward where the buck went down. A quick look at my watch showed it to be 7:02. The 8-point trotted over there and the does and younger bucks followed. They stood around for awhile and I put the crosshair of my Nikon Rangefinder on a doe ... 83 yards.

Then the sky broke open and rain poured down. Then they came over and hung out by the blind. When Keith's jeep drove up after dark we loaded the Double Bull and my other gear. Keith slid behind the wheel and I said, "Lets go get my buck!"

But in the dark and the heavy rain we could not find the buck. My rain gear was at camp and the only dry place was where my Wolverine boots were. Gore Tex is a good thing. 

I was not worried about finding the buck. I put it on him at 8 yards and I saw him go down. We would find him in the daylight.

In the morning Garrett's plan was to take Mike and John out hunting and return for me and then we would look for my buck. When they returned John told me to come see the buck he shot. I walked to the back of the pickup and saw the crab claw and looked at Garrett. He said, Congratulations!"

They found it in some broom weed 80 yards from the blind.


This Rocky Mountain Snyper broadhead and BowTech Justice did the job on this hunt.

EQUIPMENT COMMENTS: 
BowTech Justice - Set at 64 pounds this bow shot the arrow through the blind's mesh and across the 8 yards to the buck so fast I could barely follow it. Every BowTech bow I've shot is quiet to draw and shoot, right out of the box. And that is a hard to beat plus. The buck didn't have a clue and the other deer never even ran away. My arrow smacked completely through the buck and stuck in the ground. Power. Quiet. Accurate. They are synonymous with BowTech.

Rocky Mountain Broadheads
I used the Snyper 100 gr, broadhead. It is an unique expandable with a a razor cut tip. I used them on the first Grand Slam wild turkey hunt and it flew great and made a devastating wound. It did the same on this hunt. The buck was so close that my entrance would was actually lower than the exit wound. The Snyper is perfect for the ground blind hunting when you have to shoot through camo mesh. The cut tip opens the hole for the rest of the head and arrow and arrow flight is exactly the same as shooting without the mess. 

DOUBLE BULL MATRIX 360
Are deer spooked by Double Bull blinds? As you could see in the picture of the blind set up this was a place with no place to hide. We used cedars to break up the blind's roof and sides. Initially I had the front and side windows open to take pictures but the dark windows made the deer nervous. Once I closed them they settled down. The Matrix 360 gives any bowhunter the opportunity to hunt places where treestands will not work. It is a definite asset to any bowhunter.

Montana Black Gold
I used the ARCC Lite Bow Sight from Montana Black Gold. It is a tough sight and the pins are solidly reinforced. The fiber optic pins are bright and believe me I needed that on this overcast, drizzly afternoon inside the dark blind. I use the green pin on top because I can see that color the best. There was no doubt that my pin was in the right spot as I aimed at the Crab Claw buck.

NIKON
On this hunt I used the Nikon Laser 800 Range Finder and 10x42 Monarch Binoculars. Every time I switched stands I used it to take the yardage of every landmark so I would know when a deer was in range. I used the binoculars constantly, identifying deer in the distance and checking out bucks. And wen I heard or saw faint outlines of deer in the dark, waiting for daylight, the Monarch binoculars let me check them out.

Bison 6" Gore Tex Boots from WOLVERINE
If there was ever a test to see if a boot was waterproof, this was it. All my clothes and gear were soaked through and through. But my feet were dry and in spite of the drop in temperature they were warm. These Wolverine boots continually surprise and impress me. Their traction is the best of any boots I have ever worn. They give outstanding support for your feet, too. And when I take them off at night my feet are not aching and tired -- and normally they are. These boots are super.

Wildlife Research Center
Scent Killer scent eliminator products have been an important part of my deer hunting for several years. I take a shower before I leave to hunt, not just once a day but every time. Scent Killer bar soap and shampoo get scent off me. The shampoo is particularly important because hair absorbs scent and holds it. Then I use the Scent Killer underarm deodorant and spray my boots and clothes. Deer were all around me on this hunt and I did not get smelled. This is good stuff.

CARBON EXPRESS Maxum Arrows
I believe a contributing factor for the extra penetration was the MAXUM arrow, one of the new small diameter carbon shafts. The specs say that its smaller diameter makes less friction behind the broadhead and that improves penetration. It sure did for me.

Jim Fletcher Archery Primos 45 Caliper
I used the leather Buckle strap model. The release head is easy to get on my string loop. (Some older style releases are not.) And when you pull the trigger there is no drag of hesitation, the arrow is off like a rocket and right on target. 

Arrows
My arrows were the tough, accurate, deep penetrating Carbon Express MAXUM carbon shafts. I fletched them with the Carbon model Arizona E-Z FLETCH. I had red EASY-Eye Arrow Wraps on the arrows.

 Arrival Day | Day #1 | Day #2 | Day #3 | Day #4 | Equipment Tests | To Double G Outfitting