| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 |

Day 3

This morning was unseasonably cold and foggy. When I went to my blind, down from the Curve, there was a driziling rain -- which quickly escalated into a thundershower. I was plenty glad to be inside the blind and not in a treestand in the cold rain. When Chad picked me up two hours later the rain slacked and we decided to drive around.

With the rain storm over the deer were on the move. Several wide racked Texas bucks gave us a look at them, but when we stopped to get their pictures they always ran before I could get them in focus. This ranch is loaded with mature, big racked bucks.

Chad Edwards, the ranch manager, is putting in a road system so more of the ranch is accessable for hunting. This country is loaded with dozen of plants that deer and other wild game love to eat and when a new road is bulldozed chunks and pieces of these tasty morsels (from a deer's perspective) are scattered all over the road. 

We turned on a road that was bulldozed one day before I came. Deer were all over the road. A group of wild hogs was working it too. We stopped, backed out, and went for the Double Bull blind I hunted in this morning.

We returned and I set up the blind in a spot that looked good. 

Driving in we saw a spotted boar in the road at the Curve stand. 

I grabbed my bow, handed Chad my zoom camera and we slipped into the woods to put a stalk on the spotted boar. 

I had to hurry. Fortunately there was a lot of cover and the ground was wet from the rain so we closed the distance to the curve in short order. But the spotted hog was gone. 

Wrong, he was walking along the road. But he had a 60 yard lead on us. I moved in spurts, stepping quickly when he walked, stopping or moving slowly when he stopped. Chad held up so he wouldn't interfere with the stalk.

I got close enough, but not fast enough. The hog left the road at the place where the hogs had come from yesterday. It stopped at the edge of the brush, a perfect broadside shot opportunity. But now he was 40 yards away and that isn't what I want. He strolled out of sight. He didn't have a clue I was in his world. Maybe I'll be lucky and he will come back. If not, I still have his pic. 

Afternoon hunt...

Chad drove me to the New Road blind and he went to the Curve.

A large all black boar was already in the road near the blind so Chad hopped the rusty fence and took cover. Chad slipped closer and hid behind some brush on the fence row. The boar co-operated and turned broadside. Chad aimed at the boar's vitals ... and shot ... and missed ... high.

Inside my blind, I checked my pockets and pack again and again. I didn't have my release!

I've shot fingers a lot longer than I have a release but with today's shorter bows I just don't shoot nearly as well with fingers. So that I wouldn't have any surprises, I  drew my bow several times and decided my best bet was to shoot it with 3 fingers under.

The temperature dropped like a rock and it started raining. When it stopped the whole area was very foggy.

I never heard a sound, but a large boar appeared at the edge of the road on my left. Digital camera's don't always take good pictures in low visibility situations but I took a couple anyway.

The boar was barely 2 arms length away, rooting in the bulldozed earth. He got his picture taken right here.

Several minutes later he turned. Daylight is slipping away and the fog doesn't help the visibility either. It's blurry but that's how it came out.

I put the camera down and the boar moved out of my shooting window and rooted around on the opposite edge of the road. He was still close, 12 yards max so I decided to shoot through the mesh viewing window on the blind. I aimed very carefully. 

My arrow smacked into some brush right outside of the blind. The boar disapeared in a hurry. Five minutes later Chad drove up.

The 3rd day of the hunt is over. For dinner we ate Angie's home made Lazana. It was very good too. After dinner we discussed the possibility of aranging Bowhunting.net bowhunts at the ranch. (More on this later.) 

Tomorrow we go after the hogs again.  To Day 3

For information about Rancho del Zorro's whitetail, wild hog and javelina bow and rifle hunts:

• Email Chad Edwards at info@RanchoDelZorro.com. 
• or visit their web site at www.RanchoDelZorro.com.

Late Season Deerhunt At Rancho del Zorro

The Missing Pictures: Day 1 and Day 2.

Online Bowhunts

My Deer Hunting Season in 2000

Antelope In Wyoming @ the Hornbuckle Ranch

Wild Hogs on the Leon River

Bowhunting.Net

Deerhunting.Net