Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3 - Day 4 - Day 5 - The Hunt Wrap Up
 
Hunting Logs - Nilgai Bowhunt 2000
Bowhunting with 4 Arrows Outfitters At The King Ranch. 

DAY #3
Once again I went with the feed run and took pictures of deer. I couldn't help myself, I have never been in a place where were I saw so many bucks with impressive racks. Wayne Peeples told me that they only harvest bucks that are 5 1/2 years or older. That's great if you got 'em, and 4 Arrows has definitely got 'em.

When the feed run was over I returned to camp and uploaded today's deer photos. A group of Nilgai hunters had arrived two days ago and three huge Nilgai Bulls were being prepared for the cold locker on the premises. I looked the big animals over. They have massive chests and big bones and their heads look a little small for their bodies.

After lunch I went to my Ladder Stand site and took a seat. A couple of hours later a pack of javelina passed on the trail on my left that the deer and javelina had used yesterday.

Pardon me for digressing for a minute, when I first moved to Texas from Florida I went on an annual javelina bowhunt called the Texas Shoot Out. It was a ball and I've been back plenty of times. Bowhunting javelinas is one of my favorite things to hunt with my bow.

So I got down and went looking for the group I had just seen.

Briskly, but quietly, I walked to the trail they had used and slipped along it. There were cross trails and other trails everywhere. A couple hundred yards into the brush and woods didn't turn up any javelina. I couldn't find them. Yet!

I've been on this drill before, so I started zig zagging from trail to trail. That worked. I spotted the group in a small clearing, foraging on cactus and whatever forbs it is they root up and eat. Using the immediate cover I slipped into bow range of 15 yards and carefully sat down. First I wanted to take their picture with my digital camera. And here 'tis...

This is the group of javelinas I slipped up on. Also, they are today's computer Wallpaper - Click Here

That done, I slipped the camera in it's case and put an arrow on the string and rose to my knees. The javelina on the left saw the movement bow and looked me over. I held still until it settled down. I wanted the big javelina on the right. It moved toward me and and cleared the bush that you see in the pic. Perfect ... I eased my bowstring back.

You have to be aim just right when you shoot a javelina. Their lungs are small and way up front so I aimed tight on the right front leg where tie light color stripe and the leg meet. I touched the release trigger and saw my arrow stick in the ground 10 yards behind the javelina. The pig bounded to my right and I saw my red fletching between its legs. The two conflicting visual pictures I had just seen didn't make sense, but there was no time to cipher it all out, the javelina stopped a few yards from me and turned toward me, clacking its jaws and teeth together rapidly and nosily. Like I've said before, I've been here, done that on javelina, this one wanted to fight. 

Not to worry, I could now tell that the red I had seen between the javelina's legs was not my fletching, it was a stream of blood. The javelina dropped.

First I picked up my arrow, then I carried the javelina to the truck. As I prepared to field dress it Dennis drove up and he took a few pictures for me.

They are a challenge to hunt.

Dr. Dave Samuel and Zan were totally captivated by the Nilgai, they glassed and searched relentlessly for places that they could get within bow range of the big antelope from India. During the day they each found promising sites to hunt. Dave discovered a small secluded Laguna area where 7 Nilgai bulls were hanging out. He hid in the brush but all the Nilgai activity was out in the Laguna. Dave decided to get here early tomorrow morning and build a blind where the Nilgai were entering the Laguna.

Zano's Hunt: "For the daybreak morning hunt, per Robert's suggestion, I sat in the ladder stand he had hunted. It was situated close to where I had shot my javelina Monday afternoon. Back dropped against the brilliant day breaking sky, the bright early morning sun and a lifting fog created an unforgettable sight."

"Since the bull was moving away from me, I decided to try a sneak.  The closest I could get was 80 yards before the bull pegged me. I know he couldn't hear me, but he made out my human form, even though I was well camouflaged & concealed in the head high brush. In a flash he was gone."

"I spent the rest of the morning scouting and later sneaking along and watching 2 calf Nilgai. No mature ones showed."

"Back at camp over lunch we all determined that we were seeing the most Nilgai move between the hours of 9:00 and 3:00. Jim, the 4-Arrows manager & guide confirmed our presumption and advised we concentrate our efforts during those hours."

"For the late afternoon hunt I picked up Robert and we drove to the Laguna. Robert wanted to hunt a tripod stand and I drove to it. Sixty yards from the tripod a herd of Nilgai came thundering out of the strip of woods to our right and ran right by the tripod. Another couple dozen followed."

"I spent the afternoon finding the perfect funnel & ambush site in a bottle neck along the Strip of woods bordering the Laguna. I built a ground blind for the remaining two days of our hunt."

Today's Dinner Menu:  Roasted Pheasant pan fried whole new potatoes in butter, green bean casserole & hot bolillo's. Compliments of Chef Dennis Crabtree (Crabby).

Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3 - Day 4 - Day 5 - The Hunt Wrap Up