| Deer Articles |
John N. Felsher's Big Game Hunting Adventures
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Seeing deer in the West Texas desert doesn’t usually present much of a
problem.
Hunters can spot deer across vast open country where scattered 6-foot-
tall cedar brushes form the largest strands of vegetation. Stalking close to
deer for a killing shot, even with high-powered rifles, offers a challenge.
About 20 miles north of the Rio Grande River, the Longfellow Ranch
spreads over 250,000 acres of southwest Texas near Fort Stockton. It
stretches 58 miles by 36 miles at its longest and widest points. In 1995,
Malone Mitchell bought the property to consolidate several smaller ranches.
Within those acres, sportsmen find a hunter’s paradise rich in mule
deer, whitetails, elk, Rio Grande turkeys, aoudad or Barbary sheep
originally from Morocco and mouflon sheep native to Mediterranean Sea
islands. The land supports a surprisingly rich and varied wildlife population
amid the arid canyons, senderos (dry creek bottoms) and mesas, or flat-
topped hills. Sportsmen might also see bobcats, javelinas, coyotes, doves,
quail, foxes and perhaps cougars or black bears.
“We have a free ranging elk herd that was established in the early
1980s,” Mitchell said. “We also have some elk coming in from the
indigenous herd in the Glass Mountains to the west. Most of the original
mule deer brought to the Texas Panhandle were transplanted from the
Longfellow Ranch and an adjoining ranch in the 1950s.”
Unlike their eastern counterparts, West Texas deer hunters seldom
climb into tree stands. Scrubby cedar brushes, almost the only green
specks dotting the everlasting rocky gray and brown landscape, won’t
support stands. West Texas sportsmen climb into four-wheeled drive trucks
to scout for deer. When someone spots “a shooter,” a mature buck with an
impressive rack, the designated hunter leaves the vehicle and begins
stalking it.
Some hunters walk along canyon rims, scanning with binoculars for
movement or activity. Where eastern hunters frequently cannot see more
than 200 yards, often not more than 40 yards, West Texas hunters can see
for miles as they scan for tiny antlered dots walking along steep mountain
slopes.
Because of the scarcity of water, many hunters seek deer near several
manmade water holes. Windmills pump water from deep below ground into
tanks. After lunch, Frank Cusimano and I searched for deer near water
holes, passing through impressive, scenic vistas dominated by cactus-
covered mesas and rocky canyons.
Along one of the bumpy ribbons they call roads in the vast ranch, we
spotted a five-foot long rattlesnake enjoying the last warming rays of a
Texas sun before an expected cold front plunged the deserts into freezing
temperatures. Naturally, we stopped to investigate. Despite my best
persuasive arguments, Frank wouldn’t pick up the snake and pose with it. I
figured that since he was a lawyer, the snake wouldn’t bother him,
professional courtesy and all that. I did get an excellent look at it striking in
my direction, which makes an impression when viewed through a telephoto
lens on a camera!
We spotted other game animals, an occasional whitetail, muley doe or
javelina. From the road, we spotted a mule deer buck near a water hole,
but it quickly disappeared, along with a small whitetail buck and two does.
Returning after dark, we passed through a herd of elk.
The next morning, Frank and I changed tactics. We hunted along steep
rimrock canyons and mesas in chilly, biting winds. With Frank about 10
yards in front of me and looking toward the left, I spotted a good mule deer
buck about 30 yards away on the right. It hid in thick cover just below
canyon rim on a slope that shouldn’t support any movement except
downward. When we approached the rim to scan with binoculars, it stuck
its head out of the cover and quickly disappeared. It finally disappeared
with two does over a canyon rim several hundred yards away before we
could manage a shot.
“Mule deer have tremendous natural coloring and camouflage relative to
the desert background,” Mitchell said. “They are difficult to find. Mule deer
prefer to stay up on the slopes of the hills or on the tops of the mesas.
They stay in open areas where they can see for long distances.”
Unlike whitetail deer, mule deer freeze when the sense danger. They
often remain motionless until they believe the danger passed. This trait
makes them easier targets than quickly fleeing whitetails. When they sense
danger, whitetails kick in the four-footed overdrive and flee. Often,
sportsmen see little more than a white flash of tail fur as the deer
disappears into thick brush or over the rims of what seem impassable cliffs.
“Frequently, as we are just about to give up and say there are no deer
in an area, five to seven mule deer will get up and run less than 100 yards
from where we stand,” Mitchell said.
While muleys like open cliffs and mesas, whitetails prefer to stay the
thickly brushed canyon bottoms, along creek beds and in cedar thickets.
Whitetails and mule deer occasionally, but rarely, hybridize. In general,
they rarely interact with each other, but may share some of the same
habitat.
That afternoon, Frank and I hit the roads again. While driving along one
of the trails, Frank spotted “a shooter” about 100 yards away near another
water tank. We tried for a stalk, but the buck loped off around a hill. Pat
Peacock, our guide, drove around the backside of the hill, hoping to cut off
the deer. Frank and I climbed the steep hill to take a peek on the peak.
Frank spotted the buck walking about 600 yards away. True to mule deer
habits, it found some cover under a cedar bush and bedded down, looking
right at us.
“There’s no way we can stalk him while he’s looking at us,” Frank said.
“Let’s use that to our advantage,” I suggested. “You stay visible on this
hilltop and keep his attention. I’ll sneak down the side of the hill and come
around behind him.”
“It’s worth a shot,” he replied.
As planned, I descended the hill. The buck focused on Frank,
remaining conspicuously visible on the hilltop. It didn’t notice me. At the
bottom of the hill, thick cedar bushes resembling a Christmas tree lot made
visibility difficult. I lost track of exactly where the buck hid, but kept Frank in
sight. Waving like a cheerleader, Frank motioned in the direction I should
go.
About 50 yards away, the deer bolted from his hideout and ran into the
cedar scrub. Out of breath from the stalk and shaking with excitement, I
chanced a quick offhand shot as the deer loped away through heavy
brush. I missed clearly, but the deer didn’t zoom away like a whitetail. It
disappeared behind some cedar clumps.
I followed in his direction and spotted him again. This time, he walked
quartering away. If he continued in that direction, he would pass behind a
thick cedar clump. When the deer disappeared behind the clump, I hid
behind a smaller clump, dropping to one knee with the rifle pointed toward
an opening in the brush. I didn’t wait long. About 60 yards away, the buck
stepped into the small opening and turned broadside, looking for me. He
never saw me. Moments later, a 130-grain, .270-caliber slug slammed into
his shoulder, dropping the deer in his tracks after taking out both lungs.
The mule deer buck carried a perfectly symmetrical 10-point rack
measuring 18 inches across. The 5.5-year-old buck weighed about 120
pounds dressed.
problem.
Hunters can spot deer across vast open country where scattered 6-foot-
tall cedar brushes form the largest strands of vegetation. Stalking close to
deer for a killing shot, even with high-powered rifles, offers a challenge.
About 20 miles north of the Rio Grande River, the Longfellow Ranch
spreads over 250,000 acres of southwest Texas near Fort Stockton. It
stretches 58 miles by 36 miles at its longest and widest points. In 1995,
Malone Mitchell bought the property to consolidate several smaller ranches.
Within those acres, sportsmen find a hunter’s paradise rich in mule
deer, whitetails, elk, Rio Grande turkeys, aoudad or Barbary sheep
originally from Morocco and mouflon sheep native to Mediterranean Sea
islands. The land supports a surprisingly rich and varied wildlife population
amid the arid canyons, senderos (dry creek bottoms) and mesas, or flat-
topped hills. Sportsmen might also see bobcats, javelinas, coyotes, doves,
quail, foxes and perhaps cougars or black bears.
“We have a free ranging elk herd that was established in the early
1980s,” Mitchell said. “We also have some elk coming in from the
indigenous herd in the Glass Mountains to the west. Most of the original
mule deer brought to the Texas Panhandle were transplanted from the
Longfellow Ranch and an adjoining ranch in the 1950s.”
Unlike their eastern counterparts, West Texas deer hunters seldom
climb into tree stands. Scrubby cedar brushes, almost the only green
specks dotting the everlasting rocky gray and brown landscape, won’t
support stands. West Texas sportsmen climb into four-wheeled drive trucks
to scout for deer. When someone spots “a shooter,” a mature buck with an
impressive rack, the designated hunter leaves the vehicle and begins
stalking it.
Some hunters walk along canyon rims, scanning with binoculars for
movement or activity. Where eastern hunters frequently cannot see more
than 200 yards, often not more than 40 yards, West Texas hunters can see
for miles as they scan for tiny antlered dots walking along steep mountain
slopes.
Because of the scarcity of water, many hunters seek deer near several
manmade water holes. Windmills pump water from deep below ground into
tanks. After lunch, Frank Cusimano and I searched for deer near water
holes, passing through impressive, scenic vistas dominated by cactus-
covered mesas and rocky canyons.
Along one of the bumpy ribbons they call roads in the vast ranch, we
spotted a five-foot long rattlesnake enjoying the last warming rays of a
Texas sun before an expected cold front plunged the deserts into freezing
temperatures. Naturally, we stopped to investigate. Despite my best
persuasive arguments, Frank wouldn’t pick up the snake and pose with it. I
figured that since he was a lawyer, the snake wouldn’t bother him,
professional courtesy and all that. I did get an excellent look at it striking in
my direction, which makes an impression when viewed through a telephoto
lens on a camera!
We spotted other game animals, an occasional whitetail, muley doe or
javelina. From the road, we spotted a mule deer buck near a water hole,
but it quickly disappeared, along with a small whitetail buck and two does.
Returning after dark, we passed through a herd of elk.
The next morning, Frank and I changed tactics. We hunted along steep
rimrock canyons and mesas in chilly, biting winds. With Frank about 10
yards in front of me and looking toward the left, I spotted a good mule deer
buck about 30 yards away on the right. It hid in thick cover just below
canyon rim on a slope that shouldn’t support any movement except
downward. When we approached the rim to scan with binoculars, it stuck
its head out of the cover and quickly disappeared. It finally disappeared
with two does over a canyon rim several hundred yards away before we
could manage a shot.
“Mule deer have tremendous natural coloring and camouflage relative to
the desert background,” Mitchell said. “They are difficult to find. Mule deer
prefer to stay up on the slopes of the hills or on the tops of the mesas.
They stay in open areas where they can see for long distances.”
Unlike whitetail deer, mule deer freeze when the sense danger. They
often remain motionless until they believe the danger passed. This trait
makes them easier targets than quickly fleeing whitetails. When they sense
danger, whitetails kick in the four-footed overdrive and flee. Often,
sportsmen see little more than a white flash of tail fur as the deer
disappears into thick brush or over the rims of what seem impassable cliffs.
“Frequently, as we are just about to give up and say there are no deer
in an area, five to seven mule deer will get up and run less than 100 yards
from where we stand,” Mitchell said.
While muleys like open cliffs and mesas, whitetails prefer to stay the
thickly brushed canyon bottoms, along creek beds and in cedar thickets.
Whitetails and mule deer occasionally, but rarely, hybridize. In general,
they rarely interact with each other, but may share some of the same
habitat.
That afternoon, Frank and I hit the roads again. While driving along one
of the trails, Frank spotted “a shooter” about 100 yards away near another
water tank. We tried for a stalk, but the buck loped off around a hill. Pat
Peacock, our guide, drove around the backside of the hill, hoping to cut off
the deer. Frank and I climbed the steep hill to take a peek on the peak.
Frank spotted the buck walking about 600 yards away. True to mule deer
habits, it found some cover under a cedar bush and bedded down, looking
right at us.
“There’s no way we can stalk him while he’s looking at us,” Frank said.
“Let’s use that to our advantage,” I suggested. “You stay visible on this
hilltop and keep his attention. I’ll sneak down the side of the hill and come
around behind him.”
“It’s worth a shot,” he replied.
As planned, I descended the hill. The buck focused on Frank,
remaining conspicuously visible on the hilltop. It didn’t notice me. At the
bottom of the hill, thick cedar bushes resembling a Christmas tree lot made
visibility difficult. I lost track of exactly where the buck hid, but kept Frank in
sight. Waving like a cheerleader, Frank motioned in the direction I should
go.
About 50 yards away, the deer bolted from his hideout and ran into the
cedar scrub. Out of breath from the stalk and shaking with excitement, I
chanced a quick offhand shot as the deer loped away through heavy
brush. I missed clearly, but the deer didn’t zoom away like a whitetail. It
disappeared behind some cedar clumps.
I followed in his direction and spotted him again. This time, he walked
quartering away. If he continued in that direction, he would pass behind a
thick cedar clump. When the deer disappeared behind the clump, I hid
behind a smaller clump, dropping to one knee with the rifle pointed toward
an opening in the brush. I didn’t wait long. About 60 yards away, the buck
stepped into the small opening and turned broadside, looking for me. He
never saw me. Moments later, a 130-grain, .270-caliber slug slammed into
his shoulder, dropping the deer in his tracks after taking out both lungs.
The mule deer buck carried a perfectly symmetrical 10-point rack
measuring 18 inches across. The 5.5-year-old buck weighed about 120
pounds dressed.
Long stalk over sparse ground
yields trophy mule deer buck
yields trophy mule deer buck
John N. Felsher and Frank Cusimano show off a 10-point mule deer
buck that Felsher killed on the Longfellow Ranch near Fort
Stockton, Texas.
buck that Felsher killed on the Longfellow Ranch near Fort
Stockton, Texas.
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