Patio Ranch Blackbuck…Right Place at the Right Time!

There is much talk about the skill that a good hunter must acquire to be consistently successful. There is no substitute for practice to become accurate and precise in shooting as well in learning to stalk wild game animals. In addition, I believe that learning over many years of hunting experiences allows an individual hunter to adjust to subtle factors such as sun and wind direction, animal movement and behavior patterns, feed and water locations, and topography of the area to acquire a “gut feeling” for where to find the animals one is seeking. However, we very seldom discuss the role of “good fortune” (some call it luck) to help raise the probability for finding and taking a great animal.
David had been to the Patio Ranch on a number of occasions to hunt with friends. As with the other hunts, the guests settled in at the main lodge, shared some stories, checked rifles at the shooting range for accuracy and then headed out to look for selected species of animals. This trip, David was searching for a blackbuck with tight-twisted horns. The stalk was short as a great wide spread buck was spotted soon after entering the pasture. This was one of the examples of “good fortune”. The blackbuck, still being about 200 yards distant from David, picked-up on movement and seemed to be assessing if this movement was a threat. Under the gaze of the buck, David had to move carefully and slowly to prepare for the fairly long shot while at the same time not alarming the buck. The buck stared more intently and seemed to lock onto David. The shot had to be taken NOW! The buck leapt into the air with the shot and disappeared over the hill. We knew the buck was hit and the search began. The rolling hillside interspersed with young juniper trees increased the difficulty of the search due to the short visibility range. A sigh of relief and a relaxed walk signaled that David had found the buck lying on the ground hidden in the scrub juniper.
Yes, this was one of the “good fortune” hunts, but David’s hunting experience aided in a quicker and accurate shot under the pressure of excitement and time constraints as the buck was about to run. We ask you to please join us in congratulating David on another spectacular animal. Now that the excitement and rush of the actual shooting is complete, David will be able to filter through the actions of the day and get his facts straight in preparation for the formulation of his story. We look forward to hearing the finished product and hope that he will share these memories that allow him to again “…tell a different hunting story!!”

Enjoy these beautiful springtime bluebonnets…Good hunting!!!