Weldon’s Second Hunt…Keeps Getting Better!

Weldon was here earlier in the year and took a great 8-point Axis bull. This trip, his focus was on a Barasingha bull and, if time allowed, a Blackbuck Antelope. Weldon’s arrival time of about 4:30 in the afternoon, with the thermometer nudging close to 101 degrees, would have inclined many hunters to look for a cool place to sit for a couple more hours. But, knowing that those bigger barasingha bulls would be under a solitary oak tree in the shade on an open hillside to catch the cooling breeze, Ray (Weldon’s guide) recommended that the hunt start right away. As the hunters topped a hill on the first round through the pasture, a barasingha was spotted under one of the lone oak trees. Having seen and heard the hunters before he was spotted, the bull jumped to his feet. All Ray had time to say was “That is a great bull; watch out…” BANG!!! “… for the juniper tree limb in front of his shoulder.” Weldon, being an experienced hunter, had already assessed the target and shot before the warning at the end of the sentence was uttered. The big bull took a couple of steps and fell to the ground. The time for giving thanks and admiring the amazing trophy bull was at hand. “Quick-shot” Weldon had started the hunt with an impressive display of marksmanship. By the time the trophy had been cleaned and taken to the cooler, the sky had turned into a an artist’s paint palate of color as the sunset yielded to the bright stars of the night sky.

The next morning found Ray and Weldon out in the pasture searching for a restless blackbuck antelope. The antelope in this pasture have a tendency to move constantly. Very seldom will they stop while someone is in sight to observe them. That morning, Ray and Weldon found the bucks consistent with their reputation. The larger of the seven bucks was only seen in a fleeting glimpse as the bachelor group of males streaked across the rolling hills until out of sight. Time was growing short before departure time and the whereabouts of the big antelope was unknown. The hunters decided they would sit on a hill-top hoping for the roaming blackbuck to reveal their location. The patience to slow down paid off; five antelope came into view; they were crossing a hillside one at a time about 250 yards distant from the hunters. As each was exposed to view after leaving the shaded cover of a large oak tree, he was evaluated for size. One-two-three-four…not the one. Here comes number 5….not the big one either. Suddenly, a sixth buck that had not been visible until that time walks out. Ray tells Weldon, “That’s the one. If you feel comfortable,…” BANG!!! “…you can take the shot.” Once again, the magnificent buck takes a few steps and falls. Apparently, Weldon even felt comfortable with that shot!

We ask you to share us in congratulating Weldon on his great hunting and shooting skills. It is very difficult to relate an event such as hunting with the excitement that is felt when it actually happens. For that reason we invite you, if you love the chase and the hunt, to commit the time to share a hunt with us here on the Patio Ranch. The excitement and experience is something best experienced first-hand. And because it is a completely personal experience, truly each hunter can ”…tell a different hunting story!!”

May your summer be blessed with plentiful rain to replenish the parched earth!!