By Craig Nyhus, Lone Star Outdoor News
The short mule deer general season has came to a close on Dec. 4, 11 and hunters reported good-sized animals in both the TransPecos and the Panhandle.
Weatherford resident Haylee Borgeson and her family have a lease in the Texas Panhandle close to Palo Duro Canyon. While scouting earlier this year, Borgeson spotted a unique muley she thought looked like a crab.
“I saw him and loved how unique he was,” she said. “When I’m hunting I always look for animals that have something unique about them. I’m not always concerned about what an animal will score.”
The lease is free-range, and Borgeson prayed she would have an opportunity to hunt the distinct buck.
“My husband and I were glassing one evening and saw him with a bunch of does,” she said. “We snuck within 200 yards of him and I was able to get a shot.”
During the youth hunt at the Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area, Ethan Slusher, of Round Rock, headed west with his father, Justin.
“It’s difficult to get drawn there,” Justin said. “Four kids got to hunt on the draw out of 200 to 300 applicants.”
The hunt, the first trip to the WMA for the father and son, took place the day after Thanksgiving.
“Our first goal was to get up in the mountains and use a spotting scope to find a buck,” Justin said. “But it snowed 6 inches and it was foggy. We couldn’t see very far.”
The pair didn’t see any animals the first day, but on the second day the skies cleared.
“We took the same approach but the wind was blowing at 25,” Justin said. “We were on Del Norte Mountain, and
there was a huge flat between it and Elephant Mountain with a few long drainages, 10 to 20 feet deep.”
Tired of battling the wind, the pair took a chance and went down to walk along the drainage.
“I bet the deer hated the wind, too,” Justin said. “So we walked along the top of the drainage hoping to see one bedded down.”
After about 300 yards, Ethan saw a buck.
“I didn’t see it,” Justin said. “I was looking too far away. It was 15 yards in front of us, looking right at us.”
The 15-year-old Ethan didn’t have a bullet in the chamber, and the buck started to walk drainage.
“He gave me the gun and I chambered the bullet,” Justin said. “The buck turned, stopped and looked at us. It gave Ethan time to shoot.”
The father-son gutted the buck and dragged it back to the truck. At the check station, it weighed 160 pounds field-dressed.
While the drought took its toll on mule deer, summer rains appeared to help the animals’ body condition.
“I think the antler production was well below average,” said Shawn Gray, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Mule Deer and Pronghorn Program leader. “But body weights have been outstanding.”
In Caprock country in Terry County, Tye Gray took a 6-year-old 10-pointer.
“It was around 10:45 a.m. on the third and final day and we were heading back to camp to start packing up and make the long drive home,” Gray posted on the Texas Buck Registry. “We were making our way around a mesquite thicket when we jumped this guy at about 20 yards. He trot- ted out to about 60 yards where we were able to get a quick gauge on his shootability. My guide, Todd Stroud, said ‘shoot him’ and about a half second later he was hit.”
The buck, at 60 yards, went down 25 yards later.
“I’ve spent the last 4 years chasing muleys so this is a hard-earned first,” Gray said.
