Dang kid!

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

#1 son calls me from the ranch (he went hunting) at the game last night and says, "you'll never guess what I just shot!" He was right, I woundn't have guessed. It took us a while to figure out exactly what it was but we knew it wasn't from our place.

He was walking to his setup for the afternoon hunt and thought it was a freak buck until it turned broadside. Then he released the draw and checked through binos again. He said he watched it for about 5 min before he decide to shoot. He said he started to let it go but decided that he'd probably never get another chance. He was probably right, I been waiting for a chance like that for 40 years.

We have been hearing stories about Axis deer for years and wouldn't have been surprised to see one but wouldn't have guessed Fallow. It had to have escaped from someone's high fence somewhere. My understanding is that Fallow are herd deer and a loner (buck) is not an indication of an influx.

We haven't ever seen any types of exotics at all. It had fourteen points and some of the tines were broken (old breaks full of dirt) so I'd have to assume it was fighting with something or raking rocky soil.

Alan

[Altjaeger]

Great job! The biologist say axis will take over from whitetails. I am not sure about fallow. Still nice that he got an unussual trophy and possibly helped stop an infestation of another unwanted exotic like our hogs.

[Bill Gunn]

Cool...

It looks big, what did it weigh (about) ?

[DaveHawk]

Alan that cool. Congrat's to your son. Bet you wish you were there A!

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

I wish we had a few Axis to thin. I like them as table fare much better than WTs. He said he estimated the weight at around 200#+/-, which is BIG for anything around here except hogs and cattle. Yes Dave, I wish I had been there.

Alan

[Bill Gunn]

He said he estimated the weight at around 200#+/-, which is BIG for anything around here except hogs and cattle.

Alan



200# is BIG anywhere :D

I bet it was a day of smiles :)

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

My oldest son is a hunter and a fisherman of the first order. If there is only one fish to be caught for the day, he will catch it. If there is only one bird or animal to be had in a day he will get it. I consider myself to be pretty good in the woods and on the water, he IS the woods and water. He has a sixth sense that is so far beyond most hunters/fishermen that is is exactly that, a sixth sense.


Since he was very young he has had a knack. I can't remember exactly ho wold he was in the picture but you can judge by how tall he was compared to the Daisy BB Gun (mine when I was a kid). I figure he was about 4 at the time. About a week after this picture was taken, we were out and about and a covey of quail crossed the road in front of us and went off into the brush. He asked if he could go kill one. I said sure (thinking it would give me time to smoke a cigarette and give him time to kill some time). He crept into the brush and after a minute or so I heard the "Pbbthttt!" of the Daisy and the flutter of a quail's wings on the ground. Here he comes out of the brush with a quail and the same kind of smile on his face. His little brother is more like me, or rather not quite as intense.

I told him to cape the Fallow out for mounting if he wanted it done but I don't think he's going to want it mounted. He said he's going to do a european type skull mount. I'll work him up a piece of mesquite to put it on. He'll also get the hide tanned with the hair on too. Should make a nice remembrance.

Alan

[GF.]

We should get Herne to weigh in on this one, but I have a sense that #200 would be crazy big for a fallow; on the other hand, I'm pretty sure that that's an old, old buck, so I suppose just about anything is possible. I just have a suspicion that he was turned out to pasture (or maybe that's out OF THE pasture) from one of those high-fenced operation.

Good for him, though, to have cleaned out an exotic.

[Twanger]

200 lb is a big critter!
Very cool. Those deer are nice looking.

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

Well, I'm just going by what he said he thought it weighed. I did ask him right after he dragged it to the truck so it must have weighed 200# by then. I guess we really should get a scale for the camp.

Alan