Brian McQuillin
Posted By Camo on October 24, 2009
My name is Brian McQuillin, I am a resident of West Monroe, La. I have had the privilege to hunt many ranches throughout Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi. I have taken quite a few “trophy” bucks but none with a bow. It seemed that all the ranches I had hunted, just never presented the full package that I needed to meet up with “Old Rudolph”. Upon reading an ad about Buffalo Mountain, I made the call to get more information. After visiting with Tammy on the phone and going to their website; I was ready to book a hunt. I called Rick and he made a spot for me the following weekend (talk about service). I initially thought that I would go alone, since it was such short notice; but after showing the website around, I ended up with a group of 4. I called Rick and he worked us into the spot we had chosen. The weather had been unusually wet for Texas over the past two months and I knew the deer would be harder to pattern. I would be taking my two brothers; Jimmy and Danny, along with my son Brad. They were pumped; as none of us had killed a good deer with a bow. This would be the first bow hunt for Danny and Brad, so they couldn’t wait. Upon arriving in Abilene, we noted the extreme topological landscapes. There were mountains, valleys, and flats. The temp was perfect at about 70 degrees. We stopped off at Walmart and picked up our license and food, and in 15 minutes we were at the ranch gate. While waiting on Rick to come open the gate, we saw a doe easing through the brush. Rick shows up and tells us that a guest has shot a big deer and he is on his way to track it. Man we were really pumped by now. We arrived at the bunkhouse and didn’t really know what to expect for the low price we were paying. What we found was a very usable bunkhouse, kitchen, and outpost buildings. We unloaded and started meeting the other guests. This is usually the highlight of my hunts; meeting folks from all over the country who have come to take home a big buck. We met Tammy and began our sign in process and looked at pictures and video of deer on the property. It was truly amazing, the bucks that are on this 4000 acre ranch. We showered and got ready to scout our pasture, when Rick shows up with a great eight point buck that had been shot that morning. We couldn’t wait to get in the woods. Rick graciously took us through our pastures (2,3,4) and showed us all the stands and other places he felt would produce results based on feeding patterns and the wind. He left us to decide where to hunt. This was the hardest part of the hunt; not because it was four of us; but because every spot looked like a winner. We finally decided; Jimmy would hunt a ground blind in a wheat field in Pasture 2, Danny would hunt the Windmill ground blind in Pasture 3, Brad would hunt a wheat field blind in Pasture 4, and I would hunt my pop up blind in a large wheat field on Pasture 2. My goal was on day one to take a lot of pictures with my Nikon camera and outdoor lens. Boy did I have opportunity. Around 5:30 the deer began to move and I saw 32 deer; most outside of bow range but allowing me to pattern where they exited to the field and perfect for picture taking. Jimmy saw several deer with two “Monsters” but they hung just outside shooting range. Danny saw deer with no shooters. Brad also saw lots of deer with a shooter hanging outside the field until after shooting light. But he did have a huge elk walk in on him at 15 yards and he took some great pictures. It didn’t take any arm twisting to get ready for the next hunt. We met with Rick, Tammy, and the other guests back at camp and ate supper. We retired early knowing we had a long day ahead of us. The next morning, I decided to hunt a ground blind in the back of Pasture 3 and everyone else stayed on their original spots. I felt the deer wouldn’t come into the field in the morning (this proved to be a mistake) Not many deer were seen that morning and no shooters but we had decided where to hunt for the afternoon. We left the woods around 10:30 and headed to town to buy some goodies. After a good lunch we showered and headed back to the woods. We came upon a herd of buffalo in Pasture 1 and were mesmerized by their size. We decided to move my pop up and brush it in real good on the corner of the large wheat field where I had seen the bigger deer come in the evening before. Danny moved to a great spot on Pasture 4, Jimmy stayed on his blind, and Brad moved to a great spot on Pasture 3. The wind had changed to a Southeast direction and we were stoked for a shot. Around 5:00, deer started to ease into the field; not 10 yards from my blind. I tried to concentrate on hunting; but the deer that close were a joy to keep me occupied. I watched as a big bull elk fed at about 200 yards and young deer kept pouring onto the field. At 6:20, things changed; as I peeked over my right shoulder, I saw the “giant” I was after. He was a perfect 10 pointer with good mass and height. He stood broadside at only 50 yards, staring at the woods behind me. He stayed in that position for a good 5 minutes without moving. I rattled, I called; but he had other plans. He sneaked back into the woods. I stayed super alert but he never returned. Meanwhile Jimmy saw his shooters again with the same results. The deer eased in outside of bow range and just teased him into anguish. Danny saw deer, but got busted before he could take a shot. Brad had a small shooter walk to 15 yards and he decided to not take the shot; thinking he had bigger deer on the wall. (youth has its ignorance). After picking everyone up, we talked with all the guests about what they had seen and watched several videos that had been taken from stands that day by hunters. There were some impressive shooters, but the wind and recent rain kept them from getting close to the stands. The next morning was uneventful for all the hunters, except Danny who decided to hunt my pop up. He had deer all over him but no shooters. It may have been wind, temp, or just karma, but no shooting. We packed up and said goodbye to our new found friends and with respect for the ranch at Buffalo Mountain. This ranch is the nicest set up I have EVER hunted with a bow and by far has the best shooter bucks of any bow ranch I have been on. The ground blinds were immaculate and hidden perfectly. There were plenty of feeders, food plots, and cover for you to put out your own blind or to stalk. There is a great practice area right in the middle of camp and Abilene was just minutes away. I immediately made up my mind that I would return this year. My whole gang plus a few nephews are coming back after Thanksgiving. This time the bucks won’t be so lucky. So if you are looking for a great bow hunt; look no further. Buffalo Mountain Ranch should be your choice. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great season. Remember that the chase is only part of the hunt; the memories you make with family and friends are priceless.
Brian McQuillin
West Monroe, La
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