A Very Blessed Hunter, Indeed
Every year as the months roll closer to fall and the first wind blows from the north, I begin to look over all my gear to make sure I am ready for opening day. Being a firefighter means I have days off during the week so I can make it to the range to make sure I am dialed in for all my scheduled hunts.
My best friend, Stacy Broadrick, has been after me about practicing more with my bow. I have, but I am no Chuck Adams. Preparation has lead to my success on more than one occasion. Way too many times between work, extra jobs, and school I have found myself not focused on the task at hand and dreaming instead of deer that will become rock stars during the upcoming deer season.
But, the nice thing is having a great guide to help with the behind-the-scenes work, so it’s one less thing to worry about. I have been very fortunate to get to hunt on the Avant Ranch in South Texas the past couple of years. I took my first jacket buck from Los Cazadores deer contest, placing first in the Big 8 category in the 2011-2012 season. My guide was Roger Barile. He has been a guide for hunters of all ages and backgrounds, guiding them to their buck of a lifetime at the Avant Ranch for well of 30 years. Funny thing is, he lives on the East Coast and travels to South Texas each year to guide during deer season. Roger is as well known in the deer world and South Texas area as many of the landowners and ranchers who inhabit that rough country. Having Roger’s expertise to score and age the deer is crucial to letting the deer mature.
Each year about October, I get a call from Roger to get my hunting dates. He knows my travels to the Canadian North Country have made my love for the true mature deer with lots of mass. Finding a deer in south Texas with true full antlered mass throughout is another story. But having Roger is priceless. These days, modern technology makes it possible for Roger to text me a picture of a deer he has in mind for me. Knowing how picky I am, Roger texted me, “How about this deer?” My one word reply was, “WOW!” After making a few scheduled changes, I grabbed my bags and I was on my way to beautiful South Texas brush country.
After arriving at the ranch and catching up on the year’s events, a game plan found us going to the last location the deer was seen. This is not your typical deer. He is smart and super elusive. Once this deer figures out he’s being hunted, he goes underground like he’s done season after season for the last four years. He might be 9 this year.
The first morning was a cool morning with lots of activity, but a pack of coyotes came in and the deer hit the brush. After breakfast in Dilley and some planning for the evening hunt, we made our way out to the other ranch to see the year’s progress of the other fine deer this brush country has to offer. Just getting to hang out, listen and learn from someone like Roger is better than taking a college class. Roger has been like a father figure in my hunting world ever since the passing of my father in 2011.
We finally decide to get back to the field early and set up on the buck. We saw lots of game that evening, but no sighting of the big buck. Roger said, “Let’s get back to the tuck and scan this other pasture.” Sure enough, Roger spotted my deer with a group of does. At least we knew he was in the area and we still had a shot at him. Seeing him through the binoculars made me realize just how big bodied he was. Trying to sleep that night was tough, for sure.
The next morning, while making the drive to the ranch I said a little prayer and ask my Dad for a little help. I still feel his physical presence, especially when I hunt. I have had more luck when I say this little prayer. The waiting game for just a certain deer is always very trying and takes lots of persistence and patience. As the deer start to move from the brush and into the open, you realize that is Mr. Big and he is headed your way. Seeing such a monarch of the woods walk into your sendero is just so cool. I have seen some great deer in my career, but he is the king. Roger looked at me and said, “Yep, that’s him.” There was no time to get nervous because ready or not, here he comes. I had my rifle in the window waiting on him to stop and clear the does. I did not even look at the antlers, only his shoulders. In one shot, I had taken the biggest buck in my 40 years of deer hunting. I felt my dad’s presence as I looked toward the sky and said, “Thanks Dad.”
After a short trip into town and some very cool photos from our friend Doug, I made my way to the contest and the first time in my life I had hunters around the back of my truck congratulating me. Wow, a very humbling experience. Too often, we seem to take for granted the freedoms and privileges we enjoy like fishing, traveling and, yes, hunting. If it were not for people like Roger so unselfishly spending countless hours in the deer woods locating and leading hunters to deer of this caliber, they would only be a flash of antlers crossing some sendero in South Texas, never to be taken. I consider myself fortunate to have a loving, understanding family, a very cool best friend in Stacy, and an incredible guide like Roger. Yes, I truly do consider myself a very blessed man, indeed.
