By Jason Shipman
For a long as they can remember, Jason Melton and his daughter Madelaine have been enjoying the outdoors together. From an early age, Madelaine, or “Madi” to family and friends, has been following in her father’s footsteps on fishing and hunting trips. “She enjoys hunting and fishing as much as I do, and we just have so much fun,” Jason said.
Madi fondly remembers her first buck she took with her dad on a hunting lease in South Texas. “We had been practicing a lot, and hunting pretty hard, but nothing was moving,” she said. “It was freezing cold that morning and we were about to leave the blind when a nice eight-point stepped out,” she added. The eight-point taken that cold morning was the first of many trophies Madi has taken since.
“She is incredibly lucky, and seems to always be in the right place at the right time in both hunting and life situations. Good things happen for her,” Jason said. Case in point, several years ago, Madi placed in the popular Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) fishing tournament with a highly coveted 30-inch-plus speckled trout. This past hunting season she took a great 10-point in South Texas that stretched the tape to 165 inches as well as a beautiful mule deer in West Texas.
Getting schedules together for hunting trips has become increasingly difficult, as they are forced to hunt on breaks between school while Madi completes her junior year at Texas Tech University. She is an agricultural communications major and plans to pursue a career in real estate brokerage. “Anything she does, she will be successful at,” Jason said.
Among her most memorable hunting experiences is Madi’s mulie taken this past season in West Texas. “This year, things worked out for us and we had the opportunity to hunt with Will Hughes on the Apache Ranch,” Jason said. The sprawling ranch located in Culberson County has been intensively managed by the Hughes Family to produce huge mule deer. They have done a fantastic job and the ranch is producing some of the largest deer in Texas.
In addition to Jason and Madi, the hunting party would include David Jones and his daughter, Hannah. Madi and Hannah both attend school at Tech and would make the trip to the ranch together to meet their fathers for the hunt. Jason and David would travel to the ranch early, along with guests Bruce Nixon and Travis Salinas. Jason and David’s wives, Jana and Ginger, were scheduled to arrive at the ranch on the second day.
Getting a late start from school, the girls arrived at the ranch late the first evening. “We were really excited to be out there,” Madi said. “I just love West Texas scenery and the rugged beauty it has to offer.” The accommodations were over the top, and everyone enjoyed a fantastic dinner while talking about mulies. The hunt that would begin the following morning. “The room was filled with excitement and we were happy to be spending quality time with our girls, guests, and great hosts,” Jason said.
The following morning, Jason and Madi awoke early in preparation for the hunt. They would be hunting on the south side of the ranch, about an hour away. They would have to leave extra early to arrive before sunrise. They would be hunting with guide Dale Combs, who has worked with the Hughes Family for the better part of a decade. The anticipation was high as they made their way through the ranch shrouded by darkness en route to the area they would hunt. “Dale knows the ranch and the deer. He clearly had a plan and we trusted it,” Jason said.
The sun just started to rise over the Delaware Mountains as they arrived at their hunting location. “It started off a bit slow,” Madi said. “We would drive for a bit and then stop and glass as we made our way through the pasture. We weren’t seeing much as first.” They approached a hill that would serve as a good glassing point and stopped at the base. “Dale wanted to wait a few more minutes for better light before going up to glass,” Jason said.
It was a cold, crisp morning, perfect for hunting. After a short wait, they made their way to the top of the glassing point and began scanning the countryside with optics. Almost immediately they found a big group of mulies. “There were maybe four to five bucks and probably six to eight does in the group,” Jason said. One of the bucks was mature and easily stood out amongst the others. “You could tell he was the dominant deer,” Madi said. Dale looked the deer over and quickly instructed them to shoot the big, mature buck.
Jason quickly helped Madi extend the bipods on her rifle and prepare for the shot. She was shooting a 7mm Remington Magnum and eased into position and found the big buck in her scope. “If she was nervous, it didn’t show,” Jason said. “She was quiet and focused.” Madi squeezed the trigger and the 168-grain HSM Berger found its mark. After a perfect hit, the big mulie took about 10 steps before piling up in front of the hunters.
A celebration ensued with high fives, hugs, and thanks exchanged as they made their way to the fallen buck. “I really didn’t realize how massive he was until I walked up on him, and I was really speechless,” Madi said. Dale and Jason were excited as well and quickly began to set the deer up for photos. “We couldn’t wait to get him back to show everyone. They were so excited for me,” Madi said. Back at the lodge the celebration continued. Their host Will could not have been happier.
“When it comes to hunting, I enjoy the serenity, peacefulness, and being in God’s country,” Madi said. “I am grateful for the opportunity and to be able to share it with my dad. It was a very special moment.” She counts herself as blessed, and looks forward to what the next season will bring their way.
