Free Range Exotic Hunting here in Texas

   / Free Range Exotic Hunting here in Texas #1  

EddieWalker

Epic Contributor
Joined
May 26, 2003
Messages
26,773
Location
Tyler, Texas
Tractor
Several, all used and abused.
As some of you already know, Texas is home to exotic hunting on ranches. Most of it is done behind 8 foot tall fences on properties ranging from hundreds of acres to tens of thousands of acres. Their are animals from all over the world on these ranches, and some species exist in Texas in greater numbers then they do in their native country. Over the years, some of these animals have escaped from the high fence ranches and grown in numbers all over the state. These exotics are called free range because they can come and go as they want by jumping fences for cattle and goats. In some areas, there are so many that the owners of those ranches want them hunted just to keep the numbers under control. Probably the most famous exotic animal in Texas is the wild pig, which is native to Europe.

I learned about a ranch near Sonora Texas from a guy on Facebook who takes 4 free range sika bucks off of it every year. The hunt is done at night time using spotlights since that's the only time they are out moving around. Here in Texas, exotics do not have a season or rules on how to hunt them. Anything is legal. The landowner makes the rules, all a hunter is required to have by law is a valid hunting license. While hunting I was hunting for the sika buck, my wife would be hunting for axis does. Axis meat is probably the very best meat there is. There really isn't anything that compares to it. On the ranch we where hunting, there are so many of them that the landowner encourages hunters to shoot them since they are so prolific. Axis are in direct competition for food with whitetails, so if you have too many axis, you will have fewer whitetails. There is a lot of money in having whitetail hunters on your land, but not so much for axis does.

We saw several nice sika bucks and I finally connected on a real nice buck at 2 am. He made the mistake of running off into an open area instead of thick cover for a running 80 yard shot.

The next day we went to another ranch where they have free range blackbuck antelope. I saw my first blackbuck when I was in the Marine Corps and traveling through India at the Taj Mahal. Ever since then, I've always been interested in them. There are a lot more blackbuck in Texas then there are in India!!!! We spotted quite a few really nice ones, but they where too fast and I wasn't able to get a shot off on any of them. Then in the early afternoon, we spotted one that was breeding with a female that didn't notice us, and we where able to sneak up to about 80 yards for an off hand shot.

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   / Free Range Exotic Hunting here in Texas #2  
Yeah, unfortunately we now have the Exotic Texas Armadillo in Kansas now. Freakin armored Rat.
 
   / Free Range Exotic Hunting here in Texas #3  
Eddie, that sounds like y'all had a great time. Thanks for the photos. I've never seen a blackbuck before.
 
   / Free Range Exotic Hunting here in Texas #4  
Congrats on your hunt with your wife. Thanks for sharing the pix.
 
   / Free Range Exotic Hunting here in Texas #5  
"...Then in the early afternoon, we spotted one that was breeding with a female that didn't notice us, and we where able to sneak up to about 80 yards for an off hand shot. ..."

I hope you at least let him "finish" first...lol. Be a heck of a thing to get shot right in the middle of the act. :eek: My BIL went hunting over in Georgia with a friend and when they parked his truck and stepped out, there was a buck and doe right in the act. The friend shot the buck right off her back. It was a nice one too.
 
   / Free Range Exotic Hunting here in Texas #6  
That's not even fair. The buck has his eyes closed and can't hear anything because there is a freight train going through his mind. Exactly like a teenager in the act!!!!!!
 
   / Free Range Exotic Hunting here in Texas #7  
Nice! You provide a service to the rancher and get what would be the hunt of a lifetime for a lot of folks. :)

Who's pooch is that? Good looking dog. :thumbsup:
 
   / Free Range Exotic Hunting here in Texas #8  
...Axis meat is probably the very best meat there is. There really isn't anything that compares to it...
I'm curious...in what ways?...taste, texture??...IMO whitetail meat (if treated properly, from the minute it hits the ground) is as good as any beef (including the absolute finest in the world)...likewise with elk...
In my experience...meat quality (especially game meat) is all about how it is taken care of as soon as the heart stops...!
 
   / Free Range Exotic Hunting here in Texas
  • Thread Starter
#9  
I'm curious...in what ways?...taste, texture??...IMO whitetail meat (if treated properly, from the minute it hits the ground) is as good as any beef (including the absolute finest in the world)...likewise with elk...
In my experience...meat quality (especially game meat) is all about how it is taken care of as soon as the heart stops...!

Every meat has it's own flavor. I've found that whitetail tastes best with a little seasoning. Elk is pretty good as is, and is one of my favorites because it doesn't need any seasoning. Caribou is another that you can eat as is and enjoy it, but just don't pay attention to how dark the coloring of the meat is. Sika is supposed to be very similar to elk, and from what I'm told, nobody can tell the difference. It's a lot smaller animal, but they do interbreed and some people have been know to cross breed them and try to sell them as world record sika deer because they are so much bigger then normal sika bucks.

Axis is in a category all to themselves in flavor and beauty. Easily the best looking of all the deer species, but also the best tasting. I'm not gifted in the English language enough to explain the difference or why it's so much better, but would compare it to something like getting a sirloin steak to prime rib. Sirloin is a fine cut of steak, and if that's all you ever ate, there is nothing wrong with it, but once you've had prime rib, you will know the difference. Axis is that much better then whitetail and elk!!!
 
   / Free Range Exotic Hunting here in Texas
  • Thread Starter
#10  
Who's pooch is that? Good looking dog. :thumbsup:

That's one of the guides blood trailing catahoula's that he keeps in the back of the Mule while out hunting. He is very friendly and just loves to run!!! We would let him out after getting our animals and he would race ahead of us on the way back to the truck. At one place their was a paved road that went through the middle of the ranch and we got up to 25mph for about a mile and he was right beside us the entire time!!!!

When I shot my blackbuck, he went a short distance into some thick cedar. We had an strong blood trail that was easy to follow, so the guide felt it would be good for "Chief" to get a little practice. It was fun watching him work the trail, he just ran straight along it right to the blackbuck. Then while taking pictures, he came and sat next to me, which made for a great picture.
 

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