We hunt in the Texas Hill Country on a non-high fenced lease. We started protein feeding three years ago and had some very nice bucks showing up and we have given them time to grow. There is a large property next to us that the occupant (the land is in a trust and there's not deeded individual owner) He called it a Game Ranch and ran day hunters on the land. He passed away 10 years ago and him son took over mainly trying to run sheep in addition the the goats that were there. Put a few cattle on it as well, but cows and couple hundred goats competing doesn't work out too well. Long story short the cows and sheep disappeared about three years ago. Archery season in Texas for our county runs 10-1 -10-31. We were up in September and all the nice bucks were showing up in our cameras and even in early October. We noticed a reefer trailer up by the gate when we camed up mid October and realized the son must have started day leasing and saw eight or ten vehicles and a bunch of people at the trailer. After that day none of the big bucks showed up on our cameras which we can view on our phones and computers. In the void fortunately other deer move in and this buck which we had no photos of showed up Sunday evening. Hill Country Deer tend to be smaller than East Texas and South Texas deer, but this buck was pretty good sized for our part of the state. I shot him at 185 yards and hit him about two inches behind the point of his shoulder, a little farther back than my normal shot, but took both lungs and after cleaning him saw a hole in his heart either from a rib splinter or bullet fragment. I'm leaning to a bone fragment. He ran about 50 yards to a clump of cedars. Sorry for the bloody. and sweaty shirt. BTW I shoot .270 with Federal Premium 130 gr Sierra Boat Tail Soft Points, which is now discontinued. I have several boxes though, which should last my lifetime. BTW if you look at the bottom behind the deer's legs and to the left of my legs there's a round rusty pedestal base of a veterinary operating table that I laid down after cleaning the deer so I could hang him for the photo. I saved it from my dad's practice after he passed away in 2011.
