“Rifle or revolver?” asked Travis Waite, manager of the Lazy CK Ranch as he stopped the vehicle. Travis pointed towards where we had just seen a monstrous axis buck disappear into oak trees, before the vegetation gave way a dense cedar and shin oak thicket. From the brief look, I suspect his massive main beams were easily 36-inches in length or longer — impressive! My biggest axis stag to date was a 32-incher, shot about twenty years ago, just south of Kerrville, Texas.

“Both,” I retorted, grabbing the Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter in 44 Mag revolver, loaded with Hornady 240-grain XTP ammo, with my left hand and my Ruger Model 77 FTW/SAAM Hunter rifle in .300 Win Mag, with my right. I quickly loaded my rifle with Hornady 200 gr ELD-X Precision Hunter as we walked. I really wanted to take an Axis with my Ruger revolver but I also knew my limitations with the 44 Magnum. If the Axis stag of a lifetime appeared at 150 yards, beyond my revolver comfort level, with no way to get closer, I would be prepared for such a shot with my rifle.

Earlier at the Lazy CK’s range, I put six shots into a less than one-inch group at 50 yards. I knew if I did my part I could do the same at 100 yards. With the 44 Mag Ruger revolver and Hornady combination, I have taken deer-sized big game, as well as elk, out to one hundred yards. Even though my Ruger revolver shoots accurately beyond the century yard mark, the 44 Mag quickly starts losing down range energy, so I choose not take take shots farther than 100 yards.

By taking advantage of available cover we cut the distance to within a hundred yards of where the big buck disappeared. There we slowed down considerably and spent more time glassing with our Zeiss binoculars.

Evidenced by long shadows, it was quickly getting late. I glanced to Dustin Blankenship my cameraman, who pointed at the fast sinking sun and then at his camera. We were quickly running out of sufficient camera light. However at that same time I saw Travis motion us to get down.

I positioned myself behind an oak, started glassing and soon spotted three big bucks but neither was the monster we had seen enter the woods. All three had main beam lengths of 30 to about 33 inches. Each had long brow tines and good caudal or secondary points. Two were bedded and one was standing. The one bedded on the right looked extremely wide. The stag standing on the left had a big barrel shaped rack, with main beams likely 33-inches long.

I got into position with the 44 Mag, cranked the Zeiss Conquest, experimental long eye relief scope to 5x, then centered the crosshairs firmly on the buck’s chest. All I needed to do was cock the single-action hammer, take a deep breath and let it all out, just as I had learned through the FTW/SAAM’s marksmanship classes, then gently pull the trigger. I picked out an individual white spot on the big buck’s shoulder, I knew at 50 yards I could put the 240 gr Hornady XTP right in the center of spot and quickly and humanely put the 230 pound buck on the ground.

I looked back at Dustin, who was shaking his head in a negative manner. We were out of camera light, “drats!” Reluctantly we backed out and left the trio where they were. “There’s hunting and hunting for the camera…and sometimes the two have nothing in common,” I muttered as we retreated to the vehicle.

Back at camp I walked into the cook shack, made myself a cup of coffee and found the piece of peanut butter pie Ms. Kelly, had left there for us. I walked outside, kicked back next to the fire pit, life was good. I was hunting about an hour and half north of where I live. I had seen a tremendous amount of both native and introduced game, including numerous huge Axis bucks and I still had two and half days more to hunt on the Lazy CK.

Thirty minutes later having drank my coffee under the starlit sky, listening to roaring Axis stags, gratified with food, sight and sound, I waddled to my cabin as morning comes early.

When I walked out of my cabin, I felt a cool breeze blowing from the north. This breeze is common, particularly for June in Texas. I hoped the cool breeze would stimulate animal movement but by the day’s end I did not feel quite the same.

Travis, Dustin and I spent all day hunting, including driving to different parts of the ranch, through various vegetation and terrain. We walked long distances, glassed a lot, tried pushing bush and attempted just about every technique to locate and see animals. Nada! Nix! Nothing! Hardly anything moved all day long, even the house covey of blackbuck antelope were no where to be found.

There was no plausible or reasonable explanation for the lack of movement, “Alien abduction” was our only explanation.

The next morning I got up well before first light, went into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee. Standing outside of my cabin I heard a distant roar of an Axis stag, which Travis called a “bull”.

We left camp about twenty minutes before sun up and immediately saw our first axis deer, followed by some monstrous whitetails and fallow bucks in velvet. A short time later we spotted an axis stag walking into a thicket. He disappeared before we could see his antlers, so followed him a short distance before realizing he was merely a youngster. Back on the trail we encountered numerous more animals, so things were looking up.

As we headed for lunch we spotted an extremely long, main-beamed Axis buck on the edge of a dense thicket. His beams had to be in excess of 38 inches, the longest antlered axis bucks I had ever seen but unfortunately he didn’t tarry long.

We got onto his trail after he disappeared into the dense cedar and oak thicket, but after an hour we gave up hunting him because the thickets got so dense — we could see no further than ten yards ahead.

Straight after a fabulous lunch and several glasses of iced tea, we headed out for the afternoon. An hour after leaving camp, we spotted a long-beamed, massive axis stag bedded on the far side of a brushy canyon. We drove past him, found a place to hide the vehicle and began our stalk. By taking advantage of the deep canyon with its many cedars, we cut the distance from 800 yards to almost a hundred.

We spotted him again and he was still bedded. I looked for any possible shot, then handed Travis my revolver. I set up my shooting sticks and planted my rifle, but even with the rifle there was no possible shot because of large tree limbs between us and the stag.

I decided to move forward. A quick look through my binoculars and I thought I found a way to get closer without being seen, but as I moved the buck stood up, looked my way and disappeared into the next canyon.

As we headed back to the vehicle, we spotted a rattlesnake in full striking position. The buzzing of her rattles caught our attention. I’ve no idea why this particular snake was so agitated but it was. There’s no doubt, had we approached within striking distance it would have struck. Our knee-high snake boots would not have provided us with sufficient protection against the five-foot snake. It could have easily struck us in our thigh, well above the knee-high snake leggings.

About four o’clock in the afternoon we spotted an axis buck walking toward a thicket. Travis knew beyond the cedar and shin oak, the terrain broke into a savanna, with a scattering of oaks and tall grass, so he suggested, “let’s get around to the other side, hopefully he’ll walk out and we’ll have a chance to make a stalk.”

Less than 10 minutes later we parked the vehicle and started walking toward the savannah. I carried both revolver and rifle. Which I would use would depend upon the shot presented, if indeed we saw the big stag once again or possibly another.

We soon spotted a couple of axis bucks, both big. They were on the back side of the savannah, near the thicket. We increased our pace before having to slow to a crawl when we spotted two whitetails to our right — hopefully they would not spook the axis.

Thankfully, the whitetails turned to feed away from us, so we quickly moved forward. Another 20 steps and we spotted an extremely wide axis stag, with better than 30-inch beams. He was bedded a 150 yards away but looking more or less in our direction. We slowly sat down, I set up my shooting sticks, then placed my rifle pointing directly at the stag.

“Larry, he’s wide and he’s mature, it’s your call,” I looked through my variable scope cranked up to 10x. He was indeed wide, easily thirty-inches. His beams were likely thirty-one or so inches in length. His brow tines were long and his caudal, very nice but the way he was laying, there was no shot.

“We’ll wait for him to stand but it looks like he’s settled in where he is.” We watched and waited. After about ten minutes, the stag stood. He looked even better. I waited for him to move to our right, then repositioned my shooting sticks. I followed him through the scope. “Dustin, stay on him and when he gives me a shot, I will take him.”

“Wait, until I tell you to shoot ” he responded. I could see there might be trees in the way for him to get the footage we wanted, so I waited a bit more. The buck moved to the right, I shifted my shooting sticks and the buck stopped, stared at us, then walked back to the left. He turned again, giving me the perfect shot to drop him in his tracks. “Take him!” whispered Dustin. I loved hearing those words.

I gently pulled the trigger and the buck literally dropped in his tracks. I immediately reloaded just in case he moved. I found the downed deer in my scope and waited. After a full minute of no movement, I turned to accept Travis’ extended congratulatory right hand.

As we walked the nearly 150 yards to where my buck lay, I thought of all the great Axis, fallow, whitetails bucks, as well as blackbuck antelope and other exotics species I had seen during our hunt. Before we reached my axis stag, I was already coming up with various reasons why I needed to return to the Lazy CK Ranch…