As Hurricane Dennis bore down on Southern Florida and the Keys, Tracy took this great Axis Buck from the Brady Ranch.
The buck will score in the high 120's making the Record Book of Exotics and a silver medal in Safari Club International book!
Final Two!
We were picked up from the airport and driven the 45 minutes or so to the ranch. We were met at the lodge by Wayne and the crew. Jessica was there already waiting to get hunting.
I assure you Deer hunting in hot weather is foreign to me. Of course the landscape in Florida is foreign as well. I felt like I was in a different country as we drove over to The Brady Ranch, just east of Lake Okeechobee. I wasn't used to forests made up of cabbage palms, palmettos and lobblolly pine trees. There was standing water everywhere and not a hill to be seen for miles. Trucking out of West Palm we noticed an alligator dead on the road, we weren't in Virginia anymore.
Weather was on everyone's mind when we arrived at the Brady Ranch. Hurricane Dennis was crossing Cuba threatening the Gulf of Mexico and Florida was right in the path. We had to hurry.
The Brady Ranch and head guide Danny SantAngelo want you to feel like you're on Safari. As you enter the property you actually begin to believe that you are in Africa. There is a herd of water buffalo on the 3 square miles of the ranch, along with 8000 Axis deer. Herds of Fallow deer along with Sika's and Barasinghas and the rarest of all deer, the Pere David from China. Black Buck antelope, and oryx as well as red deer, various goats and sheep round out the herds.
I must admit that I had reservations about the wildness of the deer on the place. Those reservations were quickly erased when I heard the famous Axis "bark" and witnessed a nervous jittery herd go barrelling across the Florida landscape to completely disappear into the cabbage palms. These Axis deer ain't easy.
However once on stand, it was just a matter of time before a herd of probably 70 animals began moving across half a mile of wide open plain. My "Judge" this time was Dwight Evans, Environmental VP for Southern Company. He is an extremely intelligent, and fun man to be around. Dwight has loads of experience in this type of hunting. My guide, Ken, has worked the ranch for several years and knew these deer and their habits. Not to mention he had lots of great stories. Our camerman was Randy "the sloth". Randy is a cool younger guy, who just doesn't get excited.
Imagine all four of us twelve feet off the ground in a single blind. Imagine that the Axis deer didn't seem to care that we were even there! After only a couple of hours on stand we heard a shot, then a second. Jessica had scored. The pressure was really on now!
The herd of about seventy animals crossed a half mile of open plain only to slow down about 400 yards away. They were angling toward us on a sandy berm above a canal. With our optics we could see a couple of good bucks in the group. I was the first to spot these animals as they angled across the field toward us, they would cross the wind at about 300 yards, but because of the impending hurricane the wind was blowing about 30 miles per hour and thankfully they didn't act like they smelled us. Suddenly I heard the camera whir to life.
Ken and I shuffled around and got Randy in a good position to look over my right shoulder with the video camera. Ken talked me through picking a good buck. I was ready to shoot as the first buck dropped his head and moved into the palms. We spotted a second good buck and Ken, myself and Randy knew instantly that he was the one. Ken pointed out that he had a broken tine, but I liked the character of the rack. When the deer was finally away from the dozen does that were milling around, Ken barked. The deer stood like a show pony. head up, back straight staring us down. Luckily I had the .280 Remington on his shoulder already. I took a couple of breathes and squeezed. The deer dropped like a rock.
We slowly and carefully walked the 240 yards to the downed buck. He had gone down instantly from a solid hit. He never knew what hit him. When he lurched forward he went into knee deep water. All we could see was his rear and one antler above the water surface. We did our re-stages, and carried on some conversation for the camera. Then loaded the deer up. We waited out in the field until all the hunters had gotten a buck. 5 bucks in five hours. After supper, The Judges and camera guys were doing interviews and Jessica and I were sitting on the porch talking. That's when I told her that I felt like she was going to win and get the trip to Chama.
The next morning as the bands of hurricane Dennis whipped the ranch, The interviews were completed and the decision was made. Who would get to make the last trip of the season. to the Lodge at Chama to elk hunt with Wayne Pearson, as the "Ultimate Outdoorsman 2005".
Tune in to ESPN 2 on September 24 and 25th to see the final outcome!
Sat and Sun,
Sept 17 and 18th.
