by Jess Mowery
A few years ago, I wrote about my wife, Stephanie, and a successful axis deer hunt with Perennial Outfitting. This summer, it was my turn to join Perennial manager and head guide, Jordan Scambray, to chase a trophy axis buck during the rut. In the two years since Stephanie harvested her buck, I have endured significant ridicule from family and friends. Comments have been plentiful on the superiority of her buck over all other trophies in the house. My goal was to save face with a respectable buck while not so big as to take any spotlight away from my bride. That’s a delicate balance, but, “happy wife, happy life” is a mindset I try to maintain.
Perennial Outfitting hunts very large, low fenced ranches in west and southwest Texas. Drawing on previous experience, I knew the chance of a longer shot opportunity existed. The hills, canyons and draws which characterize this rugged part of the state create effective vantage points for spotting wildlife though closing the gap to ethical hunting distance can be a challenge.
To prepare for extended shots, I purchased a 4-16 power scope with MOA holdover reticle and mounted it on a .300 WSM. The rifle is one I’ve had over 20 years. I replaced the factory synthetic stock with an aftermarket laminate. It’s heavy, especially with the addition of a suppressor, but, is boringly accurate with factory ammunition. The best aspect of the rifle is the bolt is on the left side, which, for me, is the correct side. I scheduled plenty of range time, zeroed at 200 yards, and began walking out the distance. A ballistic app made easy work of establishing holdovers at 300, 400 and 500 yards. I practiced from a bench, prone, with shooting sticks and off a backpack. About two weeks before the hunt I made 5 consecutive 500-yard hits on a steel target and declared myself ready.
My hunt began on Sunday afternoon, June 29, 2025, south of Rocksprings along the West Nueces River. The river doesn’t flow here, but, is dotted with small pools of water from occasional rainfall. As mentioned in previous accounts of the area, every bend in the river looks like a setting for a western movie. The canyon walls and steep draws along the dry riverbed conjure images of Captain Call and Gus fighting off a band of raiding Comanche warriors. Imagine an area that is rugged, cruel and beautiful at the same time. I’m drawn to the area because it is so different from my home in the pineywoods.
Jordan and I made a two mile hike the first evening to a high bluff over the river. It was hot, high 90’s, with a stiff wind gusting over 20mph. A small herd of aoudad ewe fed below us and multiple whitetail crossed the riverbed. Axis deer activity was limited except for two unaccompanied doe crossing a small meadow. At dusk, we heard a buck roar upriver. It was the start of a three day hunt and I wasn’t disappointed. Nobody really wants to tag out on the first sit.
That evening, while enjoying delicious venison burgers and skillet potatoes, Jordan told me his plan to hunt a neighboring ranch the next day. This ranch is small by Perennial standards at only 3500 acres, however, it makes up for the lack of size by way of significant habitat enhancement efforts. The landowner has taken great care to remove invasive juniper (cedar to most of us), thereby allowing native grasses and plants to thrive. The increase in grass production is a magnet to grazing wildlife, particularly axis deer. Jordan described several bucks he had seen during a recent scout with unofficial names like “high and tight”, “long beams” and “old stud”. With a belly full of burger and a head full of big buck dreams, I headed off to sleep.
The next morning I beat the 5:00 alarm, dressed at 4:48 and coffee down by 5:15. We made the short drive to the property as light was barely breaking in the east. The morning was cloudy and humid, more like home in Tyler. A decent breeze persisted, however, and there were no east Texas mosquitoes. It wasn’t a crisp, fall morning in the whitetail woods yet it felt like excitement was looming.
I followed Jordan up a ridge about half of a mile. We settled on a flat rock opening overlooking a wide, shallow draw. A ridge of similar height ran the opposite side, turning the draw into more of a grassy bowl. As daylight increased, the draw came alive with activity. We began to spot whitetail and axis in several openings. Then, the roaring started!
A pair of axis bucks traded roars from opposite ends of the draw, east to west. After a couple of exchanges, a third buck roared in between the first two. This buck sounded different—raspy, authoritative and perhaps a bit frustrated. Eyebrows raised, Jordan looked at me and confidently stated “that’s the one we’re going after!”
We spotted the buck at 515 yards through Jordan’s rangefinder. He was in the draw, directly south, aggressively raking a tree. He was a big, mature buck, as big and old as he sounded, and in seconds we were planning a stalk. After giving a second tree a thorough thrashing, the buck began to slowly make his way east, occasionally stopping to feed. We chose the tallest live oak in the immediate area as a landmark for a potential shot opportunity. Halfway to the live oak, we stopped to discard non-essential items. I left my pack, as did Jordan, along with his spotting scope, keeping only a pair of shooting sticks in hand. I chambered a round, secured the safety and we took off again.
Reaching the live oak, we glassed every opening from southwest to southeast. Based on time and the buck’s rate of travel, he should have been near. Suddenly, the familiar, raspy roar sounded, only it was due east of us this time and still several hundred yards away. With the wind now completely at our advantage, we picked up the pace while utilizing small trees and brush as cover. We rounded a small oak about two hundred yards later and a long, kidney shaped opening emerged. At the far end, the buck was vigorously raking a small yaupon. “144 yards,” said Jordan as he quietly lowered his binoculars and unfolded the shooting sticks.
I moved forward to ease my rifle onto the shooting sticks. Jordan was in the way. I pushed against him with my shoulder and hip. “What are you doing?” he said. “I’m left-handed, dummy! Move over!” I snorted. As I took a solid rest, Jordan whispered he would stop the buck once it began to walk away from the sapling which was currently enduring considerable injury. I slid the safety off and waited. Seconds later, the buck stopped raking, turned 180 degrees and took several steps. “Hey,” Jordan yelled. At that, the buck paused, perfectly presenting his near shoulder. I gave a good squeeze and watched through the scope as the buck absorbed impact. Gosh, I love suppressed rifles! With only his back legs, the buck made a short run and it was over. We found him 30 yards from where he had been hit.
In hand, the buck was absolutely the definition of an “old stud”. His beams, while still impressive, were likely longer in previous years. His fronts didn’t have exact symmetry and the right tip was broken. In addition, his body and face had multiple scars—evidence of years of defending his reproductive rights. He was exactly the type of mature, character-rich animal I wanted to harvest. As for comparison to Stephanie’s buck, let’s call it a tie. My buck has longer main beams while hers boasts longer front tines and better symmetry. They will make a handsome pair once my mount is complete.
While snapping a few photos, I explained to Jordan that he would have more successful clients if he would remember to move out of the way when it was time to take a shot. “I didn’t know what in the world you were doing when you started pushing me,” Jordan laughed. “You did pretty good for a guy who shoots from the wrong side!”
