Not sure I have the writing skills to do this trip justice, but I will try. My guess is I will use too many words and not enough pics! I gotta figure out how to get the pics to the right place in the post.
Three generations of 12th Man Ags (me, my son, and my dad) headed out on Thursday and made our way to Laredo. Couldn't meet DVM97 until Friday AM, so it was a easy travel day. Didn't know anything about Laredo, but picked Danny's via the dartboard and had a great dinner.
This picture was used previously for the airport connection and I'll concede it was pretty accurate.
?noredirect
I was looking for a lifted Ferrari SUV, and all we got was a Ford F-150. But, it had a Boost, so I knew it was TexAgs approved.
Mrs. 12th Man Ag was not thrilled with this trip, but suffered in silence. I think my trips to Matamoros in college were more eventful than this crossing. DVM97 knew all the border agents and their favorite perfumes. He gave them flowers and sweet talked our way through each checkpoint. Breakfast was "gringo safe" street tacos.
The plan was to get out to the ranch early enough for a late morning hunt, but my boy was a little apprehensive of shooting a gun he didn't know without some practice. So, we spent the morning exploring the beautiful ranch and settling nerves.
I'll just leave this part here. Someone may have doubted my boy's skills. He was given a chance at a shot we weren't sure he could make. Promises were made. Boy NAILED it! We knew he was ready to hunt.
A quick trip back to camp and everyone geared up for the evening hunt. This is where VoreMoar12 stepped in. He had been scouting for days finding the perfect deer for my son. Put in hours making this a hunt of a lifetime (so far) for my son. The three of us headed out and my son sat with VoreMoar12 on top of his rig and I was in a stand next to them. We got to the stand around 4:00, which they told us was probably a little early for "our" deer, but we went anyway and enjoyed our time in the stand.
Around 5:00, I see excited hand gestures from the stand next to me from VoreMoar12 and "our" deer had stepped into the road and it was time for action. This would turn out to be my son's first whitetail and DVM97 and VoreMoar12 crushed the prep to get my son set up for success. He took it from there and BOOM, deer down where it stood. Lots of adrenaline was flowing and lots of pics ensued. Perfect start to an amazing trip!
Others have talked about the food. It did not disappoint! Lots of debates about tortillas, tortilla chips, and the proper way to season and cook fajitas, but ultimately the meal spoke for itself. Craziest part about dinner is that I had DVM97's first name and phone number and that is how we were communicating. As I am updating names in my phone, I ask VoreMoar12 what DVM97's last name is. Then it hits me. We are the same class at A&M, I put his first and last name together, and remember his brother's name. We were Fish Camp Counselors together back in 1992. Small world and the Aggie Network strike again!
Up at 5 on Saturday morning and 12th Man Ag was on the clock to find and drop Fat Albert. Hit the stand around 6:15. Fat Albert walks out at 6:35.
VoreMoar12: Take him!
12th Man Ag: Dude, I can even see him!
VoreMoar12: Trust Leupold
12th Man Ag: BOOM, heart shot. Deer down
For anyone that wants to question VoreMoar12's scope recs. Pound sand! Really enjoyed getting to know VoreMoar12 and his passion for hunting, service, and father/son hunts. Spending time in God's great outdoors is a bonding experience for dads and sons like no other.
So, we have been in camp less than 24 hours and both my son and me have our deer and we are both thrilled. What's next? Let's watch the Aggies Beat the Hell Outta Auburn! Mission accomplished!
In the afternoon, VoreMoar12 goes out in search of his elusive Muy Grande after absolutely killing it for my son and me. It is time for him to get a reward. For some reason, DVM97 believes giving my son and me the truck, a gun, and a map to the south end of the ranch is a good idea. We are told to kill culls and pigs. Well, I couldn't tell a cull from a trophy, so we see a few small, horny 8's, but I'm not confident enough to pull the trigger. My checkbook is empty. As the suns starts to disappear, one of the 30 javelinas that has been chowing on our corn is left. I tell my son to take him and let's head home. BOOM, javelina down. I think we are done, but at the shot, 2 more hippos (I called them pigs at first and learned later they are actually related to the hippopotamus) came into the road. I grabbed the gun and fired. Looked like a miss and they scooted into the woods. Decided to go check, just in case. Found the contents of his stomach in the middle of the road. Guess it was a hit. Tracked him 15 yards into the brush and was ready to give up when we hit a pile of cactus. My son decided he could go further. Ran around the other side and 10 yards further in, found the javelina laying under a tree with his guts hanging out. DVM97 didn't trust us with more than 2 bullets so we were empty. After thinking we could kill him with a rock to the head, we remembered they were also dumb enough to leave us with a shotgun. One headshot later, we were headed back to camp.
Another great dinner of prime steaks and baked potatoes that got eaten so fast, there were no pics!
Sunday is back to Texas day, but DVM97 and VoreMoar12 say, why don't we do a quick sit until 8 and then head out. Who are we to say no? They are our ride after all.
Hit the stand at 6:15. One buck walks about around 6:45. A little more light for an ID and it is confirmed. Cull buck. Shoot it. Of course, my son is feeling sick and has left the stand to barf. He is feeling better and starts climbing back up. I have the gun hanging out the window and half way up, BOOM. Cull down. Almost scared my son off the ladder. Whew!
Load him up and head back to camp to load up and rejoin Texas. But wait. We have one more adventure. We corned a road coming out, hoping to attract pigs. Heading down the road and there they are. But, who else has joined? Stupid cows. We get an angle on one and DVM97 throws my 6'4" son out the door with the rifle and tells him to rest on the open window and take that pig. As what can only be described as a baby giraffe trying to bend down and drink from a pond, my son tries to line up the pig at 50 yards. BOOM. Over the top. Oh well, it has still been a great......WAIT. Pigs are stupid. Another walks into the road at 125 yards. Repeat process again. Son is sharp. Adjusts and BOOM. Pig down. Load 'em up and back to camp. Turn everything over to the awesome Cowboy that processed every single animal like an artist and start packing the truck.
Getting back into the US is a breeze and I think we gave the border official a chuckle when all three of our passports were the same name. A THREE generation trip was PERFECT.
I hope this super long and confusing post conveyed how absolutely blown away we were on this trip. We WILL be back. DVM97 and VoreMoar12 were interested in us first and their deer second. And trust me when I say, their deer were hard to ignore. Great fellowship, great stories, and great hunting. God's creation is breathtaking and the opportunity to partake of it was priceless. My family was tremendously blessed by this trip and the great hospitality of some terrific Aggies!
When these guys offer to take you on a hunt. DO NOT SAY NO. You will not be disappointed.
Hunt Mexico!
Three generations of 12th Man Ags (me, my son, and my dad) headed out on Thursday and made our way to Laredo. Couldn't meet DVM97 until Friday AM, so it was a easy travel day. Didn't know anything about Laredo, but picked Danny's via the dartboard and had a great dinner.
This picture was used previously for the airport connection and I'll concede it was pretty accurate.
?noredirectI was looking for a lifted Ferrari SUV, and all we got was a Ford F-150. But, it had a Boost, so I knew it was TexAgs approved.
Mrs. 12th Man Ag was not thrilled with this trip, but suffered in silence. I think my trips to Matamoros in college were more eventful than this crossing. DVM97 knew all the border agents and their favorite perfumes. He gave them flowers and sweet talked our way through each checkpoint. Breakfast was "gringo safe" street tacos.
The plan was to get out to the ranch early enough for a late morning hunt, but my boy was a little apprehensive of shooting a gun he didn't know without some practice. So, we spent the morning exploring the beautiful ranch and settling nerves.
I'll just leave this part here. Someone may have doubted my boy's skills. He was given a chance at a shot we weren't sure he could make. Promises were made. Boy NAILED it! We knew he was ready to hunt.
A quick trip back to camp and everyone geared up for the evening hunt. This is where VoreMoar12 stepped in. He had been scouting for days finding the perfect deer for my son. Put in hours making this a hunt of a lifetime (so far) for my son. The three of us headed out and my son sat with VoreMoar12 on top of his rig and I was in a stand next to them. We got to the stand around 4:00, which they told us was probably a little early for "our" deer, but we went anyway and enjoyed our time in the stand.
Around 5:00, I see excited hand gestures from the stand next to me from VoreMoar12 and "our" deer had stepped into the road and it was time for action. This would turn out to be my son's first whitetail and DVM97 and VoreMoar12 crushed the prep to get my son set up for success. He took it from there and BOOM, deer down where it stood. Lots of adrenaline was flowing and lots of pics ensued. Perfect start to an amazing trip!
Others have talked about the food. It did not disappoint! Lots of debates about tortillas, tortilla chips, and the proper way to season and cook fajitas, but ultimately the meal spoke for itself. Craziest part about dinner is that I had DVM97's first name and phone number and that is how we were communicating. As I am updating names in my phone, I ask VoreMoar12 what DVM97's last name is. Then it hits me. We are the same class at A&M, I put his first and last name together, and remember his brother's name. We were Fish Camp Counselors together back in 1992. Small world and the Aggie Network strike again!
Up at 5 on Saturday morning and 12th Man Ag was on the clock to find and drop Fat Albert. Hit the stand around 6:15. Fat Albert walks out at 6:35.
VoreMoar12: Take him!
12th Man Ag: Dude, I can even see him!
VoreMoar12: Trust Leupold
12th Man Ag: BOOM, heart shot. Deer down
For anyone that wants to question VoreMoar12's scope recs. Pound sand! Really enjoyed getting to know VoreMoar12 and his passion for hunting, service, and father/son hunts. Spending time in God's great outdoors is a bonding experience for dads and sons like no other.
So, we have been in camp less than 24 hours and both my son and me have our deer and we are both thrilled. What's next? Let's watch the Aggies Beat the Hell Outta Auburn! Mission accomplished!
In the afternoon, VoreMoar12 goes out in search of his elusive Muy Grande after absolutely killing it for my son and me. It is time for him to get a reward. For some reason, DVM97 believes giving my son and me the truck, a gun, and a map to the south end of the ranch is a good idea. We are told to kill culls and pigs. Well, I couldn't tell a cull from a trophy, so we see a few small, horny 8's, but I'm not confident enough to pull the trigger. My checkbook is empty. As the suns starts to disappear, one of the 30 javelinas that has been chowing on our corn is left. I tell my son to take him and let's head home. BOOM, javelina down. I think we are done, but at the shot, 2 more hippos (I called them pigs at first and learned later they are actually related to the hippopotamus) came into the road. I grabbed the gun and fired. Looked like a miss and they scooted into the woods. Decided to go check, just in case. Found the contents of his stomach in the middle of the road. Guess it was a hit. Tracked him 15 yards into the brush and was ready to give up when we hit a pile of cactus. My son decided he could go further. Ran around the other side and 10 yards further in, found the javelina laying under a tree with his guts hanging out. DVM97 didn't trust us with more than 2 bullets so we were empty. After thinking we could kill him with a rock to the head, we remembered they were also dumb enough to leave us with a shotgun. One headshot later, we were headed back to camp.
Another great dinner of prime steaks and baked potatoes that got eaten so fast, there were no pics!
Sunday is back to Texas day, but DVM97 and VoreMoar12 say, why don't we do a quick sit until 8 and then head out. Who are we to say no? They are our ride after all.
Hit the stand at 6:15. One buck walks about around 6:45. A little more light for an ID and it is confirmed. Cull buck. Shoot it. Of course, my son is feeling sick and has left the stand to barf. He is feeling better and starts climbing back up. I have the gun hanging out the window and half way up, BOOM. Cull down. Almost scared my son off the ladder. Whew!
Load him up and head back to camp to load up and rejoin Texas. But wait. We have one more adventure. We corned a road coming out, hoping to attract pigs. Heading down the road and there they are. But, who else has joined? Stupid cows. We get an angle on one and DVM97 throws my 6'4" son out the door with the rifle and tells him to rest on the open window and take that pig. As what can only be described as a baby giraffe trying to bend down and drink from a pond, my son tries to line up the pig at 50 yards. BOOM. Over the top. Oh well, it has still been a great......WAIT. Pigs are stupid. Another walks into the road at 125 yards. Repeat process again. Son is sharp. Adjusts and BOOM. Pig down. Load 'em up and back to camp. Turn everything over to the awesome Cowboy that processed every single animal like an artist and start packing the truck.
Getting back into the US is a breeze and I think we gave the border official a chuckle when all three of our passports were the same name. A THREE generation trip was PERFECT.
I hope this super long and confusing post conveyed how absolutely blown away we were on this trip. We WILL be back. DVM97 and VoreMoar12 were interested in us first and their deer second. And trust me when I say, their deer were hard to ignore. Great fellowship, great stories, and great hunting. God's creation is breathtaking and the opportunity to partake of it was priceless. My family was tremendously blessed by this trip and the great hospitality of some terrific Aggies!
When these guys offer to take you on a hunt. DO NOT SAY NO. You will not be disappointed.
Hunt Mexico!