For me it was a little bit of all three in my quest for a south Texas giant whitetail I called The Ghost.

 

The day before bow season started I sat in a deer blind over looking a cactus patch. Numerous doves circled around flying gracefully through the Texas sky and the whitetail does began to trickle out from the thick mesquite brush.

 

As the orange sunset began to fall below the horizon line, I looked to my left and saw the ghost buck from trail cameras. There is nothing else then seeing the whitetail buck of your dreams to get your heart rate soaring way above average so hard you can hear it beating.

 

That night I couldn't sleep, the anticipation of getting in the bow blind was too overwhelming. Finally the alarm went off and I was in the bow blind.

 

Hours went by and deer movement was minimal. It was like that for the rest off the season. Countless outings, countless trail cameras, and still no sign of ghost. It's as if he vanished just like a ghost would.

 

Seeing the seasons change from a blind is quite special, you see the way Mother Nature works and learn to appreciate all that goes into help growing mature animals. From bright healthy green grass to dry brown twigs in December. It's all vital in Texas.

 

On January 1st 2012 at noon is decided to head to the stand. The weather was perfect slight winds, low chill and clear skies. Everyone thought hunting that early never works, but my thoughts were if axis and black buck move all day why not whitetai deer.

 

At 2 pm right behind the feeder out came The Ghost. For a moment I thought I was in heaven. Never had I seen a deer so massive in body size. When I saw him he saw me and the starring contest was on. It felt like days as we glared into each other's eyes but finally he put his head down to feed. I cautiously grabbed my .300 ultra mag and slowly eased it out the window. I couldn't control my breathing I couldn't control my thoughts. I finally focused the cross airs on the shoulder of the Texas giant and squeezed off the shot... 

 

That next moment is indescribable. Looking through the scope and seeing The Ghost laying in it was heart felt. I was extremely happy about taking the biggest deer of my hunting career but also saddened due to the fact that the chase was over. Running over to ghost in a dramatic fashion just to get my hands Gods creation was a feeling I'll never forget.

 

The Ghost scored 161 bc with an inside spread of 14 inches. You can only imagine the mass and tine length this low fence buck had. For me hunting is about the memories being made and a break from the real world. I could care less if I ever shot another animal for the rest of time yet if I'm blessed to see these majestic animals in their natural habitat striving on with conservation efforts that would be enough for me. It's a passion not an obsession.

 

Leo Ybanez