West Texas 2.0

December 7 - 11, 2016
El Paso, Texas

We've practiced shooting our rifles. We've field tested our gear. We've packed our clothes. We've studied the weather report. We've discussed the hunting strategy. This has been our story for the past twelve months. I came back from West Texas last year and immediately began planing my next trip. The desert mountains had found a place in my heart. We set out this year with a group of four hunters, Dylan, David, Doug and myself. Our trip took us over 1,000 miles to a mule deer camp outside of El Paso. We had intentions of hunting trophy mule deer bucks and exotic aoudad rams. I packed my video equipment to capture the experience. 


Day one started early, around 5 AM, and you could feel the anticipation in everyone's voice. The camp was filled with the smell of coffee and breakfast burritos. We loaded our rifles and gear then headed our into the desert mountains. The weather was perfect. The daytime high was in the low 50's while the overnight low was in the low 40's. We spotted several young bucks and does the first day. We must have spotted 40 animals. Unfortunately, no mature, shooter bucks. Exhausted, we sit down at the camp to one of Bossie's restaurant quality meals. 4AM rolls around and everyone wakes to the sound of 40 MPH winds and a temperature that had fallen into the low 20's. This would prove to be the most challenging day of hunting that we would experience. We hoped the colder temperatures would initiate some rut activity but the high winds kept the deer bedded most of the day. We saw very few animals while we struggled to stay warm. The concern was building as we closed Day 2 without a kill. 

The sun rose on Day 3 and it was cold. The wind was calm and the temperature had dropped. I went with David and Ken as we drove through the canyons in search of a shooter deer. At first light we spotted a good buck. We got set up on the deer but it was out of range before David could make a shot. Instantly we knew it was going to be a good day. Thirty minutes pass and we spot a deer named "El Burro" or The Donkey. He was named The Donkey because he was a very old deer that had a huge gut. His huge gut made him lethargic, much like a donkey. We spotted this buck at 130 yards. I put the cross hairs on his shoulder and squeezed the trigger. My Remmington model 700 rang out and my hand-loaded Berger VLDs found their mark. He didn't take one step. I dropped my first mule deer! 






Day 3 didn't end there. We drove to another part of the 65,000 acre property that was known to hold aoudad. Aoudad, formally known as Barbary Sheep, are native to the continent of Africa and are considered a nuisance in West Texas. It was now 11 AM and we had to make a decision - drive back to the camp and eat lunch of go after some rams that our guide had spotted at 1,000 yds. Of course, we decided to go after the rams. We drove as fast as we could through the desert to close the range and then the fireworks began. Dylan shot, I shot, I shot again and down went two aoudad. We spent the next few hours celebrating the hunt and hiking to retrieve the trophies.

The next day began as I drove to a wildlife check station to have my deer checked for Chronic Wasting Disease. This is a misfolded protein that infects deer's neural tissues and can wipe out an entire deer populations. There isn't much known about the disease but the wildlife biologists do know that it is not transmittable to humans. On my way to the check station, I get a call. Dylan has dropped his first buck. He shot him at 330 yards. I met him and we took both deer to the check station. We took the opportunity to follow an age-old tradition and put face paint on Dylan when we got back.  

Summer Time - Going from the Woods to the Water

June 27, 2016
Gulf Shores, Alabama


It's the time of the year when most sportsmen make their way from the woods to the water. I've enjoyed all types of summer-time fishing but nothing compares to fishing offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. 

The Gulf of Mexico waters that are located off the coast of Alabama are known as the world capital of red snapper fishing. Red snapper are one of the most popular fish to catch in the Gulf of Mexico. This is mostly due to the fact that they are so tasty. The current red snapper record in the state of Alabama was caught in 2002 and weighed 44 lbs 12 oz. I've never seen a snapper that weighed over 30 lbs and I can't imagine the endurance it would take to get a fish like that in the boat. Although, my brother was able to successfully land a 29 pounder in 2012. We all thought he was joking when he was struggling to keep the rod upright. It only took 15 minutes of intense fighting for everyone on the boat to realize that he had something huge on the line. This is still the largest red snapper that was caught on the Fairwater II docked at Zeke's Landing. 

This year was not unlike the years past. I was able to take a deep sea fishing trip out of Zeke's landing with my dad and my brothers, Joseph and Garrett. This was our first trip on the Class Act and we were excited to start reeling in the fish. We had motored out about 20 miles when we stopped at our first reef. Alabama has the largest artificial reef program in the United States that spans over 1,030 square miles. Needless to say, there are no shortages of good fishing spots off the coast of Alabama. Next, the captain squawked over the loudspeaker that we could start fishing. We dropped our cigar minnows and cut bait down through the water column towards the bottom-dwelling red snappers. Snapper are not only prized sport fish but a favorite target for sea predators like sharks. For this reason, the larger red snapper will be higher in the water column and the smaller fish will be deeper, taking more cover on the reef or structure. We caught our limit of snapper and headed to "trolling alley". Trolling alley is what the local fishermen call a series of submerged concrete pillars. These concrete pillars hold bait fish and provide a perfect ambush scenario for open water predatory fish. We had enough time to make 4 passes through trolling alley and were able to catch 2 king mackerel. We headed back to the dock with an ice chest full of fish. 

July 27, 2016
Emerald Isle, North Carolina

I was fortunate enough to take two deep sea fishing trips this summer. The second being a near-shore trip with Teezher Charters. I was excited to be able to fish in the Atlantic ocean for the first time. The day started early when Louis, Hunter, Parker and myself met Captain Bobby at the dock. We loaded the boat and headed out. 

We didn't make it past the marina when we stopped to catch bait. Captain Bobby threw the cast net net and tossed hundreds of finger mullet into the back of the boat. We picked 25 of the largest fish to use as bait and threw the rest back. We then ran down the intracoastal waterway and though the breakwater in route to the the first fishing spot. The first fishing spot was a submerged rock about 8 miles offshore. We were going to be fishing with light tackle for king mackerel. Light tackle fishing is a finesse form of fishing that allows the bait fish to have little to no resistance from the fishing tackle. This limited resistance allows the fish to swim freely and appear more natural. We set 4 lines, 3 baits on the surface and one bait at 20 ft. on the down rigger. We caught several small sharks on the down rigger before we hooked our fish king mackerel. The first king swiped the surface bait that was closest to the boat and began tearing line out of the reel. We fought the fish for a few minutes before we got him in the boat. We landed 2 ten-pound kingfish and headed back to the marina. This was more than enough meat to grill and feed all of the families that were on vacation. We grilled all of the fish that night and had fish tacos which ended up being one of the best meals we had all week. 

Science of Reloading

January 9, 2016
Baton Rouge, Louisiana & Beaumont, Texas

The science of reloading is as old as shooting itself. Reloading can be beneficial for several different reasons including increasing the precision of a cartridge while lowering the cost per round. 


I recently started loading my own ammunition in an effort to increase my long range precision. I've always been interested in long range shooting proficiency but it became a necessity after I booked my first West Texas mule deer hunt in the fall of 2015. The guide for my upcoming (2016) West Texas hunt prefers that the hunting party be comfortable and proficient at shooting up to 500 yards. At 500 yards, there are only a few factors that affect the trajectory of the bullet, mainly, bullet drop and wind speed. 


For the past 10 years, I have shot 130 grain Winchester Ballistic Silvertips out of my Remmingington model 700 .270 with great success. I took the last of my silvertips to the range today in order to get a baseline grouping. I wanted to have a factory-loaded group at 500 yards so that I could compare the results with the customer loaded ammunition. There was a decent left-to-right cross wind at the range today which pushed all of my shots off-center. The grouping measured 7" from the farthest points. I am hoping to get a grouping below 5" with my new custom ammo. 

My first cartridge that I chose to load was a 140 grain Berger Very Low Drag (VLD) hunting bullet loaded in .270 Remmington brass and Alliant reloader 17 powder. The Berger VLD bullet is a jacketed bullet whose design reduces the effect of wind drift by 27% at 500 yards over the silvertips. The 140 grain bullet has a longer length that allows for increased spin stability at longer distances. I was also able to increase my muzzle velocity by 50 fps while staying below the manufacturer's recommended maximum chamber pressure. The increases in long range bullet stability and muzzle velocity should provide for a much more potent hunting load for my hunting trip later this year. 

West Texas Whitetails

This year I had the privilege to go on a West Texas hunting trip. I was invited on the trip by my good friend and co-worker, David. He had a spot open up and I jumped at the opportunity. We set out with the intentions of hunting mule deer and aoudad for the first time. We had to change our plans midway through the hunt and I was able to kill a very nice West Texas whitetail and aoudad ewe. I used my new GoPro camera throughout the trip to make a short video of the hunt. I hope you enjoy!

December 4, 2015

Terlingua, Texas 

We started our trip hunting on a property near Terlingua, Texas for mule deer and aoudad. This was our first experience with Midwestern plains game. This is a very different style of hunting than your traditional whitetail hunting. Hunting Midwestern plains game means spending most of the day hiking and glassing for animals. December 4th started before dawn as we made our way to the 'Red Knob.' The Red Knob was the name of the mountain that we would be hunting the few days. We saw a few trophy aoudad ram early in the morning but we wanted to hold out for a trophy mule deer. We hiked and glassed all morning and put a stalk on a few mule deer but we never saw any quality deer. We were nearing the end of the morning hunt when we came up on our last herd of aoudad and the guide allowed me to shoot an ewe so he could have the meat. The shot ended up being 267 yards and I was very glad that I had spent time at the range before the hunt. Aoudad, also known as Barbary sheep, are native to the mountains of North Africa and have been introduced to West Texas. The alpha male in an aoudad herd will have a darker coat than the other and will have a mane that reaches down his neck. These animals are more aggressive than the native big horn sheep and are considered a nuisance for that reason.

December 6, 2015
Sonora, Texas

I was able change hunting properties midway through the hunt and go after a West Texas whitetail. I drove to Sonora, Texas to the Shurley Brother's Ranch which is a MLD level III property. A MLD permit is only issued to property owners that implement the most strict deer management practices. I was able to punch my tag on a huge West Texas whitetail my first afternoon. This deer was the most dominant buck in the area that I was hunting. Earlier in the afternoon he had fought a smaller 8-point running him out of the area. I knew the rut was in full swing when I shot my deer only because he was chasing a doe. I was able to see several mature bucks and doe during my short time at this ranch.

Thanks to Muley Mike and the West Texas Hunt Organization for a great hunt!

Goose Hunting in Maryland

November 28, 2014
Havre de Grace, Maryland

I recently got a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt Canadian geese in Maryland. I went to Baltimore to see my Fiancé’s family for Thanksgiving and my future father-in-law was kind enough to plan a goose hunt for us. So I packed my gear and brought it on the 1,450 mile trip to Maryland. The hunt started at 4 AM when we met up with Joey of Joey Jobes Gunning Decoys at his local shop and headed for the duck blind. It was a bitter cold morning, especially for a southern boy. It was about 27 degrees when we started setting out the decoys before dawn. We were hunting on a small pond that had not seen any goose hunters during the 2014 season. We huddled in the blind that was made out of short pine and cedar branches and waited on the first geese to make their way to our pond. 

The first wave of geese came through twenty minutes after daylight. The first wave was around 200 geese. The geese were coming from local farms where they were feeding throughout the night. Joey began to call the geese with various goose calls when we could tell the geese were contemplating landing in the pond. The first wave was easily fooled and attempted to land in the pond. We waited until the very last second before we all stood up and emptied our shotguns into the flock, dropping no geese. I'm not sure if we were not shooting accurately, jittery from excitement or distracted by the number of birds but there was a moment of silence after the flock left where everyone understood that we needed to shoot better. We had several flocks come in on the pond throughout the day and these flocks were much smaller averaging 3-4 birds. We had much better luck shooting the geese out of the smaller flocks. The 13 different hunters sharing our blind were able to kill 23 different geese that day. This was a very exciting hunt, one that I will never forget. 

We took several geese home and Joe prepared them for dinner the following night. The meat was excellent - not too tough and the flavor was not too strong. The meat was prepared two ways: one with orange juice and one with wine. The meat prepared with the orange juice was the group's favorite because it was the most tender. This was one of the most exciting hunt I've been on to date. Joe even got me a Canadian goose replica for a wedding gift. Thanks Joe!

Sight Fishing Redfish in South Texas

October 25, 2014 
Port Lavaca, Texas

It was a long trip down to Point Comfort. I was in Point Comfort to train at a local petrochemical plant and luckily, I had my best friend with me for the entire trip. We decided to find a local fishing charter because we heard that there was great fishing in the local bay. We found a guide through one of our plant contacts and booked the fishing trip. The guide’s name was Sonny and we met at the dock before sunrise. This is the first fishing trip that I had been on with Dylan. We started out early in the morning and I was able to snap a couple of pictures as the sun was rising. I thought it was very interesting that the bay was only 2-6 feet deep even though it was miles from one side to the other.

We started the morning by using corks and live shrimp to catch schooling trout. This is the first time that I had fished for trout so we made sure to get as much information from the guide as possible. The first fishing spot was a rock jetty reaching out into the bay. The guide informed us that when a school of trout is feeding that they continually regurgitate and eat the bait fish. So, we spotted an area along the rocks where there was an oily slick on top of the water indicating that the trout were feeding in the area. We popped our corks and landed our limit of trout by midmorning.

The guide then took us around the outskirts of the bay in hopes of catching some schooling redfish. We swapped out tackle to spinning reels with gold and silver spoons. We were in extremely shallow water and the guide was on the tower of the boat. We were sight casting the redfish when the guide would spot the fish from the tower. This was much more difficult than catching the trout. The guide caught one redfish which didn’t fit into the slot limit so we had to release him. We bounced around the rest of the morning trying to find schools of redfish. We caught several redfish but only one fit into the slot limit. By midafternoon our arms were sore from catching so many fish and we headed back to the dock. This was one of the best fishing trips I have ever been on.

Offshore Business

September 14, 2014 
Corpus Christi, Texas

Port Aransas 

There are perks to traveling for business. I was able schedule an offshore fishing trip with some of my new co-workers. I started a new job working for a chemical company in Texas shortly after I graduated from Auburn University. I started the chemical company in an entry-level training program with nine other chemical engineering graduates. We were split into groups to travel around to various oil refineries and petrochemical plants. I was traveling in Corpus Christi, Texas with Jeff and Christian when we got to do a little offshore team building. 

As with most fishing trips, we started for the dock before daylight. There was an 80% chance of rain and the sea conditions were expected to be 5-6 foot swells. This is usually the limit for when the chartered boats will stop the trip and stay at the dock. We took a ferry over to Aransas island where we bought our one day saltwater licenses and waited for the captain to load the boat. While we were waiting a monsoon type rainstorm started battering the dock. The wind was blowing the rain nearly horizontal. We passed around a few looks of possible regret but no one was ready to quit on the trip just yet. Thankfully, the rain subsided after about 20 minutes and we loaded the boat. After passing the break water, we knew we were in for a rough day of fishing by the size of the swells. We motored out for about 2½ hours until the brown, costal waters of South Texas turned into the deep blue that you would expect to see offshore. Even the foam on top of the breaking swells was blue. Most of the trip included dodging the 15 different sea sick passengers on the boat. Sea sickness is due to the conflicting information that your brain is receiving from the rocking of the boat and the still horizon. 

We started our day drift line fishing for king mackerel. We used light weights and baited our hooks with cigar minnows. We all fished from the same side of the boat and let out about 150 feet of line. This allowed the minnows to drift away from the boat and stay suspended in the water column. We hooked up with several bait fish and then the kings started piling in the boat. I landed a 3 foot king and then we moved spots and started bottom fishing for reef shark. I was the only person in our group to land a king but both Christian and Jeff brought reef sharks home. We finished the day with a 2 ½ hour nap on the way back to the dock. We got a couple of recipes from the deck hand on how to prepare the reef shark. He told us to fry the fillets and use salsa to make a reef shark quesadilla.

Thanks to Captain Kelly's Deep Sea Headquarters for a great fishing trip!