The Holy Grail of South Texas

Pat C. Beaird

Pat inlineThe Holy Grail of South Texas

I will always remember my hunt, the day a life-long dream finally came true; I was successful in the taking of a native South Texas whitetail with over 200 inches of antler!  I have long considered our native south Texas whitetail to be the most handsome and stately of all the whitetail sub-species, and Rancho Encantado is heaven on earth for these great animals!

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have hunted Rancho Encantado for the last 20 years, with 2012 being my 20th season.  How fitting it was that my good friend Jack Brittingham was with me at the moment of truth when a true south Texas monster stepped into the sendero.  As this massive buck stepped out, Jack did a great job of calming me down and a few seconds later, the report of the .300 WSM was solid and clear as the buck bolted into the thick brush to our right.

While I was dying for a closer look at what we had, both Jack and I wanted to wait for good friend and ranch manager Cade Green to pick us up so he could be there for the walk up.  It was a joyful moment when the three of us approached this south Texas giant.  This great buck had just over 40 inches of mass with a gross score of 207.  His 12 point typical frame was surprisingly symmetrical and this great non-typical buck net scored just over 200!