"Persistence Pays Off: My Challenging East Texas Whitetail Hunt"
Hunting whitetail in East Texas during the warm, acorn-heavy season is no walk in the park. Acorns, being a preferred food source, keep the bucks well-fed and slow-moving, making them hard to spot. This season, I spent over a dozen mornings and evenings in the stand, waiting for the right opportunity. Early on, I had a shot—but missed.
Frustratingly, I later confirmed my rifle was shooting 7 inches to the right at 325 yards.
Fast forward to late afternoon. I saw a mature 10-point buck chasing a doe down the hill, moving fast. In a split-second decision, I grunted—more like yelled—to stop him. He slowed just enough for me to aim, but as I squeezed the trigger, he took another stride. The shot hit him further back than I’d planned, about 12 inches off the mark.
The buck bolted toward the woods and a low fence. I climbed down the ladder and made the 330-yard trek to inspect. Luckily, I found a solid blood trail—my 7mm had hit him hard. Still, tracking him through thick woods wasn’t something I wanted to tackle alone. I called in Bruce, Andrew, and Caleb for backup.
An hour later, with their help, we found him—a stunning 9-point buck that tested my patience, skill, and determination. It wasn’t the cleanest hunt, but the reward was worth every moment of effort.
East Texas hunting may be tough when the acorns are dropping, but perseverance—and a good hunting crew—makes all the difference.
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