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McManus Camp - 2007
Reports On All Hunts
Photos Of Every Buck Taken
Note: Hunts Are Listed in Reverse Order With the Most Recent First.
Also Note: Just Click On A Photo To Enlarge It For More Info.
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| Beaver McManus |
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Having guided at the Home Camp way back in 1987-88, Beaver McManus has operated his own hunting camp under our Adobe Lodge banner ever since. McManus Camp whitetail hunters score 100% on trophy bucks almost every year.
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Hunt 5 December 13-16
When you're hot, you're hot. The McManus Camp has been on a roll all season long, and the final hunt of the year produced some of the best bucks of the year. Which puts to rest the notion that all the good bucks are taken on the early hunts. Wait till you see the photos below.
The hunters wasted no time either. Indeed, all four hunters in camp collected bucks the very first day of the hunt. Two in the morning; two in the evening. This seems to be a recurring pattern at the McManus Camp. Four-for-four on Day One, and one of the bucks had an 8 inch drop-tine. How could it get any better?
Here's how. Beaver was offering second-bucks, and darned if the second-best buck of the season wasn't taken. Being "second-best" doesn't quite fit here, because the # 1 buck taken a week ago just happens to be the best we've ever taken. In fact, this # 2 buck is the second-largest buck ever taken at the McManus Camp since its initial hunt back in 1989. He's a butter-melter if there ever was one.
In camp was a party of two from PA and a party of two from Louisana. The Pennsylvania pair, Darl Hospelhorn and Ed Miller, live right next door to each other in Waynesboro. They had hunted the McManus Camp previously, and have already booked back for '08 and '09. The Louisana hunters, Brian Cespiva and David Ducote live in Pineville. The only bad deal about the whole hunt was David's stomach problems. He just didn't feel right the whole time, and doggone the luck anyway. We hope he's better by now. It's no fun being sick while on a hunting trip.
It was Darl who collected the drop-tine buck. Actually, it might be better described as a "side-tine". The thing was 8 1/4 inches long, and stuck straight out off the right antler just above the base. Remarkably, the buck weighed 188 lbs. No telling what he would have weighed back around the first of November.
And it was Ed Miller who collected that second-largest buck after taking a darn nice first buck. We are learning that hunters do, indeed, read this website. It seems that Bro. Ed had read our account of Justin Carissio taking that buck of his with a .30-.30. Ed just happened to own a gun of that caliber that had belonged to his dad. He thought it would be appropriate to bring that heirloom down to Texas. So that's what he did, and look what happened. Who could have predicted that the two largest bucks of the year at the McManus Camp in 2007 would be taken with the old standby caliber? Good grief. This might start a trend of some kind.
A quick summary for Hunt # 5: four hunters, five bucks.
For the 2007 season and for the umpteenth time: 100% success on bucks at the McManus Camp. Way to go Beaver. Way to go hunters. It was one heck of a year, and we can't wait to see what the 2008 season will bring.
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| Arriving in camp after dark. |
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| Hunt 5 - two from LA, two from PA |
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| I'm Beaver, and I'll be your server tonight. |
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| Chicken-fried steak and gravy - a West Texas traditional meal. |
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| 16" 10 pt. with a "side-tine" |
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| 17 1/2" 8 pt. |
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| A better look at that eye guard. |
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| 14 3/4" 9 pt. |
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| 18 1/2" 9 pt. |
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| 19 1/2" 12 pt. |
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| A better look at all those points. |
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| A neighbor's buck. |
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Hunt 4 December 6-9
When a hunt produces the largest buck ever taken by an Adobe Lodge hunter, you have to call it a good one. But there's more. This largest-ever buck was one of two seventeen-point bucks taken. Holy smokes ! We'll never top this - or will we someday? Such anticipation is what keeps deer hunters forever on edge and out in the woods doing their thing. On any given hunt, something spectacular just might show up anytime as it did for Justin Carissio.
We have posted a full account of Justin's feat under "Latest News" and there is nothing to be added here. We'll save the details of Justin's gun to be added with one of the photos below. Be sure, as always, to click on any photo to enlarge it and to see more information.
The other seventeen-point buck was taken by Frank Harris. Actually, this was Frank's second buck, and who could pass up the opportunity on such a trophy? Beaver McManus had offered second bucks if any dandies happened by. Alan McKeithen took a second buck, as well, and he, too, was a good one. Check'em out below.
This group of four hunters have hunted the McManus Camp for the past several years now, and they have this date reserved forever. In addition to Justin, who hails from Wilmington, DE and Alan, a transplanted Mississippi "good-old-boy" now living in California, and Frank who comes from Millersburg, Pennsylvania, the fourth hunter is Conrad Miller, appropriately living in Millersburg, PA, as well. Hmmm - wonder if the town was named after him? Doesn't matter. They are a party of one, a party of one, and a party of two. All have become fast friends who meet in Texas at the McManus Camp for their annual get-together. This, after all, is what a good hunt should be about. Forming new and lasting friendships is an important by-product of Adobe Lodge-style hunting. May it ever be thus. Collecting a good buck is just icing on the cake.
So the four hunters took six bucks and several does, the exact number of which failed to get recorded in the excitement over the pair of seventeen-pointers. Understandable and forgivable.
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| Hunt 4 - one from CA, two from PA, one from DE |
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| Did they find that missing buck? |
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| Yep, they found him. And what a buck he is. |
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| The debriefing session. |
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| 20 1/4" 18 pt Largest-ever Adobe Lodge buck. |
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| Another view of Justin's buck. |
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| 16 1/4" 10 pt. |
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| 17 1/2" 17 point |
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| 16 1/2" 10 pt. |
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| 16 1/4" 10 pt. |
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| 18 3/4" 10 pt. |
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Hunt 3 Nov. 29 - Dec. 2
When three-fourths of the hunters collect bucks on the very first morning of a hunt, you can bet it was a good'un.
In camp was a pair of old friends from New Jersey - John Hubschmidt (Bridgeton) and Ellsworth Harris (Elmer). John hunts the McManus Camp every year, but all the rest were first timers. The other two hunters were Pennsylvanians Pete Walawender (Aston) and Lou Damico (Coatesville). All but John collected their bucks shortly after daylight on the first day.
John, having been here so many times and knowing the drill quite well now, held off. He was, as he is every year, looking for a super-duper buck. All the others found something they liked on that busy first morning. Except for Pete who allowed as how he'd shot the wrong buck. He'd been watching a pair of them. They got behind some brush. One came out and Pete drilled him, only to discover he had taken the smaller of the two. So later in the hunt, Pete took a second buck and from the looks of the photo below, you'll see he "done'er up right" the second go-round.
John finally did take a buck late in the hunt, but chances are, he passed up bucks earlier that were better. But hey guys, that's hunting.
Your challenge hunting any Adobe Lodge camp is to find the answer to a simple question: When am I looking at the best buck I'll see while I'm here?
The weather was perfect on Day One of the hunt, was windy on Day Two, and was getting better on Day Three. It was just t-shirt weather at daylight on the final morning. We had a frost earlier in the week, but most of the leaves on the mesquite trees were almost gone anyway. This makes for better visability and that's always a plus in hunting whitetails.
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| Hunt # 3: two from PA; two from NJ |
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| 17" 10 pt. |
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| 17" 10 pt. |
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| 15" 8 pt. |
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| 18 3/4" 10 pt. |
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| 15" 9 pt. |
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| Photography with a cell phone. |
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| Wrapping meat |
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| Beaver McManus |
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| NLK - Neighbor Lady Kim |
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| Mario Rangel - the skinner |
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Hunt 2 November 15-18
The second hunt of the 2007 season at the McManus Camp didn't take long to pull off. All four hunters in camp collected their bucks on the very first day - two in the morning and two that afternoon.
Three of the hunters had hunted with Beaver previously. They were Alan Fenton, Aston, PA and a father/son pair Tom and Tony Scheivert. Tom lives in Aston and Tony lives in Thorndale. The fourth member of the group, an Iraq war veteran, was Bill Fabuien from Parkside, PA.
For sure, they didn't have any trouble in finding bucks. Indeed, that's about all they saw that first day. And plenty of good ones, too. Just check out the photos below. Tom said he saw three 10 pointers AFTER he shot his buck. He reported seeing 20-25 deer that exciting day with only two-three of them being does. Bill saw 20 bucks and five does with five of the bucks being eights and he also spotted a nine-pointer. Tony saw thirty deer with about half being of each sex.
So as the dry weather tightens its grip around the neck of poor West Texas, these corn feeders are magnets for deer and it looks now as if the bucks are dominate around the feeders. Happily, there are few broken tines yet, but with the rut just now beginning to kick in, that may change as the buck wars begin in earnest over the next few weeks.
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| 15 1/2" 8 pt. |
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| 16" 10 pt. |
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| 17 1/4" 12 pt. |
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| 15" 9 pt. |
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| Happy Hunters and a salute to the McManus Camp |
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| Alan and his new wheels. |
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| McManus Camp mascot. |
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Hunt # 1 November 7-11
It is hard to see how the first hunt of the 2007 season at the McManus Camp could have been any better.
Here are the highlights: Michael Franck, Ephrata, PA, who has been hunting at home for years finally harvested his first-ever whitetail buck. Then Bob Putt, a retired minister from Mt. Holly Springs, PA, collected his lifetime-best buck. Both men were hunting with us for the first time. Beginner's luck then? Who cares? Bob's buck just happens to be the largest buck taken by any Adobe Lodge hunter so far this season.
Also hunting the McManus Camp were a couple of old friends who have been here before - Glenn Wise and Tim Miller, both from Carlisle, PA. Glenn has hunted other camps in Texas, but the McManus Camp, he claims, is a fit. He loves it there. Glenn took home a good'un, and Tim collected a pair of dandy bucks.
Remarkably, four of the bucks were ten-pointers and one had eleven. It is hard to do better than that. The group collected several does, as well. You might say they laid in a supply of meat for the cold PA winter.
Despite the unseasonably warm weather here in Texas this November (you hardly need a jacket even early in the morning), the hunters were tagged-out and done well before the end of the hunt. Indeed, they left camp on Saturday afternoon for a trip to town to visit the taxidermist. And when you see the photos below, you'll know why some of these bucks will certainly be hanging on a wall somewhere back in Pennsylvania.
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| McManus Hunt # 1 - All from PA |
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| Relaxing in camp waiting for lunch. |
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| 19" 11 pt. |
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| 18 1/4" 10 pt. |
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| 15 1/2" 10 pt. |
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| 15 1/2" 10 pt. |
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| 17" 10 pt. FIRST BUCK |
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| Kim Richey |
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In addition to Beaver, his staff includes Kim Richey, better known as NLK (neighbor-lady Kim) who does the cooking at the McManus Camp. Kim and her husband Robert own some of the land hunted by McManus Camp hunters. The Richeys are the closest neighbors to Beaver and live a mere five miles up the road. Yep, it's pretty remote out that way. But boy do they have lots of deer. Just ask anyone who has hunted there. |
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For information about booking a hunt at the McManus Camp, please contact:
Skipper Duncan 325 942-8040 - office
skipper@adobelodge.com 325 374-7024 - cell
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