Adobe Lodge Hunting Camp

 2005 SEASON SUMMARY

HOME CAMP TOP TEN

Hunt A was our first hunt of the 2005 season. The weather was mild and calm.  Daily temperatures varied from 60 degrees at night to the mid-80's in the afternoon.  Hardly seemed like deer hunting weather.  We had a group from Tallahassee, FL in camp - three veterans and five new hunters.  Being fairly selective, no one took a buck until the half-way point in the four-day hunt.  Two of the hunters had commitments back home and had to leave early.  Neither was able to find "that special buck" and went home buck-less.  But the six remaining hunters did very well.  All took good bucks, and two elected to take a second buck. 

Scott Knox hunted only with his bow and quickly took a limit of three does.  He got close to several bucks and finally arrowed a dandy trophy on the final afternoon.  His buck scored 131 3/8 and because the antlers were exceptionally symetrical, there will be few deductions.  We are betting that Scott's buck will easily go Pope and Young. 

Good stalking  and great shooting produced two dandy bucks for a couple of other hunters.  Jamie Kinsey with his guide Tillman Lawdermilk took a 126 class buck and both claim it was a 300 yard shot that did the trick.  Another similar shot was made by David Rippee and his buck scored 141 5/8, the best of the season so far.  David said his buck was in a group of other bucks, all about the same size.

So according to this early news, it is looking to be an exceptionally good season.  Check back often to see how we're doing. 

Hunt B was dedicated to the Carolinas.  We had seven family members from the Leland area and the eighth hunter, Mark Taylor, coming as a single hunter, is from South Carolina.  Mark had postponed his hunt from last year due to illness.  But he made up for it by taking a couple of super-nice bucks, one of which was as large a six-point as you are likely to see.  Truly an outstanding trophy.

Freddie Watkins, took a drop tine buck. Unfortunately the buck had broken off a similar drop-tine.  Adobe Lodge guide Charlie Fleming had seen the double-drop antlers in the same area a couple of days before.  So it was a great trophy for Freddie but would have been super-spectacular with both drops still intact. 

Of the eight hunters in camp on this hunt, two failed to take home a buck.  One missed a shot and the other passed on every buck he saw.  But since one hunter took two bucks, our tally board shows seven for eight.  There are reports of bucks running does, and rattling is working some, although no bucks were taken by rattling on this hunt.  The rut, once again for about the fifth year in a row, appears to be coming in early.  Who can explain the habits of a whitetail?

This group of Carolina hunters did a great job in harvesting big, mature does.  They took a total of 14 does. 

The weather has gotten a little cooler now. We saw 34 degrees on the morning before Hunt B started, and it rained a little during the hunt.  But the temperatures are now in the low 70's during the day and around the high 40's at night.    

Hunt B-1 produced a group of eight bucks to rival any hunt we've ever had.  In camp was a father/son pair from Michigan, four hunters from Georgia, and a pair of old friends from Alabama.  Only Alabama's Vic Hamilton had hunted with us before.  The other seven were all rookies, which is easier on us because we don't have to keep coming up with new jokes.  We get to use all our old material.

Vic brought his former pastor, James Haskins.  First time we've ever had an admitted preacher hunt with us.  But it might not be the last when word gets out that James took time to bless Vic's bullets on the evening Vic took the great 150-class buck.  Pretty soon every hunter is likely to be accompanied by his clergyman.

The weather was decent for this hunt - around 50 at night and near 75 at mid-day.  It was a little windy on a couple of day, but it sure didn't seem to affect the hunting.  The doe hunt is going well so far.  The harvesting of does is our main tool to manage the deer herd, and we must depend on our hunters to help with this task.  To this point in the season, twenty-four hunters have now harvested 42 does.  Only one yearling has been taken by mistake - a great accomplishment.

The regular Texas deer season always begins on the first Saturday in November.  So November 5 was an important day across the state.  Although we've been hunting for a while now under the "Managed Lands" program, the kickoff of the Texas season is always special.  Countless hunting rigs are seen on the highways.  Restaurants and businesses in San Angelo have "Welcome Hunters" signs out. 

Hunt # 1 found nine hunters in camp.  The Donovan family from the Cleveland, OH area, back for their third successive hunt with us, brought along a couple of new hunters, Walter Christensen and Jared Koepp, for us to meet.  And then there was John Frey and Pam Engel, from Berwick, PA who have been hunting the same date as the Donovans for the past several years.  It's almost like a reunion when all are here. 

During the entire four days of the hunt, the weather was unseasonably warm.  Afternoons saw near-record highs into the upper 80's and even the early morning temperatures were not much below 60.  So it hardly seemed like deer hunting weather.  But these abnormal temperatures didn't affect the hunting.  The nine deer hunters put eight bucks on the board and five of the bucks scored in the 130's.  Unfortunately, there was a DNF (did not find) buck, and despite an extensive search by guides, dogs and hunters, the buck will be counted as lost - always a discouraging development.

For the first time ever we had a fall turkey hunter.  Ken Sullivan drove all the way from South Carolina to hunt turkeys with us.  He collected three birds in about four days of hunting, and said he'd gotten his money's worth during the first thirty minutes of the first day.  We have a lot to learn about fall turkey hunting, but Ken's experiences convinces us that the spring season in '06 will be super.  Ken saw lots and lots and lots of birds. 

Hunt #2 - Nov. 9-13

Hunt # 2 turned out to be special in many ways.  We'll give you a quick summary, but there is no simple way to capture even a part of it with a few words and pictures.  You just should'a been here.

First of all, Bill Rutherford took a 166 class buck that is the second largest buck we've ever taken at the Adobe Lodge.  The very first afternoon of his four day stay, Bill spotted this monster and put him down with one perfect shot.  The buck has a 5 inch "trail tine" coming off the left main beam going backwards and parallel to his neck.  We have a couple of photos below to click and study, but it was impossible to get all the points on the rack into one single photo.

Hunt # 2 found ten hunters in camp.  Due to a pending medical situation back home, the O'Neals from Arkansas had to move their hunt ahead by a week and even though things were a bit crowded, it all worked out fine.  The ten hunters did not come as a group but nine of them were returning veterans with only one newcomer, Jamie Murphy (Bill Rutherford's son-in-law) being in camp.  Eight bucks were put on the board.  A miss and a D.N.F. kept the board from being filled. 

The weather on this hunt was mild-to-hot.  Each day saw temperatures near the record for the date - put it somewhere in the upper 80's.  And the final two afternoons produced your basic Texas wind - out of the southwest and blowing a gale.  The nights hardly got below 55 degrees.  But even with the weather less than ideal, the hunters still did great.  We judge our success not by how many bucks wind up on our tally board but by how many hunters re-book on the spot for next year.  Of the ten hunters in camp, nine re-booked for 2006 and the one lone holdout had an African trip planned for '06 (a credible excuse). 

On Friday, Nov. 11 (Veterans Day), we had a special event at the lodge suggested by guide Jeff Stark.  Jeff had acquired an old flag which was folded and burned ceremonially during the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month".  A paper was read which explained what was symbolized by each fold.  As the flag was placed on our Adobe Lodge fire, all the hunters and staff recited the Pledge of Allegience.  The flag took most of ten minutes to burn, and every participant stood reverently watching the spectacle.  With several veterans on hand, including Richard Mathews, WW II vet, it was a time for all of us to remember what our veterans have done for us. 

Then on Saturday another ceremony was held.  Henry Dusek of Old Friends Taxidermy suggested this one.  Pon Lawdermilk, our good friend and faithful cook had taken a triple-drop-tine buck back in January on his hunting lease in South Texas.  But Pon suffered a debilitating stroke on the first day of turkey season back in April and had not seen his buck since Henry finished the pedestal  mount created especially for Pon's magnificent trophy.  So son Tillman Lawdermilk brought Pon to the lodge for the presentation to be witnessed by all hunters and assembled guests. 

Two special days in a row.  Both were good'uns.

The rut is officially started.  Bucks are seen out in the middle of the day running hot after the does.  And with our first freeze predicted this week, the hunting should only get better.  If there is any way for it to get better, for crying out loud.  Holy Smokes.  We've never seen a season like this one, and if you aren't booked to hunt with us this year, we're sorry. 

It seemed more like deer hunting weather, finally, on Hunt # 3.  We had our first freeze of the fall right on schedule on Nov. 16 - the average date for the event.  So could our weather be getting back to "normal"?  Whatever that might mean.  One thing for sure: the rut is on.  Hot and heavy.  It's a bit early, but that's o.k.   

All eight hunters on Hunt # 3 were returning Adobe Lodge veterans.  Some of them have hunted with us six or eight times.  We had a couple of pairs of brothers representing Pennsylvania and New England; we had a father/son pair from Georgia, and we had a couple more hunters from PA.  So there was a great mix of accents in camp. 

Jim Schwarz cooked and Jerry Watts, Buryl Williams, Snake Allen and Charles Fleming were the guides.

Jim Daubert, Pittston, PA, collected a bobcat on the hunt - the season's first non-deer critter to be taken.  Because they are so seldom seen, bobcats are a special trophy for any hunter.  You don't just decide to go out and shoot a bobcat.  A dedicated hunter might go an entire season without ever seeing one even though our area has a bunch of these felines.   So congrats, Jim.  "You done good." 

Javelinas, bobcats and turkeys can be taken for an extra fee of $300.  The javelinas eleuded us on Hunt # 2 when several hunters were after them, and now - wouldn't you know it? - they re-appear when no one wants one.   Javelinas and turkeys can turn into unwelcome pests around our corn feeders.  Not being mannerly, they appropriate all the corn before the arrival of the deer.  We've even seen deer hunters throw rocks to run them off so a deer might still find something to eat.  Once years ago, an irate javelina, not taking kindly to having his breakfast interrupted with a barrage of rocks, put the hunter back into his blind with a lightening-fast charge.  And kept him there for the better part of an hour.

The ranches hunted on Hunt # 3 have sufficient bucks to allow second bucks and sure enough, one was taken.  So the eight hunters collected nine bucks and pert-near 20 does. 

Hunt # 4 - Nov. 19-23

Hunt Four found only seven hunters in camp.  Mike Kramer, who has hunted with us numerous times for both deer and turkey, e-mailed with the sad news that his wife had appendicitis.  Having a bit of experience with such things, we told Mike we'd work him in on a later date this season.

Too bad Mike wasn't here - it was just a heck of a time with this group of hunters.  We had a father/son pair from PA, a couple of old friends who go way, way back, an uncle accompanied by his favorite niece, and a single hunter from SC.  Most everyone already knew each other from previous Adobe Lodge hunts, so it was like a reunion.  And it looks like we'll have to do it all over again next year because six of the seven booked back for '06 before they left camp, and the other has to check his schedule to see if he can get back for more fun.

Kyle Ezell cooked on this hunt, and the guides were Pete Bara, Jr., Tillman Lawdermilk, and Fernando Cortez.  The weather was decent.  It's in the 40's in the mornings now (pretty chilly for us Texans) but it warms to around 75 during the day.  It's getting dry now, and there is a lot of activity around the corn feeders.  The rut continues hot and heavy.

Hunt # 5 - Nov. 25-29

Our after-Thanksgiving hunt usually falls right smack during the rut and this year was no different.  It's hot and heavy now with many bucks out on the prowl during the middle of the day.  What might be contributing to this extraordinary deer movement is a piece of bad news: it's getting dry.  Deer are hungry.  They are in our wheat fields in the middle of the afternoon.  Yep, this evidence would stand up in court.  So with the deer moving extra well, how did the two veterans and six Adobe Lodge rookies fare on Hunt # 5?

Pretty darn good, we'd say for the following reasons: all eight hunters took bucks; three of the bucks were "personal bests" - always a bright spot in a hunter's career; and here's the clincher - six of the eight hunters booked back for 2006.  But Mike and Georgia Salls, here for their third trip, have now bought land up north of San Angelo and will become neighbors instead of hunting clients - a credible excuse. We can't wait to see their ranch come March when things slow down around here.

The six rookies in camp were seeing more bucks and better bucks than they ever expected to.  Those who took bucks early found much larger trophies later during their four day stay.  But that's hunting.  Your challenge here at the Adobe Lodge is this:  when are you looking at the largest buck you'll see?  Mercy.  Who can answer that kind of question?  Our advice remains the same for all:  when you see the one that "melts you butter", why wait?

We had a dandy of a dust storm on the third day of hunt.  This 40 m.p.h. gale, as it almost always does, put the deer down to wait it out.  Before the wind storm though, the rattling was working good for Mike and his guide, Pete Bara, Jr.  Mike says Pete rattled up seven separate bucks during their afternoon's hunt.  Pete's an old pro at this stuff and says his technique at this stage is just "tickling the antlers" then scratching the ground and banging the adjacent brush with his rattling antlers.  Mike collected a dandy buck rattled in by Pete that afternoon.  Any buck taken in such manner is a trophy for sure.

Hunt # 6 found four veterans and three new faces in camp.  But we had eight hunters.  How can that be?  Here's the answer:  Reed Steinmetz books two hunts every year, so he counts as two hunters.  Reed, founder and past-president of the Eastern Chapter of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep (FNAWS) has hunted with us every year since 1989.  We always look forward to seeing him and he is a wealth of information about hunting. 

Two hunters on Hunt # 6 took their first-ever bucks.  Mercy - what a deal!  Joe Quinn and Eric Knapp collected a couple of dandies as you'll see in the photos below.

Peter MacKenzie, Rocky Hill, CT failed to take home a buck but he did harvest three nice does weighing 104, 100, and 110.  We just never could put the right kind of buck in front of Peter.  Admittedly, he was hunting for the best of the best and since he was hunting under our "Trophy Option Contract" he assurred us he was satisfied with his hunt as he left camp.  That's one of the reasons for the offer.  If a hunter doesn't see that special buck he/she wants, then there's no reason to take a "last-day buck".  Let those young ones grow up a little more.

Brad Milner, Atlanta, GA took us up on the chance to take a second buck, and topped the whole deal off by taking a nice turkey, as well.  We ran out of room on the board to list all his accomplishments on this hunt.  And the good news is that Brad will be back to hunt more turkeys with us next spring.

It got a little warm on Saturday - 88 degrees - a record for the date.  Clark Kilpatrick cooked for the first time this season and it was great seeing him back in the kitchen.  Charlie Bowers, Jim Schwarz, Kyle Ezell and Snake Allen made up the guide staff.

Hunt # 7 - Dec. 5-9

Bitterly cold weather finally caught up with us during Hunt # 7.  We had an afternoon and a day of moderate weather before the cold front knifed through the area.  The high for Wednesday, before you figure the wind chill, was 25 degrees.  Friday morning, the thermometer at the Home Camp showed 10 degrees at 7:30 a.m.  Ouch.

The Newsome group from Effingham, IL and towns thereabout come to hunt with us every year.  It's always great to see them drive up because you never know what new toys they'll have.  As reported elsewhere on this site, some of the group arrived in a school bus - a rather large, and functional, toy.  John R. Newsome, patriarch of the clan, each season seems to bring a new gun of some kind and this year was no different.  His gun of choice to harvest all his deer was a .460 pistol complete with a fine scope and the kick of a mule.  Our shooting bench at the rifle range might have suffered permanent structural damage.  After several deer and an afternoon on the shooting range, John's hand was plenty puffy.  One wonders how anyone could stand to shoot such a powerhouse.  The only answer we could come up with was that it must be kind of like biting your tongue - it just feels so darn good when you stop.  It's got to be a real blessing to put that pistol back in the case. 

John Sr. collected his usual quota of two bucks and everyone else in the party of ten also tagged out on bucks.  Brian Burke (John's son-in-law) put a new buck in our Top Ten with a 12 pointer that scored 144 7/8.  Congratulations, Brian.  Check out this dude by double-clicking his photo.

Hunt # 8 - Dec10-14

For the fifth year in a row, a group of hunters from the Montrose, PA area returned to hunt with us at the Home Camp.  With the experience they've gained by hunting here so many years now and after seeing the photos of the bucks we've been taking in 2005, these guys were very, very selective in their hunting.  They were content to wait for just the right buck to come along.  That's plenty o.k. with us - we like to see the big'uns come in.

Everyone seemed to be seeing lots of bucks.  But now that we are late in the rut, many of bigger bucks  are sporting defective antlers.  The hunters and guides reported seeing some outstanding animals, but with tines or main beams missing.  When your buck-to-doe ratio gets down close to one-to-one as ours is, damaged racks are to be expected.  A good news/bad news type situation.

So it took a while for the hunters to find the one they wanted.  And a couple of them never did.  Our four-day hunts are set up so that there are eight half-days of hunting.  Going into the last afternoon before the final morning, we had only two bucks on our tally board for the seven hunters in camp. 

But we must remember to judge our success not by how many bucks are put on the board, but whether our hunters are having a good time.  And no doubt about it, the Montrose group has a great time while they're here.   One buck came in the last night and two bucks came in on the final morning.  So we were five for seven.  The two unsuccessful hunters just never found that special buck they were looking for, and sometimes that happens.  We can't always put an exceptional buck in front of you. 

Since last week's cold spell, the weather has been stable but we are still dry.  It is near freezing every morning, but warms to around the mid-50's during the day.  The rut is still going on, but is winding down some.  Deer movement is extra-ordinary.  Hungry deer are moving about during odd times of the day.