The most underrated whitetail subspecies
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
To me it is Virginianus vercrucis. I started hunting/bowhunting in 2001 when I watched Tom Miranda on ESPN2. I thought: I can do that too. So I bought a bow online and started to shoot. I had no clue and none to help me. It was a though school. I started to hunt with friends on a ranch in Central Tamaulipas, Mexico. Although I was able to kill some javalinas and Río Grande turkeys these tiny scittish deer got the best of me. They live in a very tight low forrest were everyting stings or bites you. Jaguars, cougars, lots of coyotes, gun hunters and poachers hunt them hard. The wind swiches all the time during the day. It makes bow hunting them very dificult. Finally after 5 years hunting them hard I got successful on my first deer. 15 yard shot from a ground blind that hit high in the lungs as the deer string jumped the arrow a bit. He ran 250-300 yards until we found him. There was no blood in its heart left.
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
From: IdyllwildArcher
16-Dec-24
Very cool. Grats
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
Fast forward: I had not hunted much there after 2007 since security problems in the area made it too risky. Twice I struck out. However 1 week ago I was invited by my friends to come back. This time I would hunt an "Uncharted" area up the mountain alone where big cats roam. Normally no one hunts up there. Deer there have very small antlers as big antlered deer cannot escape from their predators as they get tangled up in the dense forest.
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
I set up a tarp between 2 bigger bushes on the road. Then hunted not far away from my camp on the edge of a dry lake where it was more open. I also put a bit of corn with molasses and vanilla out. Although I didn't think it would work. I took picturs of a hawk eating a pigeon when a young spike suddenly stood 15 yards from me. No chance of shooting him as he caught me with the camera in hands and not the bow. He blew out an I didn't see anything more that evening.
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
Next day I walked to a dam down in a valley but nothing there. Not even tracks. On the way back I encountered another spike 45 yards on the road. I was able to take some pictures but he never offered me a shot.
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
Next morning I kind of overslept a bit and walked towards the open area with low light when I did see a white tail flick behind a dry tree. A deer was feeding on the corn! I couldn't see if it was a doe or deer yet. Slowly I walked on the soft wet soil towards a spot where I was able to see the deer between an Y of the 2 main branches of the dry tree. I lifted the binoculares slowly and looked at a deer with dark antlers. Definetly a shooter! I calculated him at 30 yards. The deer looked at me and was getting nervious now and started to walk slowly away. I found an opening. Grunted softly. The deer turned. I drew the bow. 40 yards was my only thought. I had that black out. I remember the sound of broken ribs while the deer ran away at the same time. I didn't see the arrow hit tough. I wasn't sure about the hit, laid down my bow and returned to camp for breakfast.
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
After an hour I returned to look for the arrow. No arrow, thus no pass through. Not good. I sat near the edge of the forest and waited. 2 hawks were fighting 2 cara-cara scavengers in the sky. The 2 cara-caras sat on a dead tree on the oposite of the open area in direction where the deer ran. Were these birds showing me something? I waited 2 more hours. The birds did not leave. I stalked the tracks of the deer on the soft soil and got near the wdge of the open area. The deer had to be here. But no. I decided to walk 3 miles towards the ranch camp to get the cowboy and maybe the help of my friends.
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
The cowboy drove me back and then we searched for the deer. We found him not even 20 yards from where I had stopped looking. He was tangled up in wines, stiff as a rail bar and had run more than 200 yards with the arrow sticking through his chest. There was no blood trail, just the tracks. We took pictures and the cowboy drove the deer back to camp. I stayed another day but no other animal seen.
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
Next day I returnd to the ranch. The owner said that he estimated the deer 5 1/2 years old.
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
Later we all ate the old fashioned pit barbacoa deer wrapped in agave leaves. Yummy!!!
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
From: Pocoloco
16-Dec-24
From: Zbone
16-Dec-24
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say, the "Grey Ghost" Coues deer?
Congrats on your kills...
I remember reading famed outdoor writer and gun hunting icon Jack O'Conner writing about them... Have always wanted to bowhunt them, but never had the oppertunity...
From: Pocoloco
17-Dec-24
The SCI has them labled as Mexican Gulf Coast White Tailed Deer only found in Central/South Tamaulipas and Veracruz states
From: Pocoloco
17-Dec-24
But yes, they have the size of coues deer
From: Zbone
17-Dec-24
Hmmm, interesting... I think there are 38 to 40 (mainly 38) different whitetail subspecies listed depending on which book you read... Thanks for sharing...
From: Zbone
17-Dec-24
Looks like they are south of the Coues deer range... Again, thanks for sharing...
From: Pocoloco
17-Dec-24
Zbone, no they are far to the east of the Coues range. Directly south of Texas, close to the coast.
From: Zbone
17-Dec-24
Gotja, thanks...
From: Old Reb
17-Dec-24
Congrats! Thanks for sharing your hunt.
From: t-roy
17-Dec-24
Congrats.
From: Supernaut
17-Dec-24
Congratulations on a beautiful deer. Nice pictures thanks for sharing them with us.
From: Scoot
17-Dec-24
Congrats and thanks for sharing!
From: Bowboy
17-Dec-24
Congrats
From: BOWNBIRDHNTR
17-Dec-24
Deer Barbacoa is fantastic. Great post, thanks and congrats!
From: Trying hard
17-Dec-24
Nice deer Heinz
From: njbuck
17-Dec-24
Congrats
From: midwest
17-Dec-24
Congrats and thank you for sharing! That barbacoa venison looks delicious!
From: iceman
17-Dec-24
Good stuff, Poco. Congrats and thanks for sharing with us
From: Zbone
17-Dec-24
Poco - Was looking at that feast ya got going there and looks like that meat is wrapped in yucca palms?
From: Bou'bound
17-Dec-24
Cute little thing
From: Pocoloco
17-Dec-24
Zbone, for the barbacoa the chile seasoned meat is wrapped in agave leafes that had been burnt with fire on the surface first, then bundeled with a metal wire, lowered into the pit with charcoal below, closed with a metal plate and sand/dirt that no air can get in and no moisture out. In this case we left it over night for 20 hours cooking-usually it is less like 8-10 hours. In the Southern Mexican version banana palm leaves are used. Both versions help control the moisture of the meat and let it steam. The flavor is different tough. I like the agave better. In this case-as it should-the meat was falling of the bones and the cartilages/collagen was jelly like. IT WAS AMAZINGLY GOOD!!! I don't remember ever having a better barbacoa.
From: Mark Watkins
17-Dec-24
Learning something new every day!
Congrats and thanks for posting!
Mark
From: Zbone
17-Dec-24
Thanks Poco...
From: Pocoloco
17-Dec-24
Thanks to the bowsite comunity as I have learned so much and I am still learning from many posts. It was/is a great help to me over many many years. Now I want to give back a bit. BTW I am almost sure that Barbecue BBQ comes from the Spanish/Mexican word of barbacoa. Never stop and keep learning.
From: HUNT MAN
17-Dec-24
Thanks for posting. Learned something new!!
From: Pocoloco
18-Dec-24
Marinating the deer with Chile, beer and salt mix
From: Pocoloco
18-Dec-24
Happy and hungry hunters
From: LungBuster
18-Dec-24
Crazy Chicken - That is a great story. Did you cook the entire deer in the agave or just that front shoulder?
From: Pocoloco
18-Dec-24
Front shoulder and the rips
From: Boreal
18-Dec-24
Good stuff, Pocloco. Congrats!
From: ND_Bowhunter
18-Dec-24
Heck yeah congrats! Thanks for the write up.
From: wildwilderness
18-Dec-24
Gracias pro compartir sobre tu caza
From: drycreek
18-Dec-24
Great story poco, and congrats on your success !
From: Buffalo1
19-Dec-24
Very interesting post- Congrats on your success.
