Pat C. Beaird

The 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 20^th 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!