KNIGHT RIFLES MUZZLELOADER
HUNTING Web Magazine
Knight Rifle Owner Hunt Report
One-Shot Texas Blackbuck - On The Second Try!
By Roger Heintzman - South Dakota
The Indian Blackbuck Antelope - I never knew such a gorgeous animal existed until watching a hunt on one of the outdoor/hunting channels.The dark or black color phase of a mature Blackbuck with the white under belly, eye patches and spiral horns got my attention. I just had to have one...and Texas was the place to go.Muzzleloader was my choice of arm. I have harvested many whitetails with both my half-stock Hawken percussion rifle and .50 caliber Knight DISC rifle. This hunt beckoned for the use of my Knight DISC, since I have long retired the Hawken. Here in South Dakota, we cannot use scopes during the muzzleloader season. My vision has diminished with age, and I struggle with iron sights. I needed a scope for this hunt, knowing the Blackbuck's keen eyesight and fleeing nature. My choice of scope was a Weaver 6x. (I also keep all of my variable power scopes on 6x.) With a straight power scope like this, you are not fooling around with the magnification and forgetting to turn them down for closer range shots. My search for a hunting ranch in Texas begins with the push of a button. "The Internet" - what a wealth of information at your finger tips! I could search hunting websites, request brochures, check references by e-mail, and already feel as if I was there hunting.Some of my criteria is: Small enough to cover by stalking in a day's time, many animals (or so they say), airport pickup and return, lodging and meals included.The opportunities for hunting are a big as Texas itself. There are so many ranches and so many outfitters - big and small, full-time or part-time. And with a wide range of prices. It is much the same as looking for an African hunting destination.I prefer the smaller outfitters who do not run so many hunters through their ranches or leases. I like the more personable family feel approach. Most of my hunting adventures are solo, and I do not want to be competing with others for the same game I am hunting.My search landed me at a small ranch at Cross Plains, Texas, in October. It was just before the whitetail season and the animals were on high alert. In this state, hunting exotics is year around. In 2 1/2 days of hunting, I saw one mature Blackbuck - and that was from a window in the house after breakfast.I returned to south Dakota disappointed with my hunt and outfitter. I will not elaborate here on the negatives of this hunt. If you hunt long enough with outfitters, sooner or later you are going to have an unpleasant experience. But, I still wanted a Blackbuck!I went back to the list of outfitters from my previous search, plus added a few new ones. This next hunt would have to wait until after the new year. I am a taxidermist, and when South Dakota's deer seasons get under way, with the rifle season starting in November, it gets very busy. Anyway, I narrowed my search down to the RRR Ranch (www.3rtrophyranch.com) near Goldthwaite, Texas. This is a small 400-acre ranch, with nicely wooded rolling hills, 3 fishing ponds and the Lazy W guest house down the road - with all the comforts of home.Friday, February 27th...I'm off again to Texas. I couldn't fly with my box of Pyrodex pellets, so my first order of business was to pick up a new box at the Goldthwaite Hardware Store...where they cost me $10 more than what they sold for back home.Saturday morning, while headed to the blind, Warren (owner and guide) and I came across two Blackbuck males and a few does. That in itself was already a big improvement over my previous hunt. The first hour in the blind and a nice male Blackbuck shows up. I let him go, being it was so early in the hunt...and I wanted a chance to see if there was anything nicer. I knew this could haunt me when the end of the hunt rolled around, but it seemed like a good call. We left the blind at around 11 a.m. for a late breakfast, and returned at 5 that afternoon. Seven small Blackbucks fed close by...and 6 whitetails and an Axis deer strolled past the blind. Then, right at 6 p.m. a very nice, long-horned male appears from out of the low land and chases away the 7 smaller males - but doesn't return to feed. We never saw him again that evening.It's raining early Sunday morning. On the way to the blind, we crossed paths with a nice male, but he was on the move. It rained until mid morning, then I stalked a buck to within 115 yards - but he proved too small. Back in the blind by 3:30 that afternoon, hoping the animals would move early to dry off and feed. Nothing happened until around 5 p.m., when 4 does showed up. Then about a half-hour later, a nice shooter male appears. We let him feed to see if any other males would join the others already feeding. Warren estimated the buck in sight to be right at 20" on a straight line measurement - only about 1" shorter than what I was hoping to take. With time running out and not wanting to make a third trip to Texas (or my wife letting me), I raised the Knight DISC rifle and found the buck in my 6x Weaver scope. (I just love how the thumbhole stock makes this rifle so steady.) Pushed by two 50-grain Pyrodex Pellets, the Harvester Muzzleloading saboted "Scorpion" Funnel Point Mag Tip bullet catches the sweet spot. The 85 yard shot was easily made with the rifle and load. The buck went only 20 yards and went down.Warren and Doris own the RRR Ranch. It is laid out very nicely, and has many animals traveling inside it's boundaries. A limited number of Axis deer hunts are also available.My Blackbuck ranked #16 SCI at time of harvest, but #17 by the time of scoring and getting the paper work submitted.KNIGHT MUZZLELOADER HUNTING Web Magazine viewers desiring more information about the RRR Ranch might want to visit the website for Roger's Taxidermy Studio, where there is an e-mail address for contacting Roger Heintzman.
Editor's Note: South Dakota is one of just 12 states that continue to deny muzzleloading hunters the right to use a riflescope during the muzzleloader seasons. Due to age-related sight impairments, like that confessed by Roger Heintzman in the above article, such regulations violate Federal anti-discrimination laws. To read more on the battle to get such regulations changed, go to the official NORTH AMERICAN MUZZLELOADER HUNTING ASSOCIATION website at the following link:
Published 3-5-09
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