# Big Buck on Road......



## fishstix (Apr 26, 2005)

We were coming home from the lease after a hard working labor day weekend of hauling stands, filling feeders, moving feeders, drinkn whiskey and we drove by this buck on the side of Hwy 774. 774 is the road that goes from Tivoli to Refugio and has alot of game on it. This is definately the biggest 8 pt I have ever seen on the hoof and I think he looked bigger in person than the picture. I took the picture from the truck because if I was to get out the mosquitoes would have carried me off... Not to mention they always run off when you get out. 

What do you think this deer would score...??? I know another thread on scoring deer....

!troll!


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## fishstix (Apr 26, 2005)

here are the deer....


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## TXPalerider (May 21, 2004)

Mid 130's. Dammed nice buck!! I love that country.


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## Spec-Rig.006 (Nov 2, 2007)

Let me guess ... just East of the home on the South side of the road with the blue metal roof and the large stock tank. We see some monsters in there every time we're on the way home. What a super buck ... I actually believe I saw this deer a month ago in full velvet.

I'm going to call him right at 140" based on similar deer we've taken on our property off 2678 heading South of town. Check out ...

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=145050

... for another Refugio County 8 point ...

If you can get them past 4.5 down there and out of the poachers hands you can grow some super deer in those parts.

Where's your ranch?


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## Gwill (Sep 6, 2007)

I thinke he'll make the 140's barely as well. 
I've got quite a few low 130's deer in the house and this guy has more mass and tine length...

Nice chocolate antlers as well...


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## TXPalerider (May 21, 2004)

My initial gut reaction told me mid 130's (135-137). However, I will admit, a couple of extra inches in mass, a little longer tine here or there, and I wouldn't be shocked to see him make 140. Either way, he's definitely a stud 8!!


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## swtmike (Jul 20, 2005)

That's a great 8, his main beam length might hurt him a little, but I think the rest of it make up for that. I'm going to have to say right around the 140 mark, not much if any over.


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## Spec-Rig.006 (Nov 2, 2007)

TXPalerider said:


> My initial gut reaction told me mid 130's (135-137). However, I will admit, a couple of extra inches in mass, a little longer tine here or there, and I wouldn't be shocked to see him make 140. Either way, he's definitely a stud 8!!


Oh he's awesome regardless of score ... ! That's one of those "don't need binoculars" kind of deer ... !


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## Quackerbox (Feb 6, 2006)

Im think high 130's too...Nice dark horns


Cant eat the horns tho!! deer burger is better


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## mudhog (May 9, 2005)

Ah the famous 774 road. I have counted more wall hangers on that road then a january issued hunting magazine has, and you can bet your truck that somebody was watching you too. That is one nice muy.


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## trout77471 (Jun 30, 2005)

i think 140ish, nice buck!


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## El Cazador (Mar 4, 2005)

w/the amount of mass and tine length I'll say 142" - those curved tines can be deceiving. Nice buck!


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## Main Frame 8 (Mar 16, 2007)

The mass could be a tad over-rated because it looks like he's still in velvet at the bases. Nonetheless, an exceptional deer that I would have a hard time not taking.


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## El Cazador (Mar 4, 2005)

Main Frame 8 said:


> The mass could be a tad over-rated because it looks like he's still in velvet at the bases. Nonetheless, an exceptional deer that I would have a hard time not taking.


Looks like hard antler to _me_. I zoomed into the picture and the end of his right mb looks to have dried velvet on it...


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## d hop (Aug 12, 2004)

I say high 140's those curved tines can be deceiving.


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## Rack Ranch (May 25, 2004)

I'm with you..12'' tines plus...33''-35'' of mass..145+


d hop said:


> I say high 140's those curved tines can be deceiving.


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## NBTX (Mar 13, 2008)

That deer is mid 140's. I have seen alot deer on that road that will make you cream your pants! 35 from Tivoli to Rockport is ridiculous also. I have seen monsters and hundreds of deer on that road at night on the way to the condo. Wish I had a lease around there. Amazingly enough, mostly all low fence too.


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## fishstix (Apr 26, 2005)

Spec-Rig.006 said:


> Let me guess ... just East of the home on the South side of the road with the blue metal roof and the large stock tank. We see some monsters in there every time we're on the way home. What a super buck ... I actually believe I saw this deer a month ago in full velvet.
> 
> I'm going to call him right at 140" based on similar deer we've taken on our property off 2678 heading South of town. Check out ...
> 
> ...


Our place is just outside of San Diego going towards Alice. We travel this road everytime we go to the ranch and we always see the bachelor group that you are talking about but this deer was almost all the way down 774 close to Tivoli.

I would guess that this deer is in the low to mid 140's due to the mass and the tine length, not to mention the main beam curves


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## BATWING (May 9, 2008)

OH MY !!!!!


Good Lord I cant wait for NOV


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## bklem (May 12, 2006)

Spec-Rig.006 said:


> Let me guess ... just East of the home on the South side of the road with the blue metal roof and the large stock tank. We see some monsters in there every time we're on the way home. What a super buck ... I actually believe I saw this deer a month ago in full velvet.
> 
> I'm going to call him right at 140" based on similar deer we've taken on our property off 2678 heading South of town. Check out ...
> 
> ...


I was very fortunate to be invited to hunt on that ranch (the one that has the compound with the blue roofed house) for a management deer. Ended up killing an old 8 that was in the mid 120's but what was mind boggling to me was the sheer number of deer once you get back into the heart of the place. I won't even begin to guess the number of deer I saw that day but I can promise you every person on here would think I was crazy. The number of deer on the fields-and they are HUGE fields-reminded me of when I was growing up and angoras goats were the king in the HIll Country. Every field had hundreds and hundreds of goats on them for the winter. This place was just like that but on a much larger scale. I actually was on that ranch four different times and all but one of those times it was just like that. The one time where I only saw hundreds-not thousands- of deer was in the middle of the summer. Huge ranch with little or no hunting pressure-except for the hogs and bobcats. Even with those numbers there were also some unbelievably big bucks. Unfortunately, they were off limits to me. Also noticed that someone hinted that "you were probably being watched". More than likely that is a true statement. Surveillance on the ranch is one of the reasons I was invited to hunt.

BTW-that is a HUGE 8pt. My son has an eight that score 143" and I think that deer is every bit as big if not bigger.


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## TXPalerider (May 21, 2004)

Rack Ranch said:


> I'm with you..12'' tines plus...33''-35'' of mass..145+


My only comment would be, I think you are going to be hard pressed to get 35" of mass out of him as an 8pt. I would guess 32" would be fairly gratuitous.

Although, if the deer did make 140", I wouldn't be shocked.


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## Rack Ranch (May 25, 2004)

*For Comparison*









150's with 36'' of mass


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## 02txceta (Jul 29, 2008)

Looks like he has a couple of kickers in the back as well which adds a few more inches to the scheme of things......I say 145 easy. Looks to be pretty much at prime right now...4 to 4.5 yrs old maybe..?


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## El Cazador (Mar 4, 2005)

8 point deer get eight "H" measurements too...


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## baldhunter (Oct 8, 2004)

That's a great mature buck.He's got good mass and tine length.I give him 147".


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## backlashingcooger (Aug 2, 2006)

All that thru there is Welder Ranch property ,isn't it???? had sme friends that hunted near there,they tooksome monster bucks...


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## catchysumfishy (Jul 19, 2008)

Over All Beautiful 8 ! Thanks for sharing! Dangit, my neck's swelling again.....


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## AM Cloutier (Jun 17, 2005)

Not sure about that side of 77 but I hunt on one of the Welder ranches which is about 3 1/2 miles south and west of Woodsboro. There are some nice deer on the ranch, even better since the management program was implemented several years ago.


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## vvflash04 (Oct 2, 2007)

That is one solid 8, WoW!!!

Great shots ,thanks...


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## vvflash04 (Oct 2, 2007)

Rack Ranch said:


> 150's with 36'' of mass


 36" of mass and lets not forget about 13-14'' of brows..

Thats a Hoss 2...


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## surfspeck (Jun 7, 2006)

High 130's to low 140's. I love that country down around Refugio.


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## TXDRAKE (Jun 24, 2004)

I would have to say 142ish. Just saying. Nice animal NO doubt!!


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## Stealth19 (Jul 12, 2005)

Nice!!! I like those big eights!


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## KevinA (May 22, 2004)

I been there before several times working on the numerous pipelines that criss cross that part of the country and there are definately alot of nice deer in the area around and south of Refugio.

one particular time we traveled cross country down the p/l easement and came out on hwy 774 about 5-7 miles south of Refugio just after sundown and before we got the gate open w/pipeline key we were surrounded by two ATVs from behind and four trucks from the highway.

we identified ourselves w/business cards and names of people from the p/l company that they knew and it didnt matter.

they told us a game warden was on the way to search our trucks and if there were no guns or hunting equipment in them we could continue our work after they chewed out the p/l rep that neglected to call and tell them we would be coming thru after hours.

while waiting for the game warden a couple of the ranch hands informed us that this stretch of highway was the most poached road in Texas several years back and that all the locals have a network to stop and question any unfamiliar vehicle so dont get no funny ideas.h:


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## Mowdy Ag (Dec 19, 2005)

O'Connor Ranch.


MA


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## Joester (May 22, 2008)

Just past the rest area out of Rockport, there is another. Hes a big 10 point. Same as this one, big thick dark horns. Had seen him this am driving to Galveston around 2am. Still had his velvet hanging. By the time I got turned around and in a position to take a photo, all there was to photo was the ol white tail heading deep in the brush! Like most of the old guys say, we do have some pretty deer in this area...
Good fishin...


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## porkchop (Jul 23, 2006)

The O'Connor ranch is an amazing place! Been there once because I have a friend that does some work on it, my family's ranch is in goliad just up the road from refugio and produces some decent bucks but nothing like that one! not yet lol


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## bklem (May 12, 2006)

Mowdy Ag said:


> O'Connor Ranch.
> 
> MA


Yep, I always referred to it as the O'Conner but actually think that portion we are talking about is the Brammen (sp) ranch. Same family, just a different division. Either way you slice it I would have never dreamed to see so many deer in one place.


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## Grande Venado (Aug 11, 2005)

that's a great looking 9 pointer!


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## Mo City Rick (Sep 3, 2008)

O'connor Ranch... All this is now called Salt Creek Ranch and also includes the Roger Williams Ranch (other side of 774). Very large acreage with minimal hunting pressure. Worked a pipeline blow out down there in the mid 90's and saw some awesome deer. The number of deer you can see is unbelievable. Mr. Williams, now deceaced, would come by and check on us while we were working and had a photo album that showed what that country will produce. it was amazing to look at. His comment on hunting the deer was that the deer never bothered him so he did not see the point in bothering them. Deer were unafraid of people or vehicles and really reminded me of driving the Norias division of the King Ranch. Whenever I am down that way I always drive down through there. My kids love seeing all the game. Many deer, hogs and Turkey to be seen. If you stop for very long you will have someone check on you. 

Rick


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## Blue_Wave028 (Jul 23, 2008)

Nice 8 pt. 147-148ish...bent G2's and G3's are deceptive. He also has some killer dog killers that look like they curl backwards.


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## Grande Venado (Aug 11, 2005)

doesn't he have a g4 on his right side?


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## Spec-Rig.006 (Nov 2, 2007)

Grande Venado said:


> doesn't he have a g4 on his right side?


Certianly appears that way doesn't it ... Hmmmmm ...

Blue ... Those backwards curving brow tines are a commonly seen trait in the area, we had a deer last year similar to this one in size seen several times whos brow tines curved backwards far enough to almost appear like the horns on an old Spanish goat ... nuts ...

The guy who saw him, repeatedly passed on him as he was "only an 8 point" ...


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## Blue_Wave028 (Jul 23, 2008)

I think he does...looks like it is 2 inches or so...might make 150!


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## Mowdy Ag (Dec 19, 2005)

Mo City Rick said:


> O'connor Ranch... All this is now called Salt Creek Ranch and also includes the Roger Williams Ranch (other side of 774). ...


Roger Williams was married to an O'Connor, so that's part of the original O'Connor Ranch, as is the Braman property nearer Refugio. ...had a chance to meet Mr. Williams and talk with him a bit back in the '70's (my dad knew him pretty well). Great guy, farmer/rancher, totally unpretentious.

I grew up in Refugio (actually lived off of 774) and worked on the ranch (oilfield) during summers back in HS and college. It truly was an amazing place... ...still is I suppose... ...hundreds of thousands of acres in Refugio, Victoria, and Goliad counties with zero hunting pressure at the time, and there were some absolute monsters out there - as fine as any I've seen come out of South Texas. The ranch is a treasure.

MA


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## Shimanobandit (Sep 26, 2006)

What size is it? Let's see that would look good just to the left of the entertainment center in my living room. Yeah I'd say he's a shooter.


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## porkchop (Jul 23, 2006)

Mowdy Ag said:


> Roger Williams was married to an O'Connor, so that's part of the original O'Connor Ranch, as is the Braman property nearer Refugio. ...had a chance to meet Mr. Williams and talk with him a bit back in the '70's (my dad knew him pretty well). Great guy, farmer/rancher, totally unpretentious.
> 
> I grew up in Refugio (actually lived off of 774) and worked on the ranch (oilfield) during summers back in HS and college. It truly was an amazing place... ...still is I suppose... ...hundreds of thousands of acres in Refugio, Victoria, and Goliad counties with zero hunting pressure at the time, and there were some absolute monsters out there - as fine as any I've seen come out of South Texas. The ranch is a treasure.
> 
> MA


I have been hog-dog hunting at roger williams several times!! That place is incredible at night! Chasing hogs through 7 foot corn stalks lol talk about a thrill


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## kman73 (Dec 27, 2007)

Low 140's.


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## garyhellmann (Aug 28, 2007)

Is there anyone that sees the 4-5 inch G-4 on his right beam? or have I been drinkinkin to much of that beverage you mentioned?


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## The Machine (Jun 4, 2007)

Very nice buck


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## BALZTOWAL (Aug 29, 2006)

WHOEVER WROTE THAT 774 IS THE MOST ILLEGALLY SHOT OFF ROAD IN TEXAS HAS NOT BEEN WEST OF CORPUS CHRISTI.


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