I finally tagged a blackbuck at 72 yards on free-range land — and it was one wild ride to get there.

The Early Morning Stalk

Friday morning, John and I had a plan: it was his birthday, and we were going to glass for bucks from the hillside. We weren’t two minutes into our approach when we heard bucks fighting down in the draw — about 200 yards away. We closed the distance to 80 yards and I decided to take a shot.

The light wasn’t ideal. We thought the shot was just a shade too low, catching him right under the belly instead of where I wanted. I’ve been practicing out to 111 yards, so 80 isn’t normally a problem. But sometimes brighter conditions make all the difference when you’re reading the sight pin. We regrouped and kept moving, but the opportunity slipped away.

Finding the Right Buck

We didn’t dwell on the miss. Instead, we kept glassing and found another blackbuck — this one a really solid animal. We set up and John took a shot first. When it didn’t connect, I nocked an arrow. This time, I was ready. The yardage was 72, the conditions were better, and I drew back smooth.

“Sometimes you get a second chance on the same hunt, and you have to make it count.”

The shot felt clean. I knew the moment it left the string that I’d done my part — good form, right aim, committed to the execution. The blackbuck dropped, and we wrapped our tag on a really nice animal.

Putting Meat on the Ground

This hunt proved something I believe in deeply: free-range exotic hunting on raw land rewards patience and hard work. You’re not sitting in a blind waiting for something to walk past. You’re actively hunting — glassing, stalking, reading wind, adjusting. And when your planning and practice come together, you get moments like this.

My axis and blackbuck pursuit from Episode 2 showed how unpredictable free-range hunts can be, and this finale proved that persistence pays off. Whether it’s stalking axis at Baker3 Ranch or chasing exotics on open land, the foundation is the same: know your bow, know your limits, and execute when the moment comes.

That’s the heart of American Country Outdoors — real hunts, real lessons, and meat in the freezer.

John and I pulled up to Baker 3 Ranch and I knew this hunt was different from anything I’d done before. His church runs an annual hunt there, and it’s not about putting heads on walls—it’s about depth, challenge, and real bowhunting.

My first year was 2023. John brought me into it, and the second I got there, I understood why he talks about this place with so much respect. The ranch sits in rocky country, the animals are wild axis and blackbuck, and the hunt itself is a multi-day commitment with real challenge built into every stalk.

Scouting and Setting Up

Episode one was about getting oriented and laying the groundwork for the hunts to come. John and I spent the first day hiking the washes, placing Moultrie trail cameras at water holes and key spots, and looking for signs—rubs, tracks, water holes where axis come in to drink.

We heard axis roaring in the distance. That’s not a sound you hear from whitetail or elk. It’s unique, sharp, and wild. We moved toward the sound, trying to locate where the bucks were bedding. The terrain is all rock and creosote, so noise discipline matters. Every footfall on the rocks is a potential give-away.

We found a good water hole, set up a camera, and moved into some shade to gllass and listen. The afternoon wore on and we heard more roars. We knew the animals were in the area.

There’s just something special about this hunt that is way more in depth than killing a giant bull on a side of a mountain.

As light started getting thin, I spotted a buck across a clearing—about 100 yards away. I made my move, repositioned toward some better trees to close distance. But in moving to get a better position, I stood up and there he was—a good axis buck right across the water. I drew back and sent an arrow. Clean miss. That’s the hunt right there. Not the story I wanted to start with, but that’s what happens when you hunt wild animals with a bow.

What Baker 3 Really Is

This hunt isn’t about guaranteed success or trophy guarantees. It’s about being in rugged terrain, making long stalks on wary wild animals, and learning to hunt without a net. We’ve got more episodes coming. Animals will hit the ground. Decisions will be made. The hunt will unfold like it really does in the field, not like a highlight reel.

If you want to see what commitment to archery and wild country looks like, Episode 2 shows where this led. And if you’re hunting javelina in similar terrain, Texas hunts teach the same lessons about stalking and pressure.

Eleven seconds. That’s all it takes to remind you why you hunt exotics.

An axis buck roaring—that deep, guttural call—is something you don’t forget. It’s aggression, dominance, territorial claim all wrapped up in one sound. When you’re that close and the camera catches it, you get to feel what I felt in the moment: the raw power of that animal and the privilege of being in the same space.

Axis deer have a completely different rut than whitetail. That roaring is their language during the rut—it’s how they establish dominance and challenge rivals. Getting footage of this close is rare. It means the stalk was good, the approach was silent, and the moment was there for the taking.

This is the hunting experience most folks don’t see. Not the trophy photo after the harvest, but the genuine encounter with an animal doing what animals do—living, competing, surviving. That’s what bowhunting exotics in Texas gives you.

Moments like this fuel the next hunt. Check out my other axis deer hunts and exotic hunting content.