Correspondent Mel Toponce tells us he’s found an interesting hunt for free-range axis deer somewhere east of Hawaii . . . seems Mike and Hunter Bodenchuk, a father-and-son team based in Hondo, Texas, recently leased the rights to offer axis deer hunts on the 10,000-acre Nancy and Bob Brockman Ranch, 22 miles southeast of Sonora, Texas. Toponce reminded us that Mike Bodenchuk may be a familiar name to some readers. He guided elk hunters in Arizona and New Mexico for 12 years and also worked briefly at the 777 Ranch, the Hondo, Texas, landmark owned by African Professional Hunter Jeff Rann. Here’s the story:
“The Brockmans raise cattle, sheep and goats for market and run a whitetail deer operation. Their property is fenced around the perimeter and cross-fenced to form numerous pastures, but these fences are low, cattle-proof designs not the 12-foot-high game-proof variety. Deer jump over these fences and roam freely, which is what attracted the Bodenchuks to the property.
“When I first heard of this opportunity, I immediately contacted Hunter Bodenchuk, Mike’s 22-year-old son, about the possibility of hunting with my longbow and wood arrows.....
