I have discovered a good mixed-bag opportunity in an overlooked, but game-rich, part of the hunt-friendly state of Texas. Caprock Outfitters, owned by Wayne Bruce, is located in the Palo Duro area of the Texas panhandle near Amarillo. The company offers antelope, axis deer, mule deer and whitetail deer hunts at prices well below those charged by many outfitters in the Lone Star State.... Starting with antelope, Caprock has two areas where it offers two-day, all-inclusive antelope hunts for $1,500 - one in the panhandle and one farther south near Sterling City. The panhandle area produces goats in the 15- to 16-inch range that can score up to 80 B & C points. This is a typical antelope hunt with glassing and long shots the name of the game. Hunters base out of a camp bunkhouse which I will describe later. The other antelope area, near Sterling City, consists of more than 70,000 acres of leased land. The goats tend to be shorter here than those in the panhandle - 11 to 13 inches - but their horns are much thicker. There is more cover in this area, and the bowhunter has a legitimate opportunity to score on this ranch.
An unusual thing about this latter area is the free-ranging axis deer that inhabit the area. Escaping through a water gap at a private ranch years ago, the axis deer have stayed and flourished. The average buck taken on this ranch has an antler length of 28 to 32 inches. The price for a two-day axis hunt is $1,500 including meals, lodging, guide, etc. This hunt can be taken in conjunction with an antelope hunt. The combo price for a four-day, two-animal hunt is $3,000. This is a good-value hunt, but not as good a value as Caprock's combo deer hunt during the overlapping whitetail and mule deer seasons, which run in 1999 from November 20 through December 5. This seven-day hunt offers one whitetail and one mule deer buck, two turkeys, two hogs, plus quail hunting, for $3,000. The package is fully guided, 1 x 1, with all meals, accommodations, trophy care and preparation plus........(continued)
