When the Realtree crew and cameras showed up at the Cullen Ranch in Quinland Texas they were swept away by the scenery of the landscape and the unbelievable hunting lodge that laid before them. Unlike the southern part of the state this section of Texas had plenty of hardwoods and fields that resembles what one might find in the mid-west.

The Cullen ranch has been known for years for its fantastic bird hunting and relaxing camp atmosphere. People from all across the country visit the ranch to either enjoy top-notch hunting or some just come simply to unwind from the strain of every day life. On the Cullen’s visitor list you can find everyone from Hollywood movie stars to everyday people. In recent years not only has the bird hunting become better and better but so has the whitetail herd, and with this the Realtree team looked forward to the opportunity to search out the prime real estate for Monster Bucks.

Michael Waddell and Jay Gregory were scheduled to be the hunters while veteran Realtree cameramen John Tate and Chad Sanders would be looking through the viewfinders. Jay serves as a member of the Advantage pro-staff and also is the host of The Wild Outdoors seen on the Outdoor Channel. Jay has a reputation of putting some bruiser whitetails on the ground with archery gear and on this trip Jay planned to stick with the bow and arrow. Michael on the other hand brought along his trusty Knight in line muzzleloader to do the job.

On the first day of hunting the two hunters found themselves comfortable set up in tripod stands in good funnel areas. Michael’s stand was set in between to thick broom sage fields (similar to CRP fields found in the mid-west) while in the middle was a finger of hardwoods littered with rubs and scrapes. Jay’s stand was on the edge of a large oat field looking down on a hardwood flat also riddled with similar buck sign. With the rut just getting ready to kick in Michael and Jay hoped to get a shot at a mature buck out looking for does.

After a sit of about three hours Michael had seen no deer and with a hard North wind blowing in his face the conditions were miserable, but soon movement caught Michael’s attention. Looking through the Simmons bino’s Michael could see what he had been looking for all morning, a large set of antlers coming down the woodline on the edge of the sage field. As the buck closed the distance his rack became more apparent. He had long tines with main beam came way out and turn down toward the ground, and to put icing on the cake Michael could see a couple of kicker points off the main beams. Michael’s breathing and heart rate intensified as the buck alertly made a V-line to his stand position. Bringing the Knight Muzzleloader up cautiously, Michael settled his sights behind the bucks front shoulder and slowly began to squeeze the trigger. The big whitetail was now standing only 30 yards away, and suddenly the explosion of Michael’s smoke pole broke the silence. The hit was good and the big buck only went only 30 yards before piling up on camera. Michael’s trophy later scored out at 158 B&C points with only a 13 inch inside spread.

Jay saw several good bucks that day and throughout the entire week. Two huge 8pt bucks had closed in to within bow range on two different occasions to inspect Jay’s rattling sequence, but when Jay’s shot was presented it was not good for the camera. (Sometimes hunting with the camera can be frustrating). On a bright note for Jay however he did shoot an awesome boar hog that weighed in the 250lb range while cameraman Chad Sanders caught the spot and stalk on tape.

Back in camp the Realtree crew had a chance to relax and trade hunting stories in the outdoor hot tub that was located on the side of the lodge. I guess you can say the only negative to the whole trip is that everyone gained about 10 pounds from all the good eating. The Cullen Ranch with is fine hunting, awesome accommodations and staff showed Team Realtree what Texas hospitality was all about. Thanks to the Cullen Ranch for an awesome experience.