There’s a crisp in the air, football on TV, and Chili (with beans) on the stove, meaning whitetail season is now upon us.
Here in Virginia, archery season opened on October 5th and many other states have already or will soon follow suit before rifle season rolls around close to Thanksgiving, and while I hope everyone tags out and fills the freezer with jerky, sausage, and steaks, this video shows you have to be really careful targeting those big old bucks, especially the bowhunting spot and stalkers.
Taken in Tierra De Dios Ranch in Cuero, Texas, we see a whitetail buck and two does grazing near a feeder when a muscular white ram approaches. Before this I would have expected them to go on about their business since the two species aren’t exactly rivals, but something ticked this ram off and he wanted to assert a claim on the ground they were standing on.
This specific species is called a Texas Dall Sheep, which is a cross of Mouflon ewes and Rambouillet rams specifically bred by humans for hunting purposes, according to Cotton Mesa Whitetail. Unfortunately for this dall ram, it picked the wrong dance partner.
The ram charges the buck, who holds his ground as the big horned creature approaches and when he realizes this ram is attacking, he plants his hooves and meets the challenger head on with his antlers. The two lock up and immediately we can see the difference in strength.
Bighorn rams typically weigh between 160 and 250 pounds while whitetail bucks (in Texas) average 130 to 190 pounds, but despite a potential size disadvantage, the rutting buck uses the flood of hormones pumping through his body to put the ram on skates, forcing him backwards and fleeing for his life.
I don’t really know why the ram decided to attack, maybe he underestimated the strength of those cute little deer, but he certainly learned a valuable lesson, and thanks to the trailcam footage, so did all of us.
