Whatever It Takes

Written by: Devin Leissner

There are times in every person’s life where the situation requires the individual to dig deeper than ever before in order to achieve their goal. In the eyes of Casey Lujan, his journey to hunt the deer of a lifetime proved to be one of these circumstances.

His adventure began with a chase that commenced back in 2017. He and his long-time hunting buddy, Kyle, ventured out to the Trinity Ranch with dreams of monster bucks and even bigger smiles. The story goes something like this…

Casey and Kyle began their hunt much like they had done many times before. Each of them put in some hours scouting to pick out a whitetail that really got their pistons pumping red hot.

Casey encountered a mature buck nicknamed Forks, that caught his eye. Without a doubt, he was the one. Forks showed himself once during the multiple day hunt and gave Casey a very brief opportunity to make a shot. With the clock ticking and the pressure on, Casey took a chance at the hand he was dealt and let an arrow fly. Unfortunately for him, Forks was no stranger to the game. The buck’s keen senses enabled him to duck Casey’s arrow, resulting in a clean miss.

Casey was able to harvest a different buck during that trip, as did his counterpart, Kyle. With a successful hunt under his belt, Casey couldn’t help but think back to that cunningly wise deer that had eluded him.

“Why was he so smart?” he wondered. “Would he get another chance?”
In time, these questions would be answered…

The 2018 hunting season arrived, and both Casey and Kyle were ready. They had been keeping up with the Trinity Ranch on social media and eying particular bucks. They both wondered which ones might become available to hunt and what the future would hold for them.

They knew from their first trip to the Trinity Ranch just how special this stretch of South Texas soil was, not mention how incredible the herd of whitetail that call it home were.

And just like that, they found themselves headed back South, towards that magical place…

Upon arrival to the Trinity Ranch, Kyle had an opportunity to hunt a very unique buck while Casey came up with a plan to pursue some does to help with the never-ending ranch management efforts. Both gentlemen saw some phenomenal bucks during their first few sits, but neither of them were able to harvest one.

Their luck would soon drastically change…

As Casey and his guide Carlos overlooked a field from the stand they were occupying, Carlos’ eyes grew wide with excitement. He carefully motioned to Casey that a giant buck was approaching. Casey’s heart began to race, and the decision to harvest the brute if the opportunity presented itself was quickly made.

As he readied his bow, the mature whitetail walked towards them slowly. It was clear the deer was analyzing the situation and that he knew something wasn’t quite right. Casey came to full draw and in the blink of an eye, his arrow met hide. Moments after the shot, Casey was informed that he had just arrowed Forks, which was the deer he had become enthralled with during the previous season. He couldn’t believe it. Forks had put on about 30” of antler growth and a bonus drop tine as a result of the intensive deer management that takes place on the Trinity Ranch. His headgear had blown up so much that he was nearly unrecognizable.

They gave the deer some time to expire and reviewed the shot on video. Casey’s heart immediately sank when the replay of his shot on film revealed that the buck had dropped significantly upon the release of the arrow. Casey’s arrow had made impact much higher than he desired. As they backed out and went to pick up Kyle, they were informed that he had also arrowed an impressive whitetail.

Later that day, everyone returned to where Forks had stood and a tracking dog was released on the trail. After exhausting all efforts, it was determined that Forks was nowhere to be found. Casey was dejected but hopeful that the buck would reappear. A plan was made for Casey to return and continue chasing this brute. It was getting personal now.

As he and Kyle left the ranch, he reflected back on all that had happened. The idea of putting Forks on the ground now seemed impossible. He was unlike any deer that Casey had pursued before and made it clear that harvesting him would be a grueling task.

Three weeks came and went with no sign of Forks. Finally, he reappeared on a trail camera. The good news was that Forks seemed to be alright and he was moving around well. The bad news was that the incredible drop tine that he had been so proudly displaying was now gone. Casey was informed and made some quick arrangements to return to the Trinity Ranch. The hunt was back on.

He spent four exhausting days at the Trinity Ranch, hunting from before sunrise to well after dark with no breaks in between. During those long hours of waiting the buck out, Forks only appeared for a brief sighting. Casey had to return home, again without a buck; however, he did not leave the Trinity Ranch without plans to return.

When Casey made it back to continue the chase, his attitude remained positive. He knew how difficult hunting bucks on the Trinity Ranch could be and he was aware of the challenges. Casey was willing to do whatever it would take in order to claim his trophy.

This particular hunt started off slowly without any encounters with the mature whitetail. Suddenly, Casey and his guide received a text message that Forks was spotted across the ranch where another hunter was perched. Without a second thought, they took off in a dead sprint toward the buck’s estimated location. They were hoping to cut him off and end the chase. As luck would have it, they arrived a few minutes too late. Forks appeared to have vanished.

Then, out of nowhere, the buck showed up in front of them, seemingly like a ghost. Operating on pure instinct and armed with a rifle, Casey steadied his firearm and squeezed off a shot. Forks immediately disappeared into the brush.

After giving him some time, they found signs that Casey’s shot had connected and once again backed out to go get a tracking dog. After running two different tracking dogs, the search ended without recovering Forks.

Casey’s pursuit for Forks ended shortly after this unfortunate event. He left the Trinity Ranch once again full of reflection on his encounters with this incredible buck.

Soon after Casey’s departure, Forks was recovered and sent to the taxidermist. It was determined that the shot from his arrow back in November was the mortal wound. Forks was not invincible after all!

Casey will end up getting his wall-hanger. His guides went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that his story ended on a high note.

As luck would have it, one of Casey’s guides actually found the broken tine after Forks was sent to the taxidermist and saved it for him. Talk about a sweet ending to a tough hunt!

The deer at the Trinity Ranch don’t make it easy for any hunter. To this day, Casey will admit that his hunt was unlike any other he had ever experienced. The camaraderie and fellowship that took place is something that will keep him coming back to the Trinity Ranch every year.

The guides at the Trinity Ranch stopped at nothing to ensure that Casey enjoyed an adventure of a lifetime, even through the many highs and lows that took place during his chase.

Casey is currently anxiously waiting for Forks to come home with him once and for all, as the trophy is still in the process of being preserved at the taxidermist. He cannot wait to see what 2019 will bring when he returns to the Trinity Ranch.

One thing is for certain — there isn’t a trophy that comes easy at the Trinity Ranch. However, the end result is worth overcoming every hurdle in the journey of pursuing the buck of a lifetime.