Ralph’s Hunting Experience with NBA ALL-STAR / COACH Reggie Theus!
Hunting and guiding coach Reggie Theus has been a great learning experience not only for me, but for coach as well. First of all, hunting and playing basketball have so much in common; even though one is played indoors on a court and the other, well, outdoors dealing with varied terrain, habitat, and of course what mother nature throws at you! Having hunted with coach for plains game in Africa, Turkey, Mule Deer, and Elk in New Mexico, I have lived through knowing Coach Theus as an assertive get the job done type of passionate bow hunter. He is a remarkable archer, where I witnessed him sighting in his bow, grouping six arrows within a four inch group at a hundred yards. His focus on the target mentally and his consistent follow through is incredible. His fast paced style of running and gunning, pressuring the opponent scoring on a fast drive down court, correlates with my philosophy of bow hunting big game in New Mexico.
Our First Hunt Together
Hunting in South Africa for seven days allowed us to harvest twelve animals with the bow and arrow. It didn’t take but a couple of days in a blind to discover coach was not the sit down and wait for the animals to come to him type of bow hunter. We teamed up together to do more spot and stalk predator approach hunting, sneaking in on these keen eyed, snort smelling animals on the ground. What a challenge but rewarding harvest this was, as we took five animals on the ground with two Blesbok Bucks scoring in the top 10 largest in the world! Capturing all the action with over the shoulder camera footage was intense as we struggled working the animals, making it all come together with perseverance and of course our PSE archery equipment honed in for the shots.
Coach’s First Merriam’s Turkey
Hunting in my backyard in the Land of Enchantment, New Mexico spring turkey hunt was a cold experience; as we hunted out of a blind with 29 degree weather and snow flurries. This hunt worked out well; I had scouted during my Easter Holiday Weekend patterning these strutting toms work there way from on top of their roost down to a clear open meadow daily for three days consistently feeding and watering during the early morning hours. These gobblers then traveled working their way up an old logging road headed towards a clear warm sunny bench used as their strut zone, for attracting the lady hens. We figured patients and a whole lot of hen yelping would be key in positioning the Ameristep Ground Blind tucked into the brush, we hoped this setup would give us an opportunity for a shot well within bow range, inside the gobblers strut zone.
Hours within the blind gave us time to hone coach in on some hands on calling practice. He was by all means not the typical hunter I normally guide, as he wanted to learn how to work the calls himself and learn as much as he could asking questions. Within a few minutes he not only learned how to use a box call and the slate, but he picked up a mouth diaphragm and worked them all together flawlessly; he is definitely a quick learner and a good caller. With both of us calling producing hen yelps, arguing back and forth consistently over and over from inside the blind, we managed to stimulate a gobbler and five hens to come in as Coach took a forty yard shot hunkering down a 12 inch gobbler on video. He was supper intense, as you could see it in his eyes; the man gets so focused zoning in on the prey for the shot. His 31 inch draw with his Mach X bow and his Carbon X Weave arrow on that hunt put the hurting on this bird; plowing him down with in five yards of the initial shot. Coach was pumped up and excited as he shouted out loudly, “The Mach X Speaks, The Mach X Speaks Again”, he loves his PSE Bows! You know all he could talk about on the way home was, “I can’t wait till elk season, you have to teach me how to bugle and cow talk”, of course it didn’t help any as we had elk within 30 yards from the blind that morning, as we sat inside the blind calling birds, he was excited!
1 st Weekend Success! What? Deer, Fishing, & Elk on the same Hunt in New Mexico?
This hunt was when the true colors of hard work, sweat, dedication, and perseverance took affect which inspired me most about Coach. He did not care how far, steep, or treacherous the terrain was; Coach just wanted a 6X6 Bull Elk! His long stride walking into my elk honey holes took me twice my normal pace to trek ahead of coach working my calls, stimulating bulls to bugle. Opening day of Labor Day Weekend he passed opportunities on three rag bulls and two small 6X6 Bulls within 30 yards that came into my excessive cow calling technique. He mentioned he was having the time of his life as he had hunted other states and had never seen this many bulls before and so close within bow range.
I sure was glad he was having a great time, in spite of all the miles we were putting on; his attitude was awesome as he kept calling me Coach, willing to go and do whatever I decided on doing, play by play for the hunt. Stressing myself, guiding hunters and always trying to make the elk hunt as easy for the hunter as possible; I realized this man wanted a big bull, and was not settling for anything less, he actually fired me up with his positive attitude. I knew then it was hell hole in the back of my mind I was going to have to take coach into; a hole from hell that not only challenges the hunter with calling techniques, but physically it is the place where all human efforts from the hunting party are having to perform and do there own part for the team; being prepared with survival gear, water, and packs to haul the meat and rack out eventually. I experienced that the early season of opening weekend was not the time to go into this brutal elk hole; number one I needed to get coach acclimated to the altitude and at least put one more weekend of elk experience under his belt. Lastly, and most important, I wanted the bulls to be more vocal and hot ready to be seduced by my calls giving coach an awesome elk experience.
Crazy as it sounds, I scheduled a Mule Deer Hunt on the Mulcock Ranch in Southern New Mexico for Coach during this first week of elk season, starting on Labor Day. I was trying to save his weekend days to hunt elk with me, as I had to work back in Las Cruces during the week. Taking advantage of the opener three day weekend, harvesting a nice 9 point New Mexico, Labor Day Muley; Coach was so excited breaking in his new X-Force bow freaking out on the penetration he achieved, punching through both front shoulders on this beautiful 60 yard shot. Of course this ranch was awesome as Charlie Mulcock manages and produces some of New Mexico’s finest mule deer, with plenty of animals around to choose from. Not only did we experience a great hunt, we also fished for trophy river trout. The Mulcock Ranch (575) 687-3352 has one of the best kept secrets for trout fishing in New Mexico; as Coach learned to cast a fly, setting the hook on plenty of river trout. This killer hunt and fishing trip was so much fun that we also managed to captured it all on video, wait till you see this action and the beautiful scenery of this ranch.
Second Weekend, No Bull
The second weekend of elk hunting again produced coach multiple close encounters with bulls. We had a great time as he was now getting very picky with bulls; I know he had two chances at two solid 340 class bulls and six other so, so bulls. Actually, I was starting to get frustrated with him not drawing his bow or much less shooting at these bulls. He was just having a great time experiencing bulls walking into 15 to 20 yards from his setup, waiting for who knows what. This by all means is not a trophy unit we were hunting, but it is an elk infested unit with opportunity to kill coach’s first bull elk. Bulls average 290-300 inches for the average 6X6. So taking a 340 class in this unit is an accomplishment, I voiced my opinion and asked him if he could draw his bow, letting him know I needed him to draw early being ready at full draw waiting for the shot as the bull walks in. Coach you have to draw your bow on the animal, much less shoot to kill an elk; I was frustrated, I always want my hunters to bag, I hate getting skunked, especially coach. He attended my elk seminar in Las Cruces Sportsman’s Warehouse and I told him publicly that he was going to kill an elk this year. Talk about the pressure being put on. Well, the second weekend past on with the buglin picking up and coach; well he managed to draw on two bulls just for the camera passing the shots. He definitely was ready, both physically and mentally for Hell Hole.
Third Weekend Success
Saturday morning of our third weekend hunt was definitely Hell Hole bound. We woke up early walking in at dark, when the distant sounds of bulls were echoing in the canyon bottom. I was pumped, Coach, well, I know he was ready; I am not sure if he slept that night as all I remember is him waking us all up at 3:30 am ripping and roaring bugles in the cabin, shouting “today is the day, wake up guys lets get an early start, lets go”, buglin on his call firing us up. Joe Sellers, my hunting partner just laughed as he said, “Ralph it’s going to happen today”, he knew what Hell Hole was all about. I was pumped, I felt as I was inside the locker room getting ready for the big game. I was freaking out and getting even more fired up; normally I am the one having to wake up everyone as I new we were in for a great day, what a joy to be with coach. I can imagine how cool it would be to be in the locker room prior to a big game, listening to the pre game talk, pumping up the boys for battle, man I am still pumped up. This man was full of energy, he fired both Joe and I up!
As we got closer to the bugles, a distinct bugle ripped and roared constantly to my cow talk. This bull was definitely the loudest, meanest, bugler I have ever heard. Quickly he came running in I knew he was well within bow range from coach as I backed off using the X-Zone, working the bull. I kept telling myself, come on coach draw and shoot, draw and shoot, something was wrong. The bull stopped bugling suddenly, so I walked up and told coach, “Coach I don’t think you can draw that bow, the X-Force is to powerful for you” he laughed, I could see it in him he was excited. Joe, my cameraman immediately told me, “wait Ralph, he was all broken up, he only had two points, he was a loud mouth, Coach was ready he even drew before he saw the bull”. Nice, I was pumped, I had faith it was going to happen, we were just starting to penetrate Hell Hole and the bulls were cranking on there own.
As we penetrated Hell Hole, the bulls were popping back and forth challenging each other headed towards, what I call the battle field. This place is awesome, this is a place where the bulls head up towards there bedding zone, on a north side of a mountain having a huge bench probably three acres in size, it is loaded with rubs, beds, droppings, and bulls. The bulls were answering my bugles and dominant cow elk calls as we were closing in on the action. Suddenly, a 5X5 bull came running in, quickly we all hit the deck, scrambling setting up, as the bull stood within twenty yards of coach at full draw. Man, coach was in a zone and ready, the bull walked and coach said, “6X6 or nothing”, I was pumped. Soon and within one hundred yards of the 5X5 bull, I called in another two bulls; coach not settling for these bulls either, but other bulls still sounding off nearby. When all of a sudden as we were walking towards the nearby bugles, we heard two bulls fighting, clashing antlers, cows chirping, and minimum six other bulls bugling. What a great experience, we were inside Hell Hole, no mans land, thorns sharp as nails, downfall everywhere from an old burn, bulls rocking.
Coach Theus was amazed, he already knew the protocol, push the limits, close the gap, get closer to the bulls; he was in a zone of his own, the predator in him encroached the bugles as I called excessively. Finally, the herd bull he had been waiting for leaves his battle, groaning with victory. The bull now challenged my calls; he was coming towards us leaving his cows defending his turf. Instantly and automatically, coach comes to full draw, camera rolling, the bull has his head down like a hound sniffing the masking scent of other bulls, he is running in fast. Coach settled his 20 yard F22 pin on the bull’s right shoulder as the quartering shot towards him was a steep sharp angle, with the only shot presenting him was just left of thick juniper brush pile; it was now or never. When all of a sudden the arrow flew making contact with a loud pop of ripping ribs getting crushed; punching threw the elk from one end to the other exiting through the rear left opposite flank, stopping suddenly smacking into a ponderosa tree. “The X-Force Delivers Again, the X Force delivers”, said Coach clinching his fist. We were all amazed with the penetration and power of the bow, the tracking job, well it was easy as the blood trail only went 60 yards to the piled up trophy six by six, as coach saw him go down!
What an amazing hunt, coach’s experience of weekend to weekend hunting gaining elk hunting knowledge every time out, living the elk rut craze, nothing like it! I know after chasing elk for twenty years in the field, this morning hunt ranks up there as one of my very best in the field. The sweat and never give up attitude of coach was awesome; patients, perseverance of penetrating the bulls day after day, closing the gap on bugles, passing shooting opportunities daily, there was nothing like it. Hunting elk with bow or playing basketball professionally; Coach Theus challenged himself with his intense mental and physical preparedness coupled with sore muscles of all our daily outings. His determination and motivation really inspired me to work harder every day to work my calls aggressively, changing my game with the elk; one setup it was cow calling, while other set ups were bugling or rattling. It was never the same, every bull was different, and we adjusted techniques daily according to the elk behavior.
All my hunts with Coach Theus have been exciting and unforgetful. His friendship and great charismatic professional down to earth character, correlating with his natural bow hunting predator instinct, and his all out positive attitude about life in general, is what I have enjoyed most!