Kickstand: The Buck That Haunts the Brush

Some deer make the highlight reel.

Kickstand made the blood run cold.

Last October, South Texas heat still clung to the air like a bad habit. Our client had flown in from Michigan — firm handshake, quiet confidence, eyes hungry for something his home state couldn’t deliver. He wasn’t after “a nice buck.” He wanted to feel the ground shake when it stepped out.

He got paired with Kurt — our guide with nerves like braided steel and a sixth sense for danger in the brush. When Kurt goes quiet, it means something’s about to die. They glassed bruisers. Giant racks. Thick necks. Killable deer. But Kurt kept saying, “Not yet. We’re waiting on him.”

Kickstand.

He wasn’t just a buck — he was a freak of nature. One big, nasty drop tine off the right, like a handle to the underworld. Seen once on camera. Maybe twice. A deer that slipped through cracks like smoke. No patterns. No mercy.

Then it happened.

Second morning. The sun was just starting to rip through the fog. Silence. Then one deep breath from Kurt: “He’s here.”

Out stepped this prehistoric thing. Not trotting. Not scared. Just there — like he owned the dirt under your boots. That drop tine looked like a damn claw. The hunter froze. Kurt didn’t.

“Now.”

One shot. Crack of thunder. Dust settled. No follow-up needed. Kickstand folded like a haunted dream.

Back at the lodge, we raised glasses, told lies, and laughed like maniacs around the fire. That drop tine now hangs on the wall — a reminder that sometimes, legends are real.

Vara Ranch isn’t for the faint of heart.

It’s for the ones who want the story no one else can tell.

Book your hunt. Chase the monster. Crown yourself king.