.jpg "Photo courtesy of Matt McCroskey")
At a recent banquet, I bid on and won an item in the silent auction for a trophy whitetail deer or elk hunt at Horseshoe Hill Ranch. I called the owner, Bob McConnell, and booked a 160+ class whitetail hunt.
Horseshoe Hill Ranch is located in Western Pennsylvania, about 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh in Reynoldsville. They have 1,025 acres of rolling hills, tall oaks, and tree-covered ridges surrounded by creek bottom swamps and large strips of food plots. The four-bedroom, four-bathroom, 3,500-square-foot lodge was very comfortable and included all meals prepared and served by the in-house chef. Additional pheasant and chukar hunts are also available.
I arrived at the ranch on a beautiful Sunday afternoon with my 10-year-old son, Kyle, and my brother, Mike. We were immediately greeted by Bob McConnell, who made us feel welcomed. Bob asked if we would be ready to hunt by 5:30 p.m., and I told him we would be ready by 4:15! The first evening, after a brief stop at the shooting range to check my rifle and scope, we were escorted by our guide to an excellent two-story stand. I really appreciated the way they accommodated our group, especially including my son on his first deer hunt. About 10 minutes before sunset, 11 bucks showed themselves. All were in the 130+ class, so I held my fire. We went back to the lodge for a fantastic meal and a good night’s sleep in anticipation of the next day’s hunt.
The following morning, we set up at a different location and again saw numerous bucks and several elk. One whitetail was in the 150+ class, but I decided not to shoot since it was our first morning. I had agreed to go for a 160+ class deer and, quite honestly, we were having such a great time that I did not want the hunt to end so quickly. There were only two other hunters on the property. They were from SCI-Alabama and both took a whitetail that day. One of the deer was a 180+ class 14-point, and the other was the same 150+ class buck that I had passed on in the morning.
On Tuesday morning, we all went back to the two-story stand. Again, numerous bucks were available, but none were in the class I was working for. I told the guide that we should drop off my observers back at the lodge and he and I could go hunt hard for the trophy whitetail. The two of us headed for a different part of the ranch near a corn field where a big buck had been spotted earlier. After a quick trek, we set up along the edge of some pine trees. Sure enough, there was a nice buck, but I could only see his face as he was standing below a ridge. He ran off, so we quickly relocated to his likely escape route. A few minutes later, the buck came running past us, almost at full speed. He was at 40 yards moving from my right to left. I raised my .30-06 and quickly got off a shot. The bullet struck him hard, and he kicked up his back legs. He ran 30 yards, losing blood the whole time, and I repositioned myself to the end of the pines where I could see him standing. I hit him again and he immediately dropped. This was the buck I was looking for, a 13-point, non-typical, 165-class whitetail!
We must have seen 50 bucks in all. I was patient enough to pass on all of them until I found this trophy. My .30-06 Howa stainless steel rifle and Kahles 3.5-10X50 4D scope performed extremely well and were supplied by Andy McCormick at Legacy Sports International (www.LegacySports.com) in Reno, Nev. Horseshoe Hill Ranch is a world-class outfit, and I would highly recommend them for a trophy whitetail hunt.
Contact Information:
Horseshoe Hill Ranch
Owner: Bob McConnell
P.O. Box 494
Slippery Rock, PA 16057
Phone: (724) 290-9338
E-mail: hhhunts@gmail.com
www.HHHunts.com
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