The Buckhorn

Back in June, I traveled to a place that has to be on every whitetail enthusiasts "must-see" list - The Buckhorn Saloon and Museum in San Antonio Texas.

The museum's newest incarnation is just a few blocks from The Alamo but the first time I was there(back when I was about 12), it was a few miles from downtown at the old Lone Star Beer Brewery. At either location, the museum is still a whitetail fanatics' dream as it is filled with all kinds of cool mounts and whitetail memorabilia from Texas. In fact, an entire room is dedicated to Texas' favorite game animal.

The antler collection began back when the bar opened in 1881. Bar owner Albert Friedrich began this immense antler collection by trading a glass of beer or a shot of whiskey for deer antlers. The collection grew and today sports thousands of sets of antlers. As you roam the space, you'll see freakish whitetail racks, piebald whitetail mounts, and huge deer from all over Texas. Hanging as a centerpiece over the bar is the massive, 286-inch, 78 scorable points Brady Buck which the bar acquired for $100 back in the 1920s.

If you are western movie enthusiast and have seen Lonesome Dove, you may recognize the museum's bar as it was in an early scene of the epic mini-series. Aside from the whitetail collection, the museum also has an impressive collection of African and North American game, fish, and Texas related memorabilia.

Take it from me, you have to go...

In the Texas Panhandle,

Russell A. Graves

Labels: Texas