predator hunting texas ANNUAL 2020
BOBCATS
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Advertisers BANDERA HAM RODEO……………………………………………………………… EOTECH………………………………………………………………………………… HECKLER & KOCH…………………………………………………………………… HOFFPAUIR…………………………………………………………………………… KIMBLE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE–PREDATOR CALLING CONTEST…… SIG SAUER OPTICS…………………………………………………………………… SIBERIAN COOLERS………………………………………………………………… TIM'S GUN SUPPLY…………………………………………………………………… THIRD COAST THERMAL…………………………………………………………… USA OPTICS…………………………………………………………………………… WESTERN RIVERS……………………………………………………………………
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Lone Star Outdoor News, ISSN 2162-8300, a publication of Lone Star Outdoor News, LLC, publishes twice a month. A mailed subscription is $35 for 24 issues. Newsstand copies are $3, in certain markets copies are free, one per person. Copyright 2020 with all rights reserved. Reproduction and/or use of any photographic or written material without written permission by the publisher is prohibited. Subscribers may send address changes to: Lone Star Outdoor News, P.O. Box 551695, Dallas, TX 75355 or email them to news@lonestaroutdoornews.com.
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JOIN THE BANDERA WRANGLERS AT THE BANDERA HAM RODEO The Bandera Ham Rodeo on March 13-14 is a two-day, ranch-style rodeo event that trains children and adults on how to safely handle hogs, which can be dangerous. Held by the Bandera Wranglers, the event educates the community on the hog epidemic. Hogs are trapped locally, fed and watered, and after the event sent to an approved processing facility. And there’s more than just hog trapping. With the Lone Star BBQ Cookoff, a music festival featuring country music star Tracy Byrd, a Ms. Bacon Pageant, and, of course, hog calling, catching and pig races, it’s fun for the whole family. The event generates enough charitable funds to allow the Wranglers to support Christmas toy drives; Thanksgiving food drives with 75 turkeys, hams, chickens and canned goods; highway cleanups and other community related events, organizations and charities. The Bandera Wranglers are a volunteer, nonprofit, community organization made up of friends and neighbors, cowboys and
PREDATOR HUNTING TEXAS ANNUAL 2020
Lone Star Outdoor News
cowgirls, veterans, ranchers, firefighters, musicians, and truck drivers. Proud to be members of the Bandera community, the Wranglers do not receive anything from any funds raised or donations received. The group has won the Wilton Crider Cowboy Preservation Award for keeping the cowboy way of life alive and well. The Wranglers support those in need, take care of the environment, and help to decrease, even if it’s only a truckload each year, Texas’ hog population. So make the trip to Bandera and have some fun! Tickets and information are available at banderawranglers.org.
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☎ (830) 796-3045 BANDERACOWBOYCAPITAL.COM
BIG BOBCAT CONTEST keeps growing
ECHO3
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THERMAL REFLEX SIGHT
By Craig Nyhus
Lone Star Outdoor News
The Most Innovative Direct View Thermal Reflex Sight BDX E N ABLED WIFI / BLUETOOT H ACT I V E RE TIC L ES CHANGE WITH KILO® BDX RAN GE FINDER INPUT L E VE L PLEX™ DIGITAL ANTI-CA NT SYST EM GRE ATE R THAN 6 HOURS OF RUN T I M E W I T H HE AVY USE 320X24 0 12UM VOX LWIR CORE BOTH 1-6 X AND 2-12X VARIABLE P OW ER ED ZOOM MODELS AVAILABLE WIT H UP TO 1 0 0 FIE L D OF VIEW VIDE O AND IMAGE RECORDING WI T H 8 COLOR PALETTES, 6 BRIGHTNE SS SET T I NG S ASSE MBL E D I N U. S . A .
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A total of 717 teams participated in the West Texas Big Bobcat Contest in January, topping the record of teams in what bills itself as the highest-paying hunting contest in the country. And the event paid more than $50,000 for the heaviest bobcat for the first time. “Each time, it seems to be bigger than the time before,” said Jeremy Harrison, one of the tournament’s directors. The Jan. 25-26 tournament weighed in 34 bobcats and paid out $143,400 in prize money. The WTBBC holds three contests each year, in January, February and March, with this year’s remaining contests being held Feb. 22-23 and March 21-22. The rules aren’t overly complicated, but involve more than just bringing the heaviest bobcat to the weigh-in. Teams of up to four hunters must take either five coyotes or five gray foxes (no mixing of the two) in order to enter their heaviest bobcat. No baiting is allowed, and the teams can’t split up to hunt. Teams can hunt anywhere in Texas, as long as they make the check-in period after the 23-hour hunting time. “We do that to give everyone a shot at the big prize,” Harrison said. “Coyotes and fox present depredation problems, and we wanted to make it more of a challenge and not just be a cat contest.” In tournaments or contests involving prize money, extra efforts take place to avoid those who might try to bend the rules, or even outright cheat. Officials check all of the bobcats with a metal-detecting wand for any kind of tampering, looking for metal that might add to the weight. If something unusual is detected, the cat will be cut open. “We haven’t had any major problems, but we want to cut off the head of the snake before it bites,” Harrison said. “We do everything in our power to make sure things are on the up-and-up.”
PREDATOR HUNTING TEXAS ANNUAL 2020 2/18/20 4:37 PM
Lone Star Outdoor News
Those efforts involve running a temperature probe to check the core body temperature of each bobcat, and conducting a polygraph on a member of each money-winning team. “And we’re working to try to get the same penalties for cheating in a hunting contest as they have with the fishing tournaments,” Harrison said. Harrison is aware of some critics of predator contests, but said there are benefits beyond the removal of the animals from the landscape, and the deer, quail and other creatures they take. “The U.S. Department of Agriculture sent their guys over to take brain samples from foxes,” he said. “They do rabies tests on all of them. It’s a huge help for them; they get months of work done at one time.” A Texas A&M University study on the genetics and coat coloring of bobcats also participates at the WTBBC. “The researcher gets samples for genetics and takes close photos of each cat,” Harrison said. “We’re not just a killing contest. A lot of people who can’t afford leases or deer hunts are in the contest, and a lot of youth.” January WTBBC results: First: 34 pounds, $50,190 Team: Shelby Colvert, Bill Orsak, Shawn Covert, Melvin Freeman Second: 32 pounds, 10 ounces, $28,680 Team: Kody Willis, Kaleb Curry, Lane Schafer Third: 32 pounds, 9 ounces, $21,510 Team: Tim McClound, Greg Denney, Anthony Pontromeli Fourth: 31 pounds, 7 ounces, $14,340 Team: John Weatherby, J.D. Henry, Zack Taylor Fifth: 30 pounds, 8 ounces, $7,170 Team: Dale Battreall, Keith Corbitt, Joe Moroles, Jace Sparks
THE NEW SIG SAUER BDX 2.0 SIG SAUER Electro-Optics’ award-winning Ballistic Data Xchange (BDX) Rangefinder and Riflescope System is now available in an upgraded 2.0 version, and it's simple, easy to use and ready right out of the box. BDX 2.0 takes all of the advanced Applied Ballistics Ultralight and Bluetooth technology and adds simplified, easy to use functionality to get hunters and shooters on target with unprecedented speed and accuracy. New features of BDX 2.0 include nine preloaded, user-selectable Ballistic Drop Compensation (BDC) reticles in all SIERRA riflescopes, eight ballistic groups preloaded in KILO BDX rangefinders and the QuickBOND feature that quickly bonds BDX rangefinders and scopes together as a ballistic system. The BDX 2.0 System is simple, fast, and intuitive — Just Connect The Dot. “The BDX 2.0 system builds upon the success of BDX, adding simplified features and benefits, including the user selectable BDC reticles that allow hunters and shooters to engage targets out to 500 yards with their BDX system without using the smartphone
app,” said Andy York, president of SIG SAUER, Electro-Optics. “All BDX 2.0 rangefinders and riflescopes are now preprogrammed with ballistic groups that cover most centerfire rifle cartridges, crossbows and muzzleloaders.” All SIERRABDX Riflescopes, KILOBDX Rangefinders, and BDX Kits are currently shipping with the BDX 2.0 upgrade. SIERRA BDX riflescopes range from $519.99 to $1,689.99, and KILO BDX rangefinders range from $259.99 to $1,559.99 for the rangefinding binoculars in 10x42. Combo kits are available at dealers.
SIG SAUER
Thermal, night vision options at USA Optics Joining the community of night hunters can be daunting, but hunting hogs at night has become more of a necessity. Often nocturnal, the damage from hogs to crops and land is staggering. Where to start? For night hunters, it comes down to night vision, thermal, or a combination of both. Light amplification (night vision) scopes have become digital, meaning you can turn it on during the daytime and open the cover without damaging the scope. Ranging from $500 to $1,300, many models now let you see what your scope can see on your smartphone. If you have brush and trees, and if you have the budget, seeing body heat with the thermal scopes of today offer much better resolution for the dollar than options available just five years ago. Ranging from $1,500-$9,000, the scopes are expensive and the cost range varies widely. For most applications, $3,000-$5,000 can get you what you need. At USA Optics, we have people who will help you understand all the differences and eliminate the confusion — so you can make the most informed decision possible. There are products that will meet your needs, and there are some products you might want to avoid. USA Optics will help with your decision, so you can spend your money as efficiently as possible. With the lowest possible prices and the best selection of quality products anywhere, you’ll find your best shopping experience. There is just one problem. Once you hunt at night with a thermal scope, you will find yourself hunting at night more than you realized. Why? Because you can see! USA OPTICS
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PREDATOR HUNTING TEXAS ANNUAL 2020
USAOPTICS.NET
Lone Star Outdoor News
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CALLING WITH THE BEST IN GAME CALLS
In February, Fred Eichler spent a few days hunting coyotes in Texas with his signature call, the Western Rivers Eichler Dual Game Call. “We called in five coyotes at one time and killed three of them,” he said. Eichler is known for his videos of predator hunting, but he’s best known for his Fred Eichler Signature Predator Call. “It was really important to me to have some sounds that predators had never heard, so I went out and recorded multiple signature sounds for my signature call,” he said. What he learned from hunting led to one of his favorite features in the calling system. “A unique feature that helps me bring predators in close is a 50-percent Volume Reduction Button,” Eichler said. “When you spot that predator coming in, you can reduce the volume by half with just one push of a button, which increases the urgency for them to close the distance and find the distressed animal.” The dual reflex speakers transmit sounds at 120 decibels, and hunters can preset the spacing of calls at different increments. And, with sound overlay, two sounds can play simultaneously. The new call also includes a large remote with a super-easy menu system. You can download your own favorite sounds, but Eichler said the sounds he recorded, along with the volume reduction are the top two features that help him kill more predators. While most of the Texas hunt focused on coyotes, Eichler tried and succeeded on a first, using small bird and rodent calls to lure in a badger which had been wreaking havoc on an alfalfa field. Features: • • • • • • • • • • •
Dual 4" reflex horn drivers for maximum 120db output 8GB internal memory Two external jacks to accommodate secondary amplified speaker(s) Auxiliary output to trigger motorized decoy (sync) Sound overlay, allows two sounds to play simultaneously Configurable preset volume levels for different calls Sequential call playback to select speakers Customizable quicksets Set random or sequential play with preset spacing distances between calls 2" dot matrix display USB jack
Remote features: • • • • •
Four channel long-range remote 2.8" LCD screen Transmits up to 300-yard range Complete control of all call functions Backlit push button
HME PRODUCTS
☎ (877) 269-8490 HMEPRODUCTS.COM
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PREDATOR HUNTING TEXAS ANNUAL 2020
Lone Star Outdoor News
PREDATOR HUNTING TEXAS ANNUAL 2020
Lone Star Outdoor News
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BETTER TO HAVE IT AND NOT NEED IT, THAN TO NEED IT AND NOT HAVE IT This truism of gun ownership can also apply to owning a better, more refined gun. So why settle for a striker-fired pistol with an OK trigger and a few generic grip options when the HK VP9 or VP9SK have great triggers and 27 different fitment combinations? Options too, are better to have . . .
VP9 (9 mm) 2020 Update - 17 round magazine - New sight configuration - Optics-ready cut
VP9SK (9 mm) with 10 round magazine
www.hk-usa.com • 706-568-1906
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Texas Gun Club Stafford, 832-539-7000 Texas Gun Expierence Grapevine, 817-285-5664 The Arms Room Dickinson, 232-226-5252 Weby Corp Arlington, 800-851-9329 Wheeler Feed & Outfitters Boerne, 830-249-2656 Xtreme Guns & Ammo Richmond, 832-363-3783 VISIT WWW.HK-USA.COM