Farm & Ranch Living Outdoor Guide 2015

Turner promotes female hunters

By Rich Flowers Athens Daily Review News Editor

C

hristy Turner believes you can have a good day hunting even if a deer doesn’t show.

For Turner, there’s nothing like a taking few hours away from the everyday world of work and worry for the sights and sounds of the outdoors.

Turner, Mapping Director for the Henderson County Appraisal District, grew up in Minnesota, but her often frozen home state for Texas when she was 18 years old.

“I was on the rodeo team at Hill College in Hillsboro,” Turner said of her barrel racing days. “That’s where I met my husband, Billy, who was a bronc rider, and followed him to Athens.”

It was also Billy who introduced her to hunting while they were in college.

“My dad used to hunt a little bit, but that was the guys thing and they didn’t let the girls go,” Turner said. “Billy didn’t set any limits on girls being able to do it.”

In 1994, they started hunting on a lease near the Central Texas town of Goldthwaite.

They still enjoy hunting in that area. At Billy’s suggestion in 2005, Christy began hunting with a bow. With practice and patience she became a confident and accurate shot.

“It’s a lot in your mind,” Turner said. “You can really psyche yourself out. You’ve got to really practice and that gives you confidence that you can make that perfect shot.”

Turner said many non-hunters don’t realize that those who love the sport are also animal lovers.

“We have a farm with cows, rabbits, chickens and dogs,” Turner said. “When I hunt, I don’t want that animal to suffer. I want to make that perfect kills shot. That doesn’t always happen and I’ve cried. That’s why I practice a lot.”

Turner served on the Henderson County Wildlife Committee for

three years and was chairman last year. While on the board, she was instrumental in planning the annual Fall Rendezvous, which rolls around for the 30th time in October.

“I think it draws the county together, not just the men or the people who hunt,” Turner said. “It brings people together who might be interested in shooting, hunting or even just the conservation side of it. It’s a family affair to keep current on what’s happening in our county with the outdoors.”

Turner is involved with Prois Hunting,

a women’s apparel line that helps meet the needs of the growing number of females in the sport.

“When I first started, I wore Billy’s old hunting clothes,” Turner said. “They were too big on me. From there, I moved to the little boy’s clothes because the fit a little better.”

Turner found the Prois line and found hunting apparel that suited her in style and size. Through Prois she also began going on some women’s hunts sponsored by the company. At the time of the interview she’s was just a few days away from heading to the Austin area for a dove hunt.

“We’ve got them flying in from Colorado, Oklahoma and elsewhere,” Turner said.

“We call it the Prois Posse. I could go to another state with Prois and see another lady, even though I haven’t met her yet and she’ll be my best friend. It’s almost like a family.”

For the past two years, Turner has been writing some of her thoughts and experiences for “Huntress Life Magazine.”

“Gary saw a picture of me and my girls fishing. We had a stringer of bass and he asked if I would write about our adventure.

It just stuck. He asks me each time an issue goes out and asks if I have anything to contribute. I always have something, she said with a laugh.”

Tuner’s nine-year-old daughters, Cassie and Callie have been going on hunting trips since they were babies.

“I had them on infant car seats to bring them to the box stand with me,” Turner said.

“When they turned five we bought them their first hunting license.”

The girls each shot a deer when they were five and they’ve brought one home each year thereafter.

“They love it as much as I do,” Turner said.

“I think as fast paced as the world is today, when we get to go to the deer lease one-onone, we might not see a deer, but we still enjoy that time, sitting in silence away from the commotion.”

Turner said the girls love contributing to the family, because they know the deer they kill will make it to the table in some form or fashion.

“They’ll help us skin the deer and help us process the deer,” Turner said.

On a trip to see Turner’s mother in Arizona, the twins were taken to the grocery store.

Grandmother bought steaks for the family meal, a sight that was confusing to the girls.

“Two weeks later, we were driving to school and they said, ‘Mama, do they not have any deer in Arizona? Nana bought her meat at the store,”’ Tu r n e r said.

When t h e girls were little, Billy

would often give Christy a chance for a little solitude.

“I think more moms would like hunting if they were given the opportunity,” Turner said. “When I had the baby girls crying, with dirty diapers and dirty bottles, my husband would say ‘If you want you can go hunting and I’ll stay with the girls. I would be sitting in a tree in the middle of nowhere. Nobody knew where I was. Not even the wildlife knew I was there. That was probably my best therapy.”

Christy is on a team for His and Hers Outdoors, a TV show that runs Sundays on the Pursuit Channel. Being able to shoot video while hunting has been a challenge.

The Turners take special care of which deer to hunt. Studying the herd to see which ones are too young and which ones are ready to be culled out. When the days start to turn cool, crisp and sunny is the perfect time to get outdoors.

You can find more about Turner and her interests at www.hisnhersoutdoors.com, www.huntresslife.com and www. proishunting.com.

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Duck Destiny

By Lefty Ray Chapa Texas Outdoor Writers Association

D

ucks and water go together like rice and gravy. The amount of water across North America determines whether a waterfowl hunter sitting in a blind in Texas has something to shoot at during duck hunting season. More water equals more ducks. Less water makes it more of a crapshoot.

Texas sits toward the bottom of the Central Texas Flyway, one of four waterfowl flyways spanning the continent. Water conditions at the top of the flyway, which includes the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan and the northern states of North and South Dakota, largely determine the breeding season‘s success.

June aerial surveys will more accurately pinpoint expectations, but at press time it is known that the Canadian provinces went into a wet winter. The snowpack, however, was less and the winter precipitation was below average, although the seasonal basins remained wet. According to TPWD waterfowl biologist Kevin Kraai, the expectation is that mallard, northern pintail, and blue-winged teal reproduction from this region will be above average.

In the Dakotas, similarly, it was wet going into winter, with the large basins holding plenty of water. But the area also experienced below-average winter precipitation and less snowpack.

Kraai says he “expects good, but not excellent, production from redheads, canvasbacks, blue-winged teal, and gadwalls.”

These two regions both cover vast areas with different geography, and fortunes could change rapidly depending on where the precipitation lands. All of these variables affect the ducks before they migrate to Texas. As a whole, Kraai points out, “we are riding a wave of good [duck] production over [the last] two decades.” He adds, “Except for the northern pintails and lesser scaup, all other ducks are above long-term averages.” The good old boys talk about the good old days, but Kraai says, “We currently may be in the heyday. It’s interesting and exciting.”

Once the ducks migrate to Texas, the dice are rolled from year to year as the water situation here changes, too. The recent drought years in Texas, while bad for ducks overall, have been good for some waterfowl hunters, since the ducks have been more concentrated and easier to find.

These fortunate hunters found the sky filled with waves upon waves of ducks, while others found their traditional spots high and dry with nothing flying.

This past season started on a wet note, giving the formerly dry ponds and tanks water, which meant waterfowl were spread over more areas. The wider distribution put fewer ducks in the air in front of some hunters, but offered opportunities to more shotgunners across the state. The drawback was that some shooters saw only one or two species. It made for a disappointing day if those species had low bag-limit regulations—like redheads or pintails, currently limited to two each.

Much could change between press time and opening day, but at this point, it looks like hunters should probably plan on getting the state and federal waterfowl stamps or license endorsements. It could well be a good year.

Lefty Ray Chapa is an outdoor photographer/writer based in San Antonio. He is president-elect of the Texas Outdoor Writers Association.

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A Primer On Winter Pastures…

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t’s still hot and we are in need of rain, but it’s also winter pasture time! Our warm season grasses are about to play.

Meantime, feed prices are not coming down—even though corn is cheap—and most folks expect even higher prices as we get into winter. That’s where winter pastures can be a saving solution if done right and on time.

The most often winter pasture is simply overseeded ryegrass. Lots of different ryegrass varieties are on the market with many offering more tonnage and longer growing seasons than the old standards.

October and early November is the ideal ryegrass seeding time for our area. The shorter the pasture has been grazed or mowed, the better the chance for the ryegrass seed to take root and thrive, according to Rick Hirsch, County

Agent in Henderson County. One practice that will help seed germination is running a disk across the pasture—keeping the blades straight. This throws up some soil but not much damage to the existing forage. Forty to fifty pounds of ryegrass seed per acre should be spread and if possible, use little or no nitrogen fertilizer until after frost or when the winter pasture starts growing. Some longtime ryegrass users seed 80-100 pounds per acre for more forage. Hirsch also strongly recommends a soil test before spending money on winter pastures. Soil test results will suggest the blend of fertilizer that is needed and also indicate whether ag lime is needed.

Probably the most efficient use of winter pasture is for cows nursing calves. Separating the dry cows and using the winter pastures

only for cows and calves works well. Some producers with limited

amounts of winter forages use a system of rotating the cows and

calves on and off the green stuff.

Letting the cows have a couple hours a day will let them fill their bellies and then they can head to the hay rings. Some cattle folks also build simple “creep gates” so that the calves have access to the winter pastures at any time, keeping the cows off until they are rotated in.

Time was most towns and cities across the nation had one or more real hardware stores. Now, many of these family owned businesses have departed and been replaced with the big-box, all things to all people, monsters. However, some of the old timers survive. In Palestine, the folks at Braly’s Hardware and Builders Supply are doing well and offering top quality products.

Recently the store relocated to what was the old Rusk Elementary School on Palestine Avenue. The

83-year old business offers a look back at what used to be. Old school blackboards, lockers and other school furnishings have found their place in the store as markers, shelves and more. Stephen Braly, grandson of the founder, and his wife Vicki are members of the Ace Hardware organization and were recently recognized as having the “coolest” Ace store in the country.

Everything in the hardware and building line most probably can be found in the store. Employees are top notch—rather than pointing you to the area of the store you are looking for, they lead the way.

Also, Braly’s carries the full line of Craftsman tools—and many other name brands. It’s worth a visit!

That’s–30— Horace@valornet.com

Wetlands center open to the public

By Kathi Nailling Staff Writer

T

he John Bunker Sands Wetland Center on Highway 175 in Seagoville is celebrating its fifth anniversary.

The Wetland Center, a nonprofit 501c3, serves as the hub of environmental and social interest for the 3,100 acres of man-made wetland habitat on the Rosewood Seagoville Ranch property in Kaufman County.

John DeFillipo, the Director of the Wetland Center, recently was the guest speaker at the Cedar Creek Lake Area Chamber of Commerce monthly membership luncheon held at Cedar Creek Country Club.

The Wetland Center serves as both a natural water recycling station and a habitat for wildlife.

The center is also the home to two bald eagles. DeFillipo told the members about the Wetland Bald Eagles.

“Our Bald Eagles began nesting at the Westland in 2011. The center relocated the nest of the eagles to a new ONCOR/Falcon Steel Tower.”

A group successfully moved the 200-pound bald eagle’s nest that was sitting dangerously close to a high-voltage line.

The Eagles have found the East Fork Wetland a suitable and inviting habitat for the past several years.

In addition to the Eagles, there is wildlife that lives above and below the surface at the Wetlands.

Courtesy photo DeFillipo said the wetland center has the ability to clean raw water (using nature, not chemicals) and return it to Lake Lavon.

The Wetland Center building and grounds provides opportunities for research, education, wildlife observation and community gatherings.

The Center was named after the

late John Bunker Sands the son of Loyd Bowmer Sands and Caroline Rose Hunt.

The late Bunker Sands was an executive director of The Rosewood Corporation. Bunker enjoyed the development of the wetlands.

He recognized the importance of wetlands to the total environment and began restoring and developing manmade wetlands on the

Courtesy photo

Rosewood Ranches in 1980.

The mission of the Wetland Center extends the legacy of the land steward, Sand who created over 2100 wetland acres in the 1980 and 1990s on Rosewood Ranches located in Kaufman, Henderson, Ellis and Navarro counties.

Today the 5,400 square foot facility includes an exhibit and gallery hall, a research lab for use by research groups to study the wetland plants and animals.

The facility has a classroom for hands-on 4th to 12th grade educational programs and an observation deck to view the wetlands.

The Wetlands Center will celebrate it’s 5th anniversary with a full day of events on Saturday, Oct. 17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the cost is free.

There will be education and research booths, kids activities, food trucks, live music, live Bald Eagle and Bird Presentations, Dallas Zoo Animal Programs, vendor and craft booths and fun for the whole family.

Find out more information about the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center at www.wetlandcenter. com.

The center, located off Highway 175 in Seagoville, is open to the public on the first and third Saturday of each month from 9 am to 4 p.m.

Cost is $5 for adults, $4 Seniors 60 years and above, children 5 to 12 cost $3, under 4 get in free. Call 972-474-9100 for information on educational programs.

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Jacksonville business caters to bow hunters

By April Barbe Editor@jacksonvilleprogress.com

M

ore and more, Logan Bishop says he sees hunters in East Texas leaving their firearms behind and picking up bows and arrows when hunting seasons approach.

Bishop, manager of Outdoor Connection in Jacksonville, believes some folks are looking for a challenge by opting for bow hunting.

“There’s more outdoor sports when you turn on the TV and see the Outdoors Channel. There’s a big push for archery,” Bishop said. “You don’t see as many people shooting with guns anymore. I think it’s (bows) just a challenge.”

Outdoor Connections, owned by Cecil Bannister, is a full-service archery shop and also offers lessons.

“I do lessons for all ages, but mostly I have youth. And if someone purchases a bow, I spend about an hour with them, regardless of age. There’s a process in getting a bow setup,” Bishop said.

The business has been open for three years and recently added a live bait shop, as well.

It also includes indoor and outdoor (bow) ranges, and will offer full service on archery, including setup and repairs.

Bishop was busy in early September helping those preparing for opening day of bow season, Oct. 3.

He said business also picks up in spring when those who bow fish begin getting prepared.

According to www.hunter-ed.com, the use of the bow and arrow is recorded as early as 3,000 B.C. The website said Egyptians used bows shorter than a man’s height with arrows that were two feet in length, or longer.

Early bows were “C” shaped. When shooting these bows, the archer would pull the string with a ring held around the thumb. The early longbow was 5 to 6 feet in length and was usually made of yew.

Native Americans were the first bow hunters in America, and the National Archery Association was founded in 1879.

Contributed photo However, the website said that bowhunting didn’t gain popularity until the 1950s and 1960s as hunters learned Deer trophies line the wall inside Outdoor Connecmore about the sport. “I think it’s really popular in East Texas. I’ve been hunting for 10 years, and it has definitely tion, as archery targets find a place beneath. grown,” Bishop added.

Outdoor Connection is located at 2011 E. Rusk St. in Jacksonville. Its operating hours are: Tuesday-Friday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit them online at www.outdoorconnectiontexas.com

Texas Big Game Awards announces new trophy search tool

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or 24 years, the Texas Big Game Awards (TBGA), a partnership of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and the Texas Wildlife Association (TWA), has been the leader in recognizing the contributions that landowners, land managers and responsible hunters make to managing and conserving wildlife and wildlife habitat on Texas’ private lands.

The TBGA is excited to announce “TBGA Trophy Search Tool.” The first of its kind in Texas, this web-based search tool provides hunting enthusiasts with the ability to search over 34,000 big game harvested entries taken in Texas since 1991, which have been officially entered in the Texas Big Game Awards program since its inception.

“This is very exciting news,” said David Brimager, Director of Marketing for the Texas Wildlife Association who oversees the TBGA program. “For the first time in the program’s history, hunters can research trophy animals taken in Texas through a variety of avenues. You can search by region, animal, category, year, county, or last name.

Hunters ask us all the time about historical

entries, and more specifically about certain counties. This search tool gives them the opportunity to do that research and so much more.”

After each awards season is complete, that season’s data will be uploaded to the website tool. Species recognized by the Texas Big Game Awards include white-tailed deer, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, desert bighorn, and javelina.

Awards are given to all “scored entries” that meet minimum regional scoring requirements using the Boone and Crockett Club scoring system. Also recognized are first-time hunters, youth hunters, and landowners. There are no entry fees to enter the annual recognition program. All program information, program history, entry rules, photos, and sponsors are featured on the TBGA website.

For more information on the TBGA Trophy Search Tool, please visit texasbiggameawards.com and navigate using the search tool link.

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About Horses I’ve Known A

bout horses I’ve known…

My first was named Maggie. A Standard bred.

I was in the 3rd grade. Father gave me an old cavalry saddle, split down the middle, light enough I could lift it. It was so uncomfortable I rode bareback. I went to a oneroom schoolhouse with six grades.

I was the only kid in the 3rd grade!

Our house was on one side of the horse pasture and the schoolhouse was on the other. I rode Maggie to school and walked home.

When we moved from Texas to New Mexico, my new horse was named Buck. He was a good horse to grow up on. In the ensuing years in Colorado I’ve had Cricket, who went with the divorce, Coyote, who raised my daughter, Bay who had ring bone, Leo, a rope horse who wore a bikini top over his right eye to keep him from turning out, one with a King Ranch brand who tore down my tack room, Reven Bubba, a colt, then Sonny, a left-handed heeling horse. Not to mention several I just bought and sold.

In Arizona, we made Sonny a ranch horse. Others followed; Rex Allen who raised my son, Paint that I took in trade for speaking to the Paint Association, Chaco, who

became my “movie” horse in addition to his ranching responsibilities, Maria, a paint mare that I traded for Winchester who had a little Thoroughbred in him, and Tom Perry, a solid buckskin. Today we have Copper, Missy, José, straight from Mexico, and Bravo who is as big as a school bus. They all do ranch work.

named Toby. I drew up with Fred Whitfield, 8 times World Championship roper. I saw Fred during the afternoon practice warm up. It was a little intimidating. I was horseless, afoot and USTRC ranked as #2 in skill, which is like kindergarten level. He rode over to me and said, looking down from his throne, “You just go out there and rope him, if

In my life of travelin’, I’ve ridden many borrowed horses on trail rides, at ropings, parades and grand openings, but one deserves my highest praise. I was participating in the Reba/Ben Johnson Celebrity Roping at Gaylord Arena in Gutherie, OK. Red Steagall lent me his ambidextrous white horse

you can, and if, by some chance you do I’ll rope the heels.”

I stammered, “Uh…I’m lefthanded.”

He looked at me like I’d just pooped on the carpet, turned his horse and rode away.

That evening he said, “Okay, I’ll rope him and try to drag him real

slow so you might be able to catch at least one foot.”

I said, “Fred, rope him as fast as you can and turn him hard.”

He gave me the eagle eye. I could imagine him thinkin’, “He ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

I climbed on Toby, in Red’s saddle and backed in the box. We roped the first one in 9.0. When we came tight Fred looked across the steer at me and said, “We might have a chance,” and did his ‘raise the roof’ hand gesture. 27.7 seconds on our second steer and made the cut.

Our turn on the third go we did in 7.8. Fastest in the roping so far. Toby was PERFECT! We waited. The last team to go was a team of 19-yearold boys, Ty O’Neil and Trey Miller.

What are the odds, I was thinkin’.

They shot out of the box like jet pilots! I think I saw contrails. Their ropes sang as they flew and in less time than it takes to drive a horseshoe nail, the horse faced and the crowd exploded! 7.7 Toby understood. He knew we just got lucky and proved my team roping philosophy; the farther you go down the arena, the faster the wheel comes off the wagon! www.baxterblack.com

Draw hunts a cheap alternative to rising lease prices

by Matt Williams Outdoors Writer

I

f you are among the growing number of hunters who can no longer afford the rising cost of annual hunting lease dues and other costs associated with being on a club, you might consider applying for one or more hunts under the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s public draw hunt program.

Each year, the department accepts applications online for drawn hunts in nearly three dozen categories on nearly 100 areas around the state.

The hunts are for a wide variety of game animals including whitetail deer, mule deer, wild turkey, pronghorn antelope, javelina, feral hogs, alligator and various exotics. There also several “Youth Only” hunts available.

The application fees are nominal and permit fees are affordable (youth hunts are free) considering many of the hunts occur on lands managed for high quality game with a limited number of hunters in the field.

Phil Pechacek of Longview is a huge supporter of the state’s public hunting program. Pechacek has participated in several public hunts under the draw program, but his 2014 hunt at the Gus Engeling WMA in Anderson was one he will never forget.

Pechacek took an outstanding 12 pointer off the big WMA last season.

Scored as a typical, the deer grosses 160 2/8 and nets 153 6/8.

“I hope that everyone can realize the potential of the hunting opportunities that TPWD has to offer,” he said. “A lot of people have never heard of drawn hunts, where individuals and groups can enjoy a safe public hunt and the fact that the deer are not conditioned to feeders and food plots. If you want to do easy then these hunts are not for you. Visiting and scouting will

(Courtesy Photo) Phil Pechacek with his big 12 pointer taken at the Gus Engeling WMA during a draw hunt last season. pay off when you do get drawn for a hunt. Its all just luck, but that’s just it -- the good times spent around a camp fire are well planned to open the door for memories with friends.”

Application deadlines vary depending on the category. The deadline for most of the deer hunts falls on Sept. 11, but there is plenty of time to get in on drawings in other categories.

You can browse all of the hunts, view deadlines, previous hunter success rates, application numbers for the previous season, special

regulations and other useful data on the department’s easy-to-navigate public hunting draw hunt website, www2.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/ hunt/public/public_hunt_drawing/.

Draw hunt catalogs also can be downloaded off the website, but applications for the hunts are accepted online only. The department went to the online process last year, which streamlined the process and saved the department a bundle in printing, mailing and data-entry costs.

The move benefits hunters because

it allows them to apply for unlimited hunts under the same category, check their draw status at any time and apply for hunts right up until the last minute before the deadline.

Not surprisingly, the switch to online applications instead of mailin bolstered participation. TPWD received nearly 100,000 applications for draw and e-Postcard hunts last year - nearly double the number received during the final year of paper applications.

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Naomi Boyer sees success in artillery competitions

By Deanna Kirk Corsicana Daily Sun

A

pretty little blond-haired girl named Naomi Boyer enjoyed a long string of successes with winning rabbits at the Navarro County Youth Expo for several years as a member of Blooming Grove 4-H. Fast forward a few years to 2015, and Boyer is taking trophies in groups where she’s the only female, utilizing something she also learned in 4-H — shooting.

Currently a senior on the Corps of Cadets Marksmanship Unit (CCMU) at Texas A&M University, Naomi and the CCMU participated in the annual meeting of Combat Weapons Teams from each of the United States Service Academies and Senior Military Academies hosted by the prestigious United States Army Marksmanship Unit on their Krilling Range at Ft. Benning, Georgia.

“Sometimes she is competing on a team with males, and sometimes competing as an individual female,” said mom Marlyn Boyer. “The team got first place in the nation, and she was the top female.”

Boyer said her daughter’s interest in shooting sports began with 4-H, and the shooting program in Navarro County started by Bart Latta, Ned Balcom and Andy Otten. Though Naomi belonged to Blooming Grove

4-H, anyone in Navarro County could participate in shooting sports.

“After joining 4-H I began exploring all the different competitons and we happened across 4-H shooting sports when searching,” Naomi said. “I had been shooting for a few years and competitive shooting sounded fun! I was in fourth grade when I got on the Jr. Team and it was so exciting.

Shooting sports people are the best people to get to know no matter if you are a young girl in grade school.”

“Naomi is very coachable, so when she messes up, if they tell her how to fix it, she 100 percent tries to fix it and strive for perfection,” Boyer said. “All the coaches who have ever coached her like that.”

A month after the Combat Weapons Team competition, the CCMU went back and did a three-gun competition, where they used a 9mm, a shotgun, and a AR-rifle and a military obstacle course, where they ran up walls, pulled 90-pound sleds, then took a gun and shot at targets, then crawled under barb wire, then shot at more targets, etc. Naomi was the top female shooter in that competition as well.

“She competed at the Chris Kyle Memorial Wild West Shootout over by Waxahachie, shooting against professionals from all over the nation,” Boyer said. “Naomi was third place female, and the two females who beat her are on the U.S. Nationals Shooting Team.

They are not students, but professional, travel-the-world shoot people.”

Naomi’s senior year at Texas A&M has her in charge of freshman retention for the Corps of Cadets, as well as an Ag leadership and development major.

“She hasn’t given up on her animals,” said Boyer.

“I plan to continue shooting competitively after Texas A&M because it is part of who I am and have become,” said Naomi. “The CCMU has about 16 active shooters, with myself as the only active female for the last year. The team is still young and will grown in number and in competitive strength in the future.”

Deanna Kirk may be reached at dkirk@corsicanadailysun.com.

10 Steps to Safe Gun Handling

T

he best way to deal with hunting accidents is to preRULE 7: vent them before they occur. Once you pull the trigger, Control your emotions: there’s no bringing a bullet back. Hunters can go along Don’t let the excitement of a potential shot cause you to react in an way towards preventing tragic hunting accidents by following unsafe manner. Don’t swing the gun at hunting companions and never the 10 Commandments of Shooting Safety. You’ve read them run with a loaded firearm toward a downed animal with the gun safety before. Now read them again. It might save your life or some- off. Pass up andy shots that could be unsafe. one else’s.

RULE 1:

RULE 8:

Treat every firearm or bow and arrow with the same respect you would show a loaded gun:

Wear Hearing and Eye Protection:

RULE 2: Always keep the muzzle of a firearm pointed in a safe direction:

Alcohol and drugs impair normal physical and mental body functions and must not be used before or while handling firearms or archery equipment. These substances affect emotions, making it easier to lose control.

Never point a firearm of any caliber at anything that you do not intend to shoot. Horseplay with unloaded guns is unacceptable. Make sure all guns remain on safety until ready to be discharged.

Be aware of other circumstances that require added caution:

Hunters should wear ear plugs to avoid hearing loss due to loud outbursts of noise from gun blasts. Safety glasses will help protect the eyes No gun is more dangerous than one that is presumed to be unloaded. from escaping gases, burnt gunpowder and other debris.

When you pick up a gun, always keep the muzzle pointed at the ground or overhead. The idea is to avoid pointing it at other people. Be sure the RULE 9: chamber and magazine are empty and that the action remains open Don’t drink alcohol or take drugs before or while handling until you are ready to discharge the firearm.

RULE 3: Be sure of your target and of what is in front of and beyond your target : Mistaken identity is a leading cause of hunter related accidents. Never shoot a game animal you “think” is a game animal. Know exactly what it is you are shooting at before clicking the safety. Know what is in front of and behind the target. Know your gun or bow and how far bullets or arrows can travel. Never shoot at flat or hard surfaces, such as rock, water or steel.

RULE 4: Unload firearms and unstring recurve bows when not in use: Guns should be unloaded with the actions left open when not in use.

Use gun or trigger locks, especially in the home.

RULE 5: Handle firearms, arrows and ammunition carefully: Avoid all horseplay with firearms; they are not toys. Never jump ditches, climb trees or go through fences with a loaded firearm or nocked arrow.

Never face or look down the barrel from the muzzle end. Be sure the only ammunition you carry correctly matches the gauge or caliber you are shooting.

RULE 6: Know your safe zone of fire and stick to it: Your safe zone of fire is that area or direction in which you can safely fire a shot. Keep tabs on where your companions are at all times. If you’re unsure, don’t shoot. Never swing your gun or bow out of your safe zone of fire.

firearms:

RULE 10: Just because something isn’t listed under these Ten Commandments of Shooting Safety doesn’t mean you can ignore it if it is dangerous. There might be “special rules” regarding archery, muzzleloading or individual shooting ranges that should be followed as well.

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Trackin’ Trophies: A Professional Bass Fisherman’s Life

By PennyLynn Webb community@palestineherald.com

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rofessional fisherman John Hope made a name for himself in the coves of Houston County Lake.

Hope, who had a ESPN fishing show at the height of his career, says he has fished most of his life, noting that it was his mother that he got his love of bass fishing from, noting that his father like fishing for crappie.

Hope says he began tournament fishing in the 70s with his buddy, Larry Lucas. “We won a lot of tournaments during that time, coming in first or second place.”

Hope said that it was in 1983, when the Anderson County oil boom collapsed, he found himself without a job, so he decided to go fishing. It was at Houston County Lake that Hope says he began to hit on a pattern on how fish traveled across the lake, he began consistently catching big fish. According to Hope, at that time, fishermen were only reeling in catches over 7 lbs. two or three times a month and he was catching 28 to 31 of those big mouthed bass a month.

“Newspapers jumped on it. The little resort there on the lake began turning information about my catches into the Houston Post.

Long story short, I wound up with a fishing show on ESPN.” In the longer version of that story, Hope

Courtesy Photo

says that once he hit on a patter and got a little notoriety, people began wanting him to be their fishing guide. After a while, he decided that he would become the big bass guru. It was then that he began tracking fish.

Hope used probes, radio monitoring and electronic transmitters to understand bass movement. He even skin-dove everyday for a year to observe first hand the habits of fish, in particularly the Black Bass. Hope would track and study fish for 20 years. In fact, Hope is credited with doing the longest study to date on the Black Bass. His research was the inspiration for his book, Trackin’ Trophies.

Hope said, “A fish has habits just like you and I. In a day’s time, they are going to eat and rest. They are going to travel a path, just like you travel a path from work to home everyday. Now there may be variations in the pattern, just like you may have to stop at the store, but the patterns are there and they follow them. In fact, through catch and release, I learned that you can catch a fish on one side of a lake, take it to be weighed on the other side, for a tournament and release it on that side, and eventually that fish will make it back to the area that you originally caught it in. You’ve heard of dogs finding their way back home after being taking far distances, well, all creatures of this earth have an innate sense to find their way back to where they belong.”

Tracking those fish would lead Hope to the understanding of their patterns and give him the foresight to know where they would be based on the makings of any lake, anywhere.

In an interview with Honey Hole magazine, Hope told the reported that he could look at any contour map of any lake and tell them where they could find the fish. After that, Hope said he began receiving maps from all over the world.

The media coverage from magazines and newspapers and speaking at conferences throughout the nation would lead to Hope’s ESPN television show.

Hope says he filmed the show until his wife got sick and decided he would pull out of filming until his wife got better. Hope put everything into his wife’s care. Sadly, she passed away several years after that.

While he never went back to professional fishing, Hope is still very much active in the fishing world.

While fishing has changed considerably in the past 20 years, Hope says it has snowballed in the last 10.

While the fishing gadgets are more high tech, Hope says that the fish are still swimming the same pat-

Courtesy Photo terns that they were when he started. “The bigger fish may not be found in the shallows, but they are there. You get you a good depth finder and learn where they gully’s and channels are that they travel and you’ll be hitting them every time. Hope noted that it’s not boat traffic that bothers them. According to Hope, fish get used to boat traffic. “I once caught a big mouth bass fishing right off the boat ramp with boats going in and out of the water. The fish get used to that.” Through catch and release, Hope reported that you can catch the same fish over and over. “You can catch them over and over, but once their lips get tired they may move on.”

When asked if big bass can still be found in Houston County Lake, Hope said that the lake needs to be restocked, noting that the chemicals they use to kill hydrilla algae also kills the fish. As a member of the Black

Bass Association, Hope says that he’s done a fair amount of water conservation lectures and fighting to keep chemicals out of lakes and water supplies. He said the Black Bass Association is credited with certain water chemical limitations and restrictions.

Today, Hope owns a NAPA Car Care Center, is a member of the Kinney County Chamber of Commerce, President of the Black Bass Associations and an Ambassador for the Fishing League Worldwide, hosting Wal-Mart fishing days from time to time.

He’s had offers to do other televised fishing show, but says his family is currently working on opening Trackin’ Trophies their game hunting ranch that will also feature a bed and breakfast. While he is not longer licensed to be a fishing guide, he says he can still do “open water conferences.”

Trotlines and Catfish

Only non-game fish (drum, carp, etc.) and catfish may be Guest Columnist, Texas Parks and Wildlife harvested with the use of trotDepartment Inland Fisheries Biologist lines. Length and bag limits still apply to those that use exas Parks and Wildlife Division does not trotlines and juglines. know how many catfish are caught each year I will inject here that one using passive fishing gear such as trotlines of my biggest pet peeves is and noodles. But given the amount of gear observed abandoned juglines and troton some lakes, we assume that the harvest is likely lines. Abandoned gear litters much greater than what we see taken by regular pole the lake that we all enjoy and and line fishermen. continues to catch fish, turtles, Routinely we estimate that over 100,000 catfish, birds, and other wildlife. mainly channel catfish, are caught by pole fishermen Translation: Trotlines are a on Sam Rayburn Reservoir of which nearly 25,000 highly effective and fun way to 50,000 of those fish were kept per year. Given the to fish, but do everyone a number of jug lines and trotlines on the lake, overall favor and clean up after yourcatfish harvest could easily exceed 100,000 to 300,000 self when you are done. Don’t fish. We do not believe there is a shortage of catfish leave your gear out in the lake or that overfishing is taking place given trends in our if you put it there. monitoring surveys and creel data that anglers proJust like there are average vide to us. and good bass fishermen, Obviously, one of the most effective means for some trotliners go home Photo by Matt Williams catching catfish is by using trotlines. TPWD defines a empty-handed and others Channel cat and flatheads are regular customers on trotlines, but the blue trotline as any main fishing line with more than five bring home the fish. Several cat is a mainstay on many lakes across East Texas. hooks with each end attached to a structure. No more things can make the difference monofilament was by far superior to catching catfish. than 50 hooks may be used on a single trotline and no between a poor catch or a boat more than 100 hooks may be fished at any given time load of fish. Location, type of line, hooks, and baits In his study he caught more fish on monofilament in freshwater. all affect what your efforts will produce. Catfish are ganions (drop lines) 96 percent of the time than he In addition, trotlines need to be tagged. This can more abundant in areas that are fairly free of vegeta- did when he used nylon ganions. He also found that easily be done by properly marking your floats or tion and with a soft substrate (bottom of the lake), as monofilament ganions caught larger fish than nylon ganion lines. buoys by legibly writing your name, address, and the there is more food available to them in these areas.

The biologist speculated that the monofilament line date in which you set the gear out. Trotlines may be Rod and reel fishermen often go a step further and set up to 30 days before they need to be retrieved. bait an area that will attract more fish to it. Many worked better because the fish could not see it as well anglers swear by soured as the nylon lines, differences in the lines buoyancy, and odor retention differences between the two lines, milo or dog food.

One of the best methods I or a combination of all. Nonetheless, he found that have heard of for “baiting a monofilament worked better. He used 14-pound test hole” is placing a a large rock line for ganions on his trotlines.

Having spent a year of my life on the Bering Sea in the bottom of a paper bag long lining cod, I can attest to the importance of and fill it with the bait. With a string tied to the bag, sink choosing hooks and baits carefully, because they the bait-filled bagwhere you are not all the same and some are better than others. want it and allow the paper Again, more biologists have looked at the differences bag to become weak by being and statistically proven that certain hooks and baits in the water. Then yank on do better when setting trotlines to catch catfish.

In a study conducted in rivers in South Dakota, the string allowing the rock to tear the bag open spilling O’Shaugnessy hooks (3/0) and modified circle hooks the bait on the bottom. This (3/0) outperformed sea-circle hooks (6/0) in catchputs the bait down in an ing both channel and flathead catfish. The study also exact spot where you want it determined that live black bull head catfish caught as opposed to broadcasting more flathead catfish than cut up carp as bait. Meanwhile, cut carp caught more channel catfish. the bait alongside the boat.

I would highly recommend experimenting with I found a paper where a biologist actually studied different types of bait and paying close attention whether nylon or mono- to what works best. Easier is not always better and filament ganions (drop lines) cheaper is nice, but if you are out to catch fish and do worked better on trotlines it seriously you need to sometimes pay a little extra.

Photo by Matt Williams As always, if you should have any questions confor catching catfish. Nylon is Baiting and running trotlines is a highly effective way to load up the cerning this article or have any other fishery queseasier and cheaper to work freezer with succulent catfish fillets. The passive fishing method popular with, but this guy found the tions please don’t hesitate to contact me at dan.ashe@ on lakes across eastern Texas. tpwd.tpwd.texas.gov or call me at 409-698-9114.

By Dan Ashe

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8 September-October 2015 Support Agriculture Businesses... They Are the Heartbeat of Our Economy. East Texas Farm & Ranch Outdoor Guide

Kaufman TSCRA spotlights issues

By Jeff Riggs Athens Daily Review

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Ranch Gathering event was conducted by the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association at the Kaufman County Fairgrounds Tuesday, Sept.

8. A dinner was prepared with barbecue beef and many side dishes.

The meeting, which attracted an audience of hundreds, brought agriculture professionals and others together to discuss, among other things, the latest legislation dealing with agriculture issues. Rodeo announcer Rex Claxton served as master of ceremonies. Stacy Fox was the event coordinator.

Eldon White, who is the TSCRA executive vice president, spoke about certain legal issues facing the members of his organization. One involves the Texas Central Railway, a proposed project to build a high-speed passenger rail line between Dallas and Houston.

He said the TCR is expected to require over 3,000 acres of right-of-way for the rail line and a related infrastructure that will impact the private property of landowners in 11 counties. He said it is unclear whether or not TCR truly has the power of eminent domain.

“We are against high-speed railway. It is owned by the Chinese, and runs through 3,000 acres,” White said. “The next legislation session could block it.”

Other issues of which he spoke included utility companies/water, county of origin labeling, which he said is “the biggest landgrab in history.”

“We’re fighting these issues on your behalf,” he told the audience.

Another speaker, TSCRA Special Ranger Troy McKinney, said many people advertise livestock on the Internet. But it is not something for everyone to do.

“A lot of people are pouching livestock on the Internet.

They don’t show as good as they are advertised,” McKinney said. “Be cautious about buying on the Internet. It’s the same with hay. Sometimes, it will come around and bite you.”

McKinney encouraged the crowd to “trade locally.”

“Only trade locally with someone you already know, or

someone who has a positive reputation in your area,” he said.

Texas State Rep. Dr. Stuart Spitzer was also present at the event.

“Rural America is the goose that laid the golden egg,” Spitzer said after the event concluded. “I love going to places like this. I was raised with these values. This is what is good for America.”

Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association was founded by 40 cattlemen in 1877 in Graham, under the name of the Stock-Raisers’ Association of North-West Texas.

These cattlemen created the association to fight cattle theft in the region.

Photos by Jeff Riggs Many cattle thefts are solvedAfter the meeting, State Rep. Dr. Stuart Spitzer talked indivdually with difand thieves apprehendedferent people in the crowd at the Ranch Gathering in Kaufman. Shown are through the use of TSCRA’s Mandy Dauses Spitzer and Robert Schuster. brand inspection program and database.In 1893, cattlement plans offering accident, cancer and life policies for men dropped the regional name for the more appropriate members. Cattle Raisers Insurance also provides assistance title—Cattle Raisers Association of Texas. In so doing, it to members in obtaining all lines of property, casualty, busibrought in cattlemen from other small, regional associations ness, automobile, homeowners, animal mortality, and longto strengthen the original northwest group. term care coverage, as well as workers’ compensation insurToday, TSCRA works closely with the National Cattle- ance, through the TSCRA group purchase program. men’s Beef Association, the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and TSCRA also offers valuable discount programs with leadResearch Board, the U.S. Meat Export Federation and the ing companies in the automotive, computer hardware and Texas Beef Council, all of which it helped found, as well as software, ranch equipment and credit card industries. other livestock groups, on issues of mutual interest.

The association publishes the daily e-mail The Cattleman Cattle Raisers Insurance offers health, life and dental inNews Update and, since 1914, has published The Cattleman surance to members, their families and employees. Recent magazine, one of the nation’s most respected and quoted additions include a Medicare supplement plan and supplelivestock trade journals.

For more information, call the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, or visit http://tscra.org/

Photos by Jeff Riggs Above, the crowd at the Ranch Gathering moved slowly through a line of brochures representing businesses and organizations related to agriculture. Right, delicious barbecue was served with all the trimmings at the Ranch Gathering. Below, a crowd estimated to be hundreds filled the Kaufman County Fairgrounds structure to eat dinner and listen to speakers discussing agricultural topics.

Pen Raised Outlaws Wild turkey leader warns against releasing domestic birds into the wild

by Jason Hardin TPWD Wild Turkey Program Leader

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exas and most of the country has been very successful at restoring wild turkeys to their historic range and beyond. Texas currently has the highest density of Rio Grande turkeys in the country and routinely has some of the highest densities of turkeys, turkey hunters, and turkey harvest in the U.S. Texas is home to three subspecies of wild turkeys. In addition to a huge population of Rio Grande’s, Texas also has Eastern wild turkeys and a small number of Merriam’s wild turkeys. Merriam’s are so

few in num- ber and so closely associated with Rio Grande turkeys that this subspecies is actually managed as a Rio Grande from a regulatory standpoint.

Despite years of effort, the restoration of the Eastern wild turkeys inTexas has not been as successful as in other states where the Eastern wild turkeys range.

Early restoration efforts focused on releasing pen-raised birds, but these efforts met with extreme disappointment due to the low survival rates among pen-raised birds.

This approach hampered the wild turkey’s comeback for nearly two decades. Because of what was learned from these early attempts and other concerns, like disease, it is illegal to release pen-raised turkeys

into the wild in Texas.

Unfortunately, many landowners are not aware of or have ignored the regulations regarding the release pen-raised turkeys into the wild. This illegal activity increases the risk of diseases being introduced to existing wild turkey populations, can pollute the native genetic diversity of existing populations, can lead to predators more actively pursuing turkeys, and can hamper ongoing wild turkey restoration efforts currently being conducted by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).

There appears to be a recent increase in the release of pen reared turkeys into the wild by well-meaning landowners as well as individuals who are knowingly violat-

ing the law. Unfortunately, these activities are pulling both law enforcement and biologists away from true restoration in order to address these pen-raised turkey issues.

TPWD recently reopened the Eastern wild turkey restoration program. However, TPWD will not release wild turkeys into areas occupied by pen-raised turkeys.

TPWD GameWardens will also actively prosecute individuals releasing pen-raised turkeys into the wild.

For questions regarding wild turkey restoration, please visit with TPWD’s wild turkey program leader, Jason Hardin at jason.hardin@tpwd.texas.gov.

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State park offers recreation close to home

By Jo Anne Embleton jembleton@jacksonvilleprogress.com

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estled in the northern part of Smith County, Tyler State Park is one of the most frequently visited of the 54 parks operated by the State of Texas.

“Spring, summer and fall are our busiest seasons,” said Boyd Sanders, an interpretive ranger stationed at the Tyler Park. “It’s kinda hard to get a campsite on a weekend during that time – we’re the ninth busiest park in the state.”

Featuring towering pines that visitors can hike and bike among, along with a 64-acre spring-fed lake where there’s fishing, swimming and canoeing – and other activities – the Tyler park is a favorite among both campers and day-trippers.

“The park is known for it’s huge pine trees and it’s recreational lake. It’s very scenic, beautiful. And we’re in a wonderful location, only two hours away from Dallas. People from the Metroplex can come here and turn in the gate, and it’s a whole new world, a whole new experience.”

Dallas resident Young Noh agreed.

The 30-something dad was part of an 11-member group there camping during the Labor Day weekend.

“It’s close to home, and it’s one of the first parks as you leave Dallas where it doesn’t feel like Dallas,” he said. “Some of (the group) haven’t been camping, so I just kinda brought them out to experience it, and they like it.”

Like all the parks in the state park system, the Tyler location offers three different types of programs: Those that focus on natural resources – like nature hikes and bird watching – offer insight into local history or culture (such as information about the Civilian Conservation Corps, which helped make improvements in the 1930s) and outdoor skills, or the how-to programs, Sanders said.

Mostly, the park experience is about making connections, whether someone chooses to camp out or simply spend the day there, he said.

“It’s all about connections – connections to history, connections to families gathering around the dinner table kind of things,” he said.

For Yoh, it’s about being able to offer the youths in the group a chance to get unplugged and just enjoy nature.

“It’s really good for the kids – it takes them out of their normal city routine, (and

brings them) back to nature. Personally, I think it’s healthy for their psychology to be out in nature,” he said.

The weekend trip also gives the men time to bond with their kids in a relaxed setting. We made it a dad event. We left our wives at home and brought our kids out,” Noh said. “The kids were real excited – we went stargazing last night, hiking this morning, and today we’re going fishing, maybe even canoeing.”

Campers at the Tyler park during the recent holiday weekend were evenly split among those who pitched tents and those who made camp in an RV. But for those unsure about the whole camping experience, the “Texas Outdoor Families” program will help them learn how to camp.

“It’s an amazing program,” Sanders said. “We take people with little or no experience camping whatsoever, and for a minimal cost ($65), a family or party of six can come out and camp at one spot. All you have to bring is your sleeping bag, your clothes, your food for the weekend – they’ll send you a list of stuff to bring – and they supply the tents, cots, cook stoves, lanterns, all those things. So you don’t have to spend $500 to come out and have a bad experience because you’re not really sure how to camp.”

While adults learn how to set up camps, youths get involved in ranger programs, in which they learn how to safely enjoy all the park has to offer, Sanders said. “They’re learning how to camp, and that it can be a fun experience.”

Tyler State Park will host the Texas Outdoor Family Oct. 17-18, with information available at http://tpwd.texas.gov/calendar/tyler-state-park-texas-outdoor-family-east-of-dallas.

All in all, the park “is a great outdoor family adventure,” Sanders said. “Because it’s not just one thing, it’s many different things: Geocaching, hiking, mountain biking – did you know he have some of the most mountain bike trails in the entire state right here? It’s also fishing, it’s camping – and all of this typically done in a family and friends setting.

“People come out for adventure, and their adventure might be just sitting around the campfire, cooking s’mores,” he said. “We’re here so people can have an outdoor adventure they’ll enjoy.”

To learn more about the state park system, including information about annual park passes, visit http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks.

Above, a dad cleans a pair of goggles during a day on the lake at Tyler State Park with his little ones.

Below, the floating dock at Tyler State Park’s spring-fed lake is a popular destination for divers.

Left, a young man enjoys an afternoon atop a paddleboard on the lake at Tyler State Park. Above, a youngster and his mom take a break during a hike in the woods at Tyler State Park.

Right, hikers and dogs spend the day discovering the scenery at Tyler State Park.

The park allows dogs on leashes.

Photos by Jo Anne Embleton

Left, Tyler State Park is filled with beautiful vistas and winding roads. It is among the most popular of sites in the state park system. Right, a number of RV hook-ups are available at Tyler State Park, allowing campers to choose from traditional tent-camping or staying in an RV.

10 September-October 2015 Support Agriculture Businesses... They Are the Heartbeat of Our Economy. East Texas Farm & Ranch Outdoor Guide

New store to open in Frankston

By Haley Hoar news@palestineherald.com

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idden down a county road just past the hub of Frankston is a company in the business of quality products.

Atwood Hat Co., located down county road 4104, stores thousands of their hats produced both locally and from Mexico.

Dick Atwood, owner of the company said Atwood Hat Co. started in a 12 by 16 building behind his home. He started the business after a brief stint in retirement with the intent of selling around 400 annually. Now they transport over 20,000 hats at a time.

“I tried to retire,” Atwood od said. “The worst job I ever had in my life was as being retired and 15 minutes of that was about out all I could take.

So I decided to find something thing to occupy me, and I went to Mexico and I started looking for sources.”

Atwood used the hats hee now produces for years due to their resilient nt nature. The hats had never been sold in the United States according to Atwood.

“The only place theyy could be bought were in Mexico because of all of the he raw

material and all of the expertise to make them was in Mexico,” Atwood said. “So I found a place that was two weeks from closing because of lack of business and I had them build me some samples. It turned out that they were probably the best hat makers in Mexico.”

After bringing the hats down, the business expanded to the point of placing hats in five storage buildings before they built the current shop. The shop offers three kinds of hats including straw hats and palm leaf hats that are made in Mexico.

The palm leaf hats are made after the Mexico shop receives hand selected palm leaf which is then sorted and soaked. Workers sow the together, leafs overlapping similar to the shingles on a roof. Once the hat is sewed together it is placed in a

h l with ih hot press to h help shape. They are then searched for defects before transporting them into the states.

Atwood Hat Co. also makes felt hats in the Frankston shop by hand.

Currently Atwood Hat Co. offers services to major retailers and private shops through 12 salesmen in the United States and Canada. The company makes roughly 20,000 hats a month that are sold world wide.

Though it started as a hobby of sorts, Atwood said his family will continue the legacy. Atwood said soon Frankston will be home to his new Saddle Horse Mercantile store bringing the best merchandise available to his customers.

“It seemed like it was one of those things that was just meant to be,” Atwood said. “It kind of did it by itself I just helped it.”

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Game Cams: Electronic eyes in the woods have helped change the face of hunting deer or gathering critical population data on deer densities, buck/doe ratios and Outdoors Writer doe/fawn ratios. It is not uncommon for nyone who keeps check on the some game managers to accumulate an pulse of the Texas deer season entire library of photos of a particular from one year to the next is buck spanning several years before it is sure to agree: Heat/motion sensitive finally harvested.

Here’s how they work: cameras - better known as game cameras When the camera detects a subject or trail cams - have entirely changed the within range, the shutter automatically way many deer hunters play the game. In trips and records the image to a memory fact, the devices have become so popular card. Hunters or game managers visit that you will be hard pressed to a find a camera sets periodically to review or serious hunter who doesn’t own at least swap out memory cards. Images can be one. reviewed on the spot or the used memory I have interviewed dozens of success- card can be swapped out for an empty ful deer hunters over the years. Nowa- one. days, it is rare to hear a success story built Many cameras are equipped with video around a big buck without game cam capabilities and night vision, which photos entering the conversation. allows for recording images under the Game cameras are a great tool to add cover of darkness without use of a flash. to your hunting arsenal because they Others are so technologically advanced that they can be programmed to transmit photos wirelessly directly to your phone, e-mail or Facebook the moment the photo is recorded.

Cool as it sounds, the use of wireless technology to spy on game has not been well-received everywhere. In fact, wildlife officials in New Hampshire recently adopted a law that prohibits the use of live action game cameras while hunting or attempting to take wildlife. The law also prohibits the use of drones and smart rifles, according to reports in the Conway Daily Sun. “We needed to establish rules regarding these fast-changing technologies to make sure that people understand that their use for hunting is not appropriate or ethical,” Maj. Kevin Jordan of the New Hampshire state Fish and Game Law Enforcement told the newspaper. “Use of this equipment violates the principle of fair chase because it gives hunters an unfair advantage over wildlife.”

The main idea behind the standard game cam is to give the hunter an idea of what goes on at specific site while he or Photo by Mark Williams she is not present. If a big buck shows up in the photos, it naturally gives the hunter A well placed game camera can confidence to stick with a spot, or spend tell you a lot about what goes more time in the woods when there on in the woods when you aren’t doesn’t seem to be much happening. there. In some cases, it may show The cameras also do a good job of tellyou whitetails and other critters ing you about deer that are just too crafty that you never knew were around. to form bad habits. I’ve spoken with hunters who have gotten multiple pictures of allow you to monitor the woods without great bucks spanning several seasons, but actually being there. Strap one to a tree never actually saw the deer in real life. and it may show you creatures that you While modern management practices never knew existed. have played a huge role in bolstering Deer hunters rely on game cameras the size of bucks hunters are seeing on to scout potential stand sites, feeders, the landscape these days, some believe ground scrapes, crossings, trails and that the use of game cameras has helped other points of interest. improve hunting success rates in recent The concept also has proven useful for times more than any other hunting tool. game managers in patterning specific Horace Gore is a member of that club.

by Matt Williams

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Photo courtesy of Kevin Wisener Kevin Wisener of Lufkin used game cameras to collected a large diary of photos (most at night) of this big Houston County whitetail he and his daughters nicknamed the Key Ring buck (above). Wisener hunted the animal for two seasons before he finally saw it on the morning of Oct. 26, 2011. He took the buck with a bow at 46 yards.

Gore is editor of Texas Trophy Hunter’s Magazine, a popular San Antonio-based trophy deer hunting magazine comprised largely of stories self-written by successful Texas deer hunters.

Gore says he hears stories and receives manuscripts from dozens of Texas hunters every year. He says the number of manuscripts has increased significantly over the last several years years. He thinks there is a direct correlation with the increased popularity of game cam-

eras.

“We are getting so many stories these days that we sometimes have a hard time finding space to put them all,” said Gore.

“There is no doubt in mind that game cameras have played a major role in the number of big deer being killed, especially over in the East Texas area. I think hunters are seeing deer on their game cameras that they never knew existed and it is making them hunt harder and lay off the younger deer.”

Photo courtesy of Kevin Wisener Wisener’s “Key Ring” buck was notorious for moving at night and he always skirted deer feeders.

Photo courtesy of Robert Taylor

Robert Taylor of Aubrey relied on game cameras to pattern the movement of this magnificent Grayson County whitetail for several years before he was finally able to take the buck with his bow late in 2012.

12 September-October 2015 Support Agriculture Businesses... They Are the Heartbeat of Our Economy. East Texas Farm & Ranch Outdoor Guide

Field clinches bareback title D uring the Sept. 12 weekend, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s top riders saddled up for the Justin Boots Playoffs in Puyallup, Wash.

Kaycee Feild, who is attempting to win a record tying fifth world bareback riding title, clinched the bareback title after turning in a final round score of 87 aboard Calgary Stampede’s Reckless Margie. It was his fourth title at the Puyallup Rodeo in the past five years. He also won the titles in 2011, 2012 and 2014.

After winning in Puyallup, Feild is ranked No. 1 in the bareback riding 2015 world standings with $110,633.

Timber Moore of Aubrey won the tie-down roping title in Puyallup after turning in a final round time of 9.2.

Moore is ranked second in the world title race with $104,742.

Three-time world champion Tuf Cooper of Decatur, who finished fourth in the tie-down roping title race in Puyallup, is ranked No. 1 in the PRCA world standings with $122,915.

In saddle bronc riding, former Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier Ja-

cobs Crawley of Boerne clinched the title after turning in final round score of 88.5 on Calgary Stampede’s Stampede Warrior. He is ranked third in the saddle bronc riding world race with $94,184.

Other winners at the $248,575 rodeo were rookie steer wrestler J.D. Struxness (4.7 seconds), team ropers Clay Tryan and Jade Corkill (4.9 seconds), barrel racer Cassidy Kruse (14.61 seconds) and bull rider Ty Wallace (87 points on Growney Brothers Rodeo’s What A Ball).

The PRCA’s regular season concludes Sept. 30. At that point, the top 15 in each event will advance to the Dec. 3-12 National Finals, which will be conducted at Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center.

PBR update During the past weekend, the Professional Bull Riders’ top competitors rode in the Built Ford Tough Series tour stop in Springfield, Mo. J.W. Harris of May, a four-time PRCA champion who began competing PBR tour more frequently last year, won the title. He is ranked sixth in the 2015

world title race with 2,267.5 points.

J.B. Mauney, who tied for ninth in the title race in Springfield, is ranked No. 1 with 3,947.5 points, 312.5 ahead of Vieira going into this weekend’s show in North Carolina. Kaique Pacheco is ranked No. 3 with 2,987.5, 960 behind Mauney.

While competing in Round 3 on Sunday in Springfield, Mauney sustained a bruised left leg and ankle, as well as spraining his left knee (MCL), when his leg hung in the slat of the chute as the bull bucked prior to his ride attempt, He was unable to take his re-ride or compete in the final round. Mauney is listed as probable for this weekend’s tour stop in Charlotte. He was able to leave the arena without crutches, according to the PBR. The Charlotte show is the first of three remaining regular season Built Ford Tough Series tour stops that can help competitors qualify for the October 21-25 PBR World Finals in Las Vegas.

Amarillo rodeo update The 2015 Tri-State Fair Rodeo is Sept.

24-26 at the Amarillo National Center

in Amarillo. For ticket information on the PRCA show, visit tristatefair.com.

Brett Hoffman, a Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame member, has written a rodeo column for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram over the past quarter-century.

Email him at bchoffman777@earthlink.net.

After Floods: Boaters reminded to help stop Invasive Zebra Mussels AUSTIN — Boaters in Texas are being reminded that their actions are critical to help stem the spread of invasive zebra mussels. Despite recent flooding that some feared might spread the dangerous nuisance species, experts say that boaters who “Clean, Drain and Dry” their boats, trailers and gear before traveling from one Texas waterway to another are still key to containing the costly problem.

While recent rains have helped refill droughtparched reservoirs, rivers and bays across Texas, experts say this could potentially help spread the zebra mussels downstream. Zebra mussel larvae, called veligers, are suspended in the water column for a month or so after spawning, and they are readily transported downstream with flowing water. This is especially true now, at a time of year when zebra mussels are spawning, because there are likely many veligers in the water and they can be moved a long distance downstream in the flows Texas is now experiencing.

“However, despite the danger of flood distribution, zebra mussels are also susceptible to rough conditions caused by floods, such as water turbulence, turbidity (cloudy water), and low oxygen levels,” said Brian Van Zee, Inland Fisheries Regional Director in Waco for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “So these flood conditions could potentially help by causing high levels of zebra mussel mortality. Right now it’s hard to say what impact the flooding will have on zebra mussel populations. We probably won’t really know for months, as we continue monitoring efforts.”

Van Zee said that while flooding can spread zebra mussels downstream within the same river basin, the only way zebra mussels would likely move to another basin would be via boaters or interbasin transfers of water through pipelines from one lake or river basin to another. Right now, the Red River, Trinity River, and Brazos River systems are the only river basins where zebra mussels have been found.

“Besides the Red, Brazos and Trinity basins, all the other river basins in the state are still uninfested, and boaters’ actions are still absolutely vital to help prevent zebra mussels from spreading to any new river basins,” Van Zee said. “Boaters getting informed and taking action to help is still our best defense.”

Boaters won’t be unsupported. A coalition of river authorities, water districts and municipalities across the state, led by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, is investing more than $400,000 in a zebra mussel public information campaign; the largest such investment in public awareness since zebra mussels were discovered in Texas in 2009.

It is illegal to possess or transport any prohibited aquatic invasive species in Texas. Since zebra mussel veligers are invisible to the naked eye, boaters must drain all water from their boat and

all receptacles on board when traveling on a public road to or from a public water body in Texas.

Originally from Eurasia, the rapidly reproducing mussels pose serious economic and recreational threats. They can clog water intake pipes, damage boats and motors by attaching to boat hulls and clogging water-cooling systems, completely cover anything under water, and litter the shoreline with their sharp shells. They can damage drinking water facilities and electric power plants, causing losses estimated in the millions of dollars annually.

Zebra mussels have been found in seven lakes in Texas since they were first discovered in Lake Texoma in 2009. Other infested lakes include Lake Ray Roberts, Lakes Bridgeport, Lavon, Lewisville, Belton, and most recently in Lake Waco. It’s worth noting that while this year’s rains have generally been good for boaters across most of Texas, flooding has caused boat ramp closures on many of the infested lakes, including Texoma, Lavon, and Ray Roberts, and some boat ramps on Belton and Waco. As the water recedes and boat ramps re-open on infested lakes, boaters should be vigilant about zebra mussels.

Partners for the awareness campaign include; the North Texas Municipal Water District; Tarrant Regional Water District; City of Dallas Water Utilities Department; Trinity River Authority; San Jacinto River Authority; Sabine River Authority; Brazos River Authority; GuadalupeBlanco River Authority; Lower Colorado River Authority; Upper Trinity Regional Water District; City of Houston; City of Grapevine; Water Oriented Recreation District of Comal County; the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the Sport Fish Restoration Program.

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WHITETAIL REVOLUTION Taking a look into the past, present and future East Texas deer hunting

by Matt Williams Outdoors Writer

I

out mix of DNA molecules that somehow blended together to create a tremendous maze of tines and thick mass that posed a major challenge for veteran scorer Homer Saye of Cypress.

Saye, now 71, said he pondered over the gnarly rack on the Lee buck for several hours just trying to determine how to tape it correctly. Once he figured it out, the main frame 10 pointer netted 268 4/8 B&C inches.

There have been a couple of larger free range bucks reported in Texas in the past, both of which were recorded by B&C long before the inception of TBGA. Those deer, as listed in the B&C registry, include the 284 3/8 inch “Brady Buck” taken in 1892 in McCulloch County by an “unknown hunter” and a 272 inch whitetail that was found dead near Junction in 1925.

The 2014 season didn’t produce any new state record whitetails in eastern the, but it did yield a trio of B&C book entries from Post Oak counties including Anderson, Milam and Falls.

Indeed, East Texas is kicking butt and taking names when it comes to producing top-shelf Texas whitetails.

And what’s spooky is that some experts believe we may have only seen the tip of iceberg at this point.

“In my opinion, East Texas has the potential to rival South Texas when it comes to trophy class deer,” said Charlie Muller, a veteran Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wildlife biologist and TBGA/B&C scorer based in Longview. “We may never produce the numbers, but as far as overall quality there is absolutely no question in my mind. Personally, I don’t think we hear about all of the big deer that are killed here. A lot of people are afraid they’ll get priced out of their lease if word gets out about a big deer. It has happened.”

Past To Present Knowing what I know about the troubled history of white-tailed deer and deer hunting in eastern Texas, it has been really cool see how the sport has evolved into what is today.

In the early 1900s, deer native

ber a time when “letting a buck” walk was about as popular with East Texas deer hunters as “catch and release” was with bass fishermen. It just didn’t happen very much. And when it did, it usually wasn’t on purpose.

“Back when I was in junior high school in the 1960s, deer hunting wasn’t about the size of deer you

neighbor would shoot it,” Smithhart said. “And a lot of times that was exactly what would happen.

It’s still something people worry about today, but it’s not near as bad as it used to be because now we’ve got regulations in place to protect those younger deer from harvest.”

Ushering In Antler Restrictions

said. “In the last nine years I’ve seen more change in hunter attitudes than I have seen in my entire 22-year career with TPWD. It’s been pretty neat to watch it happen and to see the difference it can make in the number quality bucks in the field.”

Equally encouraging has been

f there is one thing I have learned in nearly 30 years of covering the outdoors in eastern Texas, it is to always expect the unexpected when deer season rolls around.

True. There was a time when the region had so few deer that most hunters felt lucky to see one.

Just as there was a time not so long ago when a buck whitetail that was able to live beyond 3 1/2-years old on open range without getting shot was more of an anomaly than ordinary.

But that is not the way it is anymore. Life is good for deer and deer hunters in eastern Texas.

And it appears to be getting better.

In fact, many hunters are now beginning to speculate that eastern Texas might one day rival the fabled South Texas brush country when it comes to producing bucks with outsize antlers.

Taking into consideration what has gone on in the woods around here lately, that day may have already arrived.

Both the Pineywoods and Post Oak regions have produced some outstanding bucks in the past, but the last few seasons have yielded several bucks that are in a different Photo courtesy of Mark Lee league all by themselves. InterestEastern Texas has produced some world class whitetails in recent times, but many feel we ingly, some of the deer have come may have only seen the tip of the iceberg at this point. The biggest of those bucks belongs to from counties with very little hisMark Lee of Crosby. Taken in Houston County in 2013, the 31 point Lee buck nets 268 4/8. It tory of producing bucks with big is the largest free ranging whitetail reported in Texas since a 272-incher was found dead near racks. Even more impressive is the Junction way back in 1925. fact they were all killed on open range -- no high fences. and Management Plans killed on opening day,” he said. the significant number of huntTo wit: What started out 13 deer sea- ing clubs in eastern Texas that “It was more about if you killed In Sept. 2012, bowhunter A.J. a deer with antlers. If you killed sons ago as an experimental regu- are now adhering to formal deer Downs of Conroe arrowed a enora five pointer, you went to school lation in six counties in the lower management plans, Calkins said. mous buck in San Jacinto County and bragged about that dude. A Post Oak has since played a huge that ranks as the highest scoring “Back when I was a field biolo16-inch eight pointer was con- role in helping to put more quality free ranging whitetail ever taken gist in 2000 I thought I was kicksidered a big ol’ buck back in the bucks in the woods all across East by an archer in the state of Texas. ing butt when I wrote my seventh Texas.

It has also proven a point 1970s.

If a buck lived to be 5 1/2Sporting 28 scoreable points, years old it was a miracle. Most that wildlife experts have been management plan for the fivethe buck nets 256 4/8 Boone of them got shot by the time they preaching for years -- if you want county area I worked,” he said. and Crockett inches and ranked big bucks, don’t shoot shoot them “Today, the biologist that has that were two.” among the Top 5 whitetails taken Dallas Morning News outdoors they are kids. by any method in all of North job is writing about 70 managePrior to the 2002-03 season, the writer Ray Sasser has deep East America from 2010-12. ment plans in those same counTexas roots, as well. Sasser, who Texas Parks and Wildlife DepartLater that same season, Robert grew up in the 1950s and 60s in ment implemented a buck harvest ties. Every biologist in the field Taylor of Aubrey arrowed an the rural town of Pineland, says regulation Austin, Colorado, Fay- has seen that type of growth.” incredible Region 5 buck in GrayEmbracing TBGA he can remember a time when it ette, Lavaca, Lee and Washington son County that carried 44 points counties that restricted hunters to More evidence of how well the came as shock to cross paths with and netted 254 4/8 in the Texas Big one buck per season. Harvest cri- quality deer management concept a whitetail in Sabine County.

Game Awards. Pope and Young teria described a legal buck as one has been accepted across eastern panel judges have since scored the with a hardened antler protruding Texas can be seen in the TBGA rack at 219 1/8. through the skin and at least one Properties in the northern data base. Run jointly the TWA unbranched antler, or an inside portion of Grayson County, espespread of 13 inches or greater, or and TPWD, the program hosts cially those in close proximity to banquets each year to recognize six or more points on one side. the Hagerman Wildlife Refuge, hunters who kill noteworthy Quality bucks were scarce in are well known for producing big bucks and the landowners responthose counties prior to the impledeer. What makes Taylor’s buck mentation of the antler restriction. sible for producing them. stand out is it was killed on the In fact, a decade of harvest data According to Justin Dreilopposite end of the country on indicated that only 20 percent of belbis, former TBGA hunting a tiny tract of property only four the 5,000 bucks harvested annuacres size! heritage program director, Region ally by hunters were 3 1/2-years Then there was the Colby Shaw 6 accounted for more TBGA old or older.

Sadly, yearling deer buck. On his first ever deer hunt, accounted for more than 50 per- entries in 2013 than any other Shaw, who was 15 at the time, region statewide. He added that cent of the annual buck harvest. blasted a 20-point Rusk County the annual East Texas Hunting Shift to the 2004-05 season. bruiser that netted 202 7/8 B&C. Hunters in the six counties shot Heritage banquet, which includes Amazingly, the buck was shot about the same number of bucks. Regions 5, 6 and 7, is always a off 40-acres his father had leased However, 71 percent of those deer packed house. The 2013 banquet less than a month earlier. It were 3 1/2-years old or older. ranked as the biggest buck ever in Brenham drew a crowd of 450 In a nutshell, the regulation taken by youth hunter since Texas worked wonders. Not only were people - significantly more than Big Game Awards Program began hunters seeing more and better any of the other regional banquets. keeping records in 1991-92, but “The hunters in East Texas have Photo by Mark Williams deer, they also began to witness not for long. On opening day in really embraced this program,” rutting activity they’ d never seen 2013, 15-year old Makayla Hay of Makayla Hay’s Madison County 23 pointer currently stands at before, and they liked it. said Dreibelbus.

“It’s plain to see New Waverly stole Shaw’s record Texas youth state record with a net B&C score of 203 1/8.

The antler restriction has since the people there love their deer with a Region 5 bruiser that carbeen implemented in more than and they love their deer hunting. ried 23 points and scored 203 1/8 to the region were pretty much “It stunned you when you did 100 more East Texas counties, wiped out by early settlers who B&C. They get excited about big deer In a “normal” deer season, the lumbered their habitat and sub- see one -- it was almost like you’d but not before it was tweaked to and they get excited about kids seen Bigfoot or something, ” Sasser include two bucks. One of the Hay buck probably would have sistence hunters who shot the said. “There probably weren’t 200 bucks must have an inside spread hunting. There has definitely been ranked as the buck of the year for animals year-around. a cultural shift in eastern Texas.

Restocking efforts began as deer in the entire county at that of 13 inches or more, while the eastern Texas. As it turned out, time, and those were laying low People are spending more time second must be a spike or have the 2013 season was anything but early as the 1940s and continued for fear that somebody was fi xing at least one unbranched antler. hunting, they are paying more throughout the late-1980s using normal.

Essentially, the antler reg is built- attention to how old the deer are The Pineywoods region alone surplus deer trapped in South to fry them up.”

While the mentality changed a in management because it more before they pull the trigger and produced a near-record 242 Texas. Sadly, those deer met with little as more properties “clubbed or less forces hunters to lay off TBGA scored entries that year, their own struggles that were they are paying more attention up” and deer numbers finally young bucks. including a 31 point Houston inherent with the times.

While the regulation has met to their numbers. Obviously, it as Not only were they poached began to blossom as the result of County giant that ranks as highest intensifi ed logging operation and with opposition in some areas, made a huge difference.” scoring free range whitetail ever and chased with dogs, they also No argument, here. Indeed, more restrictive harvest regulaTPWD District 6 wildlife bioloreported to TBGA in its 23-year suffered as the result of disease tions, getting many hunters to lay times are good for East Texas deer gist Gary Calkins of Jasper says it history. Taken by Mark Lee of and drought.

Furthermore, off young bucks proved to be a has been very well received across hunters.

My guess is things are Crosby, the spectacular whitetail hunter attitudes regarding buck long, uphill battle throughout the the Pineywoods region overall, just going to get better, too. somehow managed to grow a harvest caused age structures in Editor’s Note: This article was freakish set of antlers that look deer herds to become so badly 1980s and 1990s. One of primary mainly because it works. The reasons was a lack of trust among proof, he says, is in the puddin’. like something straight out of a skewed that 1 1/2 and 2 1/2-year featured in the November 2014 “There is no doubt the antler old bucks did a high percentage of neighbors. fairy tale book.

“A lot people were of the belief restriction has done more than issue of Texas Wildlife magazine.

Again, there were no tall fences the breeding. that if they let a young buck walk, anything to change hunter atti- To become a member of TWA, In looking back, Kevin Smithinvolved. No breeding programs. it would jump the fence and their tudes about buck harvest,” Calkins visit www.texaswildelife.org.

Just Mother Nature and a whacked hart of Lufkin says he can remem-

Photo by Mark Williams The East Texas Giants display at the June 2013 Nacogdoches Outdoor Expo showcased more than two dozen of top bucks taken in eastern Texas over the years. Other than a rare melanistic buck, the lowest scoring whitetail in the house was a 168 inch eight pointer.

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Wildlife biologists predict banner year for hunters

by Matt Williams Outdoors Writer fter one of the wettest springs and early summers in recent history, the serious drought that has plagued most of Texas for several years is now a thing of the past. The big rains pushed water levels on many lakes and rivers well beyond capacity and caused torrential flooding in many areas. The rainfall also replenished water tables and saturated much of the landscape with critical moisture needed for growing woody plants, forbes, grasses and other forages that benefit whitetail deer, mule deer, quail, turkeys and other wildlife species.

With the fall hunting seasons fast approaching, hunters statewide are likely wondering how all of this will stack up when they head to the field in coming weeks. To find out, I asked wildlife biologists around the state to offer some region-specific input to give hunters and idea of what they can expect. Here is the 2015-16 Texas Hunting Forecast by region: Pineywoods Region Biologist, Micah Poteet For the most part, whitetail deer hunters reported fewer deer observed during the 2014-15 season. It seemed as if no matter who you talked to, the story was the same, deer were scarce and acorns and other mast, such as American beauty berry, were abundant.

In fact, Mother Nature provided such a natural buffet of seeds that many backyard bird watchers were left scratching their heads and wondering what happened to all the birds after visits to their feeders dropped dramatically.

Truth is, the birds did not vanish; they simply shifted their attention to the natural food sources provided by Mother Nature.

Deer responded much the same by abandoning corn feeders for the more highly preferred natural mast crop. Acorns fall around the clock, which allows deer to feed according to their schedule.

Temperatures were relatively mild during most of the hunting season.

With the 24-hour food supply, many deer fed primarily at night.

This reduced their daytime movements and subsequent observation by hunters. According to many reports, acorns were still readily available well into February, long after the general hunting season had closed.

The good news is that when conditions are terrible for deer hunters, they are often good for deer, which should have exited winter in good condition.

Hunters reported heavy fat levels on does harvested late in the season. In spring, the animals were greeted with excellent habitat conditions due to record amounts of rainfall that fell across much of the East Texas region.

The rainfall also continued into early summer. Plants (browse and forbs) that make up a high percentage of a deer’s diet are most nutritious and palatable when actively growing. Frequent rainfall keeps the plants actively growing.

Therefore, good habitat conditions during spring and summer should bode well for antler growth and fawn production, both of which could end up being above average.

However, high water levels and the potential for exposure from rainfall could have negatively impacted fawns in some areas.

Antler restrictions continue to aid the carryover of young bucks and maintain an improved buck age structure.

As usual, the acorn crop and weather conditions could positively or negatively influence deer movements and hunter success during the upcoming season. Mild weather and heavy acorn production can potentially lead to reduced deer movement/visibility/harvest, especially for hunters that concentrate hunting efforts around corn feeders.

Squirrel Squirrel populations tend to fluctuate up and down in concert with mast production. Given the heavy mast crops last year, squirrel numbers should be plentiful in habitats that support an adequate amount of mast producing trees.

Waterfowl Duck numbers have been up in recent years and another great fall flight is expected. However, the number of ducks wintering in the Pineywoods remains relatively low compared to other parts of the state. The early teal season shows promise as blue-winged teal numbers remain high enough to support a six bird bag limit and 16 day season. If the rains continue,

A

surface water should be abundant, in the northern counties of the This truly is the good ol’ days of October and November. Hunters which may make hunting more dif- Post Oak Savannah along the Red waterfowl hunting! Waterfowl pro- lucky enough to obtain a permit ficult as birds might “spread out”. River. Research and restoration duction of most species of interest always have a chance of seeing an Trans-Pecos Region efforts continue for these birds. to East Texas hunters continues to Boone and Crockett caliber buck of Biologist: Philip Dickerson Researchers believe that the lack be significantly above long term 80 inches or more.

Conditions in the Trans-Pecos of quality nesting, brood habitat averages and have set yet another Whitetail Deer region are looking very good. The and connectivity between suitable record for many species. But….

White-tailed deer surveys had region has been in a slow recovery habitats are the limiting the suc- as always, an abundance of ducks not yet been conducted as of this for the past five years. Even though cess of these birds. Some nesting in East Texas is dependent on writing, but we anticipate that we have received less than average success has been realized from having water at the right time with overall numbers will be similar rainfall through 2015 our wildlife birds recently reintroduced to the an adequate supply of preferred to last year but probably elevated resources have been improving. If area. foods such as acorns and aquatic with a healthy fawn survival this we received normal summer rains, year. Fortunately, there should The timing of the spring rains plants. this will be our best year in about improved range conditions and the Habitat conditions are fair due to be plenty of adult deer, and many five years.

Whitetail and Mule Deer The habitat conditions were good all spring, providing the needed nutrition for good antler growth for both white-tailed and mule deer. Hunters can expect good body weights and nice antlers this fall.

Quail Despite the dry conditions in the past several years quail populations have been increasing slowly and the improved conditions this year will certainly benefit this species. Range land conditions are good and should provide excellent nesting cover and the much needed insect crop to improve chick survival. It may take another year of average rainfall to get a “quail boom” but hunters should see more birds this fall than last year.

Dove The Trans Pecos region has some of the finest dove hunting in the state. Mourning and whitewinged dove numbers are good and hunters can expect lots of birds this fall. Landowners implementing specific management practices for doves should have outstanding Photo by Mark Williams hunting in September.

Many experts believe this could be another one of those years when corn feeders and food Pronghorn Antelope & plots don’t get much attention due to the abundance of natural goodies in the woods. Only Bighorns time will tell.

Pronghorn populations have declined in recent years but recent restoration efforts have helped abundance of insect populations, the late spring rains on abundant of the bucks will be supporting restore their numbers in several such as grasshoppers, that provide mud flats. When fall/winter rains quality antlers, given the abundant herd units. The pronghorn habitat critical food sources for turkeys fill our East Texas bottomland moisture this spring and summer, is in excellent condition and good throughout the spring and summer forests and wetlands, duck hunting and the high quality forage that months. Eastern turkey harvest opportunities can be significant, comes with it. fawn crops are expected.

Antler mass should be excellent, Bighorn sheep populations can this past season (120) was above but it will also require colder be found on all three wildlife man- average compared to the past four weather and snow cover to the as influenced by the great nutriagement areas and several moun- seasons but remains well below north. East Texas waterfowl hunt- tional start bucks experienced this tain ranges throughout the Trans- the long term average of 143 birds. ers would certainly be ahead of the spring and early summer, and our Dove game by indulging in some pre- current weather pattern and abunPecos. Our biologists performed Good dove hunting opportuni- season scouting to locate those dance of forage should provide for fly surveys in August to monitor their numbers, which continue to ties in the district will be scattered wetlands with good food and water well-developed main beams and tine length. grow thanks to intensive restora- with the best hunts located where combinations. food, water and cover are located Panhandle Region Mule Deer tion efforts. in close proximity. Sunflower Biologist, Calvin Richardson Mule deer fawn crops should Post Oak Savannah fields, harvested corn, milo, and On the heels of an average rain- mirror that of white-tailed deer Biologist: John Silovsky fallow farm fields are always a fall last year,, 2015 is exceeding above average. The number of Whitetail Deer The Post Oak Savannah region good early season bet. With late the greatest of expectations. The middle-age bucks might be down received average to slightly below season action heating up on goat/ Panhandle experienced welcome slightly due to low fawn crops in moisture this winter with frequent 2011-13, but the population is on average rainfall for the past year dove weed patches.

The Blackland Prairie counties and abundant snow. That was fol- the increase again with a decent and is currently more than twelve inches above normal for 2015. in the northern part of the district lowed by 10-plus inches of rainfall number of bucks in the 5-7 year These plentiful rains provided have traditionally offered better in May. By mid-July, most areas of age classes. As with the whitetails, higher quality habitat conditions dove hunting. Hunters should the Panhandle had surpassed their mule deer antler quality should be above average, as bucks were able as we headed into the heat of purchase an annual public hunting average annual precipitation.

We haven’t seen this much to take advantage of plentiful forbs the summer. With any additional permit and take advantage of the summer rains, habitat conditions numerous dove hunting oppor- moisture in this part of the world and new-growth browse during in the uplands should be good to tunities in that program. A little in a long time. Grasses and forbs spring and summer.

Waterfowl excellent as we approach fall hunt- pre-season scouting will provide are covering the landscape and the the best chances for good dove playas are holding water again.

Waterfowl numbers in the fall ing seasons.

Pronghorn Antelope and winter are heavily influenced The estimated deer population in hunting opportunities early in the Pronghorn surveys were com- by the condition of the numerous the Post Oak Savannah is 400,000 season.

Squirrel pleted in early July. After showing playa lakes in the Panhandle. All deer and research indicates a slow Squirrel hunting opportunities reduced production over the past playas are now holding water, and but steady population increase since 2008. As the deer popula- for the 2015-16 seasons should three years, fawn crops improved under the current weather pattern, tion continues to increase hunter be good to excellent, primarily due to better than 30 percent. Overall we anticipate a lot of water on the participation and total harvest have to the fact that enough rainfall has numbers are down 12 percent in landscape this fall.

We are set for record numbers also increased.Individual partici- fallen to indicate a good acorn crop the northwest Panhandle, but have pation is now over 110,000 indi- should be produced in most of the remained stable in the northeast. of ducks in the Panhandle this fall, viduals with a total harvest of more district. Generally we saw good We observed a healthy standing as the U.S Fish & Wildlife Service than 75,000 deer. Hunter success conditions throughout the Post crop of bucks - 2.7 does per buck has reported the highest duck averages slightly better than fifty Oak and late spring rains have in the northeast and 2.1 does per numbers ever since the start of the fallen in many areas which should buck in the northwest. As always, breeding duck survey in 1955. The percent.

Through the utilization of antler produce some mast. Years with abundant winter wheat is a sub- Panhandle should be covered up restrictions the harvest of 1 1/2 good mast production are typically stantial contributor to cold-season with mallards and green-winged year old bucks has decreased followed by years with good squir- nutrition for Panhandle pronghorn teal. And the abundance of water when bucks are replacing their should bode well for sandhill crane nearly 50 percent. Harvest data rel reproduction.

Ducks horn sheaths that were shed in hunting and the early teal season. from the past few years suggests a trend of increasing numbers of older bucks in the annual harvest. Bucks make up more than 50 percent of the total harvest and nearly half of those are 4 1/2 years old.

Although the above average rainfall received this spring may affect fawn survival in the river bottoms, the rainfall stimulates a good forb response, and expected good mast crops will provide abundant forage resources for whitetailed deer during the hunting season. These readily available forage resources may affect deer movements and reduce the effectiveness of feeders and food plots.

These same resources should improve fawn survival, antler growth and overall deer health.

Eastern Turkey The best eastern turkey populations are predominately located

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Feral Hogs Waterfowl hunters should expect Most of our biologists describe With the increase in absentee/ high numbers of ducks, but high food and water across the region availability of water bodies can as plentiful. Wildlife biologist Dan recreational land use, food plots present a challenge for hunters. Davis of Ranger says sunflower and feeding, feral hogs seem to A little hunting pressure can send abundance is above average, be flourishing. With the increase the birds to any number of other which bodes well for foraging in hog numbers and resulting playas that are not being hunted. doves. However, the abundance of damage to crops and property, Ideally, the best food production resources could scatter mourning some area landowners are openin playas over the summer occurs doves, making them difficult to ing up their properties for hog hunting and trapping. Feral hogs when playas receive soil mois- harvest. ture but do not remain flooded.

In Comanche and Hamilton will more than likely be well disAlthough forage production may Counties, white-winged doves tributed across the landscape this be reduced this year due to the reside within municipalities but year. During times of ample rainfall large number of full playas, the also rely on cropland for forage. and forage availability hogs tend Panhandle is unique in that ducks Several landowners in Comanche to expand their range into upland and geese can rely heavily on crop- and Hamilton County are reporting habitats that they don’t normally seeing large numbers of white- occupy. land waste grains such as corn.

South Texas Region winged dove in their fields several Quail Biologist, David Veale Quail numbers in the Panhandle miles from town.

“The bottom line is rain is good Whitetail Deer increased in 2014 and, based upon Winter and spring rainfall set -- this is the first time in a long time what we’re seeing and hearing, we expect another really good bump in the table for excellent produc- we have had good back to back numbers this year. The resilience tion and antler growth. Reports rainfall years, and I expect wildlife of this bird never ceases to amaze of twin fawns are the norm this production and antler quality to be me. After one of the most severe year. Hiding cover, in the form of excellent.”

Thats the word from Daniel droughts on record, we get one grasses and forbs, should mean year of average rainfall followed by higher fawn recruitment to next Kunz, technical guidance bioloan above average year and boom! year’s population. Bucks were able gist for the South Texas area. With Landowners and biologists are to regain body mass shortly after widespread record-setting spring seeing and hearing birds in areas the rut due to excellent range con- rains the entire district is set up that have not “seen a quail” in ditions, which should translate to for the great hunting season. Each year’s rainfall has gotten better, good antler growth. many years.

But this won’t necessarily mean but the importance of stringing Turkey Panhandle biologists and easy hunting. In fact, hunting together multiple wet years cannot landowners have seen quite a few could prove difficult unless hunt- be overstated.

TPWD Photo Below are reports from field Bobwhite quail populations are on the rebound due to improved turkey poults. Nesting cover is ers don’t get out of their stands more abundant than it has been in and take the hunt to the deer. That’s biologists across the South Texas habitat conditions across much of their historic range. years. With the spring and summer because deer won’t have to visit the Wildlife District: counties. A lot of this has to Wildlife biologist Matt Reidy good for quail, turkey and whitetail rainfall, nutrition for hens should corn feeders this year with all the do with the man upstairs and of Devine says excellent rainfall deer this year. have been excellent, providing abundant quality forage around.

“It’s too early to tell on antler Mother Nature giving us some Below average harvest rates in Atascosa, Bexar and Medina for a productive nesting season. development and fawn produc- much needed rainfall. Another big And for hens that were able to pull last year should mean ample deer counties should lead to very good tion but of course with the rain contributor are the good things the nesting and brood rearing for quail off a successful hatch, the poults numbers available for this year’s and abundant vegetation should landowners in these counties are as well as a very good fawn crop. hunting season, although fourshould be faring well given the abundance of insects and brood- year-old deer may be in short If the conditions continue to stay be a good year for both,” he said. doing from a habitat management rearing habitat produced this year. supply in some locales due to poor excellent, early deer season may “Overall, it should be a great year standpoint.

Edwards Plateau Region Although poult production was reproduction in the drought year of be difficult due to cover and lots of for just about everything.”

And that includes most of the groceries.

Biologist: Rufus Stephens down during the past few years, 2011.

“Turkey nesting also looks very remaining counties across South Rio Grande Turkeys We can do a lot of habitat 2014 was respectable and this good this year,” Reidy said. “All Texas. We obviously haven’t been management practices such as This are setting up great for the year is even better. Hunters should expect to find plenty of mature regal game birds, as early rains in all, we look like we are work- impacted by flooding like other prescribed burning, brush control, gobblers, especially among the produced winter greens to raise ing on catching up from previous parts of the state, just good solid or grassland reseeding, but during rains over the spring and early the drought our impact on wildlife river and creek drainages in the the nutritional plane for turkeys droughts.” summer and we hope it continues. can be mixed at best. But when we In Starr, Jim Hogg, and Zapata prior to the breeding season, and Rolling Plains.

This is a great year for trophy deer, get rain the outlook for wildlife and counties, wildlife biologist Eric bunch grasses were abundant for Dove and a good year to remove bucks the hunters that pursue them can Garza of Rio Grande City said there nesting.

The current moisture proThe quality and duration of our dove season in the Panhandle is duces forbs and insects for grow- is abundance of exotic grass on not meeting the land manager’s look quite bright! As biologists we the landscape and served well as antler criteria, whatever that may always preach the essential role often dictated by the timing of the ing turkey poults.

As for the hunting prospects, fawning cover. Garza also is report- be. Quail seem to have exploded of good quality habitat for healthy first cool front that sends many the good forage conditions kick- ing that turkey poults are in larger after many years of decline and wildlife populations. This year of the birds further south. The started the breeding season earlier numbers than normal, and adult I hope we can get them back to rains across the Hill Country have wet conditions in 2015 could be a challenge for dove hunters this this year. At times hunters found turkeys are showing up in areas being the prominent game bird of blessed us with some of the best year - abundant food and water themselves struggling at times to where they are not normally seen South Texas. habitat conditions we have seen in Oaks and Prairies sources will have the birds scat- call in birds, which could be the in dry years. years and the overall fall hunting Biologist: David Forrester “Bobwhite quail are all over Jim norm for a few years as hunters tered.

District 7 is experiencing habitat forecast is very promising. Rains Reproduction appears to be attempt to coax uncooperative Hogg and Brooks counties and are being seen in higher numbers than conditions that we haven’t seen in brought abundant forbs for everyabove average this year with plenty birds from plentiful habitat. usual in Zapata and Starr Coun- years. Frankly, the last few years thing from bucks to bugs along Quail of young birds flying around If it takes two consecutive years ties,” Garza said. “Scaled quail are have been pretty good from a rain- with good grass cover for nesting already. Prior to the first solid cool and fawning. front, dove hunting could be really of good reproduction to witness an being seen in fewer numbers than fall standpoint and wildlife populaWhitetail Deer good for those that are able to find For white-tailed deer the spring bird concentrations. rains that started early got the antler Pheasant growth on bucks off to a great start Due to the 2011-13 drought, and with continued spring rains the pheasant numbers throughout abundant forbs kept those antler the Panhandle are generally low. growth conditions great right on However, numbers rebounded into the summer. With these conslightly in 2014 and should expeditions, for a given age class, the rience another increase this year. antlers should be quite good.

Landowners and biologists have The one caution for hunters been seeing a few more birds this could be that because of some poor summer, including some localfawn crops during the drought, ized concentrations. We hope buck harvest may have shifted to to confirm the expected increase some younger age classes and a during October/November surgood looking buck may be much veys.

Pheasant hunters could younger than expected. Passing find some decent hunting opportuon that nice looking, but young, nities this year, especially in areas buck may be a good strategy for with irrigated grain crops adjacent the future. Overall body condition to good cover such as playas or of all white-tailed deer should be CRP that has not been hayed or good. This could be a good year to grazed. Certainly, the playas will try to meet that very important harbe supporting better cover this year (the ones that are not full) and vest objective with several healthy will be worth checking out during does.

December.

Quail Photo by Mark Williams As usual, some of the better Wildlife biologists say bucks will be in great shape this season thanks to banner habitat condiQuail numbers are up across pheasant numbers will be found tions that resulted from spring and early summer rains. the Hill Country and we may see in Dallam, Hartley, Hansford, some of the best fall populations Sherman, Ochiltree, Deaf Smith, in a long time. Abundant forbs and Moore, Carson, and Roberts Counthe bugs have provided critical tions have benefitted. ties. Although a little more spotty increase in local quail populations, dry years.” food for nesting and newly hatched In Dimmit, Frio and Zavala Whitetail Deer in distribution, Swisher, Briscoe, then we should be primed for best quail. While most of the Hill CounDeer herds are doing well. Fawn Castro, and Parmer Counties will quail hunting season in years. counties, Blaise Korzekwa of try doesn’t have the number of be supporting a few birds in local- Most of the region has experi- Pearsall says the habitat is in survival is on the high end basi- quail to support serious hunting, enced three consecutive years of great shape and as late as July cally district wide. Antler developized situations. good precipitation and nesting forbs are still abundant across the ment has been good over the last this may provide some additional Cross Timbers Region conditions. Coupled with a good landscape. Much of the land was couple of years and it looks like hunting opportunity for those out Biologist, Mike Miller in the field hunting other species.

In mid-July the Leon River was carryover of birds from last year, bare ground during this time over the 2015-2016 hunting season will Dove swelling from its banks at the High- biologists are forecasting an excel- the last few years. “This amount follow suit. I don’t think this dry Dove hunting should also be way 67 Bridge below Lake Proctor. lent year for quail around the San of vegetation should keep does spell should have a big negative better than it has been in years. healthy and the fawn crop should impact and El Nino is supposed to This is rare for our region, but not Angelo area.

The region did not experience be above average,” Korzekwa said. kick back in this fall, so it looks like The combination of a good local totally surprising after the recordhatch and bumper crop of annual setting rainfall in North Central the grip of triple digit temperatures “Since spring rainfall and antler a wet winter and hunting season sunflowers should provide some growth are highly correlated, antler until the third full week in July. ahead.

Texas this past May. Stephenville excellent hunting. The eastern side size should also be above average This translates into a longer-thanTurkey alone received 21 inches in one Turkey populations have also of the Hill Country will have some month, well over half of its annual normal nesting season, higher egg this season. Managers should feel comfortable harvesting cull bucks been good in most of the district. great dove fields full of sunflowers average rainfall amount. It is hard production and good hatches. this year, knowing that large antWaterfowl We are getting reports of turkeys but the west too will have good to imagine that we are only four lered deer will be out there during Most ponds and lakes have a in areas that have historically had numbers especially where croton years removed from one of the the rut.” considerable amount of vegetation low populations at best. Turkey has flourished with generous rains. most devastating droughts in state As for bird hunters, Korzekwa Turkey that is now fl ooded, which should poults are also being reported and history. says abundant rainfall has proprovide more shoreline cover for Rio Grande Turkey numbers look this last nesting season was very Wildlife biologists all across good. We have had good numthe region are reporting excellent waterfowl this season. Creeks and duced a large number of croton good. bers that have been carried over Quail habitat conditions as the result of rivers are also holding water and and sunflower species. Doves should be abundant, but they may providing quality food sources In the southern portions of the from past years in the eastern Hill welcomed moisture, which should be diffi cult to target due to the accessible to waterfowl.

However, district, we are receiving reports of Country which should make fall bode well for all sorts of wildlife large number of full stock tanks. hunting may be more challenging bobwhite quail appearing in num- hunting good. The western part of while posing some challenges for hunters this fall. “Considering since ducks will be less concen- He added that ranch managers bers not seen in years. We’ve also the Hill Country may still be on the have observed an above average had reports of quail being spotted short side this fall with fewer birds the available forage and excellent trated. number of turkey poults in bottom- in areas where they haven’t seen a hatched in past years. However, Pronghorn Antelope habitat conditions, it’s going to land and riparian areas.

Landowners are looking at the quail in years. nesting conditions across the Hill take some effort to track down your In Bee, Live Oak and McMullen best fawn crop since the early Additionally, staff have had Country are very good and this quarry of choice,” says wildlife 1990’s, and describes horn growth counties, biologist Ken Williamson reports of quail in Bastrop, Fayette, year’s hatch appears to be a good biologist Kyle Melton of Hewitt. of Beeville says things are looking and Caldwell as exceptional.

Doves one.

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Dream Hunts: Lotto offers shots at hunting trips

by Matt Williams Outdoors Writer

W

hen you head out to buy your new hunting/ fishing license this fall it might be wise to figure a few extra bucks into your budget to enter Texas Big Time Hunts. Ante up and you could win the hunt of a lifetime.

Entering Big Time Hunts is sort of like playing the Texas lottery. Difference is, instead of buying shots at winning cash, you buy chances to win high quality hunting trips for desert bighorn sheep, whitetail deer, mule deer, waterfowl, feral hogs, dove, quail and exotics. All of the hunts take place on well managed private ranches or state-run wildlife management areas.

In existence since 1996, the BTH is has proven to be a big money maker for TPWD while at the same time allowing hundreds of hunters the opportunity to go on high quality hunting trips that they probably could not afford otherwise.

The program last year generated $640,826 in gross revenue for TPWD as hunters across the state and beyond bought 68,714 chances in hopes that their lucky number might come up in the random computer draw. That’s a slight decrease from the previous year, when the sale of 71,658 chances generated $676,504.

While only a handful of hunters get lucky each year, it has become somewhat of a tradition among many to fork out a few bucks to participate in then annual hunting lotto.

It doesn’t cost much to enter. Each chance costs $10, and you can enter as many times as you want.

As earlier mentioned, the list of hunts available are of extremely good quality. Here a list and description of hunts up for grabs this year, according to the TPWD website. The entry deadline is Oct. 15.

Grand Slam This is truly the hunting package of a lifetime. The Texas Grand Slam offers one lucky winner four separate Texas big game hunts: desert bighorn sheep, white-tailed deer, pronghorn and desert mule deer.

The hunting package also includes food, lodging, taxidermy provided by Woodbury’s Taxidermy of Ingram and professional guide service for all four hunting trips. TPWD only issues two to three bighorn sheep public hunting permits a year.

The bighorn sheep hunt takes place on one of Texas’ outstanding wildlife management areas. The white-tailed deer, pronghorn antelope and desert mule deer hunts will be on some of the most exclusive private ranches in Texas. The Texas Grand Slam winner may also bring along a non-hunting companion to share in these awesome hunting trips.

Ultimate Mule Deer Hunt This is an exclusive four-day guided hunt for a mature mule deer buck in the Panhandle. One lucky winner and their hunting companion will be the first to ever hunt on the newly acquired Yoakum Dunes WMA. Lodging and meals will be provided during the trip.

Premium Buck Hunt This is a great opportunity to take a mature trophy white-tailed buck in the rugged South Texas brush country.

One winner and a guest will enjoy the finest deer hunting trip that Texas can offer. Professional guide service, food and accommodations are included to provide each hunter comfort as well as great hunting.

Wild Hog Adventure One winner and up to three hunting guests will go on a long weekend trip for a Texas wild boar. The hunt will be conducted on a ranch where the hogs average 125 pounds and have weighed in at up to 465 pounds. Food, lodging, transportation to and from the stand,

TPWD Photo Dillon Gunther with his desert bighorn sheep.

Whitetail Bonanza and quartering of the hogs is provided.

Six winners winners will get to experience a high-quality white-tailed deer Waterfowl Adventure One winner and up to three invited hunt on popular Texas ranches or the guests will win a series of three exciting Chaparral and Gene Howe Wildlife waterfowl hunting trips. The hunts are Management Areas. Hunting guide located on some of the best waterfowl service, food and lodging are provided areas in Texas. Trips include a Coastal on these three-to five-day hunting Prairies guided hunt for snows, blues trips. Each hunting package winner and white-fronted geese; a guided can bring a hunting companion as well. duck hunt in the Coastal Marshes; and Exotic Safari a hunt for wood ducks and mallards in One winner will hunt exotics on the East Texas. beautiful Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area. The winner and a hunting companion can take advantage of two exotic hunting opportunities for species including sable antelope, gemsbok, scimitar-horned oryx or axis deer. Hunters may choose to shoot the exotic game with a modern rifle, muzzleloader, archery or crossbow. Food and lodging will be provided as part of the hunting package at the scenic Mason Mountain WMA lodge. Taxidermy is provided for the winner. Proceeds go to benefit wildlife conservation and research on Mason Mountain WMA. Big Time Bird Hunt One winner up to three guests will enjoy three unique hunting trips for game birds. Includes a quail hunt and two afternoons of dove hunting. One guest can also join you for a separate two-day guided hunt for turkey. Food, guide service and lodging are included on all bird hunting trips.

Gator Hunt One winner and a guest will enjoy a unique three-day gator hunting trip, pursuing legendary Texas alligators at the J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area on the Gulf Coast. Each alligator hunt allows the hunters to harvest one trophy alligator. All necessary equipment, expert guides, lodging and gator hide removal are included in TPWD Photo the hunting package. The Texas Gator Last year’s Grand Slam winner Buddy Gunter (right) and his son, Dillon. The elder Gunther gave his son two of Hunt winner and guest will also be the hunts included in the elite hunting package, one for the prized desert bighorn sheep; the other for a mule treated to an airboat tour of the marsh to view alligators. deer buck.

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C&C Processing gets ready for deer season

By Jennifer Sheridan reporter@palestineherald.com

W

hen deer season begins so does work for the C&C Processing family-owned business by the Chapins in Elkhart.

The business is open from Oct. 3 to Feb. 28. Greg Chapin said all deer seasons are accommodated for processing.

“That includes all the elk season and white-tailed deer season,” Greg said. “We do all the deer hunting stuff. We make a lot of sausage, summer sausages and jerky.”

Greg said the all of the services are providing including skinning and gutting.

“A lot of places won’t take them unless they are skinned and gutted, but we just take them,” Greg said. “Even if they are killed out there in the field and just ready to go.”

Greg said his family has been running the processing business for going on 33 years.

He said even though the focus is mainly on white-tailed deer processing is also done on exotic animals such as elk, mule, deer, antelope, or buffalo. His wife, Lisa Chapin,

added that all wild game including hogs can be processed by the business. However, they do make the exception for feathered animals. Greg said only big game animals will be processed.

Greg said he started the business when he was 19-years-old and said it was always a passion of his to take care of processing because family members would request his services. He explained that each of his members including his wife grew up processing their own meat and it was just the

“way of the country life.”

“I was 19 years old and it makes you feel crazy to look back that far, but I guess you could say it has always been a passion to work with wild game,” Greg said. “Starting this business was like what we have aways done in the country of processing our own meat. It was always the part I like to be involved in and I just continued it then turned it in to a business.”

Lisa added, “He’s happy doing it and we all are. If you’re not happy doing your job then it’s not worth it.”

The Chapins stay busy with their 10-yearold twins, Jeb and Kyndel, in school and the processing business. They said their children love to work at the counter to greet customers and take orders.

“I love working here, and seeing everyone come in,” Kyndel said. “It’s really fun and I look forward to it each season. We Photo by Jennifer Sheridan were raised up in this life and I wouldn’t Family Owned: The Chapin family members who run the C&C Processing have it any other way.”

To-date, the Chapins have processed business are Lisa, Kyndel, Jeb, and Greg seen with their dog Trixie. around 63,000 head of deer, according to ing, however, were unable to state it until to make time to go during the season when Greg. He said 30,000 to 35,000 pounds of opening. The past fee was listed as $80. it is possible.

The business only accepts cash or checks sausage each year along with other cuts of Greg said around 1,700 to 2,000 deer are processed through the business each year. for services to be performed. Everything is meats.

Greg said what started out as Generally, the hunters bring in about 100 done on site from skinning and gutting to a love of processing meats has deer on opening day for the family to begin smoking the meat, Greg said. Lisa added that the family has 10-15 employees help now turned to focus on cus- processing.

Lisa explained that the business is open them meet the high demand for processing. tomer service. He said patrons will come in to the store just to from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week All meat is smoked in a wood smokehouse.

C&C Processing is located just south of visit with the family because of from October to the first week of January. the limited time the business is After January, they close on Sundays and Elkhart near the city limits. The physical the hours change from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. address is 426 U.S. 287 S. In Elkhart. open.

For more information, call the office at “They will come tip-toeing Greg said it allows relief from the job for over the counter just looking the family after the season is over. However, 903-764-1159 or 903-724-1185 or 903-724for her (Lisa) or looking for me the family does enjoy hunting and attempts 5414.

(Greg) just to give us a big ole hug,” Greg said. “We don’t get to see our customers but once or twice a year. We have a lot of out of county customers.”

Lisa named off Houston, Dallas, and Austin. They said the majority of their work comes from East Texas patrons, but the business has customers from anywhere in Texas. He said that they even receive business from people hunting in Colorado, Kansas, or New Mexico.

The Chapins charge a fee for process-

C&C Processing in Elkhart

Commission Adopts Turkey Hunting Reg. Changes AUSTIN – Turkey hunters are reminded that theTexas Parks and Wildlife Commission last spring approved closing spring eastern turkey hunting in 11 East Texas counties effective in 2016 while restructuring the season in two other counties.

Hunting season for eastern turkey will be closed in 2016 in Angelina, Brazoria, Camp, Fort Bend, Franklin, Harrison, Hopkins, Morris, Titus, Trinity, and Wood counties and on National Forest lands in Jasper County. While closed, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wildlife biologists will evaluate the prospects for future eastern turkey restoration compatibility and restocking efforts.

The department’s goal is to reopen hunting should the eastern turkey populations in the affected counties become capable of sustaining harvest.

TPWD is also restructuring the existing spring turkey hunting season in Wharton and Matagorda counties. The new regulations, which take effect for the 2016 season, will continue to allow for a 30-day spring only, one gobbler season and eliminate mandatory harvest reporting.

In an effort to expand hunting opportunity for youth and reduce regulatory complexity, the Commission also adopted a 14-day extension of the late youth-only season in counties having an open Rio Grande fall turkey season, to run concurrent with the late youth-only season for white-tailed deer.

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FINDING FOCUS: Anderson County archers hit the mark at competitions

By Nate Smith

T

o compete at the highest level, an archer has to hit a target the size of a DVD from the length of a football field. One millimeter off, and it’s the difference between a medal.

Just like many who will sit in a tree stand or in a blind this fall, it takes years to master the bow and arrow. From the very sophisticated compound bows to the intricate, yet delicate recurve bow, archery is not just skill, but art.

South Korea, presently considered the best country in the world for archers, starts training future Olympians very young as they progress through a national development system. Here, the U.S. Has its own training system, and several local youths are already showing promise.

One of the largest 4-H clubs in Anderson County does not even handle any livestock.

Rather, the Xtreme 4-H Shooting Sports club focuses on a single target, archery.

The club trains with another team based in Anderson County, the Palestine Junior Olympic Archery Development program.

Combined, more than 50 kids will get the chance to learn about the sport.

“Locally, the 4-H club is the most important thing that we do,” coach Alex Clamon said. “The Junior Olympic (team) is really

about giving these kids more opportunities to compete.”

For about two Sundays a month, the archers learn the proper technique, safety and form with JOAD and the Xtreme club.

Using the Anderson County Livestock Pavilion, archers engage with parents and coaches trained on the proper ways of shooting, taught by USA Archery. For 4-H leader Amy Honeycutt, the transformation is almost instant.

“You’ll get little kids out there that aren’t hitting the target at 7 or 8 yards,” Amy said.

“You’ll turn around two weeks later and they are hitting the target at 10 yards. They get it really quickly.”

Amy and husband Kenny helped form the Xtreme club after daughter Bayli expressed an interest. From there the Anderson County office of Texas A&M AgriLife asked if they would be certified and take on more 4-Hers. The two, along with JOAD coach Alex Clamon, found many families willing to learn archery.

One family was the Bowman family.

McKenna Bowman asked her parents if she could join the club. Danny Bowman, McKenna’s father, did not know much about archery. Six months later, the entire Bowman family has bows.

“Before you know it, she’s already ready for her stuff, and so we took the leap,”

Photo by Nate Smith Kemper Clamon takes aim during practice. Clamon, a member of the Palestine Junior Olympic Archery Development program, was one of 36 girls invited to try out for U.S. Archery’s Junior Dream Team.

Danny said.

“And now we are ready for the next step.”

McKenna and Bayli compete with compound bows, the ones with pulleys on them

Photo by Nate Smith

Over 50 young archers have signed up for this year’s Xtreme 4-H Shooting Sports and Palestine Junior Olympic Archery Development program. They practice on Sundays at the Anderson County Youth Livestock Pavillion.

Big Toy Loans

more commonly known with deer hunters. This summer, the two were part of six Anderson County 4-Hers to compete in the State Games of Texas, shooting over 100 arrows a day. Kemper Clamon, friend and fellow archer, uses a different kind of bow, the recurve bow. This is the bow used in the Olympics.

Kemper has been shooting for a long time now. For practice, she gets in 100 to 150 arrows a day, trying to hit that DVD. While she is not at the length of the football field, Kemper has garnered some impressive hardware.

At this year’s Outdoor National event for Junior Olympics, Kemper placed first in the team event and sixth overall. She was seventh individually. She explained her mental drive to become a better archer.

“I’m better if I don’t think, just shoot,” Kemper said. “It takes a lot mentally when you miss and get back into it.”

For Kemper and father Alex Clamon, archery runs in the family. Lauren Clamon, Alex’s niece, trains with USA Archery, preparing to one day make the Olympics. She shoots up to 300 arrows a day and has traveled all over the world competing in events.

Although Lauren is very strong and very smart, she just received a full scholarship to MIT, archers take all sorts of athletes, Alex said.

“Archery is a sport that really spans the normal range of athletes but really attracts those kind of kids who would not normally who would not be in football baseball, those type of sports,” Alex said. “This is a great sport for them because it is not traditional mold.”

Kemper is following in her cousin’s footsteps. This October, she will be trying out for USA Archery’s Junior Dream Team, one of 36 girls selected from across the nation.

Eventually, she hopes to be traveling the world, competing. Kemper’s ultimate goal is the same as McKenna’s and Bayli’s, to someday become an Olympian.

But the goal of JOAD and the Xtreme 4-H Shooting Sports club is not just archery, but to have fun. The three girls laughed when talking about the good times at competitions. For Bayli, it is the friends she has made already.

“I think making some really strong friendships,” Bayli said.

For McKenna and her family, the bond of the bow has brought them closer, especially when there is some friendly competition.

Danny Bowman readily admitted daughter McKenna was better than him. “(Dad) is scared to shoot with us,” McKenna joked.

Many archers know, like other sports such as golf, to be very good means having physical and mental toughness. Archery teaches the children how to learn from mistakes and be mentally strong.

“If a kid can do this, get up and compete and do this well, then the SAT is nothing,” Alex said. “They know how to deal with pressure. Every time you go to take a chemistry test in university, so what. That isn’t nothing like the pressure cooker that you’ve learned to deal with. Once it’s not a pressure cooker and it’s fun, then it’s just a game. It’s just you competing against the test. Then you can’t get derailed.”

The club has also forged friendships with parents from all over Texas.

“We have made some lifetime friends from other counties,” Amy said. “We have built some great relationships.”

In just a short time, the two clubs have taken the notice of USA Archery. This summer, USA Archery coaches and archer Alex Whitworth, one of the top compound bow archers in the world, came to Anderson County to pass on technique and tips to the local archers. Eventually, Alex said, the groups hope to earn sponsorships for competition-sized targets. Those targets will allow the groups to host tournaments in Anderson County.

For both teams practice continues on Sept. 27 at the Anderson County Youth Livestock Pavillion. This winter, teams will be shooting at the 4-H State Indoor Games in March and the Indoor Nationals for JOAD. The clubs welcome children and parents to experience archery.

For more information, contact Amy Honeycutt at 903-391-4079, or Alex Clamon at 903-922-4399. The JOAD program is also online at palestinearchery.org.

Member FDIC

200 E. Commerce • Jacksonville • 903-586-1526 1700 S. Jackson • Jacksonville • 903-589-8800 2745 S. Loop 256 • Palestine • 903-727-0530

www.austinbank.com

Photo by Nate Smith

McKenna Bowman smiles to her coach after hitting the target during a recent practice. Bowman is one of many Anderson County archers involved in the local Xtreme 4-H Shooting Sports club.

20 September-October 2015 Support Agriculture Businesses... They Are the Heartbeat of Our Economy. East Texas Farm & Ranch Outdoor Guide

A Most Unusual Rose

By Lydia Holley

D

o you like to grow plants with unusual features, or are subtle in their beauty? Do you arrange flowers cut from your garden? If you said yes to either of those questions, you may want to add rosa chinensis viridiflora, or the green rose, to your garden.

The green rose has blooms so unusual you may know realize at first glance that this flower comes from a rose plant. Its petals are small, narrow, and numerous. Its blooms look much like a miniature cheerleader’s pom-pom, and are about two inches wide. If you walk by swiftly, you may miss seeing this plant’s blooms, as they are the same color as its leaves. In the autumn, it often displays a tinge of pink in the center. Of course, most consider the petals of the green rose not really petals, but sepals. Sepals are generally on the outside of a flower when in bud, are green, and support the petals of a flower.

Whether its blooms are made up of petals or sepals, they make a wonderful addition to most flower arrangements where they can be gazed upon until one’s fascination can be satisfied. However, if you sniff its blooms and expect a rosy scent, you will be surprised. Instead of a sweet floral perfume, you will be greeted with a spicy scent which may tickle your nose much like pepper when sniffed.

Planted in the ground, this rose will grow to around four feet high and three feet wide. You may wish to grow it in a large pot, raised to eye level, so no on will miss its surprising flowers. Don’t shy away from growing this rose if your pruning skills are lacking; this rose never needs to be pruned. It will bloom repeatedly, and in clusters, so you will have plenty of blooms for your arrangements. It is resistant to blackspot, mildew, and rust, the three major rose diseases. For those that think a rose is a rose is a rose, you have probably never seen the green rose.Â

This rose is unusual, unexpected, and it definitely looks different from any other rose. For more information, email hendersonCMGA@gmail.com or call 903-675-6130.

Records & Averages Pave the Way for Fall Flight From DU Reports orth America’s spring duck population is at a record high, but returning birds initially found a lower pond count in key areas of the breeding grounds, according to the 2015 Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey released in early July The annual survey, which has been conducted jointly by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Canadian Wildlife Service since 1955, puts the breeding duck population at a 49.52 million, slightly higher than last year’s population of 49.15 million and 43 percent above the long-term average.

The survey marks the highest estimates ever recorded for mallards and greenwinged teal. Mallards increased 7 percent to 11.64 million, 51 percent above the longterm average. Green-winged teal populations grew by 19 percent to 4.08 million, 98 percent above the long-term average. “This year’s population estimates are not due to great conditions this year, but high because of several consecutive years of great production,� said Dr. Frank Rohwer, president of Delta Waterfowl. “All the stars aligned in 2014: There was water in all the right places and at all the right times.

Despite the declining pond conditions, the

N

data indicates great population carryover from the last few highly successful breeding seasons.�

The May pond count registered 6.31 million — 12 percent lower than last year’s soaking wet conditions, but still 21 percent above the long-term average. In the U.S. portion of the prairie pothole region, which consists of eastern Montana and the Dakotas, conditions were drier than previous years until significant rains fell in May and June. The Canadian portion of PPR, which encompasses much of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, also saw reduced pond estimates. But unlike in the United States, a lack of rains later in spring led to deteriorating conditions for breeding ducks.

Drier wetland conditions can impact duck distribution and production. Several species — notably pintails — will overfly the prairie if their preferred small wetlands are dry when they are settling in spring. “When birds pass over the prairie pothole region and settle farther north, they typically do not have as high of reproductive success,� Rohwer said. “Pintails and mallards tend to continue north when they don’t find sufficient seasonal and temporary wetlands on the prairies.�

However, ducks that did settle in the Dakotas were likely able to capitalize as wetland

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conditions improved later in spring. Rains in May and June improved wetland conditions, which should aid duck production in many areas of the U.S. prairies.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The rains we got in May and June across the eastern Dakotas will probably benefit late nesters like blue-winged teal, gadwalls and scaup,â&#x20AC;? Rohwer said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also likely to spur renesting attempts and aid in duckling

survival.â&#x20AC;?

By contrast, most areas of prairie Canada have not received the timely spring rains that occurred in the U.S. prairies. As a result, pond conditions have declined. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The widespread drier conditions in prairie Canada later in spring will negatively affect duck production,â&#x20AC;? Rohwer said.

In addition to record highs among the breeding populations of mallards and greenwinged teal, the gadwall estimate (3.83 million) is the second highest in survey history, and the blue-winged teal estimate (8.55 million) is the speciesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; third highest ever.

Population estimates for wigeon (3.04 million), canvasbacks (757,000), redheads (1.2 million), and scaup (4.4 million) are similar to 2014.

Northern shovelers showed the greatest decline, falling 17 percent to 4.39 million but remaining 75 percent above the long-term average. Pintails continue to be a source of concern, declining for the fourth straight year to 3.04 million birds, 24 percent below the long-term average.

The survey data is a reminder that this is a fine era to be a duck hunter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While we anticipate decreased production and fewer young ducks in the fall flight, hunters should look forward to a strong fall flight,â&#x20AC;? Rohwer said.

East Texas Farm & Ranch Outdoor Guide

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September-October 2015

21

Planting Fall Crops for East Texas Wildlife

by Billy Higginbotham, Guest Columnist Professor and Extension Wildlife and Fisheries Specialist Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

A

bundant spring and early summer rainfall this year resulted in excellent foraging conditions for whitetails, meaning ideal conditions for fawn survival and antler growth.

But why are cool season food plots important and what steps does the landowner, manager and hunter need to take to prepare their hunting property to maintain ideal forage conditions for their deer herds this fall?

Properly established cool season food plots accomplish multiple objectives. First, they can be effective tools for drawing deer out of our densely forested habitat for harvest. Secondly, these plots can effectively enhance the nutritional plane available to white-tails during the cool season stress period of January through early March.

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has cooperatively investigated numerous deer supplemental forage plantings with Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Stephen F. Austin State University and numerous area landowners. Several recommendations can be made based on this forage research dating back over three decades.

Regardless of the crop to be grown, soil tests are necessary to determine if agricultural lime is needed to correct low pH levels and to allow landowners to customize fertilizer applications based on the varieties of plants established. This simple step can mean the difference in abundant forage production or food plots that fail to justify establishment costs.

Both SFASU and Texas A&M have soils labs that can provide the information needed. County extension offices across East Texas can provide the soil bags needed to submit samples for testing. Ideally, this should be accomplished prior to the planting date to allow time to apply any amendments (e.g., agricultural limestone) that may be needed.

While some deer enthusiasts have switched to high efficiency planting equipment that performs multiple tasks in just one pass over the food plot, many still rely on shredding the plot site and then disking a firm seedbed using standard tractor implements.

Cool season forages can typically be planted as early as the last week of August if soil moisture is present but certainly every effort should be made to get the plots in before the end of September.

If archery and/or youth-only seasons will be utilized for early hunting opportunities, planting as close to Labor Day as soil moisture availability will allow gives the forages time to germinate, become established and attract deer before early season opening days arrive.

Courtesy Photo With fall just around the corner, many hunters and land managers are arming their tractors with tandem discs and busting up the ground to prepare for seeding the soil with oats, legumes and other goodies to benefit deer and other wildlife through winter and spring.

Also, fall plantings are typically established as small, numerous plots that encourage daytime deer use due to their close proximity to escape cover. By contrast, warm season forage plots are typically established as fewer but larger plots if planting space is not limited.

One tried and true forage combination that provides early season hunting opportunities is the combination of iron and clay cowpeas at a seeding rate of 40 pounds per acre and a winter hardy oat variety, also planted at 40 pounds per acre. If the planting site can be dedicated to a fall planting annually, then arrowleaf clover can be added to the mix at 10 pounds per acre.

The cowpea and clover are both legumes. Therefore, plan on inoculating the seed with the proper inoculant at planting. This practice insures the plant’s ability to

Courtesy Photo Using inexpensive wire enclosures will show managers how well their plots are being utilized by deer and other game. fix atmospheric nitrogen resulting in better production throughout the growth period.

The oats are a cereal grain and field trials have clearly shown that deer prefer oats over other small grains such as wheat and rye. However, it is essential to select a winter hardy oat variety in order to avoid potential winter kill in extremely cold weather.

If all three varieties are utilized, it is important to plant the oats and peas first, covering them to a depth of about

one inch. The clover seed can then be distributed and lightly dragged in just deep enough to cover the seed.

Planting seed too deep has led to many food plot failures.

Fertilizer, if recommended based on soil test results, is often applied at the time of planting. Additional top dressing of oats with nitrogen fertilizer may also be necessary in December or January should their leaves begin to yellow.

Within a week of planting, the cowpeas will literally jump out of the ground and serve to hold the deer until the oats can germinate and grow. While the peas will disappear under heavy use or with the first freeze, the oats will provide forage up until the spring green-up, at which time the arrowleaf clover comes on strong and remains available well into June.

By late summer, the arrowleaf clover can be shredded in order to scatter seed and the site prepared for the next fall planting. After a couple of years, enough clover seed production will result so the manager may only have to re-plant the cowpeas and oats at that site.

Another popular fall planting in East Texas has been the combination of chicory and winter hardy oats. The oats provide the bulk of foraging opportunity throughout the winter but the chicory should persist for a year or more.

Trials at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton have shown that an oat seeding rate of 100 pounds per acre is sufficient, while chicory seeding rates should be at least 10 pounds per acre to produce consistent stands and sufficient yields. As recommended with the cowpea/oat/arrowleaf strategy, the chicory seed should only be should be lightly covered with soil after the oats are planted to a depth of one inch.

Chicory remained available to the deer year round and has been reported to persist for several years. Except during spring green-up, chicory was readily consumed by deer throughout the year.

An additional tip is to try and “soften” the edge of cool season food plots to encourage deer use during daylight hours. A transition from forests to a strip of screening cover 10’ to 15’ wide consisting of tall grass and shrubs along the food plot edge is better than an abrupt change where forests open up directly into the food plot.

Also plan on placing a plot exclosure three feet in diameter on each food plot planted. Enclosures can be easily constructed using net wire anchored with t-posts.

This will serve as a check for the manager to compare deer utilization outside the enclosure to the protected area.

Deer herds in East Texas can benefit from supplemental forage plantings, especially if a total of three to five percent of the land base is planted annually in warm and cool season forage varieties. However it is important to make sure that the varieties selected for planting are adapted to East Texas soils, growing conditions and sitespecific characteristics.

Fall is upon us and so is the time to establish those cool-season food plots. What are you waiting for?

22 September-October 2015 Support Agriculture Businesses... They Are the Heartbeat of Our Economy. East Texas Farm & Ranch Outdoor Guide

C ANNING VENISON A

Cooking Wisely

couple of weeks ago, something snapped and I realized it was time to start gearing up for the upcoming hunting season. It dawned on me that we still had a several packages of venison still in the freezer from last fall. I could not let it go to waste; after all we worked hard to get it. I decided I would try my hand at canning meat. I had canned just about every thing else under God’s creation so why not give it a whirl.

My father-in-law was an avid hunter and fisherman who also loved to cook . He was the first person to introduce me to canned venison. On a weekly basis, he called to tell me about his latest creation. I sure do miss him and his funny stories. After we moved back to Texas, he sent me a Polaroid shot with the oven door open and the light shining on a fresh loaf of bread he had just baked. The inscription at the bottom of the photo said “Scratch and Sniff ”. I still laugh when I think about that picture.

The process is fairly simple. You can also add seasonings like pepper, garlic and onion powder. Just remember that the flavor will be more intense so don’t over do it. ~Dee

1. Remove all fat from meat.

2. Pack cubes tightly into clean jars, using a knife handle or handle of wooden spoon to get out any air pockets.

3. Add 1 tsp salt per pint; 2 tsp salt per quart.

4. Do not add any water in jars.

5. Clean jar edge by wiping with a clean damp paper towel. Just discard as it gets dirty and use clean one.

6. Rings and tops should have been sterilized just like you do your jars. Don’t take any chances.

7. Add top and ring and turn to fit snugly-finger tight.(Do not twist until they are hard to open) 8. Add jars to canner and 2 to 3” of water.

9. Process at 15 pounds pressure: 75 minutes for pints; 90 minutes for quarts.

10. Remove canner from heat and let jars cool slowly out of draft with weight left on canner. Do not try to open until the canner is completely cooled off. (I can mine at night and leave on the stove to cool until the following morning, then I open it).

11. Do not put canner under cool water to cool it.

12. Just go to bed and leave it over night, removing the jars from the canner the next day.

13. Remove jars from canner and wash off sides of jars with soap and water to remove any broth or oil, if needed.

14. If any jar doesn’t seal properly, just put its contents into a zip-lock freezer bag, label and freeze.

15. Do not re-process.

16. This keeps well for 2 years.

17. Note: A hot-water bath is not adequate for processing meats.

18. You can use fresh or frozen (thawed) venison for this recipe.

19. If using frozen venison, let it thaw slightly, cut into cubes, and then let it thaw completely before packing into jars.

UPCOMING EVENTS Athens: • October 10 - East Texas Arboretum and Botanical Society Annual Fall Festival. Enjoy arts and crafts, vendors, a dog show, art show, entertainment, games for the kiddos and other activities. Special appearances

by Ariel, Dora, Minion, Anna, and a Ninja Turtle. Admission $5 per car.

East Texas Arboretum, 1601 Patterson Rd. easttexasarboretum.org

TYLER: • October 15-18: TEXAS ROSE FESTIVAL... Come celebrate the Rose at the 82nd Annual Texas Rose Festival. Ceremonial events include the Queen’s Coronation, Rose Show, Queen’s Tea & Rose Parade. In addition, there will be an arts & crafts fair, nursery tours, art show & much more! www.VisitTyler.com. 1-800-235-5712. www.texasrosefestival.com.

PALESTINE: • October 24th - Hot Pepper Festival, a popular culinary celebration that takes place in the city’s historic downtown area. Hot events including a Super Salsa-Making Contest, a Macho Pepper Eating Contest, a Chili & BBQ Cook-off, Antique Tractor Show, the Longhorn Exhibit and Hot Pepper Express Parade. Live entertainment including musical guests and athletic performances. The Little Pepper Kids Zone and there is a variety of arts and crafts for sale on display. www.visitpalestine.com

Madisonville: • October 24 - 14th TEXAS MUSHROOM FESTIVAL... Texas winetasting & biergarten, cooking demonstrations, live music, classic car & bike show, grape stomp, vendors, KidZone, contests, live entertainment, dancing, 5K & more. Downtown Courthouse Square. For more info: www.TexasMushroomFestival.com or (877) 908-8808.

Crockett: • November 21 - 34th ANNUAL CHRISTMAS IN CROCKETT... Enjoy the Christmas feeling on the Saturday before Thanksgiving with over 200 arts & crafts booths, along with food vendors, entertainment and more.

Vendor space available. Contact Crockett Chamber of Commerce for more info: (936) 544-2359 or info@crockettareachamber.org.

Jacksonville: • November 21 - Christmas on Commerce & Festival of Quilts – held the 3rd Saturday in November. Downtown merchants and other merchant’s open house activities include holiday sales before the Christmas holiday season. Vendors are located downtown with entertainment and Santa awaits little ones for a photo with Santa. Just a few blocks away is the Festival of Quilts event which is held Friday – Sunday located inside the Norman Activity Center.

East Texas Farm & Ranch Outdoor Guide

Support Agriculture Businesses... They Are the Heartbeat of Our Economy.

September-October 2015

23

Gone Fishing with Jerry Miller

Beat the Heat: Fish the Full Moon

O

ne of the most comfortable and enjoyable ways to fish in the summer is “by the light of the silvery moon”.

That’s exactly what my wife Betty and I chose to do during the full moon in August.

It was the perfect night for fishing – full moon, clear skies and a light breeze. The temperature was mostly in the mid-70s.

We arrived early at Lake Athens – about an hour before dark. As the sun set, we began our fishing on a main lake point that had immediate access to deep water. From past experience I knew that bass like to school just off this point right before dark.

About 7:45 p.m. I noticed schools of shad dimpling the surface near the point. A few minutes later a small school of bass erupted.

The first bass came off of a Tiny Torpedo that I was slowly reeling across the calm surface. The bait was making a small wake similar to the shad on the surface. The bass weighed about 1-1/2 pounds.

Betty was fishing a Texas rig black and blue Sienko off the bottom in

8 or 9 feet of water. Over the next 20 minutes she landed two similar size bass and lost one other. We were off to a good start.

As darkness settled in we slowly began fishing the sides of this point with 10-inch black and blue Power Worms and Sienkos. The bass were scattered in the edge of coontail moss. I landed two more bass in the 1-1/2 to 2-pound range.

Further down the point we came across a green underwater light.

Above the light we could make out a big pack of bass silhouettes against the light. We could see about a dozen bass outlined against the light. They were swimming just below the surface. The largest bass seemed to be positioned down deeper. That’s the good news. The bad news is that they were focused on the small minnows cruising near the surface, and they totally ignored every bait we tried.

Boat dock lights are the very best to fish around. I’ve caught numerous bass off the end of lighted boat houses. But tonight we chose to fish points and flats that held coontail grass.

Next we headed to another point and grassy flat back towards the boat landing. Over about a hundred yard stretch we managed to

boat about five more bass on Sienkos. We quit about 11:00 p.m.

I was disappointed in the size of bass we caught. Normally we catch more bass in the three to five pound range. This time our largest bass was only 2-1/2 pounds. That’s fishing! My wife didn’t mind. She

said she was delighted to catch anything!

Locating and catching bass at night isn’t that difficult. Some of the best locations to fish are the same areas you catch bass during the day. The only thing to remember is to slow down your presentation at night and use dark-colored worms. The other more obvious areas are around lights.

There are some exceptions. There is a lighted boathouse on Lake Athens that holds some big bass at night. During the daytime this area is devoid of bass because there is no brush or anything to hold the bass there during daylight. It’s the night light that attracts bait fish and bass.

The full moon, along with the cool breeze, made for a very pleasant trip. It was a big contrast and relief from the oppressive heat we’ve endured this summer.

-------------------------------Jerry Miller may be contacted at: gonefishing2@suddenlink.net

Deer management a key to sport hunting’s future

by Chase Clark Texas Deer Association President

I

t has become very common of late to encounter mistruths created and distributed by opponents to intensive deer management. As president of the Texas Deer Association, I feel it is essential to set the record straight and reveal these falsehoods for what they really are: emotional and fear-based propaganda with the specific agenda to damage or destroy a vital and vibrant rural industry in the State of Texas.

So, let’s get back to facts and science, shall we?

ANTLER SIZE MATTERS One has only to look at the newsstand to see that antler size has become an integral part of our hunting heritage. Hunting magazines, antler scoring systems, big buck contests…and countless other pieces of evidence prove that antler size matters. The addition of social media to the consciousness of our society has only fueled the passion that modern hunters have for antlers.

DEER HUNTING IS NO LONGER SOLELY SUBSISTANCE-BASED “Somewhere between the take-a-deer-or-gohungry days and the taming of the Texas frontier in the final quarter of the 19th Century, the size of a buck’s rack became a matter of hunter pride and bragging rights,” wrote Mike Cox in the Nov. 2014 issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.

Please don’t misunderstand my intent here.

Filling the freezer with venison remains a vital part of our hunting heritage. The fact remains, however, that many hunters care about the antler size that are on the bucks they harvest. The development of groups like the QDMA (Quality Deer Management Association), among many others,

is proof that hunters want to become educated about modernized deer management techniques.

The display of disdain by opponents to intensive deer management for a segment of hunters that is passionate about antlers is a dangerous proposition to hunting as a whole. There are many in today’s society that would like to see hunting end completely. Continuing a divisive campaign because of philosophical differences or financial agendas is not good for deer hunting and management in Texas.

TRADITIONAL DEER MANAGEMENT SHORTCOMINGS Decades of modernized harvest techniques (high-powered rifles, improved optics, trail cameras, modernized archery equipment etc.) has seen the “trophy” buck become an endangered species in many areas of our nation. An inspection of the Boone and Crockett Record Books shows that the glory age of trophy harvest across the country was half a decade ago, as deer numbers were rapidly growing and hunter numbers were still relatively low as compared to the available resource.

Intensive deer management and restocking of improved genetics has and will continue to serve as a counter balance to the over-harvest of trophy class animals from the Texas deer herd.

The explosion of growth in the use of intensive management techniques in Texas validates two important aspects. First, it demonstrates the great need for modernized deer management. Second, it shows the efficiency of these techniques.

Why is intensive deer management growing across the state of Texas? It’s very simple -- it works!

TEXAS HUNTING HERITAGE IS CLOSELY TIED TO PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS Texas land is about 97 percent privately owned.

Courtesy Photo Chase Clark with a nice Mule deer.

That means that conservation of wildlife habitat depends solely on the motivation of private landowners to participate in habitat and wildlife conservation to assure a hunting heritage for the next generation. It is essential that this motivation be there for all landowners; not just large acreage holders.

It’s very easy to manage and control game populations when you count your sections, instead of your acres. The vast majority of Texans, now and in the future, will not be wealthy enough to own tens or hundreds of thousands of acres. For the rest of us (that certainly includes myself!), we rely on high fences and stocking of superior genetics to ensure that our small wildlife sanctuaries are financially sustainable.

The ability of a small acreage landowner to grow, prevent early age harvest, and capture the monetary value of a desirable commodity (large antlered bucks) is essential to the future of wildlife habitat conservation in the state of Texas. Anyone that tells you different is ignoring the facts of wildlife habitat fragmentation and encroachment of urban sprawl.

FOLLOW THE DOLLARS Pricing per acre on deer leases and real estate is not based on the quality of venison harvested.

The monetary value of hunting can be influenced greatly by the antler quality of deer on a property.

Mark Hubbard, owner of Mark Hubbard Ranch Properties, sees this every day in his real estate transactions. “The quality of the deer herd on a property and a documented history of solid management practices can absolutely add monetary value and marketability to a real estate transaction,” Hubbard said.

The success of intensive deer management has greatly changed the landscape for hunting leases and real estate in Texas. No longer does a hunter have to be leasing or hunting in the Golden Triangle of South Texas, or on a large acreage ranch, to be assured a good opportunity at producing trophy class whitetails. Intensive deer management has leveled that playing field. The fact is that many small acreage landowners can now effectively produce more and larger bucks than many large acreage properties can produce in any given year.

No longer do large acreage properties have a monopoly on big antlered bucks. As Texas hunters see the success of intensive deer management, many are investing in their own properties and seeking advice on stocking superior genetics.

The financial implications of reduced demand for hunting opportunities on large acreage properties are real. It is easy to follow the dollars and see how these folks might become detractors to intensive deer management.

IT’S NOT ABOUT STEROIDS Detractors of our industry often suggest unethi-

cal practices, such as steroid use in breeder deer, are the only possible explanation for the success of intensive deer management. This disbelief is in line with the opinions of many traditional deer managers 20 to 30 years ago who felt that deer breeding could never be a successful tool in deer management. These opponents to deer breeding have likely not been involved with deer breeding operations to see how effective these operations can be in improving the antler quality of a deer population.

The success of deer breeding has nothing to do with steroids. Many experts in the industry recognize this attempt by detractors to defame deer breeders as just that.

Dr. Scott Bugai, a licensed and accredited Texas veterinarian with extensive experience in the deer industry has an interesting take on steroids.

“Anybody who truly understands the antler growth cycle should know that anabolic steroids, or any class of steroids for that matter, will not enhance antler growth,” he said. “The use of anabolic steroids during the antler growing phase will actually retard the growth during that growing cycle.”

The real success of deer breeding is based on two simple principles: selective breeding and increased fawn production. The ability of a manager to select a pairing of a buck and doe has greatly enhanced the ability to improve antler genetics without sacrificing the health or vitality of the deer. Maintaining the health of a deer herd, whether in the pasture or in breeding pens, can greatly increase fawning success, leading to increased recruitment and creating a larger sustained yield for harvest several years down the road. These two simple principles are greatly responsible for the success of deer breeding as an effective management strategy in the toolbox of Texas deer enthusiasts.

THE ANTLER REALITY The truth, which is very hard for some to face, is that modern wildlife conservation is closely entwined with the rapid changes our society has encountered and will continue to encounter over the next century. Ignoring or denying the success of intensive deer management is a foolhardy attempt by a few to turn back the clock to a time when buffalo roamed the plains without fences to impede their movements. Traditionalists must come to grips with the antler reality, or face the real proposition that the next generation of deer hunters may only experience hunting in the garb of the new wave of video game simulators.

The next time you hear from a detractor to intensive deer management, take a moment and ask yourself what their real motivation is. Is it truly to protect our hunting heritage? Or, is it really an attempt to sustain a financial system or wildlife philosophy that does not recognize change as an important part of any biological succession?

24 September-October 2015 Support Agriculture Businesses... They Are the Heartbeat of Our Economy. East Texas Farm & Ranch Outdoor Guide

Get The Gun TPWD whitetail leader says the stage is set for an outstanding season statewide

by Alan Cain White-tailed Deer Program Leader, Texas Parks & Wildlife

T

he 2015 Texas deer season should shape up to be an exceptional year possibly one of the best on record. Habitat conditions have never looked better as a result of the ubiquitous spring precipitation that blanketed the state from the Red River to the Rio Grande. A bird’s-eye view would likely reveal a verdant Texas landscape lush with a diverse buffet of deer foods where vegetation growth can be measured in feet rather than inches this year.

Meeting nutritional demands of antler growth, rearing fawns, and building up body reserves for the rigors of rut as well as the winter should be an easy venture for a deer this year. Deer won’t be searching far to find a highly nutritious diet of native weeds and browse plants. As a selective forager, deer prefer native forages high in protein and energy that are easily digestible. The forbs, a biologist term for a weed, fit that bill and there are plenty of them this year.

For a wildlife biologist, spring rains as well as total annual rainfall are critical factors in predictions for the upcoming season. When above average winter and spring rains occur hunters should expect a great hunting season and 2015 fits the criteria. In fact, if you have not found a place to hunt, I’d be making plans to do so in short order. I’d hate to be left without a place to hunt this year with the potential for such a great hunting season.

For those of you that might not have time to do the research to find a deer

Photo by Matt Williams The Pineywoods has produced some outstanding bucks in recent seasons. The region’s top scoring nontypical last year was taken in Nacogdoches County by Chance Parmer. Parmer’s buck grossed 197 5/8 B&C.

tion over 50 percent for the last 10 years with the exception of 2011, when fawn production dropped to 41 percent. Hunters should expect a reasonable number of middle-aged and mature bucks this year in the Cross Timbers.

Deer populations continue to thrive in the Post Oak Savannah ecoregion. Population estimates for 2014 were about 410,000 deer or a density of 33.36 deer per 1,000 acres, respectively. The Pineywoods continues to show a positive trend in deer population growth with an estimated 261,000 in 2014 or a density of about 19.73 deer per 1,000 acres.

Deer numbers for 2015 are expected to be about the same, or we may see a slight increase compared to last year. The antler restriction regulation continues to improve age structure of the buck population in these regions, and based on age and antler surveys 55 percent of bucks harvested were 3 1/2 years or older in the Post Oak Savannah and 42 percent were 3 1/2 or older in the Pineywoods.

For many hunters there is nothing more exciting than seeing that mature buck suddenly appear at first light. South Texas and the Western and Eastern Rolling Plains have much lower deer densities with 2014 estimates of 18.37, 16.13, and 21.16 deer per 1,000 acres, respectively.

Despite lower deer densities, hunting is quite good and hunter densities are much lower because Courtesy Photo generally of large-acreage ranches or deer Hunters across the Post Oak Savannah are seeing an increased leases limiting hunter numbers to meet their deer management number big bucks in the field, which some believe is partially strategies. Hunters in these related to antler restrictions intended to protect younger bucks regions are often seeking quality from harvest. Curtiss Hurst took this dandy non-typical in Ander- animals as much as they might be looking for a freezer full of son County last season. The gross score is 204 2/8. meat.

Buck age structure tends to hunting lease consider putting in for population also means more deer on the be better balanced in South Texas and one of the drawn deer hunts conducted landscape for hunters to pursue, includthe Rolling Plains regions and it is not on TPWD Wildlife Management Areas ing bucks. Fawn production for 2015 is uncommon to see 42 percent to 68 per(WMAs) and state parks. Each year some expected to be above average, probably cent of the harvest comprised of bucks 4 good bucks are bagged on our WMAs 50 percent or better at a statewide scale 1/2 years old or older.

Oft en overlooked, and lots of hunters go home with an ice and a bit higher in some eco-regions.

A closer look into TPWD’s deer survey the Trans Pecos supports a healthy whitechest full of venison from an antlerless data reveals deer populations vary draand spike hunts.

The only downside to the exceptional matically depending on the region of the growth of native vegetation is that deer state. The highest deer densities can be don’t have to move far to find something found in the Edwards Plateau ecoregion to eat and could make hunting tough early in the central portion of the state where 2014 survey results indicate a density of in the season if these conditions persist.

So, what can hunters expect with 116 deer per 1,000 acres or about 2.2 milregards to deer numbers and quality? For lion deer in the eco-region. Density and starters, the 2014 statewide deer popula- population estimates should be similar if tion estimate was 3.95 million deer, the not a little higher for 2015.

The extensive flooding in the eastern highest estimated population since 2005.

Statewide population trends indicate a portion of the Edwards Plateau may have slow but steady growth in the deer popu- caused some fawn mortality this spring but should be of minor significance in the lation over the last 10 years.

The population estimate of 3.95 mil- overall production of the deer herd in the lion deer works out to about 40.51 deer region. If your perception of a good deer per 1,000 acres. Although these numbers hunt is seeing lots of deer then consider are from 2014, I would predict the deer looking for a hunting location in this area.

Moving north we run into the Cross population to be about the same if not break the 4 million deer mark for 2015, so Timber eco-region that supports an hunters should experience a quarry rich estimated 603,000 deer or 50.49 deer per 1,000 acres. Located in close proximity to hunting environment this year.

Statewide fawn crop estimates would the Dallas / Fort Worth, this region is ideal suggest a relatively higher number of for hunters from that area not wanting to bucks in the 2 1/2, 3 1/2, 5 1/2 and 8 1/2- spend hours traveling to a destination year old age classes compared to other age down in South Texas or the Hill Country. classes, since fawn crops for these cohorts Following statewide trends in buck age were around 50 percent, much higher structure hunters should expect good than other years. Fewer 4 1/2-year old numbers of bucks in the 2 1/2, 3 1/2 and bucks will be present in the population 5 1/2-year-old age classes relative to other this year as those bucks were born in 2011 age groups. However, the Cross Timbers when statewide fawn crop estimates were has a track record of good fawn producdown to 29 percent.

Although the annual variation in fawn production obviously affects the number of future bucks in the population, the positive trend in the statewide deer

tailed deer population in the eastern portion of the region primarily in Pecos and Terrell counties. The deer population estimate for 2014 was about 155,000 deer or a density of 42.29 deer per 1,000 acres. The Southern High Plains region generally supports one of the lowest deer densities in the state, 7.05 deer per 1,000 acres. Although numbers are low this is not unexpected as this region is typically where white-tailed and mule deer overlap with vegetation communities more conducive to mule deer. Despite low numbers there are some great bucks harvested in this area.

I have no reservations suggesting antler quality will be above average this year.

With a good number of bucks in the 5 1/2-year-old age class I expect a number of hunters to harvest some exceptional bucks this year. The habitat conditions statewide are much better than we’ve seen in years and the abundance of native forage will help bucks maximize antler growth this year. Those hunters looking for a buck with good quality antlers can expect the usual locations to produce such as South Texas where the average Boone and Crockett score of a 6 1/2-yearold buck is about 136 inches. The Rolling Plains is right up there with South Texas where the average score of a 6 1/2-yearold buck is about 133 inches. Although South Texas and the Rolling Plains are destination locations for bucks with big antlers, hunters can still connect on great deer in any ecoregion. In fact, in 2014 a beautiful 197 5/8 B&C buck was bagged in Nacogdoches County in East Texas and multiple bucks scoring 160 B&C or better were taken in many of the antler restriction counties of the Cross Timbers, Post Oak Savannah, and Pineywoods.

Although bucks of that caliber are the exception to the norm, the average 6 1/2-year-old buck still sports quality antlers with the statewide average around 128 B&C. The majority of eco-regions produce bucks with that quality of antlers if the bucks are able to survive to those older age classes. Regardless of where you hunt in Texas there is always a good chance you’ll see a great quality buck each season. Enhancing habitat to make your hunting lease or ranch more attractive to deer is always helpful to entice that big buck to your deer blind and hopefully in your crosshairs.

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Hot Tips for East Texas Bass: Pros share some insight on late summer, early fall fishing

by Matt Williams Outdoors Writer

F

all is just around the corner, but don’t break out those cool weather duds just yet, bass busters.

Summer is still very much in the air. In fact, there could be days ahead when the searing heat seems so hot that it might melt a plastic worm if you leave it out of water too long.

Many anglers turn their attention to night fishing in hot weather or they don’t go at all.

The daytime beat is usually left for hardcore fishing junkies to don’t mind paying their dues in sweat.

Brutal as it can be, summertime bassin’ can be rewarding to anglers who play their cards right.

Summertime typically means stable weather conditions to Texas, particularly in the eastern half of the state. Outside of occasional relief brought about by lateafternoon thunder boomers or hurricane outfall, it is a safe bet that most days will be sultry, dry and humid. With very little wind to cool things down, it can be almost like a sauna out there.

Largemouths can be equally predictable in September. The observant basser will learn that the fish have tendency to go on the prowl at the same time just about every day, often at the same locations.

This holds especially true of school bass, those roving wolf packs that cruise the depths on instinctive search and destroy missions, often leaving blood baths in their wake.

The competitive feeding frenzy is usually fiercest on or near the surface, where hapless bands of shad are driven as they attempt to flee for safety. Bigger, lazier bass will sometimes cruise along just beneath the melee, so they can pick off the wounded or dying without exerting much effort.

I sometimes refer to school bass as the heathens of summer. It’s a tough-guy image that stems from a tough-guy way of life.

School bass are eating machines. It is natural to assume they feed out of hunger.

But I’m convinced they do it mostly out of meanness. How else can you explain a group of fish sweeping thorough a cloud of shad and stuffing their bellies to the brim, then regurgitating in order to make room for more?

Rude as they are, schoolies have salvaged many a dull fishing day on lakes across East Texas. This holds especially true in late summer, when the blazing sun drives often drives surface temperatures beyond 90 degrees.

“School bass typically aren’t a real good option during tournament situation,

Photo by Matt Williams Taking your game offshore to humps, channel breaks and underwater ridges will sometimes hook you up with big numbers of unmolested bass. because they usually don’t weigh much,” says bass pro Tommy Martin of Hemphill. “But for a guy who just wants to go out and catch some fish, there may not be a better option.

Schoolies are usually pretty aggressive and that makes them fairly easy to catch. They are great when you have a couple of kids or beginning anglers who are just now getting their feet wet in bass fishing.”

School bass are apt to show up in number on any good bass lake from now through fall. The fish will relate heavily to underwater creeks, humps, points and other

structure. Often times, the surface activity will occur at the same spots at just about the same time of the day. Pay attention the whereabouts of consistent schooling action and you just might undercover an all season honey hole.

Probably the biggest attraction to school bass is they tend to run in large gangs.

Often times, this equals multiple hook ups in short order for anglers who know how to play to the game.

Schooling largemouths are no different than schooling white bass, hybrids of strip-

Photo by Matt Williams Bass pro Tommy Martin says late summer and early fall are good times to target school bass on lakes across East Texas. ers. They have a tendency to “spook” if you get too close.

“It’s always a good idea to stay as far away from the school as possible, especially when they are on the surface,” says Lake Fork fishing guide Gary Paris. “Use the troll motor to maneuver; never crank the big motor.”

A variety of lures will bring out the glutton in school bass. Some anglers prefer catching them on topwaters and lipless crankbaits like a Rat-L-Trap. Skeeter bass pro Lance Vick likes to go after them with a 1/2-ounce jigging spoon.

“A jigging spoon is the ideal bait for schooling fish,” says Vick. “You can throw it a mile and it closely resembles what the fish are feeding on -- shad. When the fish are on the surface, I’ll wind it fast, right though the school. When the school goes down, you can let it sink and get to them.”

Another advantage to the spoon it has only one treble hook instead of two or three. That makes hook removal easier and reduces the odds of a thrashing bass driving a hook into your finger.

As earlier mentioned, school bass are known mostly for their bad attitudes, not their size. Anglers who had rather target better quality fish will need to develop a suitable game plan.

Veteran Toledo Bend fishing guide Tommy Martin likes to target main lake humps during late summer. His reasoning is obvious. Humps attract big bass!

“In a normal year, the water level on most of our Texas lakes will reach their lowest level in September and October,” Martin said. “That’s when humps really tend to shine. The low water pushes the fish off the flats. Often times, the bass will gang up on humps in 8-15 feet of water.”

Martin says humps that have been doctored with brush deserve special attention.

Brush attracts bait fish, which brings in the bass.

When fishing humps, Martin prefers to take a vertical approach as opposed to casting. The ideal bait is a Texas rigged Zoom Trick Worm with a pegged sinker. He suggests fishing it vertical as opposed to casting.

“A vertical presentation cuts way down on your chances of foul hooking on the brush and spooking the fish,” Martin said.

“It’s best to use your electronics to mark the brush, toss out a buoy and fish the spot straight up and down.”

Fishing vertical in deep hydrilla is another good option when there is plenty of the green stuff available. The idea is to use a bait heavy enough to penetrate the dense canopy, then allow the bait to fall into the shaded maze of root systems and tunnels below. This is where bass like to take refuge during the hottest part of the day.

Perhaps the most favored bait for going vertical in grass is a one-ounce jig, slither rig or a Texas rig plastics pegged with heavy tungsten sinker. Some anglers are convinced the jig will get the bigger bites.

Ample water depth is essential when going after grass bass. The ideal situation occurs when the hydrilla is matted in 12-17 feet of water. Bass will relate to shallower grass (8-12 feet) if deep grass isn’t available.

The best grass beds?

Vegetation along creek channels is always good. So is grass growing on submerged humps, points and ridges. Tiny indentions, guts and pockets are particularly attractive, because they are usually indicative of those radical changes in water depth that sometimes hold bass like a magnet.

September Secrets * When going after school bass, choose a lure that can be cast a considerable distance.

The farther you stay away from the school, the less the chance of spooking the fish. Some of the best baits for schoolies are Rat-L-Traps, slab spoons and topwaters. * School bass feed mostly on shad. Sometimes the get so “tuned in” to a particular size of forage that they may turn up their nose at an oversize bass lure. A good way to sucker reluctant schoolies is add a tiny “trailer bait” bait behind the main lure. A smoke pattern crappie jig is a good choice. The trick works extremely well in combination with Pop-R and Tiny Torpedo topwaters. * Big bass will sometimes trail along beneath a roving band of schoolies to pick off the wounded shad left behind. Try casting a Texasrig worm or tube into school bass to get at the larger fish. Use a 1/4 ounce sinker to achieve a slow fall. * When targeting “grass bass,” be sure to use a quality fishing line built to provide abrasion resistance, tinsel strength and knot strength.

Premium monos in the 17-25 pound test range are ideal. Grass also is a good place to use braid. * The key to getting a big bass out of heavy cover is turning it quickly. Use a heavy action rod with plenty of back bone to keep a big bass headed the right direction. * Big summer bass often gravitate to shoreline cover to seek shelter during the blazing Texas heat. Stanley’s new Ribbit Frog is hard for shallow grass bass to resist. It works particularly well around lily pads. The topwater frog is designed to be fished weightless in the same manner as a buzz bait. Just chunk it, wind it and hold on tight. --- Matt Williams

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Three decades of bowhunting elk

by Alan Martin t all started in 1980. I was on an archery deer hunt in Rifle, Colorado when I met Al and Ray Kettle. Shortly after meeting them, Ray guided me to a creek on the edge of an alfalfa field where I shot a mule deer buck at 50 yards which ended my hunt. Ray was only 16 but was really into hunting.

Al, Ray’s dad, was a true mountain man. All he carried was a bow, one arrow, a handmade knife he made, and a can of sardines. The both liked me and asked if I wanted to go elk hunting. I jumped on that idea. So we picked up the camp and on the way to the new area I stopped and got my license. We only got to hunt a few days but that was all it took to hook me. I continued to hunt with them for elk for the next five years or so.

I lost touch with them over the years as they had moved out of Colorado. I had reconnected with Ray by email a few years ago.

I hunted elk on foot in different parts of the state until 2006, when I started using horses. This year, all my old elk hunting buddies sort of fizzled out on me so I had not planned on going. However, about three weeks before the season opened, I got the elk fever and decided I was going by myself .

I sent an email to Ray to see if he had any good areas and he responded back that he and his dad were going to our old spot in the Gunnison National Forest and would be there opening weekend. I had stayed in touch with Ray over the years and had run into him a couple of times at the old spot. My wife, Paula, always enjoyed the mountains and had not been in a while so I decided it

After about a mile, and not seeing what would warrant further action, I went back to the horses and rode back to camp. I decided that I would have to hunt from camp on foot, like old times, as my logging road plan would not work out. Monday through Thursday I hunted alone in various areas I had ventured into in the past. I finally found the fresh signs I was looking for on Thursday.

However, Ray had been hunting all week with another friend up and through Wednesday.

Once the friend left, Ray asked me to team up with him as they had gotten into elk daily. Since I had not seen any elk, I made the decision that it would be a good idea as Friday was going to probably be my last day to hunt.

On Friday morning we had planned on leaving before daylight. We had a long hike from camp to get to where Ray had been seeing elk. The first mile was fairly easy as it was just small foothills and mainly level ground. The next half mile was steep and took an hour to get up it. From there we had another mile up a ridgeline

would be us two, and Dixie and Rocketboy, our two horses on this hunt. So with only two weeks to get ready it was mind-boggling as I normally spend a month or more getting everything lined out. I knew it would be difficult as I needed to shoot my 47-inch Bob Lee custom recurve, get the horses certified and conditioned along with gathering up all the camping equipment for a 10-day camp. It was difficult but mission was accomplished.

Opening day we were still setting up the camp and acclimating ourselves and the horses due to a longer trip than was expected. Paula and I hit the trail on horseback midmorning on Sunday heading for an old logging road that would lead to the top of the ridge where we normally began our hunt in the black timber. It had been 15 years since we hunted here and someone had installed a fence that cut off our trail to the logging road. We had to go up the side of the mountain. We finally made it to the road and rode up a long ways before we tied up. I went ahead by foot checking for fresh sign.

where we would enter the black timber. Due to the early season, the elk like to hang out in the black timber where it is cooler. By mid-morning there was no need to fool around in the quakies as the elk have already been through these places.

Once we got into the area we had decided on, we started seeing fresh signs. Ray worked his cow call and I would occasionally hit my locator bugle. I like to bugle about every 200 to 300 yards once I find some fresh sign. A bull sometimes will answer and other times he may just slip in undetected to see what is going on. Within minutes two spike bulls came in to about 50 yards and stood there trying to figure out what was going on.

Being they were not legal to shoot we just stood quiet until they eased off into the timber.

We ventured on another 300 yards and I let out a nice bugle. A bull answered me. I bugled again and he again answered. It sounded about 600 yards away so we moved about 100 yards toward him.

I gave him another bugle and he answered. We kept up this process a couple more sequences

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until we were around 200 yards apart. In the process, I spotted a nice bull about 100 yards in between us. I decided I would see if I could move in on him for a shot. As I eased along, I lost him in the brush and gave it up. I did not want to spook that bull and possibly mess up the other one. So I moved further to the right and kept bugling. I finally decided that I would try and imitate a bull rubbing his antlers on a tree. I found a nice spot and a good limb to use.

As I picked it up and was about to start thrashing a small spruce I spotted the bull that I was trying to stalk coming through the brush. I laid the stick down, got down on my knees and checked the possible shooting lanes ahead of the elk. I had a good lane picked as the elk proceeded in a slow walk. I estimated this would be about a 30-yard shot. As he got almost to the lane I drew my bow.

Within another split second I had picked the spot and released the arrow. The bow was quiet and the bull wasn’t aware of the arcing arrow headed his way. The arrow tipped with a 2 blade single bevel Grizzly broadhead hit a little back from the

tree about 100 yards away. Next was to tackle the quarters. The hind quarters were so heavy that I was not able to lift them.

It was now starting to rain and show signs of darkness so I got all my gear together and headed toward camp. I finally ran into Ray at the top of the ridge about half way back to camp. I told him my story and we celebrated our success. I had been on many bowhunts and the odds of what we had done was near impossible odds.

We finally made it back to camp and knew we had a lot of work ahead of us. The next morning we saddled up the horses and took off with our pack frames on our back. Due to the down logs we were only able to get the horses within a half mile of the elk.

Once we had his there we skinned and boned the meat from mine to make for a lighter load. Due to the bears we decided to make a meat hanging pole up where my horns were as we knew we would not be able to get both elk out in one day.

Darkness was starting to come on us so we made two quick pack outs to the horses for the first of two loads for the horses. I estimated the loads were probably 50 lbs on one and at least 75 on the other.

Once we had the horses loaded we took off leading them on the 2 mile hike back to camp. We finally reached the top of the steep hill that was a half mile down through downed logs, rocks, and high weeds.

Well, wouldn’t you know it, we did not have a flashlight due to our optimism of thinking we didn’t need one as we had thought we could get 2 elk down to the ridge top before dark. That was a rookie mistake. I remembered that I had brought my wife’s cell phone for pictures. I was able to use it as my only source of light as I made my way down the hill. As it turned out we were only 100 yards from the open field. Once I made the one mile trek back to camp I retrieved my coat, food ,water, and four flashlights.

I finally made my way back to Ray and the horses. He was shivering due to the night air. He had a coat but it was in his pack and once he laid it down he could not find it due to the pitch black dark. I gave Ray my coat which took about 10 minutes to get his body back under control. We ate the snacks and then proceeded on to camp. After unloading the meat and unsaddling it was around midnight. We were exhausted.

Next morning we left camp around 10 a.m. again. This time we had plenty of flashlights.

It had been a very successful elk hunt.

point of aim. The broadhead hit the liver and the bull took off. I immediately gave out a soft bugle to calm the bull. It worked as he slowed to a walk as he disappeared into the timber. Within minutes I heard him crash. I knew it was now just a matter of tracking him down.

I would normally wait at least 30 minutes before tracking a wounded elk. However, due to the hit location and the crash I only hesitated long enough to mark the spots where I shot from and the hit location. I then started picking up the tracks and found my first blood around 10 yards. I followed the trail less than 100 yards and there he was piled up.

As I approached the bull, I couldn’t help to see how big this animal was. I had never tackled anything this big by myself. I did a few minutes of picture taking and then tried to get Ray’s attention. After a few minutes of not hearing or seeing any sign of my hunting partner I decided I might as well get started as I would be doing it alone.

It took me two hours to just To advertise here, quarter the elk and remove some neck meat , the backcontact straps and the head/horns. I had left my mini-game hoist Lezlie Hoover and game bags behind at the at 903-729-0281 camp so as to lighten my pack load. What a mistake. I used or email lhoover@ my long handles as game bags for the backstrap and hung them palestineherald. and the horns in a large spruce

FARM & RANCH CLASSIFIEDS

com

PASTURE LEASE

Free grazing, three years.

Owner has overgrown 95 acres off Highway 21 & Farm Road 3275.

Property needs cattle tank, gate, cattle guard, and fencing around 6 deer feeders.

Half of fencing maintained by large ranch, other fencing good but some very low creek spots and some repairs needed.

Hunting only by owner and owner guests.

Call (210) 262-3288

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New licenses for 2015-16 fiscal year now available

N

ew hunting and fishing licenses valid for TPWD’s 2015-16 fiscal year went on sale in mid-August. Current licenses expired August 31.

The best deal for all around sportsmen is the Super Combo package ($68), which includes resident hunting/fishing licenses and all required state stamp endorsements (archery, freshwater fishing, saltwater fishing, upland game bird, and migratory game bird). Federal duck stamps must be purchased separately.

Here’s a rundown on other popular licenses and what they cost: Resident Hunting Cost: $25 Valid to hunt any legal bird or animal (terrestrial vertebrates).

Stamp endorsement requirements apply. Required of any resident unless the resident possesses a valid: • Senior Resident Hunting License; • Youth Hunting License; • Super Combo or Resident Combination Hunting and Fishing License Package; • Lifetime Resident Hunting License; • Resident Disabled Veteran Super Combo Hunting and Fishing License Package; • Lifetime Resident Combination Hunting and Fishing License; or • Texas Resident Active Duty Military Super Combo Hunting and Fishing License Package.

Senior Resident Hunting Cost: $7 Valid only for residents 65 years of age and older. Valid to hunt any legal bird or animal. Stamp endorsement requirements apply.

Youth Hunting License Cost: $7 Valid for any person, resident or non-resident, under 17 years of age at the date of license purchase.

Exempt from state stamp requirements, except for Reptile and Amphibian Stamp. License and state stamp exemptions remain valid for the entire license year.

Non-resident General Hunting Cost: $315 Valid to hunt any legal bird or animal (including deer). Stamp endorsement requirements apply.

Non-resident Spring Turkey Cost: $126 – Available after Feb. 1st Valid to hunt turkey only during the open spring turkey season.

Holders of this license are exempt from the upland game bird stamp endorsement requirements.

(Unlawful to possess both this license and a valid Non-Resident General Hunting License.)

Non-resident Special Hunting Cost: $132 Valid to hunt: • Exotics • all legal game birds (NOT VALID FOR TURKEY), • all nongame animals, squirrel, javelina and alligator (not valid for other game animals, NOT VALID FOR DEER). Stamp endorsement requirements apply.

Non-resident 5-Day Special Hunting Cost: $48 Legal for any period of 5 consecutive days (valid hunting dates will be printed on the license when issued). Valid to hunt: • Exotics • all legal game birds (except turkeys), • all nongame animals, squirrel, javelina and alligator (not valid for other game animals, NOT VALID FOR DEER). Stamp endorsement requirements apply.

Non-resident Banded Bird Hunting Cost: $27 Valid only to hunt banded game birds (bobwhite quail, partridge, pheasant, mallard ducks) on private bird hunting areas.

Trapper’s Resident Cost: $19 Non-resident of any age: $315 Required for all persons to hunt, shoot or take for sale those species classified as fur-bearing animals or their pelts.

Hunting Lease License 1 - 499 acres: $79 500 - 999 acres, $147 1,000 acres or more: $252 Required of a landowner or landowner’s agent who leases hunting rights to another person on property they own or control for pay or other consideration. The license must be displayed on the property.

NOTE: Hunting lease license record book no longer required.

Stamp Endorsements Archery Stamp Endorsement Cost: $7 Required to hunt deer or turkey during an Archery-Only open season. Required to hunt deer at any time in Collin, Dallas, Grayson or Rockwall counties.

Texas Migratory Game Bird Stamp Endorsement Cost: $7 Required to hunt any migratory game bird (waterfowl, coot, rail, gallinule, snipe, dove, sandhill crane and woodcock). A valid Federal Duck Stamp and HIP Certification are also required of waterfowl hunters 16 years of age or older.

Upland Game Bird Stamp Endorsement Cost: $7 Required to hunt turkey, pheasant, quail or chachalaca. Non-residents who purchase the Non-resident Spring Turkey License are exempt from this stamp endorsement requirement. May not be used to hunt turkey with a Non-resident Special Hunting License or a Nonresident 5-Day Special Hunting License.

Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Cost: $17 Required for all waterfowl hunters 16 years of age or older; available at most U.S. Post Offices, TPWD Law Enforcement offices, Austin headquarters and all license retail sales locations. The stamp must be signed on its face by the person using it. A valid hunting license, HIP Certification and a valid Texas Migratory Game Bird Stamp endorsement are also required.

Reptile and Amphibian Stamp Cost: $10 Required for any person to capture indigenous reptiles or amphibians on the shoulder of a public road or any unpaved area of a public right of way. Holders of lifetime licenses and persons under 17 years of age are not exempt from this stamp.

Fishing Licenses Resident Freshwater Package: $30 Saltwater Package: $35 All-Water Package: $40 Senior Freshwater Package:$12 Senior Saltwater Package:$17 Senior All-Water Package:$22 Special Resident All-Water License (for legally blind):$7 Year-from-Purchase All-Water Package: $47 One-Day All-Water License: $11 Non-Resident Freshwater Package:$58 Saltwater Package: $63 All-Water Package:$68 One-Day All-Water License: $16

Fishing Stamp Endorsements Freshwater Fishing Stamp Endorsement: $5

This stamp endorsement is required in addition to a valid fishing license if you take or attempt to take fish in the public fresh waters of Texas. If you are not required to hold a fishing license, or if you hold a lifetime combination or lifetime fishing license, this stamp endorsement is not required. A freshwater fishing stamp is included in freshwater and all-water fishing packages.

Saltwater Fishing Stamp Endorsement: $10 This stamp endorsement is required in addition to a valid fishing license if you take or attempt to take fish in the public salt water of Texas. If you are not required to hold a fishing license, or if you hold a lifetime combination or lifetime fishing license, this stamp endorsement is not required. A red drum tag shall be issued at no additional charge with each saltwater fishing stamp endorsement. A saltwater fishing stamp is included in saltwater and all-water fishing packages.

Fishing Tags Red Drum Tag Persons who want to obtain a red drum tag and are EXEMPT from fishing license requirements may purchase an Exempt Angler Red Drum Tag for $3.

This tag is required for an individual to take one red drum per license year over the maximum length limit of 28 inches, and is included free with the purchase of a saltwater fishing stamp endorsement or any package that includes the saltwater fishing stamp endorsement.

Bonus Red Drum Tag: $3 This tag is required for an individual to take an additional red drum per license year over the maximum length limit of 28 inches. Bonus tag can be purchased at any license sales location upon presenting a valid fishing license or other valid personal identification. Only one bonus tag allowed per person per year.

Saltwater Trotline Tag: $5 Required for each 300 feet, or fraction thereof, on all non-commercial trotlines and sail lines placed in the coastal waters of Texas. Available at TPWD Coastal Law Enforcement offices.

Individual Bait-shrimp Trawl Tag: $37 Required for trawls used to take shrimp for any purpose under a recreational license. Available at TPWD Coastal Law Enforcement offices. * See the 2015-16 TPWD Outdoor Annual for additional fishing/hunting license info. * State license fees are waived for Texas residents currently on active military duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, including members of the Reserves or National Guard on active duty. A Texas resident is defined as a person who has resided continuously in the state for more than six months prior to applying for a license. Active duty military personnel must show a current military identification card and proof of Texas residency.

The same exemption applies to disabled veterans.

Hunters and anglers can purchase licenses at TPWD field offices, state parks, online or through vendors located statewide.

28 September-October 2015 Support Agriculture Businesses... They Are the Heartbeat of Our Economy. East Texas Farm & Ranch Outdoor Guide

Tale of the Tape: Different systems used for scoring

by Matt Williams Outdoors Writer

T

here was a time when the most popular way to judge a whitetail buck was by the number of points on its rack or the amount of air between its two antlers, better known as the inside spread.

That’s not the case anymore.

Kill a good whitetail buck these days and sooner or later somebody going to one is going to pop the question: What does it score?

The same could be said for mule deer, elk and pronghorn antelope and other popular big game animals. Turkey hunters in general aren’t near as fanatical about scores, but there are some hardcore trophy buffs around who are equally interested in learning how their gobblers rank on paper based on a series pertinent measurements.

Not surprisingly, there are scoring systems designed to accommodate all of these animals, as well as bear, moose, sheep, mountain lions and numerous exotics.

While there is more than one way to score a set of antlers, the Boone and Crockett scoring system is the most widely accepted method for evaluating native North American big game animals such as whitetailed deer, elk and pronghorn antelope. The records program includes trophies taken by rifle, bow, hand gun and other methods.

The B&C system takes into account a variety of antler characteristics to tally a score.

Among them are the number scoreable points (one inch or longer), beam length, tine length, circumference and inside spread. After performing a series of measurements, the figures are tallied to reach a “gross” score. Calculated differences between the left and right antler are deducted to determine the “net” score.

Texas Big Game Awards, a popular hunter/landowner recognition program jointly run by the Texas Wildlife Association and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, utilizes the B&C scoring method to rank qualifying entries in eight geographic regions. The program has scored categories for whitetail deer (typical and non typical) mule deer (typical and non typical), and pronghorn antelope. There also is a first harvest category.

Minimum net green Boone & Crockett scores for program eligibility are as follows:

pronghorn - 70, typical mule deer - 145, non-typical mule deer - 160, typical white-tailed deer - 125 to 140 (depending on region), and non-typical white-tailed deer - 140 to 155 (depending on region).

All entries must be scored by a certified TBGA scorer and are subject to re-scoring. Regional and statewide rankings are based on the net “green” B&C score.

There are dozens of TBGA scorers around the state. The organization maintains a running list of certified scorers by city on its website: texasbiggameawards.org/officialScorers.php. You can also find a list of certified Boone and Crockett scorers on the website.

If you happen to kill an exceptionally big deer, it would be wise to seek out a scorer that Photo by Matt Williams is certified with TBGA as well as B&C or Pope and Young. Scoring a freak non-typical can be a laborious task with lots of judgement calls. B&C scorer Randy Reeves (left) Scorers with multiple certifica- and Bob Swiesthal spent hours taping the A.J. Downs buck, the highest scoring buck ever taken on open range tions have likely scored a lot by an archer in Texas.

Records are maintained big deer. Large non-typicals organizations adhere to strict try. scifirstforhunters.org. * Buckmasters: Buckmasters in several categories for Rio call for extensive experience, “fair chase” policies and do not because nothing is cut and dry. recognize animals taken inside is another “full credit” scoring Grande, Eastern, Gould’s, If you kill a buck with freak ecape-proof fenced enclosures. system that does not penal- Merriam’s, Florida and OcelMinimum scores vary from ize a final score due to lack lated turkeys. Three of those antlers, ask around and find a scorer with some experience one animal to the next. For symmetry between antlers. sub-species are found in Texas: in scoring odd-ball racks. It whitetails, B&C calls for a 170 Interestingly, the system does Easterns, Rio Grande and could prevent some confusion minimum on typicals and 195 not take into account inside Merriam’s.

Birds are ranked according and question marks in the long on non-typicals after 60 days spread, because that is considdrying. The minimum P&Y ered “a measurement of air, not to spur length, beard length, run. weight and total points. The For those who want to try score for typicals is 125 and antler.”

There are four classifications are divisions for turkeys taken their own hand at scoring, the 155 for non-typicals after 60 of antlers including: Perfect, by modern firearm, archery B&C website (boone-crockett. days drying.

Typical,Semi-Irregular and and muzzleloader, and two org) offers a wealth of inforIrregular. The minimum score “types” of turkey - typical and Other Scoring Systems mation on scoring, including * Safari Club International: accepted for firearm kills is atypical. downloadable scoring sheets A typical turkey is classified that are accompanied by easy- SCI maintains records for 140; 105 for bow kills. There to-follow instructions for more typical and non-typical North are multiple categories for each as one having one beard and American big game animals as harvest method. buckmasters. two spurs. A turkey with more than a dozen animals. well those taken in other parts com. than one beard and/or more

* Trophy Game Records of than two spurs is considered the World: Formerly known atypical. as the Burkett scoring system, Scoring a turkey is much TGR scores are recorded in easier than scoring the rack centimeters and tenths of on a whitetail buck, because centimeters as opposed to there are fewer components inches, reportedly because it to consider. You can view the is provides a more accurate easy-to-follow formula on the final tally. Like SCI and Buck- NWTF website, www.nwtf.org. masters, TGR issues no penal- It is listed under the turkey ties for lack of symmetry. The records link. method’s founding principle is It is worth noting that meathat “animal should be given surements should be taken in full credit for what it has pro- 1/16-inch increments and then duced.” converted to decimals using the NWTF’s scoring calculator.

Scores to “Gobble” About There are several Texas The official keeper for state birds that rank high among and world records on wild the national records. In 2007, Photo by Matt Williams turkeys is the National Wild Cody May of New Boston shot Getting precise measurements is essential to coming up with an accurate Turkey Federation. NWTF an eastern gobbler in Bowie score. began compiling records in County ranks No. 1 overall in of the world that are taken 1982. More than 19,000 gob- the beard length category for Making the Book on free range or behind high blers have been registered eastern gobblers. May’s bird had a 22.500-inch beard.

Both B&C (boone-crockett. fence. Unlike B&C and P&Y, since that time. scoring org) and P&Y pope-young. the org) maintain all-time record system does score books dedicated to recognizing assert a wide variety of North Ameri- d e d u c t i o n can big game animals meet- penalties for ing minimum scores. Both lack of symme-

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September-October 2015

29

Ranch offers exotic & superior whitetail hunts

By Michael Kormos Corsicana Daily Sun

Y

ou donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to travel to Africa to embark on a big game safari. You can channel your inner Hemingway right here in Texas. Superior whitetails and exotics including Bison, Axis Deer, Fallow Deer, Aoudad Sheep, and Blackbuck Antelope can be found at Cotton Mesa Trophy Whitetail ranch. The 4,200 acre ranch is located in Richland, only about an hour drive from Dallas.

Owned and operated by Robert Gegenheimer, an experienced hunter and professional outfitter for almost 30 years, Cotton Mesa has been producing some of the top deer in the state.

Cotton Mesa has been breeding whitetail deer for over 20 years and is very selective of genetics and game management practices to ensure a quality herd every year. Prices are based on the Boone and Crockett scoring system which provides each hunter with a fair rate.

A typical hunting package consists of a four day, three night stay at the lodge which includes gourmet meals prepared by a professional chef accompanied by fine Texas wines. The lodge has six bedroom and each room has a private bath and television with cable service. Internet access is also available.

Whitetail deer season starts the first Saturday in November and runs through the first week of January but exotics may be hunted year round.

Budget packages are also available which include wild hog hunts and some of the best trophy bass fishing in the state.

Cotton Mesa offers morning and evening hunts and guides provide a one-on-one experience using four wheel drive vehicles to take guests to a variety of tripods and ground blinds throughout the property. The blinds are among the best

EAST TEXAS ANDERSON CO. LIVESTOCK Updated: 9/16/2015 Head Count: 423 Buyers: 28 Sellers: 47

in Texas and offer protection from the heat and cold.

Cotton Mesa is member of the Dallas Safari Club, the Houston Safari Club, the International Safari Club and the Texas Deer Breeders Association.

The ranch is located at 9066 FM 3194 Richland, Texas and may be contacted at 903-872-6626 or on the web at www.cottonmesawhitetail.com

STOCK PRICES EAST TEXAS LIVESTOCK INC. Updated: 9/15/2015 Cows: 321 Bulls: 22 Buyers: 63 Sellers: 267

STEERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $2.45-$2.53 lb 300 lbs - 400 lbs: $2.20-$2.43 lb 400 lbs - 500 lbs: $2.15-$2.49 lb 500 lbs - 600 lbs: $1.95-$2.03 lb 600 lbs - 700 lbs: $1.80-$1.89 lb 700 lbs - 800 lbs: $1.65-$1.81 lb

STEERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $340-$435 305 lbs - 400 lbs: $265-$285 405 lbs - 500 lbs: $225-$264 505 lbs - 600 lbs: $190-$215 605 lbs - 800 lbs: $180-$200

HEIFERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $2.25-$2.70 lb 300 lbs - 400 lbs: $2.00-$2.33 lb 400 lbs - 500 lbs: $1.95-$2.21 lb 500 lbs - 600 lbs: $1.80-$2.03 lb 600 lbs - 700 lbs: $1.70-$2.19 lb 700 lbs - 800 lbs: $1.50-$1.70 lb

HEIFERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $310-$385 305 lbs - 400 lbs: $260-$264 405 lbs - 500 lbs: $215-$250 505 lbs - 600 lbs: $175-$205 605 lbs - 800 lbs: $160-$189 SLAUGHTER Cows: $84-$108 Bulls: $112-$121

SLAUGHTER Cows: $0.70 - $1.14 lb Bulls: $1.05 - $1.22 lb

PAIRS NO TEST

PAIRS $1250 - $2400

BRED COWS $1500 - $2000/hd

Stocker Cows: $875 - $2100 hd Goats: NONE TRI-COUNTY LIVESTOCK MARKET Updated: 9/19/2015 Head Count: 722 STEERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $1.65-$2.85 lb 300 lbs - 400 lbs: $1.55-$2.60 lb 400 lbs - 500 lbs: $1.50-$2.50 lb 500 lbs - 600 lbs: $1.50-$2.07 lb 600 lbs - 700 lbs: $1.45-$1.89 lb 700 lbs - 800 lbs: $1.40-$1.67 lb HEIFERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $1.60-$2.25 lb 300 lbs - 400 lbs: $1.55-$2.50 lb 400 lbs - 500 lbs: $1.45-$2.15 lb 500 lbs - 600 lbs: $1.40-$2.05 lb 600 lbs - 700 lbs: $1.35-$1.85 lb 700 lbs - 800 lbs: $1.25-$1.60 lb SLAUGHTER Cows: $0.55 - $0.99 Heavy Bulls: $1.10 - $1.22 PAIRS Stocker Cows: $1200 - $2000 Pairs - $1850 - $2100

NACOGDOCHES LIVESTOCK EX. Updated: 9/17/2015 Head Count: 771 Buyers: 66 Sellers: 137 STEERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $2.25-$3.50 lb 300 lbs - 400 lbs: $2.00-$2.75 lb 400 lbs - 500 lbs: $1.90-$2.55 lb 500 lbs - UP: $1.60-$2.40 lb HEIFERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $2.15-$4.00 lb 300 lbs - 400 lbs: $1.95-$2.75 lb 400 lbs - 500 lbs: $1.80-$2.20 lb 500 lbs - UP: $1.55-$2.30 lb SLAUGHTER Cows: $0.65 - $1.06 lb Bulls: $0.95 - $1.20 lb PAIRS $1175 - $2600 Stocker Cows: $875-$2500 hd Baby Calves: $75 - $300 hd Horses: $0.10 - $0.35 Goats: $45 - $200 hd

HUNTS LIVESTOCK EXCHANGE Updated: 9/7/2015 Head Count: 191 huntlivestockexchange.com STEERS 200 lbs - 299 lbs $2.50-$3.20 lb 300 lbs - 399 lbs: $1.80-$2.70 lb 400 lbs - 499 lbs: $1.89-$2.45 lb 500 lbs - 599 lbs: $1.15-$2.15 lb 600 lbs - 699 lbs: $1.75-$2.03 lb 700 lbs - 799 lbs: $1.70-$1.85 lb HEIFERS 200 lbs - 299 lbs $2.50-$2.80 lb 300 lbs - 399 lbs: $2.29-$2.75 lb 400 lbs - 499 lbs: $1.83-$2.05 lb 500 lbs - 599 lbs: $1.80-$2.15 lb 600 lbs - 699 lbs: $1.80-$1.89 lb 700 lbs - 799 lbs: $1.75-$1.87 lb SLAUGHTER Cows: $0.81 - $1.08 lb Bulls: $1.18 - $1.20 lb PAIRS Stocker Cows: $750-$2050

ATHENS COMMISSION CO. Updated: 9/18/2015 Head Count: 1249 Sellers: 217 Sale EVERY Friday At 11am STEERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $1.80-$3.00 lb 300 lbs - 400 lbs: $1.70-$2.90 lb 400 lbs - 500 lbs: $1.60-$2.40 lb 500 lbs - UP: $1.50-$2.20 lb HEIFERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $1.80-$3.00 lb 300 lbs - 400 lbs: $1.70-$2.60 lb 400 lbs - 500 lbs: $1.60-$2.20 lb 500 lbs - UP: $1.50-$2.40 lb

Plainer cattle prices are below these figures!

SLAUGHTER Cows: $0.50 - $1.08 lb Heavy Bulls: $1.00-$1.31 lb PAIRS Top: $2000 - $2850 Low Middle: $1000 - $2000 Stocker Cows: $1.00 - $2.10 lb Baby calves: $100 - $625 hd Horses: $50 - $625 hd Goats: $35 - $150 hd

This report is a GUIDE only. It is provided to show market trends and is NOT INFLATED to deceive producers or the general public.

30 September-October 2015 Support Agriculture Businesses... They Are the Heartbeat of Our Economy. East Texas Farm & Ranch Outdoor Guide

Do I or Don’t I , Hmm? H

i Y’all, I’m Happy, happy, happy now that Fall has arrived! Now I’ve been a Texan long enough to know there’ll still be some warm days ahead, but for the most part the weather’s cooling down.

And since we’ve had a little rain lately the grass has greened up some from what it was a while ago. I know it tastes better to ‘my girls too. Won’t be long till my folks will build a fire in the pit on the patio to sit by and wind down late in the day. Life doesn’t get much better than when you’re snoozing by a fire in the cool evening air.

Speaking of green grass do you ever get the urge to roll in it just for the sake of rolling on your back? You’re missing a treat if you’ve never done that. It sure feels good to flop back and forth several times then wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, get up shake, shake, shake and repeat. There’s other ways to do it, but that’s my routine.

Now I’ve been known to roll in some smelly stuff on occasion.

Sometimes there’s a little Devil Kodi on my shoulder saying,” Just go for it no matter how yucky you’ll smell afterwards “. Then on the other shoulder the Angel Kodi is saying,” You’ll be getting a bath if you do, so you’d better not”. Usually the little Devil wins out and I roll

no matter the consequences.

Course a bath is waiting on me and I don’t know why I don’t like to get one cause I like to swim in the ponds and creeks, but there’s no shampoo/conditioner involved there. Maybe that’s the reason.

Even though Summer’s coming to an end the other day when my folks got in a round of golf it was down right hot.

They had played several times while in the mountains this summer and when I got out to get in a little run I didn’t even pant much since it was cool.

When that game began it felt rather pleasant, but when we got to the 10th hole where I get out for a run I decided I’d made a mistake very quickly. I ran and ran and then realized I was HOT. I got back to the cart and got a drink of cold water that Mama brings for me and decided that running in the heat wasn’t the brightest idea I’d had that day. Hot temps+running+a fur coat don’t go too well together in the heat. Next time I get out to run I think I’ll just trot a ways , then ride a while and wait till Mother Nature decides that all our days should be cool.

Oh I forgot to mention what I encountered the other day that made me think of aliens again. It had slimy,wet skin and big, buldging eyes and was

kind of a yucky looking green color. When I got close enough to paw it, the thing jumped straight up. I backed off, but it just kept jumping and jumping. I finally got close enough

to pick it up in my mouth for further investigation and that was a mistake cause it let loose some nasty tasting fluid that I like to have never quit tasting. I drank and drank but that taste was a long time going away. I decided I won’t be bothering that kind of alien again.

You know I’ve mentioned that PBR is back on tv for which I’m grateful since that’s when I get one of my favs –popcorn.

I can be dozing on the couch

and all Mama has to do is whisper the word and I’m in front of the microwave in 1.2 seconds. I sit there and wait for that bag of lusciousness to do it’s thing.

Then I position my wiggly little self right in front of the couch where my folks sit so I don’t miss any morsels that come my way. I’ve developed pretty good eye-mouth coordination too and rarely miss any. And the buttery the better.

Oh much to my dismay Ms. Mockingbird’s raising another batch of little ones. At least this time her nest is in a tree by the driveway out front away from the house. But she still fusses at me anytime I get near. Mama looked in the nest the other day and said there were 3 little birds with their mouths wide open waiting on a meal. Now there are some young bulls in the trap next to that tree, but she doesn’t fuss at them when they get close. Wonder why that is? Guess I’m the designated ‘fusser-at-er’. Lucky me. Course those bulls have never been known to accidentally have one of her babies in their mouths so that may have something to do with it. If those things would learn to fly right away when they first get out of the nest things like that wouldn’t happen. Just saying.

It’s been kind of noisy around here lately since the

winter calves got weaned recently. Kind of reminds me of a song I heard once, “It’s Crying Time Again”. Mr P was always in a ‘mood’ during this time of day and night bawling. He would have bloodshot eyes from his lack of 23 hour naps.

I always kind of gave him some extra space during this week cause even though he was my best bud he did have sharp claws. Those weaned calves will bawl for several days as do their mamas and then realize their lives have changed and go on with life. One thing I’ve noticed is how all will be quiet for a bit and then one will start bawling and before long they all chime in. Then they’ll wind down and go back to eating .

After a week or so the bulls and heifers get separated and they all get turned out to different pastures for the next phase of their lives. That’s just the way it is.

Guess I’d better close for now and wind down some myself. I heard Mama say that it might just be cool enough this evening for a little fire out on the patio and I sure want to be ready for that. A cool evening + a fire + time with your family – hey, it just doesn’t get any better than that.

Your friend, Kodi

TPW Commission Adopts Changes in Fishing Regulations AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission earlier this year approved adjustments to bass length limits on several lakes, a change in alligator gar bag limit on Falcon Lake and clarifications to commercial crab and finfish rules.

The adopted changes to

the 2015-16 Statewide Recreational and Commercial Fishing regulations, which take effect Sept. 1, include: - Braunig and Calaveras Reservoirs The largemouth bass length limit will revert back to the statewide 14-inch minimum limit. Daily bag limit would remain at five

fish.

– O. H. Ivie Reservoir The length limit for smallmouth bass will revert back to the statewide 14-inch minimum limit and five fish daily bag.

- Lake Nasworthy The length limit for largemouth bass will change to a 14- to 18-inch slot limit

(no harvest between 14 and 18 inches). Daily bag limit would remain at five fish.

- Falcon Lake The current daily bag limit of one alligator gar will change to five fish per day. The increased bag limit will be in effect in the all impounded waters of the Rio Grande from the

Falcon Dam upstream to the Zapata/Webb County line.

- Spring Shrimp Rules Legal harvesting hours will be extended from the current closure time of 2p.m. until 30 minutes after sunset, and the daily bag limit for bay shrimping will increase from 600 pounds to 800 pounds.

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September-October 2015

31

Weapons differ, Safety is universal

By Chris Dover Contributing writer

H

unting season is upon us. As much a part of Americana as apple pie or baseball are shooting sports and hunting. This year, many families will head into the woods in search of that big buck. Whether your equipment of choice is a bow or a firearm, SAFETY is priority, and special considerations should be made for the youth hunter in your family.

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s look at some tips that should be followed when hunting with a bow. The first step in bow hunting is to make sure that your bow has been serviced and maintained properly.

This service check should be done by a competent bowsmith and will include checking items like the bow strings, cams, rest, limbs, sight, etc for wear and tear. The second thing to consider in bow hunting is the type of arrow and tip that will be used. Arrows come in a variety of weights and depending on the draw weight of your bow, you will want to choose an appropriate weight arrow. Most hunters will use some type of broad-head tip. These come in two varieties, those that have fixed blades and those that expand the blade when released from the bow. Which you choose is a matter of preference, however you should consider the option that will provide the quickest, most ethical kill provided you have made a well placed shot. And, that leads us into the final portion of safety when it comes to bow hunting. In order to assure you make the best shot possible and achieve an quick ethical kill of that big buck, you must practice, practice, practice. You will want to make sure your bow is properly sighted in for the arrows and weight tips you are using to hunt with.

So, what about youth bow hunters? Well, the previous tips still apply. However, with youth hunters special considerations need to be made. A bow draw weight of 30-35 pounds is considered by many to be the minimum weight to achieve an ethical kill of a deer. For smaller kids, this is not going to be a possibility for them. In those situations you may consider letting them practice with a lighter weight, learning the art of archery, while they build up the muscle to draw a higher weight bow.

You can take them with you on hunts so they can learn things like the movement of deer, proper entry and exit into a stand or blind and patience in hunting long before their time to hunt comes.

If your child does not have a bow, and you have been shopping around, you may be asking, so, which bow is the right bow? For most folks out there, finding a bow with adjustments to allow it to be used for several years, if not a lifetime, is the option they are looking for. There are several bows on the market today that offer such adjustments.

The safety aspects of hunting with firearms are similar to the

bow with a few exceptions that are obviously due to the design and nature of firearms. The first thing to learn and follow in firearm safety is MAT â&#x20AC;&#x201D; muzzle, action, trigger. While firearms come in a variety of styles with a variety of mechanical safeties, remembering MAT will prevent an accident every time. Muzzle, the muzzle of the firearm is the end at which the projectile exits.

You should keep this pointed in a safe direction at all times.

Action, the action refers to the part of a firearm that accepts the cartridge or shell. The action of a firearm should remain open and or unloaded until such time you are securely in your stand or blind and ready to hunt. Trigger, these most vital of components. This is the part of the firearm that when pulled starts the very quick process of that firearm discharging the projectile. You should never have your finger on the trigger of a firearm unless you are ready to shoot. The report of a firearm

Stock Photo is obviously louder than that of an arrow leaving a bow. Long term exposure to the reports of a firearm can damage hearing.

So, the final safety tip when it comes to firearms is, hearing protection. There are a variety of hearing protection options on the market that allow the hunter to hear normally while cutting out or muffling the loud sound of a firearm report. There are even options that will amplify normal sounds in the woods but muffle the loud noises like a firearm report.

Just like a bow, a firearm requires some service and maintenance as well. Firearms should be inspected prior to hunting.

During that check, the cleaning and lubrication of moving parts should be preformed and any worn parts be replaced. Your sights, scope and mounts should also be checked to insure they are properly tightened. As with arrows in a bow, the caliber and type of cartridge you choose for your firearm is important to achieve a safe, ethical kill and range time to practice proficiency in accuracy is a must, as well.

Children can typically shoot

a firearm long before they have the strength to draw a bow with the proper weight to hunt ethically. This, of course, should always be done with the supervision of an adult. However, other considerations should be made, as well. Which firearm is the right firearm? In Texas, you cannot hunt deer with a rimfire cartridge, you must use a centerfire cartridge. It is pretty common acceptance that a .223 caliber cartridge is the minimum to be used for an ethical kill on a deer provided good accurate shot placement is achieved. The .243 is a great caliber for youth hunting.

So, you are looking at firearms for your child, you have decided what caliber is going to be best for your hunting situation, but there are so many styles to choose from, which one is best. Firearms come in a variety of types, semi auto, single shot, lever action, bolt action, pump action, etc. It is pretty commonly accepted that the bolt action rifle is the most reliable and accurate while still providing the capacity to hold multiple cartridges. As accuracy is key to an ethical kill, the bolt action rifle is an excellent choice.

While bows and firearms are the same yet different in regards to safety, when hunting, there are some things that are simply universal. First, a hunter should always maintain and inspect the area that will be hunted prior to the first hunt of the season. Making sure your stand or blind is in good shape and that all ropes and harnesses are intact and structurally sound are a must. If you use feeders, inspect those for pests such as wasps and insure they are working properly. If your area for hunting has designated lanes for shooting, be sure to keep those mowed, trimmed and free of debris so that a clean shot can be taken. One should also check the area around the stand or blind and inside the blind as well for pests as well as obstructions that could cause an issue. Second, remember MAT, never load your firearm or arrow until you are safe and secure in your stand or blind. If you are using a stand that is elevated, this means getting into the stand first, attaching your harness or other fall device and then pulling your bow or firearm up with a rope. Third, be aware of the hunting regulations of your area. Typically, you will have a limit on what size buck you can harvest as well as the quantities you can harvest of both bucks and antlerless deer. This leads to the last and one of the most vital safety precautions synonymous with both bows and firearms. Be sure you not only know your target but what is well beyond it. A projectile fired from a firearm can travel for miles, and an arrow can travel many yards. It is very important to know what is behind your target as not to create an unsafe situation for nearby hunters. Also, there could be the possibility of the arrow or projectile passing through your targeted deer and striking a deer behind creating a situation of not only an unethical but illegal kill. Remember too, while scanning the area you are hunting, whether searching for game, identifying the type of deer you see or simply checking your shooting lanes, NEVER use a rifle scope. Remember MAT? Scanning the woods with your rifle scope can potentially put the muzzle of that firearm in a unsafe direction. Hunters should always use a spotting monocular or a pair of binoculars in this situation.

Hunting can be a very rewarding endeavor. It certainly does bring families together and creates lasting memories. If we follow a few simple safety precautions and considerations, we can eliminate the threat of an accident. To all the hunters our there this season, young and old, be safe, be accurate, have fun and good luck.

Stock Photo

32 September-October 2015 Support Agriculture Businesses... They Are the Heartbeat of Our Economy. East Texas Farm & Ranch Outdoor Guide

Cheap Huntinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;: Public hunting permits for Texas hunters on a budget

by Matt Williams Outdoors Writer

I

f you are reading this after Sept. 11, the deadlines will have already passed to enter a series of computer drawn hunts for white-tailed deer, alligator and pronghorn antelope under Texas Parks and Wildlifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s popular draw hunt program. But plenty of time remains to register before deadlines fall for draw hunts for feral hogs (Dec. 7), spring turkey (Dec. 30), archery exotics (Nov. 11), youth only exotics (Dec. 7), youth only feral hog (Dec. 30), and youth only

areas for ďŹ shing, hiking, camping, bird watching, horseback riding, etcâ&#x20AC;Ś.

You can read in depth about the public lands program on the TPWD website, tpwd. texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/ public/. The site provides individual descriptions and success rates on each unit. You can even view aerial maps that show boundary lines, drainages and all sorts of other helpful information.

There isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t anything new about TPWDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public hunting program. The program has been around for nearly three decades. Not surprising, it has been very well received by the

program. He hunts the Alabama Creek WMA southwest of Lufkin every fall with his dad, Gerald.

In Nov. 2013, Kendrick took one of the Pineywoods regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top scoring bucks off the 14,500 WMA. Sporting 13 scoreable points, the buck grossed 172 4/8 and netted 167 1/8 B&C. The annual public hunting permits are currently sale through license vendors and TPWD ofďŹ ces all over the state, online at tpwd.texas. gov/business/licenses/ online_sales/, or by calling 1-800-TX-LIC-4U.

in Delta and Hopkins County.

The area spans 14,160 acres.

For more information, contact Howard Crenshaw, 903-9453132. * PAT MAYSE WMA Located about 11 miles from Paris, the 8,925 acre WMA wraps along the western edge of Pat Mayse Reservoir in Lamar County. * For more information, contact Jack Jernigan, 903-3289597. * SOMERVILLE WMA Somerville WMA consists of two tracts totalling more than 3,000-acres in Burleson and Lee counties. For more information, call 979-540-6837.

OTHER OPTIONS: In addition to the aforementioned WMAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, archery deer hunters might want to check out units 122 in Newton County; 732 in Smith County, 2495 in Anderson County; and 727 in Bowie/Cass/Morris and Titus counties.

SIDEBAR National forests provide â&#x20AC;&#x153;free for allâ&#x20AC;? option

When it comes to hunting leases, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tough to imagine a better deal than a $48 permit that provides the key to more than 1 million acres of land.

But there is.

Texas is home to more than 600,000 acres of national forest land and thousands more owned the Corp of Engineers.

All of the land may accessed for free, excluding those parcels which have been designated as wildlife management areas.

Public lands hunters are reminded of a safety rule that requires them to wear a minimum of 400 square inches of hunter orange clothing (vest and cap) when the general deer season is in progress.

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll also need to read up on the rules regarding deer stands and feeding stations. Maps of the individual national forest areas are available by calling the U.S. Forest Service ofďŹ ce in Lufkin, 936-639-8620.

-- Matt Williams

FOR BOWHUNTERS ONLY Some Texas public hunting areas cater exclusively to the bow hunting crowd when it comes to deer hunting, except during special drawn gun hunts. Here are some that are worth a look: * ALAZAN BAYOU WMA: Located on southern Nacogdoches County, the 2,100 acre Alazan Bayou WMA is a heavy favorite among Pineywoods archers.

For more information, 936-5698547. * TAWAKONI WMA - Located just 50 miles east of Dallas in Van Zandt and Hunt counties, the Tawakoni WMA is comprised of three units -- Caddo Creek Unit, 160 acres; Pawnee Inlet Unit, 1,300 acres; and the Duck Cove Unit, 790 acres. For more information contact Chris Farrell, 903881-8233.

LOAFING SHEDS Ă&#x192; LOFT BARNS Ă&#x192; GAMBREL BARNS * COOPER WMA - Cooper GARAGES Ă&#x192; SHOPS Ă&#x192; PORTABLE BUILDINGS Lake WMA is CARPORTS Ă&#x192; TIMBER AND STEEL FRAME BUILDINGS located along the shores of Cooper Lake

800-595-2242

javelina (Oct. 14).

You can also enter for a series E-Postcard hunts for archery deer, quail, feral hogs and multi-species on select units as well as a limited number of U.S. Forest Service antlerless permits for use on the Alabama Creek, Bannister, Moore Plantation and Sam Houston National Forest WMAs. The antlerless permit deadline falls on Sept. 29.

Several guided package hunts also will be given away by draw during coming months. Deadline for the guided gemsbok, scimitar-horned oryx and bighorn sheep falls on Dec. 7. TPWDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual draw hunt program is just one avenue the state agency has taken in hopes of providing quality hunting opportunities to those who otherwise might not be able to afford them.

The backbone of the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Public Hunting Program comes in the form of more than one million acres of land that is open for hunting deer, turkey, feral hog, quail, waterfowl, pheasants and rabbits, much of it on wildlife management areas and state parks..

Additionally, the state has secured around 115 leases on private property totaling 38,853 acres that are dedicated exclusively for dove hunting.

The public hunting areas range in size from a couple of hundred acres to several thousand. Units are available all over Texas. Most of the dove leases are situated within short driving distance of major metropolitan areas.

While the abundance of property has helped make the public hunting program popular, perhaps the most attractive element is the price.

The fee is only $48.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the cost of an Annual Public Hunting Permit (APHP). The APHP is your pass to access any of the public hunting land units for one year, spanning Sept.

1-Aug. 31.

Hunting is limited to legal seasons, of course.

And some units may have special regulations for different species of game.

There also are a limited number of Regular Permit Hunts for small game and waterfowl that require a $20 permit, unless you already have APHP. Youths under 17 are exempt if hunting with permitted hunter.

Non-hunters may access APHP areas with a $12 Limited Public Use Permit. This permit provides access to the same

hunting public.

About 37,400 permits were sold last year, according to Justin Dreibelbis, TPWDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s director of public hunts. Drebelbis said last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sales represent a small increase from the previous year, when about 35,300 permits were sold.

Surveys indicate that deer hunters are TPWDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best public hunting customers, but dove hunters are not far behind.

Trent Kendrick is a huge fan of the public hunting lands

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