Tradition
Father passes knowledge to son, students., Page 2
Fundraiser
Skeet shooters raise money for Habitat for Humanity., Page 17
Love of Archery
Expert offers advice on bowhunting. Page 11
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Fall Fishing
East Texas lakes poised for autumn cooling trends., Page 6
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Published September 29, 2016
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September-October 2016
Father passing tradition
By Rich Flowers
Athens Daily Review
K
enneth Roger Carpenter is a devoted hunter and is passing the tradition along to his sons and students he teaches in Eustace. Roger, as he likes to be called started hunting when he was young, growing up in the Dallas area. “I started going out fishing first and being introduced the outdoors through fishing,” Carpenter said. Through his uncle and father, the interest in hunting began to develop. “We always hunted on public lands out by Paris, Texas,” Carpenter said. “There were always beautiful woods and a real pretty lake up there. I still try to go up there once or twice a year.” Carpenter said he hunts often, these days and tries to get out just about every week during deer season. He hunts with a rifle and also enjoys bow hunting. “I’ve taken a deer with archery equipment and it’s probably my favorite way to hunt,” Carpenter said.
Something new, beginning early in 2017 is the introduction of a muzzle loader season in Henderson County. Muzzle loading for white tailed deer is now legal in 90 Texas counties. “You could always use a muzzle loader during rifle season, but we’ve never had a season just for muzzle loaders, Carpenter said. The most challenging part of hunting with a muzzle loader there’s no margin for error. “If you went with a rifle or a shot gun and missed that first shot, you might get off a second shot,” Carpenter said. “If you miss that first shot with a muzzle loader, they’re not going to sit and wait for you to reload.” He’ll be using a replica of a Civil War era muzzleloader, with an iron sight. Carpenter has two sons, Cole and Clay, ages 16 and 9 who enjoy taking part in the hunt. “They love going out with me,” Carpenter said. “The first thing you teach them is just to be safe. I started them off squirrel hunting. Carpenter said it was better to teach the boys hunting for squirrels, so they could
walk around a bit. There’s also a greater likelihood of bringing home a squirrel than a deer in East Texas, where deer are not as
plentiful as in other parts of the state. The boys were later introduced to deer hunting and have been successful in bringing in their own deer. At Eustace, Carpenter teaches an Outdoor Adventure class. The students have been preparing for a hunter’s education test. The learn the Texas Parks & Wildlife rules concerning hunting. “Except for doing it as a two day course, I can take a little bit for time going over some of the stuff,” Carpenter said. “We deal with the safety aspects of hunting and go all the way up to field dressing and proper game care.” Carpenter said his favorite hunting trips these days are the ones involving his sons. “I think everyone remembers his first deer,” Carpenter said, “but the ones I think about the most often is when the boys got their first deer. My oldest got his first deer sitting on my lap, so he could get the gun up on the rest. My other son got his first deer two years ago when he was seven.” Carpenter said he hunting experience can teach valuable lessons to students. “It’s definitely going to teach you patience,” Carpenter said. “If you don’t put the time in practicing with your equipment before you go out there it will humble you real fast. Nature will teach you that she wins the majority of time if you don’t put your time in.”
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Rural Water – What does it cost?
F
olks living in rural areas often have a choice in choosing their water supply. Either tie on to a rural water co-op line, if available, or pay for a well to supply the homestead. Most country dwellers have a co-op water line that they can access—but the cost of tying into the line varies considerably depending on the supplier. Monthly minimum charge for water from the different water systems in our area ranges from $18 to $34 a month. Several of the co-ops included several thousand gallons of water in the minimum bill then charged additional per 1,000 gallons used. Consolidated Water Co-op, headquartered in Crockett, has the highest membership fee at
$408. Their other charges are also the highest in our area. Cost to install a meter is a minimum of $1,750, plus usually several other “fees”. Consolidated co-op has a minimum of $34 a month water charge, with any water used costing $5.40 per 1,000 gallons. In contrast, Pennington Water Co-op has a $150 membership fee, meter installation $600 and a monthly minimum bill of $25 that includes 3,000 gallons of water. Over 3,000 gallons, cost is $3 per thousand. In Cherokee County, Alto Rural water supply has a $100 membership fee and $905 meter installation. Monthly water charge is a minimum $29—and $4 a thousand for the first 4,000 gallons. The Maydelle water co-op has a $100 membership fee, $1,100
meter installation, a minimum $20 a month bill and water charge of
$5 per thousand gallons. Neches Rural Water Co-op has a $140 membership fee, $800 meter install and $3.75 a thousand gallon charge. Slocum water co-op has a $285 membership fee. Cost of meter installation is $1,450 with a minimum water bill of $18. Up to 8,000 gallons used monthly, the cost is $3.25 for each 1,000 gallons of water. In Henderson County the Crescent Heights water co-op has a $100 membership cost plus $1,300 for the tap fee. Water cost is $20 monthly minimum and $4 for each thousand gallons of water used. Consolidated Water Co-op has the highest charges of the suppliers we surveyed in a four county area. Several employees of Consolidated are relatives of the General
Manager and this has created controversy about favoritism. A major problem with Consolidated is a board of directors that seems to be more interested in not “rocking the boat” when it comes to making changes. One suggestion made to the directors several months ago by some member-owners recommended an in-depth financial audit of the coop, but directors had no interest in voting to do so. In reality, all members of a co-op own the company and should exercise their vote to elect board members that represent the needs and desires of owners--not management! That’s what a cooperative is all about! That’s –30—horace7338@live.com
Fall recreation opportunities abound in Navarro County By Michael Kormos Corsicana Daily Sun
A
s summer comes to an end, many Texans are gearing up for fall hunting excursions into the wild. Hunting is one of the most time-honored and popular activities in the area but it’s not for everyone. For those who don’t have access to private land or don’t care to hunt, there are still many outdoor recreational opportunities in Navarro County. Just because summer’s over doesn’t mean local lakes are off-limits until Memorial Day.
Park offers 10 picnic sites, a two-lane boat ramp and a vault toilet rest room. Water and electric services are not provided in Brushie Prairie Park. Wolf Creek Park, Pecan Point Park and Oak Park are only open April 1 through Sept. 30 each year.
For more information, please visit: www.swf-wc.usace.army. mil/navarro/Recreation/Parks/ Corpsparks www.cityofcorsicana.com/ Facilities/Facility/Details/LakeNavarro Mills Lake By far the most popular place to camp Halbert-Park-21 in Navarro County, Navarro Mills Lake tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/ is operated by the US Army Corps of recreational/lakes/richland_ Engineers. Located about 20 miles west of chambers Corsicana and about 35 miles east of Waco, www.oakcovemarina.com it also offers some of the best fishing and boating opportunities in Texas. As an Army Corps lake, there are no private residences on the shoreline and therefore miles of unspoiled natural scenery. Of the five developed parks at Navarro Mills, Liberty Hill Park is the largest and is open year-round. On the southwestern shore of Navarro Mills, Liberty Hill Park offers 99 campsites with water and electricity. Five of the sites have screen shelters, 14 have sewer hookups, and there are three primitive campsites with no hookups. There are two boat ramps, a fishing dock, marina, playground and swim beach in the park. Brushie Prairie Park is a non-fee park open year-round and located on the north shore of Navarro Mills Lake. Brushie Prairie
Lake Halbert
Located in the city limits, this 145acre park has accommodated Corsicana for many years. In 1985, a grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department was approved for development. Both RV and tent camping are available year-round but with only two RV slots, they fill up fast. Primitive tent camping is available for $10 per night and campers are encouraged to make reservations at the Corsicana Parks and Recreation office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. However, a 24-hour park patrol is on site for weekend and evening visitors. There is a park curfew so gates close at 11 p.m. The two RV camping slots include water and electric hookups and are $15 a night
and are first come, first serve. This year Parks and Rec. added a horseshoe pit and fire pit. “We have adult softball and soccer fields, playground equipment, picnic pavilions, grills, boat ramp and a fishing pier,” said Sharla Allen, Parks Director. “We also have rest room facilities, a sandy beach area, basketball and sand volleyball,” Halbert park also contains a miniature aircraft field where a group meets monthly to fly and are always looking for new members. The 650-acre lake is open for fishing and boating year-round.
Richland Chambers Reservoir
Located on Richland and Chambers creeks, east-southeast of Corsicana on US 287, Richland Chambers is an excellent choice for anglers seeking catfish, crappie, white bass or hybrid stripers. Many
professional bass fishing tournaments are held on Richland Chambers throughout the year. Much of the land surrounding Richland Chambers is private property, however, there are a few parks offering RV and tent sites year-round. Oak Cove Marina has been family owned and operated since opening in 1991. They pride themselves on having clean, well-maintained facilities with a family atmosphere. Fisherman’s Point Resort & Marina has a full-service marina, campsites, a lodge, general store and The Lighthouse Cafe. The campground at Fisherman’s Point offers 55 campsites, a family swimming hole and lots of shore line for fishing, swimming and watersports. All three lakes are not located inside state parks so a Texas fishing license is required for anglers over 17.
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September-October 2016
Farm & Ranch store caters to folks across the nation By Jo Anne Embleton
j e m b l e t o n @ jacksonvilleprogress.com
N
estled at the corner of Bolton Street and U.S. Highway 79, Farm & Ranch Feed LLC offers a little of everything, from their own feed to equipment rental and trailer sales. “We are kind of known for the feed that we make,” said general manager John Paine. “Most feed stores don’t have their own feed mill, but ours is here in town (and) we’ve got a bulk truck that delivers it in bulk to different ranches.” The most popular feed mix they mill is the Melson-Blending 13.5 percent Cattle Grower. The store has been around for nearly two decades, originally located on East Rusk Street near the Tomato Bowl. Owner James Tarrant began looking for a new site when the business outgrew its location, and
12 or 13 years ago, set up at the site of a former tomato-packing shed near the city’s downtown. “We didn’t have enough room (at old site), but here, we’ve got plenty of room” for their stock of farm and ranch supplies, as well as the flatbed and livestock trailers offered through its Farm & Ranch Trailers operation as a Neckover factory outlet, Paine said. The latter operation draws customers from across North America, he added. “There might be five states in the United States where I have not sold a trailer,” because they are popular with customers for their quality and affordability, Paine said. Right now, the store is gearing up for customers looking toward deer season, “so everybody is buying seed and fertilizer for the food plots for the deer, deer stands and all kinds of hunting supplies,” he said. Farm & Ranch carries a variety of plot mixes, attractants, feed
and corn – including apple, persimmon and peanut butter flavored corn, which he noted is “pretty popular.”
Contact Us:
Farm & Ranch Feed LLC is located at 209 S. Bolton St. in Jacksonville, and has a page on Facebook as well. Contact the store at 903-589-4597. As deer season winds down, farmers will begin coming in to purchase crop seed for their winter pastures. “In the fall, the grass is gone, and we’ll go hot and heavy into the seed season … that’ll go all winter,” he said. “And from November through March is the peak cattle and horse feed season.” In the spring, customers are planning their gardens, “and everybody wants fertilizer, seeds and vegetable plants, plus everything that goes along with gardening,” he said. Summertime sales tend to focus on materials such as dirt, rock and topsoil, something the store began carrying in stock this year when, several months ago, it constructed divided concrete areas for holding masonry sand, topsoil fill dirt, crushed concrete, red and white road base, landscape rock, limestone base, three-rock, regrind asphalt, pea gravel and concrete sand.” “There wasn’t any (of the products carried locally), and we had a demand for it,” Paine said, noting that Tarrant, the owner, also operates a concrete plant and hit on the idea of stocking the feed store with materials after having a number of folks going out to the plant seeking to purchase rock and gravel.
“He figured he could sell all of that stuff here, and it’s taken off pretty well,” Paine said. “If someone has a small job or wants to save on the delivery fee, they can come up here with their trailer and we’ll load it for them.” The business provides heavy equipment rental, such as bulldozers, backhoes, bob cat loaders, mini-excavators, loaders, ditch witches, trenchers, lifts and forklifts.
An unexpected alliance was formed with DeHart Veterinary Service, a mobile unit that offered a monthly on-site spay/neuter service and wellness clinic. “We really don’t have anything to do with that, she just uses our lot, but we get a number of calls about it,” Paine said, adding that DeHart’s mobile clinic is so popular, “she went from one week a month on Saturdays to two Sundays (per month).”
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Cow Thoughts
he ol’ cow thought to herself, ‘I sure hate standin’ in line. Even if it’s just once a year it’s not somethin’ I look forward to. ‘Oh, great. Here comes that yay hoo with a hot shot. Where’d they pick him up? Must be refugee from the hayin’ crew. ‘The weather’s nice. Thank goodness for that! I’ve stood in this alley in the hot sun and in blizzards. You’d think these fools would plan their preg checkin’ when the weather’s decent. ‘Keep movin’, Molly. I know she’s worried. Losin’ her teeth. ‘Course I’m no spring chicken either and that bout with the eye infection didn’t improve my looks any. ‘Okay, kid! I’m movin’ up! It’s not easy in all this goop. They should’a had you shovel
the alley but I suspect that would’a been beyond your learning skills! “Uh, oh. I can hear the squeeze chute clangin’. I been through it enough times I know it doesn’t hurt but just the sound of it makes me nervous. I wonder if that lady will still be there. ‘Alright, Molly. Go on. You’re gonna do okay. ‘Bred. Good. She’s bred. Anybody could’a
told that by lookin’ but they’ve got Doc here to make it official. She’s gettin’ her shots but they’re cutting her off to the right. Not stayin’ with the big bunch. Dental problems, no doubt. ‘Whoa! Sorry, kid! I wasn’t ready for that! But I’m in the chute. Ya happy now? ‘By gosh, the lady is still settin’ on that barrel where she was last year writin’ in her notebook. She looks cold. Oooh! Speakin’ of cold! Thanks, Doc! I really needed that! I feel like I just got rear-ended by an army tank! ‘Bred, he says. I should hope so! I didn’t stand out there all spring with that bunch of slobberin’ yearlin’ bulls for nothin’! I know my job! ‘Jeez! I wish there was a better way to
check my teeth without you hamhanded Vikings stickin’ your fingers up my nose! ‘Try that on for size! Dang, I missed him. ‘Ump! Agh! Where did that lunatic learn to give shots? Bet he makes a mean fondue. ‘So, the big boss is givin’ me the once over. He’s lookin’ at my eye. It’s cloudy, but no pain. He’s squattin’ down to check it. Now he’s puffin’ a little powder in it. Now, for sure I can’t see! ‘Well, I be durned. I believe he patted me on the head! ‘Okay, I’m goin’. ‘Boy, I’m glad that’s over. ‘Naw, he couldn’t have. Patted me on the head, I mean. Must’a been my imagination.’ www.baxterblack.com
First pro archery shop in area opens in Palestine By Michael Maresh
C
news@palestineherald.com
olton Smith turned his lifelong passion of archery into a career. In November of last year, Smith left the business he was working with to start his own shop — Infected Archery — when the owner of that shop decided to move away from this activity. Smith believes archery and bow hunting is something that is in his blood. Smith chose Infected Archery as the name of his shop, because he believes archery is like an infection that a true bow-and-arrow enthusiast cannot shake. “Infected is almost like a disease,” he said, is how most enthusiasts feel about archery. He recently worked with children to ensure the arrows they were using were the right arrows for that specific child. Smith is only satisfied that his clients have the tips they need after they shoot their bow several times from various lengths in the shooting range at his shop. He pointed out that not any bow is the right one for an archery enthusiast. Besides working with specifications of what a bow enthusiast wants, he houses an indoor shooting range for people to sharpen their shooting skills. Smith, who shot his first bow at the age of 11, realized the need for a bow-and-arrow shop in town. The next closest pro archery shop is in Canton.
“Any day of hunting is better than any day at work.” Colton Smith
A pro archery shop can cut arrows on site and and build custom bows and arrows. Smith shares a building with Aaron Frye, owner of Defiance Firearms, but pointed out that they are two separate businesses. Hunting is very popular in East Texas, and a lot of people take up archery to get an extra 30 days worth of hunting, Smith said. Bows, like anything else, often need help from a professional, and that is where Smith comes in. At Infected Archery, he can get almost any bow to shoot straight and sells any accessory a person may want. “We have all the newest gold-tip arrows you will need and all of the most popular broadheads,” his brochure reads. “I promise, if we don’t have it, we will get it for (you).” Once bitten by the archery bug, it never goes away, he said. “Any day of hunting is better than any day at work,” he said. When he’s not helping customers at the front of the store, he more often than not will be found in the shooting range. He provides tips to beginning bow-and-arrow hunters and can find the right arrows for a specific client. The Junior Olympic Association and 4-H use his shooting range often. Normally, Smith charges $10 an hour for bow-and-arrow enthusiasts who want to use the range. Smith believes archery is becoming more and more popular, and he is trying to do his part to help it grow. In July, he plans to start an archery league, where the participants would used his indoor shooting range. The shop, located at 4526 W. Oak St., gets a lot of foot traffic, and while an archery enthusiast may know where the business is located, there are some who do not know there is a pro archery shop in town. Infected Archery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The phone number is 903-727-0411.
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September-October 2016
Fall Fishin’
It’s still hot, but East Texas lakes are poised to spring to life with autumn cooling trends By Matt Williams Outdoors Writer
O
f all the seasons of the year, fall is one of my favorites. The welcomed arrival of cooler weather on the heels of another blistering Texas summer is always nice, but that ranks way down the hit list of reasons why autumn is so special in my book. I like to fish regardless of what the weather is doing. But I love to fish during the fall. It makes no difference if I’m casting a buzz bait over a fishy-looking grass flat for bass, soaking shiners around brush piles or bridge pilings for crappie, or banging around a lazy East Texas river bottom hoping to catch a few fiddler cats for the skillet. Autumn officially got underway on Sept. 22, and lakes and rivers all around the region are poised to spring to life on the heels of another Texas summer. Here’s the outlook:
NACOGDOCHES
It’s been a blistering summer behind the
Pine Curtain, and it ain’t over with yet. Fall officially rolls around later this month, but there is a good chance anglers are going to have to continue dealing with the serious heat for the duration. At any rate, the days are going to start getting shorter and the nights longer as the seasons begin to change. That means water temperatures are going start a gradual cool down. If you like to throw a frog, this should could be a good month to do it on Lake Nacogdoches. Barring any big rains, the water should be plenty clear and bass will be prowling the shallows around scattered patches of hydrilla, coontail, pepper grass and lily pads. Some of the best stuff is at the far upper reaches of the lake in the vicinity of the Big Loco and Little Loco creek channels. Shoreline torpedo grass could also be holding some fish provided the lake level doesn’t fall too low. The lake was more than a foot below full pool as July gave way to August, so keep that in mind when September rolls around.
Two more options for September are chasing school bass and fishing offshore. Active schoolies will be apt to pop up just about anywhere from the Hayter camp house up north to the dam down south. These fish will be gorging on shad and they will hit assorted baits at the height of a feeding frenzy. Topwaters are always a good choice, as are ‘Traps and spoons wound through an active school. You won’t cross paths with many giants when chasing school bass. Most will be 1215 inches and they can be a blast to catch, particularly if you are lucky enough have them to have them to yourself. Thirty to 50 fish days are common when the schoolies are on a tear. Offshore fishing is generally best on main lake points, humps and channel swings in water ranging 12-20 feet. Best bets are Carolina rigs, Fumble Bugs, deep cranks, Texas rigged worm or a 3/8 ounce shaky head.
SAM RAYBURN
The water level at Sam Rayburn was still close to full pool as July gave way to
August, but that probably won’t be the case come September unless August turned out to be a wet one. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife fisheries biologist and local tournament angler Todd Driscoll of Brookeland, water level will have a serious bearing on current bass fishing patterns. “If it drops to 161.00 it will push the fish out of the shoreline cover (torpedo grass) and away from the bank,” said Driscoll. “The lake doesn’t have much hydrilla now other than in a few creeks, so my guess is the majority of the fish will move out to some of the those historic structure places like ledges, main lake points, humps and drops. Brush piles will be a good bet.” Conversely, the biologist says the shallows will continue to hold fish provided there is at least three of water in the torpedo grass. He pointed out that there will still be some fish holding away from the bank if this scenario materializes. Just not as many. “If the lake keeps some water you’ll be able to catch fish offshore and shallow alike,” Driscoll said.
Photo by Matt Williams
Fall catfishing action can be outstanding as cooling water temps put schools of channel cats on a strong feeding binge. Various baits - live or dead - will work, but it is hard to go wrong with a good quality punch bait. Here, Lake Fork guide Gary Paris displays a nice eating size channel cat caught on his home lake.
September-October 2016
Flipping with heavy creatures along outside hay grass edges will be a good bet in the shallows, as will Texas rigs fished along the outside edges. Hollow body frogs (white) will be another good choice, as will buzz baits, Yellow Magic and Zara Spook topwaters. When fishing offshore it will be hard to go wrong with Carolina rig, deep diving crankbait, Fumble Bug rig, football jig, drop shot or maybe even a jigging spoon. Now also is a time when the some of the old river holes up north begin to pay off using Texas rigs, Carolina rigs and deep diving crankbaits. Defined channel bends and places where the main channel intersects with a secondary creek, drain or slough are always good spots to check out. Crappie? No change over the previous months. Brush piles have been kicking out limits all summer long and Driscoll expects the action to continue right on through September. Best water depth will be 25-30 feet.
CONROE
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Lake Conroe fishing guide Butch Terpe says September is typically a month that brings with it signs of gradual change on Lake Conroe. With the dog days of July and August in the rearview mirror, he says cooler weather and faster action on several fronts are ahead. “The days can still get pretty hot in September, but the fishing always seems like it starts to pick up,” Terpe said. “It won’t be near as good as October and November, but it’ll be way better than August for sure. Changes are definitely on the way. Terpe offered up the following game plans for going after black bass, crappie, channel cat and hybrid stripers: Black Bass: Terpe says he will begin the day targeting shallow vegetation at the lake’s northern reaches using frogs and assorted topwaters at first light, then switching to Texas rigged Brush Hog. Once the sun gets big, he will head south and pick up his crankbait rod. Bridge rock, sea walls and other hard bank structure are good places to throw a medium diver in a shad or firetiger pattern. He says Texas rigs will get you bit in these areas, as well. Another offshore pattern to try is targeting main lake humps, points and pond dams in 12-18 feet of water using a Carolina rig, Texas rig, football jig or deep diving crankbait. Channel Cat: Terpe says areas salted with soured grain or range cubes are the ticket. He likes to do his fishing along the San Jacinto River channel and major creeks that provide water depths 18-22 feet. His preferred offering is cheese bait on a sponge hook, but various punch baits, stink baits, liver and night crawlers also will get you bit. Crappie: Terpe’s says there isn’t a lot to get excited here just yet, but Conroe’s crappie population is beginning to come around with some decent size keepers showing up in the mix. He’ll look for them around brush piles and support pilings at the FM 1097 crossing. Best depth range is 25 feet, suspended about 15 down. Jigs and shiners will work equally well. Hybrid Stripers: Hybrid fishing is the dark horse on Conroe -- here today and gone tomorrow. Stumble across the right and you’re in for some fun, rod-bending action. Terpe said good electronics are a must for locating the nomadic titans. They’re easiest to catch when they set up on main lake points. Spoons and shad are good choices, but you can also catch them troll-
ing deep diving cranks.
LIVINGSTON
It’s been a topsy turvy summer for water levels on Lake Livingston and the bass fishing has been hit or miss because of it. That’s because high water usually means muddy water on the big southeast Texas pond, which never bodes well for the bass bite. “High, muddy water pretty much shuts it down at Livingston,” says veteran guide Randy Dearman. “Things were beginning to clear up pretty towards the end of July. So the lake should be in pretty good shape by September, provided we didn’t have any big August storms.” Dearman says bass tend to become increasingly active throughout September as mild fronts begin ushering in cooler air and shad start ganging up along creeks channels. “The bass always go where the shad go and they’ll be feeding pretty strong at times,” Dearman said. “It’s real important to do your fishing in relation to some sort of wood like a laydown, log jam or stumps. It seems those are the types of shady places where the shad like to congregate. You can learn a lot just by watching the birds. If you see a blue heron perched on a stump it would be worth checking out. You can bet he’s there for a reason.” Dearman says any number of baits will produce this month. He is particularly fond of a white/chartreuse spinnerbait and a shad pattern square bill. “Plastics will work, too, but now is a time when they really start to like something moving,” he said. “It’s real important to fish as tight to the wood as you can. Try to hit stuff with the bait whenever you can. That will sometimes trigger a reaction strike.” Dearman says Livingston’s bountiful white bass population should be a source of even faster action this month. He said the fish will be running in large schools making life miserable on roving pods of shad. He’ll look for them in the mouths of major creeks near the river and over main
lake structure like points, humps and road beds. “Be sure to watch for gulls,” Dearman said. “If you see birds hovering over the water it’s because the white bass are there feeding on shad. There could be some stripers mixed in, too.” TOLEDO BEND - Toledo Bend fishing guide Stephen Johnston says September always brings the official beginning of fall on the 12-month calendar, but it’s still going to be very much summer in deep southeast Texas. “We’ll always have an early front, but it’s usually still pretty hot throughout the month,” Johnston said. “There will still be few bass up around the shallow hay grass and milfoil that you can catch on a Texas rig, frog or topwater, but that bite is going to be pretty short-lived, mainly during the early morning hours.” Looking into his crystal ball, the guide says he is betting the most reliable bite for bass fishermen these days will be away from the bank, mostly in relation to underwater points, ridges and humps in water ranging 15-20 feet deep. Good electronics are imperative out there in order to locate areas that are holding fish. Once he locates an area with some promise, Johnston will probe it with a Carolina rig, Texas rig, football jig or a Strike King deep crank. “You’ll also want to keep your eye peeled for schooling activity,” he said. “There are several areas where they always start busting in September. The old 1215 area up north and Hausen Bay are both pretty good at times.” Johnston likes to target the schoolies using assorted topwaters like Yellow Magic, Pop-R or Zara Spook when they are active on the surface. Once the fish go down he suggests switching to a lipless crankbait or a small spoon. The guide says crappie fishing usually begins to taper off in September, but you can still pick up a few keepers around brush piles in 25-30 feet. The fish should be suspended about 15-18 feet, give or take a
little. “It an early morning deal, for sure,” he said. “Once the sun gets up, it’s over. The shad start moving around it’s hard to catch them when that happens.”
PALESTINE
Fishing guide Ricky Vandergriff says his home lake has been kicking out some solid tournament sacks of bass all summer long and he’s looking for the strong bite to continue right on through September. In fact, he looks for the action to get progressively better once some cooler weather starts passing through. “There have been several 15 pound limits on three fish caught this summer,” Vandergriff said. “The lake has been fishing really strong.” That holds especially true up north in the vicinity of Kickapoo Creek, the islands and Cade’s Lake. “All three of those areas will be good from how through fall,” Vandergriff said. “There should be a strong topwater and spinnerbait bite early around the flooded grass, then I’ll switch to a Texas rig plastic like a Brush Hog and fish the stumps along the creeks and ditches.” Vandergriff says similar patterns should be in play down south, with Flat Creek being one of the better areas. “Secondary points and boat docks with brush also should be holding some fish,” Vandergriff said. “I’ll fish the points with a shad pattern crank or Carolina rig and the docks with a Big Eye jig.” The guide said Palestine channel cat and white bass should be getting more active this month, as well. He’ll target the channels around baited holes in 14-16 feet; whites will be hanging around Henderson Point and several other points in the vicinity of the dam. “If you just want to catch a mess of fish for the freezer it’s hard to go wrong with the channel cat,” Vandergriff said. “There will be a ton of small fish, but you can usually put together a limit of nice size eaters pretty quick once you get them fired up.”
Photo by Matt Williams
To find crappie during the fall anglers need to look to deep brush piles and bridge pilings.
East Texas Farm & Ranch Living
8
Support Agriculture Businesses... They are the Heartbeat of Our Economy
September-October 2016
Getting Legal
Hunters, anglers need to remember new license before going afield on Sept. 1 By Matt Williams
I
Outdoors Writer
t’s easy to forget the little things, but one thing you don’t want to overlook before heading afield this fall is a new hunting/fishing license. New licenses valid for fiscal year 2016-17 went on sale Aug. 15 at various TPWD offices, state parks and nearly 2,000 vendor locations around the state. Licenses also can be purchased by phone or over the Internet using a credit card, but there will be a $5 administrative fee tacked onto the charge. Many of these licenses are purchased for immediate use, except where tagging is required, as in deer or turkey hunting. There are a wide variety of licenses available that allow sportsmen to pretty much pick their poison. If you hunt but don’t fish, you can buy just a hunting license, plus the stamp endorsements necessary to go after the species you plan to hunt. If you fish but don’t hunt, you can purchase a fishing license package tailored specifically for freshwater, saltwater or both. A hunting license is required of any person, regardless of age, for hunting animals, birds, frogs, turtles. The only exceptions are nuisance fur-bearing animals, depredating hogs or coyotes. A fishing license with a freshwater or saltwater stamp endorsement is required to fish in Texas public water unless you are under 17, born before Jan. 1, 1931, or are mentally disabled. As always, the best deal going for all-around sportsmen is the Super Combo license package. The Super Combo costs $68. It includes resident hunting and fishing licenses and five stamp endorsements for archery, freshwater fishing, saltwater fishing, upland game birds and migratory game birds. The only required stamp endorsement not included with the Super Combo is the Federal Duck Stamp. The cost of the federal stamp is $25.
Here’s a rundown on some of the more popular Texas hunting and fishing licenses:
* Resident Hunting Cost: $25
* 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.
* 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
* Resident Trapper Cost: $19
* Hunting Lease License
- 1 to - 499 acres: $79 - 500 to 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.
New fishing and hunting licenses valid for fiscal year 2016-17 went on sale Aug. 15 statewide.
* Stamp Endorsements
- Archery Stamp: $7 - Texas Migratory Game Bird Stamp: $7 - Upland Game Bird Stamp: $7 - Federal Duck Stamp: $25 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.
* Resident Combination Packages
- Hunting and Freshwater Fishing: $50 - Hunting and Saltwater Fishing: $55 - Hunting and All-Water Fishing: $60 - Senior Hunting and Freshwater Fishing: $16 - SeniorHunting and Saltwater Fishing: $21 - Senior Hunting and All-Water Fishing: $26
* Resident Fishing Licenses
- 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
* Fishing Stamp Endorsements - Freshwater Fishing Stamp: $5 - Saltwater Fishing Stamp: $10
The 2016-17 TPWD Outdoor Annual contains a full list of licenses and details.
Photo by Matt Williams
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September-October 2016
East Texas Farm & Ranch Living
Support Agriculture Businesses... They are the Heartbeat of Our Economy
9
Hidden gem near Eustace
Purtis Creek State Park offers fall recreation for everyone By Kathi Nailling Athens Daily Review
A
hidden secret at Cedar Creek Lake is a short drive from Eustace down Farmer-to-market Road 316 – Purtis Creek State Park. The park is a popular destination for visitors to Henderson or Van Zandt Counties. According to legend, the state park is located in an area where the Wichita and Caddo Indians once roamed. The story goes just east of the park, on private property, is a cliff overhang that was used by unknown Indians as a temporary shelter. Many of the small towns and communities surrounding Purtis Creek were established during 1800 when it was thought the areas was good for hunting. On the south border of the park lies a road tht is known as the Tyler to Porter’s Bluff Road, a well-known stage route from East Texas to the Trinity River. Along this route, just northeast of Edom near the Neches River is the site where the famed Cherokee Chief Bowl died in the battle of the Neches in 1839. Purtis Creek State Park is located in Henderson and Van Zandt County on 1582.4 acres. The park was acquired by providing owners and was open to the public in 1988. The 355-acre lake at Purtis Creek is fed by Trim Creek which is one of the creeks that flows into Cedar Creek Lake. Mindy Davis Purtis Creek Park Superintendent has a passion for her position at Purtis Creek. “The park is not here to be a money maker, it is here for recreation.” The state of Texas currently has 95 state parks – the nearest park to Purtis Creek would be located at Lake Tawakoni. Davis said the park and lake were originally built to keep local towns and communities from flooding. “They were about to lose some communities if they didn’t do
something about the flooding,” said Davis. “The U.S. Soil and Water Conservation and the Texas Parks and Wildlife purchased the property from 12 individuals.” The property was purchased in 1977 at a total cost of $1.4 million. The Soil and Conservation Service built a dam as a flood control measure to impound Purtis Creek and runoff waters in the mid-
1980s creating a prime fishing lake. Fish for plentiful largemouth bass; these are catch-and-release only. Large catfish and crappie are abundant; you can take these catches home for dinner. You’ll find plenty to do at Purtis Creek including paddle a kayak or canoe, hike and bike trails, camping and picnicking. The park offers guided hikes, paddling basics classes, nature programs and more. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website, this state park lake was designed specifically for fishing. Much of the inundated timber is still standing in the upper half of the lake and in the back of most coves. The Texas Parks and Wildlife website said Purtis Creek State Park is best known for its largemouth bass fishery. This species has been subject to a special catch-and-releaseonly rule since the lake opened to the public in 1988. Channel catfish are stocked annually and grow rapidly, providing an excellent fishery from both fishing piers. Crappie anglers frequently catch daily limits of these popular fish.
Have you ever wanted to be a State Park Host? Purtis Creek has spring and summer positions for Camping Loop, Maintenance, and Fee Collector Hosts. In exchange for 24 hours of volunteer service per week, you will have a 50 amp water and electric site with sewer and washer/dryer on site for laundry. Contact Park Headquarters at 903425-2332 or the Volunteer Coordinator at 903-425-8072 for more information.
East Texas Farm & Ranch Living
10
September-October 2016
Support Agriculture Businesses... They are the Heartbeat of Our Economy
Shot of a lifetime By Jennifer Miller Corsicana Daily Sun
M
ichelle Hancock will never forget the 2014 deer hunting season. “I love, love, love to shoot deer — it’s a passion, and the 14-point buck I got that season was nothing short of a miracle,” she said. For the past eight years, Michelle and husband Tim have made deer hunting an annual family activity. In 2014, they prepared like normal, setting up stands and feeders, and sightingin guns. It was Nov. 2, to be exact, and right around 6:15 p.m. when the couple were sitting in Tim’s deer stand on some family land near Pelham. A doe and her fawn were grazing and Michelle quickly ruled out either as targets due to the scrawniness of the doe and the fact that she had a baby. Besides, Tim had asked Michelle to keep
her eye out for a spike buck the couple had seen on camera eating from their feeder. Tim did not want to waste one of his tags on the spike so he asked Michelle to take the shot should she see him. Suddenly, the doe and fawn became spooked and began running towards the stand. Chasing behind them was the largest buck the couple had ever seen on their land and since the rut had just begun, Michelle theorized the buck was after the doe. He stopped approximately 300-yards from their stand. Unfortunately for Tim, six years prior to the hunt he had undergone a cornea transplant and the shot was too far for him so he told Michelle to take it. Fortunately for Michelle, Tim had purchased a new scope for her Remington 700 22-250, and after estimating the distance and setting the scope, she took aim and a deep breath, steadying
herself for the shot. “I have an old shoulder injury from high school and I have a tendency to pull up when I shoot so I aimed low,” she said. “My shot broke his back and we lost some of the backstrap, but I got him.” Michelle said once they got out of the stand and made their way to the buck, Tim’s joking reply was, ‘Really? You had to shoot this one?’ With adrenaline racing from head-to-toe, Michelle phoned the family’s chosen butcher, J&R Processing in Hubbard, to let them know what would soon be headed their way. “They are the only guys we will ever use because they are amazing,” Michelle said. “When we brought him in, they said, ‘You didn’t tell us you shot a monster.’” The family’s taxidermist, Larry Green of Brother’s Hang ‘em High Taxidermy in Italy, was equally impressed and told Michelle the
buck was approximately eight years old and had no teeth. He also theorized the buck was beginning to shrink a little in size and that he was probably bigger the year before. For this reason, Michelle and her family have named the buck ‘The Old Man.’ Michelle and Tim entered the deer in the Texas Trophy Hunters Extravaganza in Fort Worth in 2015. Michelle won First Place in the Women’s Division and Grand High for the Women’s Division. She was also in an issue of Texas Trophy Hunters Magazine. His official measurements on the Boone & Crockett scale were a gross of 175.375 and a net of 164.625. He measured 19.25 inches wide and his tallest antler was 14 inches. ‘The Old Man’ hangs in the Hancock’s living room and while Tim will not hang his nine-point
buck in the living room next to Michelle’s, the prize-winner now resides permanently just eight miles from where he was shot. Michelle said the family was thrilled and while some of Tim’s friends give him a hard time about letting her take the shot, he says the smile on her face was all worth it. Prior to getting her big buck, Michelle had only shot two does, and in the 2014 hunting season, she only fired three rounds of ammo. Two were to sight-in her rifle and the other one took down the buck. “People ask me all the time how much it cost me to get him and I always say a bullet and a license, so around $40,” she said. “All I can say is — God gave me that buck.” ————————— jmiller@corsicanadailysun.com soundoff@corsicanadailysun.com
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September-October 2016
East Texas Farm & Ranch Living
Support Agriculture Businesses... They are the Heartbeat of Our Economy
11
Bowhunting with a bowhunter
By April Barbe
Editor@jacksonvilleprogress.com Marlin Watson, owner of Outta Sight Archery in Maydelle, has been bowhunting since he was a boy of about 10. Although the Jacksonville native began shooting a gun at the age of 6, it was the bow that pricked his heart. “Archery is my love,” he said. Watson said it takes skills to be a bowhunter, and it is often challenging. He said the challenge of the sport is why he likes it. “It’s a challenge because you have to get within rock-throwing distance. They can be 100 yards away, and run around and never get close enough, so you just get to watch nature and enjoy it,” Watson said. He added that a bowhunter can’t expect the animals to come to them without some encouragement. He said planting foods like oats or peas often works well in our area. “You have to work to get close to a whitetail deer. The boar will come out for corn at night,” he said. Watson said he mainly hunts deer and hogs, but if a coyote comes into range, he may take action. His biggest kill so far was a very large doe
weighing between 150 and 175 pounds. “She was a big one!” Watson exclaimed. As bow season approaches (Oct. 1-Nov.4), Watson is trying to prepare not only himself, but others, as well. “I’m trying to get everybody ready (for bow hunting season). I’m a USA Level 2 archery instructor and an archery coach with Cherokee County 4-H Shooting Sports,” he said. When it comes to a specific type of bow, Watson said he doesn’t recommend a certain brand to anyone. “You have your traditional archers and your compound archers. I shoot traditional. Either one can be challenging, because you have to get close, about 70 or 80 yards. But I want to make sure what I choose is not going off wounded, so I like to get within 30 yards at the most. But that’s just a personal preference,” Watson said. He said the kill shot for a deer is in the vitals in the chest cavity, low and through the heart. “That’s a good, ethical kill. It’s fast and basically painless if it’s a clean shot with an arrow,” he said. Watson offers tips for bowhunters, as well. “Most bowhunters hunt out of an open tree stand. My safety tip would be to make
sure you are harnessed and tied in to the tree at all times because the main problem is people falling from deer stands.” He added that a bowhunter should never climb with a bow, but should climb into a stand and then pull the bow up to them using a string or rope. “Tether yourself to the tree with a safety
harness and straps, and always be aware of your target because a bow is just as lethal as a gun. Be aware of what you are shooting and what is behind it,” Watson added. For more information about Outta Sight Archery, visit www.outtasightarchery.com or see their Facebook page at “Outta Sight Archery Watson.”
FAQ’s regarding Hunter Education The following information was provided by the Texas Parks education may defer completion for up to one year. A deferral may only be obtained once and is only valid until the end of the current license year. and Wildlife Department
W
ho needs to take Hunter Education? Every hunter (including out-of-state hunters) born on or after Sept. 2, 1971, must successfully complete hunter education. Minimum age for certification is 9 years and cost is $15. If you were born on or after September 2, 1971 and you are: • under 9 years of age, you must be accompanied*. • age 9 through 16, you must successfully complete hunter education, OR you must be accompanied. • age 17 and over, you must successfully complete hunter education; OR purchase a “Hunter Education Deferral,” and you must be accompanied.
W
hat does “accompanied” mean? Accompanied means: By a person who is at least 17, who is licensed to hunt in Texas, who has passed hunter education or is exempt (born before Sept. 2, 1971), and you must be within normal voice control. Proof of certification or deferral is required to be on your person while hunting. Note: Proof of certification is not required to purchase a hunting license.
D
o I qualify for a Hunter Education Deferral? Any person 17 years of age or older who has not completed hunter
You must be accompanied while hunting if you have a deferral. Note: The one-time Hunter Education Deferral is available at license vendors and costs $10. A person who has been convicted or has received deferred adjudication for violation of the mandatory hunter education requirement is prohibited from applying for a deferral.
I
am a bowhunter. Do I need the same certification? Additional bowhunter education courses are available. This does not replace hunter education. Texas hunters who fall in the required age classes must complete Hunter Education regardless of the type of sporting arm used or species hunted. Bowhunter Education is mandatory in some states and provinces. Bowhunter education is a two-day course.
I
took Hunter Education in another state. Do I still need to take the Texas course? No, Texas recognizes Hunter Education certificates from all other states and provinces. You will need to carry a proof of that certification on your person while hunting in Texas. We cannot duplicate Hunter Education certification from other states and provinces, you will need to contact the agency that regulates Hunter Education in that state.
For more information visit, www.tpwd.texas.gov.
East Texas Farm & Ranch Living
12
September-October 2016
Good habitat conditions and water Support Agriculture Businesses... They are the Heartbeat of Our Economy
Key ingredients for attracting/holding migrating waterfowl By Jared Laing
TPWD Wetlands Biologist
T
exas is coming off two of the wettest seasons on record. In fact, most major reservoirs in the central and eastern part of the state are around 98 percent capacity, according to the water data for Texas website. A few reservoirs are even over capacity. Multiply that times two years and you end up with a lot of waterfowl habitat that has not seen a drying out for quite some time. Consequently, the gradual drying out of wetland areas is extremely critical for growing the annual weeds that make
abundant seeds that wintering waterfowl actively seek. These reservoirs are mirrors of the landscape around them as well. My dayto-day job takes me across the Pineywoods to Oakwoods and Blackland prairies along the central part of Texas evaluating habitat conditions for waterfowl. I do this on private and public lands and subsequently make suggestions to these landowners and managers for improving that habitat. My observations this year on managed and unmanaged properties indicate that most have been wet for too long and lack the disturbance needed to grow high quality waterfowl foods.
These properties are mostly dominated by dense perennial wetland plants that are both poor in food value and will not readily revert back to annual plants without a significant soil disturbance. The recommendation I make most often for waterfowl habitat improvement is to drain and plow property, then pray for rain after you get it done. This prescription has been consistent across the landscape, but it becomes increasingly more difficult to convince land managers to do this in hot, dry conditions because of concerns that they may not get water or much vegetation back in their marsh till next year.
My philosophy is you can’t make an omelet without cracking some eggs. It may not result in a huge change for this season, but should pay dividends for a few years to come. This is just one of many decisions that land managers have to make. I would rank habitat conditions for puddle ducks as fair to good in the eastern third of state, with the majority of the landscape on fair conditions. Conversely, I would rank the eastern third the state as good to excellent for diving ducks, as many reservoirs and large ponds are now seeing large increases in coverage of the submerged aquatic vegetation that many diving ducks actively seek out.
Experts say habitat conditions in eastern Texas should rank fair to excellent for puddle ducks and diving ducks this year.
Photo by Matt Williams
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September-October 2016
East Texas Farm & Ranch Living
13
Support Agriculture Businesses... They are the Heartbeat of Our Economy
Are we shooting enough feral hogs? By Billy Lambert
TPWD Wildlife Biologist
F
eral hogs are a problem. I doubt that comes as much of a surprise to anyone, especially to the farmers and ranchers who deal with them every day. The monetary value of agricultural damage caused by feral hogs in Texas exceeds $50 million annually. Landowners spend an additional $7 million on control measures. Are these expensive control efforts effective? Researchers at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service put some numbers together in an effort to find out. Using reproductive data obtained throughout the southeastern US on such variables as litter size and survival, the researchers were able to create a model
calculating population growth. The data obtained was then compared with other Texas sources (aerial gunning harvest, animals sold for pro- cessing, USDA harvest estimates) to compare results, which were pretty consistent (the model estimated 1821 percent annual growth compared to 1925 percent from the other sources). Next, the researchers again looked at existing research in Texas to calculate a population estimate. Eight studies from around the state were used, with densities ranging from 8.9-16.4 hogs/square mile (71.9-39.0 acres per hog). A map was created identifying suitable habitat within the state, which returned an estimate of 134 million acres of suitable hog habitat (79 percent of the state). The resulting population estimates ranged from 1.8 to 3.4 million pigs in Texas with an average of 2.6 million.
In addition to the above estimates, the authors also used questionnaires, both mailed and at meetings, to determine how many hogs were being killed in Texas and what techniques were being used. Respondents to the survey represented 139 counties and a total of 1.8 million acres. According to respondents, over half (57 percent) of feral hogs removed in Texas are trapped first. “Conventional” hunting, by sportsman as well as landowners, removed an additional 27 percent. While popular among some groups in the Post Oak Savannah, as well as around the state, hunting with dogs only resulted in removal of six percent of feral hogs. From all of this, a statewide harvest estimate was obtained and an estimated 750,000 feral hogs were killed in Texas in 2010. While that sounds like quite a
few pigs, it only represented 29 percent of the estimated statewide population. This means that given the feral hog’s current reproductive efforts and population growth rate, the harvest of only 29 percent of the population results in the population doubling in size in just five years. Using the model generated by the researchers, it would take a harvest of 66 percent of the population (an estimated 1,716,000 feral hogs) just to keep the population from growing. And this isn’t even to reduce the population, just to keep it from increasing. Any harvest level below 66 percent would result in a subsequent increase in the population. So, why are you still reading this? Go out and shoot some pigs.
Trapping is the No. 1 method used by Texas landowners in their attempts to keep sky rocking feral hog numbers in check.
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Photo by Matt Williams
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East Texas Farm & Ranch Living
14
Support Agriculture Businesses... They are the Heartbeat of Our Economy
September-October 2016
From Scratch with Love Italian Venison-Sausage Sandwiches Total time: 50 minutes, plus 4+ Hours marinating time. Yield: 6 hoagie roll sandwiches
Some reject the idea of eating deer meat, claiming it has a strong or pungent flavor. But actually the taste is fairly mild, especially as prepared here: Ground venison is mixed with oregano, fennel seeds, garlic, cayenne pepper, paprika, and a little ground beef for fatty juiciness. It tastes like Italian sausage—just add sautéed peppers and onions and gooey melted provolone, and serve on a toasted hoagie roll.
Ingredients
For the Sausage • 1 3/4 pounds medium-ground venison • 8 ounces ground chuck (15-20% fat) • 3 tablespoons dry red wine • 1 tablespoon toasted fennel seeds • 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (5 to 6 medium cloves) • 1 tablespoon paprika • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves • 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt • 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper • 1 teaspoon dried oregano • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the Sandwich • 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for oiling the grill • 3 medium red bell peppers, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices • 1 1/2 medium red onions, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices • 2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes • Kosher salt • Freshly ground black pepper • 9 ounces thinly sliced provolone cheese • 6 hoagie rolls
EAST TEXAS ANDERSON CO. LIVESTOCK Updated: 9/21/2016 Head Count: 434 Buyers: 44 Sellers: 42
Instructions
For the Sausage 1. Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands until evenly combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the flavors meld together, at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. For the Sandwich 1. When the sausage is done marinating, heat the measured oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat until shimmering. Add the peppers, onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 20 minutes. Cover with a tightfitting lid to keep warm and set aside while you cook the sausage patties. 2. Divide the venison sausage into 6 equal portions. Shape each portion into a thin, rectangular patty slightly larger than the hoagie rolls; set aside. 3. Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium (about 350°F to 450°F). When the grill is ready, use tongs to rub the pan or grate with several layers of paper towels dipped in olive oil. Place the sausage patties on the grill, cover the grill, and cook the patties undisturbed (do not press down on them) until grill marks appear on the bottom, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the patties and divide the cheese among them. 4. Cover the grill and continue cooking until the cheese is melted and the patties are just slightly pink in the center for medium (about 140°F to 145°F on an instant-read thermometer), about 2 minutes more. Remove to a clean plate and let rest in a warm place or tent loosely with foil. 5. Toast the rolls. When the rolls are ready, place 1 patty on each roll, evenly divide the onion-pepper mixture over the patties, and serve.
STOCK PRICES EAST TEXAS LIVESTOCK INC. Updated: 9/20/2016 Cows: 245 Bulls: 15 Buyers: 55 Sellers: 175
STEERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $1.30-$1.95 lb 300 lbs - 400 lbs: $1.25-$1.72 lb 400 lbs - 500 lbs: $1.15-$1.60 lb 500 lbs - 600 lbs: $1.10-$1.48 lb 600 lbs - 700 lbs: $1.00-$1.35 lb 700 lbs - 800 lbs: $0.90-$1.24 lb
STEERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $140-$260 305 lbs - 400 lbs: $128-$192 405 lbs - 500 lbs: $122-$162 505 lbs - 600 lbs: $114-$145 605 lbs - 800 lbs: $109-$128
HEIFERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $1.25-$1.59 lb 300 lbs - 400 lbs: $1.15-$1.47 lb 400 lbs - 500 lbs: $1.10-$1.30 lb 500 lbs - 600 lbs: $1.00-$1.23 lb 600 lbs - 700 lbs: $0.90-$1.18 lb 700 lbs - 800 lbs: $0.80-$1.10 lb
HEIFERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $118-$200 305 lbs - 400 lbs: $116-$164 405 lbs - 500 lbs: $113-$146 505 lbs - 600 lbs: $104-$135 605 lbs - 800 lbs: $103-$113 SLAUGHTER Cows: $57-$77 Bulls: $78-$83
SLAUGHTER Cows: $0.55 - $0.75 lb Bulls: $0.75 - $0.95 lb
PAIRS $1200 - $1950/pr
PAIRS $1200 - $2000
BRED COWS $890 - $1900/hd
Stocker Cows: $850 - $1800 hd Goats: $45 - $150 TRI-COUNTY LIVESTOCK MARKET Updated: 9/24/2016 Head Count: 870 STEERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $1.35-$1.85 lb 300 lbs - 400 lbs: $1.20-$1.70 lb 400 lbs - 500 lbs: $1.15-$1.40 lb 500 lbs - 600 lbs: $1.10-$1.35 lb 600 lbs - 700 lbs: $1.00-$1.33 lb 700 lbs - 800 lbs: $1.00-$1.28 lb HEIFERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $1.20-$1.47 lb 300 lbs - 400 lbs: $1.00-$1.40 lb 400 lbs - 500 lbs: $1.10-$2.00 lb 500 lbs - 600 lbs: $1.00-$1.17 lb 600 lbs - 700 lbs: $1.00-$1.50 lb 700 lbs - 800 lbs: $1.00-$1.50 lb SLAUGHTER Cows: $0.55 - $0.75 Heavy Bulls: $0.75 - $0.84
Pairs: $1800 - $2300 Stocker Cows: $1000 - $1900 Baby Calves: NA
NACOGDOCHES LIVESTOCK EX. Updated: 9/22/2016 Head Count: 676 Buyers: 59 Sellers: 115 STEERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $1.45-$2.35 lb 300 lbs - 400 lbs: $1.28-$1.85 lb 400 lbs - 500 lbs: $1.15-$1.80 lb 500 lbs - UP: $0.95-$1.40 lb HEIFERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $1.30-$1.85 lb 300 lbs - 400 lbs: $1.20-$1.70 lb 400 lbs - 500 lbs: $1.05-$1.55 lb 500 lbs - UP: $0.85-$1.45 lb SLAUGHTER Cows: $0.45 - $0.70 lb Bulls: $0.70 - $0.90 lb PAIRS $875 - $1700
Stocker Cows: $750 - $1500 hd Baby Calves: $45 - $225 hd Horses: NONE Goats: $45 - $150 hd
HUNTS LIVESTOCK EXCHANGE Updated: 9/19/2016 Head Count: 1005 huntlivestockexchange.com STEERS 200 lbs - 299 lbs $1.11-$2.35 lb 300 lbs - 399 lbs: $1.13-$1.69 lb 400 lbs - 499 lbs: $1.00-$1.48 lb 500 lbs - 599 lbs: $0.95-$1.39 lb 600 lbs - 699 lbs: $0.90-$1.25 lb 700 lbs - 799 lbs: $1.00-$1.19 lb 800 lbs - 899 lbs: $0.95-$1.18 lb HEIFERS 200 lbs - 299 lbs $1.05-$1.70 lb 300 lbs - 399 lbs: $1.05-$1.61 lb 400 lbs - 499 lbs: $0.90-$1.43 lb 500 lbs - 599 lbs: $1.00-$1.43 lb 600 lbs - 699 lbs: $0.96-$1.27 lb 700 lbs - 799 lbs: $0.91-$1.19 lb 800 lbs - 899 lbs: $0.94-$1.17 lb SLAUGHTER Cows: $0.45 - $0.70 lb Bulls: $0.79 - $0.87 lb
PAIRS Pairs: $870 - $1725 Stocker Cows: $500 - $1700
ATHENS COMMISSION CO. Updated: 9/23/2016 Head Count: 1331 Sellers: 184 Sale EVERY Friday At 11am
STEERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $1.00-$2.05 lb 300 lbs - 400 lbs: $1.00-$2.00 lb 400 lbs - 500 lbs: $1.00-$1.85 lb 500 lbs - UP: $1.00-$1.60 lb HEIFERS 300 lbs - DOWN: $1.00-$2.00 lb 300 lbs - 400 lbs: $1.00-$2.00 lb 400 lbs - 500 lbs: $1.00-$1.60 lb 500 lbs - UP: $1.00-$1.55 lb SLAUGHTER Cows: $0.35 - $0.76 lb Heavy Bulls: $0.70-$0.87 lb
PAIRS Top: $1500 - $1750 Low Middle: $1000 - $1500 Stocker Cows: $0.70 - $1.50 lb Baby calves: $20 - $375 hd Horses: $100 - $400 hd Goats: $20 - $175 hd
This report is a GUIDE only. It is provided to show market trends and is NOT INFLATED to deceive pro ducers or the general public.
East Texas Farm & Ranch Living
Gone Fishing with Jerry Miller
September-October 2016
Support Agriculture Businesses... They are the Heartbeat of Our Economy
15
Lake Striker, A Trip to Remember A
bout 10 days ago John Long and I decided to check out the north end of Lake Striker in what is called the Eight Ball Landing area. This was immediately after the week or so of rain and unusually cool days. During that week we experienced a lot of days in the low 70’s. We were hoping that the cool temperature and the influx of cold rains had had a positive effect on the bass. We weren’t disappointed! After launching my boat we turned south and fished a big shallow pocket on the west bank. We mostly targeted isolated bushes in that area. The water color had a brown hue. There were a few scattered bass in this area, and we only landed three bass in the one-pound range. After going through several lures we finally settled on small 3/8 oz. spinners. John was using a white color, and my H&H spinner was a bright orange. Next we decided to check out the flats near the creek. The creek was about 12 feet deep
here. After crossing the creek where it makes a sharp bend we spotted bass schooling on the one-foot flat area. The water here was much clearer. At first Long was fishing a Ribbit Frog. He immediately hung a good bass that broke his line. He immediately started restringing his line through the eyelets, but when he finished he noticed that he had missed one of the eyelets. I heard him murmuring something about “getting old” as he started restringing his rod. While he was busy re-tying his line I was busy boating one bass after another. Soon both of us were landing one bass after another. We were catching both sand bass and black bass on small spinners. We soon discovered that there was also a group of bass holding in 4 to 5 feet of water very close to the 12-foot creek. After landing several bass out of the edge of the creek Long blurted out, “These suckers are really fat.” To catch the deeper bass on our spinner bait we would cast the lure out to the deeper water
and let the spinner drop for a few seconds and then began our retrieve. We got lots of strikes as the bait was falling. A stop and go retrieve worked best. One of the key components of bass fishing is the ability to establish a pattern for each day. A pattern is simply something that you can duplicate in another part of the lake. The pattern we discovered for this day was to fish flats just outside of a creek bend. After catching several fish off of this flat we immediately motored to the next sharp creek bend to fish. We were unable to connect with bass so we moved to the next creek bend and started fishing another flat adjacent to the creek. This area, about 20 feet across and 20 feet long, was loaded with bass. Almost every cast with our small spinner baits produced lots of strikes and hook ups. The smaller sand bass would often strike the spinner bait three or four times before getting hooked. Next we moved back to the ramp area and located another big school of bass in a shallow flat about 30 feet from the
creek. Here we caught back to back bass for about 30 minutes. The 10th bass that John caught weighed about three pounds. I also hung a big bass that eventually pulled free. All of these bass were in one foot of water and feeding heavy on shad. I noticed that the surface temperature in this area was 79.4°F. After we left this shallow pocket we caught a few more
bass scattered along the creek edge. We stopped fishing at 11:00 a.m. We had caught bass off and on for about four hours. Long said, “This is one of the best days I’ve ever had on Lake Striker for numbers of bass. In the spring we do catch larger bass, but not this many!” I agreed. This was the best day of fishing on Lake Striker that I had had. Long said, “I believe I caught about 25 bass.” Between us we caught and released about 50 bass up to three pounds. We also got a lot of strikes and probably missed 25 or more bass. Sometimes we would get three or four strikes before the bass would get the bait. I think a lot of these were sand bass which have a much smaller mouth. I’m convinced that the cool weather, along with the cool rain, put a lot of oxygen into the lake. These bass were all relating to creek bends and flats and pockets near deep water. I’ve never experienced this kind of shallow water fishing during August. It was a trip to remember.
Texas A&M Agrilife Extension offers agricultural events By Jeff Riggs
E
Athens Daily Review Associate Editor
ach year, there are several education programs conducted by the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Office to better prepare adults for agricultural activities. Several are listed below with details about each. As many people will remember, the agency, along with many others in the community celebrate the character and life of Texas A&M Extension Agent Rick Hirsch. On Saturday, Oct. 8, the Rick Hirsch Memorial Dedication Ceremony will be from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., organized by the Henderson County Master Gardeners. The event will be at the East Texas Arboretum, 1601 Patterson Road, Athens. Their website is henderson.agrilife.org The event will be a part of the fall festival at the Arboretum. A plaque is dedicated to him on permanent display. “The event is a great thing,” Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Office Secretary Angela Hemphill said. “He (Rick Hirsch) and I worked together, along with Sharla (Secretary Sharla Paris). He was really great to have in the office and great to work with, and 4-H kids miss him as well. He is missed by many.” Hirsch has received many honors over the years he has worked in agriculture. Even after his death from natural causes in April, he was the named the 2016 recipient of the Joe B. Fulgham Agriculturalist of the Year Award this year at the Henderson County Farm and Ranch Tour. He was posthumously honored for his contributions to agriculture in the county. It was the second time Hirsch had been presented the award. Bronte Hirsch accepted the award on behalf of her late husband from the 2015 recipient Ken McGee. Bronte said she and Rick believed in service, and that he loved working within the agriculture community. Hirsch came to the county in 1992. His weekly agriculture column was seen in the Athens Daily Review and other media outlets. Hirsch presented a radio show on KCKL, and for several years was host of a television show produced in Tyler. Hirsch was the 2012 Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raiser’s Association Ag Agent of the Year. Earlier in the meeting, the keynote speaker, Texas Land
Commissioner George P. Bush, acknowledged the passing of Hirsch, “a good friend to the state of Texas.” For more information on the Rick Hirsch Memorial Dedication Cemetery on Oct. 8, call Lydia Holley at 903-876-2386. Another item, this one coming up on Thursday, Sept. 29, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., will be the Henderson County Friend to Friend, the third of this annual event at the Henderson County Senior Center, 3344 State Highway 31 East. Bring a friend, and come enjoy a Girls Night Out. There will be food, door prizes and an inspiring program from Athens’ own Dr. Fran McCain. A limited number of free mammograms and pap tests will be available to individuals that qualify. Childcare will not be available. RSVP by contacting Carolyn Tyler at 903-675-6130, or carolyn.tyler@ag.tamu.edu. There have been other agricultural educational events this year. Among those is the County Wildlife Committee meeting. It was held at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, 5550 FM 2495, Athens. Hemphill said prior to the meeting that with the opening of dove season, the committee meeting would probably center around that subject. Dove season began Sept. 1. Hemphill said the meeting was also planned to be dedicated as a tribute to Rick Hirsch.
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East Texas Farm & Ranch Living
16
September-October 2016
From Field to Table: Support Agriculture Businesses... They are the Heartbeat of Our Economy
Five tips for maintaining venison quality
By Billy Higginbotham
E
Special to the Herald-Press
veryone knows someone that turns their nose up at the mention of eating “deer meat.” More often than not, these folks have been subjected to venison that was not handled properly in the field, not preserved properly and/ or not prepared for the table properly. Making mistakes anywhere in this process can result in venison that is way short of delicious. Texas deer hunting results in more than 12 million pounds of boneless whitetail venison each year. There are three steps that are important for successful hunters to follow while still in the field: * Keep the carcass clean. * Keep the carcass dry. * Keep the carcass cold. These are important tips to remember regardless of whether you processing venison yourself or taking it to a meat locker. Many prefer to the do it yourself method, although there are some tips here that will also help those hunters get their kill to the processor in the best possible condition. There are also two concerns when it comes to after-harvest care of your venison. One is to ensure the quality of the proteinrich, low fat meat and the other is to practice good food safety in order to reduce the likelihood of encountering a food-borne illness. Here are my tips to ensure that venison served at the table will meet your expectations: 1.) Field-dressing/Skinning: First things first—immediately log the kill on your hunting license, tag the deer and keep that tag with the carcass until it reaches the processor or home. Throughout much of the Texas whitetail season, the weather can be extremely
warm—even shirt sleeve on most afternoons. To facilitate rapid cooling of the carcass, field dress the deer as soon as reasonably possible. I have field-dressed deer in every way imaginable—on the ground, suspended by the head, suspended by the back legs and even skinned while suspended before field-dressing. Obviously some of these methods may not be possible where you hunt because of the lack of access to a tree or skinning pole in close proximity to the kill site. Any method will work if it allows you to field dress and keep the carcass free of dirt, debris and rumen contents. At this point, also remove any bloodshot or damaged tissue. If you have to rinse out the carcass with water to remove blood or rumen contents due to a “gut shot” or knife cut while field dressing, pat the carcass dry with paper towels. Remember, moisture is your enemy so keep the carcass dry. Disposable gloves are a great addition to your field dressing kit as is a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, which cleans your hands quickly and easily after field dressing a deer. My preferred method is to field-dress as soon as possible and then skin while the carcass is still warm, because the hide comes off much easier than when cold. Quarter the carcass and allow them to hang a little longer, depending on the air temperature. This allows for maximum cooling of the meat. Bacterial growth really begins to increase at temperatures above 40 degrees. If you are expecting night temperatures in the lower 40’s or colder, I will wrap the carcass in an old bedsheet and allow it to hang outside overnight. Otherwise, you will need to place the carcass in a walk in cooler or on ice. There are also certain circumstances
where you might want to leave the skin in place. For example, if you are going to hang the deer in a walk-in cooler at camp or transport it to a commercial meat locker, the skin can serve as a protective barrier and keep the carcass from drying out. Many hunters then transport the deer home with the skin on in the back of the truck. For skin-on transport, I place frozen pop bottles and/or bags of ice in large resealable baggies or unscented trash bags to keep the carcass cold while preventing the venison from getting wet. Then I wrap it in an old bed sheet to help buffer the drying effects of the sun and wind. 2.) Redneck Refrigeration: While many larger hunting camps and leases have walkin coolers that are used to store harvested deer, most of us just don’t have that luxury. This is where going prepared comes in handy. Freezing water in gallon milk jugs or two-liter soda pop bottles is a great way to transport your quartered deer carcass. Just place the cooled quarters and trimmings in a 50 to 75 quart ice chest and pack the bottles around the meat. Again, moisture is your enemy because it promotes bacterial growth, so using this method allows the bottles to retain the water as the ice melts. If you are using bagged ice, consider placing the bags of ice inside giant baggies or unscented trash bags to prevent the water from coming in direct contact with the meat. When I leave for the hunt, I will pack one large ice chest full with frozen bottles and keep it in the shade if no on-site freezer is available. The bottles will retain ice for several days even in unseasonably warm hunting weather. 3.) Aging and Processing: Once you are home, skin and quarter the carcass if it was not already accomplished in camp. At this point I place the quarters and trimmings in a refrigerator. Consider aging the prime cuts of venison (backstraps, tenderloins and hindquarter muscles destined to be roasts or steaks) for several days. Aging enhances the tenderness of prime cuts as well as the flavor of the venison. I try to age venison for 3 days from the date of harvest but I admit that I have gone for up to five days on rare occasions. The ideal method is to have a refrigerator that you can devote to the primary cuts such as tenderloins, backstraps and the three primary muscle groups found in each hindquarter. I leave the hindquarters intact
for the aging process as it makes it easier to separate these muscle groups during final processing. There is no need to age trimmings or shoulder meat not used for roasts. These cuts can immediately be ground for use in sausage or burger. Try mixing some venison ground with bacon at a 9:1 weight ratio. This helps hold the ground together - ready for use in the preparation of meat loaf, burgers, chili or any other recipe calling for ground venison. 4.) Packaging Your Venison: I prefer to wrap each cut in a cling wrap carefully removing as much air as possible, then follow immediately with a good quality butcher paper to provide a double lining. Many hunters now use vacuum sealing to remove air from the package and extend the shelf life by a considerable margin. Clearly print the date and cut on each piece of venison so you will know exactly which cut is being selected for the table. Space the packaged cuts out in the freezer to facilitate rapid freezing for at least 24 hours, then arrange the packages as needed. For meal preparation, do not allow the meat to thaw on the counter - plan ahead and place the cut in its wrapping in a refrigerator and let it thaw for at least 24 to 48 hours. I typically try to use venison cuts within one year. However, vacuum packaging may increase the time span even longer. 5.) Cooking: Venison is a low fat, protein rich red meat. Roasts will taste the best when cooked in a broth or other moisturerich method. While many recipes call for rare or medium rare cooking to prevent drying out the lean cut, it is important to cook the meat to an internal temperature of 160 degrees—this is simply a food safety issue. About the only recipes that would call for cooking venison at lower temperatures is making jerky, which basically dries the meat rather than actually cooking it. If your jerky recipe does not allow for this temperature to be reached, consider first boiling the jerky meat in a marinade for a few minutes before proceeding with the jerky making process. Treat your harvested deer with the respect it deserves and you will have plenty of good meals before deer season rolls around next year. Billy Higgenbotham is a professor and extension wildlife and fisheries specialist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
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lhoover@palestineherald.com 903-729-0281 / 903-948-8283
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097509290005692
Never let a stumble in the road be the end of your journey.
September-October 2016
East Texas Farm & Ranch Living
17
Support Agriculture Businesses... They are the Heartbeat of Our Economy
Fundraiser benefits Habitat for Humanity
By Deanna Kirk
Corsicana Daily Sun
A
relaxing evening with fine dining and live entertainment under the stars, followed by an early morning of skeet shooting at Upland Bird Country has become a tradition in Navarro County. This year will mark the sixth anniversary of the event, which will take place Friday night, Sept. 30, and Saturday morning, Oct. 1, and the purpose? To raise money for local Habitat for Humanity homes. Dr. Bob Kingman, who along with wife Liz got the Habitat for Humanity movement started in Corsicana a decade ago, had the idea for the skeet shoot as well. “I was involved with a nonprofit years ago where they did a skeet shoot, and I thought we’d do
something a little different, and it’s been pretty fun,” Kingman said. Virginia Monk, co-organizer, said tickets for the dinner, live band, and silent auction on the porch are $50 per person. To RSVP, please contact the Habitat office at 903-872-4690, or email hfhnavarro@gmail.com. The skeet shoot is $200 for a two-man team, and you may pre-register for that, or simply show up at 7:30 a.m. Oct. 1 to register. “Someone had the idea that you could sponsor a peace officers/first responders team,” Kingman said. “So the past two years, we’ve had a shootoff between the sheriff ’s deputies, the firefighters and the police. Jeff Harbuck has won the last couple of years. “The shooting is over kind of by lunch time,” he continued. “You can do just the dinner or just the skeet shoot.” Kingman said all the money
raised stays in Corsicana. Habitat for Humanity is comprised of church groups, volunteer clubs, etc., and Kevin Beatty is the contractor. “Dan Summerall is formally the contractor, I guess,” he said. “Of course, he’s volunteer too. Larry Morrison at McKee Lumber has been really good to help. He has his guys deliver lumber out there on Saturdays, has people get us supplies. We’ve been really blessed to have him as part of the team.” There is one employee, parttime, who manages the business end. “We’ve been able to move 10 lower-income families into homes where they’ve had the opportunity to become owners instead of renters,” Monk said. “Most are first-generation homeowners. We work with them ... partnerships on being a homeowner, things such as home repair, budgeting, insurance selection. “It’s really great to me to see families getting this opportunity who wouldn’t qualify for a traditional mortgage.” Monk also said it is neat to have all the different work groups who have stayed involved over the last 10 years who are coming out to
do the labor on the construction projects. “We’ve gotten into a pretty good rhythm,” she said. “We start building after Labor Day and try to be finished in late May.”
Kingman said applicants have to do three things: Be in unsuitable housing now, whether it be safety issues, or paying rent that’s too high; they must have the ability to pay their mortgage, in that they must have a steady income; and they have to help build their own house, called sweat equity. “They have to come out every Saturday and work on their own
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Open Thanksgiving Day
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house,” he said. “We build one per year, and we just started on the 11th house. Our new neighborhood is on E. 13th by Carroll Elementary.” The mission of Habitat for Humanity is that it “works in partnership with God and people everywhere, from all walks of life, to develop communities with God’s people in need by building houses so that there are decent houses in decent communities in which people can live and grow into all that God intended.” There are sponsorship opportunities available both for the dinner and the skeet shoot. Contact Monk at the Habitat office at 903-872-4690. The two-person teams will receive breakfast and lunch on Saturday, and one box of ammo per shooter (12 or 20 gauge only). The flight order will be determined by the order of the receipt of registration, according to the flyer. There will be prizes for the highest scoring teams. ———————— dkirk@corsicanadailysun.com soundoff@corsicanadailysun.com
COUNTRY STYLE
Smoked Links & Jerky
BREAKFAST STYLE
Sausage (Mild, Medium or Hot)
SUMMER SAUSAGE
(Regular or Jalapeno & Cheese)
GUTTING & SKINNING AVAILABLE!
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East Texas Farm & Ranch Living
18
Support Agriculture Businesses... They are the Heartbeat of Our Economy
September-October 2016
Hardcore archer offers advice
By Matt Williams
A
Outdoors Writer
nybody can get lucky and kill a good buck once. But it takes a hunter - a crafty one - to bring down bragging size whitetails with some degree of consistency. Factor open range property and hunting pressure into the equation and the level of difficulty climbs a notch or two. A.J. Downs of Conroe has collected his share of trophy class bucks over the years, including the current state record non-typical archery buck that was taken in Sept. 2012 in San Jacinto County. The incredible 28 pointer nets 256 7/8 inches according to the Boone and Crockett scoring system and ranks as the No. 8 largest Pope and Young non-typical of all-time in all of North America. Downs has taken a passel of good bucks in several states over the years, but he cut his deer hunting teeth in eastern East Texas, where the trees grow tall and the brush thick. I recently caught up with the 43-year-old hunter and asked him to share some strategies to help deer hunters boost their chances of taking a bragging size buck in this part of country this season. Here are AJ’s 10 Tips to becoming a better deer hunter: 1.) Scent Control Clothing: “Preparation is critical. Therefore, it is important to use non-scented detergent to wash all clothes, hats, undergarments and even towels to be used after showers. I even wash an empty load using non-scented detergent to help remove any odors from the washing machine that might be left over from daily detergents. I also spray down the washer and dryer prior to every use with some form of scent eliminating spray.” Clothing Storage: “Immediately after washing and drying I place all garments in a scent free bag or tote. I like the Scent Lok totes that have a replaceable carbon filter and O-ring for air tight sealing. Note, immediately following each hunt I remove my hunting garments, spray them down with scent eliminating spray and return them to the scent free tote.” Showering: “Be sure to use scent-free soap and shampoo to help eliminate any human odors. When possible I shower before every hunt. In conjunction with scent free soaps and shampoos use a scent free deodorant as well. In dry climates I even use non-scented lotion.” Spraying: “I always use a scent eliminating spray on myself and all my gear prior to entering my hunting blind.” 2.) Blind Placement Always Play The Wind: “It is critical to place blinds/ stands down wind from game entry, exit and feeding areas to reduce your chances of being detected.” Play It Safe: “If the wind isn’t right for a particular blind, don’t hunt it. It could blow your chances if there is a big buck in the area and you happen to get detected.” 3.) Blind Concealment “I enjoy hunting form the ground for the extra challenge as well as trying to get as close as possible to the game I’m hunting. With that said I have found the following concealment tactic to be very successful: Brush Blind Construction: “I take a roll of cattle panel and form a ring large enough to fit a standard pop-up ground blind inside with about two feet of space between the blind wall and the panel. Be sure to cut the panel so your shooting windows align with those on the blind. The next step is to tie brush vertically to the ring as thick as possible to the outside as well as inside between the blind and ring. This helps create a 3D effect and really adds depth to your blind. Lastly, trim shooting holes to a minimum. By doing this you will maintain a brush ring year round even after you remove your ground blind after the season. The next season I just add additional brush inside and out.” 4.) Proper Clothing Dark is Best: “Since I hunt from the ground and my blinds are very dark on the inside I always wear black shirts
Photo by Rachel Downs
A.J. Downs of Conroe is a hardcore archer with a passel of good bucks to his credit, including the current Pope and Young Texas state record non-typical. Taken on open range in San Jacinto County, the big 28 pointer nets 256 7/8 according the Boone and Crockett scoring system.
and hats. The darker color blend nicely with the blind.” philosophy is if you’re going to feed…don’t let it run out. 5.) Scouting Deer seem to be creatures of habit and if they get used to Off Season A Must: “Spend as much time in the off having feed in a particular area they generally come back season as possible trying to determine where the deer like to that area. Don’t give them a reason to leave your area by to be on your property. If you are able to set up blinds near running out of feed.” areas the deer naturally like to feed it will make it easier 9.) Equipment Maintenance to keep them in that area with your feeding during the The Right Set-Up: “I am a bow hunter, so set up is critical. season. Make sure your bow is properly sized, tuned, maintained 6.) Eye See You and sighted in. The same would be true for any weapon of Trail Cameras: “I use cameras religiously. I have a camera choice.” at every blind and run them all season. I start with placing 10.) Dedication them on protein stations during the growing season to try Practice Makes Perfect: “In my experience I have found and get a feel of what caliber bucks I have that year. I start the farther I practice shooting the better I get. I generally running cameras at my blinds as soon as I start feeding start out by shooting a few arrows at 25 yards or so, just corn for the season and I check them weekly. This helps me to get loosened up and to make sure nothing on my bow identify the deer I am targeting and stay up to date with has moved and to loosen up. Then I like to move back to its movements and patterns. This proves to be especially 70-80 yards. (This distance has lengthened with practice helpful if you are hunting a particular deer, which is and experience). I spend most of my time practicing normally my strategy until I harvest that buck or the at distances farther than I would shoot a whitetail at. season ends. I keep a folder for every stand per year on my laptop and keep pictures of targeted deer or promising deer However, tthis makes the loser shots a lot easier. Before I to see how they grow as they mature.” finish my practice session I move back up to 30 yards or 7.) Blind Entry & Exit less and it seems like you can touch the target with your Getting Around: “Determine what’s best for your hands. This has made me more consistent and a much property. For example, if you hunt a property where there better archer.” is a lot of vehicle traffic like a cattle ranch use similar ways to get around. I have found on our property that I tend to spook deer less by driving an ATV versus walking in on foot. This is due to the ranchers using the same type of vehicles GET A $500 REBATE WHEN YOU PURCHASE A MAHINDRA daily to work cattle ,thus making it more “normal” TRACTOR AND THE NEW mPACT TM XTV. to the deer. However, if you don’t have much vehicle NO WONDER WE’RE traffic I suggest sneaking in and out by foot.” THE WORLD’S NUMBER 1 8.) Feed SELLING TRACTOR Be Consistent: “My
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Feathers and Fur
Experts weigh in with statewide small game outlooks By Matt Williams
E
Outdoors Writer
very hunting season is a good one in Texas, mainly because wild game is so abundant and widespread throughout a massive state that spans eight different geographic regions.. While white-tailed deer always garner the most attention when fall hunting seasons roll around, small game species like turkey, quail, waterfowl, squirrel and dove all have a distinctive following that lures hundreds of thousands of hunters to the woods and water every year. Those hunters bring home plenty of meat, too. According to the 2015-16 Small Game Harvest Survey conducted by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, nearly 700,000 small game hunters went afield last season and they enjoyed a considerable amount of success. To wit: * 404,000 dove hunters harvested 11.1 million doves * 65,000 quail hunters harvested 1.2 million quail * 107,800 turkey hunters harvested 47,000 turkeys * 99,700 duck hunters harvested 1.2 million ducks * 14,500 goose hunters harvested 69,000 geese What can small game hunters expect this coming season? The real results remain to be seen, but judging from pre-season projections from wildlife experts around the state, the outlook appears to be bright:
NWTF Photo
Rio Grande jakes were abundance last season, which should result in big numbers of two year-old gobblers in gobblers in the field this season. Wild Turkey
Biologist: Jason Hardin, TPWD Turkey Specialist
“Rio Grande wild turkeys across the state experienced a mild and wet winter, spring and summer during 2015 resulting
in an excellent hatch,” Hardin said. “A ton of jakes were seen across much of the Rio Grande range during 2016 spring turkey season. These birds should experience great carryover resulting in a large number of 2 year old birds during the 2017 spring turkey season. Texas experienced another wet and mild spring and summer, which should lead to good nesting and brood rearing conditions again this summer. In some areas the cover may be too thick. “Eastern turkeys have long been thought to suffer from too much rain,” he added. “However, this may not be the case for East Texas. In areas of East Texas where turkeys are common, production was favorable during the 2015 nesting and brood rearing period. A good number of jakes were seen this winter and a good number of hens were incubating eggs during the latter part of the spring turkey season. Several hunters reported knocking birds off their nests as they walked the woods. Brood were being spotted as early and mid-May. In several areas where super stockings took place over the last few years land managers are reporting observing hens with poults.”
Quail
Biologist: Robert Perez, TPWD Upland Bird Program Leader
Photo by Matt Williams
Squirrel populations across much of eastern Texas appear to have rebounded over the last couple of years, which should bode well for hunters this fall.
Perez said statewide surveys for bobwhite had not yet been conducted at the time this was written, but things are looking good for quail populations again. “Texas had a spring just about everywhere and that doesn’t happen every year,” Perez said. “The Panhandle/ Rolling Plains and South Texas had a lot of carryover of adult quail and great nesting conditions so far. Things are drying up now, but we are optimistic for a great hatch leading into the fall. Current habitat conditions are pointing to good nesting cover and with plenty of insects necessary for poult survival. Summer conditions remain an unknown, but hopefully it will not be overly hot and as of this writing we are optimistic for a good fall. Our coastal region (prairies) likely received too much rain and this may reduce the hatch, but I still think there will be some decent production.”
Waterfowl (Eastern Texas)
Biologist, Kevin Kraai, TPWD Waterfowl Specialist
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Kraai said the 2016 May Breeding Waterfowl Survey was not yet available, but preliminary reports suggest a year very similar to last year’s breeding season with slightly dryer conditions in a few places. “As usual some areas have received ample rain fall after the survey in parts of Canada and the Dakotas that has improved conditions and should help brood rearing and survival for many species of ducks,” he said. “We don’t expect record number of ducks heading south this year like we have experienced in recent years, but numbers way above the long term average are likely to continue for most species. “It is important to note that the conditions and success of ducks on the breeding grounds is merely part of the story of hunters experiencing successful hunts across eastern Texas. Weather patterns, especially significant cold fronts, can have great impact on migration timing. Unfortunately, this is the one factor we can’t predict, but we keep our fingers crossed for lots of frozen water north of the Red River throughout most of the winter. Additionally, habitat conditions at home play a significant role. As waterfowl hunters and biologist, we are always looking to the sky to send us water for birds to forage in and for us to hunt. Rarely do either group say that there is too much water, but we came close last year and wet conditions have seemed to persist
into the summer months. “It is great seeing our ponds and reservoirs at capacity for the first time in years, but the timing of that water is quite important for wintering waterfowl. In east Texas we don’t have the luxury of our migratory waterfowl relying on an agricultural based feeding system like some areas of the mid-west covered in corn and rice. Our ducks have to make a living in the waters in which they swim. Thus, they need heathy productive systems growing lots of seeds and bugs. “With our reservoirs and ponds all experiencing very high water levels right now it is not conducive for growing expansive areas of moist-soil plants that produce millions of seeds that are so very important to wintering waterfowl. hose folks that have wetlands or ponds with the ability to manipulate water levels look to be sitting in the catbird seat by growing good pockets of food that birds will seek this winter. All waterfowl hunters; old, young and new to the sport should be excited about the vast numbers of ducks and geese we currently are experiencing in North America. As far as those in eastern Texas, they need to be hoping for temporally dryer weather and a cold winter.
Dove
Biologist, Shaun Oldenburger, TPWD Dove Specialist
“Through June, Texas had good to excellent production of mourning and white-winged doves across the state (especially Central and South zones),” Oldenburger said. “We had a really excellent push of early mourning doves before the wet May across the state. The wet, windy May knocked production back some, but we recovered well in June and still ongoing nesting efforts into July and August. As far as habitat, there is an abundance of seeds on the landscape from both native and introduced sunflowers, ragweed, pigweed, croton, etc. in all there zones. “We have lots of water still on the landscape, but the small ephemeral sheet water areas that were previously flooded are drying out this summer which will help concentrate birds in August and for opening days. We suspect that if anyone was able to get in timely food plots – they will be very productive during the early part of the year. With so much food on the landscape, we suspect that late dove hunting will be good since abundant local food resources should keep doves around (if not pressured too much) well into November with the new later seasons thanks to the 90-day dove season. Expect similar hunting conditions as 2015 with successes in areas that are holding birds and not pressured extensively. As always, make sure to dust off the shotgun prior to opening day and get some practice in since that will dramatically improve your success on opening day.
Squirrel
Biologist, Gary Calkins, TPWD Pineywoods Supervisor
After going through somewhat of a down cycle several years ago, squirrel populations across eastern Texas appear be on the upswing, which should bode well for hunters hoping to bag a few bushy tails for the skillet this fall. “There for awhile squirrel numbers got so low that it was pretty pathetic,” said TPWD wildlife biologist Gary Calkins of Jasper. “But it seems like things are starting to turn around. We’ve had some good litters and good mast crops and and the numbers seem to have bounced back nicely from what they were 3-4 years ago. I think the fall season will better than we’ve seen in years.”
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September-October 2016
Getting over the hump
Some thoughts for bass anglers as summer gives way to fall By Matt Williams
I
Outdoors Writer
t’s September in Texas. But don’t break out the hoodies and other cool weather duds just yet, bass busters. Summer is still with us, and that means water temperatures will likely continue to soar into the 90s on many lakes before more favorable weather finally comes rolling our way during the months ahead. Fall, which officially gets underway on Sept. 22 this year, is the harbinger of much welcomed cool fronts. The fronts usually start out mild and gradually increase with frequency and intensity as winter approaches. This factor, coupled with shorter days and longer nights brought about as the earth rotates on its axis, causes a gradual decrease in water temperatures on lakes across Texas. The changes always bring out the mean streak in Micropterus salmoides and likewise makes them more willing to play when they detect something that looks to be an easy meal racing through
the water column. Some experts believe it’s a feel good thing. Others contend the aggressive behavior occurs because the fish can sense the changing seasons. With winter just around the corner, they say fall triggers bass to gorge themselves to stack on a little extra body fat before the colder and nastier weather of winter arrives. That’s all encouraging stuff to think about. But until it happens, Texas bassers will face what some anglers consider to be some of the toughest, most brutal conditions of the year. “September can be a pretty tough time, especially on a lot of the East Texas lakes,” says Longview bass pro Jim Tutt. “The fishing can be really good up north this time of year, but it’s the tail end of summer in Texas and the weather is still going to be really hot in most places with not much happening to trigger a change.” Toledo Bend fishing guide Stephen Johnston agreed with that assessment. “September can be a really
tough month,” he said. “The water temperatures are going to be just as hot as they are in August, sometimes well into the mid-toupper 90s. With the water being that hot the oxygen levels are going to be low and the fish just aren’t going to be very aggressive until we get a good front with a big north wind to move the water around and start dropping the water temperature a few degrees. Once that happens it’ll gradually start changing everything for the good.”
of flats towards creek channels, drains and ditches. Low water can be particularly beneficial to bass fishing on lakes with an abundance of emergent vegetation such as hydrilla, because it often results in large surface “mats” with distinctive outside edges in plain view. In many cases this optimizes conditions for flipping heavy jigs and plastics to get at fish that are using the dense canopies for shade and cover to wage war on suspecting bait fish.
If there is an upside to late summer/early fall bass fishing in Texas, it is that water levels on most lakes are generally at their lowest points of the year. In a normal year, this comes as the result of limited amounts of summer rainfall to replenish water that gradually disappears with day-to-day evaporation. Low water also means clear water. Furthermore, it reduces the size of playing field, which provides the fish with less room to roam and makes them easier to find because it forces them off
Everyone knows this year has been anything but normal across much of the state. Many areas received abnormal amounts of rainfall in late spring and early summer, causing some reservoirs to climb several feet above normal at a time of year when water levels usually begin to plummet. In many cases the high water meant muddy water, which in turn prevented the critical sunlight that spurs hydrilla growth from penetrating the water column sufficiently. High water the last two years
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Anything But Normal
has stunted the summer growth of hydrilla on two of East Texas’ most famous grass lakes in Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn so badly that many experts don’t believe vertical fishing will be much of a player on either lake this fall. One East Texas lake where the grass still appears to be in decent shape is Lake O’ the Pines near Longview.???? “It should be matted in about six feet of water by the time September rolls around,” Tutt said. “That’s not that deep, but it’s plenty deep to have a good flippin’ bite on ‘Pines.” Tutt pointed out that September also can be good time to scratch the surface around shallow vegetation as big summer bass often gravitate to shoreline cover to seek shelter during the blazing Texas heat. Two of his favorite baits around scattered patches of hydrilla, torpedo grass, pond weed and lily pads are a Gambler Cane Toad and Heddon Zara Spook. A hollow body frog like the Spro Bronzeye gets the call around dense slip of thick stands of lily
Photo by Matt Williams
Anglers should be able to find a few bass hanging around shallow over like torpedo grass, lily pads and pond weed during the low light hours.
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pads where a stop and go retrieve is the order of the day.
Checking Thermocline
No matter what lake you are fishing during the summer months, Johnston says it is important to keep close check on the thermocline. The thermocline is basically the dividing line in the water column where oxygen content goes from rich to poor. Well tuned electronics will usually distinguish the thermocline as a faint black line on the screen. “You always need to start at water depths that are above the thermocline,” Johnston said. “Anything below the thermocline is void of sufficient oxygen. It’s like the dead zone down there.” The guide pointed out that the depth of the thermocline can vary from one lake to the next. It’s also possible to have more than one thermocline on the same body of water. “On a big lake like Toledo Bend it is not uncommon to find the thermocline at several different depths, depending on the area of lake you are in,” Johnston said. ‘It might be at 17 feet up north, 22 feet at mid-lake and 26 feet down south. Always keep an eye on the thermocline anytime you are moving around and always fish above it.”
Photo by Matt Williams
Toledo Bend fishing guide Stephen Johnston says deep diving cranks dredged on offshore structure will be a big player on Toledo Bend this September. Back to School
School bass are usually a pretty reliable option this time of year.
The fish are generally small in size, but they have huge attitudes and aggressive tendencies as they
Photo by Matt Williams
The Rebel Pop R has a history of bringing out the mean streak in fall school bass.
herd chase hapless groups of shad to the surface and feed on them at will. Toss a chrome topwater bait or small Rat-L-Trap amongst a group feeding schoolies and there is a pretty good chance it will get hammered. Late summer/early fall schooling activity is triggered largely by dwindling oxygen levels in deep water. As oxygen levels decline, the shad move into the upper water column, often times creating dimples on the surface that can be seen with the naked eye on a windless summer day. Most schooling activity occurs intermittently during the course of the day, often in relation to some sort of structure such as a creek channel, hump or underwater ridge. The killing sprees can last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. Proper boat positioning is of the essence to score when school fish are active. One of the most common mistakes anglers make when going after school bass is moving too close with the outboard engine running, which invariably spooks the fish.
If you spot an active school, kill the big engine 75-100 yards out and close the gap with the trolling motor. The idea is to move just close enough that you can reach the action with a long cast, not to move right in on top of the fish. Don’t fret it if the surface commotion wanes before you get into position. The action will often resume in a short time, usually in the same general vicinity. Stay patient, be quiet and wait them out. It might be a good idea to fan cast the area with a Texas rig or deep diving crankbait. Just hang on tight if you do. Two of the biggest bass I’ve ever reeled in were caught less than 15 minutes apart while fishing beneath a semi-active school of fish at Lake Baccarac in Mexico. The first weighed upwards of 11 pounds; it ate a six inch Optimum swim bait. The second fish, a 10 pounder, jumped on a Rapala DT16 crankbait. A few casts later I lost an even larger bass right at the boat on the crankbait.
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September-October Sep-Oct 20162016
Two East Texas parks offer fun, recreat By Jo Anne Embleton jembleton@ jacksonvilleprogress.com
T
he piney woods of East Texas offers a richness of history, of natural beauty, and two area parks are finding fun ways to celebrate both. “The story of our past without consideration of the role of the natural world is an incomplete tale,” explained Rachel Galan, an educator and interpreter at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site outside Alto. “The story of our sites is the story of Texas, of exploration and discovery, of triumph and tragedy.” Mission Tejas park ranger Josh Crawford added that “learning these traditions and hearing these stories is one way of respecting those who lived in the past and keep their stories and traditions alive … there are stories that can evoke emotional reactions and traditions that can induce a sense of pride of who we are if we only take time to hear and witness them.” Caddo Mounds – located at 1649 Texas Highway 21 West, in Cherokee County – is a 397acre site operated through the
Texas Historical Commission and which features mounds were built more than 1,200 years ago by the Hasinai Caddo Indians as a ceremonial center for the great Mound Builder culture, according to a history shared on the “Caddo Mounds State Historic Site” page on Facebook. Two temple mounds, a burial mound and a large portion of an adjacent village area were opened to the public in 1982; since then, walking trails and a visitors center have been added, the Facebook page notes. Within a short driving distance along Texas 21 is Mission Tejas State Park, a 660-acre park located just inside the Houston County line, at 120 Park Road 44 in Grapeland. According to its Texas Parks and Wildlife website, “the park was built in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps as a commemorative representation of Mission San Francisco de los Tejas, the first Spanish mission in the province of Texas that was established in 1690.” The park also features a restored log home built in 1828 that once served as a stopover for immigrants, adventurers and local residents traveling the Old San Antonio Road across pioneer
A trail legend points out the different historic features at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site, including a recently constructed grass hut.
Texas, the site notes. Both places have found ways to marry history with the great outdoors through a variety of programs. “Park hop” programs offered jointly by Mission Tejas State Park and Caddo Mounds State Historic Site “allows visitors to enjoy both (places and) have proven very popular,” she said, describing a geocache program that incorporates the use of electronics and old-fashioned sleuthing, along with plant foraging and identification programs held at both places. “We are looking forward to additional joint programs over the next year,” she said. These parks offer fun events like fishing, star gazing, archery, hiking and other programs, along with special educational opportunities for school children and teachers. Both host school groups, large and small, “who who split their time between sites, taking advantage of the variety of experiences and stories that both (Mission Tejas and the Caddo Mounds) have to tell,” she said. “It is a special journey through history when students can follow the Camino Real from the land of the Caddo or Tejas (for which Texas was named), travel the same road the first Spanish missionaries and French explorers journeyed, and walk the road our early Texas heroes took on their way to the battle of the Alamo.” There’s also a special “Caddo Traditions” workshop offered for educators, in which participants get to know members of the Caddo Nation and her scholars to learn about Caddoan life and spirituality through pottery, song and dance, food, stories, weaving and iconography, the site’s Facebook page states. Such offerings – whether as part of a classroom experience or a casual visit – “provide a variety of ways for visitors to connect to more than 1,000 years of Caddo history simply by getting outside and exploring,” Galan said of the site’s offerings. Crawford agreed. “Campers, students on field trips, and people visiting the park for the day all have several opportunities to explore and
Teacher Workshop participants work with Master Naturalis and primitive tools expert Neal Stilley (center) as they try t starting using a hand drill. connect to the resources of the park on their own,” he said. “There are more than six miles of hiking trails they can use also explore the forest where time seems to slow down.” And this, he said, hopefully sparks the beginning of a love for history and outdoors. “When visitors enjoy the park, its resources or one of the activities, we hope they begin to care for the park and its history in
their own way,” he said. “Perhaps even loving and protecting it in a way that provides a lifelong connection to the park and its resources.” Both places continue to look to the future as they find ways to share the past with visitors, and have either completed building projects or are fixing to launch them. Several years ago, a new visitor’s center was constructed
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tion while giving a glimpse into history
A visitor at Mission Tejas State Park reels in the first catch of the year using a fly rod on May 29. The park’s pond is used by guests for recreational fishing as well as by those participating in a program that teaches people how to fish. “The hope for the new house project was to create connections, inspire affection by creating new tangible connections and help preserve and expand the knowledge and skills of Caddo house building traditions,” Galan said. Mission Tejas officials are looking forward to new programs and projects this year, as well. “We are expanding programs
this season by offering Trails and Tails programs that partners with local animal shelters to bring dogs to the park so that volunteers and visitors can take them on a hike,” Crawford said. Another new program is an inaugural “Christmas in the Park,” slated Dec. 17; also in the works is a Mission Tejas run next year. Structurally, Mission Texas
is looking to add a new visitor center, park headquarters, interpretive exhibit hall and biking trails, “which are all beginning construction this year,” he noted. Meanwhile, festivals offered at both Mission Tejas and Caddo Mounds are the perfect way to get an overall picture of the rich history offered by these places. “Festival time brings in our largest number of visitors,” Galan said. The Oct. 22 El Camino Real Festival – the event is held annually on the fourth Saturday in October – offers visitors living history “as they listen to old time music, enjoy guided plant and archeology-themed hikes, enjoy archeology month activities like making stone tools and learning how to start friction fires, listen to el Camino Real-themed presentations, try their hand at making corn husk dolls, and much more,” she said. A Caddo Culture Day is observed the second Saturday in April, in which Galan said the Caddo people to come to the state historic site to share their traditions with visitors. “Visitors enjoy Caddo songs and dances, crafts, guided hikes, presentations and much more,” she said. At Mission Tejas, an annual
A participant in Mission Tejas State Park’s Junior Ranger program proudly displays a journal of her experiences. folk festival in mid-April draws visitors “from all over the state” with its offerings of acoustic and folk music, and living history demonstrations representing life in Texas during the 1800’s, Crawford said. “The Buffalo Soldiers, Texas Top Guns, flint knappers, and blacksmith are always a big draw,” Crawford said. “People want to peek into the past; some want their children and grandchildren to witness life as it was lived during the 1800’s in Texas.”
st, Archeological Steward their hand at friction fire at Caddo Mounds, featuring exhibits and displays that give visitors a deeper understanding of the early Caddo people. And during a three-week period July, volunteers participated in a grass house construction project that would not only give visitors new insight into the Caddo life, but also foster a sense of community among volunteers and Caddo tribal members who worked together.
A commemorative replica of Mission San Francisco de los Tejas graces the entrance of the state park located on Texas Highway 21 outside Alto. It was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps Company 888 in 1934-35.
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Whitetail Outlook Support Agriculture Businesses... They are the Heartbeat of Our Economy
TPWD’s deer program leader says stage is set for banner hunting year By Alan Cain
Special to the Herald-Press
I
t has been quite a while since we’ve experienced back-toback years of good rains across most of the state. Because Texas is such a large state we don’t always see good habitat conditions that stretch from Amarillo to Brownsville or El Paso to Houston, but 2016 has been an unusual year in that the vast majority of the state received good rains. Surprisingly, temperatures remained relatively mild into early June. This weather pattern bodes well for white-tailed deer. As a result, the 2016 deer season is expected to be another excellent year. However, there are a few areas where deer season may be impacted by the torrential rains and flooding that occurred this spring. The foundation for a great deer season starts with the native habitat that supplies the nutritional resources deer need to maintain excellent body condition, raise their fawns and for bucks to maximize antler growth. Consistent and timely rains as well as cooler temperatures this year have created a smorgasbord of lush green forbs and woody browse plants which comprise the majority of a deer’s diet. As such, deer should be in top body condition this year and antler quality should be above average. While river bottom habitats along portions of major river drainages (Brazos, Trinity, Sabine, Colorado) in the eastern portion that were still inundated with flood waters in early summer likely did not recover soon enough to benefit deer, but those animals displaced by flood waters and forced into upland habitat will not have to search far to find plenty of high quality forage. Taking Care of Business With the overall deer season expected to be above average hunters should be securing those deer leases or booking hunts as soon as possible. For those hunters that haven’t found a deer hunting spot for this fall consider putting in for one of the drawn deer hunts conducted on TPWD Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and state parks. Each year some excellent quality bucks are bagged on our WMAs and lots of hunters go home with an ice chest full of venison from antlerless and spike hunts. You can find out about the draw hunts on the TPWD website under the hunting link (https://tpwd. texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/ public/ ). Population Trends Statewide deer population growth indicates a slow and steady increasing trend. The 2015 deer population estimate was 4.12 million
deer or about 42 deer per 1,000 acres, and happened to be the highest estimated deer population in the last 11 years. TPWD wildlife biologist will not start our statewide deer surveys until later this fall, but hunters should expect the statewide deer population estimate for 2016 to be similar to 2015, about 4 million deer. That population estimate translates into a plenty of deer across the landscape to pursue come this fall. Hunters are encouraged to fill their tags this year to stabilize the deer population, especially in high-deer density areas of the state. Edwards Plateau The Edwards Plateau, commonly referred to as the Texas Hill Country, supports the highest deer population in the state with a 2015 estimate of 2.27 million deer or 117 deer per 1,000 acres and 2016 numbers are expected to be a bit higher than last year resulting from higher fawn crops. Hunters play a key role in habitat management by removing deer from the range through harvest and despite the excellent range conditions in the Hill Country this year, deer populations left unchecked can do serious damage to the native habitat that supports all wildlife therefore it is imperative for hunters to harvest as many deer as the bag limit allows.
than average fawn crop for 2016 likely a result of the excellent range conditions. Looking back several years ago at previous fawn crops and projecting those numbers to the 2016 season hunters should expect to see a good number of 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, and 6.5 year old bucks relative to other age groups for the Edwards Plateau and Cross Timbers region.That’s not to say there’s still not a good number of mature bucks in the population. In fact, 2016 should be an excellent year for bucks in that 4.5 to 6.5 age group as a whole relative to the last several years for these regions of the state. Rolling Plains West of the Cross Timbers is the Eastern and Western Rolling Plains ecoregion which encompasses that area from Albany westward in to the eastern Panhandle. This region is generally drier and deer populations are much lower compared to the Hill Country but the region still produces quality bucks and a good population of deer. The 2016 deer population in the Rolling Plains regions are expected to be similar if not a bit higher this year compared to 2015. Deer density estimates for 2015 were 22.33 deer per 1,000 acres in the Eastern Rolling Plains and 19.26 deer per 1,000 acres in the Western Rolling Plains. Projected
Photo by Alan Cain
TPWD whitetail deer program leader Alan Cain says antler restrictions in eastern Texas and Central Texas continue to improve the age structure of the region’s deer herd. Cross Timbers The Cross Timbers region of north central Texas has the next highest deer population with the 2015 estimate of 596,290 deer or 49.9 deer per 1,000 acres. The 2016 population for the Cross Timbers is expected to see an increase in the population numbers compared to 2015. Early indications suggest a higher
number of bucks in the 4.5 and 7.5 year old age class will be higher relative to other age groups in the Western Rolling Plains and the Eastern Rolling Plains the buck age structure will be more similar to that of the Cross timber with more bucks in the 3.5, 4.5, and 6.5 year old age groups. South Texas The South Texas Plains
Courtesy Photo
Cain says mature trophy-class bucks are apt to show up anywhere in the state, but he ranks the Rolling Plains and South Texas regions as the best bets for bagging a whitetail with bragging size antlers. region is known for exceptional bucks produced in that region and a moderate deer density compared to other areas of the state. The 2015 estimated deer density for South Texas is 34.43 deer / 1,000 acres or 447,160 deer and the 2016 population is expected to be higher this year with a good fawn crop in the forecast. South Texas has been plagued by dry conditions over the last 6-8 years so the fawn crops have been relatively low but consistent, which translates into a relatively even distribution of bucks among all age classes. So hunters should expected to see a good number of bucks in the 4.5 to 7.5 age class and also lots of 1.5 year old bucks in 2016 since 2015 was a good fawn crop year. With the expectation of above average antler quality the opportunity to bag a good quality older age class buck should be within reach of many hunters in South Texas. Pineywoods Deer populations in the Pineywoods ecoregion indicates a gradual population increase and 2015 was the highest estimated deer density during the last 11 years with an estimate of 270,000 deer or 20.4 deer per 1,000 acres. The extensive flooding occurring this spring will likely have some impact on the deer population in the region and I would expect the overall numbers to be down a little this year. I’ve received some reports of adult deer mortality related to the flooding along the Trinity and Brazos river drainages. We can also expected the floods to increase fawn mortality rates this year. Hunters should also be aware that flooding causes deer to be temporarily displaced from
their normal ranges, resulting in dramatic population increases in localized areas adjacent to the river drainages and floodplains. One benefit is that those wise old bucks that have avoided hunters for years in those dense river bottom thickets may be more visible and presenting a greater opportunity to harvest one of these trophies. Hunters should enjoy these opportunities but be mindful not to over harvest the deer population that resulted from a temporary increase due to flooding. Post Oak Savannah The Post Oak Savannah ecoregion deer population continues to grow and the 2015 estimated deer density was 33.3 deer per 1,000 acres. The 2016 deer population estimates are expected to be similar, although some localized areas may see a drop in deer numbers related to flooding events similar to conditions experienced in the Pineywoods this spring. Buck age structure for both regions should be similar and based on previous years fawn crops hunters should expect to see more 3.5, 6.5, and 8.5 year old bucks relative to other age classes. There is a fairly even distribution of bucks among the other age classes. Antler-restriction regulations continue to improve the buck age structure in these regions and is reflected in the annual harvest where Age and Antler surveys conducted by TPWD wildlife biologist indicate 53 percent of bucks are 3.5 years of age or older in the Post Oak Savannah and 64 percent in the Pineywoods. Despite having some of the highest hunter densities in the state these regions continue to produce good
quality deer. Statewide Outlook Antler quality is expected to be above average statewide. Throughout the majority of the state habitat conditions were favorable this past winter and plenty of winter weeds were available to help the bucks recover from the rigors of rut and ultimately give them a good foundation to start the antler growth cycle this year. The continuation of the spring rains will insure plenty of high quality native forage will be available well into the summer months and should allow bucks to fully maximize their antler potential this year. Although South Texas is a destination location for hunters looking for a true giant in the antler department, I wouldn’t discount any region of the state. The average statewide Boone and Crockett score for bucks 6 1/2 years old or older was 129.92 and 121.72 for the 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 year old age group - very respectable quality bucks for anywhere in the state. Hunters looking for those trophy quality animals might focus their efforts in the Rolling Plains regions as well as South Texas. With the expectation of 2016 shaping up to be an exceptional deer season, I hope you make plans to spend time deer hunting with friends and family and enjoy those moments. It’s not often with the fast pace of life we get the opportunity to enjoy pursing the whitetail, so cherish those times afield. Good luck this year and have a great hunting season. Alan Cain is a veteran wildlife biologist and Whitetailed Deer Program Leader with the Texas and Wildlife Department.
September-October 2016
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Wildlife experts forecast 2016-17 hunting season By Matt Williams
Y
Outdoors Writer
ou can have those daybreak workout sessions and 6 a.m. tee times. My idea of a good time on a crisp fall morning is witnessing the arrival of another brilliant sunrise from the confines of a Texas deer blind. There are roughly 600,000 other men, women and youngsters is this state who share the passion, and most of them will be in the field bright and early on November 5. That is the opening day of the 2016-17 general season for white-tailed deer in both the North and South hunting zones. While the upcoming presidential election is sure to be a hot topic around deer eve campfires this year, many hunters will lull themselves to sleep with images of monster bucks dancing in their minds. It is impossible to say what will happen out there. But if this season is like most, there will be plenty of deer shot with some Texas size bucks in the mix. With a statewide whitetail population estimated at around 4 million animals, every Texas season is a good one. But some years are certainly better than others. What’s in store for Texas hunters this season? Nobody really knows for certain, but state wildlife biologists have a pretty good idea. I reached out to district leaders and field staff around the state and asked them offer up a hunting forecast for deer and other game animals that are popular in their respective area. Here is the 2016-17 Texas hunting forecast by geographic region:
However, rainfall amounts varied across the region. Although most received above average rainfall, many areas received amounts way above average. Too much rain can be a bad thing. Excessive flooding can result in deer mortality, and the potential for exposure from rainfall could have negatively impacted fawn recruitment in some areas. Weights may be down in some areas where too much rain fell, which can result in decreased protein levels in fast growing plants. In addition, a mild winter followed by a wet spring often results in heavy parasite loads in deer which can have negative effects on overall health. Based on early observation, it looks like we may be in store for another significant acorn crop. As usual, the acorn crop, rainfall and temperatures could positively or negatively influence deer movements and hunter success during the upcoming season. When
of forbs and woody browse this year. He is seeing some nice antlers for this time of the year.
Northern Bobwhite Quail: Biologist James Weaver says the amount of available cover across the eastern Rolling Plains counties of Shackelford, Throckmorton, and Stephens will contribute to a bumper crop with many birds producing multiple clutches if conditions stay favorable. Meanwhile, Marquardt says quail number in Parker, Hood, Johnson, and Tarrant County area and equally encouraging. “Even better than last year!” he said. “Most of these reports come from areas that have had little to no grazing in the last few years.” Biologists Mike Miller and Kyle Melton say things also are looking up for quail in the Coleman County and Waco. In June, Melton says he heard more quail calling at one location in Coleman County than he had
Region: Pineywoods
Wildlife Biologist: Micah Poteet, Lufkin Whitetail Deer: Hunters reported fewer deer observed than normal during the 201516 season, mostly because of Mother Nature herself. Abundant rainfall, along with unseasonably warm weather during much of the deer season kept the woods green. In addition, many areas saw an abundant acorn crop, which seems to be occurring pretty frequently these days. Many hunters focus their efforts around corn feeders, which is a good strategy early on, particularly during the archery only season. However, daytime visits to corn feeders can decline dramatically if natural food sources are readily available. This is often demonstrated when deer are cleaning up the corn under the feeder in late summer and early fall, and then all of the sudden corn begins to pile up under the feeder. That’s usually a sure sign that the acorns have begun to hit the ground. Natural forage, including acorns, is available around the clock which allows deer to feed according to their schedule. Movement after dark seems to increase once the woods get active with hunters. When deer feed primarily at night, observation by hunters naturally decreases. If it weren’t for game cameras, many hunters would likely swear that many of the deer were gone. Last season, hunters couldn’t kill what they couldn’t see. The number of scored entries entered into the Texas Big Game Awards program for the Pineywoods was down below the long term average. However, what is bad news for one year could be good news for the following year. As such, I expect a decent carryover of bucks that slipped through the cracks last season. These bucks are now one year older which can make a significant difference in antler size. In addition, antler restrictions continue to aid the carryover of young bucks and maintain an improved buck age structure. Deer should have made it through last winter in good condition. As they exited winter, they were greeted with excellent habitat conditions due to abundant spring rainfall. The rainfall also continued into early summer. Plants (browse and forbs) which make up a high percentage of a deer’s diet are most nutritious and palatable when actively growing. Timely rainfall keeps the plants actively growing. Therefore, good habitat conditions during spring and early summer could bode well for antler growth and fawn production in some areas.
Photo by Matt Williams
Courtesy Photo
Citing banner habitat conditions and good carryover of bucks from last season, wildlife biologists are forecasting above average antler growth and good numbers of mature deer in the woods this year. conditions are favorable for deer, hunters may find more success concentrating on natural food sources rather than 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: Although continental duck populations have been up in recent years, the number of ducks wintering in the Pineywoods remains relatively low compared to other parts of the state. For example, according to mid-winter waterfowl surveys last winter, only two percent of the ducks in the state were located in the Pineywoods. Abundant rainfall, throughout east Texas, and statewide, often makes hunting more difficult as ducks have many more options and tend to be more dispersed across the landscape. The high number of blue-winged teal reported on the breeding grounds the last few years could result in good hunting during the early teal season. However, teal migrations are heavily associated with cold fronts; hopefully some of which will move through during the early teal season.
Region: Cross Timbers
Wildlife Biologist: Jesse Oetgen Whitetail Deer: Wildlife biologist John McEachern reports from the San Angelo area that deer numbers were good last year and this year looks to build on that. Antler production should be better than average, given the moisture the area has received through early July. West and south of Ft. Worth, wildlife biologist Dean Marquardt reported several sightings of twin fawns and even one set of triplets in late spring. With a mild winter and above average rainfall this spring, bucks are in great condition. According to Charlie Newberry, deer along the Red River are benefiting from the growth
ever experienced in his 19-year career as a biologist. “It’s been awhile since quail have been discussed in the same sentence with hunting central Texas, but amazingly I have heard more quail this year than in years past,” Miller said.” Rio Grande Turkey: Biologist Annaliese Scoggin says she has many reports of poults on the ground after an excellent brood year last year in the Abilene area. Meanwhile, wildlife expert Dan Davis reported a well above average turkey hatch in the Ranger area while Newberry thinks the population around the Wichita Falls area has seen a slight increase over previous years and expects to see good numbers of mature birds in the field by spring. According to Miller, the spring hatch in his area was excellent. “There should be an abundance of two-year-old birds for the spring 2017 hunting season,” he said. Mourning Dove: Newberry predicts that abundant grain and native seed production coupled with abundant surface water should spread out the birds and make hunting a little more difficult. Several biologists report seeing an abundance of common sunflower, Johnsongrass and doveweed and agree that it bodes well for foraging doves.
Region: Post Oak Savannah Biologist: John Silovsky
Whitetail Deer: The Post Oak Savannah region received average to slightly above average rainfall for the first five months of 2016 and coupled with the surplus rain fall from 2015 range conditions should be considered good. These plentiful rains have provided high quality habitat conditions as we head into the heat of the summer. With any additional summer rains habitat conditions in the uplands should be good to excellent as we approach fall hunting seasons. The only exception may be those riparian corridors that received extensive flooding for extended periods of time. Those areas will likely lag
behind in the quality of habitat. The estimated deer population in the Post Oak Savannah is 410,000 deer and research indicates a slow but steady population increase since 2008. As the deer population continues to increase hunter participation and total harvest have also increased. Individual participation is estimated to be 95,000 individuals with a total harvest of 57,000 deer. Hunter success averages slightly less than fifty percent. Through the utilization of antler restrictions the harvest of 1.5 year old bucks has decreased nearly 50%. Harvest data from the past few years suggests a trend of increasing numbers of older bucks in the annual harvest. Bucks make up more than 55% of the total harvest and 25% of those bucks are at least 4.5 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 white-tailed 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. Several counties will have additional deer hunting opportunities through the utilization of additional “doe days”. Eight counties will have four days for the first time and an additional nine counties will increase to sixteen days. Consult the Outdoor Annual or the TPWD web page for specific county information. Eastern Turkey: The best eastern turkey populations are predominately located in the northern counties of the Post Oak Savannah along the Red River. Research and restoration efforts continue for these birds. Researchers believe that the lack of quality nesting, brood habitat and connectivity between suitable habitats are the limiting the success of these birds. Some nesting success has been realized from birds recently reintroduced to the area. The timing of the spring rains improved range conditions and the abundance of insect populations that provide critical food sources for turkeys throughout the spring and summer months. Eastern turkey harvest this past season (186) was near the average compared to the past four seasons but remains well below the long term average of more than 200 birds. Squirrel: Squirrel hunting opportunities should be good to excellent with good acorn crop forecast in most of the region. Generally we saw good conditions throughout the Post Oak and late spring rains have occurred in many areas which should produce some mast. Years with good mast production are typically followed by years with good squirrel reproduction. Dove: Good dove hunting opportunities in the region will be scattered with the best hunts located where food, water and cover are located in close proximity. Sunflower fields, harvested corn, milo, and fallow farm fields are always a good early season bet. With late season action heating up on goat/dove weed patches. The Blackland Prairie counties in the northern part of the district have traditionally offered better dove hunting. Ducks: This truly is the good ol’ days of waterfowl hunting! Waterfowl production of most species of interest to East Texas hunters continues to be significantly above long term averages and have set yet another record for many species. But....as always, an abundance of ducks in East Texas is dependent on having water at the right time with an adequate supply of preferred foods such as acorns and aquatic plants. Habitat conditions are fair due to the late spring rains on abundant mud flats. When fall/winter rains fill our East Texas bottomland forests and wetlands, duck hunting opportunities can be significant, but it will also require colder weather and snow cover to the north. East Texas waterfowl hunters would certainly be ahead of the game by indulging in some pre-season scouting to locate those wetlands with good food and water combinations.
East Texas Farm & Ranch Living
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September-October 2016
Waterfowl experts share tips Support Agriculture Businesses... They are the Heartbeat of Our Economy
By Matt Williams
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Outdoors Writer
f this year’s opening round of duck hunting on East Texas reservoirs turns out like most, hunters will likely experience spotty results. Some may never even fire a shot. The first split of the 2016-17 Texas duck season gets underway Nov. 12 in the North Zone and the second split begins Dec. 3. In a normal year, East Texas duck hunting begins with a trickle then gradually gains steam once fall gives way to winter and cold fronts begin to increase with both frequency and intensity. That’s not saying you can’t have a profitable shoot in weather better suited for flip flops and shorts than neoprenes, but the odds are generally a whole lot better come December and January as the larger flights of mallards, canvasbacks, gadwall, shovers, pintail and other migrant waterfowl ride the year’s coldest weather southward, far from their northern breeding grounds. Duck hunting guide Lance Vick of Mineola has spent nearly 20 years guiding big water hunters on his home lake, Lake Fork. Vick, who also guides bass fishing trips on the 27,000 reservoir, has enjoyed some good early season shoots over the years on Fork but says the hunting action is routinely better during the second split. “Usually, the later it gets the better the hunting gets, because that’s when we typically see the larger flights of birds,” he said. “But it can vary from year to year, depending on the weather, availability of food, water level and other conditions. Last year, things kind of fizzled out early and I pretty much done with ducks by the time the second split was over. But that’s normally not the case. There are usually plenty of ducks still hanging around late in the season, even after the second split is over. It’s going to be interesting to see how things work out this year. We’ve got more water than we have had in a long time. I’m looking forward to it.” So is Jared Laing. Laing is the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s point man for East Texas waterfowl hunting. With duck numbers at a record high, populations for several species well above their longtime averages and significantly more water in our reservoirs compared to the last few previous seasons, Laing things are shaping up for outstanding duck hunting season in eastern Texas. The key to bringing it all together is Jack Frost. Cold weather up north is what pushes waves of ducks our way. Big Reservoirs = Big Water
According to Laing, one of the main factors that lends itself to good duck hunting on big reservoirs are the vast amounts of water on the landscape. “The more water, the more area waterfowl have to choose from and find something they like,” he said. “Going into duck season, many of our reservoirs are at or near capacity (thanks to abundant rainfall last winter, spring and in early summer). This is very different from the last few years.” Laing pointed out that what makes a reservoir attractive to migrating waterfowl hinges heavily on the availability of preferred forage, and that can vary depending on whether a lake’s water level has a tendency to fluctuate from year-toyear or remain fairly stable. The Main Attraction Water level also can have a bearing as to what types of ducks are more attracted to one reservoir than the next. “What makes a lake productive from a dabbling duck (mallard, gadwall, pintail, shoveler, wigeon and teal) perspective is fluctuating water levels,” Laing said. “Lakes that dry out as the summer progresses and re-flood in the fall/winter typically grow more desirable seed producing plants than do lakes with more stable water levels. On the other hand, divers (canvasbacks, ring necks, redheads and scaup) tend to focus more on stable level reservoirs, or deeper areas of widely fluctuating water levels and lakes with good beds of submerged aquatic vegetation.” 10 Tips for Big Reservoir Hunting To help give newcomers to the sport a little insight, I asked Laing to provide a few hunting tips gleaned through years of hunting experience and to provide a list of what he perceives as the Top 10 big reservoirs in East Texas for duck hunting. Here is what he had to say: 1. Scouting: “There is nothing I can say that can improve hunter success on reservoirs more than finding birds. Get out and scout.” 2. Hunt Where You Find Them: “After you find birds, figure out how to get right where they are, then hunt right there. Not 50 yards away.” 3. Be Mobile: “If lots of birds are going down somewhere else and you’re not having success, move to them. Don’t be idle and sit and watch birds pouring in somewhere else, move where they are going. There is nothing you can do to call, decoy, or otherwise lure birds to you if they want to be somewhere else.” 4. The Right Spread: “Use appropriate decoy set-ups. The typical East Texas hunter uses two dozen mallard decoys
Courtesy Photo
TPWD wetlands biologist Jared Laing (left) says scouting ahead of the hunt is imperative to consistent success on East Texas public reservoirs. and two spinning-wing decoys. I strongly suggest using something different than that, especially on the reservoirs where you see multiple species. Match your decoys to what you’re seeing while scouting, or what you know is in the area.” 5. Stay off the call: “Resist the urge to call too much. Many folks think the more and harder they blow the more birds they will attract. The truth is actually quite the opposite. The more you call the less they want to come in. A good guide is if the birds are talking and are vocal, then you can call. If not, then nothing you’re going to say anything with a call is going to change the birds’ minds about where they want to go, but it can frustrate neighboring hunters.” 6. Mind Your Manners: “Be courteous to other hunters, they have the same right to be there as you do. A good example of this is not calling while birds are working an adjacent hunting party. Also, get there early to claim your spot and don’t be angry if someone beats you to “your” spot. Reservoir hunting is a first come-first served basis.” 7. Keep Decoys Moving: “Keep motion in the decoys. While there are many gadgets for maintaining motion in the decoys, I like to keep things simple and prefer the jerk-string to many of the more
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technological methods.” 8. Stay Hid: “Hide well, and keep movement minimum with incoming birds. Waterfowl can see movement and off color items very well. Conceal yourself with as natural-looking substances as possible. Use a headnet or facepaint to conceal your shiny face and don’t look directly up at incoming ducks.” 9. Stay Quiet: “Keep sound to a minimum with incoming birds. Waterfowl can hear fairly well, that’s why it works sometimes to call them, so keep noises to a minimum while birds are working.” 10. Don’t Skyblast: “Know your effective range with the choke and load you will be shooting that day. For most shooters it is less than 35 yards. However, many shooters routinely take shots at birds farther than 60 yards!” Laing’s Top 10 East Texas Lakes 1: Toledo Bend: 181,600 acres 2: Sam Rayburn: 114,500 acres 3. Lake Fork: 27,264 acres 4. Lake Tawakoni, 38,879 acres 5. Wright Patman, 18,994 acres 6. Cedar Creek, 32,623 acres 7. Caddo Lake, 26,800 acres 8. Richland Chambers 41,356 acres 9. Lake of the Pines, 16,919 acres 10. Cooper, 19,305 acres
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September-October 2016
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Class of 2015
A look back at some of East Texas top bucks from last season By Matt Williams
T
Outdoors Writer
he 2015-16 deer season in eastern Texas didn’t go down as the best on record for whopper bucks, but it certainly wasn’t among the worst, either. All total, Region 5 (Post Oak) and Region 6 (Pineywoods) last year produced a handful of “Booners” and several other bucks that scared the heck out of minimal scoring requirements for the Boone and Crockett All-Time record book. B&C is the country’s most recognized scoring registry for North American big game animals. The organization has two categories for whitetail deer - typical and non-typical. Any buck can be measured using the scoring system, but the only deer that can “book” are those that are taken open range and meet minimum scoring requirements according to the organization’s scoring system. Typical racks must register a minimum net score of 170 to qualify; non-typicals, 195. Antlers must dry for a period of 60 days. Deer taken behind high fence are not eligible for entry into B&C’s all-time record book. A more localized big buck registry is the Texas Big Game Awards Program. Run jointly by the Texas Wildlife Association and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, TBGA provides a recognition outlet for hunters who harvest quality big game animals Texas and the land managers responsible for producing them. Successful hunters are awarded certificates and their photos are posted on the TBGA website, www.texasbiggameawards.org. The TBGA format features scored categories for white-tailed deer, mule deer and pronghorn antelope that meet minimum scores for the region of harvest. Additionally, there are first harvest and youth divisions. There’s nothing like a trip down memory lane to get those energetic juices flowing and put images of big bucks dancing in your mind. Here’s the skinny on some of the top whitetails taken across eastern Texas last season: Lady and the Beast Courtney Gehrmann knows all-too-well the difference a few years can make on whitetail buck’s rack. A 26-year-old nurse from Bryan, Gehrmann bagged the No. 2 TBGA non-typical taken in Region 5 on Oct. 9 while hunting on a 8,000-acre lease located the along the Neches River bottom in Anderson County.
Courtney Gehrmann, Anderson Co. 199 net, Non-typical The club is partially fenced and wellmanaged under a Level 3 game management program. Gehrmann was sharing the blind with her father, Bill, when the whopper whitetail she had been after for several seasons showed up in the company of a doe. “Our golden standard for taking trophy bucks on our lease is 5 1/2 years old or older,” the lady hunter said. “The reason we do that is it gives them opportunity to mature and reach their full potential. Once they reach 5 1/2 they are mature and post-mature after that. You never know what these animals can do. They
can change so much from one year from the next. Letting them get some age on them gives them that opportunity. That’s why I chose to wait.” The wait was certainly worth it. Stan Cook, an official Boone and Crockett Club scorer from Nacogdoches, taped the 7 1/2-old 12 pointer known as “Patron” at 203 5/8 gross and 199 5/8 net. “It has to be the most symmetrical non-typicals I have ever scored,” Cook said. Mr. Popular Clint Lowery wasn’t all that worried about Boone and Crockett inches when he went deer hunting on the 90 acres is dad owns on the afternoon of Nov. 10. He was more interested in bringing down a gnarly-looking non-typcial that had literally become the talk of the town around Douglass, a rural community along the western edge of Nacogdoches County.
a shot at the big deer during 2014. But he wasn’t the only one. His neighbor, David Fulton, who claims he spent 120-140 hours in the stand hunting the buck in 2014, also took a crack at buck but missed at 171 yards.
Jimmy Isaacs, Cherokee Co. 174 4/8 net, Typical
Clint Lowery, Nacogdoches Co. 174 4/8 gross Non-typical (Unofficial) The buck had been seen several times times leading up to the season opener by numerous hunters by on different tracts of property located within a two mile radius of town. He also had been seen several times feeding at night alongside State Highway 21, often in close proximity to a local barbecue joint that closed down several years ago. “I started hearing about him around the start of dove season,” Lowery said. “There were a lot guys around here who were after that deer. Several guys had game camera pictures of him, some as far as three miles from where I hunt.” Thinking he might have just as good a chance at killing the deer as anyone, Lowery decided to start baiting an area around a brush blind he built, just to see what happened. About one week before the season opened, Lowery collected several game camera pictures of the deer everyone was talking about. “He was big and he always came in at night,” he said. Lowery missed hunting opening weekend because of prior commitments, but he still managed to kill the prize buck shorty after 4 p.m. on that memorable Tuesday when it came tooling in to his corn pile to join couple of does. The hunter chose not enter the buck in the TBGA program. Sporting 16 scorable points, palmated beams and split brow tines, the buck registered an unofficial gross score of 174 5/8. Cherokee County Bruiser Jimmy Isaacs of Rusk took Cherokee County into unchartered territory last season when he tagged the first all-time B&C book typical ever reported from that county. A main frame 12 pointer with two kickers, the Isaacs Buck grosses 187 2/8 and 174 4/8 net. Not surprisingly, it was the top scoring typical reported in all of East Texas last season. There’s good cat and mouse story behind the bruiser whitetail, too. Isaacs, who was hunting on 300 acres he owns, actually missed
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“He definitely made his rounds, but he really seemed to like Jimmy’s area over there,” Fulton said. “We always told each other that we would let the other one know if one of us killed him. Even though I wasn’t the one who got him in the end, I’m glad it was Jimmy who did and that he didn’t get poached or hit by a car. Jimmy knew he was out there just like I did and he hunted him pretty hard, too.” Isaacs, who owns a local convenience store, killed the deer on the afternoon off Nov. 12 after it slipped into the edge of a large meadow at around 5:30 p.m. “There wasn’t a whole lot to it,” Isaacs said. “I remember sitting there and thinking to myself that it was getting late I needed to head to the house and get to bed because I had to get up and be at the store by 2 a.m. “Then a doe popped up over a little knoll. She threw her head up was looking hard across the pasture. That’s when I looked over and saw him. He was heading straight towards her, probably 75-100 yards away.” Crossbow Giant All it take takes is a few of seconds for a good day in the deer woods to turn into a great one. Just ask Steve Anderson of Hudson. The 2015 Archery Only season was less than an hour old when Anderson used a crossbow to drill an Angelina County bruiser that ranks as the No. 2 Pineywoods nontypical reported to TBGA last season. The enormous 22-pointer grosses 182 B&C inches and nets 172 4/8. The buck is a main frame 10 pointer with 12 abnormal points including quadruple forks on the left brow tine and double forks on the right. “He’s got a lot of character - lots of trash,” Anderson said. “I sure was glad to get him.” Anderson, 57, shot the big buck at 7:30 a.m. when the buck showed up at a corn feeder in the company of five does and another buck. He was sharing the blind on his open range lease with his daughter, Lindsey. Interestingly, the visit didn’t come as a surprise. Anderson said he had been using game cameras to monitor the buck since September 10, when he suddenly showed up out of the blue. Anderson said the buck came in like clockwork shortly after daylight on opening morning and offered him a clear shot at 19 yards. What is really remarkable about the buck is the fact it managed to grow such an outstanding set of antlers at a very young age. Anderson’s taxidermist, Kevin Westbrook of Central, aged the deer at just 3 1/2 years old. In the Thick of It Dyllon Pate is firm believer in hunting in the thickest cover he can find, particularly when hunting on the heavily pressured Davy Crockett National Forest near his home in Apple Springs. That exactly what he was doing when he collected on truly impressive Trinity County 11 pointer last season. Pate shot the deer from on the morning of Nov. 13 after making a 30-minute hike to his
hunting area through a briar thicket that was almost too dense to walk through. He had already hunted the spot several times and had been seeing quite a few does in the area, so he figured it was just a matter of time until a buck showed up. His plan came together shortly after daylight when a doe showed up beneath his stand. Moments later, he heard what sounded like a buck grunting from nearby creek bottom and tree falling behind him. “When I looked back, this huge buck was just hopping right over the tops of the briars, probably 6-7 feet high,” Pate said. “In a couple of leaps he went right over the top of that stuff I spent hours chopping through.” Pate said the deer was moving away in pursuit of the doe when he took a “now or never” shot that found its mark, but didn’t kill the deer. Pate said he discovered blood and eventually jumped the buck at about noon. He backed off at that point and came back later in the day, but found nothing. Pate’s luck took a turn for the better the following afternoon when he discovered the massive whitetail piled up at the edge of a small thicket roughly 300 yards from where he took the shot. The 6 1/2-year old buck is a dandy. The rack grosses 173 3/8 and nets 157 7/8 as a typical. It’s the biggest typical entered in TBGA from Trinity County since 2009 and is arguably among the best typicals ever taken on Davy Crockett National Forest land in that county. The Best of the Rest Eastern Texas produced number outstanding bucks last season. So many, in fact, that it is impossible to share the stories behind each one in the alloted space. Here are the pertinent details behind a few of those bucks: Region 6 Non-Typical * Scott Myers, Trinty Co., 18 pointer, open range, 213 gross, 187 4/8 net * Bradley Newton, Trinity Co., 13 pointer, open range, 176 gross, 169 3/8 Region 6 Typical * Chris Siedel, Houston Co., 11 pointer, open range, 169 3/8 gross, 165 1/8 net * Lynn Barnes, Tyler Co. 10 pointer, open range, 162 4/8 gross, 155 6/8 net Region 5 Non-Typical * Cody Griffin, Collin Co., 14 pointer, open range, 213 3/8 gross, 195 4/8 net * Brandon Slater, Limestone Co., 15 pointer, open range, 174 6/8 gross, 169 1/8 net * Tony Hayes, Rains Co., unknown points, open range, 183 1/8 gross, 166 7/8 net
Scott Myers, Trinity Co. 187 4/8 net, Non-typical
Cody Griffin, Collin Co. 195 4/8 net, Non-typical
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September-October 2016
Big Time Hunts
TPWD offers Texas hunters shots at premium hunts in lotto-style By Matt Williams Outdoors Writer
W
ith a long list hunting seasons just around the corner, many hunters are likely making last minute purchases in preparation to play their respective games. One item that you might think about putting on the shopping list this fall is a chance in the 201617 Big Time Texas Hunts sweepstakes. You could win a premium big game hunt with thousands of dollar for less than it costs to buy a box of premium shotshells or a 12-pack of your favorite beer. Big Time Texas Hunts (BTTH) is the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s version of the Texas Lotto. Rather than playing for cash, hunters play to win all-inclusive hunting packages for whitetail deer, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, exotics, bighorn sheep, turkey, ducks, geese, dove and quail. There are nine BTTH categories to choose from: * Texas Grand Slam: Regarded as the hunting package of lifetime, the the Grand Slam includes four separate guided hunts for desert bighorn sheep, whitetail deer, mule deer and pronghorn antelope. A non-hunting companion can come along. Hunts will take place at the Double H Ranch, Elephant Mountain WMA, Black Gap WMA, Meyers Spring Ranch and the Sierra Diablo WMA. * Texas Exotic Safari: One winner and their companion will hunt sable antelope, gemsbok, scimiar-horned oryx or axis deer. Hunts are guided and taxidermy is provided. The hunt will held at the Mason Mountain WMA. * Texas Whitetail Bonanza: Six winners selected to hunt a quality buck on select ranches. Each winner can bring a hunting guest. Hunts will take place on Bartush Land and Cattle Company, Big Woods on the Trinity, Chaparral WMA and Matador WMA. * Texas Premium Buck Hunt: One winner of a hunt for a trophy whitetail on a well-managed ranch in South Texas. One hunting guest allowed. The guided hunt will take place on the Caiman Ranch. * Texas Waterfowl Adventure: One hunter
TPWD Photo
Stephen Knowles with the massive mule deer buck he shot last year as winner of the Texas Ultimate Mule Deer Hunt. wins three separate hunts for ducks and geese. The winner may invite up to three hunting guests along. The guided hunts will be provided by Central Flyaway Outfitters. * Texas Big Time Bird Hunt: One winner of three separate hunts for dove, turkey and quail. Up to three hunting guests allowed. Guided hunts will be provided by Black Creek Ranch in South Texas, Gene Howe WMA in the Panhandle and the Caiman Ranch. * Texas Gator Hunt: One winner and guest win a three-day alligator hunt, airboat tour and a bonus teal hunt. The guided hunt will take place at the J.D. Murphee WMA. * Wild Hog Adventure: One winner and up to three guests will hunt hogs for a weekend at the Caiman Ranch. * Texas Ultimate Mule Deer Hunt: The winner and a guest will hunt trophy mule deer for 3-5 days at the Yoakum Dunes WMA in the Panhandle. Last year’s winner, Stephen Knowles, took an incredible non-typical buck that ranked No. 2 among Texas mulies taken statewide season. The buck grosses
232 and nets 226 2/8. Each BTTH chances costs $10 if purchased over the counter or by phone. You can also buy chances online for $9. It should be noted there is a $5 administrative fee for online and phone purchases. There is no limit on the number of chances you can buy and you are required to have valid Texas hunting or fishing license at the time of purchase. What are the odds of winning in one or more categories? That depends on the category and how big of a gambler you are. Winners are selected by random computer draw. The more chances you buy, the better odds. Last year’s BTTH sweepstakes resulted in 72,989 entries that generated nearly $681,500 revenue, according to Justin Dreibelbis, TPWD director of public hunting. Dreibelbis is the money is marked for wildlife conservation, habitat management and public hunting projects. “We spend this money on everything from bighorn and pronghorn surveys in the Trans-Pecos to road
TPWD Photo
The winner of the Texas Grand Slam wins four premium hunts, including the rare opportunity to take a highly prized bighorn sheep.
repairs and camp shelters for our public hunters in East Texas,” he said. “We will have a “where the money goes” page on
our BTTH website soon that will highlight specific projects over the last few years.” To learn more about
Texas Big Time Hunts, http://tpwd.texas.gov/ huntwild/hunt/public/btth/ index.phtml or call 1-800792-1112.