15 minute read
Founders letter
Another dove season is in the books. The 2021-2022 season was excellent for some but a huge disappointment for many hunters. Last year’s freeze played a large part in the movement of the birds, moving some to town, some far south, and some did not survive. Wet weather was a substantial factor especially in the north. Grainfields were harvested later than usual, so the mourning dove had plenty to eat and drink and were in no hurry to move south. Record numbers of acres of milo were planted in the Rio Grande Valley, slowing the progression of the white wing’s movement to the north. This result was that once local birds in the central part of the state were hunted, the numbers were extremely light. But there’s always next year. It’s not too early to start planning next season’s hunts. Some outfitters are already completely booked. If you don’t have a place that you go regularly, think about what part of the state you want to hunt and explore the options for outfitters and leases. Call ahead to be sure you have the space reserved. Now is also a perfect time to work on your shooting skills and the shot that gave you the most trouble this past season. There are sporting clays courses all over the state where you can practice. Dove hunting has and will always be my favorite, but sometimes it’s fun to try other fowl hunts. Ducks are always a great experience, and quail, chucker, and pheasant bring lots of excitement, especially if you can work behind a dog. Planted birds are a great option if you’re itching to get out now and not wait until next year. Shooting planted birds is lots of fun and can be done in the off-season.
Have you ever tried hunting Sandhill Crane? I highly recommend it. I went on my first crane hunt this past season, and I can hardly wait to go again next year. Be sure and check out our different membership levels in this issue. Hats are back by popular demand. Also, we will be in Fort Worth at the DUX Expo, and in Houston and San Antonio at the TTHA Hunters Extravaganza. Please stop by the booth and to say hello! Take a kid hunting,
Bobby Thornton
MISSION STATEMENT
TEXAS DOVE HUNTERS ASSOCIATION CORPORATE OFFICE
2395 Bulverde Rd., Suite 104 Bulverde, TX 78163 Off: (210) 764-1189 Fax: (866) 233-0507 email: info@txdove.com texasdovehunters.com
FOUNDER Bobby Thornton
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Susan Thornton
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Myrna Hassfield
PHOTOGRAPHER
Jay Schwisow
Custom Hunting and Outdoor Gear blakejonesdesigns.com
AMBER HAYNES
A Catalyst for Women to Reach Their Full Potential in the Outdoors
By Nate Skinner Photography by Tammy Blalock
The amount of women getting involved in hunting, fishing, and shooting sports is seemingly growing by the day. Amber Haynes is an individual that has definitely been a catalyst for this movement. She built a platform and community geared towards motivating females to feel confident and comfortable in the outdoors through her company, McKenna Quinn.
McKenna Quinn is a brand that manufactures elegant ladies’ outdoor apparel, and the company’s roots in the out-of-doors run deep. As the founder and owner of the company, Haynes is an avid hunter, angler, and all-around outdoor enthusiast. She found that the outdoor industry was lacking clothing that met women’s needs and created a solution. Haynes put just the right amount of “a woman’s touch” on an industry that has been historically dominated by males. In the process, she has reached and continues to reach countless women by introducing them to the outdoors.
Amber Haynes grew up in San Antonio and began dove hunting with her father at an early age.
“I first made it out to the dove field with my Dad at age two,” Haynes said. “I still have pictures of myself helping tend to our hunting dogs when I was just a little girl while he was hunting doves.”
Haynes says that she first started shooting a shotgun on dove hunts and actually hunting herself at around seven years old.
“My dad always included me on his dove hunts,” Haynes elaborated. “Every September, he would invite me along on his hunts, and it became a tradition that I looked forward to each fall.”
As a youngster, Haynes and her father dove hunted with Golden Retrievers. Some of her fondest and earliest memories from the dove field include several responsibilities, like making sure that their dogs didn’t wander off, picking up empty shells, and playing bird dog or retriever herself.
“Hunting became special to me early on in life because it was an atmosphere where I always felt welcomed and never out of place,” Haynes said.
According to Haynes, most of the dove hunting she participated in with her father during her childhood took place in the San Antonio area and on down towards Beeville. the outdoors, and shotgunning only grew as she got older. Shooting skeet and sporting clays became a hobby for her during her teenage years.
“My Dad ended up getting a Brittany Spaniel when I was in my early twenties, and that really motivated us to dive into the world of quail hunting,” she said. “The dog was so happy in the quail fields; that’s where we wanted to be.”
With quail hunting dominating their focus, Haynes and her dad began traveling to different ranches, lodges, and outfits across Texas in pursuit of the upland game birds.
“The places that we chased quail were beautiful,” Haynes admitted. “Everything was always so pretty and elegant. We would spend a morning or afternoon in the field and then go to an immaculate and luxurious lodge for lunch or supper. None of the clothing available for women at that time seemed appropriate for both the field and the dinner table. I always felt
like I needed to change clothes between hunting and enjoying a meal.”
Haynes says that this is what sparked her inspiration for McKenna Quinn.
“As a woman, you want to feel confident, strong, and feminine or lady-like all at the same time,” she said. “My dream was to create clothing that was comfortable to hunt in, but that was also elegant, attractive, and appropriate for lunch or dinner settings.”
Haynes says that McKenna Quinn launched in 2017.
“I had pieced together a sample that represented what I thought would make an excellent hunting shirt for female wing shooters,” Haynes explained. “Once the initial sample design was finished, a friend of mine called me and said that she had some room in her booth at the Dallas Safari Club show. She encouraged me to bring my sample shirts to her booth at the show to see how the public would react to their design. I took three samples with me to that show and sold so many preorders that I was able to create enough revenue to pay for the first run of production. And just like that, McKenna Quinn was born.” About a month after her success at the 2017 Dallas Safari Club show, an outdoor sports store in Houston called Gordy & Sons Outfitters contacted her, wanting to stock the McKenna Quinn line of apparel in their shop. This further helped get the company off the ground and up and running.
Haynes says that the name “McKenna Quinn” is something she came up with.
“I wanted to come up with something that sounded outdoorsy, but also girly or lady-like at the same time,” she explained. “After doing some internet research and exploring, I finally settled on McKenna Quinn. Folks often ask me if McKenna Quinn is the name of an actual person, but it’s just a name I came across and really liked.”
Haynes says that since the launch of McKenna Quinn, her company has grown and expanded each year.
“When I launched the brand, we started with three shirts,” Haynes elaborated. “A long-sleeved shirt, a fishing shirt, and a Polo shirt.”
From there, Haynes has added several pieces to the McKenna Quinn line each year, including upland hunting pants, various shirts, vests, and sweat-
ers, and other outerwear and accessories. McKenna Quinn products are available online at shopmckennaquinn.com, as well as at different family-owned dealers across Texas and the country, including Los Cazadores, Gordy & Sons Outfitters, Joseph and Sons, Rivers and Glen, Caliber Outdoors, and Etchen Fine Guns, to name a few. McKenna Quinn is also the preferred vendor for the Congressional Sportsman’s Foundation. With the exception of the brand’s scarves, all McKenna Quinn products are American-made, and most are made in Texas.
Almost immediately after McKenna Quinn was launched, Haynes began meeting the women who were buying her products. Most of them were interested in finding more opportunities to go hunting or practice shooting. This motivated her to organize company-hosted events to provide women with opportunities to get involved in the outdoors.
“In the summer of 2017, I hosted my first McKenna Quinn event at Joshua Creek Ranch,” Haynes said. “It consisted of nearly 100 ladies that came to shoot sporting clays and eat lunch together. To have that kind of attendance at my very first event was a reality check. I quickly realized that there were tons of women looking for hunting, shooting, and other outdoor opportunities that would fit into their busy lives and would make them feel welcomed.”
Since her first event, Haynes has hosted 28 McKenna Quinn events, including ladies sporting clays shoots, introduction to shotgun
sports days, quail hunts, duck hunts, numerous dove hunts, driven shoots, simulated driven shoots, cast and blasts, and wild game and wine paired dinners, all designed to provide opportunities for women to enjoy the outdoors. Since 2017, McKenna Quinn events have provided shooting and hunting opportunities to approximately 500 women.
“I’ve been very fortunate to team up with many great outfitters and ranches to put on these events, and I am extremely grateful for all of those relationships,” Haynes said.
The McKenna Quinn 2022 event schedule currently includes the following: A snow goose hunt in Arkansas, a driven hunt at Kaian Vista Ranch, dove hunts with the Hiner Ranch, Steve Wilson, and Shane Johanson’s Sporting Adventures, a teal hunt in 2W Outfitters, and a cast and blast in upstate New York with Catskills Cast and Coverts for grouse and trout.
Haynes is also working alongside Pam Young of Alamo Sporting Arms to launch a Texas GRITS (Girls Really Into Shooting ) chapter in the Hill Country.
“Together, we will host monthly ladies shooting days,” Haynes said.
Haynes currently lives in Boerne, TX, with her two daughters, ages 10 and 12, along with their black lab and English cocker spaniel. She was recognized by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation as one of their 2021 We Will Not Be Tamed Ambassadors this past year and has also recently had the opportunity to work with Texas Wildlife Association to raise awareness of the value and the importance of the outdoors.
“I am very appreciative of the opportunity to get to support these two organizations that do so much to protect and conserve the land and our hunting heritage,” Haynes said.
Haynes says that she enjoys getting to create functional clothing that helps women feel beautiful, comfortable, and confident in the field.
“But even more so, I deeply love that McKenna Quinn has become a platform that allows me to introduce women to the outdoors, as well as encourage them in their outdoor pursuits,” she admitted. “I believe that the outdoors provide healing for the soul, and that’s something that everyone should experience.”
The only aspect of her life that Haynes finds more joy in is spending time outdoors with her two daughters. As a family of three, they regularly go hunting, fishing and pursue other outdoor adventures.
It’s safe to say that McKenna Quinn is much more than a brand — It’s a community and a lifestyle that Haynes will continue to grow and expand in order to make a difference in the lives of women for many years to come.
RIBEYE OF THE SKY
Sandhill Crane Hunts on the Rise
By Reis Ladd Photos by Jarrett Everett
It’s late December in south Texas, and myself, my dad, and my Papa, are lined up thirty yards apart along a mesquite brush line facing a turned under peanut field. The objective, to catch mourning doves heading back to roost, is frequently interrupted by a multi-note trumpeting call hundreds of feet overhead. Papa, sitting on his old pivoting dove bucket that doubles as an insulated ice chest, hollers and points, “Reiser, ribeye of the sky. Sandhill Cranes. You need to get you some of them.” It’s a flock of about a dozen pterodactyl esc birds flying south, low enough for us to notice their long skinny outstretched necks leading the way and their seemingly longer, skinnier legs trailing behind. The birds are flying in a lopsided “V” heading somewhere my young outdoorsman’s mind could only picture as quintessential crane haven. I chirp back, “Wait, Pop, you can hunt those?!”
Sandhill Cranes have been legal to hunt in Texas for many years, but according to various sources within the industry, the popularity for the sport has increased significantly in the last few. Outfitters and Texas Parks and Wildlife officials attribute the rise in hunting to fewer geese wintering in Texas along with the influence of social media. Once involved in the sport, it is easy to see how hunters become infatuated.
Per the US Fish and Wildlife Service, “North American Sandhill Cranes are collectively the most abundant of the world’s crane species with fossil records dating back at least 2.5 million years.” Their migratory range includes many parts of the United States, Canada, northern reaches of Mexico, and even northeastern portions of Siberia. Sandhill Cranes are also a long-lived bird, frequently living 20+ years in the wild. Millions of years of evolution combined with potentially hundreds of thousands of miles traveled in a lifetime results in a bird that poses great challenge to any hunter. Rhett Overman with Final Descent Outfitters out of Lubbock, TX states, “I give
cranes the most respect out of all of them (ducks & geese), they will pick you apart and humble you quick. The oldest banded bird we have been a part of was 27.”
Hunting Regulations
Texas is one of seventeen states in the U.S. that holds a hunting season for Sandhill Cranes. Although the majority of the state hosts a season, the greatest concentrations of birds reside in the Panhandle and along the coast. Hunters should take special note of the regions closed to hunting within the state. The “Zone C Closed Area” is closed to hunting in order to protect the federally endangered Whooping Crane, which winters within the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge along the Texas coast. Whooping cranes will be larger and whiter than Sandhill Cranes, but do sometimes intermingle during their migration.
Unlike waterfowl, it is in fact legal to take Sandhill Cranes with lead shot, but most outfitters suggest nontoxic shot in the blind for the occasional waterfowl traveling with the cranes. Similar to hunting other migratory game birds, the state of Texas requires Sandhill Crane hunters possess a valid Texas hunting license, Texas Migratory Game Bird Stamp, and the Harvest Information Program (HIP). Additionally,
Zone A
Zone B
Zone C
Sandhill Crane hunters are required to possess a Federal Sandhill Crane Hunting Permit.
Tips and Tactics
Traditionally, Sandhill Cranes are hunted in harvested crop fields with hunters set up over decoy spreads, most commonly hunting out of an A-Frame or layout blind. However, when it comes to success in hunting Sandhill Cranes, the name of the game is scouting, experience, and “The Hide”. Traveling to the areas of the state that host the largest concentrations of birds and utilizing reputable outfitters with experience hunting and scouting these creatures is arguably the best option for any hunter. However, be mindful, you can be positioned on “the X”, but if not hidden well enough to deceive the eyesight of a bird with millions of years of evolution, it is likely to be a slow morning.
Hunters generally shoot 12 or 20 gauge steel shot with shot size varying from BB to 4 shot. Season dates are in the colder times of the year and it is common for hunters to wear bibs. Camouflage similar to the surrounding vegetation is ideal, but neutral colored clothing will also work. Many guides run dogs, but wounded birds are often aggressive and a well-placed peck or slice from a claw can inflict serious damage on your retriever. Most dogs are outfitted with vests and even goggles for their protection.
There are opportunities to hunt Sandhill Cranes on public land and it is possible to put together a DIY trip seeking to gain your own permission. If you were more interested in going with an outfitter you would find daily rates for around $300 per person.
As a hunting guide myself, often times a client takes away something they were not expecting. For cranes, it is the sound. Imagine thousands of four foot tall trumpeting birds calling simultaneously as they soar overhead, working closer and closer towards your spread, feet down, five-foot wingspan outstretched, just in front of the blind. That scene alone will bring any hunter back again and again.
Oh, and as far as the wellknown phrase “ribeye of the sky”, I asked Josh Lane of Redhead Lane Outfitting if Sandhill Cranes were really that good to eat after his 20 years guiding and his response was, “Ribeye of the sky? I would change it to filet mignon!”
