PUBLISHERS MESSAGE
The staff at The Junction Eagle welcomes hunters and visitors to the best hunting country in the great state of Texas. While you’re here in the splendid “Land of Living Waters”, we want you to enjoy yourselves, forget about the shenanigans in Washington and have the most successful hunting experience ever. Kimble County has a lot to offer hunters: whitetail deer, exotics, turkey, feral hogs, quail, javelina, bobcats, coyotes and red fox; and there are some of the finest folks here that you’ll ever meet anywhere. We encourage you to shop with our advertisers. The local merchants who advertise in our Hunter’s Guide demonstrate they want, will work for, and appreciate your business. They have years of experience in stocking what you
need, and they go out of their way, with typical Hill Country hospitality, to make sure you are well served. We hope visitors to Kimble County will enjoy this publication. We’ve attempted to give you some hunting information, info about local services, and a peek at our local history. We hope you like this new format. The Junction Eagle’s graphics lady extraordinaire, Ashley Lundy, worked long and hard to bring you this special edition. We think she did an excellent job for our advertisers and for you. We offer a special thanks to Frederica Wyatt. She is a living encyclopedia of Kimble County history and gives generously of her time, talent, and knowledge. Her weekly contributions in The Junction Eagle in her column “Meanderings” and our semi-annual visitor guides are invaluable. She doesn’t work at the newspaper, but she might as well, so great is her contribution. Stop by the Kimble County Historical Museum and tell her hello. We are always grateful to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for the enormous cache of information provided. In this Guide, we are pleased to publish the work of wildlife biologist Macy Ledbetter, Thank you for choosing to visit us. Be careful; have a great time while you’re here.....and come back soon! Jimmy and Debbie Cooper Kistler owners and editors
CONTENTS
THE JUNCTION TEXAS AND SURROUNDING AREAS
HUNTERS GUIDE Home is the Hunter, Home from the Hills - pg 7 Excellent Bucks in Kimble County - pg 10 2015 Hunting Forecast - pg 12 Hunter & Landowner Ethics - pg 15 Field Dress for Success - pg 17 The Big One - pg 19 Long Live the Mighty Best in Your Belly - pg 21 Wild Game Recipes - pg 22 Patience. Practice. Persistence. - pg 24 Places to Set Your Sites on When Not Hunting 26 & 27 Exciting Events in Kimble County - pg 28 Lodging and Restaurant Guide - pg 29 Don’t Fall Prey to Buck Fever - pg 30 Estimating Whitetail Buck Age - pg 31 Does Supplemental Feeding Protein Pellets Really Work - pg 33 Deer Blind Location 101 - pg 35 Just the Other Day - pg 36 & 37 Lock Away Danger - pg 37 Safety First - pg 39 Seeds of Hope - pg 42 & 43 Facts About Deer You May Not Have Known - pg 46 The Allure of Antlers - pg 49 Scent to Help - pg 50 & 51
A WELCOME FROM STATE REPRESENTATIVE ANDY MURR On behalf of my friends and neighbors in Kimble County, I’d like to welcome you to Junction on the banks of the beautiful North and South Llano Rivers. Having grown up here, served as County Judge and now serving as our State Representative, I suppose my objectivity regarding the allures of Kimble County could be called into question. But in my humble opinion, you have chosen to visit the finest 1,251 square miles Texas has to offer, and we are all very happy that you did. Now, I’d like to bring your attention to a few new pieces of legislation relating to firearms, hunting and property rights that may be relevant during your stay in Kimble County. On January 1 of 2016, “Open Carry” will take effect and become state law.
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Put simply, anyone who holds a Texas Concealed Handgun License will now be able to openly carry a pistol, provided it is holstered, in the same places that previously allowed them to carry a concealed handgun. Businesses will still have the right to prohibit weapons on their property, however, so be mindful of any posted notices relating to guns on private property. During the last legislative session, we also proposed a new constitutional amendment that will stipulate hunting and fishing as the preferred methods of managing wildlife across the state. If the amendment (Proposition 6) is ratified by voters this November, the right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife will be enshrined in the Texas Constitution for all time. Finally, I was proud to be the author of a piece of legislation aimed at protecting those in the agritourism industry from frivolous lawsuits that could threaten their livelihood. Agritourism has taken off in
recent years throughout the Hill Country and the State of Texas. My bill says that those who operate a tourism-based business on their farm or ranch, like a cornmaze or a pumpkin patch, cannot be held liable for certain accidents that may occur such as twisted ankles, scrapes, bites, stings and other things that are a part of daily life in the country. I don’t believe that property owners should have to risk financial hardship because they chose to open up their property to paying visitors for entertainment and recreation, and I hope that you agree. Once again, welcome to Kimble County. I hope your stay is pleasant and enjoyable, and that we will see you again in the years to come. Sincerely yours, Andrew Murr Member Texas House of Representatives
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