2023 Mar_April TTHA Issue

March/April

Outdoor Opportunities Abound in Springtime

As a hunter of long vintage, I sometimes reminisce about the sounds of nature—the squeals, howls, hoots, gobbles, and cackles coming from denizens of the wild. From 12 years old, I have spent much time in the woods and fields of Texas, listening to the sounds of the animals and birds that have been an important part of my life.

I’m prejudiced when it comes to nature. The poor souls in New York City or Philadelphia who have never heard a pack of hounds in the chase; the eerie calls of the giant pileated woodpecker; the howl of a coyote; or the morning gobble of a wild turkey have missed a part of living.

I feel fortunate to have been raised to appreciate the wilds of Texas—hunting and hearing all that the fields and forests have to offer a woodsman. I’m proud to have seen and heard it all—or, at least, all that was important to me.

Spring has “sprung” in South Texas, and creeps towards Dallas and Amarillo. Early daffodils are blooming, the birds are singing, and the turkeys are gobbling. Crappie fishing is at a peak, and baseball is just around the corner. Spring is great in Texas!

Now that deer season is over, hunters’ minds will turn to exotics and Rio Grande turkeys. March is a good time to hunt nilgai and axis, and the April calls of the wild turkey will lure a few 100,000 nimrods to various parts of Texas west of the Brazos to chase the elusive turkey gobbler.

I was a good turkey hunter for over 30 years, and I know “Old Tom” pretty well. He’s a wild and wary creature, but his traits of love often cause his demise. An old gobbler can’t resist the seductive yelp of a lovelorn hen, imitated by the call of the hunter, and each spring, thousands of Texans tote shotguns and heavy gobblers to the truck. In many ways, there’s nothing more exciting than spring turkey hunting. There are other things to do in the spring if you’re not into exotics or turkey. Shed antler hunting can be enjoyable before the grass and weeds hide the discarded head bones of whitetail bucks. The dry weather that Texas has experienced in the last year or two makes it easier to find off-white antlers on the green turf. It’s almost as enjoyable as looking for arrowheads or four-leaf clovers.

“If I had a flower for every time I thought of you … .” Alfred Lord Tennyson, the English poet-laureate, had it right. Spring IS the time when a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of love. This is a good time of the year, so enjoy it to the fullest.

Founder Jerry Johnston

Publisher

Texas Trophy Hunters Association

President and Chief Executive Officer Christina Pittman 210-729-0993 • christina@ttha.com

Editor Horace Gore • editor@ttha.com

Executive Editor Deborah Keene

Associate/Online Editor Martin Malacara

North Texas Field Editor Brandon Ray

East Texas Field Editor Dr. James C. Kroll

Hill Country Field Editor Gary Roberson

South Texas Field Editor Jason Shipman

Coastal Plains Field Editor Will Leschper

Southwest Field Editor Jim Heffelfinger

Field Editor At Large Ted Nugent

Graphic Designers Faith Peña

Dust Devil Publishing/Todd & Tracey Woodard

Contributing Writers Zoe Barilla-Deuschle, Luis DeLa Garza, John Goodspeed, Judy Jurek, Christopher Stanley, Kim Tackett, Lynn Zarr, Nick Zinsmeyer, Ralph Winingham

Sales Representative Emily Lilie 713-389-0706 emily@ttha.com

Advertising Production

Deborah Keene 210-288-9491 deborah@ttha.com

Membership Manager Kirby Monroe 210-809-6060 kirby@ttha.com

Director of Media Relations Lauren Conklin 210-910-6344 lauren@ttha.com

Assistant Manager of Events Jennifer Beaman 210-640-9554 jenn@ttha.com

Administrative Assistant Kelsey Morris 210-485-1386 kelsey@ttha.com

To carry our magazine in your store, please call 210-288-9491 • deborah@ttha.com

TTHA protects, promotes and preserves Texas wildlife resources and hunting heritage for future generations. Founded in 1975, TTHA is a membership-based organization. Its bimonthly magazine, The Journal of the Texas Trophy Hunters®, is available via membership and newsstands. TTHA hosts the Hunters Extravaganza® outdoor expositions, renowned as the largest whitetail hunting shows in the South. For membership information, please join at www.ttha.com or contact TTHA Membership Services at (877) 261-2541.

Horace Gore

30 Tribute Buck for Granddad

| By Luis DeLa Cerda, with Texas Harper

39 The Saw Tooth Buck

| By Lynn Zarr

58 Three Generation Buck

| By Christopher Stanley

83 Big Boy

| By Kim Tackett

91 DIY Elk Success

| By Nick Zinsmeyer

ON THE COVER

Ella Hawk is a young, up-and-coming big game huntress. Read all about her on page 25.

accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope or return postage, and the publisher assumes no responsibility for loss or damage to unsolicited materials. Any material accepted is subject to revision as is necessary in our sole discretion to meet the requirements of our publication. The act of mailing a manuscript and/or material shall constitute an express warranty by the contributor that the material is original and in no way an infringement upon the rights of others. Photographs can either be RAW, TIFF, or JPEG formats, and should be high resolution and at least 300 dpi. All photographs submitted for publication in “Hunt’s End” become the sole property of the Texas Trophy Hunters Association Ltd. Moving? Please send notice of address change (new and old address) 6 weeks in advance to Texas Trophy Hunters Association, P.O. Box 3000, Big Sandy, TX 75755-9918. POSTMASTER: Please send change of address to The Journal of the Texas Trophy Hunters, Texas Trophy Hunters Association, P.O. Box 3000, Big Sandy, TX 75755-9918.

Photo By: Tony & Cindy Hawk

Journal Writer Honored by Dallas Safari Club

The Dallas Safari Club selected Jim Heffelfinger as the winner of its 2023 Conservation Trailblazer Award. This award celebrates the monumental contribution of wildlife professionals to the field of game and non-game wildlife conservation, including wildlife and habitat management, applied research and policy.

Heffelfinger received the award, plus a $10,000 contribution in his name toward the conservation project he selects, during a banquet at the 41st Annual DSC Convention and Expo held January 5-8, 2023.

Heffelfinger currently serves as Arizona Game and Fish Department’s wildlife science coordinator and as an adjunct faculty and full research scientist at the University of Arizona. He has also worked for private landowners, the USDI Bureau of Land Management, and multiple universities as a wildlife research assistant and wildlife biologist. Heffelfinger was a regional game specialist for the Arizona Game and Fish Department for more than 20 years.

“Jim is a foremost expert on deer in the United States. He is a consummate professional who diligently stands on the side of science and not emotion or politics. The impact of his expertise, leadership with the scientific community, and ability to take complex scientific information and communicate it to a diversity of audiences make Jim worthy for consideration of this prestigious award,” said Casey Stemler, big game migration coordinator for the Department of the Interior.

For more than 30 years, Heffelfinger has focused primarily on big game and various deer species. He’s the chair of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ (WAFWA) Mule Deer Working Group. He authored his own book, “Deer of the Southwest,” led the writing of the North American Mule Deer Conservation Plan, and is lead editor of the upcoming book “Ecology and Management of Black-tailed and Mule Deer in North America.” He’s also been instrumental in helping coordinate and implement the Department of Interior’s Secretarial Order on big game winter range and migration, both in Arizona and with other WAFWA state agency biologists.

Additionally, Heffelfinger has also written more than 300 magazine articles, including in The Journal of the Texas Trophy Hunters, and 20 book chapters in regional, national and international publications. He has published dozens of scientific papers and has written TV scripts for outdoor TV shows. He’s participated in approximately 25 podcasts and maintains his own website called deernut.com.

“Given his incredible body of work and ability to communicate with broad audiences that has manifested into profound conservation impact, coupled with a long list of existing peer recognition and achievement awards for that work and impact, I simply could not think of a better qualified candidate for the DSC’s Conservation Trailblazer Award,” Edward B. Arnett, CEO of The Wildlife Society, said. — courtesy Dallas Safari Club

Jim Heffelfinger

BARRY HOGAN

By Jason Shipman

Barry Hogan is a pioneer of our hunting heritage. He’s a visionary of sorts, and as such has been successful in many aspects of life. He built an industry-leading company as well as an outstanding ranch and wildlife program, which he has selflessly shared with many other aspiring hunters and outdoor enthusiasts.

A lifelong love affair with wildlife began at an early age for Barry. “I grew up in the southwestern suburbs of Houston in a sea of suburban brick homes and hardly a place reminiscent of the outdoors,” Barry said. “It was my father and uncle who instilled in me a passion for hunting and fishing. My uncle took me bass fishing and my father taught me at an early age to shoot and took me dove and duck hunting. These experiences created a foundation for me, but it was the stories they told during our holiday gatherings of their outdoor exploits that really lit my fire!”

The recollected stories detailing youthful outdoor adventures were contagious. As a young teenager, Barry would ride his bike, and later a motorcycle, to nearby creeks and bayous where he would wander and explore with a BB gun or .22 at his side. “Later I developed close relationships with friends whose families operated cattle ranches in the South Texas brush country. Our friendships centered around our mutual love of the outdoors,” Barry said. “It was there I acquired my introduction to deer hunting and although we mostly hunted for does, I remember rattling up and killing my first buck, a nice 10-point.”

Not only did his South Texas friends introduce Barry to whitetail deer and quail hunting, they did even better when they also introduced him to a lovely young lady named Liz in 1974. Liz had grown up in the Rio Grande Valley. The two hit it off instantly and Liz became Mrs. Hogan.

Around the same time, quite a bit was happening in Barry’s life. “My father had a business of fabricating small modular

crude refineries. In 1977 he and I built a small refinery in South Texas that specialized in recycling petroleum waste sludges,” Barry said. That business led Barry to a long career of developing and operating petroleum waste recycling and reduction technologies culminating in DuraTherm, Inc., which operated the largest facility in the United States for the treatment of refinery hazardous wastes. “My brother and I operated that company until 2008, when we sold it to retire early and refocus the priorities in our lives. In other words, we wanted to slow down

Barry credits his father and uncle for instilling his passion for hunting and fishing.

Editor's note: This is the thirty-first in a series of pioneers to be recognized for their contributions, past and present, to Texas hunting.

and live life a bit while we still could,” Barry quipped.

“During the course of building the business, a shared love of the outdoors led my father and I to purchase two tracts of land combining to 135 acres in an area of red clay hills near Luling that was known as the ‘Iron Mountains,’” Barry said. “The rolling iron-oxide hills were covered in pines, post oaks, native grasses, and had developed a thick yaupon understory. There were few deer around and our first efforts focused on cattle. We began acquiring additional acreage and quickly changed our focus to managing the wildlife.” In 2000, the Hogans high-fenced their ranch and not long afterward, began to intensively manage the property.

Since selling the business and subsequently retiring, Barry and Liz continue to split their time between Sugar Land and the ranch. Both agree that conveniences of the city are nice, the solitude of the country atmosphere is preferable. Enjoying retirement, Barry has redirected his attention to his passion for the outdoors at the ranch for the past 15 years. He has worked on projects too numerous to list, but some have included lodging, infrastructure, and wildlife management. During the course of management, he has conducted botanical inventories and added 42 plants to the Caldwell County plant database.

After its initial acquisition and following intensive management, deer hunting on the ranch has gone from nonexistent to spectacular. Eye-catching bucks are routinely observed and hunted on a sustainable basis. Throughout the years, Barry and Liz have hosted numerous hunts for family, friends, and guests. The ranch has become a special place of serene beauty to many visitors.

Countless newcomers to the sport of hunting have taken their first deer on the ranch. People from all walks of life have visited the ranch including doctors, surgeons, bankers, CPAs, engineers, home builders, construction and factory workers, taxidermists, game processors, and even Taekwondo instructors.

The Hogans are friends to many, including Texas Trophy Hunters, as they have hosted numerous hunts supporting

TTHA sponsored events. Barry explained his concerns and sharing his ranch in detail. “Our largest threat to hunting and wildlife preservation is the immersion of our children in modern entertainment and social media technologies. We need to get them to put the phones down and computers away and get outside to enjoy hunting, fishing, and the outdoors!”

Love of the outdoors led Barry and his wife Liz to become stewards of the land and conservationists in every sense of the word. Additionally, their willingness to share it with others is unprecedented. Presently, Barry and Liz continue to manage their diverse spread of Post Oak Savannah woodlands known as the Hogan Wilderness Retreat. Aside from fantastic hunting and fishing, visitors enjoy the opportunity to observe the many wonders of nature.

“The fantasies of my youth are now the realities of my adulthood and are due in part to our collective efforts to create a diverse wilderness experience out of the Iron Mountains understory,” Barry said. “It is our greatest joy to share our outdoor retreat, the Hogan Wilderness Retreat, to help nurture the spirits of our guests.”

Because of his lasting efforts to introduce friends and guests to the wonderful outdoors of Hogan’s Wilderness Retreat in the Iron Mountains of Caldwell County, and his devotion to the stewardship of the land, Texas Trophy Hunters is proud to honor Barry Hogan as a pioneer of our hunting heritage.

Pass the Torch

Do your part to preserve our hunting heritage. Share your passion with the next generation. Pass the torch.

Photos Courtesy of TTHA Member Lee Shetler

Barry with Jillian June.

Trophy Hunters

FENCE POSTS

NEWS ABOUT HUNTING, GUN RIGHTS, AND LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

First Hunt Foundation Observes National Mentoring Month

President Biden proclaimed January as National Mentoring Month, a nationwide observance honoring today’s mentors and encouraging communities to engage in mentoring activities to ensure positive outcomes for youth. “A rising number of adolescents are experiencing mental health challenges, including from bullying and social media harms,” President Biden said. “That is why, as part of my Unity Agenda I announced in my State of the Union address, my Administration is pairing children with mentors who can help them navigate these complexities, open up doors of opportunity, and give them the additional support they may need to excel in school and in their communities.”

The First Hunt Foundation continues to invest in youth mentoring nationwide. The FHF has the goal of being the largest boots on the ground, new hunter mentoring organization in the nation and is well on the way to reaching that goal. First Hunt Foundation currently has 840 volunteer mentors working across 41 states and growing. FHF will announce a new program focusing on bringing more diversity into the hunting ranks. To learn more about the organization’s mentoring efforts, go to firsthuntfoundation.org.

—courtesy FHF

TPWD Opposes U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Listing Lesser Prairie-Chicken

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Executive Director David Yoskowitz said he applauds 16 years of “tremendous” voluntary collaboration with private

landowners and industry to conserve lesser prairie-chicken habitat and reiterates the department’s opposition to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) listing the species. “This decision jeopardizes decades of voluntary conservation efforts, increases regulatory burden and does not assure recovery of the species,” Yoskowitz said.

USFWS published a final rule Nov. 25 listing the lesser prairie-chicken under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Implemented in January, the decision will affect 14 counties in Texas, listing the bird as threatened in some and endangered in others. “Notwithstanding this very unfortunate decision, TPWD stands committed to working with private landowners and industry to conserve the lesser prairie-chicken and its habitat, just as we have for decades,” Yoskowitz said.

The new designation comprises a Northern Distinct Population Segment (DPS), where the bird will be listed

as threatened in seven counties in the northeast Texas Panhandle, and the Southern DPS, where the species will be listed as endangered in seven counties in the southwest Texas Panhandle. The listing under the ESA went into effect Jan. 24, 2023, and makes “take” of lesser prairie-chickens or their habitat a federal violation. Take means to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect or to attempt to engage in any such conduct. Incidental take refers to takings that result from, but are not the purpose of, conducting an otherwise lawful activity.

Under the final USFWS ruling, a 4(d) rule for the Northern DPS provides for incidental take exemptions for routine agricultural activities on cultivated lands, prescribed grazing conducted under an approved plan and prescribed fire. Landowners in the northeast Texas Panhandle interested in receiving an approved prescribed grazing plan under the 4(d)

rule should contact a USFWS-certified prescribed grazing planner to initiate enrollment into that plan. A list of FAQs and certified planners will be continuously updated and available at www.fws. gov/lpc, and a list of FAQs is available on the USFWS Lesser Prairie-Chicken Listing FAQs website.

In 2006, TPWD entered a 20-year Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) with USFWS to work with private landowners to manage and improve lesser prairie-chicken habitat in exchange for assurances that no additional regulatory burden would be placed on participants if the species were listed. The 91 properties currently enrolled in the program, which cover 649,780 acres across 19 Texas Panhandle counties, are exempt from take and habitat management restrictions while they operate under a TPWD-approved wildlife management plan.

“The CCAA provides landowners the assurances that they can continue to manage their properties to meet their goals while also benefiting the lesser prairie-chicken,” said John Silovsky, TPWD director of wildlife. “We appreciate the tremendous collaboration with private landowners during the past 16 years and we want to continue those important partnerships for the benefit of the lesser prairie-chicken habitat.”

In 2013, TPWD along with the state wildlife agencies for Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, developed the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Range-Wide Plan (RWP). The plan established population goals for four lesser prairie-chicken ecoregions and designated focal areas and connectivity zones to incentivize voluntary conservation for the species and its habitat.

Under the direction of WAFWA, the RWP also produced a CCAA for oil and gas companies to voluntarily mitigate for new development and operations across the species’ range. This CCAA provides funding to private landowners to improve or maintain lesser prairie-chicken habitat on their lands and provide a net conservation benefit to the species and regulatory certainty for industry.

Since then, USFWS has also approved

an Oil & Gas Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and Renewables HCP that provide additional opportunities for industry to mitigate for the incidental take of the species.

Landowners or industries interested in the Texas Lesser Prairie-Chicken CCAA, industry CCAA or HCP options should contact Brad Simpson, TPWD Panhandle Wildlife District Leader, 806-651-3012, brad.simpson@tpwd.texas.gov or Russell Martin, TPWD Panhandle Wildlife Diversity Biologist, 806-452-9616, russell. martin@tpwd.texas.gov.

—courtesy TPWD

TPWD Collaborates with Major League Fishing on Habitat Restoration at Lake Bryan

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Inland Fisheries Division, local anglers, and the Bryan Texas Utilities Department (BTUD) collaborated with Major League Fishing (MLF) on a recent project to install new fish habitat in Lake Bryan.

MLF Fisheries Management Division, in partnership with Berkley Labs, spearheaded the initiative to improve catfish, crappie, largemouth bass and bluegill spawning survival, adult population density and catchability. TPWD’s Inland Fisheries Division deployed its brand-new habitat barge to aid in the installation of the new habitat structures, assembled by TPWD, MLF and BTUD staff along with local volunteers. The two-day project showcased how the agency, industry and anglers can work together to enhance Texas fisheries.

“We were excited when we were contacted by Steven Bardin (MLF Fisheries Management Biologist) about this project,” said Niki Ragan-Harbison, Fisheries Biologist for the College Station — Houston Inland Fisheries Division District. “BTUD has been a tremendous asset as well by not only allowing the project to take place, but also by providing their equipment, facilities, and manpower, as well as contributing to the habitat additions. Exciting things are happening at Lake Bryan, and we all look forward to seeing how the fishery responds in the coming years.”

The structures deployed included 14, 40-inch MossBack Fish Habitat Conservation Cubes, 12 Spawning Beds, 21 Trophy Tree XLs and 21 Safe Haven XLs. In addition, BTUD provided 33 concrete trash receptacle enclosures for use as catfish spawning habitat. Lowe’s of Bryan donated 100 cinder blocks for the MossBack structures and pea gravel to fill the spawning beds.

TPWD has downloadable GPS coordinates for the new fishing structures on the Lake Bryan fish habitat structures website. For more information visit the Inland Fisheries Division College Station-Houston District Facebook page and the MLF website. —courtesy TPWD

SCI Denounces Canadian Bill Amendments Banning Hunting Firearms

Safari Club International condemns the Canadian government’s latest sneak attack on hunters, which if implemented as intended, would qualify as the most extensive firearm ban in the country’s history. Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) Paul Chiang introduced two shady amendments (with designations G4 and G46) to the Liberal Party’s gun control legislation, Bill C-21. Although the bill was initially targeted at handgun control, both amendments would restrict thousands of long guns commonly used in hunting and sport shooting. Passage of the first amendment (G46) will add a 478-page list of specifically banned firearm models to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s already extreme list of 1,500 firearms immediately banned in 2020. These include thousands of additional models of hunting rifles and shotguns. MP Chiang’s second amendment (G4) expands the definition of prohibited firearms to include those “designed to accept a detachable cartridge magazine with a capacity greater than five cartridges of the type for which the firearm was originally designed.”

Bill C-21 was initially sold by Liberals as a way to target weapons most commonly used in crimes involving a firearm, so these amendments have no practical goal except to target law abiding

hunters. Members of Canada’s Conservative Party have said as much and have already clarified their opposition in the media, highlighting how these amendments are not a solution to improving public safety and would have harsh impacts. Conservative MP Raquel Dancho said the Liberal government is “going after Grandpa Joe’s hunting rifle instead of gangsters in Toronto.”

While this outrageous ban poses a clear threat to law-abiding gun owners and hunters in Canada, it’s also highly concerning for American hunters who will not be able to travel to Canada with their firearms or otherwise use many commonly owned hunting firearms once in Canada. This will disincentivize Americans from hunting in Canada, creating a devastating economic impact on the industry and communities that has contributed approximately $1.13 billion Canadian dollars to the country’s GDP this year alone.

Furthermore, the implementation and enforcement of the amendments remains very unclear, giving credence to arguments of Conservatives and the sporting community that this is nothing more than a way for emotionally driven political leaders to check a box on their gun control agenda, all at the expense of hunters. The ban’s projected cost has also been severely lowballed, contributing to its unrealistic and unfair elements.

“This cowardly attack on hunters and rural livelihoods flies in the face of repeated statements from Prime Minister Trudeau and members of the Liberal Party who insisted they weren’t coming after the hunters who play a critical role in wildlife conservation,” said SCI’s CEO W. Laird Hamberlin. “The motives of these political figures cannot be trusted, and sportsmen and women in Canada and across the world must stand firm against proposals like MP Paul Chiang’s knowing they have the full support of SCI members in Canada and across the world.”

SCI will continue its fight against repeated assaults on Canada’s hunting heritage and strongly urges Members of Parliament to strike down this radical proposal. —courtesy SCI

Largest Poaching Case in Wyoming Foiled by Suspicious Request

Three men orchestrated one of the largest poaching operations in Wyoming’s history that spanned four counties and resulted in more than 100 violations, officials announced in mid-December. After realizing law enforcement was on to their scheme, the men went to extremes to hide their violations, according to a Wyoming Game and Fish Department news release. The men bought Wyoming resident hunting licenses using a Wyoming address, but they lived in Alabama, Oklahoma and South Dakota, the release said.

In 2015, one of them asked for an interstate game tag to ship a deer head to Alabama for taxidermy work, officials said. It was a suspicious request considering the hunter had listed a Wyoming address when he purchased resident hunting licenses for years before then. The game warden in Gillette started unraveling “the case that would eventually identify dozens of wildlife violations in four different counties in Wyoming.” Investigators pieced together information from the hunter’s cellphone records and social media pages, which ended up implicating his acquaintance in Oklahoma and that man’s son in South Dakota, the release said.

For years, they had shared the same Gillette address on applications for resident hunting licenses and preference points, officials said. “Investigating and successfully prosecuting a case of this size and scope required years of effort by many individuals and agencies,” Game and Fish chief game warden Rick King said in a statement. “Dozens of people worked hard to make sure that even though some of these violations occurred a decade or more ago, they would not go unpunished.”

In 2017, law enforcement and wildlife officials searched the men’s homes in Alabama, South Dakota and Oklahoma and confiscated elk, deer, pronghorn and a bighorn sheep ram mount, the release said. They also uncovered violations of Alabama law associated with the man’s taxidermy shop and confiscated poached alligators and migratory birds, the release said.

Officials said they later learned he

had stashed more than a dozen wildlife mounts in a trailer over 60 miles away from his home. This included three bull moose and three bighorn sheep rams, the release said.

Across four Wyoming counties, the Alabama man was charged with 43 poaching violations dating to 2003, over $113,000 in fines and ordered to pay $87,000 in restitution. He spent more than a year in jail and was banned from hunting and fishing for life. The Oklahoma man faced many but not all of the same charges dating to 2003. Across three counties, he was charged with more than 35 poaching violations, $46,060 in fines and ordered to pay $36,550 in restitution. His jail sentence was 50 days, and his hunting and fishing privileges were revoked for life.

His son in South Dakota was charged with more than a dozen of wildlife violations dating to 2005. He was fined $12,045 and ordered to pay $8,035 in restitution. His hunting, fishing and trapping privileges were revoked for five years in Weston County and his hunting privileges revoked for another 15 in Campbell County, “beginning at the end of his five-year suspension from Weston County.” All three were charged with trespassing on private property to hunt.

The Alabama man surrendered multiple mounts, including four bull elk, one buck antelope, three buck mule deer and one gull, and dozens of poached animals including three bighorn sheep rams, three moose, seven elk, eight antelope, one mule deer and one walrus mask. The Oklahoma man gave up eight buck mule deer, two bull elk, a cow elk and a bobcat. The South Dakota man “forfeited a bighorn sheep ram shoulder mount, three buck antelope, eagle parts, elk antlers, elk meat and two buck mule deer.”

State statute requires the $171,230 in fines to go to public school funds in the counties where the violations took place. It also requires the $131,550 in restitution to go to a Wyoming Game and Fish Department account used to buy access easements to public and private land, the release says. And because 48 other states participate in the Wildlife Violator Compact, the men’s hunting and fishing licenses are revoked in all 49 states.

—courtesy Sacramento Bee

Where Are Deer Management and Hunting Going?

By Dr. James C. Kroll

My hunting career transcends 59 years while my biologist career has included 53 years, making me one of the most blessed men on Earth. My “memory banks” are stuffed with countless experiences and joys of pursuing and studying whitetails. These are vivid memories. There is not a hunter alive who cannot tell you every detail about the first buck he or she shot.

I took my first buck near Hunt, Texas, in 1963 on a hunt with my biology teacher, Mr. Victor Rippy. I used a World War II surplus .30-06 open sight rifle, with an iron butt plate that promised to kick like a mule. Yet, I never felt the recoil that day, as I raised the rifle when the buck suddenly appeared among some sheep quietly grazing in a field. I just aimed and pulled the trigger, never giving a thought to the sheep until after the shot, but then I got worried.

Scanning the field, I saw no white bodies lying near the buck, so I breathed a sigh of relief and ran to the buck. I can tell you exactly what the weather was like, and the sights and sounds of woods on that December day, including my pounding heart.

Much has transpired since that day, and I have been fortunate enough to be part of the development of deer hunting and management in America. As a deer scientist, I contributed to the growing knowledge about deer biology and management, helping gather the “low hanging fruit” so abundant in those early days. Even then, although deer were the most popular game animal, we actually knew very little about their biology, much less deer management. It would take Al Brothers and Murphy Ray to open the door to actually managing these fantastic creatures in 1975, with their book, “Producing Trophy Whitetails.”

By the 1970s, interest in trophy hunting and deer management was snowballing. My friend, Jerry Johnston, made the first real advancement, with publication of The Journal of the Texas Trophy Hunters in 1975. In 1983, North American Whitetail magazine debuted. I have been blessed to contribute to both magazines since their inception.

It’s safe to say these two organizations and publications fueled the growing interest in trophy deer hunting and management. Each month, these magazines showed American hunters bucks

they only could imagine shooting. Big buck shows and extravaganzas cropped up across the country, including the Hunters Extravaganza and the Dixie Deer Classic.

My motivation in those days was to develop interest in actually managing deer on private lands by providing sound scientific information. Each issue of these magazines featured monster bucks taken in far away places like Texas, Mexico and Canada. But I wanted to show people you did not have to travel far to find good bucks. They could be produced right where you live, if you just applied a few simple management principles.

An entire industry developed around deer management, including food plots, minerals, feeds, and equipment such as the trail camera, which we were instrumental in development. Many of these products were just gimmicks, but the growing demand for new things out-raced education about the efficacy of products. Many hunters and landowners were searching for those magic bullets that provided a shortcut to success, and marketers were more than happy to feed that demand.

By the turn of the 21st century, deer management and hunting had become a mature industry, with a confusing, fragmented array of interest/user groups. Who would ever have thought bowhunters would war over the type of bow used? “Management mania” on private lands really scared professional biologists, who considered private management as a violation of the North American Wildlife Model. Deer hunting and management was quickly becoming a rich man’s sport. That young man who killed the buck near Hunt, Texas, in 1963 had saved up his money to pay the $50 lease fee to hunt on that ranch. The folks who had that lease were mostly relatives, and going to the lease was a memorable experience. We had Thanksgiving at the lease, dining on venison and wild turkey.

In 1999, Jerry Johnston, Gene Riser and I decided there was a need for a new organization in Texas that would represent all interests in deer management and hunting. We called it the Texas Deer Association. Our primary goal was to provide support to the “little man,” the folks who owned small parcels of land that had been passed down for generations. Farming and ranching on a small scale was dying, and in order to own property, you had to have a city job. The emerging developments in deer breeding provided an alternative source of income for these folks. At least, that was our theory. Through support from folks like Ken Bailey, we developed artificial breeding, something I now regret. Instead of helping out the little man, a huge industry made up of wealthy breeders took control. This further exacerbated resistance from state agencies to private management, especially when public perception had it marked as a rich man’s sport.

Today, many hunters suffer from what I call “antler fatigue.” A few years back, we had a replica of Milo Hansen’s world record typical in our booth at the Extravaganzas. I remember at shows in the 1980s, a 160-class buck would draw attention. But, you would be amazed how many people walked right by the world

The author was inundated by folks wanting help managing their relatively small properties for wildlife. These were people who had inherited their land or had worked all their lives to afford to buy a small piece of land. Landowners want to develop a place for their kids and grandkids, and they want to leave their land better than they found it.

record, without a comment. Outfitters were fighting the trend where prospective clients would not even consider any buck scoring less than 170.

In the 1960s, the goal in the Hill Country was to kill an eight-pointer. Because no one had ever heard of Boone and Crockett in South Texas, hunters on ranches set their sights on killing a 20-inch buck. My father-in-law and rancher, Bo Masters, when told by my wife that I had killed the fabled Boggy Slough Monster, sporting 9-inch bases and four drop tines, asked, “How wide was he?” Hunting was simple then.

With all this said, I had become pretty cynical over the last 10 years about the future of our beloved past time, until I opened my eyes to what was going on around me. I was being inundated by folks wanting help managing their relatively small properties for wildlife. These were people who had inherited their land or had worked all their lives to afford to buy a small piece of land. This included folks who had developed trust relationships or leases with larger landowners, and had been given the opportunity to manage land. In all cases, when asked about their goal, they replied, “We want to develop a place for our kids and grandkids, and we want to leave this land better than we found it.” What I had been seeking all along was right there under my nose and I did not even notice it!

This last decade has been one of the most exciting periods in my career. We now have landowners and lessees all over North America quietly developing their version of paradise for their families and friends. The Journal of the Texas Trophy Hunters has been a trailblazer from its beginning in providing what you, the reader and member want. At TTHA, we want to be leaders, not followers.

So, this column is the first of a threepart series, highlighting what folks are doing to enhance the real experiences associated with deer management and hunting. The second one will showcase a young family who do not own land, but have expanded on their three-generation relationship with a neighbor to assume the stewardship of an East Texas property. The third will highlight another family developing a relatively small property as a family heritage venture. These are not rich folks, just good people trying to leave a little piece of the earth better. I am excited to tell you about these folks.

Trophy Hunters

Punching Paper Vs. Hide and Hair

By Horace Gore

American consumers are a strange bunch. Whether it’s vehicles, housing, guns or beer, the success goes to the one advertised best. Today, we have 75 million young consumers who are in a league of their own.

The key to what makes young folks tick is the magic of social media. They were born in a time of plenty and instant communication, which appears to give them a different look at the world. Rest assured, many Democratic presidential hopefuls will be courting young voters in 2024.

“Politics makes strange bedfellows” is a spinoff from Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” where a shipwrecked soul facing a monster cries out, “Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.” If you look at the Democratic lineup, the truth in Shakespeare’s quote is quite evident.

But where does all of this fit with punching holes in paper targets? Or punching holes in hide and hair? I mentioned guns, because with today’s shooters and hunters, you can also lead them around as willing consumers with media hype. All you have to do is advertise a new gun caliber that’s said to be better than anything before, with a case capacity that saves money, a bullet that defies gravity, and a short shell for a short action that’s suitable for emu or elk. Just pick your bullet and carry a sharp knife.

I speak of the current trend toward the mild, but accurate 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge. The way it’s advertised, and the number of 6.5 Creedmoors sold or custom-made these days, would make you think it has some kind of kinetic magic—and that it can defy the laws of physics. That’s not true for both, but there’s something else, something that has gradually turned a lot of hunters and target shooters off for the last 60 years—the Magnum craze. Hunters are simply tired of being kicked around—no pun intended—for no good reason.

At least four characteristics in a cartridge draw the shooter to the cash register: accuracy, recoil, killing power, and ammo availability. Magnum killing power has been the big draw since 1958 when Winchester brought out the .264

Magnum, followed by Remington’s 7mm Magnum. Hunters jumped on the bandwagon, and have been on a Magnum craze that continues today. A few years before, Roy Weatherby had brought out his line of high-dollar Magnums, but they were out of the price range for most hunters. Then, Winchester and Remington brought out rifles priced right, and the Magnum craze shot up like a rocket.

For at least 40 years, hunters went belted Magnum, regardless of the hunt—whitetails at 100 yards to elk and pronghorn at long range—affluent hunters had to have a Magnum. Above all, they wanted velocity and killing power. Not to go unnoticed was the upswing in African safaris, where big Magnums were popular and often necessary.

A few years later, cartridge companies went short Magnum—same power and bullets—just a short, fat case without a belt suitable for short actions and lighter rifles. It was all in advertising, but it worked. Only one full-length belted Magnum still comes out of the gate today—the .300 Win. Mag., but it’s still winning races. However, today the general line of belted Magnum cartridges is waning.

The cartridge-popularity plot thickened after the turn of the century when folks at Hornady tinkered with a short case, a long neck, and a long 143-grain 6.5mm bullet. They dubbed the cartridge the 6.5 Creedmoor. Velocity was a mere 2,700 feet per second, but accuracy was superb.

Hornady thought of the cartridge as a long-range target load for short-action rifles. It fulfilled all expectations, but laid

Here's what three common bullets and weights look like side by side. From the left are a .243 Winchester 100-grain bullet, a 6.5mm 140-grain projectile, and a .30-caliber 180-grain bullet.

around like a mangy dog for about 10 years. When short actions became popular in bolt rifles, and AR-type rifles became more popular—thanks, Obama—the 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge suddenly jumped to the top in popularity. Strangely enough, the Creedmoor craze seems to be following the Millennial age.

No surprise it’s one of the most accurate long-range target loads ever developed as a commercial cartridge. The big surprise in Texas was its popularity as a deer cartridge. Accuracy, yes; low recoil, yes; killing power at 2,700 fps with the 140-grain bullet, yes; ammo availability, yes. Then, you have to look at what’s actually needed to kill 90 percent of the 700,000 whitetails loaded into pickups each season in Texas.

Texas whitetails are commonly shot at close range from a comfortable blind, aided by a corn feeder where an accurate 140-grain bullet at 2,700 fps will consistently cause the demise of all deer. Enter the mild-mannered, pleasant-to-shoot, accurate 6.5 Creedmoor. Actually, most deer in Texas won’t know whether you’re shooting a 6.5, a .243, a .270 or .30-06. They will all succumb to the shot.

With mule deer and possibly elk, the medium-powered 6.5 Creedmoor will continue to do wonders when used with a tactical scope that will match the bullet and velocity. When shooting at game animals up to 400 yards with this setup, wind is the only problem. But, let’s face it—the 6.5 Creedmoor was designed for punching paper at long range, not punching hide, hair, or breaking bone at 300 to 400 yards.

Hunters who prefer the 6.5 bullets have some excellent choices not built for accuracy, but tried and proven on big game. The .264 diameter bullets weighing 120 to 140 grains have a high ballistic coefficient, making them superior for long-

range shooting—especially the sharp pointed spitzer 140-grain bullets. The definition of ballistic coefficient is a measure of a bullet’s ability to overcome air resistance in flight.

My choice of 6.5 caliber for hunting, using 140-grain bullets, would be more like the .264 Winchester or the 6.5-284 Norma. A third choice would be the 6.5x55 Swede. I have used both the .264 and 6.5x55 very successfully on Texas whitetails, and other game including Rocky Mountain mule deer and elk.

Hunting does not require the extreme accuracy the 6.5 Creedmoor will provide, but you need tolerable recoil and killing power, hence the long popularity of the .30-06 and the .270 Winchester on soft-skinned game like whitetails and pronghorns. I know hunters who regularly use .300 Win. Mags and .300 Weatherby Mags on Texas whitetails. I guess it follows the adage, “Shoot the cartridge that you can shoot well.” My daughter shoots a Winchester rifle and .243 100-grain bullets. She has taken 14 Texas whitetails with one-shot kills. Who’s to argue?

In general, the 6.5 Creedmoor is new to Texas hunting. A few of my friends use the 6.5 and swear by it. However, a long shot for most Texas hunters and their Creedmoors would be 150 yards, and more often, 75 yards at a whitetail deer eating corn. A better test for the Creedmoor would be mule deer in Wyoming at over 400 yards. The 6.5 Creedmoor will do it all, according to our field editor, Jason Shipman.

Regardless of the hype and advertising, hunters like the 6.5 Creedmoor because it’s accurate and has mild recoil. With the proper scope and bullet, it will easily kill a deer or pronghorn from here to yonder. But more so, they like it because it will put four holes the size of a quarter in a paper target at deer-killing distance. It’s pure confidence, Waldo!

Left: Here's Dr. James Kroll with a Browning X-Bolt boltaction rifle in Creedmoor 6.5. That's a 26-inch stainless-steel fluted barrel with 1-in-7 twist.

Below: This is the kind of accuracy that makes the 6.5 Creedmoor popular. Other factors that hunters like about the cartridge are soft recoil and good performance on deer at reasonable field-shooting distances.

A uthor photos

Ella Hawk with her 2022-2023 Duval County buck, scoring 2014⁄8 B&C at the Muy Grande Deer Contest.

At 18 years old, with a vast array of hunting behind her, Ella Hawk has experience beyond her youthful years. Ella began her hunting career at the tender age of three, going along with her hunting parents. Her first kill at age 8 was a whitetail deer with a .243 rifle. Shortly after she switched to a crossbow because she was too small to pull a compound bow.

“I enjoy the challenge of bowhunting.” Ella said. “My parents inspired me and my love for hunting has grown so much over the years.”

Her dad, Tony Hawk said, “It’s been pointed out by quite a few hunting buddies and ranch owners that Ella has more hunting experience than a lot of grown men. To me that says a lot!”

Tony owns an insulation company and is on Bowtech’s Pro Staff. Her mom, Cindy, a hairdresser, and Tony are both accomplished bowhunters. They were thrilled Ella wanted to follow their footsteps shortly after taking several animals with a rifle. Despite what’s going on outside of hunting, those moments together are the best days of their lives.

“Her mother is a natural at bowhunting, so Ella inherited her ability,” Tony said. “I’ve always sat with Ella hunting, and our time together is what I cherish. It’s created a bond that will last a lifetime.

In her pre-teen years, Ella requested hunting trips for birthdays and Christmas. Her parents gladly obliged. Draw-

ing on a mature whitetail at close range takes skill. Tony said, “I’ve watched this kid do it over and over, and it makes me so proud.”

Currently, Ella uses a Bowtech Eva Shockey compound bow and Easton FMJ arrows with G5 Striker broadheads. “I may eventually change if I start shooting bigger game,” she said.

Ella’s accomplishments and accolades are numerous, as this young lady has three times been named Trophy Game Records of the World (TGR) Youth Huntress of the Year. In 2019 she won TGR’s Crossbow Hunter of the Year, an adult division.

At age 10, she killed a 13-foot, 800-pound alligator on the Guadalupe River near Victoria, Texas, and set a new TGR crossbow alligator record. Her guide, Ryan Longer, said he had more confidence in her ability than most men he guided. This prompted Ella and her dad being featured on Fox and Friends.

Ella also holds TGR crossbow records for Transcaspian Urial, Rio Grande turkey, and South Texas whitetail, plus many top 10 animals of various species. Last year her Duval County buck with 25 points captured recognition as a TGR Youth Diamond Buck.

No stranger to big buck contests, including the TTHA Hunter Extravaganza Annual Deer Competition, she’s garnered awards. Ella has won various categories in the Muy Grande and Freer Deer Camp competitions. This season her 61⁄2 -year-old whitetail scored 2014⁄8 B&C at Muy Grande.

Ella used a crossbow to kill and tag this fine West Texas mule deer buck.

Trophy Hunters

“I strive for the love and happiness that comes with hunting as a family. Getting that shot on the game you’re hunting wouldn’t be the same without celebrating with your favorite people.”

Ella added, “Feeling connected to nature is an amazing part of hunting.”

A couple years ago, an Oklahoma buck jumped her string, causing Ella’s arrow to hit the buck high. Ella was devastated, searching two days for the buck without success. A few days later it appeared on camera with a non-fatal wound, which made her feel better. In the Hawk family, no practice means no hunting, so Ella, Tony and Cindy are vigilant about practicing all year.

This beautiful young huntress envisions hunting forever. While she strives for a bigger buck or the next game species, things are always planned. Ella stated, “I can’t wait to pass the tradition and sport down to my children and family, to spend genuine time with them one day.”

Ella has a boyfriend named Carson but said, “I intimidate some of the boys at school with my skills and experience, while others aspire to know and do the things I’ve done already.”

Although she’s hunted mainly with her parents, Ella cites landowner Pete Guerra as a close friend, as well as ranch manager John Huber. They are two of the most important people in her life. “They’ve always made us feel welcome, like family. I couldn’t be more thankful for them.”

One of Ella’s most memorable and favorite hunts was an African safari family trip the summer of 2018. “I was able to take wildebeest, warthog, blesbok, and two impalas. We stayed with a warm, welcoming family. I can’t wait to go back!”

Ella also has a desire to hunt Alaska. “My dad has been several times, taking brown bear with a bow,” she said. “It’s the true wilderness. From what he tells me and photos he’s taken, it’s very beautiful. I’ve got my fingers crossed to go sometime!”

Ella’s undecided on what college to attend, but Texas State University is her top choice. “I want a career in property management while I also hope to continue hunting throughout college, and the rest of my life.”

This axis fell to Ella’s sharp shooting ability with a crossbow. She knows patience when hunting.

In 2019, Trophy Game Records of the World President Bobby Love and his daughter Destiny presented Ella with TGR’s Crossbow Hunter of the Year award.

Luis and his grandfather were supposed to go hunting together, but his granddad took ill and unfortunately passed away. But before he died, Luis promised he would hunt for the big buck they had their eyes on, a buck nicknamed “Gulfstream.”

Iwill never forget the first time my granddad—Juan Martinez—and I visited Rancho Rio Escondido and laid eyes on a big beautiful Mexican whitetail by the nickname of “Gulfstream.” Together, we had browsed through many trail camera pictures and had seen a wide variety of different bucks. But this one stood out the most. I remember thinking to myself, “I can’t wait to bring him back once the season starts and gift him a hunt he will never forget.”

The day before we left, as we sat in the deer blind, we were speechless as we saw Gulfstream walking through the brush. We both sat in silence. We looked at one another and smiled, knowing very soon we would come back once the season started. Little did we know that the unexpected would happen.

As we returned to San Antonio, Texas, a couple of weeks later, Granddad had to be taken into heart surgery. The first thing he asked the doctors as he woke up from the anesthesia was, “When am I able to go hunting again?” The doctors explained his recovery process would be slow and he would not be able to go hunting until the next year. As I heard the news, I called my friend, Texas Harper, who’s the ranch owner, and asked him if we could have that deer until the next year, and he said yes.

A few months later in January, the unexpected happened. Granddad got COVID-19 and unfortunately passed away. The

last time I spoke with him, I told him not to worry. I would go back and hunt Gulfstream in his name.

The following year, Gulfstream grew even bigger, and my hunting buddies and I decided we would head to Rio Escondido on opening week of the 2021 hunting season. That first sit on the morning of the hunt, we saw many deer. It was easy to say buck fever was kicking in. I kept asking my friend Texas about this one buck at the feeder because I was ready to lay my gun on the window and take the shot. But he told me to be patient because it was only the first morning of the trip.

Throughout the remainder of the afternoon, we kept seeing many deer, but not Gulfstream. The following morning, we sat in the same deer blind from the previous morning, the same deer blind where we had seen Gulfstream the previous year. But around 7:45 a.m., we decided to switch up the game plan and jump into the side by side and rush over to another deer blind about a mile away. We quietly got into position in the blind and started seeing many deer coming and going to the feeder, but not Gulfstream.

At around 9 a.m. we decided it was time to head to the lodge for some coffee and breakfast. While we were climbing out of the deer stand, we heard something snort. We turned around and saw a monster buck walking out of the brush about 150

With a little help from his friend and guide, Texas Harper, Luis took the buck for his granddad.

yards away. We climbed back into the deer stand and kept the windows closed to see if he would go to the feeder.

It took him about 10 minutes, and he finally did. He was an absolute beast. Texas was probably more excited than I was when he saw the deer in the open. We glassed him for several minutes, but the buck never took his eyes off us in the deer stand.

We finally were able to open the window to get a better view so I could stick my rifle out of it. Once I had put my rifle on him, he was at 200 yards standing broadside and staring right at me. I put my crosshairs on his shoulder and when I got ready to take the gun off safety, he decided he had enough and turned the other way and started walking back into the brush where he had come out. We grunted and he stopped for a split second, but I wasn’t able to get on him in time. Seconds later he was gone.

We went back to the lodge to have breakfast with the rest of the family. We began to share the stories about the deer we had seen and all the experiences we had just gone through. We were sitting by the fire in the living room and started to say to each other that we weren’t going to get lucky by just sitting inside. So, we decided to get to the deer blind a lot earlier than we had been. We took a 30-minute siesta and by 1 p.m. we were back at the deer stand waiting to get lucky. That afternoon seemed like an eternity. We didn’t see any activity until about 5:30 p.m. We saw a couple of does and some young deer. Nothing really exciting.

5:45 rolled around and it was getting dark fast. Texas said, “Let’s wait another 15 minutes. Let’s wait it out till the end.” And so we did.

Right after we made that decision, Texas picked up his binoculars, looked at me and said, “It’s Gulfstream.” It took him what seemed like 2 seconds to identify the buck and tell me to get my gun ready. He told me to wait for the buck because he was coming from the right, and headed towards the feeder. The buck had no idea that were even there.

Gulfstream finally made his way to the feeder, 150 yards away. By this time it was already getting even more dark, making it harder to identify the deer. Gulfstream was eating off the ground, facing away from me, and all I heard from Texas was, “Wait until he gets broadside.” Gulfstream stayed for what seemed an eternity in the same spot, which was only really 30 seconds.

He finally turned broadside and I got the green light from Texas. I gently applied pressure on the trigger then I saw a big blast from the end of the barrel. My brother Diego and Texas both began to scream and laugh out of joy. The deer had dropped in his tracks.

We were high fiving each other in the blind, but I wasn’t sure if the buck was truly the one Granddad was after. We got out of the deer stand and started our walk towards the deer. We finally approached him. The second I was able to lay my hands on Gulfstream, tears of joy started rolling down my cheeks. As I pointed and looked up to the sky, I said, “This one is for you, Granddad.”

Urbanization & Inflation Vs. Hunting

By Horace Gore

Our inflationary times not only have an effect on daily living, but they also affect outdoor recreation such as hunting. Anybody who hunts the bigger game like whitetails, pronghorns, exotics, or maybe a Rocky Mountain mule deer or elk, knows it can cost as much as the pickup you’re driving, the guns you’re carrying and all the money in your pocket, just to go on a good hunt. The eight million Millennials balked at hunting and joining hunting organizations. This has influenced license sales and hunting throughout the state. Historically, inflation occurs when a government prints more money than goods and services are worth, or when demand is greater than supply. Money loses value as goods and services get more expensive. In the past, most countries that suffered society-killing inflation were European, along with some African nations, which printed more money than the economy could bear.

My Uncle Theo was in Germany at the close of World War II. I remember him telling me about looking for a place to sleep, when he opened a large trunk that looked like a quilt box. The trunk was full of paper money, so Theo slept on it. He said, “German money was so inflated that it took a wheelbarrow full to buy a loaf of bread.”

Some of us can remember when everyday living was 20 times less than it is today. People who made $50 a week now make $1,000. In 1950, the cheapest Ford car cost $1,800, and a deer lease in Gillespie County was $125 for a party of four— about $30 per hunter. About $200 would take you to Wyoming for an antelope hunt, and another $50 would get you a good

elk. We all now have much more money to buy these same things—it’s called inflationary spending—and it’s affecting how we hunt.

Hunting has become a specialized sport available to only a small percent of the population. Saturated deer habitats of 100 million acres are filled with 800,000 hunters, from 30 million Texans. If you break it down to the hunter-license buying ages, including both men and women, only 6% of Texans buy a hunting license, 4% hunt deer, and 2% hunt doves. Other game, including exotics, turkey, waterfowl, quail, pheasant, squirrel and varmints add a small percentage to the whole.

Hunting is a sport of supply and demand. There’s a limited amount of hunting, and it usually goes to the highest bidder. Two generations ago, about half of Texas hunting was free, via relatives, friends, or company leases. Now, with hunting values increasing each year, free hunts are scarce.

Texas hunters, per capita, dwindle every day. The cost of everything associated with hunting continues to increase, causing many Texans to look for other recreation. Looking ahead at 2050, over 90% of Texans will be urbanites with few places to hunt, regardless of the cost.

Today’s market shows each harvested deer in Texas is worth an average of $1,800, and by 2050, that value could double. The next generation may have to pay a summary cost of $200 or more for a limit of doves, and a duck hunt will cost more than a box seat Dallas Cowboys ticket. So, there may be a day when there are more golfers than hunters in Texas—a result of urbanization, inflation, and supply and demand.

Live Bait Makes Fishing (Somewhat) Easier

By Will Leschper

The vibrant afternoon that held promise only a few hours before had morphed into a shadowy evening crammed no shortage of frustration, as well as no fish. The sloping sand flat littered with waving grass and oyster shells had produced

a number of good fish in the past, but on this coastal day, the only reds and specks that materialized were in my mind’s eye. As the kayak slowly rounded a bend in the sandy shore, I spied an older gentleman exiting the water only 50 yards from where

Longtime Rockport fishing guide Ron Coulston shows a speckled trout a client caught on live mullet, long a staple of anglers willing to bring along a cast net to find fresh bait.

I’d launched. He had been fishing a deep cut that previously had given up fish and where an excess of artificial offerings had been sent on this day with no takers.

A bait bucket and floating fishing caddy trailed behind as he slowly creeped toward the bank, eventually using the butt of his rod as a cane to pry himself from the sticky mud and onto dry land. As the paddle sent me closer, the man took notice and gave a quick wave before shaking down his gear. Any thoughts of this gent sharing my angling futility quickly were thrown out when he lifted the hefty stringer of trout that had been hiding behind the caddy onto the tailgate of his pickup. This angler sheepishly paddled up to get the goods.

“At least somebody found them,” I casually offered.

Public access to Guadalupe River brings prime fishing

Texas anglers have access to a prime location for rainbow trout fishing through a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department “no fee” public access lease on the Guadalupe River. Camp Huaco Springs, located between New Braunfels and Sattler, features a half-mile of bank access along alternating pools and riffles on the Guadalupe. Anglers can use the bank, which is gently sloped and rocky, or wade fish both upstream and downstream to take advantage of a low-water dam at the upper end of the property or a deep pool at the lower end. They can also launch non-motorized boats, canoes, kayaks or other floatable devices for the purpose of fishing.

The Canyon Reservoir Tailrace area features some of the best rainbow trout fishing in Texas, with regular stockings providing hefty fish in the cold-water area of the river.

More information: tpwd.texas.gov

“Yeah, I finally got some live shrimp from the bait shop,” the old man said. “I caught three sandies and five redfish, too, but they were too small.”

Chalking it up, the lesson was learned—again.

At its core, fishing is simple: Introduce a tempting offering complete with barb, your quarry takes it, and you reel them in. Somewhere along the way, all the tantalizing extras caught our fancy and made things more difficult than they have to be. Most die-hard bass anglers literally have boatloads of lures in a rainbow of colors and styles, some of which they never use. Many guys and gals who fit this description would be defined

act right and attack a dry fly. There was a time when the thought of a 6-inch brookie popping a yellow humpy trumped a 16-inch brown thumping a beaded nymph for me, too, but I soon came to my senses.

The key to fishing—especially this time of year—is to not make things harder than they have to be. With that in mind, the next few months are a great time to fish from or near the bank with live bait. Spring is a magical time for anglers looking to catch the biggest bass of their lives and though most lunkers are caught from a boat, there remains a good chance for someone angling from land to find big fish that have moved up to spawn. The same goes for crappie, which also move into the shallows to spawn as water temperatures slowly rise.

Boat docks and other structures near shore that may hold bass certainly also will have crappie near them this time of year. And there’s no better crappie bait than a live minnow. Our state record bass was caught on a minnow fished by an angler targeting crappie, so that certainly points to the versatility of using a live offering now.

Though largemouths and crappie are sought-after fish, they aren’t the only ones primed for natural offerings. White bass that have started to run up numerous rivers to spawn can be caught using minnows and other live bait choices and the ubiquitous catfish—flathead, channel and blue—can be found in some form in almost every lake and river in the state and has never been finicky about a meal.

as purists, the type of angler who would rather not catch fish than have to admit to using live or prepared bait to scoop them into a net.

Fly fishing also has its purists, those folks who can’t fathom dredging a nymph below the surface to catch a fish that won’t

The best part about using live bait is that it simply outfishes artificials, making it perfect for introducing a youngster or beginner to the pursuit. Wearing someone out with all-day casting and little to no results is a drag, and I certainly can attest to it.

Even if you don’t have a revved-up bass boat or some other craft, you still can catch fish if you adopt the simple strategy of trying live bait.

You can take it to the bank.

Redfish on the Texas coast – and everywhere else they’re found, including the power-plant lakes in San Antonio – are always apt to hit a live bait when they don’t want to take anything else you’re throwing.

pening weekend of quail season, my son, nephew and I had slipped away to South Texas, hoping to fill the tags on some does along with a few bobwhites. It was early, barely first light, and I was in a treestand high up in live oak, busy watching a nice 10-point buck work his way almost directly underneath me. Suddenly, out of nowhere, another buck appeared at a feeder we had recently set up.

It was one of those foggy mornings, but even in the early light I could tell he was a big-bodied deer with heavy main beams. They were lighter in color than our typical mature bucks’ antlers and I was having a hard time discerning his overall rack. Between fog, feeder posts and tall grass, I eventually counted seven typical points on his right side, two of which looked like nubs or jagged teeth and four nice tines on his left side. He left as suddenly as he appeared but left me with a memorable impression of what I likened to teeth on a saw blade, so I quickly dubbed him “Saw Tooth.”

Luckily, I had snapped a few photos with my phone before he walked off. I sent the clearest pictures I had to the ranch biologist via text to get his opinion of the deer’s age. Based on a few factors such as his deep body, a block head and graying around the eyes and face, he estimated him to be 71/2 years old. As the days crept by and my next hunt slowly approached, I decided Saw Tooth would be my target buck this season, and my goal would be to get a shot at him with my bow.

On Nov. 15 I hosted a hunt for my father-in-law and his cousin who had traveled all the way from northern Tennessee to shoot a Texas buck for his 70th birthday. After putting him in a box blind where some shooter bucks had recently been seen, it wasn’t long before I heard the crack of a rifle echo through the river bottom. I knew his birthday gift had been delivered. He had taken a nice 51/2-year-old eightpoint management buck.

Being only 7:35 in the morning, I continued hunting in hope of another encounter with Saw Tooth. As the morning hunt progressed, the first deer I saw was an odd, dark antlered five-point. I considered drawing down on him when another 10-point wandered out from underneath me. He was a nice buck with chocolate brown antlers, but he needed another season or so to mature.

As he assessed the area and slowly stalked around in what seemed like a figure eight, I caught a glimpse of another deer in the brush right beneath me. It was Saw Tooth. As soon as I could see his light-colored rack, I noticed the two jagged nubs on his right side. Wow!

He looked even bigger and better seeing him up close. Nerves kicked in and my heart started to pound. Reminding myself to keep my head down through the shot and not to lift up to watch the arrow—something I had been guilty of before—I grabbed my bow and turned to position myself for a shot.

Saw Tooth worked steadily towards the feeder and presented a perfect broadside shot. My arrow stuck him, and he bolted off like a scalded dog. As he crashed through the brush, I noticed my arrow had barely penetrated his body and was sticking way out as he disappeared.

I decided to wait an hour before even getting out of the tree to look for blood. The suspense was agonizing, and within 20 minutes I decided to climb down and walk in the opposite direction towards the river to look for sheds

or anything that would get my mind off the buck. The treestand I was in is about 200 yards from the Aransas River on its south bank. All along the river, some of the thickest brush exists, mixed with massive trees, vines and all sorts of thorny brush, cactus, and ravines, making it very difficult to traverse.

As I walked along the river, I heard the crash of a large animal which flushed on the other side of the river. But I saw nothing. Was that my deer? No way, because this was in the opposite direction I saw him go. Finally, my allotted hour was up, and I crawled out from the dense river bottom to check for signs of blood near where I shot him.

Within 10 steps of the feeder, I found blood. Based upon the blood and other factors, I assumed I must have hit him in the shoulder. At that point I decided it would be best to come back later that afternoon, giving him plenty of time to expire.

Around 2 p.m. I returned with my two other hunters and picked up the thin blood trail. The terrain got too thick for the others to continue, but I searched on. I continued to track his blood trail which became spotty in places and ultimately lost it. After about an hour and a half I had made a semicircle down into the river bottom near where I had heard the animal flush, on the other side.

I decided to find a place to cross the river and see, if by chance, any blood lay near where that noise had come from. I found a shallow spot to cross and made it back to the game trail where I hoped I might find signs of my deer. Sure enough, I saw more blood signs and I was back on his trail. On the north bank of the river, the blood trail was even thicker.

I had to crawl on my hands and knees to get through some places to follow it. I lost the blood trail again and eventually

Lynn swam in ice-cold water in order to retrieve his buck.

Trophy Hunters

came to an area that forked where it looked like he could have chosen one of three different ways to vanish. One led left upriver, one went forward out of the river bottom towards the neighboring property and low fence, and one went to the right heading down stream.

My heart sank. I looked and looked and found no more deer signs at all. I phoned one of Texas’ most reputable dog tracking experts. At the end of our call, he talked me out of hiring him, saying he felt the chances of finding that deer were not good, and the deer probably wouldn’t die. It’s hard for anyone to imagine how down I felt following that call.

After a rough night of little to no sleep, I decided to have one more thorough search. I would go back to the fork and look in all three directions he might have gone. Maybe coyotes or vultures might lead me to him. I started looking upstream and found nothing.

When I searched out of the river bottom in the direction of the neighbor’s ranch, I noticed a couple vultures circling way down river. They weren’t sticking around, only diving down momentarily then flying off. I thought because that’s the only place I’d seen any sort of buzzards, I would look down stream at least as far as where they had been circling. Hunched over, in order to clear all the vines and low brush canopy, I gruelingly crawled and hiked up and down the opposite side of the river for nearly 21/2 hours.

I searched the river, the banks and brush everywhere and saw nothing. No signs of my deer, no more vultures, nothing. Zig zagging my search about 600 yards downstream through one thorn bush after another, just me and my bird dog, “Remi,” we still found nothing. Exhausted and with very a sore back, it was time to give up the search, find a place to cross the river and head back to my truck.

While walking back, I happened to glance upon a wide part of the river and noticed what appeared to be the hind end of an animal resembling a deer, floating just barely out of the water. It was on the far side where the river was deeper, and the bank was high with a straight drop to the water and

surrounded by dense foliage. As I stared at the tiny section of wet fur, I realized its hind legs were pointed away from me and it all appeared dark brown in color. Unsure what I was looking at, I took a picture and sent it to our ranch hand to see if he thought it looked like the rear end of a deer or a calf.

Suddenly, I noticed it rotated ever so slightly in the deeper water. A few minutes later, I could see some white on its hind quarters. It was a deer, but was it a doe, my buck, or another buck? There was only one way to find out.

I stripped down to my underwear and then Remi and I dove into the ice-cold water. The frigid water yanked my breath away. As we dog paddled across the river, my short breaths rapidly came and went, but seemed to regulate the closer we got to the submerged animal. Treading water with Remi by my side, I got my hand on its floating back hoof. I could see it was definitely a deer, but I still couldn’t see anything below the surface of the water. We started swimming back and I pulled the deer by its stiff back leg, when suddenly my kicking legs and bare feet rubbed against something smooth, slender and hard. It was my arrow and it was still sticking out of his side.

We swam to the bank where I’d laid all my clothes, and I popped up standing in about 2 feet of water and begun to turn the deer around, hoping to view its head. As its buoyant body flipped over, his whole body with all 11 points rose to the surface. “IT’S HIM, Remi”! No telling how many counties heard my shouts of joy.

I had found Saw Tooth. My arrow had landed in the vitals after all, but for some reason the expandable tip didn’t penetrate like it should have. Turtles and gars had begun dining on him, so I dragged him on land and caped out the head to haul it out and return to camp. Saw Tooth isn’t the biggest deer I’ve ever taken, but at 153 B&C he’s currently my best with a bow and without question my most memorable hunt.

A long distance view of Lynn’s buck floating in the river.

Lynn with “Remi,” his bird dog.

It was a cool, breezy November afternoon. So far, only one young five-point buck had passed our position. The sun was dipping low to the west and the temperature was dropping. Anticipation was building as my daughter, Emma, waited by my side. A flock of wild turkeys were seen in the area a few days earlier and we were shopping for a wild bird for the table.

We heard them before we saw them. A sound like a stampede coming from the creek. It was the fast feet of 30 wild turkeys. In the mob were 10 long-bearded gobblers.

Emma was ready with her 20-gauge. This was a well-rehearsed event, the taking of a gobbler to add a spice of the wild to the store-bought

Brandon and his daughter, Emma, with a youth-season turkey from 2020. Emma shot the jake over decoys using a 20-gauge shotgun.

bird already on the table for the family’s Thanksgiving feast. A tradition we do every year at the ranch. Emma’s aim was true, dropping a mature bird with a 9-inch beard. Fried turkey nuggets would soon be on a platter. Deer aren’t the only thing worth hunting in the fall.

Turkey numbers and drought

That memorable afternoon took place on a Panhandle river bottom a few years ago. Since then, turkey numbers have taken a nosedive in North Texas and the Panhandle. Drought is mostly to blame. Jason Hardin, Wild Turkey Program Leader with TPWD, explained the status of Texas turkey numbers.

“A recent publication in the Journal of Wildlife Management pairing harvest estimates derived from TPWD banding efforts with TPWD’s Small Game Harvest survey estimated the statewide population of wild turkeys at 790,000 birds (2016-2020 average). Defining North Texas as the Rolling Plains and Cross Timbers I would estimate the current population in that landscape to be approximately 226,000 birds across those combined areas.

“The Rio Grande wild turkey annual population trends are heavily driven by cumulative rainfall with winter and spring rains providing the biggest driver in annual nesting effort, poult production and annual recruitment. Timely rain events and cooler spring and summer temperatures led to significant population growth from 2014-2016 in North Texas and across the Rio Grande range in Texas. However, across North Texas the population experienced a significant decline from 2017-2022 driven primarily by persistent drought conditions. Drought conditions going into the spring nesting season reduces the fitness of individual hens resulting in lowered fat reserves resulting in suppressed nesting effort.

“Other short-term impacts are reduced availability of both nesting and brooding cover, and reduced numbers of alternate prey sources (mice, rabbits, etc.) which puts nests and poults at greater risk of predation. Persistent droughts also lead to long term impacts when they result in the loss of traditional roost sites at the ranch scale. Long term impacts to the overall population density also means fewer hens entering the nesting season, which results in fewer nests. Under these circumstances, it may take several years for a population to recover.

“We need year one of good nesting—increase the number of hens available to nest in

year two. Next, we need year two of good nesting—then we get exponential population growth. Unfortunately, we have not stacked two good nesting seasons in a row since 2016.”

While numbers are down, it’s not all bad news. In late November 2022, I saw a flock of 19 turkeys on my favorite Panhandle creek. Seven were mature gobblers, two were jakes and 10 were hens. Friends hunting other riparian habitats at the top of Texas reported similar sightings. They are seeing turkeys while deer hunting, just not the large numbers from years past.

A big gobbler taken on a fall hunt in November. Gear included a 20-gauge over-under shotgun.

A conservative harvest is important to give that population as many adults as possible to help rebuild the flock for the future.

Spring or fall?

Texans have two distinct seasons to pursue wild turkeys, fall and spring. First, in many counties, legal hunting coincides with the opening day of archery season for deer in October. Check county listings where you hunt for exact season dates and bag limits. Fall hunting continues through the end of deer season in most counties that have stable numbers. In the fall, I would guess most turkeys taken are shot as a bonus while a deer hunter is waiting for his buck. Also in the fall, oftentimes mature gobblers travel in one flock and immature gobblers (jakes) and hens travel separately. Although it’s certainly possible to see the two sexes mingled together on a cold fall day.

I recall a frosty December morning in the Edwards Plateau region 20 years ago. I was hunting deer near the banks of a winding river with tall pecans and giant oak trees. The sound of cackling, yelping turkeys was deafening as the large numbers of birds, easily over 100, flew down from their roost. Crossing a cleared path near my deer stand, I counted 23 long-bearded gobblers walking single file. While fall hunting does not entail the calling and use of decoys like the spring, sights like that remind me that fall hunting can be exciting in its own way.

Spring or fall, it’s legal to hunt Texas Rio Grande turkeys with a bow, shotgun or centerfire rifle depending on the season. In the October archery-only deer season, only archery tackle is legal to bag a turkey. Again, check specific county rules before you go afield. The masses hunt wild turkeys with a shotgun.

I’ve bagged big gobblers with a .410, 20-gauge and a 12-gauge. All will get the job done. A .410 is more of an expert’s tool, not the best pick for a beginner. Take the time before the hunt to pattern the gun so you know the limits of its reach.

I prefer a shotgun with a full choke, fiber optic beads and

a 3-inch shell with number 4 or number 5 shot. Emma has bagged multiple gobblers with a softer recoiling dove load, 2¾-inch shell with 7 1/2 shot. The secret: She keeps shots under 20 yards with that load and it kills any big gobbler dead with a swarm of pellets to the head and neck.

Although I’ve bagged a few gobblers with a shotgun at 40-50 yards, using both 20-gauges and 12-gauges, most have been taken at 25 yards or less. Getting close is the real allure of this game, especially in the spring when Ol’ Man Tom is dancing

This photo shows a turkey skull next to a 12, 20 and .410 shotgun shell. You can see the difference in how many pellets are in each shell size. Each will kill a turkey if you pattern the gun and know its limits.

A long-bearded gobbler in a Texas Panhandle creek bottom.

around the decoys at hand-shaking distance. With a bow, I prefer head or neck shots and specialized broadheads like the Magnus Bullhead versus a standard broadhead to the body. Some diehard turkey chasers will tell you a strutting bird taken at 100 yards with a scoped rifle is cheating. Maybe, but it’s legal in Texas to use a centerfire rifle in most counties.

Spring is my favorite time of year to hunt North Texas turkeys. The spring season starts with a youth-only hunt in many counties in late March. That youth season is a great chance to take your kids hunting before the birds are pressured in the general season. Emma has taken several turkeys, both jakes and gobblers, during youth season. Although for me personally, I like to pass jakes and let them mature, but for any young person getting into hunting, I think it’s important to let them shoot to keep their interest level high. I’ve learned, if you tell a kid they can’t shoot too many times, they lose interest and find something else to do.

After youth season comes the regular spring season, usually opening in early April and running into mid-May. Despite the calendar saying spring, dress for winter weather on any morning turkey hunt at the top of Texas. I recall last year, hunting opening day, April 2, with Emma. It was 33 degrees when we climbed into a blind by the creek. We heard two gobblers sounding off under the cottonwood trees, but they went the wrong way. All we had to show for our early rise that morning were cold hands and runny noses!

Strut show

Because turkey numbers have been lean for a couple years, I have to think back to the spring of 2017 to recall a really great morning hunt. Notes from my journal say it was still pitch dark when an owl and multiple gobblers were both gobbling and hooting at each other from the cottonwood trees! With dim light came the sound of beating wings. The birds were on the ground, and I was ready.

A few rubs on my box call got an instant reply. “GobbleGobble!” Multiple toms were headed my way. Through a slit in the side of my blind, I could see a dozen hens walking down the red clay road.

The hens seemed unimpressed by the boys following them, but to my eyes, it was a spectacular sight. Six mature gobblers, each one with a tail fan as big as a trash can lid, was strutting behind the girls. A few more soft yelps and the lead hen steered the flock my direction. It rarely goes like that, but on that April morning, they were on me like a guided missile.

With the entire flock inside bow range, I picked out a close target. My arrow lopped the big 20-pound gobbler in the neck, sending him flopping like a fish out of water. The other birds stared, a few even jumped on the dead bird and flogged him with their wings. I had to wave my arms to send the rest of the turkeys scurrying down the creek.

Whether you hunt them in the fall or the spring, Texans are lucky to have wild turkeys on the menu. Maybe when the drought lets up, we will have a few more.

Brandon with a mature gobbler taken with archery tackle on a fine spring day.

Shylah Cutbirth Isom with her trophy axis she took during a rainstorm.

Let’s see a show of hands for those who have killed a trophy axis buck in pouring rain. Hold ’em high. Well, not many. It takes a lot of determination to chase axis for two days and end up getting a big buck in a rainstorm, but Shylah Cutbirth Isom is that kind of huntress.

I’ve known Shylah—I call her “Shy”—all of her 30 years, being close to the Cutbirth family since my days in Brown County as a young, aspiring wildlife biologist. Her great-grandfather Sam and her grandfather Treldon were close friends of mine. Treldon, her father Kyle and I spent many happy days on the Cutbirth Ranch, just south of Brownwood.

Like a lot of ranch-raised girls, Shylah killed her first buck— a four-point—with her grandfather, using his Sako .222, on her eighth birthday. When she turned 12, Kyle bought a Sako .22-250 from me and gave it to Shylah. During the last 18 years, she has taken about 30 bucks, and many does with the .22-250—her only deer rifle. But that’s not all.

When Shy was 12 years old, the same year she got the .22-250, she was diagnosed with Limb Girdle 21 Muscular Dystrophy, a progressive disease that causes weakness and wasting of muscles. I can remember when she participated in various local and national programs to explain the disease, and raise funds to study the malady. Needless to say, she has dealt with MD all of her teen and adult life, getting about the best she can.

After graduation from Brownwood High, Shylah went to Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. Later, she finished her class work and graduated from Howard Payne University with a teaching degree. Since that time, Shylah has taught various grades in public and private schools.

Since her first buck, Shylah has hunted whitetails on the family ranch with her father and grandfather—usually from a blind near a feeder. “I’ve killed a lot of deer from the comfortable ranch blinds,” she told me from her home in Midland. “The hunt for the axis buck was completely different, and one to remember.”

The sprawling Cutbirth Ranch is normally leased to hunters, but was open to family hunting in 2022. Shylah and her dad had talked about her taking a buck from the several axis deer on the ranch. Of course, Kyle agreed on a hunt whenever she could come with her husband Austin on a family visit. Austin’s family lives in Brownwood, and this happened to be Labor Day weekend of last year.

Austin and Shylah drove over from Midland, and after family visitations, they spent Saturday evening on the ranch in the

Polaris Ranger. In late evening, they came across a group of axis with a good buck. Shylah texted her dad, who happened to be in the shower, and asked, “Dad, is my axis hunt still on?” Kyle didn’t answer until later, after the spooked deer were gone. Kyle finally answered, “Sure, go for it. You know that the bar on axis is 30 inches, so try to get a good one.” By then, the hunters couldn’t find the buck.

Shylah was disappointed because the buck was a real trophy. “I’m going to get that buck tomorrow,” she told Kyle that night. “What gun will you use?” he asked. Shyla quickly replied, “I’d like to use my .22-250, but I haven’t shot it in some time.” She conceded to using Austin’s .308.

The next day, Shylah felt good about the hunt because when

they got to the ranch, Kyle had picked out a good spot behind his house in the Jackson pasture, where the axis had been coming in the evening. “I have checked your .22-250, and you’re ready to go,” Kyle said.

The weather was hot, as Austin and Shylah sat in the Ranger waiting for a buck. She was dressed for summer hunting, sitting on three pillows to get a rifle rest over the front of the ATV. There was no walking or stalking the buck—it was all in the Ranger—because Shylah couldn’t walk through the pasture. So, in late evening, the two sat in the Ranger and waited, and waited.

Shylah with her husband, Austin. Shylah lives with Muscular Dystrophy, but she doesn’t let it slow her down.

The hunt was slow, so they rode around in the Jackson pasture. Not seeing anything, they went to an adjoining pasture, still looking for the big, spotted deer with long antler beams. Kyle texted Shylah to see what they had seen. “There’s a storm coming, so you don’t have a lot of time.” Austin and Shylah could see the dark clouds to the northwest, but they kept looking for a buck.

As they came to a pasture gate, they spied a big axis in the adjacent pasture. Shylah couldn’t get a good shot from the ATV, so Austin carried her piggy-back to the gate. Shylah’s shooting position was not good, so Austin took her piggyback to the other end of the gate. She tried to shoot, but the rifle was getting heavy and the buck had moved away. She didn’t take the long shot.

Back in the ATV, they kept trying to find the buck. They saw only whitetails, so they decided to go back to the Jackson pasture where they had started their hunt. They saw no axis, but they saw a monstrous rain cloud coming.

“Let’s go back to my brother’s pasture for a last look before it rains,’” Shylah suggested, so Austin steered the Ranger toward “Bubba’s Pasture” gate. As they arrived, there he stood—a big axis buck. He spooked toward a tree line.

Shylah knew this was a different buck, but he was very good. Austin drove the Ranger down into the trees, and they decided to wait in the ATV until dark.

Two axis does came out of the brush, just as the rain came. As the downpour drenched everything in the Ranger, including the hunters, the buck appeared. “I tried to get the scope on him, but the rain had it blurred, and I couldn’t see,” Shylah said. Austin wiped the scope lens and Shylah looked again.

She still couldn’t find the buck, as the rain soaked everything in the Ranger. Austin took the rifle. “I can see the buck!” Shylah took the rifle back and looked. “Well, I can’t!” Between the two, tempers were getting short, and they decided to give up. They were soaking wet, the rain blurred the scope, and the buck disappeared.

As they headed back to the Jackson pasture, and on to the house, Austin decided to make a swing through a small group of trees and brush. As the Ranger entered the tree line, there stood the buck. The rain had slowed enough so Shylah could see through the scope. And sitting on her three wet pillows and taking a rest on the Ranger, she took a broadside shot. The buck lunged sideways, and took off running. “I think I hit him a little low,” Shylah said to Austin, as they drove the ATV to where the buck was last seen.

As they followed the wounded deer, the hunters could see the axis buck lying in some brush, head up, looking straight at them. Shylah bolted the hull out of the .22-250, and that’s when they noticed the clip was empty. The deer and hunters just stared at each other.

Shylah called Kyle. “I shot a buck and he’s wounded. We don’t have any more shells.” As Shylah talked to Kyle, the buck got up and wandered off to the right, and into the darkness. Kyle came with flashlights and more ammo. Shylah said, “He went off to the right.” Kyle and Austin went walking on foot because the brush was too thick for the Ranger. Shylah, soaked from head to toe, stayed in the ATV because she could not walk well enough to follow the men. After a long search in the dark, Kyle and Austin returned. The mosquitoes were swarming. “By

morning, the meat will be spoiled, and the cape may not be any good,” Kyle warned, as they stood by the Ranger. “I want the meat, and I want the hide,” Shylah demanded. With that, Kyle took the flashlight and made a circle to the left for a last look. In a few minutes, he returned as Austin and Shylah, sitting

very wet and scraggly in the dark, fought mosquitoes. “I guess you did all right,” Kyle said. Shylah exclaimed, “You found him!” “Yes, he’s not far over there,” he said, “so let’s try to get to him.” Austin drove the Ranger and Shylah got a look at her first axis buck. They took photos and loaded the buck as she pushed her wet hair back and saw her watch—11 p.m.

The old buck had long 34 1/2-inch beams and the usual six tines, except the brows were broken, leaving about 4 inches on each side. “We’ll let the taxidermist work on that,” Austin remarked as they got ready to drive to Cross Plains to Kyle’s favorite cold storage, after he called and made the late-night arrangements. “You can take the woman out of the hunt, but you can’t take the hunt out of the woman.” That’s a good Goreism for a 30-year-old who grew up in a hunting family—Sam, Treldon, Kyle, and now Shylah—four generations of Cutbirths with a long hunting past. Congrats, Shyla, for your big rainstorm axis.

Shylah at party time.

Turkeys

& Trout

By Will Leschper

Spring means turkey hunting season in Texas. It’s also synonymous with prime time for trout fishing along the coast.

South Texas remains the top location, far and away, to find the biggest whitetail bucks in the state. That’s true, regardless if you’re hunting under a high fence, low fence, or even no fence at all. This diverse ecosystem also harbors one of the most unique cast-and-blast experiences in the Lower 48: the opportunity to call in a boss tom turkey and catch a lunker speckled trout in the same day. And even if you don’t do it in the same day, it’s still about as unique a combo hunt that you may ever enjoy.

The general spring gobbler season again will kick off two weeks earlier in South Texas counties than in the northern zone, an interesting aspect of turkey hunting that biologists chalk up to the birds farther south hitting peak gobbling activity sooner due to the climate and typical conditions in the spring. What’s funny is that I’ve also seen the complete opposite, with birds up in the Panhandle hitting their peak strutting behavior much earlier and some birds much farther south not getting revved up until

Above: Calling in a gobbler isn’t always easy, but when you do, your hard-earned time and effort will be rewarded.

Left:

impacted by the winter storm of February 2021 and regulation changes were enacted along

coast, reducing the bag limit and size limit. This trout was caught and released roughly a month after the event, which was a good sign for the future of the fishery.

Author photos

Speckled trout fishing

most of the Texas

Texas has the highest population of Rio Grande turkeys in the country, but hunting success has hovered at about 40%, according to state biologists.

almost the end of the framework in the same spring season.

Either way, if you put your time in in the field, your efforts will be rewarded more often than not, though it should be noted that overall turkey hunter success rests at about 40%, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department studies and hunter data.

In terms of turkey hunting in South Texas—and really the entire state— there’s good news and bad news. The good is we continue to have the highest population of the Rio Grande subspecies —roughly half a million birds when range conditions are good. The bad news is our state is roughly 95% privately owned and “Texas gobbler hunting” has become a known quantity. That being said, there are ways to find a relatively inexpensive turkey hunt, if you have the time.

First and foremost, it’s word of mouth, and simply asking around through friends and family who know folks with land that may harbor birds can be beneficial. You also can apply for drawn hunts through TPWD, though the competition also continues to increase. The other option is to simply bite the bullet and book a hunt with an outfitter, which will cost more but also will provide a much higher success rate.

If you’re thinking about doing a castand-blast excursion, I also would pitch another networking idea: find a reputable speckled trout fishing guide on the coast who may have the contacts to hook you up on the turkey angle. I have yet to find a saltwater fishing guide in the Lone Star state who wasn’t either an avid hunter or didn’t have boatloads of contacts who were. Many guides and outfitters in the business of putting clients on game and fish are always willing to help each other out, and simply put, “a rising tide lifts all boats.”

That quote especially applies to folks who help to keep others booked throughout the year, knowing that hunting and fishing seasons don’t always overlap, and having regular clients will always be better than getting a “real job” to pay the bills.

If you had to pick a few areas in South Texas that seemingly always have good forage and roost habitat, you’re best served checking out Bee, Live Oak and Refugio counties.

In terms of speckled trout fishing,

SPRING TURKEY HUNTING DATES

The spring Rio Grande turkey framework in “northern” counties runs from April 1 to May 14, 2023, while the season in southern counties is from March 18 to April 30, 2023. The north zone youth-only season is March 2526 and May 20-21, 2023. The youth-only dates in the south zone are March 11-12 and May 6-7, 2023. There also is a one-turkey bag limit season than runs April 1-30, 2023, in the following counties: Bastrop, Caldwell, Colorado, Fayette, Jackson, Lavaca, Lee, Matagorda, Milam and Wharton. Birds killed in those counties must be reported to TPWD under mandatory requirements.

The Eastern turkey season in East Texas will run April 22 to May 14, 2023. Hunters are required to report harvest of eastern turkeys electronically to TPWD within 24 hours of harvest. Reports in mandatory counties can be made through the TPWD My Texas Hunt Harvest App or online from the TPWD website.

In addition to a Texas hunting license, an upland game bird endorsement is required to hunt turkeys.

the overall fishery as a whole took a hit with the extreme hard freeze event that took place in February 2021. TPWD noted fewer than 200,000 trout died as a result of conditions that saw 10-degree temperatures in the Laguna Madre for multiple days. Biologists have noted that estimate was on the low end, which I can believe after seeing big fish stacked up like cordwood on shorelines in hot spots like Baffin Bay.

That being said, the regulation changes from Corpus Christi all the way to the Mexican border have and will help the population continue to bounce back. The previous framework was a 15- to 25-inch slot with a five-fish bag, including one oversize trout. Now it’s a 17- to 23-inch slot with a three-fish bag and no oversize specimens can be kept.

Speckled trout, like redfish and flounder, can be caught using a variety of means and methods. While a boat allows anglers almost unlimited access, don’t overlook the numerous locales that offer drive-up access for wade fishing and kayak launching. Investing a little bit of time in looking at maps such as through Google will show you almost unlimited spots for this much more frugal way of pursuing trout.

Most big trout aficionados correlate the winter months with being the best time to catch a true gator trout, but in all reality, they can be found all year. The current record—a 15.6-pound, 37-inch gargantuan fish—was caught on a spring outing by Bud Rowland in the Lower Laguna Madre in 2002. What’s even more impressive is he landed it on a fly rod!

Spring turkey season features a hunting experience that’s unlike any other. When gobbling activity hits its peak, it’s easy to see why.

Christopher took this buck on a very special hunt with his father and his son, Weston.

Trophy Hunters

The day started like any other Saturday on the second weekend of the Texas deer season, at my son Weston’s 4U soccer game. Due to the heavy rains we had in the fall, the soccer season was pushed backed into the November rifle season. Nonetheless, my dad and I enjoyed the game that chilly morning, not sure who won the epic soccer battle.

As soon as the game was over and the treats were dished out, Weston and I headed home to pack the truck to go to the lease. We got to the lease a little after noon, got the four-wheelers out, started a fire, and got dressed for the deer stand. For this particular hunt I decided to take Weston to a stand called “4 Corners.” 4 Corners is a treestand that sits on top of a hill, has a great vantage point, and a lot of space to cover. With a light wind out of the north and the temperatures in the 60s, I thought it would be the best stand for the afternoon hunt.

It was the first year I took Weston hunting. He loves looking at my old deer heads and hearing stories about hunting in the stand, so I knew it was the year to bring him hunting. He had been to the lease before to help us fill the feeders and do lease work, but not hunting. Weston loves to be outside and has a ton of fun at the lease, but the shock of trying to sit still and being quiet while looking for deer was hard for him to grasp.

Weston’s idea of hunting was coming up to the lease riding around and playing with his cousins at camp. He wasn’t a fan of the actual hunting that’s required to hopefully shoot a big buck. Books, cars, and a lot of old hunting stories were needed to keep him busy and entertained in the deer stand.

Weston was actually doing pretty good for the first hour playing semi-quietly with his toy car, but then his patience ran

out. It then turned into, as all parents can attest to, a 3-yearold’s meltdown. He was upset, he was crying, and in the last place Weston wanted to be—that deer stand.

I called Dad who was hunting in a treestand not too far away. I told him I might have to head back to camp because of Weston’s tantrum. Shortly after I got off the phone, Weston regained his composure and calmed down. The next thing that happened was part of God’s plan to make this hunt so special for me, my dad, and my son.

I heard the rumble of my father’s four-wheeler and assumed he was heading back to camp to help me with Weston. As the four-wheeler grew closer, it eventually stopped and then Dad walked to

Weston got to experience his first time in a deer stand with his dad as he hunted for the buck.

our stand, not seeing us until he was a couple yards away. Now the reason Dad did this is because 4 Corners is his favorite stand on the lease. So he figured if we were back at camp he would jump in and try his luck.

My father said, “Oh. I thought you were going back to camp.” I then told him the whole story and how Weston calmed down and was ready to hunt again. He said, “I’ll go back to the other treestand,” but that’s when Weston piped up and said he wanted Pops to stay and hunt with us. So, there we were, Weston, his Pops, and me, all situated in the blind and finally looking for some deer and enjoying a perfect moment together, doing what we all love.

As the sun fell, we were down to the last 30 minutes of hunting with no signs of movement. Weston started to get a little antsy again, so I showed him some pictures on my phone to pass the time until we got down. As I scrolled through the pictures, Dad whispered, “Chris, there’s a big buck. Get your rifle up.” As I shouldered my DPMS Gen 2 Recon rifle, I told Dad to cover Weston’s ears. BANG!

The 165-grain Federal Fusion MSR sent the thick buck’s body into the cedars. Feeling confident in my shot, we waited until dark to get down. I knew I had placed a perfect shot. We got on the four-wheelers and then on foot and found the blood trail, trying to teach Weston how we follow the blood trail to find the deer.

About 50 yards into the tree line, we found him under a cedar tree. The shot happened very quickly. Dad and I did not realize how big bodied and thick antlered this buck was.

Weston was ecstatic. I was elated to show him why we stay quiet, still, and hunt hard in order to get a big-time buck. The buck was so big, Dad and I had a hard time getting the buck onto the back of the four-wheeler. Overall, he was the biggest and most heavily antlered buck I have ever taken on our lease. The big 10-point buck had dark antlers and put a lot of venison in the freezer, mostly summer sausage and jerky.

The buck was very nice, but I think Dad and I will always cherish the memory of getting to hunt together with three generations of Stanleys: grandpa—father—and son. I will never forget the excitement Weston had seeing his first big buck and being in the deer stand with his dad and his Pops. My big buck will always hold a special memory as one of my greatest hunts. I hope one day I will be helping my son deal with his son’s tantrum in the deer stand and teaching him the important values we gain from hunting.

Weston’s grandfather (background) did his part to help Weston get excited about the hunt.

Christopher hopes one day he can share in his future grandson’s first time in a deer stand.

Walk-A-Buck, Whack-A-Buck

By Ted Nugent

Bowhunting the wily, mystical whitetail deer of my ancestral Michigan marshlands sure keeps a guy on his predator toes. Following the greatest Detroit Muscle rock-’n’-roll tour of my life, I needed the soul cleansing healing powers of nature more than ever, and total escape was mine from the very first step from the stage into my sacred deer grounds.

Swapping my Gibson Byrdland guitar for my Mathews bow immediately calmed me like a swoosh of medicinal mist deep into my soul, and the joy and fiery energy of my musical dreams morphed seamlessly into the Spirit of the Wild straight from the hand of God.

Our quaint little 800 square foot swampland log cabin beats the hell out of any five-star ritzy hotel anywhere on the road, and I entered my natural predator realm as if I stepped magically from hunt season 2021 into fall 2022 without skipping a beat.

I hunted hard, nonstop day in and day out from early September, and my arrows were flying true and the sacred venison flowed like manna from heaven. With 73 deer seasons under my belt, it almost seemed like I had zeroed in on the mysticism of deer life, and I was almost feeling a bit cocky.

No matter the lessons learned and the strategies honed, all hunters know all too well that right place, right time is the guiding reality of backstrap dreams, and I was batting a pretty-decent percentage considering.

My daily bowhunting regimen consists of a few more gory details and preparations than that of most bowhunters. For many, many years ago, I decided to dedicate my hunting life to promoting the hunting life

just as much as enjoying the hunting life. Therefore, instead of just camoing up and grabbing my Mathews, I also add a vid-cam bag and its accompanying supplies in order to film all my adventures for our Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild TV show 34 years running.

With the new shows destined for our new home on Pursuit Network in January 2023, I make it a point to start out each hunt a little earlier in order to set up the vid-cam stuff and film the essence of my experience to share with the viewers in order to bring them mind, heart, body and soul into the effervescence and spirit of my hunting grounds, sights, sounds, and energy.

With my new knees and 74-year-old body, I make it a point to go a little slower and focus on my stealth and sneakiness on the way to my chosen stand these days, and quite honestly, when hunting, slower is always better.

With the vid-cam bag and backpack slung over my left shoulder, a small bag of deer chow in my left hand and my Mathews in my right hand, I carefully tiptoed through the forest and the mucky marsh on my way to the big hogback ridge where my ladder stand awaited me.

With a series of jagged, heaving, glacial cut ridges to traverse, I took advantage of the breaks in the uneven terrain to peek over each elevation before proceeding in hopes of pulling off one my favorite bowhunting tricks.

You could say I was still-hunting on my way to my stand, and numerous times over the years such a strategy has rewarded me with what I consider

the bowhunters ultimate coup; spot-and-stalking the elusive whitetail on its own terms.

Lo and behold, as I carefully eased up over the final ridgeline, there he was: a fat, butterball forkhorn buck contently gobbling up some of the big, white oak acorns on the other side just about 35 yards below.

As my eyes connected with him, his head jerked up and he stared a hole clean through me. Fortunately, two heavy trunked tulip-popple trees formed a large V right at my eye level, and holding statue-still, I was able to win the stare down.

As he lowered his head to resume feeding, without discarding my camera bag or backpack, I used the cover of the tree trunks to only move my arms to retrieve a GoldTip arrow from my bow quiver, and silently nock it on the string.

Ever so carefully, I eased to the right of the treetrunk V, came to fulldraw, and sent one of the prettiest arrows of my life straight down the slope right into the crease behind the buck’s shoulder, and

it was all over but for the barbeque!

The 400-grain GoldTip arrow zinged downrange at about 225 feet per second from my light 50-pound draw Mathews, and with the razor sharp two blade broadhead, sliced clean through the 150-pound deer like a hot knife through soft butter.

The buck leapt, tail up, raced for 50 yards, spun around once and hit the ground dead in mere seconds.

Oh, what a feeling!

Surely, I get a supreme kick whenever I put a good arrow on a deer, but when still hunting on the ground right there with the animal, one’s predator senses are at an all-time high, and the sense of accomplishment is accentuated like none other in the hunting world.

I for one will always hunt my way to my stand. For one never knows what lies ahead, step for step, move for move, in the always exciting, stimulating, challenging world of the mighty whitetail deer.

Our quaint little 800 square foot swampland log cabin beats the hell out of any five-star ritzy hotel anywhere on the road, and I entered my natural predator realm as if I stepped magically from hunt season 2021 into fall 2022 without skipping a beat. I hunted hard, nonstop day in and day out from early September, and my arrows were flying true and the sacred venison flowed like manna from heaven. With 73 deer seasons under my belt, it almost seemed like I had zeroed in on the mysticism of deer life, and I was almost feeling a bit cocky.

1. EDC knife

Ontario Knife Company’s Old Hickory Outdoor Folder has a slip joint, 2.9-inch, high carbon steel blade that has a hardness rating of 56-58 HRC. The blade’s drop-point shape makes it perfect for most any task, whether you’re cleaning trout along the side of the stream or cutting a piece of rope to help make a makeshift turkey blind. The handle is made from walnut with brass liners for a classic feel and durability. Made in the USA.

Visit ontarioknife.com.

2. Turkey Dot scope

The new Vantage IR 1-4x20 Turkey Dot riflescope was specifically designed to be a lightweight. The reticle offers fast acquisition of your target. The 4 MOA illuminated center dot aimpoint is surrounded by a circle that measures 10 inches at 25 yards, when on 1x magnification. The floating nonilluminated posts at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock give additional guides and level confirmation for improved accuracy and rapid target identification.

Made with a 4-inch-long eye relief, capped low-profile 1/2 MOA turrets and a new clean reticle designed specifically with turkey hunting in mind.

Visit hawkoptics.com.

3. Hangtime Backpack

The first pack of its kind designed specifically for treestand hunting. The Hangtime Backpack solves frustrating failures once and for all with a rigid, EVA-molded shell that holds it shape for simplified, accurate use in the field. Utilize all 750 cubic inches inside the large main compartment, and react quickly with easy one-handed access through the front or top. Specialized storage space is plentiful for every piece of hunting gear imaginable: from specialized optics and game call pockets, to quiver attachment points and a removable bow carrier. The Hangtime Backpack has everything you need for success in the trees and beyond.

Visit tenzingoutdoors. com/shop/hunting-packs/ hangtime-day-pack.

4. Shotgun furniture

WOOX introduces the Gladiatore suite of furniture for Mossberg 500/590/M88/Shockwave pump shotguns. Gladiatore components are built from genuine American walnut, combining Italian design and offering more utility than the original equipment they replace.

The Gladiatore Stock is crafted and hand-finished, with an innovative aerospace aluminum coupling that ensures a solid fit. A raised comb and four ¼-inch LOP spacers with a microcell butt pad combine to make this stock a solid upgrade for any shooter.

The Gladiatore Club Grip is a beautiful upgrade to the Mossberg Shockwave pump action shotgun. Solid American walnut, crafted and purpose-built with a bulbous flare sporting deep checkering for a secure hold, especially in wet or sweaty conditions.

Visit wooxstore.com.

5. Ankle holster/wallet

The Hide-Away Security Wallet not only carries wallet essentials, but sports an ankle holster to carry a lightweight micro-pistol. Features include:

• Built-in elastic wallet gun holster with adjustable hook and loop retention strap.

• Easily concealable and discreet, designed to be worn on the ankle.

• Built to last, constructed of soft packcloth nylon with double stitched, bound edges.

• Hook and loop closure.

• Eleven storage compartments: two zippered, three hook and loop, one passport, four easy-access pockets, and one ankle wallet holster.

Visit elitesurvival.com.

6. Rail mount light

Whether it’s handheld, hands-free, or weapon-mounted, you’ll get 2,000 super-bright lumens from this ProTac 2.0 Rail Mount USB-rechargeable light. It’s powered by the Streamlight SL-B50 protected Li-Ion USB-rechargeable battery pack that charges via USB-C cord inside or outside of the light. TEN-TAP programming allows for selection of three different operating programs. Visit streamlight.com.

7. Turkey shotgun

ESCORT’s PS Turkey Hunter, available in 12-gauge, 20-gauge, and .410 caliber, features Hatsan’s FAST Loading System and Smart Valve Piston technologies. The FAST Loading System enables faster and easier loading with one hand and without the need to change shooting position. The loading button acts as both a carrier latch release for loading and the bolt release when the bolt is locked back. This gun’s Smart Valve Piston will cycle oz., 2¾" all the way up to 3" full Magnum loads, credited to its self-regulating design. This patented design is so reliable that one can mix heavy and light loads in the same magazine without a hiccup. Available in RealTree Timber and Mossy Oak BottomLand.

Visit escortshotgunsusa.com.

8. Bone saw

Smith’s EdgeSport 6" Folding Bone Saw is a great addition to any field dressing kit. This packable, lightweight folding bone saw is perfect for any hunting trip, no matter the conditions. It fits perfectly in a backpack or can be attached to a lanyard to ensure that it does not get lost. The saw’s 6" stainless steel blade is uniquely designed specifically for field dressing deer, elk, and moose, and is equally useful back in camp when cutting wood for a fire. Its sturdy lock-back design secures the blade in a working position during tough conditions. A durable TPE non-slip handle is essential for safety when hands are wet.

Visit smithsproducts.com.

9. Turkey ammo

APEX Ammunition’s Tungsten Super Shot (TSS) shotshell offerings include the Turkey TSS line, Smalltown Blend and Ninja Turkey TSS. Designed for maximum penetration at extended ranges, APEX turkey loads are available in multiple gauges—10, 12, 16, 20, 28, and .410 bore—and a variety of shot sizes, shell lengths, and blends. Handloaded for ultimate consistency and quality control, the density of APEX TSS at 18.1 g/cc allows the use of smaller shot sizes and larger payloads. This means more pellets on target and with maximum downrange energy.

Visit apexmunition.com.

10. Snake boot

The Lynx Waterproof Snake Boot offers snake proof fabric to protect hunters from most venomous snakes in North America. Additionally, the Denier CORDURA 16" shaft features Mossy Oak Break-Up camo which is lightweight, rugged and incredibly durable and a side zipper for easy on and off. Comfort comes from the Terra Suspension shock absorbing polyurethane footbed. An EVA midsole is impact-absorbing, compression molded, and extremely durable. The rubber all terrain Lynx outsole is rugged and hard-wearing.

Visit rockyboots.com.

11. Hiking socks

Unrivaled by any other brand, CEP Hiking Merino Compression Tall Socks seamlessly combine advanced compression technology and Merino wool comfort. Our trademark compression profile improves circulation and reduces foot swelling, while the Merino wool regulates temperature for ultimate comfort. The anatomical design, along with the perfectly placed padding, helps to prevent blisters and discomfort so you can stay on the trails longer in these top-quality compression socks.

Visit cepcompression.com.

12. Game processing kit

True Knives’ Swift Edge Game Processing Kit comprises seven essential tools using the quick-change Swift Edge system. There is a 4-inch gut hook, 6-inch fillet blade, 8-inch butcher blade, and 8-inch bone saw. All these independent blades fit into the Swift Edge thermoplastic rubberized handle designed for use in wet environments that require an unwavering grip. The hook, fillet and butcher knives are made from 5Cr13 steel finished in a titanium nitrate coating. The bone saw is made from 65Mn steel for additional hardness and wear resistance, while still being finished in titanium nitrate. Blades can be changed by toggling the switch on the rear of the handle and depressing the blade release. To install, insert the new blade until the release snaps into place. The handle is also compatible with all the Fillet Kit lengths. The handle has an integrated lanyard and carabiner loop.

Visit true.acgbrands.com/en_US/swift-edge-huntprocessing-kit.html.

In my teenage years, I grew a real appreciation for photography, as my dad was always very good about recording the memories of all our hunts. I have photo albums in my office dated from the ’50s to the ’90s with all the camps and animals we hunted in the Hill Country and South Texas. My father was very good at documenting the years and the places to give us really good references to the evolution of our family hunting.

The pictures included all of our close friends and their deer. We even took pictures to include some of the processing we did in our very own smoke house. I love looking back at those pictures and cannot thank my dad enough for capturing that part of our lives.

I took the torch and carried it forward with my 35mm Canon and took it a little bit further with live animals and nature shots and scenery pics. I had tons of fun with my camera. With my dad’s automotive repair shop right next door to a photography store, I could get my prints back fast. But the ease with which we take digital pictures now is incredible and the quality is sensational. Our ease of sharing our great photos with others is at our fingertips and as quick as you can hit send. The social media aspect of all we do makes it fun and amusing, but can cause tension based on what you post or who you tag in a photo. It gets downright crazy out there with all we can share.

I know in the kids’ world, technology is advancing so

fast, I cannot keep up with the social media platforms they target and post.

My adult son, Michael Dean Marbach, also carried my passion for videography, but photography has taken it to an all-new level. He graduated with a degree from Texas Tech University in creative media industries. He soon ventured on to filming for some outdoor televisions shows and then took a job in College Station at a media production company. I use him and another young man named Josh Sagraves to get some great photos of the various critters that roam the ranches we help with. These young men started out at a very young age developing their craft and are now taking it to all new levels. It’s fantastic to see these young men and take their passions and develop them into a career.

As you venture outdoors with your young children, it would be great to encourage them to start documenting their adventures. As we all know, life goes by so fast, and it won’t take long before you look back and realize you have a treasure chest of documented memories.

One my favorite outdoor photographers to follow is Wyman Meinzer. He has documented his travels and the beauty of Texas for decades. I often wonder how he got his start and can only imagine the types of products he used early in his career and how the industry has transformed what he uses today.

“Wyman Meinzer is the only official State Photographer of Texas, named so in 1997 by the Texas State Legislature and then Gov. George W. Bush, an honor he still holds today. He was raised on the League Ranch, a 27,000-acre ranch in the rolling plains of Texas. Since then, he has traveled to every corner of this great state and all points in between in search of the first and last rays of sunlight in its magnificent sweep across the Texas landscape.

“Meinzer graduated from Texas Tech in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science in wildlife management and was voted Outstanding Alumnus in 1987 by the department of Range and Wildlife

Management at Texas Tech University. He also received the Distinguished Alumnus award in 1995 from the School of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. In August of 1999, Meinzer was honored to give the graduation commencement address at his alma matter. During his 12 years as adjunct instructor in communications at Texas Tech University, Wyman was selected as Agriculture Communications Teacher of the Year in 2005. In 2009 he received the Distinguished Alumnus award from Texas Tech University in recognition of outstanding achievement and dedicated service.” —courtesy wymanmeinzer.com

Who will be the next young person to carry the torch forward and follow in the footsteps of the Texas greats? I encourage all of you kids to do some research and get out and start shooting images that will be etched in history. What a grand time to be alive. Everything is at the tip of your fingers and just a short road trip away. I look forward to seeing your photographs and hope you will share them with us at COA on Facebook and Instagram, so we can help promote all the beauty God has created for us in His outdoors.

Michael Marbach is the CEO of the Christian Outdoor Alliance, www. mycoa.org; 210-827-9802. COA’s mission is to guide youth and outdoorsmen to a relationship with Jesus Christ through experience in God’s great outdoors.

Crossbow Roundup 2023

BY JOHN GOODSPEED

The latest crossbows may not be perfect, but they’re coming closer as they get faster, smaller, lighter and packed with features. One manufacturer says it’s producing the fastest compact crossbow with rated speeds up to 460 feet per second and a measurement of 71/2 inches wide axle to axle cocked. It’s also paired with a rangefinding scope.

That’s not the most compact crossbow, though. One measures 5¾ inches axle to axle cocked while another uses a cocking device that reduces effort down to 5 pounds.

Tactical-style bows are more common, too, with

many featuring adjustable stocks and AR-15-style grips that are interchangeable with their firearm cousins.

One the downside, some manufacturers were not able to introduce new models and others could not supply details of new ones by deadline. It seems that complications of supply chain issues and residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are still having an effect.

Meanwhile, some crossbows that were great a year or two ago still are including one that promises 1-inch groups at 100 yards. Prices listed are manufacturers’ suggested retail prices.

Axe Crossbows

www.feradyne.com/axe-crossbows

AX440, $2,099.99

While Axe introduced nothing new for 2023, it still has a hotshot with the AX440, introduced in 2021. Based on 2020’s AX405, it delivers speeds to 440 fps using the same style reverse-split-limb system. The stock eliminates the rail and uses two carbon guide rods with a tunable roller rest for a free-floating arrow system. The bow is 301/2 inches long and less than 12 inches axle to axle cocked. The two-stage trigger breaks at 31/2 pounds. It comes with an adjustable cheekpiece and foot stirrup, an Axe scope with a reticle designed for the bolt’s trajectory, side-mount quiver and three 0.166-inch Axe micro-diameter bolts.

Hellion 400 Compound Crossbow, $899.99

Barnett Crossbows

www.barnettcrossbows.com

Hyper XP 405, $599.99

Information on Barnett’s new crossbow was not available by deadline. It should be on the company’s website by now. Meanwhile, the company is still riding high with the Hyper XP 405 introduced for 2022. The good news is that it now costs $100 less. Features include a Sled RCD cocking device, a Gen 3 TriggerTech trigger with Frictionless Release Technology and an adjustable buttstock. It flings bolts at 405 fps with a 213-pound draw weight. The package includes a 4X32mm illuminated scope, two Hyperflite 22-inch arrows, a Hyper Sidemount Premium Quiver and lubrication wax.

This new model packs a punch firing arrows up to 400 fps with 142 foot-pounds of energy while boasting a small footprint of eight inches axle to axle cocked and weighing just more than 8 pounds. The compound crossbow measures 12 inches uncocked. Features include an adjustable buttstock, pistol grip, folding stirrup, an automatic safety, anti-dry fire and string stops. The rails and cams are made from CNC-machined aluminum. Draw weight is 185 pounds. The power stroke is 151/2 inches. Overall length is 33 inches. The accessory package includes a 4X32 illuminated scope, three 20-inch .003 arrows, quiver, cocking sled and rail lube. The Hellion 400, though, is not CenterPoint’s fastest. Introduced in 2022, the Wrath 430X ($699.99) shoots up to 430 fps with 164 foot pounds of energy. It measures 9 inches axle to axle and features a silent cranking device.

Darton Archery

www.dartonarchery.com

Toxin RD100 XT with Hunter Package, $916.47

Darton will introduce several crossbows for 2023. But details were not available by deadline. Information on them will be posted on Darton’s website. Before then, Darton’s only crossbow is the Toxin RD100 XT ($699.99 with no package). A bullpup design gives it a power stroke of 16 inches and a length of 321/2 inches, including the stirrup. The RD refers to the Hi-Energy Reverse Draw Cams. With a 165-pound draw weight, it can propel a 400-grain arrow at 380 fps. It measures 91⁄8 inches cocked and weighs 7.9 pounds with a trackless composite barrel. The Hunter Package includes four arrows, quiver, four 100-grain field points, a 4X32mm scope and rail and string lube.

Excalibur Crossbow

www.excaliburcrossbow.com

Assassin Extreme, $1,499

The Assassin Extreme, with speeds up to 400 fps, is one of Excalibur’s four new models. Like the other two in the Assassin line, the recurve bow features the Charger Crank System with integrated storage, Micro High-Output Express Limbs and Pro Shot 2-stage Trigger. It comes in Flat Dark Earth, shown here, and Realtree Excape ($1,599.99). Other features include a raised cheek piece, R.E.D.S. Suppressors, Bigfoot Stirrup and a grip built into the stock. Draw weight is 22 pounds with the crank. Draw length is 15 inches. It weighs 6.9 pounds without accessories. The length is 32 inches. Accessories include a TACT-100 scope, four-arrow quiver, four Quill 161/2-inch arrows, four 100-grain field points and a ceasefire decocking aid, which assures the crossbow cannot be fired unless an arrow is loaded. The other three new models are the Micro Extreme ($999.99), TwinStrike ($1,599.99 in black) and Wolverine ($1,099.99). The Micro Extreme flings arrows up to 360 fps and is a bit more compact than the Assassin Extreme. With speeds up to 340 fps, the TwinStrike sports two parallel recurve bows. The Wolverine, which fires up to 360 fps, pays homage to Excalibur’s 40th anniversary with a bow of the same name as its first. All three bows include many of the same key features and accessories as the Assassin Extreme.

Gearhead Archery

www.gearheadarchery.com

X16 Tactical, $1,549

This model is undergoing a redesign, but details were not available by deadline. Check Gearhead’s website for updates. A key attribute of the X16 Tactical is its takedown function for portability. Features include a TriggerTech 2.1-pound, single-stage trigger, a Whisker Biscuit arrow rest, frictionless arrow support and a two-track

cam system. It measures 14¾ inches axle to axle cocked. The power stroke is 16 inches. It is available in 75-pound, 90-pound and 125-pound pull weights. With the 125-pound pull, it shoots 350 fps with a 325-grain arrow. It weighs 6¼ pounds. A rail allows for mounting a scope.

Mission Crossbows

www.missioncrossbows.com

SUB-1 XR, $2,199.99

With no new crossbows introduced for several years, Mission is banking on the SUB-1XR, which the manufacturer says can produce one-inch groups at 100 yards with speeds up to 410 fps. Its Benchmark Fire Control includes a three-pound match-grade trigger, the Easy-Load bolt retention arm and the ability to de-cock with the push of

a button. It measures 9.1 inches axle to axle when cocked and 301/2 inches long. The CNC-machined flight tract eliminates vertical nock travel to improve accuracy. The crossbow weighs 7.6 pounds and comes in a choice of Realtree Edge camo and Black.

Ravin Crossbows

www.ravincrossbows.com

R10X, $1,824.99

The latest from Ravin Crossbows are upgrades including the Fully Integrated Silent Cocking System — and an X designation — to two previous models, which are still in production, and adds one more. The cocking mechanism works with the Trac Trigger Firing System and allows stopping the draw cycle at any time during the process. The 420 fps R10X shown here adds 20 fps to the top-selling R10 and a new stock with an adjustable cheek pad and buttstock. The R10X also ups the R10’s foot pounds of energy from 142 to 156. Otherwise, the specs are the same, including a cocked axle-to-axle width of 6 inches and a weight of 6.8 pounds. They share the same accessories, too, such as automatic safety, 100-yard illuminated scope and quiver with mounting bracket. The R26X ($2,024.99) takes the compact R26 platform — 5¾ inches axle to axle — and adds the silent cocking feature. The speed of 400 fps also stays the same, but the black color is new. The final X factor crossbow, the R5X ($1,524.99) combines

the R26’s compact front end with a newly designed stock including adjustable cheek pad and buttstock. The black crossbow shoots 400 fps and measures 31 inches long. All three models are powered by Ravin’s Helicoil Technology, which coils cables away from the tops and the bottoms of the cams in helical grooves and allows cams to rotate nearly 340 degrees while they remain level when drawing and shooting.

Rocky Mountain

www.feradyne.com/rocky-mountain

RM-415 Flat Dark Earth Crossbow Kit with Quiet Crank, $399.99

Known for budget-friendly crossbows, Rocky Mountain has not released anything new for several years. Like others, this model packs plenty for its price. The 215-pound draw weight sends bolts at 415 fps. The Quiet Crank also engages the dry-fire safety trigger assembly. It measures 141/2 inches cocked and 35 inches long, including stirrup. It weighs 71/2 pounds. Features include dual string

and changing the riser mounting position, the string’s resting position is extended farther down the rail for a 47 percent longer power stroke than a forward draw crossbow measuring the same length. The crossbow’s Vector-Quad cable technology uses four cables instead of the traditional two to eliminate cam lean and generate straight-nock travel. The 16-inch MICRO-TRAC barrel reduces string-to-barrel contact by 50 percent. The twopiece TEC-TACTICAL stock includes an adjustable butt plate that adjusts one inch. Features include an elevated

cheekpiece, a longer dovetail, aluminum scope struts for added strength and rigidity, the patented ACUslide with the Auto-Brake Gear System for control during de-cocking and the two-stage S1 trigger with a 31/2-pound pull. It comes in Veil Alpine camo.

Wicked Ridge Crossbows

www.wickedridgecrossbows.com

Raider 400 De-Cock, $749

suppressors, string dampeners, sling studs and adjustable foregrip. The Ready to Hunt Kit includes a red/blue illuminated 4X32mm scope, three-bolt quiver, three Carbon Express PileDriver crossbolts with 100-grain field points device and rail lubricant.

TenPoint Crossbow Technologies

www.tenpointcrossbows.com

Flatline 460 Oracle X, $3,299.99

TenPoint’s latest is packed with high-tech features including the Burris Oracle X Rangefinding Crossbow Scope and a design the company says creates the fastest compact crossbow ever, with rated speeds of up to 460 fps. The platform measures 261/2 inches long and 71/2 inches wide axle to axle cocked. Adding to maneuverability is the fact it uses shorter 16-inch arrows. The laser rangefinder is activated by a wireless remote and can range game up to 200 yards while calculating the angle of the shot. The Flatline is powered by a patented reverse-draw assembly and 14-inch power stroke. By reversing the bow assembly

The new, lightweight Tactical Stock with an AR-style adjustable stock, Rope-Sled and lighted scope now is available on the Raider 400 De-Cock. The model also is available with the XS stock with built-in ACUdraw DeCock ($899.99). The Tactical Stock allows up to 21/2 inches of adjustability in five 1/2-inch increments. It also reduces the weight to 5.8 pounds. The D-1 two-stage trigger with a 31/2-pound pull includes a new dry-fire prohibitor to allow de-cocking with the built-in ACUdraw De-Cock or manually with the Rope-Sled. The ACUdraw De-Cock reduces cocking effort to five pounds. With a draw weight of 185 pounds, the bow assembly rides on a cast aluminum riser with machined aluminum limb pockets fitted

with 11-inch WRX double-laminated limbs. Powered by speed designed, 5S Cams and DynaFLIGHT 97 string and cables, the bow assembly measures 15 inches axle to axle and drives an arrow up to 400 fps with 140 foot-pounds of energy. The length is 311/2 inches without the stirrup. It weighs 61/2 pounds without accessories. The package includes a TenPoint Lighted Pro-View Scope factory presighted at 20 yards, three Match 400 Carbon Alpha-Nock Arrows and quiver.

From Bass To Bucks

By Jason Shipman

Kevin’s giant buck has a typical 6x6 frame with five additional non-typical points, 28-inch main beams, 42-inch mass, and a gross B&C score of 221.

Author photos

Bass fishing has been a lifelong passion for Kevin Phillips. “I’ve basically fished my whole life. From the time I was like 5 or 6 years old, it’s all I’ve known,” Kevin said. “My grandparents ran a marina on Lake Somerville, and I fished there for crappie and striped bass while growing up.” Bass fishing was a natural progression, and then Kevin started tournament fishing after high school. “There have been a few breaks along the way but I still tournament fish,” he said. “I like fishing because I’m pretty good at it and I like to compete.” Kevin prefers to fish drops and points in deep water with a Carolina rig and recalls a memorable day catching a 9- and 7-pound bass in consecutive casts.

Kevin now lives in Channelview, located east of Houston. His day job in construction equipment sales keeps him busy, but he gets on the water every chance he gets. He has quite a few good fishing holes nearby but among his favorite are Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Choke Canyon, Fayette County Reservoir, and Lake Nacogdoches. Kevin is also heavily involved with running and managing the Kellogg Fishing Club.

“It’s a great bass club,” he said. “We host around 10 tournaments a year across the southeast part of the state and our members are primarily from the Houston area.” In the future, he hopes to create a program that helps youth entering the sport of competitive fishing learn proper etiquette both on and off the water.

Family, work, and fishing have occupied all of Kevin’s time for the past 55 years. “I came from a family that didn’t necessarily hunt,” he said. “I have been so tied into fishing that I didn’t have time for much else. That changed when friends took an interest in sharing the sport of hunting with me.”

With zero prior hunting experience, and at the urging of

Kevin gets on the water every chance he gets, but among his favorite places to fish are Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Choke Canyon, Fayette County Reservoir, and Lake Nacogdoches.

some good friends, Kevin gave hunting a try a few years ago and hasn’t looked back. “In a way, there are a lot of similarities between hunting and fishing,” he said. “You’re getting up early and heading to a blind or a boat ramp. Either way, I love the

sunrises! Now having experienced both hunting and fishing, I realize that both sports really have the same effect on you.”

With his attention averted to deer hunting, Kevin has immersed himself in the sport of hunting over the last few years. He has gone from avid bass fisherman to avid deer hunter, just like that. From the photos, it’s easy to see why. He has taken some tremendous bucks and enjoyed a great deal of successful hunting. “Hunting has taken hold and turned into a new passion I can’t shake,” Kevin said, laughing.

This hunting season Kevin made a return trip to a ranch where he has been hunting for several years. It had been a dry year and tough on the deer and wildlife in general. “You just keep hearing about how dry it is, you know? My friends and I really didn’t know what to expect,” he said. Little did he realize he would take his best buck to date.

“The hunt started out a bit slow. We were seeing some goodlooking bucks, just young ones, and not exactly what we were looking for,” he said. “It was unseasonably warm, and the mature deer were not very active.” After a few hunts, Kevin started to get a bit nervous. “I began to wonder if I was going to get a chance at a deer. You start second guessing every move you make at that point. I was running out of time and was going to have to return for work soon,” Kevin said.

It was an afternoon hunt, the day before he was scheduled to return home. They settled into a new blind in the early afternoon for a long hunt. “We had moved around and hunted several locations on the ranch, and figured we’d give a new spot a try,” he said. It seemed logical, but after an hour with no deer

sightings, they began second guessing themselves.

Another hour went by with only a few does and small bucks showing up. “We were down to the wire with only a few minutes of legal hunting time left when four bucks showed up,” Kevin said. The largest buck was in the lead and was massive. “He was huge, I can’t even tell you what the other three bucks looked like. I never looked at them!”

Not wanting to let the opportunity slip by, Kevin quickly readied his Browning 6.5 Creedmoor for the shot. The group of bucks made their way toward the hunters and stepped out of the brush at a distance of about 100 yards. “I was really nervous as I squeezed the trigger,” Kevin said. “At the shot, the massive buck jumped straight up in the air and fell dead in his tracks.”

They took a few minutes to collect their gear before walking up to the fallen trophy. “The buck just got bigger as we walked up. He was absolutely huge!” Kevin said. “I pegged the meter on this one and couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. It is the buck of a lifetime. Funny thing is, I felt the same way last year!”

Kevin’s deer is in a class of its own and definitely a deer of a lifetime. The giant buck has a typical 6x6 frame with five additional non-typical points for added character, 28-inch main beams, 42-inch mass, and a gross B&C score of 221.

Kevin doesn’t intend on slowing down his hunting endeavors just yet. “I was hooked on hunting from day one and I feel like I have started a new chapter,” he said. “No doubt about it. I’ve taken some great deer, but I think this is just the beginning!” We wish Kevin the best in all of his future hunting pursuits.

Kevin was down to the wire with only a few minutes of legal hunting time left when four bucks showed up. The largest buck was in the lead and was massive.

Kim had her eye on this buck ever since it appeared on the trail cams. After he appeared, it was only a matter of time before she got her chance to take him.

My husband Lee and I have been blessed to be on a 14,800-acre low fence/free range lease that’s surrounded by other large properties that all have low fences, and all follow the 51⁄2 -year-old or over management program. I had been hunting since the first of October when bow season started, but still had not seen anything to shoot. That all changed one morning when my game camera sent a picture.

I was at the lease hunting alone, taking advantage of the cooler weather. That morning, I was in my friend Griff’s popup blind, looking for some cull bucks when Lee sent a text asking if I had looked at the pictures the camera had sent. Of course, I didn’t have good enough phone service in the popup blind to pull up the pictures. I got out of the stand and drove down the road to where I could get service, and what I saw on my phone made me pretty dang excited!

This big boy had been at my popup blind, the blind I’d been hunting for days. But he had never made an appearance for me. I decided to cancel my 4-hour drive home that morning and stay and hunt that evening.

That evening I got to my popup blind a good hour and half before the deer typically show up. I just sat and waited. I had a lot of young bucks come in and saw one boss buck that was probably 4 1⁄2 years old. He was the king of that area.

I saw him go to the hillside and look down a path that Lee had mowed. When he only stood there for a few seconds and turned and high tailed it out of there, the big boy was on his way in. I grabbed my bow and got ready.

Over the top of the hill, the big boy walked out. I was about to have a heart attack. I calmed myself down and made my mind up to take this one. No second guessing my decision at all.

As he walked in, he presented me with a perfect broadside shot, and at a distance I was comfortable shooting. As I started to pull back on my bow, one of those pesky, future trophy bucks busted me. I slowly let down after they turned away for a moment to start my pull back again. I was almost completely pulled back and ready to do my pre-shot routine before releasing, when something scared the heck out the buck and his jumping scared the heck out of me. He went out of my shooting range and never gave me another chance.

I went back to the lodge at dark and immediately called Lee to tell him about this buck. I decided to stay one more morning and give it another shot. Truth be known, I’d have stayed another month.

I was in my popup blind at 6 a.m. waiting for daylight at 7:11 and 43 seconds, to be exact. He appeared again shortly after daybreak, but he stayed way out of my comfort zone for shooting. All the other bucks that had been there browsing for food had left the area, except one big eight-point. I only had to worry about him busting me.

I prayed the big boy didn’t walk to the brush at the back of the cleared-out area where I would never have a shot.

I could tell he was making his way towards me, so I grabbed my bow to get ready. He stopped for a moment to eat at exactly 21 yards. I leaned over in the popup blind to a section of the blind that would hide me as I pulled back on my 50-pound bow. I was able to get it pulled back and thought I had it made at that point when I saw on the left side of my blind another buck walking up to see what the big boy was eating. Thankfully, he didn’t bust me. I sat straight up with my bow pulled back and ready for action. I saw the big boy looking right at me, just 21 yards away. He was staring a hole through me, but I held steady, hoping he would turn and give me a broadside view so I could shoot. At this point he

Kim’s moment finally arrived. She took the buck and put her hands on her trophy after a somewhat agonizing search.

of the Texas Trophy Hunters

was interested in the new buck that showed up and started to make his way towards him. I had to make the decision to take a quartering shot and I had to do it soon or lose my chance.

Next, all I remember is hearing that sound we all want to hear when we bow hunt, that thump that says you hit the deer. I watched him do the side wobble as he walked away into the brush. I watched till I could no longer see my pink lighted nock still in him. I never heard him crash though, so I decided to wait a good hour and a half before searching for him.

After the shot, I shook uncontrollably as if I was freezing to death. There’s no stopping buck fever when it starts for at least a few minutes. Once I stopped shaking and could hold my phone still, I immediately called Lee. It was almost like he was there with me.

He knew the big boy was there, and hoping and praying I would get a shot at him. Lee was so excited for me, to say the least. Lee suggested I go back to the lodge and wait and get some coffee. I was thinking of having whiskey because I needed to calm my nerves, but I went with the coffee option instead.

My next call was to Billy Hill, our friend and the ranch game manager. I thought I might need his expert tracking abilities looking for blood. After he showed up, we made our way to the other side of the lease. We started tracking from where I shot him and looked for blood, but found none.

At this point I felt sick to my stomach. We walked about 100 yards farther than what Billy thought the buck should have gone, because the buck had done the side wobble after being shot. Billy said he shouldn’t have gone this far, so we decided to split up and circle back. I had to text Lee to tell him we didn’t find the buck.

As soon as I sent the text, I heard a whistle from Billy, then another whistle. “I hear ya, and I’m on my way!” I replied. He had found the buck.

The look on Billy’s face was like, “He’s an OK buck but not all that.” I walked over and looked down and was like, “Oh my gosh!” and then I heard Billy laughing. After I hit him for giving me that look, he went on and on about how the game camera pictures I had shown him didn’t do the buck justice. I immediately called Lee and he was screaming through the phone with excitement.

After Billy and I dragged the buck out of the cactus and loaded him into the truck, we headed back to headquarters to prep him for the meat market and to score him. I wrote down the measurements Billy gave me. He went over to his table and started adding the numbers. He got a total, then backed away and walked around for a second and said, “I think you’re really going to be happy with this.”

After adding again, he shook his head and did his little walk around again, then I asked, “WHAT IS IT?” He pointed to the score sheet and I saw 1744⁄8 . I took a picture of the score sheet and texted it to Lee. I won’t tell you what words he used to respond in his text, but I could tell he was happy for me.

I always pray when I’m in the stand that I have a good, clean, ethical kill, and that I’m able to find the deer. I’ve lost one deer in my life with a gun and one cull buck I shot with a bow that wasn’t found till the next day. That’s the worst feeling ever. But I have a freezer just waiting on my deer meat and a spot above the fireplace to put the big boy, my buck of a lifetime.

The author’s Gould’s turkey illustrates the characteristic green iridescence, white rump feathers, and white tail fan.

Wild turkeys suffered the same fate as all edible or otherwise useful wildlife species. They were exploited to rarity by early settlers trying to eke out a living on the landscape before any game laws or thoughts of conservation existed. This over-exploitation was followed by a time of restoration that continues to this day in some areas. State wildlife agencies, private landowners, and conservation organizations started to work together to trap and transplant turkeys from remnant populations to suitable habitat. This effort was a huge success, and the turkey population nationwide grew from about 200,000 in the early 1900s to 6.7 million in 2014 according to the National Wild Turkey Federation. Turkeys now occupy all states except Alaska and six Canadian Provinces. By 2010, most available habitat was full, and translocations slowed down considerably. Soon after, biologists reported turkey populations were stable or declining which has spurred interest finding out why. As always, the reasons for turkey population fluctuations are very complex.

Five subspecies of wild turkey live in the United States, but only three live in the Southwest. The Eastern turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) occurs in far East Texas all the way to the East Coast and up to the Canadian border. It’s warm-weather cousin, the Osceola (Meleagris gallopavo osceola), lives in Florida. The Southwest is home to the Rio Grande, Gould’s, and Merriam’s.

Rio Grande turkey (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia)

Rio Grande turkeys, or simply “Rios,” are the most widespread and common turkey in Texas. Physically, they’re similar to Eastern turkeys, but with more copper and bronze iridescence to their body feathers and a lighter tan color at the end of the tail feathers. The era of market and subsistence hunting reduced and eliminated Rio Grande turkey populations and by 1920 they were mostly gone from much of their range. Penreared Rios were translocated into East Texas in early 1900s without much success.

Since the 1920s, restoration efforts included 30,000 Rios released in suitable habitat in Texas. Today they’re distributed from South Texas to the eastern Panhandle, generally painting a wide swath down the middle of Texas. Their distribution does not overlap appreciably with Eastern turkeys in East Texas, but there’s extensive hybridization between these two subspecies to the north in the southern Great Plains. There’s also some hybridization with some Merriam’s turkeys released into the Davis Mountains in 1983. Rios have also been translocated to many western states including Hawaii and are widespread in the west coast states of California and Oregon. Although originally very much a Texas native, they currently are hunted in 14 states.

Gould’s turkey (Meleagris gallopavo mexicanus)

The Gould’s turkey was first described by ornithologist John Gould in 1856 and is the largest of the five subspecies, both in weight and body measurements. It looks most similar to the Merriam’s, but the body feathers have more green iridescence and both the rump and the band at the end of the tail feathers are snow-white in Gould’s. Spurs in adult Gould’s toms are small or sometimes completely lacking, even older gobblers may have only half-inch spurs.

The distribution of Gould’s is primarily Mexico throughout the Sierra Madre in the Mexican states of Sonora, Chihuahua, and Durango with an extension up into southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. By World War I, turkeys had largely disappeared from much of their range. Beginning in the 1950s, some of their former habitat in Arizona was stocked with Merriam’s turkeys, but this effort was unsuccessful, perhaps because Merriam’s are poorly adapted for this arid habitat, or simply because not enough Merriam’s were translocated to assure success.

Some believed Gould’s turkeys were the rightful residents of these arid mountain islands surrounded by desert seas and so in the 1980s, 21 Gould’s from Mexico were released on the Fort Huachuca Military Reservation in southeastern Arizona. This small population struggled for a decade so discussions with Mexican biologists and government officials secured more Gould’s for translocation to the U.S. A total of nine jakes (captured by yours truly) and 12 hens were live-trapped in January 1994 near the village of Yecora, Sonora, Mexico and released into the Galiuro Mountains in southeastern Arizona. For the next 20 years, I organized biannual planning meetings and led efforts to restore Gould’s turkeys in all southeastern

This Merriam’s turkey shot by the author’s son shows the tan rump feathers and terminal tail band.

Arizona mountains and to help New Mexico with their efforts. New Mexico received 60 Gould’s from Arizona between 20142016 as part of an interstate trade for 40 pronghorns.

Today at least 1,500 Gould’s live in about 11 mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona and at least 175 in the boot heel of southwestern New Mexico, in addition to robust and widespread populations in Mexico. During the spring 2023 seasons, Arizona is offering 79 tags and New Mexico has two. In New Mexico, the Gould’s turkey was listed as state threatened in 1974, but because of these restoration efforts they were removed from the threatened list in October 2022.

Merriam’s turkey (Meleagris gallopavo merriami)

Merriam’s turkeys, named after zoologist C. Hart Merriam, are darker than Eastern turkeys with blue-purple-bronze iridescence on the body feathers. The rump and tail fan tips are white or light tan. Some Merriam’s tail fans are as white as Gould’s, but most are more tan.

No archaeological evidence of modern turkeys has been found throughout the current range of Merriam’s, only a smaller prehistoric turkey (Meleagris crassipes) that went extinct 3,000 years ago. This suggests Merriam’s were a relatively recent addition to the landscape at the time of European settlement. The most common theory of the origin of the Merriam’s is that Native American cultures in the Southwest obtained

domesticated Gould’s through trade with native Mexican cultures. These domestic turkeys then escaped or were abandoned 1,500 years ago and established themselves in the wild as the birds we now call native Merriam’s. Another theory holds that habitat differences soon after the Pleistocene allowed the natural spread of Gould’s northward where they changed somewhat as they adapted to their northern mountainous habitat.

Merriam’s are now distributed in scattered populations throughout the West with only a few states as exceptions. They are birds of the mountains more than any other subspecies, but not exclusively found there. Merriam’s are currently hunted in 13 states. They are not in Mexico, but occur in a few mountain ranges in West Texas. In Arizona and New Mexico, this subspecies occupies most of the available turkey habitat north of Gould’s range along the Mexican border.

A future full of turkeys

After many decades of successful turkey restoration through translocations and habitat improvement, we are now transitioning to maintaining the habitat and hunter access to it. There have been concerns of recent declines, but turkeys are prolific breeders and if conservation organizations like the National Wild Turkey Federation, along with state and federal agencies, continue to work together our children and grandchildren will continue to enjoy the thunderous gobble echoing off the canyons and mountain forests of the Southwest.

Translocations became more effective with the invention of rocket nets to capture turkeys efficiently.

Gould’s and Rios are less dependent on mature forest for their habitat requirements.

A rizon A G A me & F ish p hoto

Nick had waited a long time for an opportunity at taking an elk. He finally got his chance when he and his father-in-law went out West for an elk hunt.

Ihad always wanted to experience the thrill of hunting bugling bull elk, but the opportunities to do this in Texas outside of a game ranch are few and far between. After seven years of putting in for archery elk draws with no luck, my father-in-law Dan and I finally got lucky and pulled a tag for a September 2020 archery elk hunt out West. This would be my first archery elk hunt, but neither Dan nor I had ever taken a bull with our bows before. This was a bucket list item for him after a lifetime of hunting and I was extremely excited to experience early season elk hunting for the first time. We have both always been the do-it-yourself type of hunter and we would not get a guide or outfitter for this hunt, so our trip planning started immediately. We looked at every map of the unit we could find, but we knew we couldn’t decide on an exact area to hunt until we got out there and got eyes on the unit before the hunt. Dan would go out a few days before me and meet up with his uncle, cousin, and brother who only lived a few hours away from the hunting area. They would get a head start on scouting, pick a place to set up camp, and have everything set up for the start of the season. September finally arrived and we headed out West to try our luck. The weather forecast showed warmer than normal

days with evening lows only dropping into the 40s. Regardless of weather conditions, we were prepared to go after the elk and put in the miles to give ourselves the best opportunity for success. We set up camp, did some scouting, and decided on two areas where we wanted to focus on to start the season. We wanted to get out, cover some ground, and see what we could find.

The season started off strong the first morning. We split up in two different areas we had scouted. I started up a rugged mountain trail through the tall pines about half a mile from our camp and hit the bugle for the first time at about a full hour before first light. I had an immediate response to my first call, and it sounded like the bull was about 300 yards or so up the trail.

I then got a response from another bull on my right. I set up probably 50 yards off the trail and hit my bugle every five minutes or so until it just started getting light enough to see. I saw a cow elk moving in front of me at maybe 80 yards and saw something large moving through the brush maybe 50 yards behind her. I hit my cow call a few times and he stepped out maybe 80 yards in front of me in some brush.

The bull stared in my direction, and then looked at the cow. I lightly hit my cow call again, and he slowly turned and followed the cow back into the brush. I couldn’t see his entire rack, but I knew he was a solid bull and a definite shooter. Not bad for the first two minutes of shooting light on opening morning!

I tried to get back on that bull all morning as he headed south. I would get to within what sounded like 200-300 yards of him several times but could never get close enough to get eyes on him through the trees. After about 2 hours, I felt like I was finally making up ground on him. I looked up and found myself at the fence marking the boundary between the national forest land and the Indian reservation at the southern border of our unit.

I had traveled about 2 miles from where I had started, and it seemed like the elk were retreating to the reservation. We figured they would move into the unit at night to feed, then retreat to the safety of the reservation at first light. Dan had a handful of responses to his calls as well that day, so we knew we were in good areas. We decided

NIck’s father-in-law Dan got himself a fine elk, too.

to venture out a little more in the unit, but no other areas had heavy sign like where we were the first morning, so we focused our efforts in these two areas.

On the third morning of our hunt, Dan, at 63 years old, marked off the top item on his bucket list. His cousin called in a 6x6 satellite bull off the herd and got him within 20 yards while other bulls were trying to herd cows all around him. The bull came charging in looking for the cow and Dan arrowed the bull while it quartered towards him. Dan kept a smile on his face for about the next month after taking this bull.

On day five, I went back to the area I hunted the first day with Dan’s cousin who would help me call. I would get 600800 yards off a forest road into our unit an hour before first light and try to catch the bulls heading out of our area to the southern border. At about first light, we heard a bugle about 400 yards east of us, so we hurried over to get in front of the bull and get set up. We started cow-calling and heard cows call back, but they weren’t getting any closer.

After about 10 minutes of calling, I heard another funny sounding bugle and decided to move towards it. I crept in and sure enough, two other hunters were the ones answering our calls. Because of this, we decided to head farther into the unit at a northwest bearing. We walked about 800 yards and I heard a deep bugle that sounded more like a growl 200 yards in front of me in some pines.

I knew by the deep bugle it was a mature bull. The wind was blowing right towards him. I tried to circle around to get in front of him and catch him before he caught our wind. I eased in by myself to minimize the pressure and our scent.

I got eyes on him about 100 yards in, but he was about another 100 yards in front of me down wind. He was nothing short of a monster. I hit my cow call, then he turned and looked for a second. He started trotting off due south, right towards the reservation.

I knew he winded me, but he didn’t run off full speed. My only chance would be to run and get in front of him to cut him off. I started off sprinting slightly downhill and running parallel to him. I looked over to my right and saw him trotting right along with me about 100 yards off with several pine trees between us.

A small ravine lies about 150 yards in front of where we were heading. If I could get there before him, I knew he would have to slow down going down the hill. He slowed down and I got to the ravine edge before he did. I knelt for a split second and nocked an arrow.

I cranked my single pin sight down to what I thought was the 70-yard pin slot. Before I knew it, he was in front of me and stopped for a split second looking at me. I guessed he was at about 60 yards. I aimed low and let my arrow fly.

Right as a I released, he moved forward. As soon as I shot, my heart

sank. I saw my arrow hit him way back and high. He took off and bolted straight back towards the reservation.

I saw a cut mark on him right in front of his tenderloins where my broadhead went in. I looked down at my sight and saw I had accidentally stopped it at 55 yards. If I had actually set it to 70 yards, the arrow would have been a foot over his back. It turned out he was about 45 yards away when I shot him.

The shot was a clean pass through, and I went and found my arrow quickly. It was dripping with bright red blood. I decided to back out and go to camp. I shot at 6:30 a.m. and told the guys not to let me leave camp until 9:30 a.m., so we could give him at least 3 hours to die.

Four of us returned right to where I had shot the bull. We found good blood within minutes and tracked it. He bled out of both sides, heading back to the reservation and we were maybe 500 yards from the boundary fence. We tracked him down a small canyon, up the other side and then came up one more ridge and saw him dead 75 yards in front of us.

I hit the bull right in front of the tenderloins and the arrow exited about 8 inches out his other side in front of his hindquarters. He died approximately 100 yards off a national forest road and 150 yards from the unit boundary and the reservation, a perfect spot for packing him out. I used my TTHA membership Buck knife to get him dressed and out of the woods.

The bull was a 6x8 and had 61-inch main beams, a 41-inch spread, and 21- and 22-inch fronts. Four months later I had him officially scored at 373” and a net score of 358”, enough to easily qualify for the Pope & Young record books.

Nick shot the elk with his bow at about 45 yards.

Death in the Dust

Two South Texas bucks meet the ir end

By Ralph Winingham

Death in the dust did not come quickly or easily for the two South Texas brush busters whose final resting place was just off a well-worn sendero on a hunting ranch just south of Laredo. No hunter’s bullet had found them. They weren’t that lucky.

What killed the two dark-antlered eight-point bucks was a cruel twist of fate—finding themselves face to face in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their uncontrollable desire for dominance had overwhelmed their natural tendency to flee from trouble.

Mother Nature alone knows exactly what happened during their last few hours of life, but a little outdoor detective work provided a few details to paint a picture of their demise. These two bucks had been seen in the same area several times during that white-tailed deer season. Their heavy, chocolate-colored antlers seemed to

gleam in the early morning sun or fading afternoon light as they drifted in and out of the brush.

Each deer was in prime condition, about three or four years old, with only a slight paunch starting to show their middle age. Heavy of body and muscle, they feared no enemy but man. A quick retreat into the brush whenever a hunter approached within rifle range was their best defense against any potential human threats. Other challenges to their existence were met with antler and hoof. These were the four-footed knights of the brush. Their antlers were not the foils of fencing, but were like the strong, piercing daggers of street fighters.

The bucks may have shared the same feeding grounds for several years without encountering each other during the breeding season, but this year fate put them together on a South Texas brush country battlefield. From the first moment they crossed paths, their combat was fuelled by a cauldron of reproductive juices flowing through every part of their being. Only the two bruisers know when the first blow and grinding crash of antlers broke the silence of the afternoon. An inspection of the shredded brush and churned up dust at their battle scene was clear evidence that their conflict was as violent as any one-on-one combat in any war zone.

Each buck must have done his best to thrust and twist his dagger-like headdress in moves meant to overpower his adversary. From the instant they first clashed their antlers

together, every other animal within 300 yards would have been aware of the titanic struggle. The conflict of domination could have lasted mere minutes, or may have raged off and on for the entire afternoon. A few nearby mesquite trees and maybe a passing jackrabbit are probably the only living things to witness the exchange of brute force.

All that is really known for sure is how the clash of brush bruisers ended. Somehow during their tussle, their antlers locked together. The two bucks tugged and twisted until they were exhausted, but their efforts to separate were futile. The smaller buck of the pair may have weakened first, dragging his enemy down with him, or both animals may have simply surrendered to exhaustion.

Based on the scattering of the remains, one or both of the tangled bucks may even have still been breathing when Mother Nature’s clean-up crew found them. This was not a scene from a Disney movie where the old or weak simply settle down on a soft bed of leaves and enter into their final sleep. Coyotes, buzzards and Mexican eagles all left numerous tracks throughout the battle-torn area as they took part in stripping the bucks

down to skin and bone. How long the scavengers worked their damage or whether either of the two bucks fruitlessly attempted to escape the carnage are not thoughts to dwell upon.

What remained when the scavengers had finished their work was two sets of antlers still entwined in an unbreakable death hold—a trophy to the absolute certainty that in nature, only the strong survive. As a tribute to their life and unfortunate demise, the locked-antler bucks were transformed into a unique display courtesy of the taxidermy skills of the late Fritz Herff, who was the long-time owner of the Broadway Locker and Taxidermy Shop in San Antonio. Cleaned, polished and preserved, the skulls and locked antlers of the two magnificent animals are now encased in an oak-framed glass coffee table prominently displayed in the author’s den. With just a little imagination, anyone looking over the fine wildlife display can still hear the sounds of battle as they picture two bucks engaged in what would become their final conflict.

Their struggle was the struggle for life and propagation of noble creatures that are respected and prized by thousands of outdoor enthusiasts who share a tiny bit of their space in the great outdoors. As an aside to this Campfire Tale, it should be noted that two white-tailed bucks meeting their end from natural causes at the same time is a very rare occurrence, even in the Lone Star state that is home to more than three million deer. Texas Parks & Wildlife Department officials have said that department biologists receive no more than half a dozen reports of hunters finding locked-antler bucks each year. Many of those are just the sun-bleached skulls and antlers found after scavengers and the weather have done their damage to the unusual trophies.

The small cadre of professional Texas taxidermists who deal with thousands of white-tail bucks each year rarely handle locked-antler trophies, which are much more complicated to process because the antlers are locked into place. The typical turn-around time for a normal shoulder mount is about four to 10 months, while the processing of a locked-antler display can require two or three times that effort to produce a unique display. Perhaps it is fitting that the violent death in the dust that took place in days gone past was not an easy one, but through the creation of a lasting trophy, it will be a remembered one.

The deadly struggle for dominance of the South Texas brush county is immortalized in a coffee table display, one of the last creations of noted San Antonio Taxidermist Fritz Herff.

Adoctor, accountant and lawyer walking into a bar is often the start of too many over-used and ill-crafted jokes. Now, if you change “bar” to the Llano Estacado in southeastern New Mexico for mature mule deer—well, then you have the start of a great hunting story.

It’s been said in parenting, “The days are long, and the years are short.” It probably takes being a parent to truly appreciate that sentiment. So, when a father and two grown sons hack out enough time from their careers, wives and young children for a long overdue southwest road trip and trophy mule deer hunting, it’s something remembered.

Many will recognize Ricky and Derek Lester for their preeminent whitetail breeding and hunting operations in Gonzales County. However, many may not know they’ve been closely

managing and curating the RDL Ranch in New Mexico for the last seven years, while building prime mule deer habitat. This includes a strong regimen of quality protein and selective harvesting of cull bucks during the limited New Mexico hunting seasons. The result is several thousand acres of breaks, washes, saddles, and flatland that would make even the most discerning hunter eager for first light on opening day.

So, when Ricky and Derek asked my father, also a resident of Gonzales, if we were interested in a hunt starting late October 2022, it was only a matter of coordinating dates, tags and licenses. My dad, Commie (the doctor), my brother Matthew (the accountant) and I (the lawyer) found ourselves with time on our hands, heading northwest loaded down with coolers, sleeping bags and enough gear to outfit an army platoon.

L-R: Matthew Hisey, Commie Hisey, and Ben Hisey went on a mule deer hunt in New Mexico. Matthew and Ben were successful.

We met our hunting companions in Elida, New Mexico, Oct. 28 for the half-hour drive to camp. Derek and Jason Shipman would serve as our guides while Derek’s father-in-law and another buddy, Derek Dojahn, would help with transportation, cooking and processing.

The drive out to camp was nothing but grassland as far as the eye could see, dotted by stands of towering wind turbines. I was beginning to think this was more pronghorn antelope habitat than a home base for big mule deer. But, within a minute of pulling through the ranch gate and losing 200 feet of elevation, I was instantly able to see why this was the right place to be.

We spent the first evening swapping stories and telling questionable jokes before turning in early. After all, many of us had started at 3 a.m. that morning in Central Texas. Eggs, bacon and hot black coffee have fueled many early hunts, and this one was no exception. Sufficiently fueled and caffeinated, we headed out for the morning.

Our family trio wore Kuiu and First Lite camo, used Swarovski, Leupold and Nightforce glass, and used three separate 6.5s, two Creedmoors and one PRC. The morning’s plan was to start by gaining the elevation we had lost the afternoon before while driving into camp and skirting the higher rim of the basin, glassing into the fingers and draws running down into the open flatland below. It was my first time in a Mahindra Roxor,

a turbo-diesel Jeep look-a-like, this one being fully outfitted with a high seat in the back for my brother and me. The vantage was great; the wind protection was not. There is cold and then there is COLD! But once those first rays of sunshine peaked over the ridge from the east, spirits and fingers alike, were warmed.

Our two-vehicle convoy eventually made its way down into the basin and out across the flat. It didn’t take long before we picked up a group of four does and a good management buck about 700 yards away on a ridge. We decided to make a move on the group once they fed over the top. Jason led the three of us down a steep wash and up the other side, where we jumped between clumps of cedars, using the dead space between us and the deer to stay concealed while maintaining an eye on our target.

For those of you who have hunted mulies, it’s not usually the deer you’re watching that get alarmed. It’s the ones you encounter on the way that cause the trouble. Sure enough, we jumped a wide, tall management buck in our pursuit—a definite shooter in his own right.

The ensuing melee of gear, shooting sticks, pointing, backpack shucking, and other gyrations left us knee deep in scrub brush with half-extended shooting sticks and the buck running over the ridge ahead of us. It turns out that when the buck pushed over the crest, he alerted the group we were pursuing—a tough lesson to learn. But, as we would soon see, it was the best thing that could have happened.

After regrouping and kicking ourselves for hauling everything but the kitchen sink on our hike, we loaded up and kept moving towards the back of the ranch. Our plan was to drive short stretches, stopping to glass the terrain. Jason’s Jeep took the lead as we followed him up a short rise, bridging two depressions.

Jason quickly stopped and motioned for us to dismount. He had his eyes on a good buck, about 300 yards away. Matthew was called up for the shot. He was hunting for a management buck, and that was the initial call from Jason and the others who were able to get glass on the deer. That call quickly turned to trophy buck. The deer had double forks and was wide. This was no management buck, and Jason turned to me.

I set up with my 6.5 Creedmoor, a re-barreled Remington 700. I used my own 127-grain LRX handloads, suppressed, across the hood of Jason’s Jeep. The problem was the deer was lying down with his hind end facing me—not an ideal shot. But given where he was in the brush and the wind, I couldn’t flank left or right because he would catch my scent, or I would lose the shot.

I told Derek and Jason I would take the shot from where I was. I dialed one mil on my scope, which would account for

An eye-catching rock formation seen along the way, sculpted over time by wind and water.

the roughly 11 inches of drop at that distance. My first shot sailed across the depression, entered just above his left hip, and traversed the buck lengthwise.

He never got up.

I walked to the buck while the vehicles negotiated their way to me and the deer. I could tell 50 yards out he was the right deer to take, all 265 pounds of him. Heavy chocolate antlers, double forks, a few kickers over his brows, the kind of character you want in an old mature mulie. The icing on the cake was Jason finding this buck’s left shed from a year before with matching kickers.

Sharing a moment like that with my dad and brother was worth far more than a scoring tape could ever measure. We lined up for pictures before getting him into the back of the Jeep for the drive back to camp, and a midday sandwich before heading out again that afternoon.

With spirits high, Jason again took the lead with my buck while Derek, my dad, brother and I brought up the rear. In one of those blue moon, star aligning kind of moments, Derek happened to look out into a shallow drainage to our left as we rounded a corner just out of camp. He stopped the vehicle quickly and said, “Shooter.” It took only a moment or two before my brother bailed out and set up across the hood. In what seemed like seconds compared to the lengthy caucus over my buck, he was cleared to take the shot.

Before my dad could even get to the “m” in “take him,” the Christensen Arms MPR in 6.5 PRC let loose a Hornady factory loaded 143-grain ELD-X. The sleek projectile covered the 100 yards so fast, the report of the rifle and the buck falling appeared to happen at the same time. The deer collapsed into a heap.

Matthew’s buck was massive, double-forked, and with good tine length. We had two trophies down in less than an hour. His buck was positioned for pictures and then we loaded him in the back of Jason’s Jeep. Those two bucks combined for over 500 pounds and close to 400 combined antler inches, representing the quality of mule deer on the RDL Ranch.

My buck was old and barely had any rear molars. Jason pegged him conservatively at eight or more years. Matthew’s buck was 4 years old, carrying head gear belying his age. Despite the gypsy-esque nature of mule deer in that part of the country, the ranch’s protein and supplement program has clearly made an impact on deer quality.

Derek’s father-in-law ended up taking another trophy buck that evening, and the other “Derek” dropped a good cull buck the next morning. Derek, our host, downed another cull buck the morning after that. Overall, we came away with five mature bucks that would satisfy any hunter.

Just as quick as our northwest road trip began, our southeast trip started, but this time with full coolers. Windshield time lets a man ponder the mysteries of the universe and, to a certain extent, his choices in life, such as what town to stop in for a Whataburger.

I drove home to my two sons, my wife who I love dearly, and surely a pile of emails rivaling Mt. Everest. But I was doing so with grey whiskers on my face that were just yesterday not as grey. And before that, not there at all.

You see, the time has gone fast. But for those of us who know, hunting memories run deep. While I love coming home to my family, I also long for the range, a cold wind, antlers in my binoculars and time with my dad and brother. The next trip can’t come soon enough.

Scouting ahead on the trail to figure out the best way to retrieve one of the trophy bucks.

Of all the critters I have called, I have had more up close and personal encounters with bobcats than any other predator. I did go hand-to-hand with a big boar coon I called into my lap while sitting on the ground one night. In the coon’s defense, my Ray-O-Vac lantern blinded him, and I played some pretty sweet music on my Herter’s call. Then there was the time I called an Alpha male coyote across a coastal Bermuda strip after three blasts on the Black Magic call. I had a hunter on my right and one on my left, but both were so amazed at how fast the coyote ran at the guy blowing the call that neither raised their rifles. The old dog looked me in the eye, making a woofing, guttural sound every time his feet hit the ground. Finally, the old male rolled to a stop about 6 feet in front of me. Because the dog was still in the open field, I decided to wave my arms at him and run him back by my

shooters. The white palm of my hand must have looked like the white belly of a rabbit because the old dog snapped at it before boldly walking into the brush 5 feet to my left.

The first close bobcat encounter I can remember was one morning when calling on a ranch in La Salle County. I was calling with my good buddy Larry Symes from Oklahoma when we sat down where a cross fence made a 90-degree angle. The area within the 90 degrees had typical thick South Texas cover while the remaining 270 degrees had open strips for nearly 100 yards. We sat down near the corner of the 90-degree fence line with me looking left and Larry looking south.

A few minutes into the stand, I noticed Larry shifting his weight while attempting to poke his rifle through the barb wire fence behind him. I knew better than to try to turn around. Whatever it was had to be extremely close because it was so thick. It was then that the report of Larry’s .22-250 caused me to nearly jump through my skin. Larry said the cat was locked onto me because I was blowing the call. Though we were only three or four steps apart, this allowed him to poke the rifle through the fence, almost into the cat’s chest, and pull the trigger.

Ironically, the next two close encounters with bobcats occurred the same afternoon while hunting near Tilden. The first happened when I sat down on the edge of a small coastal Bermuda field in an attempt to call a coyote from the brush on the opposite hillside. I tucked myself into the edge of the brush in deep shadows, with the breeze blowing from right to left. About 10 minutes into the stand, I had the feeling something was watching me, though I had not seen or heard anything. I became so uneasy I slowly turned my head to the right to see a mature bobcat sitting just out of arm’s length, staring at my back.

I decided if the cat would allow me to lift my rifle from my shooting sticks and turn around without leaving, I would kill him. As I began to move my rifle, I made a kissing sound in an attempt to keep him entertained. Though the cat did move a few feet away, I killed it at distance of less than 10 feet.

On the last stand of the evening, Larry and I sat down along the north fence line of a 20-acre field with brush on three sides.

Steve Roberson has witnessed some close encounters with bobcats with his dad, and has taken his dad's lessons to heart.

Because I am a lefty, I always sit on the right, with Larry on the left. The west boundary of the field about 20 feet to my right was a high fence and paralleling the fence on my side was a gravel ranch road. I sat against a large post near the left side of a cattle guard with Larry about 20 steps farther down the fence line to my right.

After the second series, I saw a large tom slide under the high fence about 25 steps down the fence. He stepped upon the gravel road and boldly trotted towards me. I began to squeak on the short-range call, producing a high-pitched squeal most predators cannot resist. About 10 steps away, the tom stopped to study the situation, so I gave him more “high-pitched” squeaking. The calling put him in motion as he walked straight up to me, staring into my eyes, and didn’t stop until he was at arm’s reach.

I decided I wouldn’t kill this cat because I wanted to see just how close I could call him to me. Now that I had him in slapping distance, what could I do to make this a most memorable calling moment? I decided I would reach my hand out to the cat and see how he would react. I had a camo glove on my left hand so I decide to reach with it. The thin cotton glove would offer some protection, if the tom decided to slap me.

As I slowly reached the hand out to the cat’s nose, he slinked back but did not take a step away from me. When I fully extended my hand, I held it there. The tom raised up and smelled my fingers for approximately 10 seconds, then turned and walked upon the road to my right.

I think a hunter can get away with calling cats extremely close because a bobcat in the hunt isn't concerned with human scent. If you’re camouflaged and don’t move, it’s amazing what they will tolerate.

One of Gary's close encounters put him within hand's reach of a bobcat. He believes hunters can get away with calling cats extremely close because a bobcat in the hunt isn't concerned with human scent.

Texans have quality whitetail hunting a short drive from home HOMEGROWN WHITETAILS

By Brandon Ray

It was late in the morning on Nov. 3, 2019. I was about to abandon my ground blind after a slow morning. Looking to the north, I spotted movement. Through the 10X glass, I could see it was a familiar face headed my way.

It was a mature 10-point I’d tracked through in-person encounters and trail camera pictures over the course of several years. His symmetrical rack, bold white circles around his eyes, faint double throat patch, torn left ear and big scar on his back made him as easy to recognize as if he had a name tag. It was “Scarback.”

This was my first encounter with him of the season. In the fall of 2019, I estimated he was 51/2 years old. His rack had changed very little from age 31/2 to 51/2. I made the decision in early October that if I saw him, I would take the shot.

Now broadside at 15 yards, I eased my bow to full power. The arrow was true, blasting through the ribs. The big Texas Panhandle buck galloped by me at top speed. I waited the standard 30 minutes, then took up the trail. About 180 yards from impact, I found that special buck dead in a cedar-choked ravine. His rack gross-scored just shy of 150 P&Y inches.

With the buck loaded, I headed for the old tin barn at ranch headquarters. At the barn, I skinned and quartered the buck. The ranch’s numerous barn cats and chickens watched me work. A few meat scraps went to my audience.

That night, I ate fresh venison tenderloin with a tossed salad and fried potatoes. After supper, I scrolled through old pictures on my computer of the long history I shared with Scarback. After jotting a few additional notes in my

Right: Brandon with the buck described in the opening paragraphs and three of the deer’s sheds. Scarback was a familiar face, and at 5½ years old in 2019, he had a fine 150-class rack.

journal, I took a hot shower and climbed into bed. It was a special day that I too often take for granted.

Close to home

Maybe it takes getting older to really appreciate what is right in front of you. Today, I’m not sour about my lack of funds for chasing sheep or giant elk. Success on my home turf is very rewarding. Costs are minimal, I get to build up history

with the bucks I pursue and each day I sleep in my own bed. Hunting local bucks means no hotels, no suitcases and the freedom to hunt when I want. Instead of having just a few days for a hunt, like on a scheduled guided trip, when I hunt close to home the only limits to my hunting days are the start and end of the season.

Texas has quality whitetail hunting across the state. The hot spots for quality bucks would include South Texas, North Texas, the Panhandle and well-managed ground in the Hill Country. The state boasts 5.3 million white-tailed deer, according to recent TPWD estimates. Most hunters are only a short drive from productive hunting grounds.

Good deer hunting doesn’t have to mean just big racks. If you have access to a few acres just outside the city limits, that might be enough to take a couple does for the freezer or an average buck. Turkeys might inhabit that same parcel, too. I’ve bagged several big spring gobblers on a 20-acre tract of land on a wooded creek just past the city limit sign.

Hunting homegrown whitetails means the freedom to change clothes at your house after work, make a short drive to the woods, climb into a blind and watch the landscape come

to life. The hometown hunter can set his own blinds, check trail cameras, search for sheds and scout for rubs and tracks at his own pace. There’s a high level of satisfaction that comes from doing the work yourself.

My gear list for a backyard hunt is simple. I’ll carry a compound bow drawing about 60 pounds, half a dozen arrows tipped with fixed-blade broadheads, an Ozonics unit to mute my scent, Sig Sauer rangefinding 10X binoculars and a backpack. In the pack I carry a few essentials like a knife, two headlamps, stocking cap, gloves, grunt call, camera, extra release aid, first aid kit, hunting license, water and snacks.

Familiar faces

Late October was my first sit near my country home of the 2022 deer season. Fresh rubs were visible near my hideout. It was a warm 75 degrees by the time I settled into my ground blind. That blind is nothing fancy, but it did take some sweat equity to construct.

This is a photo of Scarback in 2017. His rack changed little between age 3½ and age 5½.

The blind sits under the sagging limbs of a twisted cedar tree. More cedar limbs were cut elsewhere and added to the base to better conceal my hideout. A stretch of camo burlap hangs behind my chair to keep me in the shadows. The shooting window is a basketball-sized hole in the front surrounded by brush and grass.

Two does appeared at 6 p.m. They were nervous, only staying within view for a minute or two before wandering under the cottonwoods. Next, seven long-bearded gobblers mobbed the free corn. They were legal to take, but given the low numbers from the drought, I was content to just take inventory.

It was after sunset when a familiar face came from the north. It was a buck I estimated to be 7 1/2 years old. His rack is odd, with blunt forks on

both sides and extra points at his heavy bases. Most anywhere he would be a cull buck. I have lots of history with him. My daughter, Emma, named him “Longhorn.” Each year his rack is the same. That history includes six of his sheds I’ve found within a half mile of that spot over the course of five years. Instead of shooting, I just watched him and wondered what his rack might look

like at 8 1/2 years old.

My truck’s headlights lit up several barn cats as I pulled into the driveway. I didn’t have a deer to celebrate that night, but the cats were content with store-bought cat food. I knew there was still plenty of time left in the season to find a big buck. Laying in my bed that night, I knew how lucky I was to hunt deer close to home.

Brandon’s homemade brush blind by the creek.

A fresh rub on a cedar tree.

The First Battalion

By Zoe Barilla-Deuschle

At the beginning of South Texas Ranch Brigade, Mr. Petter asked us to raise our hand if we thought this experience would change our lives. Most other cadets raised their hands. In fact, probably everybody did, except for me. As a city girl who felt out of place and inexperienced, I didn’t think this Brigade would leave an impact on my life. I thought I would learn about cattle and ranch operations and go back to my com fortable life in Austin. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

South Texas Ranch Brigade was a rigorous, intensive experi ence. It covered a wide range of topics from beef fabrication to learning how to march. Each educator brought something unique to the program and all cadets learned and grew so much together. Each day we were challenged with something new and unexpected.

We were separated into four herds, but we did many activi ties all together. On the average day, we were expected to be outside and ready to march at 7:15 in the morning. Marching is how you get from one place to another in a timely and orderly fashion. It was more difficult than it seemed because it involved coordination and working together as a herd. However, it was important for us to keep practicing and try our hardest because it was part of a weeklong competition for the title of Top Herd. After marching, we ate breakfast together before heading into the field to get hands-on experience with anything from grass species to cattle anatomy. After doing a few activities outside, we would head back for lunch. After lunch, there would normally be a quiz over the grass content we had learned the previous day, and then new grass types would be introduced.

In the time before and after dinner, we listened to several presentations on a wide range of topics including cattle nutrition and range health. My favorite was by East Foundation’s Mr. Sawyer about the concept of carbon credits. A carbon credit is one metric ton of carbon dioxide, which businesses and corporations would purchase from ranchers and farmers. They would do this in order to take steps to achieve net zero carbon emissions as a company. Ranchers and farmers would increase vegetation on their property, which takes in the carbon.

I found this presentation particularly interesting because we have a responsibility as the next generation to find ways to keep

ranching and agricultural practices sustainable and profitable. Carbon credits seem to provide a very innovative and promising role in the future of ranching.

In addition to learning about ranching, we did activities that taught us about leadership and adult skills. We conducted social experiments, learned how to have the best online presence we could, and how to communicate effectively.

We ended each night with some words of wisdom from different educators. This was a really enjoyable way to end each night. Our days were packed full of activities and learning, and it was nice to take some time to unwind and listen to what the speakers had to say. These talks gave us something to reflect on at the end of each day.

A big part of South Texas Ranch Brigade is the competition throughout the week for the title of Top Herd. We received points for almost all the activities we did from trivia games to

Zoe felt out of place at the start of camp, but her knowledge and confidence grew each day.

B rigades p hotos

the ranch competitions on the final night. Throughout the course of the week, we learned how to rope, build fences, sort goats, and do ranch chores in preparation for the final ranch competitions. We competed as herds and had to complete each task efficiently and skillfully to gain the most points and win.

My herd, the Brahmans, were in second place before the ranch competitions, so we really wanted to outper form the other herds to put us ahead. In fence build ing, goat sorting, and ranch chores we placed second or third, and we knew that wasn’t enough. So when it came time to rope, we gave it all we had. In addition to the chaos of the ranch competitions, we did most of the tasks as the sun was setting because we had a weather setback. That meant that because roping was last, we would compete in the dark.

Everybody’s nerves were wracked as the roping began. We went up in teams of two, with one person roping three times, which was incredibly exciting because I had never

The competition for Top Herd came incredibly close. Each herd performed so well in different aspects, and the ranch competitions were a very small factor on the scale. My herd ended out coming up on top, which was such an exciting moment. It was awesome to celebrate our hard work and earn the title of Top Herd at the very first battalion of South Texas Ranch Brigade.

I can confidently say South Texas Ranch Brigade changed my life. I walked away with an abundance of gained knowledge and people I connected with. It was an experience I will never forget, and something I hope I can return to in the future.

Texas Brigades is a conservation-based leadership organization which organizes wildlife and natural resource-based leadership camps for participants ranging in age from 13-17. Its mission is to educate and empower youths with leadership skills and knowledge in wildlife, fisheries, and land stewardship to become conservation ambassadors for a sustained natural resource legacy. There are multiple camps scheduled in the summers, focusing on different animal species while incorporating leadership development. Summer camps include Rolling Plains and South Texas Bobwhite Brigade, South and North Texas Buckskin Brigade, Bass Brigade, Waterfowl Brigade, Coastal Brigade, and Ranch Brigade. Visit texasbrigades.org or call 210-556-1391 for more information.

Zoe’s herd won the coveted title of Top Herd.

Cadets learned the art of cattle roping.

The Lady Guide of The Texas Gulf Coast

By Judy Jurek

Brittany Gale loves being outdoors. She’s turned that love into a career.

“The thrill of not knowing what you’re going to catch or shoot is my favorite thing about guiding,” Brittany said. This extraordinary native Texan is also a licensed captain, as well as a hunting guide.

“I love putting people on their personal best or very first fishing or hunting adventure,” Brittany added. She guides with Gale Force Outdoors along the mid-Texas Gulf Coast and has a home base in Port O’Connor. The oldest of three girls, Brittany played sports in high school, but she’d rather be on the water. Nothing else held her interest.

Her dad, James Gale, was a captain and hunter, so she decided to follow in his footsteps.

“He never bought, caught or used bait. It was always artificial lures while wade fishing,” she said. “I specialize in wading with artificial lures for red drum, trout, and flounder but also offer boat trips using bait.”

Brittany added the freeze of February 2021 really hurt trout. At the time of this writing, Brittany said Port O’Connor redfish are plentiful and flounder numbers as good. “I fish for fun. I never tire of it. I would like to guide a season out of Stuart, Florida, for tarpon, snook, and trout. It’s on my bucket list,” Brittany said with a laugh.

A Laguna medium light rod with a Lews 7:1 bait caster reel is her favorite. “The only things I dislike about fishing is when the fish

Brittany Gale photos

Based in Port O’Connor, wade fishing for red drum like these as well as speckled trout and flounder is Captain Brittany Gale’s specialty.

don’t bite and you know they’re there, and when weather isn’t conductive to getting on the water,” she said.

Brittany says she used to deer hunt, but joked, “I haven’t been mad at deer the past few years.” She said waterfowl, dove and quail hunting hold much more excitement for her than hunting deer. “Birds and fish are easier to clean,” she quipped.

She grew up duck hunting with her dad and his friends on Matagorda Beach. Her boyfriend, Josh Taylor, grew up around Port O’Connor. She credits his knowledge and love for hunting waterfowl as an inspiration. Josh taught Brittany how to call ducks, and she prefers a whistle call. Her goose calling skills bring in the geese, too.

“When I first started guiding five years ago, I used Josh’s 16-foot aluminum skiff with a mud motor. It was a way to learn the ins and outs of duck hunting in the bay. We now have an

airboat,” Brittany said. “There are magical days out in the field.”

For geese, she and Josh have 300 full body and 600 sock decoys. “All decoys get set out and picked up. It’s work, but I love it!” she said. “If you’re going to do it, do it right.” Her preferred shotgun is a 12-gauge Benelli M2.

With a lilt in her voice, Brittany said, “Geese come into a good spread like a tornado. There’s no other way to describe it. It’s so much fun to be right in the midst of it.”

“I’ve been sandhill crane hunting once. A man Josh knew said he had 1,000 sandhills and invited us out. After a two-hour drive one cold foggy morning, five cranes finally arrived. I gave up belly crawling toward them. Josh and his friend got three.” Laughing, she said, “We didn’t zero out that day, but I guess the thousand sandhills knew we were coming.”

Brittany also grew up attending dog trials all over the United States. Her dad trained English springer spaniels and later, Labrador retrievers. “I saved money to buy ‘Rio,’ a white Lab my dad trained,” she said. “Do you know how hard it is to hide a white Lab duck hunting?”

After watching a friend’s dog work, and some research, Brittany decided she wanted an English cocker spaniel. While waiting on a litter, she discovered some Brittany spaniel puppies for sale. “I fell in love when I looked at them,” she said. “Tex” came home with her, followed by “Rush.”

“Rush hunted his first teal season in September and did great,” she said. “Tex will be ready for quail this season and my most recent canine, ‘Sage,’ is in training to work on birds when she gets bigger.” Brittany said her hands, heart, and time are most certainly filled with dogs right now.

If there’s anything she dislikes about hunting, it’s the weather. “It may not be as predicted,” she said. Another thing she dislikes: “Ducks seem to be thinning out over the past years on our Texas coast area. I sometimes wish clients had a bit more shooting experience as well as knowing how much work goes into creating a good hunt for them.”

Guiding for fish and wildlife has most often been a man’s profession but is now being redefined as women join the ranks. Brittany’s advice to any females considering this line of work: “Being a female guide is rewarding but if you do it, do it 100%. No half-hearted attempts!”

Greenhead mallards like this one displayed by Brittany provide dining fare after a challenging hunt.

HOGS OF THE LONG ROAD

By The Old Hog Hunter

Peach Creek traverses the Kokernot Ranch in east Gonzales County. It’s a spring-fed, all-season stream that runs to the Guadalupe River. The creek is home to many Russian-type hogs, and this story is about my favorite hunting road where I enjoyed 22 years of hunting hogs on one of the finest ranches in Texas.

The Kokernot is a mecca for wildlife, with whitetailed deer, Rio Grande turkey, Russian hogs, squirrels, coyotes, bobcats, and a pair of golden eagles. Hunters leased the ranch, but I was permitted to hunt hogs, doves, ducks, varmints, and squirrels. I killed a lot of hogs for meat and trophy skulls.

The ranch’s Russian strain of hogs were brought to east Gonzales County by a neighbor who kept the Tennessee rooters in a big

pen and fed them dead chickens from his chicken houses. As the hogs reproduced, they were released on the river and soon inhabited Peach Creek and adjoining areas.

The author’s dog, “Belle,” with a hog she helped him pursue.

Don’t confuse the Russian hogs with “feral hogs,” which are domestic hogs gone wild. Feral hogs usually have spots, with curly tails and short snouts. The Russian hogs have long, straight tails, are a solid color of black, gray, or red, and have long snouts and big tusks. To a hog hunter, they’re a rare animal to hunt, and I found the perfect place to hunt them.

A ranch road in the Mesquite Pasture runs parallel to Peach Creek for about 300 yards. In summer, the hogs stay on the creek, where the water is cold and the shaded creek makes a perfect place for them to lay up and wait for nightfall, when they go out for a night of feeding. Their eastern route takes them directly to the long, straight road—a perfect place to corn and shoot hogs.

I made a ground blind from four wooden pallets midway down the long stretch of road for me and my black lab, “Belle.” While I sat on a 5-gallon bucket, the side of the blind was perfect for a rifle rest. Corn was scattered on both sides of the blind, from about 75 yards to 150 yards. Belle would peer through the cracks of the pallets, watching for hogs.

Sometimes 25 to 30 hogs would come to the road just minutes before dark. I was always looking for a big boar or a good eating hog, and many times I sat in the blind and didn’t fire a shot. There was good reason.

I learned very soon the Russian hogs on the Kokernot were not like the feral hogs that range over most of Texas. The

Russian hogs were smart, and extra wild. A group of hogs shot at under a feeder wouldn’t return to that feeder for a week or more. The corned road was much better.

I killed about one or two big boars each year, and boiled them out for trophies. Old Russian boar skulls are about a foot long, and most have tusks about 3-inches long. These lean hogs are big at the shoulder and little at the hip, and my biggest boar weighed 225 pounds, but looked like 300 pounds.

Belle was an excellent hog trailing dog, and a wounded animal seldom got away from her. She would bay the wounded hogs and I would dispatch them with a short-barreled Winchester .30-30 I carried on the chase. I remember an old boar that gave me and Belle one of my first good hunts. The hog came to the road at dusk about 70 yards away. He was black, which made him harder to see. I took a quick shot with the .270. The boar fell, but got to his feet. Before I could get off another shot, he was gone—with Belle in hot pursuit.

The mosquitoes and thorny brush made the chase a little testy. Belle finally caught up with the hog on the creek, in some thick brush. When I got to her, the old boar was backed up, ready to fight. I took a shot, careful not to hit Belle, or the boar’s head, and the fiasco was over. I marked the spot to come back for the hog’s head, and looked at my watch—no watch! I had lost my $20 Timex. It was a good trade because the boar was a trophy and I could buy another cheap Timex.

YOU WILL NEED:

• 3 pounds venison steaks, cubed

• Chef Ralph’s Super Seasoning, or your favorite seasoning

• 1 cup seasoned flour

• 1⁄4 cup bacon grease or olive oil

• 1 cup diced carrots

• 1⁄2 cup diced celery

• 1 cup onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 cup freshly sliced mushrooms

• 2 cups diced potatoes

• 1⁄4 cup picante sauce or salsa

• 2 cans (11.5 ounces each)

V-8 juice

• 1 can (14 ounces) beef broth

• 1⁄2 cup red wine

Do you have a favorite Wild Game recipe that you would like to share with our readers? If so, please type or print recipe and send to:

Texas Trophy Hunters Association, ATTN: Editor 700 E. Sonterra Blvd., Suite 1206 San Antonio, TX 78258

DOWN IN THE DIRT VENISON STEW

DIRECTIONS

Dig a pit in the ground at least 10 inches deep and 18 inches in diameter. Build a fire using your favorite wood or charcoal. Take a drink of wine to relax and then start the cooking process. Season cubed venison with seasoning of your choice, and dust with flour also seasoned with a little extra seasoning. Heat grease or oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat and brown floured meat on all sides. Stir in the remaining ingredients and cover the Dutch oven. Line the pit with ashes, and then add a layer of hot coals. Place Dutch oven on coals in the bottom of the pit and add another layer of coals on the lid. Lightly fill the pit with dirt, being sure to leave the bail of the Dutch oven upright and exposed. Cook about five to seven hours before carefully removing Dutch oven from pit. Brush away all the dirt and ash from the lid before opening the Dutch oven. Serve the stew with a loaf of warm bread, a fresh salad, and the remainder of the bottle of wine as your evening beverage.—

Ralph Winingham

This recipe was featured in Ralph Winingham’s second outdoor cookbook, “The Revenge of Old Boots & Bacon Grease.” The collection of simple, tasty dishes and entertaining stories is among several outdoor cooking items available at ralphwiningham.com.

Fish and game move in search of food in cycles relative to the moon’s location to the Earth. The time spans listed are the prime or major period times to start each day and along each time zone meridian of longitude 75° (Eastern), 90° (Central), 105° (Mountain) and 120° (Pacific). To determine the feeding cycle time for fishing and hunting in the area you plan to fish or hunt, advance the sum of 4 minutes for each degree west and back up 4 minutes for each degree east. The next prime feeding cycle (not listed on the calendar) will be approximately 121⁄2 hours later. There are minor periods that occur between the prime or major periods. The moon’s phases are shown as New, First Quarter (FQ), Full and Last Quarter (LQ). The feeding times are not a cure-all. Weather and other environmental conditions affect wildlife feeding activity.

MARCH 2023

MARCH

BEST GOOD FAIR POOR

Annual vest pocket books, which show all the major and minor periods, can be ordered by sending a check or money order for $19.95 per book. For shipping and handling, please add $4.95 to an order of 1 to 4 books. Make check or money order payable to Feeding Times. Send to Feeding Times, P.O. Box 2240, Covington, GA 30015. After October 1, please indicate book year in your order. For questions or comments, call 404-373-7151.

APRIL

DAWSON HEIL: whitetail nine-point (first deer) with 14-inch inside spread taken 11/19/22 in Shackelford County.

GEAR: .223, Leupold scope. OUTFITTER: Dad.

WAYLON KUSENBERGER: whitetail eight-point with 16½-inch inside spread taken 11/24/22 in La Salle County.

GEAR: Bergara 6.5 Creedmoor, Vortex scope.

OUTFITTER: Charco Marrano Ranch.

KADENCE ALFANO: whitetail eight-point (first buck with bow) with 14-inch inside spread taken 10/11/22.

GEAR: Mission Mathews Bow, Beman ICS arrow, HHA sights.

OUTFITTER: Dad.

ALYSSA KEENE: whitetail seven-point with 16½-inch inside spread taken 11/25/22 La Salle County.

GEAR: Ruger .243, Leupold Scope. OUTFITTER: Charco Marrano Ranch. (Grandma Debbie & Dodie).

CHRISTIAN BOBO: whitetail 20-point with 18-inch inside spread, scoring 188 B&C, taken 10/14/22 in Brown County.

GEAR: Mathews VXR bow, Swacker broadhead, HHA sights.

OUTFITTER: 5F Ranch.

MICHAEL BOBO: whitetail 11-point with 20-inch inside spread, scoring 183 B&C, taken 10/14/22 in Brown County.

GEAR: Mathews VXR bow, G5 Montec broadhead, HHA sights.

OUTFITTER: 5F Ranch.

DON CROW: whitetail 27-point with 162⁄8inch inside spread, gross scoring 2361⁄8 B&C, taken 10/1/22 in Leon County.

GEAR: Smith & Wesson .30-06, Swarovski 4-12X scope.

OUTFITTER: Crows Nest Ranch.

BENNY RODRIGUEZ: elk taken 10/7/22 in Brewster County.

GEAR: Remington 700BDL .270 caliber.

OUTFITTER: self.

SEND US YOUR HUNTING PHOTOS!

NOTE:

Comments: ___________________________________________________________

Send To: Hunt’s End, 700 E. Sonterra Blvd., Suite 1206, San Antonio, TX 78258

Only members of Texas Trophy Hunters Association or immediate family may submit photos. Out of fairness to all members, only one photo of each family member will be accepted each year. Do not paperclip or staple photos as this can damage them. Prints must be no larger than 4x6 inches and printed on photo-quality paper. No photos will be returned. Photos may also be e-mailed to HuntsEnd@ttha.com. If sent by e-mail, please make sure to include all information from the form below and limit your photo size to less than 5MB. Send a separate e-mail for each entry.

THE ROUND-UP

Texas Trophy Hunters Association Round-Up ads provide excellent exposure at a minimal cost. For more information on placing your ad in the Round-Up, please contact Debbie Keene at 210-288-9491 or deborah@ttha.com.

Trophy Hunters

“MEMBERS ONLY” Benefit!

Don’t forget to use your free classified ad! It’s once per year and you must have an active membership in good standing. Send to:

TTHA Classified

700 E. Sonterra Blvd., Suite 1206, San Antonio, TX 78258

You may fax your ad to (210) 523-8871, Attn: Debbie Keene or e-mail to Deborah@ttha.com. Send your ad in by March 10 to run in the next issue!

FREE CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING!

Available to current members of Texas Trophy Hunters Association only! Limit 25 words per ad. Each member may run 1 FREE ad in one issue per year. 25 word ads after FREE issue are $40 each. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT OR REFUSE ANY AD.

TOP QUALITY ANTELOPE Hunts. Large private ranch in NE Wyoming. Strictly limited access. Fully guided. Highly personalized. Call Ben (307) 758-4477.

TEXAS LAND ASSOCIATES, INC, Representing Buyers and Sellers of Hunting Properties Across Texas. Contact Dillon Varner, Sales Agent/ Ranch Land specialist at 210-4266332 or dillon@txlandassociates.com.

HOG PANELS: 50-60 hog panels used for pens around deer feeders with T-posts. Located in Matador TX. Half price from Tractor Supply. Call Jim Schmidt (817) 243-9763 for details.

C4 RANCH - WHITETAIL & Exotic Hunts. Cull, Management & Trophies up to 300”. Duval County, TX. High Fenced & MLD Managed 10+ Years. Vernon Carr (361) 774-2442.

SM FENCING, Welding and Dozing. Net wire, Barbed wire & Game Fencing. Contact Shawn Mangham 325-451-7120.

CAPTAIN SCOTT’S ADVENTURES - 956 Glenn Dr., Canyon Lake Texas 78133. Port O’Connor or Local lakes. Call 830-456-6061 for information or to book your trip.

AOUDAD HUNT! Hunt free ranging aoudad in Llano County. Hunts begin in late August thru late October, 2023. Nice accommodations. For additional info, email darrellsteffek@gmail.com.

MEXICO RANCH 8,500 ac. Available

for group of 4 or 5 hunters. Trophy Whitetail, hogs, birds. 4-1/2 mi. of flowing river. 4 BR house w/ electricity, blinds, feeders – Hunt Ready! 210-379-7510, email jharlan29@gmail.com.

AFRICAN SAFARI $2,995 3 animals in 1 week. Lodging, meals, open bar, guide, airport transfers and trophy fees included!! Call 956-867-4964 for details. www.matorisafaris.com.

28 YR. OUTFITTER in search of more land to outfit and hunt in Central TX. Looking for high fence with deer from 150-200”. We are outgrowing ourselves! Will also consider So. TX. Call Dale 325-642-7596 SDWhitetails. com.

VETERANS CREED OUTDOORS

Team Texas. Outdoor Trips for Veterans and First Responders. Find us on Facebook on our page and group.

MAP MY RANCH specializes in developing printed maps for all your outdoor needs. We can create basic boundary maps, or those with customized features - locations of deer blinds, feeders, food plots, ponds, etc. Contact today to get started! www.MapMyRanch.com or 713-302-2028.

HELP FEED THE HOMELESS –donate excess game animals to feed the homeless, orphans, and needy families. Go to www.trinityoaks.org “contact us” tab.

RUSTY HINGE Ranch offers whitetail, hogs, squirrels, rabbits, coon, fox, duck hunting, fishing. Blinds, treestands, feeders & water year-round. 70 mi. north of Houston. $100/day or $800/year. 713-823-7139.

THE LONE STAR Bowhunters Association. Preserving and Promoting bow hunting in Texas since 1974. Join today at www. lonestarbowhunter.com. Take a kid hunting.

S & D WHITETAILS – Limited hunts avail. Booking 2021 now. All native S TX deer from 140-230 class. Deer & Dove hunts Central TX. Over 7500 ac. 24-yrs experience. 5 Star rating. 325-642-7596.

TEXAS HUNTER FISH FEEDERS create ‘feeding zones’ that make catching fish fun for the whole family. Project fish feed up to 45ft. into the water to feed fish on a regular basis which helps you grow bigger fish faster. Call 800-969-3337 or www. TexasHunter.com.

TEXANS ARCHERY CLUB wants to expand our state’s archery range infrastructure. Looking for local partners/land to expand our network. www.TexasArchery.info 501c3.

WILDLIFE & HABITAT Consulting. Commercial hunts available. Contact Certified Wildlife Biologist Jason Shipman 210-508-8447 or jasonashipman@gmail.com.

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