In mid-December I was asked by a friend to accompany him, his son and son-in-law to visit a South Texas ranch to help the manager cull some white tail bucks. This property was 10,000 acres in western Webb County (west of Encinal). The recent history of this ranch was of hardly any shooting of […]
You’ve heard the saying, “Everything has a purpose.” I struggle with finding a purpose for fire ants and feral swine. I see absolutely nothing good about fire ants. About the only thing I can think of as being good about hogs, at least with old boars, they make good bullet stops. An old boar has […]
Over the years, I’ve done my fair share of guiding whitetail deer hunters. I will write to re-tell some of my funniest stories sometime. However, the purpose of this novel today is to hopefully impress upon anyone that is going on a guided hunt to listen to their guide. I’m currently filling in as a […]
Oh boy. If ever I have opened a can of worms, this is it. I’m sure there will be readers nodding their heads in agreement, but also sure there will be some that will curse me and everything associated with me over this topic. I do know this has been the most often asked question […]
I realize I am sticking my neck out with this topic but nonetheless, I intend to delve into the subject. All that follows will be my personal observations sprinkled with the logic of my thoughts. I want to warn my gentle readers that if you are offended by bloody descriptions, you better stop now. Let […]
One of the first blogs I wrote for my website dealt with the common habit of new landowners mowing too much. I called it “The Golf Course Syndrome”. I lectured readers not to shred in the spring because that destroyed fawning cover and turkey nesting cover. Well, now (August/September) is the time that shredding weeds […]
When I was a kid, my dad would turn me loose on our ranch with a scope sighted 22 rim fire and a pocket of shells. “Be careful, watch for snakes, hunt slowly along Spots Branch and look for squirrels. I’ll meet you at 10am at Chili Crossing.” Those were my marching orders. Looking back, […]
Logic, plus trial and error, has caused my hog hunting methods to evolve over the years. I have learned that hogs have incredible senses of smell by observing pigs raise their snout, sniff the air and then scram when wind changed on me while stalking in South TX. I also watched hogs raise their heads […]
As fawns are beginning to hit the ground, I am reminded of a deer breeding study from the early 90’s in which I was a participant. While it was a limited study, the data gathered helped to debunk some myths. The rut is the common term that hunters use to describe the breeding activity of […]
I assume everyone knows that a deer’s antlers, or a deer’s “horns”, are grown and shed each year. Antlers begin growth the end of March here in Southeast Texas and are fully formed in late July. By the end of August, the velvet or hairy covering is rubbed clean. I’ve seen bucks one day with […]