1st Place

I had to do a little bragging... I put this duck call in the Oregon Waterfowl Festival for a Duck Call Making competition and actually won the Open Class Division.  They gave me some bands to make more calls with and a first place ribbon.  I was pretty excited... and if you look real close at the picture you can see my big head in the relfection of the mirror!

Paradise Deer

From an e-mail:

Just a pic of a pretty neat looking urban deer in Paradise, Tx

I've never seen a deer like this, anywhere near Paradise!

CREDIT: The Pope

Bow Season

Bow season starts this Saturday morning at the crack of dawn! Make sure you send me pictures of your harvested deer, so everyone will believe you. 

Good luck to all, be safe, be scent free, and be lucky!

Weekly Motivation

Brian Loper Water Hole Hog Hunt

Largest Rattlesnake Ever Caught!

From an e-mail (don't know if this is all true, but seemed post worthy): 

FOUND ON A GOLF COURSE

This is why you shouldn't go looking for the golf balls hit

'Out of Bounds' in Arizona !

THIS IS NOT A PYTHON!

This is a 15 foot Western Diamondback rattlesnake -

the largest ever caught on record,

This snake was found Near the St. Augustine

outlet, in a new KB homes subdivision just south of Mesa Az.

A little research revealed the following:

One bite from a snake of this size would contain enough venom to

kill over 40 full grown men.

The head of this snake alone is larger than the hand of a

normal sized man.

A bite from those fangs would be comparable to being stabbed

by two curved, 1/4 inch diameter screwdrivers.

The knife being used to draw out the fangs for the bottom

picture has a blade around 6 inch long.

This snake is estimated to have weighed over 170 pounds.

(How much do you weigh?)

Notice the girth of this snake as compared to the cop's

leg in the first picture (and he is not a small man).

A snake of this size could easily swallow a 2 year-old

child and dogs, pigs, etc).

A snake this size has an approximately 5 1/2 foot

accurate striking distance.

(The distance for an average size rattlesnake is about 2 feet.)

This snake has probably been alive since George Bush Sr.

was President.

Now just ask yourself these questions:

What has this snake been feeding on and

where are its offspring?

Hog Pipe

A good friend I used to trap hogs with had one of these and I had no clue what it was... but it worked.  Then I received this e-mail showing how to make one with a couple different ways to make one. 

You start out with a five foot piece of PVC and some caps for it. A lot

of people just drill a hole and use a cable to keep the caps on and to

hook it to the T post. What ever you use it works a lot better if you also

put a swivel into the chain or cable to keep the twist out of it.

Here are a couple different varriations...

 

CREDIT:  EndGameHunts & TexasBoars.com

Javelina Head Shot

Brian Loper of Alvord, Texas...



EDIT: Should be able to play on mobile devices in a little while!

Credit:  EndGameHunts

Weekly Motivation

Hungry Hog!

I got this off Facebook... and that isn't a giant corn cob in his mouth!

Bear and Elk

From and e-mail:

This is a friend of the stock clerk Phil Martin here at plant 5. They shot [with a bow] the bull and tracked it for two days. When they found it the bear was eating on it. So they got to fill his bear tag also. 

The Bull is an 8x9 green score about 380 non typical with no w

CREDIT:  3

New Online Identification Guide to Texas Marine Organisms

I don't get down to the coast much, but I thought this would be helpful for some of you that do. 

AUSTIN — Ever encountered a weird sea creature that defies description? Caught a saltwater fish but don’t quite know what kind it is? Now there’s an easy way to identify whatever it is you’ve run across.

Launched this summer, the Identification Guide to Marine Organisms of Texas has been compiled from decades of data by TPWD Coastal Fisheries biologist Brenda Bowling and is a great resource for anglers, biologists, beach combers and others who want to know more. The new online tool uses photos, detailed descriptions and other descriptors so that users can identify and learn more about the mystery creature they have found.....

....The site currently contains descriptions of 422 marine species and is considered a living document. It will be updated as more species, better photos and new information are documented in the future. Anyone who still cannot identify the sea creature they have encountered is encouraged to send clear photos to Brenda Bowling at txmarspecies@tpwd.state.tx.us. To access the site go to http://txmarspecies.tamug.edu.

Marine Species List

TPWD Online Article

With Archery Season Just A Jump Away...

Here are some of the rules and regulations of deer season, as well as some others, straight from the TPWD!

White-tailed Deer

Special Antler Restrictions
1. at least one unbranched antler, or
2. an inside spread of 13 inches or greater. The inside spread requirement does not apply to any buck that has an unbranched antler.
Not more than one buck with an inside spread of 13 inches or greater may be taken.

Archery Only: Sept. 29-Nov. 2, 2012. No permit required to hunt antlerless deer unless MLD permits have been issued for the property.

Bag Limit: 4 deer, no more than 2 bucks, and no more than 2 antlerless, all seasons combined.

General Season: Nov. 3, 2012-Jan. 6, 2013.

Special Late General Season, for the take of antlerless and spike-buck deer only: Jan. 7-20, 2013.

On USFS, Corps of Engineers, and river authority lands, the take of antlerless deer shall be by permit only, except on USFS lands Nov. 22-25, 2012, when antlerless deer may be taken without permits.

On all other tracts of land, no permit is required to hunt antlerless deer unless MLDP antlerless permits have been issued for the tract of land.

Special Youth-Only Season: Early open season: Oct. 27-28, 2012. Late open season: Jan. 7-20, 2013.

Bag limits, provision for the take of antlerless deer, and special requirements of the county, shall be as specified for the first 2 days of the general open season.

Licensed hunters 16 years of age or younger may hunt deer by any lawful means during this season.

Squirrel:   No closed season. No bag limit.

Turkey
The annual bag limit for turkey, in the aggregate for all counties, is four (4), no more than one of which may be an Eastern turkey.

Fall: Open season: Nov. 3, 2012-Jan. 6, 2013 (either sex).

Archery Only: Sept. 29-Nov. 2, 2012.

Special youth-only (general) fall turkey season: Oct. 27-28, 2012, and Jan. 19-20, 2013. Only licensed hunters 16 years of age or younger may hunt turkey during this season. Bag limit as specified by the general fall turkey season.

Spring:  Rio Grande turkey: Open season: Mar. 30-May 12, 2013 (Gobblers and bearded hens).

Special Youth-Only (Rio Grande turkey): Open season: Mar. 23-24, 2013 & May 18-19, 2013.

Quail:
Statewide: Open season: Oct. 27, 2012-Feb. 24, 2013. Daily bag limit: 15 Possession limit: 45

Predators & Deer

I got this off of Jeff Thomason's Facebook page (the host of Predator Pursuit)...

"Predators don't bother deer...Yea right!"

Bow Season

In NC, Sunday hunting was legalized last year for archery only.


I did all my prep-work . . .

I scouted the area all summer. . .

I searched out the best location for my tree-stand . . ...

I set it all up a month ahead of time . . .

I trailed the herd . . .

I picked out a trophy buck .. ..

Two days before opening day I rechecked every aspect of the hunt . .. .

Everything was in place . . ..

Sunday morning, I woke up at 2 am . .. .

I put on my camo, loaded my pack, set out for my stand . . .

This was destined to be an epic hunt . . ..

As I approached my deer stand . .

 . . . I changed my mind, decided to go to church instead.



CREDIT:  3

Weekly Motivation

Would You?

I keep seeing these different situations posted on Facebook and they try to give you details, like the wind detail, yardage, precipitation, gun choice, etc. And they always ask "Would you take this shot?"
And all I can think of is "Are you crazy? I will shoot at anything and I don't give a damn what the conditions are!"

Big Boar Bow Kill

Tres Poynor of Bridgeport got him a nice boar back in mid August and managed to film it all at the same time.  I posted yesterday a picture of his mount he had made, and it just so happens that it is this hog he takes in the video!  Get ready to see more videos from him, because he is now also addictied to filming hunts!

Banded Pigeon

And Dane Chapman of Decatur shot himself a banded pigeon while dove hunting yesterday.

Big Muley

Tres Poynor of Bridgeport spent 5 days in Colorado guiding Kenny O'Neal from Kentucky before they came across this buck. He shot it with his bow at 50 yards!

Hog European Mount

Tres Poynor of Bridgeport just got his hog mount back from the taxi. Nice cutters on him!

Banded Dove

Charlie Davidson of Bridgeport got his first banded dove this morning!

Dove Season

And a little Mule Deer Season

Corbin Green of Runaway Bay, TX

And a little bit of deer corn...

Weekly Motivation!

Waterfowl Seasons Are Set

TPWD Sets Waterfowl Seasons for 2012-13


AUSTIN –The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission finalized this year’s waterfowl seasons at its Aug. 30 public hearing as Texas hunters make ready to welcome record numbers of ducks.
According to this year’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife "Trends in Duck Breeding Populations," estimated waterfowl production in North America’s "duck factory" are at a record high, eclipsing a record set last year. The total duck population is estimated at 48.6 million birds. This represents a 7 percent increase over last year and is 43 percent higher than the long-term average since 1955.
Add water and hunt. Much needed rainfall this year has helped rejuvenate drought stricken wetland plant communities across much of the Texas coast, setting the stage for better than usual hunting this fall.
Following is a summary of the Texas late season migratory framework for 2012-13. An early season for teal statewide, and for Canada geese in the eastern goose zone, runs Sept. 15-30 with a daily bag limit of four teal and three geese.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ducks

High Plains Mallard Management Unit

All species other than “dusky ducks”: Oct. 27-28, 2012 and Nov.2, 2012 – Jan. 27, 2013; “Dusky ducks”: Nov. 5, 2012 – Jan. 27, 2013; Youth-only Season: Oct. 20 — 21, 2012

North and South Zones

All species other than “dusky ducks”: Nov. 3 – 25, 2012 and Dec. 8, 2012 — Jan. 27, 2013; “Dusky ducks”: Nov. 8 – 25, 2012 and Dec. 8, 2012 – Jan. 27, 2013; Youth-only Season: Oct. 27-28, 2012

The daily bag limit for ducks is six, to include no more than five mallards of which only 2 may be hens; three wood ducks; two redheads; two pintails; one canvasback; and one “dusky” duck. Dusky ducks include: mottled ducks, Mexican-like duck, black duck and their hybrids. For all other species not listed, the bag limit is six. The daily bag limit for coots is 15. The daily bag limit for mergansers is five, which may include no more than two hooded mergansers.

Shooting hours are one half hour before sunrise to sunset.

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Geese

Western Zone

Light geese: Nov. 3, 2012 – Feb. 3, 2013, daily bag limit is 20 and no possession limit.
Dark geese: Nov. 3, 2012 – Feb. 3, 2013, daily bag limit is five in the aggregate to include no more than one white-fronted goose
Eastern Zone

Light geese: Nov. 3, 2012 – Jan. 27, 2013, the daily bag limit for light geese is 20 and no possession limit.
White-fronted geese: Nov. 3, 2012 – Jan. 13, 2013, daily bag limit is two;
Canada geese: Sept. 15-30, 2012 and Nov. 3, 2012 – Jan. 27, 2013, daily bag limit is three.
Light Goose Conservation Order

Eastern Zone

Jan. 28 — Mar. 24, 2013, no bag or possession limits.
Western Zone

Feb. 4 — Mar. 24, 2013, no bag or possession limits.
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