Volume 4
Coleman County Hunting and Outdoors 2020
Dove-Deer-Turkey-Quail-Duck-Fishing
DOMESTIC
WILD GAME
Proud Yearly Sponsor of the Coleman County Youth Hunt
Hall’s Processing
* Largest wild game processor in Central Texas * Everything vacuum packed * We process wild hogs * 24-hour refrigerated drop-off available * Taxidermy services available
“Hunters for the Hungry” Program Supporter & One-Stop convenience for all your processing needs!
Phone: 325-625-4813 Hours: 8am to 8pm 7 days/week Location: 3500 North Hwy. 84 - Coleman, Texas
Here since 1997. Going on Deer Season #24! See our Facebook Page - Hall's Processing
Make Plans for the 2021 Coleman County Dove Festival and Deer Hunter Festival We would like to say THANK YOU for making our previous Hunter's Festivals GREAT. This year, due to building restrictions because of COVID and concern for our community, the 2020 Dove and Deer Festivals have been rescheduled for 2021. And we promise, 2021 will be bigger and better than ever! Enjoy your time in Coleman County and we will see you next year at the Bill Franklin Center.
Coleman County Hunter Appreciation Events Committee
o nf i or 1 !! f ch 02 t GUNS PLUS OTHER GREAT PRIZES GIVEN Wa for 2
AWAY, INCLUDING AN ATV !
Table of Contents p. 6 - Welcome to Coleman County p. 9 - “Behold the Dove” - Mike Bodenchuk p. 10 - Game Warden’s Annual Report - Lee Morrison p. 13 - “Coleman County Ducks...All in a Row!” - Adam Dobbins p. 14 - “Bee-Bush Produces Big Bucks in Brown County” - Joshua Sears p. 15 - Donate to Hunters for the Hungry in Coleman County p. 17 - The Great Western Trail - Ashlee Ehr Miller p. 21 - “We Got It Going on Here! - Big O p. 23 - “Hunting in the Post-Pandemic Era” - Mike Bodenchuk p. 33 - “Coleman Annual Whitetail Forecast” - Mike Bodenchuk p. 36 - “Fall/ Winter Weather Outlook” - Randy Turner, Meteorologist KOXE 101.3 FM p. 40 - Thank you to Our Advertisers p. 41 - Annual Youth Hunt A Success - Lee Morrison p. 45 - Mexican Chorizo Recipe - Vaden Aldridge p. 49 - Lake O.H. Ivie Receives ShareLunker Fingerlings - Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. Coleman Today Photo
Cover photo by Coleman Today taken on FM 1176 in Coleman County.
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WELCOME to Coleman County
My, how times have changed since last year's publication of Coleman County Hunting and Outdoors. Covid-19, you can go away. The sooner the better! Even with all the upheaval, many of our friends and neighbors took social distancing to heart and embraced, or perhaps rediscovered, the great outdoors that we enjoy here in Coleman County. Families paused and spent more time together. Social media has been full of stringers of fish caught in county lakes, rivers and ponds. Camping trips made a comeback and now it's hunting season. There is no better place to social distance than in a field of sunflowers in September, a deer stand on a cold winter day, or at your favorite fishing hole. Stay positive, stay healthy and enjoy the 2020 edition of Coleman County Hunting and Outdoors. As always, thanks to the advertisers who make it possible.
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CHARLES CHESSHIR— Broker/Owner (325) 642-1999 • ANNISA TUCKER, Agent — (325) 214-1846 MARSHA SPINKS, Agent — (817) 964-0986 • GAYLENE GARRISON, Agent — (325) 220-0876 TED TAYLOR, Agent — (325) 214-0543 • JERRY BODINE, Agent — (325) 214-1924 • RICK EUDY, Agent — (817) 991-5014
54.41 Acres in Coleman County Versatile property for weekend getaway or homestead. Fenced, 2 tanks, mature Oaks. $140,000
156 +/- Acres in Coleman County Conveniently located ranchette w/ custom-built stone hm overlooking rolling hills & Oaks. $680,000
485 +/- Acres in Coleman County Immaculate home & pool on manicured grounds w/ abundant wildlife, productive farmland.$2,300,000
66.02 Acres in Coleman County Beautiful property w/ topography changes, two tanks, development potential. $198,060
285.91 +/- Acres in Coleman County Secluded hunting property in S. Coleman County on Little Panther Creek. $619,000
526.41 Acres in Coleman County High-fenced pasture/cultivation combo, 5BR-3BA ranch hm & bunkhouse, multiple outbldgs. $1,368,666
90.45 Acres in Eastland County Scenic property w/ mature Oaks on rolling hills, excellent fishing pond & good fences. $415,000
412 +/- Acres in Runnels County Exceptionally diverse with amenities, rolling terrain, ample surface water & paved frontage. $885,800
995.05 Acres in Coleman County Cattle ranch with excellent deer & turkey hunting, rolling terrain, scenic views. $1,641,833
Office: 1815 S. Commercial Avenue — Coleman, TX 76834 • Phone: (325) 625-4181 • Fax: (325) 625-3555
www.liveoakrealtors.com
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GETTING TO THE ROOT OF YOUR BRUSH PROBLEM
TL Troy & Lisa Abernathy, Owners/Operators 3771 CR 256 Santa Anna, Texas 76878 tw.abernathy@yahoo.com
Behold the Dove! While nothing in the bird shooting world is as satisfying as a perfect double on fast flying pair of mourning dove, nothing is as exasperating as a clean miss, followed by a second barrel clean miss! Dove season is here and the ammunition manufacturers are happy! In Coleman we have both white-wing dove and mourning dove and over the past decade an increasing number of Eurasian collared dove have wedged their way into the shooting scene. The latter are unprotected and don’t count against your dove limit and a three-species dove slam is certainly possible. Our native birds, the mourning and white-wing dove are migratory and nest through a wide swath of the center of the country. A pair of doves will build a small, haphazard-looking stick nest- sometimes on the ground but often in a low fork of a mesquite or oak. The female lays two eggs per clutch, starting about in late March, and both parents take care of the nestlings. Eggs are incubated for 14 days and hatchling dove are born without down or feathers. While they are small they’re as ugly as a mud fence, but they grow remarkably fast and in 2 weeks they are able to leave the nest and fend for themselves. The adult pair then re-nest, producing on average 4-5 clutches of birds. If a clutch is lost to predators or a storm, doves begin re-nesting almost immediately. With an average of 1.5 juveniles per clutch surviving, a dove population grows quickly during the 6 month nesting season. Here’s a little trivia about doves: while both sexes look remarkably alike, the male dove during the nesting season has a slight metallic blue cast to
by Mike Bodenchuk
his plumage. I’m colorblind, but even I can see the difference when you see both birds together. As another bit of trivia, you can tell young of the year from adult breeder birds in your bag by looking at the wings. The long flight feathers are called “primaries” and the feathers on the top side of the wing that cover the base of the primaries are called coverts. On adult birds, the color of the coverts is uniform while on young of the year (2020 hatchlings) they will be white to buff at the tip of the coverts. My guess is that 80% of the birds you shoot will be young of the year. Doves are largely graniverous, eating the seeds of a wide variety of wild plants and some agricultural crops. Maturing milo and sunflowers provide great food, but don’t discount wild sunflowers and croton (often called dove weed). A good dove field will often replant itself, but if you’re interested in consistently good shooting, year-to-year, you’ll want to consider planting your own dove mix. Years ago I planted 40 acres of native sunflowers at 7 lbs. per acre and we had phenomenal dove shooting for both resident and migratory birds. Which brings up an important point about doves: the season begins on September 1 every year (by federal law and treaty, it can’t begin any earlier). Most years the breeding (Continued p.19) 9
Morrison’s Annual Report
by Lee Morrison Coleman County Game Warden
The 2020 hunting season should be good season. This summer has been one of the hottest that I can remember with hardly any rain but I don’t think its going to slow the bird hunting down any. The dove are already starting to pile into the local sunflower fields. As for the deer, this year’s fawn crop looks really good and I think all the hunters should have a great chance to kill their bucks. Last hunting season was a great year and I saw tons of big bucks killed in the county. The lakes this year have been absolutely packed since April. It has been the busiest that I have seen in 12 years. COVID-19 and the restrictions that came with it didn’t slow many folks down when it came to getting in the outdoors with their families. Lake OH Ivie and Lake Coleman saw increased traffic all year with fish being caught non-stop it seemed. If you have any questions or need to report a game violation please contact Game Warden Lee Morrison at 325-203-8541 or you can report a game violation to Operation Game Thief at 1-800-792-GAME. You can remain anonymous and possibly receive a cash reward.
Owner Hayden J. Wise 108 West Live Oak Street Coleman, Texas 76834 325-625-4628 PH 325-625-4417 FAX
ColemanCountyTitle.com The longevity and history of Coleman County Title Company are key advantages in our competitive real estate market. We are proud of our strong relationships and offer the most extensive and thorough real estate database in Coleman County, the only title records plant dating back to sovereignty.
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Where Friends Meet 312 S. Commercial
97th Year Where the dirt road ends... the hunting begins.
M-BAR-H LODGE & RV PARK US Hwy 67 Santa Anna, Texas Paul, Gay and Colt Martin Call 325-348-8255 or 325-200-1803 mbarhlodge@gmail.com
Main Lodge w/ Commercial Kitchen Sleeps 15 NEW Bunk House Sleeps 10 17 NEW ‘Pull-thru’ FULL RV Hook-ups Hunts &/or Accommodations for Hunters, Families, Businesses & Construction Crews 12
Coleman Today Photo
www.mbarh.com
Coleman County Ducks... All in a Row! When you think of November in West Texas, a few things come to mind. Friday night lights, deer season, college football, and FINALLY some cooler weather. But one thing you might not think of? Duck Hunting. That’s right, those birds you spook off of the tank on your way to the deer blind makes for some of the most enjoyable hunting you could ever have and a great way to take a break from the deer blind and get your mind off that big buck that has been avoiding you all season. I’m sure a lot of you reading this love dove hunting. The best way I can describe duck hunting to someone who has never done it is “dove hunting on steroids”. You get action packed wing shooting like dove hunting with the added bonus of stubborn bigger birds, calling, decoys, dogs, blinds, and best of all; those BEAUTIFUL Coleman County sunrises. Coleman County is in the North Zone of Texas which means the season usually runs from the second weekend of November through the last weekend of January (with the split falling between the end of the first weekend of December and the beginning of the second weekend of December). Meaning it overlaps with deer season. And let’s face it, in Texas, deer is king.
by Adam Dobbins
of Dobbins’ Duck Hunts And that is great! Without the whitetail deer, it would be absolutely detrimental to small town economies across the state. But I am here to tell you, Texas has some of the best waterfowl hunting in the U.S. Texas is the “finish line” of the central flyway and winters 90% of duck populations. That’s right, those incredible migratory birds that start their annual migration in August/September in Canada and the northern prairies of the U.S. end their journey right here in Texas. But can you blame them, who doesn’t want to be in Texas?! Coleman County’s abundance of stock tanks, lakes, ponds, farm land, brush country, and natural vegetation provides ideal habitat for waterfowl. The abundance of habitat on top of very little hunting pressure makes Coleman County a hidden gem of Texas duck hunting. A mixed bag of mallards, pintails, wigeon, teal, gadwall, redheads, shovelers, and ring necks can be expected on any given day. It is my personal belief that the location of Coleman County is also a huge benefit when it comes to its duck population. Being centrally located between the Texas panhandle where there is historically a large number of wintering geese, sandhill crane, mallards, pintails, and wigeons (which therefore means a heavy amount of hunting pressure) and the Texas Gulf Coast which is historically a very significant wintering location for redheads and other diver ducks, sets Coleman County and west central Texas up as a “safe haven” for a large number of multiple species of ducks. As hunters, it is vital that we do all we can to protect and conserve the game we hunt as well as the habitat that these creatures rely on. One great thing about duck hunting is that on top of the funds from the purchase of your Texas hunting (Continued p. 16) 13
Bee-Bush Produces Big Bucks in Brown County by Joshua Sears Wildlife Biologist Just to the east of a small map dot called Trickham, TX, in Coleman County, lies the sacred hunting acres once leased by Uriah Chambers. Old, majestic live oaks that produce thousands of palatable acorns for the elusive white-tailed deer thrive here on the rolling hills in the western portion of the cross timbers and prairies ecological region. Beebush (whitebrush), a denselybranched indigenous species of flora, populates the understory providing excellent habitat for secretive fauna. This plant species of the Vervain family emits a sweet aromatic smell when flowering filling the autumn air with a distinct fresh scent. The sweet smell of seasonal change in the cool breeze indicates hunting time is upon us. Offering an exceptional mosaic habitat, the property was heavily wooded in places, diverse with thick plantlife, it was an amazing sanctuary that held deer. With the absence of cattle to graze the habitat exploded into a deer mecca. Uriah has a great awareness for wildlife management. Being that the entire property was a great 14
bedding area he was careful to only hunt the perimeter and not push deer out from the middle. He managed the160-acre lease for several years, monitoring the deer, using selective harvest techniques to allow the young bucks with great genetics to grow to maturity. He did well producing many trophy caliber deer from the relatively small low-fenced tract. In his due diligence he harvested an exceptional 150-class 8-point in early December of 2017. This was a terrific buck although it was not the one he was in pursuit of. The buck he was chasing was a monster…or was he a ghost? Nick-named Houdini (after Harry Houdini, a specialist in sensational escape acts and illusionary craft) for his ability as an escape artist this legendary buck was haunted and hunted by many. He was seen by few. As a 4-year-old buck in 2016 he disappeared from the trail cameras at the first of November. The trail cam pictures from weeks
before revealed a wide, heavy, thick-brow tine buck. A squeaky clean 5x5 10-point. Elusive as ever, the next year in 2017, he was a 170-class 6x6 12-point. A true stud of a specimen sporting a wide, heavy frame again. Like most bucks early in the season he was more predictable. Simply bedding and feeding, bedroom to kitchen activity so to speak. Uriah was able to get some great photos during this time. He knew that Houdini was an extreme trophy. According to the time stamped photos he let his guard down and started frequenting a feeder. On youth weekend in October of 2017 Uriah’s daughter, JoLea, who had killed an old 8-point the previous year, was ready to hunt. Saturday came and went without much luck and instead of hunting that Sunday they went to church. After pulling the card on the camera Houdini had pulled another trick by taking a mid-morning nap at the feeder during church service. This was the last sighting for the season and by now you may have already guessed…poof and gone. No more pictures, nothing just vanished. Another escape to another season. But magicians aren’t always fool-proof…or are they?
Raisin ‘em Right JoLea Chambers, a 9-year-old fourth grader at the beginning of the 2018 hunting season, was excited for youth season. She was well aware of (Continued p. 31)
Donate to Hunters for the Hungry in Coleman County Cornerstone Community Action Agency partners with Hall’s Processing in Coleman to operate the Hunters for the Hungry Program. During the 2019 deer season 4,000 pounds of venison was processed to benefit those in need in Coleman County. All it takes is for you to field dress and take the legally tagged deer to Hall’s Processing in Coleman for meat processing. Funding for the program is made possible through the Coleman County Foundation with the Food Bank of West Central Texas providing bags for the meat. Food banks tell us that meat is their least available food item due to the high cost and that they gratefully accept venison donations. Venison is a nutritious, low fat, high protein meat that is distributed and/ or cooked by community organizations such as church pantries, Salvation Army, community food banks, church feeding ministries, emergency assistance programs and senior citizen centers.
Pictured above are Cindy and Steve Hall, Hannah Adams and representatives of the Cornerstone Community Action Agency.
All Coleman County roads lead to tranquility...
Coleman Today Photo
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(Continued from p. 13) license which supplies funds for
can just be a kid and enjoy the outdoors all at the conservation efforts right here in Texas, you must same time! also purchase a Federal Duck Stamp. Funds from the So this fall when dove season is over, don’t put that purchase of your Federal Duck Stamp help the U.S. shotgun up just yet! Purchase that duck stamp, buy Fish and Wildlife service acquire and protect wetland you some steel shot and a few decoys, grab those habitat and purchase conservation easements for kiddo’s and go spend some quality time in the good the national wildlife refuge system. Which means Lord’s creation with family and friends in the most it provides funds for efforts that will help to ensure beautiful county of all of Texas - Coleman County! that our children, and our children’s children have the same opportunities in the future that we get to enjoy and partake in today. Personally, as a hunter and outdoorsman, I believe there is nothing more important that we can do in today’s age than to introduce a new hunter. Especially children. Duck hunting is a fantastic way to do just that. With the “in your face” action, multiple shots and situations, and not having to sit still and be quiet the entire time makes it very enjoyable and different for kids. They can talk and ask questions, eat snacks, be your “bird dog” and chase down birds, touch and study all of Photos Courtesy of Dobbins’ Duck Hunts the different colors and textures of the birds...they
Fully guided duck hunts in scenic Coleman County
by Ashlee The Ehr Miller Great Western History Trail Preserved There is something special happening in Coleman, Texas in the spring of 2021! The town will be buzzing with folks celebrating the rich western history of our community. The Great Western Trails Days, commemorating the drovers, the cattlemen, the cattle and their pioneer spirit, will offer events over the three-day period that will take place from the courthouse to the rodeo grounds. There will be fun for all ages! Go to www.greatwesterntraildays.com for a complete schedule of events as the time draws nearer. Coleman County history started even before it had a name. The story of Coleman County is one that, just like other frontier towns, helped develop the west. When the first determined pioneers edged into this idyllic area in the 1830’s, it was a raw frontier, inhabited by Native Americans, and wild game was in abundance. The cattle era was on the immediate horizon and in the early 1870’s the northbound Texas Longhorns eased in from the south to an infinite pasture, unmarred by fences. They were the natural answer to agricultural production and when matured at two or more years, they provided their own transportation to market. That is something that small grains or cotton could not do in the frontier without wagons or railroads. A new drive trail came into use in the unfenced west Texas, running from Mexico and some southern Texas towns, through Fredericksburg, Ft Mason and on past Ft. Griffin, in northern Texas, and on past Ft. Supply in the Indian territory. Coleman County,
Jeff and Ashlee Miller on the day of dedication of the Great Western Trail marker for their ranch in Coleman County. with its luxurious grass and plentiful water, was on this path and for 10 years lived actively as a stopping point on the “Trail”. From early summer until fall, large herds of massive longhorns moved slowly through the county, one group no more than passed when another came into view. The trail added energy to the county’s growth; Coleman County cattlemen joined in, driving their cattle on up the trail, or selling them to a trail driver. Men who looked knowingly at the area’s rich grass as they drove cattle through the Coleman area, returned to take up headquarters, providing additional settlers. This included Col. William O. Day and J.P. Morris, both trail drivers, who came back here to become major land owners and entrepreneurs. A detailed study of the Great Western Trail is documented in Finding the Great Western Trail by Sylvia Gann Mahoney. The book, a true story of finding and marking the (Continued on p. 20)
Dove Hunting in Central Texas ... where the Central Texas counties of Brown, Coleman and Callahan have been producing some of the best mourning dove hunting in Texas. Our hunting area is in the "open country" where the West really begins and the doves are acrobats at their best. Our crew of hosts have many years experience conducting dove hunts in this area.
Weekend hunts begin with lunch on Friday and terminate after an early Sunday breakfast. Mid -week hunts follow the same schedule of events over a two-and-a-half day period of time. Two afternoon field hunts at different locations. We have hunting leases at approximately 40 to 50 different fields over a three county area.
Our headquarters is located at the Texas 4-H Center on Lake Brownwood just 12 miles northwest of Brownwood, Texas. A large modern pavilion, air-conditioned and heated, which was designed specially for handling medium size groups (50 to 150) will be our central meeting place.
We are convinced that your dove hunting trip will be one of the most enjoyable and productive. In fact, we encourage you to ask others who have attended our dove hunts - and there are hundreds of them throughout the USA, and even the U.K.
Contact Ted Taylor at 325-214-0543 or Ben Taylor at 325-214-0548
www.txdovehunting.com
(Continued from p. 9) population is still here and you can enjoy “local” birds, which have over the summer become honed into a field. But the first cool front- marked by a decent rain, can send these birds packing for winter range in Mexico and Central America. It might take a day or two, but new birds will show up after the rain has dried. These birds are those which hatched in Kansas, Oklahoma and even in the Dakotas. While the local birds are keyed into a particular field, the migrants may not have such site fidelity and can be pushed around pretty easily. Early season birds are easier to pattern and will provide consistent shooting, even for large groups. Late season birds need to be scouted and can’t take the pressure earlier season birds take. The demand for quality shooting has given rise to dove outfitters- companies which specialize in providing quality shooting for groups of hunters. In Coleman County there are several such operations and many are multi-property venues which provide
consistent shooting by scouting hard and rotating which fields they shoot. These outfitters are able to take advantage of others overshooting their fields while managing their own operations to maximize the opportunities for their clients. In my experience, if you want 2 to 3 days of quality shooting in a row, an outfitter is the best way to experience that. I think it was Havilah Babcock who wrote that the best part of bird shooting is that he never knew what kind of day he was going to have. He might shoot spectacularly, or he might not be able to hit a thing. But either way, he enjoyed the suspense. I think the same applies to dove shooting for me. There are days when I rarely miss, but more often there are days when the doves conspire to make me look foolish. I enjoy shooting a 2-barrel gun and I have a couple of favorites including an ugly 16 gauge side-by-side that fits me well and a lovely 20 gauge over-under, both with double triggers and extractors. Shooting one bird out of a flight is enjoyable, (Continued p. 28)
SANTA ANNA NATIONAL BANK SANTA ANNA, TEXAS Over 75 yrs of Service to the Community “Make our Bank Your Bank” Agriculture & Livestock Loans Business & Industrial Loans Personal & Monthly Installment Loans NOW Accounts, Checking, Savings, CDs
Banking Hours 9:00am to 3:00pm on Monday - Thursday 9:00-5:00pm on Friday Phone 325-348-3108 and 325-348-3109 Bookkeeping 325-348-3115
610 Wallis Ave. Santa Anna, Texas www.mysanb.bank
MOBILE APPS NOW AVAILABLE We now offer free MySANB mobile banking apps for our existing Internet Banking customers. The apps offer most of the features of our website, plus Remote Mobile Deposit Capture. Download the mobile app on the Apple App Store or the Android App on Google play.
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(Continued from p. 16) Great Western Trail, is a historical
record of each community’s efforts to uncover their own history. The tangible evidence is the people that pioneered and made the communities survive, and that makes it one of the most amazing feats in our western history. The following is an article written by Sylvia Gann Mahoney.
Great Western Trail: Last, Longest Cattle Trail Documented Research for the Great Western Trail
The Great Western Trail, 1874 to 1893, the last and longest cattle trail of two post-Civil War cattle trails, was a response to the changing socioeconomic markets across Texas and the Great Plains states into Canada after the Civil War. Of seminal importance, the Great Western Trail provided South Texas and northern Mexico longhorns and horses to two new economically significant major markets: government contracts for longhorns for the military and for reservations and longhorns and horses to stock vast open-range ranch land across the Great Plains into Canada. The trail, also, delivered longhorns to new
Below is a map of Coleman County showing the Great Western Trail markers that have been placed.
railheads at Dodge City, Kansas, and Ogallala, Nebraska. In 1874, South Texas rancher John T. Lytle took the risk to establish the longest cattle trail, Great Western Trail, to fulfill a government contract. He delivered his first herd of 3,500 head of cattle to Red Cloud Indian Agency in Fort Robinson, Nebraska. In 1893, using the Great Western Trail, south Texas rancher, John R. Blocker delivered the last large herd, 9,000 head of longhorns to a buyer in Deadwood, South Dakota, not to a railhead. During the Great Western Trail’s nineteen years of service, its path grew to 2,000 miles extending from Mexico across nine U.S. Great Plains states into Canada. The trail supplied some six-million longhorns and onemillion horses to the three markets. The Chisholm Trail and the Great Western Trail had spectacular historical, economic, and cultural influence— the two post-Civil War cattle trails filled trail bosses’ saddle bags with gold and provided young Civil War veterans and others with work that revitalized the economy while creating the international American icon--The Cowboy. In 1965, Texas Tech University archivist and historian Jimmy M. Skaggs’ thesis became the definitive study (first vetted study) for the Great Western Trail. The Great Western Trail name was modeled for the “Great Plains,” the states the trail crossed, and on earlier maps, the “Great American Desert.” The Great Western Trail name is inclusive of all the names for the trail segments used at different times. The name “Great Western Cattle Trail” was first used by buffalo hunter John R. Cook in his memoir for his trail period 1874-1881, in The Border and the Buffalo: An Untold Story of the Southwest Plains (Crane,1907). In 2003, Oklahomans challenged the Rotary Club of Vernon, Texas, to duplicate their Oklahoma project to set seven-foot white cement posts with red Great Western Trail letters to mark the path of the last and longest postCivil War cattle trail. Some 800 Rotarians and others joined Oklahoma and Texas to document the Great Western Trail in Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Matamoros, Mexico, and two Canadian provinces: Saskatchewan and Alberta. Some 250 GWT posts stand record. The Great Western Trail is “one of the longest, if not the longest, international cattle trails in the world,” and the self-funded, eight-year Rotary project to mark the 2,000 mile trail is called “the most amazing public history research project in America.” Together, advocates for the two trails united to seek Congressional approval for the Chisholm Trail and Great Western Trail as National Historic Trails. The study was approved in 2009 and completed in 2016. The vote by Congress is pending.
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Home of the VSS Valera Style Sandwich and the BIG MITCH
BIG O’s Restaurant
Rib Eyes Saturday
5:00 pm to 9:00 pm All steaks are aged and hand cut!
325-636-4542 On the corner of HWY 67 and FM 503
Downtown Valera Closed Sun. & Mon.
www.bigosbbq.com Bigosvtexas “We got it going on here!” By Lynn “Big O” Owens, Owner of Big O’s One thing the pandemic cannot take away is the great outdoors. Around here we have plenty to enjoy. Outstanding hunting and fishing make the perfect getaway to clear the mind of all the extraneous goings on these days. We had less rain this spring than last year and that is when it stopped. It just flat stopped unless you were in the right small spot. That’s how it worked and only a few were that lucky. This part of the country has had several major fires. Thousands and thousands of acres burned up along with lots of hunting camps. Please be careful always. Heard one was started by a hunter filling feeders, by the truck’s catalytic converter. Unintentional of course, but that is all it takes in these dry conditions.
Doves
Look for a decent dove hunting season says Ben Taylor of Executive Outfitters - 325-214-0543. They have land leased and ready to go. Check with Colemantexas.org to find a complete list of dove day leases and outfitters. If the drought continues, look for tanks to provide the hottest action. Take note... it always rains a few days prior to the opening day of dove season. Let’s hope it does, we sure could us a good drenching.
Quail
Hoping for a rebound on the quail this year. Mother Nature has not been good for quail. As of this writing they are still paired up and hard to figure talking to guide Mike Wyatt of Firstshothunts.com. Another go-to guy is Mike Pritchard in Santa Anna, they can provide guided hunts packages and pen raised birds. He can be contacted at Homecreekoutfitterstx.com. When things go south other opportunities arise. Along with Covid-19 and the oilfield bust results in massive cancellations on the books (Continued p. 22)
325-625-2412 1001 US Hwy 283 Coleman, Texas Herd Health Consultation Cattle processing Vaccinations Castration Branding Pregnancy exams Breeding soundness exams Calf pulls
Wellness exams Anesthesia Surgery Dentistry
Herd Health Management CWD Testing- Certified Post Mortem Exams Fecal testing Herd Health Consultation Ultrasound Digital Radiology Microchiping In-house Laboratory
(Continued from p. 21) for outfitters. Right now, is
the perfect time to slip in on hunts that have always been hard to get. Look for that big trophy hunts to be a better value than yearspast.
Fishing
Lake levels have slipped down a tad this past year. But still considerably better than years past. Tanks have taken the hardest hit so far. Maybe we will get some bands of rain this late summer from tropical storms or hurricanes.
Lake O.H. Ivie
R. M. Edington, DVM Mark Swening, DVM Ross Kalina, DVM Casie Watson, DVM
Often called the Lake Fork of West Texas has busted loose with great fishing since catching 36 feet of water during the last half of 2018 and spring od 2019. Know of at least 3 Large mouth bass of 13 pounds a few 11-12’s. Caution saying plenty of 7’s and 8’s, but dang sure the most in several years. Crappie were somewhat elusive earlier this year. Now local guides and anglers have started catching big slabs Lake Ivie is known to produce. Big blue cats are often caught
on jug lines on cut shad bait. A big shout out goes to the guys and gals of The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Inland Fisheries. That have developed the lake to be recognized as one best big bass lakes in the nation. They continue to restock the lake. This past spring Lake Ivie was stocked with 120,000 bass fingerlings and in July received several more thousands of bass (super bass) fingerlings. They were from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept. Toyota ShareLunker Program where bass weighing 13.0 lbs. caught in Texas are donated each year. They take the fingerlings spawned in specific ponds and distribute them to lakes all over the state. Along with notoriety of being famous comes the downside. Recently it was announced that Lake. O. H. Ivie has been infested with Zebra Mussels. More information can be found at tpwd.texas.gov website. Most important thing to do is Clean, Wash and Dry your boat before leaving the boat ramp area. To prevent the spread this evasive species to any other area lakes. (Continued p. 29 )
Hunting in the Post-Pandemic Era by Mike Bodenchuk We’ve learned a lot in the past 9 months about “social distancing,” the US Health system and the risks associated with travel. Part of that involves the vulnerability of certain industries, and the outdoor industry - notably the hunting industry - is no different. While there are a lot of factors which go into decisions about hunting gear and travel, until 9 months ago none of those decisions involved public health warnings, self-quarantine requirements or restrictions on airlines. Now, the world will likely be different even after a vaccine for this particular virus is available.
As part of my full-disclosure, I have to admit to having my personal plans for hunting and fishing affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. I drew a spring turkey tag in Nevada and opted not to travel, mostly because the hotel industry was in early stage turmoil and I couldn’t get to the hunt area in a single day. That was my decision. My next hunt- a jungle hunt in Yucatan for ocellated turkeys, was cancelled for me by the Mexican government, when they closed their border to non-essential (tourism) travel. On the fishing side of things, my wife and I had been planning an Alaskan trip to Prince of Wales Island with our kids and their spouses and that trip became a casualty of Alaskan government regulations requiring negative test results within 72 hours of departure. Because we can’t get tested without being symptomatic, and because we couldn’t get the results within 72 hours, meeting their regulations became impossible. Not everything has been a loss- we (Continued p. 24)
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(Cont. from p. 23) did get to hunt turkeys locally this
spring and added a South Texas javelina for my sonin-law. My wife is a taxidermist and we ended up delivering several mounts to hunters in Florida as an excuse to drive there and work in some fishing for exotic species such as barramundi, peacock bass and Mayan cichlids. And in taking stock of the hunting industry, my own personal experiences are an indication of how many have reacted to the pandemic. They also indicate how hunting for the near future will evolve. Starting close to home, many hunters continued to hunt spring turkeys, though they may have gone about it differently. Restrictions on the hotel and restaurant industries kept some people at home and others were forced to camp out or rent private homes for the week. On our Florida trip, we ate in sit-down restaurants only 3 meals, opting for drivethrough or eating self-prepared food in our motel room. Restaurants, and the people they employ, were clearly one of the big losers in the pandemic, but grocery stores and take-out food places may not have been as affected.
Guided hunts, which rely on traveling hunters, were certainly affected by airline restrictions and a general fear of close contact with strangers. Those hunters who could drive to their hunts did so, but if you had guests who had to fly it’s likely they didn’t come. Landowners and hunting guides in this category typically market their hunts to clients in large metro areas who do not have easy access to their own hunting close by. Marketing to other Texas hunters- or maybe to those in nearby states, may prove more resilient in the long run. While we’re on that topic, some hunts have done surprisingly well in this environment. Travel to some of the more popular foreign hunting destinations, such as Argentina or New Zealand for red stag, closed exactly at the wrong times for those places. Immediately hunters who were on their way were
detained and returned to the US. The entire African safari season has been impacted, and as I write this South Africa- the most popular country for plains game- remains closed to foreign travel. These hunters still want to hunt and while our antlered game (except axis deer) are in velvet, the horned exotics like blackbuck, aoudad, nilgai and African exotics are all selling well. The hunters who would have spent their money in Africa are still out there looking for an accessible alternative. Texas hunts have been popular this summer. Looking a little farther afield, the competition for hunting permits actually heated up, perhaps because these are hunts people can drive to. The number of people who applied for limited hunt applications actually increased this year. States that usually have left-over tags sold out and over-thecounter options are limited. If this proves anything, it’s that hunters are dedicated and willing to spend their money, but they are careful what they commit to after watching the impacts of the past year. What will this do to the Coleman hunting scene? It’s still early and a second (or third) round of pandemic will cause everyone to reevaluate, but here’s my guess: Hunters will still want to come and hunt and traditional deer leases will not only remain, but will be more expensive as the demand for Texas-based hunting increases. Ranches with accommodations will be less impacted than those which relied on hunters staying in local motels. Restaurants may not see the seasonal bumps they once expected, but those able to put in curb-side or take-out options at short notice will weather the storm better. Property values for wildlife rich ranches, will no doubt increase as more hunters decide that a place of their own in better than taking a chance on travel. Taking care of the wildlife may be more important than ever. Farm ground that can be put into a dove field may make more money, both in the short term as well as in the long run, than as a plot of wheat or cotton. Every situation is different, but don’t discount the impact this event has had on the hunting industry and watch for the fall out - both positive and negative - over the next 2 to 3 years.
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299 PR 2722 Santa Anna, Texas (325) 220-0901 (325) 348-7501 Guthrie Outfitters, LLC is a used structural pipe company serving farmers, ranchers, and builders needs in the West Central Texas area. This pipe is great for all fencing, structural, and construction needs. We also offer precut posts. Delivery services are available. Our yard is located in Santa Anna, TX. Please call or text us. For more information, check out Facebook at Guthrie Outfitters, LLC. (continued from p. 19) but the pinnacle of shooting is
taking 1 bird with each barrel out of the same flight. With white-wing dove this is difficult as they often dive at the first report, adding a burst of speed and often putting themselves between me and other hunters in the field. But if I can position myself beside a set of trees where the birds come in high, a solid double is always a possibility- if I can do my job. On a final note, doves are excellent table fare but it takes nearly a limit of 15 birds to provide a meal
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for 2-3 hunters. All migratory birds have dark meat breasts, the muscles built for long distance flight and muscle recovery. Taking care of the meat begins in the field by keeping them cool after they are shot. If you want to clean them in the field, you’ll need to leave one fully feathered wing attached to the bird to identify the species. I usually eviscerate the bird to expedite cooling and place them in an ice chest, removing the breast meat once I’m at home. I remove the breast halves from the bone and marinate them in a refrigerator overnight. My favorite way of cooking dove breasts is to wrap the 2 halves with a half-slice of bacon which we initially cook about half done. A slice of green chili or a jalapeno tucked between the breast halves adds flavor. Once wrapped, the breasts can be put on a barbeque grill (I’ve switched to a pellet grill to control the temperature better) and cooked until the dove meat is medium rare (the bacon will actually be edible). If the peppers are hot, you’ll want a cold beer or soda pop, but if they’re mild you can enjoy with a robust red wine.
(continued from p. 22) A positive aspect of a full lake
Lake Coleman has been holding good water levels for the past several years, City park has nice camping grounds. Located in a small protected cove. B & L Bait and Tackle 325-382-4444 now has a grill open located next to the south boat ramp. This lake plays host to several local bass club tournaments each year. Word is the locals have been busting the crappie all year long. The summer of 2020 has been great for Hybrid Bass too. It is also known for a big yellow cat using live perch on trotlines.
is that both marinas have new owners. They are very accommodating to all guests and tournament organizers. Contact Elm Creek RV and Campgrounds 325-357-4776 and Concho Park Marina 325-357-4466. They can provide current numbers for fishing guides covering bass, catfish, white bass, and bow fishing. Longtime guide Kenneth Morris 325-656-2845 is on the water practically everyday and has a wealth of knowledge ready to share. Its pretty obvious as a writer and bass fishing lover I am fired up about Lake Ivie in the coming Coleman County Will Survive years. Try and find me on the water for sure, soon. Even with all the craziness in the world today Coleman County folks are rising to the situation. In any part of the county great restaurants can be Hords Creek and Coleman Lakes Both are in good shape on water levels. Hords found. Downtown Coleman and Santa Anna have the Creek is only 6 feet low. Even when its full it looks most shops open in a long, long time. All will greet half empty the way it was built. This U.S. Army Corps customers with a big ole smile. Probably covered of Engineers provides outstanding facilities for with a mask these days, nevertheless you can tell by camping and family activities. Additional swimming the voices. Come see us when y’all can for a big time, right areas have been added. Reservation are required for here in Coleman County Texas... overnight stays.
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TERRA TRAC T/G MAX TERRA TRAC AT II www.williamstirestore.com (Continued from p. 14) Houdini’s legacy. While her
outdoor experienced father Uriah helped mentor her along the way, JoLea had a natural talent as a hunter/huntress that you really can’t teach. She picked up things quick and put in the extra effort. She loves to hunt deer, that’s evident. They talked about hunting the buck the night before and JoLea had mentioned she was going to get him. They made careful preparations to enter his lair before the dawn’s crisp, early morning sunrise. The moon was full, lighting up the night and pre-dawn hours. In mostly clear conditions with the wind 7mph from the southeast Uriah chose to hunt the tower blind, one of the three sets he had options for. The wind was good for this location, increasing the odds for their hunt. Also, this was a seasoned stand, erected years before as the live oak had grown around two sides of the 4x4 tower blind. The deer were very accustomed to staging here. The location was undisturbed as of recent, purposely left alone to naturally marinate. Uriah had taken
careful measures to stay out of this area frequented by Houdini all week. There wasn’t a shooting rest in the tower blind like the other stand that JoLea was more use to. No problem. Armed with her Ruger American Ranch 300 blackout she accepted that fact and prepared mentally for yet another challenge. Drawing on her skill sets as her craft develops, paying attention to detail, honing and polishing and building on her hunting zen. Determined to leave it all on the field Team Chambers was in great position. The stars were aligned. Youth weekend, 9-year old JoLea, perfect weapon for her age (shooting like .223 but with 30-caliber horsepower), a legendary buck, with dad and one other fact to note…Uriah unfortunately had just found out that the property was to be sold in November. This current event correspondingly made this weekend the last hunt. The last chance to harvest a buck of a lifetime after watching him grow for 3 years. Could this be Houdini’s last act or his last escape? (Continued p. 46)
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www.sujomckee.com 32
Coleman Annual Whitetail Fo r e c a s t by Mike Bodenchuk
What started out as a great spring, with ample moisture and good forage, quickly burned up in the heat of the 2020 summer. As this is being written, whitetail antler growth is almost finished and velvet is beginning to dry. Antler growth is a fascinating process in itself- the tip of a growing antler, when looked at under a microscope, is identical to the cells in bone cancer. Imagine if scientists could unlock the secrets to the processes, chemical and biological, that start and stop antler growth- there could be a cure for cancer there! Ranchers should know that the calcium that goes into the growing antler comes from the bones of the deer and not directly from their diet. Given similar genetics, having bigger frame deer (larger body size and bigger bones) provides greater opportunity for bigger antlers. There are a lot of other factors which go into antler growth including micronutrients which are diet related. Protein feed put out for deer helps grow bigger does, which have bigger fawns, which could produce bigger racks. So much of that process is developmentaloccurs during pregnancy and in the first few months of lifethat it can take generations to
see the difference. If you started feeding supplemental protein feed this fall, the 2021 crop of doe fawns would be a better class of deer. Those doe fawns would not have their own fawns until 2023 (essentially on their second birthday) and their buck fawns wouldn’t be shooter bucks until 4-5 years of age (2028-29). All that is to point out that there’s a lot of factors that go into the growth of antlers- and to the forecast for any given hunting year. For high fence deer, raised on supplemental feed and with access to plenty of water, any year can be a great year. Add in supplemental genes, brought in by specially selected sires or even artificial insemination and you can grow a monster deer in one or two years. But for the rest of the county- with rangeland conditions and maybe a little bit of supplemental feed during the summer- trends can be predictable. First of all, staying with antlers, this year won’t be anything special. While the year started off great, the heat of summer burned up a lot of critical deer feed and summer stress was a real thing in June and July. You’ll see bucks this fall with good to great main beam frames but relatively short point lengths and weak front points. For hunters trying to manage based on antler conditions, you need to understand that this is strictly an environmental condition and should not factor into whether or not a deer is a shooter. Unless you’ve given the deer everything they need in the way of supplemental feed, look
for deer age as an indication for harvest, not his point length. I’ll even throw a little gas on the spike v forkhorn fire and point out that this year there may be some spikes which, in a decent summer, could have been forkhorns. If you’re culling spikes this year, you may cut deeply into the 2020 buck crop. Be careful as you implement management on spikes. As for numbers, oddly enough there should be plenty of deer to harvest. We’ve had good fawn crops for the past 3 years and there were plenty of rabbits and rats early this year to take some of the predator pressure off the fawns at the time of fawning. By the time it burned up, fawns should have been big enough to escape predation pressure. That’s not to say that coyotes and bobcats didn’t get fawns- in places where they’re not managed predators can get a large numbers of fawnsbut this year, like the past several, have been good years for fawns. Similarly, the turkey crop has been rebuilding for several years. Turkey nest success isn’t as good as we’d like and predators get their share of these as well. For turkeys, you can add feral hogs as a significant nest predator. In a recently published study from the south end of the Hill Country, feral hogs appear (Continued p. 34)
(Continued from p. 33) to increase nest predation- added much pressure will push them out. For large groups
to loss of nests caused by raccoons, gray fox, and coyotes. The study looked at hog movement activity and didn’t detect any indication that they learn to hunt for nests and seek them out specifically, but they did find that more hogs eventually find more nests, so hog control is beneficial to turkey production.
I should note that harvest this past spring season was light due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the birds which were jakes this spring will look like mature gobblers this fall. If they don’t get shot this fall next spring may be a banner year. Quail seek to have done OK- nothing special but given all the perils a quail population has OK may be great. I’ve started feeding quail and seem to see a lot more, but that may just be that they’re concentrated around the feeders. The fact that they hit the feeders regularly may indicate that there is something else in the habitat lacking and I may be artificially propping them up. That’s OK, too. I’ll prop up the quail when and where I can. Most of the rest of our game is migratory and we’re somewhat at the mercy of weather elsewhere to provide those species. There are now more “dove fields”- areas either specifically planted for dove shooting or intentionally left to grow wild sunflowers and croton- than ever and there are plenty of areas to find doves to shoot. The problem- if it’s a problemis that there are now so many areas that they’re no longer concentrated. “Your” doves may also be feeding at another field a mile or two away and too
of hunters, the fields are necessary and provide a lot of fun, but for a family shoot you might also look for a stock pond where the birds water. Watch the weather too, a cold front may push out the local birds, but a cool front that sweeps through Kansas and Oklahoma might bring in enough birds from the north to make the latter half of the season better than opening day. I’ve almost given up on ducks, not because they aren’t fun to hunt but because the weather patterns have many of the ducks short-stopping north of Coleman County. With milder weather, more birds stop in the ag areas in the Texas Panhandle and don’t make it to Coleman. I look for a week or so of extreme cold up there (essentially freezing the creeks and waterways) to push the birds south. If they’re not chopping ice for cattle, we’re not getting the birds we used to get. I don’t wish anyone a hard winter, but if it comes, I’ll be looking for a flood control dam with (Continued p. 44) open water.
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Fall/Winter Weather Outlook by Randy Turner KOXE 101.3 FM Meteorologist As this magazine goes to publication in late August 2020, we are in the midst of a brutal stretch of hot weather. Temperatures ranged from 103-108 degrees for a week stretch in the middle of the month. This is the second time that has happened this summer. During the heat waves, rain was hard to come by in Coleman County. There were spotty showers but not the widespread, soaking rains needed. What lies ahead? Unless a tropical system can bring rain our way (and an active tropical season is forecast to continue into September and October, so there is hope), the big weather pattern looks to return to a La Nina, or dry, weather pattern for the upcoming Fall and Winter months. Typically in West Central Texas, temperatures average above normal, precipitation averages below normal in a La Nina year. This isn’t to say we won’t get precipitation but amounts tend to be below average when La Nina is present. The Climate Prediction Center has issued a La Nina Watch. That means equatorial sea surface temperatures are currently near-tobelow average across the east-central and eastern Pacific Ocean. This current neutral phase of LaNina is favored to continue through the current summer, with a 50 to 55% chance of La Nina development during the Fall of this year and continuing through the Winter of 2020-2021. That is not good news for a parched Coleman County. 36
Precipitation Forecast for November through January
Temperature Forecast for November through January
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Big O’s Restaurant.................................................p. 21 Central Texas Farm Credit ...................................p. 51 Coleman Coldwater Cattle Company ................. p. 29 Coleman County Chamber of Commerce, Agriculture & Tourist Bureau.................................................................. p. 40 Coleman County Medical Center........................ p. 41 Coleman County State Bank............................... p. 52 Coleman County Title Company ........................ p. 10 Coleman Grain .................................................... p. 47 Coleman Veterinary Clinic ................................. p. 22 Dobbins Duck Hunts ........................................... p. 16 Executive Outfitters, Inc. .................................... p. 18 Gaines Land Sales ................................................ p. 40 Great Western Trail Days .................................... p. 45 Guthrie Outfitters, LLC ...................................... p. 28 Hall’s Processing .............................................. pp. 2, 3 Hunter’s BBQ & Fests ............................................ p. 4 Interbank, Coleman ............................................ p. 42 Johnson Feed Barn ...................................... pp. 38, 39 Liveoak Real Estate ................................................ p. 7 M-BAR-H Lodge ................................................. p. 12 Owl Drug Store ................................................... p. 12 Panther Creek Outfitters ......................................p. 35 Prickly Pear - Coleman ........................................ p. 43 Quality Implement Co. ........................................ p. 25 QuickStick Outfitters, LLC .................................. p. 11 Ranch and Hunting Land .................................... p. 27 Rhyder X-Press .................................................... p. 34 Rock House Ridge Lodge ..................................... p. 37 Rod Martin Group ............................................... p. 23 Santa Anna National Bank ................................. p. 19 Shoppin’ Baskit .................................................... p. 26 SuJo McKee Real Estate ....................................... p. 32 Top Hand Hunting Equipment ........................... p. 30 Troy Abernathy Construction ........................pp. 8, 44 Williams Tire ....................................................... p. 31
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Annual Youth Hunt a Success! by Lee Morrison
Coleman County Game Warden The 15th Annual Coleman County Youth Hunt was held at the Hemphill Ranch. There were eleven kids that hunted this year, with 8 deer being shot. Sponsors for this year’s hunt included Game Guard Camo who supplied the kids with shirts and hats; Buckmasters who gave the kids hats along with several other things; the Texas Game Warden Association; Executive Outfitters; and Halls Processing who processed all the deer for the kids. This hunt wouldn’t be possible without the support of these groups. The hunt, which is organized by John Casey and Heath Hemphill along with the hunters on the Hemphill Ranch who help guide all the kids during their hunt, has been a continued success over the years. Thank you to these volunteers for helping our youth learn from your expertise of the outdoors.
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(Continued from p. 34)
The final, notable hunting opportunity in Coleman would fall into the broad category of “varmint hunting”. Coyotes, bobcats gray fox and raccoons are not only species that impact our livestock and huntable wildlife, but they can be huntable themselves. I’ve called coyotes for 45 years and still get excited when one comes loping into the call. Bobcat and gray fox numbers are inversely related to coyote numbers, and if coyotes are under control, bobcats will take their place. A big tom bobcat is the “big game” of predator calling and makes an impressive trophy mount. Gray fox are just plain fun: when they come in they do so with reckless abandon. They’ll look around, run off then run back in. One of the most fun things to do is place a remote camera- like a GoPro or your cell phone- adjacent to a remote caller and just let it roll. The close-up video of the fox as he looks for the dying rabbit can be hilarious. For this fall and winter, getting outside is way overdue. Take the time to enjoy the great outdoors in Coleman County.
GETTING TO THE ROOT OF YOUR BRUSH PROBLEM
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Mexican Chorizo Recipe From Vaden Aldridge Recipe for 10 lbs Ingredients 5 lbs Ground Venison - 5 lbs Ground Pork 6 Tbs salt 2 Tbs of coarse ground black pepper 2 Tbs of granulated garlic 5 Tbs of crushed red pepper flakes 1 Tbs of Mexican oregano 2 Tbs of cumin 4 Tbs of paprika ž cup of water ½ cup of apple cider vinegar Add all remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly until all the spices are evenly distributed. Optional: Stuff the chorizo into casings.
Tricks of the Trade
(Continued from p. 31)
The morning was going well. Tucked in the tower blind well before sunrise they waited for action. The full moon gave enough light for Uriah to see that deer were moving. The early activity was a great indicator they were in the right spot. Scanning the area, he observed multiple deer. He stopped and studied one very hard, a 22” wide, heavy antlered buck. And like a rabbit out of a hat…it was Houdini. He was there. He was indeed there in all his glory. An incredibly intelligent buck sporting a frame to match his personality. A 13-point 6-year old, freerange buck that pushed the 170” mark for the last 2 years. A true legend. He was there early though, way before legal shooting light, in fact 40 minutes to be exact. Was this another trick up his sleeve… because tricks seem to be somewhat of a theme in this area. These two were going to have to “trick ‘em” like Bill Franks did so many years ago. Only Bill got plenty of bucks. Around the time of the Civil War along the John Chisum cattle trail was a popular stop. A general store and saloon in Trickham, Texas. Franks was no stranger to magical acts either as he would give the cowboys that passed through watered down whiskey straight from Mukewater Creek. The cowboys that rode through were on the drive and never returned. This enabled Franks to repeat the illusion. He turned a huge profit from his bag of tricks and he, like the Houdini buck, pulled multiple disappearing acts to avoid danger. But I digress…ok back to the 4x4 situation room. Current status: elevated.
No chip-shot After a long 40 minutes, careful not to share the information with JoLea that he had spotted their quarry, the dreaded buck fever had been prevented. But there was another problem now. As legal shooting light appeared 46
Houdini had disappeared again. The cool October morning was promising, however, because there was good activity and several deer still in view. The songbirds were vocal as the world awoke to embrace another fine day. Uriah, confident that the buck would re-emerge from the dense tangles, encouraged JoLea to be ready for an opportunity. She was ready. Patiently waiting, absorbing all the nature in front of her. Just four minutes later he came back out. It was him. She couldn’t believe her eyes. He was back and beautiful as ever as his wideframe of antlers glistened in the morning sunlight. On the move, pausing at times, he fed through the food plot that was planted in wheat. JoLea was on him. Following the target, waiting, steady, she clicked her blackout off safety four times over 20 minutes. Not fazed by the relentless task at hand she was focused. Calm, collected. The big bruiser buck was now feeding back toward the trail head that he came in on. It was now or never as the anticipated disappearing act was unfolding before their very eyes. He was now at long range. 180 yards away and quartering hard he paused briefly near the ecotone, the zone of transition between field and forest. The buck was almost out of sight, but she was dialed in. This was her chance. Composed and calculated she gave the trigger a committed squeeze and boom. The shot blasted out and hit her mark. (next page)
JoLea Chambers and Houdini Photo courtesy of Josh Sears
(Continued from p. 46) After a very anticipated
15-minute wait they exited the tower blind for the last time and made their way to where he stood. Fresh blood verified the hit. A few steps down the trail they spotted him. Full of trickery to the very end he appeared life-like as they examined him from a distance. Eyes opened leaned up against the bee-bush, he looked as if he could get up and bolt at any second but indeed, he had expired. Big buck down! It was a perfect hit with the 110-grain Barnes ammunition. JoLea Chambers had risen to the challenge and tagged out on a legendary monster buck. The dad and daughter duo made a great team as she proclaimed with enthusiasm “We got him! We got him!” After an inspiring examination of the beast and congratulatory sentiments they realized that the saga had ended victoriously. What a fantastic memory. Uriah told me later that they literally skipped all the way back to the truck! Even after missing a 10” tine the massive 13-point Houdini buck scored in at 158 5/8” and laid claim to several
awards. JoLea won Coleman’s Big Buck Contest in the Youth Division at the Shoppin’ Baskit as well as the KOXE Youth Division contest in Brown County with her prized buck. Well done young lady, well done.
JoLea Chambers and Houdini Photo courtesy of Josh Sears
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ShareLunker Program - Lake O.H. Ivie Receives 2020 Legacy Class ShareLunker Fingerlings ATHENS – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Toyota ShareLunker Program is having another outstanding year in its goal to create, bigger, better bass in Texas. After obtaining two successful spawns from one of the four 13 pound or larger Legacy Class bass loaned to the selective-breeding program in 2020, the department’s hatchery staff produced more than 28,000 fingerlings to benefit Texas public waters. “We are pleased with the number of ShareLunker offspring produced this year, and we couldn’t have done it without the anglers who generously loaned us their 13 pound and larger bass for our selectivebreeding program,” said Kyle Brookshear, Toyota ShareLunker Program Coordinator. “This generosity doesn’t just increase the lunker potential of the lakes where those fish were caught, it also helps us in our effort to convert our entire hatchery broodstock to ShareLunker offspring, which will benefit every lake in Texas.” This year, fingerlings were produced and stocked in the 2020 Legacy Class donation lakes – including Alan Henry, Nacogdoches, and O.H. Ivie. A portion is also being held back to further our hatcheries future broodfish creation so that TPWD can stock these bigbass offspring by the millions statewide in coming years. In addition, 14,203 advanced fingerlings (excess future broodfish from the 2019 Legacy Class Spawns) were stocked in 2020 into Gilmer reservoir, Lake Pflugerville, Kurth, Lake Tyler, ponds within the future footprint of Bois d’Ark Lake, and Murval. One of the Legacy Class fish, from which thre were two successful spawns, was donated to the program and will be a part of the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center aquarium exhibits for visitors to enjoy. One fish did not spawn, but the angler has allowed TPWD to retain the fish in order to attempt to spawn it next spring. It will be returned to Lake Alan Henry at the conclusion of the spawning process. Unfortunately, two of this year’s Legacy Class donations perished due to extenuating circumstances. However, in the last five years, the program has achieved an excellent overall fish survival success rate of 86 percent during that time span.
The anglers who loaned TPWD a Legacy Class fish through the entry cutoff date of March 31 receive a large prize package. The package includes a replica of their fish, which is planned to be presented on stage at Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest in November, and entry into a separate $5,000 Bass Pro Shops shopping spree drawing. Even though the donation season for Legacy Class fish has ended, anglers are still able to enter all largemouth bass eight pounds or larger through the end of the year to help expand catch data for fisheries biologists. As of July, 200 of these fish have been entered from 75 lakes across the state. Anglers earn prize packages for each approved bass they enter throughout the year in all categories. This package includes a Toyota ShareLunker Catch Kit containing branded merchandise, an achievement decal, merchandise and other giveaways. In addition, anglers are entered in the year-end ShareLunker Prize Drawing for an annual fishing license and $5,000 Bass Pro Shops shopping spree. Anglers who reel in a bass eligible for the program can enter it using the Toyota ShareLunker app – available for free as a download from the Apple Store and Google Play – or by using a form online at https://texassharelunker.com/. Anglers can quickly and easily submit photos of the fish being properly measured, weighed, and held using the digital entry forms on both platforms. These forms also include simple instructions for anglers who would like to provide a sample of fish scales from their lunker bass to TPWD for genetic analysis. (Continued p. 50)
Recent ShareLunkers... as of August 8, 2020... from Texassharelunker.com Class
Date
Angler Name
Weight
Lunker
08/03/2020
Doug Watson
Lunker
07/28/2020
Richard Manuel
Lunker
07/28/2020
Keith Villegas
Lunker
07/25/2020
Lucas DeLeon
Elite
07/23/2020
Hunter Stephenson 10.80
Water Body Lake Fork
8.14
Coleto Creek Reservoir Dunlap
9.81
O. H. Ivie Amon G. Carter
(Continued from p. 49) “Anglers who enter catch data
in part by the generous sponsorship of Toyota. about their eight pound and larger bass are giving Toyota is a longtime supporter of the Texas Parks our fisheries management biologists important and Wildlife Foundation and Texas Parks and information about which lakes are producing big Wildlife Department, providing major funding for bass in Texas,” a wide variety of education, fish, parks and wildlife Brookshear said. “Sending a scale sample with your projects. entry gives TPWD even more information to use in Additional support for the program is provided by the management of our world-class bass fisheries prize donors Bass Pro Shops, Lake Fork Taxidermy, because it provides us with valuable genetic data American Fishing Tackle Co., and Stanley jigs. and helps us monitor the impact of stockings.” The Toyota ShareLunker Program is made possible From https://tpwd.texas.gov/.
ShareLunker App
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