2005 Hunting Trips Reports
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12/30/05 – 12/31/05 Duck Hunt
Four members and one guest (five participants) had a great time at the 12/30/05 – 12/31/05 Duck Hunt with Bill Sherrill Waterfowl near Wharton. Seventeen ducks were taken. The weather was warm and Ken Hamilton reports that they needed suntan lotion. Thanks to Ken for leading this event.
12/18/05 – 12/22/05 Annual Pheasant Hunt
One member and two sons (three participants) had a great time at the 12/18/05 – 12/22/05 Annual Pheasant Hunt near Hart (70 miles north of Lubbock). The group bagged three pheasants, three geese, and five ducks. Tim Price reports that they saw thousands of geese but could not get to most of them. They ran into a man who guides for geese. He charges $75 per hunter per day. Tim and his boys will probably hunt with him at least one day next year.
12/17/05 Duck Hunt
Three members had a good time at the 12/17/05 Duck Hunt near Eagle Lake with outfitter Larry Gore. Two other hunters hunted with them and the guide, but they were not FCS guests. Three teal were bagged. They also had a couple of long shots at geese, but they couldn’t bring any down. They had a great spot and saw hundreds of pintails (which aren’t in season yet) and thousands of teal. Unfortunately the teal were on another property, and were not inclined to head in their direction. Recent heavy rains probably were the culprit for the poor hunt. After a drought during the summer, the Eagle Lake area got over two inches of rain this past week, so the birds were able to spread out more. Despite the poor hunt the three members were impressed with the outfitter and would hunt with him again. Thanks to Kenneth Kidd for heading up this hunt.
12/10/05 Scouting Trip to Central Texas Shooting Reserve
Two members had a good time on the 12/10/05 Scouting Trip to Central Texas Shooting Reserve. Mark Dillow and Dick Matteson scouted them to determine if we should have a hunt there for our 2/25/06 Upland Bird Hunt. They found the clubhouse, and heard hunters in the field shooting and dog whistles. They waited for probably an hour for them to finish and come back to the clubhouse (which is more like a large bunkhouse), but left around 12:30 PM when they never appeared. It was tough to tell much about the operation, other than the area appeared to be fairly open fields surrounded by oak thickets. Based on their observations, it was hard to tell much about the operation one way or the other.
11/19/05 Scouting Trip of Upland Bird Hunting Inc.
Two officers and two members (four participants) had a good time at the 11/19/05 Scouting Trip of Upland Bird Hunting, Inc. We met Mike Tyson, his dad, and business partners. They are Christians and great people. In addition to the hunting they have Victory Youth Ranch and Camp Agape ministries. These are non-profit organizations operating in support of children who are grieving the loss of a loved one as well as abused children. They buy pen-raised birds and charge $200/person for Quail/Pheasant/Chukar. This includes the guide/dog fee. They also have trap and wobble trap range and are working on a five stand and eight station sporting clays range. They have 1000 acres. They have pointing dogs and flushing dogs. They are finishing a nice lodge. Memberships go for $1000 person.
11/11/05 – 11/12/05 Duck Hunt
One officer, eight members, and one guest (10 participants) had a great time at the 7th Annual Waterfowl Hunt held on 11/11/05 – 11/12/05 with W.S. Sherrill Waterfowl near Wharton. Ron Denison’s group of five bagged 28 ducks (two shy of their group limit) and Ken Hamilton’s group of five all got their limits and shot two geese. Ron also shot a goose. Ian Carnegie’s dog did a great job retrieving. The only negative was Ron’s group had to hunt standing up. Thanks to Ron for leading this event.
11/4/05 – 11/6/05 Deer, Turkey, and Hog Hunt
Three officers, three members, and two youth members (eight participants) had a great time at the 11/4/05 – 11/6/05 Deer, Turkey, and Hog Hunt at the Cottrell Ranch. Jim Gault bagged an 8 pointer and a doe, I, Randy Rowley, bagged a 4 pointer and a doe, Tim Price bagged a spike (still in velvet) and a doe, Tyler Price bagged a 4 pointer (his first deer), and Warren Hoke, David Chalmers, and Isaac Price bagged does. Seven of the eight hunters bagged game. After the rest of us left Tim caught an 8 lb. bass and two seven pounders. Isaac and Tyler each caught a four pounder. They brought a 10 lb. catfish to the bank, but it broke the line. David missed head shots at a couple of turkeys and Dick Matteson missed a doe. We did not see any hogs. The 10 animals taken is a record for an FCS big game hunt. This is also the first time that we have killed bucks at an FCS Deer Hunt. We ate like Kings, with T-bones for dinner one night, and fajitas the next and Dick made a super pot of chili that we had at every meal!
9/22/05 – 9/24/05 Annual Fall Dove Retreat (south zone – Dilley)
Two officers, four members, and four sons (10 participants) had a great time at the 14th Annual Fall Dove Retreat on 9/22/05 – 9/24/05 at Lee Ewald’s ranches near Dilley (in the south zone). This was our smallest crowd ever for a Fall Dove Retreat. Many regulars did not attend due to concerns over approaching Hurricane Rita. Hunting was very good on Friday (opening day) and good on Saturday. On Friday we started south of the vineyard in the mesquites. The birds were sporadic. I, Randy Rowley, walked down to the tank and found the mother lode. In short order I had eight birds and two on the ground that I couldn’t find. The rest of the guys came down. I collected two more birds and Tim Price’s dog, Saber, found the two that I couldn’t find, completing my limit. Ron Denison got 11, Tim got eight, and Jim Gault and Isaac Price got seven each. That evening we hunted at the windmill property. Ron, Tim, Jim, and Isaac limited out in short order. Ken Miller also got his limit and Tyler Price got two birds on his first dove hunt. On Saturday we started off by the tank. The birds started flying late. Tim got eight, Ron, Jim, and I got five each, Ken got four, and Tyler got two. That evening the birds again started flying late at the windmill property but when they started flying, they came in heavy. We all limited out in short order except for Isaac, Tyler, and Dick Matteson. I shot doubles on both days and bagged my second best 8 birds in 13 shots on Saturday evening. One of my birds had fallen out of my bag by my bucket so I ended up with 7. The weather was hot and dry, but we got a little breeze during the afternoons. We shot clay targets. We also shot Tim’s .223 and my .40 S&W into the Ewald’s dry tank. We had our usual big breakfast’s on Friday and Saturday. We had prayer at meals and before the morning hunts.
9/16/05 – 9/18/05 Annual Fall Dove Hunt (north zone – Woodson)
Two members and two guests (four participants) had a great time at the 9/16/05 – 9/18/05 Annual Fall Dove Hunt at Larry and Betty Sullivan’s ranches near Woodson. The group got about 34 dove in two days of hunting. Ken Hamilton limited out on Saturday.
9/17/05 Work Day at the Cottrell Ranch
One officer, one member, and two sons (four participants) had a good time at the 9/17/05 Work Day at the Cottrell Ranch. We put up Tim Price’s modular stand and relocated my, Randy Rowley’s, feeder.
9/9/05 – 9/11/05 Annual Fall Dove Hunt (north zone – Woodson)
Five members, one guest, and two sons (eight participants) had a great time at the 9/9/05 – 9/11/05 Annual Fall Dove Hunt at Larry and Betty Sullivan’s ranches near Woodson. The group got about 30 dove in 1 1/2 days of hunting. They also went to a six-man High School football game on Friday night. Ken Hamilton described the hunting as good.
9/9/05 – 9/10/05 Fall Dove Hunt (central zone – San Angelo)
One officer, seven members, one guest, and four sons (13 participants) had a great time at the 9/9/05 – 9/10/05 Fall Dove Hunt with Steve Hoelscher and his “White Wings Galore Dove Hunts” near San Angelo. Mark Dillow and Kevin Wall got to the field about 6:00 PM on Friday. There were not many birds flying. They were not charged for their Friday hunt. The Saturday morning hunt was tough. Most of the dove were avoiding the field like the plague. Larry Dowden was one of the very few who found a decent spot close to the road, where they were coming in and trying to land. Those hunters who braved it out till the afternoon were blessed with a spurt of activity between 3:00 and 4:45 PM. Most were able to complete their limits. Mark and Kevin camped at San Angelo State Park and had it almost to themselves. Most of the hunters ate at Cooper’s in Llano at least on the way there.
8/31/05 – 9/4/05 Annual Fall Dove Hunt (Woodson)
Six members and one son (seven participants) had a great time at the 8/31/05 – 9/4/05 Annual Fall Dove Hunt at Larry and Betty Sullivan’s ranches near Woodson.
Wilson Peters and Rusty Prince had their limits by 8:00 AM and Ken Hamilton had his by 8:25 AM on opening day. Jared, Ken’s 11 year old Grandson got 12 by 9:30 AM and finished off his limit in the afternoon. On Friday they all got about nine each during the morning hunt but didn’t hunt in the afternoon for all practical purposes (they got to the planned field too late, and all spots were taken). On Saturday, Ken got eight by 10:00 AM and finished off his limit in the afternoon. The others almost got their limit that day. David Hamilton joined them on Friday. He got his limit on Friday and 14 on Saturday. They hunted Sunday morning, and each got half a limit. All in all it was a great hunt with lots of birds. There were fewer hunters this year probably due to gas prices and also the poor hunt last year.
David and Nick Quijano hunted late Friday and found birds in Horton field. They hunted south Allen field Saturday morning and killed a few birds. They returned to Horton field that evening and limited out.
7/2/05 – 7/3/05 Work Weekend, Hog Hunt, and Fishing Trip
Six participants (three officers, one member, and two sons) endured the 7/2/05 – 7/3/05 Work Weekend and Hog Hunt at the Cottrell Ranch near Mercury. I, Randy Rowley, chose the word “endured” because it was too hot to use the word “enjoyed”. We put out a stand and two feeders, raised a stand four feet off the ground, and put out two new feeder timers. We saw about 10 deer (included two bucks) and four turkeys, but no hogs. One of the bucks antlers were beyond his ears. We set out snares and did a drive but didn’t see any hogs. Tim Price caught about a 3 lb. bass and a large sunfish from the lake, and I caught two smaller bass.
4/9/05 – 4/10/05 Hog and Turkey Hunt
Five hunters (three officers, one members, and one guest) had a fun time at the 4/9/05 – 4/10/05 Hog Hunt at the Cottrell Ranch near Mercury. Two hogs were killed. David Chalmers shot an approximately 125 lb. boar on Saturday night. I, Randy Rowley, shot a small (about 25 pound) pig that got caught in one of the snares that I set by holes in the perimeter fence. David missed about a 250 yard freehand shot on a hog Sunday morning (the first hog that we have seen during the day, excluding our drives/stalks). Warren Hoke and guest Daryl Shipper missed gobblers. Another snare was probably hit by a hog. Only two strands of the cable were not broken. For those who might be concerned about the use of snares please understand that Wade Cottrell wants the hogs eliminated from his land or at least controlled. We saw only three hogs but at least one hog ate approximately 65 lbs. of corn at a feeder between dark and 1:00 AM. It was probably a small herd. Not a kernel of corn was left. We again put light sticks on the feeders which made finding them in the dark a lot easier. Jim McGee led us in a Bible study on Sunday morning.
3/19/05 – 3/20/05 Hog Hunt
Eight hunters (one officer, three members, two guests, and two sons) had a fun time at the 3/19/05 – 3/20/05 Hog Hunt at the Cottrell Ranch near Mercury. Three hogs were killed. Guest Roy Brigman shot an approximately 150 lb. sow on Saturday night. Tyler Price shot a boar with a 20 gauge with buckshot that got caught in one of the snares that his dad, Tim, set by holes in the perimeter fence. Jim Gault also shot it with his revolver and I, Randy Rowley, finished it off with 3″ 00 buckshot from my 12 gauge with a headshot. Isaac Price shot a sow as Tim, Tyler, and him were walking over to get Tim’s four wheeler. Both Price’s hogs also weighed about 150 lbs. Isaac’s sow was full of piglets. Tim and Isaac also got off about five shots at a group of ten hogs that we flushed during a group stalk/drive. Jim also got off a shot with his revolver. Tim also missed a hog on Saturday night that took off when Isaac shined a Q beam with a red lens on it. For those who might be concerned about the use of snares please understand that Wade Cottrell wants the hogs eliminated from his land or at least controlled. We saw about 21 hogs. We also put light sticks on the feeders which made finding them in the dark a little easier.
2/11/05 – 2/13/05 Hog Hunt
Four members and one youth member (five participants) had a great time at the 2/11/05 – 2/13/05 Hog Hunt at the Cottrell Ranch near Mercury. Warren Hoke took home two nice sized hogs, Isaac Price took home a large sow, and Tim Price took home a piglet. David Chalmers shot a hog that we could not find (but we did find blood and chunks of flesh). I, Randy Rowley, was skunked. There were a gazillion hog tracks and stool all throughout the 260 acre wooded area and some wallows in a large coastal field and behind the approximate 10 acre lake. After the first night the hogs no longer came to the feeders. Tim shot his piglet while we were doing a group stalk hunt on Saturday afternoon and Isaac missed a running one on Sunday morning during a group stalk hunt. Tim would have had gotten a large pig from the stand he was hunting but his gun wouldn’t fire. Warren would have had at least another pig, but his barrel hit the window frame as he was putting it out the window and scared the piglets away. Warren shot his first pig from a group of about 30. We saw about 50 pigs but there are probably at least twice that many in the area.
1/6/05 – 1/9/05 Annual Winter Dove Retreat
Nineteen people (three officers, seven members, one guest, six sons, one daughter, and one youth guest) had a great time at the 12th Annual Winter Dove Retreat on 1/6/05 – 1/9/05 at Lee Ewald’s properties near Dilley. The hunting was good is some spots on Friday and Saturday mornings and poor in others. The evening hunts were poor everywhere. Jim McGee, my wife (Chris Rowley), and I (Randy Rowley) hunted the windmill property on Friday morning. After we had only seen seven birds, Ron Denison called me and said that he had five birds in his bag (he was hunting south of the vineyard, by the road). By the time that we got to my truck Ron was seeing flocks of 20+ birds. He limited out in short order. We got there in time for me to get eight, Jim to get seven and a quail, and Chris to get two. Allen Snoddy and his son Justice also got some birds. Jim was the only hunter to get a dove on Friday night. Most of us didn’t pull a trigger. On Saturday morning the birds weren’t quite as prominent as they were on Friday morning, but Ron, Jim, and Derrich Pollock got their limits. Derrich shot a double and a triple! Several more hunters came close to getting their limits. Ron and Kenneth Kidd also got a quail each. Saturday night was also a poor hunt. On Sunday morning Jim got four dove and three quail. Ron and him got into at least two coveys. There was heavy cloud cover on Friday morning. Saturday morning was very foggy. Sunday morning was overcast. The mornings were cool, except for Sunday (which was warm). Most of us wore short sleeved shirts in the afternoons. We had our usual group breakfasts and had more food than we could eat. Derrich Pollock shared his Ruger .270, Bushmaster .223, and a .22. Ken Miller shared his Browning .30-06 and another rifle that I didn’t catch the make of. Ron Denison shared two .22’s and a Smith & Wesson 9 mm pistol. I shared my Remington .25-06, two .22’s, and Springfield Armory .40 S&W pistol. We shot rifles and handguns safely into the dry tank by the Ewald’s home. Thanks to Jim McGee for teaching a Bible study on Friday morning and Derrich Pollock for teaching one Saturday morning.