2006 Hunting Trips Reports
By
12/18/06 – 12/23/06 Hart Lions Club Pheasant Hunt
One member and two sons (three participants) had a good time at the Hart Lions Club Pheasant Hunt on 12/18/06 – 12/23/06 near Hart in the Panhandle. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. It had rained in Hart several days in mid-December. With the temperature in the teens, all the roads were iced over. The paved roads thawed out but not the gravel and dirt roads. Tim Price said that he couldn’t drive faster than 10 MPH. The pheasants also did not cooperate. Tim and his boys only saw one rooster and one hen. They did manage to bag two Canadian geese and one Mallard. On Friday they went to a prairie dog town and dispatched about two dozen prairie dogs. On Saturday they stopped by a friends place near Abilene and hunted quail. Tim got eight.
11/10/06 – 11/11/06 Duck Hunt (by Kenneth Kidd)
The annual FCS Duck Hunt was a splashing success. Two officers (Ron Denison and Kenneth Kidd), one member (Van Short), and one quest (Kenneth’s son Chris Kidd) were in attendance (four participants).
The hunt was in south Texas near Wharton, led by one of Bill Sherrill’s guides, Steve.
The trip started Friday afternoon when we all loaded up in Ron’s truck and headed south. After a stop at Meyers BBQ in Elgin we continued the trip. Unknown to us was Ron’s nick name “Wrong Way Ron.” It became apparent later as a short two hour drive became a three hour adventure. Oh well, we saw some interesting road side in the head lights, some of it twice (it gave us more time for fellowship).
The Texas Inn in Wharton was nice, but we had to sleep fast as we had a 0400 show time at the Pierce Café, the center of community life in Pierce, where we were treated to breakfast tacos and coffee by Van (Thanks Van!).
We met Bill Sherrill and our guide for the morning, Steve, then we were off into the dark again, this time led by a professional guide, with no worries about getting lost or miss-directed.
After suiting up in a stiff north wind that was a might chilly, we trekked off into the flooded rice fields awakening hundreds of ducks, it sounded like we were surrounded by thousands of the feathered critters.
Steve positioned us on a levee after we placed the decoys. No shooting out of cramped dry blinds for these seasoned hunters, no sir, laying out flat in the marsh grass with our feet in the water trying to blend into the marsh was our method of concealment.
Finally there was enough light to see ducks, then legal shooting time was upon us and the guide gave the call to shoot. We had a steady flow of ducks flying right down the levee we were on. Mostly Spoon Bill, some Gadwall and little rockets with a tail wind commonly known as Teal. All of them had about a 20 mph tail wind out of the north which made the shooting right sporting (I figured out then that is the reason they have right to left crossers at 30 yards at the sporting clay range).
What happened next, I still have mixed emotions about, all the time spent in preparation, the money spent for the trip, the long drive, the short night in a motel, and 10 minutes after sunrise it was all over. Twenty five dead ducks of various species and three geese lay on the levee next to a very tired retriever. Yep, we had all limited out in a very short time. I suppose we need to spend less time at the shooting range so the next hunt will last longer.
Thanks to all that participated, Ron for driving…and driving, Van for breakfast, and Mark Dillow for setting up and organizing the trip. Chris it was great to spend time with you.
10/27/06 Fall Dove Hunt (central zone – Buda)
Two officers, two members, and one guest (five participants) hunted at the Fall Dove Hunt (central zone – Buda) on 10/20/06 – 10/22/06 at Louis and Gary Drott’s season leases in the Buda, Mustang Ridge, and Creedmoor areas. Ron Denison managed to get the only dove (a ring neck) that flew within shotgun range. Six pigeons were taken. The hunters mainly worked with their dogs.
10/22/06 Fall Dove Hunt (central zone – Buda)
One officer hunted at the Fall Dove Hunt (central zone – Buda) on 10/20/06 – 10/22/06 at Louis and Gary Drott’s season leases in the Buda, Mustang Ridge, and Creedmoor areas. Ron Denison managed to get one dove.
10/13/06 – 10/15/06 Fall Dove Hunt (central zone – Buda)
Two members and one guest (three participants) had a mixed time at the Fall Dove Hunt (central zone – Buda) on 10/13/06 – 10/15/06 at Louis and Gary Drott’s season leases in the Buda, Mustang Ridge, and Creedmoor areas.
Larry Dowden got two birds on Friday at the Von Quintus field. He ran into some guys who said that they had been doing good there in the evenings.
Dick Matteson and his son, Rich, hunted at the school house field on Sunday. Action was light but steady from 7:30 AM until about 8:45 AM. They saw around three dozen birds.
10/13/06 – 10/15/06 Annual Fall Dove Hunt (north zone – Woodson)
Four members and two grandsons (six participants) had a poor hunt but a good time at the 10/13/06 – 10/15/06 Fall Dove Hunt (north zone) at Larry and Betty Sullivan’s ranches near Woodson. On Saturday morning there were no birds to speak of for Ken Hamilton and Forrest Wilde. They only shot once each. Wilson Peters and Rusty Prince hunted Saturday afternoon at the Parker place north of Woodson. They saw about 75 to 100 birds, but it was difficult to hunt them because the field was large and they were the only hunters. At least six to eight hunters are needed to hunt it properly. When the birds flushed, they would not come back. They got two birds. On Sunday morning birds were in the field feeding. They got two shots and the birds disappeared.
10/6/06 – 10/7/06 Fall Dove Hunt (central zone – Buda)
Two officers, three members, one guest, and two sons (eight participants) had a mixed time at the 10/6/06 – 10/7/06 Fall Dove Hunt (central zone – Buda) at Louis and Gary Drott’s season leases in the Buda, Mustang Ridge, and Creedmoor areas. Jim McGee and Louis Drott hunted Friday afternoon at Von Quintus and about 6:00 PM they got six combined walking the grain field. The dove didn’t even come to the mojo they had set up. On Saturday morning I, Randy Rowley, bagged one dove. Everyone else was skunked. We hunted the school yard and Von Quintus. The most shells that were fired by any one hunter was three.
10/1/06 Fall Dove Hunt (north zone – Woodson)
Two hunters hunted at the Sullivan lease at Betty Sullivan’s ranches near Woodson. The hunting was poor, but the fellowship was good.
9/30/06 Fall Dove Hunt (central zone – Buda)
Three officers and one member (four participants) had a good time but a poor hunt at the 9/30/06 Fall Dove Hunt (central zone – Buda) at Louis and Gary Drott’s season leases in the Buda, Mustang Ridge, and Creedmoor areas. I, Randy Rowley, got three dove and a pigeon, Kevin Wall got two dove, and Mark Dillow and Kenneth Kidd got a dove each. I had an exciting minute and a half. A dove landed directly in front of me about 35 yards away. I walked towards it and it flushed. I nailed it on my second shot. I started walking towards it and about five dove flew from right to left in front of me. I shot once (I couldn’t shoot more than once as I hadn’t had time to reload yet) and another dove fell. I reloaded as I walked and picked up the first dove. I then went and got the second. As I was putting the second dove in my bag a fast moving dove flew by from left to right. I led it about six feet and nailed it. After this brief activity I only shot at one more dove the rest of the morning.
9/23/06 Fall Dove Hunt (central zone – Buda)
Two officers, three members, two guests, and three sons (ten participants) had a good time but a poor hunt at the 9/23/06 Fall Dove Hunt (central zone – Buda) at Louis and Gary Drott’s season leases in the Buda, Mustang Ridge, and Creedmoor areas. A good, stiff breeze blew all morning. Eddy Chance got two birds and Derrich Pollock, Dick Matteson (he only had two shots), and Jordan Chance got one each. Dick and Jim Matteson hunted the Turnersville property. The rest of the guys hunted the school yard property. Dick and Jim hunted the rise west of the back pond. There were more birds nearer to the barn, but other hunters got there before they did. The group had a good breakfast at IHOP after the hunt.
9/16/06 – 9/17/06 Fall Dove Hunt (central zone – Buda)
Two officers, three members, and two sons (seven participants) had a mixed time at the 9/16/06 – 9/17/06 Fall Dove Hunt (central zone – Buda) at Louis and Gary Drott’s season leases in the Buda, Mustang Ridge, and Creedmoor areas. Hunting for Ron Denison, his boys, and Kenneth Kidd was slow on Saturday. Ken Miller got four dove on Saturday morning and four dove on Saturday afternoon. He hunted the far corner of the school yard close to the water tower. David Chalmers and Jim Gault also hunted Saturday afternoon. Ron also hunted on Sunday.
9/15/06 – 9/16/06 Fall Dove Hunt (north zone – Woodson)
Two members had a fair hunt but a good time at the 9/15/06 – 9/16/06 Fall Dove Hunt (north zone) at Larry and Betty Sullivan’s ranches near Woodson. Ken Hamilton got two and Forrest Wilde got one on Saturday morning. Forrest got three more on Saturday afternoon (Ken didn’t hunt). It rained Saturday night, so they didn’t hunt Sunday morning.
9/8/06 – 9/10/06 Fall Dove Hunt (central zone – San Angelo)
One member and 10 guests (11 participants) had a good time at the Fall Dove Hunt (central zone) on 9/8/06 – 9/10/06 with Steve Hoelscher and his “White Wings Galore Dove Hunts” near San Angelo. The hunters hunted over sorghum and sunflower fields.
9/8/06 – 9/9/06 Fall Dove Hunt (central zone – Buda)
Two officers, five members, one guest, and two sons (10 participants) had a mixed time at the 9/8/06 – 9/9/06 Fall Dove Hunt (central zone – Buda) at Louis and Gary Drott’s season leases in the Buda, Mustang Ridge, and Creedmoor areas. Warren Hoke hunted Friday morning but didn’t see very many birds. Neither did Virgil Vargus on Friday evening. On Friday morning eight of us hunted the school yard along the tree line between the cotton and maze fields, the corner, and the adjoining property line. I, Randy Rowley, got nine and shot 16 times, Ron Denison got four, Ryan Rowley got two, and Kevin Font and Alex Denison got one. From about 7:45 – 8:00 AM several groups of five to six birds came in. After that it was groups of two and three. It was overcast and not hot. After the hunt we went to the Von Quintus property and the property along 183 and didn’t see any birds.
9/8/06 – 9/9/06 Fall Dove Hunt (north zone – Woodson)
Two members had a bad hunt but a good time at the 9/8/06 – 9/9/06 Fall Dove Hunt (north zone) at Larry and Betty Sullivan’s ranches near Woodson. Ken Hamilton and Forrest Wilde got three dove Saturday morning and came back home Saturday afternoon. They went to a six-man football game on Friday night.
9/1/06 – 9/3/06 Fall Dove Hunt (central zone – Buda)
Four officers, 11 members, three guests, and two sons (20 participants) had a good hunt on opening day but poor to fair hunts on 9/1/06 – 9/3/06 at Louis and Gary Drott’s season leases in the Buda, Mustang Ridge, and Creedmoor areas. David Chalmers, Warren Hoke, David Quijano, Nick Quijano, and Jim McGee all limited out on opening morning. I, Randy Rowley, got 10, Kenneth Kidd got eight, and Dick Matteson got four. Jim, Kenneth, and I hunted the middle of the large sunflower field. David and Nick Quijano, David Chalmers, Warren, and Dick hunted along the edge of the field. The hunting started slow, especially in the middle of the field. By 8:30 AM I had only two birds (one was a pigeon) and had only fired 10 shots. Jim and Kenneth had a couple more than me. The guys on the edge fared better, especially David Chalmers and Warren. At 8:30 AM Dick, Kenneth, and I moved to the barn area. As soon as we got there, we were swarmed by dove. I picked up nine more dove and Kenneth got about four.
Kenneth and a neighbor of his who is on the lease hunted Friday evening but didn’t see hardly any birds and left by 5:30 PM.
There were fewer birds seen and killed on Saturday morning. Ken Miller found a spot on the School Yard property and limited out on Saturday afternoon. Everyone else did considerably worse.
Sunday evening was worse still. I shot only seven times and got three birds. Ken, Derrich, and Charles did a little better at Ken’s spot from Saturday.
Dick and I hunted the Turnersville property on Monday morning. Other than two low flying mourning dove, all we saw were white wings flying with the jets. I only managed four shots. Derrich, Eddy, Larry, Charles, and Ken hunted on the school yard property at the marker by the tree line near the school (we later found out that that is the property line marker, not a 1000 foot marker; so the only places that we can legally hunt at the school yard are at the 1000 foot markers and beyond them). Ron hunted near the trees next to the maze and cotton fields and got a few birds. Dick and I joined them, and we then went to the Von Quintas property. We saw a few birds and Ron got one, but it was nothing to write home about. Nine of us then went to IHOP for a good breakfast and fellowship.
8/31/06 – 9/3/06 Fall Dove Hunt (north zone – Woodson)
Five members, one guest, and one youth daughter (seven participants) had a pretty good hunt at the 8/31/06 – 9/3/06 (the season started on 9/1/06) Annual Dove Hunt (north zone) at Larry and Betty Sullivan’s ranches near Woodson. It rained for about a 24 hour period. Ken Hamilton hunted two mornings and one afternoon and got six dove from his wheelchair. Kerri Hamilton got two dove and first time guest John Eads got four dove. Mike Coppedge hunted one morning and one afternoon and got five dove. His daughter, Julia, got a dove. Wilson Peters and Rusty Prince hunted mores days and longer and almost got their limit on opening day.
8/31/06 – 9/2/06 Fall Dove Retreat (central zone – San Angelo)
One officer, five members, five guests, and five sons (16 participants) had a good time at the 15th Annual Fall Dove Retreat (central zone) on 8/31/06 – 9/2/06 (the season started on 9/1/06) with Steve Hoelscher and his “White Wings Galore Dove Hunts” near San Angelo. The hunters hunted over sorghum and sunflower fields. The first morning there were tons of white wings in the field they hunted. It was amazing to see all the white wings flying into the field. Larry Dowden limited out by 7:50 AM and Ron Denison limited at 8:00 AM. Ian Carnegie and his guest also limited out in the morning. Ron’s son’s, Jake, and Alex got limits on their first dove hunt (Alex limited out in the morning and Jake got nine but completed his limit in the afternoon). Eddy Chance helped his sons in the morning. Hunter was able to take a limit, but they lost two of them over a fence. Jordan took eight white wings. They also had an advantage they were in the corner of the field where all the dove flew over. Unfortunately the primary field was overrun with hunters during the afternoon (a group of people who was not supposed to be there until the second weekend showed up). There were approximately 35 to 40 trucks in the field. Evidently there were several groups that thought they had the field that evening. There were still lots of birds but there were way too many hunters in the field. Eddy quickly killed his limit and left due to hunters pulling in and walking out right in front of where we were hunting. Eddy called and talked to Steve the outfitter and offered to hunt a different field the next morning. Steve had a guide drive them over to a huge grain field that only a few people had hunted the opening morning and had limited with mourning dove. Eddy, Ron, Larry, Gary Youngblood, Art Barrera, and Al Weiss hunted the field until about 9:30 AM. Eddy, Ron, Larry, and Gary all killed just four birds each. They then drove back over to the other field they had hunted the day before. Again it was overrun with hunters and according to Steve there were not many birds flying. They pulled in and Gary and Ron killed a few birds, but they decided to leave after a few minutes.
5/5/06 – 5/7/06 Hog Hunt
One officer, two members, one guest and two sons (six participants) had a great time at the 5/5/06 – 5/7/06 Hog and Turkey Hunt at the CzC (Cottrell Ranch). For the first time at the CzC Ranch we did not bag or see any hogs. This is strange because five of the feeders had been hit heavily by hogs (it looked like drunks had been given roto tillers). The weather was probably the reason. We had a large thunderstorm come through on Friday night that forced us to abandon hunting. It had a lot of lighting, heavy rain, high winds (we thought that we were going to see Oz), and hail. Saturday night was very overcast, which defused our spotlights. John Bobo missed a headshot on a gobblers on Friday night and Tim Price’s AR-15 malfunctioned when he tried to shoot a gobbler on Saturday night (the “click” when he pulled the trigger made it vamoose). On Saturday, we raised my (Randy Rowley’s) stand four feet. Also on Saturday we caught a record 27 bass from the lake. Isaac Price caught eight (he continued to fish while the rest of us worked on my stand), I caught seven, Ed Harris caught five, John Bobo caught four, Tim Price caught two, and Tyler Price caught one. I hooked about a four-pounder but the line broke. It jumped three times after it became free, trying to shake the lure out of its mouth. We tried to catch it again, but to no avail. On Sunday we did a group stalk. Then I fished while the rest did another stalk. I caught four bass. We released all the bass. We ate like Kings, with fajitas for dinner on Friday night and rib eye steaks on Saturday night. This was only the second time that we have been skunked on a hog hunt since our 3/7/97 – 3/9/97 hog hunt at Hill Country Hogs near Sabinal (we were also skunked on 3/24/06 – 3/26/06 at the Y.O. Ranch near Junction).
4/7/06 – 4/9/06 Hog and Turkey Hunt and Fishing Trip
One officer, four members, and one first time guest (six participants) had a great time at the 4/7/06 – 4/9/06 Hog and Turkey Hunt at the CzC (Cottrell Ranch). Warren Hoke bagged an approximately 120 lb. boar, I, Randy Rowley, bagged about a 40 lb. boar, and Daryl Shipper bagged about a 30 lb. boar. First time guest, Mike Shipper, missed a hog at night that filled up his scope (it was about 10 yards from him). Tim’s stand once again proved to be the best (his feeder was the only one working). Two of the three hogs that were killed were killed from his stand. My hog and two others came to the stand within two minutes of me getting in it on Friday afternoon! We saw a gobbler but were unable to get off a shot. Mike and Daryl tried to call in gobblers from the neighboring ranch, to no avail. I found an 8 point deer skeleton on a group drive on Sunday morning and kept the rack. We fixed five of the feeders, put two bags of corn in each of them, and moved one feeder and blind. On Saturday we caught 22 bass and one perch from the lake. Warren caught 14, I caught four, Mike caught three, and Ken caught a bass and a perch. One of the bass that I caught was approximate a seven pounder, my largest bass to date. On Sunday we caught about 26 bass. I caught 10, Ken caught eight, and Daryl caught about eight (he wasn’t keeping count). Ken caught an approximate six pounder, his largest bass to date. Daryl hooked a large bass but the line broke, or came untied, at the lure. It jumped three times after it became free, trying to shake the lure out of its mouth. We tried to catch it again, but to no avail. We released all the bass. We ate like Kings, with sirloins for dinner on Friday night and fajitas on Saturday night.
3/24/06 – 3/26/06 Hog Hunt
One officer and four members (five participants) had a great time at the 3/24/06 – 3/26/06 Hog Hunt at Mr. Charlie Batts land at the Y.O. Ranch. We saw lots of whitetail, fallow, and axis deer, blackbuck antelope, dove, quail, and a turkey, but not any hogs. Charlie’s neighbor fired eight shots in quick succession on the late afternoon of 3/24/06. We don’t know how long that he had been hunting hogs on his land, but he probably scared the hogs on Charlie’s land away. We played pool at the Y.O. lodge and shot rifles at the Y.O. Rifle Range. The weather was cold in the mornings and warm in the afternoons. We enjoyed using the FCS Pop-Up Camper and got the air conditioning running. Thanks to Jim Gault for bringing a pot of homemade beans and to Charlie for allowing other FCS members to enjoy his land and for paying for an “upgrade” on our steaks.
3/10/06 – 3/12/06 Hog Hunt
One officer and three members (four participants) had a great time at the 3/10/06 – 3/12/06 Hog Hunt at Mr. Charlie Batts land at the Y.O. Ranch. I, Randy Rowley, shot three hogs. I shot the first one at twilight on Saturday night with my .25-06. It went down and I saw it kicking it’s legs under the feeder. I waited five minutes and, figuring that I needed to give it a finishing shot, headed to it with my .22 (I didn’t want to waste a $1.00 .25-06 bullet). I got 30 yards away and saw that there were at least two other hogs and a piglet under the feeder. This is the first time that I have ever had hogs return to a feeder after a shot from a high powered rifle had gone off, and only after five minutes. Thinking that I didn’t have time to slink back to my stand and get my .25-06, I shot the biggest hog behind the shoulder with my .22. It ran off squealing, as did the rest of the pack, except for the piglet, which continued to enjoy my pig bait. One bullet put him in pig heaven. I walked the remaining 30 yards to get my first pig and it wasn’t there! I looked under the feeder and saw two distinct blood spots (other than the piglet). One had to have been from the pig that I shot with my .25-06 and the other had to have been from the pig that I shot with my .22. As I looked for more blood, I suddenly became aware of fast, ragged breathing about 20 – 30 yards away. It had to be the pig that I shot with my .25-06. I decided to leave the pig be and went back to camp. I was hoping that it would lie down and die. I also thought that pressing it would result in it running off. I got the rest of the crew and we searched for my hog. We found another drop of blood about 20 yards from the feeder but didn’t find the pig. I shot the hog in the neck (between the shoulder and ear) but must have missed both the jugular and neck bone. The bullet must have just hit meat. The shock probably put it down for a couple of minutes, but it was able to slink away. The next morning four small pigs came out near my feeder. Charlie and I decided not to shoot because we thought that bigger pigs would be following them, and they would go to the feeder. Neither thing happened. We also saw lots of whitetail, axis, and sika deer. In addition Charlie and I taught Ryan Rowley and Kelvin Cheung how to play pool at the Y.O. lodge. Saturday got up to about 85 degrees (almost too hot to hunt pigs)! We enjoyed the inaugural use of the FCS Pop-Up Camper. Thanks to Charlie for allowing other FCS members to enjoy his land.
2/18/06 Upland Game Hunt
Five members and one first time guest (six participants) had a great time at the 2/18/06 Upland Game Hunt with Upland Bird Hunting Inc., a shooting preserve located between Lampasas and Burnet. They have over 800 acres of land, a clubhouse, and a wobble trap and 5 stand field (additional clay target fields are still under construction). The preserve is managed by Mike Tyson, a Christian man who uses the club as a ministry (Victory Youth Ranch and Camp Agape), and who participated with us in our Operation Orphans donations at the end of 2005.
Ronnie Ross had the following report:
I just wanted to tell you guys about the incredible experience I had today with Mike Tyson and company at the upland bird hunt. Those guys are first class all the way. I have been on many guided hunting and fishing trips over the years, but nothing even comes close to today’s hunt. Not only did they charge us membership rates of $200 instead of the standard $325 because we were with FCS, but they also included a free 5 stand shoot and a delicious quail and sausage gumbo lunch. They took two of us hunting again after lunch (we were the only two who could stay that late) and didn’t charge us anything extra. They treated everyone in the group with great respect and got to know us as people, not as customers. I hope this hunt will be included in next year’s calendar but even if it is not, I will go on my own and gladly pay full price because it is well worth it. Also this club does an amazing ministry with bereaved kids, and they work strictly with volunteers. If there is anybody in the club that can donate time or even money to the camp it would be greatly appreciated. They need everything from being a counselor to helping with the grounds. I plan to donate some Saturdays as well as charitable contributions throughout the year to the camp. I hope that others can help too. Once again thanks for putting this together and if you get the chance go on a hunting trip with these guys.
Kenneth Kidd, who led the event, had the following report:
Josh Hamilton got the first pheasant only minutes after the hunt started and earned a reputation of being a good quick shot. He ended up the day with 2 pheasants and 3 quail. I believe his dad (Frank) came in with 2 pheasants and 4 quail. Guest Jere Fletcher got 2 nice pheasants and a bunch of quail; like most of us he did not count them. As a group we shot 35 quail and 10 pheasants in the morning hunt. Some lucky guys had the opportunity to stay and hunt the afternoon.
Upon arrival the outfitter had hot coffee and croissants ready for us while we had a safety briefing and watched a short film. We were then treated to a warm up opportunity on the 5 stand range. Despite the below 30 degree and howling wind we were able to break a few clay birds proving it would not be a waste to go into the field.
Back to the warm fireplace and more good coffee and then out to the field where we were organized into groups of 3 with a guide and a couple of dogs.
After the hunt we went back to a very good lunch of wild game gumbo cooked by a real Cajun. Great fellowship, an excellent hunt, and fine shooting was had by all.
I highly recommend this become an annual event for FCS. Like Ronnie recommended I would advise we investigate other ways we could participate with these guys. They were gracious hosts and excellent guides with a beautiful ranch to work. They have a worthy ministry that we could perhaps help with. They are only an hour and a half out of Austin.
I think we all had a great time and experienced good Christian love and fellowship with this group. I would like to go back and will. Like Ronnie I felt that we more than got our monies worth. I also feel this could be the beginning of a great relationship.
Dick Matteson had the following report:
Generally, it was a very good hunt, and fun. We should add it to our scheduled events; it is just over an hour away and should be a quality experience when they have the facility complete.
I especially appreciated Mike’s consideration for me in his letting me work Buck, my young Brittany. During one pass he put up his dogs, except for one Lab, which they use both to flush pointed birds and to retrieve, and we hunted over Buck exclusively for about a half-hour. Also, I would say that their dogs, at least the ones that I had a chance to hunt over, were some of the best I have seen in a long time.
Their ministry is to bereaved children, up to 12 years, who have lost a parent or sibling.
They have quite a way to go still to get everything up and running. The wobble trap is working, but the five stand array had just four traps functioning – more than enough given the weather. The early morning was miserable with temperatures in the mid-thirties, a guess, and a strong and gusty wind (guess I’m getting wimpy in my old age). Each of us shot a few rounds and then we all returned to the clubhouse. They are making steady progress though and should be ready for their summer camps (for the kids) and fully operational next season.
Thanks to Kenneth for leading this event.
1/27/06 – 1/29/06 Blast and Cast (Duck Hunt and Fishing Trip)
Two officers, three members, and two guests (seven participants) had a great time at our 1st Annual Blast and Cast (Duck Hunt and Fishing Trip) on 1/27/06 – 1/29/06 near Corpus Christi. Brian Williams (a first time guest) caught a 21” Redfish on Friday night from a kayak. On Saturday morning we hunted in two groups. Mark Dillow, Charles Cutchens, Greg Souther, Brian, and me, Randy Rowley, hunted together and bagged four Redheads. Ronnie Ross and Kevin Wall hunted together, and were skunked. After the hunt we did some scouting. Charles and I decided to try to find a closer place to launch the kayaks, canoe, and Johnboat to get to an island. We came to a low area, and I put it in 4wd High. The moment that I got into the low area I knew that I was in trouble. I didn’t think that I would make it to the other side and knew better than to stop and put it in 4wd Low, so I tried to turn around. Big mistake. I didn’t have enough room and bogged down halfway into the turn. It was like driving on ice. I had no control. I put it in 4wd Low, and we put shrub branches under the wheels, but we didn’t budge and inch. We called Greg, and Mark and him came to the rescue. However, all we succeeded in doing was getting Mark stuck (he was pulled out by Greg) and breaking two of the five two straps that we were using. We even piggybacked two trucks to no avail. After three hours we gave up and called a wrecker. Now I’m $300 poorer and a little wiser. We were pooped on Saturday afternoon and rested instead of going fishing. We then had a great meal at Blackbeard’s on Saturday night. On Sunday morning we were greeted with a heavy fog. Ronnie, Kevin, Charles, and I hunted a new spot. Shortly after daylight we had a big flock of Redheads come in. We bagged five of them. By 9:30 AM we had our limit of Redheads and Charles and Ronnie each shot a Widgeon. Mark, Greg, and Brian hunted the same spot that they hunted the day before. They bagged three Pintails. It was still foggy when we left Mustang Island State Park at 12:30 PM.
1/5/06 – 1/7/06 Annual Winter Dove Retreat
Two officers, six members, three first time guests (who became members), two sons, and two grandsons (15 participants) had a good time at the 13th Annual Winter Dove Retreat on 1/5/06 – 1/7/06 at Lee Ewald’s ranch near Dilley. The hunting on Friday morning was poor. The six hunters killed six dove. Friday evening was better. Ten hunters killed approximately 30 dove. Saturday morning was even worse than Friday morning. Only one dove was killed for 13 hunters. Saturday night was poor also. Eight dove were taken and one quail. I, Randy Rowley, only pulled the trigger once on Saturday. Many of the shots that we had on Saturday were of birds that were in the ozone. We had a good time shooting a rifle, two .22’s, three pistols, and clay targets Saturday afternoon. Thanks to Ken Hamilton led us in a devotion on Saturday afternoon. We had our normal big brunches, and a lot of steaks were cooked Friday night. The nights and mornings were cold, but we were stripped down to shirt sleeves by late morning. It appears that the drought adversely affected the dove in the area. Only guys hunting grain fields did well.