2023 Hunting Trips Reports
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4/28/23 – 4/30/23 Self-guided Blast and Cast (hog and turkey hunt and bass fishing trip)
Four participants mostly enjoyed the scenery and deer on Roy Zengerle’s land near Cuero. No hogs or turkeys were seen. For bass fishing, Ken Miller led the way with two bass. Another one got off his Fluke’s hook. Randy Rowley had a bass get off his Fluke’s hook. Binh Chu and Roy opted for naps.
3/2/22 Guided Upland Bird Hunt
Seven hunters and one spectator (eight total participants) had a great time again with Mike Schumann at the old Dismukes/Bieberstein Ranch near Dime Box. The total bag was 86 birds. Jonathan Fleming’s group (three hunters) bagged 42 birds including 36 quail and 6 chukars (an average of 14 birds/hunter) and Randy Rowley’s group (four hunters) bagged 44 birds including 37 quail and 7 chukars (an average of 11 birds/hunter).
The morning started out with damp air, which made the birds reluctant to fly, and fly low to the ground when they did. The dogs that Randy’s group hunted behind snatched around six low-flying birds out of the air. As the morning progressed it became windier, which made it harder for the dogs to find the birds.
1/29/23 Self-guided Duck Hunt
Four men hunted up the Lampasas River on Lake Stillhouse Hollow. Clayton Carrier, Dusty Hunt, and Randy Rowley combined to kill the only drake green-winged teal that came into the spread (Burl Fulenwider didn’t have his gun fully loaded). They saw around five other ducks while they hunted but they weren’t in range, including a beautiful drake canvasback that landed around 70 yards away from them, but wouldn’t swim any closer than 60 yards away (probably because the decoys were like statues, due to no wind).
Randy led a devotional on Duck Hunting with Mr. Murphy.
1/19/23 – 1/22/23 – Self-guided/chartered Coastal Blast and Cast (Duck Hunt and Bay Fishing Trip)
Six members participated in the annual Port O’Connor Blast and Cast.
They had two unguided duck hunts back at Port O’Connor. The number of ducks flying was down from previous years. They commandeered a very nice blind build by somebody else but only picked up two ducks (by Daryl Shipper on Saturday and Jonathan Fleming on Sunday). Most of the ones coming in flared about 80 yards out or passed by and didn’t give us many shot opportunities.
Fishing was equally tough. A few small fish were caught. Jonathan had the highlight of the trip with a beautiful 39 inch redfish caught on cut crab on Saturday.
1/20/23 Guided Coastal Duck Hunt
On Friday six members hunted with Captain Jon Mahan in a freshwater marsh near Bayside. Normally Jon’s clients hide in the reeds to hunt but the recent freeze had knocked them back so they had to hunt from a crude blind he built just for the hunt. It was a good looking setup and the weather was perfect but the ducks didn’t cooperate. They ended the day with five ducks (another one couldn’t be found). (On a subsequent hunt a week later they hunters got a three-man limit by 11:00)
The highlight of the hunt was getting to ride in an Argo (an eight-wheeled ATV/boat hybrid). It went through some very nasty mud although they did have to get out and push at one point. (As a side note, Jon says he has fewer birds at the start of the season but they decoy much better, so he recommends early season.)
Randy Rowley, who was on the far right of the blind, killed two ducks one-handed. On the first one he was swinging on a left-to-right crosser and the blind wouldn’t allow him to keep swinging two-handed, so he kept swinging with just his right hand. On the second one, he was holding Burl Fulenwider’s and his shotguns (as Burl was pulling his boots out of the mud) and shot an incoming duck with his shotgun with his right hand.
1/15/23 Self-guided Duck Hunt
Burl Fulenwider, Dusty Hunt, and Randy Rowley hunted on Lake Granger. No ducks were bagged and no shots were taken at a duck that flew by the right side of Randy’s boat/blind. They saw one other duck.
1/7/23 Self-guided Duck Hunt
First-time guest Michael Adams, Chris Campbell, Burl Fulenwider, and Randy Rowley hunted on Lake Granger. No ducks were bagged and two shots were taken at a fast-moving duck on the right side of the boat/blind. They saw about 15 other flights, but they were too high and/or too far away.
