11/17/18 Guided Duck Hunt

FCS will hunt ducks on 11/17/18 with Jack Chamberland of Tenney Creek Outfitters near McMahan (east of Lockhart).  We hunted with Jack on 1/14/17.  Three hunters bagged eight ducks.  The hunters were impressed with Jack.  The birds were sporadic that day.  McMahan is about 64 miles from Austin, so a motel the night before is not necessary.

The cost is $155, plus tip.  You will hunt from a blind, so boots are a good idea, but waders are not necessary.  Remember: steel shot, your hunting license with migratory bird stamp and federal duck stamp, and a shotgun plugged for a three shell limit are required.  Jack will set out decoys, call the birds in, retrieve them, and clean them after the hunt.  The limit is five hunters and this hunt is full.  Contact Ian Daniels at Idaniels@austin.rr.com or 512-633-2221 to be added to his will-call list in case someone backs out.

FCS will host our next monthly Sporting Clays shoot on Saturday, 11/17/18, from 9:00 – 11:15 AM at the Capital City Trap & Skeet Club.  The gates open at 9:00.  We will gather by the front door of their clubhouse at 9:05.  We will shoot their 50 target Corporate/Hunter course, which is the easiest course.  You can shoot singles, report pairs or true pairs… or you can follow the menu at each station which is a mix of true pairs and report pairs.  We keep score just for fun and keep a history log on the web site so you can see how you have improved over time.  After we shoot the 50 target course, we will have a brief get together to brag about our scores, and pass around the excuses, and catch you up on our near term planned events.

-9:05 AM – Sporting clays

-10:45 AM – Scores and announcements

-11:15 AM – Depart (or stick around and shoot 5-stand, skeet or the main course.)

Who should come: Members and guests, including ladies and youth, both new shooters and experienced.  We usually have from 10-20 participants, and we break up into groups of 4-5. Note that the larger the group, the longer it will take to shoot.  We recommend all shooters be at least 10 years old.  For youths we suggest a 20 gauge that fits the child (if a youth shoots a .410 he or she will probably miss a lot and may get discouraged). We often have new shooters and delight in teaching others what we have learned.

Cost and what to bring: Each 50 round course is $23.27/person (includes tax).  If you don’t have a shotgun you can use one of ours.  Most of us shoot 12 gauge, but 20 gauge is good also. Capital City requires eye and ear protection (available free of charge at Capitol City).  They sell shotgun shells if you need them (but you can get them cheaper at Academy, Wal-Mart, etc.).  You’ll need to bring two boxes of shells if you plan to shoot sporting clays.  Randy Rowley recommends Winchester Game Loads /Federal Game and Target Loads / Estate Dove Loads / Rio Game Loads / Remington Sure Shot Heavy Dove Loads / Estate Dove and Target Loads. All of which are sometimes available at Academy.  1 oz or 1-1/8 oz loads and 1250-1300 FPS and 7-1/2 or 8 shot work well. They all sell for $5.50-7.00/box.   All six are great dove/quail loads in addition to being good clay target loads. If you’re a dove/quail hunter, Randy recommends that for you shoot sporting clays with the same load that you use to hunt dove/quail.  This enables you to develop consistent leads for similarly sized targets.  Most of the targets on their Corporate/Hunter course are designed for skeet chokes, but IC works just fine.

Location: 8707 Lindell Lane (Near the Travis County Exposition Center and Decker Lake)

Capital City’s phone number: 512-272-4707

Weather- In the event of rain: Light rain – we shoot.  Heavy rain – we stay home and Randy will send out a notice of cancellation.

Questions:  Contact Bruce Crockett at bmc55@att.net (his preference) or 512-970-7797.

11/30/18 – 12/2/18 Self-guided Duck Hunt (Tehuacana)

FCS will hunt ducks on 12/1/18 – 12/2/18 at the Pinock Ranch near Tehuacana, 45 miles east of Waco (134 miles from Austin).  We’ll head there on 11/30/18, the evening before the second half of the season starts.  In addition to duck hunting the deal includes lodging in a barndominium that sleeps 13.

The owner reports that duck hunting is GREAT with 80% limits with a variety of ducks.  He also reports that geese come in occasionally.  He has a 21-acre lake.  He charges $100 day/hunter for hunting and lodging, so he is between $50 – $64 cheaper than the guides that we have been using over the past three years (when you include 20% tips for them).  Friday evening to Saturday evening is considered a day.  If you add in a motel at Marquez/Franklin or El Campo (for the times we elected to stay in a motel when we hunted with guides near there) then he is $100 cheaper or more.

Also, in addition to hunting there are a large number of things that we can do during non-hunting times (such as bass fish, play pool, watch TV, hit golf balls, play Frisbee golf, etc.).

We have eight hunters committed for 12/1/18 and are full.  We have five hunters committed for 12/2/18 and can take three more.  RSVP is required to Mike Walsh at duxmn@austin.rr.com or 512-560-7001.

12/8/18 Guided Duck Hunt (Location TBD)

FCS will go on a guided duck hunt with Ricky Ethridge on 12/8/18.  Ricky has properties near Marquez, Cameron, Bastrop, and south of DFW.  We most often hunt his place at Marquez, which is around 110 miles from Austin, so you might want to go down and spend the night in a motel the day before.

We have had several successful hunts with Ricky in the past, including getting a limit of 24 ducks on the 12/16/17 Guided Duck Hunt with Ricky’s son Roy near Cameron.

The cost is $125 plus tip.  You will hunt from a blind on land, so boots are a good idea, but waders are not necessary.  Steel shot, your hunting license with migratory bird stamp and federal duck stamp, and a shotgun plugged for a three shell limit are required.  Ricky will set out the decoys, call the birds in, retrieve them, and clean the birds after the hunt.  The limit is four hunters and this hunt is full.  Contact Ian Daniels at Idaniels@austin.rr.com or 512-633-2221 to be added to his will-call list in case someone backs out.

12/22/18 Guided Duck Hunt (Location TBD)

FCS will go on a guided duck hunt with Ricky Ethridge on 12/22/18.  Ricky has properties near Marquez, Cameron, Bastrop, and south of DFW.  We most often hunt his place at Marquez, which is around 110 miles from Austin, so you might want to go down and spend the night in a motel the day before.

We have had several successful hunts with Ricky in the past, including getting a limit of 24 ducks on the 12/16/17 Guided Duck Hunt with Ricky’s son Roy near Cameron.

The cost is $125 plus tip.  You will hunt from a blind on land, so boots are a good idea, but waders are not necessary.  Steel shot, your hunting license with migratory bird stamp and federal duck stamp, and a shotgun plugged for a three shell limit are required.  Ricky will set out the decoys, call the birds in, retrieve them, and clean the birds after the hunt.  The limit is four hunters and hunt is full.  Contact Randy Rowley at randywrowley@gmail.com or 512-922-2484 to be added to his will-call list in case someone backs out.

1/12/19 Guided Duck Hunt (El Campo)

FCS will go on a guided duck hunt with Rayce Jenkins near El Campo on Saturday, 1/12/19.  El Campo is around 140 miles from Austin, so you might want to go down and spend the night the day before.

The cost is $125 plus tip.  You will hunt from a blind, so boots are a good idea, but waders are not necessary.  Remember: steel shot, your hunting license with migratory bird stamp and federal duck stamp, and a shotgun plugged for a three shell limit are required.  Rayce will set out decoys, call the birds in, his dog will retrieve them, and he’ll cleans the birds after the hunt.  The limit is four hunters and this hunt is full.  Contact Ian Daniels at Idaniels@austin.rr.com or 512-633-2221 to be added to his will-call list in case someone backs out.

1/25/19 – 1/27/19 Self-guided Duck Hunt (Tehuacana)

FCS will hunt ducks on 1/26/19 – 1/27/19 at the Pinock Ranch near Tehuacana, 45 miles east of Waco (134 miles from Austin).  We’ll head there on 1/25/19, the evening before Saturday’s hunt.  In addition to duck hunting the deal includes lodging in a barndominium that sleeps 13.

The owner reports that duck hunting is GREAT with 80% limits with a variety of ducks.  He also reports that geese come in occasionally.  He has a 21-acre lake.  He charges $100 day/hunter for hunting and lodging, so he is between $50 – $64 cheaper than the guides that we have been using over the past three years (when you include 20% tips for them).  Friday evening to Saturday evening is considered a day.  If you add in a motel at Marquez/Franklin or El Campo (for the times we elected to stay in a motel when we hunted with guides near there) then he is $100 cheaper or more.

Also, in addition to hunting there are a large number of things that we can do during non-hunting times (such as bass fish, play pool, watch TV, hit golf balls, play Frisbee golf, etc.).

We can take four hunters on 1/26/19 and four hunters on 1/27/19 (or four hunters can hunt both days).  RSVP is required to Mike Walsh at duxmn@austin.rr.com or 512-560-7001.