Wild Ed's Texas Outdoors

Learning All About Muzzleloading & BlackPowder

2012-01-26T15:52:00.006-06:00

It never fails that when I write on Black Powder shooting or hunting I get emails with questions about where do you buy this or that and where do you go for information. If you can send me an email then you have the tools at hand for unlimited information at your fingertips if you will only look. One can go to YouTube and type in for instance flintlock, blackpowder, or muzzleloading and get more than you can watch in a day. Just remember not everyone that puts something on YouTube knows what they are doing. There are all sorts of reference pages on the internet if you just plug in the words for a search engine to bring up page after page of information. There is no end to the companies that would like to sell you something or provide something at a cost. There are a ton of videos available from the major suppliers so that you can learn what ever you wish to do related to blackpowder or traditional muzzleloading. Some people like to shop at the big box sporting goods stores such as Cabelas or Bass Pro and that is fine they just won’t really have much traditional stuff, but I buy percussion caps from them just to avoid the hazmat fees sometimes. The following links are places I go to find information or to discuss issues with others involved in the sport. Some are reference pages I found helpful, others are the places that I shop for the supplies, books and equipment I need to keep me shooting. Several are just wish list places that if I ever win the lottery I will order one of their custom guns.

This is my favorite place to shop for Traditional supplies and equipment. The catalog is worth the price for the pictures and reference use alone.

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/

These is my favorite two must take magazines that cover muzzleloading and other topics.

http://www.backwoodsmanmag.com/

http://www.muzzleloadermag.com/

The following are gun builders, suppliers or lists that have everything you ever wanted to know about muzzleloading but were afraid to ask links.

http://mikelange.homestead.com/

http://www.beckumoutdoors.com/home.cfm/page/Tips_For_Using_A_Flintlock.html

http://www.cherrytreefamily.com/muzzleloading.htm

http://www.americanlongrifles.com/WorkShop_frame.htm

http://www.muzzleloaderbuilderssupply.com/

http://www.longrifles-pr.com/

http://muzzleloader.com/

http://www.americanpioneervideo.com/index.html

http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/MLF_Links.php#Magazines

http://www.chuckhawks.com/flintlocks.htm

http://www.muzzleloadermag.com/Links%20page.htm

http://www.flintlocks.com/

http://www.stonewallcreekoutfitters.com/

http://www.avsia.com/tvm/

http://www.logcabinshop.com/

http://blackpowdermag.com/

The above list is in no way complete as there are tons of other places to find out about muzzleloading and supplies. If you click on the links at each place they will lead you to more and more information, this list is much more than I had to start with in the sport and will provide you with enough information to keep you reading for many informative hours.

The next few links are website forums where you can converse with the people that shoot black powder firearms on a regular basis. Many have been in the sport for decades and some are brand new but all share in the conversations. Feel free to jump in and ask questions for there is someone out there that would be proud to share their knowledge with someone just like you. Many belong to clubs and there could be a club in your area. Get out and make some white smoke of your own. Shoot straight and keep your powder dry, Wild Ed

http://traditionalmuzzleloadingcheap.com/forum/index.php

http://thebordercamp.com/phpbb/index.php?sid=cfc79863a75a88fc480345a8fb4efd28

http://kabooom.proboards.com/index.cgi?

http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/fusionbb.php

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=bbd533181424df23a7c6776f14849ee2

Proper Gunstock Fit

2012-01-20T09:56:00.004-06:00

Proper gun fit is one of the most critical segments of good shooting. It is so important it often means the difference between decent shooting and great shooting. No matter what level of shooter you are you will do much better with a gun that fits. If you shoulder a rifle and you automatically have the sights lined up you need only look at the target and squeeze the trigger. If you have to shift your head or line up the sights you waste time and can never shoot instinctively in an effective manner. This becomes even more critical with a shotgun as your eye is the rear sight of the system. If your dominant eye is not lined up properly when you mount the gun you will have a hard time hitting the target. At the very least you will have to fit your body to the gun while the target gets farther away and while you lose focus on the target. There are all sorts of people that claim to know how to fit a gun and I talked with many while I was shooting on the NSCA Sporting clays circuit. Some know what they are doing and some don’t. Recently while reading on one of the Black Powder Muzzleloading forums of which I am a member, I ran across as good an article as I have seen anywhere by Colin Stolzer the Administrator of “Black Powder Firearms Forum” http://blackpowderfa.proboards.com/index.cgi Colin is also the owner of Stolzer & Son's Gunsmithing where custom muzzleloaders are designed and built. Stop by the website and take a look at some beautiful works of art built with unbelievable craftsmanship. Read Colin's article and then file it somewhere that you can refer back when you need to fit that next firearm. Take a kid out shooting and stay safe, Wild Ed

Measuring for Stock Fit

by Colin Stolzer

The question comes up every so often on various forums about how to measure for stock fit. So I figured it would be a benefit to post a short tutorial on how I get the measurements to custom build a rifle for my customers.

I learned this method from Steve Zihn when I was an apprentice under him. It's based on an old British Method, there are variations of this formula described in W.W. Greener's "The Gun and It's Development", Howe's "Advanced Gunsmithing" and several other books I've read or own. So it's not anything new, and it's certainly not the only way to get these measurements, it's just the method I was taught and use.

I rarely get to meet my customers in person, so I use these worksheets and formulas, along with several questionnaires to fit their rifles. These measurements along with some fine tuning based on the other information have allowed me to build very well fitted rifles for my customers without actually having to measure them in person. Ideally it would be nice if I could actually meet and measure every one in person, using a "try" stock, unfortunately that is cost prohibitive.

(Left click on the following sketches for a little better view)

"A" is drop at comb. It is measured about 2" back from the nose of the comb.

Take "B" and subtract "A" from it. That's going to be the drop at heel. You will find that most men have the heel above the top of the shoulder, so you can even subtract 3/4" to 1" from this if you like. You'll see how it works out when you transfer these things to paper.

Take "C" and Subtract "B", whatever the difference is divided by 4. That's you cast off.

Take "D" and subtract 1/4" to 1/2" for a warm weather gun and subtract 1/2" to 1" for a cold weather gun. That's your length of pull.

These measurement are not universal to everyone or every style of shooting, they have to be adjusted for the primary type of shooting the rifle will be used for. They also have to be adjusted for the physique of the individual. And they will need to be adjusted for the style, type and period of the rifle being built.

For instance a rifle that is designed for prone shooting will have little to no cast off since the position of the rifle in relation to the shoulder and head are nearly straight up and inline with the sights. As compared to a normal off-hand hunting stance were the rifle is mounted to the front of the shoulder and the head is canted to the cheek/comb. These variations between shooting positions change the measurements some, and the best way to understand the relationship is to actually take a rifle and get in the various positions and see how different the rifle feels as you mount it to your shoulder. Pay attention to hand placement. Relationship of your face and neck to the cheek/comb in each position. Shouldering lots of different guns in lots of different shooting positions will teach you faster than any description I could ever write about what measurements will need to be modified.

The next thing to take into consideration when modifying the initial measurements is the physique of the shooter. One of the questionnaires I send out with the measurement sheets ask questions like:

Muscle tone in the shoulders?

Muscle tone in the Back?

Muscle tone in the chest?

Muscle tone in the abdomen?

It also asks about any physical disabilities that I should be aware of. For instance Neck/spine injuries, back injuries, shoulder injuries, elbow injuries, etc...basically anything that limits the range of movement.

For example if a customer can't tip his head fully to the stock due to a neck or spine injury, the drop of comb, drop of heel and the cast off can be changed as well as the shape and size of the cheek piece can be adjusted to compensate for the limitation. Or if a customer has had the tip of his finger cut off (like my brother-in-law did with his cross-cut saw), the length of trigger pull might have to be changes to compensate.

Muscle tone can have an effect on the measurements as well. For instance large well defined upper body muscles will change the amount of cast off as well as drop at comb and heel and pitch at toe because the muscles protruding will make the rifle mount differently than a less tones individual would shoulder the rifle.

The other thing that will alter these measurements is the type of rifle, the school, and time period that is being built. For instance Pennsylvania, Kentucky, German Jaegers, English stalking rifles, Single shots, Double Rifles, Scoped modern rifle, etc... all have unique design features that are distinct to the school and time frame of the rifle you are building, so these measurements will sometimes have to be modified to accurately represent the type of rifle you are building if historical accuracy or period correct design is part of the build requirements.

This is in no way a comprehensive lesson in stock fitment but it will give you the basics on measurements and the theories behind using those measurements. Most of the changes to the general measurements can't really be described in writing, the best way to learn how a stock needs to be modified for individual fit is hands on, both in mounting many different styles of rifles to your own body, and looking at the way other hold and shoulder rifles in different styles and positions of shooting.

The last thing I should mention is that these measurements for Drop at Comb, Drop at Heel, are all taken from line of sights. So when you start putting these to paper you need to draw your reference line at the height the sights will be at, NOT the top of the barrel, or the Bore line.

I hope this information is helpful.
Colin Stolzer

Black Powder, Fox Squirrels and White Smoke

2012-01-12T11:07:00.001-06:00

I pulled the back trigger of the double set until it audibly clicked in the still morning air setting the front to a hair trigger. Taking aim with the iron sights down the long browned barrel, I did not even realize that I had quit breathing as I moved my finger to the front trigger of the rifle. The iron sights settled on the reddish colored head of the fox squirrel hiding on limb of a scraggly old live oak forty feet up in the tree. I barely squeezed the front trigger and heard the crack of the longrifle. A cloud of white smoke shot out the barrel hiding the squirrel from view and then drifted downwind as the squirrel made a few last kicks in the leaves where he had dropped down from the limb. I took a breath, reached for the powder horn hanging at my side and poured thirty grains of powder from the spout into my measure and down the barrel. I then took a round ball from my hunting bag and centered it on a cotton strip of sheeting at the muzzle and pushed it part way into the barrel, with one sweep of my razor sharp patch knife the sheeting was cut flush with the muzzle of the rifle. Drawing the long ramrod from its place under the rifle barrel I firmly shoved the ball down on top of the powder charge. Setting the hammer to half cock I placed a percussion cap on the nipple of the rifle lock and replaced the ramrod under the barrel. It had taken me a couple of minutes to reload, but now the rifle was ready to continue on my hunt. It could have been a scene from the 1800s as the rifle I was using was a copy of a style of blackpowder Ohio Squirrel Rifles built originally by the Vincent’s. These and similar Southern Longrifles were used by early settlers of the southern mountain ranges of the new frontiers. Such a rifle could have been carried by one of the settlers coming to Texas for the first time.

In a morning of hunting I had taken three squirrels with four shots and had slipped away from all worries of what we call the real world. What a change in the method and speed in which my morning hunt took place from my usual style of hunting. Using the old style gun had slowed the pace and made every shot more challenging. I made a real effort to make each shot good, as reloading would take a couple of minutes with the muzzleloader and second shots on the same squirrel would be few and far between. Normally I would hunt squirrels with a modern .17 or .22 caliber rifle with a high power scope and take a larger bag limit in a lot less time. I believe I now enjoy the old ways better and will spend more time in the woods with the slower paced black powder firearms. I even think the game taken in this way tastes better or maybe I am just more proud of the game I take with the old style guns.

If you would like to try shooting one of the old type guns there are many companies out there making replicas of the old guns and quite a few gun builders building custom rifles in the old styles. They are available in flintlock or percussion ignition. For those of you that prefer shotguns those are available also. Many of these are not only accurate firearms but also works of art. Check out rifles, smoothbores and supplies at the following links to take a look at some of these works of art.

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/

http://www.longrifles-pr.com/

http://mikelange.homestead.com/

http://www.cherrytreefamily.com/muzzleloading.htm

Here are some links to forums with knowledgeable people that can guide you along the way to learning more about muzzleloading and all that goes with it. I can’t give you a favorite as I like them all. Some will have a more freelance feel, while others live the old time lifestyle. You will find some of the same people in many of them and new folks in others. All are welcome from expert to pilgrim. Feel free to drop in and look around, just tell em Wild Ed sent you.

http://traditionalmuzzleloadingcheap.com/forum/index.php

http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/fusionbb.php

http://thebordercamp.com/phpbb/index.php?sid=cfc79863a75a88fc480345a8fb4efd28

http://kabooom.proboards.com/index.cgi?

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=bbd533181424df23a7c6776f14849ee2&

http://muzzleloadermag.infopop.cc/eve

http://blackpowderfa.proboards.com/index.cgi

Shooting and hunting with the old black powder guns is truly a step back in time. You can become Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Jeremiah Johnson or The Long Carbine from”Last of the Mohicans”. No matter your age no one but you will know who you are when you step back in time. Enjoy the trip, Wild Ed

Remember to click on comments below to leave a comment or read the comments from other readers

Becoming a Birder in Lampasas Texas

2012-01-06T09:07:00.002-06:00

Every since my brother, that is a long time birder, put the idea of listing all the bird species we see at the place in my mind, it has almost become an obsession to identify all the birds we see each week. My wife and I have started to carry bird identification books and binoculars around with us as we work and do chores at the place. A strange bird flying over or even a strange bird call has us scrambling to identify what species of bird. We have seen a lot of birds that we can not identify, at least not well enough to add to our species list. We also see a lot of birds that are not really supposed to be in our area but that is kind of normal for Lampasas County as it is the hub of several different regions and types of habitat for birds. This last month we have had different Towhees and other birds just mobbing the feeders. I really have a problem trying to identify all of the different sparrows and other tiny birds that flit around the brush piles and cedar breaks. Every time I see ducks dropping down on the tank I feel compelled to go jump them just to see what species they are and if we need to add them to the list. This last week Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese both flew over the place and alerted us with their calls. We are always seeing hawks, vultures, buzzards and even a few falcons such as the small Kestrel. Screech owls and Great Horned owls are common along with crows and ravens. Black Chinned and Ruby Throated humming birds fly in and out of the oak motts and we have even had rare hummingbirds come through on occasion.

I keep telling myself I am not a birder, not the type that I have always had the stereotype image of in my mind. After all I am an Outdoorsman, a Hunter, Trapper and Fisherman. Surely I am not turning into a Birder! Wild Ed

Here is our list to date: We now are up to 116 species and quite a few unkowns.

BIRD NAME

Blackbird Red Winged

Blue Bird Eastern

Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher

Bunting Painted

Cara Cara

Cardinal

Catbird

Cedar Waxwing

Chickadee, Carolina

Cowbird, Brewers

Cowbird, Brown Headed

Crane, Sandhill

Crow, American

Cuckoo Yellow Billed

Dove, Eurasian Collared

Dove, Inca

Dove, Mourning

Dove, Rock (Pigeon)

Dove, White winged

Duck, Gadwall

Duck, Mallard

Duck, Pintail

Duck, Shoveler

Duck, Widgeon

Egret Great White

Egret, Cattle

European Starling

Falcon Prairie

Falcon, Kestrel

Falcon, Merlin

Falcon, Peregrine

Finch, House

Finch, Purple

Flicker, Northern

Flycatcher, Ash Throated

Flycatcher, Impid (several sub-species)

Flycatcher, Olive Sided

Flycatcher, Scissor-tailed

Flycatcher, Vermilion

Gadwall

Geese, Blue

Geese, Snow

Grebe

Green Wing Teal

Grosbeak, Black Headed

Grosbeak, Blue

Harrier Northern

Hawk, Broad Winged

Hawk, Coopers

Hawk, Red Shouldered

Hawk, Red Tailed

Hawk, Sharp Shinned

Hawk, Swanson's

Heron Great Blue

Humming Bird - Black Chinned

Humming Bird - Blue Throated

Humming Bird - Ruby Throated

Humming Bird- Broad Tailed

Jay, Blue

Jay, Scrub

Killdeer

Kingbird, Western

Kingfisher, Belted

Kite, Mississippi

Loggerhead Shrike

Martin, Purple

Meadow Lark, Eastern

Meadow Lark, Western

Mocking Bird

Nighthawk, Common

Nightjar Common

Owl, Barn

Owl, Eastern Screech

Owl, Great Horned

Pelican White

Phoebe

Plover

Pyrrhuloxia

Quail, Bobwhite

Raven Common

Roadrunner

Robin

Ruby Crowned Kinglet

Sparrow House

Sparrow, Chipping

Sparrow, Harris

Sparrow, Lark

Sparrow, Rufous Crowned

Sparrow, Savannah

Sparrow, Tree

Sparrow, Vesper

Sparrow, White Crowned

Summer Tanager

Swallow, Barn

Swallow, Northern Rough-Wing

Teal, Green Winged

Thrasher, Brown

Towhee Eastern

Towhee Spotted

Tufted Titmouse

Turkey, Rio Grande

Vulture, Black

Vulture, Turkey

Warbler Magnolia

Warbler, Yellow Rumped

Whippoorwill

Woodpecker, Golden Fronted

Woodpecker, Ladder-Backed

Woodpecker, Red Bellied

Woodpecker, Red headed

Wren, Bewicks

Wren, Canon

Wren, Carolina

Wren, House

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker

Just More Pictures

2012-01-02T10:18:00.002-06:00

If you are like me the Christmas/New year season has been very busy. Just trying to see all the families on both sides and make sure you get all the kids a gift can drive you nuts. Then of course there is the preparing of foods, wrapping gifts and all that goes along with the holidays. We did get to spend some time with our youngest daughter whom we rarely see anymore as she is out in West Texas making her own way. Anyhow we are thankful that all the kids, grand kids, parents and the rest are all safe and back into the grind.

I really don’t have a story this week but thought I would post some pictures from my nephew Nathan in Colorado along with some from my brother Mike on his recent trip. I am also including pictures from the Primos Truth Cams taken at our place in Lampasas. I hope each of you have a happy and prosperous new year, Wild Ed

The New Barn

2011-12-26T13:40:00.006-06:00

Several have asked how the barn was coming so I thought I would bring you up to date. It has been raining in Lampasas so construction has slowed. It started raining the day we poured the slab and has rained off and on a little every few days since. If I had known all I had to do to get rain was pour some concrete we could have poured some kind of slab a long time ago. Since we are in the worst drought of our lives we are happy to have the rain. The barn is now up but we still need to pour some concrete ramps so we will just have to wait until it gets dryer. Here are a few pictures of the barn at the stage we are right now. Wild Ed

New Barn and New Friends

2011-12-19T12:32:00.000-06:00

As we are in the process of building a new barn on our place in Lampasas I have been spending a lot of time in the area. We have had some land clearing done, a well drilled, electric lines put in, electrical boxes and breakers installed on the meter pole along with other miscellaneous expenses. We have had the slab poured and actual construction has now begun on the barn. Along the way we have made some new friends. Last week I met a couple of great kids that have a passion for the outdoors. One of my new buddies sent me a picture of a salmon he caught on a trip to Alaska in 2008 along with his recent kill of an axis doe back home in Texas, all pretty impressive for a kid just starting his hunting and fishing adventures.

Klein I hope you continue to have such adventures just remember to be safe in the field. Also don't forget to be appreciative of your dad for taking you hunting and fishing as someday he will need you to take him with you on your adventures. Wild Ed

Uncle Bob's Famous Homemade Yeast Rolls

2011-12-14T20:28:00.004-06:00

My Uncle Bob and I have been more like brothers most of our lives as we are not that far a part in age and probably not that far apart in our beliefs and politics. Uncle Bob and I both end up doing a lot of the cooking in our families especially around the holidays. Bob is an excellent cook but often traverses on the edge of gourmet and spice filled ethnic dishes where I tend to stick mostly with Texas Style Barbecue, Country and Southern foods as my field of expertise. Bob has become famous with family for his pancakes and rolls. They have been found to be most excellent fare by not only his kids but also passed muster with the grand kids this year at the Thanksgiving table. I finally convinced him to pass on his roll recipe so that the rest of us could try and master these wonderful rolls. If you make them in big squares they also make wonder rolls for sandwiches and other tasty treats that you might wish to put between two wonderful pieces of bread. I prefer them with Chicken Fried Steak and cream gravy or stuffed with sliced BBQ Brisket. Here is Uncle Bob’s recipe for you to make yourself and hopefully your family will approve also. Wild Ed

UNCLE BOB’S FAMOUS ROLLS

Ingredients:

6&1/2 cups all purpose flour

1Tbs Yeast

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of shortening (liquid)

1/2 cup Butter (melted)

1tsp salt

2 cups milk (warm to 95ºf)

1/4 cup water 95ºf

Preparation:

Sift flour and salt into a container set aside.

In a large bowl add 1/2 cup. Oil and 1/2 cup butter with the 1/2 cup of sugar.

Cream the above mixture, add eggs and cream again.

Add the yeast to the water and let it dissolve until it begins to foam.

Add the warm milk and yeast water mixture to the eggs, oil,& butter mixture, beat with beater a few seconds.

Add 2 cups of flour to the mixture, beat and continue adding flour until you can no longer beat with the hand beater.

Switch to a spatula, and stir in flour until a thick tacky ball is well mixed.

Turn the dough into a large bowl that has been well greased with oil, roll the ball around so the entire mix is coated with oil, and cover with a clean dishtowel, let rise until double in size.

Beat the risen dough down, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until about 80 minutes before rolls are to be cooked:

Cooking the rolls:

Preheat oven to 400ºF, place rack in center of the oven.

Melt 1 cup of butter on low heat in a sauce pan

Grease a large baking pan with butter.

Pour dough onto a floured bread board, and divide in half.

Roll out to desired thickness, and cut desired shape with a knife. I like to cut strips about 2"X 2", to be used for sandwiches later, if any are left after dinner.

(This dough can be made into any shape one desires.)

Place dough on to baking pan about 1/8" apart in all directions.

When the trays are full brush all around the rolls and on top with melted butter, cover and let rise until double in size. Repeat process with the other half of the dough.

When dough is ready, place in oven for 10-12 minutes, remove once the tops are golden brown, brush with melted butter again. COOL on rack and serve

Warning: Once the kids get a taste of this bread they will have to be guarded or they will be gone before it is time to eat.

Hope you enjoy, Uncle Bob

Texas Style Mexican Pralines

2011-12-04T11:36:00.001-06:00

With the Christmas season right around the corner I thought some of you might like to have a Texas Style Praline Recipe to make some candy for gifts or guests. I have tried many through the years and these are the best I have come across. Whenever I make them they don't last long around my house or friends. Enjoy, Wild Ed

Mexican Pralines

½ stick of butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts

¾ cup evaporated milk (small can)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix sugar, milk and butter in sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add nuts, cook to hard ball stage when tested in cold water. Remove from heat add vanilla and beat until slick and starting to cool. Drop onto wax paper and let it harden into pralines. Enjoy, ET

For a little different taste add one square of chocolate bark and a dash of cinnamon to mixture.

Venison Burger Made Right

2011-11-26T09:52:00.001-06:00

Many people have much of their venison ground into burger but are never really happy with the results. The fat on deer as a whole is not a good tasting fat and there is no marbling of the meat like on beef. Therefore unless you add fat to venison burger it will be dry and will not have much taste. Since there is no fat in the meat to bind it together it will crumble if you try and make it into a patty. The solution to this dry tasteless burger is too easy, you just add fat. You can have the processor add pork or beef fat to your venison burger and then use it just like ground pork or ground beef. If you do it at home you can mix it many ways. I try to end up with a product that is about 25 percent pork or beef fat to 75 percent venison. I sometimes buy the cheap overly fat beef hamburger at the grocery store and mix in ground venison until it has enough fat in the mixture, this makes great burgers. If my area grocery stores run the packer beef briskets on sale that have not been trimmed of the excess fat, I will buy one of those to grind and mix with my ground venison. A brisket ground up with and equal amount of venison makes very good burger. I buy pork jowls or fatback to mix with my ground venison for my breakfast or link sausage recipes. If you like the flavor of Bacon Burgers you might try my favorite way to make them. I buy the cheap bacon ends that come in a box or a big plastic bulk package. These are the end pieces of slabs of bacon that are odd sized and cannot be sliced to go in the packages as sliced bacon. It is just small and end pieces of actual cured bacon. I grind it up and mix it with the ground venison until the mix fries up like you want and then it can be made into packages of formed burger patties. The taste when done on the grill is of a great bacon burger, with a slice of your favorite cheese most will not be able to even tell that the wonderful burger they are eating is 75 percent venison. I sometimes take the bacon burger mixture and add seasonings to make breakfast patty sausage, be sure and cut back on the salt as the cured bacon is already salted. This will make a patty sausage with a cured bacon flavor. With a little experimentation you can come up with all sorts of ways to use your venison burger. My wife and I use the burger in mexican food, Italian food, meat loaf or any other way we would use ground meat. Just remember to add at least 25 percent fat when you grind the burger and you will have a product the whole family will enjoy. Wild Ed

Coons Take Over the Deer Feeder

2011-11-22T07:58:00.001-06:00

As the pictures from one night this last week show, the coons have taken over the new feeder. It has become obvious that I am going to have to remove some raccoons from the habitat. We counted fourteen coons at just two feeders. You might enjoy some of the pictures taken by the new Primos Truth Cam 60. I am becoming a fan of the pictures and the quality of the product it produces. Have a great Thanksgiving and I will be back next week, Wild Ed

Results With New Primos Truth Cam 60

2011-11-14T11:28:00.008-06:00

Truth Cam 60 Test Area

To say I am impressed with the Truth Cam 60 is an understatement. I put the camera out for three days and instead of just a few pictures it had taken 591 pictures. The camera was placed approximately 60 feet from the feed pen as that was where the closest tree I could mount it on was located. I would have liked to have mounted it a little closer to the pen yet the night pictures still let me identify the wildlife from that range. The daylight pictures were good and the camera is so sensitive it took pictures every time a bird flew in or out of the feed pen, pretty impressive to say the least. I am going to turn the sensitivity to medium and see if it will not take so many pictures of the various birds. We ended up with pictures of deer, cows, turkeys, raccoons, grey foxes and a bobcat. I have a feeling that I will really enjoy this camera. I do however have a bone to pick with Primos on the 20/20 Mounting System I purchased for the camera. The T-Post adapter does not fit the T-post size that most Central Texas ranches use in the fences and will have to be bent or put undue stress on the plastic mount. The mount as a whole is made out of flimsy plastic and the magnetic connection was almost undone when I went to check the camera in just three days. I am going to have to mount the camera somewhere else as I fear the mount will drop it out the tree and damage the camera. The staff at Primos needs to get busy and come up with a mount that is equal to the great camera they are producing. It needs to hold it securely without fear of the camera falling out and being damaged. I feel as if I just wasted $20.00 on the mount. Get out and take a few pictures of your own and I
hope you enjoy these, Wild Ed

Click on any picture to view closeups

Feel free to click on Comments below to leave a comment or read the comments of others

Trail Camera Pictures Continue

2011-11-06T09:24:00.029-06:00

My family and I have become addicted to Game Camera pictures. We cannot wait to get to the place each trip and change out the SD cards to see what has visited the feeders and waterer each week. Not only do we get birds and wildlife, but the little cameras are excellent at letting you know who is at your place when you are not there. We have found through the years that you pretty much get what you pay for in game cameras. We have had some inexpensive ones that would do ok on close-ups but let us down on distance, night and heat. We have pretty much stuck with the Bushnell trophy cams until my brother bought one of the Primos Truth Cam 60 infrared cameras. I now have a Primos Truth Cam 60 on order and will be using it soon at my wife’s new feeder. I will give you a report in the future; meanwhile here are some pictures from my brothers and my cameras over the last three weeks. Get out and make some pictures of your own. I think you will be surprised to see what you capture, Wild Ed

Top 60 Hunting Blogs for 2011

2011-11-05T20:10:00.005-05:00

I would like to congratulate my fellow blog recipients of the Veteran's Top Hunting Blogs of 2011 Award
Presented by
http://www.veteransbenefitsgibill.com/top-hunting-blogs/

I highly recommend that you check out all the blogs below as there are some great hunting tips and information contained therein. Wild Ed

Marian’s Hunting Stories

http://mariandeer.blogspot.com/

Ben G. Outdoors

http://beng-outdoors.blogspot.com/

The Hunter’s Wife

http://www.thehunterswife.net/

A Blessed Crazy Life

http://crazydogslife.blogspot.com/

Deer Camp Blog

http://bodocktimes.blogspot.com/

Low Country Hunting

http://lowcountryhunting.com/

Michael Waddell’s Blog

http://www.michaelwaddell.com/mw-blog/

My Hunting Buddies

http://www.myhuntingbuddies.com/

The Suburban Bushwacker

http://suburbanbushwacker.blogspot.com/

Hunting Legends in Africa

http://www.huntinglegends.com/

Outdoors International

http://gothunts.com/

The Buck Hunter’s Blog

http://www.buckhuntersblog.com/

The Hog Blog

http://www.buckhuntersblog.com/contact

Deer Hunting Big Bucks

http://www.deerhuntingbigbucks.com/

Bill Howard’s Outdoors

http://www.billhowardoutdoors.com/

Give em’ the Shaft

http://giveemtheshaft.blogspot.com/

TK14 Ranch

http://www.tk14ranch.com/

Kill More Ducks

http://killmoreducks.com/

Big Buck Zone

http://mikehanback.com/

Bright Idea Outdoors

http://www.mattcoughlin.typepad.com/matt_coughlins_weblog/

Camo Underground

http://www.camounderground.com/

The Hunt and Fish Blog

http://www.thehuntandfishblog.com/

Annie Got Her Gun

http://www.skinnymoose.com/annevinnola/

Outdoors with Othmar Vohringer

http://outdoorswithothmarvohringer.blogspot.com/

Hunting Life

http://www.huntinglife.com/blog/

King’s Outdoor World

http://blog.kingsoutdoorworld.com/

Deer Slayer

http://deerslayercom.blogspot.com/

NY Bowhunter

http://www.nybowhunter.com/

My Hunting Fishing

http://www.myhuntingfishing.com/

Bushmen Safaris Blog

http://bushmensafaris.blogspot.com/

Doubletough Outdoors

http://doubletoughoutdoors.com/

Whitetail Woods

http://whitetailwoods.blogspot.com/

Hunting News Daily

http://huntingnewsdaily.com/

NorCal Cazadora

http://norcalcazadora.blogspot.com/

The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles

http://trochronicles.blogspot.com/

Rob’s Hunting Journal

http://robshuntingjournal.blogspot.com/

Scent Free Lip Gloss

http://www.scentfreelipgloss.com/

Simply Outdoors blog

http://www.simplyoutdoors.net/blog/

The Outdooress

http://www.outdooress.com/

The Wild Life

http://thewildlife2.blogspot.com/

Wild Ed’s Texas Outdoors

http://wildedtx.blogspot.com/

Wildlife Callers

http://www.wildlifecallers.com/blog/

Winded Bowhunter

http://blog.windedbowhunter.com/

Wired to Hunt

http://wiredtohunt.com/

Bowhunting Blog

http://www.bowhunting.com/blog/

Basecamp Legends

http://www.basecamplegends.com/

Outdoor Freaks

http://www.outdoorfreaks.net/

High Country Archer

http://highcountryarcher.blogspot.com/

Hunting with Mike

http://www.blogsmonroe.com/hunting/

Deer Passion

http://deerpassion.blogspot.com/

Okie Rednecks

http://brodricks.blogspot.com/

Cocked and Loaded

http://fillyourhands.blogspot.com/

Shed Hunting

http://goshedhunting.com/index.php

Goon’s North Dakota Redneck

http://redneckndgoon.blogspot.com/

Montana Elk Hunting

http://montanaelkhunting.blogspot.com/

My Hunting Spot

http://steveshunting.blogspot.com/

Women’s Hunting Journal

http://womenshuntingjournal.blogspot.com/

A Mindful Carnivore

http://www.tovarcerulli.com/

Great White Hunter

http://greatwhitehunter.wordpress.com/

Hunter 4 Life

http://hunter4life.com/

Hunting in Georgia

http://www.huntingingeorgia.info/

Fred’s Hunting and Fishing blog

http://hunting-fishing-fred.blogspot.com/

Picking the Proper Caliber for Your Game

2011-10-27T07:22:00.000-05:00

This week I will dive deeper into caliber selection for your hunt. I get the same question over and over from new hunters and even from experienced hunters that should know by now what calibers to use on specific quarry. The questions usually go something like the following. Is a ____good enough to hunt_______? You can fill in the first blank with whatever caliber and the other blank with whatever animal you wish to and the answer should still be the same. Use enough gun to humanely take the quarry you are hunting. It should also have enough energy to cleanly kill if your shot is off just a little bit. Bullet placement and type is so important in a clean kill. I am not going to get into arguing the merits of all the calibers. I usually rank them as light caliber, standard calibers and magnum calibers. I have harvested surplus doe and exotics on a game ranch where we used small fast varmint calibers and out of hundreds taken all were killed cleanly. The key was taking only good standing shots from a solid rest at reasonable ranges. I also have spent hours trailing deer for clients that had been shot with the latest greatest magnum on the market. The difference was bullet placement. If you shoot a super magnum and the recoil makes you pull the shot it would be much better for you to shoot a lighter less powerful round that you could precisely place the shot. I guided Desert Mule Deer hunters for many years and carried a lightweight .243. That little gun put down many a wounded deer that had been shot by a large magnum but hit badly. The .243 did not usually drop big Mule deer on the spot, but very few ran more than a hundred yards. In wide open country that is not a problem. If you are hunting in thick brush country where a deer disappears in 10 yards you might need to shoot a caliber that will anchor them on the spot. Bullet placement was usually very precise as one can shoot the .243 with ease and the rifle is light enough to shoot very well off hand. Step up to the .308 and the result will be more knockdown with just a little more recoil if you need the power. If you are on a high dollar trophy hunt and can handle the recoil shoot whatever you feel you need to put your trophy down. You alone can really decide what amount of recoil you can handle. The key is to be honest with yourself. When a hunter asks me if I will sight in their rifle I can assure you most of the time they are afraid of the recoil and just do not want to suffer the pain of the kick. Lots of people can’t handle a hard kicking rifle and you should not have to. There are too many good choices of calibers that will get the job done with not very much recoil.

These days a lot of people are shooting an AR-15 platform in .556, .223 and other short cartridges to fit the platform. Some want to hog or deer hunt with the guns because they are accurate and fun to shoot. Many have been told by others that the .223 is too small to hunt deer or hogs. It depends on how big the deer are in your area and at what range you will be shooting them, the type of bullet you will be using and at what speed it is moving. It also depends on whether you can place your bullet precisely and if you are willing to pass on a shot if you do not get a good standing shot. My wife dropped a large hill country buck last year with one shot from her little .223. She has often passed shots when bullet placement would have been questionable due to brush, angle, distance or when the deer would not quit moving. I have culled hundreds of hogs, whitetail does and exotics through the years with a .223 and love the little round. The key is bullet placement. If you make a bad shot with a .223 you will have problems as it does not have extra power to blow things up if you are off target like some of the larger more powerful cartridges. On the other hand do you need a large magnum caliber to hunt 100 pound whitetails? I think not. If you are hunting 700 pound Nilgai Antelope on the costal plains of Texas you will need the most rifle you can effectively shoot with all the recoil you can stand. Just fit the caliber to the game.

If you wish to use a marginal caliber be sure and use the best bullet and power cartridge available and practice so you can put the bullet where it goes. A feral hog hit in the crease behind the ear with a .22 or .17HMR within 50 yards will go down like a sledge hammer hit it. Shoot it in the shoulder with the same load and all you have done is wound an animal. It seems a lot of people want to hunt coyotes and other predators with a .22 LR or .17HMR. Those calibers will work but they are by far not the best to use. How many of us shoot everyday, once a week or even once a month and have enough skill to precisely place those calibers? Would it not be better to hunt them with one of the fast .22 caliber centerfires that will anchor them for sure? I have guided many self-proclaimed expert shots that must have had something wrong with their rifles or just had bad luck because they could not shoot a decent group at the target range with their guns, and missed shots at game within normal distances. It is funny but experienced guides can usually tell which clients will be able to shoot well and those who cannot. It is not some psychic sense but mostly how someone carries themselves. A truly good shooter pays attention to the guide and does not have to tell everyone what a good shot they are. The guns and scopes have been taken care of but show some wear. They carry shooting sticks or shooting bags for a rest. The rifle stock and strap fit them. The brands of ammo they carry all match and are the same bullet weight. They do not tell me their rifle was bore sighted when I ask if they checked the zero on their rifle. They don’t tell me their last kill was made at 375 or 450 or 600 yards. If you think you can shoot that far tell me how far your bullet drops at 450 yards without looking at a ballistic chart. Then tell me you have a laser range finder and trained for several months or even years in long range shooting and I might start to consider you did make that shot if you have a tactical ranging scope on your flat-shooting, well-worn, sniper rifle. Now if you can find a 400 yard range within a few hours driving time of your location go try to hit the target when you finally get time to practice. Remember shooting off a steady rest and bench is not like making a shot in the field. If you really want to train for long range shooting go on some prairie dog hunts. It is one of the best teachers of long range shooting I know of, if you take advantage of the long range targets and learn how to hit them. Most people will be amazed at the holdover and wind drift that takes place on really long shots. I love hunting with experienced prairie dog hunters as they can buckle down and make a long shot when it counts. If you question your firearm or caliber, go shoot it awhile before the hunt and you will know if it is enough gun or maybe even too much gun. Like I always tell my hunters, you can validate your man card with the shot you make and the game you hang on the meat pole. The caliber of rifle you carry means very little about what kind of shooter you are. Good Shooting, Wild Ed

Pick a Dependable Rifle and a Common Caliber

2011-10-21T14:18:00.004-05:00

As the 2011 Texas deer season is just around the corner I have been covering topics to help you have a better season. The following pearls of wisdom come from years of hunting, guiding others and being in hunting camps all over the country. When it comes to rifles, step up to the plate and buy quality. I am not talking about some exotic brand and caliber that cost a fortune just so everyone can "Ooh" and "Ahh" over it when you take it out of the case. I mean buy a top of the line rifle from a tried and proven company that you can carry to hell and back and it will shoot every time you pull the trigger. Don’t go out and buy the first ever released new special model for your depend-on-every-shot rifle. On the other hand don’t go out and buy some cheap rifle put out by a company that makes bargain firearms for your primary hunting rifle. I am talking about buying rifles like Remington, Savage, Winchester and Weatherby that are solid proven designs. I only mention Weatherby for those that have them in normal calibers and not the special Weatherby designed cartridges. I know lots of you have this or that rifle made by so and so that is great, so do I, but when the rifle has to perform every time without a hiccup I carry a rifle I can depend on to fire when needed. If it is a rifle based on one of the solid designs and major companies, if that rifle has been slicked up by some custom gunsmith, so much the better, if you believe in the smith’s work. I have seen several shots-of-a-lifetime fumbled because some fancy rifle failed to feed properly or jammed in the heat of the moment. I have seen outstanding trophies missed because of flinching, caused by fear of magnum cartridge recoil. Both of these things are so easy to prevent and it is sad they occur at all, but it happens to people every season.

I have a Remington model 700 ADL in .243 that my father bought for me at Gibson’s Discount Center in Abilene, Texas when I was nine years old. That rifle has been carried all over Texas, New Mexico and Colorado and you would amazed at the game that little rifle has accounted for through those years. I carried it often as a guide rifle when backing other hunters and it has put down game wounded by much more exotic and magnum calibers. I have traded it off for a shot to many a hunter that could not hit their game with a magnum rifle but made the shot with that little .243. That rifle has never failed to work and I shoot it still today. It has never been in the shop, nothing has ever broken and I will pass it on to one of my daughters to use and treasure. I can walk into any country store, box store or any place ammo is sold, and purchase ammo for that rifle. Try to buy ammo for some of the exotic magnum calibers in No-where, Texas or a country feed store in the mountains of Colorado or New Mexico. If you never had someone show up in camp without their ammo you have not hunted very long. If they have a common caliber someone can usually loan them some ammo or a trip to the nearest town solves the problem. Some of the Weatherby cartridges are great rounds but I never recommend them as they can be impossible to find and the expense of a box of ammo unreal.

I have a model 70 Winchester.270 that my grandfather shot all his life and passed to my father who passed it to me. I am proud that it continues on with no problems. My father shot a Remington model 700 in .264 Winchester Magnum most of his life and I still shoot it today while my brother shoots its twin, but ammo is now getting hard to find and very expensive to boot. I know some people need to have the latest, greatest magnum to validate their man card, but I can assure you it is much more important to be able to precisely place a bullet than to be able to stand recoil. Someone in camp will always make the point of quoting one of the old big game hunters or authorities on caliber and power. Some will point out all the tests done by writers and ammo companies back in the early twentieth century. What they fail to realize is that these guys lived in a time where the modern bullets and powders we now have were not available. The optics for precision bullet placement were also not near as developed as the current optics we have today. I will take bullet placement with a sufficient caliber over misses or bad hits with a monster magnum any day. I will be hunting later this year and I will be carrying a Remington 700 tactical in .308. It has very little recoil and sufficient power to do the job with proper bullet placement on most any game in the lower forty eight. My wife will be hunting with my little .243 this year. Shoot whatever you do well with and feel comfortable shooting. Be honest with yourself about recoil. If your mind tells you this is going to hurt when you sit down at the bench to sight your rifle in each season; you need to get something that recoils less. If recoil prevents you from properly sighting in a rifle or shooting a good group, you need to get something that recoils less. If you are thinking about how bad this rifle is going to kick while trying to hold the crosshair steady on a big buck you have a real recoil problem. Get a rifle you can shoot well and that will not beat you up with recoil. You can validate you man card with game you hang on the meat pole. None of my hunting buddies laugh at my little rifles any more. Have a great season, Wild Ed

Sight In Your Rifle for Deer Season

2011-10-14T09:53:00.000-05:00

As deer season is right around the corner I am going to post a couple of articles in the next weeks about sighting in a rifle and using enough gun for the game you're hunting. In my years of guiding hunters two of the most common reasons for missing shots at game are rifles that are not sighted in properly and using a rifle with too much recoil. Many believe they can have a gunsmith boresight a rifle and go hunting, that is not properly sighting a rifle. The other group think they have to have the latest super magnum to be accepted by the group at the deer lease. I shoot a .243 most of the time and the game on the pole along with the shots I make prove it up year after year. Above all be safe with your firearms, don't mix alcohol and guns, take a kid with you hunting and have fun. I hope you enjoy the following article on sighting in your rifle and just maybe learn a little. Wild Ed

A gentleman sent me an email asking if there was an easy way to sight in a rifle. He said he had gone through several boxes of ammo to sight in his rifle. I have heard this many times and always wonder what is wrong to take so many shots. Remember the scope must be mounted correctly and all must be tight in order to sight in properly. I won’t go into that here. If you do not know how to mount a scope correctly have someone that does help you the first couple of times or have a professional gunsmith do it for you. Do not let some kid in a box store mount your scope. I have had to remount lots of scopes for clients through the years. Bore sighting a firearm means it might be on the paper, It does not mean you have a firearm that is sighted in properly. Bore sighting will usually get the shots on the paper but not always. I have seen lots of people miss with a gun that has been bore sighted, if I had known that they had not sighted in the rifle properly I would not have been hunting with them. Every barrel and different ammo will impact differently and must be shot in properly on a target.
Remember that if your rifle barrel has been cleaned since firing or it is a brand new rifle to fire a couple of fouling shots before sighting in. Many rifles will not shoot to the same point of impact with a clean oiled barrel as they will with a fouled barrel.

Here is the fastest and simplest way I know to sight in a rifle. I usually start at 25 yards so I will be on the paper. Even a bore sighted rifle may not be on the paper at long range. I get a solid gun vice or some way to hold the rifle in place where it will not move. A cardboard box with two v cutouts to rest the rifle across can be used in a pinch. I fire one shot at the bullseye and then make sure the cross hair is lined up on the center of the bullseye. Making sure not to move the rifle adjust the elevation and windage until the crosshair is exactly centered on the bullet hole where the shot you just fired hit. This means move the center of the reticle to the actual center of the bullet hole of your shot. Next carefully fire a second shot at the bullseye. If you did not move the rifle while adjusting the scope and you can shoot, the second shot should be in the bullseye. In reality most will need a few more shots for small adjustments to get into the center of the bull, but this is a lot faster that most other methods and uses a lot less ammo.

Now move to the one-hundred yard target and finish sighting in with whatever small adjustments are needed to get you where you want to be on the target. Wild Ed

Fiocchi .45 ACP Ammo Review

2011-10-09T12:06:00.007-05:00

I went out to the family place this last weekend and while I was there tested a box of Fiocchi 230 grain FMJ .45acp ammo furnished by LuckyGunner.com.
http://www.luckygunner.com/fiocchi-45-acp-ammo-for-sale-45acp230fmjfiocchi-50
This ammunition is new production, non-corrosive, in boxer-primed, reloadable brass cases. It comes in a cardboard box with plastic ammo organizer holding the rounds in place.
My brother and I took three .45 acp pistols to run this ammo through to check it for reliability. A Kimber and Taurus 1911 style along with a Ruger P345 double action. The ammo performed flawlessly in all three pistols. I carry a .45 for self defense and sometimes as a backup on hog hunts so I am very concerned with reliability and feeding. The ammo was shot at seven yards and twenty yards, all free hand. Some was shot in rapid fire and some in very rapid fire. Out of 50 rounds there were no jams, hiccups or stove pipes, just as one would expect from FMJ hardball ammo. The ammo had plenty of power and more than acceptable accuracy for off hand combat style shooting. If I slowed my rate of fire the ammo just ate out a big circle in the bull. Lucky gunner carries a full line of .45 acp ammo http://www.luckygunner.com/handgun/45-acp-ammo
along with ammo for most any caliber you might need whether Long gun, Handgun. Rimfire or Shotgun.

Seven rounds at seven yards rapid fire.

Remainder of ammo fired from 20 yards rapid fire and at red dots on right side of target from 20 yards slow fire.

The next time you need some good ammo for a cheap price give http://www.luckygunner.com/ a try. I think you will be pleased, Wild Ed

45 Ammo

Red Ale Bottled

2011-10-03T11:13:00.001-05:00

My first batch is now bottled, just need to wait three weeks to sample it. Brewing the ale was not hard but it does take some work. The cost was about half of what you would pay for a similar product at the store not counting the cost of equipment. You would have to make several batches to pay for the equipment and recognize the savings. There is something to be said for making it yourself. My goal is to learn a lot of the old skills this generation did not learn and pass them on to someone in the next generation. Take a kid for a day and teach them a skill you know, Wild Ed

A Boy, A Dog and Their First Dove Hunt

2011-09-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

How many of you remember your first dove hunt? I’m not talking about just getting to go along and be a dove chasing water boy, but to sit with a shotgun and get to really hunt. I will always remember my first hunt and all the shells it took for me to kill two dove. It may have taken nearly a box but they were shot out of the air even if they were slowing to land on a dead tree near the stock pond. I did not have a dog on my first dove hunt and in fact I was grown and out on my own before I ever hunted with a trained dog. What an experience to get to hunt with a dog that could find the dove I dropped in tall sunflowers and retrieve that dove to hand. I was to spend many years hunting with trained dogs and all of them are special memories. It must be wonderful to go on your first hunt and have a great bird dog. Not only to have a great bird dog, but a great bird dog that thinks you are the greatest hunter in the world. From their looks in the picture above Hunter and Doc know that feeling. For some reason I don't think they will ever forget it, Wild Ed

Fishing In Port O' Conner

2011-09-21T08:48:00.005-05:00

I haven't had the time or opportunity to go fishing at the coast in quite a while so this week I am living my fishing through my younger brother. Hopefully I will get to go in the future, but in the mean time maybe Mike's story will feed your fishing need, Wild Ed

POC Trip

We left the dock around 7:00am on Sunday morning heading for the jetties in Port O’Conner. With storms lurking all around, POC was about the only place it wasn’t raining. The seas were rough as we headed around to the surf side of the jetty. Due to the large sets of breaking waves, we could not anchor too close to jetty. The first few minutes, we hooked into a couple of nice reds followed by two large jacks and the long battle required to boat them on small tackle. The reds continued to bite for the next two hours. All together we boated 11 slot reds, tagged three slightly oversize reds and released 3 large oversize reds. The reds slowed down, but just as quickly the Spanish mackerel and trout took their place. We managed to land 8 nice smacks and 3 nice specs up to 24”. The seas were getting rough and the thunder getting closer, so we moved to the inside channel and soon got into the black drum, sheepshead and large ladyfish. The 3 sheepshead were undersize but we managed to catch 7 nice eating size black drum and release several large ladyfish before the lightning started getting too close for comfort. On the way in, the temperature dropped quickly and we could see the green-tinted clouds getting nasty all around. One boat told of being caught in a hail storm. Back at the docks around 11am, it became clear that we had caught the lion’s share of the fish that day. Boats were lined up in the rain trying to get out before the storms got any worse. To top off a perfect day of fishing, a large shrimper followed us into the docks and we bought 20 pounds of huge white shrimp for $4 a pound. Another awesome fishing trip at POC. (Yes, the wives had us book another trip week after next!) This was only my 2nd trip to POC and both times have been awesome.

Give Capt. Marty Medford and his son Capt. Matt Medford a call at “Fish of A Lifetime Guide Service” 361-983-3474 They did all the work and we just had to reel the fish in! After it was all over we went by Capt. Marty’s place and Momma had us a piece of the best pecan pie I have ever put in my mouth and that ain’t no fishin story! Wild Ed and I are going to have to make POC one of our regular fishing spots. Mike

Great story and adventure that makes me jealous, but I am glad you guys had a great time in the Texas Outdoors. I think Marty will owe me a piece of Momma's pecan pie. Wild Ed

Beginning Home Brewing

2011-09-15T18:08:00.006-05:00

Last year, when it used to rain, wild mustang grapes made a fair crop at our family place in Lampasas. We had always made this wonderful grape jelly from them. My wife cooked up a batch of jelly for the season and we were set for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. My next trip up I found a new growth of ripe grapes so I picked a couple of buckets full and took them home. My wife informed me that she had made all the jelly she cared to make for a while so I decided to use the grapes and try an old wine making recipe. I ended up making my first batch of wild mustang grape wine and it turned out wonderful. I was looking forward to making a second batch this year as the sixteen bottles from last year are all gone. Since there has only been 2.75 inches of rain this year there were no grapes to harvest so I will not be making wild grape wine.

This brings me to my current project, I have a friend that is an accomplished brewer and makes craft beers and ales along with classic wines. He offered to let me come over and watch him brew up a batch and put it into the carboy fermenter. I learned about mini mash recipes, malted grains and malt extract along with the wonderful smelling plant, hops. All of this was steeped, mixed, stirred and cooked. It is rapidly cooled and special yeast is added before it is poured into a fermenter and an airlock placed on top to let the fermentation process begin. There is a lot to making a premium craft beer or ale but there are complete recipes for the beginner and homebrew enthusiast to follow step by step. We also mixed a batch of Chilean Merlot to start fermenting. This came in a kit with all the ingredients along with complete directions.

After a trip to Austin Homebrew Supply with my friend, I am watching the classifieds for used brewing equipment such as carboys, Cornelius kegs, air locks and other brewing and wine making supplies. There are all sorts of places online where one can learn about this process along with suppliers of equipment and kits with enclosed recipes. Here is the link to the homebrew supply I visited in Austin. http://www.austinhomebrew.com/ I had never been in the store, however I found the staff to be very helpful. I wondered through the isles of wine kits, equipment bins, books, cheese making supplies, grain bins, malt extracts and other supplies that I do not have a clue what they were, but I will learn. The helpful staff answered all my beginner questions and acted like I was a long time valued customer. It was so great to go somewhere that the staff appreciates customers and does not treat them as though they are doing them a favor to wait on them. Austin Homebrew Supply can supply complete equipment kits and recipe kits along with printed instruction sheets for making your favorite craft beers, ales or wines. I am sure they would be happy to ship right to your door. I am getting ready to make their Texas Red Ale my next project, Wild Ed

Remember to click on comments below to leave a comment or read the comments of others

Chicken Spaghetti and Taste Bud Changes

2011-09-07T16:23:00.000-05:00

As a kid growing up in a West Texas town with three church colleges I went to a lot of church socials and pot luck dinners. It always seemed like the church ladies would make casseroles for these group meals. By my count, about six out of every 10 meat dishes were some form of Chicken Spaghetti. You would think in West Texas they would cook beef. I hated Chicken Spaghetti with a passion. It would literally make me sick. I got in trouble several times as a kid because I would not eat the awful dish. I remember getting sent to my room because I would not eat mom's Chicken Spaghetti, but that was ok as I would just go read a book. I became an avid reader. I was happy to go to my room just so I did not have to eat that terrible dish. If I came in and my mom was making Chicken Spaghetti I would head down the street and try to find a buddy that could invite me to dinner.

As I got older it became harder to avoid Chicken Spaghetti when served. I was often in environments where it would be difficult to not at least pick at the dish. In some cases I would have to eat some of it just to be polite and make a good impression. Then one day something magical happened. I was at a dinner with my girlfriend’s family and guess what her mother served, Chicken Spaghetti. I had to eat it, there was no where to dump it, hide it or do anything else with it. I would have to eat that whole pile of pasta with chicken and who knows what else that had been heaped on my plate. I tried to eat the Chicken Spaghetti in minute amounts mixed with salad, green beans or rolls. As I ate dinner a strange thing happened. The dish that I had hated with such passion was actually starting to taste pretty good. I could not believe it, I felt ashamed like I was doing something wrong as I savored the flavors in that dish. I thought it must have been a strange phenomena or maybe my taste had been messed up by something else. I pushed the dinner to the back of my mind until several weeks later when I sat at the table with my family. I had just come in and mom was fixing plates in the kitchen. She told me to sit down at the table and she would bring me a plate. Guess what was heaped on the plate she set down in front of me, yes it was Chicken Spaghetti. A whole plate full of Chicken Spaghetti with nothing else but a piece of garlic toast to help mask the taste. I started out with a small bite with toast, it was good. I took a bigger bite with no toast and it was wonderful. My mom’s Chicken Spaghetti was fantastic, what was wrong with me.

I later read the taste buds change about every seven years. My oldest daughter, who has three kids, uses this story to get her kids to try new foods or old foods they did not like again. I was reminded of this when my seven year old grand daughter called me the other night and told me “Papa, today is the day my taste buds change” she was turning seven and was all excited to try all the foods she did not like. The moral to this story is to try new things or even to re-try old things. You might find something you like. I thought a fitting ending to this story would be to give you my favorite Chicken Spaghetti Recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does, Wild Ed

Wild Ed’s Fantastic Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients

• 3 cups Cooked Chicken

• 4 cups Dry Pasta or Spaghetti

• 1 can Cream Of Mushroom Soup

• 1 cup Cream of Chicken Soup

• 1 cup Velveeta

• ¼ cup Finely Diced sweet Green Pepper

• ¼ cup Finely Diced sweet Red Pepper

• ¼ cups Finely Diced Onion

• 2 Cloves of Garlic diced

• ½ cup black olives diced

• 1 small can of mushroom pieces

• 1/2 jar (2 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained

• 1/2 teaspoon Brisket Rub

• 1/4 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning to taste

• Salt And Pepper, to taste

• 1/2 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook and cut up chicken, at least three cups. Save the stock from the chicken to add to dish as needed

Sauté vegetables in olive oil and add spices, stir in and melt Velveeta, cans of soup and cheddar cheese. Add cooked chicken to mixture.

Cook spaghetti or pasta, I have become partial to fixing the pasta that looks like sea shells. When pasta is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients and mix well. Add chicken stock to reach consistency you prefer. Sprinkle with parsley and paprika for color. Enjoy.

Texas Wildfires

2011-09-06T11:50:00.003-05:00

Texas fire fighters were fighting over 60 different fires in Texas over the Labor Day weekend, many are still not under control. Over 3.6 million acres and 1,000 plus homes have been burned since the fire season started. Some 600 of the homes in the last weekend. There are people and livestock all over the State with no place to go. Many people did not get anything out of their homes as the fires moved so quickly in the high winds we had this last weekend. Over 80,000 people have been evacuated from their homes.

The State was already in terrible shape for wildlife and livestock as most pastures have nothing to eat. Feed and hay prices have gone through the ceiling due to the drought. The fires have destroyed ranches and farms that have livestock that which will not be able to survive on the scorched land. Many Central Texas livestock operations are in need of feed and water. Wildlife rescue people are being taxed to the limit with wildlife victims of the fires. If you have the means to help any of these please get involved and do what you can.

Firefighters, many are volunteers, have been working long hours in fighting the fires. They also need food and supplies along with places to rest. Many families could use anything extra that people use day to day. I am not listing the help centers as they are different all over the State.

This is a link to a site to send aid to the firefighters.
http://txwildfirerelief.org/

Or you can contact the Red Cross of Central Texas

Many churches and other organizations are setting up help for families and firefighters. Landowners in the area that were not burned have been donating pastures for livestock that has no where to go. If you contact officials you can find out where to help in your area. Do what you can, Wild Ed

Swarm Traps and Bait Hives, The Easy Way to get Bees for Free

2011-08-29T16:50:00.000-05:00

Many of you that follow my blog have seen that I have been working towards becoming a beekeeper. I feel that as many of us as possible should either become beekeepers or at least set up a bee box as a natural home for bees just to help them survive. They are having a hard time making it right now and a large amount of our food is pollinated by the bees. I have assembled two hives and am preparing to obtain bees this coming spring. One thing that a beginning beekeeper becomes painfully aware of is the expense of getting into beekeeping. Hives are expensive, equipment is expensive and bees are real expensive if you buy them. When I say expensive they start at around $70.00 plus shipping for just a small package of bees and queens are around $20.00 each and up. I have had several people that wanted to help me get started offer me bees for $125.00 to $250.00 here in the Central Texas area. I was not quite sure how much they really wanted to help me get started or if they just wanted to sell me bees. One real friend generously offered to give me a split off of one of his hives this spring, but the drought may make sure there are not enough bees to split off of many hives.

I have been hearing about people that trap wild bees and set them up in hives but it sounds like a hit and miss chance of trapping a swarm and it must be at just the right time, just the right trap and you need to use these special expensive pheromone baits etc. Some have tried to be very helpful with information and others have acted like it was some sort of black magic and that only special people should know the secrets. I have been reading all sorts of books trying to learn everything I can before I get my own bees and also trying to find out how all this really works and why this hobby can be so expensive. I was at our recent Williamson County Area Beekeepers Association Meeting and heard this guy talking about a new book he had written about trapping bees. I did not get a chance to talk with him as there were around 120 people there and I had to be elsewhere, so I filed the information in the back of mind. Later I contacted McCartney Taylor by email and inquired about doing a book review of his new book. McCartney graciously supplied me an eBook copy to review and I found the answers to inexpensive bees are right there in the pages along with the facts and secrets to make sure one is successful in obtaining a wild swarm. In fact McCartney calls it “The Easy Way to get Bees for Free”. They might not be totally free but it is as close as you will ever come to free bees. The book covers the how-to of building your own swarm traps, where to put them, what to bait them with and what time of year to have them set and in place. The book even covers just setting the bees up to pollinate your gardens and flowers if you do not wish to be an involved beekeeper. Below is a copy of the Contents of the book and gives you an idea of how complete and involved is the information included in the pages of this book. I would class this as a must have book for both the amateur and professional beekeeper.

The book is available in EBook or a printed version and can be purchased at the following links. Tell McCartney that Wild Ed sent you.

Printed Version

https://www.createspace.com/3631331

EBook

http://learningbeekeeping.com/beekeeping-articles/beekeeping-books/swarm-trapping-bait-hives/

Both available here http://learningbeekeeping.com/swarm-trap-book-done/

The book can also be purchased through Amazon.com and other book stores.

Table of Contents

Copyright

Foreword

   What Is in It for You?

1. Why Trap Swarms?

2. Trees

3. Biology of Swarming

4. Swarm Names

5. History

6. Alternatives to Traps — Catching Swarms

7. Building a Swarm Trap — The Hanging Box Type

   Dimensions

   Buy an 8 Frame Deep

   Bonus Nuc

   Scrap Wood Option

   Re-purpose Broken Equipment

   Safety

   Top Bar Hive Option

8. Baiting a Swarm Trap

   Lemon Grass Oil: Our Secret Weapon

   Commercial Swarm Lures

   Use Old Comb

   QMP

9. A Note for Non-Beekeepers: The Hands-Free Beekeeping Method

10. Times for Swarms .

   When to Build Your Traps

   When to Deploy Your Swarm Traps

   How to Hang Swarm Traps

11. Safety 3

   Africanized Bees

   Ladders

   Checking Swarm Traps

   Pests

   Removal Methods

12. Using GPS

13. Legality

   Trespassing

   Ownership

14. Disease

15. Location, Location, Location!

   Sun Is Bad

   Fence Lines

   Lone Trees

   Building Roofs

   Tree Lines

   Deep in Forests

   Urban Terrain

   Abandoned Houses

   Adapt

17. All Good Things Must End

18. GUTS!

19. Advanced Topic: A Business Model

20. Swarm Trapping for Public Service

21. Questions and Answers

22. Feedback!

   Want to Be in My Upcoming Swarm Trapping DVD?

23. Disclaimer

For those of you that have made it this far I have a special surprise. McCartney Taylor also has a website and blog with tons of free information on beekeeping. Stop by and take a look it will be worth your while. The information available there would take many years of experience to obtain so take advantage of McCartney’s hard work. You can even sign up to have beekeeping videos sent to your email for free.

http://learningbeekeeping.com/

McCartney also has numerous YouTube videos for the beginning beekeeper that will put you way ahead on your knowledge as a beekeeper.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO7Ob86lX7c&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_273426

Texas Drought Hard on Bees Too

2011-08-26T22:05:00.000-05:00

A lot of what I think are feral bees have been mobbing our humming bird feeders in the back yard so I decided to put out a feeder just for the bees. They have been hitting the sugar syrup like nobody's business. I guess this drought is extremely hard on all creatures. If you have the chance to help out until it rains with food or water do what you can. Here are some pictures of the bees you might like. I put out a small hive just in case they decide they need a new home. Wild Ed

Texas Dove Opener Right around the Corner

2011-08-17T16:45:00.000-05:00

The question this year is will we even have any dove in our area to hunt? If it does not rain there will not be any stock ponds to hunt over. There are very few grain or sunflower patches that have enough seed to draw in the birds. It almost always rains just before the opener or the first week and scatters the birds. Let us hope it rains and maybe, just maybe it will draw some birds. If not, remember that the best part of dove hunting is the chance to get together with friends and share the outdoors. Don’t let the drought stop that tradition, just get a few clay birds, a thrower and have a shoot. I promise the fun will still be there and you can still sit around, tell stories and have a cook out whether there are dove are not. In fact it is a whole lot harder to say how many shells it took you to hit a bird when you're shooting clays in front of everybody. To all my hunting buddies across this great State of Texas, remember shoot to miss in front and stay focused. If you miss, do something different.

I spent many years shooting competitive Sporting Clays and also as a National Sporting Clays Association Level II gunning instructor teaching others to hit more targets. I have helped lots of shooters to improve their shooting skills. In this article I want to give you some tips to make you a better wing shot and to help you have more fun in the field. Dove hunts in Texas are often a social event and a chance to be among friends. It is always more fun if you can out shoot your buddies. Here are a few ways that can help you drop more dove with fewer shells fired.

1. Practice: Do not just go out and blast away, have someone that is a better shooter than you watch your style and help you along. A professional lesson or two are well worth the investment. If you have no one to help you, get a good video or book to help you along. Practice your mount in front of a mirror until you become smooth and fluid. Always remember speed is not fast, smooth is fast.

2. Focus: Learn to focus on the eye of the bird or front of the target. Too many people focus on the whole target or on bird’s tails as they are easily seen. Have you ever shot at a bird and it leaves a trail of floating tail feathers. I wonder why? Focus on the head or eye of the bird; I have had people call me when they see a dove blink for the first time. It will happen if you focus on the eyes or beak of the bird and you will be amazed as your bird count goes up.

3. Mount on the target or just in front: Many people practice the old style of pass through shooting where they come from behind the target and try to brush it out of the sky. No one with this method wins major competitions anymore. Your shot string is approximately six foot long, if the first pellet in the string goes behind the target guess where the rest of them go? If half of the shot string goes in front of the target you still get a kill. What does all this mean? It means you should always mount in front of the target and never get behind it in your swing and follow through. Shoot to miss in front of the bird and watch the dove hit the ground.

4. Move, Mount, Shoot: This phrase should be engraved in your mind. Move with the flight of the bird. This means move the gun with the flight of the bird in the ready to mount position (NOT MOUNTED) when the bird reaches the area where you wish to shoot simply mount the gun on the front of the target pull out in front of the target and pull the trigger. I see hunters every year that spot a dove coming in from a long way off and mount the gun and track the bird, shoot and miss. Yet when someone yells BIRD and they look up, see the bird and shoot, they crush it. If you track the bird you will almost always try to aim and miss the bird.

5. Do Not Aim: The bead on a shotgun is not to aim with unless you hunt turkeys or shoot slugs. Compare it to the hood ornament on a car; it is simply there for your subconscious to know you are on target. Focus only on the target so you can swing smoothly and stay in front of the target. If you feel like your swing is jerky in movement it means you are changing focus from the target to the front bead and back to the target. A shotgun swing is not jerky, only your focus back and forth. This is one of the most important tips I can give you. Consider the shotgun bead the "miss me bead" and stay focused on the bird.

Remember that most misses are behind so increase your lead if you are not connecting on previous shots. If you are missing don't keep shooting the same way. Change the amount of lead, choke or swing but change something. If you miss the first shot and do the same thing on the second shot you will miss it also.

All of the above tips will help you be a better shot but there are also other tools and methods that you can use to bring the dove in closer to you and that will help you get more shots at those flighty dove.

Clothing: White or bright clothing is definitely out as it will scare the birds. Camo or dark earth tones that will match the terrain you are hunting in. As it is super hot this time of year remember to keep the clothing light in weight for coolness. Put on a good insect repellent as ticks and chiggers are out in force this time of year.

Decoys: I often carry a few plastic decoys that clip on to tree limbs or barbwire fences. It is amazing how many dove coming down a field will fly by and check the decoys. The new decoys with the moving wings are very effective in drawing dove within range.

Eye Wear: During the early and late shooting hours I like to wear amber shooting lenses as the contrast gives me better target acquisition. During the bright part of the day I wear brown, green or smoke lens colors to kill the glare.

Choke Choice: Unless you are shooting high flying pass over doves you should leave the modified and full chokes in the case. Improved cylinder will help most hunters increase the number of birds in the game bag. If I am sitting at a small tank or a feeding area I will shoot a skeet or cylinder choke for the more open pattern.

Shot size: I carry two sizes with me to change the density and distance. I mostly shoot 8 shot as it has good distance and a dense pattern without many holes. If I need to extend my distance just a bit I will use 7 ½ shot. The pattern has a few more holes in it but it will get me another 10 yards of kill distance.

Barrel length: I am a fan of longer shotgun barrels as I find it is harder to mess up a good swing and follow through with a long barrel. A short barrel tends to increase poking or spot shooting. Remember to insert the barrel in front of the bird pull out and shoot while keeping the gun moving until the target falls. Follow through is very important and hard to maintain with short barrels.

Hydration: The temperatures this time of year can be extremely hot so drink lots of water or sport drinks. Keep the alcoholic beverages locked away until after the guns are cased for the day. Don’t forget to keep fluids in your canine buddy as dogs can get heat stressed easily this time of year.

I don’t want to be a person that harps about safety, but in teaching Shotgunning classes in the last year I have seen two shotguns discharged accidentally. Both were mechanical failures and not caused by the shooter. In both cases no one was hurt because those involved were safe gun handlers and always made sure their guns were pointed in a safe direction. These two instances have let me know just how quick a life could be taken. Just a reminder to always point your firearm in a safe direction and never bet your life on a mechanical device.

Be safe and have a great hunt, Wild Ed

DOVE ZONES AND BAG LIMITS

North Zone

That portion of the state north of a line beginning at the International Bridge south of Fort Hancock; thence north along FM 1088 to State Highway 20; thence west along State Highway 20 to State Highway 148; thence north along State Highway 148 to Interstate Highway 10 at Fort Hancock; thence east along Interstate Highway 10 to Interstate Highway 20; thence northeast along Interstate Highway 20 to Interstate Highway 30 at Fort Worth; thence northeast along Interstate Highway 30 to the Texas-Arkansas state line.

Central Zone

That portion of the state between the North Zone and the South Zone.

South Zone

That portion of the state south of a line beginning at the International Toll Bridge in Del Rio; thence northeast along U.S. Highway 277 Spur to U.S. Highway 90 in Del Rio; thence east along U.S. Highway 90 to State Loop 1604; thence following Loop 1604 south and east, then north, to Interstate Highway 10; thence east along Interstate Highway 10 to the Texas-Louisiana Line.

Special white-winged dove area

That portion of the state south and west of a line beginning at the International Toll Bridge in Del Rio; thence northeast along U.S. Highway 277 Spur to U.S. Highway 90 in Del Rio, thence east along U.S. Highway 90 to State Loop 1604 in Bexar County; thence south and east along Loop 1604 to Interstate Highway 35; thence south along IH 35 to State Highway 44; thence east along State Highway 44 to State Highway 16 at Freer; thence south along State Highway 16 to FM 649 at Randado; thence south along FM 649 to FM 2686; thence east along FM 2686 to FM 1017 at La Gloria; thence east along FM 1017 to State Highway 186 at Linn; thence east along State Highway 186 to the Mansfield Channel at Port Mansfield; thence east along the Mansfield Channel to the Gulf of Mexico.

North Zone:

Regular

Daily Bag Limit: 15*

Possession Limit: 30

Falconry

Daily Bag Limit: 3

Possession Limit: 6

Central Zone:

Regular

Daily Bag Limit: 15*

Possession Limit: 30

Falconry

Daily Bag Limit: 3

Possession Limit: 6

South Zone:

Regular

Daily Bag Limit: 15*

Possession Limit: 30

Falconry

Daily Bag Limit: 3

Possession Limit: 6

Special White-winged Dove Area

Special Season(Shooting hours: noon to sunset):

Daily Bag Limit: 15 white-winged, mourning and white-tipped doves in the aggregate, to include no more than 4 mourning doves and 2 white-tipped (white-fronted doves).

Possession Limit: Twice the daily bag limit.

Regular Season:

Daily Bag Limit 15*

Possession Limit 30

Falconry Season (Statewide) - Dove:

Daily Bag Limit: 3

Possession Limit: 6

*In all zones, the daily bag limit can include no more than 2 white-tipped (white-fronted doves). The possession limit on white-tipped doves is twice the daily bag limit.

Texas Alligator Gar Being Studied

2011-08-12T08:22:00.007-05:00

One of the most controversial topics around these days is the limits placed on Alligator gar by Texas Parks and Wildlife department. The limit has no effect upon the catch and release fisherman but it does keep bow fisherman from killing more than one of the big gars per day. Many including myself believe that gar over 4 feet should even have stricter limits placed on them until TPWD can determine for sure what it needed to preserve the population. Some believe there are plenty of the big fish just as fisherman in other states did before their populations were decimated by loss of habitat and over harvest. Here is a link to my first article on the Alligator gar which drew lots of response and email.

http://wildedtx.blogspot.com/2010/08/texas-alligator-gar-deserve-better.html

The following is an update by Texas Parks and Wildlife. I hope that in the future we will see more protection for this great Texas Game fish. Wild Ed

Alligator Gar Research in Texas Helps Protect Trophy Fishery

ATHENS — Despite being one of the largest freshwater fish species in North America, scientists knew little about alligator gar until relatively recently. In the last two decades, knowledge about the species has grown tremendously in response to evidence that alligator gar populations are declining in many areas.

The primary reasons alligator gar have declined throughout much of their historic 14-state range are loss of floodplain habitats necessary for reproduction (from reservoir construction and river channelization) and overfishing. As a result, the American Fisheries Society has considered alligator gar “at risk of imperilment” since 2008.

Texas is fortunate to still have many of the best populations of large alligator gar in the world. The Trinity River has become one of the most popular locations to fish for the species. Susceptibility to habitat loss, coupled with increased fishing pressure, prompted Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to adopt a one-fish per day bag limit on September 1, 2009. This made Texas the eighth state to adopt harvest regulations for alligator gar.

Alligator gar longer than six feet are considered to be more vulnerable to angler harvest due to their more desirable “trophy” size. Although alligator gar may reach three feet in length in three years, their growth rate slows with age, and the fish may take 20 to 30 years to reach a length of six feet.

Biologists have discovered that alligator gar can live more than 50 years and take about a decade to become sexually mature. It could take several decades to restore their numbers if depleted. Many states are already in the process of stocking and attempting to reestablish alligator gar populations. By setting a one-fish per day regulation, Texas inland fisheries biologists hope to prevent the decline in alligator gar populations seen in other areas.

A number of research initiatives have been completed or are underway to better understand gar populations throughout Texas. TPWD biologists have conducted studies to evaluate growth rates and life span, understand their reproduction, and track the seasonal movement of alligator gar. Biologists have also conducted studies to evaluate angler harvest rates of alligator gar and estimate population sizes.

Efforts to increase age data for alligator gar from waters throughout the state are underway by collecting otoliths from angler-caught alligator gar. Otoliths are pairs of small bones in the inner ears of fish which contain annual growth rings similar to the rings in a tree. Age data make it possible to determine how fast fish grow, how long they are capable of living, and compare historical river conditions to the year the fish were hatched.

By comparing age data with historical water levels, biologists observed high river flows during late spring can result in strong alligator gar reproductive success. For example, high river flows in 2007 resulted in a very strong year-class of alligator gar in the Trinity River. In the current drought year, alligator gar may produce few to no offspring at all. Knowledge about which environmental conditions produced the most fish will allow biologists to better predict strong and weak year classes. Biologists may also be able to work with river and reservoir controlling authorities to help provide the conditions necessary for successful reproduction.

From October 2008 through July 2010, a study on the Trinity River used acoustic tags to track the movements of alligator gar between Lake Livingston and Trinity Bay. Biologists found alligator gar were concentrated in deep pools in the main river channel for most of the year but moved to tributaries and protected backwaters during flooding. Biologists also found that although some fish moved more than 100 miles, most of the alligator gar remained within 15 miles of their tagging locations. There was little interaction between fish tagged in different parts of the river, suggesting that alligator gar near Trinity Bay may be a separate population than alligator gar near Lake Livingston Dam. Further research is needed to determine if these populations should be managed separately.

A mark-recapture study in the river between Dallas and Lake Livingston (about 200 river miles) was also conducted with the help of fishing guide Kirk Kirkland. Captain Kirkland tagged alligator gar, and TPWD recorded the number of tagged fish he and other anglers caught.

With these data, biologists estimated that this portion of the river contained about 9,200 alligator gar 42 inches long or longer and about 1,400 fish 78 inches or longer. It was determined that about three to four percent of these alligator gar were harvested annually with most (73 percent) of the harvest occurring between April and July of each year. Biologists also estimated that only about 5 percent, or 400 fish 42 inches or longer, could be harvested each year from this portion of the river and still sustain this trophy fishery.

Since 2009, 130 harvested alligator gar have been collected and aged from anglers at Trinity River bowfishing tournaments. Using information obtained from tournaments, biologists were also able to estimate harvest rates of alligator gar at the events. Only about one alligator gar was harvested for every four bowfishers at the Trinity River tournaments, and it took an average of 50 angler-hours to harvest an alligator gar at a tournament. Angers harvested an average of 21 fish each year 42 inches or longer during the three studied tournaments, or about 5 percent of the sustainable annual harvest of 400 fish. This level of harvest from tournaments alone is well below estimated sustainable levels; however, biologists still need more information to determine what total percentage of alligator gar are harvested annually outside of bow fishing tournaments and using other methods like rod and reel.

While the Trinity River is a well-known stronghold for alligator gar in the state, many Texas reservoirs, such as Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Amistad, also support healthy populations. TPWD began a tagging study of alligator gar in Choke Canyon Reservoir in 2011. Tags returned by anglers will provide biologists with information on harvest, abundance, size structure, and survival. In addition, recaptures of tagged fish during the spawning season will provide clues to number of spawning locations, how often fish spawn in the reservoir, and if fish return to the same locations to spawn each year.

Through the various research projects throughout the state, biologists plan to refine management objectives specific to certain rivers and reservoirs around the state to better maintain or enhance the alligator gar fisheries. Future research needs will involve further assessments of alligator gar populations around Texas to better understand fishing pressure and harvest. A population study of alligator gar in the Brazos River below Waco is currently in the planning stages. TPWD’s goal is to study and manage Texas alligator gar populations to sustain excellent fishing opportunities for this species for present and future generations to enjoy.

Texas Heat Fries Game Cameras

2011-08-07T16:27:00.007-05:00

The last week has been straight 100 degree plus temperatures with no cloud cover and no rain in sight. My brother and I have kept game cameras going at the feeders to see how the wildlife are handling the drought and heat. We usually have several hundred game camera pictures to sort through with three cameras deployed around the place. This trip my Bushnell Trophy Camera and my Tasco 5mp camera had no pictures. They simply just had not functioned in the extreme heat. My brother's Primos however kept on taking pictures but did so with large gaps of skipped time. It took one picture where dog food Mike puts out for the grey foxes and other predators was still on the ground and the next picture taken a day later was all gone and nothing had set the camera off. We were having a hard time figuring out what was wrong until we noticed the temperature readings that the primos takes and prints on the bottom of each picture. The temperature in the camera box reached a high of 147 degrees Fahrenheit. The camera box is on a stump in a bare caliche flat with no shade right out in the direct sun most of the day. My Bushnell and Tasco were on oak trees with shade so the Primos has performed the best for us but still had problems. We plan to build a shade to put around the Primos for the future. As you can see the cameras are having a hard time performing at all in this heat. Stay cool, Wild Ed

Wildlife Pictures from the Last Few Weeks

2011-08-03T12:05:00.008-05:00

I thought you guys might enjoy some pictures taken from my brother Mike's game camera. A few shots of a hummingbird I took at our camp site along with some wildlife pictures sent to me by my nephew, Nathan. Have a great week and get outdoors, Wild Ed

Texas Dove Hunting Outfitters Wanted

2011-07-31T11:24:00.014-05:00

Some of my most treasured memories are of dove hunts that I went on as a youngster with my father. Later memories are of my daughters going along with me and dropping that first dove out of the air. With the cost of shotguns, shells, fuel and mostly places to hunt this gets harder and harder to do each year. This is a real shame as we need to keep instilling the love of hunting in the next generation.

Every year I get requests for referrals of Texas Dove Hunting Outfitters that provide dove hunts at a reasonable price for families. I am not talking about the $500.00 a day per person fancy deals. I am talking about a place where a Mom or Dad can afford to take a child or two and provide them a classic day of dove shooting. If they can hunt more than one type of dove such as Mourning, White Wing, Pigeons and or Eurasian it would even be better. What we are interested in here is providing some young people with lots of targets and a chance to learn wing shooting at an affordable price. I you have such a deal or if you hunt with a family friendly outfitter that has hunts available send me an email and tell me about the hunt along with the cost. Email WildEd or post in the comments below. I will forward the information and post a contact here on my blog if I think it is something my readers would like. Take a kid hunting this year, Wild Ed

Bee Hives Ready for New Tenants

2011-07-25T11:23:00.011-05:00

Recently I was invited to spend some time helping a friend work his bee hives. The experience made an impression on me. It is something I have really become interested in pursuing since I found out about the large losses in the bee population in Texas and the rest of the country. It is distressing to me for us to know that some of the pesticides that are approved in this country are destroying our bees. European countries have already outlawed some of these and the bee populations are rebounding. Following France and Germany, last year the Italian Agriculture Ministry suspended the use of a class of pesticides, nicotine-based neonicotinoids, as a precautionary measure. The compelling results, restored bee populations, prompted the government to uphold the ban.

Research from America confirms that at very, very low concentrations neonicotinoid chemicals can make honeybees vulnerable to fatal disease. If these pesticides are causing large numbers of honeybees, bumblebees, solitary bees, hoverflies and moths to get sick and die from diseases they would otherwise have survived, then neonicotinoid chemicals could be the main cause of both colony collapse disorder and the loss of wild pollinator populations.

Looks like the evidence is there just that the chemical companies have too strong a lobby in the USA.

Anyhow I have decided to do my part and become a keeper of bees in hopes that I can help preserve some of them. I do not want to buy domestic bees but would prefer to trap a swarm or obtain feral bees from another beekeeper. I am hoping to get a start from a friend and add feral or wild bees to that group. I would like to keep the little wild bees as they are more adapt at fighting parasites and pests that we have in Texas. Since I am not in it for the dollars in honey I would like to preserve some of the wild bees and if we get a little sweetness along the way that will be a bonus. I ordered some equipment and bee hive parts to put together myself. I figured that if I can put all this stuff together myself I will understand a little better how it works and how the bees use the hive. The pictures are of the two small hives that I finished in a natural finish to blend into the habitat. I got a garden copper top for one hive on an ebay auction and hope it will dress the hive up for backyard use. I just did not want the white hives I remember seeing in most apiaries.

It will most likely be spring before I am able to get a start in bees unless I happen to luck into a wild swarm somewhere. The drought has been very hard on local bee populations and many hives will have a hard time making it through the winter. Most bees will not even start swarming until spring so that is when I hope to catch a wild swarm or obtain some local bees. If you see a swarm be sure and let me know so I can come give them a new home, Wild Ed

Remember to click on comments below to leave a comment or read comments from others

Corn Bandits Back in Force

2011-07-23T13:16:00.005-05:00

As much as my family and I enjoy watching the raccoons it seems like they move in and invite all their family members to visit every time food and water becomes scarce. At $10.00 per 50 pound bag it is expensive enough to supplement the deer and turkey in this drought. We don't mind a few handouts to the coons either but when they tear the motors off the feeders or spin the fan until a feeder is empty in just a few nights something has to be done. They have taken to tearing up the hummingbird feeders, chewing off the plastic bases and turning over the bird waterers. It want be long now before some of them are invited to leave the place. I thought you guys might enjoy this picture taken at my brother's feeder this last week. I think he threw a special party for the raccoons and must have sent out invitations. Wild Ed

Central Texas Drought Continues

2011-07-14T06:49:00.014-05:00

As triple digit temperatures continue day after day we see more and more signs of the effects the drought is having on Central Texas. I worry that somehow a fire will start in our area and burn off the whole place. The grass is all burnt from the intense heat and not much green remains at all. All over Williamson and Lampasas Counties I see oak trees dying. I don't know if it is oak blight, oak wilt or just plain death from no moisture but the number of dead trees is unreal and will change the look of the country around here for decades. It looks as though we will be planting a lot of replacement trees on our place but most will be for the next generation as they take so long to grow. My brother and I have been running feeders, putting out water and even keeping hummingbird feeders out at the ranch just to try and help some of the wildlife. We have even been putting out dry dog food for the predators and other animals that need some protein. We have seen the following animals or tracks of turkeys, fox, squirrels, rabbits, deer, raccoons, various birds and even road runners coming to get their share of the kibble. We have been seeing hawks carrying snakes to eat as smaller prey is in short supply.

My brother and I contracted to drill two water wells this week and though they will not produce a lot, it is still water which seems to be more and more precious each day. I feel that the people of Central Texas and for that matter all of Texas need to take another look at how we use water. It scares me to see how much drinking water we all put on our lawns. We are not using surplus water or treated sewer for most lawns, we are putting precious clean drinking water on our lawns, gardens and golf courses by the millions of gallons. I think we need to really examine the use of water for these purposes and make some changes or I see a future with real problems just to furnish water for existence. Remember to feed and water the wildlife if you have the means and or funds. This will be a hard year for them to survive. Next article I will show you how to make an inexpensive butterfly/bee feeder and waterer to try and keep our pollinators going as they are not finding many blooms or flowers to feed on.

I thought you might like to see a few pictures and game camera images from this last week at our place.

Remember to click on comments below to leave a comment or read the comments of others. You may always scroll down to the bottom of the page to mute or cut off the music in my play list if you desire. Wild Ed

A Request to Help out Drought Stricken Texas Wildlife

2011-07-05T17:54:00.014-05:00

I drove up to the stock pond at my uncle’s place in Lampasas county this last week to see how much water was there and if the Mustang grapes were anywhere close to ripe. The stock pond was little more than a mud hole and it looks as if most of the fish have died. I counted 27 turtles that had congregated in the last muddy waterhole on the place. There were no Mustang grapes to be found and none of the Algerita bushes had berries this year. There is very little green anywhere and I noticed that the deer have already started eating browse that they usually save for the fall and winter. The countryside looks as if it could all burn away in just a flash if a fire started in the area. Most of the crops in the Central Texas area did not make and the corn fields look to be a complete loss. Corn was up to $10.00 for a fifty pound bag Saturday so no telling what it will climb to price wise? This means that a lot of people will be feeding the deer and other wildlife a lot less feed this year just because they can not afford to do so. Not only are livestock and deer suffering but all wildlife is having a hard time making a living right now. Our humming bird feeders at the ranch were empty in just one week and one was full of drowned ants and bees. I have seen a lot fewer birds, squirrels and small game in our area. We are seeing coons, skunks and foxes out hunting in the daylight hours which is a sure sign they are not finding food during their normal nocturnal hunts.

All of this means that if rain does not come very soon it will be too late for a lot of native wildlife. I have already found dead fawns and other signs of distressed wildlife. If you have the means please put out feeders and water for some of these creatures to help them through the hard times. Whether it is just a hummingbird feeder for birds and bees or corn/protein feeders for deer and other game do what you can to help. An old tire with a rubber tub in it with some rocks piled inside filled with water may save a lot of birds and small animals in an area where there is no natural water supply. If you have water troughs make sure they are running and working. I have a feeling it will be a long summer and a hard winter for lots of Texas wildlife this year. Do whatever you can to help, Wild Ed

The entire State of Texas has just been declared a Natural Disaster. Over 1/3 of the crops in the State have failed so far and millions of acres are burned or they are so dried up they might as well have burned. The crop loss will get higher as the season progresses. We are all going to have to chip in and work hard to help our wildlife survive the coming hard times. Please be careful with fire and stay on the alert. We do not need anymore habitat burned away.

Remember to click on comments below to leave a comment or read the comments of others

A Visit to a Texas Apiary

2011-06-30T08:03:00.016-05:00

As I go farther down the trail of life I have decided to spend my latter years learning to do things that I always wanted to learn or even was jealous that others knew how to do and I did not. I have new found respect for my grandparents and the skills that they had learned and oh how I wish I had paid more attention to some of the crafts they mastered. My grandfather on my mother’s side of the family, Otto, was a carpenter and could build a house from the ground up all by himself. My grandfather on my father’s side, Eddie, was a jack of all trades and one of the gentlest men I have ever known. Both were men of God and high character and taught me many of the skills I know today, but I could have learned so much more if I had only been more attentive. When something broke they did not run to Home Depot or Lowe's and buy a new one. They went to the barn or shop and fixed it. I have seen both make a part and fix something for a tractor or piece of equipment on the ranch and go right back to work. If a saddle strap or bridle was broken they mended it. If a hose leaked it was patched. Tires were taken off the wheel and patched on the spot. I can remember sitting in the barn on rainy days with a hammer and anvil beating old bent nails back straight to be used again in the next project. Wood and metal tools were cleaned, oiled, sharpened if need be, and cared for to use for a life time, then pass down to the next generation.

I have been learning such things as wood boat building and general wood working. I am studying about such things as vineyards, wine making and gardening. I made my first batch of Mustang Grape wine this last year. My wife and I made Mustang grape, Algerita and Prickly Pear jellies and jams from wild fruits we gathered at the ranch this last year. I want to learn such skills as welding, cheese making, dairying with goats, beekeeping, masonry and a host of other things before my time on this earth has passed. I told my wife the other day that by the time I leave this earth I might be a pretty useful person. I only wish I learned more of this when I was seven foot tall and bullet proof, but such are the dreams of older, wiser men.

In the last few weeks I cured a whole pork loin and made some wonderful Canadian style bacon. I made pickled spiced peaches from fresh Texas peaches and canned them with a hot bath just like my German grandmother used to do.

One morning this last week I had a wonderful experience that I will remember the rest of my life. I was invited to assist my friend, Chris Smith, in the task of working the bee hives in his apiary. I hope to eventually be able to have my own apiary, but if I never do I will always have the memory of holding hundreds of honey bees in my hands watching them care for brood and do their work just inches from my veiled face. Standing there holding a frame of comb covered in hundreds of bees while thousands more buzz around you is an awesome experience. At the opening of the first hive there was rush and you have an unsure feeling as you wonder if the bees will attack and try to sting you. After a few minutes of working the bees and inspecting for their general health, productivity and hive growth you are more worried about mashing one of the bees than about getting stung.

I can tell you one thing, be sure and wear as little clothing under the protective bee suit as you can in this hundred degree Texas weather. I had on jeans and a long sleeve shirt under my bee suit and after a couple of hours in that suit I was drenched and parched. I then had the pleasure of getting to sit and talk about the experiences with the bees while sipping on one of Chris's homemade ales. Now I want to learn how to make ale too. Get out and broaden your horizons, learn a new skill and pass it on to the next generation. They will some day thank you for doing so, Wild Ed

Remember to click on comments below to leave a comment or read the comments from others

Queen of the Sun, What the Bees are Telling Us

2011-06-28T10:32:00.018-05:00

I have been doing quite a bit of study into the life and habits of bees so that I will be able to keep a hive of bees. I would like to provide all that they need to be healthy naturally and maybe supply my family with a little honey on the side. I am finding that bees live in a very complex society and do some very incredible things. The more I learn the more I realize the collapse of bee populations will most likely lead to the collapse of the human population. Our very existence and the complete food chain is so intertwined as to not be able to function without our natural pollinators. Take a moment to watch the trailer below. You may need to go down to the bottom of this page and cut off or mute my play list so that the music does not interfere with your hearing the trailer. If you get the chance to see this movie do so and take your kids along. I think it will be very educational and thought provoking. It may make some of you decide to become beekeepers yourselves just as I have. The bees will appreciate it and so will generations to come,

Wild Ed

Here is a link to the official movie page where you can learn more and find screenings in your area http://www.queenofthesun.com/

In 2006, beekeepers around the world began reporting a strange and troubling phenomenon -- the population of their hives was shrinking dramatically, with the insects disappearing for reasons unknown to their minders, and in time close to a third of the world's honeybee population had seemingly vanished. While this was of great concern to people who produced honey for market, they were not the only ones worried; bees help pollinate many major cash crops, including a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts and beans, and what's come to be known as Colony Collapse Disorder has far-reaching consequences for the international agricultural community. With bees involved in the growth of forty percent of the world's food, restoring the global bee population is of crucial importance, and filmmaker Taggard Siegel examines the role of bees in agriculture and the ecosystem, leading theories about CCD, possible solutions, and the theories of Rudolph Steiner in the documentary Queen Of The Sun. In the 1920s, Steiner was a leading biologist who believed crossbreeding of honeybees could lead to the doom of the species; over eighty years later, are Steiner's notions becoming reality? Queen Of The Sun was an official selection at the 2010 Seattle International Film Festival.

Remember to click on Comments below to leave a comment or read the comments of others

Georgetown Fishermen Have a Good Trip

2011-06-27T10:26:00.003-05:00

Some of the Georgetown gang went fishing again. Steve Wilson and Steve Turner sent me this picture of 45 Crappie and 50 White Bass from their recent trip to Lake Limestone. I am beginning to wonder if these guys just found a really good fresh fish market. What time is the fish fry, Wild Ed

Nathan's Colorado Pictures

2011-06-25T12:59:00.010-05:00

My nephew by choice, Nathan, got involved with a raven-haired, laughing-eyed beauty in Colorado not long after his return from serving our country in Iraq. I tried to tell him she would lure him away from Texas but you know how those stories go. Anyway he ended up with a beautiful girl that allows him to pursue his heart's desire in his work. He has taken a job he tells me is working as a Forest Ranger in Colorado. I think that he has pulled off the greatest con of all getting to do something he loves and being paid for it. I made the mistake of not following my dream for a profession and have always advised those younger than me to work at whatever your heart leads you to do so that every day at work is an adventure. Nathan got a new camera for his college graduation present and sent me some nice pictures from his work. I thought you might enjoy seeing them. Pictures are memories you can look at later in life, take all you can. Get out and make some memories of your own, Wild Ed

Bighorn Ram Bighorn Ewe

Bighorn Ewe and Lamb

Raccoon

Mt. Evans Wilderness Area

American Goldfinch

Bumble Bee

Wild Honey Bees

You may have to blow this picture up to see

that Nathan is running from hundreds of wild honey bees!

This is my favorite shot for some reason. It makes me smile

just to think about it.

A Texas Fish Story

2011-06-23T21:40:00.004-05:00

A group of my shotgun shooting buddies recently took some time off and went fishing on Lake Tawakoni, near Dallas. Off course I was not on the trip so they actually sacked up the fish. It is kind of like when I go somewhere and they tell me "You should have been here last week", anyway they hooked up with guide Jimmy Smith and he put them on the Sand Bass, Hybrids and Stripers. In one day fishermen Brett Wilson, Steve Wilson and Dennis Chapman boxed 91 Sand Bass,Hybrids and Stripers after releasing about 40 other fish. That is a great day on the water by any standard. The next day they only had about 2 1/2 hours to fish and still managed to box close to 80 fish. I have never met Jimmy Smith but this group swears by his ability and they all had a great trip. Congrats guys I know it is such a wonderful feeling to have a great trip at least once in a while. For the rest of us we can all dream of the next time we hit the water. Keep what you can use and release the rest, Wild Ed

Texas Bees May Be in Trouble

2011-06-21T12:14:00.009-05:00

Have you ever spent much time studying or watching bees? I have set in a deer blind and watched bees going about whatever it is they do that time of year but never really known of their importance. I have watched them going from blossom to blossom in the spring and was amazed at the little bright bags of nectar carried on their legs as they fly around. I have swatted at bees that buzzed me and even been stung a few times for getting too close or mashing a bee that I did not know had gotten caught in my hair, back when I had hair. Can you even imagine Texas without bluebonnets and the other wild flowers we so love to see each year? I sure did not realize that without bees Texas would most likely not have all the wildflowers, fruits and vegetables that bees pollinate each year. I can not imagine the effects on our lives and the wildlife of Texas if the bees were no longer a part of the ecosystem. Not only do bees pollinate our native plants but over 500 million dollars worth of crops in Texas each year. I can’t even imagine a Texas without all of the native plants and flowers that are pollinated by bees.

Native bees and domesticated bees are declining in Texas. Not only is development eating up the wild places at an alarming rate but newer and stronger pesticides are being released to be used on crops every year. Some are being used knowing that along with pests they will kill beneficial insects such as bees. Plants and foods are being shipped into Texas from all over the world with pests that will harm or kill many of the insects here. New viruses from unknown sources are showing up and attacking the bees. Entire colonies and hives of bees are being wiped out by something now called “Colony Collapse Disorder”, research is pointing more and more to agribusiness as the culprit with new pesticides along with the chemical coatings they put on seeds which are ending up in pollen and blossoms as a link to the CCD.

I got interested in bees through a friend that was telling me about bees and about beekeeping. I also have an interest in learning some of the old skills and crafts of self sufficiency and passing them on to the following generations. I have decided to start planting native plants that are beneficial to bees and other wildlife along with providing watering sites. During the current drought it so critical for our wildlife to have sources of water, I have heard stories of people finding large numbers of bees and other insects at their pets watering bowls or their kid’s pools in the back yard. As natural water pools, creeks and other sources dry up, all wildlife are seeking sources of water. Try and provide a water site for bees, birds and other wildlife in your area if you can. Think about planting plants that are used by bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other wildlife. You can find lists of beneficial native plants online in many places; one to start with is the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. You might even decide to take the next step as I have done and set up a bee hive to attract a wild swarm or purchase a domestic swarm and add back to the declining bee population. I ordered a cedar bee hive and plan on finishing it in linseed oil and beeswax so the look will be natural and it will blend into my yard instead of standing out in the traditional white. We are also planning on having better plants and gardens as we will have great pollinators living right on site. Maybe we will even be able to enjoy a little actual sweetness from our efforts in the form of natural non chemical treated honey. Enjoy the world around you, but reach out and give a helping hand, Wild Ed

Padre Island Jack Crevalle

2011-06-15T11:44:00.007-05:00

One of my most favorite places to go spend a day or two in Texas is the Padre Island National Seashore at Corpus Christi Texas. The park is a wilderness beach where big fish come in close to shore and sometimes I catch some of them. It is a wild place with not only a wild beach but sand dunes, flats, swamps and estuaries. Uncountable numbers of birds live there or stop over in migration. There are a breath taking vistas of ocean, beach, sand dunes and wildlife. From the terns and seagulls to pelicans and falcons all types of birds make PINS a stop on their flights. It is not unusual to see a Wiley coyote or a whitetail buck running the beach at daylight. The fishing is not a free for all but on some days the bounty of the ocean is at your feet in the first wade gut. On a good clear day you will see bait fish in the waves and predators right up against the beach feeding on the bait. It's not uncommon to spot very large sharks cruising the wade guts very close to the beach. I have seen blacktips, bulls, tigers and hammerheads all caught from the shore. A famous saying by Captain Billy Sandifer, a local guide, is that if you are knee deep in the Gulf of Mexico you are an integral part of the food chain.

My younger brother recently got to spend a couple of days on the beach at Padre and yes I am jealous, but I will let him tell his own story. Make your own trip to PINS as soon as you can. It will be worth it, Wild Ed

Fishing the beach during the summer months is always fun. You never know what you are going to catch and that is part of the fun of saltwater fishing. As a beach fisherman I have been fishing the Padre Island National Seashore for many years. Over the years I have learned some of the tricks of surf fishing and some of the things you should and should not do. Some of those lessons, even us old timers forget. Watching your rod and reel at all times is one of those lessons. I had out two large surf rigs baited with several live mullet I caught in my throw net. Being that nothing was really biting, I decided to wade out with a smaller rod and fish the second and third guts. As I looked back at the beach in horror, I saw my twelve foot surf rod and Diawa reel heading out to sea at a scorching speed! I set a course to intersect the last sight of my rod somewhere between the second and third gut. Just as I got there, my rod came surfing by and I grabbed it with my open hand. After wading back to the beach I put up the other rod and now the fight was on! Most of my line had been pulled out so it took some time to reel in this little Jack. (Especially after being so worn out from chasing my rod through the surf!) Just a reminder to the rest of you! If you like your current rod and reel do not leave it unattended.
(Unless you need a good excuse for your wife to let you buy a new one!) Have fun fishing and tight lines! Mike

Texas Newborn Fawns

2011-06-12T09:33:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I was checking one of the game cameras at our place in Lampasas and found these pictures of a doe and her new fawn. It reminded me that I needed to post a warning about touching newborn fawns. This is the time of year we are seeing this years fawn crop in more and more neighborhoods as we encroach into their habitat with housing developments. Here in Suburbia the deer are quite at home with living on the forage found in large yards and greenbelts. Several generations have been raised among the houses and traffic and thus it is normal for them. What is not normal are the numbers of fawns that are picked up by well meaning souls that find them laying in the yard or on the edge of a hike and bike trail. A doe will place her fawn somewhere she feels is secure and go off to feed. She will later return to check the fawn and nurse it as needed. So many city folks that run across these fawns think they are abandoned or the mother is dead and take them. Not being equipped nor trained in raising deer they either have to get help or raise it themselves. Many can not get the little fawn to nurse or give it the wrong kind of milk and start it towards a cruel death even though they had good intentions. Rehabbers in our area have an over abundance of whitetail fawns they are raising because well intentioned people have picked them up.

Remember that if you find a fawn to leave it where it is unless it is covered by fire ants. Do not get your scent on it. The doe will return and retrieve her fawn later. If you really think it is abandoned come back and check on it later. Ninety-nine percent of the time the doe will have moved it. It is illegal for you to possess a fawn in Texas so if it truly needs help you should go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website and locate a licensed rehabber in your area. They will take the fawn and give it a chance to survive. Feel free to observe the beautiful wildlife of Texas but do it from a distance, Wild Ed

"Livestock Guardians" Book Review

2011-05-29T10:18:00.016-05:00

I recently came home with a new puppy. He will hopefully be a guardian to poultry, goats and sheep on our place in the country. I just started socializing him with our laying hens and it is quite an experience for me. I have trained bird dogs and other dogs in obedience but never trained a dog to guard livestock. Not knowing much about the breeds nor training I started searching for resources from which I could glean knowledge from other's experiences. I ran across the following book, ordered and read it over a period of several days and was amazed at all the information embedded in the book.

I have always done pretty well at keeping most predators under control by conventional means. The biggest problem we now have is that we have an explosion of coyote and coyote dog hybrids in parts of the country and they make life for sheep and goats very dangerous indeed. Just one pack can come though and wipe out a year's profit on a small place in one night. The other major problem is for those that free range poultry. Before the mid 1970s raptor populations were not high and in fact some were at dangerously low levels due to pesticides in the Eco-system. The government put a blanket protection in effect on raptors so poultry raisers could no longer take a problem hawk or owl out of the equation. With blanket protection and the outlawing of many poisons the raptor population has rebounded and then some. Quail in many parts of Texas are hammered constantly by Coopers and other hawks. You can no longer find rabbits in certain areas of the State. To run free ranging poultry in our part of the State would be setting up an all you can eat buffet for hawks and owls without some sort of protection. Thus the use of livestock guardian dogs to guard free ranging livestock and poultry in the Old World tradition. All over the State ranchers and farmers are having success in protecting sheep, goats, poultry and other livestock from predators using trained livestock guardian dogs. I recently visited a sustainable farm and livestock operation near us that has almost eliminated livestock and poultry losses with the use of livestock guardian dogs.

This book is a comprehensive how to guide on picking and training a livestock guardian to at best eliminate and for sure reduce predation losses on your livestock. It covers the many predators and methods of control. The breeds of livestock protection dogs are covered along with training. It also covers other options such as llamas and guard donkeys. All in all I was very impressed with the book and can highly recommend it. The best online price I found was at Amazon, you can click on the link below to read the reviews or purchase the book if you like.

Livestock Guardians by Janet Vorwald Dohner

I ended up with a Maremma/Pyrenees cross puppy. At six weeks we started socializing him with the layer hens. At first it was kind of a stand off but now they are feed pan buddies. He gets upset if I go into the chicken run and do not let him come to check on the girls. These Livestock Guardian Dogs are worth checking out,
Wild Ed

Fish Texas Small Waters Close To Home

2011-05-27T20:15:00.007-05:00

I false cast a couple of times to let out just a little more fly line and softly laid the chartreuse popper in the shadows under the bridge. It drifted with the current into a sunlit pool where I gave it a couple of short twitches. There was a flash of orange and silver as a Longear sunfish slammed the popper and headed for deeper water. The little fish shook his head as he felt the resistance of my four weight rod. It swam in throbbing circles as I pulled him in for a quick release. The bright iridescence of these little sunfish from the pools of Brushy Creek are just as beautiful to me as some exotic in some hot far away place, besides it is plenty hot right here at home. I repeated this contest over twenty times in the span of an hour and yet I was only twenty minutes from my house. The traffic pounding over the bridge above my head on IH 35 just north of Austin had no idea of the fish I was catching just below them. Brushy Creek runs right through the middle of Round Rock and I was fishing within sight of the famous Rock itself marking the cattle crossing on the old Chisholm Trail.

I had taken several species of sunfish along with a couple of Guadalupe bass and a Rio Grande Perch. All were well under a pound and returned to the water to be caught another day. Even if I caught a giant on Brushy Creek I would return it to the water as along with the population growth, sewer plants and septic tanks have been placed up and down the creek and it is not the same little creek I fished thirty years ago. I can remember when the water was pure and clean. There was none of the icky moss that grows in the creek today. I use to take home sunfish, bass, fresh watercress and wild onions for the table but no more. The fish still survive and are abundant even though we are trying hard to destroy the habitat.

The point of this all is get out and enjoy one of the small waters close to home. You do not have to spend a fortune on gas and lodging but the thrill of the catch is still the same. Carry out some trash and do your part to try and clean up these creeks in Texas so the next generation will also be able to enjoy them.

Get out and try some of the local small waters near you. You might be surprised how great the fishing right under your nose really is, Wild Ed

Remember to click on comments below to leave a comment or read the comments from other readers

Brazos Boat Works Texas Boat Builder Roundup 2011

2011-05-20T13:29:00.015-05:00

This past Saturday a group of small boat builders from all over Texas converged on Inks Lake State Park to be a part of the Brazos Boat Works annual boat builder roundup. Most were members of the Brazos Boats Works Forum/Texas Paddler http://texaspaddler.com/wordpress/

or the Texas Kayak Fisherman's Forum http://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/forum/index.php

Many wannabe small boat builders and other visitors were able to look at the hand crafted boats and ask the talented craftsman questions. Boats ranged from first build all the way to the pros and some of the boats were absolute works of art that could be paddled on the water. If you would like to learn more about building your own work of art stop by the forums and talk to some of the builders and you too can become a boat building addict. Good paddling, Wild Ed

Goshawk Flying Through Tiny Spaces

2011-05-13T18:44:00.005-05:00

Being a Falconer I am always amazed at the aerial maneuvers of birds of prey. I have seen hawks and falcons catch prey in the thickest of brush and trees. I have seen Red Tailed hawks fly through grapevines and briars to grab a fox squirrel and not mess a feather. Harris hawks make me close my eyes when they fly through barbed wire fences at high speed. The following YouTube video does a great job of showing the ability of a Goshawk as it flies through a hole and a tunnel. I think you will enjoy it, Wild Ed

The Game Camera Addiction Continues

2011-05-09T13:35:00.008-05:00

My brother just emailed me some pictures off one of the game cameras up at our place in Lampasas. It has become an addiction to see what has come in for feed or water and what critters we captured a picture of over the last few days. I included a picture my brother’s camera took of my truck as it drove past his feeder to remind you guys that these cameras make great security cameras during the off season or anytime you want to see who or what is coming on your place. I have started putting one in a shrub at the house to take pictures of what goes on when we are away from home. I have even set one to capture a frontal shot of every vehicle that comes in our gate. They make excellent surveillance cameras for the money. We are not seeing any predators except for the masked corn bandits and they will get a reprieve until deer season starts. If you have any game cam pictures you would like us to see be sure and email them to me as I know everyone else likes to see what other’s capture with their cameras. Remember to keep feed and water flowing during this drought as the critters are having a hard time making a living, Wild Ed

Our Place in the Texas Countryside

2011-05-06T08:50:00.014-05:00

Photo by Jena Thomas

It has been a long time coming and I am sure it will be a while before we are actually there, but we started clearing the pad sites for our barn and home in the country near Lampasas Texas. I will have to get electricity to the site and drill a well in the near future. I took a few pictures for you to see what it is looks like right now. The pictures do not show the real beauty of those big oak trees nor the peaceful, quiet surroundings. I know that some day it will rain again and we will have green grass and trees to enjoy. We are in one of the worst droughts the region has known in a many years. You will have to imagine what the site will look like once it rains and we have planted native grasses and plants where we cleared the cedar, brush and prickly pear. We left all of the oaks and five red bud trees that will be in the front of the house. We only took out the cedar and mesquites with some brush and cactus. I hope to recreate the native landscape around our site but with native grasses and plants that will benefit the wildlife.

Photo by Mike Thomas

We hope to have many of our friends and family come in the future and make it a place that people love to come to watch the wildlife while finding peace and quiet. I sat under a tree there the other day and noticed it was not quiet at all, the wind was blowing and the leaves were rustling quite loudly. I could hear birds chirping, dove cooing and insects buzzing while cattle called in the pasture. I heard a red tailed hawk scream and a bob white' s whistle that is now all too scarce in our part of the world. Through all the wind and noise there was a restful, quiet peace that surrounded me. May each of you find your peaceful place in this world. I know a few who have found theirs,Wild Ed

I always try to pass information on to you guys when I find a product or service that does what it is supposed to do or someone in the service business that does what they say they will do. In this case I used Green Land Service Company owned by Harrell Clary. Take a look at their website http://www.greenlandservice.com/
I have a feeling they will be doing some more work for us in the future.

Livestock Guardian Dogs in Texas

2011-04-29T19:59:00.023-05:00

My daughter and her family recently took my wife and me on a tour of an all natural sustainable farm in Taylor, Texas. http://www.freshpasturefarm.com/
The purpose was to take a look at the livestock they raise and how they were all naturally fed and then processed for food. My family are big meat eaters and have decided to try and eat more natural meats with less hormones, drugs and chemicals used in raising them. This will result in healthier food as we are what we eat and apparently I must have consumed some pretty bad stuff in the past. That is all well and good but not what I really got out of the tour. Being an animal person I immediately took to the Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGDs) on the place. I found out that the dogs on the farm protect the poultry, goats and other animals from predators. Not only from predators like coyotes, bobcats, coons, feral dogs, feral cats and skunks but also from hawks and owls. Since I am a falconer it simply amazed me that those dogs could protect fields or fenced paddocks of free roaming baby goats, lambs and turkey poults along with broiler and layer chickens from raptors that attack from the air. The proof was that the number of losses to raptors had become non-existent since the farm obtained the Great Pyrenees LGDs. Anyway I spent most of my time walking around with one of the very large white Great Pyrenees and became infatuated with the animal and the concept of livestock guardian dogs. This concept is quite different from trying to eliminate a predator after it has killed livestock. It occurred to me that proper predator control along with the use of LGDs would work quite well in our part of Texas.

When I returned home I spent some time on the World Wide Web and came across many breeds that are used in this capacity. I did a little research and found a book that I will recommend if you are interested in learning about using LGDs and other livestock guardian animals like donkeys and llamas. Livestock Guardians by Janet Vorwald Dohner is a very informative read. Most of these breeds originated in European and Mediterranean countries. Some came from high mountainous areas and some from deserts. Most of them came from countries where shepherds took their flocks to different areas to graze the fresh grasses and they were bred to defend flocks of sheep and goats from predators such as bears, lions, wolves and even eagles. Some breeds live with the livestock they guard 24 hours a day 365 days a year while others live with the flocks for a certain season, then live with the shepherds and their families the rest of the year. Since we are planning to move to the country in the future and raise Boer goats, grass fed beef and possibly free range chickens. I decided to put a lot more study into breeds along with the pluses and minuses of each. There are a few breeds I have come to believe will fit into our future and so I am watching for a deal on the proper pup. The following are the breeds I have decided would possibly fill our needs.

Maremma

Great Pyrenees

Akbash

Anatolian

Kuvasz

I am hoping that some of you out there that know about Livestock Guardian Dogs would post some of your stories or advice on LGDs in the comments below. If you run across a good deal on a pup of any of these breeds or perhaps one needing a good home in the Central Texas area please send me an email and let me know about them.
Email WildEd
You can email me anytime by clicking on the [Email Wild Ed] just under my picture in the top left hand section of this page. Keep an eye out, Wild Ed

Texan's Successful First Bow Hunt for Elk

2011-04-25T16:18:00.017-05:00

I have a Dentist that has become a friend through his practice. He and his staff saw me through some difficult times with a couple of root canals and crowns. They have become more or less extended family. Most of my family and many friends have been treated by Doc and his staff, we recommend them to anyone we know needing dental care. If you live in the Round Rock, Texas area you should check them out too. www.patriot-dental.com

This article is not about Dentistry, it is about archery hunting for elk and beginner's luck. Dr. Ducote or Drew went on his first bowhunt for elk this last year and I kind of armchair coached him on the bowhunting part. Anyhow Doc gets set up with a bow, starts practicing with his bow, hires a guide and takes his father with him on an elk hunt. I think I will let Drew tell the rest of the story, but I will throw in that the first elk called in was a gollywhopper and being the good son Drew lets his dad fling the first arrow. It unfortunately was flung right over the top of the big bull elk, such are the stories of first time elk hunts. Here is the rest of the story straight from the horse’s mouth, or maybe I should say from the Doc’s mouth. Wild Ed

THE HUNT

When: September 25th 2010

Where: CedarEdge Colorado

First morning of the first day of a 5 day guided archery hunt. My FIRST bow hunt! First animal I've ever taken with a bow!
The night before was cloudy which blocked the moon and from what the guides told my Dad and I; would make for a good morning hunt.
During the rut the elk will become almost nocturnal if given enough evening moonlight.

That morning we woke to a light drizzle and overcast skies. The perfect elk bowhunting weather.

The experience was nothing like hunting whitetail as the technique was to listen for bugling and sprint off in the direction of the noise.
After an hour ride in a 6 wheel ATV followed by an hour hike up to 11000ft we arrived at first light for what turned out to be a thrilling morning.

We immediately heard some aggressive bugling (which to my untrained ears sounded like it was miles away). We took off following the guide through thick brush trying to protect our bows before our face and arms. My Dad and I chose to hunt together with one guide to maximize the experience and be there to witness should either of us harvest an animal.

I was completely puzzled that we did not have to be quiet like hunting most game. The guide explained that during the elk rut the bulls are rather noisy and as long as we don't speak and are not scented they will just assume it's another bull encroaching on their territory. It can actually play to our advantage.

We suddenly came to a small clearing with knee high grass and low hanging cedars.

Our extraordinary guide also named Ed (in his late 50's who kicked our butt up and down the hill carrying a 30lb pack with a first aid kit, field dressing equipment and emergency gear) told me to move up wind 50 yards and "get ready" I did as instructed at which point he proceeded to let out all manner of bugles and cow calls. He was a master with those tubes! Sure enough here came from my right what looked to me like the largest elk on the planet. I pulled back to full draw using my newly broken in Bowtech Destroyer 350 set to 60lb draw weight. Thanks to Double G archery in Georgetown for answering my rookie questions and getting me set up with the right gear for the hunt.

So now I was locked at full draw in a semi-squat with the bull approaching broadside at 30 yards. It seemed like an easy shot if I could just stand enough to ensure my arrow did not deflect off a branch at my current eye level. Just then while trying to decide my next move with my arm starting to quiver, he turned and stared right at me. Seemingly puzzled and learning that he was a young bull, he tried to figure out what I was - with no scent attached to my camouflaged silhouette. It seemed to drag on for minutes with me trying to be still and him trying to decide whether to charge or run away. He turned his head for a split second in the direction of Ed (my guide) and my dad who were standing together watching the entire scene unfold. This was my chance! I stood and let the 2 blade Rage mechanical broadhead sail. Double lunged the bull - perfect shot! He turned and ran over a small hill where he laid to rest not more than 200 yards from the point of impact.

Needless to say I was extremely lucky but also well prepared.. With the success rate around 6% for archery bulls in this unit, I spent many hours conditioning and practicing with my bow so when the moment presented itself I would be ready. The remaining time we hiked 8-10miles per day in search of a legal bull for my dad Kent. He did not connect this trip but we have booked our return for next September.

I must give special thanks to Wild Ed for encouraging me to pick up the bow and enjoy the outdoors. I had some reservation about switching from a rifle to bow but he told me there was nothing like it and he was right! I left my rifle in the case the rest of the season and took my bow with me to the deer lease. The challenge is great but the reward is too.

Best of Luck

- Dr. Drew

Dr. Andrew Ducote
Patriot Dental P.C.
503 E. Palm Valley Blvd
Round Rock, TX 78664
(512)244-3991
http://www.patriot-dental.com/

Texas Drought, Water, Fire and the Game Camera

2011-04-18T11:52:00.008-05:00

My brother and I have kept the feed flowing at our place in Lampasas county because very little is available for the wildlife to eat. Due to the long time drought birds and other wildlife are having a real hard time making a living. My uncles each have acreage on either side of our place with available water. One has a well with a tank and float and the other has a stock pond which has never gone completely dry in my lifetime, but it is getting awful shallow. We decided to put out some small five gallon poultry waterers for the dove, turkeys and songbirds at the feeders. We are using these until we can design and build something better. We are working on a guzzler or large waterer to put out until we can have a well, cattle trough or stock pond put on our acreage. The following pictures show what a difference a little water makes at the feeders. If you can help feed and water the wildlife during this hard time please do so and be very careful with fire as the whole State is ready to burn away. Wild Ed

Making the Plastic Bucket Poultry and Bird Waterer

2011-04-14T16:14:00.005-05:00

The following pictorial is how to make a poultry, gamebird or songbird waterer from a plastic bucket, lid and oil pan. You can use a rubber pan or a larger planter saucer instead of an oil pan if you like. We use these not only for poultry waterers but place them inside our feed pens at the ranch so that quail, dove and songbirds can get a drink when they come to the feeders. Other small animals an even deer can drink from them. If you use them for other than poultry be sure an place a big rock on the bucket to keep varmints from turning them over and spilling out the water. My pan is 3 ¾ inches deep so I drilled two ½ inch holes in each side of the bucket 2 ½ inches down from the top of the bucket lid. This will allow the water to come out of the bucket when turned upside down in the pan and not let air in. Make sure the holes will not be higher than the sides of the pan you are using when the bucket sits upside down in the pan.

Fill bucket until water reaches the holes you drilled.

Put lid on the bucket and turn upside down in the water pan. The water will run out into the pan until it reaches the level of the holes in the bucket. As the chickens drink water more will run out as needed.

Old Time Homemade Buckboard and Canadian Bacon

2011-04-06T13:52:00.002-05:00

How many of you remember old-time bacon with more meat than fat and cut in really thick pieces. Sometimes it was coated in course-ground black pepper. My grandmother used to fry it up and make coffee gravy from the drippings along with pancake style, buttermilk, soda biscuits, I could never get enough. I can remember the smell that the peppery bacon and strong coffee gave to the gravy as it was poured out on the hot biscuits. She would often stick a slab of that bacon in a biscuit wrapped in a cloth napkin and send out with me for a mid morning snack when I stayed over at the ranch. I hope she can cook for some of us in heaven someday, it was that good. I have been making my own Buckboard style bacon for several years now along with homemade Canadian bacon. If you have priced bacon or Canadian bacon lately it is very high, while here in Central Texas we see raw pork butts run on sale for as little as $ .99 a pound. I bought a pork loin for $1.97 a pound just this last week. Buckboard bacon and Canadian bacon are made the same way the difference is the cut of meat and the time required to cure. There are two products I use made by Morton Salt company. My favorite is Morton® Sugar Cure® The other is Morton® Tender Quick® If you cannot find these at your favorite grocery store you can order them directly from Morton Salt company on their website. Both of these are a mixture of salt, curing salts and sugar. I often add such spices as black pepper, garlic powder, all spice, maple syrup, sorghum syrup, cloves or molasses to the meat mixture while it is curing to add flavor to my bacon whether Buck board or Canadian style. Since you make it yourself you can use your favorite spices or try new combinations.

Now here is the difference in the two different types of bacon. The Canadian style is made with a lean pork loin and has very little fat. It makes wonderful sandwiches and pizza topping when sliced thin. It can be fried or broiled and used like any high-quality specialty ham. We often use it as a topping on a salad. The Buckboard style is a pork butt with the bone removed and split so that it will cure all the way through in 10-12 days. It has quite a bit of fat in it so it can be used just like any other bacon or ham. It is wonderful seasoning bacon for a pot of beans, greens or cabbage. I like it fried up just like regular bacon for breakfast or as one of the best BLT sandwiches you ever ate. My wife likes the BLT with Dijon mustard while I prefer Duke's mayonnaise.

The basic recipe is as follows: do not skimp on the cure, you can put a little extra but make sure and put enough for the weight of the meat. I use one tablespoon of cure and one tablespoon of brown sugar for each pound of meat. Rub the cure into the meat and pack the remainder around the meat in a large plastic bag such as a heavy-duty zip lock bag or place in a crock or plastic tub with sealable top and place in the refrigerator. Do not use a metal container. The meat will form a brine as it cures so I turn it every day to even out the cure. I use a rough time table of 5-6 days time for a pork loin and 10-12 days time for a split pork butt. The goal is to cure the meat all the way through, it is better to over cure than under as far as time in the cure. When the time is up remove the meat from the cure and rinse well. Soak in ice water for about and hour then dry. You now have raw cured Buckboard or Canadian Bacon and it can be fried or cooked any way you like. I prefer to bake or smoke the meat at about 220 degrees until an internal temperature of 150 degrees is reached. I then thin slice the meat and place in plastic bags in the refrigerator or freezer. It is now completely cooked and ready to eat right out of the bag as sandwich meat or you can lightly fry it if you like. My family thinks it tastes a lot better than store bought products and the cost is less per pound; it's really hard to beat. After all you made it yourself, Wild Ed

Texas Spring Turkey Season Opens

2011-03-31T08:48:00.006-05:00

Spring Turkey season opens at our place this Saturday April 2nd and the opener always brings back memories of past seasons. I remember turkey season many years ago when as a teenager I would chase turkeys through the woods in Llano and San Saba counties with just a mouth call, a shotgun and dressed in Army and Navy surplus camo clothing. There were a lot of times that ole gobbler would see me move or the shine of my gun or face and be gone in a flash. As my skill developed and I learned about face paint and gun camo I became more proficient at bringing home a gobbler. I remember seeing the first outdoor television programs showing someone using a turkey decoy and how the turkeys came to the call looking at the decoy and not the hunter. I finally found a plastic turkey decoy in one of the outdoor catalogs and ordered it. There was no Internet or online search and ordering at that time, just the Gander Mountain and Cabela's catalogs. I could hardly wait until season to try out my decoy. The success I had with that plastic decoy through the years helped me take a lot of gobblers and even a few with my old grizzly recurve bow.

Many years later I was watching the tube one Saturday morning in the off season and here were these two guys in a weird shaped camo tent hunting turkeys in the middle of a field with a decoy right outside the tent. I thought I can’t believe this will work as the turkeys will see that tent out in the middle of an open field and won’t come anywhere near it. I was starting to think the turkeys were tame as the turkeys walked right up to the decoy and one of the guys shot that turkey at mere feet from the tent. I knew it must have been a fluke or a place where turkeys had not been hunted much at all. Flipping through the channels a little later in the morning I saw another hunter setting up a turkey decoy and one of the strange camo tents in another open field. He then proceeded to call several turkeys right up to the tent and took one with his bow. I went to the catalog basket in the bathroom library and started looking through the pages of an outdoor catalog. I had to have one of those magic camo tent blinds. That was the beginning of my love affair with pop up camo blinds and turkey hunting. These things allow the regular guy to have success with shotgun or bow in hunting turkeys just about anywhere. I have had people that can’t even call send me emails about having turkeys come to a decoy set up outside a pop up blind. If you are like me you will find a lot of uses for your blind. I have used mine on deer, hogs, and predators. I have even hunted waterfowl and sand hill cranes from one of the blinds. It pays to read and watch for new techniques and gear to be used in hunting. Sometimes it will even change the way you think and hunt. Have a great time chasing a gobbler this year. Have fun and above all be safe.

Remember to take someone new to the field and get them started hunting. Once upon a time someone took the time to take you hunting. This article is dedicated to the friends and loved ones that took the time to take me hunting through the years. I hope I made the cut, Wild Ed

Growing Up In Texas

2011-03-25T17:28:00.010-05:00

This week I am going to do something I have tried not to do in the five years I have been writing this blog, I am going to post a story that I got by email and have no idea who to give the credit to. I hope you enjoy it because it really hit home to me. My brother, buddies and I all have similar stories. Just the mention of fertilizer, diesel and blackpowder still to this day makes me dizzy. Yes you can kill all the fish in a stock pond with an explosion. I can't hear very well anymore because of the swing set canon episode. I know a couple of guys that have permanent darker tans because of burning gun powder. People have learned valuable lessons like the fact that .45 bullets will go all the way through a house wall, fires do get out of control and the Texas wind is faster at spreading flames than a military flame thrower. Propane gas will freeze bullfrogs instantly and if you drop them they will shatter into little pieces, it is not to good on fingers either.A little red wagon will reach race car speeds going down a tall hill with two people in it. Foxes, raccoons, possums, nutrias, skunks, squirrels, cactus rats, field mice, coyotes, snakes, snapping turtles and most other wild things will bite when you grab hold of them. Some animals like feral cats, bobcats, hawks and owls even have claws and talons that can mess you up really well. It is not very hard to get both your thumbs caught in a #4 double spring coyote trap but nearly impossible to get loose by yourself. Numerous windows, light bulbs, pump floats, flower boxes and other items would have to be replaced if anyone mentioned names. places or times. Therefore all names, places and times have been left out and not one of these things ever really happened, just in case some of the guilty and/or some of the victims are still alive.

The following is the email just as I received it, except for some of the bad words I changed and that is all I know about it. I hope you enjoy the story. Wild Ed

Around age 10 my dad got me one of those little bada$$ compound bow beginner kits. Of course, the first month I went around our land sticking arrows in anything that could get stuck by an arrow. Did you know that a 1955 40 horse Farmall tractor will take 6 rounds before it goes down? Tough sumbich.

That got boring, so being the 10 yr. old Dukes of Hazard fan that I was, I quickly advanced to taking strips of cut up T-shirt doused in chainsaw gas tied around the end and was sending flaming arrows all over the place. One summer afternoon, I was shooting flaming arrows into a large rotten oak stump in our backyard. I looked over under the carport and see a shiny brand new can of starting fluid (Ether). The light bulb went off in my head. I grabbed the can and set it on the stump. I thought that it would probably just spray out in a disappointing manner. Lets face it, to a 10 yr. old mouth-breather like myself, (Ether), really doesn't "sound" flammable. So, I went back into the house and got a 1 pound can of Pyrodex (black powder for muzzle loader rifles).

At this point, I set the can of ether on the stump and opened up the can of black powder. My intentions were to sprinkle a little bit around the (Ether) can but it all sorta dumped out on me. No biggie, a 1 lb. Pyrodex and 16 oz. (Ether) should make a loud pop, kinda like a firecracker you know? You know what? Screw that I'm going back in the house for the other can.

Yes, I got a second can of Pyrodex and dumped it too. Now we're cookin'.

I stepped back about 15 ft. and lit the 2 stroke arrow. I drew the nock to my cheek and took aim. As I released I heard a clunk as the arrow launched from my bow. In a slow motion time frame, I turned to see my dad getting out of the truck.. OH [censored]! He just got home from work. So help me God it took 10 minutes for that arrow to go from my bow to the can. My dad was walking towards me in slow motion with a [censored] look in his eyes. I turned back towards my target just in time to see the arrow pierce the starting fluid can right at the bottom. Right through the main pile of Pyrodex and into the can. Oh [censored].

When the shock wave hit it knocked me off my feet. I don't know if it was the actual compression wave that threw me back or just reflex jerk back from 235 fricking decibels of sound. I caught a half a millisecond glimpse of the violence during the initial explosion and I will tell you there was dust, grass, and bugs all hovering 1 ft. above the ground as far as I could see. It was like a little low to the ground layer of dust fog full of grasshoppers, spiders, and a worm or two.

The daylight turned purple. Let me repeat this... THE FRICKING DAYLIGHT TURNED PURPLE.

There was a big sweet gum tree out by the gate going into the pasture. Notice I said "was". That son-of-a-[censored] got up and ran off.

So here I am, on the ground blown completely out of my shoes with my thundercats T-Shirt shredded, my dad is on the other side of the carport having what I can only assume is a Vietnam flashback:

ECHO BRAVO CHARLIE YOU'RE BRINGIN' EM IN TOO CLOSE!! CEASE FIRE. DAMNIT CEASE FIRE!!!!!

His hat has blown off and is 30 ft. behind him in the driveway. All windows on the north side of the house are blown out and there is a slow rolling mushroom cloud about 2000 ft. over our backyard. There is a Honda 185s 3 wheeler parked on the other side of the yard and the fenders are drooped down and are now touching the tires.

I wish I knew what I said to my dad at this moment. I don't know - I know I said something. I couldn't hear. I couldn't hear inside my own head. I don't think he heard me either... not that it would really matter. I don't remember much from this point on. I said something, felt a sharp pain, and then woke up later. I felt a sharp pain, blacked out, woke later....repeat this process for an hour or so and you get the idea. I remember at one point my mom had to give me CPR. and Dad screaming "Bring him back to life so I can kill him again". Thanks Mom.

One thing is for sure... I never had to mow around that stump again, Mom had been bitching about that thing for years and dad never did anything about it. I stepped up to the plate and handled business.

Dad sold his muzzle loader a week or so later. I still have some sort of bone growth abnormality, either from the blast or the beating, or both.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, get your kids into archery. It's good discipline and will teach them skills they can use later on in life.

Author Unknown

Backyard Chicken Coop

2011-03-18T17:15:00.010-05:00

How many of you remember your grandparents or maybe even your parents keeping chickens for eggs and maybe even meat. I used to go out and gather fresh eggs from the nest for my grandmothers. I can remember my grandmothers going out to butcher chickens on Saturday to fix for Sunday lunch after church. Yeah I know that was a long, long time ago in a land far away. Well believe it or not keeping chickens for eggs and even meat is again becoming the in thing all over the country. Many towns and municipalities are passing laws and ordinances to allow the keeping of small chicken flocks. In our area you can have up to five laying hens but no roosters to wake the neighbors up at 4:30 in the morning. Many families have gone to keeping chickens so that they can have eggs and meat without all the drugs and chemicals that are in many of the commercial eggs supplied today. My wife and I have talked about getting chickens several times but never really decided to really do so until just the other day.

I spent more days than I thought it would take digging up old fence posts in concrete and tearing down a falling down twenty year old privacy fence. Without the help of my wife I would still be out there working on that blasted old fence. We have a lot of sore muscles and two destroyed come-alongs to prove our labors. Anyway the new fence is up and looks pretty good, if I say so myself. We had planned on saving the old fence pickets to put on a wall in a room in a barn or house we plan to build in the future. Upon examination the pickets were to far gone to use much but about the four foot in the middle out of them. Thus the home built chicken coop was devised.

I wanted an Amish Style Saltbox Chicken Coop but did not want to spend between $1,000 and $2,000.00 on a pre-built coop. I also knew I could not have something real large in my backyard so I started looking for some plans to build a small one. I needed it to be portable and small enough that I would not need a building permit nor did I want it to stick up over the privacy fence to bother my neighbors. Not that I would mind bothering my neighbors I just wanted to stay out of trouble. I could not find any plans but decided to go ahead and build one out of the pickets from the old fence along with the cut off pieces from the new privacy fence I had just finished building. This is what I ended up with from the pictures I had seen and the plans I had in my mind.

The fact that none of the leftover lumber was over 50 inches long pretty much dictated the size it would be. It is constructed of about 75% old fence pickets and left over cut offs from the new fence rails. I did have to buy 4 new cedar pickets to finish the door as I ran out of old pickets with 48 inches of usable wood. Since I did not have any more long pickets to do the roof I just put corrugated metal on it. Not being a carpenter and only working on it part time it took me a while to build. Since I don't have any plans or drawings I am posting a build along of the coop in pictures. Hopefully the chickens will like it. Wild Ed

A Screech Owl box made from fence scraps

Teach Your Children Well About Where Meat Comes From

2011-03-16T10:28:00.005-05:00

My six year old grand daughter recently spent a couple of days with us and was following me in and out of the house while I worked in the backyard. I decided I would dress out some Coturnix Quail Cocks I had finished feeding out for the BBQ pit. While I was dressing the quail out my grand daughter came around the corner and caught me right in the middle of the act of skinning one. The look in her eyes told the story. She ran in the house and told her grandmother what I was doing and that she was very mad at me for killing the quail. My daughters were raised around the ranch and hunting so it was not a problem with their generation. My grand daughter has been raised in town and had not had agricultural livestock or hunting experiences involving harvest or killing of animals. When the quail were all dressed out and clean I had a talk with her and showed her the clean carcass and how it looked just like a little chicken her mother would buy at the store. I also explained how someone somewhere had to kill and dress out the chicken, beef and pork that her family brought home from the market. I told the story of how GOD gave man dominion over animals and that we used them so that we could live a better life. Her Grandmother and I also explained how it was our responsibility to harvest or kill all animals humanely so that they did not suffer. I wanted her to understand that we did not kill lightly and that was why we used as much of the animal for food as we possibly could.

Take the time to explain about meat to your children whether you are a hunter or not. Don’t let them grow up to be like that lady that wrote in to a hunting magazine wanting to know why anyone would hunt. She said hunters should buy their meat at the grocery store like other people, where no animals were harmed! Don’t let your children or grand children turn into one of those kind of people, Wild Ed

700 Pound Texas Gator Killed Outside Bastrop

2011-03-10T16:32:00.004-06:00

A near 700 pound alligator was found dead on Wilbarger Creek near Bastrop Texas. Poachers had shot the large gator that was almost 12 feet long out of season and were unable to get the monster out of the creek. The alligator was decaying when located by Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Wardens. The skin and meat were not salvageable. The skull will be used for education or placed in a museum. An alligator this large is very uncommon for this part of the state. Tips from Facebook postings about the shooting have resulted in a suspect that Texas Game Wardens plan to charge with the illegal killing this week.

You may wish to scroll to the bottom of the page and cut the sound for the music to listen to the video

Homemade Vanilla Extract

2011-03-09T08:53:00.002-06:00

Remember vanilla Cokes and Dr. Peppers, homemade vanilla ice cream and grandmother’s baked goods with real vanilla. My grandmother would make old time egg custards with real vanilla and cinnamon. I can smell it even as I type this today. I remember my family always brought back large bottles of vanilla whenever anyone went to mexico and gave them as gifts. I was always hoping I would receive one of those bottles at Christmas. Not long ago I was reading how real vanilla extract was made and came across some old recipes for making your own homemade vanilla extract. I was amazed to find out how simple the process is and how wonderful the flavor. I was also surprised to find out that most vanilla extracts are 35% alcohol or 70 proof. No wonder some of those old church ladies used so much vanilla extract!

Vanilla can be made from Bourbon, Vodka, Tequila, Brandy or Rum. There are only two ingredients, your favorite of the before mentioned liquors and vanilla beans. I prefer the mexican type of vanilla so I used clear Rum and mexican vanilla beans. I want to make some of the Southern style vanilla with bourbon in the near future. I bet it would be wonderful in custard or pecan pie. Here is the basic recipe and you can add a bean or two if you want it stronger or if you use too much of it up before the aging time is finished. It takes a couple of months to completely make but you can start using it in as little as two weeks. You can get your vanilla beans at some of the specialty grocery stores or do as we did and order them from Ebay.

Take two cups of Rum, Bourbon, Vodka or Tequila and place in a glass jar.

I use three vanilla beans for two cups of liquid and slice them length wise leaving about an inch at the top to hold them together and place in the liquid.

Try and let is sit for two months, at least two weeks before using.

I turn the bottle or shake it once in a while to facilitate the brewing. If you give the extract as a gift you may want to strain out the vanilla seeds and pieces. I find they add to the flavor of whatever I am making at the time so I leave them. Remember this has the same alcohol strength as whatever liquor you used to make it, so use responsibly. Try it and see if it is not the best vanilla extract you have ever tasted, Wild Ed

A Texas Gem at Colorado Bend

2011-02-26T21:07:00.007-06:00

I spent last Thursday and Friday on the Colorado River at Colorado Bend State Park, just west of Lampasas, where the Colorado River forms the border between San Saba and Lampasas counties. It is a beautiful State park in the Colorado River valley bounded by bottom lands and high scenic bluffs. The water runs in long winding pools and shallow, rock-strewn rapids. In places, beautiful waterfalls cascade to the river below. The park is famous for the spring white bass run. The white bass swim up river to spawn out of the depths of Lake Buchanan. Fisherman come from all over the State to fish for the white bass just as we were doing on this trip. We saw lots of wildlife on our trip including a ton of birdlife, feral goats, raccoons, deer, armadillos and a rookery of nesting Great Blue Herons. The purpose of this week’s blog was to tell you about the park and it is really a neat place to go camping, hiking, fishing and exploring. You can hike to Gorman Falls or explore the other trails and caves in the park for days. You can learn more about the park at

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/colorado_bend/

What I really saw this last week in the park was a place to enjoy friends and family. I saw people enjoying each other and sharing the experience of Colorado Bend. I was witness to a father taking the time to make memories with his very young daughter. He had the patience of Job and spent much of his fishing time helping his young daughter have a great experience even though I do not think this trip was exactly what she wanted to do. I ran into couples older than my wife and I that were still sharing the outdoor experience with each other. We saw some of the typical jerks you experience in such places as public parks but over and over I witnessed people sharing the outdoors and offering help and advice to those around them. Take time to take someone you care about into the wild and share the experience of making memories. Colorado Bend is a great place to start, Wild Ed

Real Free Range Eggs

2011-02-21T12:10:00.006-06:00

Farm fresh egg vs commercial egg

How many of you have ever tasted a real egg. I am not talking about the eggs you buy at the grocery store even if they say cage free, organic or whatever label they put on them. I am talking about real farm fresh free range eggs. Eggs from chickens that roam around on pasture eating natural foods like bugs, grasshoppers, worms, greens and such with maybe some grain supplemental food. The yolks of these eggs are not flat and yellow but stand up firm and have a fresh orange color to them. They make wonderful omelets and bakery goods. A couple sunny side up make a great breakfast and the taste is so much better than what we get from commercial layers. It has been some twenty five years since we had our own free range chickens, but I am looking forward to having them again. I still stop and buy free range eggs from chicken farmers every now and then just to enjoy them again. Many local farmers markets have someone that sells real free range eggs and they are worth the money.

With the turn in the economy and everyone going back to green living many towns and municipalities are again allowing residents to have backyard chickens. You might check your area and see if you could have them. A small coop with 3-4 laying hens or even bantams could supply your egg needs and they would not be laced with antibiotics and chemicals. Get out and find a source for some real eggs and see if you agree that they just taste better, Wild Ed

Brazos Boat Works Custom River Boats, Canoes and Kayaks

2011-02-16T16:06:00.007-06:00

Two buddies and I recently left early one Saturday morning and made a trip to Gatesville, Texas to spend the day learning boat building techniques from master boat builder Gerald Kennedy, owner of Brazos Boat Works. Gerald had designed and drawn the plans for a 16 foot five panel boat called the Challenger. He guided us through laying out the drawing of the plans on marine plywood, then cutting out the pieces and stitching them together with small gauge wire.

You may follow along on the build at the following link.

http://texaspaddler.com/wordpress/bbw-forum/brazos-boat-works-forum-group3/bbw-projects-forum2/bbw-project-boat-challenger-thread17/

Gerald has all sorts of custom boats and plans for sale and even some free boat plans. You can join his forum and talk with others that paddle some of Gerald’ custom boats or have built some of his designs. Feel free to drop in and look around at the Brazos Boat Works Website. It is pretty amazing, Wild Ed

http://texaspaddler.com/wordpress/brazos-boat-works/

THE FEED MILL GATESVILLE, TEXAS
PS: I always try to let my readers know when I run across a good place to eat as I travel across this great State. Saturday we went to one of Gerald’s favorite places in Gatesville. We paid for our meal just like you will have to do so I can say with all honesty that the food was first class. Hamburgers start at just $3.75, Chicken Fried Steak at $8.95 and the Rib-eye Steak on the lunch was $9.95 The Feed Mill is one of those hole in the wall out of the way places you will want to stop at every time you go through town. They also had Catfish and BBQ on the menu, but I will have to try it another time. The fresh battered onion rings were fantastic. The Feed Mill is located at 108 N. 6th Street in downtown Gatesville. Tell them Wild Ed sent you, like they will know who that is!

The Ranch House Ghost

2011-02-09T13:19:00.005-06:00

It was a miserable, bitter cold night along the Colorado River in San Saba County. The wind was howling when my wife and I drove up and parked in front of the old wooden house on top of a hill overlooking the river valley. It was pitch black and not a star was visible due to the Arctic blast that had blown down into the Texas Hill Country. I turned my back to the cold and quickly worked to turn the key in the old lock, get into the house and turn on a light. While my wife was getting her things from the car I rushed into the house and lit a couple of old gas heaters to try and take some of the chill off before we went to bed. We had driven several hours in the dark after work and needed to rise early as we were going deer hunting the next morning.

The old pier and beam ranch house had been home to several generations and told its age by moaning and creaking in the howling winter wind. We piled on the quilts and hurried to bed snuggling to stay warm. I had drifted off into that semiconscious state just before sleep when I heard someone walking across the wood floor in the back of the house. I at first thought my wife had gotten up to get something but as I instinctively reached back I felt her next to me. She also had been awakened by the sound of footsteps. As the footsteps got closer to our room I jumped up in the dark and felt for my bag to retrieve my Colt 1911 .45. I slipped quietly over to the door and felt for the light switch. Light filled the room as I flipped the switch and the footsteps moved to the other end of the house. I jerked open the door and ran into the next room ready to confront an intruder and found nothing. My wife and I then went room to room searching the house looking for an intruder. I checked to make sure all the exterior doors were latched and went back to bed, this time with the pistol and a flashlight by my side.

I had a hard time going back to sleep and lay listening to the moaning and groaning of the old house trying to hear any sound out of place. I finally drifted off to sleep from exhaustion. Something made me sit straight up in bed and I again heard the sound of footsteps walking through the old house. This time they were headed straight towards the bedroom where we lay listening. I picked up the Colt and lay in wait. The sound of steps actually came right into our bedroom yet I heard no sound of a door opening in the dark. I turned on a flashlight expecting to confront the intruder but found the room empty. I leaped to the floor, flipped on the light switch and heard the sound of footsteps running through the house. I was freaking out as I chased the sound through the house. I could hear the sound of footsteps but saw no one. The old house was about 120 feet long so try to imagine what was going through my mind as I ran through the house in the dark with my flashlight and pistol in hand. I could hear every step on the cold wood floor yet no one was there. I ran to the end of the house into a sun room that was mostly glass and had an exterior door that went out into a side yard. I threw on the outside light just in time to see a big Armadillo come running out from under the old house.

The house was built on pier and beam at about 24 inch centers. The old wood floor was nailed directly to the solid beams so any sound was amplified right into the old house. The armadillo roaming around under the old house was hitting his back on the bottom of the beams as he moved under the house making the footstep sounds every 24 inches. When I jumped on the floor the sound must have scared the armadillo and it ran to the other end of the house making the running sounds. As I ran chasing the sound, the armadillo ran faster all the way through the house until it got away from the stomping sounds on the floor above. We had found our intruder. I never did sleep well in that old house again, Wild Ed

Quick and Easy Banana Nut Bread

2011-02-07T07:16:00.018-06:00

It seems like we have a banana in every bunch we buy that gets over ripe before we use it. I used to put them in the freezer until I had two or three and then make a banana bread, banana pancakes or banana cake from scratch and try to use the ripe bananas so as to not be wasteful. In a hurry one day I grabbed a plain white cake mix out of the pantry and instead of following the directions I mashed up 2 ripe bananas, put in three eggs and a 1/3 cup of oil. I stirred in the cake mix and started to add the water called for on the box, but when I looked at the bowl the density looked just right for banana bread. I have since made some with the water and it makes a light cake but we like the denser bread type product that is produced by not using the liquid called for in the directions.

Next I chopped up some pecans, poured in a little vanilla and stirred it all together. I then poured it into greased loaf pans and turned out some of the best banana nut bread we ever tasted. I have since used yellow cake mix, strawberry cake mix and pineapple cake mix instead of the plain white. Each taste a little different, my favorite is the strawberry cake mix banana bread with pecans and chopped dates. Everyone that tastes this asks what it is and then wants to know where to get it or how to make it. These also come out wonderful baked in individual mini loaves or muffins. I just bought some fresh blueberries to try in the next batch.

Here are the basic ingredients and you can change them or add whatever you like.

1 box cake mix (I use whatever house brand is at the store where I buy groceries)

2 ripe bananas (mashed)

3 eggs

1/3 cup of oil (butter tastes wonderful, but I usually use olive oil)

½ to 1 cup of nuts ( I like pecans or walnuts)

1/3 to ½ cup of chopped fruit or dates

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Just dump everything in a big bowl and stir it up until mixed thoroughly. Pour into greased pans. I just spray mine with olive oil spray. Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean and the bread is a rich golden color. Cool and remove from pans.

I just found an over ripe pear in the crisper, guess what is going in one of these tasty breads next. Enjoy, Wild Ed

Remember to click on comments below to leave a comment or read the comments from other readers

Tasco Varmint & Target 2.5-10X 42mm Riflescope

2011-02-03T14:34:00.011-06:00

Getting ready for a prairie dog hunting trip to New Mexico I had assembled a little Ruger rimfire rifle with a new Green Mountain barrel in 17Mk2. I was anxious to try out the new barrel and this little cartridge for prairie dogs under 100 yards. I did not want to put a cheap rimfire scope on the rifle and really needed an adjustable objective and a mil-dot reticle to handle the wind, distance and parallax problems that come with shooting on the prairies of New Mexico. I just could not justify nor afford to put a Leopold or Nikon on the little rifle. I stopped in at my local Academy Sports store to see what they had available and saw a Tasco on the shelf that was called the Varmint & Target 2.5-10 Variable. It looked the part and had a little prairie dog etched on the side of the scope. I know, what difference does that make, but I am a sucker for signs and omens. I looked the scope over and decided to check out the reviews online before I took a cheaper scope on a hunting trip, as you usually get what you pay for in most cases. I went to Cabelas website reviews to check out the scope and was really surprised at the reviews. There were a couple of not so good reviews but a boat load of 5 star ratings. I have found that even some of the high dollar scopes seem to always have a few bad reviews. It seems as if you can buy a lemon from anyone these days.

By the way Cabelas and Bass Pro reviews on their websites are great places to see what others think of gear and equipment before you lay out your hard earned cash for them.

The retail price of the scope was $96.99 so it was offering a lot for under 100 dollars at 2.5-10 power, Adjustable Objective, a true mil-dot reticle and a lifetime warranty. I was even more surprised when I found out the price at Academy was only $69.99 including the image of the little prairie dog on the side of the scope. To make a long story short I bought the scope and mounted it on my .17MK2 for the trip. I shot it for 4 days and it performed just like my high dollar scopes that I had on my .223 and my .243 rifles. I took over 200 prairie dogs on that trip with that rifle and scope combination and later moved the scope to an AR-15 that I bounce around in the truck and use for predators. I did not want to beat up one of my high dollar scopes on that rifle. It has performed flawlessly for hundreds of shots and just keeps on going. No, it is not as clear or bright as my Nikon, Leopold, Simmons or Weaver scopes but none of the predators, hogs, varmints or deer that have fallen to that little .223 could tell that they were shot with a less expensive scope. I just ordered another one for an airgun to see how it performs on it. I found them for $59.99 including free shipping in the USA. That is a lot of bang for not many bucks in this shooter’s mind. Here is a link if you need an inexpensive scope that has worked well for me.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/328858-REG/Tasco_VAR251042M_2_5_10x42_Target_Varmint.html/BI/4851/KBID/5370%22%3E/BI/4851/KBID/5370

Don't just take my word for it, go to the Internet and Goggle reviews for the scope. Check out Cabelas, Bass Pro and any other outdoor review sites and see what others say about the scope. Then you can make up your own mind. I try to tell you about the bargains I find that are worth the money or not. So far this one is a winner.

The prairie dog on the side of the scope is free with purchase, Wild Ed

2.5-10x42mm, Adjustable Objective, Varmint Matte Finish, True Mil- dot reticle
Lifetime Warranty

Specifications
• Magnification: 2.5-10x
• Field-of-View: 35-9ft. at 100 yards
• Exit Pupil: 16.8mm at 2.5x / 42.mm at 10x
• Lens Coating: SuperCon/multi-layered, fully coated
• Focus Type: Eyeball
• Parallax Setting: 10 ft to infinity
• Objective Lens Diameter: 21mm
• Eye Relief: 3in.
• Reticle Type: True Mil-Dot
• Windage/Elevation: 1/4 M.O.A. Glove-Grip Turrets
• Tube DIA: 1in.
• Weight: 19.1 oz.
• Length: 14in.
• Finish: Black Matte.

Determine a Turkey's Age by its Spurs | The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles

2011-02-02T19:29:00.001-06:00

Stop by my buddy Albert's page and check out this article.

Determine a Turkey's Age by its Spurs The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles