Deer Hunting Annual

| 1 LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS ✯ Deer Hunting Texas Annual 2011

CABELA’S page 4

YAMAHA page 6

DEER HUNTING CHANCESpage 9

BOBCATpage 10

AVERY OUTDOORSpage 12

REALTREEpage 14

WINCHESTERpage 16

SUNRISE-SUNSETpage 18

GREYSTONE CASTLEpage 20

FOR THE TABLEpage 26

NIKON SPORT OPTICSpage 27

2011-2012 SEASON DATESpage 27

2 | LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS ✯ Deer Hunting Texas Annual 2011


Use to sight yourrifl escope

Name:_______________________________ Rifl e:__________________________________

Date:________________________________ Load:__________________________________


Hunting the EdwardsPlateau with the Rafter W

Cabela’s introduces new hunting gear

C abela’s product managers are excited to offer four new gear options for 2012. Each is designed to stand up to the demands of serious hunters.

MT050 Pro Gore-Tex Rainwear For this raingear, a brushed MT050 polyester shell,

Gore-Tex laminate and super-slick polyester lining are bonded into one ultra-tough layer without compromising the 100-percent waterproof and breathable performance.

Eliminating movement between the layers increases durability and reduces noise.

This series includes a jacket, pants and bibs. The jacket features tapered, articulated sleeves with adjust-able cuffs, armpit zippers, two front pockets, two verti-cal chest pockets and a pocket on the left arm, and a four-piece, quick-set adjustable hood.

The pants have an integrated elastic waist, gusseted crotch, articulated knees, two front pockets, two thigh pockets and two back pockets, and leg zippers that extend above the knees for easy on and off. The bibs include adjustable H-style elastic suspenders with quick-release buckles, integrated elastic waist, gus-seted crotch, articulated knees, two chest pockets, two front pockets, two thigh pockets and two back pockets, and leg zippers above the knees.

Alaskan Guide Incline WindStopper SeriesCabela’s Alaskan Guide Incline collection is con-

structed with windproof, breathable WindStopper fabric between a quiet, abrasion-resistant outer layer and a warmth-trapping, grid-fl eece lining.

The jacket features tapered sleeves with adjustable cuffs, two chest pockets and two side pockets with easy-pull zippered openings, fully taped outside seams, and a draw-cord hood and hem.

The vest has two chest pockets, two side pockets and a draw-cord hem. The pants have knee-length leg zip-pers with snap-close storm fl aps, and zippered side, hip and back pockets.

E.C.W.C.S. Thermal Zone Base LayersCabela’s developed the Thermal Zone Polartec Power

Dry Base Layer System to enhance its Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (E.C.W.C.S.) program.

Thermal Zone combines all three E.C.W.C.S. fabric weights in one garment. The weights are strategically located to provide the ultimate in thermal regulation. The heaviest Polar Weight is used in core and exposed ar-eas to provide optimal heat retention for the most critical zones.

The Mid-Weight fabric is em-ployed in less critical areas that still receive substantial expo-sure. The lightest Tech Weight is located in high-heat-output areas that are prone to exces-sive perspiration.

Thermal-regulating dual-surface Polartec Power Dry wicks moisture to the surface for quick-drying action. Its anti-microbial treatment keeps gar-ments fresher between washes.

Crew and 1/4-Zip Mock T-Neck tops have a drop tail and thumbholes. Bottoms have an elastic waistband and functional fl y.

Cabela’s Ultralight Hunter Boots by MeindlHunt with confi dence in the ultralight, all-terrain

stability and broken-in fl exibility of Meindl’s most revolutionary hunting boots.

Sound-deadening outsoles match rigid outer treads with a cushioned middle section for the ultimate combi-nation of stability and stealth. Full-grain nubuck leather and mesh uppers decrease weight to an absolute minimum without compromising durability. An innova-tive tongue design and reinforced, fl exible laces, called Hunter’s nocks, in the middle of the boots promote fl exibility.

Other features include: triple-stitched lower section, waterproof, breathable Gore-Tex linings, Air-Active footbeds and shock-absorb-ing EVA midsoles with stability-enhancing TPU shanks. Available uninsulated or with 400- or 800-gram Thinsulate Insulation.

Cabela’swww.Cabelas.com800.626.6074

I t seemed weird leaving for a West Texas deer rifl e hunt on Sept. 30. But when LSON purchased the

management buck donated by Rafter W Ranches to the Dallas Safari Club at last January’s con-vention, a view of calendars left that weekend the best choice for David Sams as the guest and me as the shooter.

“It’s going to be hot,” owner Jack Wardlaw said. “Bring your shorts.”

The dates turned out to be good choices when Jack called the offi ce.

“Do you mind shooting some culls?” he asked. “We have too many deer, as dry as it is. So, David, bring your gun.”

To us, it was a rhetorical question.

Rafter W Ranches near Sonora isn’t just big; it’s a huge expanse of Edwards Plateau property covering 22,000 acres, 6,000 of which is behind a high fence.

“The land has been in the family since the pioneer days,” Jack said.

A working goat and cattle ranch, the rocky hills dotted with oaks, cedars and cactus are an impres-sive sight, and one can see why the land is so good for goats.

The drought had one positive ef-fect as well, as many of the cedars were yellow.

“It saves me from having to bulldoze them out,” said Trey Wardlaw, who guides and works the ranch.

Opening day showed that the management efforts at the ranch were paying off, as many healthy

deer and turkeys were seen, including several bucks in the 160-170 range.

“The 200-class bucks haven’t come out yet,” Jack said.

After an hour or two without see-ing a good management buck, Trey said it was time to shoot.

“There’s a six-pointer with no brow tines, take him,” he said. And 30 minutes later, a four-pointer.

The deer were spooky each afternoon, and no management buck appeared, so two more four-pointers were removed.

David, hunting with guide Matt Hicks, photographed many deer in another blind and helped thin the herd of four more deer.

The lodge holds upwards of 10 hunters, but most weekends are only booked with fi ve or six. And Jack and his wife, Jessie, proved they also are good hands in the kitchen.

We hunted together with Trey on Sunday afternoon in the large, extremely clean and carpeted throughout Boss Blinds.

“What, do you guys drive around with a generator and a Shop-Vac to all of the blinds?” David asked the guide.

“Exactly,” Trey replied.And fi nally, the eight-pointer we

were looking for appeared.

Contact Jack Wardlaw at (325) 387-3085www.RafterWguidedhunts.com

Story by Craig Nyhus Lone Star Outdoor News

EARLY START!: Executive Editor Craig Nyhus gets ready for some early season hunting at a West Texas ranch enrolled in the Managed Lands Deer Permit program. Despite rocky terrain, the Edwards Plateau grows healthy deer like the buck Nyhus harvested. Photos by David J. Sams.

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Looking through Leica

O n the opening morning of deer season, I sat in a deer blind 10 feet above the ground below. I could hear

deer crunching corn that I had spread earlier in the darkness — but I couldn’t see anything until I eased my rifl e out of the window.

My left eye spied through the glass of my Leica scope and I could clearly see almost 30 deer. I dialed it up to 14 power and could still see them plain as day. Without the scope, I couldn’t see a thing.

As dawn approached, I kept looking and watching. The scope was attached to my new Rifl es, Inc. custom 7mm-08. I was more than impressed to say the least as these were the fi rst animals I had viewed through this incred-ible piece of glass.

How could the 42 mm optic let in so much light? It’s the quality of the glass.

Leica has always been known for good Ger-man glass. I have used their digital point-and-shoot cameras for years with great results.

The sun was now up and I watched as the 30 deer ran to the corn feeder when it fi nally went off. I started shooting photographs. My guide, Matt Hicks, was getting restless.

“Have you got enough pictures yet,” he asked. “Let’s do some shooting with that new gun.”

“Ok, let me shoot for fi ve more minutes, there is still good light,” I said.

I turned my attention back to the scope and rifl e. I checked the fi rst management buck with the

high power of the scope to make sure Hicks had not missed any hidden points and then dialed back the scope to six power. A trick I learned in South Africa, less shaking and seeing the reticle move equals better shot placement.

The fi rst bullet fl ew and took its target as I watched through the scope.

Five minutes later, another.And then more.At 125 yards, the clarity made checking the

antlers easy. “No brow tines, take him. Check that buck with the fuzzy antlers,” Hicks com-manded. “Take him too,” he added.

“OK, do you like that scope and rifl e now?” Hicks asked.

I replied positively.The Leica ER 3.5-14x42 is a fi ne optic for

any rifl e and will become a lifelong tool for hunting game all over the world, then passed on to the next generation.

Story by David J. Sams Lone Star Outdoor Newswww.Leica-SportOptics.com


Yamaha Outdoors chasing Texas

whitetails

Y amaha Outdoor’s Steve Nessl tagged this free-ranging nine-point whitetail

with a bow in Southwest Texas on Oct. 15. Nessl and Yamaha are no strangers to “… chasing North America’s most sought-after game animal — the whitetail deer…” as sponsors of the Yamaha Whitetail Diaries TV show, which is headquar-tered in the Lone Star state. Nessl has taken many an ATV and Rhino Side-by-Side vehicle over rough Texas terrain in pursuit of whitetail, aoudad and antelope.

“Yamaha is more involved in the world of hunting than any other ATV manufacturer, and I’m excited to be a part of the company’s com-mitment to the sport,” Nessl said. “South Texas has some hard hunt-

ing and rough off-roading. We use the ATVs and Rhinos to get into some tight spots where you likely wouldn’t want to take a truck.”

And hunting is not the only thing Yamaha is doing in the South these days. This spring the company announced that it is moving more ATV manufacturing from overseas to its factory in Georgia. Since May, all of Yamaha’s four-wheel-drive ATVs and Rhinos are now assembled in the U.S.A.

“The Rhinos have always come from our factory in Georgia, but starting this spring our big Grizzly 700s and 550s are assembled here too,” Nessl added. “This is a huge deal for us and for our custom-ers. U.S. production supports U.S. workers, and many of those guys

in Georgia like to get out into the woods as well. We’re making sure we have tough, off-road capable vehicles, in part because we take them hunting too.”

In order to promote this new U.S. manufacturing, Yamaha is giving away one of the fi rst ever assem-bled-in-the-U.S.A. Grizzly 700 ATVs with Electric Power Steering. Yamaha is encouraging people to donate $5 for a chance to win this ATV, worth more than $9,000,

and it will donate all proceeds equally between the Honored American Veterans Afi eld (HAVA) and Feed the Children charities. Find out more and make a donation here: www.yamaha-motor.com/grizzlyfor-charity.

Yamahawww.Yamaha-Motor.com/

Outdoor

MADE IN THE U.S.A.: Steve Nessl of Yamaha Whitetail Diaries arrowed this buck Oct. 15 in Southwest Texas. Meanwhile, the company has had a busy year. This spring the company announced that it is moving more ATV manufacturing from overseas to its factory in Georgia. Photo by Yamaha.

The fi rst is always the best

I was 9 years old the fi rst time I came to the state of Texas for a deer hunt.

Ever since I can remember, I had read about the huge deer that lived in the famed brush country of South Texas. Getting ready for the hunt, I wore the cover off of a book in my father’s library about Texas deer hunting.

We traveled to San Antonio in late November and headed south to a ranch in Dimmit County.

I had killed several does in my home state of Florida, but never a buck. To say I was excited would an understatement. Visions of the type of buck I had been reading about fi lled my head as we drove through the front gate of the ranch.

I was too young to care about Boone and Crockett scores, whether or not the ranch fed their bucks protein or what the age struc-ture of the bucks on the ranch was like — I just wanted to see a buck!

The beginning of the hunt was surreal. After hunt-ing the post-rut in Florida during my childhood (the gun season started around Thanksgiving, but the rut begins in early October), I wasn’t used to seeing bucks walking around like all of the deer on this ranch. It was an eye-opening experience.

If my dad hadn’t been with me in the blind, I would have pulled the trigger on several of the bucks that stepped into the sendero to munch corn the fi rst hour.

After a couple of days of seeing an incred-ible amount of deer, my dad and I went to a blind on the third afternoon of the hunt. After sitting in the blind for about 30 minutes, we heard the truck coming back. The guide ran up to the blind and said he had seen a great buck that would be perfect for me just down the road.

After driving about fi ve minutes, we came to a cactus fl at and stopped the truck.

Being from Florida and never having hunted

during the pre-rut or rut, I wondered what the guide was thinking when he pulled a set of antlers from the truck before we walked to a mesquite bush and got ready. I was even more confused when he crashed the antlers to-gether and began rubbing them on the brush.

Within 30 seconds of the fi rst crack, a buck bounded out of the brush and stopped, staring at us from about 50 yards. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. We had made all sorts of noise and the buck had run out of the brush and was now staring at us. What the heck was going on?

I didn’t have much time to think about the situation, as the guide quickly told me that was the buck, and to use his shoulder as a rest.

I quickly positioned my .243 Winchester on his shoulder, found the buck’s vitals and squeezed off a shot.

The buck buckled but remained on his feet as he crashed through the thick stuff away from the cactus fl at.

We immediately followed for about 100 yards before fi nding the downed buck.

He was an old deer with several broken points and a broken main beam. I found out years later that my dad was upset with the guide for letting me shoot this buck, but I couldn’t have cared less.

To me, he was a great deer. And the way we rattled him up is still one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. This was before rattling was widely discussed, and if it was, it was dismissed as “only working in Texas.”

I learned a lot that day. I’ve since rattled up bucks in Florida, Michigan, Montana, Canada and Texas, but none were as exciting as that fi rst buck that opened my eyes to what calling deer is all about.

Story by Conor HarrisonLone Star Outdoor News



O ptically, ergonomically, aesthetically — Vortex Optics’ new Razor HD

binoculars offer the highest level of performance obtainable, earning them the fl agship position at the top of Vortex’s extensive selection of binoculars.

Premium, hand-selected HD (High Density) extra-low dispersion glass delivers the ultimate in resolution and color fi delity, resulting in astonish-ingly sharp, high-defi nition images. Lenses fully multicoated with Vortex’s proprietary XR antirefl ective coatings guarantee maximum brightness and glassing confi dence during critical low-light periods of dawn and dusk.

O-rings are sealed and purged with argon gas for 100 percent waterproof and fog-proof performance.

And, when it comes to packing value into optics, Vortex offers the new Talon HD binocular series. These open-hinge binoculars deliver the features and performance demanded by discriminating hunters, but at a midrange price.

Carefully selected High Density (HD) extra-low dispersion glass deliv-ers impressive clarity, resolution and color accuracy. External glass surfaces are protected with ArmorTek — an ultra-hard lens armor that is chemi-cally bonded to outer glass elements, providing a scratch-resistant, stain-proof surface. Dust, dirt and smudges are easily removed without fear of scratch-ing the optical glass beneath.

The rubber-armored magnesium chassis is rugged, lightweight and provides a secure, nonslip grip. Twist-up eyecups offer a range of eye-relief options for comfortable, customized viewing.

For shooting optics, Vortex has up-graded its popular Viper HS rifl escopes with an array of new features.

Built on tough 30mm one-piece machined aluminum tubes, these scopes deliver increased windage and elevation travel for optimal adjustment. A new optical system highlighted with a 4X zoom range provides magnifi cation versatility. The eye box with increased eye relief gets shooters on target quickly and easily — because shooting opportunities can be measured in fractions of seconds.

XD (extra-low dispersion) glass guarantees sharp, crisp images from edge to edge. Lenses with XR coatings ensure superior light transmission, allowing hunters to take advantage of every minute of legal shooting time. Exterior lenses feature ArmorTek. Shockproof construction withstands recoil and impact from every angle.

Vortex Optics unveils Razor,

Talon binoculars and Viper rifl escopes

Vortex-The Force of Opticswww.VortexOptics.com


Archery-only whitetails

N ot far south of Abilene is a ranch with high hills, canyons and rough terrain lined with oaks, cedars and mesquite.

And so far this season, more than 95 percent of the archers there have had an opportunity to take a Pope & Young white-tailed buck.

“It’s been a great season so far,” said Chad Davis, hunting manager.

Archers across the country are discover-ing the treasure known as Buffalo Mountain Hunts. And they keep coming back.

“Our customer rebooking rate is 90 per-cent,” Davis said.

For white-tailed deer, the ranch is archery-only at an affordable price — with no trophy fees. With 4,400 acres behind high fence, there is plenty of room.

The management plan at the ranch is work-ing, consisting of management of the existing herd supplemented with quality genetics.

“We’ve been bringing in quality genetics for fi ve years,” Davis said.

The year-round protein feeding, mineral place-ment and full water troughs are working, too.

“Our deer are very healthy — you can’t tell there was a drought from looking at our deer,” Davis said. “They are as fat as can be and most does have twins with them and a few have triplets.”

During the fi rst few weeks of the 2011 season, archers have taken bucks scoring 156 5/8, 140, several in the 130s and “lots in the 120s,” Davis said.

Ted Nugent was one of the archers, fi lming an

episode of Spirit in the Wild that will air soon.The attention to detail and family atmo-

sphere also set Buffalo Mountain Hunts apart, starting with the blinds, especially the ground blinds tucked into the cedars and oaks so tight that a non-hunter wouldn’t know they were there.

“We had a wind switch during the hunt the other day,” Davis said. “We told the hunter to go to the blind across the fi eld because of the wind. He couldn’t fi nd it.”

A new indoor archery range caters to experi-enced and novice archers, especially families, and bowhunting courses are being planned.

“We’ll spend whatever time it takes with a new or inexperienced bowhunter to get him or her comfortable,” Davis said.

If a shot is true but the deer is tough to fi nd, tracking dogs are a few minutes away without a surcharge.

“I have a 9-month-old blue lacy named Lacy who’s doing great — and a black lab named Shadow,” he said. “We just fi nished trailing one — we do everything we can to fi nd a deer.”

The clean and friendly lodge is a remod-eled old Army base dormitory set up with the bowhunter in mind, and the remodeled kitchen provides great food and a spot for storytelling as well as eating.

“We want to be family-oriented and provide service like no other archery-only ranch,” Davis said. “And the opportunity to take a big buck is defi nitely here.”

Buffalo Mountain Hunts offers

4,400 acres of bowhunter’s gold

Buffalo Mountain Huntswww.BuffaloMountainHunts.com

325.846.4800

NORTH TEXASTom Malouf, Malouf Trophy Whitetails (469) 222-2778 Anthony Campagna, 3 Amigos Ranch (214) 212-9292 Mike Ward, Rio Rojo Rancho (903) 674-3750 Chris Scheel, Wildpoint Whitetails (979) 922-4225 WEST TEXASChad Davis, Buffalo Mountain Hunts (325) 669-0592

CENTRAL TEXASRobby Robinson (325) 446-3165 Zane Holland (325) 446-2047 Umbrella Ranching (325) 456-0130 Joe Parker (830) 864-4628 Bill Kirschner, North Mills Ranch (830) 640-3423 Corporate Lease (940) 683-1919 Jason Whitworth, Double Diamond Ranch (325) 446-8535 Tom Vandiver, Llano Springs Ranch (512) 615-3552 Stone Ledge Ranch (210) 342-6250 Lindsay Davis Ranch (210) 222-1030 High Lonesome Ranch (979) 263-4143 Rio Bonito Ranch (800) 864-4303 GLE Ranch (325) 475-3492 Charles McGuire (325) 446-2277 Ward Whitworth (210) 215-7790 Wayne Sims, Estes Ranch (817) 448-9110 Richard Cowie (830) 864-4587 Clint Smith Jr., Rafter O Ranch (325) 446-3757 Mudge Ranch (830) 459-7409 Ivy Ranch (361) 648-2922 Kurt Wiseman, Escondido Ranch (713) 978-7631 Robbins Ranch (325) 446-3015 Davis Bros. Ranch (210) 222-1030 Tim Cowden (830) 640-3381 Ranch Branch Ranch (830) 981-4225 Maynard Ranch (512) 477-7774 R & R Ranch (210) 380-7933 Gene Bradford (832) 309-2238 Treye Ransier, Threadgill Ranches (512) 517-9259 Michael Clark, Rafter C Outfi tters (281) 491-0606

SOUTH TEXASValerie Hernandez, Double H Outfi tters (210) 669-6135. Kelly Carroll, Texas Star Ranch (210) 288-1833 JD Cox, Cox Country Hunting Ranch (830) 563-2658 Allen Rogers, Triple-R-Ranch (713) 907-2860

DEER HUNTING CHANCES


Bobcat’s 3400 4x4 has power, accessories for work and play

T he hard-working Bobcat 3400 4x4 utility vehicle is ideal if you’re looking for a

tool to serve your light-duty needs, and it offers many advantages over all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), pickup trucks and other types of equipment.

Standard on all 4x4 gas models, the electronic fuel-injection system provides reliable starting in colder weather, more responsiveness and better performance at low RPMs. In addition, extra horsepower and a top speed of 30 mph gives you a quicker machine with increased payload capacity — up to 1,850 pounds — that helps maximize productivity. An optional speed kit increases the maximum speed to 35 mph.

Drive mode selection enables you to match the drive mode to conditions around you. Turf mode, or open rear

differential, allows the wheels to turn at different speeds, resulting in minimal ground disturbance as you turn. Two-wheel drive, or locked rear differential, provides equal torque to both rear wheels for better traction. Four-wheel drive is optimized to send torque to every wheel. If the rear wheels start to lose traction, the front wheels engage to power you through the slippery terrain.

Bobcat’s easy-to-maintain utility vehicles feature machine protection that keep components from getting damaged and slowing you down, whether you’re working hard or enjoy-ing your off-time. Adjustable suspen-sion allows the operator to change the spring load tension to provide more or less stability. Two shock-mounting locations enable them to be mounted straight up and down or at an angle for more stability.

If you want to outfi t the Bobcat

utility vehicle for your specifi c tasks, the integrated accessory system is ready and waiting. Built into the car-go box, this handy function accepts a variety of optional, easy-to-secure accessories: a tool holder, cargo box divider, cargo box wall extensions and other job-matched add-ons like the chainsaw mount. Numerous custom-ization options, including additional accessories such as gun scabbards, tool racks and more enable you to tailor your machine for specifi c jobs.

New features for 2012 include tilt steering, power steering and kits to increase the top performance speed of the machine to help you complete jobs comfortably and effi ciently.

Bobcatwww.Bobcat.com/new-utv

877.505.3580



Avery BuckBrush camo suited for wooded duck

pond, deer pasture

I f you can fool a turkey, you ought to be able to fool a deer.

That’s the logic of Dallas Branch of the Avery Outdoors Pro Staff.

Branch, a Dallas architect, spends his days designing buildings to be built across the globe. But as often as he can, he’s out in the rural areas of Oklahoma and Texas, hunting.

As a pro staffer for Avery, the nation’s leading maker of waterfowl hunting accessories, Branch isn’t just after ducks and geese.

That’s why he wears Avery’s BuckBrush camoufl age pattern while hunting waterfowl, turkey and deer.

“Defi nitely, I think you could use it just about everywhere,” he said.

BuckBrush was fi rst developed for waterfowlers set up in timber near

ponds and creeks.The company has also rolled out

other patterns: KW-1 (KillerWeed), developed to hide ground blinds in harvested fi elds; and MarshGrass, patterned after narrow leaf cattails, tules and fl ooded corn.

Dark-hued BuckBrush, however, has infl uences of tree bark, which is effective for all sorts of hunting, Branch said.

It was primarily designed from a duck’s view — while it’s airborne.

According to Avery, “A combina-tion of blurred and in-focus brush over a slightly darker background produces the most effective depth and neutral tone ‘woods’ waterfowl pattern ever created.”

“It seemed to be the most versatile to fi tting into mesquite and sage-brush areas,” Branch said. “I shot

turkey 10 to 15 yards away without them ever being able to see me.

“Turkeys have better eyesight than deer. If you can fool a turkey just with that, you’ll defi nitely fool a deer.”

Avery Outdoorswww.AveryOutdoors.com

800.333.5119

T ruth is, most knives don’t even come from the factory with the same angle on both sides because they are

sharpened by hand on machines. This is the most common mistake when

sharpening with a stone or any guided system that only sharpens one side at a time.

Guided sharpening systems that have preset angle adjustments still require equal pressure on both sides to achieve the edge. This explains why most guided sharpening systems are only as good as the amount of pressure the user applies.

Also, fi xed-angle sharpeners, like ceramic sticks, rely on the user to hold the knife at a consistent angle while trying to apply the same pressure throughout the stroke. These ceramic sticks don’t take off enough material to create an edge despite how much pressure the user applies.

Pressure Actually, angle is only 20 percent of the

sharpening dynamic and is determined by blade use. Pocket and hunting knives get a wide bevel of 22-30 degrees for durability, while thin-bladed fi llet knives require nar-rower bevels — 15-20 degrees — for cutting soft material like fl esh and meat.

Sharpening surface is 10 percent of the dynamic. How rough or smooth it is deter-mines how much pressure you want to apply. Diamond sharpeners require less pressure due to the aggressiveness of the diamonds, while stones might require a little more pres-sure depending on how dull the knife is.

Which leads us to the true TRICK of sharp-ening — PRESSURE.

It is the pressure that one applies that is really removing material in order to achieve “the edge,” thus making pressure 70 percent

of the sharpening dynamic.You can sharpen at the same angle on

both sides, but if you are not applying the same amount of pressure to both sides, you will either take off too little material needed to reach “the edge” or too much pressure, which produces a “rolled or burred edge.”

Please note: A knife will only stay as sharp as the metal that holds the edge. Hard steel blades — pocketknives or hunting knives — stay sharper longer, while soft steel kitchen knives dull more quickly. The harder the steel is, the longer the edge will hold. This is why cooks are always sharpening their knives; soft steel dulls quickly, but also re-sharpens more quickly.

Regardless of what knife you are sharpen-ing, you must apply consistent pressure, while holding a constant angle throughout the entire stroke.

This is an almost impossible task due to the inability to hold your angle and apply the same pressure while holding that angle. This is why sharpening stones are considered to be “diffi cult” and time-consuming.

But a sharpening device or technique that allows a constant angle, combined with con-sistent pressure on any sharpening surface, will result in a sharp edge.

Shaving sharp vs. cutting sharpWhy is it that everyone wants to sharpen

their pocketknives until they shave the hair on their arms? That knife was made for cut-ting, not shaving. Most pocketknives have a wide bevel at a 22-30 degree angle, which means they will stay sharper, longer due to the amount of metal supporting the edge.

Thin blades like fi llet knives have narrow bevels (15-20 degrees) because they are intended to cut through soft materials like fl esh or meat. A cutting edge, examined under a microscope, has a toothy, microfi ne serrated

edge. This is the edge you want for cutting through meats, vegetables, rope and skin, regardless of angle. It is the microfi ne serrated edge that is actually doing the cutting for you.

A shaving edge has a very smooth edge with no serrations, and although it shaves the hair on your arm, it begins to dull as soon as you start using it, due to the fi neness of the edge. Also, the edge that shaves hair is too smooth of an edge to cut through a tomato skin or plastic bailing twine. It is the rough-ness of the edge that slices through the skin of a tomato, and it is the roughness of the edge that cuts through rope or twine.

So when someone says their axe can shave the hair on their arm, it’s important to remember that no axe was ever intended to shave. It was meant to CHOP and that requires both a wide bevel for durability and a rough, toothy edge for breaking through the woody fi bers.

The thumbnail testThe thumbnail test is the best way to de-

termine if you have achieved an edge. If you can place your blade edge on your thumbnail and it sticks, you have a cutting edge. Test several spots on your edge from the back of the blade to the tip by lightly setting the blade on your thumbnail. If the knife slips off your thumbnail in a particular spot, the edge has not been achieved.

Hopefully these tips will save you time, energy and frustration regardless of how you are sharpening and what you are sharpening.

Story by Jonathan WestWarthog Sharpeners

www.V-Sharp.com877.719.0123

Everyone thinks that ANGLEis the key to sharpening



Realtree founder’s

biggest Texas whitetail scored

183 B&C

H aving established the most wildly popular camoufl age pattern today, Bill Jordan was bound to make friends in Texas.

Which is what brought Realtree’s designer and president to the historic Halff Brothers Ranch near Pearsall in Frio County.

The South Texas cattle ranch, now more than a century old, is fi rst-rate white-tailed deer habitat, combining rugged brush country with forested bottomlands along the Frio River.

This year the ranch was among recipients of the Lone Star Land Steward Award presented by the Texas Parks and Wild-life Department and the Sand County Foundation.

The ranch was praised for its brush control, improvements for bobwhite quail and turkey habitat, and for adding watering systems for all wildlife.

The family is no longer outfi tting the ranch for deer, but in 2004, Bill Jordan had the opportunity to hunt the ranch’s outstanding whitetail bucks.

One deer was a mature buck with a narrow inside spread. Its left side was tall fork, and the other side had fi ve points, including a kicker, twisting in different directions.

This deer, Bill said, was considered a management buck, but that didn’t matter to him. He was excited for the chance to stretch his bow on “a big old blocky big deer.”

The buck came into a forested area, following a spike. Bill’s arrow struck the target perfectly and made a complete pass through. The deer trotted about 40 yards and dropped.

“I am so pumped,” Bill exclaimed. “We’ve seen that deer a time or two and we’ve been trying to shoot him. He needs to come out of the herd.

“But he’s a trophy nonetheless.”That’s not the only adventure Bill had on the Halff Brothers Ranch.Guide Dennis Traylor spotted a big-racked buck from a

ground blind overlooking a fi eld. Later he set up some Strong-

built ladder stands and Bill climbed into one.It was windy and overcast, but Bill wore a fl eece jacket cov-

ered with Realtree camo, same as his Thompson Center rifl e.“I know we’re in a good spot,” he said.A little buck entered the fi eld, and so did a coyote. But

then came a much bigger buck, which appeared to be about eight points.

“Uh oh, there’s our big deer,” Bill said, although it was a long way off. “I don’t think he is going anywhere. I think he’s commit-ted to the fi eld.”

But light was fading.“I need to go,” Bill said, aiming his rifl e. “It’s now or never.”It was dark by the time Bill caught up with the downed

trophy, and he soon saw it was not just an eight-pointer. It actually had 18 points.

The fi nal score: 183 B&C. It is Bill Jordan’s largest Texas whitetail so far.

“I did not know this deer had all this stuff on him,” Bill said of all the extra points. “That’s where advance scouting pays off. Thanks to Dennis Traylor for knowing he was in that fi eld.”

Realtreewww.Realtree.com



Quite the management buck

J ason Gilbertson, Win-chester’s manager of mar-keting and communications,

had the chance to head to the South Texas brush country to shoot a management buck and didn’t pass it up.

“It was my fi rst opportunity to hunt whitetails in Texas,” he said.

Once in the blind looking out over the sendero, he got a taste of what he had heard about Texas whitetail hunting.

“It was late December, but it was really hot,” Gilbertson said. “We saw a tons of deer, but so many of them were too big — not manage-ment bucks.”

On the third day of hunting, Gilbertson and his guide saw a 10-pointer that fi t the bill, “but it just didn’t present me with a good shot,” he said.

That evening, the same buck ventured out into the sendero at 150 yards.

Gilbertson’s shot from his Win-

chester Model 70 .30-06 using Power Max Bonded Ammunition was true, and the buck was down 15 yards into the brush.

And quite the “management buck” it was, scoring 143 B&C.

Part of Gilbertson’s job is to share the benefi ts of the Power Max Bonded ammo, designed specifi cal-

ly for the white-tailed deer hunter.“It delivers maximum perfor-

mance,” he said. “We weld the lead core to the contoured copper alloy jacket.”

The bullet is a PHP — protected hollow point, “designed for long-range accuracy, maximum expan-sion and tremendous knock-down

power,” Gilbertson said. And, best of all, the Power Max

Bonded bullets are widely available at Winchester dealers for virtually all calibers used by whitetail hunters.

For hunters choosing ammunition for their whitetail hunt, Winchester offers its Ballistics Calculator, the most advanced ammo ballistics

calculator on the market. The calculator allows users to choose their ammo and compare up to fi ve different Winchester products with easy-to-read, high-tech ballistics charts and graphs.

Details on things like drop, drift and down-range performance allow the hunter to choose the best am-munition for the intended hunt and shoot with confi dence right out of the box.

The calculator is available at Winchester’s Web site, and also as a free Application for iPhone or iPad.

“The hunter can take it with him wherever he goes,” Gilbertson said.

For the Ballistics Calculator, click on the Learning Center to download the calculator or App.

Winchesterwww.Winchester.com

Winchester Power Max

Bonded ammo proves

its worth



Fast-track bucks

B ecause the economic and recreation-al value of a deer is directly related to antler size, modern whitetail man-

agement plans focus on producing superior trophy bucks as quickly as possible. Today’s hunting operations place extraordinary expectations on native deer production and intense trophy management means going way beyond the natural capability of wild genetics and nutrition.

Infusing concentrated genetics from breeder facilities into managed native herds quickly infl uences both aspects of antler development; net antler size is increased at peak and maturation time is shortened. “Peak” happens faster. Likewise, adding im-proved genetics to the wild herd after culling helps retain “local survivability” qualities of native populations while enhancing genetic traits for trophy production.

For many reasons, satisfactory results in superior antler production cannot be real-ized by simply adding big bucks to the gen-eral native population. It has become more

evident that does also contribute largely to antler development in buck fawns, not only through genetic propensity, but equiva-lently important maternal care values (like some cows consistently produce better calves). This void is best fi lled by releasing premium bred does from deer facilities to the wild herd in midwinter; then improved fawns are born in the new environment and select does will continue to build genetic quality with future breeding.

Historically, many managers chose Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s TTT (trap, transport, and transplant) to build their deer herds. In this program, white-tailed deer are trapped by safe and legal means (usually helicopter and net guns), and then released to pre-approved sites that have current wildlife management plans in place, CWD surveillance and adequate habitat. TTT release sites are inspected and current population census approved by a TPWD biologist. There is a $750 applica-tion-processing fee per release site. Biggest negatives are diffi culty with site approval and dealing with the unknown genetics of trapped deer.

The Deer Breeders Corporation (DBC) has a new program that will make selected white-tailed deer with enhanced genetics available to satisfy management require-ments. The “Alternative TTT Program” pro-vides managers with stocker doe packages that come from licensed breeding facilities. To release deer that have been purchased from a breeding facility, a facility ID will have to be granted by TPWD for the release site. This service is free and maintains a user-friendly reputation.

Deer Breeders Corp.www.DBCdeer.com866.972.5001

Sunrise-SunsetSunrise-SunsetOct 2011 to Jan 2012

OctoberOctober NovemberNovember DecemberDecember JanuaryJanuaryDate-Day Rise Set Date-Day Rise Set Date-Day Rise Set Date-Day Rise Set1 Sat 7:19 7:122 Sun 7:20 7:11 3 Mon 7:20 7:104 Tue 7:21 7:085 Wed 7:22 7:076 Thu 7:22 7:06 7 Fri 7:23 7:048 Sat 7:24 7:039 Sun 7:25 7:0210 Mon 7:25 7:0011 Tue 7:26 6:5912 Wed 7:27 6:5813 Thu 7:27 6:5714 Fri 7:28 6:5615 Sat 7:29 6:5416 Sun 7:30 6:53 17 Mon 7:30 6:5218 Tue 7:31 6:5119 Wed 7:32 6:5020 Thu 7:33 6:4821 Fri 7:34 6:4722 Sat 7:34 6:4623 Sun 7:35 6:4524 Mon 7:36 6:4425 Tue 7:37 6:4326 Wed 7:38 6:4227 Thu 7:39 6:4128 Fri 7:39 6:4029 Sat 7:40 6:3930 Sun 7:41 6:3831 Mon 7:42 6:37

1 Tue 7:43 6:362 Wed 7:44 6:353 Thu 7:45 6:344 Fri 7:46 6:335 Sat 7:47 6:326 Sun 6:47 6:327 Mon 6:48 5:318 Tue 6:49 5:309 Wed 6:50 5:2910 Thu 6:51 5:28 11 Fri 6:52 5:2812 Sat 6:53 5:27 13 Sun 6:54 5:26 14 Mon 6:55 5:2615 Tue 6:56 5:25 16 Wed 6:57 5:25 17 Thu 6:58 5:24 18 Fri 6:59 5:24 19 Sat 7:00 5:2320 Sun 7:01 5:2321 Mon 7:01 5:22 22 Tue 7:02 5:22 23 Wed 7:03 5:21 24 Thu 7:04 5:2125 Fri 7:05 5:2126 Sat 7:06 5:2027 Sun 7:07 5:20 28 Mon 7:08 5:2029 Tue 7:09 5:2030 Wed 7:10 5:19

1 Thu 7:10 5:19 2 Fri 7:11 5:19 3 Sat 7:12 5:19 4 Sun 7:13 5:195 Mon 7:14 5:196 Tue 7:15 5:197 Wed 7:15 5:198 Thu 7:16 5:199 Fri 7:17 5:1910 Sat 7:18 5:1911 Sun 7:18 5:2012 Mon 7:19 5:2013 Tue 7:20 5:2014 Wed 7:20 5:2015 Thu 7:21 5:2016 Fri 7:22 5:2117 Sat 7:22 5:2118 Sun 7:23 5:2119 Mon 7:24 5:2220 Tue 7:24 5:2221 Wed 7:25 5:2322 Thu 7:25 5:2323 Fri 7:26 5:2424 Sat 7:26 5:2425 Sun 7:26 5:2526 Mon 7:27 5:2527 Tue 7:27 5:2628 Wed 7:28 5:2629 Thu 7:28 5:2730 Fri 7:28 5:2831 Sat 7:28 5:28

1 Sun 7:29 5:29 2 Mon 7:29 5:303 Tue 7:29 5:314 Wed 7:29 5:315 Thu 7:29 5:326 Fri 7:29 5:337 Sat 7:29 5:348 Sun 7:30 5:349 Mon 7:30 5:3510 Tue 7:29 5:3611 Wed 7:29 5:3712 Thu 7:29 5:3813 Fri 7:29 5:3914 Sat 7:29 5:4015 Sun 7:29 5:41 16 Mon 7:29 5:4117 Tue 7:28 5:4218 Wed 7:28 5:4319 Thu 7:28 5:4420 Fri 7:28 5:4521 Sat 7:27 5:4622 Sun 7:27 5:423 Mon 7:26 5:4824 Tue 7:26 5:4925 Wed 7:26 5:5026 Thu 7:25 5:5127 Fri 7:25 5:5228 Sat 7:24 5:5329 Sun 7:23 5:5430 Mon 7:23 5:55 31 Tue 7:22 5:56

Times given above are for Dallas. For other locations, subtract 1 minute per 12 miles east of Dallas, and add 1 minute per 12 miles west of Dallas. The table below gives adjustments for some Texas cities. Information provided is the longitudinal distance from Dallas and the time adjustment for sunrise and sunset.

STOP POACHING: Call Operation Game Thief — 1-800-792-4263 (GAME)

Enhanced genetics improve herds



Greystone Castle: not just for wingshooters

S ince 1995, travelers on I-20 have been wondering what it is they see as they approach

the Thurber exit about 70 miles west of Fort Worth. They’ve noticed the big English-style castle that looms atop one of the majestic me-sas... but have still questioned what it is. However, for avid wingshoot-ers and sportsmen across Texas and the rest of the country — they know

it’s Greystone Castle Sporting Club. For over a decade, Greystone

Castle has been part of the Orvis family as one of their premier wing-shooting destinations. In fact, their name has become synonymous with quality in the hunting industry. Re-cently, at a ceremony in Key Largo, Fla., Greystone Castle was named the 2011-2012 Orvis Wingshooting Lodge of the Year.

Although wingshooting has

certainly been Greystone’s forte for many years now, one aspect of their management expertise that has sometimes been overlooked is their success in producing trophy white-tailed deer. Last year, their hunters harvested more than 25 trophy white-tails, including two in the top fi ve of the SCI Record Book. This success has continued this year with their hunters taking numerous deer over 150 inches, including three over 200

inches. With that type of success just in October, the remaining part of the season promises to be one for the record books.

And that’s what is so unique and compelling about Greystone Castle. It can be so many things to so many different sportsmen. To the upland gunner, large fi elds of sorghum, millet, and switch grass bring memories of great gun dogs, fl ushing pheasants, bobwhite covey rises, and days in the fi eld with friends. For the big game hunter, it’s more than 6,000 acres that offer some of the best whitetail hunting in the country and over 40 species of exotic game. For the clay shooter, it’s the great sporting clays and pyramid fi ve-stand courses that will test the best of shooters. And

for the avid an-gler, the trophy bass lakes pres-ent year-round opportunities for tight lines on largemouth and hybrid stripers.

What appeals to all visitors at Greystone are its top-of-the-line accommodations and gourmet meals. There are fi ve elegantly decorated suites capable of hosting more than 30 guests, a dining room complete with a full-time executive chef, spacious confer-ence facilities,

a swimming pool with hot tub, and just outside the castle walls, a sce-nic lookout affords a breathtaking view of the entire estate.

The ownership and staff have been dedicated to creating one of the fi nest sporting destinations found anywhere in the world. Long-term habitat improvement and wildlife management has made Greystone an extraordinary hunting destination. This coupled with the unique castle facility and outstanding customer service makes Greystone Castle a place without equal.

Greystone Castlewww.GreystoneCastle.com

254.672.5927



‘Big, wide typicals’

C hris Scheel has a simple breeding phi-losophy for the bucks

on his Wildpoint Whitetails ranch near Gainesville, Texas.

“We breed for big, wide typicals,” Scheel said. “We have a buck that is over 28 inches wide and we are put-ting a lot of his offspring on the ranch. We have multiple deer in the 160s and 170s.”

Located along the historical route of the Chisholm Trail, the ranch consists of the Red River breaks country with lots of trees and a ridge running down the center of the ranch.

Scheel only takes 12 hunters each season, ensur-ing the deer aren’t pressured and great bucks remain on the ranch after each season.

“We are a family-owned and operated business,” he said. “We don’t want fi ve or six hunters in camp at one time. My father and myself guide our clients personally. We don’t want anyone to feel like they have been run through a mill.”

When you take incredible hunting, personalized service and great, new accommoda-tions, it makes for a great hunting experience.

“Our lodge is only three years old, furnished re-ally nicely with couches and kitchen,” Scheel said. “Our

hunting is done out of blinds because the thick topography makes it diffi cult to spot-and-stalk. The meals are cooked by my mother, and most hunters have to turn away dessert because they are too full.”

Along with whitetails, the ranch also has numerous blackbuck over 20 inches and trophy axis.

The ranch offers free transportation to the DFW International Airport, which is about an hour away.

“We have openings this year in December,” Scheel said. “We are on the Man-

aged Lands Deer Permit pro-gram, so we can hunt with a rifl e from the beginning of October through the extend-ed season (into February).”

Along with rifl e hunts, hunters can choose to hunt with the weapon of their choice — bow, black powder or handgun.

“This is a one-on-one guid-ed hunt with no extra fees,” Scheel said. “The listed price is the price you pay.”

Wildpoint Whitetails puts hunters on Red River trophies

Wildpoint Whitetailswww.WildpointWhitetails.com

972.922.4225


Knives of AlaskaC harles Allen, owner of Knives of Alaska and a professional Alaskan

guide, likes to hunt his own way.That means a lot of walking, glassing and not sitting in a blind

staring at a feeder.So, when asked about a hunting story, Allen didn’t hesitate to recall a

long-ago deer he shot in Trinity County, East Texas on a windy day early in the season.

“He was a 12-point deer I took years ago at the beginning of the rut,” Allen said. “It’s a story about persistence. It was windy and hot — about 85 degrees — as it can be during the early season.”

Despite the high wind, Allen was walking and rattling in a hardwood bottom.“I worked the bottom all morning,” Allen said. “I didn’t see a deer;

not even a doe. The wind was howling about 25 mph, and I was pretty discouraged.”

Allen moved only short distances between rattling sessions, fi nally end-ing up in a patch of tall buffalo grass.

“After I was done rattling, I looked up and there he stood — at 15 yards,” Allen said. “He was right there! I knew he was good, but he saw me when I turned. He ran fl at out.”

Allen put a shot right behind the buck’s shoulder as he departed, drop-ping the deer.

“That buck is in my offi ce right above my desk,” he said. “It’s always been a good lesson about staying persistent. I like to move around when I hunt — the main lesson is, during the rut, don’t give up. Stay out and hunt all day.”

The buck sported 27-inch main beams with an 18-inch inside spread. Allen said he doesn’t pay attention to score and couldn’t tell you what the buck’s total tally ended up being.

“This was back before high fences became popular,” he said. “It was a great hunt and that is what matters. It should be all about the hunt.”

Once someone takes a great buck on a great hunt like Allen’s, nothing beats a Knives of Alaska design to fi eld-dress and cape the animal.

“Our knives are all built in the U.S.,” Allen said, “Right here in Texas. All of the prototypes are then brought up here (Alaska), and once we are assured it works, we’ll offer it to outdoorsmen.”

With 44 styles of knives and 100 different models, Knives of Alaska is a leader in the outdoor knife industry.

“We have 450 nationwide dealers, and we do all manufacturing in-house. Since 1992, we’ve had an outstanding reputation with outdoorsmen,” Allen said. “We have remained true to our mission statement ‘Finest Quality Out-doorsmen’s Knives’ and this has been the basis for our success.”

Knives of AlaskaKnivesofAlaska.com

800.572.0980

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guides lets you sharpen your blade to hair-popping results with speed, ease and repeat-ability. This is the fastest and easiest way to get your knives as sharp as you need them to be. Stop tolerating dull knives and time-consuming sharpen-ing methods!

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Lesson (re)learned

Story by Bill MillerLone Star Outdoor News

Shot placement critical no matter what you’re shooting

T hwack went the crossbow and down went the doe in a cloud of dust.

I was relieved; fi nally, I had taken a deer without a fi rearm.

But the story didn’t end there, and it didn’t end well. Nevertheless, there are lessons to share. Hopefully, it’s just a chapter in a longer narrative.

I have lost count of how many deer I’ve taken since I fi rst hunted in 1974.

What is certain is that most of them were Texas whitetails, shot with rifl es from blinds near feeders. Seems I have mastered that technique.

Then last summer, while researching an article on hunting ethics, I interviewed Eric Nuse, executive director of Orion The Hunters Institute, which promotes fair chase throughout North America.

“How you hunt is a personal issue,” Nuse said. “One of our jobs at Orion is not to say, ‘Thou shalt not or you’re a fl op as a hunter…’

“Rather, our job is to point out there are other ways, and you may want to challenge yourself with them. As your skill level comes up, the more barriers you need to put in your way … and you may enjoy the hunt in another way.”

The interview reminded me of conver-sations with bowhunters who proclaimed their sport is the purest form of hunting because it demands stealth, cunning and mastery of archery equipment that is more limiting than fi rearms.

I decided to be a bowhunter.But there was only about a month be-

fore the Oct. 1 archery season opener — not enough time to acquire and perfect archery skills.

The crossbow was the most convenient answer. It shoots like a rifl e and Texas allows hunting with them during archery season.

The bow I used has a velocity of 305 feet per second and a draw weight of 175 pounds — much more powerful than com-

pound or traditional “stick” bows.But I thought this was a reasonable

entry into the sport because I’d still have to get close shots.

That was the case Oct. 15 when I dropped the doe on a ranch in DeWitt County. The 20-inch bolt (arrow), tipped with a 150-grain broadhead, was fi red at 20 yards.

She hit the ground hard and scattered dust. I saw blood on her right side, just left from where I aimed behind the shoulder.

Sticking from the ground a couple yards away was the bloody bolt; the shot was a “pass through.”

Several minutes passed and the deer struggled to get up, but couldn’t. With two holes in her I thought she would expire soon.

I got a text from Lone Star Outdoor News Associate Editor Conor Harrison, a longtime bowhunter.

“Anything hit the ground this morning?”“Indeed, sir,” I responded. “Just shot

a doe 20 yards from a tripod stand. Bolt made a pass through.”

I was about to add, “I’ll text you a pic in a few mins,” but I glanced up and saw the doe up and hobbling into thick brush. This was about 20 minutes after being shot.

“It looks like she mustered some strength,” I texted. “Got up and ran. Hope I fi nd her.”

But I didn’t. I had waited another 20 minutes; then

I went looking for more blood. I found one big drop, but not a speck more.

Other hunters helped me search late into the afternoon, which was in the high 80s.

“Well, Bill,” said Johnny Pospech of Goliad, “from what you said I believe your deer is dead. But I also believe she’s on the neighbor’s property.”

Conor had another theory. “You might have hit her above the lungs

and below the spine,” he said. “That’s a small area but it’s not always fatal.

“You are getting a good lesson on the downside of bowhunting. It happens. Don’t let it discourage you.”

But I was discouraged. Wounding an animal weighs on the

conscience. I had lost another deer, also a doe, about 15 years earlier in Real County.

Now I was relearning an old lesson: Shot placement is critical, no matter what you’re shooting.

Maybe bowhunting wasn’t for me, but then I remembered what Nuse said: “As your skill level comes up, the more barri-ers you need to put in your way…”

And: “How you hunt is a personal issue…”I could stick to hunting with just rifl es,

but I’d only be as good a hunter as I am now. That doesn’t seem good enough — neither for me nor the deer.

I’ll be practicing more with the crossbow, with hopes of graduating to compound bows and recurves.


Whitetails Unlimited growing in Texas

W hitetails Unlimited celebrates deer hunting, and deer hunters. They’ve also raised millions of dol-

lars to support local conservation and educa-tion projects across the country.

“Unique among conservation groups, White-tails Unlimited returns 50 percent of net ban-quet proceeds to local groups, to use on local projects,” said Andrew Gwynn, WTU’s fi eld director in North, Central, and West Texas. “We fund a huge range of local projects, from hunter education to archery in the schools to handicapped hunter programs. A WTU ban-quet is a quality resource for a group that is

looking to raise funds for conservation.”WTU started in the Midwest in 1982 and

has been expanding nationally since then. “Fundraising banquets started in Texas a

couple of years ago, and we’ve already got some excellent chapters,” said Gary Moore, WTU’s fi eld director for East Texas and the Hill Country. “We’re looking for groups that are willing to put some effort into the banquet, but WTU already has the support system in place to make the entire process easy and painless.

“We do need some local people, but since half of the net proceeds are returned to the local group to improve their community, it’s a pretty good partnership.”

“Anyone with questions can give either Gary or me a call,” said Gwynn, “or call the national headquarters. We are absolutely low-key and have no desire to hard sell anyone.

“We’re looking to partner with quality people and local groups in a long-term relationship. You can’t do that if you look at this as a one-way street. We want to do well, by doing good.”

Gary Moore can be reached by calling (936) 238-9889 or e-mailing [email protected]. Andrew Gwynn is available at (972) 345-8265 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Whitetails Unlimitedwww.WhitetailsUnlimited.com

920.743.6777

NOT JUST FOR DEER: Whitetails Unlimited has raised funds for many conservation and education projects in Texas, including support of the 4-H Shooting Sports program, and the 4-H Shooting Sports Instructors Workshop in Texas. Photo by Whitetails Unlimited.

Is your group looking for a fun and profi table fundraiser?


2010 a year to remember for outdoors family

W ith bow season in full swing, and rifl e season upon us,

I want to remind everyone to take your kids out into God’s wonderful creation of the great outdoors. Some of my fondest memories are of being with my dad on our South Texas ranch in LaSalle County.

I remember sometimes leaving after home football games to make the four-hour trip from my hometown of East Bernard, down old Highway 90, straight through my current hometown of Hal-lettsville, and then on to Los Angeles (yes, Texas) to our little piece of heaven.

We didn’t kill many trophies when I was growing up because the manage-ment practices we use now were not yet in place. And the reality was our odds were not high because our property was fairly small and poaching was a problem.

That did not matter to me one bit; I just enjoyed being with my dad.

But he would always raise my hopes, saying he was going to enter us into a drawing to hunt the Chaparral Wildlife Management Area, or, as my dad would the say, the “Chap.”

This property is located south of Cotulla, Texas and is a state-owned sanctuary for wildlife, especially big bucks. “Son,” dad would say, “maybe this will be our year.”

I think he gave up on the idea so I took the lead. In 2010, our ticket got pulled

after probably 30-plus years of trying! I had put us in on the Chap for a new category for crossbows.

Now with my son Ty (9 years old), how special would it be if we could all get drawn for this hunt? Well, unfortu-nately, my wife, Amy, did not like the idea of pulling my son out of school for a week.

I called dad to tell him we had been drawn. I don’t think he believed me, but since Ty would be in school, I said, “Dad, we will be heading down the fi rst of December, and you need to get ready.”

About the same time I received notifi cation that Ty had been drawn on another property for a special youth hunt in South Texas.

I was one happy camper, to say the least. Now I would be able to hunt with two people who mean the world to me.

Dad and I began our hunt at the Chap in early December of last year, but we had our work cut out. A lot of public hunts are run on WMAs, so the deer know what is going

on; it’s not a cakewalk. We set up blinds and actually

saw some really nice deer out of crossbow range, but my dad ended up taking a doe near a water hole on the last evening.

It really did not matter if we got anything at all; it was just special that we had fi nally been able to hunt the “Chap” together.

Ty and I arrived for his draw hunt two days after Christmas and he harvested his biggest buck to date that I rattled in. He also fi lled a doe tag the very next morning. The warden could not believe we had fi lled both our tags; he could not remember anyone doing that before.

“Well, I would rather be lucky than good anytime,” was my answer.

Luck was defi nitely on our side in 2010.

Amy shot a really nice deer on our ranch; I took the best bow deer of my career; and my dad took the best deer of his life right there on our little piece of heaven in LaSalle County.

Amy and my youngest son, Layne, have now starting pull-ing back the bow, so look out, deer, we have a couple of new bowhunters in the family!

Thanks, dad, for starting my passion and fueling my fi re so that I can now make a living doing what I love so much and have been blessed to share with my family!

Story by Billy Gerke ForEverlast

www.ForEverlast.com

For the table

Place onion, fresh parsley, some fresh basil, and garlic in food processor, chop until all is combined. Sauté the meat in olive oil. When nearly complete, add chopped mixture from food processor and dried oregano. Turn down heat, mix with meat and cook for fi ve minutes. Add all products, tomatoes and wine, simmer until all fl avors are well blended — at least one to two hours. When pasta is nearly done, add remaining fresh chopped basil, and stir. Serve over cooked pasta. To garnish, add grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy.

— Adrienne Sams

Venison Spaghetti INGREDIENTS1 1/2 lbs. ground venison1-2 links sweet Italian sau-sage w/o casings — optional (adds fl avor and works well with lean ground venison)

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes3 tsps. tomato paste2 tbsps. olive oil3/4 cup fresh basil

1/2 cup fresh parsley5 cloves garlic1 large onion, chopped1/2 tsp. dried oregano1 cup red winePasta of your choice

Cover meat in large mixing bowl with the milk. (If the 13 ounces isn’t enough to cover the cuts, add water to make up the difference.) Let stand for one hour. Remove meat, drain slightly, cover with seasonings and roll in fl our. Cook in hot shortening or vegetable oil (375 degrees) until browned. Don’t overcook. Serve with gravy made from the fl our and the milk.

— Janet Hughs

Chicken Fried VenisonINGREDIENTS2 lbs. venison cuts (your choice, but no thicker than 1/4 inch)13 ozs. evaporated milk

Salt and pepperFlourShortening or vegetable oilOptional: onion powder, garlic powder

Shari’s Drip Venison Roast

Place venison roast in crock pot with only 1 1/2 to 2 inches of water with dissolved bouil-lon granules. Add all dry spices and minced garlic onto the top of the venison roast evenly.

Cook on low heat in the crock pot for approximately 8 hours. Slice and eat as a main entrée or shred and serve on fresh buns.

— Shari Nyhus

INGREDIENTS3-4 lbs. of rump venison roast2 cloves freshly minced garlic2-3 tsps. oregano

2 tsps. rosemary2 tsps. savory salt2 tsps. beef bouillon granules

Ty Gerke — 2010


Three deer down

I ’ve had the chance to test the Nikon Monarch scope attached to my Ruger Hawkeye 7mm-08

on three nice deer and one javelina in my short rifl e-hunting career.

The fi rst came last December with a Childress mule deer buck at 150 yards.

Next, last January at the Sombre-rito Ranch north of Laredo, an old management eight-pointer at less than 100 yards.

The next day, the javelina showed itself in the distance at about 200 yards. I put the fi rst circle of the BDC reticle on him, exhaled and squeezed the trigger. He dropped.

They say confi dence is of the utmost importance in shooting, and the circles instead of crosshairs for

shots of 200, 300, 400 and even 500 yards in the BDC reticle pro-vide it. With no jittering crosshairs to distract you, relaxation is easier before taking the shot.

A third deer almost turned out to be another test of the second circle.

The nine-pointer came in front of the blind on the fi nal afternoon of the early October hunt near Sonora.

“That’s your buck,” said guide Trey Wardlaw. “You like him?”

“Yes,” I said, as it was 6 p.m. and a fi ve-hour drive home awaited.

“Let me get the video set up,” Trey said.

While I got ready, he slid the camera into the tripod.

“Click,” as the camera lodged into place.

The buck, along with a dozen

or so other deer about 100 yards away, scattered. These deer were spooky. Was it the lack of cover and grass? The many whitetail eyes scanning around? We didn’t know, but they took off up the hill and most disappeared.

The nine-pointer and one other buck stopped just short of the hill’s crest.

“How far are they?” I asked.“About 225 yards,” Trey replied.“Put the fi rst circle on him and

pull the trigger,” said David Sams, my hunting partner.

“Are you comfortable with the shot?” Trey asked.

“If you’re comfortable with the yardage, I am,” I replied.

A few more moments passed and the buck stayed put, not mov-ing in our direction, so I prepared

to take the shot.“Wait, look to the right, two big

bucks are coming,” Trey said.He was right — two better bucks

were hesitant but moving our way. It seemed like hours but probably only 10 minutes or so passed and the fi rst came to the clearing.

He wasn’t a management buck, but rather a big 10-pointer — out-of-bounds.

The next buck stayed behind some brush but fi nally came out. He fi t the bill. And sure enough, the nine-point-er on the hill came back, too. I was glad he was spooked by the camera, though, as a nice eight-pointer was my goal, and this one was better.

“Just slide that safety off easy,” Trey said. “Some of them know we’re here.”

It was like I had clicked that video camera onto the tripod.

A minute or so later, at 120 yards or so, the shot wasn’t as diffi cult, but was true, and after a short, easy search, the buck was found.

Even better was the sound of the feeder going off well after the buck had been dragged to a clearing for pickup.

The Monarch scope has per-formed perfectly in my practice time and my increasing rifl e-hunting experience. And it was nice to have the confi dence to take the longer shot, even though it wasn’t necessary on that day.

Story by Craig NyhusLone Star Outdoor News

www.NikonHunting.com

Confi dence inMonarch scope makes distant

shots comfortable

DOVE North Zone and Central Zone Sept. 1-Oct. 23 and Dec. 23-Jan. 8South Zone Sept. 23-Oct. 30 and Dec. 23-Jan. 23

Bag limit: 15 birds and not more than two white-tipped doves.Special White-winged Dove Area Sept. 3-4, 10-11, Sept. 23-Oct. 30, Dec. 23-Jan. 19

The daily bag limit in the SWWDA during the fi rst two weekends is 15 doves in the aggregate, to include no more than 4 mourning doves and 2 white-tipped doves. Once the general season opens, the aggregate bag limit will be 15.

EARLY TEAL-ONLY Sept. 10-25

EARLY CANADA GEESE Sept. 10-25 (Eastern Zone Only)

ALLIGATOR 22 counties & special properties Sept. 10-30 (by permit only)Remainder of the state Apr. 1-June 30

PRONGHORN ANTELOPE (By permit only) Oct. 1-9

WHITE-TAILED DEERArchery-Only Season Oct. 1-Nov. 4Special Youth Season* Oct. 29-30, Jan. 2-15General Season North Texas (209 counties) Nov. 5-Jan. 1 South Texas (30 counties) Nov. 5-Jan. 15Late Antlerless and Spike North Texas (106 counties) Jan. 2-15 South Texas (30 counties) Jan. 16-29Muzzleloader (57 counties) Jan. 2-15

MULE DEER Archery-Only Season Oct. 1-Nov. 4General Season Panhandle (38 counties) Nov. 19-Dec. 4 SW Panhandle (11 counties) Nov. 19-27 Trans Pecos (19 counties) Nov. 25-Dec. 11

JAVELINANorthern (43 counties) Oct. 1-Feb. 26Southern (50 counties) Sept. 1-Aug. 31

PHEASANTPanhandle (37 counties) Dec. 3-Jan. 1Chambers, Jefferson & Liberty counties Oct. 29-Feb. 26

SQUIRREL Special Youth Season** Sept. 24-25East Texas (51 counties) Oct. 1-Feb. 5, May 1-31Other Open counties Sept. 1-Aug. 31

LESSER PRAIRIE CHICKENNo open season for lesser prairie chicken.

QUAILStatewide (all counties) Oct. 29-Feb. 26

RIO GRANDE TURKEYArchery-Only Season Oct. 1-Nov. 4Fall Season Special Youth Season* Oct. 29-30, Jan. 21-22 North Zone (122 counties) Nov. 5-Jan. 1 South Zone (26 counties) Nov. 5-Jan. 15 Brooks, Kenedy, Kleberg, & Willacy counties Nov. 5-Feb. 26Spring Season North Zone (101 counties) Mar. 31-May 13 Special Youth Season* Mar. 24-25, May 19-20 South Zone (54 counties) Mar. 17-April 29 Special Youth Season* Mar. 10-11, May 5-6 1-Turkey Bag Limit (11 counties) Apr. 1-30

EASTERN TURKEY+Spring-Only Season East Texas (28 counties) Apr. 15-May 14

CHACHALACACameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties Oct. 29-Feb. 26

RABBITS and HARES No closed season.In addition to a hunting license, a migratory game bird stamp

endorsement ($7) is required to hunt any migratory game bird, including mourning dove (a Federal Sandhill Crane Permit also is required to hunt sandhill crane). An upland game bird stamp endorsement ($7) is required to hunt turkey, quail, pheasant or chachalacas. See County Listings in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Outdoor Annual for specifi c county regulations and more detailed information.*In all counties that have an open season for those species.** In all counties that have an Oct. 1-Feb. 5 and May 1-31 open squirrel season.+ Rio Grande and Eastern Turkey may be hunted in these counties.

DOWNLOADCharts for season dates, sunrise and sunset may be downloaded at LSONews.com.

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Documents

Deer Hunting Annual