Texas Bone Hunters

How two men saved the Rio Grande Turkey.

texasbonehunters — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 17:50:07 +0000

In the Texas Hill Country just north west of Fredericksburg, Texas among the rolling hills of the Edwards Plateau lie thousands and thousands of acres of some of the most beautiful land to be found in the country. If you were to drive the small county roads just about any time of year you will see Wild Turkey by the dozens strolling around grazing or perhaps getting ready for mating season. It wasn’t always like this…

Back in the 60’s and 70’s Wild Turkey in this area had almost been wiped out due to several factors but mostly depredation by Coyotes, Bobcats and Raccoons. My wife’s great grandfather had owned a big ranch in this area for a long time and he wasn’t too happy with what was going on. So he and a neighbor rancher started to buy hand raised Wild Turkey and began to breed them with native birds and release them in to the wild. As the story was told to me it was fairly slow going at the time but a number of contributing factors helped speed the process up. Coon skin prices had gone through the roof and anyone with a fire arm was more than happy to control the Raccoon population while making a few extra bucks. Some folks probably thought these two old ranchers from a by gone era were crazy, wasting their time and money but over time the results started to show.

Photo Courtesy of TPWD.

Everyday that I drive to the ranch on the narrow winding road and see these beautiful birds everywhere, I can’t help but smile. I tell my wife “Hey you see that big ol’ Tom there, and all those hens over there? They’re here because of your great Opa and his friend.” It’s amazing how small things can lead to big things even when it comes to wildlife conservation. You can make a difference if you have a goal in mind. It could be for a stronger deer herd with bigger mature bucks or it may just be for a better habitat for the wild life on your ranch or lease. I see and reap the benefits daily of what two men forty years ago decided they could no longer sit and watch native wildlife disappear.

The land is still in the family today and going on it’s fifth generation. I am blessed that I am involved in the wildlife aspect of the ranch and get to see all of our hard work pay off. My father in law tells me stories of how Quail use to cover the land, everywhere you’d walk through the tall grass, coveys of birds would flush out from your feet and scare you half to death! The native deer herd is strong but can always be better, we do the best we can to help them flourish and I am now looking at introducing Quail back into the area. I want to make a difference and maybe with hard work and some luck in forty years this land will be teaming with hundreds of Quail for the next generation to enjoy.

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Wild Texas Hog Hunt!

texasbonehunters — Tue, 02 Aug 2016 19:42:53 +0000

By Deneshia Larson of The Natural Addiction TV

www.facebook.com/TheNaturalAddictionTV

Do you ever have those moments when you are wondering if maybe you have possibly made a bad decision? No? Me either.

Seriously though, we have done some hog hunting with dogs in Georgia and South Carolina and it can get a little crazy. But they say everything is bigger in Texas, so when we got the chance to head out with River Bottom Trackers in Newcastle, Texas, we immediately packed our bags and headed that direction, having little idea of what we were taking on.
Truth be told, we visit the great state of Texas every chance we get because we love it there! For several years now, we have made multiple trips per year to Texas for both work and pleasure, enjoying many parts of the state. From the beautiful green hills of North Texas to the Palo Duro Canyon to Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Ft. Worth, College Station – there is nothing about the state that we don’t enjoy. Yes, even in the summer time. This was our first time going to the Newcastle area and we were beyond excited to go! We had heard that the pigs in that area grow to massive proportions and we were anxious to find out if that was true.

We were scheduled to meet up with Shaina Besherse and Emily Brakebill then head out around 5:00 PM. Just before we left the motel, black clouds rolled in, the wind began whipping, lightning was all around us – it was an incredible storm…….for about fifteen minutes. Then the clouds broke, wind died, humidity was up to a hundred percent, temperature was over ninety degrees – perfect hog hunting weather. Alright, so maybe a tiny bit of sarcasm. No matter, we were still going out. As we drove to the meeting location, we were able to see some of the devastating flooding that had taken place in the area in the weeks before our arrival. There were places where the roads had been blocked off and some of the rivers were so swollen that they had far exceeded their banks. Everything looked like one huge waterway, there was no definition of where the rivers and creeks were supposed to be. We were slightly concerned about having to run around in the dark in flooded areas, because some of the places looked pretty deep.

Fortunately, when we connected with Michael Moore of River Bottom Trackers, the flooding was not quite at the same level as the areas we had driven through. That being said, there had still been considerable flooding and the wheat fields in which we would hunt had standing water in most places, sometimes up to our knees and under that was a few inches of mud. Running through that muck chasing dogs from 7:00 PM until 4:30 AM, we were completely whipped. I cannot remember the last time I was that tired!
We started out by driving up and down dirt roads, watching the fields and waiting for the dogs in the back of the truck to give some sign that they smelled or saw any hog activity. I had heard about the hog problem in Texas, but had never really witnessed it until that night. We would be driving down the road and would see groups of them walking around in fields! I have never seen anything like it. The dogs would be let out of the truck and would chase the hog, baying it until it could be caught. We caught a total of nine that night, with the largest being 300 pounds!!!!!!!! He was absolutely huge, I am pretty sure I could have ridden him (if he had been agreeable to it and I had some sort of serious lapse in judgment). It is hard to choose a highlight of the night, there were so many. Was it the three hundred pounder or the hog that ran right at our group with the dogs behind it, parting the wheat like Moses and making us take off in all directions? Or maybe the several hundred barbed wire fences we crossed (there had to be at LEAST that many)? Pants being ripped? Boots full of water? Face plants in the mud? It sounds like the worst time ever honestly, but it was absolutely fantastic! We had such a great time – wonderful company, fantastic guide, excellent dogs, took several hogs……it doesn’t get much better than that for hog hunting. I am definitely adding this to my list of reasons to love Texas and am already looking forward to the next time!
If you want to watch the whole adventure unfold, be sure to tune in to The Natural Addiction on Pursuit Channel beginning in January, 2017!

Growing up in South Georgia and North Florida, Deneshia Larson was fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time in the outdoors from an early age. Learning to fish and then hunt as a child, she has always had respect for the outdoors and is passionate about sharing that with others.

She enjoys freshwater, deep sea and inshore fishing and has hunted in multiple states (including Texas!), going after game such as whitetail deer, feral hogs, alligators and her favorite game of all – waterfowl. She has also hunted in Canada and will be hunting in Australia in October, 2016.

Deneshia is an accomplished cook as well and, with the exception of animals taken during predator control, is serious about using the game she takes. Deneshia states, “Something had to give its life for us to have this meal. I’m going to give it the respect it deserves by preparing it well. Of course, having the trophy is always nice too! I’m certainly not opposed to that!”

She has written for outdoor publications and her television show, The Natural Addiction, will begin airing on Pursuit Channel in January, 2017.

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Build a inexpensive hog proof deer feeder.

texasbonehunters — Wed, 27 Jul 2016 04:04:59 +0000

Every year I see pictures of downed deer feeders with their contents spilled out on the ground like a giant steel pinata. Most likely culprits are hogs and cattle. On our ranch in the Texas Hill Country we employ multiple wildlife corn and protein feeders inside of a pen that have helped tremendously at keeping wild hogs from destroying feeders and has actually cut the hog traffic on the ranch to almost none.

What you will need.

6 Feed lot panels. 60″ tall and 16′ in length. If you can round up used panels even better as these will need to be cut. If you have old roll wire lying around that will work as well. 48″ tall panels can be purchased as well and this will save you from having to cut the panels down

24 T posts.

The ever popular T-post driver.

Bailing wire…the fix it all.

When you decided on your feeder location stick a t post in the center temporarily, then with the help of a friend measure out approximately 15 from the t-post outwards, you are shooting for a 30′ diameter enclosure. Most feeders will cast around a 24′ spread of corn. Mark the spot and continue to measure out several more spots from center to outer edge. When you have a general area laid out begin by driving a few t posts along the perimeter every 10′-12′ feet. Once your a circle beings to take shape start placing the panels, smaller holes on bottom, on the outside of the T-posts and secure with bailing wire making sure your panels over lap at least one section of the squares. We want to keep animals out so it is important the t-posts are inside the panels. Now your circle may vary in size but 24′-30′ is about what you’re shooting for. You may find that your panels do not reach each other when your circle is complete and that is ok. This is where you’ll want to install your access gate. This can be anything from a smaller section of panel to an old chain link fence gate. If you find your panels over lap a bit at the end over your circle that is ok as this may be used for a gate. Now place the rest of your tposts inside the panels, you want to have about 3 tposts per panel. Now go to town with your bailing wire. Set your feeder up. Stake the legs down with T-posts! This will protect it in case the swine manage to get under the panel as they have been known to pull up the panels if they can get their snouts under it.

Now deer are excellent jumpers but we still like to cut the top section down with bolt cutters to about 48″-50″. Make sure you cut down to the next section as you don’t want any steel protrusions sticking up that may injure wildlife. This is where using old field panels is great, not many folks like cutting brand new ones down if they plan on reusing them after deer season. Some people will actually cut smaller holes in the panel close to the ground for fawns to get into the pens, but remember if a fawn can get in so can smaller hogs. We have been running these pens for years and have yet to have a feral hog get into one. There is always a possibility as hogs are jumpers as well! You can use roll wire as well as this is a fairly inexpensive set up. Always reuse old material lying around as it will save you money that you can be using to fill the feeders with. Hope this helps, good luck Bone Hunters!

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Top three keys for antler development.

Buck Chapman — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 02:26:19 +0000

There are many species of deer that inhabit land all over the world except for Antarctica and Australia. The most popular deer breed categories are whitetail, elk, mule deer, moose and caribou. All other varieties fall into subcategories of these. The whitetail is the most widely hunted deer in the world. This is due to many factors but a very high population which makes it easy to locate is the primary reason. They are considered small when compared to the other main breeds in the world. Their markings are a brown color with white under their necks and bellies as well as white under its tail which it can flash when upraised to alert others of potential danger when fleeing, hence the name whitetail.

Male whitetail known as bucks have bone called antlers that protrude from the skull in various sizes while female whitetail known as doe do not have antlers. In a few rare instances, bucks have been harvested with no antlers and doe have been harvested with antlers. Bucks drop their antlers every year and regrow new ones. The antlers of a deer are the fastest growing bone known as they can grow one half inch per day. While growing, antlers are covered in a soft living tissue called velvet. The antlers remain extremely delicate and sensitive to touch which is why whitetail bucks seem to shy away from confrontation until their antlers harden. Although bucks understand their antlers are delicate, injuries to antlers are not uncommon during the growing time as bucks attempt to continually show themselves dominant over others.

Antler Development.

There are three main keys to antler development; genetics, age and nutrition.

Genetics

Genetics are the base for all whitetail bucks antlers as the genes for antler development is passed from generation to generation. This however is also the most difficult aspect to manage for numerous reasons. In the wild we have no way to see the genetic makeup of every deer. We can look at a buck and his antlers and say to ourselves, his genetics are inferior and I want him removed from the gene pool. However consider something. Have you ever seen two siblings who have the same two parents and look nothing like one another? One is muscle bound naturally with athletic capabilities and the other is skinny and lacks all athletic capabilities. Their genetic makeup is the same however they appear different. Likewise in whitetail, unless you have a controlled area (pens), there’s no real way to manage whitetail completely. A buck can carry the genes for huge antlers however never grow a monster rack himself. And with the fact that you never know the genetic makeup of a doe who is contributing to every deers genetics also, it’s that much more difficult to manage whitetail.

Age

A whitetail buck doesn’t fully mature in his body until around age 4.5 and through his antlers until age 6.5 to 7.5. For this reason age is another extremely important contributing factor for antler growth. For antlers to grow like they do, it requires a lot of energy, nutrition and time. However the body of a whitetail also requires a lot of energy, nutrition and time. This is why 165” or more of antler is rarely seen in general and especially rare on bucks under 5.5 years old. The body needs a lot of energy to grow itself and it uses as much as possible first and foremost. Once the body has reached peak maturity, typically by age 4.5, a larger amount of nutrients can go toward antler development. This is why it is not uncommon for a buck to gain 20” or 30” of antler growth from age 4.5 to 5.5. With proper nutrition, this” growth spurt” can be the norm. Most whitetail bucks are harvested at around age 3.5 which is a big reason why there are a low number of giants harvested in proportion to total bucks harvested. If deer hunters would allow bucks to reach their genetic potential, more giants would be harvested each year.

Nutrition

The third and in my opinion the lowest in importance for antler development is nutrition. Whitetails are considered natural browsers. They roam around eating a variety of food stuff allowing them to thrive in virtually any area. Their diet consists of three main food groups: browse, forbs and grasses. While forbs are their preferred source of nutrition, they are not always available which results in them eating more browse like tender twigs and stems that are available year round. Grasses are not a main food source in a whitetail diet however there are grasses they will consume and really enjoy. Hunters attempt to help whitetail through supplemental feeding to boost their nutritional availability for a healthy heard and potentially get that elusive giant because without sufficient nutrition, a whitetail buck with the genetic background to become the world record might be less than average. Mineral wise, calcium and phosphorus are the most abundant minerals in a whitetail Bucks antlers averaging about 22 percent. A hardened whitetail antler is 50 to 60 percent mineral, with the remainder mostly protein. This is why quality nutrition consists of highly digestible protein, quality vitamins and minerals at specific ratios and nutrition that is palatable so it’s appealing to whitetail.

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