Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dove Hunting:
We are seeing good numbers of dove in West Texas right now. West Texas has been wet for most of February through now, so the hay grazer, winter wheat, wild sunflowers, milo (if planted – dang pigs) etc. are abundant EVERYWHERE. There will be dove, but EVERYONE will have grain and water so the dove can easily spread all over the place. I expect longer than the first three weeks of dove season to have decent dove hunting as the pressure will not be as concentrated (nor will the birds), and late arriving dove will have food to stop and eat. I also expect the last two weekends in October to have good hunting, and probably with all the hay grazer EXCELLENT dove hunting in the second dove season (last two weeks in December / first two weeks in January, which ties to the duck / sandhill crane season). In September, the house is taken for the first three weekends, cabin is almost all taken for first and second weekend, but have day hunting and other weekends, including most of October, for the house / cabin.
As you might know, Snowmageddon in February 2021 killed many thousands, millions or more dove in West Texas (here that means around Abilene – okay so it is Central Texas, love that sign 30 miles west of Weatherford on I20 – “El Paso 545 miles”, 238 miles from Texarkana, Texas to Weatherford, Texas). We followed up Snowmageddon with maybe one to three inches of rain in West Texas from September 2021 to September 2022, then on the weekend of September 1, 2022 we received four or five inches of rain. Needless to say, the above conditions (Snowmageddon, then lack of rain for any grain including wild sunflowers, then four to five inches of rain on opening weekend of September 2022) have severely curtailed the take home on dove in West Texas. Thank God, we are seeing good numbers of dove in West Texas, but as stated above, everyone with winter wheat, wild sunflowers and/or hay grazer should have dove which means the dove are not concentrated right now.
Sandhill Crane / Duck Hunting:
If you do not know, we finished our sandhill crane / duck hunts in December 2022 and January 2023. Thousands and thousands of sandhill crane and ducks in and around Winters, Texas. Video has been uploaded to 24 Outfitters website from a field just north of Winters (turn up your volume on your computer and go to https://24outfitters.com/ , then Sandhill Crane Hunting click Learn More, then scroll down and click on video titled Sandhill Crane Hunting / 24 Outfitters, LLC, which is below last season’s schedule for Sandhill Crane hunting). Just so you will know, cranes are hunted from their summer nesting grounds (Canada and Alaska) to their winter grounds (around Winters and Lubbock etc.). The following are observations from our sandhill crane hunts:
- the cranes are very very very very very smart, or they do not reach us in December / January;
- the Lucky Duck or laydown camo blinds must be covered with duck grass then the duck grass covered with bamboo, brush, mesquite limbs, and tumbleweed so that the entire outer layer of the blinds is “natural camo”, any holes, which must be small holes, in such natural camo are duck grass camo, with different height layers to the blind to prevent the blind from looking like a new wall just entered the field;
- if you peek at the birds and don’t keep your head down, you might as well be out there for a bird watching event, and not a bird killing event;
- any skin showing, eye movement or even a clear view by the birds of your eyes, will result in the birds flaring, so wear facemask covers and keep your head down;
- you really need to be in the field the birds are going as passing shots on the field beside where the birds are going are very limited;
- I enjoy being on the side of the blind or layout where the birds are approaching (i.e., wind blowing in right ear, birds approach from left ear), as I can hopefully control some head / eye movement of the hunters;
- the 100 SX decoys need to provide a landing strip into the wind and within shooting distance of the blind, each decoy needs to be about 4 to 5 yards apart (e.g., if 5 rows of 20 decoys, 80 to 100 yards long spread, 20 to 25 yards wide), layout needs to look relaxed and not at alert, generally most of the decoys facing into the wind (some not directly into the wind as they look more relaxed);
- the birds love headed out hay grazer (one particular person had thousands of acres of such fields and would not allow anyone to hunt his fields); and
- sheet water or ice will allow thousands or more crane (as well as thousands of ducks) to roost in such field.
Coming on my land: 15 acres of “sheet water / ice” below my hill with winter wheat or headed out hay grazer on remaining 80 acres and maybe 10 acres of duck mixture with Osceola duck pits, culverts and flashboard risers. Thereafter, hopefully 15 acres of “sheet water / ice” coming to my north field with winter wheat or headed out hay grazer on the remaining 90 acres north field, maybe 5 or 10 acres of duck mixture with Osceola duck pits, culverts and flashboard risers. The hay grazer will be cut for the hay and/or grazed by cattle. Hopefully, the aforementioned 30 acres of sheet water / ice does not include sheet water / ice from the new terraces coming to all my 200 plus acres of plowed fields, some of the terraces with culverts and flashboard risers. Leasing up hunting land (sometimes coordinating with one other outfitter as they are good guys) on land around Winters. I might be plowing more of my land for the real farmer via my terraces.
Fishing:
7,000 copper nose blue gill brim added to the tank. 2,000 redear sunfish added to the tank. Three fish feeders added to the tank. 150 to 200 cedar trees added to the tank. Should be pushing the current bass in the tank up from 1 – 4 pounds to 3 – 8 pounds. For the copper nose blue gill brim that make it, they can grow to 2.7 pounds, where the redear sunfish can grow to a little over 2 pounds, both are really good to eat. Spillway now covered with large rocks to allow the water to escape but hopefully keep bait fish from washing out of the tank. Stocking with “bait fish” noted above for two years, then adding Florida bass for a F1 cross (Florida / Northern bass). Cleared land behind current 7 acres tank for future 6 acres, potentially 60 feet deep, tank.
Other Activities / Amenities:
The other activities / amenities for the full packages include:
- rifle range, with shooting house, shooting benches, 100, 200 and 300 all with paper, 400, 500, 600, 800, 1,000 and 1,200 each with 2 sets of 5 different sizes of AR 500 plates and 800 yards and 1,200 yards with additional 3 feet diameter AR 500 plates;
- pistol range, with Double Texas star, Texas Propeller, 3 3d dummies, many AR 500 plates;
- skeet thrower, but hopefully upgrading to Promatic Huntsman XP Wobble this year or next;
- hunting and fishing noted above;
- games / other: cornhole, ladder toss, washers, horseshoes, ping-pong, darts, poker, cards, dominos, 3 large TVs with satellites, lawn bowling, spikeball, fire pit, camp fire, “redneck pools” which are clean cattle troughs cleaned and new water after each use, 2 hammocks, 10 rocking chairs under pecan trees, etc.;
- lasagna or brisket and/or ribs Friday night, full breakfast (eggs, bacon, sausage, wop biscuits) Saturday and Sunday morning, smoked dogs and burgers Saturday lunch, ribeye steaks Saturday night; and
- house and cabin, bedding, towels and washcloths (I turn the AC down low, so bring extra blanket in September).
Get with me as soon as possible if you are wanting to hunt this Fall or Winter.
Ryan
