Ladies and Gentlemen,
We received 1.3 inches of rain this week, after 2 months of high heat and no rain. The rain was wonderful and sent from God. I spit-shined (mowed etc.) the home place this past Friday through Sunday to make the place comfortable for our guests this upcoming hunting season. The grass looked like carpet, but I am sure we will deal with a little taller grass pursuant to the rain.
We have some dove and a few fields that will produce. We have some other fields that should produce, but when I was in West Texas last weekend it looked like a desert (hot, miserable and burning up). I have told most of you many times, the time to hunt dove around Abilene is:
- first, second and third weekend of September,
- the last two weekends of October, and
- THE SECOND SEASON (LAST TWO WEEKS IN DECEMBER AND FIRST TWO WEEKS IN JANUARY).
Very few people come dove hunting in December / January and that is when I see the largest number of dove in West Texas. Dove hunts in evening, sandhill crane and duck hunts in the morning is a great time.
In honor of my friend Charlie Tobler:
I had to say “see you soon” to my good friend Charlie Tobler this past week. As sure as I am typing this to each of you, I am 100% confident: An angel descended down, took Charlie by the hand around 11:18 a.m. on Friday, August 11, 2023, and took him HOME. Charlie did not go home to Jacksonville, Texas, Charlie went Home to his Heavenly Father and had a reunion with his Christian relatives and friends including Reta, Ted Bunn, and other family and friends who knew Christ as their Lord and Savior.
About 3 weeks before Charlie went Home, we were talking about what heaven must be like. We both knew of the verse “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9. Charlie and I concluded that when we are on top of the mountain in Chama, New Mexico, hunting and looking down on the lake or stream, elk in front of us, golden trees, orange and red bushes, slight snow, breathing smoke via the cool air, that must be a glimpse of what heaven must be like. Take that image of peacefulness, joy, happiness and contentment and multiply by 1,000,000 to get to heaven.
In May 2023, I started to complete the Chama, New Mexico elk hunting contracts for Charlie and me, but I will not be sending in those contracts. I know Charlie is experiencing Chama x 1,000,000. I know Charlie is experiencing complete peacefulness, joy, happiness and contentment and has no desire for a trip to the farm (i.e., Winters) or Chama. I selfishly long to hear his voice, laughter, smile, and have him at the farm, in Chama and around East Texas. Charlie will be missed helping us guide hunts and flipping the bacon over and over when the hunters come in. I will miss Charlie, but I do not say goodbye, I simply say, “see you soon.” I will join Charlie when Christ is ready for me to leave this earth, and man what a reunion. Thank you, Christ, for doing what none of us could do so that we can have a reunion with You and with other Christians. As Christians, we all know the upcoming reunion is not from anything we have done but solely through accepting Jesus as our Savior and allowing Him to daily be our Lord and all of this is solely through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Ryan Gardner
