Random Thoughts

Sometimes

When I get to writing, who knows what will come out! A couple of times a year I’ll go back and review the stories and pick out some “zingers”. At least they’re “zingers” to me….

Sometimes I write profound statements:

Everyone should always remember that of all the nations we have freed from tyranny, we have only asked one thing – “Just give us the space to bury our dead.”

Sometimes it’s about the weather:

As I reached the old windmill on Crumley’s property and looked out over his field, there wasn’t much seeing since the fog was heavy and everything was fogged in!

                                                                                                                                  Sometimes I try to be funny:
We always said, “Rooster was the fastest three legged, dog around!”

This one, (a writin’ spider), the third around the old house, was on the northeast corner and it was real busy writin’.

Sometimes it’s about sports or exercise:

Tuesday’s walk had a little bit of everything, some hasty “shots”, some poor shooting, some excitement, my right knee didn’t hurt and I worked up a good sweat. What a way to start the day!

Sometimes I just get confounded:

I must be getting liberal because it makes me “feel good” too!

If I were more technical I would show the blown up “shot”, but, still, it is a big one!

Sometimes It’s About Reality:

You may know that our State’s Flower is the bluebonnet, but just think about this next time you stray into a bluebonnet patch!

When I was younger, and gasoline was under $.25 per gallon, we thought nothing of driving in one day, half way across our fine, State to watch multiple football games, now I’m watching Grandsons play!

Hunting

Sign

There’s a lot of deer sign around my place. Not droppings, but rubs and scrapes. These sign point to the rut starting very soon, even before the November 6 opening. Still, I haven’t seen any bucks chasing a doe, they’re not there yet.

Before the season starts I always check around the edges of the oak trees for scrapes, the first one this year was an accident on my part. Walking the road around the hay field and checking on how much trimming was needed, I almost stepped on the scrape pictured below.

And, sure enough, there was a leafy branch hanging over the scrape. The buck will make, or visit, the scrape, urinate over his tarsal gland on to the scrape ,while licking and nosing the leafy overhang.

Just like the scrape, I’ve discovered one rub line that runs from just past the shooting range to behind the feedlot. Big, dominate bucks make the first rub lines and I bet this is the same buck that I saw, and didn’t get, last year in my 2009 posts, “[Deer Watching]”, November 15 and “[Deer Sighting]”, December 10.

Pictures of the various rubs follow. Lots of sign!

         

Hill Country Happenings

Morning Walk, October 13, 2010

This week I changed my morning walk routine and walked along the dirt roads and trails on my ranch. Monday, nothing of significance showed up except for the fog along the creek bottom.

Monday afternoon Layla and I raised the Tower Blind. The “instructions” called for four or five men to raise the blind and we’d been waiting on Colton and his football boys to come over and help us. We, both being retired, had no trouble getting it up. Here’s a picture of the blind after we raised it.

And, here’s one of the finished product, but of course, since it was hecho in China, the camo cover was too small!

My morning walk on Tuesday was more exciting. Walking along a trail near the tree stand, I almost walked into a spider web. Closer inspection showed it to be a writin’ spider’s web and the spider, a male, not near as big as a female, was on it. Never having seen a male of this variety, I snapped of a “shot”. He had some writin’ on the web too.


Walking along a little farther, this doe and fawn were standing on the edge of a fallow, field. This is the best “shot” of them.

A good sweat, a “shot” of two deer and best, a male, writin’ spider, not a bad walk

Hunting

A New Tower Blind

Three weeks ago while over in Temple, Texas to have my right knee examined at Scott & White, I stopped by an outdoors store and acquired a 12’ Tower Blind. My plan was to find a suitable spot on my place and seclude it behind some trees so that I would have a good overlook on deer coming and going.

Last Friday morning, Layla and I finished putting the Tower Blind together and since it weighs almost 200 pounds, we left it on the ground until we could get Colton and a couple of his football boys over and help us raise it.

Sunday afternoon we moved it into position where it could be raised and somewhat hidden and secluded between trees. The spot picked was in a small clearing within the brush line.]

The second picture shows the Tower Blind lined up with the small clearing. And no, the seat back and camo cover hasn’t been installed. I’m waiting until it’s set up and staked in securely. I’ll post pictures of the raising.

Hill Country Happenings

Now There Are Three

Coming back in from my morning walk on this past Tuesday, and no, I didn’t see or take a “shot” of anything, and walking toward the old ranch house I noticed a writin’ spider’s web where I hadn’t seen one before. This one, the third around the old house, was on the northeast corner and it was real busy writin’. The other two are on the southeast corner and on one of the eaves on the west side.

Why do they “write” on their web, a quick search of Wikipedia provided some answers. Their webs, especially the writin’, reflect UV light, attracts insects and, possibly, alerts larger animals about the web so the spider won’t be stepped on and squshed! Its bite is harmless to humans and even has some therapeutic medical agents in its venom.

Changing into my work clothes, I went back outside and took these “shots” of the third one.

On August 8, 2008 in “[The Writin’ Spider]” I took a picture of the first writin’ spider that I had come across. It was between the old house and the tool shed. She must have been successful, because now there are three!

Hunting

Training Class

Dark comes early on the east side of the McDowell Mountains outside of Scottsdale, Arizona, but it was barely light enough for this picture of Beachnut’s Rooster Cogburn, my first Brittany Spaniel, and the first Gamble quail he pointed and I downed. Rooster is all smiles as he poses!

In October of 1972, Rooster wasn’t yet a year old and Jake Schroder and I had taken him and his littermate, Jake’s Ned Pepper out for some training and a go at some Gambles. Back then there were a lot of birds around there, the southeast end of the McDowells, but now the area is Fountain Hills, population over 30,000 and not many quail now. Back then Jake and I knew a fountain was being built, but when it was finished, it surprised us, because hourly, it sent a stream of water up over 500 feet! Some fountain!

We never took a picture of the fountain, but Wikipedia has a nice one that I “borrowed”!

We enjoyed a good Saturday afternoon hunt, the young dogs pointed fairly well, they kinda’ retrieved the birds we shot bringing them about halfway back, they broke 2 or 3 points chasing the fast running Gambles, but overall it was a successful outing.

Rooster became a very, protective part of our family and hunted with my boys and I for the next 8 years. He overcame a broken hip at 2, suffered, while defending our Georgia home, when he tangled with a collie and both of them rolled down a steep hill. We always said, Rooster was the fastest three legged, dog around!

Uncategorized

Lest We Forget

The following was well, written by a Christian friend, fellow softball player and neighbor, Mickey Donahoo. It was too good not to pass on!

Lest We forget

By Mickey Donahoo

“The day was September 12, 2010 in Goldthwaite, Texas when I heard one of our locals say, “Everyone needs to get past all of this 9/11 stuff. In fact, everyone needs to get past WWII, Korea and Iraq and get on with life.”

Recently my softball tournament team traveled to Dalton, Georgia to compete in the SPA National Playoffs and at the end of the first day of play, the SPA put on their annual celebration. The festivities included homerun derbies, batting skill competition and all star competition.

Although my wife and I had traveled over 1,000 miles to compete in softball, the part of the tournament that really stands out is not the wins, losses, great plays or the friendships made, but was the celebration remembering our nations military – the veterans who served and those who gave all that we might live in the country we have today.

As the anthem for each military group played, and their flags paraded by – one for the Army, one for the Navy, one for the Air Force, one for the Marines, one for the Coast Guard, one for the Pow/Mia’s, one for Iraqi Freedom, one for the moms who had sons and daughters serving in Afghanistan and one for the United States – there was probably not a dry eye in the entire sports complex. Tears because we do remember whom and what we owe for the country and freedom which we have today. There was also a banner at the tournament that stated, “All gave some, some gave all.”

It is because of these memories that I cannot watch the Stars and Stripes being raised at a football game and sing the National Anthem without a tear rolling down my cheek. When I see the flag being raised, I always see it being raised on Iwo Jima and many other places around the world from where so many of our young men and women and family members did not return.

In spite of the fact that some are trying to erase our history from our history books, or that some say, “We need to get over the past,” I choose to never forget the sacrifices made by some so that the rest of us can live in “the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.” We must remember, “Freedom is Never Free.”

However there are some things that are actually better forgotten, so if you happen to see me around town, don’t ask about the tournament – I am working on forgetting it.”

The SPA Nationals was a tournament that I did not attend because I stayed home to watch my Grandson’s team, Goldthwaite High School play their arch rival, San Saba, (Goldthwaite won in overtime), but in the past, I have proudly, walked/marched out on to the field behind the banner of the U.S. Army. It is really something to see hundreds of men and women lined up, according the their branch of services, on the ball field, band playing, people clapping – it makes you feel real good that someone else remembers!

Everyone should always remember that of all the nations we have freed from tyranny, we have only asked one thing – “Just give us the space to bury our dead.”

Pictures

More Outdoors Pictures, October 3, 2010

The morning of Tuesday, the 28th, was a good one for deer movement, first thing to show up was a spike and 5 other deer.

Then, 5 minutes later one of the deer had moved on, but the spike was still there.

At 8:30 AM, 6 deer were gathered around the feeder and a yearling with little horns had walked up.  The spike was still there too.

Here’s an interesting “shot”.  On Thursday while going out to exchange 2GB memory cards in the GameCam, these 3 deer heard me coming, one jumping out of the feed pen and were in the process of clearing the area.  When I drove up to the feeder at 8:30 the deer were gone!

Fishing

Bad Directions

In 1960 the mourning dove season had just opened in Falls County, Texas, and my Dad and I had enjoyed some fine shooting! My Uncle Shelly, Shelton Gafford, had directed us to a couple of stock tanks where doves were watering and we were rewarded with some good action. .

Our mornings were free, because back then, in Texas, dove hunting was only allowed after noon. Uncle Shelly told us about another place where we could fish, but no guns or hunting were allowed by the rancher. No problem with us! He told us to take Hwy. 7, east out of Marlin, cross the Big Creek bridge, and turn right at the second “gap”, or wire gate in the fence, and follow the road to the stock tank.

Following the instructions, the second gap was almost to the road to Blue Ridge and ignoring the “Posted, No Hunting” sign, opened it and followed the dirt road until it came to an old, no longer in use, rock quarry. Not a stock tank, but looking into the very, clear water, it was easy to see bass milling around, plus several large bream beds. We figured this must be the place, got out our tackle and quickly started fishing.

Keeping the sun in our face, we stood several feet away from the water and whipped our Piggy Boat, spinner baits toward the fish. Immediately, we were both rewarded with two sharp strikes and soon landed two scrappy, 12 inch, bass. They were unusual looking little fish with large mouths and small bodies. We guessed, correctly, they were stunted and probably undernourished.

We kept on casting and catching. We added several, good sized, goggle eye perch. These fish looked somewhat like a bream, but slimmer, with bigger mouths and their eyes protruded from their heads. They were good fighters on light tackle and very tasty when fried!

We returned all of the small ones, but ended up with 15 keepers, pictured. We iced them down and retraced our route off of the property and headed back to Shelton’s ranch for lunch.

Lunch was the big meal of the day and as we loaded up, we reviewed our morning trip with him. He smiled and shook his head and asked, “You went right through the “Posted, No Hunting” sign? Did they catch both of you all?” “Who’s they?” my Dad answered. He replied, “Mr. so-in-so or his Foreman. They have some expensive bulls on the place, besides there’s a lot of quail and they don’t allow anyone but family out there!” Answering him, I said, “Uncle Shelly, we didn’t see a soul, or any bulls or quail, all morning!” He just smiled and shook his head.

As he got up and headed into his den, he looked back, smiled and said to both of us, “Turn left at the second gap!”

Pictures

More Outdoors Pictures, September 27, 2010

Checking my game camera last Friday, there were two interesting pictures.  One, “shot” on the morning of September 21st shows two deer, one walking away and the other, apparently surprised by the flash, looking at the camera.  What was funny was the cottontail, rabbit, also surprised!

All last week was bright moonlight so no bucks showed for a “shot”, but just after daylight on Friday morning a spike showed itself outside of the feeder.  During our State’s special Youth Hunt, this one will be a target for one of my Grandsons!

Last week Layla sent me an e-mail with a very interesting picture attached.  You may know that our State’s Flower is the bluebonnet, but just think about this next time you stray into a bluebonnet patch!

Also last week, I got this “shot” of a writin’ spider with a lot of writin’ on its web.  This one was under another eve of the old, ranch house.

Bits and Pieces from Jon H Bryan…