Spaulding Smails

My place is small and low fenced. We've had it for four years and have taken one cull 5-1/2 y/o 4-pt freak WT buck. That's it other than doe, axis and a ton of hogs. We try our best to be smart, but it's a futile effort with small places on two sides that lease out to hunters. Since we've had it, I've seen decent 3 or 4 year old bucks on game cams around this time of year. Young bucks that you should absolutely let grow for a few years and would have nice potential. Every year, they're gone after opening weekend. I can only assume that they've been shot next door. I just refuse to be another one of those places that shoots them too young. And, if a big mature buck does ever wander in range, it'll be that much sweeter to know we waited and maybe played a part in letting him grow.

You're pretty much spot on here. And, there's so many variables. Hunting on a 10,000 acre high fence place vs a 100 acre high fence place is completely different. I have no desire to shoot a buck with a tag in his ear that comes when you shake a coffee can filled with corn. I have and will, however, absolutely hunt deer on a big, high-fenced place. I set out to shoot a big 8 pt cull at my uncle's high fence ranch near Freer a few years ago. Hunted hard for four days and never saw him. Ended up shooting another big (but totally different) 8 pt that my uncle swore he'd never seen before. Not even on camera. You just never know with deer. My cousin's FIL raises deer and will occasionally let my cousin shoot an old one. It ain't anywhere near hunting. Here's one they were hand feeding last week.

Natural gas / propane for the Generac / Kohler whole house setups. They do offer diesel, but those are rare for residential applications. They're hard-plumbed to your gas service and hard wired to your panel with an ATS. The cost jumps even more when you get into the 30-KW+ range because you're moving from air cooled to liquid-cooled.

I think I mentioned it up-thread, but I was a fill-in for a guy who opted for an Alaskan moose hunt, so a spot opened up with a buddy who was on a loooong wait list. He's been the last two years. Got 24" of snow the day he arrived year one and didn't see a thing. Missed an 80-yd shot last year. I talked him into a rifle hunt this year since I'm not a bow hunter and didn't want to cram practice in and have zero experience when faced with an elk. From what I understand, we're flanked by BLM and an Rez. Jeep from camp with the guide based on his scouting reports then walk / bugle / sit / spot / stalk. They said most shots are within 200-yds and they have a 97% "encounter" rate with rifles. Solid advice on the scope. Much appreciated. My new Swaro has three settings that I dialed in to 100/200/300, so I'll leave it on that closest range when traversing. I'm going to have a big hamburger, no a cheeseburger, and a hot dog when I get back.

@deadshank great write up. Sorry for your partner, but stoked for the guy that dropped the 6x6. That is definitely some rough, rough country. I officially got my NM Hunter's ID yesterday. Should have my elk tags next week. Depart 10/13 and back 10/20. Hunt Sat-Wed. Will start watching the weather next week. I'm not 100% sure what to expect, but I do know we're on private land, have a cabin as base camp, and a dedicated guide for the two of us. Other than that, I'm going in blind.

@hornmpa96 and @686 I did a cross between the two of you this weekend. Got to the ranch around 1:30 Saturday. Rigged up a ruck sack, made a portable target and took my 300 WinMag and proceeded to hike in circles around our place for 3+ hours. Trying to combine my training and shooting at various angles / elevations in prep for my elk hunt next month. Got it out to 285-yds and feel much more comfortable now shooting off of sticks, prone, etc. Got back to the house around 6:00, loaded up the dog and the Mojos in the Polaris. Only saw a few birds and shot two with no signs of improvement in the birds before dusk. So, I went back to the house, poured a stiff cocktail and snuck down to one of the water troughs near the protein feeder. Watched seven bucks until it was too dark to see. Didn't get any pics, but did see a big 6-pt (should be an 8 but is missing his brow tines). His main beams shoot straight up rather than out. I'll set out game cameras in two weeks to see if I can figure out his pattern. Would be a fun buck for my son to take this year. Shot a bit more early Sunday AM. Back home by 11 AM the next morning. 24 hour trip, but damn it was fun. I love solo ranch trips.

@solamente73 Thanks for the info on the transport. What was your breakdown on the cooler situation? I'm trying to figure out my game plan. I have two 100 qt Igloos and a 120 at Yeti. Wondering if that's enough or if I need to invest in a 250 qt Yeti before then. My buddy is bringing his coolers as well, so we'll be doing the Tetris thing for sure. I have an 8-ft bed with a tool box, so I'm optimistic I'll have enough space, but I may have to add on the bed extender to be sure.

Geromi is a really solid dude. Lived down the street from him for almost a decade. Dude knows the boat business very, very well.

Congrats @solamente73! What an amazing animal. Love everything about the story. Send more pics and elaborate on the hunt!

This is 100% my expectation. Playing with some buddies tomorrow afternoon, and I'm completely anticipating a round in the 90s and the complete inability to find a fairway or hit a green in regulation.

Played yesterday after work. Best I've struck my irons in a long time. Went 40-41. Mini meltdown on 16-17-18 where I went bogey-bogey-double. Also missed two birdie putts inside of 10' and had an unfortunate double on the front due to a bad bounce off a sprinkler head in the middle of the fairway. First legit shot at breaking 80 in ages. Golf is a whole lot more fun when you're improving.

Yup. That stat can be misleading. It also means we're 86-9 when leading or tied after 8 innings.

After never having any joint issues, I developed tennis elbow this spring. It started to get pretty bad, then I hit a long iron fat and it was debilitating. It was on hole #3, and I could only putt the rest of the round. It was so bad that I couldn't even pick up my coffee mug out of the cup holder in my truck. I had played very little golf in the preceding 5+ years, and really started playing / practicing more and made a pretty dramatic swing change that I think all contributed. I ended up getting a cortizone shot, and that helped a ton. I was religious with my own PT, and it honestly fixed the issue. I used this product and it really helped. Had it not gotten better, I would have had to put the clubs down. Been pretty good the last few weeks with only the occasional pain. https://www.gripxt.com/products/

Got skunked in Burnet County this morning. Saw a few birds off on the horizon, but didn't even pull the trigger. I think the rain played a huge part. We were hunting over a tank that has always been solid on opening day when it's dry. Bummer, but I'll take sitting in the field with a cup of coffee watching an amazing sunrise over a computer screen at the office any day of the week.

Supposed to go out to Burnet for an opening morning hunt. I'm expecting very few birds and a very muddy yellow lab, but it'll all be worth it.

Venetian is definitely on the list. Heard good things about Irie's as well. My parents, sister and her kids may be joining as well. That'll be the only night we eat out, so at least we won't be fighting holiday crowds at every meal.

Heading down to Port A for Labor Day weekend. I'm coming in early, then the wife and kids are headed down after school. Looking for a low-key dinner recommendation for Friday night. Seafood preferred but not required. Suggestions?

I was driving down 290 on the way home Thursday of last week and saw that beauty. Damn near flipped a U-turn at Oak Hill Little League to see if she was for sale. Gorgeous rig. Congrats!

Agreed. The further south the better. As @deadshank mentioned, there's several outfitters in that area that are solid, and the birds are usually pretty consistent. Might be tough getting a spot the first few weekends at this point, though. The only one I know of around here is the Storm Ranch in Dripping Springs. It's been 5+ years since I dove hunted out there, and it was OK. Shot maybe 4-5 dove in one evening hunt. They don't even advertise dove hunts, so not sure if it's something they still offer. https://stormranchhunting.com/ Also, it may be too late, but check these guys out if you want a season lease. Hunted with them for a few years before we bought our place, and had a good experience. Hunting was hit and miss, but had access to several spots and the reservation system was pretty decent. https://www.wingedrepublic.com/

Granzin's was my go-to once I moved to Central Texas. LOVED the dried smoked sausage. They changed the casings about 5-6 years ago. Not sure if they were natural before, but the more recent variety is definitely the artificial type. They keep much longer, but don't have the snap of the old style. For summer sausage, I remember my dad always getting a decent amount from his processed deer at Midway in Katy. It was awesome. Opa's and Granzin's both make decent summer sausage as well. Slovacek's is my favorite from HEB.

Can you be rude and nice at the same time? Can confirm that she's very rude. I sat next to her at a charity event a few years ago. Kidding aside, she was super cool and seemed very down to earth.

This is so true. I'm about 10 strokes behind you. But, in the last 3-4 rounds, something has finally started to click. My handicap is steadily decreasing. My two biggest issues were finding fairways and chipping around the green. I had a full on case of the chipping yips. I played Sunday and hit 8 of 14 fairways. Only had two bad misses on chips. Got up and down 4 times. Finding fairways equals more shots at greens. More shots at greens equals smarter approaches and missing in the right spot. Missing in the right spot equals easier up and downs. It was boring golf Sunday, and I loved it. No birdies, but only two doubles. The rest were all pars and bogies. Genuinely feel like I'm close to turning the corner to playing respectable golf.

We did a quick day float on the Devils River this weekend. Fishing was slow, but caught a few smallies and a few largemouth. We stopped for lunch just above Turkey Bluff, pulled the kayaks up onto a shelf, ate some sammiches and drank a few beers. My son and his buddies went swimming and exploring. A few minutes later, I see him walking up with an 18" largemouth in his hands. No rod / reel. That dude saw a bass that had somehow meandered its way into a shallow pool that was about 10' in diameter and 18" deep with no way to get out. He somehow managed to corral it by hand. We took a quick pic and released it back into the river. First time I've ever seen someone catch a bass by hand.

TRUTH. I think it was about three or four years ago, I stopped by my buddy's ranch in Live Oak County Labor Day weekend on the way back from Port A. Just absolutely covered with dove. Shot the shit with him and fantasized of a 30 minute limit. Showed up a few weeks later for the south zone opener and it didn't stop raining for three days straight. Shot maybe three birds over the weekend but drank lots of beer on the porch. Though as dry as it is this year, I'd probably take the rain out.

Call me an optimist, but I think this dove season could be pretty decent. I'm seeing a ton at my house right now in western Hays Co. There's usually a decent amount of local birds, but the numbers seem to be significantly more. I saw similarly increased numbers at our place in Kimble Co a few weeks ago. I'll be at a buddy's ranch in Burnet Co for opening morning. Need to go pick up a license in the next few weeks. Anyone else have 9/1 circled on the calendar this year?