Hunting 24/25: big bucks and a lot of ducks!

[Lazarus Bocanegra 311]

took the doe I shot opening day to Longhorn Smokehouse in Manvel for boudin.  Had some this weekend at the ranch and it was a big hit all around.  Highly recommended if you're local to Houston.  They also turned it around in less than a week.  

 

[Lazarus Bocanegra 311]

13 minutes ago, Lazarus Bocanegra said:

Longhorn Lonestar Smokehouse in Manvel...

 

🤦‍♂️

[BabaYaga 15532]

1 hour ago, Lazarus Bocanegra said:

took the doe I shot opening day to Longhorn Smokehouse in Manvel for boudin.  Had some this weekend at the ranch and it was a big hit all around.  Highly recommended if you're local to Houston.  They also turned it around in less than a week.  

 

Nice.  I need to get some of it made.  I remember once I popped a big 8 near Fredericksburg.  Took it to this old German processing place, was in a hurry so I just told him all jalapeno sausage.  Two massive boxes later.  I was giving links out to friend/family for years.  Literally years.  

[solamente73 1143]

Thread title includes “a lot of ducks.”  I wish.

For 12 years our group has been duck hunting Port O’Connor.  We’ve slayed everything from teal to pintails to buffleheads to redheads and more… plus Ross and specklebelly geese.  We hunt with family who live there and guide for a living.

Last weekend (re-opening weekend) was the first time NOT A SINGLE SHOT WAS FIRED.  Not one.  Nothing was flying.  Going to and fro we’d scare up some rafting redheads and buffleheads, but that was it.  

From the blinds, we counted ~30 flying ducks all weekend, AM and PM.  Our guide said he’d seen more birds on Sunday AM than he’d seen in all of November.

We looked back over time, and this has been the trend.  We’ve decided to push our annual re-opening weekend trip to January to see if we can get more birds.  So, next duck trip will be January 2026 (wow, it’s weird to type that).

Fishing was good, though, as we were prepared to cast with the blast.  Reds and trout.  Everyone hooked up.

Some pics.  It’s a reminder - a day at the coast, no matter the haul, is better than a day just about anywhere else.

 

[DalTxHornFan 3130]

I suppose that we are fortunate that big wild hogs don't generally climb trees!

Hunter dies in freak accident after bear falls from tree in Virginia

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/12/17/hunter-lester-harvey-killed-bear-falls-tree-virginia/77042545007/

Edited 4 hours ago by DalTxHornFan