Seems like it's too hot for the big'uns to move.


I looked at the weather on my phone yesterday.
Concan Tx. (location of my lease) said it was 102 with 24% humidity. Felt like 102F.
Pearland Texas, said it was 93F, with 57% humidity, felt like 104F.
It was miserable out.

I didn't make it up to my lease for almost two months between May and July. The ranch has brought in feeder cows. Result, total devestation. Cow shit everywhere, electrical cords, bungees straps chewed to pieces. Even chewed off sections of a plastic table. One of my buds had three of his four jack-up feeders destroyed. Luckily only one of mine was destroyed.
So a weekend ago I spent Thursday through Sunday filling up feeders and putting things back together. Only sat out once,being the Thursday eve I arrived.Took my Merkel K1 in 9.3 x 74R to the stand along with my Thermocel( after dousing with Deep Woods Off) as the gnats and no-seeum's are like black clouds. Had three small rooters come out just after 7PM. I waited and sure enough all three lined up just long enough to get a shot.



One droppped, DRT. The other two split left and right. When I walked up to the POI, I could see meat and crap heading to the tunnel through the cactus on the left, and I'd seen the one on the right limping pretty good. There was no breeze, 95 plus degrees. I decided to go back to the stand and have a cool beverage. Buzzards gotta eat same as the worms.

Next evening I was heading to my spot at the very back of the lease. It was about 5 minutes after 7PM and it was just starting to cool down. I was approaching a feeder that had just spun. I was on my Polaris 500 pulling a trailer with 600 lbs of corn and paraphanelia for repairiring whatever had been jacked up when I saw pigs under the feeder. At my approach they scattered. I turned off the motor and got my 6 x 47 model 7 Rem. out of the scabbard. Five minutes and they were back.



If anyone doubts the ability of these critters to reproduce, this sow probably wasn't much more than six to eight months old and about 50 lbs. Had 7 football size piglets with her. Life is tough in the hill country and she was so poor from those piglets sucking the life out of her that she was positively boney. Definitely no fat hog there.

Did manage to enjoy a couple mighty fine sunsets........




Thinking about heading back up for September 1 opening day of dove season. Last week there were almost as many white-wings as there were gnats.

Best,

GWB

Good report. I am seeing hogs occasionally, but only bigger/older ones, mainly boars.

I have not seen any sows with piglets since early May.

Does look like it will be a good dove season.

Have seen and heard quite a few bobwhites on the various properties, but no chicks only adults.

One little surprise over the past week was this little boy. He makes the 13th. calf born to the herd this summer.

Crazyhorse: That's mighty swell. I do love the bison.

R,

Luv the pix. What does the boss do with the buffalo? Any problem keeping them behind fences?

We once had a brahma bull that was like a pet. We called him Prince. He loved to be scratched behind his ears. He would try to pin you between a car or a fencepost with his head to keep you scratching him.
Problem was he was always trying to "service" just about anything. Had to be careful if women came around and were "in season". Finally had to get rid of him.

Ya'll got any tame bison?

This particular "pasture" or lease consists of 1700 contiguous acres of land. Three years ago about 600 acres was cleared. Since then it seems the turkey and quail have flourished. First few years I never saw a covey or hear a "bob bob white". Now, if one had dogs he could have a ball. Last two years I had one area that I'd set up a tripod 23 paces from a feeder for bow hunting. I get a kick out of watching quail file in single file. You can her them "muttering" and chirping as they do, and they keep it up while eating corn under the feeder. Then something will spook them and before you can blink an eye a blur will rise and be gone in a heartbeat.
Life is good, and even better "afield".

Best,

GWB

CHC:
Great pics, thanks for sharing them.
George

Thanks George.

Geedubya, at this point in time the boss is studying options. He has had some inquiries both for breeding stock and hunting possibilities.

We have to do a good bit of work on our corrals before we can do much trailer loading of live critters. As for the hunting, our big problem is that as far as Robert and I know there is only one processor within 50 miles that is open year round that could process the meat. I am fairly sure we could handle the skinning and quartering with no problem. it is doing the various cuts/grinding/sausage and packaging we would have trouble with. We do have or did have a processor that operates about 2 miles or so from the land the buffalo are on, but he is only open seasonally and just does deer and hogs. We really need access to someone better equipped and more experienced with butchering cattle.

Right now the buffalo are in a 680 acre pasture that is fenced with a regular barb wire. As long as they do not see a hole big enough to walk thru out of curiosity they seem quite content where they are. Robert owns an additional 320 acres that adjoins the 680, so we are looking at doing any repair that is needed on the remaining 3 sides of it and letting the herd have access. That would give them 1K acres, which with the topography and vegetative cover would make for interesting hunts.

We are still kicking around ideas on how to conduct a hunt and identify which animals would be candidates for removal via a hunt.

We don't have a "tame" buffalo, but, I prefer dealing with buffalo over cattle any day. A buffalo can kill you if it has to, but where I have been in some really tight situations when working with buffalo, I have had only one actually try to hurt me, and that was the one I hand raised.

Cattle have charged me and made serious attempts to hurt everyone in the corrals.