Country Lifestyles
The First Hunt
By Jessica Crabtree
George Seals was 16 the first time he left Denton County to hunt mule deer. As boys, he and his brother hunted rabbits, raccoons, possums and more, “From little on I loved the outdoors and hunting anything we could. I loved that way of life,” Seals said. He remembered seeing pictures of mule deer with impressive antlers and dreamed of one day experiencing a hunt for himself.
In 1947, Seals’ Sunday school teacher, Charlie Bolton, asked Seals to go on a hunt with him and four others on the Block Ranch in Capitan N.M. The young Seals was thrilled and accepted the invitation. “I’d never been hunting before. I didn’t have a suitcase. I didn’t even have a gun,” he laughed. Seals manufactured himself a wooden box, a make-shift suitcase of wood and painted it red and adorned the front with his name and address. It held all he thought he needed, socks, long Johns and boots—warm clothes.
Builders working on his parents’ home located Seals a gun, a .30-40 Krag- Springfield rifle. Seals recalls, it was heavy. The memory of the trip is as plain in the 85-year-old’s mind as if it were yesterday, “We left out a few days before opening day. We headed for New Mexico early that morning taking a car and truck. We stayed in Roswell the first night and went to Titsworth Hardware Store the next morning to buy our hunting license. I’ll never forget—it was $50.25.” He won’t soon forget that amount because in that day and age $50 was a large amount of money. For a young man, he had to work hard and save. Seals did just that. “I helped gather corn down on Denton Creek bottom with my grandad’s team of horses and wagon where you pulled it off the stock, put it in the wagon, gathered a load, took it to the barn and went back for more. I was just a kid and that was hard work.” Seals assured.
Seals remembered the trip being eye-opening, “Titsworth was a huge store and had everything you needed. My eyes couldn’t believe all I was seeing. We bought supplies there like eggs to go with the slab of bacon we brought.” Seeing such country and inhabitants for the first time, Seals was delighted. That was also his first introduction to coyote hunting and hanging the carcasses up along the fence line.
To read more pick up a copy of the December 2016 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By: Martha Crump
Most cattle producers can tell you quite a lot about balancing cattle diets for energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals based on the specific needs for their herd and type of operation.
A key factor, and one that is often overlooked, is that how your animals perform is also directly affected by their water intake.
Now many of you may already be thinking “well of course water is necessary, anybody knows that!”
In many years, as September marches into October, we are beginning to experience some return of rainfall. But as many of us know, that is not always the case. Often we are still experiencing hot and dry weather, and water supplies are dwindling.
When we find ourselves experiencing those types of fall conditions, it is critical to not only understand the daily water requirements for cattle, but also the impact that the quality of water can have on herd health and development.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Annette Bridges
A friend and I were recently talking about our husbands. She made a comment that I felt also perfectly described me and my hubby.
“He slows me and I hurry him. I’m sure that is why we do well together,” she said.
“Precisely!” I thought. Why?
Because when two different worlds collide, it can be magical.
No matter what those two different worlds are- a man and a woman with very different personalities, beliefs, or backgrounds, two partners with contrasting passions, strengths, or talents, or when a country boy marries a city girl.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Watauga, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth, is known for its rich history as a railroad stop, but over the course of the last year, one teen girl has put it on the map for agriculture as well. Emma Harvey has lived in Tarrant County her entire life. Despite being highly involved in her local 4-H chapter, she still felt there was more she could do. In the spring of 2023, she stepped up to the plate to take over the title of Tarrant County Teen Miss Agriculture USA.
“It all started when I put in an application for the teen title here in Tarrant County,” explained Harvey.
The Miss Agriculture USA program is a national non-profit, age-inclusive pageant program that offers both competition and non-competition titles to women dedicated to the promotion of agriculture.
Read more in the October issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available online and in print. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive NTFR in your inbox each week.
Photo by Hannah Claxton.
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