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Confessions of a Hunter – He’s not the only one learning
By Andy Anderson
He just turned seven and loves to hang out with me. My son, Clayton “Clay,” jumps at the chance to accompany me as I go about my day. Checking pig traps, food plots, fixing or building this or that, it makes no difference to him. He always asks to bring his BB gun (of course he does) and I’ve got my rifle with me so why shouldn’t he have his?
I have always tried to incorporate anything I am doing as an opportunity to teach him something or to practice safety. I’ve been doing that since the first day he helped me fill feeders. When he was about five or six, he and I stalked up on some turkey. We were not hunting so I didn’t have a weapon. I just wanted to show him something, do something with him. We were low crawling through a grass field, Clay right on my heels. I could hear him breathing hard as we got closer. When we got within 20 yards, I motioned him up beside me. We sat motionless for what seemed like an hour, watching the turkey move their way through the field eating bugs and small seeds and listening to them talk to each other. I looked over at him occasionally.
His bright blue eyes were fixed on the turkey, watching their every move, ducking slowly when he believed one looked our way. His attention and focus was impressive. Like a bird dog on point, he was engrossed in the moment and so was I.
He is seven now and out of school, so of course he is with me when he is not swimming or playing with his friends. Clay, with his BB gun in hand, loads up with me to go check traps and feeders one day. Turkey season is over, but the birds are still active. We were driving alongside a wheat field headed to the next feeder when Clay holler’s out, “Stop the truck! Turkey!” Sure enough, about 150 yards out in the field near a lone oak tree a few jakes were loafing in the shade. Clay asked if he can shoot one. This field is bare, flat and wide open. Knowing these turkey will see him before he steps foot in the field, I say, “Sure! Go get’em, buddy.”
To read more pick up a copy of the August 2017 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
One of my professors out at Texas Tech University always told us that we aren’t just raising cattle, we’re raising grass, because without grass there is no cattle business. The same applies to most livestock species and crops we seek to raise- without good land management, no good yield can grow.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Barry Whitworth, DVM, MPH
With the prolonged drought, most pastures in Oklahoma end up in poor condition. With the lack of available forage, animals may go in search of alternative foods.
If oak trees are in the pastures, acorns may be a favorite meal for some livestock in the fall. This may result in oak poisoning.
Oak leaves, twigs, buds, and acorns may be toxic to some animals when consumed.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Tony Dean
There are a handful of grasses on North Texas grazing lands ranchers need to know, not because they are highly desirable, but rather because they are not of much value. I call them “decom” plants, which is am acronym for “Don’t Ever Count On Me.” Silver bluestem is a “decom” grass.
Silver bluestem is a perennial which grows in all areas of Texas. It can survive in almost all soil types, and in full sun conditions or in semi shade. It grows up to three feet tall and is easily recognized with the presence of the white fuzzy seed head. Also, one of the identifying characteristics of Silver bluestem is a bend in the stems at each node, causing the plants to take on a rounded shape as they mature.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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