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Confessions of a Hunter – Hunting is a Sport, Not Sport Hunting
By Andy Anderson
I walked into a local, small-town café where the tables didn’t match, the history of the area covered the walls from floor to ceiling and the smell of fresh hot coffee and home style cooking filled the air. The old timers of the area were gathered at a table in the back of the dining room talking and sharing stories, giving free advice to solve any problem you may have or a salty opinion should you ask for one.
As I found a table, slid the chair back to have a seat, the waitress set a coffee cup down and filled it to the brim. Time seemed to slow down; peace set in as I looked over the menu even though I already knew what I was going to have. Not too much attention was paid to my presence by the table of patriarchs seated behind me. They glanced over at me and carried on with their conversation. I guess I fit the part.
About that time a couple of young men, about 16 years of age, burst into the café. Loud and abrupt as they enter, they just stood in the doorway for a few moments. The waitress advised them to sit anywhere they liked. A quick glance at the hair on their faces, skinny jeans and tennis shoes, it was obvious they were not from around here. About that time, a low grumble sounded from the table behind me, “Y’all can sit up front there.” The young men sat at the table next to the door, minding the advice given.
Shortly afterwards I heard the men discussing the wild hog problem in the area, and my name came up as the helicopter guy. I turned and introduced myself and was quickly invited over to their table.
As we discussed helicopter hog hunting, the young men decided they should advise us that shooting pigs from a helicopter is not hunting, its murder. Well, use your imagination as to the response returned their way and about how much anyone cared about their opinion. The young men got the point and soon departed the café.
To read more pick up a copy of the August 2018 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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