With Permission from

Howard Hill Archery

Presents The 4th Annual
 

Howard Hill Southeastern Classic

Traditional Archery Tournament

JUNE 6th, 7th & 8th, 2008 at Tannehill State Park ~ McCalla, Alabama

Howard Hill Spirit Award

The Texas ASA Federation Tournament Trail is headed to the Northeast part of Texas !!!!!

Archers for Christ Archery Club in Paris will be hosting the 6th of 8 North Texas ASA Qualifiers this weekend May 24th & 25th at the Archers for Christ range. 10:00 am shotgun start, you can shoot either day, 30 targets, 15 known distance targets and 15 unknown distance targets for all classes, we will be shooting all low 12’s. $26.00 entry for all adult classes, $16.00 entry fee for young adult and youth classes, $5.00 entry fee for all eagles. Cash payback for all adult classes, Non-cash awards for young adult, youth and eagle classes.

We have been averaging around 200 shooters this year at our North Texas ASA qualifiers. The competition is good, the payouts are good, the food and fellowship is good. This will be a good chance for the Arkansas and Oklahoma shooters that want to qualify for the Texas ASA State Championship to get qualified. Come out this weekend and shoot with us.

For a complete schedule, results, and club links go to: www.texasasafederation.com

The 3d season is now on its way. With local club,state level and national level shoots going on there is no reason to be getting in some good competitive practice with your bow. Whether you are full bore into the game or just shooting your hunting rig for practice there is a class for everyone. It is also a great way to get the kids involved and having a good time as well.

For more info on the national and state levels check out. asaarchery.com or ibo.net for rules, regs, and schedules on both national,state and local shoots. Also check out 3dshoots.com for some listings as well.

The lonestar bowhunters Association is another good place to look for shoots and to also join to help preserve our sport. So get your bow out dust it off and go kill some foam.

We got up christmas morning and the kids went crazy going through and opening everything they had gotten. We then got our stuff together and prepared to head to my grandparents for the feast. While getting ready to go I grabbed a couple of shotguns and some ammo and went and got Dude,my mountain fiest out of his kennel. We had the feast and opened gifts and visited for hours with the rest of the family before most of them left. Then my cousin,Ash and myself loaded up and went to a little woodlot on our grandparents farm. We turned dude loose and he treed within 2 minutes. It took a while to find the squirrel in the huge oak, but Ash finaly saw him and shot him out. We continued hunting and with 45 minutes we had a bag full of squirrels, 12 to be exact. Dude had done a great job and I was really glad he was working out all right. I bought him out of VA a couple of weeks ago and was hoping he was all he was talked up to be. I have to say I got my money’s worth and have a great meat dog. I am even thinking of hunting him in the hunts a little this year to see how he does.

A good squirrel dog is a great way to get a childs attention and keep it. It is so fun and exciting to hunt with a good dog. It usually takes Dude less than 5 minutes to tree one and he will keep going as long as we let him. I will have to get the pics of him hunting put up so you can see him in action. A good finished squirrel dog is not cheap,  but you can and will find out the price is well worth the fun and meat on the table.

Well this past week has been great! We had a good christmas and then took my new squirrel dog that came from VA out for a hunt. In about an hour Ash, my cousin and myself had 12 squirrels in the bag. The next morning we left for the hill country with both Ash and Cari taking deer with their bow. Cari a 10pt and Ash a doe. Had great fun with everyone else at the lease even with the cold and wind. We hope you a great holiday as well.

Now is the time to find hunting supplies, especially bowhunting supplies on clearance at the walmart stores here in E TX. They are selling broadheads, arrows and other accessories for more than 50% off. I bought 12 packs of broadheads, 1 ameristep lockon and 16ft climbing sticks, along with a 15ft ladder stand and some other stuff for like $175. Here in another month the shotgun shells and camo clothing as well as any other stuff will also sale for a lot less than normal. Don’t miss out as there will be red tagged items in your stores as well when the hunting seasons close.

The deer movenent has really slowed down the last 2 weeks with the temps in the 80’s and the acorns still falling. The deer are mainly moving at night during these warm spells but roaming in the daylight hours during these little 1-2 day cold snaps. We really need a good cold front and a hard wind and some rain to get rid of these acorns. Most have quit hunting, but our little bunch still needs to take about 20 more deer to meet our quota that the bioligist requires. We have until the end of Feb though and the weather will turn around by then, Jan and Feb are really good months to pattern and harvest deer on food sources just like in the early season.

We have harvested some nice deer here in ETX this year with several 150 and 160 class deer being reported as well as a 17pt that went 175 taken in Newton Co. On our place their have been several in the 140’s and one in the 150’s, with them being 5 1/2 years old and older. Our counties way to the south and west in the hill country and south tx have been doing real well with several deer over 200 taken as well as one that went in the 270’s gross. Monsters have also been coming back across from old mexico as that country that is usually dry had a great winter,spring and summer with lots of plant growth and flooding waters and it is really showing up in the horns. A record setting year for sure.

Duck hunting during the first split has went well for most everyone I have talked with. Several of the guys I work with went this morning and killed their limits with no problem. I am hearing of really good hunting on the sulphur and red river as well as on some of the major E TX lakes. Dam b is full and loaded with vegetation and has been holding a fair number of birds and has been giving up limits to everyone that I have talked to that is hunting it. The creeks are full of wood ducks with all the acorns that are falling and are perfect for jump shooting.

I have bought a finished squirrel dog out of VA and am awaiting his arrival. When he gets here we are going to hunt him hard and see how many squirrels we can finish the season out with. Here in Texas not a whole lot of people squirrel or rabbit hunt any more, but we have beagles and now a feist to extend the season with. Squirrel season closes the first weekend in feb and the limit is 10 per day. There is no closed season or bag limits on rabbits.

There is plenty of time to do lots of hunting, so dont let the warm weather end it for you. Get out there and get with it, you cant kill them sittin on the couch wathin football.

It was a warm sunday evening a coupe of  weeks ago that my daughter and I set out on a little short hunt just a few minutes from the house. We pulled in around 4pm and eased into the woods shotguns in hand. In less than 30yds in a cat squirrel took off through the trees and a load of number 5’s from the old 870 brought it down.

After the shot there were more squirrels barkin in the distance and we eased towards them and sat down next to a large oak. In a coupe of minute another young gray was moving in front of us and the little over and under 28ga Ashlyn was toting broke the silence again with another tender squirrel for the fryin pan.

We were slowly easing along the creek when a couple of woodies jumped up and I downed a hen with the one shot I could get off before they were gone. After wading in to get her I was glad that it was 70dgrees with the water temp about the same. Bet many folks can’t claim that in their neck of the woods in late nov. we continued on down the creek and collected another fine little gray.

As we were again coming up on the creek I could hear the wood ducks below us under the edge of the bank. I got Ash up to the edge and told her she had first shot. At the next step several birds got up and she dumped her first duck in the creek. Ducks continued to get up and she missed her next shot and I took over while she was reloading and downed a drake, now back in action Ash also got a drake with her 4th shot.

We chased one more squirrel around for a while before he got away from us after being missed numerous times by both of us, then it was time to head out as the light was fading fast. Back at home we cleaned our take and took them in and cooked them up. Nothin beats fresh game on the stove.

Between my full time job, full time bowshop and trying to hunt I havent had much time for anything else. Now maybe it will slow down a little in the work department and can get back to doing the fun stuff more. It has been a good deer season so far with my daughter,wife and myself having harvested 12 deer so far. We have now turned to deer hunting less and squirrel and varmint hunting more. I also have in the new 08 bows and will do some reports on them and anything else new that comes in to the shop.

Ashlyn has shot a shotgun a few times, mainly squirrel hunting with a 410.  Last week she surprised me and wanted to shoot some skeet. She tried with the full choked 410 and hit 3 out of a box of shells. I knew she could do better with a bigger pattern and more shot. She doesnt like to try new guns that she hasnt shot before, scared she’s gonna get kicked hard. I finally talked her into giving the o/u 28ga a try and she busted a bird with the first shot and didnt hardly miss after that.

After shooting in the yard for a couple of days she was ready to try and shoot a dove. We have a good many coming into our pasture and it didnt take long to get on them. After several close calls she finally got some shooting and scratched one down. I picked up 3 more before a thunder storm blew in. Now she is on the internet looking at shotguns wanting a 20ga auto so she can duck and goose with me.

One more day to go and we will be chasing whitetails. I have the bows ready and Ashlyn is pumped up ready to bust one of the big 8pts we have been watching. Will let you know how it goes..