Grunts & Gobbles

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	The 2012 Turkey Games May 01, 2012 at 4:16 pm The late Ken Morgan believed that turkey hunting was a one-man game. In fact, he wrote a book titled “Turkey Hunting: A One Man Game.” In the preface of the book, he states that the solitary hunter alone in the woods gets the maximum amount of relaxation and pleasure from the game.

	Defining a true sportsman April 01, 2012 at 7:00 am A few weeks ago, I spent Friday night at Camp David so I could get an early start on our Saturday work project and to check on the pig that seems to always be eluding me. I woke up early and turned the radio on to listen to Don Dubuc and the Fish and Game Show.

	Put a ribbon on it March 01, 2012 at 8:58 am The deer hunting is over and it’s time to talk turkey. But before the gobbling and clucking begins, the 33rd Annual Louisiana Sportsmen’s Show & Festival will take place in Gonzales on March 9-11, and it is time to look at some of those deer heads that were featured in the Deer of the Year story in last month’s issue.

	A new year in paradise February 01, 2012 at 7:22 am The magazine in the doctor’s office referred to Grand Teton National Park as a nature lover’s paradise. No doubt it is, especially in the winter when the game descends the mountains and walks around with the humans.

	A new year January 01, 2012 at 8:00 am The old Carol Burnett Show used to end with the phrase “Seems we just got started and before you know, it’s time to go.” For me it seems the deer season just opened, and now this is the last month of the season. Of course I am writing this column on Dec. 6 in order to meet the printing deadline, so I actually still have two full months of deer hunting, and the best is definitely yet to come for us who hunt the deer that breed in December and January.

	Success is all about timing December 01, 2011 at 11:53 am If you like baseball, then you probably watched the World Series games between the Rangers and the Cardinals. If you did, you saw some excellent hitting — Albert Pujols hitting three homers in a game, Josh Hamilton hitting what Ranger fans thought was the Series winner in Game 6.

	Escape the dark side November 01, 2011 at 5:16 pm The key to a successful deer program is to keep the habitat productive for deer throughout the entire year, not just during the hunting season. In fact, when the hunting season comes around, deer growth and development is over, and it is now harvest time. If one has been doing the habitat work, the harvest should be good; if not, it might be a little slow at the skinning shed.

	Nock-n-hold, lock-n-load: The 2011 season is here September 29, 2011 at 3:15 pm While Tropical Storm Lee put a damper on the opening of dove season, there is still much to be excited about. I visited Bowie Outfitters and took advantage of the tax-free weekend for guns, and ammo and there were plenty of others doing the same. No doubt the other local gun dealers did good business that weekend as hunters made final preparations for the 2011 season by taking advantage of this opportunity to save some money.

	Solar power lighting up and pigging out August 30, 2011 at 9:22 am As I have mentioned before, it seems like there is an article about feral hogs in every hunting and wildlife magazine on the stands. Since the season is wide open on pigs, I have made an effort to hunt them hard this summer and reduce their numbers around Camp David.

	Management work continues despite the high water July 05, 2011 at 3:29 pm A lot of time, money and effort spent doing wildlife habitat work is being washed away as the waters of the Mississippi rise and are diverted into the floodway systems. While too much water is a problem for many, the lack of water in the form of rainfall continues to be a problem for others. The plantings I made for deer and turkey in Clinton are up, but the lack of rain has been a problem. They did get some rain the second week of May and first week of June, which was certainly needed.

	Deer, turkey seasons over, but management work continues June 09, 2011 at 7:17 am When the hunting seasons end, many hunters leave the fields and woods, and never look back until next fall rolls around. For them it’s off to the lakes and rivers, baseball fields, NASCAR tracks or whatever gets them excited now. There are too many fish to fry to be worrying about deer and turkey. They will worry about them when fall rolls around.

	An old Revelation brings success on a turkey hunt May 02, 2011 at 8:55 am I could not hunt the opening day of the 2010 turkey season due to an obligation to teach a deer hunting and management seminar in Alexandria. Definitely poor planning on the staff that organized this outdoor event, but since retirement allows one to hunt whenever, I agreed to do it.