Waterfowl Wrap Up

The 2008-2009 duck season came to a close on Sunday, January 25th, and one could say the numbers were not as impressive as last year.

Two factors may have come in to play to why the season was not as productive as the 2007-2008 duck season. First, the waves of warm air allowed for open water farther to the north to remain unfrozen. Thus, the ducks had never migrated far enough south because there was plenty of water to inhabit in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. Second, it was reported that this year had a poor hatch due to not enough rainfall in the Prairie Potholes region that runs along the United States and Canada border.

Or it could just have been bad timing, lousy shooting, and birds flaring off because of poorly made blinds.

Guide Sam G claims that, "...at least ten or so more ducks would have been harvested if my gun would have chambered shells. It was like shooting a single shot 4-10." This was a problem the hunter dealt with all season.

We saw average numbers of ducks throughout the season, but we never got the big push to where we could harvest 23 ducks in just 15 minutes. More ducks should have been harvested this season, but here are the results: 3 green-wing teal, 6 ring-necked ducks, 1 gadwall, and 2 mallards for a total of 12 ducks. Last year, close to 40 ducks were shot over Proffitt Lake.

What did make the waterfowl season quite special was the fact that it was a year of "firsts". The 2008-2009 waterfowl season has claimed the harvest of the first Canadian goose, the first snipe, and the first sandhill crane. Sandhill crane season wraps up Sunday, February the 8th. It is rumored that guide Sam G will be hunting the birds during the final weekend of the season.

First Crane!!!

On January 16th, 2009, Sam G was guiding for client and friend Chris D when the first sandhill crane, a.k.a. "rib eye-in-the-sky", was harvested.

The two hunters watched a large group of sandhill cranes take flight around 7:45 a.m. to the west of where they were hunting. However, the birds were too far away. At 9 a.m., an even larger group of cranes (about a thousand) rose from the north about half a mile away. Sam G began calling and Chris D used the flag to grab about half the flock's attention.

It was quite a spectacle as five hundred trumpeting sandhill cranes passed just 40 yards over the hunters. When the group flew over, Sam G called the shot and both guide and client put six rounds into the air. After the shooting was over, one B-52 bomber sized bird came crashing down into the ground with a "thud", finishing off the bird.

Bird Dog Shines During LG2 Ranch Quail Weekend

If Belle ever wanted the title of "bird dog," she earned it the weekend of Jan. 17. On Saturday, Sam and Phillip, followed by an entourage consisting of Mark, Teresa and Claire, decided to get out of the house and scare up some quail. In a rare move, Princess Belle decided to join in on the hunt. After a brief sweep of the pecan orchard, no quail were found. As the hunters moved north, Belle's instincts kicked in. While near a fire lane, Belle scared up a group from the thick brush and Phillip and Sam pulled a double shot to take one down. The quail went down into the thick, and Belle managed to track it down for the hunters. Score one for Belle.

The following day, it was back to the same area. Sam and Phillip, armed with a couple 20-gauges, stalked the same areas they had the previous day. Sure enough, Sam spotted 15-plus quail on the ground in the same thick brush they had spotted the group the day before. As Sam collected Belle away from harm, Phillip aimed into the group on the ground and fired, knocking down three with one shot. Belle stamped her certification as an official "Bird Dog" when she dove into the wounded, pinning them down and finishing off any survivors. At the end of the day, not even a tennis ball was enough to remove a quail from Belle's mouth.

2008 Whitetail Hunting Results at Texas LG2

The 2008 Whitetail Hunting Season was not only fun but very productive when it came to filling the freezers with chili meat and delicious backstrap. Final numbers were split right down the middle with six bucks and six does. The bucks included one 10 point, two eight points, one six point, and two cull bucks with less than 3 points. Many more opportunities were at hand with one hunter, who will remain nameless, passed on two trophy deer and opted more for the Walt Disney approach. Movies anyone!!!!

When times were a bit slow for the hunters, there were several unfortunate critters meeting their demise including, 8 crows, several corn fed raccoons, and enough "hawgs" to feed a small city. From a numbers standpoint, this whitetail season proved to be the best out of the six hunting seasons since the ranch was bought by the current ownership group.

Now the focus is on filling feeders, plowing seedbeds and food plots, and taking time out of our busy schedules to chase ducks, snipes and sandhill cranes.

Snipe Hunting Anyone?

So you just thought it was a way to play a practical joke on an unsuspecting friend! Well "Myth Busters" Sam G. and his Pa proved that the elusive Snipe does exist. Both men plus Grandfather were duck hunting at "THE RANCH" on the front lake during the morning of December 27th when three of these mysterious creatures flew right into the duck decoys. The hunters refrained from shooting the tiny little birds with #4 high powered steel shot and let them settle on the shoreline some 20 yards away. A quick inventory of the hunter's ammuntion produced one 20 gauge #6 shell. Sam G. quickly reverted back to his "predator" instincts and slowly stalked the unsuspecting birds. Once within range, Sam G. fired the fatal round taking one of the birds.

Merry Christmas from the Barnhards!

Our family present ... Merry Christmas!

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