October 4th from 6-9 PM. FREE event with wild game bites, beverages, live music, raffles, games, and more! Don’t miss out. No RSVP required. Donations needed and sponsorship opportunities are available! Please contact Mimi Meyer at mimi.lsonf@gmail.com for more information.
Everett Johnson wasn’t able to attend the Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation Wild Game Night at the Beretta Gallery last October, but he did buy some raffle tickets, asking that they all be put toward the turkey hunt.
When the winner’s name was called as “E. Johnson,” it took a minute for people to figure out who the winner was.
“It finally dawned on me, that’s Everett,” said Lone Star Outdoor News’ David J. Sams.
Johnson, an accomplished turkey hunter and the owner of the Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine showed up at the
Stonewall County ranch during the first week of the North Zone spring season with a vest loaded down with turkey calls.
He didn’t really need them.
The next morning, the full moon was setting, making the skies bright before 7 a.m. Turkeys started to arrive shortly after flying over the fence onto the ranch from their roost on the neighboring property.
“There has been four to six coming every day,” Sams said. Temperatures were cool, in the mid-40s, with a 20 mph wind. The birds were quiet until some real light gobbling was heard from a few areas around 7:30 a.m.
“Don’t call until they are right in front,” Sams told Johnson from his spot under mesquite trees about 10 feet away.
Three hens walked toward
Johnson, one sporting a 7-inch beard. Two, then three toms followed right behind them.
At about 20 yards away, the hens turned and went to some strutting toms to the left of the decoys. One hen jumped onto the side of a manmade tank.
“I was watching that, and then, ‘Boom,’” Sams said. “He shot the first tom that came close.”
Johnson used his trusty Remington 1187 20 gauge with TSS (tungsten super shot) ammo in 9 1/2 shot.
When the bird was down, the action picked up. The other tom started pecking at the downed bird and the hens slowly walked off.
“The tom circled the downed bird for 40 minutes,” Sams said.
“I have to pee so bad,” Johnson texted.
“I’m freezing,” Sams replied.
Johnson got on his knees to relieve himself, but the lone tom stayed.
More birds were heard, and Sams texted Johnson, “Call them.” He did and another flock came, including three jakes. The jakes went to the downed bird, beating it up. The other original tom fought off the jakes.
“It was like a turkey funeral,” Sams said. “The tom was protecting his buddy.”
Two more toms came, strutting, and the hens returned, with the birds making lots of noise.
The hunters were getting impatient.
“Go get the dead one and see if they run off,” Sams texted.
When Johnson did, the turkeys finally flew. The hunters sat another 30 minutes, but the few birds that returned cautiously stayed at a distance.
“It was quite a hunt,” Sams said.
Kayla Kramer, of Denver, Colorado, overheard former Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation benefactor Jarrod Smith recounting the story of his first buck at a pharmaceutical sales conference. Kramer jumped into the conversation and asked how she too could learn to hunt.
Kramer grew up fishing with her dad and listening to hunting stories from her best friend. She always had the desire to tag along on a hunt, but the friend wasn’t confident enough to “teach her how to hunt.”
Knowing where her food comes from, as well as the health benefits of wild game, piqued Kramer’s interest. A few months af- after the conference, Kramer found herself in Texas for her first hunt.
“It was so cool to see the gorgeous deer walking around the ranch,” she said.
LSONF board member David Sweet, who also works for the sales company and took Smith on his hunt, was there during Kramer’s hunt. After sighting in at the range and instruction of shot placement with a life-sized deer target, she was ready for the blind.
When the buck presented an opportunity, she followed her instructions and made the shot.
“I thought I missed it, at first,” Kramer said. “It didn’t buck up with the shot and he ran off.”
There was no blood trail, so it took several minutes for the pair to find the downed buck. The shot was true — straight through the heart. It was clear the buck’s adrenaline kicked in.
“I had lots of anxiety in the moments after the shot and up until we found him,” Kramer said. “I was so relieved when we saw him.”
Her guide, Steve Hudson, said she was speechless when they found the buck 50 yards from the shot. They found one drop of blood on a blade of grass only a few feet from the animal.
Hudson said Kramer was one of the calmest first hunters he has guided.
“She hit the deer right where I told her to,” he said.
Hunting is more than the harvest, it’s the full experience of being in the outdoors. “It was a really great experience; trying the freshly harvested, grilled venison to sitting around the campfire sharing stories,” Kramer said. “It was beyond anything that I had expected. And I definitely want to go hunting again in the future.”
Kramer plans to get a European mount of the buck and looks forward to the freezer full of meat. She also plans to invest in a hunting rifle and plan another trip to Texas. “I would like to bring my best friend or dad down to hunt with me here,” she said.
By Mimi Meyer, for Lone Star Outdoor News
After participating in the Wild Sheep Foundation’s Women Hunt program back in October at the FTW Ranch with no luck after several hunts, Jamie Benn and Kathryn Hunter were eager to get out in the field for more experience. The Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation gave them just that in December on a ranch in Stonewall County.
Hunter, who goes by Kat, explained her previous experience of working for an outfitter, but always being behind the scenes and never getting to hunt herself. Her curiosity made her apply for the Women Hunt program to learn to hunt for herself. Meanwhile, Benn, just into her first few months of her new position working as a research professor at Texas A&M University-Kingsville studying white-tailed deer, was interested in hunting as it pertains to the full effects on the deer population and conservation to the species. After the vigorous WH training, especially shooting, the two were so anxious to check off their first deer from the list.
“I want to harvest a deer to really complete the cycle,” Jamie said. “I have been studying deer for years and I would really like to see how it feels to close the gap full circle on the end of an animal’s life.”
The first morning was full of excitement and nerves. The deer were plentiful and moving for Hunter, while Benn only saw two small bucks. The afternoon seemed more promising, but no shots were taken, although the new hunters were able to practice getting the gun up and ready to fire. However, the deer weren’t cooperating.
The second and last days proved to be much different from the first. That morning, it was off to the blinds. Within 40 minutes of the sun coming up, a shot was heard from across the ranch. Within a few minutes, Kat texted “IMPACT” – a familiar saying at the range on the FTW which means you hit the target — and Jamie replied with smiley emojis.
An hour or two later, Kat sent a photo of fist-pumping — which meant success! Both women had successfully harvested their first animal, beautiful whitetail bucks with only one shot. Jamie helped her guide, Steve Hudson, dress her buck in the field, while Kat drug her deer back to the truck for cleaning at the ranch headquarters. The two were beaming — excited and proud of what they had accomplished.
The Women Hunt program teaches women of all ages the skills they need to shoot, hunt, and ranch etiquette.
After several photos, cleaning deer, and a celebratory beer, the two new hunters packed up their coolers with their quartered deer and headed home. Both Jamie and Kat plan on continuing their hunting journeys for the rest of their lives.
“This is the first of many,” Kat said. “I am finally a bonafide hunter and cannot wait to do it again.”
Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation’s mission is all about one thing – providing opportunities.
Finding and cultivating future hunters and anglers is crucial to the survival of our passion for the outdoors. Unfortunately, many people never get the chance to have these life-changing experiences. Maybe they had parents who didn’t hunt; maybe they are from
a single-parent household and need someone to give them a gentle nudge into the outdoors. Texas is full of people wanting to become outdoorsmen or outdoorswomen, but they don’t know where to start.
In 2022, LSONF introduced nearly 30 people to the outdoors.
Jarrod Smith took his first deer at 40 years old.
“This is definitely just the start for me,” Smith said. “I want to get with guides and do some saltwater fishing this spring and get the boys out on Lake Conroe to catch some fish. And I think my 11-year-old is mature enough to go out with me hunting.”
LSONF partnered with the Delta Waterfowl R3 program again this year to get 10 wildlife students from Texas A&M-Kingsville out in a duck blind for the first time. One of the students, Andres Rosales, shot a beautiful green- winged teal and had already made plans with his mom to get it mounted as his Christmas present this year. He couldn’t wait to get it back home to a taxidermist.
Working with the Texas Dove Hunters Association, LSONF took Texas Sen. Donna Campbell, M.D. and fellow staff members on their first dove hunt this September.
And it’s not just hunting. Five friends from San Antonio headed to Rockport over the summer for a weekend of fishing. Gabe Constantine caught his first fish and everyone in the group caught their first black drum. Most fish caught were undersized, but Courtney Cargil hooked one keeper, and the group took it to a local restaurant to be prepared and shared.
This year, LSONF’s Wild Game Night raised more than $30,000 with the help of generous donations by our sponsors and patrons. The annual event will be celebrating its 12th year on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at the Beretta Gallery in Dallas.
We hope you will look at our mission statement and consider becoming a donor or sponsor to help us pursue these worthwhile, and vital, causes.
