Menard 2021/2022 Season
 

That time to get a new thread going. We didnt have much luck on turkeys this year but a few were killed. Lots of busted up trees like everyone else and lots of green grass, hope its a good year. Im ready to go already.

I am hoping to get out next weekend and start thinking about next year.

Was at our place a couple week ends ago. All we did was pick up and cut limbs in the roads. It was unbelievable how many oak limbs had broke off.

Make sure y’all come clean ours up too. Going down next weekend to get away

I'm thinking this year is going to be one of those years! We got rain at the right time!

It’s green but still have oak damage from the freeze,caterpillar, and hail. Seen a lot of hogs a few axis. Hopefully we get more rain over the next few months

We drug all the limbs over on your place. Ramon said you would want them.

Only if he split and stacked it

Man it got scary this evening. I turned North on Cleo Road and the craziest blowing rain storm hit. I didn’t know what to do as my lease mates told me how bad the low water crosses get. I couldn’t see at all and ended up getting stuck between two low spots a few miles away from the lease.

After about 30 minutes it slowed down so I could make it through. Super scary stuff.

I had plans to go get some corn in the morning in town. Hopefully no more rain and the roads clear.

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I hear you. I’m at my lease now and that was a wicked storm. We are off Cleo as well. Had some hail but nothing too serious. Hopefully nothing more though the night.

Heath, I’m going to PM my cell. Never hurts to have an extra contact on hand out here.

Randy

We are west of menard. Picked up 2.5” in about 45 minutes. It was wild how hard it rained

I ended up with 1.3" here on the west side of town. This was a very good and timely rain. It was green out there but most was winter grass and weeds and with the 100 degree heat on it's way, it would be gone in no time.
Adios,
Gary

Junction was hoping today when I ran to town to grab corn. Finally had lunch at Lum’s


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I’m sitting in a pop up waiting on a pig with my bow instead of driving around on the Can Am with a 308. I’m an idiot.


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Lum’s is awesome. That’s some serious protein right there.

Any updates on how things are looking out there?
Gary?

I hope to get down to our lease this week, west of Mason 8 or so miles.

Lums is good stuff! I need to get down that way and make sure the camper isn't leaking!

We are green across the county and temps have remained mild. I was out jogging the hounds yesterday morning and it was 68. I hunted until about 9:30 and when I hit the highway and started back to town it was 9:45...I watched the temp roll to up to 75.
Rains have been really scattered across the county with some areas getting much more than others. This means that while it is green, there's not much deep moisture in places. It is warm enough that we are beginning to grow the better grasses and less weeds. The winter grass that is beginning to burn up so watch your outside burning.
Deer are in good body condition and the antlers I have seen appear to be above average. I am seeing quite a few mature looking bucks with non-typical points. I saw a bachelor herd of approximately ten bucks and two or three of the most mature bucks were showing lots of extra chrome. The axis are in great body condition but as I have previously stated, most of the bigger bucks have freeze damage to the antlers. Hopefully this gets them a pass for this year and gives them an extra year of growth. Lots of fawns and a high percentage of twins.
Cool, wet weather is a recipe for hog explosion and that certainly seems to be the case. Hogs are taking advantage of this nice weather to expand their range and more are getting killed on the highways, be careful out there.
Adios,
Gary

Thanks Gary.
Hopefully our pig problem has not increased.
Looking forward to this season!

Quite a few ranchers are allowing some of the Helicopter Hog Hunters to fly their property and they are killing hundreds of hogs. This is the only thing that is checking the population at this time. If you don't remove 75% of the population annually, then you are loosing ground.
Even if we don't get more rain in the next month or so, which is fairly typical, antler growth is going to be above average. Most antlers are pretty well developed and it's wet enough to carry them until they are fully grown.
Not seeing many turkey poults but I think it's because the grass and weeds are so rank. As good as conditions were this spring, I am expecting a healthy hatch. Lots of grasshoppers which should assure the poults are getting all the food they need.
Adios,
Gary

We are off 2291 and pigs are always present. I wouldn’t mind the Axis population increasing in our area. We have a small group always present but not in large groups like you see around the creeks. We don’t graze our ranch and don’t shoot them so hoping it pays off.

We’re seeing hogs more and more as well. We are across the road from Taylor (Els16).

I killed this one last weekend with my 454 revolver.

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Haven’t seen an Axis since deer season. Wondering if the freeze took out the few we had.


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Nice work, I sure miss Menard and Ojida’s Mexican chicken fried steak.

While we lost a tremendous number of axis on one ranch, overall I feel that we didn't loose many axis across the county. I was feeding 50-60 head on my little place on the river west of town and found only three carcasses.
Last Friday, I was jogging my hounds south of town and saw two WT bucks with above average frame for typical Menard County bucks. While one was very mature, the other appeared to be a 3 year old. The old buck is going to be over 20" wide which is pretty rare for a free range Menard County buck. He needs to go as he is not carrying much mass and looks to be a slick 8 point.
Adios,
Gary

Something else to look forward to...Looks like we are going to have a bumper crop of acorns. Most live oaks and shin oaks are loaded at this time. If it continues to rain, I am guessing that they will be dropping late into the fall.
Adios,
Gary

Menard
 

Ojida’s closed down.

Oh man bummer,

Really, when? It was open last season.

How do you like the new gas station/mart across the street? Huge for a small town.
Has all you want and serves some decent fast food/pizza. HaHa

They are going to build a new restaurant across from the Post Office on Hwy. 83.
Adios,
Gary

I was about 12 miles south of Menard, jogging my dogs this morning and saw a really good buck trot across the road in front of the dogs. Looked like a long tined 10 point with extra chrome. Looked like kickers off the G-2's.
I also looked for acorns down there and found that not nearly as many there as around Menard. The ice storm was really bad there and I am guessing that it affected the trees adversely.
Really nice when I dumped the hounds...64 degrees! I don't remember seeing that cool of temps in July.
Adios,
Gary

Everything was green this weekend. Deer looked healthy and are hitting the feed pretty good. Does anyone have internet out there or a lead on internet? If so, how well does it work and what company?

Only one that works out there consistently is AT&T

We have AT&T cell service but didn’t know who the best actual internet provider was. It would have to be satellite internet since our place is so remote.

If I get on my tallest deer stand that’s at the back of the property, about 50 extra feet of elevation, I get Verizon. :D

Supposedly they’re building some new ATT towers out there.
Last time I was there they were working on one just outside Callan Lane. Not sure who’s that one was though.

Depends where you are in the county. We have Next Link in and around town. They are about to install equipment about 8 miles west of town so that I will be able to get on my river place. Not sure if Next Link is available in SE part of the county or not. Most of the county has no internet service. Capp35 is correct, about the only cell phone service that works here is AT&T or West Central out of San Angelo.
Are any of you seeing an increase in dead whitetails??? We have been finding dead ones in and around town as well as some cases west of town. I understand that it is Blue Tongue. An old died right off the hill below my house and the SE prevailing wind sure did make it stinky around the yard. We had help from buzzards as she was too far gone to haul off before I found her.
Adios,
Gary

Knock on wood we didn’t see any on our place off Waddell.

I would drive there from Katy for that Que!

I was out there this weekend for a couple of hours topping off some feeders and putting out some cameras. 45 minutes after I left (in the middle of the afternoon) a nice buck was in the feed pen eating. My mobile camera is showing great activity with deer, turkeys, and pigs. I notice that it was much browner than a month ago when I was out there.

I paid $10.25 for corn. It is going to hurt when we go back to filling up every feeder on the place instead of just running a couple.

I’ll second that. We did get 20% Purina antler max protein from Kothmans for 13 a bag if I remember correctly. Spent the afternoon cooling off in the river

I'm going to my lease the weekend of August 6th. It would be great to meet this group. I know/met Taylor and have exchanged numbers with Heath, but wondering if a mid-day group lunch would be feasible. Maybe more so during the season? My lease is off Cleo/2291 about halfway between Menard and I10. About a mile or two on the Menard side of the big radio/microwave tower.

You should be very close to Heath. Are you on Williamson Ranch?
Adios,
Gary

Blue tongue has just started showing up in certain areas of the county. I am sure it will hit the higher population areas the hardest.
And yes, it is beginning to dry out as we missed all the rains that fell further south and east. Of course it is late July.
Adios,
Gary

As the crow flies we are really close to each other. I hunt the Spinks ranch off Norma Spiller Lane.

That’s good news. I’ll drive up just to eat there from Tomball lol.

Looks like “work weekend” for me will be August 28th.
Hot ***** weather to fill feeders, clear roads, repair blinds.
Oh, and I love them ticks. Haha

I hunt on part of the Williamson so should be pretty close to a couple of y’all as well

You are across the road from the Williamson. We are east of you on the other side of the Menzies place which is pretty narrow. I am seeing some above average bucks this year. Unfortunately, the above average rainfall has really given the hog population a boost.
Adios,
Gary

I shoot 3-4 hogs every trip. We’ve dug a pond and about to work on our second plus fixed old windmills.The new water sources have really helped the turkeys but the hog population is increasing.

Same across the road. We're seeing and killing hogs every time we're there. It's crazy actually. Never seen it like this in the 16 years I've been on the place. FYI - I'll be there next weekend 6th-8th. If you see my white dodge truck, stop by.

Same on our place. We haven't killed a pig in 15 years until last year. Now we kill 3-4 every time we go out there.