Someone's gotta do it

Fly over and count scheduled for this coming Friday at daybreak. I have stuff scheduled Thursday evening and then another dang benefit with four other couples sitting at my table Friday. Don't get in my way. Looking like Klappenbach and myself will meet at 4:30 and head down there. None of the other six hunters can make it.

I would not start that early if it were me. Bright sunshine makes early morning shadows difficult to see deer. I would wait a little longer into the morning till the shadows are not as long. Overcast will make it darker so you would need to wait a little longer also. Rain...well that speaks for itself...if you get rain in the next few days it may be foggy as all get out Friday morning. 4 hours of fun ahead anyway you cut it though. Count the cattle also...

Ditto. That's a helluva drive. Do be careful. I already don't drive much at night. Bull elk south of Sheffield made me "see the light" (almost) a few years back.

I’d love to do that someday

it is a blast believe me

A good friend of mine just flew 5000ac in Maverick this past weekend. Kinda weird but two different places I was on way back and I was new to both places when they flew but no one showed so I got to go up. Interesting for sure.

This a good time to tell Hud that I'll be the pilot?

and pigs!
lmao

Have fun Hud and take some pics

LMAO

and now the TPW guy has backed out. Guess I will have to channel my inner wildlife biologist side.

We don't need him any way, he messes up my weight balance, we can fly faster and turn quicker with out him.

If you ain't first.. You last

Someone say a prayer for me.

Prayer said. I'd go with a light breakfast, or none at all.

One of my hunting buddies that has passed was a lieutenant in the bad stuff on the ground in Vietnam. He would go up in a chopper for recon sometimes. You can imagine the maneuvers they'd have to do. The kids under him would beg him for a ride along and he'd reward the good ones occasionally. They'd puke every time. The pilots did not like my friend.

Great news they guy that trained me was a Nam pilot!!! And Army LTC and Chief Pilot for a helo company in South DFW. It's was an amazing training Flight!!!! Even though it was only one lesson, I only got into DFW airspace once!!!

Just hoping you learned how to land the dang thing.

Oh, getting one of them back on the ground is not an issue



Hell, I'd eat two breakfasts before I went up....and have a couple shots of tequila!
I love flyin' in helicopters.

Now that yall are one lighter, ask the pilot to show you some special tricks.

I just heard the "pilot" got lost on his way down.......

No but I have done take off and landing in 152. Looked the same, power up, power down....

I'm never lost, I have a personal relationship with Jesus. Unfortunately Jesus doesn't have a personal relationship with my things such as me range finder

I rewrote it for you

Jesus would also know that a rangefinder is not only thing you have lost.......

Just be sure to have your Collective thoughts together or you might get your Cyclic thoughts wrapped around your eye teeth.
Praying for a safe and productive survey. We need pictures of the giants.

Awesome. I LOVE flying in helicopters.

Hud, BOBO had lunch started before the survey......

That’s not me I don’t roll with vintage “peasant”

Hud don’t worry I’ll save some of the good stuff!!!

lmao

Yeah...the good stuff...will be some free dried sausage that Hud sent him...... you don't need a Craigslist friend Hud...

I was 21 the first time I flew offshore to work, was in a little Bell chopper. The pilot was an older feller, and was a helo pilot in Nam. It was just he & I so I got to sit in the front seat. Flew out of Cameron, Louisiana with big thunderheads all around that he was flying around. I asked him why are we flying around them, I thought that choppers could fly through them? He said "you don't want to do that Son". I laughed and said "OK, I get it. If you're scared just say you're scared". Laughing....that was a really dumb thing for some cocky kid to say to an old Vietnam Vet helicopter pilot. I honestly don't think that he cared if we lived or died. He just looked at me and smiled, then said "Hold on". We turned and went straight through the blackest part of that thunderstorm. That was not fun, especially when you hit "air pockets" and the bird drops and you think you are going to crash, and then it just SHAKES & SHAKES VIOLENTLY!! Scared the bejesus out of me, I was white knuckled on the arm rests and about pinched a hole in the seat. We made it out and he just looked at me and laughed his azz off. Said "I told you you don't wanna do that".

Ha!!!! That’s funny. This was my high school best friends dad. It was a high school graduation present.

I tried to do the hole hover thing. I was all over the place. Fun trip.

He had to delivered one to Vancouver, so he took his son. They flew all through Grand Canyon and stuff.

HUD’s dry ring was pretty good stuff though!!! Top 3 all time

That's awesome.

hahahah lmao

Yeah, you don't have to dare a helicopter pilot to do anything.....just ask about it and it is a guarantee they are going to show you what it'll do. Been there and done it my first time up in an R44. after we got done counting deer I just simply asked him if that R44 was as nimble as a R22. Oh man did he show us. Me and a buddy in the backseat had a blast but our other buddy up front with pilot who'd logged more hours in one that the both of us came very, very close to tossing his cookies and was asking him to stop. Hell, we were hi-fiving in the back seat and asking for some more.

Well it seems all went well...here is a pic I got and it seems they got lost over the wrong LA....Cali instead of Ruby's Lounge

Okay, long, long day yesterday. Klappenbach was running a little late, but we still managed to get off by 4:45. Zoom zoom and even got to stop in Jourdanton at Chile Banderas for some of their excellent breakfast tacos and got some to go for a light lunch. Well worth it, if you can get in.

Got to camp, picked up the clipboards, kept hoping for no fog and headed to the designated meeting area. Heard the chopper just before 8. The pilot of the R44 swung her around to park close by. This big guy gets out and walks up to us. I asked him if he has good friends. He answered yes. I asked him if he lost anything on the flight over here. He responded no. I asked him if he was the greatest hunter & guide in the world and he replied, heck no. I asked him if he thought he was a big deal and replied in the negative. Needless to say, I felt comfortable getting on board.

I don't really know the exact size of our place (5,000 plus), but he led us on our sojourn which included one refueling a couple of miles away off Cameron Road. Saw lots of country. Saw too many deer and after 15 seasons, we have some work still to do. No telling how many we did not see. Had four nice and distinctive bucks we have on cameras, without sighting any of them. Counted 108 bucks, 133 does and 71 fawns. The ratio is acceptable here, the numbers counted are not. Other numbers included 12 coyotes, 3 bobcats, 13 javis, 23 hogs and 5 quail coveys.

Went about the pasture doing a few little things and got home by 4. Little nappy and then on to our humble city's Founders Say Celebration. Had a blast and did not wake up until, get this 7:15 AM. Alles gute!

Glad you asked some pertinent questions since clowns can be/go undercover. One thing that clowns can not do is lie about being a "Big Deal" so you were safe to fly when pilot answered, negative. If you smelled his breath and it smelled like dry sausage then I would have stayed on the ground.....
Looks like a really great buck to doe ratio for LF and 53% fawn crop is manageable numbers for South Texas IMO. At least the problem cattle did not eat the fawn crop. With an adult deer to 20 acres and a deer to 16 acres for all deer seen is what I would think you would expect for that area. You might have seen only 40-60% your deer though, that brush is thick and deer are not as easy to see from the air as one might think. I would have went back to shoot hogs and coyotes

Good luck

Well, you have my phone number and I've not gotten a text or call to come shoot some meat yet! WTH

Watching a mature deer plow though the brush is sight to behold. This was a pretty thick spot.

Good thing I wasn't armed

Think of what Blank or Skinner would cook up with that guy.

Yummy in my tummy!!!

Seriously those guy can cook.

"Pretty thick spot"....... Yeah.
Looks like hes got the body to push through.

Ditto. Ufda.

Look at the condition of the "pelt".