Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Fall is here

Deer season opens in Texas next weekend. Back to a diet of summer sausage, pepper cheese and Ritz crackers. As a land owner, I'm getting a lot more popular.

In North Texas, the bucks are definitely ready for the rut but the does don't appear to be. I have seen several bull elk on trailers coming back from Colorado. Dang, I'm envious.

Forecast is for a high of 80 degrees opening day. That's considered pleasant weather in my area. The fish have slowed down on pellets and are getting tougher to catch. I tossed a weightless 4 inch green lizard for about 10 minutes last Sunday and got no action. My 1 acre ponds are now down to something over 1/2 acre. Only one of my small ponds still has water and the spring fed creek has stopped running. We have only gotten about 10 inches of rain this year. We just didn't get the fall rains that we count on. The 8/10 inch of rain we got yesterday might keep the winter wheat alive. Maybe not. I know that it didn't run off.

You guys have fun and be safe this deer season. I talked to a rural Doctor last week. He told me most hunting accidents that he sees are from hunters falling out of trees. Watch your step.

DD,

I guess you are glad you didn't get Tilapia with the drought we've had? However, I'd still bet they would have made it without causing you biomass problems in your 1 acre pond.

Deer season opening for some, but fish stocking time for me on Saturday. I'll be paying Todd a visit to get some of those HSB beauties and reload on the grass carp that escaped. Fall is a great time to be alive and be a pond meister!

Over the last three weeks, I stocked:

150 lbs. of fatheads
200 lbs. of golden shiners (4-6" each)
15 LMB that were 1.5 to 2 lbs. each
12 HSB that weighed a total of 23 lbs.
12 Channel Cats in the 8-10" range

and

3 Albino Channel Cats that were 6-7 lbs. each and about 22" long.

I had only ordered the fatheads, shiners, and HSB.

But you know.....when the fish truck comes around, all bets are off!!!

I really did not want the albino CCs, and have resisted them in the past. Two years ago, I put in ten CCs, and have never seen them since. So I felt that it would be hard not to see these stark white fish cruising around.

Sunil,

I know what you mean...the fish truck is like the ice cream truck in summer after a hot baseball game. Just got to have some of everything!

Dave, sorry to hear about the drought. Had one here a few years back, didn't have enough grass to pasture our horses and hay was in short supply. Fall is in full swing here, all the ponds are froze over, was riding our quads across frozen beaver ponds and rivers on Sunday. Hunting season is in it's fourth week. I was listening to elk calling this morning when I was getting ready for work, moose are cleaning up whats left in the garden and the deer are everywhere. Have a good season.

Sunil, I just had to smile when you mentioned the albino cats. I was picking up some CC's at Overton's earlier this year and out of the tank came one albino...Todd asked my 13 yr old if he wanted him...and into the bag he went. Everytime we walk back to the lake and feed the cats all my son wants to see is that the albino is still there. And he is pretty darn easy to spot amongst all the CC's. He made me promise not to eat him!

Dave I'm in the same shape you are with my pond only being about half full after no rain for five months. At least we got a little bit yesterday and a little is better than none.

My five acre is down to about 3-2.5 acres and I'm getting worried. The majority of the pond is almost too shallow for anything but BG which only leaves me about an acre for several 4lb + lmb and some big ol catfish if they are still around. As the weather cools, I may consider some serious relocation projects to deeper ponds.

Dave,

It is great to see hunting season officially here. Thanks for the post. It was 85 degrees at my place this weekend, not much action except for the mosquitoes! We saw a few deer and cleaned up the cabin; more working than playing.

I took my 6 year old down this weekend. It was his first official hunting trip with Dad. He had his Daisy Red Rider BB gun (you would have thought it was a 30-30). We walked around and shot the BB gun at birds (no chance of actually hitting one).

On the way home last night I asked him his favorite part of the weekend; hunting, driving the jeep, making smores, riding 4 wheelers or camping out? He said, �Hunting dad, it was great!� He had a big smile on his face. He was so tired that he slept all the way home. I just kept looking at him and thinking, man, I sure am lucky�another hunter was born this weekend.

Gator

Gator, it just doesn't get any better than that.

I'm taking my 7 year old Grandson (my Partner) next weekend. We will sit in a blind; him with his BB gun and me with my 30-06. If we see anything, he gets the first shot and if he just wounds it, I will finish it off.

Of course, with potato chips, cokes and a Game Boy, it will be more hunting than seeing.

I bet Gator and DD will have as much fun as the little guys. DD I am glad to hear that your partner is now ready to throw some lead around rather than yard pies. ewest

ps : Thank you guys for raising up some good ones to follow on in the tradition.

With the weather it is just hard to get into the mood. Temps yesterday 88 degrees. As the ducks are starting ot come in the lab knows it hunting season. the pointer is acting like he knows it quail season but I am in no mood to go deer hunting when you can go out in shorts and have to drink something cold to stand it.

I still just hoping for rain.

I went to the country Friday afternoon and got in a blind. Saw 2 does and a big buck with a tiny rack. Sat. morn, I went to another one and saw only a yearling. About 9:00, I walked up to a wheat field and saw a very respectable buck. My 7 year old Grandson was delivered on Sat. and we hunted the same places at the same time and saw nothing. He is convinced that he is just bad luck and I need to get him on some deer. We have never seen a deer when he was hunting with me. Had to leave early Sun. afternoon to get back to town for the circus.

We had a ball together, will try again and neither of us regretted the weekend. For the most part, the bucks are ready for the rut but the does are not. This is unusual for our area at this time of the year. The deer are mostly stuffing themselves on acorns and just aren't moving much. Of course, it is still unseasonably warm and I got a couple of chigger bites and a mosquito bite. He says we should have gone fishin.

Well, not that it helps, but rut has taken off here. Have to be careful driving around because they don't care if a semi, truck or atv is coming, they are getting their stuff on with them does.