Those of us who live in the San Antonio, Texas area are use to making trips south to the coast for some outstanding fishing, duck and goose hunting.  Of course, the successfulness of any of these ventures is always weather dependent.  Have more than once been winded off of the water by high winds and waves too high to safely negotiate.   Have also had unsuccessful hunts because the weather was just to good to accommodate any hunting.  In south Texas we are noted for the blue skies days and plenty of sunshine.  Neither of which is good for duck or goose hunting.

 

     As a change of pace I thought it a good idea to look to the north for a good goose hunt.  For years I have read about the large peanut fields that were absolutely load with the big Canadian and Speckle geese.  One thing for sure, this type of hunting in unlike that on the coast because you are on dry land and not rolling around in a sea of mud.  In fact, some outfitters have in ground pit blinds that are both dry and warm.  Heck, I know of one operation where they can even prepare and serve a full breakfast with hot coffee during the morning shoot.  Somehow, I think that would be a very comfortable hunt and should be a lot of fun.

 

     So I made reservations with an outfitted out of Rochester, Texas for a two-day hunt for my son Ed and myself.   This operation is known as Webfoot Connection and is owned and operated by Smokey and Kathy Rathbun.  Rochester is about an hour north of Abilene, a long but easy drive from San Antonio.

 

     They offer several hunts thru their facility.  Duck, goose, quail, and hog hunts are all available at a very reasonable price.  For example, the goose package that includes room and board costs about $300.00 per day per person.  I believe that as the season nears its end the price is somewhat reduced.  

 

     So Ed and I started preparing for this hunt by pulling the following equipment and other items together:  

1.    12 gauge shotguns with Improved Cylinder chokes

3.    Warm, waterproof, insulated clothing and boots

4.    Cooler for processed game

5.    Texas Hunting License (State and Federal Stamps)

6.    Dog food and dog equipment

7.    Personal items like something warm to sleep in, change of clothing, etc.

 

     We thought it best that we depart about 0800 hours for the drive north so we would arrive no later that 1800 hours or dinner time at the lodge.  So I started loading my “Dog Wagon” about 0700 hours that morning.  The last items loaded were our two labs, Bear and Birdie.  At 0800 hours we were on our way and stayed on schedule by sharing driving duties, stopping every couple of hours to exercise a bit and walk the dogs; and not making any unnecessary stops.  

 

      Upon arrival we went to the headquarters building and checked in with Kathy.    Smokey was away on personal business at the time, so Kathy was running the show.  We chatted a bit, were given our room assignments and a little time to freshen up a bit before dinner. The dinner was particularly good and we were ready for a good nights sleep after the long drive from San Antonio.

 

     The lodge is fully equipped with a bar, pool table, television, comfortable couches and several four-person tables to accommodate card games, workstations, and or just a place to relax. There were a number of first class hunting DVDs that covered almost all kinds of hunting, although most were about hunting ducks and geese.  It was a nice warm place to relax and enjoy the evening and to chat with others who were there to hunt too.

 

     The next morning about 0430 hours we were up and put on just enough clothing to make it to the dinning room for breakfast.  After a very hardy meal we returned to the room to continue dressing and getting the guns, dogs, and other equipment ready for the hunt.  I believe that we were on our way to the peanut fields by 0530 hours.

 

     After a short drive of about 15 minutes we arrived at our destination while it was still very dark.  The guide started unloading the decoys, layout cots, and camo netting.  As these items were being unloaded we started putting out a very large spread of goose decoys.  The ground was frozen so driving the stakes in the ground to support these decoys was an exercise in itself.  The layout cots were in the middle of the decoy spread and the netting was used to cover the hunter, dog and layout cot.

 

     It was not long before legal shooting time rolled around and the geese began to fly.  You could hear the geese long before you could see them at first because it was still dark.  The guide was doing most of the calling and waving a goose flag to attract the geese.  Once the geese decide to give our spread a hard look the calling would intensify and the goose flag was waived with more vigor.

 

     We remained flat on our backs and under the netting until the guide gave the command to “Take Em.”  We would then throw back the netting and get in the sitting position and start banging away.  Often we would connect with one of these giant birds and after the shooting we would release the dogs for the retrieve.  

 

     The first flight offered the best opportunity for Bear to demonstrate what retrieving is all about.  A high-flying goose was knocked out of the sky, but not dead.  He glided a good 150 to 200 yards and landed on a small frozen buffalo wallow.  Bear marked this goose down and when dispatched he charged across that thin ice where he would often break through the ice surface, but he kept going until he reached the goose.  Now this goose was still very much alive, so Bear had his paws full trying to subdue a very large goose that did not want to be caught.  They fought for sometime before Bear finally got control of the bird and brought it back to me.  That was the highlight of the day for the retrieving.  The rest of the retrieving was spent picking up dead birds that were no further than 30 or 40 paces.  The highlight of the hunt had to be the guide’s uncanny ability to call large flights of geese right into the decoy spread.  In fact some of the birds landed among the decoys and would remain there until enough birds were within shooting range and then they would take to the air.

 

     We called it a hunt about 1030 hours.  We had filled our limits and were ready to start picking up the decoys, layout cots, netting, etc.  It took a good hour to get everything loaded.  We then headed back to the lodge for a big lunch and a much needed nap that afternoon.

 

     The rest of the afternoon was spend in the lodge doing a little work on the Internet, watching some hunting DVDs or just relaxing and getting ready for the next hunt.  That evening as we were about to turn in I saw Bear who was dead tired, in fact so tired that he did not want to lay down, so he stood next to the bed with his head resting on the bed while he relaxed in the standing position.  We were all tuckered out-- it had been a big day.

 

    The next morning at breakfast we met two fellows that were going to hunt with us that morning. When at a commercial hunting operation like this one you have to expect to be included with other hunters to form groups of six to ten hunters.  That is why I prefer weekday hunts because the groups are usually much smaller than on weekends. The other approach would be to take a group that you want to hunt with and that would be the hunting party.

 

     While we were discussing the hunt I made the point that we would be using only one dog because it was just easier to handle one during the heat of the shooting.  One of the men said that you really don’t need a dog because the guide will pick up the birds.  All we had to do was to knock them out of the air.  They went on to talk about how many geese they collect on each hunt and I could tell this was going to be a shooting contest, not a hunt.  Accordingly, I took the hint and left both dogs at home and prepared to do a lot of shooting.  It almost kills me not to take a good dog bird hunting because they save so much game and time by finding birds and retrieving them with great dispatch.  But that is the way they wanted it.

 

     We followed the same setup routine as we did the day before and soon the geese were filling the air.  At any one time there must have been several hundred thousand birds in the sky.  It was just a remarkable sight to see.  Again, the guide went to work with the calls and goose flag while we laid on our layout cots covered with camo netting and some straw collected from adjoining fields.

 

     We really did have a shooting contest and Ed and I did better than hold our own.  We collected many birds during this hunt and one was a lonesome mallard duck.  Again, we called it quits about 1030 hours and picked up the equipment and headed back to the lodge.  Upon arrival at the lodge I took a few minutes to work both dogs in a near by tank.  So they got some exercise after all and were ready for the drive back to San Antonio.  Since they did not get to go on the hunt, but did enjoy a good workout I did not feel badly about including them in the picture.

  

     Since it was just a short trip over to New Castle, Texas I thought that it would be educational to take my son Ed by Fort Belknap on our way back to San Antonio.  The last time that I was there was when my parents took me there while I was home on leave and on my way to Vietnam, 1968.

 

A few years after Texas’ statehood, the U.S. built a more westerly chain of forts anchored on the north by Fort Belknap; some of the other forts or stockades were Mason, Murrah, Bragg, Griffin, and Sam Houston.

 

     From 1851 to 1861 the U.S. Government maintained Fort Belknap where six or seven companies of cavalry and some Texas Rangers were stationed.  In 1861 the United States abandoned Fort Belknap on account of the War Between the States and the escalating troubles with Mexico.  The Texas Rangers and Colonel White’s Company D militia remained at the fort.

 

       In 1864 about six hundred Kiowa and Comanche Indians came down from the Indian Territory and made a raid on the settlers located on Elm Creek, about 10 miles north of Fort Belknap.  The Rangers and militia quickly responded. Several of the battles with the Indians have been well documented.   This was one of the largest and most devastating raids in the history of the Indian wars.  Later Fort Belknap became a park that is now owned by the citizens of Young County who have maintained the buildings and grounds; turning the two-story commissary building into a museum.

 

     For years my uncles maintained the Allred records and I am forever reminded of when Renne moved to Texas from North Carolina.  His wife had died a few years before he made the move, so it was just his two daughters and himself who made this long journey through heavily infected Indian Territory.  I believe that the most impressive part of this story was what they had to do to cross the Brazos River. It took them three weeks to cross because they had to dig down to the river, build a raft to float cross the river and then dig themselves out once on the other side. Today you can drive across that river in less than a minute.

 

     If you love Texas history and folklore you will enjoy a visit to this part of the state. Learning and or remembering the hardships of those who came before us had to endure so we could live as free-people is always worth noting and remembering.