January 27 - Hunting Report

At five in the morning today I woke and stumbled around in the dark room looking for the light switch. Once I found it and got my things together I walked into the kitchen area to find my dad sitting at the table in the wake of a cup of coffee. I then tottered over to the coffee pot and emptied out a little coffee into my own cup to help launch my morning. The temperature gauge read 43 degrees and a light mist fell sharply onto my cheek as I walked outside to wake the quail hunters in the bunk house. The opening quail hunt last week was a lot like this one as far as weather is concerned. These conditions may not be our ideal weather for a cozy hunt, but it hasn’t stopped the action. There is plenty of quail this year thus resulting in some great hunts, however, I can only imagine what it would be if the sun would split through the clouds and warm the countryside. Saturday was a pleasant sunny day. The nice weather brought out the golf clubs and my golf ball retrieving border collie. We can always find a way to pass the time.
Blues and Bobs. It seems as if there is a covey around every corner and beneath every cactus this year. I guess the rains from last year helped everything prosper as I have been seeing all season. We had a group of quail hunters that were here from Thursday to Sunday. We would hunt during the morning, have some lunch at camp, and then hunt the afternoon. I was counting covies during the hunts and most days would average about 20 to 25 covies. On a day with nice climate I would expect to see around and above 30 covies a day. About half of these covies we jump are bobwhites and about half of them are blues. It is just amazing to see that many birds flourishing throughout this ranch. Some of our hunters that have been quail hunting with us for over 15 years are amazed of the amount of birds and the size of their grouping.

I have been out on the ranch this season since November and my dad has been out here since August. We are going to be wrapping up the quail hunts this month and closing down camp soon. I am now geared up to get out on the water and chase reds and trout this spring and summer. I am already starting to book a few trips for the summer fishing season. Check your schedules this summer and reserve your next South Padre Island fishing trip. It is going to be another great year in Padre. This coming summer is going to give way to new beginnings, a fresh start. It will be one for the books.

The Good Ol’ Days are Now…

CAPT. TODD CASEY
SOUTH TEXAS CHARTERS
956.371.3465
www.spifishing.com
www.southtxhunts.com

Smiling on the Porch

There is a hunger within us
To roam away from the streets
That is home to traffic, buildings and suites
I hope one day, I can feel the peace
That I get when I’m praying upon a clear blue sky
Surrounded by nature and memories of mine
Great things natural and wholesome today
Can be found on a sendero, or nearby bay
I may be country…or maybe a salt
I have always been, and it’s my own fault
Someday…
I’ll sit on my porch worn and aged
I will smile…
Remembering the cactus and sage.

Todd Casey

January 20th, Hunting Report

The Interstates will be lined with soiled trucks and travel trailers headed north from South Texas deer leases this Sunday. Four Wheelers and Jeeps, along with a deer blind or two will be lugged back home to take up space in the garage and back yard for the Spring and Summer. Today is the last day of buck season in South Texas and the last chance for a hunter to pursue the elusive antlered whitetail. Deer season is over after today except for a special doe season that lasts through February. Right now my dad and I are absorbed into organizing our upcoming quail hunts. This past weekend we had our first quail hunt of the season. Despite the miserable cold and drizzle we managed to have a successful hunt with some great action.

On Thursday, before the quail hunters arrived, my three year old son Nolan and I took a ride around the ranch. Gray clouds were thick and low, sliding in from the North, and a light mist speckled the dusty windshield of my old black truck. I had Nolan bundled up in several layers of clothing along with a hearty border-town blanket wrapped around him tightly. It was the perfect day to be out on the ranch. This is deer hunting weather. I have hunted for myself a little here and there throughout the year, but had not taken a buck this season. I was hoping to see a good one that got my heart pumping that day, so Nolan and I went to a cold deer blind to sit for a little while. I had seen a big 8 point at this blind a couple weeks prior with one of our trophy hunters. He is an old big deer with heavy bases and I have never taken a big 8 throughout my hunting livelihood.

“Where’s the big buck, dada?” Nolan would whisper with his big eyes melting my heart. “I don’t know. Maybe he will come out soon.” I didn’t expect to see that deer this day, but soon after we got into the blind he came out in a small clearing. My binoculars confirmed that the buck that was making his way through the tall grass was the old 8 point. I quickly grabbed my gun and steadied my aim as Nolan put his hands over his ears. On this special day, Nolan and I got our first buck together. It just goes to show that sometimes the moment exceeds the achievement. I have taken bigger deer as far as antlers, but this buck will permanently remain my most special trophy.

Everybody has memories in their life that are full of meaning and extraordinary. Sometimes it may be a memorable hunt, fishing trip or a special day with family. It could be the day a particular person you are falling for tells you “I love you”. It could be the day you stood by the ocean with good people listening to the continuous sound of waves crashing and realizing why you are here on earth. Special moments come in all shapes and sizes. Some last all day and some are sudden, but they all last a lifetime. These moments are the reason we can keep going day to day. I know next time I am faced with a demanding situation and a hint of frustration enters my mind, I can think of one of my life’s best instances. With that, all things are possible.

The Good Ol’ Days are Now…

CAPT. TODD CASEY
SOUTH TEXAS CHARTERS
956.371.3465

www.spifishing.com
www.southtxhunts.com

Sunday January 13, 2008 - Hunting Report

“No.” I said lightly yet firmly as a panting buck stood in front of me and my hunter at no more than 15 yards. My mind was racing and my eyes were straining trying to age and judge this buck knowing he was only going to give us a few seconds. “Okay, shoot.” I quickly sized up the deer and was determined to let my hunter take him. At that time the deer whirled around and disappeared into the brush like a phantom and we never got the shot off. The wind was filtering through the brush from the north that morning and a low blanket of clouds kept the sun from baking the landscape. My hunter and I were walking and rattling and the bucks were really coming in. I have been near 100% on luring in a buck with rattling horns this past two weeks. There is nothing more thrilling than having a big mature deer come in to the sound of a mock battle. When you are successful with rattling, most of the encounters with bucks will be about 50 yards or less. It is rare to be that close to a huge whitetail in the wild. Big mature bucks are like good women. There are a lot of different kinds of them out there, and it is tough to find the right one. However, when you do get up close and personal with the one of your dreams, you forget about everything and you act really goofy.

Yesterday evening we finished up a great management hunt. My hunter and I made a great stalk on a buck. He rested his gun on an rickety ol’ mesquite limb and pulled off of good shot. This last management buck of the season was a 21 ½ inch wide 10 point with short G4s and long, heavy beams. That shot on that buck ended our season of buck hunting and we were 100% successful on all of our management and trophy hunts in ’07-‘08. The hunters left this morning back to Michigan with great hunting memories. Now it is time for quail hunting and more good times with happy hunters. As outfitters, my dad and I are very proud to know and say that every hunter got a really nice buck this season. That is, everybody except me…I guess I will get out there and see if I can find a muy grande the next couple days. Maybe I can get lucky.

A few more days of deer season is ahead of us this January. It seems as if opening weekend of deer season back in November was just yesterday. Soon the hunting will be over and I will ease out of the front gate, and get back into the boat to start up my fishing season. The smell of salt air, sunrises over the sand dunes, redfish schools and big cheeseburgers with a cold one at Wahoo’s Saloon on the Island are near. I know all good things must come to an end, and time flies when you are having fun. However, if you slow down sometimes and just soak it all in, you realize that you are surrounded by caring people. I am thankful for my pastimes and my career, but mostly for my family and friends that make every thing I work for have meaning. Thank you friends…

The Good Ol’ Days are Now…

CAPT. TODD CASEY
SOUTH TEXAS CHARTERS
956.371.3465
www.spifishing.com
www.southtxhunts.com

There was a sunrise this past Friday morning that was blushing lightly across the horizon with countless shades of red and orange glowing through the bony, thin leafed mesquite branches. My eyes watched it as the luster intensified and all breeds of birds around me were twittering and moving almost like they were stretching their wings after just cheerfully hopping out of bed. A couple of gray haired bucks were shining like silver dollars in the sendero, as they strolled watchfully checking out their surroundings. The breeze picked up from the earlier dead-calm darkness pouring life into the back of my neck as a shiver went through my body. The light from the rising sun leisurely got brighter and the colors continued their brilliance on a canvas of slight clouds. I took a breath of fulfillment and ease knowing that somebody special somewhere is looking at this same sunrise, and this is God’s way of telling us that it is going to be another great day in Texas. And everything is going to be okay…

The New Year has arrived and anticipation of vigorous living along with career accomplishment resolutions are on everybody’s mind and future plans. The biggest bucks on the ranch are starting to cruise around to unfamiliar territories looking for one more loving doe during this post rut time of deer season. The last week of hunting has yielded more mature buck sightings during the hunt compared to the December hunts. It is exciting to not know what to expect sometimes. Every time you sit in a deer stand you may encounter the biggest buck you have ever seen. If your sitting in the right spot and you don’t get too much buck fever moving your crosshairs, you might be able to hold the antlers of a buck of a lifetime.

We have a few hunters from the East coast here this week. They are having a great time hunting the South Texas brush country for the first time. The weather has been hot and windy making the afternoon hunts more difficult. Morning hunts have been full of action with a lot of success with rattling. Saturday morning I rattled up 11 different bucks for one hunter I was guiding. The bucks out here are really looking for another fight and one more doe. I am anxious to see how the hunt turns out during the next few days.

Hopefully, we will have a cold spell coming our way soon. The 90 degree weather and howling winds are becoming a burden on the hunting. No matter how hot and windy it gets, there is always something on this ranch that will bring a person a sense of gratification. The power of nature and the outdoors is the reason hunters and anglers enjoy their outdoor hobbies. You would just have to experience it to understand.

The Good Ol’ Days are Now…

CAPT. TODD CASEY

SOUTH TEXAS CHARTERS

956.371.3465
www.spifishing.com

www.southtxhunts.com