Texas Vacation

Texas, The Lone Star State, was much different than Boston. The biggest thing that stuck out in my mind was the people. Coming from Boston, where everyone has a chip on their shoulder, Dallas was a shock. I found everyone very friendly and everywhere I went I experienced phenomenal hospitality. There were a few things on my agenda besides hunting and fishing and those were to experience some southern cooking, the brisket was amazing, and the nightlife, less clubby loud music and more social interaction. Needless to say, I enjoyed it and I could see myself living there.

However, my trip was not focused around the food and nightlife but the hunting and fishing. I went down in search of feral hogs and they outsmarted us. My cousin and I spent 4 hours in the morning in a blind and then 8 hours at night sitting in the bushes near a feeder. We saw everything but a hog including armadillos (3) coyotes (2), deer fighting (5 bucks and 4 doe), and rio grande turkeys (8). I could have taken a coyote, a couple deer, and a turkey easily, but the one thing I went in search for I didn't even see. The videos make it look easy, but I have a new appreciation for the intelligence of what I am hunting for and that is to never take the animal for granted. The worst part of the hunting trip, with nothing to show, is that it was so much fun. It isn't often that I have the opportunity to sit in a field all day and watch some animals in their natural habitat and how they interact with each other. During the daytime we were able to wet a line and the locals looked at us like we had 3 heads. "Are you jigging with that rod," I was asked by one local and when I told them I was fly fishing they had no idea what it was. Either way, both the local's technique and fly fishing was not cutting it. We tried looking for some crappies and white bass, but like hunting we had no luck. It was nice to get out on the water though.

I snapped a few pictures on my trip, but all in all it was a great place and I had a lot of fun. If you are looking to experience somewhere new with a laid back mentality, I strongly suggest checking out Texas.

Sunrise

Views from the blind

Rio Grande Turkey

Sitting near the feeder while watching turkeys.

-The Fly Fiend