For folks who are interested in hunting pigs on public land in East Texas, I thought I’d do a quick video and address some misconceptions about East Texas wild pigs and what it’s like to hunt them on public land.
Read MoreFly Fishing the Sam: A Guidebook to Exploring the Creeks, Rivers, and Bayous of Sam Houston National Forest is a self-published book by Rob McConnell. The anticipated release date will be early in the Spring of 2020.
Read MoreWhile fishing small streams in East Texas, I often come across many different types of snakes. Most of these limbless reptiles are harmless, but there are a few that can send you to the nearest emergency room.
Read MoreThis spring, I was scouting for animal sign in one of the National Forests in East Texas. I carried my trail-camera in my backpack and my goal was to find a heavily used game trail to position my camera on. As I bushwhacked along a small creek, I came upon a dead whitetail doe.
Read MoreFrom a bed of weeds on the side of the road, a gangly little mutt sprang to its feet as the trucked pulled into the rest stop. With hackle raised and spine arched, a low growl emanated from its curled lips. I could now see that the brooding dog wasn’t more than a pup, despite the animal’s facade of wolf-like ferocity. The young mutt’s four oversized paws were a tell-tale sign that this dog still had some growing to do before it could fit into its clodhoppers.
Read MoreTexas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) offers a variety of draw hunts. I usually put my name in the hat for a couple of them every year, but I never had any luck getting drawn. That all changed this past December when I received an email from TPWD informing me that I had been drawn for a hunt in Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The quarry was whitetail deer and feral pigs.
Read MoreIt didn’t take long before Kyle and I were scrambling out of the raft in order to portage around a large impassable logjam. We laboriously pulled the raft along the white sandbar until we were clear of the obstruction. Before jumping back into the raft and continuing our float, we walked back to the large tangle of logs and limbs.
Read MorePittsburgh Steve lay under the RT 366 bridge where it spanned the San Gabriel River. His back was flat on the cool earth and he gazed up at the underbelly of the bridge. The night air was alive with sounds. the rushing water of the San Gabriel and the sounds of insects soothed him. Pittsburgh Steve had a small fire crackling beside him. A catfish was simmering in a pot on the fire...
Read More...My eyes caught something moving high on the bank and I watched as two more stray dogs emerged from the tree line. The two dogs plodded into the shallow water to join their companion. There they all stood for a brief minute, looking upstream at us, then they trotted out of the water and climbed the opposite bank. We were relieved that the strays had little interest in us and we climbed back into the boat and shoved off. We had drifted downstream about 10 yards when a fourth stray dog, this one being much larger and wilder looking, came running down the bank into the water. Its yellow fur was matted with mud in several places. The dog paused for a brief moment as it caught sight of us...
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