Here’s everything you need to know about the Texas Parks and Wildlife’s new online Public Hunt Drawing System where hunters can apply for hunts on public lands in Texas.
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Archive for the ‘News & Updates’ Category
Online Public Hunting System: Everything You Need To Know
Friday, August 1st, 2014Sportsman’s Condo
Friday, August 1st, 2014
New at J & N Feed and Seed: The Sportsman’s Condo. With a Sportsman’s Condo, neither rain, nor snow, nor slicing arctic winds can keep you from maximizing your time in the field. This one-piece modern hunting fortress has no seams to leak, rattle, rust or rot. For the hunter who is serious about spending more time in the field and increasing his chances of spotting that trophy, the Sportsman’s Condo J is ideal.
These blinds can be used either as ground blinds or with the addition of an All-In-One Base Stand, which elevates safely up to 10ft. for the ultimate hunting experience.
Ertl Toys & Tractors 20% Off
Friday, August 1st, 2014
We’ve marked down all Ertl Toys and Tractors 20% off. Shop now and tuck away a few Christmas presents early!
Young County NRA Banquet
Friday, August 1st, 2014The Young County Friends of NRA Banquet on August 23, 2014 at 5:00PM at the Young County Arena Barclay Room. Contact [email protected] for more information about tickets.
Low Volume Irrigation
Monday, July 28th, 2014
With drought being an ongoing issue in Texas, keeping things watered with minimal water is important! Efficient irrigation is one of the key Earth-Kind practices for conserving water in the landscape. Low volume irrigation systems, (drip or trickle irrigation) are among the most effective means of achieving significant water savings. Despite the tremendous potential for water conservation, these systems are not widely used in residential landscapes.
Like conventional overhead irrigation systems, low-volume systems require proper design, installation, maintenance and operation for optimum water savings and plant performance.
The primary design goal of a low volume system is to apply water to a uniform soil depth, either directly to the plant root zone or in a limited area. Water is delivered at or below the surface of the planted area versus the surface of the planted area. Most low volume irrigation systems are installed at or near the surface of the landscape area and are covered with two to three inches of mulch. Typically, this type of installation requires less time and cost that a conventional overhead system. This has been shown to be the most effective tool for maximizing water use efficient in the landscape.
For more information about Earth-Kind Low Volume Irrigation visit www.ecmga.com and click on Earth-Kind Publications.
Source: Ellis County Master Gardeners
Fall Garden Planting Time
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2014Yes, you heard us correctly. We know it’s only mid July, and it’s hot. But it’s also time to start thinking about your fall garden and preparing your beds.
First, take a look at your beds. Pull out the summer plants that are done producing and look for weeds. Take the time now to remove all weeds and grass that may have invaded your beds. Every time you prepare the soil to plant a new crop, always mix in compost. Add fertilizer and work into the soil.
First up are tomatoes and peppers. They should be planted soon – by the first of August – if they are going to make a good crop before first frost. Timing is key for a fall garden. To be successful heat tolerant and cold sensitive crops should be planted in time to mature before the cold weather arrives. The cooler weather slows and stops growth. Cool season, heat sensitive crops should be planted late enough to avoid the heat, but early enough to survive the first few frosts.
Consider fast maturing tomatoes for the fall harvest. Varieties with less than 75 days to maturity are ‘Merced’, ‘Bingo’, ‘Celebrity’, ‘Whirlaway’, and ‘Carnival’.
The following are optimal “windows of time” for planting fall vegetables:
| Beans – 8/1 – 9/1 (lima beans 7/15 – 8/15) | Muskmelon (Cantaloupe) – 7/15 – 8/1 |
| Beets – 9/1 – 10/15 | Mustard – 9/15 – 10/15 |
| Broccoli plants – 8/1 – 9/15 | Parsley – 8/15 – 10/1 |
| Brussels sprouts – 8/1 – 10/1 | Parsley – 8/15 – 10/1 |
| Brussels sprouts – 8/1 – 10/1 | Peas, English – 8/15 – 9/15 |
| Cabbage plants – 8/15 – 9/15 | Peas, Southern – 7/1 – 8/1 |
| Carrots – 8/15 – 10/15 | Pepper plants – 7/1 – 8/1 |
| Cauliflower plants – 8/15 – 9/15 | Potatoes, Irish – 8/15 – 9/15 |
| Chard, Swiss – 8/1 – 10/15 | Pumpkin – 7/1 – 8/1 |
| Collard/Kale – 8/15 – 10/1 | Radish – 9/15 – 10/15 |
| Corn, Sweet – 8/1 – 8/15 | Spinach – 9/1 – 10/15 |
| Cucumber – 8/1 – 9/1 | Squash, Summer – 7/15 – 8/15 |
| Eggplant plants – 7/15 – 8/1 | Squash, Winter – 7/1 – 7/15 |
| Squash, Winter – 7/1 – 7/15 | Tomato plants – 7/15 – 8/1 |
| Kohlrabi – 8/15 – 9/15 | Turnips – 10/1 – 11/1 |
| Lettuce (leaf) – 9/15 – 10/15 | Watermelon – 7/1 – 8/1 |
Feeding Chickens For Optimum Egg Production
Friday, July 18th, 2014
At about four and a half months, you’re probably anxiously awaiting the “fruits of your labors”, fresh eggs! Now is the time to introduce your laying pullets to Purina Layena or Purina Layena Plus Omega-3 to insure that they receive the best nutrition to support egg production. Purina Layena Plus Omega-3 has added flaxseed, which helps your chickens to produce with enhanced levels of Omega-3. Each egg will contain 300 percent more Omega-3, an essential fatty acid!
- Gradually transition your laying pullets over to Purina Layena or Purina Layena Plus Omega-3 over a 7- to 10-day period.
- Continue to provide birds with a maximum of 17 to 18 hours of light per day to ensure optimum egg production.
- Purina Layena Plus Omega-3 can be purchased as a pellet, and Purina Layena can be purchased as a pellet or crumble. Both forms contain high quality grains with added vitamins and minerals for a complete and balanced diet. In pelleted form, it is just that, a pellet. Crumbles are simply pellets that are broken apart into smaller bits, which make it easier to eat.
- Optimum egg production is achieved when layers are maintained in temperatures between 65°F and 85°F. As temperatures increase above this, egg size and production may decrease. Keep your birds cool and comfortable so you will get the best return on your investment!
Source: Purina Poultry
Texas Sets Dove, Teal Seasons
Friday, July 18th, 2014Dove hunters will have more opportunity later in the season with dates and bag limits finalized by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department this last week.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved the 2014-2015 Texas dove season, including a 70-day season and 15-bird daily bag statewide, and a 16-day early teal and Canada goose season.
The traditional September 1 dove season opening day in the North and Central Zones remains; this year falling on Labor Day Monday. However, the first segment in those zones will be shorter than last season, closing on Monday, Oct. 20. The season will reopen Friday, Dec. 19 and run through Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015 in the North and Central Zones.
In the South Zone and Special White-winged Dove Area, the first segment will be shortened by five days compared to last year, and those days would be added to the end of the second segment. The South Zone opens Friday, Sept. 19 and runs through Monday, Oct. 20. The second segment will run Friday, Dec. 19 through Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015.
The daily bag limit for doves statewide is 15 and the possession limit is 45.
The Special White-winged Dove Area will be restricted to afternoononly (noon to sunset) hunting the first two full September weekends on Sept. 6-7 and 13-14. Hunting in this area will reopen Friday, Sept. 19 and continue through Monday, Oct. 20, and then reopen Friday, Dec. 19 through Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015. During the early two weekends, the daily bag limit is 15 birds, to include not more than two mourning doves and two white-tipped doves. Once the general season opens, the aggregate bag limit will be 15 with no more than two white-tipped doves.
A 16-day statewide early teal and Eastern Zone Canada goose season will run Saturday, Sept. 13 through Sunday, Sept. 28. The daily bag on teal remains six, with a possession limit of 18. Bag limit for Canada geese will be three and a possession limit of 6 in the Eastern Zone only.
Source: Texas Parks & Wildlife
Pet Safety Tips for July 4th
Tuesday, July 1st, 2014
Remember these tips for a safe and successful July 4th holiday celebration. Your pet will thank you!
Cats
- Keep your cat indoors.
Close all windows and curtains and switch on music or the television to drown out the noise. - Leave your cat to take refuge in a corner if it wishes. Do not try to tempt it out as this could cause more stress.
- Make sure your cat is micro chipped or is wearing identification tags to ensure it can be returned to you if it escapes and becomes lost.
Dogs
- Exercise your dog during the day.
- Never walk your dog while fireworks are being let off.
- Keep your dog indoors, close the curtains and play music to drown out the noise.
- Let your dog hide if it wants to take refuge under furniture or in a corner.
- Make sure your dog is wearing a collar and tag and is micro chipped or is wearing identification tags in case it bolts and becomes lost.
- Keep dogs leashed if you take them outside the home.
- Use caution when in or around crowds or people your dog doesn’t know
- Remember, dogs get very excited during horseplay in and out of the water and have a tendency to bite when excited.
- Use caution when picnicking and barbecuing, many small children are bitten while walking around with food in their hands.
- Protect your dog from other dogs that may be loose, keep them at a distance, many bites occur while animal owners are trying to break up a dog fight.
- If it is hot, give your pet lots of water – indoors or out
- Never leave your dog locked in cars – the hot summer sun can raise temperatures to 120 degrees inside your car, even with windows rolled down.
- Prevent sunburns – keep four-legged friends out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., peak skin damaging hours. Otherwise rub sun block on unprotected areas such as skin around lips and tips of noses and ears, especially on fair-colored pets.
- Provide plenty of shelter – animals should not be left alone outside on hot days, even in the shade. Shade moves throughout the day so pets need to be kept under a cool shelter or inside during peak hours when possible.
- Watch out for heatstroke – symptoms of pet heatstroke include panting, staring, high fever, rapid heartbeat, vomiting, collapse and disobedience, among others. If heatstroke is suspected, call a veterinarian immediately and apply water-soaked towels to hairless areas of the animal’s body to lower its temperature.
- If you go hiking, pack supplies for your dog as you would for yourself on long hikes – bring extra food and water for your dog on long walks as well as an emergency first aid kit.
- Keep your pets on their normal diet. Any change, even for one meal, can give your pet severe indigestion and diarrhea.
- Use caution with open flames and fireworks as pets may be burned or could chase the fireworks and become injured.
- A simple plug-in diffuser that dispenses a dog appeasing pheromone into the room is available at some veterinary practices.
- Sedatives can also be prescribed by your vet.
- Never leave alcoholic drinks unattended where pets can reach them.
- Do not put glow jewelry on your pets, or allow them to play with it.
Small animals
- Small animals – such as rabbits and guinea pigs – living outside should not be forgotten. They can also become very stressed from loud noise. Bring small animals indoors or into an outhouse or garden shed to give them extra protection
- Where the hutch must remain outside then cover it in an old thick blanket, this will block out a lot of the light and sound.
- Whether indoors or outdoors ensure your pets have plenty of extra bedding material to hide in and feel more secure.
Horses
- If the horses on the yard aren’t used to music, start playing Radio 3 for them BEFORE firework night and leave the radio on to distract them on the night itself.
- If you have stable lights, leave them on and they’ll make the firework flashes less extreme.
- Don’t even think of riding out – yes, people do!
- If you leave them out, check fences and gates first and then keep out of the way and just watch from a distance.
- Try putting cotton wool balls in your horse’s ears but again practice in advance. It’s no good waiting until the bangs start to decide to give it a try.
- If you do stable your horse, arrange for him/her to be brought in before the end of the school day when bangs are likely to start. You don’t want to be leading when they get a fright.
- Make sure they have plenty of hay to keep them occupied.
- If you can keep calm during the bangs and flashes then hang around the stables or go regularly to check them – but if you’re likely to be scared/angry etc yourself, be in the immediate area by all means but keep away from the horses or you’ll only make them worse.
- DON’T go in the stable with a horse once the fireworks start. I don’t care how calm they seem to be – it just takes an instant for them to change from your cuddly horse to a wild animal that has reverted to survival mode.
- Never light fireworks near barns or fields, as it is an extreme fire hazard. And, horses can be especially frightened by fireworks, causing them to run through fences and become lost or injured. They can also injure people when they are startled by the lights and noise.
Keeping Critters Out
Friday, June 20th, 2014
There are few things more frustrating to a gardener than to lavish weeks of care on your vegetable plants, bringing them to the brink of harvest—only to have them munched, trampled, or otherwise ruined by hungry wildlife. Fortunately, there are ways to fight back and protect your crops. Here are some methods for keeping deer, rabbits, and voles out of your garden.
RABBITS
Did you know that rabbits prefer young, tender shoots and are particularly fond of lettuce, beans, and broccoli. They like to nibble on flowers such as marigolds, pansies, and petunias. Young rabbits are curious and tend to sample many plants, even ones reputed to be rabbit-resistant. Rabbits prefer to eat at night.
Here are the most popular methods for curtailing rabbit, deer & vole activity:
- Fencing & Netting – Lay chicken wire or netting on or around your plants to keep bunnies out. For deer, fences and covers, such as plastic netting, chicken wire, or floating row covers that you place over plants so deer can’t reach them. For voles, a fence that’s buried 3 to 6 inches below the soil surface and bent outwards into an L-shape. Above ground, the fence should be from 4 to 12 inches tall.
- Habitat Removal – Remove brush piles, tall grass, low-growing shrubs, and rock piles for bunnies. Voles dislike cleared spaces. Cleared spaces as narrow as 10 inches inhibit their movements; wider areas are even better. Remove weeds, mulch, and any crop litter around the garden. Consider digging a trench, voles don’t like trenches.
- Scare them – having a cat or dog in the yard will help deter rabbits. Once bunnies realize the devices don’t present a true threat, though, they’ll ignore them. A dog that can roam the area is a good threat to deer. Motion-triggered devices that squirt water, turn on a radio, or emit an irritating high frequency sound may also work. Predator urine gives deer a fright by making them think a predator visits your garden.
- Repellents – Rabbit repellents work either by releasing a repulsive odor or by making plants taste bad. For deer, repellents that emit sulfur odors, like that found in egg products or bloodmeal, provide the best control; repellents applied to leaf surfaces are more effective than those (such as capsules or reservoirs) that release an odor intended to create a perimeter. Garlic inserted into tubes, hot sauce around the area and caster oil are some known repellants that may work for voles.
- Predators – Pets, hawks, foxes, snakes, and owls will help with bunny control. Cats are a great deterrent for vole control, as are owls, foxes, hawks, bobcats, some snakes, and coyotes.
- Plant Selection – Grow plants they dislike, or place such plants next to the ones they do like. Deer tend to dislike rhubarb, asparagus and garlic.
Bunnies tend to dislike:- Vegetables: asparagus, leeks, onions, potatoes, rhubarb, squash, tomatoes
- Flowers: cleomes, geraniums, vincas, wax begonias
- Herbs: basil, mint, oregano, parsley, tarragon
- Trapping – Contact local authorities for more information
Talk to us about options for keeping rabbits, deer and voles out of your yards and garden. We provide repellants, fencing and netting options.
Source: Bonnie Plants
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