It’s been said we have a little bit of everything here in Texas and I think that is pretty close to a true statement. From a hunting prospective, we have just about every big game species as the mountain states, excluding moose. There is a healthy herd of antelope and mule deer out in the Panhandle and desert mule deer and even free range elk out in the Trans Pecos. But what about black bear?
At present there is no open season for bear in Texas but if they keep trickling over from southeast Oklahoma into counties in northeast Texas along the Red River who knows, Texans might once again be hunting bear in East Texas!
In Red River County where I was raised and adjacent Lamar county, deer hunters have been capturing bear photos on trail cameras for a couple decades and many complain about bears overturning corn feeders. A raccoon can cause problems with a feeder but a black bear can completely dismantle it in efforts to enjoy a free meal of shelled corn.
Black bear have been present in southeast Oklahoma for many years but their numbers have steadily grown the past couple decades. Back in 2009 the state opened its first bear season and in ensuing years, more and more hunters are hunting black bear much closer to home.
This past week, a couple of good friends Edgar Cotton and his son David from Kaufman County, Texas, traveled across the Red River to hunt bear on land owned by the Choctaw Nation at the Choctaw Hunting Lodge located about an hour or so north of Paris Texas. The Choctaw Nation owns 44,000 acres of beautiful mountain country about half of which is land hunted by the lodge; the other half is leased on long term leases to hunters.
I’ve hunted turkey, deer and wild hogs at the lodge for several years, very often with my good friend Larry Weishuhn, aka. “Mr. Whitetail”. Larry fell in love with the scenery, abundant game and accommodations immediately after his first visit a few years ago.
Edgar Cotton owns some great hunting and fishing land in Kaufman County, not far from where I live and Larry and I often join Edgar and his son on their piece of outdoor heaven. When Larry and I began talking about the great times we’ve had up in Oklahoma hunting and fishing at the lodge, the Cottons were eager to experience all this vast tract of mountain country had to offer. They loved the idea the lodge was less than 3 hours away.
The eastern strain of wild turkey are plentiful in southeast Oklahoma and especially on the land owned by the Choctaw Nation, thanks to insightful wildlife management by Biologist Matt Gamble and his team. The Cotton’s first trip for eastern turkey was back in the spring and while there around the evening campfire visiting with Weishuhn and lodge manager Dusty Vickrey, their interest in a close-to-home bear hunt was perked! Dusty and his wife Nacolh oversee all the activities at the lodge which range from planning company events and weddings to planting food plots and managing the wildlife and hunting.
As Edgar and David stated after their recent bear hunt, “This place is absolutely awesome...it’s a hunting and fishing paradise managed by folks that make you feel right at home. Everything is top notch, especially the meals Nacolh prepares. That smothered steak dish she makes is worth the drive up here!”
Now to the hunt
Dustin and Larry Weishuhn had a plan developed that looked very promising prior to the opening of archery bear season last week. Dustin had ground blinds set up on a couple of spots he had been baiting but just before the opener, a big bear that had been hitting one of the spots vacated the premises, possibly because acorns had begun to fall and he was hitting a few oaks dropping acorns. But the other bait site had a couple of bear showing up in the afternoon on a very regular basis. Trail camera photos showed two bear on the bait mid afternoon the day before the opener.
Rather than hunt separate stands, the decision was made for both Edgar and David to hunt the ‘hot’ spot. Luckily Dusty had set up a big roomy ground blind near the bait pile. Jeff Rice, the producer of “A Sportsmans Life” TV show was present with his trusty video camera to capture all the action for an upcoming segment of the show. Granted with three in the blind, it was a bit crowded but as things turned out, well worth enduring the above-average afternoon temperature.
The bear had been showing up very close to 3 o’clock but by 4:00 p.m. with no bear, it was getting a bit crowded and warm in the blind. The plan was to stay put until dark. After all the bear were not punching a clock as the perfect time to feed and hopes were high they would show. Just before 7:00 p.m. and after a bit of sweating in the blind, a big lumbering boar weighing almost 350 pounds approached the bait barrel. Edgar said he knew it was a big bear; it dwarfed the size of the baited oil drum. Edgar made a perfect shot with his crossbow and the bear made it just out of sight and dropped within a few yards of the shot.
It was now the time when high fives and reveling usually takes place but the plan was to sit quietly and hope the second bear appears. The stars must have been alighted because few minutes later, David’s bear appeared and again, the arrow found it’s mark.
This hunt will definitely go down as one of the premier things David and his father have enjoyed together.
Email outdoors writer Luke Clayton through is website www.catfishradio.org
