Photos shot for the November 2018 issue
The Year of Epic Texas Challenges
Texas' vast and diverse landscapes and array of outdoor pursuits offer thrills for participants and spectators alike. Each issue of 2018 will feature an event to challenge even the most extreme athletes and sportsmen. We hope you'll enjoy reading it from the comfort of your armchair or perhaps be inspired to try a new pursuit.
The Buck Stops Here
Suspense reigns at Muy Grande, the world's longest-running deer contest.
Bob Jackson points to a photograph. In it, he’s kneeling behind an eight-point buck with antlers that look as though they’d been twisted by a tornado with a sick sense of humor.
“That’s the ugliest deer you ever saw,” the Katy resident proclaims.
But the whitetail presents a pretty picture below the leaderboard heading of “Widest Spread” with a score of 262/8 inches, based on the contest’s antler-ranking formula. It’s early on a chilly January afternoon, the final Sunday of the 2017-2018 Muy Grande Deer Contest, billed as the world’s oldest such deer hunting competition (and copied by others as its fame grew).
Opening Day
Small-town Goldthwaite comes alive with the opening of deer season.
It's rush hour in Goldthwaite. A steady stream of pickups pull into this small Central Texas town, piling up at its two main stoplights.
“Come deer season, it’s like Easter Sunday in the Baptist Church here,” says visitor Stan Laukhuf, who drove in from Dallas.
Tomorrow is opening day, a hallowed day for hunters that marks the beginning of general deer hunting season. From November through January, Goldthwaite will be a hub of activity as hunters come to chase the bucks that are chasing the does.
“We are getting ready for the craziness to start happening,” says Rodney Spies, owner of the popular-with-the-hunting-crowd Mills County General Store. “People are wanting to buy a hunting license. ‘Oh, I forgot my camo shirt and I need a box of ammo.’ It’s gonna be a lot of fun.”
Funny thing is, 50 years ago there were hardly any deer here at all.
Loving the Land at Laborcitas
2018 Leopold Award winners bring diversity back to this South Texas ranch.
For Laborcitas Creek Ranch owners Berdon and Rolanette Lawrence, the payoff of almost 30 years of land restoration has come in the form of beauty and birdsong.
I love hearing the quail — when they sing to each other it’s like a love song,” Rolanette says. “Every day the beauty changes. There’s something new — a new flower, a newborn fawn or just something moving through. Every day is different.”
Keep Texas Wild
It's not just for kids. If you like nature-related topics in an easy-to-read format, you can find three years of our popular Keep Texas Wild issues and the teacher resources to go along with them.
