Living in Texas, I get a lot of people scoffing at the idea that it gets cold here…they obviously haven’t heard about the Texas Panhandle weather. If you would have been here in the winter of ’82, you would have been finding a way out, as quickly as humanly possible. Nevertheless, it hasn’t been a bear of a winter here so far, but I’m still dreaming of warmer times. These are the t-shirts that I’m wearing in those dreams.
1. Avid Gear | Florida Lobster AviDry Long Sleeve – We’ve mentioned Avid here before and AviDry is extremely cool.
2. Tidal Marsh | Backin’ Down a Billfish Short Sleeve – Good looking art puts this shirt in our top six.
3. Atlantic Drift | Offshore Pocket Short Sleeve – It’s from the Propst boys, so you know it’s all good.
4. Southern Charm | Deer Season Short Sleeve – Extremely good looking shirt from a company you’re going to start hearing more about.
5. Streaker Sports | Don’t Tread Short Sleeve – Hands down, the best t-shirt material ever made…period.
6. Loggerhead Apparel | Southern Nesting Grounds Long Sleeve – A map of the South on a t-shirt? Count me in.
It starts with a boot. The Ridgemaster by Danner Boots. This is such an easy start to a chain reaction. I mean what’s not to love about this hunting boot made in Portland, Oregon, USA?
That leads us to this though. The 4xBurly Hunting Boot, made by Lacrosse, who just happens to be the parent company of Danner Boots.
Things start getting really interesting now, because once you visit Lacrosse on the web, you find out that they are huge supporters of Delta Waterfowl. As you can see above; not only are they a great conservation effort, but they seem to have pretty good taste as well.
But it doesn’t stop there. Do a little more research, and you’ll find that Delta Waterfowl is the spearhead of the Hen House program. It’s a Duck Factory if you will. By placing nesting opportunities for Mallard hens out of the reach of most predators, hatches can be improved to almost an 80% success rate.
Top Notch if you ask me; and definitely something that will be put in to action in my neck of the woods. The more you know right? Who knew Danner Boots could do so much?
It’s always great to catch up with someone who you haven’t seen in years. Just the other day, I had that very thing happen. After bagging what I consider a pretty good-looking Northern Pintail, I immediately began the search for a taxidermist to preserve the beautiful duck in a way that can commemorate a first for me in hunting. After placing a call to Lone Star Taxidermy in Canyon, Texas; not only was I able to find one hell of a taxidermist, but I was also able to catch up with an old friend.
To give you a little background…I have a cousin that grew up in Dalhart, Texas, and in my high school days, I spent quite a bit of time over there. Through my adventures in XIT country, I met many of my cousin’s friends, and Kelcey Koehler was one of those guys.
Fast forward a couple of decades, and I’m walking through the doors of my old friend’s establishment…without a doubt, this was a win-win situation. Once inside, it’s easy to see that Lone Star Taxidermy isn’t just any shop. This place is somewhere that the taxidermy industry is taken to the next level. It’s a place where a great deal of pride is taken in producing something truly amazing. Throughout Mr. Koehler’s life, hunting and the outdoors have been in his blood. His family is deeply rooted in the Texas Panhandle outdoor scene, and now, through his artistry, he is bringing that passion to life and placing it on display with every mount that he produces.
I am very excited to now be one of those people who get to witness, just what it is that Kelcey Koehler does so well. I’m convinced that you’ll be happy as well. Periodically, I’ll be updating the goings-on at Lone Star, and bringing you news from Mr. Koehler’s shop. We might even have a little giveaway every now and then…you never know. In the meantime, if you’ve managed to bag something this fall, that you’re thinking about preserving, why not give Kelcey a call. You’ll be glad you did.
If you’ve been keeping up with our Instagram account (@PANHANDLEPREP), you know that Duck Fever has hit pretty hard around here. At first, it started off with a need to shoot something on the wing to prepare for pheasant season, but soon grew into something bigger than that…something uncontrollable. Before I knew it, I was plotting and planning ways to be out of the house by 5 a.m. and in a blind, just waiting for the action to start.
I was a wreck. I started spending most of my free time looking all over, for duck hunting tips and high quality gear. I was completely sucked in. That’s when some really cool guys stepped up to help. They own a little establishment called Southern Waterfowl Supply. They help guys like me, who have the undeniable urge to sit alone in the dark, wait for the sun to come up, and listen for that distinct sound of a duck making its final descent into a body of water, and they can help you too.
Created by two friends, Joe Carter and Ryan Lawson in Tallahassee, Florida, Southern Waterfowl Supply is truly a one-stop-shop when it comes to your waterfowl hunting needs. If you require anything from Decoys or Duck Calls, to Hunting Gear and Blind Accessories, then SWS has it. For myself, I actually WANT to pull the trigger on several items. The problem is, I really like living under a roof with my family, and need to narrow down my list in order to stay off the shit-list and in my lovely wife’s graces. For you single guys…the same cannot be said. Southern Waterfowl Supply has created a safe haven for you, and can gear you up to the point that you may never have to come back into town again.
If you happen to be in Tallahassee, then you should stop by and say hi. The guys are always glad to swap stories and dole out sage advice, but you can also grab everything they offer online as well. Either way, Southern Waterfowl Supply has you covered, so hit them up. It’s time to start whackin’ and stackin’.
Short and sweet this week. Four ducks in the bag, and two more later this afternoon. Everbody happy happy happy.
With most everyone that I’ve spoken to lately, the question has been the same…”Two Fridays without a Faction? What’s up with that?” Well, today, there have currently been three Fridays in a row without a Faction. To be more specific, basically three weeks without one single post.
I do apologize for that, and hope that everyone understands my situation. My new role and the transition that goes along with it has been keeping me focused solely on getting up to speed in my new environment and making sure that my family is comfortable. I won’t even go into the specifics about living in the country again, and the lengths one has to go to, just to receive internet service.
With that in mind, I believe that we’re finally ready to get back to a bit of normalcy around here. So, I’ll kick off the return with something out of the norm…a Sunday morning post.
Things I Have My Eyes On
A MAC Custom Built Rods, is a small custom rod and repair shop located in Amarillo, TX. They build from high quality blanks and, you get to choose just exactly what you want on the rod. Making sense of all of the choices available for your rod can be a daunting experience, but the owner of A MAC, Austin McWhorter, makes it a painless process by finding out exactly what it is you need, and working from start to finish with you.
The Filson Mesh Vest is a game bag that I have been studying for a little bit. This November, I’m going to pull the trigger and replace my old blaze vest for this item. I’ve never really been a huge fan of full hunting vests, and this should act more like suspension rig, that will make everything much easier out in the field. It has enough blaze on it to do the job, and Filson makes some of the best products on earth…should be a great small inVESTment.
At work, I have a new 3/4 ton Ford truck, and I think to make it more complete, it needs a Ranch Hand Front Bumper Replacement. These folks, down in Shiner, Texas, build absolutely the strongest pickup truck accessories around, and with the bumps and bangs that a feedyard work truck takes, you definitely don’t want to skimp when it comes to protecting it.
To round out the bunch, we’ll finish it off with another product from Shiner, Texas…Oktoberfest. In my opinion, as a Marzen-style seasonal, Shiner’s Okteberfest beats Samuel Adams’ Octoberfest over the head with a tire-tool. By using German grown Hallertau Tradition and Hersbrucker hops, the taste of Oktoberfest is much more complex than that of Octoberfest’s Bavarian Noble hops. But don’t just take my word for it. Try a six-pack of each. Either way you decide, good times are guaranteed.
So…drink up, gear up and load up. That’s what we have our eyes on. Thanks for reading.
A Browning advertisement from my birth year. Hands down, the best looking shotgun ever created. Wish you could still get a Citori Over & Under for $460 bucks? Yeah…I know…me too.
The landscape is always changing…changes call for adaptation…if we don’t adapt, we perish from this earth. Everyone, whether it be corporations or a single being, has to adapt on a daily basis. It’s just how our world works. The Texas Parks and Wildlife department is no different. TPWD is experiencing drastic changes recently and is doing their dead-level best to adapt to the situation.
After being handed a nice little note last year, informing them that it would be receiving $114 million less than their regular budget calls for, Texas Parks has had to scramble. What they came up with, could be something truly epic. Announced yesterday, Texas Parks and Wildlife is now seeking corporate partnerships… something no other state agency has done before. TPWD is wanting to allow partners to display the department’s logo on their products or become the official business of TPWD. For example: Soon we could see Hotel Valencia Riverwalk become the official hotel of TPWD.
In a press release, TPWD’s marketing director stated that this was not something that is going to result in billboards being put up in parks, or even having parks re-named. What this will be, is a way for businesses to help out our state parks and grab some great publicity for promoting Texas’ great parks system. I for one can already envision some of the items that might come out of this.
I’m sure you YETI guys down in Austin already have something in the works right?
