Frank's outdoors...

Went to the lease the other night to get the game cameras out for some pre-season scouting.  Hadn't been to the property in several months, and was shocked at what I saw.  With the surprising amount of rain we have had in Texas, the trails and fields were VERY overgrown!  I have a lot of work to do to get ready for the season, but things look really healthy, and it was great to see.  I am going to leave the cameras up for a month or so and see what is moving out there.  I will begin feeding at the start of August with supplements and corn.  At that point, I'll get to try out my Duke DP coon traps to keep the coons from eating all my corn! I'll post an update once I get the cameras back, and when I have my action plan in place for the food plot.

The last 2 years on the lease have seen time and time again tons of raccoons making off with our corn and tearing up our feeders.  Its time to start a predator management plan. We are targeting: Raccoons by trapping only Possums by trapping only Coyotes by calling, stand hunting, and trapping Hogs by hunting and pen trapping (not a varmint, but still trying to rid them) To begin this plan, last year we started by building a hog pen/trap, and have yet to have any success, and I believe a major part of that is due to the gate design.  Plainly, it was a custom job by a friend of my buddy and doesn't stay closed.  Its heavy duty, but the closing mechanism needs to re-engineering.  The door rebounds when the springs close the door, and the pigs have gotten out each time. This year, I am focusing less on the pigs, and more on the smaller predators and varmints, primarily raccoons (pictured above).  I purchased 8 Duke DP Coon Traps .  I will bai...