Tilden Hunt Date -- December 15, 2015
We hunted the Diamond Jay Ranch in Tilden, Texas for Javelina. My good friend, Greg Johnston, helped us track and pattern these animals.
We took one with a Mathews Monster Chill Bow. Fred Kirby got it all on HD footage for a TV show to air in 2016. It was awesome!
Hunter’s Notes:
In Texas, javelina are classified as a game animal and may be legally harvested with a hunting license during hunting season, in counties that have a season. Javelinas are herbivores (plant eaters) and frugivores (fruit eaters). They eat a wide variety of fruits, tubers, rhizomes, bulbs, acorns, grass, green shoots of annuals, mesquite beans and stems of prickly pears. Succulent prickly pear pads are an excellent water source for them.
Javelina have long held a reputation for ferocity. They have poor eyesight and will often remain around humans longer than other wildlife when startled. When cornered, they can defend themselves very effectively with sharp canine teeth or "tusks."
Many dogs have been crippled or killed when trying to attack javelina. Yet, aggressive encounters with humans are very, very rare. As any wild animal, they can be very dangerous when the animals are provoked or hunted. They can defend themselves, so respect them in the wild. Treat them as dangerous as a rattlesnake.
Thanks for your time, and I’ll see you in the Wide Open Outdoors!! -- Dave
Fishing Date: August 2015
The weather was hot, and so was the fishing in Central Florida with Captain Steve Boyd of Florida Bass Adventures.
Central Florida, specifically Lake Toho in Kissimmee, Florida, is known for big fish. In fact, it's known across the United States as one of the best areas to catch some serious largemouth bass.
The camera crew set their sights on spending some time on the water with Captain Steve Boyd – turned out to be an amazing fishing trip! We got some really solid bass.
Lake Toho is a fairly shallow lake, with a depth of about fourteen feet – lots of structure and lots of big fish to target. Steve knew the water like the back of his hand. He would work one area and then migrate with the trolling motor.
Central Florida is known for rain showers almost every day in the summertime. The main reason is because weather patterns that form over the Gulf of Mexico heading west over the state of Florida converge with weather patterns that are forming over the Atlantic Ocean, heading east over the state of Florida. We got some dark skies every day we fished, but we were able to navigate Steve's bass boat to basically stay clear of the showers. The fishing was rock solid.
We enjoyed the beautiful countryside of Central Florida, and we were made aware that the band NSYNC and quite a few others had started in Orlando, Florida. Orlando is also known for Disney World, Nickelodeon and quite a few different film studios. Seems like everywhere we go we find out some interesting history and meet some great people. This was no exception; Central Florida was awesome.
We got the opportunity to head to Gatorland and tour the facility. We shot some amazing video of some albino alligators, including a monster 14-footer named Charlie. We ran across some friendly 12 foot snakes as well. I even had a chance to hold a 4-foot alligator, but it's a good thing they taped his mouth shut! These little gators could take a finger or a hand off in just a few seconds. They may be small but you've got to respect them.
It was a great trip to Central Florida, and I had my good friends Tim Teal and Matt Gillett help me document the trip in high-definition video. Tim even flew his new drone and videoed from high in the sky. Too cool. The TV show will air in our 2016 season.
Contact Captain Steve Boyd at (352) 603-5467 and he can put you on some big large-mouth bass, too. Southwest Airlines round-trip flight was $388. Talk about an affordable getaway! Just get out there.
I'll see you in a Wide Open Outdoor Adventure. -- Dave
