Weinheimer's Host Weekend Youth Duck Hunt

By AMANDA HURST

“The Cook's Point of View”

I love hunting – and not just for the harvest, but also for the early mornings, the beautiful sunrises, the hot coffee, the sound of thousands of geese flying off of a roost pond or a flock of teal sailing across the sky above, and the camaraderie. What an awesome experience to get to share with someone!

THE BIG HUNT - Youth hunters Taylor Korenek, left, andJonathan Macik of La Grange show off the mottled ducks they shot at the Weinheimer's place recently. Also pictured is Ed Weinheimer III, who along with his wife, brother and sister-in-law, hosted the Texas Youth Hunting Program duck hunt at their Whistling Wings Ranch outside of El Campo.

The weekend of Oct. 30, 2004 was shared with five boys over the age of 13: Brandon Garner of Pearland, Taylor Korenek of La Grange, Jonathan Macik of La Grange, Jake Stuart of Highlands and Adam Olson of Santa Fe, and a few willing guides, a family of excited landowners, a couple dads and huntmasters, and two hounds.

Steven and Melissa Weinheimer and Ed and Lisa Weinheimer, III of the Whistling Wings Ranch near El Campo hosted a Texas Youth Hunting Program (TYHP) duck hunt on Oct. 30-31. I was invited to be a cook. My experience on this hunt was a little different in that I was not hunting on this trip, I was watching instead.

Everyone gathered together on Friday evening. The two Huntmasters, Lee Horelica of Houston and Bryan Nabors of The Woodlands, went over all the TYHP rules and safety guidelines. Wharton County Game Warden Justin Hurst filled everyone in on the bag limits, laws and regulations. (FYI – it is not only illegal to use lead shot while hunting waterfowl, it is also unlawful to possess lead shot during a waterfowl hunt.)

The boys picked up on the information quickly, and asked the game warden many questions. Although the lights went out early, I feel confident not many went right to sleep.

Saturday morning rolled around, and the hunters were up and gone before dawn. I sat on the porch enjoying the beautiful morning and my coffee. Sounds of shotguns sounded in the distance. Shortly after 8 o'clock , the boys trickled in, all with their daily bag limit! Most of the harvest consisted of blue- and green- winged teal, but there were a couple of shovelers and one mottled duck.

After breakfast, Warden Hurst discussed waterfowl identification, explaining the difference in a shoveler's wing compared to a blue-winged teal's wing. He also discussed the identification and habitat of Texas ' native waterfowl, the Mottled Duck. He proceeded with retrieving gizzards from the birds, and cutting them open to identify what the birds had been eating. Most had smart weed seed, and others had snails and a few BB's. As each of the boys cleaned and prepared their birds for dinner, a Bald Eagle flew overhead. It was the first for each of the boys to see.

The day continued with cat fishing. It was a battle of the sexes as the girls out-fished the boys! For some, it was their first ever! Not to be outdone, the boys regained their dignity while shooting skeet. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Biologist, Robert Korenek instructed the group on proper shooting techniques. After a few hours and a few hundred clays, Korenek's patience and instruction paid off.

Saturday evening everyone piled in the back of a truck for a tour of the ranch. The Weinheimers purchased the ranch 11 years ago in 100 percent rice production. Today, there are no rice fields on the ranch. Instead, there are hundreds of acres in improved pasture, hay and cattle, and a landowner's love of waterfowl.

The ranch has over nine ponds; one is an irrigation pond stocked with catfish, and the others make up five Prairie Wetland Projects managed by Ducks Unlimited and surveyed by TPWD. The Weinheimers have also managed the hardwood bottoms, creating a paradise for wood ducks. It is no surprise that the Whistling Wings Ranch was honored with a 2003-2004 Lone Star Land Steward Award.

After the tour, the boys were treated to duck quesadillas and homemade fajitas, followed by s'mores for dessert. After some campfire stories, everyone retired to their cabins to prepare for the next morning's hunt.

The second morning of hunting was a true lesson of the trade. Not every morning will there be optimum conditions, and not every hunt will you bring home a bag limit.

The hunters shot only a few times, but the view that morning was worth the work. Speckled-bellies flew over by the hundreds as the birds made their way down from the migration. Sometimes a hunter's best hunt isn't the harvest itself, but the lessons learned and the pictures captured in our minds.

As I served breakfast on the last morning, I heard laughter and excitement from everyone. The boys came that weekend hoping for the hunt of their lives, and walked away with so much more.

Tell us what you think

“I enjoyed the experience of harvesting ducks and seeing them fly,” Jake Stuart of Highlands said.

“The most exciting part of the hunt was when I killed two birds with one shot,” added Brandon Garner of Pearland. “I learned how to clean a duck,” said Adam Olson of Santa Fe . “The best part about the whole weekend is that I shared with my best friend,” remarked Jonathan Macik of La Grange .

And Taylor Korenek of La Grange added, “I learned what ducks eat by seeing the plants in blind, and opening the gizzards to see what was inside.

“This was one of the best events I've assisted with as a huntmaster. We really enjoyed spending time with the game warden. He spent a lot of time out here with us, teaching waterfowl ID, discussing laws and regulations, and cutting open the gizzards. His level of expertise in this field was incredible. I also appreciate the interaction we had from other organizations, such as TPWD and the Texas Wildlife Association,” said Bryan Nabors, TYHP Huntmaster, The Woodlands.

Editor's Note: Amanda Hurst, wife of Game Warden Justin Hurst, submits newsletters with local hunting news to the Texas Wildlife Extra magazine.