Nothing says Memorial Day Weekend like a family picnic.  And this past May 26th, the TexasHuntFish.com Team (Debra, Diana, and Chris) was invited to attend a “family picnic” of sorts for the Texas Big Game Awards Edwards Plateau Region.  As we arrived in Burnet, Texas and entered the Galloway Hammond Center you couldn’t help but feel right at home.  We were greeted with rows of tables lined with red and white checkered tablecloths, BBQ Brisket and sausage, cobbler, and good old-fashioned iced tea.  Kids of all ages were running around having a great time.  Sounds like a picnic to me.

As we made our way around the room, we met Lee Loeffler with Texas Land Bank and asked if he could use some TexasHuntFish stickers for his table.  He obliged and asked us if Allen Shannon put us up to this.  Turns out that Lee and Allen are friends and he just spent the weekend with him on one of their famous family camp outs.  Click Here to read Kamping For Kids II by Allen Shannon.

Next we found the hosts of the evening, David Brimager, Assistant Vice President of the Texas Wildlife Association and Dr. Dan McBride, President of the Texas Taxidermy Association and big supporter of TWA.  These guys are tireless supporters of TWA, TBGA, the TPWD and the Texas Youth Hunting Program, and not to mention two of the nicest guys on the planet.  The room was buzzing with excitement as the awards ceremony neared and the room was filled with the smoky smell of country BBQ. 

As the food was being set up, we were fortunate enough to talk with two custom knife makers, Charles Miller and Mike Morgan, about their passion for knife making.  They both work out of the Burnet, Texas area using the best materials available.  Knife making is a true art that takes time to master.  While Mike’s craftsmanship is of a high quality, he still considers himself an apprentice and explained that it takes years to master the craft.  Charles Miller is highly knowledgeable and had some very interesting things to say about his journey into knife making.

Find out more about Charles Miller Custom Knives and Mike Morgan Custom Knives.

Coming Soon Diana’s interview with Charles Miller

The cowbell sounded and dinner was on!  We enjoyed fine country BBQ and I have to admit that this was one of the best “banquet” meals I’ve had in a long time.  What a relaxing build-up to the night’s big event.  After dinner, we settled in to watch the awards being handed out to young and old. 

The backdrop for the awards ceremony was a very impressive wall of mounted trophies, including the 202 2/8 (net score) first harvest for 10 year old girl, yes 10, Mariah Gary shot on the Six Gun Ranch.  Her father told TexasHuntFish.com that Mariah had been asleep in the stand and he had to wake her up to take the shot, to which she replied, “Is it the big one?” 

Both her parents and younger sister were very proud of her and some of the older men were asking if they could switch their smaller bucks out for hers.  Many of them also said that they’ve never harvested a buck that big and have been hunting for 20 plus years.  Mariah just smiled and looked at her dad.  She was one of many winners that night.

Cami Carrosco won the first harvest essay contest, which Dr. McBride pointed out that there is not an age limit on the contest.  Whether you are 10 or 100, you can win.  Cami’s buck scored 133 2/8 (net score) and was shot on the Nelms Ranch. 

She said it was an unforgettable experience and one that she will always treasure.  Whether it’s hunting with your dad or an official Huntmaster, passing on the hunting heritage for present and future generations is essential to the goals of the Youth Hunting Program put together by the Texas Wildlife Association and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.

The awards ceremony also honored many Texas Landowners for their pursuit in passing on the hunting heritage.  Among them were the Six Gun Ranch, Nelms Ranch, Apache Springs Ranch, Kerr WMA, West Kerr Ranch, and many others.  They were honored for participating in land and wildlife management, conservation efforts, as well as for supporting the Youth Hunting Program.  A couple of landowners brought a very large display of native Texas plants with information cards showing their effects on different animal species like Quail, Deer, and Turkey.  I asked them how long it took to gather up all these plants and they very proudly stated it took them all of 20 minutes or so.  Check out the pictures.

We had a great time and hope that next year’s banquet will be filled with more TexasHuntFish.com members and their families.  Our thanks go to David Brimager, Dr. Dan McBride, and everyone at the TBGA, TWA and TPWD for allowing us to support your conservation and education efforts.  See you next year.

Hunt Hard. Fish Smart. Explore Texas.

~Debra Heater

Find out more about these organizations by visiting their websites:

Texas Wildlife Association

Texas Big Game Awards

Texas Youth Hunting Program

Images and Files: View all 24 photos / videos here.