The Bonham 8th grade 7 on 7 team traveled to College Station this past weekend after qualifying for the state tournament. The state tournament is also the largest youth 7 on 7 tournament in the nation. They then qualified for the championship bracket by finishing 2nd in their pool by beating 6A powerhouse Cypress Falls by a score of 35-18.

This free-range whitetail doe jumps this low fence easily. It takes a 10-foot fence to contain whitetail deer. photo by Luke Clayton

BHS will be holding a team volleyball camp for all incoming 9th-12th graders July 28-July 30 from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Robert Blackstock takes aim with his rifle rigged with a Nite Site as the screen on the electric buggy plots the path ahead in total darkness. photo by Luke Clayton

Enjoying great meals is a big part of the outdoor experience. Billy Kilpatrick prepares some freshly caught rainbow trout at a mountain cabin in Colorado. photo by Luke Clayton

On the water it’s easier than ever to experience a closer view of wildlife and scenery. Beat the heat and kayak or canoe easily accessible and scenic waterways in a state park or along a designated Texas Paddling Trail. TPWD photo by Chase Fountain

Technician Amie Robison moves brooders to hatchery truck.

Greers Ferry - As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 461.70 feet msl (normal conservation pool – 462.04 msl).
(Updated 7-15-2014) Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said the water level at Greers Ferry is 0.73 feet below normal pool and falling. Hybrid and white bass are excellent all over the lake throughout the day; they can be caught in and around bait fish, and some are coming up on top as well. Try topwater baits, in-line spinners, swim baits and Rinky Dinks around baitfish in 25-50 feet of water. Bream are still on beds and can be caught with crickets and crawlers up pretty shallow all over the lake on pea gravel banks. Crappie are hanging out in pole timber and in and around brush piles 15-30 feet deep; they can be caught on jigs and jigs tipped with minnows. Catfishing is going great on rod-and-reel and baited lines and jugs all over the lake with dog food, soap and live bait; try flats next to deep water. Walleye are biting pretty well on cloudy days.

Lower Roaring Fork (Carbondale to Glenwood) -- OVERALL RATING: 8 out of 10 with evening lightning rounds easily ranking at a 9.5 out of 10! Conditions are ideal but are still amazingly improving daily as the water continues to drop and the fish become more concentrated.

Gus was helping his grandfather with this 25-pound flathead catfish noodled out of the North Canadian River.

The Fannin County Dixie Debs (16-18 year old division) placed 2nd in the Dixie State Tournament held in Commerce from July 11 to July 14. We also received the Sportsmanship award which is voted on by umpires and tournament personnel. For this prestigious award, the team, coaches and fans are judged for sportsmanship on and off of the field. We would like to thank the parents of the team members for their support.

Landon Darwin was an All-Conference third baseman for North Central Texas College who will be playing at Texas Tech next year. He finished with a 4.0 GPA during his two-year NCTC career.

Southeastern baseball coach Mike Metheny has announced the signing of 13 new additions to the 2015 roster, bringing the total number of new additions for the upcoming season to 15.

2014 is turning out to be a banner year for James Butler Bonham. One hundred seventy-eight years after the Saluda, South Carolina native gave his life at the Alamo in the fight for Texas' independence, an historic statue of Bonham has been restored in the North Texas town named in honor of the Alamo hero. And now Texas A&M and the University of South Carolina will likely be exchanging the James Butler Trophy following their Southeastern Conference gridiron clashes.

The annual summer edition of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine will soon be on newsstands all across Texas, and this year’s cover is green and gold all over — specifically, Baylor green and gold.

Guide Seth Vanover with an ‘average’ size Lake Fork channel catfish. Two of Luke’s grandsons, Conner (left) and Jack Zimmerman will remember this trip for a long time. photo by Luke Clayton

Axis deer are plentiful across much of the Texas Hill Country and game ranches across the state. This nice buck is in the early stages of the rut. photo by Luke Clayton

Zebra mussels are not large in size but can cause much damage to the ecosystem.

Dove hunters will have more opportunity later in the season with dates and bag limits finalized by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department this last week.

Today's technology carries over to the outdoors. Here Mark Balette (left) uses a Nite Site mounted on his rifle to shoot a hog in near pitch darkness. Randy Douglas watches the action using his Nite Site Spotter. photo by Luke Clayton