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

Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission members learned this spring's paddlefish harvest in Oklahoma was lower than it was in 2013, based on data gathered by the Wildlife Department's Paddlefish Research Center (PRC) near Miami, Okla. But the
lower harvest is going to benefit the state's paddlefish resource, which has received some heavy angling pressure in recent years.

Ed Garza, Austin College head volleyball coach, will host a camp for all incoming 6th-8th graders August 11-14 from 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at the L.H. Rather Junior High gym in Bonham. All girls who are interested in playing volleyball for the 2014 season are encouraged to attend.

The Glover River offers great angling opportunities, especially for smallmouth bass.

Registration and payment deadline is August 22. Registration drop boxes are available at the following locations:
Kwik Check - Bonham Hwy 121
Kwik Check - Trenton Hwy 69
Kwik Check - Leonard Hwy 78
Registration can also be completed on-line.

This small amount of dry plum wood is all the wood that’s necessary to smoke up to 20 pounds of meat in Luke’s Smokin Tex Electric Smoker. This is the ‘well used’ smoker that Luke has put to work many times during the past seven years. photo by Luke Clayton

Lower Mountain Fork: July 20. Elevation normal, water 67. Trout good on caddis flies and Power Bait along rocks and shallows. Report submitted by Mark Hannah, game warden stationed in McCurtain County.

Wild pigeons are excellent eating. Luke has these birds prepped and ready for the oven.photo by Luke Clayton

The Bonham Warriors coaching staff will be hosting a football camp for incoming kindergarteners thru incoming 9th graders.

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.

Ham from wild hog ready to cut into cubes. photo by Luke Clayton

Coaches and players from the Dallas Sidekicks indoor soccer team will hold a four-day camp in Prosper to help local kids sharpen their passing, dribbling, shooting and defense skills. The camps, which run from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Frontier Park, will include a t-shirt, a soccer ball and autographs from the professional soccer players.

Species such as sunfish, white bass or catfish are great 'starter' fish for youngsters. Lake Caddo guide Billy Carter has just exposed these kids to some red-hot bream fishing. By the look on their faces, they are hooked for life! photo by Luke Clayton

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.

Part of the appeal of riding motorcycles is the adventure found on the open road. On a dual sport motorcycle, one suited for both on- and off-road riding, bikers can also venture off paved roads and highways to explore backcountry terrain like dirt roads, gravel roads and jeep trails.

Elk can be found in at least 30 of Oklahoma's 77 counties, some of which have been open to controlled and private lands hunting for many years. Most are found in the southwest region in and around the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, where a highly sought after limited elk hunt is offered almost every year through the Wildlife
Department's Controlled Hunts program. Elk hunting in the area outside the refuge also has been available for many years through a private lands season in Caddo, Comanche and Kiowa counties.

Hunting the high country of Colorado is a totally different experience than hunting in Texas. Luke snapped this image of a sow bear and her cub last season. photo by Luke Clayton

Over the three-day Operation Dry Water weekend, game wardens made contact with 22,732 recreational boaters, issued 1,147 citations and safety warnings and made 17 BUI arrests in an effort to raise awareness of the dangers of boating under the influence of drugs or alcohol. During the July Fourth holiday, game wardens made contact with roughly 30,000 recreational boaters and arrested 58 operators for boating under the influence. In addition, game wardens filed 39 minor in possession of alcohol cases and 8 drug related offenses.

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