Wild turkey group to host women's events
Just think of it like a ladies day out with a schedule built around outdoor activities rather than shopping malls and coffee shops.
That's the framework behind a trio of National Wild Turkey Federation Women In The Outdoors (WITO) events on tap across the East Texas region during the next couple of weeks.
WITO is a NWTF program designed to give women who want to learn about the outdoors the opportunity to get their feet wet in activities such as shooting, self defense, archery, kayaking and others with expert instruction.
In addition to meeting friends with similar interests, the program offers women the opportunity to learn new skills in a relaxed environment that might bring them closer to their loved ones.
The East Texas Chapter and Pioneer Chapter WITO events are scheduled for Saturday. East Texas Chapter participants will gather at the Tomberlain Ranch in Hallsville. The Pioneer Chapter event will be held at the Rusty Lowe Ranch in Clarksville. On May 22, the Pineywoods Chapter of WITO will host its 12th annual event at the Texas Forest Service facility in Hudson.
The events are open to women 17 and older. The cost is $55 per person, $40 for 4-H/FFA members and $80 for mother/daughter combos. The fee covers four stations, a one-year WITO membership and lunch.
For more information, contact: Pineywoods Chapter, Kim Brock, 936-422-4843; East Texas Chapter, Judy Kennemer, 903-668-3624; Pioneer Chapter, Angie Bishop, 903-249-1466.
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ShareLunker closes out banner year: The 2009-10 Toyota ShareLunker season rolled to a close April 30, capping one of program's best in its 24-year history.
Overall, the program took in 32 bass topping 13 pounds and reached a number of milestones sure to strengthen Texas' reputation as one of the top states for catching heavyweight bass.
Perhaps the biggest story of the year is built around Sam Calloway, the Corpus Christi angler who reeled in a 13.34-pounder from Lake O.H. Ivie that became ShareLunker No. 500.
The TPW Foundation had previously placed a $500 per pound bounty on the milestone fish, which earned Calloway a check for $6,670. Callaway subsequently donated his winnings to the Make-a-Wish Foundation, a nonprofit organization that caters to children with life-threatening illnesses.
Another big story to surface this season is Lake O.H. Ivie itself. The 19,200-acre reservoir kicked out more ShareLunkers (10) for the program this season than any other. Included in the mix was a new lake record 16.08-pounder caught April 30 by Jerry Bales of Waco.
The Lake Ivie record was one of six new lake records caught this year at Texas reservoirs, including Livingston, LBJ, Casa Blanca, Lake O' the Pines (2) and Caddo.
Keith Burns' 16.17-pound record fish at Caddo earned him ShareLunker Angler of the Year title for catching the heaviest fish of the season. Burns will be awarded a Texas lifetime fishing license valued at $1,000 in addition to ShareLunker clothing and a free fiberglass replica of his catch.
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Senior angler nets $113,000 prize: In a sport dominated by a much younger crowd, 72-year-old Nelson Metcalf of Ore City showed the youngsters how it's done by winning the top prize in the 2010 KYKX Big Bass Bonanza held May 1-2 at Lake O' The Pines in northeast Texas.
Metcalf used a watermelon candy lizard to catch the tournament's heaviest bass, an 11.42-pound largemouth. The big catch earned the retired welder a $113,600 pay day, including $51,000 in cash and a Skeeter bass boat valued at $62,000. Metcalf also won the tournament's Senior Anglers Division, which netted him a recliner valued at $1,099.
Rounding out the Top 5 finishers were Robert Kilgore of Longview, 10.83; Glen Bingham of Texarkana, 9.78; Chris Blalock of Gilmer, 9.76; and Archie Wade of Canton, 8.98.
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