Saturday's Internet Edition, May 17, 2008.
Deer season, Big Buck Tourney to start
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- The 16th Annual Trans-Pecos Big Buck Tournament (TPBBT) is here again! It is one of the biggest events that our community has to offer each year. Timed to coincide with Texas mule deer hunting season, the tournament benefits the hunters, landowners and the community tremendously.
Far West Texas is noted for its trophy mule deer bucks. Hunters flock to the area from across the country in search of the elusive deer. The Big Buck tournament highlights and identifies the best of the best in mule deer in the Trans Pecos.
The Far West Texas area has received effective rainfall during the past four growing seasons. This helps to create some of the best habitat conditions for the wildlife. Mule deer are healthy and large at this time. The hunting will again be challenging due to the abundance of food, cover and water. Expect to spend significant glassing time, hiking and stalking mileage and expect great opportunity!
Fuentes commented, “The Trans-Pecos area is established as the Mecca for trophy mule deer hunters and the Trans Pecos Big Buck Tournament has become an annual tradition with the hunting population. It has become a close knit group of friends numbering about 600. The majority of hunters are addressed on a first name basis. This makes the tournament one of the most unique organizations a Trans Pecos mule deer hunter could ever associate with.”
Due to the various land use changes and mule deer management changes, the tournament has added more categories. The new categories will involve the ranches that have year round deer feeding programs and will involve the Managed Land Deer Permit (MLDP) ranches also.
The TPBBT starts on Greeting Day, Friday, November 23, 2007 with many hunters coming by, entering and discuss the upcoming opening weekend hunt. The tournament continues thru December 9, 2007.
Come visit Chanley and Gary at the tournament, see the trophy displays, see the hunting rigs, see our photo display, have some coffee, tell some stories and watch the football games!
There are 3 ways you can contact us for more information. Call the Van Horn convention center at 432-283-2682 during the day and talk to Brenda. You can also call Gary Fuentes at cel # 432-448-1695 or Chanley Turner at cel # 432-940-6345.
And, you may now go to our website at www.transpecosbigbuck.com for additional information, rules, category changes, and entry forms.
Commissioners approve $100,000 grant, get good oil & gas news
Culberson County Commissioners met Monday morning to consider approving a $100,000 grant application to the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Texas Capital Fund.
The grant would be awarded to Royal Farms, of Van Horn, for infrastructure electricity improvements. The grant is based on $25,000 per local job created and Royal Farms anticipates hiring 4 people, hence the $100,000.
To enhance the grant application and to not encumber the County, Vance Cottrell, owner of Royal Farms, provided the County with a irrevocable letter of credit from his bank.
County Attorney Steve Mitchell reported that with this irrevocable letter of credit, the County is not obligated to encumber taxpayer dollars for the grant funds.
Pete Torres, a local citizens, had asked if the county would be in any way encumbered for these grant monies.
Following discussion, commissioners voted to adopt a resolution which approved the grant application.
Commissioners also heard from Paul Blankenburg, of Blue Quail Oil & Gas Leasing & Consulting Services, on recent and ongoing oil and gas exploration and activity in Culberson County as well as surrounding counties.
In his report, Blankenburg told commissioners that “the oil and gas play in our county and surrounding county’s is picking up.” In fact, he said, “Van Horn shows great promise to become the hub for the west Texas oil and gas business.”
Blankenburg went on to report, “I heard just this morning from a confidential source that a Quicksilver well drilled northeast of here, has tested at 40,000 million cubic feet of gas per day. That’s a good well!”
After he presented his resounding oil and gas report, Jeff McCoy and Blankenburg visiting with commissioners about a plan to locate oil and gas related service businesses at the Airport Industrial Park. The plan included some proposed tax incentives as well as land purchase incentives to attract these businesses.
It was noted, however, that the Airport Industrial Park property is not a pleasant place to take prospects too because it has become a dump ground for people and property owners to dispose of literal waste. Commissioners pledged to do something to get the Industrial Park cleaned up.
After hearing these reports, commissioners learned that the county still has some Homeland Security money available from the $150,000 that was awarded the county for the year. The amount is approximately $21,000 and the money has to be earmarked by December 31, 2007.
Accordingly, commissioners approved spending the money for additional emergency equipment to be utilized in the county’s Emergency Operations Center.
After canvassing the November 6th constitutional amendments election ballots, and certifying the vote as accurate, the session was adjourned.
LIGHTED CHRISTMAS PARADE
in Van Horn, Texas
Saturday, December 8th