Author: Luke Clayton
Luke Clayton
Luke was raised in very rural Red River County where he grew up hunting and fishing. He began amateurishly writing about his adventures at the age of 12, the accounts of his boyhood outings often filling several pages of his Big Chief tablets. Luke began writing professionally while in his twenties and currently writes an outdoor newspaper column that runs weekly in 40 Texas newspapers. Luke is hunting/shooting columnist for Texas Wildlife Magazine and writes regular features for several other outdoor magazines including Airgun Hobbyist where he is Hunting Editor. Radio is a fun endeavor for Luke and his shows are known for his relaxed and down home style WWW.CATFISHRADIO.ORG Luke is on the pro staff of Airforce Airguns, Smokin Tex Electric Smokers, and TRHP Outdoors. Luke and his long time friend Larry Weishuhn also produce a bi-weekly internet radio show titled HUNTING WIRE RADIO and Sporting Classics Radio on Sporting Classics Daily.com Luke covered hunting for the Texas Almanac, one of the oldest and most revered publications in the state. With almost 38 years under his belt as an outdoors writer, Luke has no intention of slowing down anytime soon. He continues to love the lifestyle that has been so fulfilling throughout his life. Luke and friends Larry Weishuhn & Jeff Rice produce a weekly video series " A Sportsman's Life" for CarbonTV.com
For the past 30 years or so I have eagerly awaited the opening of spring turkey season. Trying to outsmart a wise old gobbler is one of hunting’s most exciting endeavors. There is something very special about hearing a distant gobbler respond to your plaintive hen yelps, and then hearing the bird come closer and closer until he pops out of the brush with brilliant colors that light up the spring woods. Through these years, I have had the opportunity to hunt with some very good turkey hunters. The late outdoor writer Bob Hood was one of the best. Bob…
The Red and Washita River drainages were dammed in 1944 to create Lake Texoma, a lake situated mostly in Oklahoma, with a portion of it also in Texas. Little did the WWII German prisoners-of-war who helped construct the massive dam know that the 80,000 acres they were helping to impound would one day become a world-class striped bass fishery that would attract striper anglers from all across the country. I’m pretty sure the biologists in charge of the new fishery had no idea what was to come, either. Stripers were first stocked in 1965. The salt mines 40 miles upstream…
Wild hogs often become almost entirely nocturnal during the winter months when cover is sparse. They’ve been exposed to hunter pressure for several months, and being the highly intelligent animals they are, they prefer to feed under the cover of darkness when they have the woods to themselves. Due to their nocturnal nature, hog hunting at night is not only beneficial from a success standpoint – but it’s an adrenaline pumping experience. The critter’s eyesight is touted as being pretty bad, but I’ve seen them spot movement and spook from at least a couple hundred yards away. What they might…
Hog Sounds for Hunting Creating hog sounds for hunting is a crucial element to have success on your next hog hunt. In the past few years, several studies have been done to determine the effects various sounds have on wild hogs. The findings reflect a fact I have known most of my life: hogs are especially responsive to what they hear. Sounds they respond to vary. It could be a twig snapping when a hunter stalks within bow range of a sounder of wild hogs. It could be the low guttural grunts of a sow in estrus. Or it may…
Hog hunting can be satisfying and productive. In Texas, where I live, wild hogs are plentiful and it’s not difficult to find a place to hunt them. Hogs are hunted on just about every piece of hunting lease land and piece of ranch or farmland in the Lone Star State. But just because hogs are plentiful doesn’t necessarily mean that they are easy to hunt in every instance. After spending well over four decades hunting hogs, I’ve concluded that they have the ability to reason—or at least react to circumstances—especially when getting pressure from hunters. I believe that the images…
