The Llano News (Llano, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 9, Ed. 1 Wednesday, December 5, 2001 Page: 17 of 24
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Llano Area Newspaper Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Llano County Public Library.
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December 5.2001
OUTDOORS
M
hUmtutajh
• ?
By Kendal Hemphill
Lost, but not forgotten
A wMla back I wrote a column
about a GPS watch. which I bor-
rowed from Caak> and then tot a
few weeks later. People have
been comiaf up to me ever since
and asking. “Did you really lose
i OPS watch?” Everyone seems
to think I made that column up.
Well, I didn’t make it up. I re-
ally lost a GPS watch. Really.
Everyone who asks thinks this
is just about the most hilarious
thing they*ve ever heard. “How,"
they want to know, “do you lose
a watch with a Global Position-
ing System in it? A watch that,
with the touch of one button, will
tell you exactly where on the
planet you are? A watch that be-
longs to someone else, and costs
more than you earn in a week?
Howr
I'll tell you how. You take the
watch off your wrist, lay it down
on a rock, and walk away. That’s
how. Are you happy now?
The problem, and this is really
the only complaint I have about
Casio's GPS watch, is that, in or-
der to acquire the satellites nec-
essary for a reading, the watch
has to be held fairly stationary for
about three minutes. So I either
had to stand around like a statue
while my watch figured out
where we were, or take it off and
lay it down on a rock.
The main reason I was at the
river that day was to put some
Dallasites in the water in canoes,
and I was busy getting the boats
ready, so I didn’t want to stand
still for three minutes. So I laid
the watch down, and when I got
ready to leave I forgot it
Someday I plan to get another
Casio GPS watch, and when I do
I plan to have it permanently at-
tached to my wrist maybe with
duct tape, so this doesn’t happen
again. The cost is nowhere near
as bad as constantly hearing,
“Hey, Kendal, you wouldn’t hap-
pen to have the time* would
you?” Or, "Hey, Kendal, you
lost?”
You can see why I was reluc-
tant to ask anyone else for any-
thing. I wanted to do a review
about Garmin’s StreetPilot III
GPS, but after what happened
with the watch I decided against
it. With my luck, as soon as I got
hold of a Garmin, someone
would have broken out of jail and
used my Jeep as a getaway car.
As it turns out, I didn’t have to
take the risk. I learned last week
that my friend. Bill Koock, has a
StreetPilot III mounted on the
dash of his new Chevrolet Ava-
lanche. Bill took the time to dem-
onstrate both the vehicle and GPS
to me, but he didn't let either one
out of his sight.
Bill was my boss for a couple
of years, back in the early eight-
ies, when I worked at Mason Bot-
tling Company. After having me
employed for two years. Bill is
lucky to be alive.
An avid outdoorsman. Bill is
somewhat accident-prone. He
once took his boat out fishing,
and a tree limb fell on Ms head.
I've never heard of that happen-
ing to anyone else. Ever.
Bill went out to his ranch one
morning about 4:30 to gather
goats alone on horseback (where
else would you ride one?). In the
dark he failed to tighten his girth
strap adequately, and not long af-
ter starting off he leaned over to
avoid a tree limb and his saddle
slipped around to his horse’s
belly.
When he hit the ground Bill
heard his back break with a loud
snap. The pain was almost un-
bearable, and he lay still, wonder-
ing what to do. No one would
miss him for at least eight hours,
and he was miles from the near-
est help. And this was before cell
phones were invented.
Finally, Bill decided he had to
at least make an effort to crawl
back to his pickup, knowing he
had little chance of driving it any-
where. Maybe he could use a
stick to honk the horn or
somefine.
Later, at the bottling plant, I
nearlglcilled Bill with a forklift,
but since that episode had noth-
ing to do with the outdoors I see
no reason to relate the story here.
Forget I mentioned it.
Bill’s Garmin StreetPilot III is
a nifty gadget. It plugs into the
vehicle’s cigarette lighter, and sits
on the dash in its own handy
dashmount (included). It gives
the time, altitude, and coordinates
in latitude and longitude, and
does some other stuff I didn’t pay
much attention to.
What I did pay attention to is
that it comes with Garmin’s
MapSource® City Navigator
software on CD Rom, which con
tains detailed maps of major met-
ropolitan areas in one of ten dif-
ferent pre defined regions in the
USA and Canada. You get your
choice of regions when you buy
the GPS, so you’ll have maps of
the cities you visit most loaded
into your unit.
What that means is that, if you
want to go to a specific address
in, say, Houston, you call up the
map, punch in the address, and
the StreetPilot shows you a map
of the shortest route to get there.
And it talks to you. It will say,
for example, “drive west 300 feet
and turn left.” Out loud. And
when you drive 300 feet west,
there will be a road to your left. I
promise.
It will even tell you what time
it will be when you get where
you’re going, and alerts you to
upcoming turns ahead of time,
telling you which lane to get into.
In short, it is a backseat driver on
your dash.
Bill and I live in Mason, Texas,
population 2000. Both city limit
signs are mounted on the same
post. For some reason. Mason is
not listed as one of the major
metropolitan areas in
MapSource®. So Bill called up
the Garmin people and com-
plained. They said, “Are you get-
mi —
BIG DEER.... Colton Cis, 7 years old, killed this 10 point buck weigh-
ing 135 lbs on th eBeams Ranch in Uano. He is the son of Tonya
Everett and grandson of J.D. and Towanna Gray of Uano.
ting lost in Mason?” Bill decided
to hush.
The Garmin StreetPilot III is
probably the greatest invention
since the mother-in-law for tell-
ing you where to go while driv-
ing, but it's a little too big to strap
on your wrist. So if you’re hik-
ing you'll want to use the Casio
GPS watch. If you can find
y/>urs...
Kendal Hemphill is an outdoor
humor columnist who needs some
direction in his life Write to him at
PO Box 564, Mason. Tx 76856
Texans support deer management
A recent Safari Club Interna-
tional Foundation study shows
the majority of Texas' reaideglaic
support expanded hunting to help
regulate the state's rapidly grow-
ing deer population. This popu-
lation explosion has not been
without its share of problems.
According to insurance indus- •
try estimates, over 730,000 deer-
related auto accidents are re-
ported every year in the United
States, with the cost to property,
life, and limb totaling over $1.3
billion. Actual figures are most
likely much higher, however, due
to a high degree of unreported in-
cidents.
The 20-state study focused on
areas where huge deer herds have
created the greatest amount of
damage to person and property.
Commissioned "to measure
public opinion about the impact
of growing deer populations and
what should be done to assist
people affected by these deer,
“the randomized survey found
similarly strong pubiic support
for increased hunting in Alabama,
Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois,
Indiana. Kansas, Michigan, Min-
nesota, Missouri, Mississippi,
North Carolina, New Jersey, New
York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South
Carolina, Wisconsin and West
Virginia.
It also found clear evidence in-
dicating general concerns about
increasing deer populations re-
gardless of geographical or politi-
cal differences, and that the pub-
lic is reticent to use tax money to
control deer populations.
"Now that it's rut season, the
Impact of superabundant deer
populations is particularly notice-
able. Bucks are out seeking does.
They're putting motorists at risk
by crossing streets and highways.
They're damaging homes and
businesses, private and public
landscapes with even greater fre-
quency." said Peter J. Dart, Ex-
ecutive Director of the Safari
Club International Foundation
Texas Rreulti
T ^
When nthn* to chootf among
aavan options ** cloifig nothing,
using poison, reintroducing
A vast majority (81 percent) of
Texas respondents also favored
Bsthg increased revenues from
greater hunting license purchases
to pay for processing venison that
would be used to feed the hun-
gry
The Foundation's Sportsmen
Against Hunger program annu-
ally delivers the protein needed
for more than 63 million meals,
and increased funding for pro-
cessing would prompt even more
hunters to share harvests with the
needy.
"This study underscores the
important role that sportsmen and
sportswomen play in keeping
wildlife populations at levels that
are healthy for animals and grow-
ing communities," added Dart.
"By working hand-in-glove with
state biologists, hunters can help
bring Texas' deer herds back un-
der control, and the community
clearly wants this involvement."
Timely Action Important
In the past century, deer popu-
lations have ballooned. Around
1900, there were fewer than
300,000 white-tailed deer across
the US and Canada. Today, there
are approximately 30 million deer
roaming North America, more
than before colonial times.
Neighborhoods have felt the sting
of this dramatic population up-
swing. As human encroachment
shrinks deer habitats, the ability
of wild landrfersuppfet such
huge numtmi dmiinishre*--
Once natural deer food sources
are gone, these highly adaptive
animals go in search of new
sources to survive. More and
more, these new sources are
found in the lawns.fShrubs, and
gardens of suburbia.
This deer invasion has become
so acute that an entire industry as
sprung up around it. From land-
scaping businesses that exclu-
sively use deer-resistant plants, to
the marketing of folk repellents
such as bottled fox urine, people
are willing to invest in anything
to keep deer from destroying
their properties.
Most (32%) Texans polled also
say their automobile insurance
premiums are higher because of
deer-car accidents, and 74%
place at least some importance on
whether government officials
should take steps to reduce such
accidents.
Safari Club International Foun-
dation is a 301(c)(3) nonprofit
organization promoting wildlife
conservation, education about the
outdoors, and humanitarian ser-
vices for people in need. For more
information on call 800-377-
3399 or click on www.SafariClub
Foundation.org.
Safari Club International is a
chapter driven, nonprofit associa-
tion dedicated to protecting the
rights of 43 million hunters
worldwide. It is a tireless advo-
cate for sportsmen, who, through
legal hunting, annually drive
more than $1 billion in funding
to maintain wildlife populations,
to conduct wildlife research and
to enforce wildlife laws.
Our Christmas Gift To You
Tree Admission
To
Old Mason Market
Beginning December 15“
<
•There will be a $3 parking fee for all
cars parked on the OMM grounds.
©to Jfttason jffilarket
December 15th -16th
Sat. 9-5 * Sun. 9-3
For info call (915) 347-1840
It’s the simple
things ...
MARCO’S
Furniture, Tools & Gift
Start Your holiday
Shoeing
146 Hi-Une Dr.
Buchanan Dam
512-793-3622 •
Tues. - Sat. -8-5
feat
vAu
$AVE ON...
Mattresses, Tools, Furniture
6 Unique Misc. Items
— dm* make the holidays special Consider strengthening family tic* hy taking in i
oi the area* holiday lighting displays. ♦ Holiday lighting is a Hill Country tradition,
and PEC is proud to he a part of that tradition. In fact, we’ve keen helping civic
r*t>uP* with these project* for year*. ♦ Check with the communities or local chamber*
of commerce for specific information on various holiday attraction*. Bring;
*°° — J"°** never know when you'll catch a glimpse of Santa!
i some
[your camera.
i
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Stephenson, Jimmy. The Llano News (Llano, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 9, Ed. 1 Wednesday, December 5, 2001, newspaper, December 5, 2001; Llano, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1037757/m1/17/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Llano County Public Library.