It was a busy Saturday (Aug. 17) in San Antonio for hunters. The Texas Trophy Hunters Association extravaganza was taking place at Freeman Coliseum and the Texas Deer Association annual convention was happening at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort & Spa.
At Freeman Coliseum, hunters filled the TTHA exhibit hall, and people were buying.
Eric Gonzales, of A&E Outfitters, said the crowd seemed larger than in past years. He had sold all of his All Seasons Feeders as two men left the booth, each carrying one of the new stainless steel bumper feeders.
At the Texas Dove Hunters Association booth, people were lined up to register for the Banded Bird Challenge, and all were discussing the upcoming dove season opener.
Fishing guide and hunting dog trainer Nathan Beabout said the show was going well. His booth drew a big crowd, possibly thanks to the beautiful Labrador retriever puppies he had remaining for sale.
The Texas Deer Association show was downsized from previous years, a reflection of the downsizing of the deer breeding industry, but the show still had an active crowd with an optimistic and positive attitude.
At the convention area, the show had moved to a room where the entire convention could expertly fit packed into one hall, with about 30 exhibitor booths and 30 or so tables for the dinners and functions. As always, the booths looked as good as ever.
One exhibitor and breeder commented, “TPWD keeps kicking us in the teeth, but we just keep on going on.”
The hotel swimming pool was the usual gathering spot in the hot afternoon for the attendees, after attending morning meetings and prior to the evening festivities.
“There were fewer kids at the swimming pool,” another attendee said. “And it was easier and quicker to get a drink.”
