Former Soil Conservation Service employee and longtime writer Mat Taylor offers his outdoors column for Dispatch Record readers. He can be contacted at (254) 518-2262 or via e-mail at mntaylor@agristar- .net. I had to make a decision last week. It was not a real important decision such as congressmen had to make on whether or not to support the bailout of financial markets, although it did concern my time and finances.

In a previous column I mentioned the special drawings on Texas Parks and Wildlife Public Hunting Lands, and how to apply for the hunts for several species. My son and I applied for the pronghorn antelope hunt on Gene Howe Wildlife Management Area, a whitetail deer hunt on a Terrell County ranch, an either sex hunt and an antlerless-only hunt at San Angelo State Park.

Well, we got drawn for only the antlerless and spike hunt at San Angelo State Park. That was my least desired option, and I had to decide whether to participate in the hunt or not. So, last week Nelda and I drove to San Angelo to visit the park. We checked out the campgrounds, and I looked at some of the hunting blinds.

Unlike in east Lampasas County, where I live, the San Angelo area has had adequate rains this year. The grass and weeds were waisthigh, and the mesquite and other brush were thick. One probably couldn't see over 50 yards at many blinds due to the heavy vegetation, and it would be very difficult to see a deer.

Last year's park statistics show the kill percentage was just over 50 percent.

Then I began to add up the cost to participate in the hunt, which will take place on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in November. The permit fees for Matthew and me would be $150. Several nights in a motel would be around $200. Gasoline to make the trip would be about $75. Then there is the cost of meals for two and one-half days.

If all the incidental expenses were added, the total would be more than $500.

That is a lot of money for just a 50-50 chance to harvest a doe and if you figured the cost per pound, it would be very expensive venison. I always enjoy hunting and fishing in a new area, however, and $500 is not a lot of money compared to a private land lease.

My final decision was not to participate in the hunt. Matthew said it would be very difficult for him to miss three days of work, and I did not want to go by myself.

On most TPWD hunts, there is a system for standby hunters. If a drawn hunter decides not to pay his fee or does not show up, any licensed hunter can arrive at the park headquarters on the day of the hunt and, depending on the number of standby hunters, he or she may be able to fill a vacant position. Therefore, someone else will be able to hunt in our place.

Nelda and I enjoyed our visit to San Angelo State Park, but to put it mildly, the park is not one of the most scenic in the state.

The 7,600-acre park is on the west side of O.C. Fisher Lake on the North Concho River just north of the city of San Angelo.

Fishing and boating are allowed in the lake, but the water level is very low right now. The lake was built as a flood-control impoundment to protect the city and was not designed to be at full capacity.

The park does have excellent facilities for camping, both primitive and for recreational vehicles. The park features more than 50 miles of multi-use trails for hiking, mountain biking and equestrian purposes. In fact, 10 campsites have horse pens, so a camper with horses can camp together.

The North, Middle and South Concho Rivers that join in San Angelo were named for the Spanish word that means "shell." It comes from the freshwater mussels found in the area's rivers and streams that produce beautiful iridescent gems of all sizes and colors; these are commonly called "Concho Pearls."

Several years ago while visiting San Angelo I purchased a ring for Nelda that contains several of these colorful pearls. Even today it is one of her prized possessions.