10
AUGUST 2004 - AUGUST 2014
Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper in Texas
August 22, 2014
Volume 11, Issue 1
LSON turns 10
More than a casual swim
By Conor Harrison Lone Star outdoor newS
In August of 2004, Lone Star Outdoor News printed its first issue. Now, 240 issues later over the span of only a decade, the issues are still coming, along with the online version, e-newsletters and a social media presence. “Our objective was to provide timely hunting and fishing journalism to Texans, something we recognized more than a decade ago as lacking,” said Founder David J. Sams. “That mission will always remain.” In the past 10 years, Lone Star Outdoor News has covered the most important stories in Texas’ hunting and fishing. The editors at Lone Star Outdoor News have always strived for balance — from having equal coverage of freshwater and saltwater fishing stories in each issue to covering both sides of emotional issues fairly and accurately. “It began a lot more hands-on for us, but it’s been fun the whole time,” said Executive Editor Craig Nyhus. “We drove all across the state delivering papers, and after writing stories or taking photos, we would be back in the office stuffing envelopes and licking stamps. We met and talked with so many people it really helped direct us in regards to what the readers wanted to know. We definitely couldn’t have done it without the support from our subscribers, advertisers and sponsors, and especially our readers in Texas and across the country.” The next decade will bring more news and more challenges to hunters, fishermen, state officials, legislators, fishing and hunting product manufacturers and retailers, and LSON will be right there bringing you the news.
Check out all of LSON’s covers from the past 10 years on pages 24 and 25.
Blue crab migration a yearly event By Steve Schwartz L one S tar o utdoor n ewS
Those looking at the major passes along Texas’ Gulf Coast may notice a slight disturbance on the surface of the water — a migration that covers dozens of miles and sparks the interest of onlookers and predatory game fish alike. The annual blue crab migration is a dynamic process that starts in the backwaters of the estuaries, and eventually See MIGRATION, Page 27 MIGRATING CRABS, BIG FISH: Blue crab are making their annual migration into the Gulf, and big redfish are staging at jetties and inlets to gorge on the feast. Photos by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
Tanzanian officials taking steps to reduce poaching
Second time a charm for bass angler By Steve Schwartz
By Craig Nyhus
Lone Star outdoor newS
See ANGLER, Page 19
INSIDE
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Nick Carroccio may want to consider buying a few lottery tickets in the near future — he seems to be a lucky man. Carroccio never thought he’d see the fish he hooked into, much less the shaky-head lure, late Saturday evening during a Century Bass Club tournament on Lake Palestine. Fate, it seems, gave him a second chance.
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ONE HUNGRY BASS: Nick Carroccio nabbed this 9-pounder after losing it just 12 hours before on a broken line — lure and all. Photo by Nick Carroccio.
HUNTING
Taking charge
Women are showing up more and more in taxidermy shops across the state, and producing some exceptional work. Page 4
After years of dealing with rampant poaching, bureaucratic obstacles and corruption, Tanzania’s Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Lazaro Nyalandu is taking big steps to revamp the country’s wildlife management — with hunting playing an important role. Nyalandu and several other Tanzanian officials were in Dallas
on August 7 after attending the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C., meeting with political leaders, Dallas Lazaro Nyalandu Safari Club and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials. “We want to transform the way See POACHING, Page 6
CONTENTS
FISHING
Using resources
TPWD officials are optimistic about how fish stockings went this year, especially considering the water issues that plague the state. Page 8
Classifieds . . . . . . . . Crossword . . . . . . . . Freshwater Fishing Report Game Warden Blotter . . . Heroes. . . . . . . . . . Outdoor Datebook . . . . Saltwater Fishing Report . Sun, Moon and Tide data .
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HUNTING Wardens, deer breeders look to improve relations By Craig Nyhus
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EYE FOR DETAIL: Nicole Roberts, a former schoolteacher who joined the growing ranks of female taxidermists in Texas, puts the finishing touches on a bird mount in her shop. Photo by Cody Roberts.
Not a man’s game anymore Women taxidermists on the rise, making waves across Texas By Conor Harrison Lone Star outdoor newS
When Robin Chiesa opened her own taxidermy studio in Llano — Hills of Texas Taxidermy — with her nephew, potential clients would often walk through the front door and ask to speak with the taxidermist. “People off the street would walk in and think I was the receptionist,” Chiesa said. “They just assumed because I was female, I wasn’t a taxidermist.” Chiesa, who worked in tire sales
for more than a decade before she became a massage therapist, is used to working in male-dominated professions. She said she knew she could deal with men on a professional level and already had a client base of hunters from her former massage clients. “My nephew, David, was working for a taxidermist in Fredericksburg and he had the experience,” she said. “David had the expertise and I started doing things like rugs and skulls. We kind of started on a wing and a prayer. I went to Miller’s Meat Market and did work for free the first year. I
helped unload, gut and skin deer and would talk to the hunters about our work.” Chiesa recently hired another female taxidermist, Jerry Dockens, who has been in the business since the ’60s. “My dad got me into it,” Dockens said. “I just picked it up from that. The business has changed a whole lot. It is easier than it used to be.” Dockens, who has worked for several top taxidermists across the state, said rattlesnakes are her specialty. See TAXIDERMISTS, Page 7
Over the past few decades, some Texas game wardens have shared their frustration in having to conduct inspections of facilities and review paperwork from deer breeding operations, instead of being in the field checking hunters or fishermen. At the same time, some breeders have expressed concern with what they perceive as heavyhanded tactics from wardens, such as surprise inspections when they may be out of town, or inspections without any notice at all, where a warden is observed at the deer pens during the heat of the day, potentially causing harm to the animals. Kevin Davis, the new assistant director of law enforcement over wildlife enforcement with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, is out to improve the relationship with wardens and breeders. At the Texas Deer Association’s 16th Annual Convention, Davis, who spent 18 years as a game warden before assuming his new position, shared his directive with TDA members. “I was charged with looking into the professional relationships between game wardens and deer breeders,” Davis said. Davis put together a survey that was sent to all breeders and wardens, and received an incredible number of responses. “We received 620 responses from breeders, which is more than 50 percent. From wardens, 300 of 532 wardens responded,” he said. “Most surveys are based on a 10- to 30-percent response.” There were differences of opinSee RELATIONS, Page 16
It’s a crapshoot Early teal conditions are good, but will there be birds? By Conor Harrison Lone Star outdoor newS
The Texas hunting season for early teal runs from Sept. 13 to Sept. 28, but birds don’t look at calendars when they migrate south, so hunters are left to wonder if the birds will show. If they do, they should have better feeding conditions than they’ve had in several years. “Fortunately, in a strange way, we are wet this year,” said Todd Merendino, Ducks Unlimited manager of Conservation Programs for Texas. “That should be taken with a grain of salt, but we’ve had decent rains along the coast and even the playa lakes are holding some water. This is shaping up to be a good season if the birds cooperate — it’s always a crapshoot.” Blue-winged teal numbers are high again this year — the third highest ever
recorded after 2011 and 2012’s record hatch. “Last year was slow,” Merendino said. “It seems like when we have these 16-day seasons and have three weekends, one is great, one is OK and one is poor. These birds move in and out so quickly, I think some of the birds don’t even stop. But, I think teal hunters are set up for a good season.” In East Texas, conditions are good to hold teal throughout the short season. “We have a lot of water, so that’s in our favor,” said Jared Laing, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department waterfowl biologist for East Texas. “The birds are staging up really nice. This is an El Niño year, so we might get lucky and have a couple of early cold fronts push birds down.” In the Panhandle, the playa lakes are holding water for the first time in several TIME FOR SOME EXERCISE: Retrievers and hunters are getting ready for Texas’ early teal season, which could be See TEAL, Page 27
pretty good this year, according to biologists and hunters. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
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Strangers on the lease
What to do if illegal immigrants spotted while hunting By Craig Nyhus
Lone Star Outdoor News The father and son sat in a South Texas deer blind on a November morning. “There is somebody coming,” the son whispered to his dad. The father peered out the window and saw three men with backpacks crossing the sendero. “What do we do now?” the scared son asked him. The scene, not necessarily new to South Texas hunters and ranchers, can send shivers up the spine of people with new hunting leases in South Texas. And recent news media
reports, along with the planned deployment by Gov. Rick Perry of 1,000 National Guard troops to the border, suggest the illegal traffic through ranches is on the increase. Andy Ozuna, a game warden based in San Antonio, said the best thing to be armed with in the event of an encounter in South Texas is phone numbers. “Whoever the lease manager is should give all of the hunters the number for the sheriff’s office or the Border Patrol,” he said. “Everyone should program the number into their cellphone, along with the number of the local game warden.” Ozuna said some landowners prefer not to See IMMIGRANTS, Page 7
WATER BREAK: Illegal immigrants passing through a South Texas ranch were photographed by a trail camera set near a water trough. Photo by LSON.
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Texas Deer Association convention breaks records
Poaching Continued from page 1
we manage wildlife in Tanzania,” Nyalandu said. “We need to win the battle in our own community that hunting is sustainable. We are a hunting society, and we’re putting boots on the ground.” Nyalandu led the creation of the Tanzania Wildlife Authority, a group of more than 1,000 employees and rangers who patrol more than 200,000 square kilometers. “We have seen poaching decline 40 percent,” he said. “We are able to obtain funding directly and not have to go through several bureaucratic levels.” Rangers in the areas were required to resign their positions and be rehired by the Authority’s board to combat corruption. “Most of the poaching in our country has been done either by, or through, our communities,” Nyalandu said. Future steps taken by the Authority include encouraging long-term investment with long concessions, or leases. “They will be as good as a title,” Nyalandu said. “Long-term investment helps with wildlife management and anti-poaching efforts.” Equipment and training are current needs for the African country. “We need helicopters and other equipment,” Nyalandu said, “and we need help with training our rangers and scouts. For our rangers, it is more than just a job. They are sleeping in the bush — they are in danger every day.” DSC offered to help fund the need for additional rangers and equipment, and the Tanzania Wildlife Authority plans to meet with TPWD
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AGAINST THE IVORY BAN: Representatives from the Tanzanian government were in Dallas last week, telling conservation groups the ivory ban is misguided and will hurt elephant populations in their country. Photo by Lili Sams, LSON.
to discuss help with training its employees, and wildlife research also is a goal. “We would like to see American scientists come to share and conduct research in Tanzania,” Nyalandu said. Tanzania will host an anti-poaching conference in November and an elephant count is in the works. “We will have an authentic elephant count by the end of this year,” Nyalandu said. Nyalandu reduced the number of elephants that may be hunted by 50 percent in Tanzania until the accurate count is completed, and increased the age of lions that may be hunted to 6 years old. He was quick to disagree with the ban
on ivory imports set by the United States, however. “The ban benefits the poachers,” he said. “It only assures more elephants get killed. The hunters abide by quotas. The poachers have no quotas.” In the growing country, human/ wildlife interactions have increased. “We come from an area where people and wildlife live together,” said Dr. Simon Mduma, director of the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute. “We have 55,000 people where we used to have 8,000. Recently, 300 elephants came out of the Serengeti and into the village, causing a lot of destruction. We need to teach and share the value of the game with the people.”
The 16th Annual Convention of the Texas Deer Association was a resounding success in both attendance and fundraising, according to TDA officers. The convention, held in San Antonio August 8-10, broke attendance records with more than 2,300 people attending seminars, visiting exhibitors and participating in auctions, dinners and award presentations. The group’s Superior Genetics Deer Auction grossed $1.49 million and the Select Sale grossed $3.14 million. The top selling lot from the Select Sale was a choice breeding to 86C, consigned by Lonehollow Whitetails, which sold for $300,000. This year’s convention also broke ground in a different way, focusing on TDA’s efforts to forge a better relationship with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The convention included presentations by TPWD Big Game Director Mitch Lockwood and Assistant Commander and Wildlife Law Administrator Kevin Davis (see Page 4). “One of our most important goals has been to foster better communication with Texas Parks and Wildlife,” said TDA President Chase Clark. “The leadership team of TDA has met with Parks and Wildlife Executive Director Carter Smith and members of his staff on several occasions this year — and we look forward to continuing these meetings to make certain that the concerns and needs of our industry are heard.” — Staff report
Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation moves to San Antonio The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation has relocated its home-office administrative and financial operations from Maumee, Ohio to the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio. The National Shooting Complex is the headquarters of the National Skeet Shooting Association and National Sporting Clays Association. “The National Shooting Complex is a natural choice to house the SSSF’s operations,” said Louise Terry, chairperson of the SSSF Board of Directors. “Since we are the largest feeder program for youth shooters to NSSA-NSCA, we envision this as a win-win relationship.” — SSSF
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Immigrants Continued from page 5
HARD AT WORK: Robin Chiesa cleans skulls in her studio in Llano. Photo by Briley Mitchell, DustDevilDiver Photography.
Taxidermists Continued from page 4
“They fascinate me,” she said. “I can do birds, fish and mammals but rattlesnakes are very neat.” Dockens said young women looking to get into the business should go to a taxidermy school or just start hanging around a taxidermy shop to soak up as much as possible. “School is good, but experience is better,” she said. “It was hard for a woman to get started back when I began, but it’s absolutely easier now. Men are realizing that women have an eye for detail, which is necessary for great taxidermy work.” A growing number of women in Texas are becoming taxidermists and many have won awards, including Evelyn Billington of Billington Ranch Taxidermy in Georgetown and Becky Guenther of Rustic Reminders. Nicole Roberts of Feathers and Fins Taxidermy in North Texas began working on birds several years ago when her husband, Cody, worked for Ducks Unlimited and had old taxidermy equipment lying around the house. “Cody got me interested,” she said. “I already had a good client base through his work with DU; I liked arts and crafts and am very outdoorsy. I thought I would like it, so I tried one bird and really loved it.” Roberts said there were no schools devoted strictly to bird taxidermy, so she was self-taught through books and videos — many of them still on old VHS cassettes. “I relied a lot on the taxidermy forum, taxidermy.net,” she said. “I read a bunch of books and started practicing. It was a little different because not many taxidermists do just birds. I just really enjoyed bird mounts because of the attention to detail.” Roberts said practice has helped her gain confidence. “I’ve gotten so much better,” she said. “I look back at some the of the first ones I did and I can’t believe how bad they were.” Now established as a taxidermist, Roberts still gets questions and looks about how a woman got into taxidermy. “It’s the first thing I hear,” she said. “How the heck did you get into taxidermy?” She said young women looking to start careers in taxidermy need to have a very detailed eye and love art. “Do what I did,” she said. “Get a hold of as many resources as you can and practice, practice, practice.”
have Border Patrol officers dashing across their ranch in pursuit of illegal aliens, while landowners in some counties report a lack of trust of certain sheriff’s offices. What he did not recommend was approaching the individuals. “Most of the people crossing are coming into the U.S. looking for work,” he said. “But some are carrying dope — approaching them could bring trouble.” Ozuna recommends determining the general direction the people are going, make the call to law enforcement and provide the information. “If it were me, I would avoid all contact,” he said. Berin Salas, the supervisory U.S. Border Patrol agent in Laredo, agreed. “The main priority is safety,” Salas said. “We advise them (ranchers and hunters) to try to
avoid contact, unless they are approached and asked for help.” Some Texas hunters and ranchers have been approached and wonder what they can and cannot do, especially more recently when residents of Latin American countries are entering the U.S. with the intent of surrendering to the Border Patrol. “You can direct them to water or give them a bottle of water,” Ozuna said. “But you cannot put them in your vehicle and take them to a destination they want to go to or to the gate. Then you’re harboring them.” Salas said it is OK to provide water if the people crossing through want to continue their trip. “You aren’t going to get in trouble,” he said. “However, they should call us after providing assistance and let us know what they observed so we can rescue them. The request for water usually means they have been walking for several days and could be
August 22, 2014
in trouble — especially now. It’s very dangerous to be walking in the middle of the day in this heat. We consider them to be rescues more than we do apprehensions.” Also, if the encounter involves a life-or-death situation, assistance in taking an illegal immigrant to the hospital or across the ranch to meet an ambulance may be given. “But as soon as you get in the vehicle, you need to call us and let us know what you are doing,” Salas said.
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Salas described a new program established for rancher and deer hunters — the Deer Blind Initiative. “A sticker is placed on the deer blind and it has a designated number that we put in our database,” he said. “We currently have given out 1,673 stickers on 213 ranches. It includes the GPS coordinates for the deer blind, and also has an 800 number for emergencies — they can call the number to contact the Border Patrol.”
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FISHING
Future looks bright
A HOT COMMODITY: Species like palmetto, sunshine and Florida-strain largemouth bass are in high demand across the state, and TPWD officials spent the first part of 2014 deciding exactly where to allocate their resources. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.
Officials optimistic about 2014 stocking numbers
By Steve Schwartz Lone Star outdoor newS
Following yearly freshwater stockings across the state, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department District Supervisors noted a solid year — but not without some unique challenges. “We try to produce all of the fish that we can, and I think this year was good overall,” said TPWD Region 2 Director Brian Van Zee of their efforts. Each department spends the early
Flowing down the river Amistad sinkhole exit found on the Mexican side of the dam By Conor Harrison Lone Star outdoor newS
Readers might remember an article in the May 23 issue of LSON and a YouTube video showing a sinkhole that became visible in the Amistad National Reservoir near the dam. The video showed water rushing into a hole roughly 3 feet across. At the time, park officials and geologists could not determine where the water was going. Mystery solved. According to Greg Garetz, chief of education and resource management at Amistad National Recreational Area, the sinkhole dumped into an underground spring on the Mexican side of the border below the dam and flowed back into the river from a small creek. “We drove down there and showed the Mexican official the video,” Garetz said. “He knew exactly where it was because of a painted rock in the background. We found out the water was
going down, circumnavigating the dam and going into a spring below the dam on the Mexican side.” Garetz said the sinkhole is not rare — there are approximately 34 known sinkholes near the dam on a single fault line, many of them already filled in with rocks and concrete. “They put colored dye into the sinkhole and watched it come out the creek,” he said. “They are planning to fill this one with rocks and concrete, as well.” Garetz said the International Boundary and Water Commission, which controls the flow of water out of the dam, has taken measurements of how much water is flowing out of the sinkhole, and will take that water into account when judging how much water to release from the dam. “The lake has risen a little bit and the hole is now about 3 feet under the water,” Garetz said. “It isn’t as impressive now as it was in the video.”
part of their year studying the fisheries attempting to determine which reservoirs need attention the most. “It originates with our district biologists, and they decide what they need to stock based on those populations they study,” he said. “We had a pretty good year, but obviously we’d like to get a little more runoff from our rivers. It was a little tough to get our brood stripers.” That was the issue in the central part of the state, Van Zee said. Low water levels stunted the populations in some of their
One great day Hollon wins SPI Ladies Kingfish tournament Harlingen angler Kathleen Hollon topped the entire field of 248 anglers at the 33rd Annual South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce Ladies Kingfish Tournament on Aug. 8-10. Hollon brought in all four species — kingfish, bonita, blackfin tuna and dolphin — for a total weight of 59.2 pounds. She was fishing on the Stormin’ Norman with Capt. Bubba Zittle. “It was an awesome day of fishing,” Hollon said. “We left the dock around 6 a.m. and were trolling ballyhoo by 6:45. We had the first fish on very quickly.” Hollon first landed the bonita, followed by a 34.6-
brood stripers, which are necessary for production of the palmetto bass — a cross between a female striped bass and a male white bass — commonly called hybrids in Texas. Their solution was to increase the stocking of the sunshine bass, which Region 3 Director Craig Bonds referred to as the “reciprocal cross” of the palmetto — a male striped bass and female white bass. “You need to have adequate flows to keep the environment (for the palmetto)
pound kingfish that took first place in the kingfish division. “We were a ways out,” she said, “when we caught the kingfish. We decided to work toward getting the dorado and the tuna, which we did by 11:45 a.m. It really was a great day of fishing.” Once back at the dock, the waiting game began. “Once we caught the kingfish, we knew if we could get the dorado and tuna, we would have a good chance to win,” she said. “We had to sweat it out, because several boats came in
See STOCKINGS, Page 19
with all four species. We were doing the mental calculations at the dock. Luckily, the kingfish was big enough to keep us in first place.” Yochabel Moreno won grand champion in the Bay Division with 11.3 pounds of trout, redfish and flounder. She was fishing with Troy Monjaras on the boat Ghost Reds. Moreno brought tears to several in attendance when she stated she was fishing this year in memory of her grandmother. — Staff report
GREAT DAY ON THE WATER: Kathleen Hollon, fourth from right, shares her winning catch with her family at the Ladies Kingfish Tournament. Photo by Kathleen Hollon.
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Seatrout limit changes take effect Sept. 1 along midcoast Anglers north of the Lower Laguna Madre to the Highway 457 Bridge near Sargent will have to double check their spotted seatrout limits beginning Sept. 1. As part of the 2014-15 Statewide Recreational and Commercial Fishing Proclamation, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission adopted rules to extend a 5-fish bag limit currently in effect in the Lower Laguna Madre up the coast through the Highway 457 bridge near Sargent with a five-year sunset date. The Commission modified the original proposal to set the possession limit on spotted seatrout for the area from the Lower Laguna Madre to the Highway 457 Bridge at twice the daily bag limit (10 fish in possession). The 5-fish limit has been in effect for several years in the Lower Laguna Madre and anglers have reported positive changes to seat-
10 miles long U.S. Coast Guard crews seized a total of 10 miles of long line fishing gear from multiple Mexican fishermen operating illegally in U.S. waters over the past several days. Coast Guard cutter Sturgeon crewmembers seized two miles of long line gear Friday. Coast Guard Station South Padre Island crewmembers seized another seven miles total Saturday and Sunday. Coast Guard cutter Seahawk crewmembers removed another one mile of gear Monday. The majority of the gear was found approximately 30 miles off the coast of South Texas. Each mile of long line had scores of baited hooks capable of catching hundreds of fish per mile.
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rout size and numbers after the original limit change was enacted. Several other fishing changes also take effect Sept. 1, including: • A temporary two-year closure of oyster harvest at a 54-acre oyster restoration site on Half-Moon Reef in Matagorda Bay, and a two-year temporary closure of seven restoration sites in East Galveston Bay. • The two flounder per day bag limit restrictions currently in effect for the month of November now go into the first two weeks of December. During these first two weeks of December, however, harvest would be allowed by any legal means. • Texas/Louisiana Border Waters (Toledo Bend Reservoir, Caddo Lake, and the Lower Sabine River in Newton and Orange Counties) regulations for blue and channel catfish changed to no minimum length limit and a 50-fish daily bag limit in any combination, of which no more than five blue or channel catfish 30 inches or longer could be retained. For a complete list of regulation changes, go to TPWD’s website. — Staff report The seized lines were discovered with 160 red snapper, 226 sharks and several other reef fish. Approximately 50 of these fish were found alive and released at sea. “Our goal remains to stop the illegal foreign fishing threat on the border,” said Cmdr. Daniel Deptula, response officer at Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi said. “So that means we want to safely interdict the Mexican fishermen at sea prior to them soaking their gear. However, we often settle for the alternative, which is the expeditious removal of the nets and long line gear from the water to return as many live fish back to the sea as possible.” — USCG
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New lake, new record By Conor Harrison Lone Star outdoor newS
Lake Ray Hubbard crappie guide Tommy Ezell decided to try another lake with his 7-year-old son, Nicholas, on Aug. 17 in an attempt to lezarn some new water and catch a few unpressured crappie. A new Cooper Lake junior record for Nicholas was an added bonus. “Cooper doesn’t have a lot of pressure because it has gotten so low, so we decided to run up there and pressure it a little bit,” Ezell said. “There are a lot of stumps over there, so we mostly idled around.” The pair woke up early to thunderstorms around their Rockwall home, but they toughed it out and left the ramp with the storms close behind. “We fished a slow bite using 8-foot rods, braided line and the new Stump Bug,” he said. “It was very choppy and the rollers started whitecapping after 30 minutes. Nicholas had no problems with it but since I had my boy with me I certainly didn’t like the situation. I told Nick maybe next time let’s call it. He said let’s give it 10 more minutes and I’m glad we did. He missed the first bite with that look on his face that we all get after missing a thump. I told him it’s hard in this chop so set the hook on anything and everything.” The next bite turned out to be a 1.52-pound, 10.75inch slab that broke the junior lake record held since 2007. Nicholas took the honor in stride. “I’ve got two boys and both of them are well-mannered Texas boys,” Ezell said. “When we took it to Bass Pro and knew it was a record, Nick was very humble. I’m proud of him.”
Hanselman, Welch win Platinum Team Trail on Amistad Seventy-nine teams descended upon Amistad International Reservoir in Del Rio to compete in the third Platinum Team Trail tournament of the 2013-2014 season. Ray Hanselman and Will Welch weighed in 18.05 pounds on day one, putting them in the top spot. On day two, they brought in the largest 5-fish limit of the
Ezell said the crappie bite in North Texas has been slow, but is improving as the fish move into the shallows. “We’ve been catching at least a dozen every time out,” he said. “I only jig fish, so the minnow guys might be doing a little better. The fish are coming into the brush piles between 8 and 16 feet.”
BEATING THE STORMS: Even though their trip was cut short due to weather, Nick Ezell still managed to catch a Cooper Lake junior record crappie. Photo by Tommy Ezell.
tournament weighing 23.18 pounds, giving them a final two-day weight of 41.23 pounds and securing them as the champions with a first-place payout of $35,895. “A lot of guys have been waiting for a team tournament trail like this, and the field for Platinum is stacked,” Hanselman said. “It’s a real honor to win such a big event like this, and we’re really looking forward to the final one at Lake Texoma.” After a third place finish on Amistad, anglers Russell Cecil and Todd Castledine took the lead in the Angler of the Year standings with one event remaining Sept. 20 and 21 on Lake Texoma. — Platinum Team Trail
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TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORT Ample bait LAKE DUNLAP — Lots of bait in the water is making it tough on some anglers in this gem near Austin, but some nice bass are being caught, especially at night. According to tournament reports from the Texas Tournament Zone, the largemouth bass fishing is best in the mid- to upper-lake areas. “Crankbaits are still by far your best bet for quality bites, according to several anglers swapping info at weigh-in. Bait is still everywhere, and a lot of it is on the small side. Lower lake (below 40’ hole) is a little off-colored and extremely tough — bait balls everywhere down there, as well. Several areas with the black moss on the bottom make it difficult to keep your baits clean, so several anglers turned to wacky-rigged finesse baits, weightless flukes and drop shots to put fish in the boat.” To contact the Texas Tournament Zone, call (512) 761-2426.
Fluke bite LAKE PALESTINE — The nighttime bite on Lake Palestine has been good, according to tournament anglers who recently fished the lake. Fluke-type baits are catching a lot of fish, especially flipping into docks in the evening. Bigger fish have been caught using craw-imitation rigs in watermelon and green pumpkin colors. The lake is between 85 and 90 degrees. Anglers also focused on main lake wind-blown points. Along with flukes, drop-shot rigs,
ALAN HENRY: Water stained; 85–89 degrees; 17.85’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on Yellow Magics early, later switching to Carolina rigs and jigs. Crappie are good on live minnows and jigs over brush piles. Catfish are good on chartreuse nightcrawlers. AMISTAD: Water stained; 82–86 degrees; 41.90’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Senkos, crankbaits, spinner baits and soft plastics. Catfish are good on stinkbait, liver and frozen shrimp over baited holes. Yellow catfish are good on trotlines baited with live perch. ATHENS: Water clear; 82–86 degrees; 0.53’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged creature baits and top-water walking type baits along edges of grass. Crappie are good on white jigs. BASTROP: Water stained; 85–89 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon seed crankbaits and spinner baits. Crappie are fair on minnows. BELTON: Water murky; 81–85 degrees; 9.20’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Hybrid striper are fair on white striper jigs. BOB SANDLIN: Water clear; 81–85 degrees; 1.35’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Carolina-rigged soft plastics on brush piles. Some top-water action early. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on top-waters and slabs. Catfish are good on trotlines. BONHAM: Water stained, 80–84 degrees; 2.56’ low. Largemouth bass are good early along points using top-waters. Later in the day move to ridges, humps and points along the creek. Crappie are excellent on jigs and minnows on offshore brush piles up to 20’. BRAUNIG: Water stained. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and dark soft plastic worms. Striped bass are fair on liver and shad off points. Redfish are fair down-rigging near the jetty and dam. BRIDGEPORT: Water clear, 81–84 degrees; 22.52’ low. Largemouth
bass are good on small soft plastic swimbaits on jig heads fished near rocky points on main lake. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs and top-waters. BROWNWOOD: Water stained; 82–86 degrees; 12.25’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon red spinner baits and soft plastics in 12–15 feet. Hybrid striper are fair trolling or drifting shad at night. BUCHANAN: Water murky; 82–86 degrees; 28.97’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters, white crankbaits, Chug Bugs and chartreuse soft plastics in 2–8 feet at first light. CADDO: Water stained; 82–86 degrees; 0.28’ high. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged creature baits and black buzzbaits near shallow cover. CALAVERAS: Water stained. Largemouth bass are slow. Striped bass are good on chicken livers and shad along the shoreline. Redfish are good down-rigging silver and gold spoons and live bait near the dam in 10–20 feet. CANYON LAKE: Water murky; 82–86 degrees; 9.72’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse top-waters and Texas-rigged blue flake worms and split-shot Whacky Sticks along break lines. CEDAR CREEK: Water clear; 83–86 degrees; 4.07’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged craws in green pumpkin and Carolinarigged centipedes on deeper brush piles. White bass are good on topwaters and slabs. Hybrid striper are fair on top-waters and slabs. CHOKE CANYON: Water stained; 83–87 degrees; 26.06’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse/ white spinner baits and large soft plastics. White bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Drum are fair on worms. Channel and blue catfish are good on punchbait. Yellow catfish are good on live perch and goldfish. COLEMAN: Water clear; 82–86
degrees; 17.65’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon red soft plastic worms and lizards. COLETO CREEK: Water stained; 88 degrees in main lake, 100 degrees at hot water discharge; 2.52’ low. Largemouth bass to 6 pounds are fair on pumpkinseed soft plastics and spinner baits over grass beds in 6–10 feet. CONROE: Water stained; 82–86 degrees; 0.03’ low. Largemouth bass are good on pumpkinseed and watermelon red Carolina-rigged soft plastics. Catfish are good on stinkbait, nightcrawlers and shrimp. COOPER: Water clear; 82–87 degrees; 8.93’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on drop-shot finesse worms. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on slabs. FALCON: Water murky; 85–89 degrees; 31.54’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Brush Hogs and shallow-running crankbaits. Channel and blue catfish are very good on stinkbait. FAYETTE: Water stained. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse spinner baits and lipless crankbaits early and late. FORK: Water clear; 83–86 degrees; 4.07’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on deep-diving crankbaits, flutter spoons and drop-shot worms in 15–20’. FT. PHANTOM HILL: Water clear; 84–89 degrees; 15.1’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on Zell Pops, Texas rigs and shaky heads. GIBBONS CREEK: Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon seed soft plastic worms, white crankbaits and spinner baits. GRANBURY: Water murky; 82–86 degrees; 6.00’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on pumpkinseed soft plastics and crankbaits. Striped bass are fair on chartreuse striper jigs. GRANGER: Water clear; 83–87 degrees; 0.67’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on perch-colored spinner baits upriver around timber. White bass are slow. Crappie are good on
Carolina rigs, spinner baits and buzzbaits all caught fish. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs, and the catfish bite is solid on stinkbait.
Shallow or deep on Sam SAM RAYBURN RESERVOIR — The shallow grass bite has been producing nice fish on Sam Rayburn, according to guide Joe Joslin. “We have two major patterns working as we have plenty of shallow grass with some of it on the surface and some of it submerged,” Joslin said. “Top-water poppers, Yellow Magic and Chug Bugs are working along the edge of grass the first hour of daylight and longer if cloud cover hangs around. The area above the 147 Bridge (east side) all have pockets of grass and pads. Some of the pads are in water as deep as 8 to 9 feet, which holds some quality bass. I’m working the outside edges and open pockets with top-waters and using Stanley’s Top Toad to work the thicker pads.” Senkos, spinner baits and Carolina rigs fished deeper in green pumpkin color has also been working along breaks and ridges in 12 to 25 feet. The water temperature is between 82 and 86 degrees. Panfish are also being caught on nightcrawlers. To contact guide Joe Joslin, call (337) 463-3848. — Conor Harrison
white tube jigs in 4–15 feet. GRAPEVINE: Water clear; 81–85 degrees; 10.13’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged craws and top-waters near floating docks. Crappie are good on minnows and white jigs. HOUSTON COUNTY: Water fairly clear; 86–90 degrees; 0.21’ low. Largemouth bass to 6 pounds are good on crankbaits, perch-colored top-waters and watermelon red soft plastic worms. HUBBARD CREEK: Water off-color; 83–89 degrees; 27.39’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters early, midmorning switching to Texas rigs, crankbaits and jigs. JOE POOL: Water clear; 82–85 degrees; 1.17’ low. Largemouth bass are good on medium crankbaits in shad patterns. LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water lightly stained; 82–86; degrees; 1.59’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas rig creature baits and hollowbody frogs. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. LAVON: Water lightly stained; 81–86 degrees; 11.47’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged worms and bladed jigs. LBJ: Water stained; 83–87 degrees; 0.36’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on white jigs and perch crankbaits in 4–12 feet. Striped bass are good on spoiler shads and Li’l Fishies at night. Channel catfish are very good on nightcrawlers, liver and dipbait. LEWISVILLE: Water lightly stained; 82–86 degrees; 5.20’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on shallow crankbaits and top-waters. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are good on trotlines and cut shad. LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 83–87 degrees; 0.01’ high. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon soft plastics, spinner baits and crankbaits. MARTIN CREEK: Water clear; 85–91 degrees; 0.26’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on deep-diving crankbaits along deeper points and
breaks. Crappie are slow on minnows and jigs. White bass are slow on minnows and slabs. MONTICELLO: Water fairly clear; 95–101 degrees; 1.03’ low. Largemouth bass are good on deepdiving crankbaits and drop-shot finesse worms near the discharge. NAVARRO MILLS: Water stained; 81–85 degrees; 0.59’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon soft plastics and shallowrunning crankbaits. White bass are good on Humdingers, Little Georges and silver spoons. O.H. IVIE: Water stained; 83–89 degrees; 39.57’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Zara Spooks early and late, midday switching to Texas rigs, jigs and lipless crankbaits. OAK CREEK: Water stained; 83–89 degrees; 23.78’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on Carolina rigs, jigs and shaky heads. POSSUM KINGDOM: Water fairly clear; 83–89 degrees; 15.37’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on top-waters early, later switching to Carolina rigs, Texas rigs and medium-running shad-pattern crankbaits. PROCTOR: Water murky; 82–86 degrees; 11.33’ low. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits. Striped bass are good on live shad. RAY HUBBARD: Water clear; 83–87 degrees; 8.17’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on deep-diving crankbaits and football jigs. Catfish are good on cut shad and nightcrawlers. RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 82–85 degrees; 5.93’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on Carolina-rigged worms and medium-diving crankbaits near creek channels. RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water lightly stained; 82–85 degrees; 7.95’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and swim jigs. SOMERVILLE: Water murky; 81–85 degrees; 0.19’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. STILLHOUSE: Water murky; 82–86 degrees; 10.27’ low. Largemouth
n Saltwater reports: SEE MORE
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bass are slow. White bass are fair on Li’l Fishies. SWEETWATER: Water murky; 83–88 degrees; 26.59’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on Carolina rigs, split-shot weighted flukes and Texas rigs. TAWAKONI: Water stained; 83–87 degrees; 9.77’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on hollow-body frogs and bladed jigs. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on slabs and top-waters. TEXOMA: Water clear; 82–85 degrees; 5.24’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters and drop-shot finesse worms along deeper points. TOLEDO BEND: Water murky; 83–87 degrees; 0.53’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon and plum soft plastic worms early and late, and on top-waters among schooling fish. TRAVIS: Water murky; 82–86 degrees; 54.20’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Striped bass are fair on silver striper jigs. WALTER E. LONG: Water lightly stained. Largemouth bass are slow. Hybrid striper are fair on silver slabs. White bass are slow. WHITNEY: Water murky; 82–86 degrees; 8.11’ low. Everything is slow except catfish, which are good on minnows and stinkbait. WRIGHT PATMAN: Water lightly stained; 83–85 degrees; 5.71’ high. Largemouth bass are slow on hollow-body frogs and swim jigs near shallow cover. — TPWD
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August 22, 2014
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GAME WARDEN BLOTTER DOVE SHOT BEFORE SEASON WITH PELLET GUN IN CITY LIMITS Nolan County Game Warden Jake Simmering received a call from the Nolan County Sheriff’s Office regarding several subjects shooting dove with a pellet gun inside the city limits of Sweetwater. Simmering received information that the caller’s neighbors had been shooting dove in their backyard and were in the process of cooking them. Simmering and a Nolan County Deputy arrived at the residence and spoke with an individual inside the kitchen who was frying small birds in a skillet. In the backyard, they spoke with three subjects sitting in a circle, and observed what appeared to be a pile of feathers next to them. After further investigation, seven dove heads were retrieved from the dumpster in the alley; the birds that had been fried were seized, as well as a pellet gun that was found in a vehicle at the residence. BOAT BUYER CAUGHT FORGING SIGNATURES Turk Jones of the TPWD Marine Investigation Unit received a call from the Waco Regional Office that a man came into the office to register a fishing boat he claimed to have received as a gift. He presented an affidavit from the donor and titles that were signed by the donor. The next morning, the man came into the office and rescinded his request for the transfer, stating that he gave the boat back and the deal was off. Jones drove by the suspect’s house and saw the boat in his garage. Jones then went to the donor’s house and found he sold the boat to the suspect for $35,000, which was paid by personal check. In addition, the suspect had forged all signatures on the paperwork he presented. Jones and McClennan County Game Warden Matt Kiel
WARDENS HELP SOLVE STRING OF BURGLARIES, FIND MAN IN CLOSET Tyler County Game Wardens Roy Eddins and Brandon Mosley apprehended a subject who had felony warrants out of Hardin and Tyler County. The wardens were assisting the Tyler County Sherriff’s Office on a string of burglaries that had occurred in the area. The wardens and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent approached the residence and obtained consent to search the house. Before entering, Mosley ran the VIN numbers on an ATV outside the house and discovered the ATV was stolen. Mosley also noticed several tools and equipment that were potentially stolen. One item had markings that the owner of the tools had placed on them for identification. After entering went to the suspect’s house. The suspect quickly requested an attorney. The wardens informed him of the possibility of being charged with felonies for tampering with a government document and a misdemeanor for tax fraud. After leaving the suspect’s house, Jones received a call from the suspect who confessed. The suspect went to Austin Headquarters with fresh paperwork and paid more than $2,300 in taxes, registrations and fees. Citations were issued for signing false affidavits. HUNTERS LOCATE LARGE MARIJUANA FIELD Polk County Game Warden Ryan Hall received a call from an agent of a hunting lease near Livingston. The agent explained he and some fellow hunters were doing preseason maintenance at their deer lease and thought they stumbled upon some marijuana plants growing in the woods. Hall summoned the Polk County Sheriff’s Department special response team for assistance in case the plants
the house and finding methamphetamines, the wardens saw an adult female subject walk away from the house and up the road. The female was taken into custody. During the search, the wardens noticed a padlock on a closet door. Concerned that more items were in the closet, the wardens opened the door and found a subject under a blanket claiming to be asleep. The subject had felony warrants and was in possession of a suppressed .22 with no permit. Additional stolen tools and equipment were also found in the closet. The man was arrested. Other stolen items recovered included a Polaris 700 ATV, power tools, television, numerous guns and speakers.
were being guarded. Hall was able to use his knowledge of the property to lead the SRT team to what turned out to be very large and sophisticated cartel organized marijuana grow operation consisting of tens of thousands of plants. The operation was complete with a very large camp, bunkers with generators, and enough food and supplies to last nearly a month. The occupants of the camp may have been spooked by the hunters and left the area, leaving behind most of their belongings. The case was turned over to the Polk County Sheriff’s Department for further investigation and eradication. SHRIMPER CAUGHT EXCEEDING LIMIT Chambers County Game Wardens Patricia Vannoy, David Vannoy, and Liberty County Game Warden Randy Button were patrolling Galveston Bay when they contacted a commercial shrimper around midmorning. The wardens found the captain had greatly exceeded the daily limit. The wardens escorted the shrimp
boat back to dock and confirmed the captain had exceeded the 200pound daily limit by possessing 461 pounds of shrimp. A total of 261 pounds of shrimp were seized. BOAT SINKS, MAN DROWNS IN COPANO BAY Aransas County Game Wardens Scott McLeod and Elizabeth “Libby” Balusek responded to a call about a boat sinking in Copano Bay. Two men and one female teenager abandoned the boat and swam to a platform. However, one of the men did not make it to the platform. The United States Coast Guard extracted everyone from the water by helicopter. The man who did not make it to the platform was pronounced dead at a Corpus Christi hospital. The investigation of why the boat sunk is ongoing. All three subjects were wearing lifejackets. STOLEN BOAT FOUND TO BE FROM NORTH CAROLINA A boat originally seized by Titus County Game Warden Jerry Ash and
Capt. Terri Potts after a boat inspection was the subject of a property hearing. The boat registration and HIN numbers had been removed, along with the serial numbers on the motor. With the assistance of Marine Theft Investigator Ned Nichos, the HIN number was recovered. The boat had been reported stolen out of Burke County, North Carolina in 2004. GILL NETS SEIZED IN U.S. WATERS Zapata County Game Warden Colby Hensz and Duval County Game Warden Jesse Garcia were patrolling the Rio Grande River and spotted a Mexican commercial fishing vessel setting a gill net in U.S. waters. The Mexican fishermen fled back to Mexico, and the wardens picked up 13 sections of gill net totaling 4,290 feet. WARDEN FINDS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SEPARATED FROM GROUP Jim Hogg County Game Warden Carlos Maldonado encountered a man walking in the brush alongside a highway. Contact was made and the subject was detained for U.S. Border Patrol. The man was identified as a Mexican national who had been separated from his group for a few days. Border Patrol took custody of the individual and took him in for processing. BOAT SOLD THREE TIMES BEFORE BEING MARKED AS STOLEN A customer came into the Mt. Pleasant Law Enforcement office to seek a lost title for a boat that was not in his name. The boat had been reported stolen in Upsher County in 2012. The clerk at the office contacted Titus County Game Warden Jerry Ash. Ash interviewed the subject and found that the boat had been sold three other times. The boat was retrieved from a marine dealer in Gregg County.
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August 22, 2014
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TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT Summer patterns GILCHRIST — According to Miss Nancy’s Bait Camp, the trout action is better early and late in the days, but the quality of fish has been steady and good. Redfish activity is picking up, with some bigger reds being caught, although the shop said the best action is yet to come as the fall bite picks up. Black drum are good, with pups and big bulls hitting live and dead shrimp. The flounder action has been great, but only one out of ten fish being caught are keepers. Sheepshead and gafftop are slow, but croaker and whiting are good in the surf. Some small sandtrout are also being caught. To contact Miss Nancy’s Bait Camp, call (484) 560-9323.
Windy for flounder GOOSE ISLAND — The wind has been unusually strong for August along the midcoast, but when flounder guides can get out to gig, the results have been good for nice-sized flatfish. “I had to cancel my last three trips due to roaring 25-30 mph south winds,” said guide Rick Hammond of
NORTH SABINE: Trout are good while working slicks and shad. Redfish are good under rafts of shad on top-waters. Redfish are fair to good at the mouths of bayous draining from the marsh. SOUTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good at the jetty on live bait and top-waters. Trout are good while drifting scattered shell on plastics. BOLIVAR: Trout are good on the south shoreline on soft plastics. Trout, sand trout, whiting and croakers are fair to good at Rollover Pass on live bait. TRINITY BAY: Trout are good around the wells on plastics. Trout, redfish and croaker are good at the spillway on live bait. Redfish are good on the surface in the middle of the day. EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are good for drifters working deep shell on limetreuse and plum soft plastics. Trout are good on live bait around the Ship Channel and on shell in 8–12 feet of water.
WEST GALVESTON BAY: Sheepshead, redfish and black drum are good at the jetty on shrimp and crabs. Trout and redfish are fair to good at the mouth of bayous on the outgoing tide on live shrimp. TEXAS CITY: Trout are fair to good on the reefs and in the channel on live shrimp and croakers. Redfish and sand trout are fair to good in Moses Lake on shrimp. FREEPORT: Trout are good at San Luis Pass and the jetties on shrimp and soft plastics. Trout, redfish, sand trout and sheepshead are good on live shrimp on the reefs in Christmas Bay. EAST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair to good for drifters on live shrimp over midbay reefs. Redfish are good while wading the shorelines with small top-waters. Trout are good on croakers while wading. WEST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair on sand and grass on soft plastics and top-waters. Redfish are good in the back reaches of the
Nightstalker Guide Service. “Tonight the winds relaxed a little, giving me the opportunity to make a run at the fish. After enduring a rough boat ride, we found plenty of clear water and flounder hiding in the sand pockets.” Hammond said despite the poor conditions, finding protected shorelines has produced solid boxes of fish between 19 and 21 inches. To contact Capt. Rick Hammond, call (361) 727-0045.
Mixed bag on the pier PORT ISABEL — The fishing has been good recently at the Pirate’s Landing Fishing Pier on Port Isabel. According to Marco Rodriguez, anglers are having success during the day fishing with frozen shrimp and squid, while live shrimp has been working better at night. Rodriguez said whiting have been plentiful, along with sandtrout, mangrove snapper, oversized black drum and a few speckled trout. Not many redfish are being caught from the pier. To contact Pirate’s Landing, call (956) 943-7437. — Conor Harrison
bay on mud and shell on live shrimp. PORT O’CONNOR: Trout and redfish are fair on top-waters and live bait over sand, grass and shell near Pass Cavallo. Trout and redfish are fair at the mouths of the back lakes on the outgoing tide. Offshore is good for ling and kingfish. ROCKPORT: Trout are fair in the guts and channels on free–lined shrimp. Trout are fair over grass while drifting with live shrimp. Redfish are good on mullet in skinny water. PORT ARANSAS: Trout, redfish and sheepshead are fair to good at the jetty on shrimp and croakers. Offshore is good for kingfish and ling. CORPUS CHRISTI: Trout are fair to good on the edge of the spoils on small Super Spooks and live shrimp. Trout are fair around the edge of the channel on piggy perch and croakers. BAFFIN BAY: Trout are fair to good on top-waters around rocks and grass. Trout are fair to
good while drifting grass around spoil islands on soft and scented plastics. Redfish are fair around spoils on scented plastics and gold spoons. PORT MANSFIELD: Trout are fair to good on top-waters on the edge of the channel and around sand and grass. Trout and redfish are fair while wading spoil islands on top-waters. Redfish are fair to good while wading over sand on small top-waters. SOUTH PADRE: Trout are good on shrimp and DOA Shrimp while drifting the grass beds. Snook are good in South Bay and found deeper in the Brownsville Ship Channel. PORT ISABEL: Trout are good on the deeper edges and flats on top-waters and live shrimp. Redfish are fair to good on small top-waters and live shrimp in around the Cullen Houses and while making long drifts over grassy humps. — TPWD
CLASSIFIEDS DEER LEASE WANTED 2,000-4,000 ACRES CALL (361) 403-7510 HUNTING AND FISHING ON WILLAPA BAY 72 acres of timber and pasture with year-round creek. Four miles from South Bend, Washington. $600,000 (360) 875-4006 TDHA - JOIN TODAY TEXAS DOVE HUNTERS ASSOC. www.texasdovehunters.com (210) 764-1189 DECOYS WANTED WOODEN Duck and Goose. Top prices paid. Ask for David. (214) 361-2276 BAY FISHING ARANSAS PASS Upper Laguna Madre, Baffin and 9-mile Hole call Capt. Nino Gonzalez (361) 332-1568 TEXAS DEER FOR SALE TRUE TEXAS GENETICS Stockerbucks for sale — 3 yr olds available for immediate delivery trophy typicals score 170 to 200 B&C. Bred does and open does to stock your ranch. Quantity pricing — pics available. Come see before your buy, tour our facility near Marble Falls, Texas. Call Jay (505) 681-5210 PROFESSIONAL GUIDE SERVICE CEDAR BAYOU OUTFITTERS Capt. Jeff Sims (361) 403-7510
SOUTH PADRE FISHING Reds, Trout, Flounder, Snook. Everything supplied but food and licenses. Multiple trip discounts. Call Capt. Thomas for details or CDCT12005@aol.com. www.CustomSportsAnglers.com (956) 551-1965 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS & MAPPING RANCH & HUNTING, AGRICULTURE, ENVIRONMENTAL, www.BalboaMapCompany.com (806) 777-8840 BOW HUNTING LEASE ONE HUNTER, BOSQUE COUNTY 1 buck, 2 does. Feeder, bunkhouse. Sept. 27 through Oct. 19. $950. Call Bob (972) 298-5383
HUNTING EXOTICS $100/DAY GUIDE FEE, Plus trophy fee. Non-trophy $250-$350. Whitetail — High Fence $1,000-$1,500. Near Junction. Owner. (325) 475-2100
ONLY $1 PER WORD LSON CLASSIFIEDS Advertise your business or merchandise in Texas’ largest outdoor newspaper. (214) 361-2276 DOVE HUNTS SEPTEMBER 6-7 Crowell, Texas $45/Day/Person 1,050 acres Call Bobby: (817) 300-6046
PORT MANSFIELD FISHING REDS, TROUT, FLOUNDER Screamin’ Reels Charters (956) 944-2392 BAY BRUSH WANTED AND LONG PALMS. If you have cut it, we want it. Top prices paid. Rockport area. CALL (361) 543-6747 FLOATING CABIN RENTALS CORPUS CHRISTI Have the fishing time of your life. Lots of fish, fun and 17 years of Repeat business. (800) 368-8175 TROPHY WHITETAIL BUCK HUNTS Intensive Management Program. Lodging included. (940) 362-4219 POETRY SHOOTING CLUB CLOSE TO DALLAS 700 yards range, quail hunting, dog training, shooting classes, range target camera. Venue for your fete. Shooters and bird dog retirement community, overnight camping, take a youth shooting. poetryshootingclub.com (214) 728-2755 ARROWHEADS AND ARTIFACTS I buy and sell authentic Texas artifacts. Please call Nick. (210) 557-9478 DOVE HUNTING Over Sunflower and Sesame Seed Fields in Uvalde County. Contact Mark Roberts. www.MarkRoberts DoveHunting.com (830) 261-9467
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August 22, 2014
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Corn prices down this season By Craig Nyhus
Lone Star outdoor newS Texas deer hunters may see a benefit this season where farmers are not — corn prices are dropping. Corn prices are headed below $4 per bushel amid the promise of a bumper crop here and abroad, according to figures released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For farmers, corn prices are below the cost of production for the first time in nearly a decade. For Texas deer hunters, the fall purchase of corn in bags or bulk will take less out of their pocketbook this season. Last year, an $8 price per 50-pound bag was common. Two years ago, it was $10 per bag.
At Mumme’s Inc. in Hondo, the current price is $6.95 per bag ($6.85 if the purchase is one ton or more) and $220 per ton (bulk price). “In the last 30-45 days, it has dropped $60 to $70 per ton,” said Lance Coté, Mumme’s wildlife specialist. Wade Swanson at Mumme’s said the prices are stabilizing. “There was a huge crop in the Midwest but not so good around here,” he said. “The prices may drop a little more but it looks like they are stabilizing. Since the first of May, corn prices have dropped $1.40 per bushel.” At Mumme’s, the price dropped from $7.35 per bag last season and $9.75 two years ago.
WORKING TOGETHER: Attention to the relationships between deer breeders and Texas game wardens will hopefully result in better communication in the future. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
Relations Continued from page 4
COSTS LESS TO FILL UP: Corn prices are lower this season than in years past. Photo by LSON.
ions on some questions. “Breeders complained of inspections being conducted without any advance notice,” Davis said. “And wardens didn’t believe breeders would turn in violators in their own industry, while the breeders said they would in the survey responses.” Despite some differences, the survey revealed the three issues most important to both breeders and wardens were identical, and in the same order. “Those issues were communication, consistency and training,” Davis said. TPWD will be establishing procedures consistent with the issues raised, Davis said, and the breeders were assured they would have a seat at the table. Training of wardens, beginning next year, will include walk-throughs on conduct-
ing inspections and working with TWIMS, the online record-keeping and reporting software that applies to breeders and managed land deer permit holders. Karl Kinsel, the executive director of TDA, welcomed the changes. “On behalf of the members of TDA, we’re proud and appreciative that TPWD now has the type of leadership that is stressing one-on-one communication between wardens and breeders,” he said. “Kevin Davis has stepped forward to ensure that he is communicating effectively with our membership across the state, and we have high hopes.” Davis said communication with breeders didn’t deter the wardens’ ability to pursue violators. “We need some change to continue to develop a positive working relationship,” Davis said. “I owe it to the breeders, the wardens and the people of Texas to make it better while still catching the criminals.”
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August 22, 2014
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August 22, 2014
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NATIONAL Plenty of Colo. licenses still available Colorado Parks and Wildlife reminds hunters there are still approximately 20,000 leftover big game and turkey licenses are available, giving plenty of opportunity to harvest a variety of species. Over-the-counter elk licenses are also now available. Hunters are reminded that they can pick up a list of available leftover licenses at the nearest CPW office, a license agent or online at cpw.state.us.gov. Available leftover licenses include pronghorn, elk, bear, deer and turkey, species that can be hunted across the state on over 23 million acres of public lands, including U.S. National Forest and Bureau of Land Management lands. — CPW
Vermont hunter takes record bear Curtis Smiley with the Vermont Big Game Trophy Club said a huge bear taken in the 2013 hunting season is the heaviest bear taken in Vermont by bow and arrow since 1898, and that it is a new record, according to skull measurements. Kevin Lamere of Brownington shot the bear on Oct. 5, 2013 with a bow and arrow in Orleans County. The bruin weighed 450 pounds. “The skull of Lamere’s bear scored 21 10/16 — a new state record in the Boone and Crockett Club as well as Pope and Young Club records,” Smiley said. “I cannot overstate the significance of a black bear skull this large. It ties for first place among
all the bears killed in New England. According to Boone and Crockett Club records, there was one shot in Maine in 1980 that also scored 21 10/16. Among Pope and Young records, this bear has the highest scoring skull of any bear ever recorded in all of New England, and it places among the top 100 bears ever killed with archery equipment anywhere in North America.” — VFWD
Unlimited Utah archery elk permits available If you haven’t obtained an archery big game hunting permit yet, no problem — there’s still a chance to hunt in Utah this fall. Nonresident permits for Utah’s general archery bull elk hunt are not limited in number. You can get one anytime between now and the end of the Sanpete Valley extended archery elk hunt on Dec. 31. The general archery elk hunt starts Aug. 16. The state is home to 80,000 elk. General archery elk hunters aren’t limited to taking a bull elk, either. They can take one elk, either a bull or a cow during the general archery elk hunt. — UDWR
Amberjack season closing in Gulf The commercial and recreational harvest of greater amberjack in the Gulf of Mexico will be closed at 12:01 a.m. on August 25, and remain closed until Jan. 1, 2015. The 2014 landings data indicate the 409,000-pound commer-
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cial annual catch target and the 888,839-pound recreational annual catch target will be harvested by August 24. — GMFMC
181-pound opah might be world record Three anglers recently completed a rare feat when each landed an opah on the same day aboard a San Diegobased boat fishing in Mexican waters. Opah, also called moonfish, are rarely caught by sport fishermen, and for three people to catch one on the same vessel was considered extraordinary. But lost amid the hype swirling in fishing circles when the photo of this opah trifecta surfaced on the Excel Sportfishing Facebook page was that one of the moonfish, a 181-pounder caught by Joe Ludlow, is 18 pounds heavier than the existing world record. The International Game Fish Association lists as the all-tackle world record a 163-pound opah caught in October 1998 off San Luis Obispo in Central California. That was an El Niño year and El Niño-like conditions (unusually warm water) are prevalent this summer off California. — Staff report
Don’t eat Lake Ouachita fish The Arkansas Department of Health is issuing a fish consumption advisory for Lake Ouachita. This advisory comes after fish from Lake Ouachita, collected by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and tested by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality,
were found to contain levels of mercury that have the potential to put human health at risk. There are currently 20 bodies of water that are under a mercury in fish advisory in Arkansas. People should not not eat largemouth bass that are 13 inches or longer, white bass 13 inches or longer or striped bass 25 inches or longer from Lake Ouachita. — Arkansas Dept. of Health
Earlier opening day in Nebraska Archery deer hunting season opens Sept. 1 in Nebraska. The early opener was requested by archery hunters to allow hunting of deer when bucks are still in velvet. Opening day had been Sept. 15 for the past 35 years. “For those who don’t mind hunting what could be warm days, with lots of leafy vegetation, this is a good time to be out in the woods, when hunter numbers can be expected to be low,” said Kit Hams, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s big game program manager. The archery deer season runs through Dec. 31. Archery permits are valid statewide, with restrictions, and unlimited in number. The permit bag limit is one deer of any kind. — NGP
U of Minnesota anglers win on Bastrop
Austin Felix and Chris Burgan, collegiate anglers from the University of Minnesota, won the Ranger Cup University Fish-Off with 34 keeper fish that totaled 80 pounds, 3 ounces in a winner-take-all, made-for-
Brenham hunter Zane Aschenbeck, 8, with his first turkey harvested with a 20-gauge on his Opa and Oma’s property in Kimble County. After Zane was unsuccessful on his first hunt during youth weekend, three gobblers and six hens cooperated on March 29. His gobbler, sporting a 10-inch beard, was shot at 25 yards.
TV event on Texas’ Lake Bastrop. The tournament, which utilized the Major League Fishing rules format where fish are weighed and released on the boat, pitted the Minnesota anglers against a team from Tennessee Tech. “The whole event was brilliant and we enjoyed the whole thing. Bastrop was a great selection for the lake,” said Felix, a recent University of Minnesota graduate who also qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup by winning the FLW College Fishing Championship. “For us, the Ranger Cup University program has been huge and we appreciate so much what it does for us collegiate anglers. The sign-up is easy and it allowed us to win a lot of extra money plus all the perks that came along with the trip to Lake Bastrop.” — Ranger Boats
Gagliardi wins Forrest Wood Cup Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, South Carolina, crossed the stage with a five-bass limit weighing 13 pounds, 14 ounces to claim the title of Forrest Wood Cup Champion at the Forrest Wood Cup at Lake Murray. “This is unbelievable,” said Gagliardi, who overcame an earlyseason disqualification at the first FLW Tour event of the year on Lake Okeechobee and managed to qualify to compete in the Forrest Wood Cup in just five events. “To win the Forrest Wood Cup, no matter where it is, is the most prestigious event that I could win in our sport. But to do it here, in front of all of these people who were rooting for me, it really just makes it so much more special.” — FLW
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LoneOStar Outdoor News
Stockings
Angler
Continued from page 8
Continued from page 1
healthy,” Bonds said. “It has been making the palmetto crosses a little bit limited. The sole source for our brood bass (in region 3) is the Trinity River below Lake Livingston. But we were almost able to meet the requests for hybrids and stripers.” Region 1 Director Spencer DuMont has been dealing with the lack of rain, as well, but the problems have a bit more dramatic effect. “We generally try to take advantage of recent advances in rain levels in our lakes, which didn’t really happen this year,” DuMont said. “We just didn’t get the rain. We were able to put some (Florida-strain largemouth) bass in O.H. Ivie, but other than that it just didn’t happen. “We had to cancel a lot because the lakes didn’t reach that level.” But, for those reservoirs that are holding at a steady level — like Lake Alan Henry — DuMont was optimistic that the stockings were just as productive as any other year in the western part of the state. “Honestly, it went pretty well this year,” he said. Following the biologists’ reports, district supervisors compile the information into an objective list, which randomly prioritizes the reservoirs across the state. “For largemouth bass, the biggest priority is to bring our populations back,” DuMont said. “If a biologist sees that a population is at risk and has the chance to get better, it takes a high priority.” Bonds expanded on the prioritizing process. “There’s a misconception among anglers that we stock Florida-strain largemouth bass to increase catch rates,” Bonds said. “That’s not correct. We stock to influence the genetics of a population. The stocking requests each year for Florida bass are much higher than we can actually manage — only about half of them make it through.” For example, he pointed out that reservoirs are capped at about 500,000 fish per year in stockings. For Toledo Bend Reservoir to receive its proportionate amount of fish, they would need 3 million fingerlings on the Texas side alone. If there are leftover resources when the list is complete, any additional fish go to the larger reservoirs if needed. Van Zee said if weather this summer has been an indicator for his region, things are already looking up for next year’s list. Biologists will begin taking surveys for 2015 stockings in September. “We’ve been pretty fortunate this summer, which is a good indicator for next year,” he said. “We are having a good year.”
“I went to an area I normally catch fish in; it’s usually good for a few keepers but they’re never that big,” Carroccio said. The first session of the night tournament lasted from 7 p.m. until 11:45 p.m. He got a strike on his shaky head between two docks and noticed he might have a sizeable fish on his line. The fish retreated to cover and eventually broke his line. “Just by the pull and the weight, I assumed it was a catfish, so I just blew it off,” he said. He weighed a meager weight for the first portion of the tournament, which ended at midnight, but he wasn’t ready to give up yet. The second half of the tournament ran from 12:15 a.m. to 9 a.m. “I just started thinking, ‘What if it wasn’t a catfish?’” Carroccio said. “So I went back to the spot I have been before and started thinking about what I needed to do to hook it again. While I was thinking, I got another strike and
Number of species stocked in 2014: Total: 19,196,446 Bluegill: 12,631 Channel catfish: 902,267 Florida largemouth bass: 9,181,536 Guadalupe bass: 64,945 Palmetto bass: 1,413,180 Rainbow trout: 212,675 Redbreast sunfish: 66 Redear: 64 ShareLunker largemouth bass: 104,140 Smallmouth bass: 275,025 Striped bass: 3,148,328 Sunshine bass: 2,189,892 Walleye: 1,690,650 Notable reservoir stockings: Sunshine bass: Lake Buchanan — 1,000,000 Lake Proctor — 293,267 Cedar Creek Reservoir — 197,733 Coleman City Reservoir — 124,952 Lake Palestine — 108,599 Palmetto bass: Lake Richland-Chambers — 186,453 Cedar Creek Reservoir — 166,620 Benbrook Lake — 181,760 Lake Tawakoni — 143,020 Lake Lewisville — 106,790
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August 22, 2014
knew whatever it was, I had hooked it again.” He managed to pull the fish out from cover at 6:15 a.m. and brought it to the side of the boat. He hoisted a 9.17-pound largemouth bass out of the water — with his lost lure still in its mouth. The bass hit the lure — a Spit’n Fire shaky head with a watermelon red speed craw attached — in 6 feet of water near docks. “Needless to say, I was pretty happy. The fishing was slow and keepers were few and far between,” Carroccio said. The fish, along with a few smaller entries, bagged the Plano angler and 12-year Century Bass Club veteran third place in the tournament, along with the big bass award and the largest bass of the year in any tournament thus far. Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time this has happened to Carroccio. “It’s actually the second time this has happened to me,” he said. “A few years back I lost a fish under a bridge at Palestine, and ended up hooking it again with my shaky head still in its mouth.” If Corroccio keeps it up, he may never have to buy a new lure again.
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Page 20
August 22, 2014
LoneOStar Outdoor News
LSONews.com
HEROES
MITCHEL GOCE caught this big kingfish jigging on July 13 aboard the Fish + Fun II. BRADEN FUNDERBURG harvested his first animal with a bow — this black bear taken in Manigotagan, Manitoba.
New Braunfels hunter MCKINZEE ORSAG, 9, was hunting with her father on Dec. 13 near Beeville, on a low-fence ranch when this 7.5-year-old buck scoring 147 stepped out.
DAMON ROBERTS, 10, of Denison, caught this 15-pound, 11-ounce channel cat while fishing at his grandpa’s farm pond at the Running B Ranch in Pottsboro.
SHARE AN ADVENTURE
n Want to share hunting and fishing photos with other Lone Star Outdoor News readers? Email them with contact and caption information to editor@ lonestaroutdoornews.com. High-resolution original jpegs only. Mail prints to Heroes, Lone Star Outdoor News, P.O. Box 551695, Dallas, TX 75355.
RUSSELL FRITSCH and son RYAN (Rhyno) show off Ryan’s first fish. The perch was caught on his sister’s rod and reel at Hubbard Creek Lake.
Keller angler DOUG JONES, along with his kids, Hunter and Hanna, both 14, went to Lake Texoma recently and caught some stripers.
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LoneOStar Outdoor News
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August 22, 2014
Feathers about to fly Texas dove hunters in the North and Central zones will head afield this year on Labor Day — Sept. 1 — for the opener of the dove season. The season is shaping up to be a good one, according to multiple biologists, outfitters and landowners. Below are season dates for the entire 2014-15 season:
Regular Season 2015
North Zone:
Sept. 1 - Oct. 20, 2014 Dec. 19, 2014 - Jan. 7, 2015
Central Zone:
Sept. 1 - Oct. 20, 2014 Dec. 19, 2014 - Jan. 7, 2015
South Zone:
Sept. 19 - Oct. 20, 2014 Dec. 19, 2014 - Jan. 25,
Special White-winged Dove Area: Sept. 19 - Oct. 20, 2014 Dec. 19, 2014 - Jan. 21, 2015
Special Season
Special White-winged Dove Area: Sept. 6 - 7, 2014 Sept. 13 - 14, 2014
Bag limits
15 mourning, white-winged and white-tipped dove in the aggregate, to include no more than two whitetips. Possession limit is three times the daily bag. See TPWD’s website for complete regulations. — Staff report ALMOST HERE: Dove season is almost here in the North and Central zones. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.
Vinson Slough almost completed The dredging of Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough is coming along at a fast pace, with a completion date scheduled around Sept. 20, according to Coastal Conservation Association’s John Blaha. “It is going well,” Blaha said. “I was out there yesterday and they are still shooting for a Sept. 20 timeline. Vinson Slough is almost complete. They have a few cleanouts to get done, and they need to dredge a little on the lake end where it goes into the back lakes.” The juncture between Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough is also nearing completion. A total volume removed to date of approximately 400,000 cubic yards of material, including the spoil pile, has been excavated. Dredging has continued with approximately 4,200 feet of total advance since the start of the project. The contractor continues to maintain the silt curtains around the active dredging area to protect nearby aquatic resources as the dredge advances. — Staff report
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August 22, 2014
LoneOStar Outdoor News
Sun | Moon | Tides Texas Coast Tides Sabine Pass, north Date Time Aug 22 4:01 AM Aug 23 4:21 AM Aug 24 4:38 AM Aug 25 4:55 AM Aug 26 5:12 AM Aug 27 5:31 AM Aug 28 5:49 AM Aug 29 6:04 AM Aug 30 12:31 AM Aug 31 1:11 AM Sept 01 2:01 AM Sept 02 3:12 AM Sept 03 12:42 AM Sept 04 1:34 AM Sept 05 2:13 AM
Height 1.7H 1.6H 1.6H 1.6H 1.6H 1.6H 1.6H 1.6H 1.0L 1.2L 1.3L 1.5L 1.7H 1.8H 1.8H
Time 9:36 AM 9:42 AM 9:56 AM 10:20 AM 10:50 AM 11:25 AM 12:04 PM 12:45 PM 6:17 AM 6:27 AM 6:42 AM 7:09 AM 4:49 AM 6:13 AM 7:08 AM
Galveston Bay entrance, north jetty Date Time Aug 22 4:15 AM Aug 23 4:31 AM Aug 24 4:53 AM Aug 25 5:17 AM Aug 26 5:41 AM Aug 27 5:58 AM Aug 28 5:53 AM Aug 29 12:32 AM Aug 30 1:12 AM Aug 31 1:56 AM Sept 01 2:33 AM Sept 02 3:06 AM Sept 03 12:39 AM Sept 04 1:31 AM Sept 05 2:20 AM
San Luis Pass
Date Time Aug 22 4:52 AM Aug 23 5:05 AM Aug 24 5:18 AM Aug 25 5:33 AM Aug 26 5:51 AM Aug 27 6:10 AM Aug 28 6:28 AM Aug 29 12:08 AM Aug 30 12:40 AM Aug 31 1:15 AM Sept 01 1:54 AM Sept 02 12:39 AM Sept 03 1:54 AM Sept 04 2:39 AM Sept 05 3:13 AM
Freeport Harbor Date Time Aug 22 4:03 AM Aug 23 04:22 AM Aug 24 4:39 AM Aug 25 4:56 AM Aug 26 5:13 AM Aug 27 5:29 AM Aug 28 5:45 AM Aug 29 5:59 AM Aug 30 12:20 AM Aug 31 1:08 AM Sept 01 2:34 PM Sept 02 3:37 PM Sept 03 12:45 AM Sept 04 1:41 AM Sept 05 2:25 AM
Rollover Pass
Date Time Aug 22 12:03 AM Aug 23 12:43 AM Aug 24 1:17 AM Aug 25 1:42 AM Aug 26 1:59 AM Aug 27 2:15 AM Aug 28 2:38 AM Aug 29 3:06 AM Aug 30 3:33 AM Aug 31 12:33 AM Sept 01 10:06 AM Sept 02 7:34 AM Sept 03 7:49 AM Sept 04 7:50 AM Sept 05 7:48 AM
Height 1.3L 1.2L 1.1L 1.0L 0.9L 0.8L 0.7L 0.6L 1.5H 1.5H 1.6H 1.6H 1.5L 1.5L 1.4L
Time 1:46 PM 2:28 PM 3:09 PM 3:49 PM 4:31 PM 5:17 PM 6:09 PM 7:08 PM 1:31 PM 2:22 PM 3:17 PM 4:17 PM 8:08 AM 9:59 AM 11:45 AM
Height 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 0.4L 0.3L 0.2L 0.1L 1.6H 1.6H 1.7H
Height 1.7H 1.7H 1.7H 1.6H 1.6H 1.5H 1.5H 0.9L 1.0L 1.2L 1.3L 1.5L 1.7H 1.8H 1.8H
Time 9:37 AM 10:12 AM 10:27 AM 10:49 AM 11:15 AM 11:43 AM 12:15 PM 5:52 AM 6:05 AM 6:23 AM 6:44 AM 8:01 AM 4:51 AM 6:37 AM 7:16 AM
Height 1.3L 1.2L 1.1L 1.0L 0.9L 0.8L 0.7L 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 1.6H 1.6H 1.6L 1.5L 1.4L
Time 1:33 PM 2:44 PM 3:48 PM 4:29 PM 5:01 PM 5:32 PM 6:14 PM 12:52 PM 1:35 PM 2:19 PM 3:05 PM 4:02 PM 8:58 AM 9:56 AM 11:26 AM
Height 1.4H 1.4H 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 0.6L 0.5L 0.4L 0.3L 0.2L 1.7H 1.7H 1.7H
Height 1.2H 1.2H 1.2H 1.2H 1.2H 1.2H 1.2H 0.7L 0.8L 0.9L 1.1L 1.2H 1.3H 1.4H 1.4H
Time 10:08 AM 10:12 AM 10:23 AM 10:45 AM 11:16 AM 11:50 AM 12:27 PM 6:44 AM 6:54 AM 6:56 AM 6:51 AM 2:46 AM 4:18 AM 6:28 AM 7:34 AM
Height 1.1L 1.0L 0.9L 0.9L 0.8L 0.7L 0.6L 1.2H 1.2H 1.2H 1.2H 1.2L 1.3L 1.3L 1.3L
Time 1:23 PM 2:15 PM 3:06 PM 3:57 PM 4:51 PM 5:48 PM 6:51 PM 1:07 PM 1:50 PM 2:40 PM 3:36 PM 6:53 AM 7:18 AM 9:16 AM 11:36 AM
Height 1.1H 1.1H 1.1H 1.1H 1.1H 1.1H 1.1H 0.5L 0.4L 0.3L 0.2L 1.3H 1.3H 1.3H 1.3H
Height 1.7H 1.6H 1.6H 1.6H 1.5H 1.5H 1.4H 1.4H 1.0L 1.2L 0.2L 0.1L 1.8H 1.9H 1.9H
Time 10:13 AM 10:32 AM 10:52 AM 11:10 AM 11:27 AM 11:43 AM 12:01 PM 12:25 PM 6:09 AM 6:09 AM 11:31 PM
Height 1.2L 1.1L 1.1L 1.0L 0.9L 0.8L 0.7L 0.6L 1.4H 1.4H 1.7H
Time 12:43 PM 1:46 PM 2:41 PM 3:34 PM 4:27 PM 5:20 PM 6:18 PM 7:23 PM 12:58 PM 1:41 PM
Height 1.3H 1.3H 1.3H 1.3H 1.3H 1.3H 1.3H 1.4H 0.5L 0.4L
4:45 PM 5:53 PM 6:58 PM
0.1L 0.0L 0.0L
Height 0.1L 0.1L 0.2L 0.3L 0.4L 0.5L 0.6L 0.7L 0.9L 1.1H 1.2H 1.3H 1.3H 1.4H 1.3H
Time 8:54 AM 9:03 AM 9:00 AM 8:45 AM 8:43 AM 8:52 AM 9:06 AM 9:21 AM 9:37 AM 3:47 AM 6:47 PM 8:06 PM 9:28 PM 10:37 PM 11:36 PM
Height 1.3H 1.2H 1.2H 1.2H 1.2H 1.2H 1.2H 1.2H 1.2H 1.0L 0.2L 0.1L 0.1L 0.1L 0.1L
Time 8:33 PM 9:09 PM 9:43 PM 10:16 PM 10:49 PM 11:22 PM 11:56 PM
Height 0.1L 0.2L 0.3L 0.4L 0.5L 0.7L 0.8L
8:21 PM 9:50 PM 11:26 PM
1.5H 1.5H 1.6H
5:17 PM 6:17 PM 7:13 PM
0.1L 0.0L 0.0L
Time 8:46 PM 9:33 PM 10:15 PM 10:51 PM 11:24 PM 11:56 PM
Height 0.2L 0.2L 0.3L 0.4L 0.5L 0.7L
8:10 PM 9:14 PM 10:14 PM 11:30 PM
1.5H 1.5H 1.6H 1.6H
5:26 PM 6:33 PM 7:25 PM
0.2L 0.1L 0.1L
Time 9:20 PM 9:49 PM 10:16 PM 10:42 PM 11:09 PM 11:37 PM
Height 0.1L 0.1L 0.2L 0.3L 0.4L 0.5L
8:04 PM 9:28 PM 11:02 PM
1.1H 1.1H 1.1H
4:38 PM 5:43 PM 6:47 PM 7:47 PM
0.2L 0.1L 0.0L 0.0L
Time 8:37 PM 9:13 PM 9:46 PM 10:16 PM 10:45 PM 11:13 PM 11:44 PM
Height 0.1L 0.2L 0.3L 0.4L 0.5L 0.7L 0.9L
8:37 PM 10:02 PM
1.4H 1.5H
Time
Height
Time
Height
2:24 PM 2:48 PM 3:12 PM 3:34 PM 3:48 PM 3:58 PM 4:20 PM 4:56 PM 9:54 AM
0.9L 0.9L 0.8L 0.7L 0.6L 0.5L 0.4L 0.3L 1.2H
4:40 PM 5:51 PM 6:53 PM 7:51 PM 8:51 PM 9:54 PM 11:05 PM
1.0H 1.0H 1.0H 1.0H 1.0H 1.0H 1.0H
5:45 PM
0.2L
OUTDOOR PUZZLER | By Wilbur “Wib” Lundeen Across 1. A small haddock 3. Sight scope covers 8. The largest bass 9. A bear trap scent lure 10. A wildfowl at rest 11. A fishing method 15. A cold weather tent 16. A duck 17. At times dangerous to hunters 19. Racks, antlers 20. Consider this when reeling in a catch 21. They feed on salmon 23. The nuisance fish to trotlines 24. Fishing gear 27. A marshy area 28. Used to sharpen fishhooks 30. Do this to hunting routes 31. A very large game 35. A method of fishing 36. The bugling game animal 37. The ___ white
Moon Phases
Date Time Aug 22 9:35 AM Aug 23 9:39 AM Aug 24 9:22 AM Aug 25 9:22 AM Aug 26 12:25 AM Aug 27 12:59 AM Aug 28 1:34 AM Aug 29 2:08 AM Aug 30 6:39 AM Sept 31 6:30 AM Sept 01 6:11 AM Sept 02 6:27 AM Sept 03 7:07 AM Sept 04 7:54 AM Sept 05 8:45 AM
Rockport
Date Time Aug 22 1:45 PM Aug 23 2:40 PM Aug 24 12:04 AM Aug 25 12:35 AM Aug 26 1:00 AM Aug 27 1:19 AM Aug 28 1:32 AM Aug 29 1:24 AM Aug 30 8:12 AM Aug 31 8:22 AM Sept 01 8:43 AM Sept 02 9:18 AM Sept 03 10:06 AM Sept 04 11:03 AM Sept 05 12:06 PM
Port Aransas
Date Time Aug 22 6:14 AM Aug 23 5:17 AM Aug 24 5:02 AM Aug 25 4:48 AM Aug 26 4:41 AM Aug 27 4:56 AM Aug 28 5:17 AM Aug 29 5:37 AM Aug 30 5:53 AM Aug 31 6:01 AM Sept 01 5:56 AM Sept 02 4:23 AM Sept 03 4:51 AM Sept 04 5:26 AM Sept 05 10:22 AM
East Matagorda Date Time Aug 22 6:14 AM Aug 23 7:17 AM Aug 24 8:19 AM Aug 25 8:56 AM Aug 26 4:33 PM Aug 27 5:11 PM Aug 28 3:05 AM Aug 29 3:36 AM Aug 30 1:00 AM Aug 31 1:32 AM Sept 01 2:09 AM Sept 02 3:13 AM Sept 03 4:31 AM Sept 04 5:10 AM Sept 05 12:21 PM
13. 14. 18. 19. 22. 25. 26. 27. 29. 30. DOWN 1. A game bird 2. An underwater growth 3. The deer shoulder hide
32. 33. 34. 37.
Sept. 9
Height 0.8H 0.7H 0.7H 0.7H 0.3L 0.3L 0.4L 0.6L 0.7H 0.8H 0.9H 0.9H 1.0H 1.0H 1.0H
Time 10:47 PM 11:21 PM 11:52 PM
Height 0.1L 0.1L 0.2L
Time
9:26 AM 8:25 AM 7:45 AM 7:07 AM 3:42 PM 4:29 PM 5:22 PM 6:21 PM 7:23 PM 8:25 PM 9:25 PM
0.6H 0.6H 0.6H 0.7H 0.3L 0.3L 0.2L 0.2L 0.2L 0.2L 0.2L
1:32 PM 1:52 PM 2:23 PM 3:00 PM
0.6L 0.5L 0.4L 0.4L
4:23 PM 6:59 PM 8:51 PM
0.6H 0.6H 0.6H
Height 0.3H 0.3H 0.1L 0.1L 0.2L 0.2L 0.2L 0.3L 0.4H 0.4H 0.4H 0.4H 0.5H 0.5H 0.5H
Time 11:26 PM
Height 0.1L
Time
Height
Time
Height
3:37 PM 4:41 PM 8:42 AM 8:15 AM 8:08 AM 8:08 AM 5:04 PM 5:53 PM 6:44 PM 7:38 PM 8:34 PM 9:30 PM 10:24 PM
0.3H 0.3H 0.3H 0.3H 0.3H 0.3H 0.2L 0.2L 0.1L 0.1L 0.1L 0.1L 0.2L
Height 0.9H 0.9H 0.8H 0.8H 0.9H 0.9H 0.9H 0.9H 0.9H 0.9H 1.0H 1.1H 1.1H 1.1H 1.1H
Time 8:46 AM 9:08 AM 9:32 AM 9:55 AM 10:16 AM 10:42 AM 11:13 AM 11:49 AM 12:30 PM 1:18 PM 2:15 PM 3:24 PM 4:42 PM 5:58 PM 7:04 PM
Time 8:33 PM 9:10 PM 10:00 AM 10:21 AM 10:46 AM 11:13 AM 11:42 AM 12:16 PM 5:45 AM 5:42 AM 5:36 AM 3:46 PM 4:54 PM 6:02 PM 7:05 PM
Height 1.2H 1.2H 1.1H 1.0H 1.0H 1.0H 1.0H 1.0H 0.8L 1.0L 1.1L 1.2H 1.3H 1.4H 1.4H
Height 0.4H 0.4H 0.4H 0.4H 0.4H 0.4H 0.2L 0.3L 0.4H 0.4H 0.4H 0.4H 0.4H 0.5H 0.4H
Height
Time
Height
12:14 PM 2:06 PM 3:19 PM 4:14 PM
0.2L 0.2L 0.2L 0.2L
6:02 PM 7:52 PM 10:21 PM
Height 0.9L 0.8L 0.8L 0.7L 0.6L 0.6L 0.5L 0.4L 0.4L 0.3L 0.2L 0.2L 0.2L 0.1L 0.1L
Time 11:48 AM 12:52 PM 1:50 PM 2:46 PM 3:41 PM 4:38 PM 5:37 PM 6:40 PM 7:52 PM 9:34 PM
Height 0.9H 0.9H 1.0H 1.0H 0.9H 0.9H 0.9H 0.9H 0.9H 0.9H
Height 0.0L 0.1L 1.0L 0.9L 0.8L 0.7L 0.6L 0.5L 1.0H 1.1H 1.1H 0.1L 0.0L 0.0L 0.0L
Time
Height
Time
Height
1:16 PM 2:31 PM 3:38 PM 4:45 PM 5:54 PM 7:10 PM 12:56 PM 1:44 PM 2:41 PM
1.1H 1.0H 1.0H 1.0H 1.0H 1.0H 0.4L 0.3L 0.2L
9:44 PM 10:17 PM 10:49 PM 11:23 PM 11:58 PM
0.2L 0.2L 0.4L 0.5L 0.6L
8:38 PM 10:31 PM
1.1H 1.1H
Time 8:40 PM 9:15 PM 9:47 PM 10:17 PM 10:44 PM 11:08 PM 11:29 PM 11:50 PM 12:08 AM 11:58 PM
0.3H 0.3H 0.3H
Height 0.1L 0.1L 0.2L 0.2L 0.3L 0.4L 0.6L 0.7L 0.8L 0.9L
22Fri 23Sat 24Sun 25Mon 26Tue 27Wed 28Thu 29Fri 30Sat 31Sun 01Mon 02Tue 03Wed 04Thu 05Fri 06Sat 07Sun 08Mon 09Tue 10Wed
4:28 10:39 5:09 11:20 5:51 ----6:33 ----7:17 1:06 8:02 1:52 8:50 2:39 9:39 3:28 10:30 4:18 11:23 5:10 ----- 6:03 12:47 6:57 1:37 7:51 2:29 8:44 3:22 9:36 4:13 10:28 5:05 11:19 5:58 ----6:53 12:43 7:50 1:37
2014 A.M. Aug.-Sept. Minor Major 22Fri 4:33 10:45 23Sat 5:15 11:26 24Sun 5:56 ----25Mon 6:39 ----26Tue 7:23 1:12 27Wed 8:08 1:57 28Thu 8:56 2:45 29Fri 9:45 3:34 30Sat 10:36 4:24 31Sun 11:28 5:16 01Mon ----- 6:09 02Tue 12:52 7:03 03Wed 1:42 7:57 04Thu 2:35 8:50 05Fri 3:27 9:42 06Sat 4:19 10:34 07Sun 5:11 11:25 08Mon 6:04 ----09Tue 6:59 12:49 10Wed 7:56 1:43
Time 1:06 PM 1:34 PM 2:07 PM 3:03 PM
Height 0.4H 0.4H 0.4H 0.4H
Time 10:42 PM 11:06 PM 11:16 PM 11:30 PM
Height 0.0L 0.1L 0.1L 0.1L
5:30 AM 8:42 AM 3:49 AM 3:56 PM 4:51 PM 6:48 PM 7:10 PM 7:19 AM 8:28 PM
0.3H 0.3H 0.3L 0.1L 0.1L 0.1L 0.0L 0.4L 0.0L
3:12 PM 3:16 PM 6:31 AM
0.2L 0.2L 0.3H
8:37 PM
0.3H
3:26 PM
0.2L
10:32 AM
0.4H
7:41 PM
0.0L
P.M. Minor Major
4:51 5:31 6:12 6:55 7:38 8:24 9:12 10:02 10:54 11:47 12:16 1:11 2:05 2:58 3:51 4:42 5:34 6:26 7:21 8:18
11:02 11:43 12:23 13:05 1:28 2:13 3:01 3:50 4:42 5:35 6:29 7:24 8:19 9:13 10:05 10:57 11:48 12:12 1:07 2:04
SUN Rises Sets
7:52 7:53 7:53 7:54 7:54 7:55 7:55 7:56 7:56 7:57 7:57 7:58 7:58 7:59 7:59 8:00 8:01 8:01 8:02 8:02
8:55 8:54 8:53 8:52 8:51 8:50 8:48 8:47 8:46 8:45 8:44 8:43 8:42 8:40 8:39 8:38 8:37 8:36 8:34 8:33
MOON Rises Sets
5:22a 6:59p 6:14a 7:37p 7:05a 8:13p 7:57a 8:47p 8:49a 9:21p 9:41a 9:55p 10:34a 10:29p 11:27a 11:06p 12:22p 11:45p 1:18p NoMoon 2:15p 12:28a 3:13p 1:15a 4:10p 2:07a 5:05p 3:05a 5:57p 4:07a 6:46p 5:13a 7:33p 6:20a 8:17p 7:28a 9:00p 8:35a 9:44p 9:41a
P.M. Minor Major 4:56 11:08 5:37 11:48 6:18 12:29 7:00 13:11 7:44 1:33 8:30 2:19 9:17 3:06 10:07 3:56 10:59 4:48 11:53 5:41 12:22 6:35 1:16 7:30 2:11 8:25 3:04 9:19 3:57 10:11 4:48 11:03 5:39 11:54 6:32 12:18 7:26 1:13 8:23 2:10
SUN MOON Rises Sets Rises Sets 7:54 9:04 5:23a 7:10p 7:55 9:03 6:15a 7:47p 7:56 9:02 7:08a 8:21p 7:56 9:01 8:01a 8:55p 7:57 8:59 8:54a 9:27p 7:58 8:58 9:47a 10:00p 7:58 8:57 10:41a 10:34p 7:59 8:56 11:35a 11:09p 7:59 8:55 12:31p 11:47p 8:00 8:53 1:28p NoMoon 8:01 8:52 2:26p 12:29a 8:01 8:51 3:25p 1:16a 8:02 8:49 4:22p 2:08a 8:03 8:48 5:16p 3:05a 8:03 8:47 6:08p 4:08a 8:04 8:46 6:56p 5:15a 8:05 8:44 7:41p 6:23a 8:05 8:43 8:24p 7:32a 8:06 8:42 9:06p 8:41a 8:06 8:40 9:48p 9:48a
2014 A.M. Aug.-Sept. Minor Major
P.M. Minor Major
SUN Rises Sets
22Fri 23Sat 24Sun 25Mon 26Tue 27Wed 28Thu 29Fri 30Sat 31Sun 01Mon 02Tue 03Wed 04Thu 05Fri 06Sat 07Sun 08Mon 09Tue 10Wed
5:03 5:44 6:25 7:07 7:51 8:36 9:24 10:14 11:06 ----12:29 1:23 2:17 3:11 4:03 4:55 5:46 6:39 7:33 8:30
8:05 8:05 8:06 8:06 8:07 8:07 8:08 8:09 8:09 8:10 8:10 8:11 8:11 8:12 8:12 8:13 8:13 8:14 8:14 8:15
San Antonio
4:40 10:52 5:21 11:33 6:03 ----6:46 ----7:29 1:19 8:15 2:04 9:02 2:51 9:52 3:40 10:43 4:31 11:35 5:23 12:05 6:16 12:59 7:10 1:49 8:03 2:42 8:56 3:34 9:49 4:26 10:40 5:18 11:32 6:11 12:01 7:06 12:55 8:03 1:49
Amarillo
Height 0.4L 0.3L 0.3L 0.3L 0.2L
A gun shooting aid Doe having young A young fox An animal hideaway Sounds made by wild turkeys A class of some trout A danger to small game Weapons Where a backyard and timber meet Rustic abodes Describes a turkey’s vision Young quail Every hunter’s thrill A stinger Noisy wild turkeys Checking freshness on tracks Another name for the largemouth Part of a fishline Food source of bears A quail species
2014 A.M. Aug.-Sept. Minor Major
Dallas
Time 10:32 AM 10:55 AM 10:53 AM 11:02 AM 11:55 PM
Solution on Page 26
12.
Sept. 16
Houston
South Padre Island Date Time Aug 22 5:46 AM Aug 23 6:00 AM Aug 24 5:47 AM Aug 25 5:30 AM Aug 26 5:25 AM Aug 27 5:31 AM Aug 28 5:40 AM Aug 29 5:45 AM Aug 30 12:36 AM Aug 31 1:15 AM Sept 01 1:58 AM Sept 02 2:26 AM Sept 03 3:03 AM Sept 04 3:29 AM Sept 05 3:45 AM
Legend: Major=2 hours. Minor=1 hour. Times centered on the major-minor window. For other locations, subtract 1 minute per 12 miles east of a location, and add 1 minute per 12 miles west of a location.
Last
Full
Sept. 2
August 25
Port O’Connor
Solunar | Sun times | Moon times
First
New
4. 5. 6. 7. 11.
38. A dropped antler 39. A fish breathing organ 40. Trapping gear 41. A perch species 42. A sunfish family
LSONews.com
11:14 11:55 12:36 13:18 1:40 2:26 3:13 4:03 4:54 5:47 6:42 7:37 8:31 9:25 10:18 11:09 ----12:25 1:19 2:17
2014 A.M. Aug.-Sept.Minor Major
P.M. Minor Major
22Fri 23Sat 24Sun 25Mon 26Tue 27Wed 28Thu 29Fri 30Sat 31Sun 01Mon 02Tue 03Wed 04Thu 05Fri 06Sat 07Sun 08Mon 09Tue 10Wed
5:16 5:57 6:38 7:20 8:04 8:50 9:37 10:27 11:19 ----12:42 1:37 2:31 3:24 4:17 5:08 5:59 6:52 7:46 8:43
4:53 11:05 5:35 11:46 6:16 ----6:59 ----7:43 1:32 8:28 2:18 9:16 3:05 10:05 3:54 10:56 4:44 11:49 5:36 12:18 6:29 1:13 7:23 2:02 8:17 2:55 9:10 3:47 10:02 4:39 10:54 5:31 11:45 6:24 12:14 7:19 1:09 8:16 2:03
11:28 12:08 12:49 13:31 1:53 2:39 3:27 4:16 5:08 6:01 6:55 7:50 8:45 9:39 10:31 11:23 ----12:38 1:33 2:30
9:07 9:06 9:05 9:04 9:03 9:02 9:01 8:59 8:58 8:57 8:56 8:55 8:54 8:53 8:51 8:50 8:49 8:48 8:47 8:45
SUN Rises Sets
8:11 8:12 8:13 8:13 8:14 8:15 8:16 8:16 8:17 8:18 8:19 8:19 8:20 8:21 8:22 8:22 8:23 8:24 8:24 8:25
9:27 9:26 9:25 9:23 9:22 9:21 9:19 9:18 9:17 9:15 9:14 9:13 9:11 9:10 9:09 9:07 9:06 9:04 9:03 9:02
MOON Rises Sets
5:35a 7:12p 6:27a 7:49p 7:19a 8:25p 8:11a 9:00p 9:02a 9:34p 9:54a 10:08p 10:46a 10:42p 11:40a 11:19p 12:34p NoMoon 1:30p NoMoon 2:27p 12:41a 3:25p 1:29a 4:22p 2:21a 5:17p 3:19a 6:09p 4:21a 6:59p 5:26a 7:45p 6:34a 8:30p 7:41a 9:13p 8:48a 9:57p 9:54a
MOON Rises Sets
5:39a 7:34p 6:33a 8:10p 7:26a 8:44p 8:20a 9:17p 9:14a 9:48p 10:08a 10:20p 11:03a 10:52p 11:58a 11:27p 12:55p NoMoon 1:53p 12:04a 2:52p 12:45a 3:50p 1:31a 4:48p 2:23a 5:42p 3:21a 6:33p 4:24a 7:20p 5:32a 8:04p 6:42a 8:45p 7:52a 9:26p 9:02a 10:07p 10:10a
FOR THE TABLE Vension tenderloin bites
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 1/2 cups Italian dry breadcrumbs 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 pound venison tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes 5 cups arugula 1 lemon, cut into quarters Preheat the oven’s broiler and set the oven rack at about 6 inches from the heat source. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Warm the olive oil and garlic in a small saucepan over low heat for 5 minutes to infuse the flavor of the garlic into the olive
oil. Place the breadcrumbs into a mixing bowl, and pour the oil mixture overtop. Stir the parsley, and Parmesan cheese into the breadcrumb mixture until evenly blended. Press the venison cubes into the bread crumb mixture to coat, and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Broil in the oven until the breadcrumbs are golden and the venison has turned from red to pink in the center, or to your desired degree of doneness — about 6 minutes. Turn the cubes occasionally as they cook. Divide the arugula onto 4 dinner plates, and top with the broiled venison. Squeeze a quarter of a lemon over each plate to serve. — allrecipes.com
Bacon stuffed fish 4 fillets of any white fish, dressed (about 1/2 pound each) 8 slices of bacon 1 medium onion, chopped 1 celery stalk, chopped 1 cup fresh bread crumbs 2 tbsps. butter or margarine 1 tsp. dried thyme Salt and pepper Celery leaves or parsley for garnishing Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Melt butter or margarine in a skillet. Add onion and celery, cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove
from heat. Add the breadcrumbs, thyme, and season with the salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Season the cavity of each trout with salt and pepper. Stuff each fillet with the bread mixture, dividing it evenly between the fish. Secure the openings with toothpicks if necessary. Wrap 2 slices of bacon around each trout. Arrange in a single layer in a baking dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork and the bacon is crisp. — backwoodsbound.com
*email LSON your favorite recipe to news@lonestaroutdoornews.com.
LSONews.com
LoneOStar Outdoor News
August 22, 2014
Page 23
10
YEARS, 240 ISSUES OF
FIRST ISSUE: AUGUST 27,2004
FEATURE:
Family and Friends in the Field
FEATURE
Texas’ Premier Weekly Outdoors Newspaper
August 27, 2004
Volume I, Issue One
Central Zone Gets More Whitewings
INSIDE:
FISHING NEWS —
Texas Parks and Wildlife is seeking a mandatory prop-up rule to help protect about 2,000 acres of underwater seagrass meadows in Redfish Bay. See page 5
New Boundary at Loop 1604 Adds 1.1 Million Doves to Central Zone By Ralph Winingham
I
f you’re in the loop, dove season this year will come three weeks earlier. Dove hunters can begin hunting inside Loop 1604 in Bexar County Sept. 1, when the area becomes part of the Central Zone. In the past, the dividing line between the Central Zone and the South Zone, which normally opens the nearest Friday after Sept. 20, has been along Interstate 10 and U.S. Highway 90.
This year, that line will make a dimple around Bexar County to offer hunters an earlier chance at an estimated 1.1 million white-winged doves and a healthy population of mourning doves making their home in the San Antonio area. Instead of waiting until Sept. 24, inside Loop 1604 hunters start their season three weeks early. With more than 400,000 hunters — including many women and youngsters on their first outings — joining the ranks of the opening day crowd in the Lone Star State, dove Continued on Page 4
Texas’ Premier Weekly Outdoors Newspaper
September 10, 2004
$1.50
By Doug Pike A curious mid-summer run of infections from the often deadly saltwater bacteria, Vibrio vulnificus, was all Texas’ coastal anglers talked about for several weeks. The bug isn’t on fishermen’s tongues so much any more, but it remains on their minds. Despite the death of a Houston dentist, extended hospital stays and multiple surgeries for a half-dozen victims and close calls for a few more,
CONSERVATION UPDATE —
Presidential candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry vie to appeal to the nation’s sporting enthusiasts. See page 8
DEPARTMENTS Adventure
Page 10
Crossword Puzzle
Page 14
Food
Page 16
This Week’s Weather Kids’ Page
Page 17 Page 18
Bordering States
Page 19
Outdoor Heroes
Page 20
This Week’s Fishing Report
Page 21
Outdoor Datebook
Page 22
SALTWATER SAVVY: The risk of serious infection from Vibrio vulnificus among healthy, watchful people is extremely low.
Continued on Page 4
Helping Texas’ Quail Populations Rebound
LICENSES NOW SOLD ONLINE
Texas takes lead by starting plan to reverse trend By Shannon Tompkins Many, perhaps a majority, of today’s 21-plus million Texans never have heard the distinctive, two-note, namesake whistle of a wild bobwhite quail, much less seen the little pear-shaped birds skittering through a grassy field or exploding into flight with a rush and clatter that invariably puts hearts in throats. Unless something happens — something considerable — in the next couple of decades, the opportunity to see, hear and experience wild Texas bobwhites stands to become much more rare than it is. “Bobwhite quail are in trouble, and it’s big trouble,” Leonard Brennan, professor and holder of an endowed chair in quail research at Texas A&MKingsville’s Cesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, told the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission during a briefing in Austin.
Over the past 30 years, the bobwhite population in Texas has declined perhaps 70 percent, state wildlife managers said. The scary thing is that Texas’ quail numbers are in good shape when held against those from other states in the birds’ native range. Bobwhites, once so amazingly abundant and widespread in the Southeast that the birds were a part of the social fabric, have all but faded from huge swaths of their native range. Culprits in the quail tumble are clear. Loss of quail habitat and the fragmentation of remaining habitat are the largest factors. Quail have fairly narrow habitat requirements — they like open areas with low grass cover (but not just any grass cover) and an abundance of seeds and insects. And they need a lot of it. Quail research (and bobwhites are one of the most-studied birds in the
By Darlene McCormick Sanchez
B
SPORTY SPEEDSTERS: Shotgunners will get earlier opportunities in Bexar County.
HUNTING NEWS —
NATIONAL NEWS —
$1.50
Lone Star State becoming a proving ground for national outdoor retailers
Join the hunters flocking to Uvalde this month, in pursuit of more than 100 thousand whitewinged and mourning doves that roost in the city and feast in the outlying fields. See page 11
This years’s nine-day teal season will be followed by the first-ever early season split in the South Zone, allowing 16 consecutive days of duck hunting in September. See page 6
Texas joins the ranks of states providing hunting and fishing licenses online By Darlene McCormick Sanchez
BRINGING BACK BOBS: Texas is at the forefront of a new quail initiative.
Hunters and anglers who would like to avoid waiting in long lines for new hunting and fishing licenses this fall now can purchase them online. Craig Richlen, director of revenue for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said the Internet service has been available Continued on Page 4 PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PA I D Dallas, TX Permit No. 308
Continued on Page 9
TARGET DRAWN ON TEXAS: National outdoor retail chains are vying to capture market share among the Lone Star State’s more than 3 million hunters and anglers.
ig outdoor retailers from out of state are flocking to cities and towns in the Lone Star State where the market is, well, as big as Texas. Gander Mountain, Sportsman’s Warehouse and Cabela’s are currently setting up shop in Texas. The attraction is more than 3 million hunters and anglers in the state, not to mention those who love outdoor activities like hiking and camping. These outdoor retailers, along with Bass Pro Shops, are targeting locations along major Interstates, such as I-35, I-30 and I-45, with access to markets such as Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and Amarillo. Up until now, Texas-based Academy Sports & Outdoors and
Oshman’s Supersports USA, whose founding family hails from Texas, have been the major chains in Texas. While the arrival of new national outdoor retailers is a boon for cities and towns eager for new business, smaller retailers could be hurt as these mega-stores move into their territory. Cabela’s headquarters in Sidney, Neb., announced it will build two stores in Texas in 2005: a 230,000square-foot store in Fort Worth and a 185,000-square-foot store in Buda, just south of Austin. Sportsman’s Warehouse, which is based in Salt Lake City, Utah, opened a store in Lewisville north of Dallas and Fort Worth four months ago, with another one scheduled to open in Round Rock in October. Gander Mountain, of Bloomington, Minn., just opened an 87,000
ADVENTURE
Campout on North Padre Island Offers Access to Prime Fishing
See page 9
See page 4
Isla Mujeres a Natural Joy See page 10
See page 12
HUNTING NEWS Bowhunters can prepare for the upcoming archery season with these tips for eliminating scent. See page 6
CONSERVATION UPDATE Texas’ new cormorant control permit will allow permit holders to kill double-crested cormorants by shooting them, strangling them or breaking their necks. See page 8
By John Jefferson A rancher once objected to a $25 fine levied against a poacher caught on his place. “Hell, Judge,” the rancher exclaimed, “if I wanted to day lease my ranch, I would at least charge more than that!” For years, some poachers got off lightly. Justice of the Peace Courts varied in their judgments and some fines were little more than a slap on the wrist. One poacher was even heard to say that a $200 fine for shooting a deer at night from a public road was a small annual meat bill – and that he didn’t even get caught every year! That all changed in 1985. The Texas Legislature that year created civil restitution, which provided
DEPARTMENTS Adventure Crossword Puzzle Food This Week’s Weather Kids’ Page Bordering States
Page 11 Page 14 Page 16
By John Goodspeed Bargain hunters can kill two birds with one stone by buying a $48 annual hunting permit from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. With private dove hunting leases going for upwards of $75 a day, the $48 annual public hunting permit allows access to 147 leases for doves with a total of some 55,000 acres
By Darlene McCormick Sanchez
J
ust think of it as the government’s answer to boutique shopping for hunters and anglers. This year the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department changed the licensing structure of fishing licenses and combination fishing and hunting licenses to accom-
Continued on page 10
Page 17
Page 20 Page 22
of trophy animals (whitetails, mule deer, pronghorns and desert bighorn sheep) were adjusted in 1996 to take Boone and Crockett Continued on page 12
variety of choices for hunters and anglers
Page 18
Page 21
A DEER PRICE: Some civil restitution fees have increased as much as 65 percent.
New freshwater stamp, new pricing structures makes for a
across the state. The permit also offers more than a million acres for hunting just about everything except bighorn sheep and alligators. “It’s worth it just for the doves,” said Jason Driscoll of San Antonio, who buys the permit for doves and waterfowl. “The cheapest one-day dove lease you can find is $35. Just pay $13 more and you can hunt every day of
Page 19
Outdoor Heroes This Week’s Fishing Report Outdoor Datebook
HUNTING NEWS The whitetailed deer management seminar at the King Ranch offers a one-day opportunity to meet with some of the nation’s leading deer experts. See page 6
A DIZZYING ARRAY OF LICENSES OPTIONS
$48 annual hunting permit a good value
Deer hunting contributes almost $1 billion in retail sales to the economy. But what may be surprising to some how is spent on deer corn. See page 6
FISHING NEWS
been assessed, and 75 to 80 percent of that has been collected. All told, $3.5 million has been recovered since 1985.” On top of that, once restitution has been ordered and required notice given, a person is barred from buying a hunting and fishing license or any other permit or license issued by TPWD until civil restitution is paid. That put teeth in the tenet. The value for each animal was determined by an involved formula that evaluated its worth based upon eight criteria: recreation, aesthetics, education, scarcity, environmental tolerance, economics, recruitment and ecological role. Most values have not been changed since 1985, except that the values
Going Public
NATIONAL NEWS Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge gains more hunting opportunity as the National Wildlife Refuge System opens up 243,500 more acres to hunting and fishing. See page 9
that anyone killing or injuring any animal in violation of the Texas Parks and Wildlife code owed the state the value of that animal in addition to any fine set by the court. It also authorized TPWD to establish values for those animals, and the funds derived from fines were to be deposited to the TPWD account for conservation. Values were accordingly established and assessed when cases were finally adjudicated. “The Attorney General’s Office has been very helpful in collecting these assessments,” said Kris Bishop, assistant chief of fisheries law enforcement at TPWD, and administrator of the Civil Restitution Program. “In recent years, an annual average of $419,000 in restitution fees has
modate a new $5 freshwater fishing stamp. The additional money is for improvements to aging fish hatcheries and the purchase of fish for stocking. The pick-and-choose type of licensing will allow sportsmen and women to customize their licenses to a degree. But there are enough options to make your head swim. Want to fish only freshwater? Well, this season, which started Continued on page 12
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PA I D Dallas, TX Permit No. 308
TRUCKS IN A ROW: A dove hunter prepares to hunt Saturday morning at public hunting unit # 2238 in Rockwall county.
CONSERVATION UPDATE Using global positioning satellite technology, volunteers are helping track invasive species so they can be better contained and managed. See page 7
Page 9 Page 11
Migratory Bird Hunting Report
Page 11
Product Picks
Page 12
Bordering States
Page 13
Outdoor Heroes
Page 13
Wild in the Kitchen
Page 14
This Week’s Weather
Page 15
The Game Warden Blotter
Page 15
Kids’ Page
Page 16
This Week’s Fishing Report
Page 17
Outdoor Datebook
Page 18
Te x a s ’ P r e m i e r O u t d o o r N e w s p a p e r
October 8, 2004
$1.50
RETURN TO LOUISIANA… SOON
Mid-Season Lull Perfect Time to Chase Doves
Floating hotel’s removal from Baffin Bay delayed by repairs and enhancements, lack of tug boat
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pening day of dove season holds a hallowed position in the hearts and minds of Texas hunters, but the best dove hunting may just now be coming into bloom. With the Sept. 1 opener falling mid-week, accompanied by sporadic rainfall in the North and Central Zones, the opener was not as productive as in past years. “Our reports are that fewer people got limits this year than they did last year,” says Jay Roverson, TPWD dove program leader. “But we've had good reports from West Texas — not just the Hondo/Uvalde area, but around Midland/Odessa and Balmorhea as well.” Dove seasons are open in the North Zone until Oct. 30, with a 15bird daily bag limit and in the Central Zone until Oct. 31 (and again Dec. 26 to Jan. 3) with a 12bird daily bag limit. Dove season opens in the South Zone on Sept. 24. (See “Current Texas Open Hunting Seasons” box on page 7 for a complete listing of open season.) While opening day activities tend to cluster near major metropolitan areas, the mid-season lull presents fine opportunities for several-day jaunts farther afield. “We were covered up in dove hunters the first two weeks of the season,” says Joanne Nelson of the Uvalde Convention and Visitors Bureau, “but it's pretty quiet right now.” Her husband, Greg, operates Uvalde Hunting Services with partner Lindsey Hooper. “It will pick up with the South Zone opener, but slide down again after the first two weekends.” October's pleasant temperatures make for more comfortable hunting than the sweltering days of September. Areas such as Uvalde, close by to Garner State Park and
By David Sikes
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OCTOBER SKIES: Mid-season dove hunters enjoy the benefit of cooler temperatures.
the Frio River, and Balmorhea, near Balmorhea State Park and its famed San Solomon Springs, offer unique opportunities for family getaways, with a plentitude of recreation opportunities for dove hunters and non-dove hunters alike. But where are the doves? “They're moving around a lot, as the weather's pushed the birds around,” says Roberson. “Doves don't like to feed in standing vegetation, so they'll move to recently harvested fields. Migrant doves aren't tied to locale, as are resident
doves, so factors such as hunting pressure, a cold front or a storm can move them quickly. Once you find them, just get to the birds and stay on them.” So scout, make a few phone calls to area chambers of commerce and plan to enjoy the “juicy center-cut” of dove season. Also, be on the lookout for banded birds. This is the second year of a three-year study tracking mourning doves. Hunters can report bands by calling (800) 327-BAND or online at www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl.
110-foof, two-story floating fishing lodge once stranded in Baffin Bay illegally for weeks and thought to have returned to Louisiana has never left Texas waters. The so-called floating motel, which was the topic of news reports in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, is undergoing a variety of enhancements and maintenance work while moored at a Galveston Bay boat dock, according to floater owner Richard King. King said he expects work on his floater/barge, which sleeps about 40 anglers and contains a commercial size and grade kitchen, to be completed within two to three months, in time for tuna season in Louisiana. He intends to reverse his lengthy misfortune by turning the lodge into a moneymaking enterprise either in waters off Venice, La. or somewhere near the Chandeleur Islands, where similar operations thrive. The idea has always been to host parties of anglers looking for a guided fishing experience with the trappings of convenience and above-average meals and hospitality. King had hoped to provide this opulent service in the productive trout waters of Baffin Bay. But he didn’t know the law. The floater cabin rules of Texas are clear. Owners of floating cabins had to apply for a floater permit before the deadline — Aug. 31, 2001. Otherwise, the cabin must be removed or destroyed. No Continued on page 10
Teal Hunters See Lackluster Opener By Bink Grimes
By Shannon Tompkins
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By Darlene McCormick Sanchez
HUNTING NEWS
Providing a water source on your lease can encourage the movement of wildlife into “corridors.” Building a West Texas guzzler can be an economical solution. See page 6
CONSERVATION UPDATE National Wild Turkey Federation biologists are assessing the effects of Florida’s four hurricanes on turkeys and turkey habitat. See page 7
NATIONAL NEWS Is chronic wasting disease creeping toward Texas? Scientists studying this deadly cervid disease reveal current studies. See page 8
Adventure Crossword Puzzle Migratory Bird Hunting Report Outdoor Heroes
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PA I D Dallas, TX Permit No. 308
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HIP STRUGGLES FOR ACCURACY Harvest Information Program needs reliable numbers to defend hunting regulations
Women are turning to bowhunting in record numbers
t takes skill, concentration and above all, patience, to be a bowhunter. Considering those factors, the men out there shouldn’t be surprised if they see more and more women with a bow, according to female hunters. Women have an abundance of all the above qualities, and new technology has made bows easier to use and more compact. “Patience-wise, women are probably a little bit better at it,” said Cathy Wheatley, an avid bowhunter who lives with her husband on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. “The first deer I killed, I first watched for an hour-and-a-half as it played peek-a-boo with a groundhog.” In Texas and nationwide, hard numbers and anecdotal evidence shows the sport is growing among women. Steve Hall is vice president of the National Bowhunter Education Foundation and education director for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “Women are the fastest growing segment of people who take up bowhunting,” said Hall. “The manufacturers are actually targeting women.” In 1991, Women made up 8 percent of the entire population of bowhunters. In 2001, that segment had grown by more than 12 percent, pegging women at 9 percent of the total bowhunter population, according to Hall, citing the 2002 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated
ON TARGET: Bowhunting is a market segment that’s experiencing growth in participation.
Recreation. Men make up the largest number of bowhunters, but the growth is on the female side, Hall said. Big outdoor retailers like Cabela’s offers clothing and equipment for women – something they wouldn’t do if there were no market, he pointed out. Hunting in general has also grown among women by 12 percent — from 1.07 million female hunters in 1991 to 1.2 million in 2001, according to the same study. But Hall says bowhunting and flyfishing specifically tend to be more acceptable for women in society. Flyfishing in upstate New York, for example, is extremely popular
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By David Sikes A controversial proposal to create mandatory prop-up zones in certain sections of Redfish Bay and Brown and Root Flats has been pulled from the agenda for the Nov.
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TPWD pulls item from November agenda
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The Game Warden Blotter Kids’ Page This Week’s Fishing Report
bout 61,100 waterfowlers hunted ducks in Texas this past season, and they took 815,800 birds. Or it might have been 78,200 hunters taking 1.19 million ducks. Or was it 440,000 ducks? And it could have been 44,000 duck hunters. Truth is, any of those figures could be correct according to the latest preliminary estimates from the relatively new Harvest Information Program (HIP), a joint, nationwide state/federal effort to gauge how many people hunt migratory game birds and what they harvest. HIP has been in nationwide operation since 1998. And while it has its problems, particularly in Texas, wildlife managers say it is much better at producing reliable data than the harvest survey it replaced. Getting a handle on how many people hunt waterfowl and other migratory birds in Texas, and how many ducks, geese, doves and other migratory game they take has been a longrunning challenge for wildlife managers. Such information is crucial to designing effective and, just as important, legally defensible management programs. Without a solid grasp on how many people hunt certain migratory birds and how many of each species they take, managers are hard-put to gauge hunting’s impact on bird populations and incorporate that knowledge into hunting regulations and other management programs. And without reliable data justifying those regulations, hunting season rules and even hunting seasons themselves face the jeopardy of court challenges. “Without good harvest data, hunting seasons (for migratory
Prop Up Proposal Postponed Until 2005
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This Week’s Weather
among sophisticated, upper class women, Hall said. He thinks bowhunting appeals to women for the same reasons – it’s less about power and more about finesse. “It’s a little bit more refined. There’s an art, a grace,” Hall said. Les Tompkins, a moderator for TexasBowhunter.com, said that over the past three years, he’s noticed women become regular visitors to the Web site. From what he’s seen, many of the women getting into bowhunting are educated, married and have children. “They’re definitely coming out of the bowhunting closet,” said Tompkins.
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Bordering States Wild in the Kitchen
Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper
October 22, 2004
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FISHING NEWS Hoping to hook up with the fall flounder run? Here are the signs to watch for. See page 4
Product Picks
COMING AT YOU: Early migrants, such as the green-winged teal above, tend to be drakes, while hens and their broods follow later when cold fronts and a full moon make for easier flying.
Ladies Take a Bow
INSIDE WALLY’S WORLD Wally Marshall has created both his persona and his livelihood as “Mr. Crappie,” with a wealth of sponsorships and his own product lines. Still, he remains true to his humble beginnings. See page 5
DEPARTMENTS
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wo dozen bluewings appeared from the September morning mist, swooped over the placid pond, then exited into the haze. Thirty seconds later, they were back, darting and dancing before plunging into the shallows of the rice pond. That was five seasons ago, what many on the coastal prairie consider to be one of the best teal seasons ever. This year, most Texas waterfowlers agree teal hunting will be below average if the first weekend of the nine-day special teal season is any indication. “This is the slowest opener I have seen in quite a while,” said Wesley Morton, owner of South Texas Waterfowl near El Campo. “There are just not that many birds on the prairie; and, it is just not us. Other outfitters I have spoken with around the area are saying the same thing.” The coastal prairie is often defined by the rice belt counties of Wharton, Jackson, Lavaca, Colorado, Matagorda, Brazoria
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Migration should pick up with upcoming full moon, north winds
DEPARTMENTS Adventure
By Susan L. Ebert
NATIONAL NEWS In the second installment of our “Counting the Waterfowl” series, we take a look at how aerial surveys are supported by ground crews. See page 8
Crossword Puzzle
FISHING
In the Zone
INSIDE GOLDEN NUGGETS
No wonder BASS is bringing a tournament to Sam Rayburn Reservoir for the 28th time: It’s one of the nation’s most highly esteemed “bass factories,” and is renowned for crappie and catfish as well. See page 5
New civil restitution charges set by TPW commission FISHING NEWS
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Poaching Fines to Increase Soon Bassmaster Classic winner Takahiro Omori demonstrates how work ethic, perseverance pay off. See page 4
Te x a s ’ P r e m i e r O u t d o o r N e w s p a p e r
September 24, 2004
Outdoor Retailers Flock to Texas
INSIDE
ADVENTURE IN UVALDE
Know the risk factors and symptoms for the bacteria Vibrio vulnificus
Volume I, Issue Two
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Avoiding Bacteria Hysteria
The Texas Wildlife Association contends that private landowners can be instrumental in increasing water flow on their own properties as well as delivering water to downstream users and into Texas’ bays and estuaries. See page 7
ADVENTURE
Top Five Bass Lakes Are Short Drive From Five Largest Cities
Target Smallmouth Bass on Gin-Clear Hill Country Rivers
See page 6
See page 9
FISHING
FISHING
HUNTING
Field Report: The First Early Split of Duck Season
Solace and Luxury in the West Texas Mountains
See page 5
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ADVENTURE
Best Places to Fish the Bull Redfish Run
See page 12
4 Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting. The no-prop rule, aimed at preventing seagrass scarring and subsequent fragmentation of seagrass meadows by motorboats, likely will go to a vote during the commisContinued on page 10 PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PA I D Dallas, TX Permit No. 308
DELAYED ACTION: The proposal to create “prop-up” zones has been delayed because of a perceived conflict of interest involving a Texas Parks and Wildlife staffer.
Volume I, Issue Five
The Year for Deer
INSIDE GO FOR A FLY FISHING “GRAND SLAM” These three flies, with some expert tips and a bit of luck, can earn you a “slam,” — a redfish, a speckled trout and a flounder — all with your fly rod. See page 5
FISHING NEWS Biologists are monitoring Lake Texoma for any recurring signs of the golden alga blooms that caused an extensive fish kill in spring 2004. See page 8
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ith more than 83 million acres of available deer range, there is plenty of opportunity for Texas white-tailed deer to roam. And with so much of that country in ideal condition, Texas Parks and Wildlife biologists suggest hunters may have to cover more ground than they are accustomed to in order to be successful this fall. The good news is there are more than 4 million white-tailed deer in the Lone Star State. And thanks to excellent range conditions, they should be in great shape with above-average antler development and high body weights. The white-tailed deer is arguably the number one game animal in Texas, attracting more than 500,000 hunters and more than $2.5 billion annually. Many small communities in the Hill Country and South Texas receive a good portion of their annual economic base from hunting. Llano County, for example, plays host to more than 15,000 hunters who contribute more than $3.5 million to the area economy. The general deer season opens
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You will after reading this primer on white-tailed deer’s favorite foods. (And no, corn isn’t one of them.) See page 10
A PEEK AT PEAK HABITAT: Range conditions are about the best they’ve been in 20 years.
Spinning Wing Decoys Outlawed in Arkansas Ban goes into effect for 2005-2006 season by Michael Furtman
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The giant salvinia infestation in Toledo Bend is marching toward Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Can biologists keep it out? See page 7
eginning in 2005, the use of spinning wing decoys (SWDs) — commonly called “Roboducks” — will be banned in the state of Arkansas. The ban includes “electronic, mechanically guided, wind-powered or manually powered spinning blade devices that simulate wing movement.” Arkansas Game and Fish Commissioners voted unanimously on Sept. 19 to remove the decoys from duck hunters’ arsenals in the
NATIONAL NEWS What’s up with the weather? It depends on what sources you trust. Many are predicting a cold, wet winter for Texas. See page 6
2005-2006 season. The delay in the ban gives both hunters and retail outlets advance notice. “We believe it’s fair to both buyers and sellers that we allow them one more season,” commissioner Sheffield Nelson said. “We also want to save ducks for the future,” Nelson added. Commissioners said that the spinning-wing decoy helped hunters kill more young ducks that were attracted to the wing flashes. The use of these decoys has come under increased scrutiny. Some hunters believe they violate the
Outdoor Heroes Bordering States Wild in the Kitchen This Week’s Weather Game Warden Blotter
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Kids’ Page
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Outdoor Datebook
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Emerging science allows trophy bucks to be cloned
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or George W. Bush and John Kerry, the sportsmen’s vote Nov. 2 could play a major role in who wins the White House. With the 2004 presidential race
being too close to call in swing states such as Ohio, Florida, and New Mexico, the sportsmen’s vote has become even more important for President Bush and Senator Kerry. Both Bush and Kerry are hunters and anglers. Bush likes to hunt quail and fish for bass. Kerry is a
NATIONAL NEWS PROVING GROUND: Dr. Tim Holt, outside the gates of Revolution Whitetails in Terrell. Photo by David J. Sams/Lone Star Outdoor News.
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the original cloning effort, formed Revolution Whitetails, a company in Terrell. Besides being a veterinarian, Holt holds a scientific breeder permit with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Long said the company is on the verge of offering hunters and breeders the opportunity to clone animals hunted in the wild. “It’s not the right time to advertise,” said Long. But he added that commercial deer cloning is perhaps a year away: “It will be done in the near future.” Long, now an assistant professor in physiology and pharmacology at A&M, said the university’s mission is research — then it’s up to private companies like his to develop the technology and bring it to the public. As far as Long knows, no one else is pursuing the commercialization of deer cloning. “Whether they hate us or not, it generates interest,” said Long, adding the technology could be especially useful to deer breeders who have invested as much as six figures in a breeding-stock buck. “If their buck hits a fence and
idney “Sid” Zirkel Jr., 49, can honestly say he has an angel on his shoulder. The angel may wear a green beret and serve in the U.S. Army’s Special Forces, but on Oct. 11, he was able to help save Zirkel’s life. The soldier’s name is Nathaniel M. Buelow, and he’s a combat-trained medic who was hunting with his father before deploying from Fort Carson to Iraq in late October. The drama began around 5 p.m. when Zirkel, a hunter since he was a boy, was skinning a large bull elk at his camp, about 20 miles northeast of Vallecito Lake. One part of the elk was hard to reach, and Zirkel made one stroke with the knife pointed toward him to get to it. In an instant, Zirkel had stabbed deeply into his upper inner thigh and the knife was back out again. “I saw blood and enough flesh that I knew it was a real puncture wound,” he said later from his hospital bed at Mercy Medical Center. “I’ve heard stories about hunters cutting their femoral arteries, so I hoped I wasn’t close to that one.” That’s when a series of lucky coincidences began that would save the Kerrville, Texas, resident’s life. Zirkel and his cousin Claus Rohlfs had just called their outfitter’s camp via walkie-talkie, requesting pack mules to carry out their meat. “I told him to call back and tell them the mules were for Continued on page 7
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Unusual Dove Season Languishes to Close High temperatures and wet weather make for marginal conditions By Bink Grimes
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Adventure Heroes’ Corner Wild in the Kitchen
DON’T MOVE: Any spinning blade decoy will be banned; not just motorized ones.
BUCKING THE ODDS: The first cloned deer, Dewey, is now almost two years old and has been successfully bred twice. Photo by Texas A&M.
College of Veterinary Medicine. Charles Long, who worked for ViaGen at the time and was one of the lead research scientists, said that while Dewey is considered ineligible for commercial breeding because of his status as a research animal, the technology that made him is fair game. As a result, Long and a partner, Dr. Tim Holt, a veterinarian involved in
John Tomke, president of Ducks Unlimited, speaks of his goals for DU on a recent trip to Texas. See page 7
DEPARTMENTS
Candidates Face Off
Hunting, angling votes critical in swing states
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lame it on the rain. Blame it on a warm October. Whichever you choose, unless you dove hunted near Texas’ north and south borders, chances are your dove hunting season produced below average results. “It rained hard just before the opener in the Central Zone and most hunters had to wear rubber boots,” said longtime dove outfitter Randy Stacy. “Whitewings just do not like to fly in the rain.” As is normally the case, there were some hot fields around the
greater San Antonio area, including Uvalde and Hondo. According to outfitters, corn, milo and wild sunflower fields proved productive. However, as a whole, hunting success was down for the second consecutive season in the area. “There was rain, but the whitewings were everywhere early in the season,” said Uvalde outfitter John Pettit. “The weather made it tough but we were still able to pass-shoot the birds roosting in town as they left and returned.” There was only one significant cold front the entire dove season, which passed through in early October. Record high mercury read-
CATCH TEXOMA’S STRIPER ACTION — ON A FLY
INTERNET-BASED HUNTING UNDER SCRUTINY
The chilly temperatures aren’t putting a damper on hot striper fishing at Lake Texoma. See page 4
TPW Commission briefed on remote-control hunting possibilities
INSIDE
By John Jefferson he idea sprang from watching www.fantasyhunt.com. There, you sign up, pay a fee, watch through cameras set up in wildlife habitat displayed on your computer screen and click your mouse to take pictures of wildlife. Pictures are entered in contests, and you could be a winner. But John Lockwood wondered if you could view through a riflescope, align the rifle by using your mouse and direct a bullet downrange by clicking the mouse. He discovered that you could. Thus came the concept for www.Live-Shot.com. At present, you can shoot paper targets for $5.95 after paying the $14.95, 30-day membership fee. The Web site says hunting for exotic wildlife will be the next step, once a high fence is constructed. Since high fences cost around $15,000 per mile to construct, Lockwood said it will be a while before that phase is operational — probably next fall at the soonest. But the Texas Parks and Wildlife Deptartment has LiveShot in its sights right now. Concerns about the ethics and legalities of such a so-called hunting/shooting operation came before TPWD’s Whitetailed Deer Advisory Committee at a recent meeting. René Barrientos, a San Antonio attorney and rancher, said, “There’s right and there’s wrong, and this one is easy. It could establish a bad precedent.” Barrientos’ concerns are
TANGLED UP… NOT IN BLUE BUT IN PLUM: Tom Malouf takes a snapshot of a 16-point buck that tangled his antlers in a wild plum tree. Malouf estimated that the deer had been hung up for a couple of days and had died the night before they found it. Four men tried to disengage the deer, but eventually had to saw off a tree limb before being able to remove the deer. The buck scored 168 Boone and Crockett points and was 4 years old. The Malouf ranch is in Wills Point Texas. Photo by David J. Sams/ Lone Star Outdoor News.
FISHING NEWS In the past, coastal freezes have killed tens of millions of Texas finfish. A proposal is underway to limit the devastation to coastal fisheries, should we see another big freeze. See page 5
HUNTING NEWS Here are up-to-the-minute reports to fill you in on the duck hunting action in both the North and South Zones. See page 6
NATIONAL NEWS Matt Lindler shared a hunt with an Iraq war veteran, and shares that experience and some great advice with those of us who would also like to take a soldier afield this hunting season. See page 8
CONSERVATION UPDATE
No. 1 Rut Myth Is Just That Cold weather is not what triggers white-tailed deer breeding, according to biologists, landmark study By Darlene McCormick Sanchez
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cold north wind rustling fallen leaves is a sure sign of autumn in Texas, but don’t count on cool temperatures to signal the deer rut. Knowing the difference between science and fiction could mean the difference between shooting a buck or not this deer season. To hear some hunters tell it, cold weather triggers deer breeding. But studies indicate that a doe will breed at a time that optimizes the survival chances of her fawn. Fawns
are born about 200 days after conception, and biologist found their birth coincided with good availability of food and cover. “A lot of the hunters think the cold weather causes the rut, but it doesn’t. You see a lot of deer movement, and hunters go hunt when it’s cool,” said Clayton Wolf, head of the big game branch of the Wildlife Division at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. So a hunter’s best shot could depend on his knowledge of when does breed — something that varies from region to region in Texas but is fairly predictable. Bucks — especially big ones — don’t move much
Coveys on the rise, but finding birds in thick vegetation a challenge By E. Dan Klepper
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hy would you dress up your shortest buddy in blaze orange, snake chaps and a game bag and then follow him as he stumbles through some of the densest vegetation Texas has seen in a long, long time? Well, you just might do it this quail season if you don’t have a dog. Texas quail hunters this season are reporting that there are plenty of birds to shoot if you can just get them to flush. And even without
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West Texas Bounty
Galveston Bay’s West Bay Conservation Corridor Project gets a boost from the Feds: A $1 million grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to acquire prime coastal habitat. See page 9
Crossword Puzzle
during the day. But when does go into heat, hunters and biologists alike say bucks can lose all fear of humans. Studies have shown that the decrease in sunlight is the actual trigger for estrus in does, but environmental conditions help determine the timing of that trigger, Wolf said. About 10 years ago, the department completed a deer study which was, at the time, the most comprehensive breeding study of its kind in the United States. The study involved the examination of 2,436 dead white-tailed does. Biologists looked at the timing of
using a dog, many hunters are enjoying great success. “The vegetation is real thick this year,” explains Chaparral Wildlife Management Area assistant manager Jim Gallagher of south Texas. The dense brush and the fact that the region has more ground cover this year makes it difficult to get a rise out of the birds. But this has not stopped quail enthusiasts from enjoying the surplus of birds on private lands or taking advantage of the public hunting opportunities on the Chaparral and other Continued on page 6
Te x a s ’ P r e m i e r O u t d o o r N e w s p a p e r
December 17, 2004
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Rattle ’Em Up in the Rut and Post-Rut
INSIDE COLORADO’S BIG MOUTH SHOUTS GOOD FISHING
Antler-rattling legend says it’s time for deer hunters to make some noise
A hot spot for fishing in the cold winter months is the mouth of the Colorado River near Matagorda. See page 4
By Lynn Burkhead
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or many hunters across Texas, time spent sitting in a deer stand is an occasion demanding peace and quiet. Not for Bob Ramsey though. For this 86-year-old deer hunting veteran from Hunt, Texas, time spent chasing whitetails is time to… well, it’s time to make plenty of noise, at least as far as a pair of rattling horns are concerned.
Ramsey, who has managed his family’s whitetail-rich, 5,000-acre Hill Country ranch for nearly 50 years, is widely considered to be the grandfather of antler-rattling in the Lone Star State, thanks to a small masterpiece he wrote on the subject in 1946 — not long after his postWorld War II discharge from the U.S. Air Force. That booklet, entitled appropriately enough How to Rattle Up a Buck, was published by Texas game
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Fishing Hall of Fame Inductee Aims for Classic Invite See page 5
INSIDE FISHING NEWS Although two major piers are closed for repairs over the winter, there are plenty of other options along the mid-coast. See page 4
HUNTING NEWS
Will the freezing temperatures north of Oklahoma City send ducks into the North Zone for the holidays? See page 6
NATIONAL NEWS Federal and state agencies announce that an agreement has been reached with Alcoa to clean up after years of mercury contamination in Lavaca Bay and around the Point Comfort superfund site. See page 8
IN THE NEWS
HUNTING NEWS Learn how to protect your bird dog from nasty briars and burrs that can make your hunting dog miserable. See page 6
CONSERVATION UPDATE Officials are floating the idea to re-introduce Louisiana black bears in East Texas as part of a conservation plan to stabilize the population, which already exists in small numbers. See page 7
NATIONAL NEWS Hunting advocates hope the public views deer hunter accused of slaying fellow hunters in Wisconsin as anomaly. See page 8
Texas’ Twin Trophy Ducks
’Tis the season for sprigs and cans By Michael Furtman
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lthough most folks probably don’t consider any duck a trophy, the fact is that two species that visit Texas truly are handsome enough to be considered something worth bragging about. One is rare, and has never been numerous, though it once visited Texas in much larger numbers than today. The other, once numerous, has come on hard times, and visits no place as often as it once does.
Canvasbacks and Pintails
Cans, often called the King of the Marsh, probably never numbered more than about a million birds. The long-term average for the traditional survey region from 1955-98 is
556,000. To be included in the hunting bag, the population needs to be greater than 700,000. They seem particularly prone to the double assault of drought combined with increased wetland drainage on the prairies. Hunting restrictions or closures of some sort for this canvasbacks have been in place most years since 1960. Now, Texas hunters are allowed one in the bag, in a 39-day season-withina-season. Now relatively rare in Texas, they once frequented coastal wetlands. Consider the reports of Forest McNeir, one-time market hunter in southwestern Chambers County, in and around Lake Surprise and Galveston Bay. Lake Surprise, a shallow body of water on the north side of East Bay, is about 6 miles from the tip of Smith’s Point. About a mile
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RAMSEY RULES: Some consider Bob Ramsey to be the grandfather of antler rattling. Photo courtesy Texas Parks and Wildlife © 2004, Earl Nottingham.
By Susan L. Ebert n response to a request from Lone Star Outdoor News at press time of the Nov. 19 issue, Col. James Stinebaugh, Texas Parks and Wildlife director of law enforcement, has recently announced that active duty National Guard are eligible for resident hunting and fishing licenses. In the Outdoor Annual, the definition of a resident states in part,
“A resident is a person who has lived continuously in Texas for more than six months immediately before applying for a license or any members of the United States Armed Forces (and their dependents) on active duty anywhere.” It then goes on to explain “active duty,” (see Outdoor Annual, page 20) and specifically states, “Such term does not include full-time National Guard duty.” “In view of the massive Continued on page 8
Rainbows Headed Your Way Annual trout stockings to begin this month
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By Greg Berlocher
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There is something majestic about the glistening emerald and red flanks of a rainbow trout as it slides to hand. For a brief period between December and March, Lone Star anglers don’t have to travel to Colorado, Wyoming or other cold
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weather states to see this sight. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department began stocking rainbow trout as an experiment back in 1973. Since then, this put-and-take fishery has grown in both size and popularity. Phil Durocher, TPWD director of inland fisheries, reported that 265,000 trout will be Continued on page 4
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ACTIVE DUTY NATIONAL GUARD MEET REQUIREMENT FOR RESIDENT LICENSES Recent Texas Parks and Wildlife legal review clarifies definition
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Continued on page 9
DEPARTMENTS Crossword Puzzle
Texas Game Warden Billy Hefley is recovering after a triple shooting that killed one person and injured Hefley and another person. See page 8
BULL SPRIG TIME: Texas hunters can soon legally add a pintail drake to the bag.
FISHING NEWS Charlie Brown knows a good Christmas can be had just as easily with a tackle box as with a gift box. See page 5
Outdoor Datebook DOG DAYS: A dog that can find and retrieve birds is invaluable in this year’s heavy vegetation. If you aren’t hunting with a dog, shoot one bird and immediately locate it.
Volume I, Issue Eight
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Adventure
HABITAT A HINDRANCE? With both water and native seed in abundance, normally productive agricultural fields did not draw as many doves as usual.
Te x a s ’ P r e m i e r O u t d o o r N e w s p a p e r
December 3, 2004
$1.75
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n a few years, hunters will most likely have the option of shooting trophy deer bred from clones. In the 17 months since the world’s first cloned deer, Dewey, was born to a surrogate mother named Sweet Pea at Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, a quiet effort has been afoot to move cloning from the laboratory to the ranch. The white-tailed deer experiment was a joint venture involving ViaGen Inc., an Austin-based genetics company, as well as Texas A&M’s
CONSERVATION UPDATE
International experts urge crackdown on wildlife crime; deer DNA is used to solve “cold case” murder See page 8
Volume I, Issue Seven
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By Ann Butler
HUNTING NEWS
Crossword Puzzle
AIMING FOR VOTES: Bush and Kerry are actively hunting America’s hunters. Illustration by Steve Brodner.
By Darlene McCormick Sanchez
ANGEL IN A GREEN BERET
Don’t forget the simple pleasures of fall squirrel hunting: this year’s heavy mast production means a boon year for bushytails. See page 5
Continued on page 8
DEPARTMENTS Crossword Puzzle Adventure Product Picks
A tasty cousin of the red snapper, also known as gray snapper or mangrove snapper, is proliferating in Texas bays — and there’s no bag limit! See page 4
Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper
November 19, 2004
$1.75
By Darlene McCormick Sanchez
HUNTING NEWS
High in the Colorado mountains, a Texas hunter’s life is saved by a combat-trained medic and a series of lucky coincidences
I
FISHING NEWS
With this year’s cool, wet summer, many quail hens raised double clutches. This year’s quail production may prove to be the best on record. See page 10
CONSERVATION UPDATE
Making The Big Bucks
DO YOU KNOW WHICH FOODS DEER CRAVE?
Nov. 6 statewide, except for a few counties in the Panhandle, marking the first time in many years that the North and South Zones share the opener. The North Zone closes Jan. 2, while the South Zone continues for two additional weeks, ending Jan. 16. Special youth-only seasons are set for Oct. 30-31 and Jan. 15-16 statewide. “This is the best year I’ve seen,” said TPWD white-tailed deer program leader Mitch Lockwood. The last couple of years we had good summer rainfall, which helped set the table for the fall, but this year we had an exceptional spring as well. Many ranchers are saying range conditions are the best in 20 years, and some of the old-timers I know also claim this is the best year they have ever seen.” While favorable weather conditions have certainly helped Texas’ deer herd, it may not have done any favors for hunters who rely heavily on supplemental feeding regimes, according to Lockwood. “I expect we’ll have a good supply of cool-season forbs and the acorn crop is exceptional throughout most of the state, which means deer are going to be less likely to come to a feeder. You might have to get out of those
Volume I, Issue Six
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INSIDE
Season shaping up to be best in years A TPWD Report
Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper
November 5, 2004
$1.75
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CONSERVATION UPDATE Fort Worth resident Harry L. Tennison, known as “The Father of the Black Rhino,” is recognized for his conservation efforts. See page 13
DEPARTMENTS Adventure Kids’ Corner
Page 10 Page 12
Crossword Puzzle
Page 13
Heroes’ Corner
Page 14
Bordering States Wild in the Kitchen
Page 14 Page 15
This Week’s Weather
Page 16
Game Warden Blotter
Page 16
Product Picks
THE GUAD SQUAD: Fly fishers on the Guadalupe River can look forward to this winter’s stocking of 40,000 to 50,000 rainbow trout.
Continued on page 6
IN THE NEWS Philip Marks of Aubrey lands a 145-pound alligator gar at Lake Texoma which may prove to be a new state record. See page 9
Page 17
This Week’s Fishing Report
Page 18
Outdoor Datebook
Page 19
By Russell A. Graves
M
ark Engle of Childress isn’t a lifelong pheasant hunter, but he has been one long enough to recognize a good pheasant crop. And according to Engle, the 2004 Texas Panhandle pheasant season is one people will talk about for some time. “Birds seemed to be everywhere,” reports Engle who hunted pheasants opening morning with a group on the central Panhandle Plains near the town of Hart. “The grass in the Conservation Reserve Program fields was thick and it made the walking tough. Still, we managed to flush at least three dozen birds over a couple of days of hunting.” The thick vegetation, although hard on hunters, is prime habitat for pheasants. Danny Swepston, Texas Parks and Wildlife district biologist for the Panhandle, says that the groundwork for a great season was established early last summer as abundant rainfall dappled
the usually semi-arid Panhandle soil. “The extended period of wet weather throughout the Panhandle pheasant range encouraged the development of a lot of cover beyond what we usually have,” notes Swepston. “The rainfall helped establish good nesting cover and provided excellent brood rearing habitat for the chicks.” The cover is so favorable for pheasants Swepston says that their surveys indicate a 12 percent increase in bird numbers over last year. He confides that the population numbers may be conservative as the heavy cover made accurate counts difficult. Heavy summer rains also created a shift in cropland plantings across the pheasants’ range. “The above average moisture also resulted in the farmers planting more acres of milo than in the past years,” Swepston adds. “Milo is much better habitat for pheasants than cotton. In the ar
Continued on page 8
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LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS See IRAQ, Page 26
A GOOD DAY: Sgt. 1st Class Mario Valenzuela of Waco is stationed in Iraq, where he landed this 95-pound mangar. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kelly Seitz.
See HOOKED, Page 25
Lost at sea and found again — after 8 days drifting in Gulf Marlin fisherman spots Texas anglers after Coast Guard calls off search By Mark England LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS After surviving eight days in the Gulf of Mexico atop a swamped boat with two buddies, James Phillips of Blessing is an overnight sensation. He and Curt Hall of Palacios and Tressell Hawkins of Markham have appeared on the “Today Show”
and in newspapers across the nation. All it took was the bilge pump to fail on the catamaran Phillips had bought to resell. His first outings on the 23-footer were day trips. “I got tired of fishing off the bottom, though,” said Phillips, whose Born Again Repair buys and sells boats and heavy machinery. “I wanted to do topwater.”
His mechanic, Hall, and Hawkins, a trucker, joined him on an Aug. 21 trip 80 miles offshore to an oil rig called Tequila. They set off with 164 gallons of gasoline, two 2006 150-hp engines and a Garmin navigation system. Arriving at Tequila, they drifted and set up their rigs for swordfish.
INSIDE
At some areas, arrows are all that’s allowed
Reader Survey
Please fill out the reader survey online at LSONews.com. One participant will receive a $100 gift card to Academy.
❘❚ CONTENTS
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 29 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 22 Fishing Report . . . . . . . . . . . Page 23 For the Table . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 22 Game Warden Blotter . . . . . . . . Page 10 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15 Outdoor Datebook. . . . . . . . . . Page 26 Outfitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 30 Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 12 Sun, Moon and Tide Data . . . . . . Page 22
❘❚ LSONews.com NEW BEGINNING: At 61, Jim Schmidt is the oldest person to attend Texas’ Game Warden Academy. Photo by Thomas Phillips, LSON.
Lights out for snook in deep South Texas Sometimes the bite begins at sundown for structure-loving fish By Aaron Reed
FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Texas anglers are discovering a new way to hook a snook: Work the night shift. Bobby Albin of Rockport found that out almost by accident last October when he ventured up the Brownsville Ship Channel in search of snook. He and three fishing buddies ended up with a
See LOST, Page 30
Hunters saw deer opening day, but many are waiting for something better. Page 6
Texas might set a lower limit for record fish at half a pound. Page 8
Jeff Dean and Brad Sullivan grew up together and never grew apart. They met when they were 6 and lived next door to each other in Winnsboro, La. Both had older brothers, who were also the same age. “No matter what season it was, that was what sport we played,” Dean said. “And it was always big brothers against little brothers.” The little brothers’ competitive drive eventually caught up to the older brothers’ dominance. But even though the younger Dean and Sullivan children started winning, their drive for supremacy didn’t stop. Today, they co-own one of the biggest white-tailed deer in Texas: Maxbo 727, a giant of a buck. His antlers scored about 265 as a yearling. This year, Dean estimates the 2-year-old to be 330. “Brad’s competitive nature is wanting to be the best at whatever he puts himself into,” Dean said. After college, Sullivan moved to Dallas and found a job. When he moved out of a cousin’s home and into an apartment, he told Dean to move in. Sullivan, the type-A personality of the pair, later started a successful mortgage company. He hired Dean,
limit of four fish. Each released several that exceeded the top end of Texas’ tight slot limit of 24 to 28 inches. “We were going with the same soft plastics we had been using during the daylight hours,” Albin said. “The bite started as the sun was going down, and it seemed to just carry over and continue
See TTBC, Page 12
Baby tarpon upriver
Ballot measure would limit eminent domain
❘❚ HUNTING
Blues up, bobs down
The forecast is strong for blue quail but not so good for bobwhites this season. Page 6
Dove on the move
By Thomas Phillips LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
Dove season is winding down around Texas, but birds are still flying. Page 28
Reader Survey
Please fill out the reader survey online at LSONews.com. One participant will receive a $100 gift card to Academy.
See DEER FRIENDS, Page 14
BREEDER BUCK: With an estimated score of 330, Maxbo 727 is the biggest deer at Jeff Dean and Brad Sullivan’s Montague County ranch. But the most significant aspect of the ranch is the men’s friendship that built it. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.
No place like home for Guad bass Native bass largely sedentary, study says By Thomas Phillips LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
A new study recently determined that Guadalupe bass are similar to smallmouth bass and other stream-dwelling fish: They stay close to home until it is time to spawn. The study, conducted by Joshuah S. Perkin and others at Texas State University, tracked Texas’ state freshwater fish in the South Llano and Pedernales rivers in 2008. The study looked at movement and microhabitat used by Guadalupe bass in the rivers, and it was Perkin’s master’s thesis. The researchers learned that Guadalupe bass move more and can be found in a wider variety of habitats during their spring spawning months from March
Trappers still going despite low fur prices Several factors influencing market By Ralph Winingham FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
within the same pool or run, Perkin said, during the period of study. Six moved upstream an
Without a cold winter and better economic conditions — in China and Russia — Texas trappers and fur hunters are facing a depressed market for hides and furs that have been part of human attire since time began. “The main thing that hurts fur values is the economy — not here, but in China and Russia, where we see our main market,’’ said Dan Hepkor of Bastrop, who is a member of the Texas Trappers and Fur Hunters Association. “We all
See GUADALUPE, Page 16
See FUR PRICES, Page 30
TEXAS BASS: Guadalupe bass, like other riverine bass, do not generally move far in a river or stream. Photo by Thomas Phillips, Lone Star Outdoor News.
through June. The distances they move, however, are not great. More than half of the fish in the study stayed close to home,
Classifieds . . . . . . . . Crossword . . . . . . . . Fishing Report . . . . . . For the Table . . . . . . . Game Warden Blotter . . . Heroes . . . . . . . . . . Hunting season dates . . Outdoor Datebook. . . . . Outfitters . . . . . . . . . Products . . . . . . . . . Sun, Moon and Tide Data . Waterfowl season dates .
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BIG DAY: TTBC winner Dave Lefebre celebrates. Photo by Erik Guggenheim, for LSON.
Perry praises DSC, endorses Prop 11
More juvenile tarpon are being found upstream from the Gulf in Texas rivers. Page 8
❘❚ CONTENTS
INSIDE
NIGHT FISHING: John Kowalik of Wharton shows off his first snook, caught on a soft plastic lure near Port Isabel. Photo by Erich Schlegel, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
❘❚ HUNTING
Bow season begins
See ROOKIE, Page 27
Not big enough
LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
WHIFFED: Hunters hoping for a buck like this take all kinds of measures to keep him or the does behind him from picking up their scent. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
Scent-free thinkers Bowhunters tap new resources for concealing odor
By Thomas Phillips LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
Self-described “scent-control” freaks often go to extreme lengths to keep their odor out of deer’s nostrils when bowhunting. The methods they use would win them a spot in the insane asylum or the inventors hall of fame. Kevin Smith of Wylie took a cue from do-it-yourself home improvement when seeking to keep a low scent profile. He affixes a thin sheet
Most important, though, the of clear exterior window insulation film to each window of his popup film, combined with the walls of his popup blind, keep blind. his scent inside. His levHe can see — and el of scent control alshoot — through the lows him more flexibilfilm, and it doesn’t de■ Hungry deer: ity when finding a spot flect his arrow. A study indicates to set up. “You shoot right white-tailed deer “You just don’t have through, and it’s right will eat meat if to worry about wind,” on,” said Smith, a pro the opportunity Smith said. staffer for Bass Pro Shops presents itself. The method has paid in Garland. Page 6 off for him. He once used To apply the film, it to shoot a 10-point Smith attaches it with duct tape to a small frame that will buck. Gauging the success of one of cover his window. He uses a hair dryer to shrink it to fit. When heat Jason Morris’ top scent-control is applied from the hair dryer, the methods is not so clearcut. Severwrinkles fade out and the film be- al factors play into scent control, comes “super extremely clear,” Smith said, like glass. See SCENT, Page 30
INSIDE
Gov. Rick Perry applauded conservation groups and spoke in favor of Proposition 11 during a speech Oct. 15 at the Dallas Safari Club’s monthly meeting in Dallas. “I’m especially impressed with the strategic approach that the (Dallas) Safari Club is taking to conservation,” Perry said. “Through your nonprofit arm, you’ve been introducing thousands of young people to the joys of the outdoors. Frankly, they’re HUNTER IN CHIEF: having and beGov. Rick Perry ing exposed to speaks Oct. 15 at the things that they Dallas Safari Club. would never ex- Photo by Thomas perience sitting Phillips, Lone Star in front of a TV Outdoor News. with a game controller in their hand.” Perry, speaking before about 175 club members and their guests, also pressed DSC and other groups to do more. He urged them to view their time outdoors as a privilege to be protected and handed off to future generations. “You’ve got to ask yourself, ‘What are we doing to ensure our grandchildren experience that unmatched sensation of hooking into a really keeper bull red or watching two bucks clash in the middle of the rut, hearing a tom gobble when you’ve put your best call on?’ “The way I see it, folks who love the outdoors, folks like you and I who truly love Texas, have a responsibility. We have a responsibility to leave a legacy in this state.” After praising the club’s work on behalf of children through the Dallas Ecological Foundation–Outdoor
See SNOOK, Page 16
H
See PERRY, Page 24
A North Texas game warden has a story to tell about his latest buck. Page 6
❘❚ FISHING
Blooming algae
A red tide this fall on the South Texas coast has killed fish and affected anglers. Page 8
Inside
Fort Hood hunting
Hunting is still available by permit at Fort Hood, where 13 died in a shooting Nov. 5. Page 4
Survey winner picked
Congratulations to William H. Laub of Houston. Laub won the Lone Star Outdoor News reader survey drawing and will receive a $100 gift card to Academy.
❘❚ CONTENTS Classifieds . . . . . . . . Crossword . . . . . . . . Fishing Report . . . . . . For the Table . . . . . . . Game Warden Blotter . . . Heroes . . . . . . . . . . Hunting season dates . . Outdoor Datebook. . . . . Outfitters . . . . . . . . . Products . . . . . . . . . Sun, Moon and Tide Data . Waterfowl season dates .
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Hunters reach limits on variety of birds on opener
❘❚ FISHING
Speck rig revisited
By Thomas Phillips
A South Texas fishing guide and his friend sell an updated version of the speck rig. Page 8
Stan Fogg of Amarillo and two friends all shot limits of ducks near Childress the opening morning of waterfowl season. They took an unconventional bag, however, Fogg said. In the mix were redhead, several gadwall and wigeon and a couple of greenwinged teal. “What was strange was ■ Duck dining: there wasn’t any (other) divWaterfowl eat ers on the lake,” Fogg said. a mixed bag of “Generally at that time we’ve aquatic plants. got some scaup and bufflePage 22 head and hooded mergansers and that type.” The next day a few more hunters joined their party. Although they did not shoot limits, they had a successful hunt. “I think we ended up with 14 birds, and it was a totally different mix on that,” Fogg said: two gadwall, two wigeon, five or six bufflehead, a scaup and “some smiling mallards.” “All in all, I was pretty pleased with it,” Fogg said. The Panhandle hunters saw a few snow geese up
Floating for flounder Kayak anglers take on high water during 2009’s November flounder run. Page 8
❘❚ HUNTING
38-pointer taken
See WATERFOWL, Page 18
Texan Wes O’Brien of Lexington recently harvested a 38-point whitetail in Nebraska. Page 5
BUSY GIRL: Waterfowl season started with reports of good hunts around Texas, making busy days for duck dogs like Copano, shown here with a drake redhead near Rockport. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
Texas pheasant hunters are fired up. Good reports from the Panhandle have them counting the days to the Dec. 5 opener. Parts of the Panhandle have received ample rains, and other areas received enough to provide food and cover for the tough birds. Farmer reports of pheasants busting out in front of the combines have hunters excited. Tim Ballinger, an agronomist in the Panhandle, spends hundreds of days in the field. He guides pheasant hunters with his two German shorthairs. “I’m out there every day — it’s my job — so I probably see more than anyone else,” he said. “But as far as predicting the numbers, I think it will be better than last year.” Ballinger is used to seeing lots of pheasants, but some areas even caught him by surprise this year. “We counted 100 birds in one field walking from the wheat stubble to the milo one evening,” he said. “And you know that means there are a lot more.” Ballinger primarily hunts wheat and maize stubble and prefers to hunt over his dogs and take the shots only after the dogs point the birds. Kicking up multiple hens, which are illegal to shoot, might mean changing your plan, he said. “The roosters are starting to separate from the hens,” he said.” Where
West Texas muley Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper
December 11, 2009
Volume 6, Issue 8
Mule deer season continues with successful hunts. Page 6
Inside
Lead weight in bass points to cheating Garland angler may face charges
of thousands of dollars at bass tournaments throughout Texas. He had not been arrested or charged by Nov. 10, although thousands of comments
See WEIGHT, Page 20
m
Angler catches 11-pound mystery fish at Lewisville barge Man, witness say it attacked his finger By Mark England
FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Piranha or pacu? That’s the question being asked around the Lewisville Fishing Barge at Lewisville Lake. A state biologist who saw a photograph of the 11 1/2-pound fish caught by Joe Barnes, a barge employee, believes it was a pacu. Barnes and the middle finger on his
right hand beg to differ. “I put my hand in his mouth to hold him up like you usually do, and he almost took the tip of my finger off,” Barnes said. “This sucker had two rows of teeth. “He ain’t no pacu. He’s a piranha.” Or was. Barnes gave the fish to a friend who See MYSTERY, Page 15
Corn poisoned in Eastland County Hunters warned about eating deer By Bill Miller
FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Deer hunters are being warned to avoid a state-ordered “hot zone” in southwestern Eastland County where corn seed was recently tainted with a powerfully toxic pesticide.
n
State agriculture and wildlife officials were scrambling in the days leading to the Nov. 7 general season opener to warn hunters of the poisonous situation involving the chemical, Temik, around some peanut fields south of Cisco.
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 30 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 27 Fishing Report . . . . . . . . . . . Page 25 For the Table . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 27 Game Warden Blotter . . . . . . . . Page 10 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15 Hunting season dates . . . . . . . Page 7 Outdoor Datebook. . . . . . . . . . Page 26 Outfitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 23 Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 12 Sun, Moon and Tide Data . . . . . . Page 27
❘❚ LSONews.com
Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper
December 25, 2009
Inside
Volume 6, Issue 9
Hunt awaits injured Fort Hood soldier Outdoors takes a backseat to shooting victim’s desire to serve
By Thomas Phillips LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
Patrick Zeigler would love to hunt and fish more. The only problem is his dedication to serve his country keeps getting in the way. That and four bullets he took in the shooting at Fort Hood. Zeigler grew up the son of a Navy man. His father’s career kept them from spending
❘❚ FISHING
The lake at a North Central Texas nuclear power plant will reopen to anglers. Page 30
Cold weather means catfish are on the move and biting in Texas lakes. Page 8
Big blues biting
Inside
See FORT HOOD, Page 16
Volume 6, Issue 10
A wintry winter dove season Cold fronts chill hunts up north; good shoots south
By Ralph Winingham FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Wicked winter weather in North Texas has hampered wing shooters hoping for a few late season dove,
Staff Sgt. Patrick Zeigler Photo by Heights Studio.
Snook slot limit
Lucky buck
Down but not out
One of several
Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper
January 8, 2010
much time in the outdoors, but they fished where his father, Pat, was stationed, in places such as Florida and Hawaii. Now Zeigler, 28, is a military man himself, enlisted and working toward Officer Candidate School. That desire to serve took him further still from hunting and fishing on Nov. 5 at Fort Hood. “I was actually six days away from going (to
with South Zone hunters capitalizing on their cousins’ cold climate plight. “We’re actually seeing a lot more birds this year,” said Mike Hawks of the Nooner Ranch in Hondo. “Normally it is not worth hunting doves
in the late season.” But as long as the area has food and water, the birds will not move, Hawks said. “We even have some
A Gilmer man has taken several mule deer, but one stands out. Page 6
COOL MOURNINGS: Dove hunters are dealing with frosty weather during the winter season. Photo by LSON.
State regulators might widen the slot limit for snook. Page 8
Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper
January 22, 2010
Inside
Volume 6, Issue 11
Early results show biggest impact near Pringle Lake
By Scott Sommerlatte and Thomas Phillips LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
Speckled trout dodged a big bullet earlier this month as a winter storm blasted the coast, causing only minor fish kills. Two days after the peak of the freezing conditions, speckled trout were found dead in Pringle Lake, near Port O’Connor, and a couple of other smaller lakes on Matagorda Island. There, several hundred trout were sighted lying dead on the bottom or floating near the surface. The fish ranged in size from 16 inches up to 31 inches. “It was sad,” said angler Michael Baker. “There were thousands of pelicans and gulls in there (Pringle Lake) slurping up dead trout. But I did get a chance to have my picture taken with two of the biggest trout that I have ever seen.” Several minor fish kills were reported in East Matagorda Bay and in the Matagorda Harbor, where four snook and large numbers of mangrove snapper were said to have been floating. Besides the potential loss of a great number of trout along the Coastal Bend, many anglers were concerned
❘❚ HUNTING
Tiny tract, big buck
Mighty deer
A Brown County hunter’s daily hunts paid off in a big, surprising way this season. Page 6
Senator meets DSC Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison took her turn speaking to the Dallas Safari Club. Page 6
Lighter four strokes Yamaha recently lightened its outboard motors, which makes for faster boating. Page 8
How far should hunters chase a wounded deer before giving up. Page 7
Freeze kills isolated on coast
See DOVE, Page 14
❘❚ FISHING ❘❚ FISHING
Squaw Creek fishing
See FREEZE, Page 23
❘❚ HUNTING
Wet hunts for cranes BUSTING OUT: Pheasant numbers in Texas are strong ahead of opening day. The Panhandle season begins Dec. 5 and ends Jan. 3, with a daily bag limit of three roosters. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
you find one, you’ll find more.” He expects good numbers in the areas he hunts near Dumas, Sunray and Spearman, and credits the good weather and his relationships with landowners. “We work with the farmers to leave some cover and seed after the
harvest,” he said. Jeff Bonner, a biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife in Pampa, said the numbers look good but, as always, will be spotty in some areas. “We have a good mix of CRP and food,” said Bonner, who is also a pheasant hunter. “It looks like
the hot spots will be around Hartley County, Ochiltree County and around Groom. It was green there from mid-April to September.” Although some parts of the Panhandle are almost too wet, other arSee PHEASANT, Page 22
❘❚ CONTENTS
with prosecutors in Rockwall By Bill Miller County to determine which FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS charges to bring against Beneath the surface of Rose. Lake Ray Hubbard swims a 9 The veteran professional 1/2-pound bass that was re- angler, contacted by phone, turned to the water recently politely declined to be interafter a 16-ounce lead weight viewed for this story. was squeezed from its “Believe me, I’d like belly out its mouth. to,” Rose said, adding But game wardens that he was counseled don’t believe the bass not to discuss the inswallowed the sinker vestigation. by accident. He noted, howevThe lead chunk er, that he was volwas removed Oct. 24 untarily cooperating during a weigh-in at with investigators. Rose the Bud Light Trail’s Rose, in recent First Annual Big Bass years, won hundreds Tournament at Lake Ray Hubbard. Wardens believe contestant Robby Rose of Garland stuffed the fish with lead to improve his chances to win the $55,000 prize. They have since been consulting
Lone Star Outdoor News’ new book has all the favorite Game Warden Blotter stories. It makes a great Christmas gift for any hunter or angler. For details, see Page 4.
By Craig Nyhus LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
INSIDE
❘❚ HUNTING
Volume 6, Issue 7
Hunters ready for ringnecks Pheasant numbers booming in parts of Panhandle
LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
Schmidt wins again
Bryan Schmidt of Olney climbed again from the Federation Nation to the Classic. Page 8
Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper
November 27, 2009
LOOKING FOR A FIGHT: A new study confirms that whitetail bucks respond more to aggressive — loud — rattling techniques. Photo by Lili A. Sams for Lone Star Outdoor News.
❘❚ HUNTING
Woodcock ways A migratory bird gives East Texas hunters a chance to test their dogs. Page 6
❘❚ CONTENTS
40 years of busting bad guys
FUNNY FACE: Quail can take on a purple hue after eating cactus fruit. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
Warden honored for his decades on coastal patrol By Bill Miller
FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS The Gulf of Mexico was choppy one day last October — “rough as a cob.” That’s how Capt. Nick Harmon described the emergency facing the game warden he has assigned to Matagorda County. Arthur Lawrence peered through binoculars at two men struggling in the water, but then he saw that four men were in trouble. He launched a rescue boat. Lawrence reached the men, but waves capsized his boat. But, Harmon said, “ArSee, Arthur thur stayed calm. He kept still thinks everybody together — tied them together in a group. he’s 30. They all paddled parallel to — Nick Harmon, the beach and eventually game warden made it to shore. captain “If there’s not anyone to help, he goes off and does it by himself. See, Arthur still thinks he’s 30. “He doesn’t know he’s 65.” Lawrence, of Bay City, will likely receive a commendation for the Gulf rescue, said Col. Pete Flores, direc-
Fruit fine for quail, funny for hunters
,,
See WARDEN, Page 18
Cactus a favorite food during fall By Thomas Phillips LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
YEARS OF SERVICE: Arthur Lawrence has helped tear down gill nets on the Texas coast for 40 years. Photo by Scott Sommerlatte, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
A covey of bobwhites flushed, and the hunters raised their guns. When the shooting ended, a dog brought back one bird that stood out. The hunter eyed the quail’s peculiar coloration and showed it to his fellow hunters. Everyone laughed. The quail had a bright purple face See QUAIL, Page 22
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 30 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 23 Fishing Report . . . . . . . . . . . Page 29 For the Table . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 23 Game Warden Blotter . . . . . . . . Page 10 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15 Hunting season dates . . . . . . . Page 27 Outdoor Datebook. . . . . . . . . . Page 27 Outfitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 18 Products . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 12-13 Sun, Moon and Tide Data . . . . . . Page 23
❘❚ LSONews.com
Pump up the volume
Study: Bucks respond best to loud rattling By Ralph Winingham FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
Kicking up the volume by putting a little elbow grease into rattling horns appears to be one key to success for Texas deer hunters, according to a recent study by the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research
Mexico hunting, fishing lodges take another hit Group of dove hunters assaulted and robbed Mexican hunting and fishing lodges were dealt a blow over the past few seasons from tourists’ fears of border violence, the economy and the H1N1 virus. But crimes against the 17,000 or so hunters, many from Texas, who travel south each year were virtually unheard of — until this year. This fall, a group of 20 whitewing hunters, nine from Houston, were attacked by about a dozen armed gunmen. The hunters were forced to the See MEXICO, Page 24
quences randomly tested during the pre-rut, rut peak and post-rut periods. “Each rattling sequence was tested at one of 17 observation stands and included two people,” Hellickson wrote. ”One person watched deer respond to the rattling from the top of the stand, recorded data and videotaped each buck with a camera. The second person performed the rattling upwind of the stand in the nearest clump of brush.” See RATTLING, Page 14
Outdoors from an armchair, in front of a screen New video games bring hunting, fishing to living rooms, pockets
By Craig Nyhus
LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
See POISON, Page 24
M
Institute. In what is being described as the first definitive research into the effects of attracting bucks by clicking antlers together, sequences involving “long and loud” and “short and loud” sessions brought out more bucks than any other method. Mickey W. Hellickson, a wildlife biologist at the King Ranch, reported on the findings in the December edition of the institute’s Deer Associates eNews. Hellickson wrote that the three-year study was conducted at the Welder Wildlife Foundation Refuge, just north of Sinton, with four rattling se-
By Thomas Phillips LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
HUNTER SAFETY: Quail are still abundant in Tamaulipas, Mexico, but hunters are not. Fears of violence are keeping them home. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.
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When the weather is too ugly or other plans interfere, a host of new video games that came out in 2009 can fill the outdoors void in a hunter’s or angler’s life. Many new games are available for the big-hitter home systems such as Nintendo’s Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. But more and more games with a hunting or fishing angle are being published for
Weather has not fully cooperated for crane hunting, but that hasn’t hurt success. Page 6
❘❚ HUNTING
A giant buck repeatedly made appearances for Travis Ayers, like a big hunting tease. Page 6
Some outdoors TV shows are changing channels as the market dictates. Page 16
Waterfowl world
❘❚ CONSERVATION
❘❚ CONTENTS
ACHING DESIRE: Do you ever wonder what might be standing in front of your blind when you are not there? With days remaining in deer season in northern Texas and a few weeks left in South Texas, hunters hope to keep finding big bucks. North Texas’ deer season ends Jan. 3, and South Texas’ ends Jan. 17. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.
Deep waters giving up big tuna Boats reporting catches of large yellowfin Rick Laros walked off the Pelican at 7 a.m. Dec. 15 in Port Aransas with his limit of three yellowfin tuna, some blackfin tuna and “a couple of wahoo.” The Port Aransas man goes deep-sea fishing for the huge aggressive yellowfin three or four times a year, and hit good weather out by the oil rigs this winter. “I couldn’t have asked for better weather,” Laros said. “We did outstanding.” The Pelican, from Captain Kelly’s Deep Sea Headquarters, held 10 anglers this trip and brought in 25 yellowfin. The tuna are out there, said anglers and guides. Obstacles this time of year include po-
INSIDE ■ Caught on camera: A Hood County hunter finally harvested the deer on his game camera. Page 6
Hunters holding back on bobwhites Some passing on harvest to help numbers
By Diana Kunde
By Ralph Winingham
FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
See VIDEO GAMES, Page 16
The founder of Honey Hole magazine and a man who helped bring fly-fishing to Texas recently died of cancer. Page 8
Texas chapters of Quail Unlimited recently broke off to form a new organization. Page 4
❘❚ CONTENTS
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 24 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 25 Fishing Report . . . . . . . . . . . Page 19 For the Table . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 25 Game Warden Blotter . . . . . . . . Page 10 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 17 Hunting season dates . . . . . . . Page 26 Outdoor Datebook. . . . . . . . . . Page 20 Outfitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 16 Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 13 Sun, Moon and Tide data . . . . . . Page 25
Crappie sometimes change their ways drastically when harsh weather hits. Page 8
Two anglers pass
Quail chapters quit
Plenty of ducks and geese have been pushed into Texas by recent winter weather. Page 8
❘❚ LSONews.com
❘❚ FISHING
Challenging crappie
Where’s the show?
Game camera hunt
FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
tentially capricious winter weather, busy holidays and tight budgets. “It’s a good time of year to go,” said Brian Nesbit, who runs a mobile auto repair business
After a morning of cruising along senderos cut through the brushy South Texas ranchland near Falfurrias, hunting guide Foard Houston offered a grim assessment of this season’s bobwhite quail prospects. “We only saw a few birds, and some of them were only about three-quarters grown,” said Houston. “I believe that we need to leave every bird this year so that we will have a good season next year. “Most people that I have talked to are just not hunting quail this year at all.”
See TUNA, Page 14
See QUAIL, Page 12
FRESH FISH: Large yellowfin tuna are being caught off the coast. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.
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❘❚ CONTENTS
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 26 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 19 Fishing Report . . . . . . . . . . . Page 25 For the Table . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 19 Game Warden Blotter . . . . . . . . Page 10 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 13 Hunting season dates . . . . . . . Page 24 Outdoor Datebook. . . . . . . . . . Page 24 Outfitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 24 Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 12 Sun, Moon and Tide data . . . . . . Page 19
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 22 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 19 Fishing Report . . . . . . . . . . . Page 21 For the Table . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 19 Game Warden Blotter . . . . . . . . Page 10 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 16 Outdoor Datebook. . . . . . . . . . Page 18 Outfitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 20 Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Sun, Moon and Tide data . . . . . . Page 19
❘❚ LSONews.com
❘❚ LSONews.com TROPHY SEASON: Several large buck white-tailed deer have been harvested this season, including one by a former football star and another by a rancher who manages his property for cattle — his livelihood — and not for deer. See the stories on Pages 6 and 26. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
It’s cold, but bass still biting Old tricks not necessarily working By Thomas Phillips LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS The late-fall, early-winter bass fishing at lakes Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend has been a little off, angler Chuck Sharp said. Much rain has fallen (though the lake is 6 inches below normal pool level), and the water temperature is already a chilly 44 degrees. The conditions mean largemouth bass have not made their normal
move at the lake from down deep to up on the flats. “It’s been slow,” Sharp said. “Slow” probably better refers to the preferred fishing method there. Sharp has been catching bass — 3- and 4-pounders. But to do it, he fishes jigging spoons and halfounce, blue-black football jigs in 20 to 50 feet of water. As for structure, Sharp looks for
LUNKER: Debbie Baker of Wartrace, Tenn., caught this 13.26-pound largemouth bass Dec. 20 from Falcon Reservoir. Photo by Texas Parks and Wildlife/ Debbie Baker.
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❘❚ CONTENTS
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 30 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 18 Fishing Report . . . . . . . . . . . Page 23 For the Table . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 18 Game Warden Blotter . . . . . . . . Page 10 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15 Outdoor Datebook. . . . . . . . . . Page 22 Outfitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 28 Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 20 Sun, Moon and Tide Data . . . . . . Page 18
❘❚ LSONews.com
See TARPON, Page 23
BOATLESS: Richard Negley Gill holds the tarpon he caught with a fly rod while snorkeling at a fishing lodge on the Belize coast. For the hookup, Gill popped his head above water to cast and then submerged to strip his fly. Photo by Peter French.
Bowhunting only on public land aged, he said. By Thomas Phillips When hunting the areas for deer, Barnett scouts LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS extensively. That can mean more than spending Jesse Barnett has taken bucks that any hunter time in the field looking for deer and learning their would be proud of. Two of his best have scored above patterns. 130. “Hunt the hunters just as much as you do the He shot them on public land — public land where deer,” Barnett said. bowhunting is the rule, not the exception. Barnett will pay attention to where and when oth“I’ve taken some good, quality animals er hunters enter an area. If they generally that would rank right up there on private enter at the same time and place, he will land,” Barnett said. be in the woods well before them. When Texas has many locations where public ■ Bowhunting: they arrive, they push the deer his way. hunting is available for deer. Some are set More than practice, “If you dedicate the time and put in the aside for archery only. work, you can pull out some very good practice, practice: Barnett, who lives in Leroy in north- insider tips for animals,” Barnett said. ern McLennan County, shot his big bucks archery success. Many hunters, often hoping to at least on land managed by the U.S. Army Corps Page 14 fill a tag, will settle for lesser bucks because of Engineers around Lake Whitney and they are easier to take, Barnett said. Older, Lake Aquilla. Whitney and Aquilla, locatwarier bucks can survive the season. ed west of Hillsboro, have “exceptional quality for “That’s the other thing that you’ll run into in our area,” Barnett said. Often, hunting there is better than on private lands that are not heavily manSee BOW ONLY, Page 24
Where were trout?
Rockport anglers are wondering what happened to their trout this summer. Page 8
Volume 6, Issue 6
High duck numbers reported
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Teal hunting strong
Hunters are reporting solid numbers and several limits of teal in certain areas. Page 6
Corky lures sold
A lure company with national distribution recently purchased a Texas line of lures. Page 8
Blotter book is out
Warden’s big buck Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper
November 13, 2009
Inside
Craw trailer.” The technique was enough, but just barely enough, to fend off a charge by Andy Montgomery of Blacksburg, S.C. Montgomery, trailing by 6 pounds going into the final day, brought in 15 pounds, 12 ounces to challenge the leader with
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❘❚ HUNTING
Owl pellet rainmaker
A Washington business buys remains for students to use in the classroom. Page 6
ONLINE
Jim Schmidt was at a crossroads. Nudged into retirement from banking at age 61, he wasn’t ready to give up working, but he was ready to give up banking. So he became the oldest ever graduate of the Texas Game Warden Academy. His journey to the academy sur■ Blotter: See prises even him. more on-the-job “I was a banktales from Texas er for 35 years with increasing game wardens. Page 10 responsibilities,” he said. “I went to Granbury in 1988 and was fortunate enough to have some stock in a bank and become president.” The bank was bought out in 2005. “And then the bank that bought
Other anglers thought Dave Lefebre’s spots at the Toyota Texas Bass Classic at Lake Conroe would dry up. Lefebre’s team won the proam on Thursday. Lefebre, of Union City, Pa., took a big lead after day one, and held onto a more than
5-pound lead going into the final day. It turned out it wasn’t the spot that did it for Lefebre but the pattern. “I used a Taboo jig that I designed with Kelly Jordon,” Lefebre said. “It’s smaller at 7/16 ounces, and I worked it way back under the docks and would swim it with a Speed
SCATTERED KILLS: Left, Michael Baker holds two speckled trout that succumbed to cold conditions on the coast earlier this month. Minor fish kills were reported on the coast after an Arctic cold front dropped water temperatures. Photos by Scott Sommerlatte, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
When in drought, more bucks are born — maybe Study, hunters say it’s true; biologist wants more data
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
Will Myers of Austin is both a kayak angler and competition kayak racer. Recently, when he left his weekend home in Port Aransas to train in the Corpus Christi Ship Channel, he found himself in a life-threatening situation involving anglers in a small sport fishing boat. “I like to train in the channel because it is similar to the types of water where I race,” Myers said. “I do it all of the time, but I am always conscientious of other
TAKING AIM: Several Texas public hunting areas only allow bowhunting, and hunters are advised to get there early and know where other hunters enter to give themselves the best shot at a quality buck. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
❘❚ FISHING
By Thomas Phillips
A bowhunter found his mark on a trophy, after almost three years. Page 18
Lefebre wins by 4 ounces at Lake Conroe tournament By Craig Nyhus
LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
Lure hooks man while paddling By Scott Sommerlatte FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
INSIDE
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 30 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 22 Fishing Report . . . . . . . . . . . Page 29 For the Table . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 22 Game Warden Blotter . . . . . . . . Page 10 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 26 Outdoor Datebook. . . . . . . . . . Page 20 Outfitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 28 Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 31 Sun, Moon and Tide Data . . . . . . Page 22
❘❚ LSONews.com
LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
Easier in Matagorda
A new project will improve passage out to sea for Matagorda anglers. Page 8
❘❚ FISHING
Volume 6, Issue 5
Cold front helps Pa. angler take TTBC
Inside
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
Sgt. 1st Class Mario Valenzuela of Waco, who is stationed with a medical task force in Iraq, took a late afternoon off to fish — and caught a giant. “I went with a couple of 1st Med soldiers to Lost Lake,” Valenzuela said. “We got rigged up to fish with some bait, leftover DFAC (Dining Facilities Administration Center) food.” Lost Lake is one of many man-made lakes at Camp Victory in Bagdad. The lake predates the 2003 U.S. invasion, and Saddam Hussein’s Al Faw Palace is about a mile away. ■ At home: Texas Valenzuela, who was fishing report. joined by Sgt. 1st Class JerPage 15 emy Ramsey and Sgt. 1st Class Kelly Seitz, decided to try some lures his wife had sent him. “I rigged up a gold 1/4-ounce Rooster Tail and tried about 10 casts with no luck,” he said. “Sgt. 1st Class Seitz tried the baited rod — she kept casting and reeling it like it was a lure — but she was having
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Sergeant from Waco pulls 95-pound fish out of Saddam’s lake By Craig Nyhus
LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
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Finding fat snapper
Anglers catch many red snapper off the Texas coast, but finding large ones is another story. Page 8
❘❚ CONTENTS
Kayaker becomes catch of the day
In Iraq, a mammoth mangar
Marking others’ spots has never been easier thanks to the satellite-based technology. Page 8
South Texas giant
Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper
October 23, 2009
Boyhood buddies become keepers of giant buck
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❘❚ CONTENTS
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 23 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 20 Fishing Report . . . . . . . . . . . Page 15 For the Table . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 20 Game Warden Blotter . . . . . . . . Page 10 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 13 Outdoor Datebook. . . . . . . . . . Page 28 Outfitters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 21 Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 18 Sun, Moon and Tide Data . . . . . . Page 20
❘❚ LSONews.com
❘❚ FISHING
Abroad on the water
It’s time to hit the road (or take to the skies) to find new fishing destinations. Pages 16-17
Banker not ready for retirement picks up badge
❘❚ FISHING
Guides’ enemy: GPS
By Craig Nyhus
San Antonio men forego boat in favor of snorkels for tarpon By Thomas Phillips LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
Fly line drifts in the water as Richard Negley Gill strips it from his rod. It takes the form of a nebula beside his body, on the side of his stripping hand. Both are underwater, and the scene is framed in blue. Moments later, a small tarpon darts into view on the video. Once, making a nervous jab at the fly. A second time, taking it. From there, the fight is on. Except here, Gill, 25, doesn’t brace himself against a casting platform or position his feet like a football player on a boat’s deck. Here, underwater off the shore at a lodge in Belize, Gill kicks his fins in a dog paddle and lifts his head ■ See the video: Visit LSONews.com above water to share one of his wildest to see video of the moments fishing. underwater catch. “It was really cool,” Gill said earlier this month from San Antonio, where he lives. Gill had the idea to mix things up after a day on the water catching permit. Guides at the lodge told him tarpon would roll in the water off the shore, and Gill and his brother-in-law, Peter French, who shot the video, saw them while snorkeling. The curious tarpon would approach them in the water, and it didn’t take long for Gill, who spends his summers guiding salmon anglers in Alaska, to think like a fisherman. Gill couldn’t easily walk across the coral on the shore at the lodge, so he had
Volume 6, Issue 4
Friends in the deer business
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
HAPPY HUNTERS: Two hunters appear content with their dove hunt invitation. Dove hunt invitations are coveted this time of year. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.
Man overboard — for tarpon
Inside
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See PLAYING, Page 22
Antler restrictions
Some hunters in East Texas are unhappy about the state’s antler restrictions. Page 6
See DOVE, Page 27
Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper
October 9, 2009
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Crane stamp change
No longer can hunters request a crane permit from retailers. Page 6
Uncertain timberland
A timber company in East Texas has not said if it will continue public hunting leases. Page 6
A rookie warden at age 61
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❘❚ HUNTING
The summer was too cold in one Canadian study area for snow geese to reproduce. Page 6
Dove hunters’ success on opening weekend depended mostly on where the hunters — and the dove — were. Pleasant temperatures weren’t good
Reports were mixed for the opening of dove season in South Texas. Page 6
Volume 6, Issue 3
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INSIDE
South Zone opens Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper
Inside
for all as cool fronts leading up to the opener pushed birds out of some areas and into others. Some hunters saw fewer birds, while others had no trouble taking limits.
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Too cold for snows
Waiting for — and weighing — invitations to hunt the Texas dove opener has become an art form for many hunters. “I had a nice, casual invite to a good spot,” said Les Webernick of San Antonio. “I have to call the guy and see if he really meant it or not.” Those with a lease or who ■ Coming soon: own good dove-hunting land Opening day become like rock stars. “We get real popular this time is almost here, of year,” a member of a group and it’s not too late to find a of West Texas hunters said at a place to hunt. hunting show. “We only have Page 7 room for so many, but there are plenty of requests.” He wasn’t complaining, though. “People like to hunt with someone they know and trust,” one group member said. “Some people don’t like the real large groups — they like to hunt with their friends even if it might not be quite as good.” Others, when invited, are still weighing their options. The West Texas group had stories, but they weren’t naming names. “I know a guy,” one of the hunters said. “He gets two or three options, just in case one falls through
Bass biting early
Black bass are coming to daybreak anglers, in most cases. Page 8
By Thomas Phillips LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
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50 states, 50 days
A father and son caught hundreds of fish — and plenty at Lake Fork — on a countrywide adventure this summer. Page 27
ars! Ye
September 25, 2009
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❘❚ HUNTING
By Craig Nyhus
LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
❘❚ FISHING
Hit or miss results for dove opener Some take quick, easy limits; others struggle
It’s the friendliest time of year
Less-dominant bucks account for more breeding than hunters think. Page 6
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
Inside
Volume 6, Issue 2
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Playing the dove fields
g5 ratin leb Ce
Virile young bucks Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper
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Inside
ars! Ye
September 11, 2009
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Bones onboard
Texas is generally too cold for bonefish, but sometimes they turn up. Page 8
Volume 6, Issue 1
INSIDE: Dallas Safari Club program ’10
Bringing the news to hunters and anglers since August 2004.
Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper
August 28, 2009
INSIDE: Toyota Texas Bass Classic ’09
Celebrating 5 Years!
By Craig Nyhus
LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Kent Robinson and his 14year-old son, Carter, of Spring hunt on their family’s 3,000acre ranch in Concho County. And Carter, who has spent far more days in the stand than his father the past few years, no-
TOUGH GUYS: A study says more bucks are born during drought. LSON photo.
ticed something different. “We definitely saw more buck fawns than doe fawns the
last two years,” Carter said. Kent wasn’t so sure. “I never really thought about it much,” he said. But it turns out there may be something to the youngster’s observations. “There are several theories,” said David Hewitt, the Stuart W. Stedman Chair for Whitetailed Deer Research at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute. “Some think that deer in poor condition are better off throwing more buck fawns; they are more likely to disperse.”
Quail Unlimited chief trying to right ship Organization cutting back to fix finances By Mark England
LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Quail Unlimited’s third president in the last year, Bill Bowles, has had a melodramatic couple of months on the job. QU’s headquarters is up for sale, half its staff has departed — as well as substantial membership — and the group skirted bankruptcy. But Bowles, a glass-half-full guy, sees better days ahead. “For the first time in a while, our
See FAWNS, Page 17
See QUAIL, Page 23
See BASS, Page 22
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By Scott Sommerlatte FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
Speckled trout anglers statewide are optimistic about the days to come despite a wet, brutally cold winter. This fall the Texas coast began to get the rain that it so desperately needed, but once it started, it never seemed to stop. As winter approa
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240th ISSUE: AUGUST 8,2014
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August 22, 2014
LoneOStar Outdoor News
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Time 6:00 PM 6:30 PM 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM 11:00 PM 11:30 PM Midnight Time 6:00 PM 6:30 PM 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM 11:00 PM 11:30 PM Midnight Time 6:00 PM 6:30 PM 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM 11:00 PM 11:30 PM Midnight Time 6:00 PM 6:30 PM 7:00 PM 7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:30 PM 9:00 PM 9:30 PM 10:00 PM 10:30 PM 11:00 PM 11:30 PM Midnight
SUNDAY
THURSDAY
WEDNESDAY TUESDAY
MONDAY
Prime Time | August OUTDOOR CHANNEL HeadHunters TV Whitetail Freaks Legends of the Fall Gregg Ritz’s Hunt Masters Ridge Reaper Heartland Bowhunter Addicted to the Outdoors Scentblocker’s Most Wanted Jim Shockey’s Uncharted
PURSUIT CHANNEL F&Ts Freedom Outdoors Avian X Canadian Whitetails Real Shot Outdoors Just Hunt The American Way Spook Nation Love of the Hunt Cabela’s Deer Gear TV
HeadHunters TV Heartland Bowhunter Swarovski’s Optics Quest OUTDOOR CHANNEL Inside Outdoors TV Flesh and Blood The Hit List Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild Mossy Oak’s Hunting the Country Driven with Pat and Nicole Drury’s THIRTEEN Dream Season Eastman’s Hunting TV Shawn Michael’s MRA Primos Truth About Hunting Drury’s THIRTEEN PSE’s Wild Outdoors OUTDOOR CHANNEL Jim Shockey’s Uncharted
Flyway Highways TNT Outdoor Explosion Winchester & Drurys Natural Born
Midway USA’s Gun Stories Remington Country Shooting USA American Rifleman TV NRA’s All Access Shooting USA’s Impossible Shots Midway USA’s Gun Stories Shooting USA Midway USA’s Gun Stories OUTDOOR CHANNEL The Fowl Life High Places Beyond the Hunt The Hunt with Greg and Jake Realtree Roadtrips Realtree’s NASCAR Outdoors Bow Madness Jim Shockey’s Uncharted PSE’s Wild Outdoors Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures The Jackie Bushman Show The Crush with Lee and Tiffany Ultimate Hunting OUTDOOR CHANNEL Jim Shockey’s Uncharted Solo Hunter Winchester Legends Fear No Evil Primal Instinct Razor Dobbs Alive Winchester Rack Masters Driven with Pat and Nicole Ram Outdoorsman Mossy Oak’s Hunting the Country Michael Waddell’s Bone Collector Jim Shockey’s Uncharted OUTDOOR CHANNEL Under Wild Skies Shawn Michael’s MRA Best of the West Steve’s Outdoor Adventures Roger Raglin Outdoors Ultimate Hunting Trophy Quest Choose Your Weapon Heartland Bowhunter Buck Commander Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild Craig Morgan’s All Access Outdoors Live 2 Hunt OUTDOOR CHANNEL Mathews TV with Dave Watson Crush with Lee and Tiffany Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures Wildgame Nation Realtree Outdoors Primos Truth About Hunting The Jackie Bushman Show Michael Waddell’s Bone Collector Bottom Feeders Red Arrow Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures Realtree Outdoors Wildgame Nation
PURSUIT CHANNEL Double Lung TV Hartcraft Hunting Adventures The Bear Whisperer Bucket List Hank Parker 3D Wildlife Pursuit TV Bowhunting Addiction TV Shoot Straight Bob Redfern Outdoor Magazine Bloodline Spook Nation Bucket List PURSUIT CHANNEL DU TV Buttermilk TV Spiritual Outdoor Adventures Honey Brake Experience Gamekeepers of Mossy Oak Save the Habitat, Save the Hunt KT Diaries Hunt Wicked Close Open Season Sportingdog Adventures The High Road w/Keith Warren The Bear Whisperer NWTF 365 PURSUIT CHANNEL Natural Born AWA Whitetail Pro Series Struttinbucks Wallhanger TV Backland Outdoors Whitetail Diaries Big Boys Adventure Where in the World is Colorado Buck Ultimate Outdoors TNT Outdoor Explosion Hartcraft Hunting Carnivore Americana Outdoors PURSUIT CHANNEL The Rush Radical Hunter Trigger Time American Airgunner American Trigger Sports Gun Talk TV Championship Season Guns and Gear TV 3 Gun Nation
SPORTSMAN CHANNEL Buckventures Guns & Ammo Davidson’s Gallery of Guns Handguns and Defensive Weapons Ruger Inside and Out Beyond the Battlefield Winchester Archery Guns & Ammo Davidson’s Gallery of Guns Handguns and Defensive Weapons Ruger Inside and Out Beyond the Battlefield SPORTSMAN CHANNEL Realtree’s Monster Bucks Realtree’s Monster Bucks Major League Bowhunter Rival Wild Whitetail Properties Savage Outdoors Brad Farris’ Game Plan Realtree’s Monster Bucks Major League Bowhunter Rival Wild Whitetail Properties Savage Outdoors SPORTSMAN CHANNEL Whitetail Properties North American Whitetail Destination Whitetail Mathews Dominant Bucks Buckventures Big Deer TV Adrenaline Junkies North American Whitetail Destination Whitetail Mathews Dominant Bucks Buckventures Big Deer TV SPORTSMAN CHANNEL Camp Stew ManEater Destination Whitetail Matthew’s Dominant Bucks Buckventures Big Deer TV Adrenaline Junkies Big Deer TV North American Whitetail Destination Whitetail Matthew’s Dominant Bucks Buckventures SPORTSMAN CHANNEL Camp Stew
Where in the World is Colorado Buck Just Hunt Gun Talk TV
Bowhunter TV Relentless Pursuit Name the Game Midwest Whitetail Easton Bowhunting American Rebel Bowhunter TV Relentless Pursuit Name the Game Midwest Whitetail Easton Bowhunting SPORTSMAN CHANNEL Full Draw Adventure Whitetail Fix Hardcore Pursuit World of Sports Afield World of Beretta The Wildlifers Blue Collar Adventures On The Road with Rock and Aaron Hardcore Pursuit World of Sports Afield World of Beretta The Wildlifers Blue Collar Adventures
PURSUIT CHANNEL Carnivore Into the Wild Headhunter Chronicles The High Road w/Keith Warren Deer Thugs Winchester & Drury’s Natural Born NWTF 365 Bloodline Brush Country Monsters Save the Habitat, Save the Hunt Just Hunt Hunting with HECS DU TV
SPORTSMAN CHANNEL Bohning’s Whitetail Journey Whitetail Slam Pigman: The Series Gun It with Benny Spies Petersen’s Hunting Off-Grid Hunter Pure Hunting Travelin’ Hunter Pigman: The Series Gun It with Benny Spies Petersen’s Hunting Off-Grid Hunter Pure Hunting
Backland Outdoors Carnivore Americana Outdoors PURSUIT CHANNEL Honey Brake Experience Flyway Highway The Grind DU TV Avian X Sportingdog Adventure Hunting with HECS Campfire Stories Show of Support
Puzzle solution from Page 22
WORLD FISHING NETWORK The Scott Martin Challenge Kayak Bassin’ TV Jack Link’s Major League Fishing Dave Mercer’s Facts of Fishing FLW Tour Bass 2 Billfish Timmy Horton Outdoors Skeeter Bass Champs Jack Link’s Major League Fishing Dave Mercer’s Facts of Fishing WORLD FISHING NETWORK Fishing with Bill Miller King of the River American Fly Guide Sportfishing on the Fly The Fish Finders Breaking Boundaries Guided with Mark Melnyk Fishing the Flats The Next Bite TV Florida Adventure Quest American Fly Guide Sportfishing on the Fly The Fish Finders WORLD FISHING NETWORK Reel Animals Big Coast Sportfishing Angler West TV Ultimate Catch FlatsClass Fishful Thinker Canadian Sportfishing Krappie Kings Fishing with Joe Bucher Florida Adventure Quest Angler West TV Ultimate Catch Fishful Thinker WORLD FISHING NETWORK Force on Force George Poveromo’s Saltwater Fishing Lindner’s Angling Edge Hookin’ Up with Nick and Mariko Bill Boyce’s Baja The Session Wild Fisherman Bob Izumi’s Real Fishing Outdoor Fishing Lindner’s Angling Edge Hookin’ Up with Nick and Mariko Bill Boyce’s Baja WORLD FISHING NETWORK Krappie Kings Jimmy Houston Outdoors Million Dollar Catch South Bend’s Lunkerville John Gillespie’s Water & Woods Fishing 411 The Next Bite TV Mark Berg’s Fishing Addiction BC Outdoor Sportfishing Million Dollar Catch South Bend’s Lunkerville John Gillespie’s Water & Woods WORLD FISHING NETWORK Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing Fishful Thinker FlatsClass King of the River American Fly Guide Jack Link’s Major League Fishing Sportfishing on the Fly Jarrett Edwards Outdoors Force on Force FlatsClass King of the River American Fly Guide WORLD FISHING NETWORK Guided with Mark Melnyk Ultimate Catch Lindner’s Angling Edge The Session Dave Mercer’s Facts of Fishing Kayak Bassin’ TV FLW Tour Angler West TV Canadian Sportfishing Lindner’s Angling Edge The Session Dave Mercer’s Facts of Fishing
Backwoods Life on Sportsman Channel Backwoods Life host Kevin Knighton hits the woods of northeastern Missouri with Travis Fleer, owner of Spikes N Spurs Outfitters, on this week’s show. Kevin hunts the opening of archery season and has a close encounter with a nice buck then he returns with his Hawke Optics in hand to hunt the rut during rifle season. Kevin also shares a very special moment with Travis as his grandfather is presented a Purple Heart, which he earned in the Korean War. Kevin also gets the honor to hunt with one of the Spikes N Spurs hunters and film him killing the largest buck of his life. “The Missouri rifle season hits right in line with the prime time of the rut. It’s a great time to be in the woods and we look forward to it each year”, Knighton said. “Travis has a great place here loaded with big bucks. Several Boone and Crocketts have been tagged on his properties and it just keeps you excited when in camp.” Tune in to see if the guys can fill their tags as the bucks are moving big time in the Midwest. Backwoods Life air times on the Sportsman Channel — Sundays 10 a.m., Tuesday 1:30 p.m., 5 a.m., and Wild TV — Monday: 7 p.m., Thursday, 4:30 a.m., Friday, 1:30 p.m., Saturday, 10:30 p.m. All times CST.
GCI Cable launches Sportsman Channel HD Sportsman Channel has announced the network launched on the high definition platform of GCI’s Digital Variety package on Thursday, Aug. 14. This latest expansion comes on the heels of Sportsman Channel’s five-fold proliferation of new customers in Alaska and the network’s continued growth surge. Sportsman Channel (SD) launched on GCI in Alaska on August 1. Sportsman Channel HD is available to GCI Variety subscribers on Channel 746.
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Migration Continued from page 1
has a second-generation of crab returning to where it all started. Early spring marks the beginning of the process, and migrations are occurring along the upper coast in these later summer months. “Blue crab are much more migratory than other species of crab,” Zach Darnell said, noting the paddle fins on the back of the animal’s shell. Darnell is an assistant professor at Nichols State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana. He has been studying blue crab and their migratory habits for more than 10 years, from Chesapeake Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. “They’re the only swimming crab you have in large numbers in the Gulf’s estuaries,” he
Teal Continued from page 4
teal seasons, making that a possible hunting destination. “The birds are already starting to move with the recent cold front and full moon,” said Kevin Kraai, TPWD’s Waterfowl Program leader. “The breeding season was more timely this year which should result in a better hunting season. The playas are holding water for the first time in three or four years, so our fingers are crossed it stays around until the season.” Kraai said he recently visited the Richland Creek Wildlife Management Area near Richland Chambers Reservoir and said nearly 200 teal were already there. Hunters near Lubbock reported the teal are arriving. Kraai said the one area that concerns him is along the coast from Matagorda to South Padre Island. “There is limited freshwater right now and that is a concern,” he said. “I am hearing reports of broods of bluewings that haven’t flown south yet, but that isn’t unusual. These are prairie-breeding birds and they hatch, fledge and fly very quickly.”
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said. “They’re mostly moving out to spawn; they mate in the estuaries when they’re sexually mature.” Art Morris, an outreach specialist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, has been studying blue crab behavior in Texas, as well. “Speaking generally, in the late spring they like to move from the back of the bays up forward and eventually to the jetties,” Morris said. “They essentially stack up in the surf to dispense their eggs, which they’ll release this time of year.” Darnell noted the female crab will travel five to 10 miles per day just to get close to the mouth of a bay. They keep close to the bottom of the bay, and when the current is right, move out with the tide along the surface. That is only the beginning of
the journey. After they release the eggs, the larva that hatches will move even longer distances with the current. “It’s basically ensuring that they have a high success rate,” Darnell said. The crab move in high numbers and do their best to get the eggs as far away from predators as possible. “It’s kind of a tradeoff (swimming near the surface),” he said. “Things are going to be able to see them a lot better, especially their predators.” Some of their key predators — redfish and black drum — key in on the migratory patterns, and take full advantage of a meal near the surface, which spells opportunity for timely anglers. Darnell said researchers simply aren’t sure what happens to the adults after they release their eggs into the surf.
August 22, 2014
“Nobody really knows what happens to them when they are out there,” Darnell said. “No one has ever tracked the crab. Based on our research, they never go back to the estuaries.” He speculates the crab move deep and feed on the bottom until they finish their life cycle — which can be anywhere from four months to about one year. This unique event is most likely triggered by warm water and longer days, Morris said, and different weather patterns can result in larger migrations (and more predator activity on the surface). Predators aren’t the only ones taking advantage of the migration, however. Anglers can often be seen dipping nets for crab, which will stack up in the riptide during their procession in the channels. Blue crab are prime bait
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for redfish during the summer months. For top-water action, anglers will rig the live crab with a hook and free line the bait. For more depth, they may crack the crab and hook it on a jighead at mid depth or near the bottom. The crab movement toward the open water is also a key for fly-fishermen looking to hook up with bull reds as the heavy feeding leaves gamefish vulnerable to crab and tarpon flies. According to TPWD regulations, there is no limit of fullsize crab, with a minimum length of 5 inches measured from spine to spine. Anglers may possess a crab smaller than 5 inches, but per regulations they may not make up more than 5 percent of the total bag (for example, one undersized crab per 20 full-size crab).
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August 22, 2014
LoneOStar Outdoor News
Texas hunter takes potential world record muskox
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Licenses now available
A Texas hunter may have harvested the new Pope and Young Club world-record muskox, if the score holds up after the mandatory drying period. Brian Keith traveled to the Contwoyto Lake region of the Nanavut Territory in Canada to hunt muskox in August 2013. On the fifth day of the hunt, he made a successful stalk and was able to harvest an exceptional bull muskox with his bow. Keith’s muskox, which was recently submitted, scores 127 4/8 inches and is 2/8-inch higher than the current world record that is tied between Bob Black’s bull taken in 1996 and William L. Cox’s bull taken in 1998. Both of those muskox, harvested near Coppermine, Nanavut, scored 127 2/8 inches. While Keith’s muskox currently scores more than the current world’s record, it is still subject to Pope
and Young’s panel judging verification, which may change the final accepted score. This bull muskox, along with the other biggest bow-killed trophies, will be on display at the Pope and Young Club’s National Convention in Phoenix, Arizona, April 15-18, 2015. — Staff report
New licenses for the 201415 hunting and fishing seasons went on sale Friday, August 15. The current year Texas hunting and fishing licenses (except year-to-date fishing licenses) will expire Aug. 31. Every year, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department issues about 2.5 million hunting and fishing licenses through the agency’s 28 field offices, more than 50 state parks and at over 1,700 retailers across the state. Licenses may also be purchased online through the TPWD website or by phone at
LONE STAR MARKET
To advertise in this section, call Mike Hughs at (214) 361-2276 or email him at mhughs@lonestaroutdoornews.com.
(800) 895-4248. In addition to a hunting license, anyone born after Sept. 1, 1971, must successfully complete a hunter education training course or purchase a one-time deferral good for one license year in order to hunt legally in Texas. A Migratory Game Bird endorsement and Harvest Information Program certification are also required to hunt dove or teal in September. There are other mandatory endorsements to consider at the time of license purchase. An Upland Game Bird Stamp ($7) is required to hunt all nonmigratory game birds, including turkey, quail, pheasant and chachalaca. — TPWD
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LoneOStar Outdoor News
August 22, 2014
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PRODUCTS
GRIP & SCALE: Cuda’s fish scale, a winner in the 2014 ICAST FishSmart Tackle category, will handle fish weighing as much as 50 pounds. The 11.5-inch scale, which features a nonslip grip, is built from an aluminum alloy for strength, rigidity and corrosion resistance. It sells for about $54.
(877) 987-8370 WWW.ALPENOPTICS.COM
>>
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(800) 835-2263 WWW.CUDABRAND.COM
RAINIER SPOTTING SCOPE: Alpen Optics’ scope features a 45-degree, 25-75x high-power zoom eyepiece and is designed with technology that utilizes extra-low dispersion, high-definition optics to provide superb optical clarity and color fidelity. The large 86mm objective lenses collect huge amounts of light that allow the high-magnification zoom lens elements to deliver a clear and sharp image. Rainier spotting scopes offer an adjustable body collar allowing users to turn the scope for optimal positioning. The spotting scope’s MSRP is $1,469.95.
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(877) 459-2825 WWW.BROWNINGCAMPING.COM
M2300 FLY CADDY STATION: This heavy-duty, waterproof and dustproof fly-fishing case by Plastica Panaro allows anglers to tie flies during any trip under any conditions. The portable station, a winner in the 2014 ICAST Fly Fishing Accessory category, will ensure that fly accessories and belongings stay clean and dry. The 13.23inch by 11.81-inch by 5.83-inch case also has a foam lid to protect contents. The case retails for about $129. WWW.PLASTICAPANARO.IT
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GUN GUARD GUN SOCKS: Plano helps hunters cushion their firearms and protect them against moisture with its new gun socks. These soft, but serious, silicone-treated sleeves slip on like silk and shield against dings and scratches for short-term handling. And, they also deter against the bluing of barrels and protect intricate engravings on the action. When stored for the long-term, the gun socks thwart the buildup of moisture, both keeping wetness outside and condensation from forming on the inside — which means no rust. There are various Gun Guard Gun Socks to fit pistols, rifles and shotguns. They sell for about $6 to $8, depending on size.
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PHANTOM X BLIND: Browning Camping has updated its Shadow Series Pop-Up Ground Blinds with a new silent track window curtain system designed for a wide range of openings. The line’s four models, including the Phantom X Blind, offers a hunter the best vantage point for different situations without sacrificing his or her ability to stay hidden in the shadows. The track system allows the curtain to quietly slide to any position (including changing the height) on the blind’s windows. It comes with a durable custom carry bags that can transport a bow or gun and blind chair, etc., and sells for about $300.
WWW.PLANOMOLDING.COM
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August 22, 2014
LoneOStar Outdoor News
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DATEBOOK AUGUST 22
Coastal Conservation Association Trinity Bay Chapter Banquet Nuevo Leon Event Center (713) 626-4222 ccatexas.org
AUGUST 22-24
Deer Breeders Corporation Annual Convention Westin La Cantera, San Antonio (972) 289-3100 dbcdeer.com
AUGUST 23
Quail Coalition South Texas Banquet southtexasquailcoalition.org
AUGUST 26
Ducks Unlimited Wimberley Banquet Wimberley Community Center (512) 656-0535 ducks.org/texas
AUGUST 27
Ducks Unlimited Rice Belt Banquet (El Campo) El Campo Civic Center (979) 332-0657 ducks.org/texas Delta Waterfowl Salt Grass Prairie Chapter Banquet Riverside Hall, Bernard deltawaterfowl.org
AUGUST 28
Dallas Safari Club YPG Happy Hour Katy Trail Ice House (972) 980-9800 biggame.org
Quail Coalition San Antonio Quail Coalition Banquet Leon Springs Dance Hall quailcoalition.org Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Southeast Texas Big Game Banquet, Beaumont (409) 673-2771 rmef.org
SEPT. 1
Dallas Woods and Waters Club Annual Dove Hunt (214) 293-3330 dwwcc.org
SEPT. 3
Houston Safari Club Monthly Meeting Houston Racquet Club houstonsafariclub.org
SEPT. 4
Coastal Conservation Association Sam Houston Chapter Annual Banquet Walker County Storm Shelter (713) 626-4222 ccatexas.org
Delta Waterfowl Smith County Chapter Banquet The Arbor Event Center, Tyler deltawaterfowl.org
SEPT. 5-6
Delta Waterfowl Southeast Texas Chapter Annual Banquet Port Arthur Civic Center deltawaterfowl.org
SEPT. 6
AUGUST 30
Joshua Creek Ranch Sporting Clays Shoot (830) 537-5090 joshuacreek.com
AUGUST 31
Texas Archery Indoor League Texas Archery Academy, Plano Indoor Range (214) 960-4088 texasarchery.info
Dallas Safari Club DSC Dove Hunt Hailey Ranch, Abilene (972) 980-9800 biggame.org
Houston Safari Club Bird & BBQ Membership Drive Sealy houstonsafariclub.org
SEPT. 11
Ducks Unlimited Lake Lewisville Dinner Circle R Ranch, Flower Mound (214) 287-1219 Ducks Unlimited Garland/Mesquite Dinner The Atrium, Garland (469) 323-3997
Ducks Unlimited Heart of Texas DU Dinner Pfluger Hall, Pflugerville (512) 461-3568 ducks.org/texas Coastal Conservation Association Heart of the Hills Chapter Annual Banquet Boerne Convention Center (713) 626-4222 ccatexas.org Coastal Conservation Association Trinity Valley Chapter Annual Banquet Dayton Community Center (713) 626-4222 ccatexas.org Delta Waterfowl Central Dallas Chapter Annual Banquet Royal Oaks Country Club www.deltawaterfowl.org
SEPT. 13
DIVA WOW Annual AR 15 Clinic Quail Creek Shooting Range, Argyle (866) 839-3482 divawow.org
SEPT. 18
Dallas Safari Club Monthly Meeting (972) 980-9800 biggame.org Ducks Unlimited Midland Banquet Midland Country Club (432) 664-9559
SEPT. 20
Dallas Safari Club Youth S.A.F.E.T.Y. Event Greystone Castle, Mingus (972) 980-9800
SEPT. 21
Texas Indoor Archery League Texas Archery Academy, Plano Indoor Range (214) 960-4088 texasarchery.info
SEPT. 25
Mule Deer Foundation Burnet County Chapter Banquet (214) 449-5824 muledeer.org
SEPT. 27
The Great Outdoors Kids Camp Elm Fork Shooting Sports, Dallas (866) 839-3482 divawow.org
SEPT. 27-28
Outdoor Show and Sell Expo Valley Race Park, Harlingen (866) 639-8940 outdoorexpotexas.com
OCT. 17-18
Texas Trappers and Fur Hunters Association Fall Rendezvous Junction (806) 847-7562 txtrappers.com
OCT. 18-19
Texas Gun and Knife Show Abilene Civic Center (830) 285-0575 texasgunandknifeshows.com
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LoneOStar Outdoor News
August 22, 2014
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August 22, 2014
LoneOStar Outdoor News
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