PREDATOR HUNTING ANNUAL INSIDE
Texas’ Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper Since 2004
February 24, 2023
The ghost hogs
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ANNUAL 2 02 3
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Volume 19, Issue 13
Exotics, bringing folks together By Reis Ladd
For Lone Star Outdoor News
Chad Pulsifer took this aoudad ram with Texas Hunting Resources. Photo from Ky McNett.
Late winter is a trying time for Texas hunters, as most general seasons are closed or closing soon. Fortunately, the somberness is diminished by the opportunity to chase many of the exotic species that call our state home. The grassy ridgelines and oak covered bottoms of the Glass Mountains hold
some of the largest concentrations of free-ranging aoudad in the state. About one mile and a few hundred feet in elevation gain is all that separated Chad Pulsifer, of Pueblo, Colorado, and the aoudad ram he came to the region to pursue. Pulsifer and three of his closest friends made the trek from Colorado in search of a mature ram for each of the men. As it turned out, Pulsifer would be
the last of the group still looking for his ram as the other men tagged out earlier in the hunt. “I wasn’t worried at all truthfully,” Pulsifer said. “I wasn’t expecting the numbers of sheep, it was amazing.” Around noon on the third day, Pulsifer and his group received word from the rest of the hunting party of a ram they had located near the top of the highest peak on the ranch. With half Please turn to page 7
Swordfish, wahoo hitting the decks By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News Offshore anglers able to take advantage of ideal weather windows have found an abundance of swordfish and wahoo, along with other species, in the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Certain water depths and temperature ranges have been more productive than others. Once the fish are located, the action can be as good as it gets. Darby Wright and Neil Preston went on an offshore trip out of Port Mansfield with Capt. Stuart Richardson, and ended up landing an 11-foot, 550-pound swordfish about 70 miles out, after spending several hours trolling for wahoo to
no avail. “It was the only fish we landed that day, but it sure was worth all of the effort,” Wright said. “We ran about 40 miles northeast to start our day, where we spent about three hours chasing wahoo. Richardson was marking fish on his electronics, but they were not feeding.” With the wahoo having lockjaw, they decided to run about 30 miles farther in hopes of finding a swordfish. “We were fishing in about 1,700 feet of water, and within about half an hour, there was a subtle strike on one of the baits we had dropped down near the bottom,” Wright elaborated. “Richardson
Tyler Hass landed this swordfish while fishing offshore about 90 miles south of Freeport. Photo from Tyler Hass.
Please turn to page 17
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID DALLAS, TX PERMIT 3814
Big bass pouring in By Craig Nyhus
Jason Conn landed this 17.03-pound largemouth, the eighth largest caught in Texas, at O.H. Ivie Reservoir. Photo from Jason Conn.
At first glance, it would appear O.H. Ivie Reservoir is putting out big bass by the day. While the lake has put out nine 13-pluspound lunkers since the New Year, anglers are quick to point out they spend hours on the lake, searching for a big bass on their sophisticated electronics, often not making a cast the entire day on the water. It paid off
Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10 Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . Page 15 Datebook . . . . . . . . . Page 18 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 19 Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 19
for Jason Conn this month with the eighth-largest bass caught in the state, a 17.03-pounder, all captured on video. Other lakes are bringing in lunkers, as well. Lake Alan Henry, once known for producing giant bass, returned with a 13.22-pounder caught on a crappie jig. Toledo Bend produced a 15.67-pounder, and it wasn’t enough to win the Bass Champs tournament, as the top team, Michael and Nathan Mitchell, of
Lake Charles, Louisiana, brought in 28.95 pounds, including an 11.58-pounder. The next week, at a Bass Champs event held on Lake LBJ, the big bass weighed 13.03 pounds. Anglers are waiting for prime time for big bass at several other lakes, including Choke Canyon, Conroe and Fork. With water temperatures on the rise, those and some new water bodies may be joining the party soon. Please turn to page 17
INSIDE
CONTENTS
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
Lone Star Outdoor News
HUNTING
FISHING
Releasing bighorns (P. 4)
Fairfield SP to close (P. 9)
Joining their new family.
No deal made to purchase, keep open.
Chasing the blues (P. 4)
Coastal winter on fly (P. 8)
Guide targets wild scaled quail.
Reds, black drum cooperating.