September 22, 2023
Texas’ Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper Since 2004
Volume 20, Issue 3
Slow move into fall patterns By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News
Hunter Jenkins caught this 7.16-pound bass over a brush pile in 17 feet of water on Lake O’ the Pines. Photo from Hunter Jenkins.
Bass anglers and guides are still finding the majority of largemouths in their late summertime haunts. But slightly cooler morning and overnight temperatures are promoting a slow transition
toward fall patterns. Some fish are beginning to push into shallower water, while others are still hanging out in deeper areas. David Townsend has been chasing bass on Lake Walter E. Long and Stillhouse Hollow Lake, where he said the largemouths are schooling.
On Stillhouse, Townsend said the bass are out in open, deep water, schooling in the upper portion of the water column. “The fish are in big concentrations, and it’s been nothing to catch anywhere from 50 to 100 fish during a trip,” Townsend said. “Most of the fish are from 1 to 3 pounds,
with a few pushing 4 pounds or more.” The schools of bass on Stillhouse can be found in anywhere from 20-80 feet of water in main lake stretches toward the dam. Most of the fish are hanging out along the surface, down to about 5 feet deep. Please turn to page 11
Bluewings start strong By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News Overall, the early teal season has been great. The best decoying action has been taking place on the weekends, when significant numbers of hunters have been out chasing the birds, causing them to move around from one body of water to another. Weekday hunts have been slower with the lack of hunting pressure across the landscape. Rick Bernard hunted on Saturday and Sunday of opening weekend over flooded rice fields between Seadrift and Port Lavaca with H2o Extreme Outfitters, and said the teal bombarded their decoys right at legal shooting light on both mornings. “The bluewings swarmed the ponds we hunted in small groups of five to 10 birds, and swung over the spread for easy shot opportunities,” Bernard said. “We were able to harvest a five-man limit on both hunts within an hour. The action was fast and furious.” Duck hunters in southwest Texas reported good numbers of blue-winged teal on stock tanks and cattle ponds. Those who found birds while scouting harvested
limits or near limits on private land in areas void of surrounding hunting pressure. Rowdy Kunz, who guides for Red Bluff Prairie Hunting Club, said the teal on the Garwood prairie have remained fairly consistent. “Some hunts have been better than others, but for the most part, we’ve had an excellent early teal season,” Kunz said. “Our hunters harvested mostly drakes during the first several days of the season. Then, more hens and juveniles started to show up, and the decoying action improved.” Kunz said the birds acted a little spooky during the opener with all of the surrounding gunfire across the prairie. “On opening weekend, we saw a ton of birds, but they wouldn’t work over the decoys real well,” he said. “Most of our shot opportunities were at single birds or pairs. Larger groups of birds have been more willing to hover over the spread as the season has progressed.” Top-Flight Hunting Preserve hunting guide, Kody Ressler, said the opening weekend produced limits for nearly all of the operation’s groups of teal hunters on ponds between Garwood, Eagle Lake, and Sealy. Please turn to page 6
Millie, Joe Link’s golden doodle, retrieves a teal during the opening weekend of early teal season. Photo by Nate Skinner, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID DALLAS, TX PERMIT 3814
Last minute archery season prep By Lane Moczygemba
Checking your bow before the season, including the string, could save a hunt from being ruined. Photo by Lane Moczygemba, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
Archery whitetail season is almost here and, some hunters may not have taken their bow out of its case since last season ended. But it’s not too late to get ready. When it comes to hunting season preparedness, Kyna Stephens, owner of Leading Edge
Freshwater Fishing Report . . Page 10 Game Warden Blotter . . . . . Page 12 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . . Page 16 Saltwater Fishing Report . . . Page 21 Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 22 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . Page 23
Archery, in Boerne, said “the best option is to plan ahead and get your equipment checked at your local archery shop.” But that may not always be an option. Since it may be too short notice to have your bow in to the shop for a tune-up, here are a few things to check at home that experts, like Stephens, say will help make sure you’re ready to go.
1. Inspect your cams Take a close look at your cams and check for any obvious damage. Large nicks or bends in the cam could make for a dangerous situation. Damage to the cams could also affect your cam timing, which could ruin your shot. If you find damage, have it checked out and repaired by an expert before shooting again. Please turn to page 6
INSIDE
CONTENTS
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
For Lone Star Outdoor News
HUNTING
FISHING
South Zone opens (P. 4)
Giant gar (P. 8)
Dove moving with pressure.
Angler lands likely world record.
Future biologists’ camp (P. 4)
Targeting black drum (P. 8)
Careers in wildlife a focus.
Peeled shrimp, small crabs favored baits.