LSONews.com
LoneOStar Outdoor News
Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper in Texas
August 8, 2014
Northward bound White-winged dove study looks at habitat expansion
THEY’RE HERE: White-winged dove have followed the highways from South Texas to the Red River, and now are breeding in every county in Texas. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
Page 1
August 8, 2014
Volume 10, Issue 24
By Conor Harrison Lone Star outdoor newS
Many North Texas dove hunters shoot their limits on opening morning. That hasn’t changed in years. What has changed is the type of dove that make up that limit — more white-winged dove and fewer mourning dove is now common. It wasn’t always that way, and a recently-published paper on the topic points to humans as the facilitators. “Yep, we’ve been seeing a lot more in a couple different places the last few years,” said guide Dale Bestwina, who hunts near the Red River from
Texoma to Wichita Falls. “On a lot of the fields, we were shooting nothing but whitewings — no mourning doves at all.” Bestwina said he finds more whitewings on fields with bigger grains, such as corn, but he doesn’t know why they are moving north at such a fast pace. “We aren’t really near the suburbs on a lot of these fields,” he said. Whitewings are an urban bird, often travelling from cities to nearby fields to feed in the morning and evenings, giving hunters close to town a consisSee DOVE, Page 25
Rushin’ to the rivers
Kingfish, Spanish mackerel thick along jetties, nearshore rigs By Conor Harrison Lone Star outdoor newS
The kingfish and Spanish mackerel bite is going strong along many jetties and piers from Galveston to South Padre Island, and anglers are taking advantage — especially while sitting on kayaks. “The kingfish are pretty close See KINGFISH, Page 11
UP ON BRUSHY CREEK: Throughout the year — even during a sweltering summer day — Texas Hill Country rivers can produce some fishing fun. Species like Guadalupe bass, Rio Grande cichlids, carp and other panfish are willing to take a fly or lure in many situations. Photo by Steve Schwartz, Lone Star Outdoor News.
Bite happening across Central Texas streams INSIDE
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PLANO, TX PERMIT 210
BITING ANYTHING: Kingfish and Spanish mackerel are at their peak this month, and anglers are catching loads of them by throwing top-waters, jigs and lipless crankbaits. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.
Hunting Texas Annual 2014
By Steve Schwartz Lone Star outdoor newS
The cool waters of Brushy Creek almost masked the effect of the sweltering heat that rose off the banks during a hot July day in Round Rock. Several anglers made an excursion to the often-overlooked spot during the end of July, when many area lakes are warming up
— making the fishing uncomfortable and often unproductive. Rivers in the Hill Country and beyond are a welcome respite for fly-fishermen and light-tackle anglers alike, providing a wealth of opportunities for the majority of the year, and maybe even some shade. Brushy Creek runs south out of See RIVERS, Page 15
CONTENTS
HUNTING
Leading the pack Annual hunter survey shows trends for Texas’ dove hunting. Page 4
FISHING
A cut above
Fly-fisherman takes wood art to the next level.
Page 8
Freshwater Fishing Report Game Warden Blotter . . . Heroes. . . . . . . . . . Outdoor Datebook . . . . Products . . . . . . . . . Saltwater Fishing Report . Sun, Moon and Tide data .
LSONews.com
. . . . . . .
Page 10 Page 12 Page 18 Page 28 Page 26 Page 14 Page 20