April 23, 2010 - Lone Star Outdoor News by Lone Star Outdoor News

Spring bass Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper

April 23, 2010

Volume 6, Issue 17

Many largemouth bass spawned later than normal in Texas this spring. Page 9

From bank or boat

Inside

Popular and lesser-known lakes producing spring crappie By Craig Nyhus

LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Cody Neace and his father, Junior, landed limits of crappie several days this spring at Lewisville Lake, including three days in a row. That’s not unusual, maybe, except they did it from the bank. “The fish have been real shallow,” Cody said. “Although sometimes they have been suspended at 6 feet over 20 feet of water.” Cody prefers the jig, while his father chooses minnows. “It has been incredible,” Cody said. “We’ve been catching one every five minutes, but a lot of them are small.” As with all types of fishing, location is the key. “Fortunately, we know a couple of good spots where there are brush piles close to the bank,” he said. Caddo Lake is one of the state’s most famous crappie lakes, and it is holding to form this spring. Dennis North guides at the lake, fishing orange/white/orange ■ Crappie: Caddo Lake Dream Team Jigs primarNot a lot of ily on the river. “It’s pretty darn good,” North said. stocker crappie “We’re catching 30 to 40 a day, and at in Texas. Page 6 least half are keepers. We’ve had good weather, and there isn’t any current, which is good for crappie fishing.” North said the best fishing has been in the river in 12 to 15 feet of water. “And the redear perch are hitting the crappie jigs, too,” he said. While lakes like Caddo, Fork and Texoma draw more crappie chasers, crappie fishing can bring attention to spots some anglers may not know exist. “We spent a few days fishing Lake Gilmer,” said Kevin Kubiak, who guides part-time at Lake Granger. “We caught

❘❚ HUNTING

Frustrated yet? Turkey hunters know well the frustrations of chasing the wary birds. Page 4

Probiotics, pro deer Companies are manufacturing additives, such as probiotics, for deer feed. Page 4

INSIDE

❘❚ FISHING

Attention, race fans Jamie McMurray won the Daytona 500 and took on anglers, hunters and golfers in Texas. Page 7

YOUR PICK: Anglers are ﬁnding crappie by land and watercraft during the spring spawn. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

Pioneer Dargel dies Shallow-water boating changed forever when Russell Dargel started building — in the ’30s. Page 6

❘❚ CONTENTS Classiﬁeds . . . . . . . . Crossword . . . . . . . . Fishing Report . . . . . . For the Table . . . . . . . Game Warden Blotter . . . Heroes . . . . . . . . . . Outdoor Datebook. . . . . Outﬁtters and Businesses Products . . . . . . . . . Sun, Moon and Tide data .

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Welcome to Lake X

BEARDED WONDERS: Turkeys with multiple beards mean a lot to hunters but apparently not much to the birds. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.

TPW studying bass at private lake in former coal mine By Thomas Phillips LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

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See CRAPPIE, Page 27

Much unknown about multiple beards on birds Extra tufts don’t appear to affect breeding By Thomas Phillips LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

A turkey with multiple beards is a rare thing, and it’s also a mystery. “This, I guarantee, is a totally random occurrence,” said Bret Collier, a research ecologist at Texas A&M University. “There is no rhyme or reason or logic or environmental factor or what you feed them or where See BEARDS, Page 25

Lake X’s are supposed to be secret. Mercury Motors for about 30 years had its famed Lake X for testing new equipment before it hit the market. Now, Texas Parks and Wildlife has its own Lake X: a secret private lake where the department is studying largemouth bass in its Operation World Record program. The secret is out thanks to two videos on the Internet. The 100-acre water body is a reclaimed lignite coal mine pit, located at the Big Brown Mine in East Texas. The location was confirmed by Luminant, the power company that owns the property, in an online video about the fish research being done at the lake. Pro angler Alton Jones of Waco also has written about the lake on his blog and hosted another Internet video filmed at the lake. Lake X is stocked with fish from TPW’s largemouth bass breeding program — which only grows offspring from pure Florida-strain largemouth bass. The purpose of the lake is to study how big the fish grow and how fast they grow. The lake is off-limits to the public, and restricted access helps keep fishing pressure controllable. TPW has a contract with Luminant so it can conduct its research there. Luminant approached TPW about using the lake, and the company donated access and management rights to TPW

NO BOATS: At Lake X in East Texas, bass genetic research is being conducted by Texas Parks and Wildlife. Photo by Luminant.

for 15 years. The contract started ﬁve years ago, said Allen Forshage, director of the Texas Freshwater See LAKE X, Page 26

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HUNTING

Ranch accused of bait and switch South Texas operation allegedly boasted of being big, wild but wasn’t

By Bill Miller

FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Texas’ top law enforcement ofﬁcial is accusing a Gonzales County hunting operation of defrauding clients. A lawsuit was ﬁled in early April by Attorney General Greg Abbott against Candelaria Ranch LLC, operated by Paul and Angela Candelaria of Pasadena. EXTRA INGREDIENTS: Companies are manufacturing additives for deer feed in an effort to help the deer grow. Photo by LSON.

Probiotics tout edge for deer

Efforts to reach the couple for comment were unsuccessful. However, Paul Candelaria told the Houston Chronicle that Abbott’s allegations surprised him, and that he was eager to ﬁght them in court. A spokesman for Abbott said he couldn’t remember an AG lawsuit that focused on a hunting operation. “We refer matters, if they’re

Frustrated

criminal, to the game wardens,” said Tom Kelley, the spokesman. “I think some cases involving the sale of some sick pets — puppies or some sick horses — are the closest we’ve come to this. “But the same law applies — deceptive trade practices.” Kelley explained that these civil lawsuits are the result of “promising to give one thing and then giving something else com-

pletely unacceptable.” In the Candelaria Ranch case, ﬁve former clients claim in afﬁdavits that the ranch’s Web site, wildhoghunttexas.com, offered world-class, open-range hunts for hogs, deer, antelope, varmints and exotics. But, according to Abbott’s staff, the Candelarias “wholly See BUSINESS, Page 23

Turkey hunters know best the challenges of bringing in a bird and the pain of being busted by one

Additives gaining in popularity for people, but not yet for wildlife By Ralph Winingham FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

White-tailed deer breeders in Texas are always looking for an edge — some way to create bigger, better, healthier animals that will feed the demand for big bucks by thousands of trophy hunters every year. A potential factor into the big buck formula that has reached Texas in the past two years is probiotics, a mixture of naturally occurring enzymes combined with deer feed. Kirby Vanover, a nutritionist for Angelo Pellets, which supplies feed in San Angelo, said one product the company sells is DeerZyme. The product contains seven enzymes that aid deer in digestion. “With ruminant animals, it really helps the efficiency of vegetable utilization,” Vanover said. Simply put, the product allows deer to get more out of what they eat, Vanover said. Deer eating the product are showing improved body condition and health, Vanover said. But the jury is still out on whether deer eating it grow bigger antlers. “It’s gotta help the overall picture and, in turn, the overall antler development,” he said. One deer breeder, Pete Smith of the Diamond S. Ranch near Cranfills Gap, is looking forward to giving probiotics a try after obtaining excellent results with a similar supplement called Chaffhaye. “We started using Chaffhaye about two years ago, and we have had outstanding success,” Smith said. “Our deer love it, and they are healthier, fatter and more content.” The Chaffhaye product is made from fresh alfalfa that is chopped, lightly misted with molasses and compressed into air-tight bags where fermentation can take place. The fermentation mimics an animal’s digestive process and produces yeast, beneficial enzymes and bacteria to “pre-digest” the feed. Smith described the process as similar to people eating yogurt to help their digestive system work more efficiently. He said his operation, which maintains a breeder herd of about 70 to 135 deer and a hunting pasture with about 240 deer, is looking at a variety of measures to help improve the quality of their animals. “Chaffhaye is about the same cost as See ADDITIVES, Page 22

HIDE AND HOPE: Turkey hunters go to great lengths to hide from turkeys, but sometimes the birds do not cooperate, though the hunter may be all but invisible. The wary nature of turkeys causes many frustrating days for some hunters. Photos by Lone Star Outdoor News.

By Kyle Carter

FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Josh Chilton had been sitting there in the hot sun all day. A huge group of turkeys had come hair-raisingly close to shooting range almost 12 hours earlier, which had been enough to keep Chilton and his two friends sitting in a blind and skipping lunch in 90-degree heat. Finally, with the sun departing, they packed up their things and decided to head home. About the time they stood up, three big toms topped the hill in front of them. Chilton dropped, grabbed his bow and started calling. The toms responded and started toward the decoys with a purpose. But without warning, 45 yards from Chilton, the birds locked up. Nothing — not calling, not decoys, not praying — would get the birds to take another step. Chilton, who is on the Mossy Oak pro staff, had seen enough. His ﬁrst shot missed a foot high. His next three were wildly shot at turkeys running scared. All the arrows were lost. His friends just stared in disbelief. “I don’t think I’ll ever live that moment down with my friends,” he said. “I just got tired of waiting and lost it a little bit. They may have small brains, but the little bit of brain they have, they use well.” Thus is the plight of turkey hunters everywhere. The small-brained, rainbow-headed bird that can ﬂy but prefers to walk wins a lot more than it loses against the much more sophisticated hunter and his shotgun. “If I go turkey hunting 10 times,” said Jeff

Cowen, the National Wild Turkey Federation’s vice president of the Southwest region, “I’m hoping to get one bird.” Chilton, 29, said he bow hunts for turkeys three to four times a week during the spring season, and he has taken one bird in the past three years of bow hunting. And that’s not for a lack of opportunities. “You can’t go a mile in any direction up here without running into a turkey,” he said. “They’re pretty much in your lap, you just have to call them to get them in range.

“But there’s just nothing you can do to slam dunk a turkey. Any other game you can trick one way or another with relative ease to get them in shooting range, but not a turkey.” Bob Schultz, a businessman from East Texas who only gets to hunt turkeys once or twice a year, said the challenge is part of the attraction. It’s tougher for the every-once-in-a-while hunter to get a bird because there’s not as much time to scout, but Schultz said it’s no less excitSee FRUSTRATED, Page 22

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Crazy ants could give outdoorsmen ﬁts

Insects not known to hurt wildlife, but could wreck a hunting cabin or ﬁshing shack By Ralph Winingham FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

Another ant that can force fire ants to flee in a panic would seem like a potentially good invertebrate to landowners plagued with fire ants. Unfortunately, the recently discovered Rasberry crazy ants might cause more problems than their stinging cousins. “You would much rather have fire ants on your property than crazy ants,” said Tom Rasberry, a pest control specialist who is credited with discovering the crazy ant species in the Harris County area in 2002. “While you might have a couple hundred mounds of fire ants per acre (an average mound contains 100,000 to 500,000 workers, several hundred winged ants and a number of queens), you can have 15 billion to 20 billion crazy ants per acre. Literally every square inch of the property will have ants on it, and they will be feeding on anything they can feed on. “It is a nightmare.” Rasberry crazy ants have spread from shipyards in Harris County to establish colonies in 14 counties during the past eight years, Rasberry said. The crazy ants do not sting like fire ants, and they make nests in shaded, moist areas rather than building mounds. The ants are a major nuisance in urban areas, said Dr. Paul Nester, program specialist with Integrated Pest Management of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Houston, but their impact on rural areas and wildlife has yet to be determined. “We do know that in infested areas, there

UNBITTEN: Rasberry crazy ants crawl over their namesake, Tom Rasberry.

appear to be no birds or ground animals,” Nester said. “When they arrive, the fire ants leave. You won’t even hear any sounds of insects or birds. “They have the potential to become as much of a problem as fire ants.” The ants are found in mostly urban areas, where they have shorted out electrical circuits and may be driving out other types of insects and nesting birds, said Michael Warriner, invertebrate biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife. The state is monitoring the potential for problems in rural areas. “We’ve had no reports of any impact on wildlife or any problems at hunting or fishing camps, See CRAZY ANTS, Page 22

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FISHING

Dargel, innovator of shallow-water boats, dies Texan began building boats in Donna as a 13-year-old By Thomas Phillips

BOAT BOSS: Russell Dargel pioneered shallow-water boat building on the Texas coast. Photo by Shannon Drawe, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

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Russell Dargel, the innovative Texas boatmaker who pioneered shallow-water designs for coastal ﬁshing and began building boats in the 1930s, died April 14 of congestive heart failure, according to his family. He was 90. Shortly before his death, the founder of Donna-based Dargel Boats summed up his life for a group of youths visiting from the First Baptist Church of Weslaco,

which he attended. “I never was very good with words, but God gave me the gift to make things with my hands, and that is how I tried to honor him,” Dargel said, according to the company’s Web site. After learning boat design from correspondence courses — one in naval architecture and one in yacht design — Dargel went on to design the ﬁrst tunnel-hull shallow-water skiff, said Cleve Ford, who now owns the company with his wife and Dargel’s grandniece, Miriam.

“God just (gave) him a gift with his hands to build, and that’s what he did,” said Brenda Nance, who owns Huff Marine, a Corpus Christi dealership that only sells Dargel Boats. She added, “ It’s all because he took some time and built it the right way.” Dargel sold his company to the Fords in 2007 but remained involved with the company. He was a constant presence in the manufacturing shop after the sale until See DARGEL, Page 21

Taking stock — or not Crappie are rarely stocked in Texas lakes By Thomas Phillips LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

Largemouth bass have their own breeding program run by the state. But crappie — which rank just below LMB on the list of popular sportfish in Texas — are largely left to fend for themselves. The state rarely stocks crappie. “Honestly, about the only time that Inland Fisheries stocks crappie is in a new impoundment,” said Todd Driscoll, a biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Inland Fisheries Division. Populations of crappie, which are native to Texas, do well enough on their own that they don’t need supplemental stocking, Driscoll said. When a new lake is built, crappie to be introduced in it rarely come from a hatchery. They are collected by rod and reel, electrofishing and netting. That type of stocking is under way at Lake Naconiche in Nacogdoches County. The lake covers 692 acres, and it is scheduled to open to the public in September 2012. Several hundred crappie have been stocked there, and managers want the total to be about 1,000. Biologists are introducing equal numbers of black crappie and white crappie, Driscoll said. After they are introduced, TPW will monitor their numbers to see how well they populate the lake. When the state wants to raise crappie in a hatchery, it has to start from scratch. Texas Parks and Wildlife does not keep brood fish of the species in its hatcheries, said Carl Kittel, TPW’s regional director for hatcheries. If the department wants to raise some, it catches wild fish during winter and relocates them to a hatchery. The fish can then

NATURAL INHABITANTS: Texas Parks and Wildlife rarely stocks crappie in the state, and growing the ﬁsh in hatcheries happens less than that. The ﬁsh are natives of Texas and generally do well enough on their own, biologists said. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.

spawn in the spring, with the offspring being released during the fall. At the hatchery, crappie would receive no special diet or other conditions. Their water temperature would be raised slightly during spring to promote spawning. When it’s time to go, the water level in

their tank would be lowered, the fish would be netted and weighed, and then they would go into a transport truck. The transport truck takes the tiny fish to a lake, where they are met by workers from the district office, who release the fish. Whether to raise crappie in a hatchery is

decided on a case-by-case basis, Kittel said. It depends on the size and condition of the lake. Requests come from district biologists, such as Driscoll, and no requests for hatchery crappie have been made this year. “It might be a decade since we’ve done a crappie stocking,” Driscoll said.

Damming of Lavaca River would affect ﬁshing, bay Proposal would create lake in Jackson County By Bill Miller

FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS The Lavaca River in Southeast Texas has long been a source of wonder. The 115-mile waterway, which ﬂows from northeast Gonzales County to Lavaca Bay on the coast, got its name during the late 1600s from the French explorer LaSalle. He noticed buffalo on its banks, so he named it Rivière de Les Veches, or “Cow River.” The Spanish translation for that is “Lavaca.” The bison are long gone, but the river, which contributes to marine habitat in Lavaca Bay, may soon be drawing a different kind of scrutiny. The Lavaca-Navidad River Authority has

authorized a study to examine the river’s potential to feed a possible new lake near Edna in Jackson County — either by damming the river or by diverting water to an off-channel reservoir. A plastics manufacturer, so far, is the river authority’s biggest customer. But some residents fear the study is a sign that the river authority already has customers who want to buy Lavaca water. Patrick Brzozowski, the river authority’s general manager, said it’s way too early to contemplate that. “There are a lot of people who think we’re just going to run off and build something,” he said. “It’s a long process, and we’re not even to the point where we can decide to build anything. “Everybody wants me to speculate, and I don’t want to. It’s not good for anybody.” The river authority’s board of directors was See LAVACA, Page 24

Maps by Google.

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POLE POSITION: Jamie McMurray, a NASCAR driver who won this year’s Daytona 500, casts in the aquarium at Bass Pro Shops in Grapevine. Photo by Thomas Phillips, Lone Star Outdoor News.

NASCAR driver McMurray answers Bass Pro casting call Daytona winner talks about hunting turkeys, growing up ﬁshing NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray competed in a different kind of contest April 15 at the Bass Pro Shops in Grapevine. Instead of driving his No. 1 Bass Pro Shops car for EarnhardtGanassi Racing in circles all afternoon, he took on fans in the Jamie McMurray Outdoor Challenge. McMurray, who won the 2010 Daytona 500, cast a ﬁshing rod, shot an airgun and putted against fans who had won fans-only competitions earlier that day. The fans took home all-access passes to the NASCAR race April 19 at Texas Motor Speedway, where McMurray

came in 30th. If the fan beat McMurray in his respective contest category, he took home bragging rights. After the competition, McMurray spoke with Lone Star Outdoor News’ Thomas Phillips. Thomas Phillips: When you’re behind the wheel of your racecar, you’re really thinking about hunting and ﬁshing, right? Jamie McMurray: All the time. Absolutely. Yeah. TP: Where have you been hunting and ﬁshing lately? JM: Actually, we’re getting ready to go. Johnny Morris is taking Bono, the crew chief, and Chip Ganassi, the owner, and one of my buddies. We’re going to one of his places in See MCMURRAY, Page 24

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TEXAS FISHING REPORT Sponsored by

HOT BITES LARGEMOUTH BASS

LIVINGSTON: Excellent on buzzbaits, spinnerbaits and soft plastics. HOUSTON COUNTY: Very good on 6” June bug soft plastic lizards, Brush Hogs and spinnerbaits near the marina and pump station in 7-8 feet. TRAVIS: Very good on watermelon Senkos, smoke grubs and Brush Hogs in 5-20 feet. FAYETTE: Good on watermelon, watermelon red and watermelon black/green soft plastics in 2-10 feet and on white and white/chartreuse spinnerbaits and on pumpkinseed worms along the outside edges of breaks.

WHITE, HYBRID, STRIPER

BRAUNIG: Striped bass are excellent on liver and perch near Dead Tree Point and down-rigging spoons near the dam and jetty. RAY ROBERTS: White bass are excellent on Hot Spots and Pop Rs with semi-regular surface schooling. GREENBELT: White bass are good on live bait and shad-colored crankbaits. HUBBARD CREEK: White bass are good on live bait and small white/black back crankbaits. SOMERVILLE: Hybrid striper are good on minnows. White bass are good on minnows.

CATFISH

BASTROP: Channel and blue catfish are excellent on live bait, frozen shrimp, liver and bloodbait. CALAVERAS: Channel catfish are excellent on liver, shrimp, cheesebait and shad. FALCON: Channel and blue catfish are excellent on frozen shrimp, shad and cut bait under cormorants. BELTON: Yellow catfish are good on trotlines and throwlines baited with live perch.

CRAPPIE BROWNWOOD: Excellent on Li’l Fishies and tube jigs under corks along shorelines in 1-3 feet. CHOKE CANYON: Good on minnow-tipped jigs. GRANGER: Good on minnows upriver at night.

ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 56 degrees; 1.23’ low. Black bass are good on live bait, white/blue spinnerbaits and black/blue jigs and soft plastics suspended in brush. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on live bait. AMISTAD: Water clear; 66 degrees; 2.93’ low. Black bass are good on crankbaits, jerkbaits, soft plastics, spinnerbaits and swimbaits. Striped bass are fair on slabs, jigging spoons and live minnows. White bass are fair on slabs, jigging spoons and live minnows. Crappie are fair. Catfish are fair. ATHENS: Water fairly clear, 65-72 degrees; 0.26’ high. Black bass are fair to good on shad pattern spinnerbaits, Yum Dingers and Texas rigs. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows along the bank and towards the backs of creeks. Catfish are good on prepared baits and nightcrawlers. BASTROP: Water stained. Black bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and white tube jigs. BELTON: Water clear; 64 degrees; 2’ low. Black bass are fair on Rat-L-Traps and spinnerbaits. Hybrid striper are fair on live shad. White bass are fair on minnows. Crappie are good on minnows under lights at night. Channel and blue catfish are good on shrimp and stinkbait.

and blue catfish are fair on punchbait in 10-12 feet. Yellow catfish are fair on trotlines baited with live perch. COLETO CREEK: Water stained; 62 degrees (75 degrees at discharge); 0.13’ high. Black bass are good on soft plastics and spinnerbaits in 5-8 feet. Striped bass are slow. White bass are slow. Crappie are fair. Channel and blue catfish are good on trotlines baited with perch and liver. Yellow catfish are good on trotlines baited with live perch. CONROE: Water fairly clear; 0.05’ low. Black bass are fair on chartreuse/green spinnerbaits, crankbaits and soft plastics in 5-12 feet. Striped bass are slow. Crappie are good on minnows and crappie jigs. Catfish are fair on stinkbait and shrimp. COOPER: Water off-color; 64-70 degrees; 0.01’ low. Black bass are fair to good on

launching boats is difficult. HOUSTON COUNTY: Water clear; 69 degrees; 0.59’ high. Crappie are good on live minnows off piers and banks and over brush piles. Bream are slow. Channel and blue catfish are good on stinkbait off piers and on trotlines baited with perch. HUBBARD CREEK: Water lightly stained; 61 degrees; 7.12’ low. Black bass are good on live bait and black/blue soft plastics worked along grass lines and timber. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Catfish are good on live bait. JOE POOL: Water off-color; 65-72 degrees; 0.12’ high. Black bass are fair on Texas rigs, flukes, weightless swimbaits and Rat-L-Traps. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair to good on minnows and slabs. Catfish are fair on nightcrawlers and shad.

HOT SPOT

CADDO: Water murky; 67-74 degrees; 1.11’ high. Black bass are fair to good on Texas-rigged Brush Hogs and RatL-Traps. White bass are fair on rooster tails and minnows. Yellow bass are fair on jigs and shrimp. Catfish are fair on nightcrawlers and prepared bait. CALAVERAS: Water clear; 64 degrees. Black bass are slow. Striped bass are good on spoons and striper jigs near the dam and on chicken livers and shad near the dam and power lines. Redfish are slow. Crappie are slow. Blue catfish are good on cut bait and liver near 181 Cove and the railroad bridge. CANYON LAKE: Water murky; 62 degrees; 0.23’ high. Black bass are good on green pumpkin soft plastics on jig heads, spider grubs and grape worms on shaky head jigs in clear water along 6-12 foot break lines. Striped bass are fair. White bass are fair. Smallmouth bass are good on root beer curl tail grubs, Rat-L-Traps and 6” watermelon on jigheads along main lake points and ledges in 6-15 feet. Crappie are slow. Channel catfish are slow. Yellow and blue catfish are fair on live bait. CEDAR CREEK: Water stained; 65-72 degrees; 0.04’ low. Black bass are good on red Rat-L-Traps, white/chartreuse spinnerbaits, Texas rigs and weightless 6.5” Tornadoes. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are fair. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair. CHOKE CANYON: Water stained; 65 degrees; 9.16’ low. Black bass are fair on chartreuse/white spinnerbaits, crankbaits and Carolina-rigged soft plastics. White bass are slow. Drum are slow. Channel

POSSUM KINGDOM: Water stained; 62 degrees; 5.39’ low. Black bass are fair on black/chartreuse jigs, firetiger crankbaits and live bait along points in the Long Hollow and Caddo areas. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on silver jigging spoons and live bait. Stripers are good on silver spoons and shad-colored crankbaits along the southern lake points. Catfish are good on live bait. Note: Traces of golden algae have been identified with minimal fish kill noted in South D&D and south of the Hell’s Gate area.

RAY HUBBARD: Water fairly clear; 65-72 degrees; 0.11’ low. Black bass are fair to good on white/chartreuse spinnerbaits, Rat-L-Traps and Texas rigs. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair. Hybrid striper are fair. Catﬁsh are fair.

BRAUNIG: Water clear; 64 degrees. Black bass are slow. Redﬁsh are slow. Channel and blue catﬁsh are excellent on shrimp, cheesebait, cut bait and liver.

BUCHANAN: Water murky; 63 degrees; 11.94’ low. Black bass are good on topwaters, jigs and wacky-rigged watermelon/red soft plastics in stickups and flooded grass back in creeks and pockets in 3-6 feet. Striped bass are fair. White bass are good vertically jigging Bleeding Shad Tiny Traps and Pirk Minnows above Paradise Point. Crappie are slow. Channel catfish are slow. Yellow and blue catfish are good on juglines and trotlines above Paradise Point.

PALESTINE: Water lightly stained; 64-70 degrees; 0.22’ high. Black bass are fair on Rat-L-Traps, Texas rigs and orange/pumpkinseed tubes. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. Hybrid striper are fair. White bass are fair. Catﬁsh are fair.

PROCTOR: Water murky; 61 degrees; 1.34’ low. Black bass are slow. Striped bass are slow. White bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catﬁsh are fair on fresh shad.

BOB SANDLIN: Water stained; 64-72 degrees; 0.01’ high. Black bass are fair to good on weightless soft plastics, Texas rigs and Rat-L-Traps. Crappie are fair. White bass are fair. Catﬁsh are fair.

BROWNWOOD: Water stained; 65 degrees; 6.81’ low. Black bass are good on spinnerbaits, black/blue jigs, watermelon red worms and crankbaits in main lake coves and rock cuts. Hybrid striper are slow. White bass are excellent on Li’l Fishies, small Rat-L-Traps and shad crankbaits. Channel catﬁsh are slow.

O.H. IVIE: Water lightly stained; 61 degrees; 21.61’ low. Black bass to 13 pounds are good on watermelon red soft plastics, white spinnerbaits and live bait worked along timber, channels and drop-offs. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on live bait and striper-colored crankbaits. Smallmouth bass are good on live bait and crankbaits. Channel catﬁsh are good on live bait.

RAY ROBERTS: Water stained and clearing; 64-70 degrees; 0.02’ high. Black bass are good on Yum Wooly Bugs and Dingers. Crappie are fair. Catﬁsh are good on prepared baits.

Port O’Connor

Trout and redfish are good on topwaters over soft mud in waist-deep water in San Antonio Bay. Trout and redfish are fair for drifters working the back lakes with live shrimp. Rat-L-Traps, Senkos and shaky head jigs with a 4” Power Worm. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. White bass are fair to good on slabs. Hybrid striper are fair on slabs, live shad and Sassy Shad. Catfish are fair on nightcrawlers and prepared bait.

LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water stained; 65-71 degrees; 0.02’ low. Black bass are fair on spinnerbaits, Scum Frogs, Texas rigs and chatterbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catﬁsh are fair on stink bait and chartreuse (use Worm-Glo) nightcrawlers.

FAIRFIELD: Water fairly clear; 72-89 degrees. Black bass are fair on flukes, Texas rigs and Rat-L-Traps. Redfish are fair to good on live bait, flukes and Rat-L-Traps.

LAVON: Water stained; 65-72 degrees; 0.07’ high. Black bass are fair on ﬂukes, Texas rigs, spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catﬁsh are fair on prepared bait and chartreuse (use Worm-Glo) nightcrawlers.

FALCON: Water clear; 69 degrees. Black bass are very good on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Striped bass are slow. Crappie are good on crappie jigs. FAYETTE: Water stained; 64 degrees. Channel and blue catfish are good on cut shad and shrimp over baited holes. FORK: Water stained to murky; 65-71 degrees; 0.05’ high. Crappie are fair to good on jigs and minnows — moving shallow. Catfish are fair on prepared bait and nightcrawlers. GRANGER: Water murky; 65 degrees; 1.99’ low. Black bass are fair on white spinnerbaits. White bass are fair near Dickerson’s bottom and around Comanche Bluff. Blue catfish are good on stinkbait. Yellow catfish are good on trotlines baited with live perch in the river. GRAPEVINE: Water stained; 64-71 degrees; 0.18’ high. Black bass are good on wacky-rigged finesse baits, Texas rigs and Rat-L-Traps. Crappie are fair. White bass are fair. Catfish are fair on nightcrawlers. GREENBELT: Water lightly stained; 47 degrees; 32.74’ low. Black bass to 8 pounds are good on red Rat-L-Traps, white/chartreuse spinnerbaits and live bait. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Smallmouth bass are good on live bait and shad-colored crankbaits and jerkbaits. Walleye are good on live bait and crankbaits. Catfish are good on live bait. Note: Low water conditions exist,

LBJ: Water stained; 65 degrees; 0.31’ low. Black bass are good on watermelon/ chartreuse creature baits, Bleeding Shad Rat-L-Traps and pumpkin topwaters along break lines of flats in 5-12 feet. White bass are fair trolling Shad Raps and vertically jigging Tiny Traps under birds. Crappie are good on live minnows and white crappie jigs in clear water in 610 feet. Channel catfish are slow. Yellow and blue catfish are fair on live bait. LEWISVILLE: Water stained; 65-72 degrees; 0.02’ high. Black bass are fair on spinnerbaits, weightless paddle tail soft plastics, Rat-L-Traps and Texas rigs. Crappie are fair. White bass are fair to good on slabs. Hybrid striper are fair. Catfish are good on prepared bait and stinkbait. LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 65 degrees; 0.07’ high. Striped bass are slow. White bass are good on minnows, soft plastics and spec rigs in the upper creeks. Crappie are good on minnows. Blue catfish are good on shad. MEREDITH: Water stained; 48 degrees; 77.74’ low. Black bass to 5 pounds are good on live bait, shad-colored crankbaits and green pumpkin jigs and soft plastics along grass lines. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on live bait. Smallmouth bass are fair. Walleye are fair. Channel catfish are slow.

SAM RAYBURN: Water stained; 64 degrees; 0.28’ high. Black bass are good on soft plastics around shoreline grass in 1-3 feet, watermelon red worms and Senkos around hay grass in 4-6 feet and Carolina-rigged lizards and French fries around hydrilla on main lake flats. Crappie are fair. Catfish are good. SOMERVILLE: Water murky; 63 degrees; 0.04’ high. Black bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are good on shrimp. TAWAKONI: Water fairly clear; 65-72 degrees; 0.3’ high. Black bass are fair on Texas rigs, short Carolina-rigged Baby Brush Hogs and shad pattern spinnerbaits. Crappie are fair. White bass are fair. Striped bass and hybrid striper are fair. Catfish are fair. TEXOMA: Water off-color; 64-70 degrees; 0.52’ low. Black bass are fair on dropshot rigs, split-shot-rigged flukes and Texas rigs. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. Striped bass are fair on live shad and large Road Runners. Catfish are fair on cut and live shad. TOLEDO BEND: Water stained; 65 degrees; 1.47’ low. Black bass are good on chartreuse/blue spinnerbaits and shallow running crankbaits around hydrilla beds in 6-10 feet and on camo and watermelon wacky worms and Texasrigged lizards around docks and shallow cover near secondary points. Crappie are good trolling black/chartreuse jigs over hydrilla beds. TRAVIS: Water murky; 65 degrees; 0.11’ high. Striped bass are slow. White bass are fair Crappie are good on minnows and blue/white tube jigs in 15-25 feet. Channel and blue catfish are fair. WALTER E. LONG: Water stained; 64 degrees. Black bass are fair on crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Hybrid striper are fair. White bass are good on slabs and soft plastics. Crappie are good on minnows. Channel and blue catfish are good on stinkbait and nightcrawlers. WHITNEY: Water murky; 1.87’ low. Black bass are good on watermelon red and watermelon seed Texas and Carolinarigged soft plastics and crankbaits. Striped bass are fair. White bass are fair. Crappie are fair. Catfish are good.

SALTWATER SCENE NORTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good on the Louisiana shoreline on topwaters and Corkies and in the river on shad. Flounder are fair on jigs tipped with shrimp around marsh drains. SOUTH SABINE: Sheepshead and black drum are good at the jetty on live shrimp. Trout are fair to good around Lighthouse Cove on topwaters. Some trout are showing on the Reef. BOLIVAR: Trout are fair to good on the south shoreline on soft plastics and plugs. Black drum and redfish are good at Rollover Pass. TRINITY BAY: Trout are good for drifters working pods of shad and mullet on Bass Assassins, Trout Killers and Sand Eels. Waders have taken better trout on the shell along the east shoreline. Catfish are good in the marsh on shrimp. Redfish are fair to good on shad at the spillway. EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are good on the south shoreline on Catch 5s, MirrOlures and Catch 2000s. Whiting and sand trout are good on the edge of the Intracoastal on fresh shrimp. Black drum are fair to good in the Ship Channel on crabs. WEST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are fair to good for drifters working shell on live shrimp. Waders have taken good trout in the mud and shell on topwaters and Corkies in the afternoon. Sheepshead, redfish and black drum are good at the jetty on shrimp and crabs. FREEPORT: Sand trout and sheepshead are good on live shrimp on the reefs. Black drum are good at the jetties on cracked blue crabs. EAST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair for drifters on live shrimp over humps and scattered shell. Waders have found better water on leeward shorelines. Redfish are fair to good on the edge of the Intracoastal on crabs and mullet. WEST MATAGORDA BAY: Redfish are fair to good on the edge of Oyster Lake on shrimp and crabs. Trout are fair on shell and grass on soft plastics. Black drum are fair to good at the jetty on crabs. ROCKPORT: Trout are fair to good in MorrisCummings Cut on free-lined shrimp. Black drum are good in the Lydia Ann Channel on crabs. Trout are fair over grass while drifting with live shrimp. PORT ARANSAS: Redfish are fair to good at East Flats on shrimp. Black drum are good in the Shrimpboat Channel on crabs and finger mullet. Redfish and sheepshead are fair to good at the jetty on shrimp. CORPUS CHRISTI: Trout are fair to good on the edge of the spoils on Gulps and live shrimp. Black drum are good in the Humble Channel at night on crabs and table shrimp. BAFFIN BAY: Trout are good in mud and grass and rocks on Corkies and topwaters. Black drum are good in the Land Cut on crabs. Trout are fair to good in the Land Cut on live shrimp. PORT MANSFIELD: Trout are fair to good on topwaters around sand and grass. Redfish are fair to good while drifting pot holes. SOUTH PADRE: Trout are good around the spoil islands, channel edges and color changes on DOA Shrimp and Gulps under popping corks. Black drum, redfish and jack crevalle have been taken at the jetty. PORT ISABEL: Snook are fair in the Brownsville Ship Channel on free-lined shrimp. Trout and redfish are fair to good at Gas Well Flats on live shrimp. Redfish are fair at Three Island on small topwaters and soft plastics under rattling corks.

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SPRING BASS: Sam Callaway of Corpus Christi caught this 13.34-pound bass from O.H. Ivie Reservoir. He was using an eight-inch lizard in watermelon/red. The ﬁsh was the 500th bass entered in the Toyota ShareLunker largemouth bass breeding program. Photo by Larry Hodge, Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Spawn’s timing outside the norm this spring Largemouth bass anglers ﬁnding smaller males, missing big sows on some lakes By Thomas Phillips LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

Cold weather has rocked the boat a little bit for North Texas bass anglers this spring, and anglers elsewhere have had windy conditions to deal with. “It’s slowly starting to pick up,” said Joey Deans of Plano. “It’s kind of a strange year with the weather we’ve had.” Temperatures stayed cool through March, and timing of the largemouth bass spawn might be a little off.

Deans fished the 1,020-acre Bonham City Lake on April 10 and caught mostly smaller males. He was flipping soft plastics into flooded bushes. Sight fishing was not an option, he said, because the water was off-color. The water was up, and he found no female fish. “I’m starting to think that a big majority of them already spawned,” Deans said. On Lake Bob Sandlin the next day, the fishing was similar. He found fish, again mostly males, in shallow water in the backs of pockets off the See BASS, Page 27

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GAME WARDEN BLOTTER TURKEY CHASERS USING CORN TO BAIT BIRDS ON NEIGHBOR’S LAND A bag of corn was in the back of a turkey hunter’s pickup when Red River County Game Warden Daniel Roraback checked it. Roraback returned to the property the following day and found corn scattered around. He waited until he had both hunters in the woods a few days later and called Game Warden Benny Richards to assist with the case. It was later determined they had also scattered corn on an open ﬁeld of the neighboring property, which they didn’t have permission to hunt, to lure the turkeys into their woods. CELL PHONES, RADIOS WON’T WORK OUT HERE A one-vehicle wreck happened in an isolated location 45 miles north of Del Rio. When Val Verde County Game Wardens Mike Durand and Marcus Vela arrived, they used their tow straps to secure the vehicle to the bridge railing because it was in danger of going over the edge. Because of the remoteness of the area, the only means of reliable communication was through the wardens’ satellite phones. Vela used his satellite phone and GPS to assist in directing a helicopter to transport the person to a hospital. The responding state trooper used Vela’s satellite phone to coordinate with the Texas Department of Transportation for the securing of the bridge railing. EASTER SERVICE INTERRUPTED FOR GAME WARDENS Reeves County Game Warden Jared Self was enjoying an Easter Sunday church service with his family, including his father, Childress County Game Warden Gary Self, when they were called. A vehicle had driven off the Balmorhea Lake Dam. While assisting the sheriff’s department with the vehicle, Jared Self noticed a small aircraft circling the lake. A short time later, the aircraft crashed into the lake killing the pilot. Jeff Davis County

Wardens help capture would-be assassins Zapata County Game Warden Jake Cawthon and Brooks County Game Warden Royce Ilse were requested to help the Zapata County Sheriff’s Department, Border Game Warden Jim Porter arrived to assist with the work. The next day, the game wardens helped divers from the Department of Public Safety, who recovered a large portion of the plane and the engine. The cause of crash was not immediately known.

MEXICO FISHERMEN LEAVE RIO GRANDE WITHOUT NETS Information came in about people gill netting on the Rio Grande downriver from La Linda, Mexico. Brewster County Game Wardens Matthew Bridgefarmer and Erin Albright launched their boat at first light the next morning and headed upriver to the area of the reported gill netting. Presidio County Game Warden Derek Rogers provided surveillance and security, and helped locate the nets from his vantage on a bluff above the Rio Grande. They found four sets and confiscated about 250 feet of gill net. Shortly after, seven fishermen in Mexico packed up and left. WINDS WHIPPING, MOTHER WORRIES ABOUT BOYS ON LAKE The Montague County Sheriff’s Office called Game Warden Jason Jones about three boys who were missing on Lake Nocona. Jones spoke with the mother of the boys and found that they had left before dark to go fishing in a 12-foot aluminum flatbottom boat with a trolling motor. She watched the boys for a while, and then they went out of her sight. The winds were strong on the lake, and the mother began to worry when they had not returned two hours after nightfall.

Patrol and the Texas Rangers search a residence in Zapata. Cawthon and Ilse provided cover and entry into the house to locate and arrest three members of the Zetas, a Mexican

criminal organization, who were in the house. The three Zetas later told investigators they were in town to kidnap and kill someone. The investigation is ongoing.

Jones began to search for the boys with his patrol boat, and Montague County sheriff’s deputies patrolled different boat ramps. After a two-hour search, Jones found the boys on the south end of the lake still ﬁshing. All of the boys were OK and rode back to the ramp in the patrol boat with their boat in tow. They were released to the mother.

to the scene and found the rescuers, including an EMS helicopter crew, staged on a bridge about 90 feet above the scene. Webb pinpointed the accident scene for them and assessed and monitored the patient until the EMS crew could arrive by ATV. Rescuers then used a boat to take the victim to the nearest marina, where the helicopter had relocated.

SUSPICIOUS SELLER PROMPTS INVESTIGATION A boat mechanic in Gun Barrel City called Henderson County Game Warden Shawn Smith about a possible stolen boat. A man had approached the mechanic asking if he could sell the boat for him. Smith researched the hull identiﬁcation number and conﬁrmed the boat was stolen in 2008 out of Mesquite.

PARAPHERNALIA IS THE START OF MAN’S PROBLEMS While on patrol in Zapata County, Game Warden Jake Cawthon discovered a pickup under suspicious circumstances. Upon approaching the vehicle, Cawthon saw a pipe commonly used for smoking marijuana in the ashtray. Once the owner of the truck returned to the vehicle, Cawthon inquired about the marijuana pipe. While talking with the owner of the truck, a dispatcher informed Cawthon that the man was a convicted felon. The owner of the truck then consented to a search of his vehicle. Cawthon found a stainless steel .357 magnum revolver and arrested the man for unlawful carry of a ﬁrearm by a felon.

NEW PARTNER SLITHERS ONBOARD Newton County Game Wardens Bradley Smith and Ellis Powell were dragging the Sabine River for hoop nets when their boat was commandeered by a large water moccasin. After several new dance steps were unveiled, and with the help of the paddle, everyone returned to their proper place, and the dragging operation continued. GAME WARDEN GOES WHERE OTHERS DON’T DARE The Harris County Sheriff’s Office and firefighters reported an ATV accident in an area off the San Jacinto River that they were unable to access. Game Warden Susan Webb responded

FISH SELLER PICKED THE WRONG POTENTIAL CUSTOMER Starr County Game Warden Dennis Gazaway Jr. was at a convenience store while off-duty when a man approached him and asked if he wanted to buy some shrimp and salmon ﬁllets. Gazaway acted interested and had the suspect explain the product he was selling. Gazaway then told the suspect he was a game warden and

asked to see his license and identiﬁcation. Gazaway then called Starr County Game Warden Ben Baker, who issued several citations for no wholesale ﬁsh dealer’s license and no retail truck dealer’s license. Gazaway recognized the truck the suspect was driving as one he inspected weeks earlier and issued several citations to another driver for the same violations.

AS EVIDENCE MOUNTS, SHOOTER STARTS TO TALK The Moore County Sheriff’s Office called Game Wardens Jake Simmering and Adam Clark to report that a car had been seen on a county road shooting near several deer. Simmering called the landowner and received more information as both wardens drove to the area. They were told that the subjects were driving a small blue car. About two miles south of the landowner’s house, they made contact with the vehicle. Two people were identified, and a .22 magnum rifle was found. After further investigation, the people said they had shot at deer but didn’t hit one. A short time later, the landowner contacted Simmering again and said he had located a freshly killed doe white-tailed deer. The driver of the vehicle then said he was responsible for shooting the deer and that the passenger had nothing to do with it. The driver was arrested and booked into the Moore County Jail. WARDENS SNEAK IN ON ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLES Game Wardens Shane Hohman, Marcus Vela, Scott Holly and Roger Nicholas patrolled part of the upper Nueces River in Real and Edwards counties on all-terrain vehicles. The area is secluded and rough, and water safety and resource patrols are made easier with the ATVs. Numerous people were contacted with a few being surprised that the game wardens could get to them. Several fishing cases are pending.

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PRODUCTS

EARTHMATE PN-60W This soon-to-be-released DeLorme handheld merges state-of-the-art GPS mapping via wireless and SPOT satellite message functionality. That pairing will allow outdoorsmen to send customized text messages from remote areas worldwide, even when beyond the range of cellular communication. The SPOT technology also allows real-time location updates and the ability to summon help in an emergency. The PN-60w offers such navigation features as 32-channel GPS chipset, electronic compass, barometric altimeter, and more. Users can customize their maps from the company’s extensive collection of aerial color imagery, nautical charts, topographic maps and up-to-date street maps. The device is expected to sell for about $500 to $550 and will be available in late spring. (800) 561-5105. www.delorme.com

FISHFROG Is the Creme Lure Co.’s newest lure a fish or a frog? Actually, it’s the best of both. The lure is designed to make noise like a frog lure but its appearance mimics a surfacing fish that moves quickly to the surface upon retrieval. The Fishfrog can be rigged with or without a weight. The four-inch lure, which is available in nine colors, sells for about $5 for a five-pack. (800) 445-8737 www.cremelure.com

SPINTECH TREBLE HOOK This treble hook by Bass Star Baits Co. can rotate in either direction without locking. The hook is designed to reduce the chances of losing that aggressive fish fighting to spit out the hook by repositioning itself with the changing momentum of the feisty fish. Available in both a freshwater and saltwater version, the Spintech Hook comes in a standard or red finish and in seven sizes. The rotating treble hooks cost about $9 for a pack of four. (310) 223-1600 www.basstarbaits.com

THE SHOTKEEPER Here’s something for outfitters or guides to consider. Offer your clients a little something extra that will remind them of their great hunt. Keepers LLC’s innovative frame has a faceplate that offers a two-dimensional molded space designed to hold the spent shotshell or rifle cartridge used to take down that trophy animal. Separate spaces hold a photograph above the shell and a card on the back that can be used to list all the details of the memorable hunt. The frames can also be used to frame flies or lures and a photo of the big catch. The frames cost $6.65 each (a minimum order of 36 is required). Imprinting a company name is available at additional cost. (866) 962-2174 www.theshotkeeper.com

MINI ALPHA HUNTER Buck Knives’ hunting knife features a comfortable, ergonomically designed wooden handle that will make ﬁeld dressing seem easy. The ﬁxed blade is 2.5-inches long. The knife sells for $77. (800) 326-2825 www.buckknives.com

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CONSERVATION TPW taking input on Rollover Pass The Texas General Land Office has applied for a permit to close Rollover Pass because of its impact on beach erosion and sedimentation within the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. If the pass is closed, recreational anglers will lose fishing access. Texas Parks and Wildlife has heard concerns from many recreational anglers about the loss and will host a public scoping meeting April 28 in Galveston to discuss options for future recreational access in the Rollover Pass-Bolivar Peninsula area. The meeting is not to discuss the Rollover Pass closure. Instead, TPW wants to gather public comments on what preferred amenities (piers, boat ramps, parking lots, facilities, etc.) would be a priority, and what locations would benefit the most people. TPW will provide the comments to the GLO to assist in developing a plan to create recreational fishing opportunities should Rollover Pass be closed. The TPW public scoping meeting will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the Galveston County Courthouse. Comments may also be submitted by April 27 to Tonya Wiley at the TPW Dickinson Marine Lab by calling (281) 534-0131, e-mailing tonya.wiley@tpwd.state.tx.us or writing to her at 1502 FM 517E, Dickinson, Texas 77539. — Texas Parks and Wildlife report

Texas breeder guilty of deer smuggling A 41-year-old Killeen deer breeder pleaded guilty April 14 to illegally transporting wildlife. Lance Clawson smuggled whitetailed deer from Oklahoma into Texas in violation of state and federal law. Texas law prohibits any importation of live white-tailed deer or live mule deer

increase access to and participation in the outdoors. The extra day of hunting for mule deer in the Trans Pecos region is being tacked onto the front end. The season will now begin the Friday after Thanksgiving and continue for 17 days. The commission also adopted changes to split commercial and recreational hunting and ﬁshing regulations apart and to clarify rules on catching and possessing ﬁsh within protected length limits or in excess of bag limits. — Texas Parks and Wildlife report

Texas NWTF is spending $212,000

WHAT’S NEXT? State wildlife regulators are asking for public input on the types of ﬁshing opportunities needed at Rollover Pass. Photo by Craig Nyhus, Lone Star Outdoor News.

because of the threat of diseases such as chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis. According to information presented in court, on Oct. 15, 2008, Clawson, a licensed deer breeder who owns and operates Regency Ranch, a high-fenced hunting ranch and deer breeding facility near Goldthwaite, traveled to Muskogee, Okla., to purchase fawns from an Oklahoma breeder. His vehicle was stopped the next day by Texas game wardens as he was returning with eight fawns. Clawson knew that Texas law prohibits the possession of a deer from an out-of-state source. A federal grand jury indicted him in November, charging Clawson with federal crimes. He faces up to ﬁve years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case is also being investigated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. — U.S. Attorney’s Ofﬁce report

State adds day to muley season State wildlife ofﬁcials voted earlier this month to expand mule deer hunting in Texas, among other changes. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission added a day to the mule deer season across the Trans Pecos region and opened Dawson and Wheeler counties to mule deer hunting. The change addresses a priority goal in Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Land and Water Resource Conservation and Recreation Plan to

The Texas State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation has budgeted $212,650 from its state Hunting Heritage Super Fund for outreach, education, conservation and increased public hunting opportunity in 2010. “The Texas State Chapter is dedicated to improving land access and wildlife habitat, and is backing up their commitment with the funds to make needed changes,” said James Earl Kennamer, the NWTF’s chief conservation ofﬁcer. Projects to receive the chapter’s money include habitat improvement on private land along the Canadian River, a trailer for conducting prescribed burns, buying an ATV for use by ranchers in Shackelford County and supporting the nonproﬁt’s Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship, or JAKES, program. — National Wild Turkey Federation report

Warden receives lifetime award The 100 Club of Central Texas presented its annual Lifetime Achievement Award to a game war-

den with 36 years of experience in law enforcement. Lt. Col. Craig Hunter, who is second-in-command of Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Law Enforcement Division, received the award April 9 from the law enforcement support group. He oversees all law enforcement ﬁeld operations for the department and was one of the ﬁrst Texas game wardens to use a decoy deer to catch night poachers. — Texas Parks and Wildlife report

State doles out grants for outdoors Sixteen organizations have been awarded grants from Texas Parks and Wildlife to introduce participants to environmental education, conservation and outdoor recreation. The money comes from a portion of state sales tax attributed to sporting goods. Below are organizations receiving grants. Austin, American Youthworks .. $50,000 Austin, Campﬁre USA .............. $36,290 Beaumont, Environmental Learning & Research Center ..................... $28,001 Bloomington, Bloomington ISD $44,166 Brownsville, Texas Southmost College $42,844 Cleveland, Wright-Way Community Development Center ................ $43,333 Dallas, Launching A Dream Inc. $30,250 Dallas, Student Conservation Association $38,510 Dallas, Today Foundation ........ $47,233 Groesbeck, Old Fort Parker Inc. $25,356 Houston, Houston Parks and Recreation $46,500 Houston, Precinct2gether ....... $42,773 Houston, Youth Outdoor Unity .. $48,829 San Antonio, City Kids Adventures $40,279 San Antonio, San Antonio River Authority $13,295 Terrell, Turning POINT ............. $44,673 — Texas Parks and Wildlife report

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Angler Rose pleads guilty for cheating try Garland man stuffed weight down bass’ throat at tournament Tournament angler Robby Rose of Garland pleaded guilty April 13 to attempted theft for attempting to cheat in a bass tournament at Lake Ray Hubbard, according to a press release from the Rockwall County district attorney’s office. Rose forced a 1-pound lead weight down the throat of a 9.5pound largemouth bass in an attempt to win the Bud Light Trail’s First Annual Big Bass Tournament on Oct. 24, according to the release. Tournament officials discovered the trickery when the fish was weighed, midway through the tournament, and alerted law

enforcement officials. After being weighed in at the tournament, the fish sank to the bottom of a holding tank, instead of holding at the top like other fish. Suspicious, tournament officials inspected the fish Rose and found a bulge in its belly. They then approached Rose and told him they were going to cut the fish open to find what was inside, according to reports. Instead, Rose massaged its belly and regurgitated the weight from the fish. Rose was sentenced to 15 days in jail, five years on probation and was ordered to surrender his fishing license while he is on probation. His charge was attempted theft over $20,000 but less than $100,000, a felony.

Rose was trying to win the competition’s grand prize — a $55,000 Legend bass boat — to be awarded to the person who caught the heaviest bass. Game wardens and the Rockwall County district attorney’s office investigated the incident. Rockwall prosecutors filed the attempted theft charge against Rose. “We took this case very seriously,” said the district attorney, Kenda Culpepper, in a press release. “As far as we were concerned, the case was about a $55,000 bass boat, not a 10-pound fish.” Alex Imgrund, the lead prosecutor in the case, said the case drew interest from as far away as Ontario, Canada. “Cheating is cheating, and (neither) the fishing community, nor this office, will tolerate it,” Imgrund said. Rose was not available for comment after the guilty plea, and he

declined to comment to Lone Star Outdoor News in the days after the incident. When contacted by phone, he politely turned down a request for an interview. “Believe me, I’d like to,” Rose said, adding that he was counseled not to discuss the investigation. He noted, however, that he was voluntarily cooperating with investigators. He told The Dallas Morning News the weight would not have changed the outcome of the tournament. He said the ﬁsh, minus the weight, earned him second place, and he would not have ﬁnished better with it. He also expressed regret for what he had done. “Am I sorry about it? Could I have handled the whole episode better?” he told the newspaper. “Yes, of course.” — Staff report

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NATIONAL Okie’s turkey has seven beards An Oklahoma hunter entered a bird he harvested earlier this month to be considered a new state record Rio Grande turkey. Michael Fleharty’s tom sported seven beards when he took it in Jefferson County. The lengths total 54 inches. Fleharty and his hunting companion that day, Zac Gaines, didn’t know the bird had so many beards until after Flaherty shot it. “We were in shock,” Fleharty said in an e-mail to ofﬁcials with the National Wild Turkey Federation, which keeps the records. With spurs measuring 1 1⁄4 inches and 1 3/8 inches, the 22.14-pound bird preliminarily scored 157.125. The previous record was 116. — Staff report

Elk foundation blasts wolf groups The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation recently increased its criticism of groups that support wolves over other wild animals. The groups’ recent call for a truce was met with a letter from RMEF President and CEO David Allen, who said Defenders of Wildlife, Western Wildlife Conservancy and others are party to what may become “one of the worst wildlife management disasters since the destruction of bison herds in the 19th century.” The reintroduction of wolves, Allen said, is bringing down populations of elk. “These animal rights groups seem to think that every individual wolf is worth ﬁling another lawsuit to protect, but the decimation of local elk herds is unimportant,” Allen wrote. “What is truly ironic is these folks claim protection of the Canadian gray wolf

south of Epps, La. Game warden Sgt. Scott Matthews examined the bear and determined it was shot with a riﬂe. “The department is working to remove the Louisiana black bear from the Endangered Species List,” said Maria Davidson, manager of the state’s Large Carnivore Program. “The loss of these animals is regrettable, and our Enforcement Division is working aggressively to locate the poacher responsible for this crime.” — Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries report

BEARDED WONDER: Michael Fleharty’s tom turkey had seven beards adding up to 54 inches, a pending state record for Oklahoma. Photos by Zac Gaines.

under the Endangered Species Act. However these wolves are not endangered. There are thousands of them throughout North America. The ESA is being manipulated far beyond its intended purpose.” — Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation report

Ducks Unlimited hires new CEO Ducks Unlimited tapped a former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be its new chief executive. H. Dale Hall worked for the USFWS for 31 years and led the federal agency from 2005 to 2009 and is respected as a conservationist and one of the country’s most effective wildlife professionals, according to DU. “We are extremely pleased that Dale Hall is stepping into this key role for Ducks Unlimited,” said DU President John R. Pope. “Dale is a consummate conservation leader whose energy, vision and dedication will help our organization meet

the serious challenges facing North America’s waterfowl.” — Ducks Unlimited report

Pure Fishing gives tackle to Boy Scouts

Turkey hunter shot after quail ﬂush

One of the biggest names in fishing products has been named the exclusive tackle provider for the 2010 Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree. “This is the beginning of a great relationship between our company and the Boy Scouts,” said David Lund, Pure Fishing’s vice president of marketing for the Americas. “These fine young citizens will discover more about the joys of fishing and the outdoors.” The company will provide tackle for the event and operate educational exhibits such as a fish tank, fishing line knot tester and a conservation display at the Jamboree. — Pure Fishing report

A Bronson, Fla., man was shot earlier this month when a covey of quail startled his wife. Arthur T. Conquest, 39, was shot in the shoulder as he and his wife, Lori Lee Conquest, 42, were walking back to their vehicle after turkey hunting, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ofﬁcials. She was about 4 feet behind her husband when a covey of quail ﬂushed close by. The birds startled Lori Conquest, and when she slipped in the mud, the 12-gauge shotgun she was carrying accidentally discharged, hitting her husband in the right shoulder, FWC investigators said. The victim was hospitalized, and authorities are investigating. — Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission report

La. wardens seek info in bear shooting A West Carroll Parish farmer reported a dead black bear to wildlife ofﬁcials April 8 after ﬁnding the bear

STAR RECORD: Blake Shelton holds his 40-pound paddleﬁsh caught in Oklahoma.

Country star lands record paddleﬁsh

Country music star Blake Shelton of Tishomingo, Okla., landed a lake record paddlefish April 13 when he reeled in a 40-pounder from below the Lake Hudson dam. Shelton snagged the fish — the most common technique for catching the species. “I have been an outdoorsman my whole life and I love to hunt and fish,” said Shelton, 33. “I have been fishing as long as I can remember, and catching a paddlefish is the most exciting kind of fishing I have ever experienced.” — Oklahoma Department of Wildlife and Conservation

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April 23, 2010

Page 19

HEROES

MADI HALE, 8, harvested this eight-point buck at a low-fence ranch in Brooks County. She used a .223 single-shot riﬂe and took the deer in one shot.

EMILY MADDEN went on her ﬁrst quail hunt at Upland Game Birds in Corsicana.

DARREN DAGIAN caught this redﬁsh near Port O’Connor.

KEITH MILLER, left, and his father, RICHARD, of Katy caught several redﬁsh near Venice, La., with friends over spring break.

MARCUS MOLINA, left, caught a 22-inch redﬁsh, and his sister, AMBER BRIONES, caught a 22-inch trout while on a ﬁshing trip with their parents.

Share an adventure

ROD SPIVEY of Aransas Pass caught these speckled trout on consecutive casts behind Hog Island in the Redfish Bay State Scientific Area. The fish measured 25 inches and 25.75 inches.

CASE GATLIN JR. of Boerne harvested his ﬁrst mule deer, a mature eight-pointer, with a .25-06 in Brewster County over Thanksgiving weekend. He was guided by his father and Todd Moore. His little sister, Field, also made the trip but did not hunt.

Want to share hunting and ﬁshing photos with other Lone Star Outdoor News readers? Send them to us with contact and caption information. editor@lonestaroutdoornews.com Heroes, Lone Star Outdoor News, 9304 Forest Lane, Suite 114 South, Dallas, TX, 75243

Congratulations, Ty! You can claim your Nikon 10x42 Trailblazer ATB binoculars at the Nikon Sport Optics dealer nearest you: Sharp Shooters

5062 50th Street Lubbock, Texas 79414 (806) 791-1231 s ﬁrst gs. This was hi of Roaring Sprin st . The ea ck w bu e bo s th r hi fo th d hunted hard ot this buck wi an sh w y th bo s . na hi ot er th sh Ab t r wi de a grea TY PUGH, 13, of a doe in Octobe yards, and Ty ma a bow. He took pped out at 20 ste ck bu buck taken with e th n, tmas vacatio ﬁrst day of Chris

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April 23, 2010

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DATEBOOK April 23-24

Ninth Annual Stephen McDaniel Memorial Shoot Johnson Ranch, Fort Worth www.mcdanielshoot.com Aggieland Chapter Ducks Unlimited Duck Jam Fundraiser concert with Willie Nelson www.duckjam.org

April 24-25

Bowhunter education Arlington Pre-registration required (214) 358-0174

April 24

Dallas Safari Club Big Bore Shoot (972) 980-9800 bkimmel@biggame.org Del Rio National Wild Turkey Federation Fundraiser Del Rio Civic Center (830) 765-9092 stacy.reichert@yahoo.com

April 29

Dallas Chapter Coastal Conservation Association Fundraiser Frontiers of Flight Museum (800) 657-6100 Fort Worth Chapter Coastal Conservation Association Fundraiser Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant (817) 291-1302 Corpus Christi Chapter Ducks Unlimited Sportsman’s Night Out Bar-B-Q Man Restaurant (361) 739-2427 jmckey @ducks.org

April 30-May 2

Greater Houston Christian Outdoor Fellowship 12th annual Bass Fishing Tournament Quantum Lakes, Cleveland (281) 788-8435 www.ghcof.org Port Lavaca Chamber of Commerce and Ducks Unlimited Big Boy Toy Show Dinner, rafﬂe and outdoor show Bauer Community Center, Port Lavaca tina@portlavacatx.org (361) 552-2959

April 30

East Texas Chapter Coastal Conservation Association Fundraiser Nacogdoches VFW (936) 559-550

May 1

Texas Wildlife Association Dallas Fun Shoot Elm Fork Shooting Sports (210) 826-2904 www.texas-wildlife.org Dallas Safari Club YPG Crawﬁsh Boil Barley House, Dallas (469) 484-6777 jaimey@biggame.org

May 3

Cedar Creek Lake Chapter Ducks Unlimited Fundraiser Xtreme Bar-Be-Que, Mabank (903) 467-2146 ythomas@ducks.org

May 7

Houston Safari Club Sporting Clays Tournament (713) 623-8844 www.houstonsafariclub.org

Cooke County National Wild Turkey Federation Fundraiser VFW Hall, Gainesville (940) 902-3144 redrivertaxidermy@yahoo.com Mid-Coast Chapter Coastal Conservation Association Fundraiser Victoria Community Center, Victoria (361) 572-3011 (800) 626-4222

May 8

Texas Parks and Wildlife Cinco de Mayo Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (903) 676-2277 Aransas Bay Chapter Coastal Conservation Association Babes on the Bay ﬁshing tournament (361) 386-0028 karol.scardino@gmail.com

May 13

Dallas Woods and Waters Club Monthly meeting Joe Reikers speaks about hunting exotic game Sheraton North Dallas Hotel (214) 570-8700

May 14-16

Great Outdoors Expo Horseshoe Center, Midland (806) 253-1322 www.silverspurtradeshows.com Legend of Lake Fork Big Bass Tournament Fundraiser for the Wish to Fish Foundation (903) 765-2764 www.legendoﬂakefork.com

May 14

Court Appointed Special Advocates of Denton County Pulling for Kids sporting clays fundraiser Dallas Gun Club, Lewisville LBarker@casadenton.org (940) 243-2272, ext. 109

May 15-16

May 27

San Antonio Chapter Texas Deer Association Fundraiser Leon Springs Dance Hall www.texasdeer association.com

May 28-30

Bowhunter education Weatherford Pre-registration required (214) 358-0174

Ducks Unlimited Sporting Expo Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center, Grapevine www.ducks.org

May 15

May 29

Operation Game Thief Clay Stoppers Shootout San Antonio (512) 332-9880 gnevents@austin.rr.com National Wild Turkey Federation Women in the Outdoors Camp Gilmont, Gilmer (903) 668-3624 ajuju01@sbcglobal.net Rusty Lowe Ranch, Clarksville (903) 249-1466 angie_bishopchc@hotmail.com Bud Priddy Memorial One Fly Contest Nueces River, Camp Wood (210) 479-3062 info@alamoﬂyﬁshers.org Northeast Houston Baptist Church Annual Sportsman’s Day (381) 812-8688 www.nehbc.org

May 20

Dallas Safari Club Annual Trophy and Photography Competition Awards Bent Tree County Club, Dallas (972) 980-9800 bkimmel@biggame.org

Third Coast Fishing Tournament Bluff’s Landing, Corpus Christi (361) 992-5152 www.winthirdcoast.com

June 2

Houston Safari Club Monthly meeting HESS Club (713) 623-8844 info@houstonsafariclub.org

June 5-6

Bowhunter education Pottsboro Pre-registration required (214) 358-0174

June 5

National Wild Turkey Federation Women in the Outdoors Jack Hilliard Ranch, Buckholts (254) 760-2784 sobotkm@yahoo.com

June 10

Dallas Woods and Waters Club Monthly meeting Beretta Gallery, Dallas (214) 570-8700

June 12-13

Alamo Fly Fishers Fence Lake Kayak Fishing Trip (210) 479-3062 info@alamoﬂyﬁshers.org

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EARLY EVIDENCE: Russell Dargel’s ﬁrst boat, built in 1933, is taken out for a cruise. Photo by Dargel Boats.

Dargel

Continued from Page 6

his health declined recently. He offered input when asked. “Even up until the last model that we introduced — the 22-foot Dargel Skout — we still consulted him on that,” Miriam Ford said. When not at the boat shop, he spent time in his private wood shop. There, he carved knickknacks and built other projects. He constructed the shelves in his church’s library and carved the cross that hangs over its baptistery. Many women in his church own jewelry and other items he fashioned in the shop, Cleve Ford said. In addition to woodwork, Dargel fished. When his Rotary Club needed fish for a fish fry, he organized the club members’ fishing trip, according to his obituary. “He loved to fish,” Cleve Ford said. A love of fishing is what started him in the boat business in the first place. In 1933, at age 13, he built his first boat from mahogany and oak so he could go fishing. He took the boat out a few times, and someone offered to buy it. He made the deal and started working on another boat. Another buyer came along for that one, too, and by 1937, Dargel had enough orders for a year.

“They’re very popular, and very popular, of course, in the Valley because that’s where they started,” said Nance, who is the daughter of Huff Marine founder A.C. Huff. Huff began selling Dargel Boats in the 1960s, Nance said. The brand has remained popular for decades with anglers and fishing guides, even as other brands have entered the market. “The reputation of Dargel Boats is kind of unsurpassed,” said Mitch Richmond, who guides out of Port O’Connor. Richmond received a new 24-foot Skout April 16. The boat was customized to meet his needs with a raised deck. “It’s a really nice rig,” Richmond said. Dargel led the company, which now makes its boats mostly out of fiberglass, until he was in his mid-60s, when his son, Rusty, took over operations. It has continued to grow, Cleve Ford said, and Dargel’s influence on boat design will still be seen after his death. While visiting Dargel in the hospital, Cleve Ford told him about a new catamaran model in the works. Dargel could not talk much, but when he heard the plans, he gave a big smile and tapped his protege on the head. To Cleve Ford, it indicated he had the founder’s blessing. “To know that he was onboard with what we were doing was a good feeling,” he said.

April 23, 2010

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April 23, 2010

Additives

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alfalfa, but probiotics can be pretty expensive,” he said. “When you are dealing with very valuable deer, it just might be worth it.” Others are giving probiotics mixed reviews. “We ordered eight bags of (a) mixture last year, and it is still on the shelves this year,” said Gerald Robin of the Oasis Outback sporting goods and wildlife feed retailer in Uvalde. “There are more minerals in it than anything, so it should be good for the growth of horns, like protein. But, the people haven’t bitten on it yet — it is a lot more expensive.” He said that while the Oasis may sell 800 to 1,000 50-pound bags of deer protein feed a month at up to $10.75 per bag, the probiotics mixture costing about $50 per 25-pound bag has been a no sell. Another long-time deer breeder, J.C. McLellands of Hondo, said he has heard of good success using probiotics in other parts of the country, but his experiment with one

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

of the products was less than satisfactory. “I could not get my pen-raised deer to eat it,” he said. “I just don’t think it has been in Texas long enough to get any results.” Maintaining a breeding population of about 40 to 100 deer as a breeder for the past 13 years, McLellands said he was withholding judgment on the product at this time. “I didn’t get any good results from the product that I used, but there might be other (formulas) that work great,” he said. Similar results were reported by Ken O’Neill of Trophy Rack Outdoors in Bigfoot, who was a distributor of probiotics for about a year. “The product is too high-dollar for most people,” O’Neill said. “It is strictly for deer breeders and not the common hunter. If a guy has a deer that has been under 200 (Boone and Crockett score) for a couple of years and is trying to break 200, they might try it to see what happens. “We fed some to a few wild hogs we had in a pen, and they increased in size. But when we put it in a high-fenced area, the deer did not come out to eat it at all.”

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ing to have one respond to a call. “That’s another reason I prefer turkey hunting,” said Schultz, who has six birds to his name in 15 years of hunting. “You’re always on the move searching, not just waiting for them to come to you. They change their behavior daily. You never know what they’re going to be doing or where they’ll decide to be.” Chilton said turkey hunting is harder than most people think because there are so many things that can go wrong. A ditch in the wrong spot, a low hanging branch blocking the shot, and about 1,000 other small things can kill a hunt.

Crazy ants Continued from Page 5

but that doesn’t mean it is not happening,” he said. “The ants could impact ground-nesting birds or could be causing a number of other problems. “Right now, we are in kind of a wait-and-see pattern.” About the crazy ants causing electrical problems, Nester said several chemical plants in the Houston area have been forced to shut down operations at a cost of millions of dollars until the ants could be exterminated. “All ants are attracted to electrical circuits because of the heat or hum, and when they die they release thermions (electrically charged particles) that attract more ants. That can cause the circuit to short out. They also like to enter houses through underground wiring conduits. “One lady in our ofﬁce has an infestation, and she has to shake out her clothes every day and sweep away the ants,” Nester said. Both Nester and Rasberry noted that the only chemical control of crazy ants currently available is restricted to use by commercial pest control operators, not the general public. Controlling their infestation is also a problem, as the crazy ants prefer to nest in areas such as mulch, landscaping materials and even garbage — they also are called a tramp ant — and are often spread by colonies hitching a ride on vehicles or rail cars. “They are now in 14 counties of Texas and have jumped to Louisiana and possibly Mississippi,” Rasberry said. “We need to be con-

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Schultz said he called a turkey within range a couple years ago and spotted a coyote on his right, stalking the same call as the bird. He could only kill one, so he went with the coyote. “At least I know my call sounded authentic,” he said. Everything has to go right to get a bird, and just one thing wrong to miss him. Chilton said that’s what makes turkey hunting great. And Cowen said things only have to go right once to keep people coming back for more, no matter what the success rate might be. “Just getting one to respond to you or gobble back, you feel like that is some success,” he said. “But if you’ve ever called a bird and had them come in at full strut, you’ll chase them things for the rest of your life.”

On the move Texas counties where Rasberry crazy ants are known to have formed colonies in at least some areas during the past eight years include: ■ Bexar ■ Brazoria ■ Chambers ■ Fort Bend ■ Galveston ■ Hardin ■ Harris ■ Jefferson ■ Jim Hogg ■ Liberty ■ Montgomery ■ Orange ■ Walker ■ Wharton

cerned about the possible ecological damage.” State and federal officials are concerned that they may become a pest because of their sheer numbers. A 10-member task force made up of state and federal officials was formed in 2008 to study the situation and develop a strategy to address infestations. According to Rasberry, who is a member of the task force, little has been done. “All the U.S. Department of Agriculture has done is to declare them not an actionable pest, so they won’t fund any research on them,” Rasberry said. “They are spreading 100 times faster than fire ants did. We don’t know what makes them tick or what they are going to kill.”

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April 23, 2010

Page 23

Preoccupied toms outsmarting hunters Turkeys hard to ﬁnd for some in the ﬁeld By Thomas Phillips LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

Turkey season has started with a stutter across parts of the state. “Last week, the wind and the weather change caused a lot of the toms to be henned up and made it very difﬁcult to call in,” said Mack Frazier, who hunted recently near Eagle Pass and Brady. Both hunts were successful, said Frazier, a director of ﬁeld operations for the National Wild Turkey Federation. But the birds made them earn it. The hunters preferred strategy was to roost birds in the evening and return in the morning as they came off the roost. Most of the birds Frazier and his hunting companions saw were 2 and 3 years old.

Business

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underrepresented the numbers and concentrations of animals to be hunted.” “It really amounts to them mischaracterizing what their hunts involved,” Kelley said. “People pay up front for these hunts, but instead of being put on 2,000 acres, it was more like 250 acres.” The FAQ section of the ranch’s Web site states that the operation has “multiple ranches” within 150 miles of San Antonio. But Kelley added that former clients complained that the game appeared to be tame, and they felt like they were on “canned” hunts. The clients claimed that the Candelarias bought hogs from other ranches and released them on their property. Clients also complained that there were “hidden” fees for skinning and cleaning of game, freezer storage and deer corn. The ranch’s Web site, however, discusses fees — some with speciﬁc dollar amounts, others without. It states that deer corn is available for hunters to buy at a local Wal-Mart. The FAQ section states that seekers of trophy tuskers, some as big as 600 pounds, must pay extra. “Our most prized trophy hogs will average 200-600 pounds and have 3- to 5-inch cutters,” the Web site says. “You should expect to pay a trophy fee of $600-$1,200 for this hunt.” The site also states that hogs 600 pounds or more “will incur additional trophy fees.” “Your guide will ultimately price your trophy upon the harvest and after measurement and weight,” the site says. “These hunts need to be booked in advance, so our guides can scout the deepest regions of our ranchlands for at least a week prior to your arrival.” But clients also claimed they feared for their safety because of a high concentration of hunters on the property. The Web site’s section on frequently asked questions mentions that “hunter orange vests and hats are required to be worn by all hunters while on the ranch.” A state district judge in Gonzales County approved Abbott’s request for a restraining order, which prevents the Candelarias from withdrawing money from their bank accounts or from trying to sell assets, including the ranch. The next event in the dispute will be later in April when a judge considers another request from Abbott — this one for a temporary injunction against the ranch. Meanwhile, the Web site’s “Wild Hog Hunt Texas — Calendar” was advertising open slots for the last two weeks of the month.

“We don’t have a lot of young birds,” Frazier said, which is largely because of drought hindering the hatch last year. The birds Frazier has seen have been in good condition, with most weighing about 20 pounds and having long beards. Details about the birds’ conditions further supports evidence of a poor hatch last year. If toms were coming in with two or three tail feathers missing, it would be from ﬁghting jakes, Fraizer said. But with no jakes, the tail feathers remain intact. “That’s another indication that we have a real shortage of young birds,” he said. Conditions are good this year for a great hatch, however, Frazier said. The season has been equally tough, if not tougher, for Brett Scherer of Austin. Scherer came up empty-handed in early April while hunting south of Uvalde. “I got nothing,” he said. The birds were not responsive to calling, and the toms were still henned up. “It was tough hunting,” Scherer said.

“They weren’t very vocal at all.” Scherer has also helped lead youth hunts. Those have resulted in two harvests. “I think I’ve had eight or nine hunts I’ve been involved with this season, and it’s all the same story,” he said. Reasons why are wide and indeﬁnite. Opinions include timing of the season dates, a late winter pushing back breeding activity and above average rain. The lack of jakes, Scherer said, could also mean toms have less competition. With less competition, toms might be less likely to investigate calling and decoys. “I’d like to call up my biologist buddies, but, at the moment, it’s just speculation,” he said. Good range conditions could mean birds do not have to move much to ﬁnd food, Scherer said. But the conditions will help seasons down the road, he said. “We should have awesome poults,” See TURKEYS, Page 25

GREAT GOBBLER: Louie Wiess IV harvested this gobbler early in the season near Rachel.

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April 23, 2010

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McMurray Continued from Page 7

Missouri. We’re going to turkey hunt in the morning and then fish in the afternoon and evening. So we’ve got a big trip planned next week. TP: Hunting, fishing, which one’s your favorite? Which one do you like to do most? JM: I grew up fishing. I have not done a lot of hunting growing up. But fishing is something that my dad and I did together, I wouldn’t say every weekend, but we went fishing a lot. So I really enjoy fishing.

Lavaca

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scheduled to meet April 21 to discuss ways to fund the study. Meanwhile, Dr. Mac Lee, a third-generation dentist from Edna, is among residents who say they’re concerned that the study is the first step toward the inevitability that a lake will be built. Lee said he doesn’t fish, but he is concerned a new water storage project could disrupt the Lavaca’s aesthetics, along with habitat for fish and wildlife. The river is home to catfish and crappie, but it also adds fresh water to the estuaries of Lavaca Bay, about 25 miles south of Edna. The estuaries, where fresh and salt water meet, are prime breeding areas for popular sportfish, such as redfish. Lavaca Bay flows into Matagorda Bay, a popular sportfishing destination. Brzozowski pointed out that, according to state law, the study must also explore what a new reservoir might do to fish and wildlife. And, he noted, there have been a lot of efforts to take care of fisheries on Lake Texana, the original lake managed by the river authority. It’s fed by the Navidad River. He said 2 million bass have been released there in recent years, although drought has kept the population from growing. Still, Lee said it would a shame to dam the Lavaca. “There’s no telling what could happen downstream,” he said. “As far as I know, we really don’t know what happens when you dam up a river so close to the estuary.” Leslie Hartman offered some ideas about

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TP: Which came first, racing or fishing? JM: Fishing came before racing. I remember going fishing with my dad at 4 or 5 years old. TP: What’s something that you can tell us about driving a racecar that most people might not know? Or give us a little insight into your driving. JM: I don’t know. I have a hard time answering that, probably, because I take things for granted, sometimes, things everybody should know. And I’m like, “You don’t know that?” So it’s hard for me to guess that one. — Staff report

that. She’s a marine biologist and ecosystem leader on Matagorda Bay for Texas Parks and Wildlife. “Estuaries are usually defined as a mixing of fresh and salt waters, and that mixing is what makes the nursery ground for 90 percent of marine species,” Hartman said. The fresh water, she explained, creates a “nutrient inflow” that helps build coastal marshes, sea grasses and oyster reefs. “All this complexity provides a whole lot of habitat,” Hartman said. “It’s a wonderful location for larval babies to come in to hide. They’re looking for something to eat, and they don’t want to be eaten.” But, she added, less marine habitat means fewer fish, which means fewer birds that eat the fish, and fewer insects that depend on the birds — insects that are beneficial to inland crops that people eat. In short, Hartman said, healthy estuaries benefit the planet. Concerns over the Lavaca are not new to Texas, Hartman said. Pick a river — the Trinity, Brazos, Colorado — if you haven’t yet heard of water storage issues on them, you will. Texans, she said, will be challenged to figure out and agree upon how much water should go into storage lakes, and how much should be allowed to continue downstream to the estuaries. “By 2035, the population of Texas will double in size, so that’s why a whole lot of people are scrambling,” Hartman said. “But on a practical scale I, too, like to drink water. So, can people reasonably take fresh water? Yes. “But, is there a balance? I believe there can be.”

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Beards

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they’re born. It just happens.” Beards are many things to many hunters, but to turkeys, they’re probably just fancy feathers. They grow continuously — and wear down continuously — so they cannot be used to determine age or dominance. The rarity also has not been studied much, Collier said. It does not appear to effect individual survival or reproductive success. “It’s an ornament,” he said. A study from 1995 indicates beard length had no impact on female mate choice, Collier said. Mate choice is probably more a matter of attitude and body size. In other words, a turkey with a short beard can still get girls. “Or it could be that you have this huge beard, and you’re a wuss,” Collier said. A beard might help attract hens, said Scotty Parsons, a biologist with the National Wild Turkey Federation. But that is speculation, Parsons said, and no data support it.

TWO OF A KIND: Little research has been conducted on why some turkeys have more than one beard, said Texas A&M scientist Bret Collier. Photo by LSON.

Gobblers and hens both have the skin spot on their breast, called a papilla, for growing a beard but few females have beards — another enigma. Little information is available on how often turkeys have multiple beards, Collier said. Researchers do not investigate multiple beards much, he said, because they appear to play little role, if any, in the spe-

cies’ population dynamics. “They (gobblers and hens) both have the area where it would grow off of, but it could be that there’s some sort of a factor that causes the growth to occur in males instead of females,” Collier said. “But it’s never been studied because it doesn’t really matter. Females with beards can still breed, and males without beards can still be successful.”

April 23, 2010

It really matters to hunters, though. A turkey with an exceptionally long beard is a trophy. Harvesting one with multiple beards is a story to tell for years to come. “It’s highly prized because it’s unusual,” said Robert Linder, the president of the Texas State Chapter of NWTF. “Unusual is always highly prized, which is why multiple beards is always talked about.” In his years of hunting turkeys, Linder has only taken one multiplebearded bird. It had two beards, one 9.5 inches, the other 6 inches, and he shot it near San Angelo. “The more beards, the more exciting,” Linder said. “It makes for a great campﬁre tale.” Multiple beards often are not discovered until a bird is examined after being shot, Linder said. Secondary beards are generally small and can hide tucked behind the dominant beard. “Whether something is a trophy or not a trophy, that’s a human construct,” Collier said. “It doesn’t really matter to the bird. It’s just we think they’re cool.”

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Turkeys

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he said. “We should have a great hatch. The years to come should be fantastic.” Louie Wiess IV echoed the report from Frazier and Scherer: the birds are tough, and hatch conditions are good. “It’s been hit or miss this year,” said Wiess, a four-time turkey calling champion. He has not seen as many birds as in previous years in South Texas, he said, blaming the drought. He harvested a tom with a 10inch beard and 1 1⁄4-inch spurs March 27 near Rachel. The bird was following ﬁve hens before Wiess called the tom in. To do that, he made excited hen yelp calls, cutts and purrs with a slate call to trigger a reaction from the ﬂock’s dominant hen. When she came to investigate, the tom came in behind her. “If I can get her to talk to me, she’ll usually come look,” Wiess said.

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RESEARCH LAKE: Allen Forshage, right, director of the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, and a technician collect information on a largemouth bass at Lake X. Photo by Luminant.

Lake X

Continued from Page 1

Fisheries Center in Athens. “They just agreed to let us do research over there,” he said. Regulations required Luminant to restore the mine to an environmentally friendly condition that is near its original state once the company finished using it. In this case, a lake was suitable for meeting the regulations. “The pond provides an ideal habitat because it’s a private pond located entirely on company property,” said Luminant spokeswoman Ashley Monts in an e-mail to Lone Star Outdoor News. “Controlled access helps ensure survivability — in other words, that the fish are allowed to grow to their full potential. The pond also has both deep and shallow areas which provide significant forage opportunities (for fish).” Other private lakes under contract with TPW have been stocked with offspring from the breeding program, but they are owned by private individuals. Lake X is 60 to 65 feet deep at its deepest, according to Luminant. The depth allows the bass to survive cold weather better during winter, Forshage said. Pure Florida-strain bass are not as well adapted to colder water as their Northern-strain cousins. The goal of Operation World Record is to produce the next world record largemouth bass through selective breeding. Researchers working at the five-year-old Lake X are study-

ing size and growth rate of OWR offspring. Researchers are collecting DNA samples from the fish, weighing and measuring them. The DNA data will be used to find out who the fish’s parents are and form a family tree. Earlier this year, some fish were collected using rod and reel. Electrofishing, a common method for catching fish to study, has also been used, but bigger bass are sometimes less susceptible to being stunned by shocking. Anglers invited to fish the lake had some good times on the water. Seventeen of the bass caught weighed more than 5 pounds, and the largest was 7.6 pounds, with most of the action coming on swimbaits. The public is not allowed to fish Lake X, but the same research, also using offspring from the breeding program, is going on at some public lakes in Texas, such as Raven, Pinkston, Purtis Creek and Meridian. The lakes are relatively small, which is a benefit for the research. Given the lakes’ small size, fewer fish have to be stocked there. Who got to fish Lake X, the lake stocked with bass carrying some of the best genetics in the country? Jones, for one. Jones won the Bassmaster Classic in 2008 and writes a blog on ESPN’s Web site. He wrote about his day at Lake X and posted video of himself and a friend fishing there. “Most of the fish are only four years old, but there are some chunks,” Jones wrote in a post dated April 16. “These fish have the best genetics the state of Texas has to offer, and, in turn, the lake has some of the best fishing the Lone Star State has.”

LSONews.com

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

Crappie

Continued from Page 1

crappie to 1.7 pounds in the standing timber — they were suspended at 7 to 10 feet over 15 feet of water.” And the fishing at his home lake has picked up. “The water temperature is finally starting to get right,” he said. Kubiak also fishes CAT tournaments, a recent one being at his home lake. “We got second,” he said. “By .02 ounces.” Other lakes that receive little attention produce top crappie fishing, and while some locals might prefer to keep the spots to themselves, others can’t help but share their catch with the world. Names like Navarro Mills, Limestone, J.B. Thomas and Arrowhead don’t get a lot of publicity, but the crappie are there and ready to bite, at least according to Internet forums. Kubiak, a pro staffer for the handmade Thump it Jigs, praises the jigs but praises even more the many Texas lakes that have good crappie fishing. “I’m about to retire from my regular job and then will guide more full time,” he said. “But I’m also going to travel to a lot of the smaller lakes. There are a bunch like Gilmer out there.”

Bass

Continued from Page 9

main lake. The water temperature was in the low 60s in the morning and warming to the mid-60s. The fish he caught were in less than 4 feet of water, and most were in less than a foot. Philip Webb of Dallas also recently fished Bob Sandlin and found plenty of male bass holding close to the banks. “Fishing has been improving every time we’re out,” Webb said. On a trip to Cedar Creek Reservoir on April 11, Webb caught a 12-pound limit on a small Strike King Rage Craw. “There were buck bass in about a foot to a foot and a half of water,” he said. Other anglers have told him about finding lots of males, too, Webb said. The spawn might be a little off schedule this year, he said. “It seems like the first big wave or combined wave of spawners has come in, especially on

NOT QUITE: This white crappie would have to put on a few more pounds to become the state record. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.

Record crappie Black crappie: 3.92 pounds, 18.50 inches long. Caught April 27, 2003, at Lake Fork by George Ward on a minnow. White crappie: 4.56 pounds. Caught Feb 14, 1968, at Navarro Mills Reservoir by G.G. Wooderson.

Cedar Creek,” he said Cedar Creek is warming, and the water is up, too, Webb said. The extra water, Deans said, should improve fishing for May and June. Extra wind has been a hindrance for some anglers. It has kept Bob Hawkins of Llano off the water in recent days. It led to the cancellation of a tournament Hawkins was schedule to compete in. Before the spring winds whipped up, he fished Lake Amistad, but had mixed results. “It wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t too bad,” he said. His trip came between two cold fronts, and the fish were difficult to pattern. “You couldn’t figure them out because they didn’t have a set pattern,” he said. Sam Callaway of Corpus Christi had a good day on the water April 9 at O.H. Ivie Reservoir. At 9:20 a.m. he boated a 13.34-pound fish using an 8-inch lizard in watermelon/red. The fish was the 500th bass entered in the state’s largemouth bass breeding program.

April 23, 2010

Page 27

Page 28

April 23, 2010

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

Sun | Moon | Tides

New

April 28

Time 12:22 p.m. 12:40 p.m. 7:24 a.m. 8:30 a.m. 9:33 a.m. 10:35 a.m. 11:38 a.m. 10:49 p.m. 11:34 p.m.

Height 2.5 H 2.3 H 1.4 L 1.8 L 2.0 L 2.3 L 2.3 L -0.4 L -0.2 L

9:40 a.m. 10:43 a.m. 11:22 a.m. 11:42 a.m. 11:55 a.m.

2.9 H 2.7 H 2.5 H 2.3 H 2.3 H

Time 6:13 p.m. 6:47 p.m. 12:58 p.m. 1:15 p.m. 1:31 p.m. 1:46 p.m. 1:56 p.m.

Height 1.6 L 1.1 L 2.3 H 2.3 H 2.3 H 2.5 H 2.5 H

Time Height 11:43 p.m. 2.3 H

7:05 p.m. 1.8 L 6:52 p.m. 1.6 L

9:50 p.m. 2.0 H 11:51 p.m. 2.0 H

7:25 p.m. 8:04 p.m. 8:44 p.m. 9:25 p.m. 10:06 p.m.

Height 2.0 H 0.9 L 1.1 L 1.4 L 1.6 L 1.9 L 1.9 L -0.3 L

09:19 a.m. 10:27 a.m. 11:30 a.m. 12:09 p.m. 12:29 p.m. 12:42 p.m.

2.3 H 2.3 H 2.1 H 2.0 H 1.9 H 1.9 H

Time 6:39 p.m. 1:27 p.m. 1:45 p.m. 2:02 p.m. 2:18 p.m. 2:33 p.m. 2:43 p.m.

Height 1.3 L 1.9 H 1.9 H 1.9 H 1.9 H 2.0 H 2.0 H

7:31 p.m. 1.4 L 7:18 p.m. 1.3 L

Time

Height

Time 7:51 a.m. 09:07 a.m. 5:03 a.m. 7:32 a.m. 09:16 a.m. 10:46 a.m. 12:40 a.m. 1:25 a.m. 2:12 a.m. 3:01 a.m. 3:53 a.m. 4:48 a.m. 5:47 a.m. 6:53 a.m. 08:09 a.m.

Houston Height 0.3 L 0.4 L 0.7 H 0.8 H 1.0 H 1.0 H -0.1 L -0.2 L -0.2 L -0.1 L 0.0 L 0.0 L 0.1 L 0.2 L 0.4 L

7:13 p.m. 7:51 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9:10 p.m. 9:51 p.m. 10:32 p.m.

0.9 L 0.4 L 0.0 L -0.3 L -0.4 L -0.4 L

10:37 p.m. 1.6 H

Date Time Height Apr 23 8:29 a.m. 0.24 L Apr 24 12:57 a.m. 0.41 H Apr 25 4:34 a.m. 0.38 H Apr 26 1:34 p.m. 0.46 H Apr 27 1:43 p.m. 0.51 H Apr 28 12:27 a.m. 0.16 L Apr 29 1:16 a.m. 0.14 L Apr 30 2:06 a.m. 0.14 L May 1 3:01 a.m. 0.15 L May 2 3:58 a.m. 0.17 L May 3 4:58 a.m. 0.19 L May 4 5:54 a.m. 0.22 L May 5 6:42 a.m. 0.24 L May 6 7:18 a.m. 0.27 L May 7 7:39 a.m. 0.31 L

Time 6:40 p.m. 4:13 p.m. 10:31 a.m. 11:13 p.m. 11:56 p.m.

Height 0.8 H 0.6 H 0.6 L 0.1 L 0.0 L

12:14 p.m. 1:39 p.m. 2:51 p.m. 3:50 p.m. 4:38 p.m. 5:17 p.m. 5:43 p.m. 5:51 p.m. 5:28 p.m.

1.1 H 1.1 H 1.1 H 1.1 H 1.0 H 1.0 H 0.9 H 0.8 H 0.7 H

Time

Height

10:03 p.m. 0.5 L 2:39 p.m. 0.7 H

Time

Height

10:32 p.m. 0.3 L

Time

Height

8:50 a.m. 0.31 L 8:10 a.m. 0.37 L 11:35 p.m. 0.20 L 2:13 p.m. 2:57 p.m. 3:54 p.m. 5:04 p.m. 6:22 p.m. 7:39 p.m. 8:51 p.m. 10:01 p.m. 11:20 p.m. 2:39 p.m.

0.54 H 0.56 H 0.55 H 0.54 H 0.53 H 0.51 H 0.49 H 0.47 H 0.44 H 0.38 H

Time

Height

3:07 p.m. 0.36 H 2:00 p.m. 0.41 H

Time

Height

9:14 p.m. 0.31 L 10:36 p.m. 0.25 L

Time 1:39 p.m. 7:33 a.m. 8:46 a.m. 9:52 a.m. 10:55 a.m. 11:57 a.m. 1:00 p.m.

Height 1.2 H 0.5 L 0.7 L 0.9 L 0.9 L 1.1 L 1.1 L

08:48 a.m. 09:49 a.m. 10:57 a.m. 12:00 p.m. 12:39 p.m. 12:59 p.m. 1:12 p.m.

1.5 H 1.4 H 1.4 H 1.3 H 1.2 H 1.1 H 1.1 H

Time 12:31 p.m. 12:49 p.m. 7:47 a.m. 8:53 a.m. 9:56 a.m. 10:58 a.m. 12:01 p.m. 11:12 p.m. 11:57 p.m.

Height 1.7 H 1.6 H 0.7 L 0.9 L 1.0 L 1.2 L 1.2 L -0.2 L -0.1 L

9:49 a.m. 10:52 a.m. 11:31 a.m. 11:51 a.m. 12:04 p.m.

2.0 H 1.8 H 1.7 H 1.6 H 1.6 H

Time 7:35 p.m. 1:57 p.m. 2:15 p.m. 2:32 p.m. 2:48 p.m. 3:03 p.m. 3:13 p.m.

Height 0.8 L 1.1 H 1.1 H 1.1 H 1.1 H 1.2 H 1.2 H

Time

Height

8:09 p.m. 8:47 p.m. 9:26 p.m. 10:06 p.m. 10:47 p.m. 11:28 p.m.

0.5 L 0.3 L 0.0 L -0.2 L -0.3 L -0.3 L

8:27 p.m. 0.9 L 8:14 p.m. 0.8 L

11:07 p.m. 0.9 H

Time 6:36 p.m. 7:10 p.m. 1:07 p.m. 1:24 p.m. 1:40 p.m. 1:55 p.m. 2:05 p.m.

Time Height 11:52 p.m. 1.6 H

Date Apr 23 Apr 24 Apr 25 Apr 26 Apr 27 Apr 28 Apr 29 Apr 30 May 1 May 2 May 3 May 4 May 5 May 6 May 7

Time Height 4:57 a.m. 0.3 L 12:23 a.m. 1.5 H 1:58 a.m. 1.6 H 3:16 a.m. 1.8 H 4:23 a.m. 2.0 H 5:23 a.m. 2.1 H 6:19 a.m. 2.2 H 7:14 a.m. 2.1 H 08:11 a.m. 2.0 H 09:12 a.m. 1.8 H 12:26 a.m. 0.0 L 1:19 a.m. 0.2 L 2:16 a.m. 0.2 L 3:22 a.m. 0.4 L 4:35 a.m. 0.5 L

Time 1:02 p.m. 6:16 a.m. 7:29 a.m. 8:35 a.m. 9:38 a.m. 10:40 a.m. 11:43 a.m. 10:54 p.m. 11:39 p.m.

Height 1.6 H 0.5 L 0.6 L 0.8 L 0.8 L 1.0 L 1.0 L -0.2 L -0.1 L

10:20 a.m. 11:23 a.m. 12:02 p.m. 12:22 p.m. 12:35 p.m.

1.8 H 1.7 H 1.6 H 1.5 H 1.5 H

7:11 p.m. 0.36 L

Time 12:48 p.m. 12:44 p.m. 7:34 a.m. 9:04 a.m. 8:43 p.m. 9:25 p.m. 10:10 p.m. 10:57 p.m. 11:45 p.m.

Height 1.4 H 1.3 H 0.8 L 1.0 L -0.5 L -0.7 L -0.7 L -0.7 L -0.5 L

11:02 a.m. 11:43 a.m. 12:04 p.m. 12:11 p.m. 12:07 p.m.

1.6 H 1.6 H 1.5 H 1.5 H 1.4 H

Time 6:18 p.m. 1:20 p.m. 1:38 p.m. 1:55 p.m. 2:11 p.m. 2:26 p.m. 2:36 p.m.

Height 0.7 L 1.5 H 1.5 H 1.5 H 1.5 H 1.6 H 1.6 H

Time

Height

6:52 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 8:09 p.m. 8:49 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 10:11 p.m.

0.5 L 0.2 L 0.0 L -0.2 L -0.2 L -0.2 L

7:28 p.m. 0.9 L 7:15 p.m. 0.8 L

7:48 p.m. 8:27 p.m. 9:07 p.m. 9:48 p.m. 10:29 p.m.

0.3 L 0.0 L -0.2 L -0.3 L -0.3 L

9:59 p.m. 1.4 H

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Date Time Height Apr 23 4:51 a.m. 0.3 L Apr 24 6:11 a.m. 0.5 L Apr 25 1:31 a.m. 1.3 H Apr 26 3:05 a.m. 1.5 H Apr 27 4:24 a.m. 1.6 H Apr 28 5:34 a.m. 1.7 H Apr 29 6:41 a.m. 1.7 H Apr 30 7:48 a.m. 1.7 H May 1 08:56 a.m. 1.7 H May 2 10:04 a.m. 1.7 H May 3 12:36 a.m. -0.3 L May 4 1:29 a.m. 0.0 L May 5 2:24 a.m. 0.2 L May 6 3:21 a.m. 0.5 L May 7 4:23 a.m. 0.7 L

7:10 p.m. 0.8 L 6:57 p.m. 0.7 L

10:30 p.m. 1.3 H

Time 6:47 p.m. 6:58 p.m. 12:34 p.m. 12:13 p.m.

Height 1.0 L 0.6 L 1.1 H 1.1 H

Time Height 11:25 p.m. 1.2 H

6:49 p.m. 0.9 L

11:49 p.m. 1.1 H

7:27 p.m. 0.2 L 8:03 p.m. -0.2 L

ACROSS 1. Used on a reel to let a fish run 4. A game bird 8. A species of wild sheep 9. Keep this on the end of the jigging line 10. Expert fishermen earn this title 11. A perch species 14. A method of fishing 16. These reveal the age of a deer 17. The wolf predator 19. A species of large bass 21. Term for an antler on the ground 22. A group of fish in one spot 26. Outdoorsmen should carry one 27. The hunting and fishing lawman 28. To interpret a game trail 29. A snake-like fish 31. To swim off with the bait 32. Make sure this is thick enough 34. A tasty pan fish 36. Used to bring a catch into the boat 38. Used to fry fish over open fire 39. He is called a gillie 41. Rings on a striper’s tail reveal this 43. True angler ____ his own fly 45. A species of trout 46. The Dall is one 47. A female pheasant DOWN 1. To pull a bowstring 2. The icefisherman’s drill 3. Very large on a muley 4. A method of fishing 5. A predator 6. The bowhunter’s weapon 7. A pan fish

P.M. Minor 2:04 2:49 3:32 4:17 5:05 5:57 6:53 7:53 8:53 9:52 10:48 11:39 12:04 12:47 1:27 2:04 2:40 3:17 3:56 4:40

Major 8:17 9:02 9:45 10:29 11:18 ----12:39 1:39 2:40 3:39 4:35 5:27 6:15 6:58 7:37 8:14 8:50 9:28 10:08 10:52

SUN Rises 6:46 6:45 6:44 6:43 6:42 6:41 6:40 6:39 6:39 6:38 6:37 6:36 6:35 6:34 6:34 6:33 6:32 6:31 6:31 6:30

Sets 7:52 7:52 7:53 7:54 7:54 7:55 7:56 7:56 7:57 7:57 7:58 7:59 7:59 8:00 8:01 8:01 8:02 8:03 8:03 8:04

MOON Rises 3:06p 4:11p 5:16p 6:21p 7:27p 8:34p 9:38p 10:38p 11:32p NoMoon 12:20a 1:02a 1:39a 2:12a 2:42a 3:10a 3:39a 4:08a 4:39a 5:14a

P.M. Minor Major 2:10 8:22 2:55 9:07 3:38 9:50 4:22 10:35 5:10 11:23 6:02 ----6:59 12:45 7:58 1:44 8:59 2:45 9:58 3:44 10:53 4:41 11:45 5:33 12:09 6:20 12:53 7:03 1:33 7:43 2:10 8:20 2:46 8:56 3:22 9:33 4:02 10:13 4:45 10:58

SUN Rises 6:48 6:47 6:46 6:45 6:43 6:42 6:41 6:40 6:39 6:38 6:38 6:37 6:36 6:35 6:34 6:33 6:32 6:31 6:31 6:30

MOON Sets Rises Sets 8:01 3:09p 3:31a 8:02 4:16p 4:06a 8:02 5:23p 4:38a 8:03 6:30p 5:12a 8:04 7:39p 5:47a 8:05 8:46p 6:26a 8:05 9:52p 7:09a 8:06 10:52p 7:58a 8:07 11:46p 8:51a 8:08 NoMoon 9:47a 8:08 12:34a 10:45a 8:09 1:15a 11:43a 8:10 1:50a 12:40p 8:11 2:22a 1:35p 8:12 2:50a 2:30p 8:12 3:17a 3:24p 8:13 3:44a 4:19p 8:14 4:11a 5:16p 8:14 4:41a 6:16p 8:15 5:14a 7:18p

P.M. Minor Major 2:17 8:29 3:02 9:14 3:45 9:57 4:29 10:42 5:17 11:30 6:09 ----7:06 12:52 8:05 1:51 9:06 2:52 10:05 3:51 11:00 4:48 11:52 5:40 12:16 6:27 1:00 7:10 1:40 7:50 2:17 8:27 2:53 9:03 3:29 9:40 4:09 10:20 4:52 11:05

SUN Rises 6:59 6:58 6:57 6:56 6:55 6:54 6:53 6:52 6:52 6:51 6:50 6:49 6:48 6:47 6:47 6:46 6:45 6:45 6:44 6:43

MOON Sets Rises Sets 8:04 3:19p 3:35a 8:04 4:24p 4:11a 8:05 5:29p 4:46a 8:06 6:34p 5:22a 8:06 7:40p 5:59a 8:07 8:46p 6:40a 8:08 9:50p 7:25a 8:08 10:50p 8:14a 8:09 11:44p 9:08a 8:09 NoMoon 10:04a 8:10 12:32a 11:01a 8:11 1:14a 11:57a 8:11 1:51a 12:53p 8:12 2:24a 1:47p 8:13 2:54a 2:39p 8:13 3:23a 3:32p 8:14 3:51a 4:25p 8:15 4:21a 5:20p 8:15 4:52a 6:18p 8:16 5:27a 7:18p

Sets 3:23a 3:59a 4:33a 5:09a 5:46a 6:26a 7:11a 8:01a 8:54a 9:50a 10:47a 11:44a 12:39p 1:33p 2:26p 3:19p 4:12p 5:07p 6:05p 7:06p

2010 Apr-May 23 Fri 24 Sat 25 Sun 26 Mon 27 Tue > 28 Wed > 29 Thu F 30 Fri > 01 Sat > 02 Sun 03 Mon 04 Tue 05 Wed 06 Thu Q 07 Fri 08 Sat 09 Sun 10 Mon 11 Tue > 12 Wed >

A.M. Minor Major 1:44 7:57 2:30 8:42 3:13 9:26 3:57 10:10 4:44 10:57 5:35 11:49 6:31 12:17 7:30 1:16 8:31 2:18 9:31 3:18 10:28 4:16 11:21 5:09 ----- 5:58 12:32 6:42 1:12 7:22 1:49 8:00 2:25 8:35 3:01 9:12 3:39 9:50 4:21 10:33

2010 A.M. Apr-May Minor Major 23 Fri 1:51 8:04 24 Sat 2:37 8:49 25 Sun 3:20 9:33 26 Mon 4:04 10:17 27 Tue > 4:51 11:04 28 Wed > 5:42 11:56 29 Thu F 6:38 12:24 30 Fri > 7:37 1:23 01 Sat > 8:38 2:25 02 Sun 9:38 3:25 03 Mon 10:35 4:23 04 Tue 11:28 5:16 05 Wed ----- 6:05 06 Thu Q 12:39 6:49 07 Fri 1:19 7:29 08 Sat 1:56 8:07 09 Sun 2:32 8:42 10 Mon 3:08 9:19 11 Tue > 3:46 9:57 12 Wed > 4:28 10:40

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OUTDOOR PUZZLER | By Wilbur “Wib” Lundeen

A.M. Minor Major 1:39 7:51 2:24 8:37 3:08 9:20 3:51 10:04 4:38 10:51 5:30 11:43 6:26 12:12 7:25 1:11 8:26 2:12 9:26 3:12 10:23 4:10 11:16 5:04 ----- 5:53 12:26 6:37 1:07 7:17 1:44 7:54 2:20 8:30 2:55 9:06 3:33 9:45 4:15 10:28

San Antonio

South Padre Island Height 0.8 L 0.5 L 1.6 H 1.6 H 1.6 H 1.7 H 1.7 H

2010 Apr-May 23 Fri 24 Sat 25 Sun 26 Mon 27 Tue > 28 Wed > 29 Thu F 30 Fri > 01 Sat > 02 Sun 03 Mon 04 Tue 05 Wed 06 Thu Q 07 Fri 08 Sat 09 Sun 10 Mon 11 Tue > 12 Wed >

Dallas

Port Aransas, H. Caldwell Pier

Freeport Harbor Date Time Height Apr 23 5:15 a.m. 0.4 L Apr 24 6:34 a.m. 0.5 L Apr 25 1:27 a.m. 1.7 H Apr 26 2:45 a.m. 2.0 H Apr 27 3:52 a.m. 2.1 H Apr 28 4:52 a.m. 2.2 H Apr 29 5:48 a.m. 2.3 H Apr 30 6:43 a.m. 2.2 H May 1 7:40 a.m. 2.1 H May 2 08:41 a.m. 2.0 H May 3 12:44 a.m. 0.0 L May 4 1:37 a.m. 0.2 L May 5 2:34 a.m. 0.3 L May 6 3:40 a.m. 0.5 L May 7 4:53 a.m. 0.6 L

May 20

Rockport

Time 1:09 p.m. 6:37 a.m. 7:50 a.m. 8:56 a.m. 9:59 a.m. 11:01 a.m. 12:04 p.m. 11:15 p.m.

San Luis Pass Date Time Height Apr 23 6:14 a.m. 0.3 L Apr 24 1:00 a.m. 1.1 H Apr 25 2:35 a.m. 1.2 H Apr 26 3:53 a.m. 1.4 H Apr 27 5:00 a.m. 1.5 H Apr 28 6:00 a.m. 1.5 H Apr 29 6:56 a.m. 1.6 H Apr 30 7:51 a.m. 1.5 H May 1 12:11 a.m. -0.2 L May 2 12:56 a.m. -0.1 L May 3 1:43 a.m. 0.0 L May 4 2:36 a.m. 0.2 L May 5 3:33 a.m. 0.3 L May 6 4:39 a.m. 0.4 L May 7 5:52 a.m. 0.6 L

Last

May 6

Date Apr 23 Apr 24 Apr 25 Apr 26 Apr 27 Apr 28 Apr 29 Apr 30 May 1 May 2 May 3 May 4 May 5 May 6 May 7

0.5 L 0.0 L -0.4 L -0.5 L -0.5 L

Galveston Bay entrance, south jetty Time Height 5:18 a.m. 0.6 L 12:30 a.m. 1.9 H 2:05 a.m. 2.0 H 3:23 a.m. 2.3 H 4:30 a.m. 2.4 H 5:30 a.m. 2.6 H 6:26 a.m. 2.7 H 7:21 a.m. 2.6 H 08:18 a.m. 2.4 H 12:00 a.m. -0.1 L 12:47 a.m. 0.0 L 1:40 a.m. 0.3 L 2:37 a.m. 0.4 L 3:43 a.m. 0.7 L 4:56 a.m. 1.0 L

Legend: Major=2 hours. Minor=1 hour. Times centered on the major-minor window. F=Full Moon, N=New Moon, Q=Quarter > = Peak Activity. For other locations, subtract 1 minute per 12 miles east of a location, and add 1 minute per 12 miles west of a location.

Full

May 14

First

Port O’Connor

Sabine Pass, jetty

Date Apr 23 Apr 24 Apr 25 Apr 26 Apr 27 Apr 28 Apr 29 Apr 30 May 1 May 2 May 3 May 4 May 5 May 6 May 7

Solunar | Sun times | Moon times

Moon Phases

Texas Coast Tides Date Time Height Apr 23 4:52 a.m. 0.7 L Apr 24 6:11 a.m. 1.1 L Apr 25 1:18 a.m. 2.5 H Apr 26 2:36 a.m. 2.9 H Apr 27 3:43 a.m. 3.0 H Apr 28 4:43 a.m. 3.2 H Apr 29 5:39 a.m. 3.4 H Apr 30 6:34 a.m. 3.2 H May 1 7:31 a.m. 3.0 H May 2 08:32 a.m. 2.9 H May 3 12:21 a.m. 0.0 L May 4 1:14 a.m. 0.4 L May 5 2:11 a.m. 0.5 L May 6 3:17 a.m. 0.9 L May 7 4:30 a.m. 1.3 L

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2010 A.M. Apr-May Minor 23 Fri 2:04 24 Sat 2:50 25 Sun 3:34 26 Mon 4:17 27 Tue > 5:04 28 Wed > 5:55 29 Thu F 6:51 30 Fri > 7:51 01 Sat > 8:52 02 Sun 9:52 03 Mon 10:49 04 Tue 11:42 05 Wed 12:06 06 Thu Q 12:52 07 Fri 1:33 08 Sat 2:10 09 Sun 2:46 10 Mon 3:21 11 Tue > 3:59 12 Wed > 4:41

Major 8:17 9:03 9:46 10:30 11:17 ----12:38 1:37 2:38 3:38 4:36 5:30 6:19 7:03 7:43 8:20 8:56 9:32 10:11 10:54

P.M. Minor 2:30 3:15 3:58 4:43 5:30 6:23 7:19 8:19 9:19 10:18 11:14 ----12:30 1:13 1:53 2:30 3:06 3:43 4:22 5:06

Major 8:43 9:28 10:11 10:55 11:44 12:09 1:05 2:05 3:05 4:05 5:01 5:53 6:41 7:24 8:03 8:40 9:16 9:53 10:34 11:18

SUN Rises 7:05 7:04 7:03 7:02 7:01 6:59 6:58 6:57 6:56 6:55 6:54 6:53 6:52 6:51 6:50 6:49 6:48 6:48 6:47 6:46

Sets 8:24 8:25 8:26 8:27 8:28 8:28 8:29 8:30 8:31 8:32 8:33 8:33 8:34 8:35 8:36 8:37 8:38 8:38 8:39 8:40

MOON Rises Sets 3:29p 3:55a 4:37p 4:27a 5:46p 4:59a 6:55p 5:31a 8:04p 6:05a 9:13p 6:42a 10:20p 7:24a 11:20p 8:12a NoMoon 9:05a 12:14a 10:02a 1:01a 11:00a 1:41a 11:59a 2:16a 12:57p 2:46a 1:54p 3:13a 2:50p 3:39a 3:45p 4:04a 4:41p 4:30a 5:40p 4:59a 6:41p 5:31a 7:44p

FOR THE TABLE Chili-Fried Crappie 2 pounds crappie fillets 4 ounces saltine crackers 3 eggs 1/4 cup milk 1 tablespoon chili powder Salt and pepper to taste 2 fresh limes (cut into wedges) Salt fillets to taste. Combine eggs, milk and chili powder and beat until thoroughly mixed.

Crush crackers in blender and place in separate dish. Individually dip fillets in egg mixture, and then individually dip cracker crumbs until coated. Deep fry in peanut oil for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towel and place in warming dish. Serve hot with lime wedges. Makes six servings. — Staff

Grilled Axis Venison with Peppercorn Sauce

8. Important to consider when fishing 9. Ice anglers fish here 12. A popular fishing bait 13. Part of the fishline 14. To construct a fly lure 15. A very large game 18. Term for an ice auger 20. A major deer food 23. A northern saltwater flat fish 24. A top breed of retriever 25. An outdoorsman’s home

26. Boat docking facility 30. A trap target, clay _____ 33. A breed of setter 34. Used for bait at times 35. Attachment to a hook 37. Fishing or hunting permit 40. A quick-to-erect type tent 41. Best of the firewoods 42. A rod line grommet 44. Term for small fish for frying

Venison, backstrap or ham Salt, pepper and garlic to taste 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup chopped red onion 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 teaspoons green peppercorns 1 1/2 packs Knorr peppercorn seasoning 2/3 cup red wine 1 1/2 cups water 1 cup half and half Cut venison into serving-sized pieces, being sure to remove all silver skin. Season the venison pieces with salt, pepper and garlic. Cover and refrigerate for

several hours. When ready to cook, begin with the sauce. Melt butter in a large sauce pan. Add onions and cook until they are beginning to get clear. Add parsley, garlic and peppercorns. Add peppercorn seasoning and stir until smooth. Add wine and water, and bring to a boil. Then add half and half. Stir over low heat until smooth and thick. Makes 3 cups. Grill venison to medium rare, about 6 to 15 minutes. Remove from grill and thinly slice meat on the bias three-fourths of the way through. Pour sauce over meat immediately before serving. — Joshua Creek Ranch

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

Outdoor News in Brief Supreme Court strikes video law The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal law that outlaws selling and marketing videos that depict animal cruelty, according to CNN. The justices voted 8-1, saying in the majority opinion that the law was too much of a restriction on free speech, and videos showing legal hunting could have been restricted. “Jurisdictions permit and encourage hunting, and there is an enormous national market for hunting-related depictions in which a living animal is intentionally killed,” Roberts said. “An otherwise-lawful image of any of these practices, if sold or possessed for commercial gain within a state that happens to forbid the practice, falls within the prohibition of [the federal law].” — Staff report

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Deer association mourns two leaders The Texas Deer Association recently lost two of its highest-proﬁle members. Bobby Marburger of Columbus, the organization’s state secretary, and longtime member Leo Hicks, 75, of Alto died this month. Marburger, a deer breeder, died of renal cancer. The cause of Hick’s death was not available. Hicks was a deer breeder who contributed time and resources to TDA. Hicks Whitetail Ranch is a familyrun operation that has raised and sold more than 1,000 deer since 1996. — Texas Deer Association report

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April 23, 2010

Beach and Waterfront Rentals available Matagorda and Sargent, Texas ● Come see the new Matagorda Bridge and Jetties!! ● Great values on Waterfront Properties!!

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Publisher/Editor News & Graphics Editor Associate Editor Business/Products Editor Operations Manager Accounting Web site National Advertising Accounts Manager Founder & CEO

Contributors Dan Armitage Kyle Carter Alan Clemons Bob Hood Diana Kunde Kendal Larson Wilbur Lundeen

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Craig Nyhus Thomas Phillips Mark England Mary Helen Aguirre Mike Hughs Nancy Halphen Bruce Soileau

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Distribution Bruce Andreen, Metrogate Communications Budget Distribution Services Victor Cantu, South Texas Circulation Jason Ward, Monarch Distribution Jeff Bulpin Paul Fletcher Advertising Call (214) 361-2276 or e-mail editor@lone staroutdoornews.com to request a media kit.

WANTED Lone Star Outdoor News is looking for a hunting and ﬁshing lease with all ﬁshing and hunting rights. Interested landowners please call (214) 361-2276.

For home delivery subscriptions www.LSONews.com (214) 361-2276

Sargent, Texas Ranch for Sale

Lone Star Outdoor News, a publication of Lone Star Outdoor News, LLC, publishes twice a month. A mailed subscription is $30 for 24 issues. Newsstand copies are free, one per person. Copyright 2010 with all rights reserved. Reproduction and/or use of any photographic or written material without written permission by the publisher is prohibited. Subscribers may send address changes to: Lone Star Outdoor News, 9304 Forest Lane, Suite 114 South, Dallas, TX 75243 or e-mail them to editor@lonestaroutdoornews.com.

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100 ACRES in EAST TEXAS •PLENTY OF DUCKS, DEER, HOGS, AND WOODCOCK. •BETWEEN LUFKIN AND DIBOLL. BUTTS UP TO RYAN LAKE HUNTING CLUB. 5 MILES OFF HWY 59. •$1500. PER ACRE.

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PIONEER REAL ESTATE Shirley Shandley, Broker • Real Co. – 20 AC, Cabin, Hwy front $115,000 (#66) • 50 AC Hunting, Lg. neighbors $158,000 (#44) • 120 AC Water meter, Hwy front, Terms (Owner/Assoc. Broker) (#60) • 503 AC Axis deer, living quarters, pond $2500 P/AC (#75) • Uvalde Co. – 300 AC near Garner Park, creek, will divide $3950 P/AC (#55) • 1067 AC, spring, well $1395 P/AC (#28) • Kinney Co. – 240 Hunting AC $1300 P/AC (#51) Photos & plats on www.hillcountryrealestate.net or call 830-232-6422 for a “free” brochure

Place your classiﬁed

Place a classiﬁed ad in Lone Star Outdoor News and experience the results of a new look. The 2”x 2” ad will get the attention necessary to say SOLD! $50 per month (two issues) Call (214) 361-2276. Ask for Mike Hughs or e-mail ad to mhughs@lo nestaroutdoornews.com.

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April 23, 2010

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Game warden carves a name for himself in South Texas Gonzalez turns antlers into art

GIFTED GAME WARDEN: Jacinto Gonzalez carves into a deer antler while off duty from his day job as a game warden. Photo by Antonio Vindell, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

By Antonio Vindell

FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS As a game warden, Jacinto Gonzalez patrols the back roads and bays of Cameron County to enforce the state’s hunting and ﬁshing regulations. As a private citizen, Gonzales still keeps wildlife in mind. For more than six years, Gonzalez has been intricately carving gunstocks, deer antlers and walking sticks with sceneries depicting Lone Star State ﬂora and fauna. “I am going to keep carving on wood for as long as I am able to do so,” he said. “Everything I use is natural, like shed antlers and driftwood. Just about anything I do has to do with

Texas wildlife.” Gonzalez prefers to use black willow sticks for carving. Many of the carved walking sticks have the head of a bearded mountain man coming out of the handle. “It took about three labor hours to do that ﬁrst carving,” he said. “But

some other jobs can take a lot longer than that.” From then on, Gonzales started working with gunstocks and antlers from white-tailed, axis and fallow deer, elk and moose. Some of his work has turned into an art form the game warden hopes

to convert into a full-time job when he retires from law enforcement. Among his masterpieces are lifelike colored rattlesnake scales carved into an antler and a carving of a covey of quail flying away as an English pointer is on hold behind a cactus patch. But one work Gonzalez is especially proud of shows a flock of 18 mallards flying away from a five-point antler. The work earned Gonzalez first place during the annual show of the Rio Grande Valley Woodcarvers in 2009. Gonzalez said it took him about 75 hours to finish that job. His carving work is done in his garage, using a power tool and carving knives. Gonzales attends a few trade shows held close to home to show and sell his works of art. The 55-year-old Gonzalez came to Brownsville from Monterrey, Mexico, when he was 13 years old. He graduated from the game warden academy

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Puzzle solution from Page 28

in 1987. He spent his ﬁrst 10 years in Arroyo City and was transferred to Brownsville, his current station. He and his wife, Olga, have two children: Sasha, 23, and Joshua, 21. Ruben Cobos of Edinburg, one of Gonzalez’s clients, said he has known the game warden for about ﬁve years. “I have bought walking sticks and meat turners he made using deer antlers,” Cobos said. Cobos has referred several people to Gonzalez after they saw his work. “His work with wood and antlers is awesome,” he said. “Just awesome.” Capt. Ken Baker, the game warden in charge in Brownsville, said Gonzalez’s hobby is a good thing for him — and for the department. “Jacinto has always been a good game warden in our district,” he said. “What he is doing complements his job and tells what this department is all about.”

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April 23, 2010

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