January 27, 2012 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

January 27, 2012

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New Boats Check out some of the season’s new offerings.

Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper

January 27, 2012

Volume 8, Issue 11

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Commission to consider allowing sound suppressors for wild game

Inside

By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

❘❚ FISHING

Christmas year-round Sink trees and brush for crappie habitat.

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Many a feral hog and varmint coyote in Texas have fallen to shots muffled by sound suppressors, but it’s not legal in this state to use “silencers” on game animals, including deer.

That could change next season if the Texas Parks and

Wildlife Commission agrees to allow these devices for hunting everything except waterfowl and upland game.

No formal action by the full commission would happen at least until the commission’s meeting in March, said Scott Vaca, assistant chief of TPWD’s law enforcement division.

So far, 39 states, including Texas, allow people to own sound suppressors, as long as they have federal permits for them. But Texas is also among 20 states that currently don’t allow using them on game animals, according to the newly formed American Silencer Association.

See SUPPRESSORS, Page 18

SILENCER: Sound suppressors are being considered for legal hunting of deer and other game animals in Texas.

Approval would have to come from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. Photo by Bill Miller, LSON.

Sam Rayburn strong

Exemption nixed

Fishing report from a great lake.

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Scimitar-horned oryx, dama gazelle, addax will require new permit

❘❚ HUNTING

By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

Finally!

Young hunter uses great-grandfather's rifle to get first deer.

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Bobwhites Season length, bag limits could change.

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❘❚ CONTENTS Classifieds . . . . . . .

Crossword . . . . . . .

Fishing Report . . . . .

For the Table. . . . . .

Game Warden Blotter . .

Heroes. . . . . . . . .

Outdoor Datebook . . .

Outdoor Business . . .

Products . . . . . . . .

Sun, Moon and Tide data

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Page 20 Page 17 Page 10 Page 17 Page 12 Page 14 Page 22 Page 16 Page 20 Page 17

BACK ON THE LIST: Three exotic species in Texas have now lost their exempt status on the endangered species list. Owners of these exotics will now have to apply for a permit to hunt them. Photo by Tom Holden, Kerrville Daily Times.

Ranch owners and hunters were dismayed earlier this month when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ruled scimitar-horned oryx, dama gazelle and addax would lose their exempt permitting status on the endangered species list.

The new rules go into effect April 4.

Ranchers who own these “exotics” will now be required to apply for one of two permits from the USFWS to own and harvest these species.

Without the necessary permit, after April 4, it will be illegal to transfer or attempt to transfer one of the species out of state or to take or attempt to take one of the animals.

Previously, these species were exempt from permits issued by the USFWS. Owners continued breeding and other activities, including hunting for herd management without the permits.

Several animal rights groups, however, challenged that exclu-

sion with a federal lawsuit.

A federal district court directed the USFWS to provide opportunities for the public to review and comment on activities related to these species that otherwise would have been prohibited without permits.

USFWS officials said they considered ways to do that without requiring ranches or other facilities to get permits, but they were unsuccessful.

USFWS subsequently decided to eliminate the exclusion.

Vanessa Kauffman of USFWS said the first permit is for ranch owners who harvest their own animals without offering public hunts.

This document, called the Captive-bred Wildlife Regulation permit, has a $200 processing fee and must be renewed every five years.

Ranchers also need this permit to sell or trade their animals.

“This permit has been around for 20 years and we are already familiar with this process,” Kauffman See PERMITS, Page 16

PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PLANO, TX PERMIT 210

❘❚ LSONews.com

Port O’Connor fishing steady as she goes

By Conor Harrison

Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP

LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS It might not be as flashy as other points along the coast, but anglers looking for a good day of bay fishing with steady limits of trout and redfish might be sorry if they overlook the Port O’Connor area this time of year.

Capt. Lynn Smith of Back Bay Guide Service has been working areas south of Port O’Connor and said the fishing action has been steady to good.

“We’ve been doing pretty good catching trout and reds,” Smith said. “We’ve caught them mostly on soft plastics.

We’ve been catching a lot of 17- to 18-inch trout and a lot of slot reds.

See PORT O'CONNOR, Page 18

LIMIT UP: Guides from the Port O’Connor area are reporting solid days on the water with plenty of 18-inch trout and limits of slot reds.

Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.

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January 27, 2012

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January 27, 2012

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January 27, 2012

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HUNTING

Quail: Changes possible in season length, bag limits

For quail farmers, business is good

By Bill Miller

By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Hunting is not considered a culprit in the continuing decline of bobwhite quail in Texas.

That blame is fixed on fragmented habitat, predators and drought. Also,

researchers are trying to determine if diseases have played a role.

But pursuers of upland game could see changes next season in how and when they hunt.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission is expected to consider a slate

LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

of recommendations that could alter the season’s length and bag limits.

These measures are intended to help more breeding pairs make it to the end of each season, setting the stage for a popu-

If Mother Nature has any favorite kids, the bobwhite quail isn’t one of them.

The little bird, the prize of upland game hunters, continues to suffer population declines.

Drought gets much of the blame these days in Texas, and so does fragmented habitat.

See CHANGES, Page 19

See QUAIL FARMERS, Page 19

Concealment key when hunting cranes

By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

GOOD SHOOTS: Hunters have reported solid crane hunting action across Texas this season. Hunting these birds requires total concealment and limited movement while they are decoying. Photo by Scott Sommerlatte, for LSON.

Larry Robinson has three steps to successfully hunt sandhill cranes in Texas.

The owner of Coastal Wings Guide Service and Lodge along the Texas coastal prairies said location, concealment and a proper decoy spread are key to having a good crane hunt.

But achieving all three can be challenging.

“We’re getting mixed results on our crane hunts right now,” Robinson said.

“We’re either heroes or zeroes. When we do find a good field holding cranes, they are there for days, but we are putting a lot of miles on our trucks finding them.

“Around Christmas, we hammered them.”

Robinson said the key to getting cranes to commit to a decoy spread is beating the birds’ tremendous eyesight.

“Ninety percent of the crane hunts we do are with

decoys,” he said. “We use a bigger spread of 100 to 150 decoys because we’ve found it takes that many to really hide the hunters. We use layout blinds and will typically spend 30 to 45 minutes getting set up each morning.”

Robinson said he likes to set his decoys up with a tightly bunched wad around the hunters and a more loose spread around the edges. This setup is designed to put the cranes at ease, he said.

“Occasionally we will hunt a tree line,” he said.

For calling, Robinson prefers to take a normal specklebelly goose call and shave the reed down to produce the right sound.

“You don’t have to be perfect with your calling,” he said. “Every crane sounds a little bit differently and they aren’t too picky about calling. Being perfectly still in the blind and well-concealed are the main things.”

In North Texas, guide Tony Stanfield of Stanfield Hunting Outfitters has had a good season decoying cranes.

“We are shooting them at 20 yards and it has been awesome,” Stanfield said.

“We hunt them on morning hunts, and we use a small decoy spread in the grain fields.

“The decoys are very random and we bunch them up and don’t use a huge spread like we do for geese.”

Stanfield agreed that a crane’s best defense is its eyesight.

“They see better and you need to hide a lot better,” he said. “We are using mirror blinds a lot, and they are working the best. They are also good to eat.”

Crane season runs through Feb. 5 in West and Central Texas, and Jan. 29 along the coast and South Texas.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s crane program leader Corey Mason said populations are strong

across the state right now.

Crane numbers have risen in population counts from approximately 350,000 in the mid-1980s to more than 700,000 today.

Texas issues approximately 11,000 crane hunting permits annually.

“Cranes are doing well,” Mason said. “Texas is the catching point for cranes from the midcontinent.

We have two distinct populations; one in the Panhandle and the other along the coast.”

Mason said hunters who have never shot decoying cranes in Texas are missing out on an exciting hunting opportunity.

“They decoy amazingly well if the hunters are wellconcealed,” he said. “It is an incredible experience to have those huge birds coming into a decoy spread.”

Guide Larry Robinson, (866) 486-8897 Guide Tony Stanfield, (940) 658-3172

Geese still good near coast and Plainview area; hit and miss around Knox City

By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Odessa hunter Ross Smith has hunted waterfowl most of his life.

But that didn’t prepare him for what he saw one day in mid-January while hunting geese near Plainview.

“It was ridiculous,” Smith said. “I’ve never seen as many birds. The Canadas came in like nothing I’ve ever seen. They swarmed the decoys. I had geese trying to land on top of me.

“The longest shot we took was 20 yards.”

Smith said he was hunting with West Texas Outfitters, which normally operates out of the Knox City area.

“The guide said the geese had moved out of the normal areas he hunts, and he had some land over near Plainview that he went to scout before our hunt,” Smith said. “Well, he found them.”

Smith said his group shot limits of lesser Canadas and also saw some groups of snow geese and a few greater

Canadas.

“We saw probably a hundred thousand birds,” he said. “It was intense.”

Favorable reports have been coming in from West Texas, and other outfitters in the Knox City area confirmed the majority of geese have headed out.

“Half of our hunts have been slam dunks and the other half have not,” said guide Tony Stanfield. “We’re losing birds right now. The peak migration was around Dec. 20 in this area.

“The last couple of years we have peaked later in January, but not this year.”

Along the coastal prairies, favorable reports have emerged from Wharton and Jackson counties. The southern portion of Colorado County was also holding solid numbers of birds.

But hunters from Matagorda and Brazoria Counties reported fewer birds.

Hunters said they have been giving fields four or five days to recover after a hunt and the birds needed to be “babied a little bit” to get them to commit to decoy spreads.

WHAT’S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE: Goose hunters along the coast and West Texas have reported good numbers of birds. Hunters in the northcentral portion of the state have had a tougher time finding birds. Regular goose hunting ends Jan. 29 in East Texas and Feb. 5 in West Texas. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

January 27, 2012

Retired bricklayer helps fellow veteran fill the freezer

By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS The whitetail’s multi-point rack was a mess.

The nontypical Hood County buck may have started the year with 23 points, including three drop tines.

But 13 were broken off by the time opening day arrived, probably from fighting.

If the hunter who harvested the deer had waited another year, NONTYPICAL: This Hood County whitetail (left) had multiple points, but his rack became busted up and tangled with wire. Hunter Dano Blanchette (above), however, shared the venison with Greg Gaston, a fellow veteran. Photos by Sherry Gaston.

the unusual rack may have been restored, suitable for an exquisite piece of taxidermy.

But Dano Blanchette of Granbury was more interested in helping a fellow veteran put some meat in the freezer.

“Dano’s a great comrade who helps us old vets who can’t do it no more,” said Greg Gaston, who owns the two acres where the deer was shot.

“He tills me a garden and helps me plant it,” Greg added. “I never have to ask him. He just shows up.

“I think the world of him.”

Dano and Greg are among the former service members who belong to Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7835 in Granbury.

Greg, a Navy vet, is disabled.

He took a round in the pancreas while attached to the Army’s 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam.

Now, 43 years later, he struggles with diabetes.

“I’ve never let anybody hunt here,” Greg said, “except myself when I could do it. I can’t any more.

“But I love venison. And I told Dano, ‘Would you come shoot a deer for me?’”

Dano, a retired bricklayer and Cleburne native, was an Army infantryman who served in Germany during the mid-1970s.

The last deer he shot was a four-point buck before entering the service.

When he got home there was no See VETERANS, Page 6

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Mule Deer Foundation to hold first Texas fund-raiser On March 3, the Mule Deer Foundation will hold its first-ever fundraiser in Texas. With chapters across the western United States, the organization recently hired Charlie Stocksill as the regional director for Texas.

The event will be held at the Parker County Sheriff's Posse Event Center and will be limited to 400 guests, with live entertainment, auctions and prizes.

For information, contact Stocksill at (817) 565-7121 or charlie@muledeer.org.

— Mule Deer Foundation

DU celebrates 75th anniversary Seventy-five years ago this month, Ducks Unlimited was founded by four sportsmen on a mission to save North America's waterfowl populations. The year was 1937, and the odds were against them. Their plan: restore waterfowl by restoring water to prairie wetlands (despite one of the worst droughts in history), and pay for it with donated dollars (during the Great Depression).

Today, Ducks Unlimited is the largest, most effective wetlands and waterfowl conservation group in the world. To honor DU's 75th anniversary, Winchester Ammunition presented DU with its “Partners in Conservation Award” at the Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trades (SHOT) show in Las Vegas, Nev. Ducks Unlimited's 75th anniversary celebration will continue throughout the year with special events, merchandise, projects and promotions. DU recently released its 75th anniversary book, “The Ducks Unlimited Story” by Michael Furtman. This 208-page coffee-table book chronicles DU's first 75 years with never-before-seen photos and documents from the DU archives.

— Ducks Unlimited

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January 27, 2012

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

Hunter shoots three-eared hog

By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Rockwall resident Gerald James’ deer lease near San Saba has a hog problem.

Hoping to remedy that, James headed down to the lease just before Christmas to do some hog control.

“The past three years, the hogs have gotten really thick,” he said. “This year, we’ve been seeing groups of 15 or 20 at a time at the feeders.”

After checking a game camera at a feeder, James noticed a group of hogs had been arriving daily between 5 and 5:30 p.m. James got comfortable and, soon after the feeder went off, a sounder of hogs came to the corn.

“I could hear them fighting in the brush before they came out,” he said. “They circled the feeder and 10 black hogs, all about 100 pounds, came in. After a few minutes, a bigger boar with long blonde hair came in and pushed his way past all of the other hogs. He just stood out.”

James fired one shot from his .270-caliber rifle and the hog dropped.

“He fell in some mud, so I decided to drag him back to camp,” he said. “I noticed something wrong with his ear, but it looked like he had just

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Wild game cooking classes set at Central Market stores Central Market and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department have joined forces to bring wild game cooking specialist chef Lisa Freeman into Central Market Cooking Schools to lead five February classes showcasing wild fish and game with award-winning olive oils. The classes will feature TPWD experts on hand to answer questions about game, conservation and the great outdoors.

The classes will run 6:30-9 p.m. in Austin on Wednesday, Feb. 15; Houston on Thursday, Feb. 16; San Antonio on Friday, Feb. 17; Fort Worth on Saturday, Feb. 18; and Dallas on Sunday, Feb. 19.

Designed for ages 18 and up, the classes will lead participants in a guided tasting of new harvest extra virgin olive oils, and show how traditional recipes involving olive oil can be adapted to a variety of wild game dishes.

The class menu includes: • Redfish Salad in a Lettuce Cup • Pan-Seared, Jack Daniels Marinated Quail • Wild Boar with Fig and Port Wine Reduction • Peppercorn-encrusted Venison with a Sage and Dijon Cream Sauce.

The cost is $50 per person, and registration is through the Central Market Cooking Class Web site.

— TPWD

Veterans Continued From Page 5 I HEAR ’EM: This hog killed by Gerald James near San Saba had three ear canals and didn’t look like a normal feral hog. Photo by Alice Smith, San Saba Star.

been in a fight and had ripped it. It wasn’t until I was washing him off to clean him that I noticed he had three ears.”

The 140-pound boar had characteristics of Russian boar genetics with the longer hair and different facial features.

“He wasn’t a normal feral hog,” James said. “The next morning I went hunting again and when I got back in, I showed the landowner.

He’s 75 years old and said he’d never seen anything like it.

“He actually loaded the hog up and took it into (San Saba) to the newspaper.”

James said the hog had three distinct ear canals to go with

the three outside earflaps.

“He wasn’t a huge pig,” he added. “He was young and had very little tusk.”

According to former Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wildlife biologist Rick Taylor, the three ears are probably just a birth defect.

“I’ve done a lot of work with hogs, and I’ve never heard of this before,” Taylor said. “I’d call him a freak of nature.”

James said he and the other lease hunters killed more than 30 hogs this year, with plans on doing more hog control this winter.

“We shoot them all,” he said.

time, or money to go hunting; he was a single father with three kids to feed.

“Before now,” Dano quipped, “I killed more deer by accident with my pickup than I ever did with a rifle.”

Kidding aside, Dano eagerly accepted Greg’s invitation.

There was great potential for shooting a fine buck; a couple of nice ones had regularly visited a feeder on the property.

Greg’s wife, Sherry, operates Creation Photography in Granbury, and she had several pictures of the bucks, including the nontypical. It first showed up about a month before the season started.

He reappeared opening day with a symmetrical eight-point, which was Dano’s first choice, but there wasn’t a good broadside target.

“So,” Greg said, “he took that nontypical instead.”

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t just for one e 2011, and no sa can describ es g for the in Od tic of Y ac pr RR how BLAKE TE tdoorsman was ou ld he caught a r-o ea en -y Memorable is wh 13 urn Reservoir In March, the yb t.

Ra en m hm Sa is December, pl on m acco pionship d reel. In early ssmaster Cham cord on rod an when he re e ke qu la ita h ut 2011 Junior Ba Qu yo of nhandle town ad catfish — a Pa he e at fl th in the ar nd sh ne ou fi -p to ily 52 fam , he qualified er hunting with . Also in 2011 re he he was mule de ed ur ct pi d Reservoir. ge feral hog arch on Amista downed the hu pionship this M am ch or ni ju 2012

They inspected the 13 broken points and noticed that one main beam was cracked and tangled with old wire.

“It looked like it came off an electrical fence,” Greg said. “I can imagine a deer getting into an electrical fence; he’d tear up a main beam.”

Dano and Greg said they understood that the buck could’ve been a better trophy next season, but there were no guarantees that they’d ever see it again.

And there was another issue: they speculated that the deer’s unusual rack — he also had a third testicle — was the result of inbreeding.

“We needed to get it out of the breeding line,” Dano said. “But this was mostly about helping Greg.

“He’s a good buddy and a good friend, and that’s what I want to be to him.”

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Austin teen uses ancestor’s rifle to down first deer The grimy chore did Mike Cox, longtime not sour the experience.

Austin journalist and book She told her father, “I author, knows about subwish I could shoot a deer.” jects and verbs.

Cox arranged for her As a spokesman for to hunt a doe on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Lampasas County lease Department, he writes a he shares with outdoor lot of press releases. And he writers Bob Hood and also has more than a dozen John Gill. books to his credit, most of “That’s when it started them on Texas history. getting complicated,” But he is not the first Cox said. “On her first writer in his family. outing, despite a little preHis late grandfahunt target practice, she ther, L.A. Wilke, was an missed a cooperative doe outdoors journalist so with Hood’s loaned .243 respected by his peers that not once, not twice, but the Texas Outdoor Writers three times.

Association named its life“That afternoon, she time achievement award missed a spike that only after him. gave her one shot.”

And through him, Cox, HEIRLOOM: Hallie Cox of Austin used her The next visit to the in 1969, received a tool that great-grandfather’s Remington .308 to lease, Hallie took aim at helped shape countless take her first deer last month in Lampasas another doe, but missed outdoors experiences — a County. Photo by Mike Cox. again. She admitted to .308-caliber Remington nervousness, but asked for semiautomatic rifle. more practice time.

“When I turned 21,” he recalled, “my grandOn Dec. 29, father and daughter set up a father summoned me into his home office makeshift range in a dried stock tank. After after supper one night. I don’t remember his placing a round 3 inches from the bull’s-eye, exact words, but he told me I was plenty old Hallie was ready to try again. enough to own my own high-power rifle.”

They returned to the blind late that Wilke handed Cox the same Remington afternoon. An hour passed before two doe he used to bring down a buffalo on the appeared at the feeder; Hallie aimed at the Means Ranch in the Trans-Pecos. larger one, but jitters returned.

“Later,” Cox said, “he took the biggest buck “Once again, buck fever had set in,” Cox said. of his life with that .308 on the King Ranch. “But when granddad’s .308 went off, that doe Since granddad turned over the gun to me, I crashed faster than the Grecian economy.” also have brought down numerous deer with it.

Hallie cleaned most the deer herself, and “Of course, I’ve missed a deer or two with it, too.” donated it to Hunters for the Hungry.

And while Cox is not his family’s first On the way home that night, Hallie asked writer, he is not the last hunter. if one day she would inherit her great-grand“My daughter Hallie, who turns 18 this father’s Remington.

“Yes, I told her, she’ll get that rifle,” Cox February, has been hunting with me since she was a little girl,” he said. “More recently, said. “But I need to get a little more use out she did most of the work field dressing a buck of it myself first.”

I killed earlier in the just-ended season.”

— Staff report

January 27, 2012

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January 27, 2012

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

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FISHING

The gift that keeps on giving

SANTA WOULD BE PROUD: Volunteers at Purtis Creek State Park near Eustace sink Christmas trees recently to improve habitat for crappie, bass and catfish. It won't take long for baitfish to begin congregating around the new structure. Photos by Dan Bennett, TPWD.

Sinking old Christmas trees makes great crappie structure

By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS If crappie anglers are looking to get a jump on the spring crappie season, they should start soon.

According to Sam Rayburn guide Stephen Johnston, if anglers are going to sink a Christmas tree or two for crappie structure, they need to do it within the next few weeks.

“Sink those trees within a month,” he said. “If you wait, those trees will dry out like cork and it takes triple the weight to sink them.”

The Hemphill native would know, having sunk hundreds of trees and brush piles over the years to improve fish habitat on the lakes where he guides.

While sinking trees, he has learned a few tricks to help simplify the process and make it easier for anglers looking to improve fish habitat.

“Sink the tree upside down,” he said. “If you sink it the regular way, it folds in on itself and the fish won’t get up inside of it. If the tree is upside down, the water will pull the limbs apart to allow fish to get in between them.”

Johnston said he sometimes takes three or four trees, ties them together and puts a 2-liter coke bottle on the tree to hold the trunk off the bottom and stand it in the correct position.

“A lot of people thin the trees but I don’t really do that,” he said. “I actually prefer to sink sweetgums or willows, but you have to be careful about local laws and cutting those trees on public land.

“But Christmas trees are good for a lake.”

Johnston said he doesn’t spread his trees out very much, saying the tighter trees will hold more fish.

“I like to put my trees or brush in a 12-foot area,” he said.

“I have a 24-foot boat that I take clients out on, and I like to get right on top of the trees and have the anglers fishing over both sides of the boat on the edges of the trees.”

For depth, Johnston recommends putting trees in one of three depths: 19-22 feet for early summer fishing; 23-27 feet for late summer; and 30-31 feet for winter.

“For most people, I would say 22-27 feet would be about right,” he said.

Once an angler is ready with a tree or trees, weighting them down is a big piece of the equation. Johnston recommends sand bags.

“A lot of people use concrete blocks,” he said. “I use sand bags because you can find sand on the bank and fill them right there. I always have a friend or two to help out. You just get a shovel and start filling.

“I fill each bag up to about 45 pounds.”

Johnston said to always wear a life vest when sinking trees because of the lines and weights involved.

“If you get wrapped up in a line with a couple hundred pounds on the other end, you will go to the bottom,” he said.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department district biologist Kevin Storey said anglers should check with the controlling authority of the water body before sinking trees.

“It is a common practice that has been going on for years, and most don’t have any objections unless it becomes a navigational hazard,” Storey said. “But it does help, especially in reservoirs without a lot of structure.”

Plenty of bass on Sam Rayburn; big ones boated in tournaments

By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

GRASS FLATS: People living near the Lower Laguna Madre feared a proposed seagrass protection plan would have discouraged fishing, and the tourism revenue that comes with it. State officials revised the plan. Photo by TPWD.

Grass flat protection to focus on voluntary compliance

By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS State wildlife officials have altered a plan that would have implemented rules to protect vast areas of shallow seagrass in the Lower Laguna Madre.

The original plan would have created a new 15,500acre protected area near the John F. Kennedy Memorial Causeway in Nueces County.

It would have been similar to the nearby Redfish Bay State Scientific Area, about 10 miles away, where it’s illegal See GRASS, Page 16

Winter largemouth fishing on Sam Rayburn Reservoir has anglers dodging cold fronts, but hoping for big catches.

Rayburn, a popular tournament venue, has been stingy in recent years producing double-digit bass, guides said.

But they know there still are big fish in the East Texas reservoir — and the tournament action proves it.

On Jan. 21, a 9.11-pound largemouth was boated during a Bass Champs East Region tournament on the lake. It was credited to the team of Robert Byrd Jr. of Dallas and Marvin Ettredge of Shreveport. The big fish contributed to their thirdplace tournament finish.

“Most people have never seen an 8-pound bass out here, but it’s still good fishing,” said longtime guide Will Kirkpatrick.

He said, however, that fishing these days is kind of nostalgic because conditions now are similar to 30 years ago. The lake’s current

BIG BASS AT BIG SAM: Plenty of largemouth bass were being caught in January on Sam Rayburn Reservoir with Carolina rigs, crankbaits and soft plastics. Photo by LSON.

level of 154 feet, about 10 feet below normal, has left some grass beds dry.

“Grass didn’t come to Rayburn until the 1980s,” Kirkpatrick said, “so we fished a lot of points and stumps.

“We don’t have a lot of holding cover any more, which is putting fish on the move.”

But, he added, a lot of good fish are being caught on crankbaits, spinner baits and Carolina rigs.

He also likes to throw

football jigheads and soft plastic crawfish.

The Carolina rig is also the preferred setup for guide Dewey Day. He also likes Rat-L-Traps, lipless crankbaits and soft plastics in watermelon, pumpkinseed red or red with black.

Day said he sometimes finds shallow grass; he then switches to a lightweight quarter-ounce Carolina rig with a soft plastic lizard or worm.

“Right now with fronts

coming in — we had one last week — it has slowed the bite,” Day said on Jan. 23.

“After a front they don’t want to chase anything, but if you can put it in front of them, you can get a reaction strike.”

In that situation, a soft plastic worm can do the trick.

Day said his catches have been averaging around 3.5 to 4 pounds, but he keeps trying for one of the big ones.

But there are more fish on Sam Rayburn than largemouths.

Guide Bill Fondren said he specializes in white bass and crappie, and both provided a lot of excitement in late January.

He said the warm spells between fronts have spurred white bass to start moving into the creeks and rivers to stage for the spring spawning.

For white bass, he uses a soft plastic minnow on a jighead.

“It’s just a lot of fun,” he said. “By the time you catch 25 fish you’re pretty tired.”

Guide Dewey Day, (936) 422-4344 Guide Bill Fondren, (409) 698-3491 Guide Will Kirkpatrick, (409) 584-3177

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

Cold case: Man pleads guilty in 2002 boat fatality A Burnet County man has pleaded guilty to failure to stop and render aid in a 2002 boat wreck that killed a Lampasas teen.

Travis Aaron Marburger, 37, entered his plea Jan. 20 in the 33rd Judicial District Court at Burnet, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Failure to render aid involving a fatal accident is a third-degree felony.

The case resulted from a May 3, 2002 hit-and-run wreck on Lake Buchanan that killed Justin Wayne Roberts, an 18-year-old Lampasas High School football player.

The early-morning crash also injured then-18-yearold Kelly Jean Corbin, Roberts’ girlfriend, and Jim TRAVIS AARON MARBURGER Edward Daniels, a fellow Lampasas football player, who was 17.

Daniels is now a Texas game warden assigned to King and Knox Counties.

As a condition of probation, Marburger will serve 100 days in jail and pay a $1,500 fine. He was also ordered to pay $7,488.58 in restitution to the families.

Marburger will also relinquish all hunting and fishing privileges during his decade-long probation, TPWD reported.

The case remained unsolved until late 2010 when an anonymous tip to Operation Game Thief alerted game wardens to Marburger. Game wardens executed a search warrant on his Burnet County property and unearthed his boat from a pit.

For more on this case, go to http://www.lsonews.com/fishing-news/1975-man-pleads-guiltyin-fatal-2002-boat-crash.

— Staff report

Abandoned crab trap removal plans set In an effort to reduce game fish killed in crab traps, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is looking for volunteers willing to help get rid of these derelict traps along the coast.

Since 2002, the program has resulted in the collection of more than 29,000 wire mesh traps, primarily on the mid and upper coast. Last year, volunteers, with the aid of numerous sponsors, removed roughly 1,400 traps.

Starting Feb. 17 and continuing through Feb. 26, all Texas bays will be closed for crabbing.

Any traps left in the water will be assumed to be abandoned and considered “litter” under state law, allowing volunteers to legally remove any crab traps they find.

Trap drop-off sites will begin Feb. 18, from 8 a.m. to noon, depending on the weather. At all sites, Dumpsters marked with banners will be available to receive traps for the duration of the closure.

Traps cannot be removed prior to Feb. 17 or after Feb. 26.

The Coastal Conservation Association Texas, Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program, and the Galveston Bay Foundation are supporting to the crab trap removal program.

Volunteers may pick up free tarps, gloves, trap hooks and additional information at their local TPWD Coastal Fisheries Field Stations.

For a list of drop-off sites, go to http://www.lsonews.com/fishing-news/1978-volunteersneeded-for-crab-trap-removals.

— TPWD

January 27, 2012

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January 27, 2012

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

LSONews.com

TEXAS FISHING REPORT Sponsored by

HOT BITES LARGEMOUTH BASS

AMISTAD: Good on jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, jigging spoons, crankbaits and soft plastics.

BELTON: Good on spinnerbaits and soft plastic worms in coves.

CADDO: Good on black/blue jigs around isolated cover. Shad-pattern lipless crankbaits in the same areas are also effective.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Good on white jigs and Brush Hogs near the dam, and on chartreuse/chrome lipless crankbaits near the islands.

PALESTINE: Good on black and blue jigs, shaky heads and lipless crankbaits.

ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 45–53 degrees; 7.65’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on black/ blue jigs, drop-shot rigs, square-bill crankbaits and Texas rigs. Crappie are fair to good on jigs and live minnows.

AMISTAD: Water clear; 52–56 degrees; 9.31’ low. Largemouth bass are good on jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, jigging spoons, crankbaits and soft plastics. Striped bass are good on jigs, spoons, slabs and large jerkbaits. White bass are good on jigging spoons, grubs and crankbaits.

ARROWHEAD: Water off-color; 42–51 degrees; 8.33’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas rigs, jigs, spinnerbaits and shaky heads. White bass are good on slabs and minnows.

Blue catfish are good on live shad.

ATHENS: Water clear, 44–48 degrees; 4.22’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon shaky head worms and black/blue football jigs around brush piles. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Catfish are good on prepared bait.

WHITE, HYBRID, STRIPER

BROWNWOOD: White bass are good on Li’l Fishies and crawdad crankbaits.

BOB SANDLIN: Water lightly stained; 44–48 degrees; 8.42’ low.

Largemouth bass are fair to good on black/blue jigs, shaky heads with finesse worms and shallow-running crankbaits. Crappie are good on live minnows and jigs. White bass are good on Humdingers and top-waters.

Catfish are fair to good on trotlines or juglines with Redneck’s Catfish Bait Soap.

COOPER: Good on chartreuse shallow crankbaits and Texas-rigged craw worms throughout the day. Green pumpkin soft plastics are best.

RAY HUBBARD: White bass are excellent on humps in 17–23 feet with hybrids mixed in.

CATFISH

CHOKE CANYON: Channel and blue catfish are good on punchbait and liver.

NAVARRO MILLS: Channel and blue catfish are good on shrimp and stinkbait.

SAM RAYBURN: Good on shrimp and nightcrawlers.

TAWAKONI: Excellent in deep water drifting cut bait and fresh shad.

TRAVIS: Channel and blue catfish are good on stinkbait and shrimp in 30–45 feet.

CRAPPIE GIBBONS CREEK: Good on minnows and pink tube jigs.

LAVON: Good on minnows and jigs around bridge columns.

CEDAR CREEK: Water lightly stained; 15–48 degrees; 6.54’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on Texasrigged creature baits, shaky heads and black/blue finesse jigs around

degrees; 4.93’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon soft plastics, spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits.

Catfish are good on shrimp, stinkbait, and nightcrawlers.

GRAPEVINE: Water clear; 43–48 degrees; 3.30’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon Texas-rigged worms, watermelon finesse jigs, lipless crankbaits and suspending jerkbaits along main lake points. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Catfish are fair to good on nightcrawlers and cut shad.

HOT SPOT

BRAUNIG: Water clear. Largemouth bass are slow. Striped bass are fair on live shad and silver jigging spoons. Channel catfish are good on stinkbait and shrimp. Blue catfish are good on minnows and shad.

BRIDGEPORT: Water clear; 43–47 degrees; 11.85’ low. Largemouth bass are good on jerkbaits along main lake points and watermelon candy worms around deeper docks (schooling reported in middle to backs of creeks). Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs.

BROWNWOOD: Water lightly stained; 52–56 degrees; 15.84’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on crawcolored jigs, chartreuse crankbaits and watermelon soft plastics in coves in 10–15 feet. White bass are good on Li’l Fishies and crawdad crankbaits.

BUCHANAN: Water clear; 54–58 degrees; 32.05’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse/watermelon soft plastic worms and lizards, watermelon Whacky Sticks on jigheads and black/chartreuse hair jigs with blue flake trailers in 15–25 feet. Striped bass are fair on perch-colored lipless crankbaits and trolling pumpkinseed striper jigs off points.

CADDO: Water stained; 45–49 degrees; .82’ high. Largemouth bass are good on black/blue jigs around isolated cover. Shad-pattern lipless crankbaits in the same areas are also effective. Yellow bass are good on minnows.

CALAVERAS: Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon crankbaits and soft plastics. Striped bass are fair on minnows. Redfish are fair on live perch and shad.

Channel and blue catfish are good on liver, shrimp, and stinkbait.

NAVARRO MILLS: Water lightly stained; 53–57 degrees; 3.00’ low. Largemouth bass are good on perch-colored spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and blue/white and white/ chartreuse tube jigs off docks in 4–5 feet early. Channel and blue catfish are good on shrimp and stinkbait.

PALESTINE: Water lightly stained; 44–48 degrees; 4.09’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on black and blue jigs, shaky heads and lipless crankbaits. The jig bite is consistent around docks. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Hybrid striper are fair on slabs, Sassy Shad and live shad. White bass are fair to good on slabs and minnows. Catfish are good on prepared bait.

RAY HUBBARD: Water fairly clear; 43– 47 degrees; 4.79’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged creature baits, square-bill crankbaits, lipless crankbaits — swim jigs are good around riprap also. Crappie are fair on minnows and Road Runners.

White bass are excellent on humps in 17–23 feet with hybrids mixed in.

Catfish are good on prepared baits.

BASTROP: Water clear; 55–59 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon soft plastics, spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits.

Channel and blue catfish are good on stinkbait, nightcrawlers and shrimp.

BELTON: Water fairly clear; 53–56 degrees; 12.19’ low. Largemouth bass are good on spinnerbaits and soft plastic worms in coves. Hybrid striper are good on live shad.

White bass are good trolling lipless crankbaits and jigging chrome slabs in 40 feet. Channel and blue catfish are good on doughbait and stinkbait. Yellow catfish are good on trotlines and throwlines baited with live perch.

CANYON LAKE: Striped bass are good trolling silver striper jigs and vertically jigging spoons.

CANYON LAKE: Water clear; 56–60 degrees; 10.58’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on pumpkinseed hair jigs with blue flake trailers, watermelon Carolina-rigged lizards, and Texas-rigged blue/black Scoundrel worms along ledges. Striped bass are good trolling silver striper jigs and vertically jigging Pirk Minnows.

bass are fair on crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Striped bass are good on Zara spooks and lipless crankbaits.

Crappie are good on minnows. Blue catfish are good on trotlines and juglines baited with shad.

Falcon Reservoir The best bass fishing lake in the country (arguably) continues to roll.

At a tournament on the lake in mid-January, even a 30-pound stringer didn’t come close to cashing a check. Numerous 10-13 pound bass are being pulled from the lake, and it should continue to get better as the bass move into a spawning pattern in the coming weeks. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News. docks (green pumpkin soft plastics suggested). White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on live shad. Crappie are fair to good on minnows. Catfish are fair drifting cut shad.

CHOKE CANYON: Water clear; 58–62 degrees; 12.01’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chrome jigs and watermelon soft plastic lizards in the grass. White bass are fair on minnows. Channel and blue catfish are good on punchbait and liver.

COLEMAN: Water clear; 56–59 degrees; 15.97’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on spinnerbaits, crankbaits and Rat–L–Traps. Hybrid striper are fair on silver spoons and minnows. Channel catfish are good on stinkbait, liver and frozen shrimp.

CONROE: Water fairly clear; 54–58 degrees; 7.21’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse soft plastics, crankbaits and lipless crankbaits.

Striped bass are fair on minnows.

Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are fair on stinkbait and shrimp.

COOPER: Water lightly stained; 44– 48 degrees; 11.96’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse shallow crankbaits and Texas-rigged craw worms throughout the day. Green pumpkin soft plastics are best.

Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are fair to good on Sassy Shad and live shad. Catfish are good on prepared bait and cut bait.

FORK: Water fairly clear; 43–48 degrees; 6.77’ low. Largemouth bass are good on black/blue or green pumpkin flipping jigs rigged with LFT Flipper — concentrate on the wood cover near creek channel bends. The deep spoon bite is good on main lake points and along creek channels. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut shad and prepared bait.

GIBBONS CREEK: Water clear.

Largemouth bass are good on dark spinnerbaits, crankbaits and lipless crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and pink tube jigs. Catfish are good on shrimp and stinkbait.

GRANBURY: Water clear; 53–56

HOUSTON COUNTY: Water clear; 54– 58 degrees; 2.84’ low. Largemouth bass to 7 pounds are good on white jigs and Brush Hogs near the dam, and on chartreuse/chrome lipless crankbaits near the islands and the pump station. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs near the dam in 20 feet. Channel and blue catfish to 8 pounds are good on chicken livers near the islands.

JOE POOL: Water clear; 44–48 degrees; 1.37’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged creature baits, lipless crankbaits and smaller jigs — midday bite has been best.

Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on slabs.

Catfish are fair to good on prepared baits.

LAKE O' THE PINES: Water lightly stained; 44–48 degrees; 4.07’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on Texasrigged worms, shallow crankbaits and lipless crankbaits along main lake points. Later in the day fish are holding tight to cover with some success reported on top-waters. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs.

Catfish are good on cut shad.

LAVON: Water lightly stained; 43–47 degrees; 11.52’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged creature baits, black/brown jigs and square-bill crankbaits. White bass are good on slabs. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs around bridge columns. Catfish are good on cut shad and nightcrawlers.

LBJ: Water clear; 55–58 degrees; 0.21’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shad-colored jigs, watermelon JDC drop-shot worms and chartreuse/blue flake tubes from docks.

Striped bass are slow. White bass are good on Li’l Fishies and small spinnerbaits in the channel.

LEWISVILLE: Water clear; 43–47 degrees; 5.55’ low. Largemouth bass are good on medium-running crankbaits and suspending jerkbaits along riprap near the dam. White bass are good on slabs. Catfish are good on prepared bait.

LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 55–59 degrees; 0.36’ low. Largemouth

RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 43–47 degrees; 4.41’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Smithwick Suspending Rogues in Tiger Roan and Clown colors, especially around main lake rocky points. White bass are good on slabs in 35 feet of water — watch for gulls.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water fairly clear; 43–48 degrees; 7.22’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on shaky heads and creature baits around docks. Square-bill crankbaits are producing numbers. White bass are fair on slabs and live shad. Hybrid striper are fair on slabs and live shad. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs.

SAM RAYBURN: Water lightly stained; 55–58 degrees; 10.68’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on dark green/blue flake soft plastics. White bass are fair on minnows and Li’l Fishies. Catfish are good on shrimp and nightcrawlers.

TAWAKONI: Water fairly clear; 43–47 degrees; 6.10’ low. Largemouth bass are good on black/blue Firewater 1/2 oz. jigs and square-bill crankbaits in chartreuse patterns. Crappie are fair on 1/16 oz. curl tail grubs and small minnows on docks, bridge pilings and deep timber. White bass are excellent on white SSS Slabs and tailspins — schooling on points early and late. Striped bass and hybrid striper are good on 4” to 6” white or shad-pattern Sassy Shad in the shallows early then suspending deep during the day. Drifting live bait is also producing. Catfish are excellent in deep water drifting cut bait and fresh shad.

TRAVIS: Water lightly stained; 55–58 degrees; 54.77’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on small crankbaits and watermelon worms in 10–25 feet. White bass are good on smoke grubs, jigging spoons and minnows in 20–40 feet. Crappie are good on minnows and blue tube jigs in 15–25 feet. Channel and blue catfish are good on stinkbait and shrimp in 30–45 feet.

WEATHERFORD: Water fairly clear; 42–46 degrees; 7.61’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on shallow crankbaits, shaky heads and Texas-rigged creature baits — target any shallow cover. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs.

WHITNEY: Water stained; 53–57 degrees; 15.04’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse crankbaits and lipless crankbaits. Striped bass are good on minnows. White bass are fair on minnows and jigging spoons.

Crappie are fair on minnows and pink tube jigs. Catfish are good on shrimp and liver.

SALTWATER SCENE NORTH SABINE: Redfish are good in the marsh on small top-waters and Stanley Ribbits. Trout are fair on the shorelines on Corkys and Catch 2000s.

SOUTH SABINE: Sheepshead and black drum are good at the jetty on live shrimp.

Trout are fair around the Reef on live shrimp.

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 fair for drifters working pods of shad and mullet on Bass Assassins, Trout Killers and Sand Eels.

Redfish are good at the spillway on crabs and mullet.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are fair to good on the south shoreline on hard baits.

Whiting and sand trout are ggood on the edge of the Intracoastal on fresh shrimp.

ON BAY: Trout are fair in WEST GALVESTON the mud and shell on top-waters and Corkys in the afternoon for waders.

Sheepshead, redfish and black drum are good at the jetty on shrimp and crabs.

TEXAS CITY: Tides remain below normal.

Redfish are fair in the holes and guts in Moses Lake on shrimp and mullet.

FREEPORT: Sand trout and sheepshead are good on live shrimp on the reefs.

Black drum are good in Cold Pass and San Luis pass on cracked blue crabs.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair to good for drifters in the afternoon on live shrimp over humps and scattered shell.

Redfish are fair to good on the edge of the bs Intracoastal on crabs and mullet.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: Redfish are fair on the edge of Oyster Lake on shrimp. Trout are fair on shell and grass on soft plastics. Black drum are fair at the jetty on crabs.

PORT O'CONNOR: Trout and redfish are good on top-waters 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.

ROCKPORT: Redfish are good in the Lydia Ann Channel on crabs. Trout are fair over grass while drifting with live shrimp.

PORT ARANSAS: Redfish and black drum are fair in the Shrimpboat Channel on crabs and finger mullet. Redfish and sheepshead are fair n shrimp. shrimp to good at the jetty on CORPUS CHRISTI: Redfish are fair to good around Shamrock Cove on small topwaters and spoons. Trout are fair to good on the edge of the spoils on plastics and live shrimp.

BAFFIN BAY: Trout are fair to good in mud and grass on Corkys and top-waters. p g Redfish are fair alongg the spoils on gold spoons and plastics.

PORT MANSFIELD: Trout are fair to good on top-waters around sand and grass holes. Redfish are fair to good while drifting pot holes.

SOUTH PADRE: Trout and redfish are fair to good on the edge of the Intracoastal on DOA Shrimp and soft plastics. Redfish are good in South Cullen Bay on plastics and fake minnows.

PORT ISABEL: Snook are fair in the Brownsville Ship Channel on free–lined shrimp. Trout and redfish are fair to good in South Bay on live shrimp. Redfish are fair to good at Holly Beach on top-waters and soft plastics under rattling corks.

LSONews.com

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

January 27, 2012

Page 11

2012 BOATS IN REVIEW

PRO GUIDE V-16

ST 310

X21 BASS BOAT

At 16 feet long, Tracker Boats’ best-selling Deep V boat is sized to easily tow, launch and store. This multispecies boat can nimbly navigate smaller lakes and rivers or cut through more challenging waters. Equipped with a Lowrance fishfinder, Minn Kota PowerDrive trolling motor, two 8-foot rod boxes, and a large 23-gallon livewell with bait bucket, it’s ready to rock and roll. With three swiveling fishing seats (that can move between six base locations) and carpeted fishing decks, this boat has room for up to five anglers. It has a recommended maximum 90 HP and a 15-gallon fuel capacity. The 2012 Pro Guide V-16 multispecies boat sells for about $16,320.

This coastal vessel from Pursuit has been getting a lot of attention since it debuted a year ago. The ST 310 is 31 feet, 2 inches long with powerful twin 300 Yamaha engines. The surfboard-styled hardtop has installation details for outriggers, radar, lights and antennas. The aggressive 24-degree deadrise, sharp entry, performance-minded chines and strakes provide a comfortable platform for fishing, diving or just transporting an extra large group to a favorite coastal getaway. But it’s loaded with features for the saltwater angler: under-gunwale rod storage racks; folding rod storage racks with padded reel protectors under the bow seats; forward-facing tackle storage locker; stainless steel rod holders in the gunwale; a 20-gallon insulated livewell with lights; and an insulated 29-gallon fishbox in the floor with pump out. The boat, including engines, sells for $234,405.

This aluminum boat is from Xpress Boats’ Xclusive series, which is described as delivering breath-taking speed and handling. Whether heading out for a hard day of tournament fishing or a more relaxed outing, this boat can handle it. Designed with the company’s “Hyper-Lift” hull, all-welded construction, and unibody-injected foam construction, its standard features include a Humminbird PiranhaMax 160 with swivel mount graph, Minn Kota trolling motor, plus more.

It offers two large rear deck storage boxes, a center rod box, and a rod organizer. The 21-foot, 3-inch-long bass boat has a fuel capacity of 30 gallons. It sells for about $30,995, when equipped with a Yamaha VF200LA outboard motor.

(417) 873-4555 • www.trackerboats.com

(800) 947-8778 • www.pursuitboats.com

(501) 262-5300 • www.xpressboats.com

CHITTUM SKIFF SS 18 This boat will easily navigate those fishrich, super-shallow waters thanks to a hull with a scant two degrees of deadrise. But it is this boat’s advanced construction materials that result in a lightweight skiff that draws less water and poles much easier for exceptional performance in shallow water. Graced with the same features that made Chittum’s Islamorado 18 series a fisherman’s favorite, this new skiff offers a hull design with high volume built-in spray rails, a staggered split 56-inch chine below the waterline for silent poling, and radius transom. Its “floating” center console, or optional side console, offer flexibility for the angler, who will appreciate the rod racks under the gunnels (with 14 fly rod tubes running fore and aft) and the 30-gallon baitwell. Storage includes a large dry storage compartment under the forward deck as well as two large dry storage boxes aft. This lightweight skiff has a recommended 90 HP and 31-gallon fuel capacity. It is priced at just under $50,000.

(386) 589-7224 • www.chittumskiffs.com

TWIN TROLLER X10 FISHERMAN’S DELUXE Freedom Electric Marine calls it a boat with “fishability.” To anglers, that translates into a stable, easy-to-maneuver pontoon boat that will get them right up to the fish. With the ability to operate in as little as 8 inches of water, the Twin Troller uses in-hull propulsion and foot control systems to operate the boat in virtually any water condition. Its pontoon hull design and the vacuum effect created by its propulsion system combine to provide outstanding stability in a boat of this size. Features include a recessed — and protected — electric motor, a Lowrance X-4 depth fishfinder, two mountable rod holders, and a portable livewell. It is rated at 2 HP and has a weight capacity of 565 pounds. The 10-foot-long lightweight pontoon boat can be launched from a trailer or from the back of a truck. It sells for $3,195.

(877) 882-0099 • www.freedomelectricmarine.com

Page 12

January 27, 2012

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

LSONews.com

GAME WARDEN BLOTTER TRESPASSER TRIES TO HIDE MORE THAN GUN A hunter called Tarrant County Game Warden Clint Borchardt and advised that while hunting he observed an individual come onto his food plot with a firearm. Borchardt contacted Tarrant County Game Warden David Vannoy to assist in locating the individual. As the wardens arrived, Tarrant County deputies had located and detained the individual who had tried to stash his camo and shotgun in the woods nearby. The shotgun, camo and drug paraphernalia were recovered from the brush. Multiple cases are pending.

CLAIM OF MISSING A HOG THWARTED

BY DEER LEFT NEAR CHAIR Waller County Game Warden Kevin Glass received a call regarding a person who had shot a deer without consent. Glass called Harris County Game Warden Cullen Stakes to assist.

The wardens found a chair near the fence and a spike buck pulled under some brush along the fence. The shooter had shot from his property onto the neighbor’s and crossed a fence to retrieve the deer. Glass drove back to the hunter’s vehicle, where the man was trying to leave. The man admitted to shooting but said he had missed a hog. Glass informed the hunter that Stakes was at the deer he left in the brush near his chair.

The poacher, a convicted felon, then owned up to the truth. Cases pending.

NUMBER OF TAGS ON LICENSE NO EXCUSE Comal County Game Warden Michael McCall contacted two men who were observed loading a deer. At the location, McCall found two men standing near a pickup containing a freshly killed buck.

An inspection of one man's hunting license revealed all of the buck tags had been used and the harvest log had not been completed. The man explained that

LANDOWNER’S GOOD EARS LEAD WARDEN TO POACHER Llano County Game Warden Kevin Webb responded to a call involving a deer that was shot from the road. While at the ranch gathering information, he heard a vehicle driving on the county road. When the rancher heard the exhaust, he stated that it sounded like the vehicle he heard after the gunshot. Webb proceeded from the ranch back toward the county road. Once on the county road, he came up on a rise and found a truck with its lights out. Two young men were separated and questioned. Finally, a confession was obtained and a rifle was seized. The driver had shot the deer earlier and had returned for it. Restitution filed on a 140-plus buck. Road hunting case pending.

this was his third buck taken from this property this season. McCall explained that Comal County has a two-buck bag limit and also how to fill in the information on the harvest log. The man said he believed he could take three bucks because there are three buck tags on the hunting license. The deer was seized, and the hunter was cited for exceeding his bag limit of buck deer in Comal County. Case and restitution now pending.

MAN PHOTOGRAPHED MESSING WITH GAME CAMERA’S TIMER Callahan County Game Warden James Brown responded to a complaint that a subject was trespassing and had been interfering with the timer on a hunter’s deer feeder. The complainant furnished James with a picture taken from a hidden game camera. Brown recognized the subject in the picture and filed trespassing charges.

RALLYING DUCKS BY BOAT WATCHED

BY WARDEN Freestone County Game Warden Craig Hernandez observed duck hunters on Richland Chambers Lake hunting on an island. After watching the hunters a few hours, one of the hunters got in the boat and drove around the coves in the area to scare the birds. Cases pending for unlawfully rallying game birds.

A NEW EXCUSE FOR TRESPASSERS El Paso Game Warden Hallie Dacy received a call concerning a group of

trespassing hunters. A landowner’s leaseholder found a group of trespassing hunters on the ranch and when he asked them what they were doing, they replied they were helping the landowner keep poachers off the ranch. A call to the landowner confirmed they did not have permission to hunt there. Dacy was contacted and the first man said they had permission to be there and denied having firearms. However, the leaseholder identified the men and told Dacy he was the complainant who had talked to them, saw their guns and watched their movements. Cases pending.

DOVE IN BEER BOX TAKEN OUT OF SEASON Presidio County Game Wardens Bryan Newman and Zack Moerbe were checking mule deer camps. While checking a mule deer in the back of a truck, Newman noticed some dove stashed away in an empty beer box. The wardens questioned the hunter, who admitted to shooting dove earlier that day. The hunter was educated on dove hunting season dates and issued a citation. Case and civil restitution pending.

ROAD HUNTER NABBED WITH HELP FROM THE JP A justice of the peace called Palo Pinto County Game Warden Matt Waggoner and informed him that a friend of his had observed a subject shoot a whitetailed buck from the road and then jump a fence in an attempt to recover the

deer. The JP detained the subject until Waggoner arrived. Waggoner found the subject and the JP sitting in the county road, and an eight-point buck lying in a wheat field across the fence. The subject admitted shooting the deer from the road and jumping the fence to retrieve it.

Multiple cases pending.

STRANDED HUNTERS REUNITED WITH THEIR LOST BOAT Three duck hunters became stranded on an island on Lake Bridgeport after their boat blew across a deep cove while they were hunting. Wise County Game Warden Penny Nixon located the hunters and assisted in the recovery of their boat and equipment.

DEER DECOY BRINGS DOUBLETROUBLE FOR SHOOTER Grimes County Game Warden Jake Cawthon, Walker County Game Warden Anthony Corcoran and Montgomery County Game Warden Brannon Meinkowsky worked a deer decoy operation near Magnolia. At about 2:30 a.m., a truck pulled up and the driver shot the decoy with a .22-caliber rifle. The driver also was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Multiple cases pending.

THEY’LL NEVER LOOK HERE Walker County Game Warden Stephen Ingram responded to investigate a deer stand that was placed illegally on a landowner’s property.

Ingram noticed what appeared to be fresh blood on a nearby tree and a blood

path leading to the back of a residence.

After a long discussion with the property owner, a number of deceptive statements, and the overwhelming evidence of blood scattered over coolers, the suspect admitted to killing an eight-point deer that was under the antler restrictions. In an effort to hide the deer, it was placed in the clothes dryer inside the residence. Multiple cases pending.

INFORMANT HELPS WARDENS CATCH DUCK BAITERS During the waterfowl season split, Trinity County Game Wardens Sam Shanafelt and Randy Watts received a call about hunters baiting ducks on Lake Livingston. The informant watched the hunters bait and hunt the last weekend before the season split.

The wardens scouted the area before the opener of the second split. Corn was found and evidence was collected.

The next morning, Shanafelt and Watts watched a group of four hunting the baited area. The wardens made contact and interviewed the hunters. The hunters admitted to seeing the bait but not placing the bait. Evidence was seized. Civil restitution is pending and citations for hunting over bait and one unplugged shotgun were issued.

DITCH HUNTING IS STILL ROAD HUNTING In an area known for road hunting violations, Jasper County Game Wardens Morgan Inman and Justin Eddins came across a vehicle sitting in the middle of the road. The wardens inquired as to what the occupants of the vehicle were up to, and they said, “hunting.” Inspection of the vehicle revealed a .30-30 and a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with buck shot in the front seat. The occupants assured the wardens they were not going to shoot a deer off the road but rather out of the ditch, the highline clearing or pipeline area. Then they asked, “That is legal, right?” After a lesson in the law, citations were issued. Cases pending.

LSONews.com

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

January 27, 2012

Page 13

Page 14

January 27, 2012

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

LSONews.com

HEROES SHARE AN ADVENTURE ■ Want to share hunting and fishing photos with other Lone Star Outdoor News readers?

E-mail them with contact and caption information to editor@ lonestaroutdoornews.com. High-resolution original jpegs only.

Mail prints to Heroes, Lone Star Outdoor News, P.O. Box 551695, Dallas, TX 75355.

On his first safari to South Africa recently, TOM DETRICK of Salado took this fine kudu.

JASON BRUDNICKI caught this 13.36-pound bass late last month on Falcon International Reservoir, the second ShareLunker of the season.

ED and DILLION CARTER of Flower Mound boated a nice smallmouth bass recently while fishing with Striper Express on Lake Texoma. The smallie hit on a soft plastic in about 4 feet of water.

Highland Village resident ANDREW WATSON was fishing for crappie late last month on Lake Fork when he hooked this 13.51-pound largemouth on a minnow.

It was the first ShareLunker of the season.

On a ranch in Goliad County, MADYSON DYBALA, 8, of Victoria recently harvested her first deer. Her dad, Jeff Dybala, was on hand.

HANNAH GRAY, 7, of Madison, Miss., (formerly of San Antonio) shot this buck last season in Kerr County with an 80-yard shot from a .243-caliber rifle. It scored 156 1/8.

LANDRY WREN, 7, of Harper, shot her first buck recently on her uncle’s ranch near Kerrville.

“And she didn’t mind a little blood on her face,” said her dad, Brady Wren.

Here’s a memorable father-son event. JORDAN TREBILCOCK, 17, (right) of Mansfield hunted last fall near Trinidad, Colo., where he used 7mm Remington Magnum to down this seven-by-six bull elk. Meanwhile, his dad, VINCE TREBILCOCK, (above) shot a nice mule deer with a .300 WSM.

LSONews.com

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

January 27, 2012

Page 15

Page 16

January 27, 2012

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

LSONews.com

Permits

Grass

Continued From Page 1

Continued From Page 8

HERE TODAY: Herds of oryx, like the ones pictured, that have been bred for decades by Texas ranchers, have lost their exempt status with the USFWS. This means herd owners must now apply for permits to own and practice herd control management. Photo by Scott Sommerlatte, for LSON.

said. “A lot of the ranches already have this permit.”

The second document, the Incidental Take permit, is for ranchers who host hunting clients. This annual permit costs $100 and must be submitted by the ranch, not the individual hunters.

“Hunters need to have a letter from the ranch owner upon leaving the ranch saying the harvest was legal under his permit,” Kauffman said. “Most taxidermists already require this letter for other animals on the endangered species list (such as red lechwe and barasingha deer).”

Kauffman said hunters should not be affected by this ruling, but they should make sure the ranch where they hunt has its permits.

Ranches only need one permit

for the entire herd, she said, not for each individual animal.

“We aren’t permitting the individual hunters, just the ranches,” Kauffman explained. “Our goal is not to target hunters.”

Ten percent of the revenue from these permits will go to conservation efforts in the animals’ native countries.

Ranch owner and Dallas Safari Club life member Lance Phillips said the move makes it harder for people like himself who have been building herds for decades.

“They make us fill out the same paperwork that the San Diego Zoo has to fill out,” Phillips said. “Every 11 months, I have to request the permit and give a bunch of personal information online that every anti-hunter can see.

“It opens us up to all of the nuts

out there.”

Phillips was concerned USFWS will have to send biologists to Texas to approve the permits, something Kauffman disputed.

“A biologist might have a follow-up question based on something they saw on the permit,” she said. “But we are not sending biologists to Texas to look at people’s herds. The permit can be approved without a site inspection from a biologist.”

Kauffman said the USFWS would have permits back to applicants within 60 to 90 days.

Hunters looking for deals on scimitar-horned oryx may find them as some ranches decide to eliminate their herds, although that isn’t recommended.

John Jackson of Conservation Force said ranchers should not

eliminate their herds.

“I think some small herds might disappear because it isn’t worth the headache,” Jackson said. “We are advising people against that because that could be a serious offense.”

FOR UPDATES ■ Officials for the USFWS will attend a meeting Jan. 26 in Kerrville to discuss the permitting process with ranchers and hunters. Details were unavailable at press time.

Check LSONews.com for possible updates on this issue.

OUTDOOR BUSINESS

to uproot seagrass. These submerged grassy areas are prime habitat for multiple species, including game fish such as trout and redfish.

The plan, however, was met by staunch opposition from local residents who spoke out during a series of scoping meetings in November and December.

They were concerned the rule would discourage fishing in the area, said Robin Riechers, director of coastal fisheries for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

“There was quite a bit of opposition,” he said. “Certainly that community has worked very hard to provide opportunities for tourism in a prime fishing area, and they were concerned this would reduce peoples’ interest to come do that.”

The new no-uprooting rule, which would have ticketed violators, needed approval from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission.

But, with so much opposition, TPWD staff decided to replace it with an educationbased program intended to spur voluntary compliance among boaters.

Signage, for example, could remind people to ease boat traffic during low tides. The signs could be posted on poles near the grass flats or on kiosks at boat ramps.

Also, poles would mark water levels and offer a gauge for boaters to help them see when their propellers might plow trenches through the flats.

“Most people don’t want to uproot seagrass,” Riechers said. “We will certainly put our best foot forward and we hope that our partners down there will as well.

“We’ll see how well that works.

If it doesn’t, we could look at the enforcement model again.”

LSONews.com

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

Sun | Moon | Tides Time 10:56 AM 6:39 AM 8:27 AM 6:33 PM 3:46 PM 2:19 PM 2:10 PM 2:25 PM 2:45 PM 3:05 PM 3:25 PM 8:01 AM 8:39 AM 9:19 AM 10:00 AM

Height 0.1L 0.9H 1.0H 1.3H 1.3H 1.5H 1.6H 1.6H 1.6H 1.6H 1.6H -1.0L -0.8L -0.5L -0.1L

Time 5:56 PM 11:23 AM 11:46 AM

Height 1.3H 0.5L 0.8L

Time

Height

6:13 PM 6:27 PM

1.2H 1.2H

6:35 PM 6:50 PM 7:22 PM 3:45 PM 4:04 PM 4:22 PM 4:40 PM

1.5L 1.4L 1.3L 1.5H 1.5H 1.4H 1.4H

10:20 PM 11:22 PM

1.6H 1.6H

8:02 PM 8:48 PM 9:37 PM 10:30 PM

1.0L 0.7L 0.4 L 0.0L

Height 0.1L 0.8H 0.8H 1.0H 1.1H 1.2H 1.2H 1.3H 1.3H 1.3H -0.9L -0.8L -0.7L -0.4L -0.1L

Time 6:43 PM 11:49 AM 12:12 PM

Height 1.0H 0.4L 0.6L

Time

Height

Height 0.8H 0.2L 0.0L -0.2L -0.4L -0.5L -0.7L -0.8L -0.9L -0.9L 1.3H 1.3H 1.3H 1.3H 1.2H

Time 11:22 AM 7:26 AM 9:14 AM 7:20 PM 4:33 PM 3:06 PM 2:57 PM 3:12 PM 3:32 PM 3:52 PM 7:49 AM 8:27 AM 9:05 AM 9:45 AM 10:26 AM

7:00 PM 7:14 PM

1.0H 1.0H

7:01 PM 7:16 PM 4:12 PM 4:32 PM 4:51 PM 5:09 PM 5:27 PM

1.2L 1.1L 1.3H 1.2H 1.2H 1.1H 1.1H

11:07 PM

1.3H

7:48 PM 8:28 PM 9:14 PM 10:03 PM 10:56 PM

1.0L 0.8L 0.6L 0.3L 0.0L

Height 0.2L 0.1L 0.0L -0.1L -0.2L -0.3L -0.4L -0.5L -0.5L -0.6L 0.8H 0.8H 0.8H 0.8H 0.7H

Time 6:25 AM 7:56 AM 9:44 AM 7:50 PM 5:03 PM 3:36 PM 3:27 PM 3:42 PM 4:02 PM 4:22 PM 8:45 AM 9:23 AM 10:01 AM 10:41 AM 11:22 AM

Height 0.5H 0.5H 0.5H 0.6H 0.6H 0.7H 0.7H 0.8H 0.8H 0.8H -0.5L -0.5L -0.4L -0.2L 0.0L

Time 12:18 PM 12:45 PM 1:08 PM

Height 0.0L 0.2L 0.4L

Time 7:13 PM 7:30 PM 7:44 PM

Height 0.6H 0.6H 0.6H

7:57 PM 8:12 PM 4:42 PM 5:02 PM 5:21 PM 5:39 PM 5:57 PM

0.7L 0.7L 0.8H 0.7H 0.7H 0.7H 0.7H

11:37 PM

0.8H

8:44 PM 9:24 PM 10:10 PM 10:59 PM 11:52 PM

0.6L 0.5L 0.4L 0.2L 0.0L

Height 0.4L 0.3L 0.1L 0.0L -0.1L -0.2L -0.3L -0.4L -0.5L -0.6L -0.6L 1.0H 1.0H 1.0H 1.1H

Time 5:44 AM 7:06 AM 8:47 AM 11:08 AM 1:11 PM 1:52 PM 2:24 PM 2:53 PM 3:19 PM 3:42 PM 4:04 PM 8:39 AM 9:21 AM 10:05 AM 10:53 AM

Height 0.8H 0.8H 0.8H 0.9H 1.1H 1.2H 1.3H 1.4H 1.4H 1.4H 1.4H -0.5L -0.4L -0.2L 0.1L

Time 11:41 AM 12:17 PM 1:02 PM

Height 0.3L 0.5L 0.7L

Time 6:13 PM 6:25 PM 6:32 PM

Time 2:39 AM 3:22 AM 4:02 AM 4:44 AM 5:34 AM 6:32 AM 7:35 AM 8:35 AM 9:30 AM 10:18 AM 11:00 AM 12:44 AM 2:15 AM 3:51 AM 12:14 AM

Houston Height -0.2L -0.3L -0.3L -0.4L -0.5L -0.5L -0.6L -0.6L -0.7L -0.7L -0.7L 0.1H 0.1H 0.0H -0.2L

Time 5:10 AM 7:59 AM 7:25 PM 7:23 PM 7:29 PM 7:38 PM 8:06 PM 8:52 PM 9:52 PM 11:10 PM

Height -0.2H -0.2H -0.1H 0.0H 0.0H 0.1H 0.1H 0.2H 0.2H 0.2H

11:38 AM 12:11 PM 12:43 PM 5:47 AM

-0.6L -0.5L -0.4L 0.0H

Height -0.3L -0.3L -0.3L -0.4L -0.4L -0.4L -0.4L -0.4L -0.1H -0.1H -0.1H -0.1H -0.1H -0.2H -0.2L

Time 6:59 AM 9:16 AM 9:06 PM 9:31 PM 10:07 PM 10:50 PM 11:35 PM

Height -0.2H -0.3H -0.2H -0.2H -0.1H -0.1H -0.1H

10:29 AM 11:14 AM 11:55 AM 12:32 PM 1:06 PM 1:34 PM 6:26 AM

-0.4L -0.4L -0.4L -0.4L -0.4L -0.3L -0.2H

Time 1:27 PM 1:25 PM

Height -0.3L -0.3L

Time Height 8:28 PM -0.1H 8:00 PM -0.1H

8:57 PM 1:13 PM

-0.1H -0.3L

7:06 PM -0.1H

Date Time Jan 27 1:30 AM Jan 28 3:43 AM Jan 29 5:01 AM Jan 30 6:01 AM Jan 31 6:57 AM Feb 01 7:52 AM Feb 02 8:46 AM Feb 03 9:39 AM Feb 04 12:20 AM Feb 05 1:03 AM Feb 06 1:45 AM Feb 07 2:29 AM Feb 08 3:22 AM Feb 09 4:34 AM Feb 10 12:11 AM

Time 2:12 PM 1:52 PM

Height -0.3L -0.3L

Time Height 9:02 PM -0.2H 8:54 PM -0.2H

10:20 PM 4:25 PM 4:45 PM 5:04 PM 5:22 PM

0.9L 1.3H 1.2H 1.1H 1.0H

10:17 PM 10:27 PM 10:49 PM 11:22 PM

Date Time Jan 27 5:08 AM Jan 28 12:25 AM Jan 29 1:09 AM Jan 30 1:58 AM Jan 31 2:53 AM Feb 01 3:48 AM Feb 02 4:41 AM Feb 03 5:30 AM Feb 04 6:15 AM Feb 05 6:57 AM Feb 06 7:38 AM Feb 07 8:19 AM Feb 08 1:07 AM Feb 09 2:34 AM Feb 10 4:04 AM

Height 0.5H -0.1L -0.2L -0.3L -0.4L -0.5L -0.7L -0.8L -0.9L -1.0L -1.0L -0.9L 0.7H 0.7H 0.7H

Height 1.0H 0.9H 0.9H

0.8L 0.6L 0.4L 0.2L

Date Time Jan 27 5:02 AM Jan 28 12:29 AM Jan 29 1:16 AM Jan 30 2:06 AM Jan 31 2:59 AM Feb 01 3:51 AM Feb 02 4:41 AM Feb 03 5:28 AM Feb 04 6:12 AM Feb 05 6:54 AM Feb 06 7:36 AM Feb 07 8:18 AM Feb 08 12:44 AM Feb 09 2:16 AM Feb 10 3:48 AM

Height 0.8H 0.3L 0.2L 0.0L -0.1L -0.2L -0.3L -0.4L -0.5L -0.5L -0.5L -0.5L 1.1H 1.0H 0.9H

2012 Jan-Feb 27 Fri 28 Sat 29 Sun 30 Mon Q 31 Tue Q 01 Wed 02 Thu 03 Fri 04 Sat 05 Sun > 06 Mon > 07 Tue F 08 Wed > 09 Thu > 10 Fri 11 Sat 12 Sun 13 Mon 14 Tue Q 15 Wed

A.M. Minor Major 8:18 2:08 9:06 2:55 9:53 3:42 10:39 4:28 11:25 5:13 ----- 5:59 12:32 6:44 1:17 7:30 2:04 8:17 2:51 9:04 3:38 9:51 4:28 10:40 5:18 11:31 6:11 12:00 7:06 12:54 8:04 1:51 9:03 2:49 10:02 3:48 11:02 4:47 11:59 5:45

P.M. Minor 8:40 9:27 10:15 11:02 11:48 12:11 12:57 1:43 2:30 3:17 4:04 4:53 5:44 6:36 7:32 8:30 9:30 10:30 11:31 -----

Major 2:29 3:17 4:04 4:50 5:37 6:23 7:09 7:56 8:43 9:30 10:17 11:06 ----12:24 1:19 2:17 3:16 4:16 5:16 6:14

SUN Rises Sets 07:13 05:52 07:13 05:53 07:12 05:54 07:12 05:55 07:11 05:56 07:11 05:57 07:10 05:58 07:09 05:59 07:09 06:00 07:08 06:00 07:08 06:01 07:07 06:02 07:06 06:03 07:05 06:04 07:05 06:05 07:04 06:05 07:03 06:06 07:02 06:07 07:01 06:08 07:01 06:09

MOON Rises Sets 9:34a 10:18p 10:06a 11:12p 10:39a NoMoon 11:14a 12:05a 11:53a 12:59a 12:35p 1:53a 1:22p 2:46a 2:13p 3:38a 3:09p 4:28a 4:08p 5:15a 5:09p 5:59a 6:11p 6:40a 7:14p 7:18a 8:17p 7:56a 9:21p 8:33a 10:26p 9:11a 11:32p 9:52a NoMoon 10:37a 12:38a 11:27a 1:43a 12:21p

Dallas

9:44 PM 1:49 PM

-0.2H -0.3L

8:13 PM -0.2H

Time 11:23 AM 6:53 AM 9:14 AM 4:36 PM 2:07 PM 2:29 PM 2:55 PM 3:20 PM 3:41 PM 4:01 PM 4:18 PM 4:33 PM 9:00 AM 9:43 AM 10:29 AM

Height -0.1L 0.5H 0.6H 0.8H 0.9H 1.0H 1.1H 1.1H 1.1H 1.1H 1.0H 0.9H -0.7L -0.5L -0.1L

Time 5:56 PM 11:58 AM 12:28 PM

Height 0.6H 0.2L 0.5L

Time

Height

5:48 PM 5:28 PM

0.6H 0.7H

9:45 PM 4:45 PM 4:53 PM 4:58 PM

0.6L 0.9H 0.8H 0.8H

10:05 PM 10:35 PM 11:13 PM

0.4L 0.2L 0.0L

Time 11:20 AM 6:47 AM 9:16 AM 5:05 PM 4:10 PM 3:29 PM 3:36 PM 3:51 PM 4:07 PM 4:22 PM 4:35 PM 4:45 PM 9:01 AM 9:46 AM 10:33 AM

Height 0.3L 0.8H 0.8H 1.0H 1.0H 1.1H 1.2H 1.3H 1.3H 1.3H 1.3H 1.2H -0.3L -0.1L 0.1L

Time 5:52 PM 11:48 AM 11:56 AM

Height 0.9H 0.5L 0.7L

Time

Height

5:45 PM 5:31 PM

0.9H 0.9H

9:26 PM 4:51 PM 4:54 PM 4:53 PM

1.0L 1.1H 0.9H 0.8H

9:47 PM 10:19 PM 10:59 PM

0.8L 0.5L 0.2L

2012 Jan-Feb 27 Fri 28 Sat 29 Sun 30 Mon Q 31 Tue Q 01 Wed 02 Thu 03 Fri 04 Sat 05 Sun > 06 Mon > 07 Tue F 08 Wed > 09 Thu > 10 Fri 11 Sat 12 Sun 13 Mon 14 Tue Q 15 Wed

A.M. Minor Major 8:24 2:13 9:11 3:01 9:58 3:47 10:45 4:33 11:31 5:19 ----- 6:04 12:37 6:50 1:23 7:36 2:09 8:22 2:56 9:09 3:44 9:57 4:33 10:46 5:24 11:37 6:17 12:04 7:12 12:59 8:09 1:56 9:08 2:55 10:08 3:54 11:07 4:53 ----- 5:50

P.M. Minor Major 8:45 2:34 9:33 3:22 10:20 4:09 11:07 4:56 11:54 5:42 12:16 6:29 1:02 7:15 1:49 8:02 2:35 8:48 3:22 9:35 4:10 10:23 4:59 11:11 5:49 ----6:42 12:29 7:37 1:25 8:35 2:22 9:35 3:22 10:36 4:22 11:36 5:22 12:05 6:19

SUN MOON Rises Sets Rises Sets 07:25 05:52 9:39a 10:26p 07:24 05:53 10:09a 11:21p 07:23 05:54 10:41a NoMoon 07:23 05:55 11:15a 12:16a 07:22 05:56 11:52a 1:10a 07:22 05:57 12:34p 2:05a 07:21 05:58 1:20p 2:59a 07:20 05:59 2:12p 3:51a 07:20 06:00 3:08p 4:41a 07:19 06:01 4:08p 5:27a 07:18 06:02 5:10p 6:10a 07:17 06:03 6:14p 6:50a 07:16 06:04 7:18p 7:26a 07:16 06:05 8:23p 8:02a 07:15 06:06 9:29p 8:37a 07:14 06:07 10:35p 9:14a 07:13 06:08 11:43p 9:54a 07:12 06:08 NoMoon 10:37a 07:11 06:09 12:51a 11:26a 07:10 06:10 1:56a 12:19p

P.M. Minor Major 8:52 2:41 9:40 3:29 10:27 4:16 11:14 5:03 ----- 5:49 12:23 6:36 1:09 7:22 1:56 8:09 2:42 8:55 3:29 9:42 4:17 10:30 5:06 11:18 5:56 ----6:49 12:36 7:44 1:32 8:42 2:29 9:42 3:29 10:43 4:29 11:43 5:29 12:12 6:26

SUN MOON Rises Sets Rises Sets 07:25 06:06 9:47a 10:31p 07:25 06:06 10:19a 11:24p 07:24 06:07 10:52a NoMoon 07:24 06:08 11:28a 12:18a 07:23 06:09 12:06p 1:11a 07:23 06:10 12:49p 2:05a 07:22 06:11 1:36p 2:58a 07:21 06:12 2:27p 3:50a 07:21 06:13 3:23p 4:40a 07:20 06:13 4:22p 5:27a 07:20 06:14 5:23p 6:11a 07:19 06:15 6:25p 6:52a 07:18 06:16 7:27p 7:31a 07:17 06:17 8:30p 8:08a 07:17 06:18 9:34p 8:46a 07:16 06:18 10:39p 9:24a 07:15 06:19 11:45p 10:06a 07:14 06:20 NoMoon 10:51a 07:14 06:21 12:51a 11:41a 07:13 06:22 1:55a 12:35p

P.M. Minor 9:06 9:53 10:40 11:27 ----12:37 1:23 2:09 2:56 3:43 4:30 5:19 6:09 7:02 7:58 8:56 9:56 10:56 11:57 12:25

SUN Rises 07:50 07:49 07:48 07:48 07:47 07:46 07:45 07:45 07:44 07:43 07:42 07:41 07:40 07:39 07:39 07:38 07:37 07:36 07:35 07:34

San Antonio

South Padre Island

Freeport Harbor Date Time Jan 27 12:23 AM Jan 28 12:57 AM Jan 29 1:36 AM Jan 30 2:23 AM Jan 31 3:16 AM Feb 01 4:11 AM Feb 02 5:04 AM Feb 03 5:53 AM Feb 04 6:37 AM Feb 05 7:19 AM Feb 06 7:59 AM Feb 07 12:59 AM Feb 08 2:10 AM Feb 09 3:19 AM Feb 10 4:32 AM

Date Jan 27 Jan 28 Jan 29 Jan 30 Jan 31 Feb 01 Feb 02 Feb 03 Feb 04 Feb 05 Feb 06 Feb 07 Feb 08 Feb 09 Feb 10

Port Aransas, H. Caldwell Pier

San Luis Pass Date Time Jan 27 12:47 AM Jan 28 1:42 AM Jan 29 2:39 AM Jan 30 3:35 AM Jan 31 4:29 AM Feb 01 5:20 AM Feb 02 6:06 AM Feb 03 6:49 AM Feb 04 7:29 AM Feb 05 8:08 AM Feb 06 12:39 AM Feb 07 1:40 AM Feb 08 2:44 AM Feb 09 3:53 AM Feb 10 5:09 AM

Feb 23

Feb 16

Rockport

Galveston Bay entrance, south jetty Date Time Jan 27 5:55 AM Jan 28 12:46 AM Jan 29 1:43 AM Jan 30 2:39 AM Jan 31 3:33 AM Feb 01 4:24 AM Feb 02 5:10 AM Feb 03 5:53 AM Feb 04 6:33 AM Feb 05 7:12 AM Feb 06 12:09 AM Feb 07 1:10 AM Feb 08 2:14 AM Feb 09 3:23 AM Feb 10 4:39 AM

Feb 8

Jan 30

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.

New

Last

Port O’Connor

Sabine Pass, jetty Height 1.0H 0.2L -0.1L -0.3L -0.5L -0.7L -0.8L -1.0L -1.1L -1.1L -1.1L 1.7H 1.7H 1.6H 1.5H

Full

First

Page 17

Solunar | Sun times | Moon times

Moon Phases

Texas Coast Tides Date Time Jan 27 5:08 AM Jan 28 12:20 AM Jan 29 1:17 AM Jan 30 2:13 AM Jan 31 3:07 AM Feb 01 3:58 AM Feb 02 4:44 AM Feb 03 5:27 AM Feb 04 6:07 AM Feb 05 6:46 AM Feb 06 7:23 AM Feb 07 12:23 AM Feb 08 1:27 AM Feb 09 2:36 AM Feb 10 3:52 AM

January 27, 2012

2012 A.M. Jan-Feb Minor Major 27 Fri 8:31 2:20 28 Sat 9:18 3:08 29 Sun 10:05 3:54 30 Mon Q 10:52 4:40 31 Tue Q 11:38 5:26 01 Wed ----- 6:11 02 Thu 12:44 6:57 03 Fri 1:30 7:43 04 Sat 2:16 8:29 05 Sun > 3:03 9:16 06 Mon > 3:51 10:04 07 Tue F 4:40 10:53 08 Wed > 5:31 11:44 09 Thu > 6:24 12:11 10 Fri 7:19 1:06 11 Sat 8:16 2:03 12 Sun 9:15 3:02 13 Mon 10:15 4:01 14 Tue Q 11:14 5:00 15 Wed ----- 5:57

Amarillo 2012 A.M. Jan-Feb Minor 27 Fri 8:44 28 Sat 9:32 29 Sun 10:19 30 Mon Q 11:05 31 Tue Q 11:51 01 Wed 12:13 02 Thu 12:58 03 Fri 1:43 04 Sat 2:29 05 Sun > 3:16 06 Mon > 4:04 07 Tue F 4:54 08 Wed > 5:44 09 Thu > 6:37 10 Fri 7:32 11 Sat 8:30 12 Sun 9:29 13 Mon 10:28 14 Tue Q 11:28 15 Wed 12:01

OUTDOOR PUZZLER | By Wilbur “Wib” Lundeen ACROSS 1. A game bird 4. Term for color bands on arrows 6. The archer's weapon 8. Lab term for fish eggs 9. Term for an arrow part 10. A game bird 12. Animal at rest 13. A brand of arrow 14. Part of some fishlines 16. Wild packs of these kill deer 18. A device on a reel to tire a fish 20. Wild turkeys have had these shot off 23. An art of the fly fisherman 25. An animal lair 29. Angler term for a large perch 31. A wild turkey sound 33. Good item to have on hunting trips 34. A boat that can be folded and carried 36. Device on a fly lure, ____ guard 38. Shell that fails to fire

39. The bowman's ammo 44. A game trail 45. Color worn by hunter for safety 46. Appendages on turkey feet 47. Hunter’s mountain area quarry DOWN 1. A male goose 2. Eiders, mallards, teal 3. To prepare for a shot 4. Reindeer in North America 5. Used to wash out gundog's eyes 6. Prevents easy removal of an arrow 7. This has great effect on arrows 11. The wild tusker 15. Act of a fish hitting a hook 17. A line grommet on a fishing rod 18. The female deer 19. A hunter's quarry in Florida 21. The camp pest 22. Deer can do this to escape danger

24. A very good walleye bait 26. A good pheasant gun, _____ musket 27. Good item to have in blinds 28. Brings a catch into

Solution on Page 22 the boat 29. Name refers to the wild turkey 30. Scow, dinghy 32. Term given to some old gobblers 35. An action on a

repeating gun 37. Term for a type deer drive 40. A good trap bait 41. A female bear 42. To treat a hide 43. A type of fly lure

Major 2:34 3:21 4:08 4:54 5:39 6:25 7:10 7:56 8:43 9:30 10:17 11:06 11:57 12:25 1:20 2:17 3:15 4:14 5:13 6:11

Major 2:55 3:43 4:30 5:16 6:03 6:49 7:35 8:22 9:09 9:56 10:43 11:32 ----12:50 1:45 2:43 3:42 4:42 5:42 6:40

Sets 06:08 06:09 06:10 06:11 06:12 06:13 06:14 06:15 06:16 06:17 06:18 06:19 06:20 06:21 06:22 06:24 06:25 06:26 06:27 06:28

MOON Rises 9:59a 10:28a 10:59a 11:32a 12:08p 12:50p 1:36p 2:27p 3:23p 4:24p 5:28p 6:33p 7:38p 8:44p 9:51p 11:00p NoMoon 12:09a 1:17a 2:23a

Sets 10:49p 11:44p NoMoon 12:40a 1:36a 2:31a 3:26a 4:18a 5:07a 5:53a 6:35a 7:13a 7:49a 8:23a 8:57a 9:33a 10:11a 10:54a 11:42a 12:35p

FOR THE TABLE Fireplace poached flounder 1 lb. creamer potatoes, or any small, waxy potato 24 oz. flounder — rolled, lengthwise, dark side in 2 cups white wine 1 cup water 3 bay leaves 1 tbsp. chopped thyme 1 tbsp. salt 1 tbsp. pepper 2 cups leeks, cut in 1/4-inch rings 2 tbsps. butter 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half 1/2 cup chopped basil 1/2 cup chopped parsley 1 lemon, seeded

Boil potatoes for 10 minutes.

Remove from water and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place rolled fish, wine, water, bay leaves, thyme, salt, pepper, potatoes and leek rings in a high-sided baking dish just large enough to hold the fish.

Place in oven for 15 minutes.

Remove and carefully stir butter, tomatoes, basil and parsley into broth. Return to oven for five minutes to melt the butter and cook the tomatoes. Squeeze lemon over the fish, divide among four plates and serve immediately.

— easyfishrecipes.com

Hog tenderloin with blackberry sauce 1 lb. hog tenderloin 1/2 tsp. ground thyme 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 1 tsp. black pepper 1/2 tsp. sugar 1 cup hickory chips 5 lbs. of charcoal Blackberry sauce Parsley sprigs Artichoke hearts Yellow squash slices Mix thyme, nutmeg, pepper and soy sauce, and marinate hog tenderloin overnight in the refrigerator.

Soak one cup of hickory chips in a

bucket of water overnight.

Build a fire in a covered barbecue grill using five pounds of charcoal. Scatter the soaked chips over the coals and close the lid for 10 minutes. Place the tenderloin on the grill and baste with the marinade, close lid and cook for five minutes. Turn the tenderloin and baste again. Close lid and cook for another five minutes. The meat should be rare because game has no fat and boar in particular toughens quickly. Serve on a platter with blackberry sauce. Garnish with parsley sprigs, artichoke hearts and yellow squash slices.

Serves two to four.

— easywildgamerecipes.org

*E-mail LSON your favorite recipe to news@lonestaroutdoornews.com.

Page 18

January 27, 2012

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

LSONews.com

Suppressors Continued From Page 1

Backers of the plan, primarily sound suppressor dealers, say silencers offer several advantages.

Chief among them is protecting a shooter’s hearing, according to the ASA. And by cutting the noise, hunters can hear well in the field.

“I’m a deer hunter,” said ASA president Scott Bittner of Amarillo, “but I don’t like wearing hearing protection. That’s the biggest thing for the deer hunter, and to let him be more aware of his surroundings.”

Bittner is also CEO/president of Silenced America, which sells several brands of sound suppressors.

He said suppressors, frequently called “cans,” also cut recoil.

Hunters thus avoid flinching, especially with larger calibers. This helps them become better shooters, according to ASA. The non-profit group incorporated last

August in Washington D.C., and has since been working on education.

For example, a lot of people are surprised to learn that silencers can be legally owned with special permits allowed by the National Firearms Act. But first, a buyer must complete the federal application process, including background checks from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Purchasers must also buy a $200 federal

tax stamp, which is affixed to their permits.

The process can take four to six months, but the ASA members would like to see changes to streamline it.

The group is also concerned that some may think poaching could increase with more suppressors, Bittner said.

Vaca noted, however, that TPWD staffers aren’t worried about that. He said he could recall only a couple poachers arrested with legally permitted devices.

“A good deal have been the homemade jobs,” he said of suppressors found with poachers. “If you’re really willing to go through the ATF process and get approved, you’re getting a pretty stringent look from feds.

“Someone legally in possession of a silencer wouldn’t be poaching.”

Vaca said he did not believe the devices would prevent wardens from hearing the

Port O'Connor Continued From Page 1

“Everything is still pretty deep early in the morning, but when the sun comes up they migrate up to the flats.”

Smith said he has targeted trout in the deeper holes early before switching to reds when the water temperature warms up later in the morning.

“There isn’t a certain degree of water temperature I look for,” he said. “But once the sun comes up, they ease up on the flats. I do like to see the water temperature around 60 degrees, though.

“There just isn’t any urgency to be out on the water super early.”

Smith said a few flounder are still being caught and the water looks good for a

gunshots of poachers, especially at night.

The word “silencer,” according to ASA, is not the best term because while a “can” cuts the noise level of a .30-caliber rifle from a kapow to a crack, there’s still a sound.

“When you shoot standard ammo, you still hear it,” Vaca said. “You still get the sonic crack, but it’s greatly reduced. If you shoot subsonic, it gets real quiet, but with a .308 you can still hear it.”

Vaca said he would deliver a briefing on the issue Jan. 25 before the commission’s regulations committee in Austin.

Next, the commission is expected to put the issue in the Texas Register and allow the public to comment.

Vaca said only a half-dozen people commented by mid-January.

“But,” he added, “after next week, it will probably get the most public attention.”

strong winter bite.

Capt. John Ashley said he has been splitting his time between the bays and deer blind, but said the trout fishing in San Antonio Bay over shell and mud has been “pretty good.”

“We are throwing soft plastics and most everything we have been catching (to keep) has been around 17 inches,” he said. “We have a lot of undersized, 14.5-inch trout right now also.

“By summer we will have a lot of good fishing.”

Ashley said drifting soft plastics during the late morning in shoal water has produced solid catches of redfish.

“Also, cut mullet and fresh shrimp have been working really well,” he said. “We wait until the sun gets up, about 10:30 or 11 o’clock.

That is when the reds get out of the deeper holes and we have been doing good.”

Along with trout and reds, Ashley said large schools of schooling black drum have been congregating along San Antonio Bay’s southern shore to the South Pass.

“Once you find them, you can catch a bunch of them,” he said. “But you have to catch them in dirty water — they won’t bite in clear water.”

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, redfish are fair on Corkys over soft mud and drop–offs near reefs on plastics, and at the mouths of drains on soft plastics and gold spoons.

Capt. Lynn Smith, (361) 935-6833 Capt. John Ashley, (361) 772-5465

2011-2012 REMAINING SEASON DATES JAVELINA Northern (43 counties)

Oct. 1-Feb. 26

PHEASANT Chambers, Jefferson & Liberty counties

Oct. 29-Feb. 26

SQUIRREL East Texas (51 counties)

Oct. 1-Feb. 5, May 1-31

QUAIL Statewide (all counties)

Oct. 29-Feb. 26

RIO GRANDE TURKEY Spring Season North Zone (101 counties) Special Youth Season* South Zone (54 counties) Special Youth Season* 1-Turkey Bag Limit (11 counties)

Mar. 31-May 13 Mar. 24-25, May 19-20 Mar. 17-April 29 Mar. 10-11, May 5-6 Apr. 1-30

EASTERN TURKEY+ Spring-Only Season East Texas (28 counties)

Apr. 15-May 14

CHACHALACA Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties

Oct. 29-Feb. 26

In addition to a hunting license, a migratory game bird stamp endorsement ($7) is required to hunt any migratory game bird, including mourning dove (a Federal Sandhill Crane Permit also is required to hunt sandhill crane). An upland game bird stamp endorsement ($7) is required to hunt turkey, quail, pheasant or chachalacas. See County Listings in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Outdoor Annual for specific county regulations and more detailed information. *In all counties that have an open season for those species. ** In all counties that have an Oct. 1-Feb. 5 and May 1-31 open squirrel season. + Rio Grande and Eastern Turkey may be hunted in these counties.

DOWNLOAD Charts for season C dates, sunrise d and sunset may a be downloaded at b LLSONews.com.

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

Quail farmers Continued From Page 4

FARM RAISED: Prices for a farm-raised bobwhite quail range from $4.50 to $6.

The market for them is good, considering there are very few wild quail on the landscape these days. Photo by April Davis.

Changes Continued From Page 4

lation rebound, if other factors like weather also cooperate.

“What we want to facilitate is a faster turnaround,” said Robert Perez, TPWD’s upland game bird program leader.

“Birds will come back fastest where they have the greatest brood numbers.

“Each pair contributes to next year’s population.”

Perez said quail regulations have been largely unchanged since the mid1980s. The seasons have basically run about four months, with bag limits of 15 birds a day and 45 in possession.

He said several recommendations would be presented to the commission’s regulations committee on Jan. 25.

They could involve fewer birds in the bag and a shorter season, possibly shaving it by a month.

Also, there could be designated regional zones for quail hunting, similar to the ones in place for dove and turkey.

Perez noted, however, that those zones are north and south and the proposed quail areas would be east and west. Also, different quail rules could used from zone to zone.

Interstate 35 could be used as a dividing line, Perez said.

That’s because quail populations differ from east to west, with the fewest being in the Piney Woods and Blackland Prairies.

No formal action was planned for the Jan. 25-26 commission meetings.

The earliest any decision could happen would be when the commission convenes again in March. But first, plenty of “scoping” meetings would be held around the state to allow public comment, Perez said.

The commission, he added, could embrace any of the proposals or even send the TPWD staff “back to the drawing board.”

“Not every idea will have every person jumping for joy,” Perez said. “(But) the vast majority of people agree something should be done.”

For example, people may disagree on which month to end quail season.

It has traditionally run from the last weekend of October through the last weekend of February. The current season ends Feb. 26.

Some hunters may be nostalgic for days afield during the second month of the year, when days are cool and crisp.

November, according to some, can be warm with snakes not yet hibernating.

“I’d hate to lose February,” said Dr. Dale Rollins of the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch. “It’s a great quail hunting opportunity.”

Perez, however, said birds would pair up better with no hunting pressure in February.

“The ones most valuable are the ones that survive winter,” he said.

Charles Hodges of Dallas, co-founder of Quail Tech Alliance at Texas Tech University, suggested a compromise: running the season Nov. 15-Feb. 15.

“That way you don’t hammer them when mating starts in March,” Hodges said.

Without grass, they’ve got nowhere to nest or hide.

So a lot of people hunting quail these days are shooting farm-raised birds. And, for the people who supply them, business is good.

In North Texas, Gerry Stearns, owner of the Santa Anna Hunting Area, said he has been raising quail for about 20 years. When he started, they cost about $2 to $2.50 apiece.

But these days, he charges about $6, which, he said, is higher than most others. The average price in Texas, he added, is $4.50 to $5.50 per bird.

“That’s for full-grown and flight ready,” he said. “If they’re charging below $4.50, they’re probably going to lose money.

“I raise about 15,000 — not many. But I know some guys in South Texas who raise 50,000, even 100,000, and they got them sold before they’re hatched.”

The South Texas market, Stearns speculated, could be “close to 1 million” quail.

January 27, 2012

That market has been good to Jeff Schmidt of Mason.

He began raising quail to supply hunters on his family’s Schmidt Double T Ranches, which also provide hunts for turkey and trophy whitetails.

But now he has several contracts to supply other ranches.

“I’m at max capacity right now,” he said. “I can’t raise any more. I’m meeting the demand.”

Schmidt said he raises a hardy quail. But, if there is no cover on the ranches where the birds are released, their brief lifespans are shortened dramatically.

“We’re having to put out more than we normally would to make the hunt,” Schmidt said. “You have to have cover for them. If not, the last time you see them is when you put them out.

“Just about everything Mother Nature has out there is a predator to a quail — everything from a fox to a coon to a snake and now even hogs.

“I don’t know how they live in the real world. I give them everything they want and I still lose 10 to 15 percent of my birds.”

Page 19

But with such a ready market, neither Stearns nor Schmidt believes it’s easy money.

They stay busy cleaning, feeding, watering, treating diseases and fending off predators.

Although the open areas are covered with net-like covers, hawks still try to swoop in and pull the flushed quail through the holes in the mesh.

“It’s just like running a dairy,” Schmidt said. “I get basically two weeks off.”

Stearns said quail farming is not a good way to retire.

“It’s a lot of work,” he said. “If someone is maybe retiring from oh, say, a dairy, it’s probably a holiday. But if they’re retiring from an office … not so much.”

Stearns said the trouble is worth it, however, to help keep people hunting.

“I supply because it’s a tradition I totally believe in,” he explained. “I just think hunting is such a hoot.

“I like shotguns and taking the dogs out and having them point the birds. You learn such self-control; it gives you confidence about yourself.

“I think it’s very important for us to keep that culture alive.”

Page 20

January 27, 2012

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

LSONews.com

PRODUCTS

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STEALTHSCREEN GEAR: Prois Hunting has paired with HECS (Human Energy Concealment Systems) to develop its “intuition system” Stealthscreen hunting apparel line. Featuring HECS’ concealment technology, the (800) 441-3005 women’s clothing is fashHP7 FLASHLIGHT: www.zeiss.com ioned from material created from Take this 5.5-inch-long LED Flashconductive carbon fibers uniquely light by COAST Products on your woven to reduce the faint electric signext overnight fishing or hunting nal a body naturally emits. Many animals trip. The rugged, aluminum-encased flashlight projects 207 lumens are able to detect and react to these signals, according to HECS. But, hunters wearof bright light and has a beam distance of ing Stealthscreen apparel can more closely ap613 feet. In high-beam mode, it will run for about proach game animals in their natural, undisturbed 3.5 hours, while in low mode it’ll go for about 20. The HP7 features optics that produce a clear, bright center surrounded by a state for longer periods of time, the company said. wide angle “halo” around the primary target. The flashlight also features The women's hunting line includes long-sleeved a cylindrical aluminum pedestal that sits just below the LEDs to decrease heat build- shirt (shown) and pants. Cost is about $80 each. up for maximum light output and increased LED lifespan. It sells for about $75.

(970) 641-3355 www.proishunting.com (800) 426-5858 www.coastportland.com

ORRA SX SPINNING REEL: Abu Garcia’s mid-priced precision-engineered spinning reels are for saltwater or freshwater fishing. The reels, which are available in five sizes, boast a “Carbon Matrix” drag system for a smooth, consistent drag plus a onepiece gear box that allows for precise gear alignment and smoother operation. Slow oscillation provides even line lay, regardless of line type. Its bail system and the rotor brake design stops early bail closure when casting. Plus, the machined aluminum spool features a unique reverse corkscrew design that allows braid to be tied directly to the spool without the use of a rubber gasket or mono backing.

The spinning reels, which can be configured for rightor left-hand retrieve, sell for about $100 to $120, depending on model.

(800) 228-4272 www.abugarcia.com

>>

CONQUEST DURALYT RIFLESCOPE: Carl Zeiss Sports Optics’ new 30mm riflescope line – available in 1.2-5x36, 2-8x42 (shown) and 3-12x50 models – promises the reliability, mechanical precision and durability that hunters require in the field. The riflescopes are available with an illuminated or non-illuminated reticle to provide versatility for most hunting situations. They feature a dark gray, anodized surface with black rubber operating elements to ensure that the scopes blend into natural surroundings. The 1.2-5x36’s low magnification and wide field of view allows for quick and safe target acquisition at close range, making it the right choice for dangerous game and tactical applications.

The sleek and compact 2-8x42 provides bright images in twilight and allows for accurate shooting at moderate distances exceeding 200 yards for hunters who need a riflescope with a practical magnification range for various types of hunting. And the 3-12x50 is the ideal choice for shooting medium to longer distances during the day or in twilight conditions. The riflescopes sell for about $950 to $1,400, depending on model and reticle.

RUGER SR22 PISTOL: Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. describes its newest handgun as the dopistol for the shooter it-all .22-caliber pist style and demands who appreciates st lightweight SR22, which reliability. The lig lightwe functions with all types of .22 LR amt munition, is a sca scaled-down version of a full-sized and is ideal for small game huntfull-size ed pistol pi ing. Itss components are made from durable macom terials, including a frame insert and barrel made terialss, inc from steel stee bar stock. Among the SR22’s standout features: fea ature takedown lever that is a breeze to manipulate la ate so s the pistol can be easily disassembled; a decock hammer drop safety; ssafety a magazine release button positioned so that it can be released with w the t thumb; a 360-degree removable grip that allows for backstrap and a palm swell changes; and a rear sight that is adjustable for both windage and elevation. It sells for about $400.

CLASSIFIEDS ARCHERY HOG HUNTS NOW OFFERING In Llano, Texas. Night hunts conducted with feeder lights, $125. For details call Hills of Texas Taxidermy.

(325) 247-2441 LAKE FORK LODGE Recognized by Sports Afield Magazine as one of the top fishing lodges in North America. w w w. l a k e f o r k l o d g e . c o m (903) 473-7236 DECOYS WANTED WOODEN Duck and Goose. Top prices paid. Ask for David.

(214) 361-2276 UPLAND BIRD HUNTING 75 miles from DFW. Pheasant, Quail, Chukar.

World class accommodations. w w w. l a k e f o r k l o d g e . c o m (903) 473-7236

AWESOME DOVE HUNTS $85 per person. Lodging available! Whitetail and Axis Deer Hunting Packages Available.

Owned and operated by Kelly and Jo Ann Carroll. texasstarranch@yahoo.com www.thetexasstarranch.com (830) 570-4243 DEER LEASE WANTED Lone Star Outdoor News is looking for a hunting and fishing lease with all hunt and fish rights.

Central or Northwest Texas.

Camphouse is needed.

(214) 361-2276 BERETTA 92FS, 9MM NEW Never fired with two magazines, manual, warranty info and soft case. $590 will consider trade for PX4 Storm.

(214) 763-1463

SOUTH PADRE FISHING Reds, Trout, Flounder, Snook. Everything supplied but food and licenses.

Multiple trip discounts. Call Capt. Thomas for details or CDCT12005@aol.com.

(956) 551-1965 POINTER PUPS GERMAN SHORT HAIR 2 male/ 1 female, 8 weeks old with first shots. AKC registered and pedigreed. $600.

Kerrville Texas. Email, alltex@ktc.com to request pictures.

Contact Wendy (830) 459-8525 BEAUTIFUL LOG HOME On 2.15 acres in exclusive Hunt, Texas. 2,360 sqft. 3 bedrooms. 3 baths.

Call (830) 367-3012, or (830) 285-4068

LAKEFORKLODGE.COM Recognized as one of the top fishing lodges in North America. Also booking upland bird, duck, deer, and hog hunts.

(903) 473-7236

TAXIDERMIST BILLINGTON RANCH billingtonranchtaxidermy.com (254) 793-2120

LEARN TO FLY FISH CASTING LESSONS Lessons by a certified casting instructor in Dallas.

Group lessons available.

(214) 677-6307

GREAT GIFT Game Warden Blotter Book LSON's #1 Best Selling Book. Buy it today. $14.95. www.LSONnews.com

HUNTING RED DEER AND WHITETAIL Stags, Hinds, Bucks, Does, Exotics. Flatonia, TX. Call Mike.

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SIDE-BY-SIDE SHOTGUN Smith & Wesson Elite Gold 20-gauge, 26” BBL, English stock. In box, never fired.

(214) 361-2276 x 201

Classified C Order Form $1 PER WORD 2 word minimum 20 2 issues minimum

LSONews.com

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

January 27, 2012

Page 21

Page 22

January 27, 2012

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

LSONews.com

DATEBOOK January 28

February 3

February 9-26

Ducks Unlimited Henderson Dinner Henderson Civic Center (903) 657-5790 ducks.org

Texas Wildlife Expo San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo (210) 623-0932 sarodeo.com

Ducks Unlimited West Houston Sportsman’s Night Out Thornwood Community Center (713) 722-0119 ducks.org

February 12

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Texas Hill Country Big Game Banquet Georgetown (512) 247-1628 rmef.org Lake Corpus Christi State Park Kids Fish Derby (361) 547-2635 caller.com

February 4

February 9

February 10

February 21-22

Ducks Unlimited Mexia Dinner The Cowboy Club (254) 625-1111 ducks.org

Dallas Safari Club Monthly meeting Royal Oaks Country Club (972) 980-9800 biggame.org

Texas Deer Association Superior Genetics Deer Auction San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo (210) 767-8300 texasdeerassociation.com

Abilene Chamber of Commerce Texas Farm and Ranch Wildlife Expo Taylor County Fairgrounds, Abilene (325) 677-7241 abilenechamber.com

February 8

Dallas Woods and Waters Club Monthly meeting and dinner orth Hyatt Place Dallas North (214) 570-8700 dwwcc.org Ducks Unlimited Allen DU Sportsman’s Night Out Swingin’ D Ranch (214) 455-3082 ducks.org

Ducks Unlimited San Jacinto Dinner Montgomery County Fairgrounds, Conroe (936) 537-2737 ducks.org

February 1-4 Safari Club International 40th Annual Hunters' Convention Las Vegas, Nev. showsci.org

February 2 Ducks Unlimited Tomball Dinner, Tomball VFW Hall (713) 724-2639 ducks.org

LONE STAR MARKET

Puzzle solution from Page 17

To advertise in this section, call Mike Hughs at (214) 361-2276 or e-mail him at mhughs@lonestaroutdoornews.com.

Crappie Anglers of Texas 2012 CAT Extravaganza Texas Motor Cars, Addison (903) 887-0602 crappieanglersoftexas.com

March 3 Mule Deer Foundation 1st Fund-raiser Parker County Sherrif’s Posse Event Center, Weatherford (817) 565-7121 muledeer.org

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

One-Lure Rule imposed for Bassmaster Classic, Elite Series The recent popularity of the Alabama Rig, including its use

by Paul Elias to win an event on Lake Guntersville in October, 2011, and other multi-lure rigs prompted tournament officials to examine the rules regarding their use in tournament angling.

B.A.S.S., upon the recommendation of its Bassmaster Elite Series Rules Committee, has amended its tournament rules to limit anglers competing in the Bassmaster Classic and Bassmaster Elite Series to the use of a single lure during practice and competition.

The rule change does not apply to Bassmaster Open, B.A.S.S. Federation Nation, College B.A.S.S. or other events.

The clarification maintains the intent of long-standing rules permitting only one rod, one reel and one cast at a time. No longer permitted are double soft jerkbait rigs, drop-shot rigs with jigs used as weights, double top-water setups and other multi-lure rigs, such as “umbrella rigs.”

The change becomes effective Feb. 1 and includes the upcoming Bassmaster Classic at Shreveport-Bossier City, La., Feb. 24-26.

— B.A.S.S.

Master fly-fisher to teach class at TFFC Expert fly-fisher Bob Cappallo of Corsicana will teach fly-fishing for beginners Feb. 11 at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens.

The class, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., is open to adults 18 and older. No fly-fishing experience is required.

Equipment will be provided, but students may bring their own gear.

The $50 fee for the class includes entrance to TFFC for the day of the class, lunch and a season pass to TFFC so students can return for more fishing as often as they like.

Instruction will focus on equipment selection, knot tying, casting and fishing for rainbow trout in TFFC’s 1.5-acre casting pond. Catch-and-release fishing is free, but anglers may pay $5 for the opportunity to catch and keep up to five fish.

Cappallo is a member of the Brazos Valley Fly Fishers and lives on Richland Chambers Reservoir. He fly-fishes for trout in New Mexico and redfish and tarpon on the Texas coast.

Cappallo also builds handmade fly rods and ties flies.

Reservations are required, and the class is limited to 20 people. Registration deadline is Feb. 10. Checks should be made payable to “Friends of TFFC.” For more information or to register for the class, call Craig Brooks at (903) 670-2222.

— TPWD

January 27, 2012

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January 27, 2012

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

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