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LoneOStar Outdoor News
Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper in Texas
July 25, 2014
Page 1
July 25, 2014
Volume 10, Issue 23
Biggest ever 972.7-pound blue marlin bests 26-year-old state record
BIRDS MEAN FISH: If herons are near the water, they’re near fish. Photo by Conor Harrison, Lone Star Outdoor News.
By Conor Harrison
First mate
Lone Star outdoor newS
A longstanding state record fell on July 11 when angler Richard Richardson brought a 972.7-pound blue marlin to the scales at the Bastante John Uhr Memorial Billfish Tournament in Rockport. The fish, caught aboard a 56-foot Viking, Legacy, broke the state record held since 1988 by James Farrow, which weighed 876.5 pounds. The big marlin hit a live, 5-pound tuna being trolled as bait. The fish was 137.5 inches long, had a girth of 74 inches, and was caught about 130 miles off of Port Aransas. The Legacy, based out of Houston, was captained by Kevin Deerman, along with owner George Gartner, of Houston; Galveston’s Jeff Owen and Cameron Plaag; Corpus Christi’s Michael Fitzpatrick; and Houston’s Richardson, Colin Ocker and Ruben Ramos. “It hasn’t even sunk in,” Deerman said. The captain said the fight lasted only 20 minutes. “The fish bit and started toward the bottom very slowly,” he said. “It acted like it didn’t know it was hooked. It swam straight down and took some line. We backed down on it pretty hard and it came up and jumped about 300 yards out. “We knew immediately it was over 500 pounds.” Although it only took 20 minutes to get the marlin to the boat, it took another 45 minutes to
Herons’ feeding patterns a key to fishing the summer heat By Steve Schwartz Lone Star outdoor newS
When the fish are tough to locate, especially in summer months, the herons’ feeding habits often is a key clue for anglers looking to hone in on a day’s catch. Cliff Shackelford, an ornithologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, has been studying these birds for 17 years, and knows a thing or two about their feeding behavior. “Anywhere there’s water, open water, they can be feeding,” Shackelford said. “They will even feed on the side of the road where water is pooling up after a rain.” There are around 12 species of birds similar to herons — recognizable by their elongated necks, long legs built for wading and long beaks — including egrets, bitterns and ibises. Shackelford said many anglers use the term “heron” as a catchall for these birds, but
See MARLIN, Page 23
MEASURING A RECORD: After the tape was stretched on this blue marlin and a trip to the scale, the new state record was announced at 972.7 pounds. Photo by Laura Middour.
Years of photos show keys to aging bucks on the hoof By Craig Nyhus
Lone Star outdoor newS
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PLANO, TX PERMIT 210
See HERONS, Page 25
INSIDE
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
AGE ME: Quickly trying to determine a buck’s age can pose problems, and it’s best to know the bucks on the ranch to avoid mistakes. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
The buck appears and his antlers look good. The tougher question remains: How old is he? Before game cameras were the norm, photographer and marketing rep Dave Richards of Boerne spent years photographing and studying white-tailed bucks on the Hindes Ranch in Frio County. Later, with renowned wildlife biologist Al Brothers, he used those photos to help write “Observing & Evaluating Whitetails,” covering, in part, aging and scoring of the deer on the hoof. The 2003 book is considered by many to be a must-read for wildlife
HUNTING
FISHING
Facing the past
Always changing
High expectations
When a trip turns bad
Llano hunter takes a mountain lion near Big Bend almost 30 years after he was attacked there. Page 4
Recent rains and rebounding ground cover are leaving hunters with high hopes for quail season. Page 6
Nueces Bay has good fish to offer anglers, if they can adapt to the hazards and ever-changing conditions. Page 8
Group fishing the Pecos River narrowly escapes flash flood. Page 9
managers. At the Texas Wildlife Association Convention in San Antonio in July, Richards presented his thoughts on aging bucks on the hoof based on what he has seen and photographed. “Deer management has come a long way from the old saying, ‘Eight points and heavy — he’s down,’” Richards said. Richards’ top tips for aging bucks don’t involve the antlers. “Antler mass is not a benchmark,” he said. “It’s best to ignore them when aging deer — I’ve seen too many 4-year-olds with heavy mass.” See AGING, Page 19
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