January 27, 2017 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper in Texas

January 27, 2017

Volume 13, Issue 11

So you think your mount is worth big bucks?

Ranch shootings leave three wounded

By Darlene McCormick Sanchez Lone Star Outdoor News

An argument and a case of mistaken identity were at the heart of two separate ranch shootings in less than a month.

One shooting occurred in December in Webb County in South Texas and resulted in the arrest of one man after an alleged argument. Another occurred in January in Presidio County and was originally thought to be a kidnapping attempt involving illegals from Mexico.

The West Texas shooting at the Circle Dug Ranch in Candelaria involved a guide from New Mexico and a hunting client from Florida Jan. 6.

Presidio County Sheriff Danny Dominguez told news outlets Jan. 13 that it appears the shootings took place in a state of confusion.

Walker Daugherty, a 26-year-old guide from New Mexico, shot Edwin Roberts, a 59-year-old Florida client who was there with his wife at the Texas ranch. It appears Michael Bryant, another guide, shot Walker, according to news accounts. Roberts was hit in the arm and Walker was hit in the chest.

Walker thought illegal aliens were

By Darlene McCormick Sanchez Lone Star Outdoor News

A 47-point, nontypical buck harvested in Tennessee this past fall was proclaimed the apparent world record holder this month. But it could also be golden in a more literal way.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency recently announced the rack of the free-ranging deer officially scored 312 3/8, which stands to break the current record taken by a hunter in the Boone and Crockett record book. Just as significant, no doubt to hunter Stephen Tucker, is the rack’s estimated worth of $100,000, according to one expert.

So does that mean hunters should go clean out their trophy rooms in hopes of earning some big

WORTH MOST TO THE HUNTER: Mounts of that big buck aren’t worth as much as some people think, unless the buck is a record or has some other unique characteristic that increases the value. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

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Deep-water blues

Last-minute lead ban

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By Mark England

Lone Star Outdoor News

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Director’s Order 219, issued

by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe on the Administration’s final day in office, seeks to ban the PARTING SHOT: USFWS Director use of traditional Dan Ashe issued an order on ammunition on his last day in office that seeks Service lands in to ban lead ammo and fishing tackle on federal lands. Photo by five years.

Lone Star Outdoor News.

The order immediately ends the use of traditional ammunition on federal lands, including National Parks, tribal lands and national wildlife refuges. It also requires creation of a timeline to expand the use of nontoxic ammunition and fishing tackle on federal lands and for certain types of hunting regulated by the Service, namely dove hunting.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation condemned the order as a “parting shot” and

If you like indulging your passion for the blues come winter, Texas lakes are the place to be.

Blue catfish often scatter to tributaries during the summer and congregate in deeper lake waters in the colder months, said guide Dave Hanson.

“That makes your chances of catching one a lot better,” he said.

At Lake Tawakoni, dubbed the “Catfish Capital of Texas,” blue catfish are being caught at depths of 40-50 feet.

“Drift and get yourself some cut bait: shad, carp, buffalo, anything legal you can get your hands on,” Hanson said. “I’ve had several 60-pounders in the last

WINTER CATS: Big blue catfish are being landed on cut bait at several Texas reservoirs. Photo by David Hanson.

week.”

Tawakoni and Lake Texoma often are at the forefront when talking about blue catfish lakes.

But America’s largest fresh-

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INSIDE

CONTENTS

money? Probably not, according to collectors.

In general, antler worth depends on factors such as rarity, condition, and sometimes the story behind them.

Jared Steele, owner of Great Basin Antler Buyers in Utah, estimated that Tucker’s antlers could bring six figures. Collectors generally look for antlers from wild bucks. Antlers from high-fenced ranches aren’t as desirable. The rarity of the antlers – such as worldrecord antlers or even ancient ones that find their way to auction – increase their value.

“The majority of the people like the fresh, natural look,” Steele said.

The condition of the antlers is also important. Mike Charowhas, of Kansas, known as The Antler Collector, said a translucent,

HUNTING

Blue quail hunts Fast-running birds plentiful.

Page 4

Giant buck

Top high-fence buck in Texas Big Game Awards.

Page 4

water fish species can be found all over the state in good numbers and sizes.

Just last month a monster blue was caught at Lake LBJ, not exactly renowned Please turn to page 13

FISHING

Simplify lures

Little-known

A few color choices for most conditions.

Page 8

Lavaca River good winter choice for speckled trout.

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January 27, 2017

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HUNTING

No quelling blue quail hunting this season

By Darlene McCormick Sanchez Lone Star Outdoor News

With the exception of far West Texas, Texas hunters are reporting successful blue quail harvests with numbers similar to last year.

“The place I’ve been seeing the most blues is in Gaines County,” said Tom Stephenson.

His group bagged a dozen by 10:30 a.m. on a recent hunt of both blue and bobwhite quail.

The challenge, of course, when hunt-

ing blue quail is hunters must be in shape and ready to move.

“Blue quail don’t hold very well for any kind of dog,” he said, adding that he runs labs that will point when the quail are tired.

Stephenson said he’s come up with a method to help tag where the quail fall by tying trail tape to a washer and throwing it down as a marker while hunting. That way they don’t lose many dead birds.

“They are reappearing in places they haven’t been in years,” Stephenson

said, such as McCulloch County.

Stephenson said some people might snub hunting blue quail because they don’t “covey up” like bobwhites. But that’s where the challenge lies — in chasing them.

“They’re a bit more rebellious,” he said. “I don’t think you should look down on them.”

Near Midland, Donny Winslow scouts birds for hunters. He went out on Jan. 21 to exceptional quail hunting with 80 percent blue to 20 percent bobwhite, he said. It’s not unusual to see 20-25 coveys Please turn to page 21

OFF AND RUNNING: Scaled (blue) quail are abundant in parts of West Texas, although the numbers are down in the TransPecos region. Photo by Joe Richards, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

First-class buck stands to smash contest record

By Darlene McCormick Sanchez Lone Star Outdoor News

TBGA RECORD: The buck taken by Rick Meritt topped 300 inches and is in line to be the record high-fenced buck in the Texas Big Game Awards. Photo from Rick Meritt.

With only a few weeks left to submit entries, it appears a massive white-tailed buck that broke the 300-point barrier will topple the record in the high fence category of the Texas Big Game Awards.

Longtime hunter Rick Meritt is no stranger to bagging trophy deer, but this one was special.

When he set out on the Buxton Ranch in Bosque County this fall, he had his sights on another deer but the targeted buck had broken his tines. So that morning his wife got a deer — a beauty in its own right with a 268 score — and that afternoon was devoted to finding an alternative buck for Meritt.

The hunting party went to a blind where a big deer had been spotted in the past and waited.

“We weren’t in the blind 30 minutes. He was the second deer to show up,” Meritt said.

Meritt took a shot at 278 yards out and hit the monster behind the shoulder. The deer dropped after running about 10 yards.

When he and ranch owner Tom Buxton went to see the deer up close, they were astonished.

“We were just blown away. We didn’t have a clue he would break Please turn to page 6

Quebec bans caribou hunts next year

By Craig Nyhus

Lone Star Outdoor News Quebec outfitters were in a somber mood at January conventions in Dallas, Houston and Reno. For hunters, if your hunting trip list includes a caribou hunt in Quebec, 2017 may be your last chance in some time.

The Quebec’s Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks announced that Quebec will suspend sport hunting of caribou indefinitely starting in 2018.

This news came after public demands from First Nations peoples in the provFINAL HUNTS: The Quebec ince, ingovernment will discontinue caribou hunts starting in cluding the Innu, Cree, February, 2018. Outfitters Inuit and say they were blindsided by the ban, and reasons Naskapi, to for herd declines were due end all sport to other factors. Photo by hunting of David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

the migratory Leaf River Herd, which has declined considerably over the last several years.

In 2017, 739 hunting licenses will be issued.

The agency said in a release that according to an inventory carried out in the summer of 2016, Leaf River numbers have declined and the herd now comprises less than 199,000 animals.

The population was thought to be around 380,000 animals as recently as fall of 2014, although those estimates are thought to be high.

Outfitters have not had any opportunity to respond to the ban.

“Right now we are asking a lot of questions but getting very few answers,” Alain Tardiff of Leaf River Lodge told The Hunting Report. “For some of us, it is 30 years of hard work going up in smoke.”

Outfitters feel sport hunting had

little to do with the decline of the herds, saying a limited take of older bulls doesn’t materially affect the population. They claim the traditional “Winter Hunts” conducted by the native tribes have gone beyond the traditional subsistence hunts to little more than a slaughter.

Jack Hume started guiding caribou hunts in 1972, and his son, Richard, started going to Quebec at age 12.

He’s now 47.

“The outfitters during the fall hunt are taking only a very limited number of caribou,” Jack said on bowsite. com. “The Winter Hunt was out of control — there have been many horror stories of caribou killed and left on the side of the road. I believe a limited number of tags should be issued to each family and enforce that no caribou are taken without such a tag.”

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Brothers win youth Top high-fence buck hunting award Continued from page 4

By Craig Nyhus

Lone Star Outdoor News Over the past several years, photos submitted to Lone Star Outdoor News have included several from two young men, Cole and Dalton Findley, from Flint. After viewing a mule deer from Mexico, a giant aoudad and several others, one came in of a mountain lion taken in British Columbia

by Cole Findley.

An interoffice email said it best.

“That little guy shoots some really HUNTING BROTHERS: Cole and Dalton Findley of Flint received the Colin Caruthers Youth Hunting award at the Dallas Safari Club convention. Photo by Bill Honza. cool stuff.”

It turned out, the brothers have done more than just hunt, reaction for his hunting comment.

“I love hunting this big game stuff,” and the pair was selected and recognized he said. “But what I really like is hunting with the Colin Caruthers Youth Hunting squirrels in East Texas.” award on Jan. 7 at the Dallas Safari Club The pair’s next trip will be back to B.C., annual convention.

“They were the first siblings to ever win where Cole has tried twice for a grizzly the award together,” their father, Allen, bear, each time passing on a lesser boar, said. “And it was the first time the com- even though it would have made the mittee had a unanimous vote and they award easier to obtain. Then, they will were the first winners without having make their first trek to Africa.

Of all of the hunting experiences, Dalgone to Africa.” ton told the crowd his favorite part of the The award recognizes young hunters who meet specific criteria with respect to hunts.

“I got to hunt with my dad,” he said. animals taken and civic and leadership acAllen was happy for his sons. tivities.

“It’s great they won the award,” he said.

Each of the youngsters had an oppor“But it’s greater that they won it together.” tunity to speak to the 1,500 people in attendance, and Cole received the biggest

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300,” Meritt said. Naturally, for Tom Buxton it was “like 10 grand slam home runs,” Meritt added.

That’s because when looking at the buck straight on, it was hard to see all the tines. As it turned out, this was the same deer Meritt had seen a year ago — but with a considerably smaller rack.

Last July, Meritt received a photo of the buck that ended up being his trophy this year. Ironically, the photo came in while Meritt was at the Texas Big Game Awards for earning second place in the nontypical whitetail high-fence category. The buck in the photo was nice back then, but had made a 150-inch jump in antler growth in a year.

When Meritt shot him this year, the nontypical 4-year-old buck’s gross score was 311 6/8 inches, and it netted 304 6/8.

He had 36 points that could be scored and a 40-inch wide outside spread.

Meritt said he has been hunting on Tom and Amy Buxton’s ranch for the past 10 years and commended the ranch’s program. Meritt’s name currently appears four times on the contest’s all-time record books for different categories.

David Brimager, director of public relations with the Texas Big Game Awards, said Meritt’s buck is in line to clinch the record. But there’s still time for someone to outdo him. Hunters have until March 1 to enter the contest.

“This will be the first deer to come into our program with that score,” Brimager said of the 300-plus buck.

The contest is a joint effort with Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Texas Wildlife Association. The rules for the high-fence contest are that the buck must be born and raised in the wild. Released pen deer cannot be entered into the contest, but their offspring could qualify if they were

GROWTH SPURT: The buck taken by Rick Meritt, shown in this 2015 photo, jumped approximately 150 inches in antler score in one year. Photo from Rick Meritt.

born wild.

Alan Cain, a biologist and whitetail deer program leader for TPWD, said rapid antler growth is sometimes seen in deer around the 4-year-old mark.

Bucks put their nutrition into muscle and bone development the first few years while they are developing. Once they quit growing, they can allocate nutritional resources to antlers, which accounts for big jumps in antler growth. But that growth also depends on genetics, which accounts for why some will see bigger racks than others.

“Older than 3 — that’s when you see things jump,” Cain added.

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Caribou hunting banned Continued from page 4

The Winter Hunt also will end in 2018, but subsistence hunts will continue, Richard Hume said.

According to the weekly magazine The Nation, Luc Gervais of Radisson posted a description of the Winter Hunt’s aftermath, which he described as “traditional slaughter,” and alleged that the hunters were selling their meat in the south and would soon be back for more. He claimed he had counted 115 caribou.

Hunting was closed, even to native hunters, at the nearby George River herd in 2013 after the population collapsed. Some tribal members feel the Winter Hunts caused the decline of the George River caribou herd by more than 90 percent, and now the overkilling is bringing about the decline of the Leaf River herd.

The government is setting up an “interministerial committee” to assess the main social and economic consequences of the declining migratory caribou population in

Shooting incidents

Northern Quebec, and propose mitigation measures, according to the agency.

Richard Hume hopes the issues can be resolved and the caribou can be given the chance to quickly recover.

“The Winter Hunt contributed more than the fall sport hunts,” he said. “So many caribou are being killed by natives, but we are bound by the James River Treaty — they decide our fate.”

Richard Hume has contacted the tribes to discuss an increasing problem for the caribou — wolves.

“The sport hunters could help with reducing the wolves,” he said. “But the James River Treaty protects the wolves.”

Jack Hume Outfitters is booked for its 2017 hunts, so they canceled their trips to exhibit at U.S. conventions this winter.

“Hopefully, the caribou will make a quick recovery, and in a few years we’ll be back,” Richard said. “Now, we don’t know what we are going to do.”

QUEBEC BULL: David Sweet of Spring took this caribou in Quebec on a 2016 hunt. The 2017 season will be the last before a hunting ban takes place. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

The Healthy Choice in

Continued from page 1

inside the RV and attempting to kidnap the clients.

Walker then tried to enter the RV without announcing himself and that’s Gerald Paul Laursen when Roberts fired off a shot, missing Walker. Walker then ran back to the lodge, grabbed his gun and alerted Bryant, according to CBS 7.

Roberts’ wife is a nurse and helped stop the bleeding before both men were flown to El Paso where they underwent operations and are recovering.

The other shooting incident happened Dec. 17 at the Las Pintas Ranch off Texas 44, according to a report in the Laredo Morning Times. The accused shooter allegedly got into a verbal argument with the victim before shooting him twice.

The victim was taken to a San Antonio hospital.

Sheriff’s officials said Gerald Paul Laursen, 73, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the event, but refused to release any other details.

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January 27, 2017

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FISHING

Keeping bass fishing simple with four basic colors

By Darlene McCormick Sanchez Lone Star Outdoor News

UNCOMPLICATED: James Niggemeyer, a professional angler and Lake Fork guide, says a few go-to colors can keep anglers from staring aimlessly at their overloaded tackle boxes. Photos from James Niggemeyer.

There’s room for debate, but most anglers would agree that when it comes to fishing lure color there are some basics.

After 10 years of competing on the BASS Elite Series tournament trail, James Niggemeyer, who is also a Lake Fork guide, put out a YouTube video sharing some inside information on what colors largemouth bass like regardless of season or location anywhere in the country.

“The video was done because all anglers can get carried away with color,” Niggemeyer said. “You can just sit there and stare at your tackle forever.”

So what are his go-to colors? Black-blue, junebug, green-pumpkin, watermelonred.

Niggemeyer said that for many anglers, and especially those just getting started, sifting through a myriad of colors can be a daunting task. In his video, Niggemeyer explained that having those four basic colors on a boat would prepare anglers for anything.

Black-blue, for example, is great for overcast days or even muddy water because it shows up as a silhouette. Junebug’s purplish hue is another favorite when anglers want a little more color but still need a dark lure. Green pumpkin works across the board and can be used for anything from stained water to clear water. Watermelon red is great for clear water.

So why are there so many colors on the market? Niggemeyer said that 90 percent of them will work in a particular fishing situation, but narrowing down the lures

Lavaca River speckled trout

By Robert Sloan

For Lone Star Outdoor News River fishing for speckled trout along the Texas coast is at its peak.

The Colorado River at Matagorda is a well-known hot spot. Many anglers, though, are unaware of a strip of water along the middle Texas coast that can be a trout-fishing jewel —the Lavaca River that feeds into Lavaca Bay right next to the town of Port Lavaca.

Fishing on this particular river is popular on the weekends. That’s when the boat ramp parking lot off of FM 616, just west of the tiny town of Lolita, is jammed. But during the week when most people are working, there are a few regulars that hit this 8- to 10-mile stretch of river.

Much of the fishing is done from the 616 Bridge down to the mouth of the river at Lavaca Bay. Dennis Lala lives in Victoria and has been fishing on the Lavaca River for years.

“The colder the weather gets, the better the fishing is for trout,” Lala said. “You can catch reds on the lower end of the river year-round. But trout don’t usually move upstream from Lavaca Bay until we start getting some hard cold fronts. When the water is 55 to 65 degrees, the trout will be here.”

After the New Year, finding trout on the river was easy, although the fish were small.

“We get a lot of little trout in here,” Lala said as he worked his way down-

ANOTHER SPOT TO TRY: The Lavaca River holds good numbers of speckled trout when the water cools to 55 to 65 degrees. Photo by Robert Sloan, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

river. “This morning when we began fishing the water temperature was 65 degrees. But the water we’re fishing now is 67 degrees. It’s not quite cold enough for the big trout to move upstream yet.”

Out of Lala’s boat, 47 trout with 10 keepers in the 15- to 18-inch range were landed on soft plastics fished along the bottom on 1/4-ounce jig heads. The best water depth ranged from 3 to 9 feet deep.

In mid-January, larger trout arrived as predicted.

Lala’s first stop was near Redfish Lake. He used a chartreuse jig in 3 feet

of water and boxed a five-fish limit in 30 minutes with trout to about 3 1/2 pounds.

“You also can troll silver spoons along the bank to catch trout,” he said.

How long the bite lasts depends on the weather.

“If we can get a couple more good cold fronts, the trout will stay in the river,” Lala said. “If not, the fishing will slow down but still be worth a shot through the end of February, maybe even longer.”

allows him to keep it simple.

Angler Dan Phifer, of Grapevine, who regularly fishes tournaments such as Bass Champs, agreed with Niggemeyer.

“I think that’s a good place to start,” he said. “We get a little carried away with our soft plastic buying.”

Phifer said his favorites are green pumpkin, black-blue and watermelon. But he’s really a fan of green pumpkin and watermelon laminated together.

Mike Casanova, of Frisco, who frequently fishes club tournaments, pretty much agreed with the basic four Niggemeyer suggested.

“If you want to keep it basic, I can’t argue with that,” he said. “They pile up. We make it a lot more complex.”

Casanova’s favorites are watermelon and green pumpkin. But he’s not a fan of the flashy colors.

“I do believe a lot of those catch fishermen more than fish,” he said.

Niggemeyer’s video can be seen at youtube.com/watch?v=dx1lxgZlWHE&t=3s.

Lake record smallmouth’s road trip

ADVENTURE: Aron Merit landed a 4.95-pound smallmouth from Grapevine Lake, then went on a trek to find a certified scale before releasing the fish. Photo from Aron Merit.

By Mark England

Lone Star Outdoor News One of the best days of Aron Merit’s fishing life almost became one of the worst.

Merit, a Plano police officer, fishes any opportunity he gets — even when others won’t. He and a buddy were at Grapevine Lake Dec. 17 as a front approached.

The temperature quickly dropped and the winds picked up. Many would have left, but not Merit. He was on a flat known for yielding smallmouths.

“The slot fish were on the flat trying to hit before the front,” he said. “I was throwing to where the waves were beating the bank up. She was tucked up in there in about 10 feet of water.”

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Young and experienced LLM guide began at 18

By Craig Nyhus

Lone Star Outdoor News Capt. Joe Prado, at 23, is one of the youngest fishing guides in the Lower Laguna Madre. He looks even younger than that.

And he’s been guiding for five years.

“I got my license as soon as I turned 18,” Prado said. “I always wanted to pursue guiding full-time.”

Prado focuses his fishing from South Bay at South Padre Island to the Land Cut just south of Baffin Bay, and also guides duck hunters.

“I grew up in Harlingen, and every summer would stay at the island,” he said. “We had an old V-hull Shoalwater. I fished every day and worked at Schlitterbahn, the water park. All the money I made working I spent on fishing.”

Prado said he learned the area up to Arroyo out of the old boat.

“Then I learned Port Mansfield when I got a bigger boat at the age of 18,” he said.

The young guide credits his father and especially his uncle, Mark Prado, also a guide, with getting him into fishing.

“I used to watch the top fishing guides down here on the Internet all the time,” Prado said. “Ernest Cisneros, Mike McBride, Tricia Wheatley and Scott Sparrow mainly. I didn’t fish with them, but when I met them at the boat ramps, I told them that. I looked at all their photos and watched all their videos.”

Prado didn’t just start young at guiding.

He’s married with twin, 3-year-old daughters.

“I don’t do many other things for fun,” he said.

“Once in awhile, I might play a little golf.”

His favorite fishing method involves wading, but he guides all types of trips.

“I like to fish low with paddletails and fish topwaters when the water is warm enough,” he said.

“But you have all different types of customers so you need to do a little bit of everything.”

On a New Year’s Eve trip, Prado showed his youthful enthusiasm, guiding several friends to a good day of wade-fishing over mud for trout and redfish, with trout limits for the four fishermen and nine keeper redfish as a bonus.

“I’m still waiting for a 30-incher this year,” he said. “The biggest has been 29 3/4.”

His guide service, Ultimate Flats Fishing, stays real busy in the spring and summer but slows down in the winter.

“It’s a great time to come down,” Prado said. “I’m one of the youngest guides but I work hard and find fish — I’m more than happy to take you out.”

Capt. Joe Prado (956) 357-1301

YOUNG BUT AMBITIOUS: Capt.

Joe Prado wades in waist-deep water, seeking speckled trout in the Lower Laguna Madre.

He is one of the youngest guides along the coast, and started at age 18. A believer in attactants, he adds Pro-Cure mullet scent to his Kelly Wiggler plastic.

Photos by Craig Nyhus, Lone Star Outdoor News.

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TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORT ALAN HENRY: Water fairly clear, stained toward the river; 50 degrees; 1.54’ low. Black bass are fair on jigs, mediumand deep-diving crankbaits, swimbaits and jerkbaits.

Crappie and bass are fair on minnows. Catfish are excellent on punch bait up the river and at the mouths of the creeks.

AMISTAD: Water murky; 65–69 degrees; 17.10’ low.

Black bass are fair on watermelon spinner baits, crankbaits and soft plastic worms. Striped bass are fair on slabs and grubs.

White bass are fair on slabs and crankbaits. Catfish are fair on shrimp, nightcrawlers and cheesebait. Yellow catfish are good on trotlines baited with live perch.

ARROWHEAD: Water fairly clear; 49–56 degrees; 0.67’ low. Black bass are fair on Texas rigs, drop-shot rigs and lipless crankbaits. Crappie are fair on live minnows. Catfish are fair to good on nightcrawlers.

ATHENS: Water lightly stained; 51–53 degrees; 0.44’ high.

Black bass are fair on suspending jerkbaits, Texas-rigged creature baits and bladed jigs.

Crappie are good on minnows and white jigs. Catfish are fair on trotlines and cut shad.

BASTROP: Water stained; 61–65 degrees. Black bass are good on lipless crankbaits and chartreuse jigs. Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are fair on stink bait and liver.

BELTON: Water stained; 60–64 degrees; 1.14’ high.

Black bass are slow. Hybrid striper are slow. White bass are fair on slabs. Crappie are fair on minnows at night. Channel and blue catfish are fair on trotlines baited with frozen shad.

BOB SANDLIN: Water lightly stained; 51–54 degrees; 0.74’ low. Black bass are good on Texas-rigged craws, bladed jigs and flipping jigs. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair on slabs. Catfish are fair on trotlines.

BONHAM: Water lightly stained; 48–51 degrees; 2.81’ low. Black bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Catfish are good drifting cut bait.

BRAUNIG: Water murky. Black bass are fair on watermelon spinner baits, crankbaits and soft plastic worms. Striped bass are fair on liver and shad. Redfish are fair on tilapia, crawfish, perch and shad near Dead Tree Point. Channel and blue catfish are fair on shrimp and shad.

BRIDGEPORT: Water lightly stained, 47–51 degrees: 0.15’ high. Black bass are fair on jerkbaits in mat shad, lipless crankbaits and chartreuse with brown back crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows. White bass are fair on slabs. Hybrid striper are fair on slabs. Catfish are fair on trotlines and prepared bait.

BROWNWOOD: Water stained; 62–66 degrees; 0.23’ high.

Black bass are fair on watermelon spinner baits, crankbaits, and lipless crankbaits over brush piles. Hybrid striper are slow. White bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows over brush piles. Channel catfish are slow.

BUCHANAN: Water stained; 61–65 degrees; 2.04’ low.

Black bass are good on black

jigs, tequila sunrise grubs on jigheads and suspending crankbaits over rock piles. Striped bass are good on white striper jigs and jigging swimbaits.

White bass are slow. Crappie are fair on live minnows over brush piles. Catfish are slow.

CADDO: Water stained; 51–54 degrees; 0.50’ high. Black bass are fair on Texas-rigged creature baits, weightless stick baits and bladed jigs. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are good on trotlines.

CALAVERAS: Water murky.

Black bass are fair on chartreuse crankbaits, spinner baits and lipless crankbaits near the dam. Striped bass are good on lipless crankbaits and chicken livers along the shoreline.

Redfish are slow. Channel catfish are fair on liver, shrimp and nightcrawlers. Blue catfish are good on stink bait and nightcrawlers.

CANYON LAKE: Water stained; 62–65 degrees; 0.34’ high. Black bass are good on watermelon red crankbaits, pumpkinseed worms, and watermelon tubes on jigheads along bluffs. Striped bass are fair on downriggers over humps in the lower end of the lake in 40–60 feet.

White bass are fair but small on white spinner baits and crankbaits. Smallmouth bass are very good on red grubs and smoke/ red flake tubes on jigheads.

Crappie are slow. Catfish are slow.

CEDAR CREEK: Water lightly stained; 49–52 degrees; 1.14’ low. Black bass are good on lipless crankbaits, split-shot flukes and suspending jerkbaits. White bass are fair on slabs. Hybrid striper are fair on slabs. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are fair on trotlines and prepared bait.

CHOKE CANYON: Water stained; 61–65 degrees; 19.83’ low. Black bass are good on watermelon jigs and large soft plastic lizards in the grass, and fair on crankbaits.

White bass are fair on minnows upriver. Crappie are fair on minnows. Channel and blue catfish are good on stink bait and shrimp.

COLEMAN: Water stained; 62–66 degrees; 1.28’ low.

Black bass are fair on chartreuse spinner baits and crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows. Channel catfish are fair on shrimp and liver.

COLETO CREEK: Water murky; 67 degrees at the hot water discharge, 57 degrees in main lake; 2.77’ low. Black bass are fair on chartreuse soft plastics and crankbaits in 8–10 feet.

White bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are slow.

CONROE: Water stained; 61–65 degrees; 0.30’ high.

Black bass are good on watermelon and watermelon red soft plastics, crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Striped bass are slow.

Crappie are good on minnows.

Catfish are slow.

FALCON: Water murky; 62–66

degrees; 32.74’ low. Black bass are good on chartreuse spinner baits and lipless crankbaits. Striped bass are slow.

Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are good on shrimp and cut bait.

FAYETTE: Water murky. Black bass are fair on Carolina-rigged soft plastics and lipless crankbaits. Channel and blue catfish are slow.

FORK: Water lightly stained; 48–52 degrees; 2.62’ low.

Black bass are fair on flutter spoons, bladed jigs and lipless crankbaits. White and yellow bass are fair on slabs.

Crappie are good on minnows.

Catfish are fair on trotlines.

FT. PHANTOM HILL: Water murky; 50–56 degrees; 0.3’ low. Black bass are fair on shaky heads, chatterbaits and Texas rigs. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. Catfish are fair to good on nightcrawlers.

GIBBONS CREEK: Water stained. Black bass are good on watermelon soft plastics. Crappie are good on minnows and blue tube jigs. Catfish are good on shrimp and stink bait.

GRANBURY: Water stained; 61–65 degrees; 0.06’ low.

Black bass are fair on watermelon soft plastics, spinner baits, crankbaits and lipless crankbaits. Striped bass are fair on chartreuse striper jigs. White bass are slow. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are fair on shrimp and stink bait.

GRANGER: Water stained; 60–64 degrees; 0.30’ high.

Black bass are slow. White bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Blue catfish are fair on shrimp and prepared baits in 6–15 feet.

GRAPEVINE: Water stained; 48–51 degrees; 1.92’ high.

Black bass are slow. White bass and hybrid bass are fair on slabs and minnows. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on prepared bait.

GREENBELT: 31.07’ low.

Black bass are fair on Texas rigs and finesse jigs. Crappie are fair on live minnows.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 59–63 degrees; 0.23’ high. Black bass are good on watermelon soft plastic worms near the dam in 12–15 feet, and on creature baits near the pump station in 8–12 feet.

White bass are fair across from the marina. Crappie are good on minnows and green tube jigs near the dam and around piers. Channel and blue catfish are good on juglines near the islands.

HUBBARD CREEK: Water off-color; 51–55 degrees; 0.5’ low. Black bass are fair on Texas rigs, jigs and spinner baits. Crappie are fair to good on jigs and minnows.

Catfish are good on nightcrawlers and cut bait.

JOE POOL: Water lightly

stained; 47–50 degrees; 0.37’ high. Black bass are fair on finesse jigs, bladed jigs and lipless crankbaits. White bass are fair on slabs. Crappie are slow.

Catfish are fair on trotlines.

LAVON: Water stained; 49–52 degrees: 3.10’ low. Black bass are slow. White bass are fair on slabs and minnows. Crappie are slow. Catfish are fair on trotlines

and prepared bait.

LBJ: Water stained; 60–64 degrees; 4.85’ low. Black bass are good on black/blue jigs a. Striped bass are slow.

White bass are fair to good on jigs in the channel near the power plant. Crappie are fair on minnows in brush piles and under heated docks. Channel catfish are fair on shrimp and nightcrawlers. Yellow and blue catfish are slow.

LEWISVILLE: Water stained; 48–51 degrees; 0.84’ high.

Black bass are slow. White bass are fair on slabs. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs.

Catfish are fair on trotlines.

LIVINGSTON: Water stained; 60–64 degrees; 0.25’ high.

Black bass are fair on black/ silver spinner baits and crankbaits. Striped bass are good on white striper jigs. White bass are fair on minnows. Crappie are good on minnows and chartreuse tube jigs. Blue catfish are fair on trotlines baited with shad and cut bait.

MACKENZIE: 73.59’ low.

Catfish are fair to good on nightcrawlers.

MARTIN CREEK: Water lightly stained; 83–88 degrees; 1.72’ low. Black bass are good on spinner baits, square-billed crankbaits and Texas-rigged craws. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on trotlines.

MEREDITH: 60.65’ low.

Reports of black bass are rare.

No reports of smallmouth bass.

Bream and channel catfish are being caught in good numbers.

MONTICELLO: Water stained; 83–87 degrees; 0.24’ high.

Black bass are good on bladed jigs, spinner baits and squarebilled crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are good on trotlines and prepared bait.

NASWORTHY: 49–55 degrees; 1.35’ low. Black bass are fair to good on Texas rigs and chatterbaits. No reports on crappie.

Catfish are fair to good on nightcrawlers and cut bait.

NAVARRO MILLS: Water stained; 61–65 degrees; 0.11’ low. Black bass are fair on watermelon lipless crankbaits.

White bass are slow. Crappie are fair on chartreuse tube jigs at the marina. Channel and

blue catfish are fair on liver and stink bait.

O.H. IVIE: Water stained; 49–56 degrees; 33.79’ low.

Black bass are fair on pearl crankbaits, Texas rigs and swim jigs. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair to good on cut bait and nightcrawlers.

OAK CREEK: Water stained; 48–56 degrees; 9.09’ low.

Black bass are fair on Texas rigs, crankbaits and shaky heads. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair on chartreuse nightcrawlers.

PALESTINE: Water lightly stained; 48–50 degrees; 0.67’ low. Black bass are good on flipping jigs, bladed jigs and lipless crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs.

Hybrid striper are fair on slabs.

White bass are fair on slabs.

Catfish are good on trotlines.

POSSUM KINGDOM: Water off-color; 48–55 degrees; 0.2’ high. Black bass are fair to good on swim jigs, Texas rigs and medium-running crankbaits. Crappie are fair on live minnows. White bass are fair to good on slabs. Striped bass are fair on live shad. Catfish are good on nightcrawlers.

PROCTOR: Water stained; 59– 63 degrees; 0.38’ low. Black bass are fair on watermelon spinner baits and crankbaits.

Striped bass are slow. White bass are fair on pet spoons.

Crappie are fair on minnows and chartreuse tube jigs. Channel and blue catfish are fair on liver and shrimp.

RAY HUBBARD: Water lightly stained; 47–50 degrees; 0.99’ low. Black bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are fair on slabs. Catfish are slow.

RAY ROBERTS: Water stained; 48–51 degrees; 0.84’ high.

Black bass are slow. White bass are fair on slabs and minnows.

Crappie are slow. Catfish are fair on trotlines.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water lightly stained; 47–50 degrees; 1.46’ low. Black bass are slow.

White bass are fair on slabs and minnows. Hybrid striper are fair on slabs. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on trotlines.

SAM RAYBURN: Water stained; 61–65 degrees; 3.10’ low. Black bass are good on pumpkinseed soft plastics worms, crankbaits and spinner baits. White bass are fair on live minnows and chartreuse tube jigs. Crappie are fair on minnows. Bream are fair on worms. Catfish are fair on shrimp and nightcrawlers.

SOMERVILLE: Water murky; 61–65 degrees; 0.32’ high.

Black bass are slow. Hybrid striper are slow. White bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and watermelon tube jigs.

Channel and blue catfish are fair on shrimp and stink bait.

STAMFORD: 0.31’ low. Black bass and crappie are fair to good, but mostly undersized.

White bass are fair to good on minnows and Rooster Tails.

Blue catfish are fair to good on

n Saltwater reports: Please turn to

Page 11

cut and live bait.

STILLHOUSE: Water murky; 59–63 degrees; 0.51’ high.

Black bass are fair on crankbaits and watermelon seed worms. White bass are slow.

Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are fair on nightcrawlers.

TAWAKONI: Water stained; 49–53 degrees; 2.70’ low.

Black bass are slow. White bass are fair on slabs and minnows.

Hybrid bass are fair on slabs.

Crappie are slow. Catfish are fair on trotlines.

TEXOMA: Water stained; 47–50 degrees; 0.18’ high.

Black bass are fair on suspending jerkbaits, umbrella rigs and shaky-head worms. Crappie are fair on minnows. Striped bass are fair on slabs and minnows.

Catfish are fair on trotlines.

TOLEDO BEND: Water stained; 62–66 degrees; 3.80’ low.

Black bass are fair on watermelon and chartreuse spinner baits and crankbaits. Striped bass are slow. White bass are slow.

Crappie are good on minnows and chartreuse tube jigs over brush piles. Bream are good on worms. Channel and blue catfish are good on liver and stink bait.

TRAVIS: Water stained; 61–65 degrees; 1.90’ high.

Black bass are good on chrome jigging spoons, black jigs and smoke grubs in 28–45 feet.

Striped bass are fair on chrome spoons in 30–40 feet. White bass are good on minnows and chrome jigging spoons. Crappie are good on minnows and white tube jigs. Channel and blue catfish are fair on shrimp and cut bait in 30–48 feet.

WALTER E. LONG: Water murky. Black bass are slow.

Hybrid striper are good on white striper jigs. White bass are good on minnows. Crappie are good on minnows and blue tube jigs.

Channel and blue catfish are good on nightcrawlers and liver.

WHITE RIVER: Water stained; 45–52 degrees; 19.48’ low.

Black bass are very slow. No reports on crappie. Catfish are fair to good on nightcrawlers and cut bait.

WHITNEY: Water stained; 62– 66 degrees; 2.83’ low. Black bass are slow. Striped bass are slow. White bass are fair on minnows and pet spoons. Crappie are fair on minnows and pink tube jigs. Catfish are good on frozen liver, nightcrawlers and stink bait. ­—TPWD

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

Lake-record smallie Continued from page 8

She bit on his shad-colored squarebilled crankbait, and the fight was on.

His Powell Max3D rod “bent over like a lawn chair.”

“My buddy laughed and said, ‘You’re going to break it,’” Merit said. “I thought I might. It was like trying to drag a cement sack to the boat. She came up and took me right under the boat. It took everything I had to release the drag and let her run for a minute.”

It took a while but he finally got the smallmouth to his boat.

“I knew what I had the moment I saw her,” Merit said.

A normal four-minute trip back to the dock took more than 20 minutes given winds gusting to 40 mph. Two other factors also played a role in the long trip.

Merit was trying his best to keep the smallmouth from banging against the sides of the livewell. And he was desperately searching for someone with a certified scale.

He checked the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s website and learned there are none located near Grapevine Lake. The closest was at Bass Pro Shops in Garland, about a 40-minute trip. One way.

Trying to improvise, he called five grocery stores. Nada. A feed store in Grapevine told him they had a certified scale.

“But they didn’t want to put a live fish on the scale,” Merit said.

He called Scott Gordon, a tournament director for Bass Pro Shops.

Gordon came to the dock with his portable scale, which, unfortunately, wasn’t certified.

“I weighed it on my portable scale at 4.99 pounds!” Gordon wrote on the Texas Fishing Forum. “Absolutely one of the best bass I’ve seen come out of the Vine!”

Gordon’s scale, though, persuaded Merit that he needed to keep searching.

The Grapevine Lake record for a smallmouth bass is 4.75 pounds, set in 2006.

The state record is 7.93 pounds, which

was set in 1998 on Lake Meredith.

“I called four or five game wardens,” Merit said. “I have a bunch of contacts being a police officer. One of the game wardens from Tarrant County put me in touch with a (TPWD) biologist. He was excited about my catch. I think he would have driven over with a (certified) scale if he wasn’t out of town.”

Merit decided driving to Garland was out.

“I’m not going to kill a fish just to get my name on a plaque,” he said.

So he drove over to Bass Pro Shops in Grapevine. Merit had a contact there, too, since Helen Gordon, the resident pro angler, is Scott’s wife.

She said the normally unflappable police officer was “a little excited.”

“That’s good,” Gordon said. “It’s just awesome to see people that excited about fishing.”

Bass Pro Shops’ scale weighed Merit’s smallmouth in at 4.95 pounds.

He returned his record-breaking smallmouth to Grapevine Lake. Despite its road trip, the smallmouth “took off,” Merit said. His own jubilation was tempered, however. The certification on the store’s scale had lapsed. Bass Pro Shops, however, volunteered to send it off to be recertified.

“At that point, it’s pass or fail,” said Ron Smith, who maintains TPWD’s fishing records. “If it doesn’t pass, the weight is not certified. If it does pass, we accept it.”

Bass Pro Shops’ scale passed.

A relieved Merit sent his paperwork to TPWD last week. He intends to get a certified scale in order to offer help to anyone finding himself in the same predicament.

“I don’t want anyone to have to go through what I did,” he said. “It was frustrating. I have to say, though, that everyone I came in contact with was extremely helpful. But that’s Texas fishing for you. It humbled me a bit, to tell you the truth.”

January 27, 2017

Page 11

TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT NORTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good on the Louisiana shoreline on top-waters and Corkies. Flounder are fair on jigs tipped with shrimp around marsh drains. Redfish are good in the bayous.

SOUTH SABINE: Sheepshead, redfish and black drum are good at the jetty on live shrimp. Trout are fair to good while drifting shell on soft plastics.

BOLIVAR: Trout are fair to good on the south shoreline on soft plastics and plugs.

Black drum and redfish are good at Rollover Pass.

TRINITY BAY: Trout are good for drifters working deep shell on soft plastics. Redfish are fair to good on the north shoreline on gold spoons and scented plastics.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are fair to good on the south shoreline on MirrOlures and Fat Boys. Whiting and sand trout are good on the edge of the Intracoastal on fresh shrimp.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are fair to good for drifters working shell on live shrimp.

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

Redfish are good in the back lakes on shrimp and scented plastics.

TEXAS CITY: Gulf trout are fair to good in the channel on shrimp. Sheepshead are good around rock groins on live shrimp.

FREEPORT: Sand trout and sheepshead are

good on live shrimp on the reefs in Christmas Bay. Black drum are good at the jetties on cracked blue crabs.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair to good on Bass Assassins, Lil’ Johns and Bull Minnows over deep shell. Redfish are fair to good on the edge of the Intracoastal on crabs and mullet.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: Redfish are fair to

good on the edge of Oyster Lake on shrimp and crabs. Black drum and redfish are fair to good at the jetty on crabs.

PORT O’CONNOR: Trout and redfish are fair on soft plastics over soft mud. Trout and redfish

are fair for drifters working the back lakes with live shrimp.

ROCKPORT: Trout and black drum are fair to good in the deep cuts on free-lined shrimp.

Redfish are good on the flats with higher tides on gold spoons, plastics and scented plastics.

PORT ARANSAS: Redfish and sheepshead are fair to good at the jetty on shrimp. Trout are fair at the mouths of guts on the outgoing tide.

CORPUS CHRISTI: Trout are fair to good on the edge of the spoils on scented plastics and live shrimp. Black drum and redfish are fair to good in the channels on crabs.

BAFFIN BAY: Trout are fair to good in the Land Cut on glow plastics. Trout are fair to good for waders working rocks and mud on Corkies. Water temperatures are in the mid60s.

PORT MANSFIELD: Trout are fair to good on Corkies and MirrOlures around sand, grass and mud. Redfish are fair to good while drifting potholes. Black drum and redfish are good on crabs at East Cut. SOUTH PADRE: Trout are fair to good around the spoil islands, channel edges and color changes on DOA Shrimp in 3–4 feet of water.

Black drum, sheepshead and redfish have been taken at the jetty.

PORT ISABEL: Trout and redfish are fair to good at Gas Well Flats on live shrimp. Redfish are fair in South Bay and Cullen on DOA Shrimp, scented plastics and live shrimp.

—TPWD

Fake hunting guide accusations New reef created off of Galveston coast

By Darlene McCormick Sanchez

The Kraken, a 371-foot cargo vessel, was sunk Jan. 20 by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Artificial Reef Program. The new artificial reef is 67 miles off the coast of Galveston.

The Kraken began its journey in May 2016 when it was towed from Trinidad to Brownsville to be repurposed for the reef 140 feet below the surface.

Over time, this sunken ship will bePhoto by TPWD come an artificial reef that attracts fish, coral and other invertebrates as well as divers and anglers.

“The entire marine ecosystem benefits from artificial reef projects like the Kraken,” said TPWD Artificial Reef Program Leader J. Dale Shively. “The Gulf of Mexico has only a few naturally occurring reefs so whenever we are able to add a new structure like this, the whole area benefits from the added habitat and species diversity.”

—TPWD

South Texas game wardens are investigating an incident where a ranch hand is accused of selling hunts on a 1,500-acre ranch near Carrizo Springs where he worked.

A law enforcement source confirmed that the ranch hand was hired to do work at the ranch, but did not have permission to sell hunts. The ranch’s owners want to press charges, according to the source.

Accusations were flying on Internet sites concerning the ranch hand pretending to be a guide, who allegedly sold a hunt to a YouTube hunting show and others.

“The South Texas Ranch, Regallo Ranch — we paid to hunt on with ‘his outfit’ was not his at all!” according to a post distrib-

New

uted by Trouthunter on 2coolfishing.com that included a video put out by TXGameHunters.

The accusation was discussed on texasbowhunter.com as well, where some posters verbally attacked TXGameHunters, who put out the video. Some posts defended the ranch hand.

“You have defaced him enough with your lies and slander,” wrote one poster who claimed to know the ranch hand.

The post went on to say the ranch hand received permission to shoot deer but not sell hunts.

The show owner put out a statement thanking people who shared his “scam alert” originally posted on his Facebook page before it was taken down.

Sources say the investigation is ongoing.

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Lone Star Outdoor News

11/2/16 1:43 PM

Page 12

January 27, 2017

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LSONews.com

GAME WARDEN BLOTTER DEER VIOLATION COULD HAVE TAKEN A TURN FOR THE WORSE A landowner in Val Verde County alerted game wardens about highpowered rifle shots heard after dark on a neighboring property.

The shooting was taking place on a small acreage rural subdivision. Upon arrival at the “hunting camp,” the game warden observed an individual sitting by a campfire chamber a round in a semiautomatic handgun he had picked up.

The warden hurriedly activated his red and blue lights and identified himself as he opened his door. As the warden yelled, “State game warden, state police, drop the gun,” the man continued to advance with the loaded handgun. The subject was yelling back, “I don’t believe you.” After several tense seconds of back and forth exchanges the situation was de-escalated and the warden was able to safely secure the handgun and all the other firearms with the group. The warden shared advice on how to respond when approached by law enforcement and then checked the camp.

An untagged white-tailed deer was discovered and violations for hunting white-tailed deer without a valid license and no hunter education certificate were identified. The deer was seized. Citations and restitution are pending.

LATE NIGHT DROP-OFF A local meat processor shared video evidence with game wardens showing two individuals dropping off a doe at approximately 3:45 a.m. The deer was untagged and appeared to be freshly killed. From the video, the warden was able to get a good description of the vehicle and the subjects. While on patrol a couple

KID LEFT HOLDING THE BEER A Delta County game warden was parked along a county road one evening when he heard several gunshots and then observed a car and pickup turn onto the road. Contact was made with the pickup occupied by a man and his two sons, ages 10 and 13. There were several firearms and spotlights in the pickup and the 13-year-old was holding an open bottle of beer. The man stated his sons had

of weeks later, the warden spotted the suspect vehicle and followed it to a local gas station. She recognized the driver from the video and made contact. Coincidentally, while she was questioning the subject, another vehicle pulled up and she was able to identify that driver as the second subject from the video.

Both subjects were interviewed and acknowledged to shooting the doe off the roadway, sometime after midnight, with a .22 rifle. Additionally, neither subject possessed a valid hunting license. Charges were filed and civil restitution is pending.

THE REAL STORY COMES OUT A Tom Green County game warden responding to a call about someone spotlighting from the roadway arrived on the scene to find a state trooper in contact with a vehicle.

The trooper advised that there was a spotlight and two rifles in the pickup. The driver was arrested for DWI and the passenger was released; both denied spotlighting.

The next day, the landowner who called in the spotlighting complaint asked wardens if anyone

received new guns for Christmas, and they wanted to try them out. The man admitted to hunting from the roadway and handing his son the open beer when he saw the game warden. Backup was called, and a state trooper arrested the father on suspicion of DWI. Charges for hunting from a public roadway were also filed.

was caught poaching because he heard two shots. Wardens returned to the area to look for evidence of illegal road hunting, located a doe that had been shot and recovered bullet fragments from the deer.

The wardens made contact with the driver who had been arrested and he gave consent to search his truck. They found two shell casings in the front driver’s side floorboard.

When questioning both the driver and the passenger about the deer, both denied any wrongdoing and advised they would be seeking legal counsel. The wardens seized the rifle believed to have been used to kill the doe and let the two subjects know it would be sent off for testing. The following day, the driver contacted the warden and asked if they could meet up so he could confess about what happened that night. The two admitted to spotlighting and shooting the doe from their truck at night. Charges and civil restitution are pending.

EXPOSED DEER LEG CATCHES ATTENTION Although not uncommon to see a deer leg sticking out of a pickup

bed, seeing one in the parking lot at the lake might raise some questions. A Titus County game warden on his way to Lake Monticello to check fishermen witnessed a pickup driving into the parking lot with a white-tailed deer foot sticking out of the top of the truck bed. The driver admitted that another individual had shot and given him the illegal deer. However, a check on the driver revealed that he had nine outstanding warrants in multiple counties and he was arrested. A subsequent investigation determined the doe was shot out of season with a crossbow in Franklin County. Citations were issued to the shooter for no hunting license, possession of an antlerless white-tailed deer without a permit, untagged white-tailed deer, and waste of game animal.

DANGLING DEER HEAD LEADS TO TROUBLE While on patrol in Webb County, game wardens noticed the head of a freshly harvested white-tailed buck hanging from a tree at a nearby residence. After a brief interview, the homeowner admitted to

shooting the deer and not having a valid hunting license. During a conversation with the owner’s cousin, wardens learned the subject had not only taken this buck two days ago on an unknown individual’s property, but also had shot a whitetailed buck from his vehicle on a public roadway about three weeks earlier. While on the scene, wardens obtained consent to look inside of the vehicle that allegedly was used during the commission of the offense and located binoculars, rifle, ammunition, drug paraphernalia and a clear plastic bag containing a white powdery substance that tested positive as cocaine. Cases and civil restitution are pending.

DON’T BAIT THE BIRDS A DeWitt County game warden on patrol observed some “mojo” dove decoys working in a field. Contact was made with two dove hunters.

After checking licenses and birds, the warden walked the areas where the two hunters were sitting, and on closer inspection, milo was found around a tank dam and along a road. It is illegal to bait or hunt over bait for migratory game birds. Citations for placing bait and hunting over bait were issued and 23 dove were seized.

REPORT ILLEGAL HUNTING AND FISHING ACTIVITY FOR A REWARD OF UP TO $1,000.

CALL (800) 792-4263

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

January 27, 2017

Page 13

Winter blue cats Continued from page 1

for producing giant catfish.

Tim Webb, of Sunrise Beach Village, shattered the lake record for blue catfish (41 pounds) by hauling in a 71.4-pound blue.

Webb reported his catfish came in “lazily.”

Hanson said that was an anomaly. “We caught an 80-pounder last year that took us 14 minutes to get in,” he said. “He bulldragged us several times, 15-25 yards each time. I think it has to do with where you hook them. If they’re hooked on the side or top of the mouth, they fight really, really hard. But if they get hooked in the bone on the bottom jaw, they kind of wallow in like that ol’ boy was talking about. Normally, they’re very strong, hard pullers.”

Cody Mullennix, who guides at Texoma, Tawakoni and a few other lakes, knows something about big catches. His state record for blue catfish is still holding on.

He caught “Splash,” which weighed 121.5

pounds, at Texoma in 2004. The big blue even earned Mullennix a world record for a time.

Texoma and Tawakoni are his primary lakes for chasing blue catfish.

“It’s hard for me to pick a favorite,” he said. “There definitely will be bigger fish at Texoma. Tawakoni is smaller, though, so they’re a little easier to find. You can normally put numbers in the boat there. But most of my bigger fish come from Texoma.”

Hanson is pretty much a Tawakoni man.

“We’re a small impoundment compared to Texoma,” he said, “but we don’t have two major rivers for them to get away from the main lake. The bottom line is we have a large concentration of fish in a small concentration of water. The bite is more consistent.”

Mullennix said he and his anglers are catching blue catfish from 20 to 60 pounds

at both lakes while drifting and anchored.

“You kinda have to be versatile,” he said.

“Some days you do better with one than the other. We’re fishing off the bottom, although some days you have to find a way to suspend your bait.”

Like Mullennix, Hanson furnishes all equipment. His clients will get long sturdy rods rigged with circle hooks, which eliminate the need for a hookset and also make it easier to release the fish.

“I insist clients use my equipment,” Hanson said. “Otherwise, the tackle they bring is either too big or too small. I’ve got what it takes to do the job. I’ve been doing it this way for more than 20 years and it works.”

Texoma might retain the edge as far as trophy blues, but state officials hope a new slot limit at Tawakoni brings out a few monsters. TPWD last fall added a 25-fish bag limit for blues and channels combined.

R

Only seven of that number can exceed 20 inches and only two 30 inches.

Mullennix has his doubts, though. “I talked to a guy who stayed a week at Tawakoni and left with 330 pounds of just fillets,” he said.

A game warden noted that the first year of a new slot limit is always challenging.

TPWD urges wardens to use discretion, as the emphasis is more on education than strict enforcement. Woe to those who blurt out awareness of the new slot limit or get tripped up by game wardens, however.

“Then you’re going to have a problem,” said Game Warden Daylan Damron.

David Hanson, Little D’s Guide Service: (903) 268-7391 Cody Mullenix, Cody’s Guide Service: (903) 815-0273

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Lone Star Outdoor News, ISSN 21628300, a publication of Lone Star Outdoor News, LLC, publishes twice a month.

A mailed subscription is $30 for 24 issues. Newsstand copies are $2, in certain markets copies are free, one per person.

Copyright 2017 with all rights reserved.

Reproduction and/or use of any photographic or written material without written permission by the publisher is prohibited.

Subscribers may send address changes to: Lone Star Outdoor News, P.O. Box 551695, Dallas, TX 75355 or email them to news@lonestaroutdoornews.com.

Executive Editor

Craig Nyhus

Managing Editor

Darlene McCormick Sanchez

Design Editor

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Page 14

January 27, 2017

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LSONews.com

HEROES

Wimpy Knox, from South Africa, with a huge hog he shot while hunting in Texas with his friend, Paul Bureau.

Brendan Guthrie got his first deer on the family’s Brady lease.

He got the 9-pointer from 20 yards with a .223.

Chase Parker bagged a 10-point, 150-pound deer in Hutto. His father, Charlie, acted as guide.

SHARE AN ADVENTURE

n Want to share hunting and fishing photos with other Lone Star Outdoor News readers?

Email 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.

Jake Alvis, 9, shot a 6-point buck at the Ashew-Fisher Ranch in Sonora.

He was with his dad, Michael Alvis, using his grandpa’s .243 Weatherby.

Dylan Sorrells, 10, of Dallas, caught this 57-pound, 4-ounce blue catfish on Lake Tawakoni. He was fishing with his dad and Lake Tawakoni Guide Service.

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Desert bighorn tag brings $120K at HSC At the Houston Safari Club’s 2017 Annual Convention and Hunting Expo, the Saturday night gala included an auction of a Texas desert bighorn sheep reserve tag. The winning bid of $120,000 was the second highest bid ever for the tag that is auctioned by a conservation organization each year, with the proceeds benefiting the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s desert bighorn restoration programs.

According to HSC, daily pedestrian traffic in the expo hall and attendance at the banquet fundraising events were at an all-time high. Speakers and entertainers included Wayne LaPierre from the National Rifle Association, Shane Mahoney of Conservation Vision and comedian Jason Hewlett. Guests saw some of the most diverse adventure opportunities from outfitters around the world, and high school students attended the Youth Wildlife Conservation Education program.

Beginning January 2018, the annual HSC event will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston.

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LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

January 27, 2017

Page 15

Page 16

January 27, 2017

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LSONews.com

TEXAS SUN, MOON AND TIDES Moon Phases

New

First

Full

Last

Jan. 27

Feb. 3

Feb. 10

Feb. 18

Solunar Sun times Moon times

Houston

Dallas

2017 A.M. P.M. SUN MOON Jan./Feb. Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets

2017 A.M. P.M. SUN MOON Jan./Feb. Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets

27 Fri 28 Sat 29 Sun 30 Mon 31 Tue 01 Wed 02 Thu 03 Fri 04 Sat 05 Sun 06 Mon 07 Tue 08 Wed 09 Thu 10 Fri

27 Fri 28 Sat 29 Sun 30 Mon 31 Tue 01 Wed 02 Thu

4:31 5:21 6:14 7:08 8:04 8:59 9:55

03 Fri 04 Sat 05 Sun 06 Mon 07 Tue 08 Wed 09 Thu 10 Fri

4:25 10:38 5:16 10:59 6:08 11:52 7:03 12:50 7:58 1:45 8:53 2:41 9:49 3:36 10:44 4:31 11:38 5:24 12:03 6:17 12:55 7:10 1:47 8:02 2:39 8:54 3:32 9:46 4:25 10:38

4:50 5:41 6:33 7:27 8:23 9:18 10:14 11:10 ----12:31 1:24 2:16 3:08 4:00 4:52

11:03 ----12:21 1:15 2:10 3:06 4:02 4:57 5:52 6:45 7:39 8:31 9:23 10:14 11:05

07:13 07:13 07:12 07:11 07:11 07:10 07:10 07:09 07:09 07:08 07:07 07:06 07:06 07:05 07:04

05:53 05:54 05:55 05:56 05:56 05:57 05:58 05:59 06:00 06:01 06:02 06:03 06:03 06:04 06:05

6:49a 5:53p 7:34a 6:51p 8:16a 7:50p 8:56a 8:50p 9:36a 9:50p 10:15a 10:51p 10:55a 11:53p 11:36a NoMoon 12:21p 12:56a 1:10p 1:59a 2:03p 3:03a 3:00p 4:04a 4:00p 5:01a 5:02p 5:54a 6:04p 6:43a

10:43 11:05 12:02 12:56 1:51 2:47 3:42

4:56 11:09 5:47 ----6:39 12:27 7:33 1:21 8:28 2:16 9:24 3:12 10:20 4:07

07:24 07:24 07:23 07:22 07:22 07:21 07:20

10:50 4:37

11:16

07:20 06:00 11:39a 12:01a

11:44 5:30 12:09 6:23 1:01 7:15 1:53 8:07 2:45 8:59 3:38 9:52 4:31 10:44

----- 5:57 12:37 6:51 1:30 7:44 2:22 8:37 3:14 9:28 4:06 10:20 4:58 11:11

5:03

07:19 07:18 07:17 07:17 07:16 07:15 07:14

05:53 05:54 05:55 05:56 05:57 05:58 05:59 06:01 06:02 06:03 06:04 06:05 06:06 06:07

7:00a 5:54p 7:44a 6:53p 8:25a 7:53p 9:05a 8:54p 9:43a 9:55p 10:20a 10:58p 10:59a NoMoon 12:23p 1:10p 2:03p 3:00p 4:01p 5:04p 6:06p

1:06a 2:10a 3:14a 4:15a 5:13a 6:05a 6:53a

San Antonio

Amarillo

2017 A.M. P.M. SUN MOON Jan./Feb. Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets

2017 A.M. P.M. SUN MOON Jan./Feb. Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets

27 Fri 28 Sat 29 Sun 30 Mon 31 Tue 01 Wed 02 Thu 03 Fri 04 Sat 05 Sun 06 Mon 07 Tue 08 Wed 09 Thu 10 Fri

27 Fri 28 Sat 29 Sun 30 Mon 31 Tue 01 Wed 02 Thu 03 Fri 04 Sat 05 Sun 06 Mon 07 Tue 08 Wed 09 Thu 10 Fri

4:37 10:50 5:28 11:11 6:21 12:08 7:15 1:03 8:10 1:58 9:06 2:53 10:01 3:49 10:56 4:43 11:50 5:37 12:16 6:30 1:08 7:22 1:59 8:14 2:52 9:06 3:44 9:58 4:37 10:51

5:03 5:53 6:46 7:40 8:35 9:31 10:27 11:23 ----12:44 1:37 2:29 3:21 4:12 5:04

11:15 ----12:33 1:27 2:23 3:18 4:14 5:09 6:04 6:58 7:51 8:43 9:35 10:27 11:18

07:25 07:24 07:24 07:23 07:23 07:22 07:21 07:21 07:20 07:20 07:19 07:18 07:18 07:17 07:16

06:06 06:07 06:08 06:09 06:10 06:11 06:11 06:12 06:13 06:14 06:15 06:16 06:17 06:17 06:18

7:01a 6:07p 7:46a 7:05p 8:28a 8:03p 9:09a 9:03p 9:48a 10:03p 10:28a 11:03p 11:08a NoMoon 11:50a 12:05a 12:34p 1:08a 1:23p 2:12a 2:16p 3:15a 3:14p 4:16a 4:14p 5:13a 5:16p 6:06a 6:18p 6:55a

4:51 11:04 5:42 11:25 6:34 12:22 7:28 1:16 8:24 2:11 9:19 3:07 10:15 4:02 11:10 4:57 ----- 5:50 12:29 6:43 1:21 7:36 2:13 8:28 3:05 9:20 3:58 10:12 4:51 11:04

5:16 6:07 6:59 7:53 8:49 9:44 10:40 11:36 12:04 12:57 1:50 2:42 3:34 4:26 5:18

11:29 ----12:47 1:41 2:36 3:32 4:28 5:23 6:18 7:11 8:04 8:57 9:49 10:40 11:31

07:49 07:49 07:48 07:47 07:46 07:46 07:45 07:44 07:43 07:42 07:42 07:41 07:40 07:39 07:38

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 06:23

7:26a 6:11p 8:09a 7:11p 8:49a 8:12p 9:27a 9:14p 10:04a 10:16p 10:41a 11:20p 11:18a NoMoon 11:58a 12:24a 12:40p 1:30a 1:27p 2:36a 2:19p 3:40a 3:16p 4:42a 4:17p 5:39a 5:20p 6:31a 6:24p 7:17a

Legend: Major=2 hours. Minor=1 hour. Times centered on the major-minor window. For other locations, subtract 1 minute per 12 miles east of a location, and add 1 minute per 12 miles west of a location.

Sabine Pass, north Date Jan 27 Jan 28 Jan 29 Jan 30 Jan 31 Feb 1 Feb 2 Feb 3 Feb 4 Feb 5 Feb 6 Feb 7 Feb 8 Feb 9 Feb 10

Time 1:16 AM 1:55 AM 2:39 AM 3:30 AM 4:31 AM 12:24 AM 1:23 AM 2:24 AM 3:25 AM 4:26 AM 5:23 AM 6:18 AM 7:11 AM 12:46 AM 1:41 AM

Port O’Connor Height 1.0H 1.1H 1.0H 1.0H 1.0H 0.3L 0.1L -0.1L -0.3L -0.5L -0.7L -0.8L -0.8L 1.2H 1.2H

Time 8:55 AM 9:33 AM 10:11 AM 10:51 AM 11:34 AM 5:47 AM 7:22 AM 9:13 AM 11:00 AM 12:24 PM 1:27 PM 2:19 PM 3:03 PM 8:00 AM 8:48 AM

Time 4:37 PM 5:06 PM 5:36 PM 6:06 PM 6:35 PM 12:19 PM 1:11 PM 2:12 PM 3:28 PM 4:53 PM 6:09 PM 7:08 PM 7:55 PM 3:43 PM 4:19 PM

Height 1.2H 1.2H 1.1H 1.1H 1.1H 0.0L 0.2L 0.5L 0.7L 0.8L 0.9L 0.9L 0.9L 1.3H 1.3H

Time 9:21 PM 9:59 PM 10:42 PM 11:30 PM

Height 0.8L 0.7L 0.6L 0.5L

7:05 PM 7:36 PM 8:10 PM 8:53 PM 9:46 PM 10:47 PM 11:48 PM

1.0H 1.0H 1.0H 1.0H 1.1H 1.1H 1.2H

8:37 PM 9:19 PM

0.8L 0.7L

Time 5:07 PM 5:30 PM 5:54 PM 6:21 PM 6:49 PM 12:07 PM 12:56 PM 2:00 PM 4:38 PM 6:36 PM 7:34 PM 8:26 PM 9:12 PM 4:10 PM 4:43 PM

Height 1.2H 1.2H 1.1H 1.1H 1.0H -0.1L 0.2L 0.5L 0.7L 0.8L 0.9L 0.9L 0.9L 1.3H 1.2H

Time 10:52 PM 11:07 PM 11:21 PM 11:47 PM

Height 0.8L 0.7L 0.7L 0.5L

7:19 PM 7:49 PM 8:18 PM 8:47 PM 9:20 PM 10:05 PM 11:20 PM

0.9H 0.9H 0.9H 0.9H 0.9H 1.0H 1.0H

9:47 PM 10:16 PM

0.8L 0.7L

Galveston Bay entrance, north jetty Date Jan 27 Jan 28 Jan 29 Jan 30 Jan 31 Feb 1 Feb 2 Feb 3 Feb 4 Feb 5 Feb 6 Feb 7 Feb 8 Feb 9 Feb 10

Time 1:15 AM 2:02 AM 2:52 AM 3:44 AM 4:40 AM 12:30 AM 1:27 AM 2:27 AM 3:27 AM 4:31 AM 5:33 AM 6:27 AM 7:18 AM 12:37 AM 1:42 AM

Height 0.9H 1.0H 0.9H 0.9H 0.9H 0.4L 0.2L -0.1L -0.3L -0.5L -0.7L -0.8L -0.9L 1.0H 1.1H

Time 9:01 AM 9:38 AM 10:13 AM 10:49 AM 11:26 AM 5:50 AM 7:38 AM 9:27 AM 11:20 AM 12:52 PM 1:57 PM 2:50 PM 3:34 PM 8:09 AM 9:02 AM

Height -0.7L -0.7L -0.6L -0.5L -0.3L 0.8H 0.7H 0.8H 0.9H 1.1H 1.2H 1.3H 1.3H -0.9L -0.8L

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

Time 5:57 PM 6:15 PM 2:49 AM 3:58 AM 4:59 AM 6:20 AM 8:29 AM 10:30 AM 1:18 PM 2:33 PM 3:35 PM 4:14 PM 4:46 PM 9:02 AM 9:57 AM

Height 0.7H 0.6H 0.4H 0.4H 0.4H 0.4H 0.3H 0.4H 0.5H 0.7H 0.8H 0.8H 0.8H -0.7L -0.6L

Time 9:58 AM 10:33 AM 12:28 AM 12:57 AM 1:24 AM 1:53 AM 2:30 AM 3:17 AM 4:20 AM 5:29 AM 6:25 AM 7:15 AM 8:06 AM 12:34 AM 1:48 AM

Height -0.6L -0.6L 0.7L 0.7L 0.5L 0.4L 0.2L 0.0L -0.3L -0.5L -0.6L -0.7L -0.8L -0.8L 0.9H

Time 4:54 PM 5:15 PM 2:14 AM 3:20 AM 4:30 AM 5:41 AM 7:16 AM 9:19 AM 11:16 AM 12:50 PM 1:49 PM 2:40 PM 3:25 PM 4:05 PM 8:34 AM

Height 1.3H 1.3H 0.8H 0.8H 0.8H 0.7H 0.7H 0.8H 1.0H 1.2H 1.4H 1.4H 1.4H 1.4H -0.7L

Height -0.7L -0.7L 0.6L 0.6L 0.4L 0.3L 0.1L -0.1L -0.3L -0.4L 0.7H -0.7L -0.7L 0.7L 0.7L

Time 11:01 PM 10:58 PM 5:40 AM 6:43 AM 7:55 AM 9:17 AM 10:54 AM 1:08 PM 11:38 PM 7:21 PM 9:26 AM 8:19 PM 8:52 PM 3:02 AM 4:07 AM

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

Time 11:06 AM 11:39 AM 12:15 PM 12:56 PM 1:44 PM 2:32 PM 6:21 PM

10:14 PM 5:13 PM 5:38 PM

Height -0.5L -0.4L -0.3L -0.1L 0.1L 0.3L 0.5L

0.5L 0.8H 0.7H

Time 6:35 7:00 7:26 7:49 8:09 8:21 8:31

PM PM PM PM PM PM PM

10:42 PM 11:12 PM

Height 0.6H 0.5H 0.5H 0.5H 0.4H 0.5H 0.5H

0.5L 0.4L

Freeport Harbor Date Jan 27 Jan 28 Jan 29 Jan 30 Jan 31 Feb 1 Feb 2 Feb 3 Feb 4 Feb 5 Feb 6 Feb 7 Feb 8 Feb 9 Feb 10

Time 8:29 AM 9:07 AM 12:00 AM 12:10 AM 12:24 AM 12:47 AM 1:24 AM 2:10 AM 3:01 AM 3:55 AM 4:56 AM 6:00 AM 6:56 AM 7:45 AM 1:01 AM

Time 1:04 PM 1:41 PM 3:36 AM 4:11 AM 4:43 AM 5:17 AM 5:56 AM 6:42 AM 7:34 AM 8:30 AM 12:12 AM 10:22 AM 11:17 AM 12:44 AM 1:23 AM

Date Jan 27 Jan 28 Jan 29 Jan 30 Jan 31 Feb 1 Feb 2 Feb 3 Feb 4 Feb 5 Feb 6 Feb 7 Feb 8 Feb 9 Feb 10

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

Time 2:20 AM 2:58 AM 3:36 AM 4:19 AM 5:17 AM 3:19 AM 4:59 AM 6:01 AM 6:56 AM 7:51 AM 8:47 AM 9:45 AM 12:11 AM 1:09 AM 2:07 AM

Time

Height

12:05 PM 12:43 PM 1:19 PM 4:07 AM 5:45 AM 8:37 AM 7:47 PM 7:44 PM 8:04 PM 8:41 PM 9:34 PM 10:38 PM 11:49 PM

-0.7L -0.6L -0.6L 0.0H -0.1H -0.2H 0.0H 0.1H 0.2H 0.2H 0.3H 0.3H 0.2H

Height -0.1H -0.1H -0.1H -0.2H -0.2H -0.2L -0.3L -0.3L -0.4L -0.4L -0.4L -0.5L -0.1H -0.1H -0.1H

Time 12:33 PM 1:11 PM 1:47 PM 2:19 PM 2:47 PM 7:02 AM 10:03 AM 9:45 PM 9:59 PM 10:31 PM 11:17 PM

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

10:41 AM 11:35 AM 12:23 PM

-0.5L -0.4L -0.4L

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

Time 8:43 AM 9:10 AM 1:36 AM 10:03 AM 10:35 AM 11:10 AM 6:44 AM 8:28 AM 7:31 PM 3:36 PM 2:35 PM 3:15 PM 3:54 PM 4:31 PM 8:47 AM

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

Height -0.1L -0.1L 0.0L 1.1H 1.1H 0.8L 0.6L 0.4L 0.2L 0.0L -0.1L -0.2L -0.2L -0.2L -0.2L

Time 6:16 PM 6:16 PM 6:23 PM 10:39 AM 11:19 AM 5:22 AM 7:20 AM 9:28 AM 12:13 PM 2:27 PM 3:15 PM 3:58 PM 4:35 PM 5:06 PM 5:28 PM

Height 1.4H 1.3H 1.2H 0.1L 0.3L 1.0H 1.0H 1.1H 1.2H 1.4H 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 1.5H 1.4H

Height 0.4H 0.4H 0.4H 0.3H 0.3H 0.2L 0.2L 0.1L 0.0L 0.0L 0.0L -0.1L 0.4H 0.4H 0.4H

Time 10:37 AM 11:01 AM 11:34 AM 12:45 PM 2:52 AM 7:13 AM 12:03 PM 8:50 PM 9:20 PM 6:06 PM 7:28 PM

Height 0.0L 0.0L 0.0L 0.1L 0.3L 0.3H 0.2H 0.3H 0.4H 0.4H 0.4H

9:27 AM 10:04 AM 10:36 AM

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Date Jan 27 Jan 28 Jan 28 Jan 30 Jan 31 Feb 1 Feb 2 Feb 3 Feb 4 Feb 5 Feb 6 Feb 7 Feb 8 Feb 9 Feb 10

Time 12:01 AM 12:46 AM 8:25 PM 2:34 AM 3:45 AM 5:11 AM 12:24 AM 1:57 AM 3:13 AM 4:17 AM 5:16 AM 6:12 AM 7:07 AM 7:58 AM 12:18 AM

Height 0.6H 0.6H -0.4L 0.5H 0.5H 0.5H 0.2L 0.3L

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9:48 AM 10:31 AM 11:15 AM 12:02 PM 1:03 PM 2:48 PM 5:36 PM

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Rollover Pass Date Jan 27 Jan 28 Jan 29 Jan 30 Jan 31 Feb 1 Feb 2 Feb 3 Feb 4 Feb 5 Feb 6 Feb 7 Feb 8 Feb 9 Feb 10

Rockport

Time 11:25 AM 12:50 AM 1:50 AM 2:54 AM 1:44 AM 2:40 AM 3:32 AM 4:25 AM 5:22 AM 6:23 AM 7:27 AM 8:32 AM 9:36 AM 10:35 AM 11:27 AM

Port Aransas

San Luis Pass Date Jan 27 Jan 28 Jan 29 Jan 30 Jan 31 Feb 1 Feb 2 Feb 3 Feb 4 Feb 5 Feb 6 Feb 7 Feb 8 Feb 9 Feb 10

Date Jan 27 Jan 28 Jan 29 Jan 30 Jan 31 Feb 1 Feb 2 Feb 3 Feb 4 Feb 5 Feb 6 Feb 7 Feb 8 Feb 9 Feb 10

Date Jan 27 Jan 28 Jan 29 Jan 30 Jan 31 Feb 1 Feb 2 Feb 3 Feb 4 Feb 5 Feb 6 Feb 7 Feb 8 Feb 9 Feb 10

Time 8:44 AM 9:22 AM 10:00 AM 2:14 AM 3:42 AM 12:31 AM 1:14 AM 2:05 AM 3:00 AM 3:59 AM 4:59 AM 5:58 AM 6:56 AM 7:50 AM 8:42 AM

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11:35 PM 6:32 PM 6:39 PM 12:00 PM 12:45 PM 1:40 PM 3:59 PM

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6:43 6:41 6:40 6:37

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PM PM PM PM

East Matagorda Time 2:17 2:52 3:25 3:55 4:18 4:25

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PM PM PM PM PM PM

-0.6L -0.4L -0.3L -0.1L 0.1L 0.3L

9:57 PM 7:47 PM

0.6L 0.8H

12:10 PM 1:00 PM

-0.7L -0.7L

Time 10:51 10:46 10:41 10:44 10:55 11:13

PM PM PM PM PM PM

9:22 PM 9:45 PM

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Date Jan 27 Jan 28 Jan 29 Jan 30 Jan 31 Feb 1 Feb 2 Feb 3 Feb 4 Feb 5 Feb 6 Feb 7 Feb 8 Feb 9 Feb 10

Time 12:22 AM 3:01 AM 3:55 AM 4:38 AM 12:39 AM 2:43 AM 3:06 AM 5:35 AM 6:13 AM 6:52 AM 7:40 AM 8:39 AM 12:10 AM 12:51 AM 1:46 AM

Time

5:34 AM 2:01 PM 2:16 PM

Height

0.3H 0.2L 0.2L

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1:37 PM 8:11 PM 8:29 PM

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0.1L 0.3H 0.3H

Texas Coast Tides

Height -0.7L -0.7L -0.6L -0.5L -0.3L 0.9H 0.8H 0.9H 1.0H 1.1H 1.2H 1.3H 1.3H -0.8L -0.8L

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

January 27, 2017

Page 17

A life-changer Shooting team, hunt transform student

By Craig Nyhus

Lone Star Outdoor News When Abigail Brandenburg, a junior at Coppell High School, was made aware of a deer-hunting opportunity with the Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation, she jumped at the chance.

A member of the Coppell Competitive Shooting Team, she had never hunted. The shooting team, though, changed her life.

The members of the shooting team are regular volunteers at the Dallas Safari Club convention, and once advised a member of the team would be selected for a deer hunt, she immediately put a short essay together for her team advisor.

“I wanted it so bad,” Abby said.

“I wrote the essay within an hour of finding out.”

“If it weren’t for the team, I would still be that shy, self-conscious girl that I was three years ago,” she wrote.

Abby began shooting at age 14, and had only held a shotgun one time before starting with the team.

“I remember the first team practice,” she said. “I was nervous beyond belief, and I had no idea what to expect.”

To say she has improved would be an understatement.

“I started in trap and remember getting excited when I got 6 out of 25 targets,” she said.

Now, she has switched her competitive attention to skeet.

“I’m regularly getting 23s and 24s,” Abby said. “I’m still waiting to get that perfect score of 25, it seems like I either miss the first or the 25th shot.”

When Abby arrived at the Williams Ranch near George West with her dad, Britt, something felt oddly familiar to her father.

“My step-grandpa, John Dalrymple, died when I was little,” Abby said. “He was a big hunter. If he was still alive, this wouldn’t have been my first time hunting. After talking to Jason and Brad Williams, we realized that my step-grandpa had hunted on the ranch for more than 20 years. It made the hunt more special.”

Abby’s hunt started slowly. The first evening, she saw several doe, hogs, turkey, two coyotes, and a bobcat run by.

“But no bucks,” she said.

Two of the other three people on the hunt had success the first evening, but she wasn’t discouraged.

The next morning was more of the same, with less activity. The second afternoon was void of bucks, too.

“After a few doe came and went, a hog came by and started feeding,” Abby said. “My guide, Tony, asked if I wanted to shoot him. I did, and he didn’t go anywhere.”

The third of her hunting companions now had a buck, too.

“It was a little frustrating when all the other three people had their deer and I didn’t, but the hog was a confidence builder,” Abby said.

On the final morning, some bucks arrived.

“There were some spikes and one 6-pointer,” Abby said. “Finally, the spikes left and I shot the buck. I got him right in the shoulder.”

After watching all of the others dress their deer, it was Abby’s turn to help before heading back home with her two animals.

After high school, she plans to study nursing.

“And I’ll continue shooting,” she said.

The shooting, and now hunting, changed Abby from being withdrawn to confident.

“Looking back, joining the team was the best decision I ever made,” Abby said. “It is amazing how much I have changed as a person and an athlete in these past few years. My confidence in myself has surged, and I have grown to realize that your goal should not always be to beat others but to beat your personal best. This is the outlook on life that is key to my future.”

Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, seeks to create hunters and fishermen for a lifetime by creating opportunities for those who have the passion to hunt or fish but lack the opportunity. To donate, call (214) 3612276.

COMING OF AGE: Joining a shooting team and going on her first hunt helped Abby Brandenburg change from a shy, self-conscious girl to a confident young woman.

She is one of the team’s top skeet shooters. On her hunt, with Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation, she bagged a hog and a buck. Her dad, Britt, was on hand to help. Photos

by Craig Nyhus, Lone Star Outdoor News.

Page 18

January 27, 2017

LoneOStar Outdoor News

INDUSTRY

OUTDOOR PUZZLER OUTDOOR PUZZLER

Peters appointed to NOAA council

Solution on on Page Solution Page22

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Martin Peters, government relations manager for Yamaha Marine Group, has been appointed to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Sanctuary Business Advisory Council.

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New managers at Plano Synergy

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ACROSS Upper or lower on boat motors A trout 2. native Upper to or Europe lower on boat motors Internal of gun barrel 5. Adiameter trout native to Europe The Barbary sheep Internal diameter of gun barrel Better6.word for silencer 10.deer The Barbary sheep Young A species of grouse 12. Better word for silencer Put 13. out Young the boat deer Domesticated turned wild 14. Amoon species of grouse Favorite phase for bass spawn 16. Put out the boat org.

A worldwide conservation 17. Domesticated turned wild Cottontail's cousin Fish-eating birdsmoon that invade ponds, 18. Favorite phase for bass lakes spawn A good hook for catch and release 19. A worldwide conservation org.

Aiming point shown through scope 23. Cottontail’s cousin Always wear when shooting 24.rod-making Fish-eatingmaterial birds that invade Good Warms ponds, coastallakes waters, good spout for trout Stocked Texas during winter 26. Aingood hook for catch and release Anglers wear in streams 28.

Aiming point shown through scope Appendages on turkey legs 29.

Always wear when shooting A favorite lure in Texas 31. Good rod-making material 32. Warms coastal waters, good spot for trout 34. Stocked in Texas during winter 38. Anglers wear in streams 41. Appendages on turkey legs 43. A favorite lure in Texas 44. Helps provide water for wildlife 45. Thrown overboard to attract fish 46. A controversial disease in whitetails 47. Where to find white bass 48. A favorite fishing town along Texas coast 49. A gun rights org.

Nature’s Calling

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Down

1.DOWN Called the king of ducks 3. 1.

Used to trap coyotes, bobcats Called the king of ducks 4. 3.

A young Used toturkey trap coyotes, bobcats 5. Another name for the wigeon A young turkey 7. 4.

The oswego 5. Another name for the wigeon

8. 7.

The main fin on a fish The oswego 9. 8.

Blue, channel Theyellow, main fin on a fish 11. Illegal taking of fish, wildlife 9.

Blue, yellow, channel 14. A hunting trip abroad Illegal taking of rebound fish, wildlife 15.11.

Gamebird on the in Texas 20.14.

A goose species A hunting trip abroad 21.15.

Fish-eating Gamebird mammals on the rebound in Texas 22.20.

A bass fishing tournament trail A goose species 25. Helps land the fish Fish-eating mammals 26.21.

Conservation org. along coast A bass fishing tournament trail 27.22.

Saltwater fish with spots 29.25.

A newer dovethe to Texas Helps land fish 30.26.

Crappie, bluegillorg. along coast Conservation 33. Black or red 27.

Saltwater fish with spots 35. Shotgun type 29.

A newer dove to Texas 36. A name for the white bass 30.

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LSONews.com

Crappie, bluegill Black or red Shotgun type A name for the white bass Upland species hunted in marshes Shells and bullets Notched end of an arrow A turkey call

By Aaron Anderson, For Lone Star Outdoor News

36

Plano Synergy hired Courtney Henderson as senior director of marketing, Andy Baumbach as hunting marketing manager and Lori Goldberg as retail marketing manager.

Beretta acquires Victrix Armaments Beretta has acquired Victrix Armaments brand from Officina Meccanica Rottigni, an Italian company.

MarineMax acquires Hall Marine Group assets MarineMax, Inc. has acquired substantially all of the assets of Hall Marine Group, one of the largest privately owned boat dealers in the Southeast.

Murski to rep German Precision Optics German Precision Optics hired Murski Breeding Sales to represent them in 37 states.

Childress to chair National Hunting and Fishing Day NASCAR legend Richard Childress has been selected as the honorary chairman for National Hunting and Fishing Day, set for Sept. 23.

Two promotions at Benelli Benelli USA announces the promotions of George Thompson to director of product management and JP Fischer to director of sales and channel management.

Laser sight developer honored Lewis Danielson, founder of Crimson Trace Corporation, has received the SHOT Business Person of the Year award. Danielson was instrumental in inventing laser sights.

Director of distribution at Mako Christopher Means has become the new director of distribution at The Mako Group.

New director at Port A chamber Jeffrey Hentz has been named the new president and chief executive officer of the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce & Tourist Bureau.

FOR THE TABLE *email LSON your favorite recipe to news@lonestaroutdoornews.com.

Spicy breakfast braid (venison) 1 can refrigerated pizza crust dough Oil for cooking 1/4 cup chopped onion 1-2 tbsps. minced garlic 1/2 pound ground venison 1/4 cup chopped seeded jalapeño peppers Salt, pepper, and chili powder 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1/2 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1 large egg white, lightly beaten Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Unroll dough onto a greased baking sheet and pat into a 15 x 10–inch rectangle. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add venison, onion, garlic, peppers and seasoning; cook until lightly

browned. Stir in eggs; cook until set. Remove from heat. Sprinkle Monterrey jack lengthwise down center of dough, leaving about a 2 1/2-inch border on each side.

Spoon egg mixture evenly over cheese. Sprinkle cheddar over egg mixture; top with jalapeño peppers. Make 2-inch-long diagonal cuts about 1 inch apart on both sides of dough to within 1/2 inch of filling using a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Arrange strips over filling, alternating strips diagonally over filling. Press ends under to seal. Brush with egg white. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Let stand 5 minutes. Cut crosswise into slices.

—wildlife.ohiodnr.gov

Catfish stew and rice 2 medium potatoes 1 can (14 1/2 ounce) tomatoes, cut up 1 cup onion, chopped 1 cup (8-ounce bottle) clam juice or water 1 cup water 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 head cabbage, coarsely chopped 1 pound catfish fillets green onion, sliced, as needed 1 1/2 tbsps. chili and spice seasoning 2 cups rice (brown or white), cooked Peel potatoes and cut into quarters. In large pot, combine potatoes, tomatoes and their juice, onion, clam juice, water,

and garlic. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Cook covered over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.

Add cabbage and return to boil.

Reduce heat. Cook covered over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cut fillets into 2-inch lengths.

Coat with chili and spice seasoning. Add fish to vegetables.

Reduce heat and simmer covered for 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork. Serve in soup plates. Garnish with sliced green onion, if desired. Serve with scoop of hot cooked rice.

—health.gov

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

January 27, 2017

Page 19

(800) 227-2016 weatherby.com

>>

SOLIX FISHFINDER: Humminbird has combined its best features and placed them into one fishfinder, the new SOLIX. Offering up to a 15-inch display, this fishfinder boasts what the company describes as game-changing sonar, imaging and mapping capabilities designed to make locating fish easier. The SOLIX comes in four models, two with a 12-inch screen and two with a 15inch screen. Each comes standard with Cross Touch Interface, allowing anglers to operate the unit via touchscreen or keypad while customizing the screen with up to four independent viewing panes. All models also include CHIRP Digital Sonar, which fires more pulses than traditional transducers over a given period of time. More pulses translate into more information, improved target separation and superior image clarity at greater depths. The fishfinder’s mapping system utilizes Autochart Live technology, which identifies and maps depth, bottom hardness and vegetation. And, Bluetooth is built into every unit, allowing anglers to sync smartphones to the on-board SOLIX. The fishfinders range in cost from about $2,400 to $3,500, depending on the model.

(800) 633-1468 humminbird.com

VANGUARD CAMILLA: This Weatherby rifle is designed by women for women. For 2017, a new cartridge has been added to the Camilla line: the 6.5 Creedmoor. The rifle is also available in .243 WIN, .308 WIN and 7mm-08 REM. The rifle’s stock, sculpted from A-grade Turkish walnut with a satin finish and rosewood caps, has a slim forearm for a fine feel and reduced weight. The narrow radius pistol grip has a subtle palm-swell and a short grip-to-trigger reach for smaller hands. Camilla’s high comb provides optimal cheek weld and eyescope alignment. Combined with its 13-inch length of pull and thoughtful buttstock angle, this rifle exactly fits a woman’s form with impeccable balance and handling. The rifle’s MSRP is $849.

>>

FRONT REPLACEMENT BUMPER: All Seasons Feeders (ASF) in conjunction with TR Industrial has introduced tough and functional bumpers that protect against the roughest obstacles or just improve the look of an outdoorsman’s side by side.

These bumpers are lasercut and fabricated from 11-gauge premium steel to exacting specifications and finished with a black matte powder coat for durability.

Other features include a 2-inch front receiver mount and heavy-duty shackle mounts plus a 11/4-inch diameter tubing bull bar.

The bumper costs about $500.

(800) 841-1720 allseasonsfeeders.com

>>

>>

PRODUCTS

TUFF TRUCK BAG: This heavy-duty waterproof bag by TuffTruckBag measures 40 inches by 50 inches by 22 inches and fits in any pickup truck bed. The bag is durable enough for outdoorsmen to stow their hunting or fishing gear and anything else that needs storing. Features include a commercial grade zipper, four low-tension adjustable bungee cords, and solid metal corner rings. Each bag costs about $200. “I took the larger Tuff Truck Bag on several hunting and fishing trips in both very wet and very dry conditions,” said Lone Star Outdoor News’ Executive Editor Craig Nyhus. “The bags do what they say: keep all of your stuff dry. Better yet for Texas, your gear stays free of dust, and the bag is large enough for your smaller heavy cooler so it won’t get stolen from your bed. You do have to plan when you load the large bag since the covered zipper is on one end.”

(877) 535-8833 tufftruckbag.com

LITTLE CHINGON 5’ x 5’ with 5’ TOWER

DEER SEASON IS UPON US!

Visit our GUN ROOM & let us outfit you with all YOUR hunting needs!

BIG CHINGON

7’ x 7’ with 8 TOWER

1-800-221-6398

830.426.3313 830.334.3323 830.931.2215

Hondo, TX Pearsall, TX 120 Hwy 173N 1845 Business I-35N Follow the Mumme’s Inc. Facebook page for info on the latest items and special sales!

www.mummesinc.com

(Freight Quotes & Shipping)

Rio Medina, TX 10195 FM 2676

Page 20

January 27, 2017

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LSONews.com

NATIONAL Golden Moose award winners

Daisy, Gamo expand Arkansas plant

Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel presented 20 Outdoor Sportsman Awards on Jan. 19 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Award went to: Best Overall: Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures Best New Series, Outdoor Channel: Carter’s W.A.R. Best New Series, Sportsman Channel: Just Junie Best Deer Hunting: Michael Waddell’s Bone Collector Best Big Game: CRUSH with Lee & Tiffany Best Small Game: MeatEater Best Fishing: Trev Gowdy’s Monster Fish Best Shooting Sports: Viking Chronicles Best General Interest: The Best Defense Best Comedy: MCMILLAN Best Commercial: Under Amour – These Are My Boots Best Graphics: Dropped Best Show Open: Driven with Pat & Nicole Best Sound Design: The Best Defense Best Videography: Dave Mercer’s Facts of Fishing Best Turkey: The Habit Best Wingshooting: Heartland Waterfowl Best Conservation: Carter’s W.A.R. Fan Favorite Host, Outdoor Channel: Ted & Shemane Nugent, Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild Fan Favorite Host, Sportsman Channel: Tim Wells, Relentless Pursuit

Keith Higginbotham, president of Gamo Outdoor USA and Daisy, along with Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, announced an expansion of the current Daisy plant in Rogers, Arkansas. The expanded facility will serve as U.S. headquarters for both Daisy and Gamo.

Approximately 25 new jobs will be created.

Daisy currently has 65 employees at the Rogers facility along with 20 seasonal workers.

—Outdoor Sportsman Group

JUDGE WORS WICK, 9, OF SAN ANTO NIO, SHOT THIS 13-POIN T BUCK THAT SCORED 196 AT DRY CREEK R ANCH ON 11-11-16. HE USED A 6.5 CREEDMO OR AT 100 YARDS.

Nikon will send your 10x42 ProStaff 7 binoculars. You can check out the entire line at the nearest dealer:

Record P&Y typical elk An elk from Montana taken on public land during the archery season in 2016 is a potential new archery record typical American elk.

After the mandatory 60-day drying period, the elk’s official entry score was confirmed at 430 inches. The bull was taken on a solo hunt early in the Montana archery season by a resident hunter, Steve Felix.

The current archery world record typical elk scores 412 1/8 and was taken in 2005 from Arizona.

—Pope and Young Club

Restrictions on feeding wildlife, using deer urine See a full selection of Nikon products at:

Nagel’s Gun Shop

6201 San Pedro Ave. San Antonio, TX 78216 (210) 342-5420 nagelsguns.net

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission banned feeding wildlife outside of the Sept.

1 - Dec. 31 baiting season in 10 counties. A statewide ban on the use of scents and lures using natural deer urine also began Jan. 1.

Both regulations were passed in June 2016, in response to the discovery of chronic wasting disease in Arkansas.

—AGFC

DU is 80 years old Sunday, Jan. 29, marks Ducks Unlimited’s 80th anniversary. Started by a small group of sportsmen on a mission to save North America’s waterfowl populations — and the continent’s strong waterfowling traditions — DU was founded in 1937 during the Great Depression and one of the worst droughts in history.

Over the last 80 years, DU has completed more than 100,000 conservation projects and conserved more than 13.8 million acres across North America through on-the-ground, science-based conservation work.

—DU

Good deer season in Arkansas, Missouri Arkansas hunters have checked more than 200,000 deer this season. This is the fifth consecutive year the Arkansas harvest has surpassed that milestone. Missouri’s 20162017 deer-hunting season ended Jan. 15 with the Missouri Department of Conservation reporting a preliminary total harvest of 263,832 deer.

—Staff report

—Gamo Outdoor USA

Sig Sauer receives U.S. Army contract The U.S. Army has selected the SIG SAUER Model P320 to replace the M9 service pistol currently in use since the mid-1980s.

Released in 2014, the P320 is a polymer striker-fired pistol that has proven itself in both the United States and worldwide markets. The P320 is the first modular pistol with interchangeable grip modules that can also be adjusted in frame size and caliber by the operator. All pistols will be produced at the SIG SAUER facilities in New Hampshire.

—Sig Sauer

B&C provides position on trophies and hunting The Boone and Crockett Club released a position statement and video on big-game trophies and hunting.

In the statement, B&C said trophy hunting is the subject that has generated the most misunderstanding and misperceptions. As a result, the conservation benefits of hunting in general and the ethics of some hunters individually have come under attack.

“The Boone and Crockett Club does not believe trophy hunting is a particular form of hunting, but rather the selective pursuit of an older, more mature animal that tends to be more wary, elusive, and more challenging to hunt. When hunters choose to selectively hunt in fair chase, they are engaging in wildlife conservation at its core. It is a choice that should be respected and admired, not criticized,” the statement read.

“The arguments being put forth that trophy hunting is unacceptable are value-based and have no scientific relevance,” said Club President Ben B. Hollingsworth Jr. “They also ignore the historical linkage between hunting, wildlife recovery, conservation and management, and the future welfare of game species.”

The position statement expresses the club’s belief that the term “trophy hunting” is ambiguous, subjective, and can therefore be easily exploited to advance antihunter rhetoric. Hollingsworth explained, “Inserting the word ‘trophy’ in front of the word ‘hunting’ is a disingenuous tactic intended to sway the public against all hunting. In the club’s view, selective hunting is not something that can be singled out and legislated away without threatening public hunting as a whole, as well as our proven system of wildlife conservation.”

—B&C

Landscape shrub killing elk, pronghorn Two weeks ago, a group of eight elk died in the Boise foothills after feeding on Japanese yew plants. This week, a herd of 50 pronghorn antelope have been found dead in the town of Payette, victims of the same toxic shrub.

Japanese Yew, or taxus cuspidata, is a common landscaping shrub, despite the fact that its soft, waxy needles are fatal to a variety of species, including elk, moose, horses, dogs and even humans. In some locations, winter weather is pushing big game animals into more urban neighborhoods.

—Staff report

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

January 27, 2017

Page 21

Signs of good bass at Big Sam, Falcon Lone Star Outdoor News If tournaments are an indicator of fishing success, Lake Falcon and Sam Rayburn Reservoir could be in for a good winter and spring season.

At Falcon, the Bass Champs event on Jan. 21 saw four fish topping 10 pounds, four more topping 9 and 21 two-person teams landing five fish weighing more than 20 pounds.

The biggest bass, 11.94 pounds, was landed by the team of Brad Nichols of New Braunfels and John Stephens of Austin. The team finished 10th overall.

The tournament’s top prize, $20,000, was won

by Joseph Tompkins and Joseph Tompkins II, both of Boerne, with 30.98 pounds, including a 9.47-pound kicker. Ronald Vance of Carlos Serma of Laredo finished second with 28.13 pounds.

At Sam Rayburn on Jan. 14, the winning team also topped 30 pounds, as John Iles of Lufkin and Brian Shook of China landed 30.75 pounds to win the $20,000. Jaret Latta of Cedar Park and Brian Lowrance of Nacogdoches finished second with 28.31 pounds. The biggest bass caught weighed 8.48 pounds.

The winning team threw crankbaits outside of the grass line on secondary points, while the runners-up tossed Carolina rigs along a ledge.

Also on Sam Rayburn, Blake Schroeder of Whitehouse won the BFL event on Jan. 21 with 28 pounds, 10 ounces; David Kabalais and Chad Guillom topped the field at the Rat-L-Trap tournament on Jan. 22 with 28.57 pounds; and Thomas McMillan and Mark Price won the USA Fishing Trails event on Jan. 22 with 21.61 pounds.

Young archer joins dream team

BASS ON THE UPTICK: Good tournament weights were landed at recent events on Sam Rayburn Reservoir and Falcon Lake. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.

Antler values Continued from page 1

Riley Marx, a freshman at the Lowery Freshman Center at Allen High School, has been accepted to train as part of the USA Archery Regional Junior Dream Team.

The dream teams were developed to help young archers focus on technical and mental skill development, with the ultimate goal of achieving future international success at the world championship, World Cup and Olympic levels.

Two teams, RDT-East and RDT-West, are limited to the top 30 archers from each region of the country, and the recurve archers receive best-quality training in some of the best archery training facilities in the world with a set of USA Archery certified coaches.

Marx shoots for both Fulcrum Archery and the North Dallas JOAD. —Texas Archery Academy FUTURE STAR: Riley Marx of Allen will train in an attempt to shoot at a world championship level. Photo

by Texas Archery Academy.

Lead ban Continued from page 1

hopes the next director will rescind it.

“This directive is irresponsible and driven not out of sound science but unchecked politics,” said Lawrence Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. “The timing alone is suspect. This directive was published without dialogue with industry, sportsmen and conservationists.”

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies issued a statement expressing “utter dismay.” Association President Nick Wiley said “this action flies squarely in the face of a long and constructive tradition of states working in partnership with the Service to effectively manage wildlife resources.”

Fishing groups chimed in as well.

Scott Gudes, vice president of Government Affairs for the American Sportfishing Association, the trade association that represents the

recreational fishing industry, issued a statement of behalf of the industry.

“The sportfishing industry views this unilateral policy to ban lead fishing tackle, which was developed without any input from the industry, other angling organizations and state fish and wildlife agencies, as a complete disregard for the economic and social impact it will have on anglers and the recreational fishing industry,” Gudes said. “In the limited instances where lead fishing tackle is demonstrated to harm local wildlife populations, the sportfishing industry supports actions to minimize or eliminate these impacts. However, unnecessary and sweeping bans such as this Director’s Order will do nothing to benefit wildlife populations and instead will penalize the nation’s 46 million anglers and hurt recreational fishing-dependent jobs.”

VARYING PRICES: A big buck doesn’t necessarily mean big bucks if the mount is put up for sale. Photo by John Brommel.

marbling quality attracts collectors.

The number of points doesn’t always translate into more value, he said. For example, antlers with 16 points, which look bigger and have good tine height, would bring a better price than those with more points but shorter tines. He agreed that Tucker’s antlers could fetch anywhere from $60,000 to $100,000.

Charowhas said deer hitting the 300 mark are fairly common in the breeding world and might only bring $1,000 on the open market. But all that changes with natural deer and their antlers.

“Like paintings — it’s the same thing. People want the original creation,” Charowhas said.

The story behind the antlers can also enhance the desirability for collectors.

Charowhas, who buys only freerange antlers, owns a world-class whitetail shed, which has its own story. The antlers, which grossed 310 1/8, were found in 1989 near the Manhattan Airport in Kansas. Pilots and locals reported seeing a magnificent buck in the area. Then at Christmastime, a dog went out exploring and

brought a giant 23-point shed into the yard where some kids found it.

The dog then led people back to the spot where the remaining antler had been shed. Combined, the rack had 43 points and each side was almost a mirror image of the other. Only one point didn’t match, Charowhas said.

John Brommel, who runs Taxidermy King Auctions and The Corner Shoppe in Austin, agrees that the money remains with natural deer.

However, people shouldn’t expect to get rich selling big antlers. His auction business sells mounts of all types, including large whitetail mounts. Lowfenced bucks scoring 220 or greater might sell for $2,000-$4,000. Only once does he remember one going for five figures — that was 15 years ago, before high fences, when a buck scoring in the 240-range brought $18,500.

Like others in the antler business, he believes the value depends mainly on rarity and quality.

A mount owned by Teddy Roosevelt, for example, would place it in a different class because of its history and uniqueness.

“The cool factor makes a difference,” he said.

Chasing blue quail Continued from page 4

in a day, he said.

He’s also done some hunting near Big Lake where the quail have been good for the last three years. Like Stephenson, the challenge has been getting the birds to hold, especially when there’s good cover.

“You better have your track shoes on,” Winslow said.

Kip Giles, who hunts near Big Lake, reported the hunting was just as good as last year if not a tad better. He is seeing a mix of

about 60 percent blue quail with the number of harvested birds reaching 85 for a three-day total in mid-January.

The difference this year is the broomweed is thicker, so the hunting is a little tougher.

The only place not reporting a bumper harvest is the Trans-Pecos area.

Biologist Dewey Stockbridge with the Elephant Mountain WMA, said the area has only recorded 150 blue quail harvested

so far this season.

“We didn’t have a big hatch.

That’s what’s weird,” he said.

Another difference is most of the birds harvested are adults, and they are holding like bobwhites.

In the Big Bend area, Black Gap WMA reported 572 birds harvested so far.

“We’ve had two exceptional years of rainfall. It baffles me,” Stockbridge said.

At the Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation Wild Game Supper

in October, Brent Karrington of Dallas purchased a West Texas blue quail hunt with Evan Purvis of Midland, and hunted with a friend the weekend of Jan. 20.

“Quail were everywhere,” he said.

The group estimated seeing 20 coveys during the hunt, but the coveys were large.

“And there were several coveys we just couldn’t catch up with,” Karrington said. “On average, the coveys were 50-60 birds

each,” Karrington said. “The birds were real healthy and big and all the habitat of the native grasses looked great.”

The shooting, though, suffered in the wind.

“We shot 18 blue quail but should have shot 30,” Karrington said. “The wind seemed like it was blowing 50 mph.

“It was really fun, we did a lot of running. We’re already talking about going back.”

Page 22

January 27, 2017

LoneOStar Outdoor News

LSONews.com

DATEBOOK JANUARY 28

FEBRUARY 10

Texas Hill Country Safari Club International Annual Fundraiser Dinner/Gala Hill Country Shooting Sports Center texashillcountrysci.org

National Wild Turkey Federation Hunting Heritage Banquet Tyler Rose Garden (903) 920-5115 nwtf.org

FEBRUARY 3

FEBRUARY 10-11

Ducks Unlimited Caddo Lake Dinner Caddo Lake State Park Rec Hall (903) 748-5488 ducks.org/texas

Central Texas Wildlife Legacy Hunting Convention and Gala Crowne Plaza Hotel (512) 773-5674 centraltexaswildlifelegacy.org

FEBRUARY 3-12

Texas Deer Association Sportsman’s Roundup & Deer Auction La Cantera Resort & Spa, San Antonio texasdeerassociation.com

DFW Boat Expo Market Hall, Dallas Dallasboatexpo.com

FEBRUARY 4

FEBRUARY 11

Ducks Unlimited Mexia Dinner The Cowboy Club (903) 388-5471 ducks.org/texas

National Wild Turkey Federation Hunting Heritage Banquet Houston Distributing Co. Inc. (832) 492-1400 nwtf.org

FEBRUARY 9

FEBRUARY 18-19

Austin RV Expo Austin Convention Center (512) 366-7135 austinrvexpo.com

FEBRUARY 23

FEBRUARY 25

Texas Dove Hunters Association Bag Limit Banquet Noah’s Event Venue, Sugar Land (281) 491-0300 texasdovehunters.com

Mule Deer Foundation Parker County Chapter Banquet Weatherford (817) 475-9702 muledeer.org

National Wild Turkey Federation Hunting Heritage Banquet Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds (361) 980-1194 nwtf.org

FEBRUARY 25-26

Texas Gun and Knife Association Gun Show Kerrville Event Center texasgunandknifeshows.com

FEBRUARY 24

MARCH 2

National Wild Turkey Federation Hunting Heritage Banquet, Pioneer Chapter McKenzie Memorial United Methodist (903) 219-2692 nwtf.org

Park Cities Quail 11th Annual Dinner and Auction Flight Museum, Dallas (214) 632-7460 parkcitiesquail.org

OUTDOOR PUZZLER Solution on Page

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

FEBRUARY 9-12

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San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Wildlife Expo sarodeo.com

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17

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MASTER GUIDE

KODIAK ISLAND & ALASKA PENINSULA 

SITK A DEER

BRISTOL BAY FISHING SPECIALIZING IN FAMILY GROUPS SALMON & FRESH WATER SPECIES

PHONE: (907) 246-3030  FAX: (907) 246-3050 P.O. Box 313  King Salmon, Alaska 99613 joeklutsch@gmail.com  www.katmaiguideservice.com

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2. Upper or lower on boat motors [UNITS] 5. A trout native to Europe [BROWN] 6. Internal diameter of gun barrel [CALIBER] 10. The Barbary sheep [AOUDAD] 12. Better word for silencer [SUPPRESSOR] 13. Young deer [FAWNS] 14. A species of grouse [SAGE] 16. Put out the boat [LAUNCH] 17. Domesticated turned wild [FERAL] 18. Favorite moon phase for bass spawn [FULL] 19. A worldwide conservation org. [DSC] 23. Cottontail's cousin [HARE] 24. Fish-eating birds that invade ponds, lakes [CORMORANT] 26. A good hook for catch and release [CIRCLE] 28. Aiming point shown through scope [RETICLE] 29. Always wear when shooting [EARPLUGS] 31. Good rod-making material [GRAPHITE] 32. Warms coastal waters, good spout for trout [MUD] 34. Stocked in Texas during winter [RAINBOWS] 38. Anglers wear in streams [WADERS]

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All Valley Boat Show McAllen Convention Center (866) 639-8940 allvalleyboatshow.com

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Guadalupe River Trout Unlimited Troutfest Lazy L&L Campgrounds, New Braunfels grtu.org/troutfest/

FEBRUARY 9-26

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San Antonio Boat & Travel Trailer Show Alamodome sanantonioboatshow.com

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FEBRUARY 16

Ducks Unlimited Tomball Dinner Tomball VFW Hall (281) 799-1829 ducks.org/texas



North Texas Chapter Safari Club International 22nd Annual Dinner, Banquet & Auction Worthington Renaissance Hotel, Fort Worth (817) 271-9858 scinorthtexas.com

FEBRUARY 16-19

Ducks Unlimited Huntsville Dinner Walker County Fairgrounds (936) 438-8000 ducks.org/texas

BROWN BEAR

FEBRUARY 25

Texas Gun and Knife Association Gun Show Fredericksburg Fair Grounds texasgunandknifeshows.com

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1. Called the king of ducks [CANVASBACK] 3. Used to trap coyotes, bobcats [SNARE] 4. A young turkey [POULT] 5. Another name for the wigeon [BALDPATE] 7. The oswego [BASS] 8. The main fin on a fish [DORSAL] 9. Blue, yellow, channel [CATFISH] 11. Illegal taking of fish, wildlife [POACHING] 14. A hunting trip abroad [SAFARI] 15. Gamebird on the rebound in Texas [QUAIL] 20. A goose species [CANADA] 21. Fish-eating mammals [OTTERS] 22. A bass fishing tournament trail [FLW] 25. Helps land the fish [NET] 26. Conservation org. along coast [CCA] 27. Saltwater fish with spots [REDFISH] 29. A newer dove to Texas [EURASIAN] 30. Crappie, bluegill [PANFISH] 33. Black or red [DRUM] 35. Shotgun type [OU] 36. A name for the white bass [SANDIE]

Puzzle solution from Page 18

LSONews.com

LoneOStar Outdoor News

January 27, 2017

Page 23

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January 27, 2017

LoneOStar Outdoor News

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