Lone Star Outdoor News 101422

State waters producing

By Tony Vindell

For Lone Star outdoor newS

While fishing in federal waters for red snapper has been off lim its for nearly two months, state offshore waters are picking up the slack.

Some offshore fishing guides and private anglers said the fall is that time of year when the numbers and sizes of red snapper caught within 9 nautical miles from the beach are plentiful.

The snapper have moved closer and closer to shore where the dai ly limit is four snapper per person per day, according to guides.

Tony Reisinger, a marine agent with Texas Sea Grant, said the fall months are prime time for fishing whether in waters of the Gulf of Mexico or in the Laguna Madre.

On a recent trip with Lyford fishing guide Oscar Ramirez, the six passengers on board caught their limit of red snapper, each topping 10 pounds.

“This time of year we are catch ing bigger fish,” he said, noting

Mature

Bowhunters seeing plenty of deer

come by

By Nate Skinner For Lone Star outdoor newS

Archery hunters have been taking to their stands, hop ing to enjoy a close encounter with a whitetail. Many watched

bachelor groups of bucks grow throughout the summer months via game cameras on the proper ties where they hunt.

Rain events in many parts of the state over the few weeks lead ing up to the bow season opener changed things, as much needed moisture allowed vegetation to sprout and flourish. Bow hunters

were welcomed by unseasonably cool temperatures for opening weekend; however, the mature bucks were few and far between.

Tanner Kotara spent opening weekend bow hunting on his family’s farm in Karnes County, where he said does and young bucks were frequenting corn feeders regularly.

Yoskowitz to lead TPWD

By Craig Nyhus Lone Star outdoor newS

David Yoskowitz, Ph.D. was named executive director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Depart ment at a special meeting of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Com mission on Oct. 5.

Currently the senior executive director and endowed chair for

socioeconomics at the Harte Re search Institute for Gulf of Mexi co Studies at Texas A&M Univer sity-Corpus Christi, Yoskowitz told Lone Star Outdoor News he grew up fishing trout in high mountain lakes and steelhead on large rivers.

Now, his favorites are redfish inshore, sailfish offshore and ev erything that bites in freshwater.

When it comes to hunting, his favorite is the wild turkey, “be cause it is so dang hard,” he said.

“And when they gobble right next to you, that gets the heart racing.”

Commissioners took action to accept the recommendation of the search committee in a public meeting. The search committee included Commission Chairman

Getting the shot (P.

“The does and younger bucks seemed to show up just about every time a feeder went off,” he said. “I didn’t put eyes on any mature bucks, though. Accord ing to my game cameras, they don’t really have a set pattern right now. One will show about once a week or so, but most ly at nighttime or during the

Bass on top (P. 8)

Joe Link went back to his family property on the second weekend of archery season and arrowed a buck that he saw briefly the week before. Photo from Joe Link.

Dr. David Yoskowitz, previously with the Harte Research Institute, was named the new executive director of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Photo from David Yoskowitz.

Gil Bristow shows one of four red snapper he caught in state waters near Port Mans field. Photo by Tony Vindell, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

The unicorn elk

By Craig Nyhus Lone Star outdoor newS

Quail hunters across the state may be planning their trips south as the region boasts the best production of birds again this year.

According to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s quail roadside survey and overall forecast for the sea son, which begins Nov. 1, high hopes in some parts of the state were wiped out by drought beginning last fall. September through March proved to be one of the driest stretches on record and measurable precipitation was absent from most of the state until late April, ex cept in the Panhandle, where a late-season snow came in March.

South Texas wasn’t great, according to the survey, but better than the Rolling Plains, which set an all-time low for abundance, with 0.86 bobwhites per route, well be low the 15-year mean of 12.10 and lower than the 1.5 bobwhites per route last year.

The South Texas Plains was the only bobwhite region in the state to see an increase in recorded abundance. The number of bobwhites observed per route was up from 3.10 to 5.26, but still below the 15-year mean of 9.01.

In the Panhandle, some areas along the Canadi an River welcomed rainfall earlier in the year and in those areas bobwhite numbers and range conditions are encouraging, but exceptional heat dampened

Photos tell the story

By Nate Skinner For Lone Star outdoor newS

You’ve just shot a buck and you’re ecstatic. What do you do next? Maybe you’re with a hunt ing buddy who can help you cap ture some meaningful photos to preserve the memory, but maybe you’re in this awesome moment all alone. Either way, there are steps you can take to get the best pos sible photos of your trophy that do justice to the animal and tell the story of the hunt.

David Sunderland, owner of the Trinity Ranch in Batesville, spends each hunting season capturing photos of his hunters with their trophy deer. The first thing he likes to do when setting up to take pho tos is to clean up the animal.

“I like to clean off most, if not all of the blood from the deer, and also make sure that its tongue isn’t

hanging out of its mouth,” Sunder land explained. “Basically, I try to make the animal look as respectful as possible and get rid of anything that would give the photo a grue some feel or vibe.”

It’s also important to position the deer’s head and antlers against a background that’s not too busy.

“The best-case scenario is to have the head and antlers in such a way that only the sky is behind them,” Sunderland said. It’s also always good to make sure that the hunter in the photo is smiling and looks presentable.”

Outdoor photographer James Richards said low angles are key to taking great trophy harvest pho tos.

“At the minimum, I like to get down on ground level or eye level with the deer, but a lot of times I find myself laying on my stomach, shooting up at the subject and

animal,” Richards said. “This really makes the deer look impressive.”

It’s also a good idea to focus on capturing different angles with the head and antlers of the deer.

“I feel like a lot of folks think it’s important to have the entire body of the deer in the frame, but some of the more memorable har vest shots I have taken that display some of the finer details of an ani mal only include the head, antlers, and hunter in the frame,” Richards elaborated. “It’s okay to take some photos where only part of the deer is showing.”

Including the firearm or bow used to harvest the animal in the photo is always a nice touch.

“Anything that you can bring into the photo that tells the story of the hunt will just make the fi nal image and the memory better,” Richards said. “This may include incorporating some of the sur

The Borderlands Research Institute posted a photo of an elk with an antler that appeared to be coming out of the middle it’s skull. Followers on social media questioned the photo, wondering if it was the result of creative use of the Photoshop app. BRI took the photo down to investigate further, until they reached the researcher who took the photo of the unicorn elk. Researchers believe the oddity could be due to an injury to the antler pedicle earlier in the bull’s life, but BRI admits that’s an educated guess. Photo from the Borderlands Research Institute.

Devin Kleinfelder likes to have hunters observe their deer and talk about their hunt while he is shooting photos of them with their trophy. Photo by Devin Kleinfelder.

Pronghorn tougher, some achieve goal

By Craig Nyhus Lone Star outdoor newS

Pronghorn suffered from the drought like other wildlife, but despite lower num bers, some hunters found success in the Texas Panhandle.

“The corn harvest was late this year and it’s been super dry out there,” said Matt Manuel, of Dallas, who hunted near Dal hart.

Manuel, who hunted with friend Mac Macfarlan, said they hunted during a light rainstorm and noticed most of the prong horn were bedded down in the corn.

“It was a struggle to find them when they were bedded down,” he said.

After the clouds passed and the sun peeked through, the friends were able to

spot some animals about 800 yards away on some heavily plowed wheat fields and cut silage.

“We sat and glassed them for over an hour until we decided to make a move on one of the larger bucks in the group,” Manuel said.

They snuck up to 300 yards, then Mac farlan took a shot and dropped the thick horned buck.

After the excitement of the first buck down of the trip, Manuel and Macfarlan glassed up another group. Manuel took a 350-yard shot and took another prong horn home to his family to enjoy.

After 23 years of trying, Brian Johnson was finally drawn for a pronghorn hunt at the Rita Blanca National Grasslands in the Texas Panhandle.

Mac Macfarlan, of Dallas, took this nice pronghorn while hunting near Dalhart. Photo by Matt Manuel.

Quail plates help fund conservation efforts

Easy upgrade, long-term reward

By Lili Keys For Lone Star outdoor newS

As quail season opens later this month, hunters are preparing their guns and dogs and purchasing new gear for the upcom ing season. Even as the excitement grows, it’s no secret that quail populations here in Texas and across the U.S. have been in a steady decline over time which has spurred the need for conservation.

Over the last five decades, there has been a 2 percent annual decline in quail populations in Texas. The Cross Timbers region alone has seen a staggering 89-per cent decline in average bobwhite abun dance since 1978.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department bi ologists are partnering with experts across the state to hone in on the best strate gies to bring back this beloved gamebird. This conservation work is funded through hunting license fees, a portion of the pro ceeds of the Upland Game Bird Stamp, Farm Bill conservation programs as well as contributions from a number of nonprofit organizations dedicated to quail research and conservation.

For many years, Texas Parks and Wild life Foundation has supported grassland and quail conservation through the Grass land Restoration Incentive Program, and most recently, through support of the new West Texas Quail Program Leader position at TPWD.

In 2018, TPWF launched a bobwhite quail conservation license plate featuring

serve Texas Quail” along the bottom. The plates will not only show off your love for bird hunting, it will also help fund the fu ture of your passion.

The custom plate costs an additional $30 to the normal yearly license plate fee. For every license plate purchased, $22 goes to TPWF for quail conservation ef forts, including habitat conservation, edu cation, and capacity building. Since the launch of the license plates, 1,300 quail conservation plates have been purchased and TPWF has received $27,967.

Setting your truck or car up with new conservation plates might be a small ding to your wallet each year, but the contribu tion adds up for this ongoing project.

Protecting quail can’t be done alone. As the funds grow, a committee of repre sentatives from quail conservation groups throughout the state will select projects to receive funding from the revenue of the license plates.

Drive home your support for this be loved gamebird and help increase the im pact on quail conservation across Texas. Plates can be ordered at conservation plate.org.

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FISHING

Rats and frogs in East Texas

By Robert Sloan For Lone Star outdoor newS

You never know from one day to the next what lure will entice a largemouth bass to strike. When fall and cooler water tempera tures arrive, the fish are going to be looking to eat just about any thing they can to prepare for the winter months ahead.

East Texas big bass expert Phil Brannan has recently retired and

is spending a lot of time on the lakes in East Texas. He previous ly worked to catch big bass on Houston Country Lake and sur gically implant tagging devices in them. They would then track the big bass year-round to learn their habits.

For the past couple of years, Brannan has been fishing as often as possible on Lake Na coniche, near Lufkin.

The lake, opened in 2009, was

stocked with big Florida-strain bass and the current lake record is 14.12 pounds. Brannan said he believes this 692-acre lake is a sleeper, which is why he spends so much time there.

Recently, he picked up a lure that has since caught some pret ty respectable bass. That lure is the Spro Rat. It’s a funky-looking lure, but like the plastic frogs that so many anglers use, espe cially during the fall, the lure

that looks like a rat gets the at tention of bass.

“The rat is perhaps as much fun to fish as it is to catch fish on,” Brannan said. “It is a swim bait and wake bait, all in one. It is part of the big bait craze and the larger sizes requires heavier tackle to launch the 2.25-ounce lure.

On Naconiche, Brannan caught bass to 7 pounds on the lure while fishing it on top and

Crappie not rushing into fall

By Nate Skinner For Lone Star outdoor newS

Anglers targeting crappie are having to stay on the move to keep up with the fish. With fall weather conditions slowly taking hold, the fish have remained scat tered as they transition out of their sum mertime haunts into an autumn pattern.

Lake Palestine fishing guide, Mark Stan dridge, said the fall transition for crappie is just getting started.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to stay on the fish lately, but I’ve had to fish fast and hard in order to do so,” he said. “Covering as much water as possible right now is key.”

Standridge has been covering stretches of water as much as a mile long with his trolling motor to put solid crappie in the boat.

“Areas with vertical timber have held the most fish,” he explained. “When you find them stacked up in a large concen tration, they don’t seem to bite near as good as they do when you locate just one or two. For whatever reason, the more crappie concentrated around a tree, the

Running the surf for reds, trout

By Robert Sloan

For Lone Star outdoor newS

This summer wasn’t exactly kind to surf fishermen. The water rarely calmed down enough for the surf to get green, making it tough on anglers throughout the entire summer. But now that we are into fall, calmer winds have resulted in catches of both reds and trout picking up significant ly.

In late September, Port O’Connor guide Kerri Chatham put her clients on excellent numbers of trout and reds in the surf that was gin clear all the way up to the beach.

“Everything was right on those two days,” she said. “We had very little wind and the water was slick to the beach. We left the dock and made it to the surf on the north side of the POC jetties. There was a lot of bait everywhere. While cruising along and looking for fish we came up on a huge school of reds. I mean there must have been over 50 in one bunch. I anchored the boat and we got out and just followed the

school down the beach. It was sight-casting at it’s very best.”

Chatham said a lot of the reds were in the upper end of the slot and real fat, around 8 to 9 pounds. But there were a few in the 40- to 50-inch class.

“We had light tackle set up to catch trout,” she said. “But the big reds gave us a pretty good run. I use 30-pound test braided line with about a 2-foot fluorocar bon leader. The bigger reds really gave our lightweight tackle a workout.”

Chatham was using a Down South soft plastic with a paddle tail in red/white, one of her favorites on the bays and in the surf. Her preference is to rig them on 1/8-ounce jig heads, but said the 1/16-ounce heads will work, too.

“Right now, we are wading up to mul tiple schools of reds, with some holding 50 pound-plus fish,” she said. “On days with real clear water, we are seeing reds in the waves. That makes catching them easy.”

Chatham said the key to staying on both reds and trout, on this particular stretch of

beach, is to do a lot of running and look ing for baitfish and birds. The birds are the most reliable, when it comes to hovering and diving for baitfish being chased by game fish.

“We’ve got lots of both baitfish and birds right now,” she said. “The pelicans are re ally reliable. Some will be diving into the bait. Others will be on the beach taking a break. But wherever we see them, it’s al ways a good idea to anchor the boat and fish that area of water.”

She will also key in on gulls holding over a school of fish.

“I mostly like to wade, but a lot of my clients want to stay in the boat,” Chatham said. “That’s OK, but we usually catch more by wading the first couple of guts. That way we can stay on a school of fish as they move with baitfish. Sometimes I’ll beach my boat or if it’s a little rough I’ll use an anchor.”

The guide expects the section of surf along the middle Texas coast to be good through October, and maybe into Novem ber.

tougher the bite is.”

Timber in about 20 feet of water has produced the most action for Standridge and his anglers.

“The fish have been hanging out about 6 to 12 feet below the surface along the timber,” he said. “It’s all about the pre sentation. Once they see your jig, try to take it away from them. They can’t resist this erratic, fleeing movement, and will strike.”

Standridge said 1/8-ounce hair jigs in a variety of colors have been working well at fooling crappie in the 1.5-pound range.

Guide James Reed said the RichlandChambers Reservoir crappie are moving around in different depths.

“Some days I’ve been finding fish in 12 to 15 feet of water and other days they’ve been in 26 to 30 feet of water,” Reed said. “Fishing during major feed periods as in dicated by the solunar tables has been the key.”

Staying on the move has been essential.

“In some areas you’ll catch four or five fish and in some areas you might just catch one,” Reed explained. “They are changing their location each and every

When is the best time to fish the surf? Chatham said when the water is flat on the back side of a cool front is when there will be very little wave activity and that will set up a day of easy fishing.

Anglers have been catching East Texas bass with the Spro Rat lure. Photo by Phil Brannan.

Amanda Forrest landed this nice crappie while fishing on Lake Palestine with guide Mark Standridge. Photo by Mark Standridge.

Kerri Chatham landed this bull redfish in the surf near Port O’Connor. Photo from Kerri Chatham.

Nice bull

Central Texas team wins Bass Champs Championship

Jason Olivo, of Kyle, and Trent Blake, of Marble Falls, won the Bass Champs Red River Championship Oct. 8-9 on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana, with 25.03 pounds, win ning a Skeeter boat with Yamaha outboard.

Fishing alone, Brinton Haskins, of New Braunfels, finished second with 24.51 pounds, also winning a boat and motor.

Colt Dietz, of Austin, and John Warden, of Dripping Springs, finished third with 22.84 pounds, winning $11,000.

The team of Gene Fuessel and Gerald Mueller Jr. brought in the biggest bass at 5.42 pounds, winning $750.

A total of 197 teams competed, weighing in 924 fish. Twenty teams caught 10-fish limits over the two days.

—Bass Champs

Conroe tourney 15 years old

Seven Coves Bass Club celebrated its 15th year of the Fall Bass Classic charity tourna ment, October 8, on Lake Conroe.

The team of Dusty Shultz and Rusty Lawson won the Seven Coves Bass Club’s 15th Fall Bass Classic on Lake Conroe, held Oct. 8.

The team brought in 22.18 pounds to win $2,500. Fishing alone, Ronnie Wager finished second with 17.58 pounds, followed by Mason Roach and Jason Griffin with 17.24 pounds.

Robert Thierry and Don Kemp brought in the tournament’s big bass, winning $1,000 for a 9.42-pound largemouth.

The event had 43 angler team entries. There were 68 bass weighed with a total fish weight of 240.67 pounds, with an average weight of 3.54 pounds.

Hosted by Stow-A-Way Marina, the annual tournament benefits the Kids Unlimited Founda tion, a nonprofit organization formed to benefit children stricken with cancer.

—Seven Coves Bass Club

Snapper moving closer

Continued

page 1

September through January, when many outdoorsmen turn to hunting, are the best months for fishing.

The group left from the Port Mansfield Marina and it took less than an hour to get to the fishing spot, located less than 10 miles from the tip of the north jetty.

Once there, Ramirez dropped a buoy to check out the wind direction. A few minutes later, he hooked a piece of mullet and dropped it about 70 to 80 feet.

As soon as the line started pulling, Ramirez said, “OK, guys — drop them.”

Fish after fish were brought up, and one angler caught a strawberry grouper as another one yelled, “You got a bonus.”

Three other anglers caught kingfish, one of which measured nearly 5 feet in length, and four sharks were caught and released.

Tony Trevino, a fishing guide from Lasara, also said this is an excellent time to pursue reds.

“The people I have been taking have been limiting out,” he said.

But during his last red snapper trip this week, Trevino said fishing was a little tougher because of the strong current he attributed to the effects of Hurricane Ian.

His previous trip was one of his best.

For Alonso “Tiny” Barrientes and Manuel Salinas, the trip was one to remember.

“This is my first ever offshore fishing trip,” Salinas, a retired medical doctor, said. “This is as good as it gets.”

Grayson and Chase Carlisle, of Corpus Christi, were fishing with Chris Saunders when they caught this nice red on a live mullet. The group was fish ing off a flat in a deeper water hole with plenty of current near Corpus. Photo from Chris Saunders.

TEXAS

ALAN HENRY: Water clear; 78 degrees; 9.31’ low. Crap pie are good on minnows.

AMISTAD: Water clear; 80 degrees; 41.21’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters and soft plastics. Catfish are good on cheese bait and punch bait.

ARLINGTON: Water lightly stained; 80 degrees; 3.57’ low. Largemouth bass are good on spoons, spooks, flip ping jigs and square-billed crankbaits.

AUSTIN: Water clear; 80 degrees; 0.62’ low. Large mouth bass are fair on drop shots, plastics worms and jerkbaits.

B.A. STEINHAGEN: Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.50’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters and crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait and cheese bait.

BASTROP: Water clear; 89 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters, small swimbaits, jigging spoons and flukes.

BELTON: Water lightly stained; 78 degrees; 11.18’ low. White bass are good on small shad imitations. Crap pie are fair on jigs tipped with minnows.

BENBROOK: Water lightly stained; 78 degrees; 7.68’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on deep-diving crankbaits and Texas-rigged worms. White bass are slow. Crappie area fair on minnows. Catfish are good in standing timber on punch bait.

BOB SANDLIN: Water clear; 72 degrees; 1.66’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters and chatter baits. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair on slabs. Catfish are good on cheese bait.

BRAUNIG: Water lightly stained; 84 degrees. Large mouth bass are fair on pumpkinseed Carolina-rigged soft plastics. Red drum are fair on live bait, spoons and cut shad. Catfish are fair on cut bait.

BROWNWOOD: Water slight ly stained; 76-80 degrees; 7.52’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters, shaky heads and jigs. Crappie are slow. White bass are good on crankbaits and jigs. Catfish are slow.

BUCHANAN: Water lightly stained; 79 degrees; 14.65’ low. Crappie are good on chartreuse jigs. Catfish are good on cut shad and punch bait.

CADDO: Water stained; 77 degrees; 0.42’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on top-water frogs, spinner baits and worms.

CALAVERAS: Water lightly stained; 84 degrees. Red drum are fair on live bait,

crankbaits and spoons. Blue and channel catfish are good on cut bait and cheese bait.

CANYON: Water lightly stained; 79-81 degrees; 7.48’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-wataers and flipping jigs. Striped bass are good on top-waters and swimbaits.

CEDAR CREEK: Water normal stain; 81-84 degrees; 4.24’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chatterbaits, buzzbaits and spinner baits. White bass are fair on inline spinners and silver slabs. Crappie are excellent on white and chartreuse jigs and minnows.

CHOKE CANYON: Water stained; 83-87 degrees; 22.89’ low. Laremouth bass are good on buzzbaits, frogs and finesse worms. Crappie are excellent on live bait. Catfish are fair on cheese bait.

CONROE: Wa ter slightly stained; 79 degrees; 2.11’ low.

Large mouth bass are fair on top-waters, creature baits and crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows. Hybrid striped bass are fair but small on slabs and live bait. Catfish are good on cut bait, live bait and prepared baits.

COOPER: Water lightly stained; 78 degrees.

Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits. White bass are fair on small spoons. Crappie are slow.

CORPUS CHRISTI: 80 de grees; 2.10’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged worms. Crappie are slow.

Catfish are good on shad, cut carp, soap baits and nightcrawlers.

EAGLE MOUNTAIN: Water normally stained; 77 de grees; 4.80’ low. White bass are fair to good on chartreuse and white slabs with teaser flies. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. Blue catfish and channel catfish are fair to good on puch bait and cut bait.

FALCON: Water stained; 85 degrees; 39.40’ low. Large mouth bass are fair to good on soft plastics and jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait.

FAYETTE: Water lightly stained; 89 degrees; 1.00’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on shad-colored crankbaits and plastics. Catfish are fair on punch bait and chicken livers.

FORK: Water stained; 78 degrees; 6.51’ low. Large mouth bass are fair on top-waters, spinner baits and suspending jerkbaits. Crappie are fair to good on

minnows.

GRANBURY: Water lightly stained; 80 degrees; 2.41’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on jerkbaits and soft plastics. Striped bass are slow.

GRANGER: Water lightly stained; 83 degrees; 2.12’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on spinner baits. Crappie are good on jigs tipped with crappie nibbles. White bass are good on slab spoons. Blue catfish are good drifting cut shad.

GRAPEVINE: Water good; 77 degrees; 0.61’ low. White bass are good on slabs off the bottom. Catfish are fair, mixed in with white bass.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 80 degrees; 2.22 feet below. Largemouth bass are in 4-12 feet of water on docks and brush using square bill crankbaits, and shaky heads. Crappie are in 12-21 feet of water in brush and stand ing timber using minnows.

HUBBARD

CREEK: Wa ter stained; 76 degrees; 6.55’ low. White bass are good on slabs, spoons, and rooster tails.

JOE POOL: Water stained; 78-80 degrees; 1.58’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shad-colored squarebills and Texas-rigged worms.

LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water lightly stained; 72 degrees; 0.68’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters and chatterbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cheese bait.

LAVON: Water lightly stained; 80 degrees; 5.88’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters, spinner baits and worms. White bass are fair on swimbaits. Crap pie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut drum and gizzard shad.

LBJ: Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.34’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on spinner baits, chatterbaits and Texas or Carolina rigs. Crappie are fair on minnows and chartreuse jigs. Catfish are good on punch bait.

LEWISVILLE: Water lightly stained; 80 degrees; 4.53’ low. White bass are fair on slabs and live bait. Hybrid stripers are slow. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair drifting cut shad or chicken breasts.

LIMESTONE: Water clear; 79 degrees; 4.74’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged worms and spinner baits. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are good on cut bait.

FISHING

LIVINGSTON: Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.69’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. White bass and crappie are slow. Catfish are fair drifting cut bait.

MARTIN CREEK: Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 3.26’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Carolina rigs. Crappie are slow. Catfish are fair on cut bait.

MEREDITH: Water stained; 73 degrees; 53.95’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on minnows and artificials. Crappie are fair jigging min nows. Walleye are fair on vertical jigs with minnows and crawlers. Catfish are good on live bait and stink bait.

MILLERS CREEK: Water stained; 80 degrees; 5.02’ low. White bass are slow. Hybrid bass are fair on slabs. Crappie are fair on live min nows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait.

NACONICHE: Water clear to stained; 75 degrees; 1.00’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on jerkbaits, crankbaits, spinner baits and bladed jigs. Catfish are slow.

NASWORTHY: Water murky; 86 degrees. 1.14’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics, jigs and top-waters. Crappie are good on black and chartreuse jigs and minnows. Catfish are good on cut bait and stink bait.

NAVARRO MILLS: Water stained; 79 degrees; 3.13’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on green/pumpkin soft plastics. Crappie are fair on small minnows and jigs.

O.H. IVIE: Water stained; 77 degrees; 22.15’ low. Largemouth bass are good on jerkbaits. White bass are good on live bait and crank baits. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. Catfish are good on prepared baits, cut bait and live bait.

OAK CREEK: Water lightly stained; 82 degrees; 10.14’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on worms and deepdiving crank baits. White bass and crappie are good at night in the lights. Channel catfish are good on chicken liver and shrimp.

PALESTINE: Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 2.38’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Ned rigs. White bass are slow. Crappie are good on jigs. Catfish are good on punch bait, cheese bait and nightcrawlers.

POSSUM KINGDOM: Water lightly stained; 78-80 degrees; 4.21’ low. Striped

bass are good trolling with chartreuse or white slabs.

White bass are slow. Catfish are good on cut shad and punch bait.

PROCTOR: Water stained; 78 degrees; 8.26’ low.

Largemouth bass are slow. White bass are fair on slabs. Catfish are slow.

RAVEN: Water stained; 75-80 degrees; 4.00’ low. Largemouth bass are good on stick baits, bladed jigs, top-waters and soft plastics. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are slow.

RAY HUBBARD: Water light ly stained; 74-78 degrees; 2.79’ low. White bass are fair on top-waters and small shad imitations. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are good drifting cut bait.

RAY ROBERTS: Water is clear; 80 degrees; 2.11’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on shad top-waters and Carolina rigs. White bass are fair on slabs. Crappie are fair on minnows.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS:

Water clear; 82 degrees; 4.96’ low. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are hybrids are slow. Channel and blue catfish are good on punch bait.

SAM RAYBURN: Water stained; 73 degrees; 5.31’ low. Largemouth bass are good on spinner baits, crankbaits and Carolina rigs. White bass are good on small crankbaits and silver spoons. Crappie are good on min nows.

SOMERVILLE: Water stained; 75 degrees; 5.46’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on craw jigs and shad crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. White bass are slow.

STILLHOUSE HOLLOW:

Water lightly stained; 78 de grees; 9.94’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on small flukes. White bass are good on tail spinners.

TAWAKONI: Water lightly stained; 80 degrees; 3.77’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on topwaters and crea ture baits. White bass and striped bass are fair to good on crankbaits, Alabama-rigs and slab spoons. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Blue and channel catfish are good on prepared baits.

TEXANA: Water stained; 80 degrees; 4.70’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on spinner baits and jerkbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on liver, cut bait and juglines.

TEXOMA: Water stained; 80 degrees; 2.30’ low.

Saltwater reports

Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters and soft plastics. Striped bass are good on top-waters, slabs, swimbaits and live shad. White bass are good on small swimbaits and slabs. Blue and channel catfish are excellent on cut bait.

TOLEDO BEND: Water stained; 77-79 degrees; 4.34’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters, spin ner baits and jigs. Crappie are fair on small jigs and small minnows.

TRAVIS: Water stained; 80 degrees; 38.38’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-water frogs, mediumdiving crankbaits and Texas rigs.

TYLER: Water lightly stained; 78 degrees; 2.74’ low. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits. Catfish are good on liver and stink bait. Bass are good with crankbaits.

WACO: Water stained; 81 degrees; 10.63’ low. Large mouth bass are fair on soft plastics. Crappie are good on jigs tipped minnows.

WALTER E. LONG: Water clear; 84 degrees. Large mouth bass are good on worms and hollow-bodied frogs. Crappie are good on white and orange jigs. Catfish are fair on prepared baits.

WHITNEY: Water lightly stained; 79 degrees; 7.27’ low. Striped bass are good trolling umbrella-rigs with white or chartreuse grub tails and on live shad and slabs.

WORTH: Water normally stained; 77 degrees; 2.43’ low. White bass are fair to good on chartreuse and white slabs. Crappie are fair to good on minnows. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good on punch bait.

WRIGHT PATMAN: Water lightly stained; 79 degrees; 0.80’ high. White bass are fair on tail spinners. Catfish are good on punch bait.

TEXAS

SABINE LAKE: 77 degrees. Redfish are good on live shrimp under a popping cork, and glo chartreuse jigs. Flounder are good on scented plastics tipped with shrimp along bulkheads. Speckled trout are fair on swimbaits and live shrimp under a popping cork.

BOLIVAR: 77 degrees. Redfish and speck led trout are fair on soft plastics and shrimp under a popping cork.

TRINITY BAY: 76 degrees. Redfish and black drum are fair on live shrimp. Speckled trout are slow.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: 76 degrees. Redfish are good on shrimp under a popping cork. Speckled trout are fair on soft plastics and shrimp under a popping cork.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: 80 degrees. Floun der are fair to good on shrimp. Speckled trout and redfish are fair drifting with live bait and artificials bounced off the bottom.

TEXAS CITY: 77 degrees. Bull redfish are fair on cut mullet and sand trout. Redfish and black drum are fair to good on on shrimp thrown tight to the rocks. Speckled trout are fair on shrimp.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: 81 degrees. Speckled trout are slow to fair on soft plas tics. Flounder gigging is good at night.

PORT O’CONNOR: 80 degrees. Redfish are good on Spanish sardines and dead shrimp at the jetties. Speckled trout are slow.

ROCKPORT: 86 degrees. Redfish are good on scented shrimp. Speckled trout are fair on top-water plugs, soft plastics and live shrimp.

PORT ARANSAS: 81 degrees. Redfish are fair on live shrimp and cut mullet. Flounder gigging is good.

Fall largemouths

“It was about 7 a.m. and the early morning fog was just burning off when I threw across a point,” said Brannan. “I hadn’t moved it more than 2 feet when the water exploded. Watching a 7-plus pound bass crush a top-water is what brings on cold night sweats. They seem to hit the rat with a different level of intensity.”

Rat lures aren’t cheap. They vary in size and price from $40 to $140.

Eric Wolfe has been guiding on Naconiche for years. One of his go-to baits is a big plastic frog.

“The frog is a very good lure to use on this lake,” especially during the fall when bass are feeding aggressively,” he said. “We’ve got just the right stuff to hold bass and we also have lots of frogs on the lake. There is definitely no shortage of stumps and laydowns here. And we’ve got a lot of aquatic vegetation. That’s all good and perfect for fishing a weedless frog. A white frog is tough to beat here, especially when they are climbing all over top-water lures.”

FREEPORT: 78 degrees. Redfish are good on mullet and shrimp. Trout are fair on croaker.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: 81 degrees. Red fish are good at the jetties on live shrimp under a popping cork and wade-fishing with

CORPUS CHRISTI: 81 degrees. Redfish are fair on shrimp and cut bait. Speckled trout are fair on shrimp.

BAFFIN BAY: 82 degrees. Slot redfish, speckled trout and black drum are good on live shrimp under a popping cork.

PORT MANSFIELD: 84 degrees. Redfish and speckled trout are good on top-waters and ball tails.

SOUTH PADRE: 84 degrees. Flounder are fair on mud minnows, live shrimp and scented plastics. Speckled trout and redfish are fair on shrimp.

PORT ISABEL: 84 degrees. Speckled trout are slow. Redfish are fair on shrimp. Flounder are fair on mud minnows and live shrimp.

GAME

FISHING VESSEL TAKES ON WATER, CREWS COME TO HELP

Two people were aboard a fish ing vessel taking on water near Corpus Christi. The Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi command center received a report from the operator of the Working Together, a 44-foot fishing vessel, stating their vessel was taking on water 3 miles southeast of the Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge in Corpus Christi Bay. A 45-foot Response Boat and crew launched while a helicopter crew flew to the loca tion to provide assistance. A Port of Corpus Christi Police Depart ment boat crew also diverted to assist. Once on scene, the crew began assisting the vessel with a dewatering pump, but was unsuccessful due to a mechani cal failure. The helicopter crew departed the scene to acquire an other dewatering pump from Air Station Corpus Christi. The crew returned, lowered the dewatering pump with a rescue swimmer and began to dewater the vessel. The Working Together’s sister ship arrived to tow the vessel ashore.

The Coast Guard boat crew es

BLOTTER

WARDENS SWARM THE PANHANDLE

LANCHA HAD 200 POUNDS OF SNAPPER

The Coast Guard seized 220 pounds of illegally caught fish in federal waters off southern Texas after intercepting a lancha crew. Coast Guard watchstanders received a notification from a Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi aircrew of a lancha crew engaged in illegal fishing ap proximately 5 miles north of the Maritime

Boundary Line. A South Padre Island 33-foot Special Purpose Craft–Law En forcement crew launched to intercept the lancha. The boat crew arrived and subse quently seized 220 pounds of red snapper, illegal fishing gear and the lancha. Three fishermen were transferred to border en forcement agents for processing.

corted both fishing vessels safely to Corpus Christi Marina.

GEARING UP FOR WARDENS

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation’s Gear Up for Game Wardens online auction was held Sept. 27-29 and raised more than $175,000. The money will be used to purchase equipment for wardens in the field.

K9 WARDEN HELPS AT BORDER

While assisting Border Patrol during Operation Lone Star, K9 Lola was deployed multiple times to assist with locating individuals that were actively fleeing from law enforcement. Lola is a newly trained tracking and search and rescue Game Warden K9, being certified in April 2022. During this operation she was respon sible for locating 26 people.

REWARD FOR DEER POACHER

Sometime between the evening hours of October 7 and the early morning hours of October 8, a white-tailed doe was shot from County Road 1118 in Hunt County and was left to waste.

An Operation Game Thief reward is being offered for information leading to the conviction of the person(s) involved in the illegal act.

A dozen Texas game wardens and the TPWD helicopter were in the Texas Panhandle for the opening weekend of pronghorn season in an operation run by the Amarillo District. Lubbock District Lt. Aaron Sims said hunters showed overwhelming compliance. Out of 81 contacts made with hunters, six warnings were issued and no citations. Contact was made with what was thought to be a hunter but turned out to be a human smuggling case. Sims said the helicopter was used for the first time since 2010, but now has a really good camera that can read a license plate if needed. Sims said this was the second season with no experimental permits, which caused some issues in the past.

REPORT ILLEGAL HUNTING AND FISHING ACTIVITY FOR A REWARD OF UP TO $1,000. CALL OPERATION GAME THIEF AT (800) 792-4263

AMERICAN

HEROES

SHARE AN ADVENTURE

Elle Pettitt’s first kill was this feral hog she took with her father, Tony. The hog weighed just under 300 pounds.

Haden Krecek, 17, and his brother Mitchell, 12, en joyed an afternoon bass fishing. Mitchell caught a 10 3/4-pound bass and Haden caught a 7 3/4-pound bass. They also caught this double and 15 others during the afternoon fishing with Ron Gard in East Texas.

Philip Glass took this 40-inch Cape buffalo in Zimbabwe with Dalton & York Safaris.

Demi Hebert, of Lockhart, hunted nilgai on the King Ranch.

Life member of Dallas Safari Club, Scott Bardreau took his first trip to Africa. He hunted multiple species in the Limpopo Province, including this sable.

AND TIDES

10:53 5:04 11:16 07:27 06:42 6:34a 6:24p

06:41 7:37a 6:58p

5:26 11:39 5:51 12:03

Wed 6:18 12:04 6:44 12:31 07:29 06:40 8:43a 7:36p

7:16 1:01 7:44 1:30 07:30 06:39 9:52a 8:21p

8:19 2:04 8:50 2:35 07:30 06:38

PM 0.28L

16 2:45 PM 0.36L

17 12:56 AM 2.10H 3:46 PM

18 1:48 AM 2.07H 4:54 PM 0.53L

19 2:20 AM 2.02H 6:06 PM 0.60L

20 2:42 AM 1.96H 8:47 AM 1.51L 10:49 AM 1.54H 7:05 PM

21 2:57 AM 1.89H 8:51 AM 1.38L 1:11 PM 1.57H 7:51 PM 0.79L

Oct 22 3:08 AM 1.83H 9:01 AM 1.19L 2:32 PM 1.67H 8:35 PM 0.93L

Oct 23 3:13 AM 1.79H 9:16 AM 0.96L 3:39 PM 1.80H 9:23 PM 1.10L

Oct 24 3:17 AM 1.77H 9:37 AM 0.70L 4:38 PM 1.95H 10:21 PM 1.2L

Oct 25 3:25 AM 1.76H 10:06 AM 0.42L 5:32 PM 2.10H 11:22 PM 1.49L

Oct 26 3:36 AM 1.78H 10:41 AM 0.17L 6:27 PM 2.21H

Oct 27 12:20 AM 1.68L 3:45 AM 1.81H 11:19 AM -0.04L 7:33 PM 2.27H

Oct 28 12:01 PM -0.17L 8:52 PM 2.31H

Oct 21 3:34 AM 1.43H 9:30 AM 1.16L 12:51

Height

Texas

Archery action

wee hours of the morning.

Despite the great weather for the opener, it seemed that the bigger bucks were pretty much only moving under the cover of dark ness.”

Cody Johnston hunted the first several days of the season on his lease north of Sonora in Schleicher Coun ty, where he was covered up with young bucks.

“We saw a ton of deer every sit,” Johnston said. “The young bucks were in big bachelor groups, and it wasn’t uncommon to see 10 to 15 at a time hammering the feeders. There were a few does around as well, but the bucks seemed to keep them at a distance.”

Johnston ended up har vesting a management 8-pointer that he saw each time he sat in the stand during his trip.

Joe Link hunted his family’s East Texas property near Jefferson in Marion County, where he said each hunt was full of action.

“I basically played a game of cat-and-mouse with a mature buck that I’ve had on cam era during the first three days of the season,” Link said. “I would see him on camera at one stand, and then when I would go sit there, he would show up at a different one.”

Link’s corn feeders were regularly visited by herds of does and younger bucks.

“There was no shortage of deer activity, but getting a mature buck in bow range was just not happening,” he said. “On one sit, I saw the buck I was after, but he never would come out of the thicket to give me a shot. Then, the day after I got home from the trip, I got a picture from one of my cellular cameras of him at the stand where I had hunted for him the most while I was there.”

In Shelby County, Ryan Welch said opening weekend was fairly slow when it came to encountering mature bucks.

“I saw plenty of does and fawns, but the bucks seemed to be making their movements mostly at night,” he said. “I was a little surprised by that with how cool it was in the mornings. I would’ve thought they would have been on their feet with the drop in tem perature.”

In Bee County, Dustin Haney said the deer were surprisingly hitting corn feeders con sistently as the season opened, despite the amount of green vegetation present on the ranch.

“Most of our mature bucks were showing up either late in the evening right at dark, or during the overnight hours,” Haney said. “We did have a few that were fairly regular at several feeders during shooting hours. It was definitely worth making a hunt just to see if you could get lucky.”

Brandon Skinner harvested a nice 8-pointer on his family’s property in Gonzales Coun ty on opening day.

“The buck was in a bachelor group with several younger deer, and they had been com ing to the feeder I was hunting almost every day,” he said. “He showed up on opening morning, but I never really got a good shot opportunity, and then when he finally got positioned right, some hogs ran him off. He gave me a second chance later that evening, and I was able to arrow him.”

Finding quail

reproductive activity elsewhere.

Dusty Whittaker flies surveys out of Childress and said the quail have made somewhat of a comeback.

“I’ve been flying ranches all over the Panhandle, from Wheeler all the way down to Throckmorton, and from the Oklahoma line to as far west as Stanton and occasionally Monahans. The north ern Panhandle looks promising. There were areas last year with no covey detec tions that have really made a significant increase in numbers.”

At the Gene Howe Wildlife Manage ment Area in Hemphill County, Chip Ruthven said the area caught good rains in the spring and most of the summer and they are seeing decent numbers of birds.

The TPWD outlook pointed out that in South Texas, on-the-ground reports were better than survey numbers suggested last season.

Bright spots in the survey included Bee, Duval, Live Oak and McMullen counties, which all seemed to have benefited from good production this year. The top three bobwhite survey routes from South Texas were Bee, Live Oak and Willacy counties.

Hunters in the Rolling Plains may be in for another season of struggle. Dr. Brad

Kubecka, of the Rolling Plains Quail Re search Ranch in Fisher County, said, “I expect populations to be similar to last year. Nesting attempts were moderate and so has been survival to date. By the time January rolls around, most hunters can expect to see about two coveys per hour; likely less on properties not specifically managed for quail.”

Blue quail sightings were poor in the Permian Basin, where some landowners described numbers as the worst they have seen.

Culberson County may be the excep tion. Dan Allen Hughes Jr. said the area looks good.

“We had rain in May, June, July and a bunch in August and early September,” he said. “I was out there the last weekend in August and saw young birds from almost grown to a couple of weeks old plus many pairs.”

Hughes said his ranch manager recently saw 16 coveys of bumblebees with 8 to 10 per covey, and all the ranch employees

“are seeing babies everywhere.”

Biologists cover more than 3,300 road miles each August to help develop the an nual forecast.

Preserving memories

rounding vegetation or landscape features in some photos, to show what the terrain or property was like.”

Richards said he also likes to capture more natural images, where he can show the hunter walking up to the animal and checking it out for the very first time.

“If I was by myself, and just had a deer to work with, I would focus on capturing up-close details about the animal,” Richards said. “Whether that’s antler character istics, or something unique about where he fell, the little details matter and help to tell the story.”

Photographer, videographer, and hunting guide, Devin Kleinfelder, said he pre fers to capture the candid moments between a hunter and his or her trophy.

“When one of my hunters harvests a buck, I like to ask them to tell me about the hunt while they’re observing the animal for the first time,” Kleinfelder said. “This often brings out an array of emotions and feelings, that really make for some excel lent images.”

Kleinfelder also likes to showcase certain features of the terrain surrounding the animal that might make the moment and memory special.

“Anything that I can capture in the photo that will help the hunter re-live that moment is important,” he said.

Tyler Carruth said it’s important to pay attention to where the hunter’s hands are so they don’t take away from details on the antlers.

“I always have the hunter try to grab the back of the antlers rather than wrap ping their hands around them,” the guide and outdoor photographer said. “It’s also important to pay attention to where the hunter’s extremities are so that you don’t have an arm, leg or foot sticking out somewhere that distracts from the animal.”

In a situation where a hunter may be by themselves, Carruth suggests trying to get some interesting shots from various angles that might capture different details.

“If you’re by yourself, try curling the deer up a bit,” he said. “That tends to help them sit up better and makes them look healthy instead of stretched out. I like to carry around a small-forked deer antler that I can use to help prop the deer up with out it being seen in the photo. Keeping a prop like this on hand always helps you take better photos when you’re by yourself.”

South Texas based photographer, Desi Martinez, said lighting is key when comes to taking a memorable harvest photo.

“Position the animal, or the hunter and the animal, in a way so there aren’t any shadows taking away from the image,” he said. “Make sure the available light high lights the important details.”

Sunderland suggested folks experiment and get creative with different angles and poses, and take plenty of photos.

“The last thing you want to do is only take a few photos, only to realize later they are out of focus or not framed the way that you wish they would have been,” he said.

If you’re alone, Tyler Carruth suggests curling the deer up a bit and shooting detail photos of the best features. Photo by Tyler Carruth.

Brandon Skinner arrowed this 8 point buck while hunting on his family’s property in Gonzales County on the opening day of archery season. Photo by Christina Skinner.

LONE STAR OUTDOOR PUZZLER

Solution

Page 22

INDUSTRY

Promotions at DU

David Schuessler was named Ducks Un limited’s chief event fundraising officer and Rich Smith was named chief development officer.

Taurus hires marketing head

Caleb Giddings was hired as marketing manager for the Taurus brand.

Miller promoted at Delta Waterfowl

Delta Waterfowl promoted Bill Miller to communications director.

Exec at Christensen Arms

Christensen Arms hired Willie Vernon as its executive vice president of marketing.

Marketing group named

High Adventure Company retained Source Outdoor Group of Gainesville, Georgia, as its marketing and communications agency.

Templar Knife sales reps

Templar Knife retained Proactive East Sales and Marketing as its sales agency for the Northeast territories.

Sales agency for BONE-DRI

BONE-DRI, inventor of rust prevention gun cases, partnered with Frontier Sales & Marketing Group for Texas, Arkansas, Louisi ana, Oklahoma and Mississippi.

Marketing head at Hawke Optics

Hawke Optics promoted Paige Shipe to marketing manager.

Promotions at TenPoint

Hunter’s Manufacturing Co. Inc. dba TenPoint Crossbows promoted Phil Bednar to president and chief executive officer and Steve Bednar to executive vice president and chief operating officer.

deer feed brand

Lamar County’s seat

line brand

of the boat

Safari destination

shorebird

breed

hook brand

female hog

type

cobia

air-bow brand

of spinner blade

Mule deer hunting state

Redfish cousin, used for bait

marlin color

Central Texas lake

Aquatic plant loved by bass

To pull the bow string

A Texas bay

An African antelope

Optics brand

Shotgun brand

The drake mallard

Longview’s county

The spotted deer

UTEP’s team name

UT’s team name

An African game bird

Trout species

Offshore boat brand

The rare, white-_____ dove

UTV brand

Texas mountain range

Salmon species

Shotshell brand

Fishing show host

Anahuac’s county

Member of the Big Five

Electronic call maker

One of the tuna

The female red stag

East Texas lake

Granbury’s county

Livingston’s county

The male elk

Snapper species

Elk hunter’s org.

words)

FOR THE TABLE

Dove in bacon cream sauce

8 dove breasts, bone out

1 lb. bacon, sliced

11/2 cups heavy cream

3 egg yolks

1 tsp. paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Reserve 3 tbsps. of bacon drippings to the side. Sauté dove breasts in bacon drip pings left in the skillet until browned. Set aside and drain remaining drip pings. Beat egg yolks with cream and reserved drippings. Pour mixture back in cooled skillet and cook over low heat to thicken, stirring constantly and making sure mixture does not boil. Place dove breasts over bacon, cover with egg mixture and sprinkle paprika, salt and pepper over top before serv ing.

creamed

Bluegill chowder

into 1-inch

into 1/2-

a large stockpot, brown bacon over medium-high heat. When crisp, transfer bacon to a paper-towel lined plate and pour off all but 2 tbsps. of the remaining grease. Sauté onions, carrots and celery in reserved grease. Stir in potatoes and cook an addi tional 2–3 minutes. Pour the water into the pot and raise heat to bring water just to the boiling point. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. Add bluegill, creamed corn and cream. Simmer 5 minutes or until fish is cooked through. Served with reserved bacon crumbled on top.

Puzzle by Craig Nyhus, Lone Star Outdoor

TEXAS QUAIL

NATIONAL

OHIO Team caught cheating in walleye tourney

Two anglers were caught cheating by add ing lead weights and fish fillets to increase the weight of walleye caught in the Lake Erie Walleye Trail Championship held on Lake Erie.

The men added approximately 8 pounds of total weight to the five fish they caught during the event, according to tournament chairman Jason Fischer.

Fischer said the winning fish looked small er than their recorded weight. Tournament officials inspected one walleye, feeling an object in its stomach that seemed unnatural, and then cut open the fish and discovered the weights and fish fillets.

The competitors, Jake Runyan and Chase Cominsky, have not yet been charged with a crime but were immediately disqualified in the tournament.

The team would have finished in first place and scored a prize of about $30,000. The team also came in first place in each of the three previous Lake Erie Walleye Trail events this year, raking in tens of thousands of dol lars, and had won several other tournaments elsewhere, Fischer said.

—Staff report

WISCONSIN Wolf numbers strong

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced that the 2021-2022 overwinter number of pack-associated wolves is estimated between 812 and 1,193 within the pack-occupied range, with the most likely estimate being 972 wolves in a total number of packs estimated to be a most likely value of 288 packs.

Multiple population indicators point towards a healthy, secure wolf population in Wisconsin, the agency said. The average home range size of wolves this year was esti mated at 66 square miles.

—WDNR

WASHINGTON D.C. Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council members named

The U.S. Departments of the Interior and Agriculture today announced 18 members of the Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council.

The Federal Advisory Council, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is a federal advisory committee of subject matter experts that will provide recommendations to the federal government regarding policies that benefit wildlife and habitat conservation; expand fair-chase hunting, safe recreational shooting sports, and wildlife-associated recre ation opportunities; and policies that benefit national and local economies.

Council members are:

• Colin Beck (Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua & Siuslaw Indians) representing Tribal resource management organizations.

• Ryan Busse (unaffiliated) representing shooting sports interests.

• Jeffrey Crane (Congressional Sports men’s Foundation) representing wildlife and habitat conservation/man agement organizations.

• Michael Crowder (National Association of Conservation Districts) representing agriculture interests.

• John Devney (Delta Waterfowl) representing waterfowl hunting orga nizations.

• George Dunklin Jr. (Five Oaks Duck Lodge) representing tourism, outfit ter and/or guide businesses related to hunting and/or wildlife conservation.

• Bethany Erb (Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever) representing upland bird hunting organizations.

• Daniel Forster (Archery Trade Associa tion) representing archery interests.

• Cole Mannix (Mannix Ranch) repre senting ranching interests.

• Collin O’Mara (National Wildlife Federation) representing wildlife and

habitat conservation/management organizations.

• Lucas Martinez (League of United Latin American Citizens) representing wildlife-associated recreation inter ests.

• Lydia Parker (Hunters of Color) repre senting wildlife-associated recreation interests.

• Joel Pedersen (Mule Deer Founda tion) representing big-game hunting organizations.

• Land Tawney (Backcountry Hunters and Anglers) representing wildlife and habitat conservation/management organizations.

• Keith Tidball (Cornell University) representing veterans’ services organi zations.

• Lauren Ward (Conservation Without Conflict) representing wildlife and habitat conservation/management organizations.

• Gerald (Tony) Wasley (Nevada Depart ment of Wildlife) representing state fish and wildlife management agen cies.

• Joel Webster (Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership) representing wildlife and habitat conservation/man agement organizations.

Duck Stamp winner, again

For the sixth time, Minnesota artist Joseph Hautman was the winner of the Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest.

Hautman of Plymouth, Minnesota, won with his painting of three tundra swans flying over a wetland.

Hautman’s acrylic painting will be made into the 2023-2024 Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp – or “Duck Stamp” – which will go on sale in June 2023. The FWS produces the Federal Duck Stamp, which sells for $25 and raises ap proximately $40 million in sales each year.

FLORIDA Record black drum on fly pending

Jacob Elleson submitted a 91-centime ter black drum to potentially set the IGFA All-Tackle Length Fly World Record for the species. Jacob was fishing in Tampa Bay with guide Eric Pelno when the fish struck his fly. Elleson recorded the proper measurements on his official IGFA Measuring Device before releasing the fish. This record is currently pending and under review.

INTERNATIONAL

CANADA Travel restrictions lifted

The Government of Canada announced the removal of all COVID-19 entry restrictions, as well as testing, quarantine, and isolation requirements for anyone entering Canada, effective October 1.

All travelers, regardless of citizenship, will no longer have to:

• submit public health information through the ArriveCAN app or website;

• provide proof of vaccination;

• undergo pre- or on-arrival testing;

• carry out COVID-19-related quarantine or isolation;

• monitor and report if they develop signs or symptoms of COVID-19 upon arriving to Canada.

Transport Canada is also removing existing travel requirements. As of October 1, 2022, travelers will no longer be required to:

• undergo health checks for travel on air and rail; or

• wear masks on planes and trains.

—USFWS

—USFWS

—IGFA

New leader

Panhandle pronghorns

Arch

Galo, Jeffery Hildebrand and Oliver Bell.

“As an avid outdoorsman, David lives the mission of TPWD,” Aplin said. “His business and economic acumen in the field of our cul tural and natural resources will suit TPWD perfectly. David will continue a culture of inclusion with stakeholders and staff at the agency.”

At Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Yoskowitz served in many roles including professor of environmental economics, as sociate director for research, policy and development, endowed chair for socioeco nomics, and since 2020, the senior execu tive director of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies. His experience as an economist and his interest in critical environmental and natural resource issues paved the way for collaboration with natural science colleagues to study the links between environmental and human well-being with a particular focus on the resilience of the Gulf of Mexico region. During his time in Corpus Christi, Yoskowitz and the HRI team of sci entists and researchers worked to develop science-based solutions for pressing fisheries, watershed, coastal and ocean challenges.

“As a lifelong outdoorsman, a father, and someone who has spent the last several years of my career working toward creating a better future for the Gulf of Mexico, the TPWD mis sion is near and dear to my heart,” Yoskowitz said. “I am incredibly grateful for the work I’ve done for the last 16 years at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies and at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, and that work has really been about develop ing the science, as well as some of the solu tions, that help support TPWD’s mission and philosophy.”

Yoskowitz’s passion for pursuing connec tion with the natural environment reaches back to younger years when he fought forest fires and gained an appreciation for the con nection between humans and nature.

Yoskowitz served as the chief economist of

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad ministration (2014–2015) where he helped develop the agency’s first Social Science Vi sion and Strategy. He previously sat on the Socioeconomic Scientific and Statistical Committee for the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council.

Yoskowitz earned a Ph.D. in Economics and an M.A. in Economics from Texas Tech University, and a B.S. in Economics and Fi nance from Bentley College.

Carter Smith, TPWD’s current executive director, announced his retirement in June after almost 15 years of leading the depart ment. Smith’s retirement will be effective in January 2023.

Yoskowitz said he will be starting in No vember.

His early priorities?

“I want to make sure that we have a very successful experience with the legislative ses sion this year to deliver on the priorities of the Department,” he said. “Also we will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of Texas State Parks and continue to expand outdoor recreational activities for all Texans and our visitors.”

Although pronghorn numbers were down, Johnson found a good buck more than 700 yards away during the 16-day season which began Oct. 1.

“I crawled a little over 300 yards,” he posted on the Texas Public Land Hunt ing page. “The shot was 429 yards — he had started walking away so I took the shot when he stopped broadside.”

According to Lubbock District bi

ologist Sam Harryman, the Panhandle pronghorn population saw a signifi cant drop due to drought and poor habitat conditions.

“The fawn crop was 17 percent Pan handle-wide,” he said. “It’s usually around 25 percent, and there were de creases in adult population by about 10 percent area-wide.”

Chasing slabs

Continued from page 8

day.”

The bite has not been aggressive, and most of the fish that Reed’s anglers are catching have come from live minnows rigged with a heavy split shot to take them down to where the fish are hold ing.

Cedar Creek Lake guide Chuck Rol lins said the crappie have not moved into a fall pattern just yet.

“Some days you go out and think fall is here, and other days you find them right back in more of a late summer time pattern,” Rollins said. “Our wa ter temperature is still in the low 80s. Limits are coming but they are going to become more attainable as things con tinue to cool off.”

Rollins said most of the crappie on Cedar Creek Lake are hanging out around brush piles and bridges.

“Early in the morning, we are catch ing crappie as shallow as 7 to 8 feet,” Rollins said. “Later in the day they move out to depths in the 12- to 18foot range.”

Mike Cason said the fish on Lake Conroe have been pretty hit or miss.

“Most of our fish have been hang ing in the 12- to 17-foot range around brush and timber,” the guide said.

“Some brush piles are only holding a few fish, while others seem to be load ed. It just changes from day to day.”

Most of the crappie have measured from 11 to 13 inches.

“Minnows have been drawing more strikes than jigs,” Cason said. “Smaller, 1/16-ounce jigs have been producing more strikes than heavier jigs, as the fish seem to be a little lethargic and more willing to hit a slow-sinking bait.”

On Somerville Lake, Joey Ferro said the crappie bite has been tough.

“The lake is pretty low and you defi nitely have to work to catch numbers of crappie,” Ferro said. “You really have to move around a lot to find them.”

Ferro said many of the crappie are 12 inches and longer.

“The quality fish are there,” he said. “They are just tough to catch.”

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