Lone Star Outdoor News 102822

Stalking a Trans-Pecos pronghorn

Blake Barnett hunted prong horn in the Trans-Pecos, near Marathon, and, after multiple at tempts at stalking up on a buck, finally got close enough.

“The bucks were rutting hard during my hunt,” he said. “There was lots of chasing going on.”

Hunting with Wildlife Systems, Barnett said they looked over a lot

of bucks, including mature bucks they passed on before finding the one they wanted.

“On that buck, we made mul tiple stalks before finally having a chance at it,” he said. “Stalking them on the open flats made it difficult with minimal cover, and the goats would never stop mov ing.”

Finally, the buck took his group of does over a ridge and Barnett

Dove more consistent

By Nate Skinner

For Lone Star outdoor newS

It has been one of those dove seasons where the hunting keeps on getting better, especially in south Texas. Cold fronts seemed to have pushed more birds down to certain areas, and those willing to do some scouting to find concentrations of dove have experi enced good wingshooting action.

Central and South Zone outfitter Steve Wilson said croton and dove weed fields in the Yancey, Bigfoot and Castroville areas have been consistently holding strong numbers of mourning dove since the middle of the month.

“My fields in the South Zone really started turning on after we got a couple of cool fronts,” Wilson said. “During the first half of the season, bird num bers were lacking compared to what we usually have.”

The white-winged dove around his fields in the Pearsall and Hondo areas left after recent frontal systems blew through.

“Our whitewing numbers really fell off at about the midpoint of the month,” Wilson said.

Getaway Lodge at Port Mansfield owner Mike Sutton said his afternoon dove hunts over standing milo fields between Rio Hondo and Los Fresnos have been excellent.

could get in position with his Ru ger Hawkeye FTW Hunter in .308, topped with a Trijicon CredoHX scope.

“I was able to sneak up behind them and shot the buck at close range — about 75 yards and drop him with one shot using Horna dy’s Precision Hunter ammo in 178gr.”

Barnett said pronghorn hunt ing holds a special place in his

heart.

“It’s because they are a true part of a conservation success story due largely in part to a private and public funded partnership between landowners and state agencies,” he said. “Once nearly wiped out of the Trans Pecos re gion, their re-introduction has brought them back to huntable numbers.”

Big Cooke County buck

Archery hunter, neighbors agreed to let it walk for years

By Nate Skinner For Lone Star outdoor newS

Nathan Martin harvested a buck that unofficially scored

his family’s low fence ranch in Cooke County along the Red River. He and his neighbors had been watching the buck for the last two seasons and had agreed to not shoot the deer with hopes that it would continue to grow even bigger. When he first

season and realized what deer it was, he decided he would have to make his decision on wheth er or not to let an arrow fly in person, after he saw him on the hoof.

“I first noticed this buck two seasons ago,” Martin said. “He

was just an abnormally nice two year old that had 13 points. I knew that if he was able to grow to maturity, he could really be come a giant.”

Martin sent photos to his neighbors immediately, who all agreed with him. Collective ly, he and the hunters on the

Learning to fish helps vets

By Lili Keys For Lone Star outdoor newS

Patriot Anglers is a fly fishing group based in North Texas with a focus on increasing veteran well-being, renewing their sense of camaraderie, and enhancing their desire to move forward with the healing process. Since its founding, the program offers flyfishing 101 and fly tying classes, and has tak en approximately 1,600 veterans on single day and multi day outings.

Johnny Walker, a veteran himself, serves as the lead volunteer for the yearly local trips to Lake Emma in East Texas.

“Ninety-nine percent of those who suffer from PTSD have two issues. First, they have

no hope for the future, or for anything for that matter and second, they struggle to fo cus on things,” Walker said. “When you flyfish, you quickly learn you have to focus to make that cast just right, otherwise it could end up in the tree! So taking the vets to fish, pushes them to focus on a task. They also go in with no expectations to catch anything but once they catch a fish, they hope to catch a larger one... and that feeling of hope comes back to them.”

Recently, Patriot Anglers hosted five female veterans for a weekend-long program in East Texas. Gretchen Jones and her guide/coach, Cathy Case, pictured, caught the largest fish of the weekend despite the strong winds as a cool front blew through on Oct. 22.

After Nathan Martin and his neighbors agreed to pass on this buck for two seasons, Martin harvested the buck during archery season. Photo by Blake Hunter.

Gretchen Jones caught the largest fish of the group while fishing with the North Texas Patriot Anglers in East Texas. Photo by Ron Gard.

Photo by Chase Phillips

Lone Star outdoor newS

Chasing rutting

Keeping it in the family

Family honors ranch’s visionary

By Nate Skinner For Lone Star outdoor newS

Sycamore Creek Ranch, located between Brackettville and Del Rio, spans approximately 8,000 acres in Val Verde and Kinney counties. The property is owned and operated by Kimberly Terk and her family, and the hunting operations are managed by her son, Mitchell Murphy. For the first time since 2006, the Terk family is offering a select amount of hunts and outdoor experiences to the general public on their beloved land that has been in the family for three generations.

Terk’s father, David, be gan to pursue his dream of ranching in the late 1960s. Today, Sycamore Creek Ranch represents the culmination and vi sion of his dreams for ranching and hunting on a property that is wild and free. According to Terk, the ranch does not have cross fencing and all of the animals that inhabit the native land scape were born on the property.

Terk said her father was a first generation Ameri can and Texan.

“He was my grandfa ther’s firstborn son,” She explained. “My grandfa ther landed in Ellis Island as an immigrant from Ukraine to pursue the American dream.”

After moving to Texas, Terk’s father served in the army in the Korean War.

“He was a bronze star recipient and a survivor of the Battle of the Cho sen, which was a histori cally notable battle,” Terk said. “During his time in the military, he learned that he was a pretty good marksman, which served him well in his hunting and outdoor pursuits. He loved the outdoors, hunt ing, fishing, and shoot ing clays, and he was the 64th man to accomplish a World Slam in the big horn sheep pursuit.”

Her father’s final sheep was harvested in Mongo lia.

“One of his friends de scribed him as someone that could have afforded 5-star accommodations, yet he was much more at home in a sleeping bag on the side of the moun tains in Mongolia,” she said. “So, it’s no secret why he fell in love with the vast landscape of Sycamore Creek Ranch in the Del Rio area.”

Terk and her fam ily have made it their

By Reis Ladd For Lone Star outdoor newS

October is an enticing time in the mountains and desert of West Texas as the tones of bugling bull elk seem to echo through the canyons and saturate brushy draws. Free-range elk have called this area of Texas home for decades and pose opportunities for hunters looking to chase one of the big-game icons of the American West.

Sixteen-year-old hunter Bennett Bell, and father, Garrett, booked with the crew at Texas Hunting Resources the second week of October with the

hope of getting a rutting elk experi ence. The duo had been putting in for many seasons to hunt elk in other western states with no luck, but the father and son were able to hunt elk together this fall in Texas.

The hunt began slower than expect ed, in part due to the moon phase, with bugling activity concentrated around the first and last 30 minutes of daylight.

“The morning of day two began a little slower than expected because we didn’t hear or see much, but we all kept a good attitude and kept hunt ing,” Bennett said.

The group eventually heard one faint bugle to the west and made their way to a glassing nob that overlooked a large basin. Two bulls weaved their way in and out of the mesquite-choked creek bottoms, with one bull in par ticular sporting a wide and heavy 5x7 frame and a notably fired-up attitude. A couple cow calls and the old bull began closing the 800 yards, bugling once for every 10 steps. Bennett set up in a prone position and one shot was all it took.

“That was the first time I have hunt ed elk in the rut where they were bu gling, Bennett said. “Witnessing that

The Shiner buck

Deer moving in DeWitt County

By Robert Sloan For Lone Star outdoor newS

On Oct. 15, Drake Lahodny was bowhunting on his fam ily’s land near Shiner, watching a couple of young bucks chasing some does. Then, a bigger buck he had been keeping tabs on for the past two years stepped out of the brush.

“My family has about 130 acres of land in DeWitt Coun ty,” said Lahodny, who has been bowhunting for the past 14 years on that property. “It doesn’t have a lot of brush, but there are a good number of oak trees that

have been dropping acorns for the past few weeks. Those deer were in there, right where I have a feeder set up. I only hunt with my bow, even during the gun season on deer. The buck I had been looking for came in from the brush and the younger bucks immediately became skittish. He turned broadside and I shot him in the shoulder. He went about 40 yards and dropped.”

Everything went right that morning.

“It was warmer than normal, probably around 70 degrees,”

Lahodny said. “I was on my stand about 5:30. That was a little bit earlier than usual. But I knew the deer would be moving because I had already seen the bucks chasing does a few days

prior to this hunt. It was calm and foggy, just before a front was due to move through. I had been watching the deer around the feeder when this big one popped out of the fog at about 30 yards. I waited till the time was right and slowly drew back an arrow and made the shot.”

Lahodny went six seasons of bowhunting while only killing low-quality bucks and some does. It finally paid off on this hunt.

The hunter is meticulous about his bow hunting. It all starts with his clothes.

“I wash my camouflage hunt ing clothes and immediately place them in a plastic bag,” he said. “I keep the bag in the back of my truck. Then I don’t put on

Kimberly Terk and her family are now offering hunts on Syca more Creek Ranch as a way to honor the legacy and traditions instilled on the property by her father, David Terk. Photo From Kimberly Terk.

Jim Krantz took this bull elk while hunting in West Texas. Photo from Wildlife Systems.

Trophy bucks are unusual in much of DeWitt County but Drake Lahodny arrowed this 149 6/8-inch free-range buck on Oct. 15. Photo from Drake Lahodny.

Ribelin honored by Tall Timbers

By Craig Nyhus Lone Star outdoor newS

At the 25th Annual Kate Ireland Memorial Dinner & Auction on Oct. 20 in Tallahassee, Florida, quail research organization Tall Timbers honored a Texan, Chuck Ribelin.

Ribelin, 91, has been an advocate for bobwhite quail for decades, and learned about Tall Timbers in 2008 when he met Tall Timbers President/CEO Bill Palmer. Since then, the Dal las resident has supported the organization, kickstart ing two important capital campaign initiatives, the Piney Woods Quail Endow ment and the Quail Expan sion & Recovery Fund, also

known as the Chuck & Martha Ribelin Quail Ex pansion Scientist. This year, 10 percent of the auction proceeds from the event were dedicated to the Piney Woods Quail Endowment in Ribelin’s honor. With a focus on ex panding quail populations in Texas, Louisiana and Ar kansas, the Western Piney Woods Quail Endowment supports the Tall Tim bers Western Game Bird Director position, an onthe-ground role critical to successful quail expansion west of the Red Hills and Albany regions (in Florida and Georgia) where quail expansion has been suc cessful. Tall Timbers will introduce the research-

based strategies farther west in these areas.

Thanks to Ribelin’s gen erosity, Tall Timbers placed a full-time scientist in the Texas region in 2020, al lowing it to implement the

Dove hunting for the first time

By Mimi Meyer

For Lone Star outdoor newS Foundation

The Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation teamed up with Texas Dove Hunters Association to take Texas Sen. Donna Campbell, M.D. and fellow staff members on their first dove hunt. The group met at Red Sand Ranch, in Batesville, for a debrief and quick clay target prac tice to get everyone familiar and comfortable with a shotgun.

Those present from Sen. Camp bell’s staff included Joyce Yannuzzi, Rob Gowan, Sonya Chapa-Weber and her son Na than, as well as US Army LTC retired veteran, Steve Cornelius and Chris Byrd. The sena tor asked volunteers and landowners their thoughts about existing and proposed gun laws, saying she has always fought for Second Amendment rights, but had never held a shotgun or fired a shot. It was an eye-opening experience for her, hearing everyone’s stories of growing up with parents that closely watched and educated their children on gun safety and the value of hunting.

Then, the group headed to the field guided by Poco Loco Paloma Outfitters, just west of La Pryor. Sonya’s son has hunted before and handled a shotgun well. Sonya, has gone out with him from time to time, but she usually just sits back to support him and reads

When will ducks arrive?

There could be a good influx of young ducks heading to Texas, but many hunters are praying for more rain to give the birds somewhere to land.

Although surveys show duck numbers have declined over the past few years, the birds had a good breeding season in the Dakotas.

“This spring, habitat conditions in east ern North and South Dakota were much improved than the previous two years,” said Texas Parks and Wildlife Depart ment’s Waterfowl Program Leader Kevin Kraai. “The hatch of ducklings was above average for this very important area for breeding ducks. After two years of signifi cant drought and very poor productiv ity, this means that there should be more young and vulnerable ducks winging their way south this winter.”

It’s too soon to tell when the migration of ducks (other than teal) will hit its peak. According to a Ducks Unlimited report on Oct. 14, scaup, white-fronted geese and a few snow geese have moved from Canada into North Dakota, but hunters are still waiting for a push of mallards and more geese. Relatively mild conditions are ex pected into early November.

Last year’s season in Texas was ham pered by reduced production, Kraai said.

“The drought that occurred in 2020 and 2021 had a large impact on duck hunting success,” Kraai said. “Last year, Texas ob

served a significant decrease in total duck harvest compared to the previous hunting season. The total estimated duck harvest was down 41 percent in 2021 compared to 2020.”

Most of the state is well below seasonal precipitation averages, except for south Texas and parts of the Texas Panhandle. These conditions across the state haven’t been seen since the record drought in 2010. East Texas reservoirs are low and, west of Fort Worth, many hunters are see ing dry pond beds. Along the coast, marsh waters are extra salty and some wetlands are dry. Hunters with access to flooded rice fields are expected to have a good season.

If the scheduled and future rains fill or partially fill the ponds, it can be good news for hunters. Vegetation that pro duces small seeds have grown along the exposed shorelines. When water levels rise and the vegetation is flooded, it can provide a substantial increase in the foods available for wintering ducks.

Regular duck season in the High Plains Mallard Management Unit opens Oct. 29, in the South Zone on Nov. 5 and the North Zone on Nov. 12. Additional infor mation regarding duck seasons and daily bag limits can be found in the TPWD Out door Annual.

Light and dark goose season starts Nov. 5 in the East Zone and West Zone. More information regarding goose seasons and daily bag limits can be found in the Out door Annual.

Chuck Ribelin

Marsh project dedicated to Hixons

Ducks Unlimited volunteers, partners and supporters gathered to honor longtime volun teers and sponsors Tim and Karen Hixon, by highlighting the 2,119-acre Buffalo Lake Marsh Restoration Project.

“Buffalo Lake Marsh is a crucial spot for waterfowl and other wetland birds,” said Carter Smith, executive director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “We are dedicating this area to Tim and Karen in honor of their longtime commitment of supporting wildlife and habitat conservation projects across Texas.”

Owned and managed by the TPWD, the Mission Lake Unit of the Guadalupe Delta Wildlife Management Area in Calhoun County and is popular for waterfowl hunting.

Crews enhanced the project area years ago with a large water-control structure and network of levees to facilitate proper habitat management. However, the infrastructure enhancements degraded over the years and eventually failed, leaving the area exposed to the elements and flooding. The implementation of a different design and configuration for the water-control infrastructure allows the project to now function properly and the structure should be better able to withstand increased water flows during future upstream floods or unusual high tidal events.

These improvements will benefit waterfowl and other wetland-dependent wildlife, like nongame birds, amphibians and reptiles. Increased plant growth in the marsh should also improve the water quality released downstream into the estuary by retaining some sediments and filtering excess nutrients.

Tim and Karen Hixon spent much of their time serving and supporting multiple organiza tions, many of which share the common mission of conservation. As a conservationist, Tim served on the board and as vice chairman of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission from 1989 to 1995, and as chairman of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation from 1995 to 2002, where he was honored as a trustee emeritus and inducted into the Texas Parks and Wildlife Conservation Hall of Fame in 2010. He was a trustee and director of the National Board of The Nature Conservancy as well as The Texas Nature Conservancy, a director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and a board member of the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute. He died in 2018.

Karen was a member of the board of the Texas Nature Conservancy and served a six-year term on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. She currently serves on the boards of the Peregrine Fund in Boise, Idaho, and the Texas Agricultural Land Trust Foundation.

—DU

Red River buck

Continued from page 1

surrounding properties agreed to let the buck walk.

“I can’t say enough good things about my neighbors on the properties around our ranch,” Martin said. “We are all on the same page about trying to let deer reach their full potential, and they had no problem committing to pass this deer that season.”

The following season, the buck made some impressive gains, and at age 3 he was definitely turning some heads.

“Last season he was sporting a drop tine, and had to be pushing 170 inches,” Martin said. “I knew he was only 3, and really felt that he should be allowed to grow another year. Again, my neighbors agreed to not shoot him. They told me that if I wasn’t going to shoot him, then they wouldn’t either.”

Martin saw the buck that year twice in person while hunting, well within bow range, and let him move on.

“I had lots of friends who had seen game camera photos of the buck that sea son tell me how dumb they thought I was for passing him,” he explained. “However, I stuck to my gut and the buck lived to become a 4-year-old.”

When the buck showed up on Martin’s game cameras this season, it was appar ent that the animal had once again made some tremendous gains.

“I did the same thing that I did the pre vious two seasons,” said Martin. “I sent pictures of him to the neighbors and told them he was back again. But this time I told them, I’m not sure I’ll be able to pass him this season if I happen to see him within bow range. I wanted to make my decision based on how I felt when I saw him in person. They were already tell ing me that if I wanted to pass him, then they would commit to doing the same, but I told them that if they saw him this

year and wanted to shoot him, that they should.”

Martin went out for an evening hunt and began to see a number of other deer come by his stand as daylight started to fade.

“I heard something back to my north, and all of the deer around me were look ing that direction,” he said. “I looked in that direction but I couldn’t see anything. After watching the deer in front of me some more, I leaned toward the north in my stand again to take a peak, and there was the buck. For a second, I thought he saw me move, but then he began walking toward a tree line.”

Martin took this opportunity to draw his bow. After moving through the tree line, the buck started walking toward the feeder his stand was overlooking.

“I only had a small window between the trees to make a clean shot before I would have had to come out of draw and reposi tion myself,” Martin said. “I felt like there were too many deer around me to make that much movement, so I ended up tak ing a shot while he was walking complete ly broadside in stride at 30 yards.”

Martin watched the buck go down about 50 yards from the base of the tree he was sitting in.

“My dad was hunting a different stand on the property, so I called him and told him that I had just shot that buck,” he said. “It was a pretty special experience be cause this was only the second buck that I’ve shot where I had my dad there to cel ebrate with. He got to walk up to the deer with me and we both put hands on him for the first time.”

A few of the neighbor’s came to cel ebrate and take photos. The buck is the biggest buck anyone in his family has har vested on the property.

Out of the fog

Continued from page 4

my hunting clothes until I’m on site and ready to go to my stand. That way I have very little human scent in the air. I also wear a face mask.”

The area of the county holds plenty of deer, but few trophies.

“We also have lots of pigs,” Lahodny said. “I had seen this big buck over the past two years and knew he was in the area where I was set up. I was just hoping to get a shot at him, and that happened just as the bucks were going into the rut.”

When the buck appeared out of the fog, Lahodny waited patiently for him to turn and present a quartering away shot from his treestand. After being hit, the buck bolted into the brush but left a good blood trail and was easily located.

DeWitt County sits in the south-central region of Texas, northwest of Victoria. The county was founded in 1846 from parts of Goliad, Gonzales and Victoria counties and is named for Green DeWitt, who founded a colony in Texas in 1825.

INTRODUCING

Bass picking up the pace

Moving shallow to feed

By Nate Skinner For Lone Star outdoor newS

Bass anglers are experiencing more aggres sive action as lake waters begin to cool off. The fish are starting to pull up and stage in shallower areas as they transition into more of a fall pattern. Lures that cover plenty of water and draw reaction strikes have been producing.

Collegiate tournament bass angler for Dallas Baptist University, Hunter Jenkins, said bass are in a fall transition period on both Texoma and Joe Pool Reservoir.

“The bass are beginning to push up shallower from their deep, summertime locales,” Jenkins said. “The shad are push ing shallower as well, so if you can find the shad, you can usually get on a pretty decent bite.”

Jenkins said brush piles off the main lake channel on Joe Pool in 14 feet of water have been holding good numbers of fish.

“Most of the bass have been in the 2- to 4-pound range and they are holding tight to the bottom,” he said. “Drop shot rigs have been producing the most strikes over brush piles.”

On Lake Texoma, Jenkins has been find ing both smallmouth and largemouth bass up a little shallower in water depths of 10 feet or less.

“Square bills and medium-diving crank baits in shad patterns have been working well on Texoma,” Jenkins said. “The key is to cast a crankbait right up against the bank to where the lure almost hits the shore, and then to retrieve it quickly.”

Jeremy Francis has been chasing bass on

Combs wins on Big Sam

Keith Combs’ season in the Bassmaster Elites didn’t live up to his normally high standards. Sitting in 64th place, he was in line to miss the Bassmaster Classic.

Combs, from Huntington, avoided having to work at the Classic Expo, though, when he won the Cen tral Open at Sam Rayburn on Oct. 22.

Combs weighed 16 pounds, 11 ounces on the final day to score a come-from-behind victory at the threeday event, finishing with 46 pounds, 5 ounces, win ning $43,867 and a berth in the Classic next March, which will be his ninth.

“I’m just happy I don’t have to work the (Classic) Expo,” Combs said. “I’m glad the season’s over, and it’s good to win at home.”

Sam Rayburn, being nearly 6 feet low, made fishing difficult at times for even the pros most familiar with the reservoir. Combs said he fished places for the first time in the event.

One spot he located in practice proved productive.

“I saw a hard spot off to the side of a channel and I thought it was interesting,” Combs said. “It was glowing on the Side Scan, out in this mud flat. I didn’t see any fish there, but it looked like the kind of place I catch them.”

Two of Combs’ best bass on Saturday came off that spot, in about 15 feet of water. His best bites came on a Strike King Structure Jig (Okeechobee craw) and a dark-colored Strike King Zeus Worm.

Day 2 leader Logan Latuso finished second with 44 pounds, 8 ounces after weighing four bass on the final day. While he missed out on the winning prize and Classic berth, he was happy to qualify for the Elite Series. Latuso earned $22,057 for finishing second and another $750 for the Big Bass honors.

Cody Bird, of Granbury, finished sixth with 39 pounds, 3 ounces, winning $10,027.

Lake Ray Roberts and Lewisville Lake re cently, where the bass are definitely moving toward shallower areas. Shallow to medium crankbaits have been his go-to presenta tions.

“On Lewisville, I’ve been focusing on rip rap and rocks in depths of 10 feet or less to catch numbers of bass in the 2- to 4.5-pound range,” Francis said. “Crankbaits in white and shad color schemes have been working the best.”

On Ray Roberts, Francis said the mouths of creek channels, channel swings, and anywhere creek channels swing up against a steep ledge or dropoff have been holding plenty of bass suspended in 5 to 8 feet of water.

“The bass seem to be suspending among trees in these areas, so I’ve been slow-rolling and twitching a crankbait through the water column to get them to eat,” Francis said. “A lot of times, the crankbait will get hung on a tree limb or branch, so you have to pause your retrieve to let it float off of where it was hung up. Many strikes have been occurring during these pauses in the retrieve.”

On Ray Roberts, most of the bass have been a little smaller, from 1 to 3 pounds.

Austin area paddle board and kayak an gler, Nathan Gathright, has been finding bass on Brushy Creek and the San Gabriel River staging in transition areas at the edges of deeper stretches of water along drop offs adjacent to extremely shallow areas.

“Paddle tail soft plastics and small swim baits have been working really well,” Gath right said. “Areas with submerged trees and vegetation have been holding plenty of fish. Glide baits have also been producing strikes.”

Reds and trout under the birds

“Sabine Lake is not the biggest body of water along the Texas coast, but it definitely is among the best to be fishing right now,” Norris said. “The boat traffic this time of year is relatively light, and the fishing will be good well into November.”

Norris said small groups of birds began holding over isolated pods of trout in September. But the action on both reds and trout here is hot now.

“The best numbers of both trout and reds are on the middle and up

per parts of Sabine,” Norris said. “You can actually see wakes from a school of reds that are feeding on shrimp and shad.”

One of the best things you can take along on your boat when fishing the birds is a good pair of binoculars. Norris won’t leave the dock without them.

“Binoculars will help you see a distant flock of birds holding over a school of fish,” he said. “That will often give you the jump on getting to the birds first. That’s important, especially on a busy weekend. There

Lone Star outdoor newS

On Lake Texoma, Hunter Jenkins caught this bass while working a chatterbait along a ledge running parallel to a bank. Photo from Hunter Jenkins.

After struggling this season, Keith Combs won the Central Open on Sam Rayburn to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic. Photo by B.A.S.S.

Birds are leading the way to trout and redfish in Sabine Lake. Photo by Robert Sloan, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

Team “Last Minutes” wins PBC Fly Festival

Follow the birds

Continued from page 8

is always somebody that’s going to run into the action and spook the birds and the fish.”

Norris uses the trolling motor to ease up to a school of trout, or he’ll use the wind and current to drift along the edge of moving fish.

“When the reds are schooled up, they will move with a bunch of shrimp or shad,” he said. “At times you can actually see shrimp skipping across the surface of the water.”

The shrimp bring the birds.

“The fish will push the baitfish and shrimp to the surface,” Norris said. “That’s when the birds will see the action and move in. Most of the birds are gulls. But there will be groups of terns out there as well. The terns are referred to as liar birds because they are often not holding over reds and trout.”

With each cold front, more shrimp move toward Sabine Pass on the lower end of the lake.

“That’s also a time when we will have bigger fish to catch as well,” Norris said.

“A whole lot of the trout will be in the 14- to 16-inch class. To catch the bigger trout, I’ll stick around and fish on bot tom, after the birds leave, with 1/4-ounce jigs. The heavier trout will often be on or near bottom where a lot of the shrimp will be moving.”

A go-to color with soft plastics is a red/ shad Assassin on a 1/4-ounce jighead. At times, Norris will go to a lighter jighead to get a slower fall. Other good colors are bone, root beer and silver glitter.

“I’ll use a top-water lure to catch the reds when they are on the surface,” Nor ris said. “A bone or chrome/blue Super Spook Jr. can be a blast to fish for reds.”

By Lone Star outdoor newS

With super high tides in the Rockport area, fish were not stacked up like anglers had hoped. Many searched in vain during the Port Bay Club annual fly-fishing tournament held Oct. 15.

The Eric Nelson Memorial Fly Fishing Festival was a fun event for 13 anglers and the seven teams casting for reds, trout and anything else they could catch. The teams could fish anywhere along the coast, but had to be back in Rockport for the 5 p.m. weigh in. Most fished Copano and Port bays and some fished near Port Aransas.

Winds were light in the early morning, picking up as usual throughout the day. Luck ily, the clouds never formed as forecasted.

Each group fished for a total-inch stringer of two redfish, one trout and one wild card fish.

As with any event at Port Bay Club, there was nothing standard about the catches.

John Kisalus had the most unusual catch, a “message in a bottle” that he discovered was cast into the bay that very same day. Justin Glowczwski caught two trout on the same fly at the same time. And Dean Meyer caught a popping cork with a small redfish attached to the broken line.

Most of the anglers reported very finicky fish, and had a hard time getting the reds to eat a fly.

Team “Chaos” stuck a 19 1/4-inch red in the Lydia Ann Channel near Port Aransas, along with a 12 1/8-inch trout and took third place.

Team “Turtlehead” had 56 7/8 inches with two reds, a trout and a needlefish to win second place. The 20-inch wildcard needlefish won team member David Barer a TFO rod and reel of his choice. Barer was shocked at his win and prize.

And team “Last Minutes” were fishing the pumpkin patch in the middle of nowhere and managed 75 7/8 inches with 50 inches of redfish, a 15 3/8-inch trout and a 10 1/2inch sand trout to win the festival. David Sams went through 16 fish and four different flies before he dialed in with a heavy shrimp-pattern fly that a few fish didn’t resist.

“It was one of the toughest days of fly-fishing I have had,” Sams said. “The picky fish swam right in front of me all day and everyone I landed took three to four casts to get them to bite. My partner, Dean Meyer, had it tough as well with as many fish in front of him that would not bite.”

Team “Voyager” took the spot Calcutta with a red with two spots.

Following the weigh-in, the teams celebrated with a toast to their late friend, Eric Nel son, who was a true sportsman and long-time member of the 110-year-old club. Some of the anglers fished well into the night catching hundreds of trout under the lights.

This year’s event sponsors were Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO), Tailwaters Fly Fishing Co., The Fly Trap, Made by Mimi and Lone Star Outdoor News

Results: “Last Minutes”

David Sams & Dean Meyer Redfish: 50

Trout: 15 3/8

Wild card: 10 1/2 (sand trout)

“Turtlehead”

David Barer & Randall Lucas

Redfish: 26 3/4

Trout: 10 1/8

Wild card: 20 (needlefish)

“Chaos”

Bill Minyard & John Kisalus

Redfish: 19 1/4

Trout: 12 1/8

“Two

“Voyager”

Kirby

“Last

“Dos

John

7/8

Oklahoman tops big bass event on Fork

Dylan Brill, of Choctaw, Oklahoma, edged out another Sooner to win the Berkley Big Bass on Fork with a 7.93-pound largemouth turned in during the event’s final hour. Brill edged out Michael McKinney, of Ninnekah, who landed a 7.78-pounder. Brill won a Skeeter ZX200 with a Yamaha SHO motor, plus $1,000 for winning the hourly prize.

More than 1,000 anglers fished the event, which required the use of Berkley lures. Jimmy Singleton, of Godley, brought in the heaviest fish under the slot, at 2.53 pounds, to win a Skeeter ZX150.

—Bass Champs

Participants in Port

by Lone Star Outdoor News.

TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORT

ALAN HENRY: Water clear; 70 degrees; 9.40’ low. Crap pie are good on minnows and jigs.

AMISTAD: Water stained; 77 degrees; 40.09’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on shad patterned top-waters and Texas-rigged soft plastics. Catfish are good on cheese bait and punch bait.

ARLINGTON: Water lightly stained; 78 degrees; 4.87’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and top-waters. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows.

ATHENS: Water clear; 79 de grees; 1.69’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on shaky-head worms and jigs. Crappie are good on small jigs.

AUSTIN: Water clear; 80 degrees; 0.74’ low. Large mouth bass are fair on small plastics, top-water frogs and wacky worms.

B.A. STEINHAGEN: Water stained; 76 degrees; 0.32’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters in submerged vegetation and crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait and cheese bait.

BASTROP: Water clear; 80 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on spinner baits, chat terbaits and 4-5-inch worms.

BELTON: Water lightly stained; 75 degrees; 12.66’ low. White bass are good on tail spinners with chartreuse tails. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs.

BENBROOK: Water lightly stained; 78 degrees; 8.13’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters and crankbaits. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows.

BOB SANDLIN: Water clear; 72 degrees; 1.81’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters and chatterbaits. Crappie are fair on minnow and jigs. Catfish are good on cheese bait.

BRAUNIG: Water lightly stained; 80 degrees. Large mouth bass are fair on soft plastics and spinner baits. Redfish are fair on live bait and swimbaits.

BROWNWOOD: Water slightly stained; 71-74 degrees; 7.81’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters, squarebilled crankbaits and shaky heads. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are slow.

BUCHANAN: Water lightly stained; 79 degrees; 14.90’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters, soft plastics and jigging spoons. Striped bass and white bass are good on crankbaits and jigging spoons as well. Catfish are good on cut shad and punch bait.

CADDO: Water stained; 77 degrees; 0.35’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on shad-colored crankbaits and Texas rigs.

CALAVERAS: Water lightly stained, 81 degrees. Red drum are good on live bait, spoons and crankbaits. Blue catfish are good on cut shad, cut tilapia and shrimp.

CANYON: Water clear to slightly stained; 77 degrees; 8.08’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chatterbaits and spinner baits. Striped bass are good on top-waters.

CEDAR CREEK: Water stained; 73-77 degrees; 4.63’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on chat terbaits, spinner baits, square-billed crankbaits and Texas-rigged plastics. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass and hybrids bass are good on spinner baits, silver spoons and slabs.

CHOKE CANYON: Water stained; 78 degrees; 23.10’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters, chat terbaits and finesse worms in watermelon or green pumpkin. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are fair on cheese bait and shrimp.

CONROE: Wa ter slightly stained; 77 degrees; 2.26’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on creature baits, crankbaits and swimbaits. Crappie are good on orange jigs. Hybrid stripers are fair on slabs and live bait. Catfish are good on catfish bubblegum, worms and liver.

COOPER: Water lightly stained; 78 degrees. Large mouth bass are fair on crankbaits. White bass are fair on jigs and small spoons. Crappie are slow.

CORPUS CHRISTI: 77 de grees; 2.42’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are slow. White bass are good on crankbaits, small jigs and minnows. Catfish are good on cut bait, perch, and soap baits.

EAGLE MOUNTAIN: Water stained; 71 degrees; 5.01’ low. White bass are fair to good on chartreuse and white slabs with teaser flies. Crap pie are good on minnows. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good on punch bait and shad.

FAIRFIELD: Water slightly stained; 70 degrees. Large mouth bass are fair on chatterbaits, wacky worms, top-waters and crankbaits. Bluegill are good on earth worms.

FALCON: Water stained; 77 degrees; 39.97’ low. Large mouth bass are good on soft plastics and jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait.

FAYETTE: Water lightly stained; 88 degrees; 1.50’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on shad-colored crankbaits and plastics. Catfish are fair

on punch bait and chicken liver.

FORK: Water stained; 78 degrees; 6.74’ low. Large mouth bass are slow due to lake turnover. Crappie are are good on minnows.

GRANBURY: Water lightly stained; 72 degrees; 2.63’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and soft plastics. Crappie are good on small minnows and small jigs. White bass are fair jigging slabs and on inline spinners. Striped bass are fair drifting flats with live shad. Catfish are good at night on cut shad.

GRANGER: Water lightly stained; 83 degrees; 2.17’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and top-waters fished near hydrilla. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs tipped with crappie nibbles. White bass are good on slab spoons. Blue catfish are good on jug lines baited with shad.

GRAPEVINE: Water lightly stained; 74 degrees; 0.96’ low. White bass are scattered and fair on slabs.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 75 degrees; 2.37’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on square-billed crankbaits, shaky heads, Ned rigs and wacky worms. Crappie are fair on minnows.

HUBBARD CREEK: Water stained; 73 degrees; 6.77’ low. White bass are good on slabs, rooster tails, road run ners and spoons.

JOE POOL: Water stained; 75 degrees; 1.90’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged watermelon senkos or junebug worms on shaky head jigs. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows.

LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water lightly stained; 72 degrees; 0.84’ 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; 74 degrees; 6.44’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on square-billed crankbaits and top-waters. White bass are fair on paddle tail swimbaits. Channel catfish are good on prepared baits.

LBJ: Water stained; 83 de grees; 0.24’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on shaky heads, Texas rigs and topwater frogs. Crappie are good on chartreuse jigs. Catfish are good on punch bait.

LEWISVILLE: Water lightly stained; 75 degrees; 5.13’ low. White bass are fair on slabs, small swimbaits and live bait. Hybrid stripers are slow. Catfish are fair drifting cut shad or chicken breasts.

LIMESTONE: Water clear; 74

degrees; 5.03’ low. Large mouth bass are fair to good on Texas rigs, chatterbaits and spinner baits. Crappie are fair on minnows. White bass are good on silver jigging spoons. Catfish are fair on cut bait.

LIVINGSTON: Water stained; 77 degrees; 1.08’ low. Large mouth bass are slow. White bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Catfish are fair drifting cut bait.

MARTIN CREEK: Water lightly stained; 81 degrees; 3.63’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters and Carolina rigs. Catfish are fair on cut bait.

MEREDITH: Water stained; 66-68 degrees; 54.06’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on minnows and soft plastics. White bass are good on minnows, small spinner baits, curly tailed grubs. Walleye are good on artifi cials, minnows and crawlers. Catfish are fair on live bait and stink bait.

MILLERS CREEK: Water stained; 76 degrees; 5.22’ low. Hybrid striped bass are fair on slabs. White bass are slow. Crappie are fair on min nows and jigs. Blue catfish are good on juglines and trot lines baited with shad.

NACOGDOCHES: Water light ly stained; 70-75 degrees; 3.87’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-water lures. Crappie are good on minnows.

NACONICHE: Water stained; 74 degrees; 1.00’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on jerkbaits, crankbaits and spinner baits. Catfish are slow.

NASWORTHY: Water murky; 84 degrees. 1.04’ low. Large mouth bass are fair on soft plastics, jigs and top-waters. Crappie are good on black and chartreuse jigs and min nows. Catfish are good on cut bait and stink bait.

NAVARRO MILLS: Water stained; 75 degrees; 3.41’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chatterbaits and spinner baits. Crappie are fair on small minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut shad and stink bait.

O.H. IVIE: Water stained; 74 degrees; 22.54’ low. Largemouth bass are slow to fair on soft plastics. White bass are good on live bait and crankbaits. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Catfish are good on prepared baits, cut bait and live bait.

PALESTINE: Water lightly stained; 75 degrees; 2.53’ low. Largemouth bass are good on spinner baits, Ned rigs, Carolina rigs and crank baits. Crappie are good on jigs. White bass and hybrids

are good trolling with deepdiving crankbaits. Catfish are good on the river on night crawlers.

POSSUM KINGDOM: Water lightly stained; 70-73 degrees; 4.63’ low. Striped bass are slow. White bass are fair to slow on small chartreuse and white jigs and slabs. Catfish are good on prepared baits and cut bait.

PROCTOR: Water stained; 74 degrees; 8.65’ low. Large mouth bass are slow. Catfish are good on cut or whole shad.

RAVEN: Water stained; 70 degrees; 3.75’ low. Large mouth bass are fair on green/ pumpkin finesse worms, top-waters and chatterbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are slow.

RAY HUBBARD: Water lightly stained; 73-75 degrees; 3.19’ low. White bass are fair on slabs. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on cut bait and prepared stink bait.

RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 72 degrees; 2.29’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters. White bass are good jigging with slabs with a bucktail trailer. Blue and some channel catfish are good on cut shad.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Wa ter clear; 74 degrees; 5.28’ low. Crappie are fair on min nows. White bass are slow. Channel and blue catfish are good on punch bait.

SAM RAYBURN: Water stained; 71 degrees; 5.78’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on jigs, spinner baits and crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair to good on cut bait and liver.

SOMERVILLE: Water stained; 75 degrees; 5.78’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on craw jigs and shad crank baits. White bass and hybrids are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair on juglines with cut shad. White bass are slow and hybrids slow.

STILLHOUSE HOLLOW: Water lightly stained; 75 degrees; 10.53’ low. Large mouth bass are fair on top-waters and finesse worms. White bass are good on tail spinners with chartreuse tails.

TAWAKONI: Water lightly stained; 73 degrees; 3.91’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters and brush hogs. White bass and striped bass are good on crankbaits, Ala bama rigs and slab spoons. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows Blue and chan nel catfish are excellent on prepared baits.

TEXANA: Water stained;

n Saltwater reports

77 degrees; 5.09’ 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; 75 degrees; 2.57’ low. Large mouth bass are fair on drop shots and jerkbaits. Striped bass are good casting slabs and top-waters and on live bait and swimbaits. Blue and channel catfish are good on cut shad and prepared baits.

TOLEDO BEND: Water stained; 71-74 degrees; 4.59’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters, spinner baits, square-billed crankbaits and jigs. Crappie are fair on small jigs and small minnows.

TRAVIS: Water stained; 78 degrees; 39.89’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on jigs, tubes, crankbaits and top-waters.

TYLER: Water lightly stained; 70 degrees; 3.02’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on trick worms, top-waters and minnows. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are good on liver and stink bait.

WACO: Water stained; 81 degrees; 11.06’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters, square-billed crankbaits, chatterbaits and spinner baits. Crappie are fair, best in mornings on jigs. White bass and hybrids are fair trolling spinner baits and crankbaits.

WHITNEY: Water lightly stained; 75 degrees; 7.52’ low. Striped bass are good on live bait and trolling umbrellarigs with white or chartreuse grub tails or swimbaits.

WORTH: Water stained; 71 degrees; 2.66’ low. White bass are fair to good on chartreuse and white slabs. Crappie are good on minnows. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good on cut bait, shad and punch bait.

WRIGHT PATMAN: Water lightly stained; 73 degrees; 2.25’ high. White bass are fair on tail spinners. Catfish are good on punch bait.

—TPWD

TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT

SABINE LAKE: 74 degrees. Redfish are good along the ICW on shrimp under a popping cork and 5-inch plastics. Speckled trout are fair on gold spoons, top-waters and soft plastics.

BOLIVAR: 77 degrees. Redfish are fair on shrimp. Flounder are good on nuclear chicken plastics.

TRINITY BAY: 74 degrees. Redfish and black drum are fair on live shrimp and soft plastics.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: 76 degrees. Red fish and speckled trout are fair to good on soft plastics and shrimp under a popping cork.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: 77 degrees. Red fish, black drum and speckled trout are fair over bay reefs on live shrimp. Floun der are good on scented plastics.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: 80 degrees. Redfish are shrimp and scented plastics. Flounder gigging is excellent at night.

PORT O’CONNOR: 80 degrees. Redfish are good at the jetties on Spanish sar dines and dead shrimp. Oversized black drum are good on dead shrimp.

ROCKPORT: 86 degrees. Redfish are good on artificials and cut bait. Speck led trout are good on soft plastics. Black drum are good on dead shrimp near inlets on outgoing tides.

Texas elk

bull so fired up was incredible.”

Greg Simons, General Manager of Wild life Systems, has years of experience in guiding and outfitting elk hunters in Texas. This year has been different from years past due to the timing of rainfall the Texas elk country experienced.

“Average antler size has been down this year due to a severe drought during the height of antler growth, but our hunters have nonetheless enjoyed outstanding re sults.” Simons said.

Since the middle of August, rainfall amounts have been generous and Simons attributes good rutting activity to the pre cipitation.

“With the generous rainfall over the last 90 days in the Trans-Pecos, the lush condi tions are favorable in allowing pheromones to linger longer in the air due to the add ed moisture and humidity, which in turn stimulates rutting behavior,” he said.

PORT ARANSAS: 81 degrees. Speckled trout are slow. Redfish are fair on shrimp.

CORPUS CHRISTI: 82 degrees. Redfish and speckled trout are slow to fair on shrimp. Black drum are fair on live and dead shrimp.

TEXAS CITY: 72 degrees. Bull redfish are good at the Texas City Dike on live shrimp, live croaker and sand trout, or cut mullet and whiting. Flounder are fair on artificials tipped with mullet.

FREEPORT: 80 degrees. Redfish are good on scented plastics under a popping cork. Flounder are fair on scented plastics. Speckled trout are fair under birds on soft plastics.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: 80 degrees. Red fish are good on shrimp and soft plastics. Speckled trout are slow. Flounder are good but small on soft plastics.

BAFFIN BAY: 91 degrees. Speckled trout are fair to good on live shrimp under a popping cork. Redfish are fair on shrimp.

PORT MANSFIELD: 84 degrees. Redfish are fair on gold weedless spoons and top-waters. Speckled trout are fair wadefishing over potholes, following the mullet on soft plastics.

SOUTH PADRE: 83 degrees. Speckled trout are fair under birds on shrimp. Red fish are fair on shrimp.

PORT ISABEL: 83 degrees. Speckled trout are fair on shrimp and soft plastics. Redfish are fair on shrimp.

—TPWD

When father and daughter Matt and Ash lyn Frazer booked their hunt, they weren’t sure what to expect considering most of their experience consisted of hunting whitetails from a box blind. However, once in the Texas elk country glassing and call ing from ridgetops and subsequently inter acting with wild elk on an intimate level, the Frazer’s quickly found their stride.

Ashlyn was up first, and on the morn ing of the second day the hunting group located a 6x6 bull with a handful of cows. After sticking with the group all morning and into the afternoon, Ashlyn’s persis tence paid off as the bull finally gave her a presentable opportunity.

While Ashlyn’s hunt was one of patience, Matt’s bull was that of fury.

“My bull closed a lot of distance very quickly,” Matt said. “We glassed him up a long way off and started the stalk with not

much light left thinking it was probably too far, but as we moved in the bull was actually moving toward us. He made it all the way to 15 yards, came out of the brush and he was ready to fight.”

As special as it is to hunt free range elk in Texas during the rut, Simons and the two teens said there is something special about doing so in Texas.

“I was surprised when my dad told me we would be hunting wild elk in Texas, but one thing I was really not expecting was how beautiful the sunrises and sunsets were out here,” Bennett said.

“There is something about desert bulls in Texas that carries a nostalgia, and especially for Texas residents.” Simons added.

“Dad, this was awesome,” Ashlyn told her father. “Can we please come back next year?”

South Texas dove

“Most of the whitewings seem to have left our fields, but we are covered up in mourning dove,” he said. “Even with the cool fronts passing through around the middle of the month, the mourning dove have remained consistent. Most hunters who can handle a shotgun have been able to harvest their limits.”

Near Eldorado, Tyler Petoskey said mourning dove have been diving into and over tanks and water troughs during the afternoon and evening hours, providing steady action.

“If you’ve got access to a water source in that area of the state right now, you can probably have a great shoot,” he said. “There’s just not a lot of water on the prop erty I hunt, so the birds tend to congregate heavily around water troughs and any oth er available water sources.”

Mitchell Stephenson hunted over sesame and peanut fields with a group of buddies in Frio County where they shot limits of mourning dove.

“There were a ton of birds in the area dur ing the three days we hunted,” Stephenson

First dove

a magazine. This time, she was on deck and harvested her first dove.

Rob Gowan, who handles veteran affairs for the senator, frequently hunts and had been asked many times by his coworkers to get them out in the field. That’s when he reached out to Bobby Thornton with TDHA to see what their options were.

Cornelius was outfitted in his old army gear, and was also lucky enough to harvest his first dove. He joked, “I went from M16s to shotguns. It’s a big jump.”

After the hunt, the crew headed back to the lodge where they learned how to clean their birds and then gathered around the kitchen for their first taste at dove poppers prepared by Poco Loco Paloma staff.

Now, Sen. Campbell plans to get her daughter shooting lessons and plans to purchase a shotgun of her own to practice.

said. “The morning hours seemed to pro duce a little bit faster action, while after noon flights came in waves. We apparently timed it just right, because from what we heard, there were not many dove in the area prior to when we arrived.”

James Meissner has been seeing more dove than ever during the past couple of weeks on his family’s property near Stock dale.

“I’ve never seen the amount of birds we’ve had recently like this before,” he said. “They’ve been feeding in fields with dove weed, and they’ve also been hitting tanks during the evening. It has resulted in some fast-and-furious hunts.”

Nathan Brooks enjoyed three straight days of action for mourning dove near Kosciusko, in Wilson County, on a friend’s property.

“The early afternoon hours were the best,” Brooks said. “The birds were hitting a croton field nonstop and flying in groups of five to 15. There were times where you couldn’t load your shotgun fast enough.”

Cornelius was excited about trying some thing new. He plans to purchase a shotgun and shells to practice and hopefully go out again next season. Everyone donated their dove meat to Chapa-Weber and her son for them to cook up a special meal at home to celebrate their harvests.

Thanks goes to Bobby and Susan Thorn ton of Texas Dove Hunters Association, Madison Wilkerson of Wilkerson’s Gun Shop and A Place to Shoot for her assis tance, and Red Sand Ranch/ Poco Loco Paloma.

LSONF strives to continue bringing more people out into the field, “recruiting hunt ers and anglers for a lifetime.” For more in formation on LSONF and TDHA visit www. lsonews.com/foundation and www.texas dovehunters.com.

Ashlyn Frazer took this 6x6 bull while elk hunting. Photo by Texas Hunting Resources.

ALLEGED MURDERER FOUND ON TEXAS RANCH

A Honduran man who was arrested for alleged criminal trespassing on a private ranch in Texas over the weekend has an active warrant for murder in his home country, according to the Texas Department of Public Safe ty said. Wilmer Castro-Murillo, 44, was found on a private ranch in Maverick County and taken into custody. DPS performed an Inter pol records check and learned of the warrant.

REWARD OFFERED FOR POACHER OF TWO DEER

A deer poacher is being sought in McLennan County. According to 25News, a person driving a newer silver Ford F-150 shot and killed two white-tailed deer, a buck and a doe, then left the deer at the entrance to the Lake Waco Marina

RED STAG ON NATIONAL FOREST

At the Sam Houston National Forest and Wildlife Management Area, Kiel Peterson was hunting for white-tailed doe and was walking back to his truck.

A doe came dashing through, being pursued. But it wasn’t a white-tailed buck that was chasing, it was a big red stage bull. According to a social media post, “the doe quickly busted me but I knew there might be another one. Knocked an arrow just in case. Well, this monster red stag was following her.

I drew back and waited for my shot. Luckily was only 16 yards through some light branches.”

Unfortunately for Peterson, the rules of hunting on the land, managed by the state, had a box indicat ing the wildlife that could be hunted, and red stag

on Oct. 12. After shooting the deer, the same suspect is believed to have burglarized The Minnow res taurant which is also on the lake. Waco Police are investigating the

wasn’t on it. On private land, the kill would have been legal, as red stag aren’t considered game animals in Texas. The list of animals that could be taken included white-tailed doe and hogs, but didn’t include exotics, and the red stag bull was seized. “I’ll wear the ticket,” Peterson said. “It is my mistake.” Peterson received a Class C citation, although there may be further discussions when he meets with the judge. The incident caused a stir on social media sites, with many hunters thinking they would have done the same thing, while others commented on public land hunts, the rules are very specific and different from hunting on private land.

burglary. A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest. Contact Operation Game Thief with information.

BOAT HITS ROCKS NEAR BOLIVAR

FERRY LANDING

The Coast Guard rescued two men from a vessel taking on water near Galveston. Command center watch

standers received a phone call at approximately 2 p.m. from the operator of a 17-foot craft who said his boat ran aground on rocks north of the Bolivar Ferry Landing and was taking on water. A response boat was launched, and once on scene, the crew took aboard the two boaters and transported them to a public boat ramp on the Bolivar Peninsula. No injuries were report ed. The vessel’s owner will arrange for salvage of the pleasure craft, which was aground and anchored on the rocks.

Quail award

Tall Timbers’ model across the Piney Woods region.

Ribelin said he appreci ated the award, as he was the “first one who was an outsider” to receive it, and he believed in what Tall Timbers is doing.

“The big thing I’m push ing is the expansion of the methods to 25 states,” he said. “Bill Palmer (Tall Tim bers president and CEO) has a common sense, simple philosophy: habitat, feed them, get rid of some of the

AN AMERICAN LEGEND

predators and don’t harvest too many. If you keep the numbers up, it’s easier for them to bounce back.”

Ribelin said in Florida and Georgia, where they previously had one bird per 10 acres, they now have

one bird per acre.

“The plantations are run ning six to eight covers per hour,” he said. “We get that per day if we’re lucky.”

At 91 years old, Ribelin is getting both knees replaced in early November, then

plans to get back on the golf course by May.

“I’ve shot my age every year, except one, since I was 66,” he said. “I should be able to do it at 91.”

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

Bowmar’s plead guilty

Josh and Sarah Bowmar, collec tively known as Bowmar Hunting, LLC, were charged in 2020 with several hunting-related offenses. The original charges filed by a U.S. attorney sought the forfeiture of three whitetail bucks killed in 2016 and 2017 by the couple, a compound bow, and monetary reparations equal to the value of the property involved.

Other violations included hunt ing turkeys without a valid permit, illegally transporting game across state lines, and illegal baiting of wildlife, among others. The charges stemmed from the largest poaching sting operation in Nebraska state history.

The Bowmar’s withdrew their not-guilty pleas and pleaded guilty to one count of the charges as part of an agreement dropping other charges.

The Bowmar poaching case gained attention due to the couple’s following in the hunting and fitness communities.

—Staff report

NEW JERSEY Record hybrid striped bass

John Vayda caught the new state record hybrid striped bass in Mon skville Reservoir on Oct. 9. The fish weighed 16 pounds, 10 ounces, and measured 31 inches in length with a girth of 23 inches. It re places Bill Schmidt’s 1999 record hybrid that weighed 16 pounds, 4 ounces.

The fish was most likely from a small New Jersey Fish and Wildlife stocking back in May of 2017.

WASHINGTON D.C. Effort to stop illegal fishing abroad

The Congressionally established U.S. Interagency Working Group on IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) Fishing released its wide-reaching national five-year strategy for combating illegal, unre ported, and unregulated fishing.

The strategy details U.S. priorities to combat IUU fishing and promote maritime security. Over the next 5 years, the Working Group will engage with five prior ity flag states and administrations: Ecuador, Panama, Senegal, Taiwan and Vietnam. These flag states and administrations were selected in large part due to their demonstrated willingness and interest to take effective action against IUU fishing activities associated with their ves sels. They are also located within priority regions identified as being at a high risk for illegal fishing activity, having no mechanism to prevent the entry of illegally caught seafood into the regional markets, and lacking the capacity to fully address such illegal activity.

The strategy calls for agencies to leverage existing tools and innovate new technologies to improve global governance, conservation and man agement measures.

ARKANSAS

Turkey reproduction rises

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Turkey Program coordinator Jeremy Wood gave some preliminary results of the 2022 Wild Turkey Popu lation Survey, which indicates some of the best reproduction in parts of Arkansas since 2012.

Participants in the survey recorded an average of 1.79 poults per hen throughout spring and summer.

“Historically what biologists want to see is in the ballpark of 1.8 to 2 poults per hen,” Wood said.

The numbers were consistently positive across the state. The ratio ranged from a high of 2.21 poults per hen in the Delta to a low of 1.46 poults per hen in the Ouachita Mountains.

Gobbler-to-hen ratios saw a decrease, but Wood explained this is common during years of high reproduction.

—AGFC

HEROES

Kolter Kite, 9, of Eagle Nest, New Mexico took this bull elk while hunting with his dad.

Darby Wright, of New Braunfels, went flounder gigging with his wife, Tammy, in Port O’Connor.

Billy Gerke took this Maverick County low fence buck which had 15 points and mea sured 188 3/8 inches.

Otis Rush shot these bears while hunt ing with Tobique Outfitters in New Brunswick, Canada.

Andrew McDonnell, of Texarkana, hunted multiple species with Limpopo Big Game Safaris including this Cape buffalo.

-0.01L 0.04L 0.10L 0.17L 10:04 PM 0.27L 12:54 PM 1.22L 3:12 PM 1.25H 11:10 PM 0.43L 12:55 PM 0.99L 5:05 PM 1.28H 1.43H 1:10 PM 0.72L 6:25 PM 1.34H 1.39H 12:28 PM 0.44L 6:56 PM 1.44H 1.37H 12:45 PM 0.20L 8:17 PM 1.56H 1.37H 1:02 PM 0.02L 9:22 PM 1.65H

-0.07L 10:42 PM 1.69H

-0.08L

1.68H 2:19

-0.02L

LONE STAR OUTDOOR PUZZLER

2 lbs. catfish fillets

Buffalo catfish

1 cup Buffalo chicken wing sauce

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup water

Vegetable oil

2 cups cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Cajun seasoning to taste

INDUSTRY

Brunswick honored

Brunswick Corporation was named the Soundings Trade Only “Most Innovative Marine Company” of the year at the 2022 International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference.

Farrell joins Maxim

Maxim Defense hired David Farrell as vice president of commercial sales.

Position at Leica

Leica Sport Optics is looking for a fulltime strategic account manager for the eastern and southern U.S.

Siegler promoted

Zanders Sporting Goods promoted Danny Siegler to director of marketing and procure ment.

Walleye tournament trail acquired

AIM Weekend Walleye Series acquired Dubuque, Iowa-based Walleye Anglers Trail (WAT).

Marina acquisition

Suntex Marina Investors, LLC acquired the Legendary Marina in Destin, Florida.

Acquisition for FeraDyne

FeraDyne Outdoors acquired Outdoor Product Innovations, Inc., the parent com pany to the Rhino Blinds, Capsule Game Feeders and other brands.

Promotion at DSG

DSG Outerwear hired Bob George as vice president of sales.

Rinse fillets and cut them into manageable pieces. Mix wing sauce, buttermilk and water in 1-gallon resealable bag. Add catfish and refrig erate overnight; turn bag a couple of times to thoroughly coat pieces. Heat appropriate amount of vegetable oil in fryer to 365 degrees. Add cornmeal, flour and Cajun seasoning to bag. Coat catfish pieces one at a time and add to hot oil. Fry about 3 minutes until golden brown and dry on paper towels. Serve with mixture of wing sauce and ranch dressing.

—Arkansas GFC

start

heat.

small sauté

brown.

toasted caraway

beer, vinegar, salt and

seeds

seal tightly.

the mustard with a stick blender or food processor till

consistency. In a saucepan,

1 cup frozen cranberries with 3 tbsps. sugar until berries are warmed through and slightly sweet. Fry sage leaves in oil until slightly crisp.

with a paper towel. Cut French baguette and brush lightly with oil and toast in a 375-degree oven. Slice venison sausage at an angle. Spread a thin layer of mustard over the bread, add the sausage and then a few cran berries and a sage leaf on top.

—Michigan DNR

Puzzle by Craig Nyhus, Lone Star Outdoor News

LIKE NEW 2014 NEWWATER

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BAFFIN BAY ADVENTURE

Nearshore Fishing and Bay fishing at its best!

enjoy the beauty of Baffin Bay and surrounding areas.

and family oriented! (361) 371-1857

Stacey

United

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SKID STEER BRUSH CUTTING/MULCHING

South Texas Call Frank (512) 699-5381

LAWN BOY TILLER 5HP Briggs & Stratton Runs Great $250 (830) 708-7160

OUTDOOR NEWS

Rio Grande Valley and Victoria/Sugar Land Areas (214) 361-2276

NOVEMBER 1

NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION

Permian Basin Banquet Odessa Country Club (432) 230-4399 nwtf.org

DUCKS UNLIMITED Lubbock Dinner

CenterPointe Event Center (806) 781-7281 ducks.org

NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION

South Plains Banquet 4 Bar K, Lubbock (806) 786-2117 nwtf.org

NOVEMBER 2 COASTAL CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION

Brush County Banquet Knights of Columbus Hall, Kingsville (361) 296-4037 ccatexas.org

NOVEMBER 3

DUCKS UNLIMITED Grapevine Dinner

Grapevine Convention Center (847) 903-4909 ducks.org

COASTAL CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION

Northeast Houston Banquet Humble Civic Center (713) 626-4222 ccatexas.org

NOVEMBER 5

UVALDE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Hunters Roundup

Uvalde County Fairplex Rodeo Arena (830) 278-3361 uvalde.org

NOVEMBER 8

DELTA WATERFOWL

North Houston Banquet Sawyer Park Icehouse, Spring (337) 322-8088 deltawaterfowl.org

DUCKS UNLIMITED San Angelo Dinner The Stable at Fort Concho (325) 733-2301 ducks.org

NOVEMBER 10

DUCKS UNLIMITED Victoria Banquet (361) 571-0717 ducks.org

MULE DEER FOUNDATION

Permian Basin Banquet Odessa Country Club (817) 565-7121 muledeer.org

DUCKS UNLIMITED Rockwall Banquet

Hidden Creek, Heath (972) 757-5357 ducks.org

NOVEMBER 12

COASTAL CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION

Rio Grande Valley Hooked on Clays Mission Skeet and Trap (713) 626-4222 ccatexas.org

NOVEMBER 15

DUCKS UNLIMITED Johnson County Dinner Cleburne Conference Center (817) 357-2665 ducks.org

NOVEMBER 17

DUCKS UNLIMITED Weatherford Dinner

Parker County Sheriff’s Posse Bldg. (817) 929-7061 ducks.org

NOVEMBER 25

KIMBLE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Wild Game Dinner Coke Stevenson Memorial Center (325) 446-3190 junctiontexas.com

DECEMBER 2

MULE DEER FOUNDATION

Greater San Antonio Banquet Leading Edge Archery, Boerne (817) 565-7121 muledeer.org

Family ranch

mission, to not only care for the ranch, but to honor her father’s legacy and dreams by sharing Sycamore Creek Ranch with others who love hunting, fishing and the outdoors. They ran a few hunts on the property back in the early 2000s, but have not opened hunt ing opportunities back up to the public until recently.

“There’s just so much about this ranch that is unique and wild,” Terk said. “From sitting out on the porch at night to watch the stars, to enjoying campfires, discovering arrow heads that take you back to the cliff-dwelling Indians that used to occupy these lands, and pursuing unpressured wild game, this place has everything that my dad loved. The out doors has a way of healing your soul and bringing calm and content feelings back into your life. That’s what we want to share with others.”

In the 1980s, the ranch was used as the backdrop for the western movie trilogy, Lone some Dove.

“The ranch has spectacular vistas, with miles of three different creeks running through it, including Sycamore Creek, Saca tosa Creek and Turkey Creek, along with what is known as Lonesome Dove Lake,” she said.

The Terk Foundation, which was founded in honor of her father and his military ser vice, takes veterans hunting and fishing on Sycamore Creek Ranch every year.

The ranch is currently offering hunts for seven different species, including aoudad, scimitar-horned oryx, barasingha, feral hogs, white-tailed deer and Rio Grande turkey.

“We also offer full-service lodging, meals and a number of other one-of-a-kind outdoor experiences,” Terk said.

For home or office delivery, go to LSONews.com, or call (214) 361-2276, or send a check or money order to the address below. Lone Star Outdoor News, ISSN 2162-8300, a publication of Lone Star Outdoor News, LLC, publishes twice a month. A mailed subscrip tion is $35 for 24 issues. News stand copies are $3, in certain markets copies are free, one per person. Copyright 2022 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 editor@lonestaroutdoornews.com.

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Every year, DSC hosts its annual Convention that raises funds for grants in conservation, education, and advocacy. The four-day 2023 DSC Convention is open to the public and will fill over 800,000 square feet with 1,000 exhibitors featuring outfitted hunts, firearms, gear, wildlife art and much more.