Lone Star Outdoor News 112522

Third eye blind

Another deer with eye problems also taken

Pheasant numbers way down

By Craig Nyhus Lone Star outdoor newS

Pheasant surveys conducted by biologists in the Texas Panhan dle showed what hunters feared. Birds were few and far between.

Texas Parks and Wildlife De partment biologists covered nearly 1,000 miles, and the totals were far below the 15-year mean for pheasants observed, and the lowest numbers since 2013. Birds observed were slightly above zero per route, while the 15-year mean is about five birds per route. Num bers have been below the 15-year mean since 2016, but hovered between two and three birds per route.

Dry conditions limited repro duction and population growth, District 2 biologists said, noted hunting opportunities will be lim ited this year, with the northern and western Panhandle providing the best hunting opportunity.

Hunting is not believed to be a driver of pheasant declines.

“What we see is habitat loss and fragmentation, fluctuating commodity prices (which affect

this season, Charlie Tweedle’s buck was missing an eye, probably from an injury. Photo from Texas Buck Registry.

By Craig Nyhus Lone Star outdoor newS

A white-tailed buck brought into Double Nickle Taxidermy in New Braunfels for a European mount caught the attention of taxidermist Jon Wilson after it was skinned.

It had a fully formed third eye on the skull.

Wilson posted on Nov. 11, “Never have I ever… seen a deer with 3 eyes! What seemed to be an abscess at first was later re vealed to be a fully formed eye under the skin! This will be a surprise to the hunter! We all had to go see it for ourselves today, nature sure is amazing!”

The deer had a large lump on its face, a photo taken from the hunt showed. The hunter and the shop assumed it was some kind of abscess or growth, but never expected an eye complete with socket.

While it’s not unheard of for two-eyed animals to be born with a spare, experts say it’s highly uncommon. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department told McClatchy News that a deer with a spare eye is something that can happen, but rarely does.

“This is just a random anomaly (birth defect) and extremely rare,” the department said. “It doesn’t appear to have affected the buck.”

Wilson said they see abscesses occasionally but said this was “definitely the weirdest thing we have seen.”

While bucks with three eyes are rare, one-eyed bucks, espe cially when one is lost to injury, occur more frequently.

In Clay County, young Charlie Tweedle shot the buck known to the family as the one-eyed warrior on a low-fenced ranch.

“The buck lost his eye last year while fighting with Mama’s buck,” his father posted on TexasBuckRegistry. “We knew the weather would have them moving so we headed straight to the stand from school. After watching this old buck for 30 minutes before getting a clean shot opportunity, Charlie stayed calm and made a perfect shot!”

The 6.5-year-old 10-pointer measured 131 3/8 inches.

Rattlers, fishermen and hunters

By Robert Sloan For Lone Star outdoor newS

There is nothing like coming up on a rat tlesnake. It’ll get your heart pounding in an instant, and make grown men squeal like a child. Rattlesnakes can pretty much be found just about anywhere in the Lone Star State, and just because the weather is cool, the fear some reptiles may still be out and about.

Rattlers can swim, and it’s not unusual to see them moving across East Matagorda Bay. Long-time guide Charlie Paradoski was wash ing his boat after a wade-fishing trip on the bay and found one under the bow.

“I was washing the boat down and reached

into the compartment under the bow,” he said. “I heard the rattle and yanked my hand out of there. I later pulled about a 4-footer out of there. Talk about lucky, I was that day. Apparently, the rat tler swam up to my boat and came in over the transom.”

On the third weekend of this deer season, Dennis Brandon was at his ranch south of Victoria. It had been a good day of shooting pigs and checking on feeders. That evening, he drove up to his hunting cabin on his ATV. Just before stepping out, he looked over and saw a rattler

on the steps leading into the cabin.

“I didn’t have a pistol with me, only my rifle,” he said. “I definitely wanted to kill the snake. We had found others in the general vi cinity and just wanted them to be gone. It’s

in the cold (P.

Texan wins MLF tourney

Panhandle pheasants dipped to the lowest numbers in nearly a decade. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.

A New Braunfels taxidermist discovered a fully developed third eye in the skull of a buck. Photo from Double Nickel Taxidermy. Also

Despite a dip in temperatures in much of the state, rattlesnakes are still being found. Photo by Robert Sloan, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

HUNTING

College students take on the marsh

By Mimi Meyer For Lone Star outdoor newS

Ten wildlife students from the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, all on their first duck hunt, arrived at the his toric Port Bay Club, Nov. 14. Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation partnered with the Delta Waterfowl R3 program again this year to get students out in a blind.

The group was lively and excited about the experience. The week before, they

had gone out with Aidan Flores, Delta’s Texas R3 coordinator, on a skeet shoot. After that, they all seemed to feel com fortable around the shotguns that were provided for them. The group met for a safety debriefing during dinner and then enjoyed the club for the rest of the eve ning.

One student, Christin Moeller, said, “I have a group of friends that go all the time, and somehow, they always seem to forget my invite. I have begged them to go for years.”

She was excited to get out on the water

and have some ducks to bring home.

The following morning, the breakfast bell rang early at 4:15 a.m. The group was ready to go, all decked out in their camouflage. Riding on “The Launch,” the boat pulling skiffs into the bay and marsh, in darkness with a rough bay, the boat was quiet with nervous energy. As the Port Bay guides picked up each pair of hunters to go to their designated blind, they all wished each other luck.

During the hunt, the students had plenty of opportunities to see and shoot various species of ducks. One text from a

Please turn to page 11

Cranes coming in

Zone

Oct. 29, 2022 - Jan. 29, 2023 Zone B Nov. 25, 2022 - Jan. 29, 2023 Zone C Dec. 17, 2022 - Jan. 22, 2023

Hunter pursues passion after losing arm, foot

By Nate Skinner For Lone Star outdoor newS

Just a few months after a tragic work accident as a lineman that caused him to lose his right arm and right foot, Stephen Bass has been back in the field hunting. He recently harvested a wild pig at about 40 yards with a crossbow in Atascosa County near Poteet, after teaching himself, a right-hander, how to pull the trigger with his left.

Bass said he was determined to not let his inju ries keep him from being able to hunt. He has been hunting since he was 8 years old, and the sport has become a way of life.

“I knew I was just going to have to learn how to shoot with what was now, my new normal,” he explained.

Using a pellet gun and BB gun, Bass started prac ticing his shooting mechanics.

“I didn’t realize I could still aim with my right eye while shouldering a gun or weapon with my right shoulder, and then still maintain accuracy while us ing my left hand to pull the trigger,” Bass said. “To my surprise, I was actually very accurate shooting this way.”

Once he was confident that he could shoot using this new technique, he knew he had to get back into the stand. A hog hunt seemed like a great way for him to prove his newly developed shooting abil ity could get the job done.

“I didn’t have a blind set up yet at the feeder on

the family property I was hunting, so I decided to hunt out of a side-by-side UTV,” Bass said. “I set up some shooting rest blocks on the hood of the sideby-side that was parked about 60 yards from the feeder, and stabilized the crossbow on them. When the boar came out by itself at about 40 yards and

Back where they started

Friends return to outfitting after 30 years

By Nate Skinner For Lone Star outdoor newS

Thirty years after two young sters started a waterfowl guid ing business for a short period, Shane Chesson and Byron

Fischer are now in the middle of their second full season as own ers and operators of Southern Wings Outfitters in Winnie.

The business partners and longtime friends have been guiding hunts in the area to gether since they graduated high school back in the early 1990s. Above all, they both agree that the best part about

Sandhill cranes have moved into the Panhandle and West Texas in good numbers, and hunters are taking advantage of the noise birds’ willingness to come into the decoys. Photo by Nate Skinner, for Lone Star Out door News.

Stephen Bass lost his arm and foot in a work accident, but got back to hunting within months. Photo from Stephen Bass.

Byron Fischer, left, and Shane Chesson own and operate Southern Wings Outfitters in Winnie, and have been guiding hunts together since the early 1990s. Photo by Nate Skinner, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

A group of 10 wildlife college students hunted ducks in Rockport with Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation and the Delta Waterfowl R3 Program. Photo by Mimi Meyer, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

Ducks better than expected

By Robert Sloan For Lone Star outdoor newS

Hunting during the first split of the duck season has been bet ter than expected for many wa terfowlers, with some of the best shoots over freshwater ponds on the middle and upper Texas coast.

In Southeast Texas, hunts were very good on the wildlife manage ment area in Port Arthur. That’s where hunters racked up some easy limits of teal, gadwall and canvasbacks. The key was to get in line early and hunt the back marsh areas.

The flooded fields west of Beau mont that usually hold plenty of ducks didn’t produce as expected, but the isolated flooded fields north and south of Winnie held fair numbers of teal during the first of the season.

Teal saved the day on most hunts. That’s been the case on the J.D. Murphree Wildlife Manage ment Area south of Beaumont. The WMA is a 24,250-acre tract of fresh, intermediate and brack ish water within the prairie-marsh zone along the upper Texas coast.

Scott Pierce, who runs guided duck hunts out of Port O’Connor, said his hunters racked up good numbers of birds. He had some slow hunts on the bays, but did better on small freshwater ponds.

“I like to hunt on freshwater during the first split,” he said. “But during the second split I’ll usually do best on bays where we have a lot of redheads. On the ponds we’ll get a mixed bag that include teal, pintail, redheads, gadwall, bluebills and a few geese.”

On freshwater ponds near Wharton, the hunters out of the Thunderbird Hunting Club put down lots of limits.

“We always have a great season, but this one is off the charts,” said club manager Todd Steele. “We spent more time and money get ting ready for the season and it is paying off. We have had 289 duck hunters afield of which 276 have shot full limits on ducks, a 93 percent success rate. What makes these numbers even more incred ible is that they were all unguided, do-it-yourself hunts.”

Steele said for the first full week of the season 734 birds were har vested by 131 guns for an average of 5.6 birds per gun per day. Twen ty-nine groups out of 36 groups shot full duck blind limits, for a success rate of 81 percent.

Steele said during the first part of November they usually shoot mainly bluewings with an occa sional pintail.

“This season, you name the spe cies and it can be found on some one’s strap,” he said. “Even a few mallards are showing up, which is rare for us.”

Conditions along the mid-coast are exceptionally dry.

“We have had all our water wells running since mid-summer and just recently turned most, but not all of them off,” he said.

Other notable duck hunts were had in brackish marsh ponds off some of the big bays that were holding good numbers of teal and gadwall, along with the occasion al pintail.

Backwater lakes between Port O’Connor and Rockport held steady numbers of ducks that in cluded wigeon, pintails, redheads, bluebills and some teal. The air boat guides are traveling up to an hour to get off the beaten path and setting up make-shift blinds on the shallow estuary lakes.

Central Texas hunts were most ly slow during the first split. The best hunts were on the open lakes and rivers with teal filling most limits.

Lesser prairie-chicken listed

Lone Star outdoor newS

Despite years of efforts to en roll millions of acres in programs designed to help the lesser prai rie-chicken, on Nov. 17, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the species under the Endan gered Species Act.

The Southern DPS (Distinct Population Segment) of the less er prairie-chicken is being listed as endangered. The Northern DPS of the lesser prairie-chicken is being listed as threatened.

The Service is also finalizing a section 4(d) rule designed to con serve the Northern DPS of lesser prairie-chicken while allowing greater flexibility for landowners and land managers.

The Southern DPS encompass es lesser prairie-chicken popu

lations in eastern New Mexico and across the southwest Texas Panhandle. Habitat in this DPS is comprised largely of shinnery oak prairie. The Northern DPS encompasses lesser prairie-chick en populations in southeastern Colorado, southcentral to west ern Kansas, western Oklahoma and the northeast Texas Panhan dle. Habitat in this DPS includes short-grass, mixed-grass and sand sagebrush ecoregions.

While historical estimates sug gest lesser prairie-chickens once numbered in the hundreds of thousands, or even millions, across nearly 100 million acres, populations have declined dras tically due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Lesser prairiechicken habitat has diminished across its historical range by

about 90 percent. Aerial survey results from 2012 through 2022 estimate a five-year average lesser prairie-chicken population of 32,210 across the five-state re gion. Their decline reflects the larger decline in the vitality and resilience in shinnery oak, sand sagebrush and mixed- and shortgrass prairie ecosystems.

To date, millions of acres have been enrolled in these plans. For example, since 2010 the Natural Resources Conservation Service has worked with nearly 900 land owners to implement conserva tion actions on approximately 1.6 million acres through the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative, and landowners currently have enrolled more than 1.8 million acres across the range of the less er prairie-chicken in the Conser

vation Reserve Program admin istered by Farm Services Agency. Ranchers have been leaders in voluntary conservation of the lesser prairie-chicken, having enrolled approximately 3 mil lion acres of land in Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances in Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas.

The Service said while volun tary conservation efforts have helped conserve key habitat for the lesser prairie-chicken, they have not demonstrated an abil ity to offset the threats and re verse the trends of habitat loss and fragmentation. The Service found the Southern DPS is in danger of extinction, and the Northern DPS is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable fu ture.

Conservation funding for West Texas landowners

Lone Star outdoor newS

In partnership with the Texas Agricultural Land Trust, the Borderlands Research Institute is accept ing applications for its Greater Big Bend Conserva tion Partnership program until Dec. 16.

The cost share program will reimburse approxi mately 50 percent of the overall cost of qualified conservation practices to selected landowners in Brewster, Jeff Davis and Presidio counties in West Texas.

BRI and TALT have joined forces with the US DA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to implement landscape-scale conservation initia tives across the Greater Big Bend Region of West Texas. The effort is fueled by a $3.5 million com mitment from the NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program, which will help fund inno vative conservation approaches on private lands, including habitat restoration efforts, conservations easements, and ecosystem services compensation. Eligible habitat management activities include but are not limited to grassland restoration via brush management, riparian restoration, and construc tion of wildlife-friendly fencing.

“We appreciate the partnership with NRCS and TALT to support West Texas landowners in en hancing conservation of wildlife habitat in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas,” said Billy Tarrant, who leads BRI’s Center for Land Stewardship.

Rattlers

Continued from page 1

never good to see a rattler setting up shop on your front porch. But as I approached it with a metal fence post, it slowly slithered away and under the cabin. I shined the light under the cabin and there was a hole that it probably went into.”

Later that evening he was out back behind the cabin with a flashlight and found the snake mov ing through the brush. It was dispatched with the fence post.

“I’m not real crazy about snakes, especially snakes that are using my front steps as a way to ambush food,” Brandon said.

Quail hunters come across lots of snakes, most of which are rattlers. Kyle Rowe was out quail hunting north of Waco on a sunny Saturday after noon when he came up on a huge rattler along a fence line.

“I was startled to say the least,” he said. “It was a cold winter afternoon. The wind was blowing and I was just about ready to call it a day when I heard what sounded like a rattler. I looked over and about a few feet from my leg was about a 6-foot rattler coiled up and ready strike. It was right next to a hole that it probably came out of for a little sunshine. I didn’t hesitate to shoot it as it made a run for the hole.”

While on a West Texas quail hunt, Curtis Thorpe was with some buddies and getting quite a few of the tasty birds.

“I was easing my way up and over some rocks when I heard the rattler,” he said. “I looked down and I had stepped right over its head. I backed up and shot him. It was about 4 feet long, and why he didn’t hit me in the leg I’ll never know.”

After deer hunting on a ranch near Lampasas in Central Texas, Ron Jaap was sitting in his chair be side a warm fire.

“I looked down and out of the corner of my eye saw a fat rattler stretched out along a concrete wall not 2 feet from where I was sitting,” he said. “I just about broke the chair getting out of it and away from the snake. I managed to grab my pistol and shoot it. The strange thing about that area is that we had sat out there for years and never saw a snake until that day.

“You just never know.”

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FISHING

Texoma stripers on fire

Custom rods for a reasonable price

By Tony Vindell For Lone Star outdoor newS

A new custom fishing rod company is the brainchild of 30-year-old Jacob Per ez. The Harlingen resident came up with Murky Water Rod Co. after being inspired by Holly Beach, a water enclave and fa vorite fishing area from Laguna Vista to Laguna Heights.

The area isn’t a place where red drum can be spotted with or without polarized lenses. It’s actually one of the murkiest places to fish for a number of species like speckled trout and the occasional black drum.

The rod is the product of Jacob Perez, who came out with the idea after years of fishing all over the bay.

“My father used to take me to the jet ties on fishing trips,” Perez said. “We used live or frozen bait and waited for fish to take it.”

But once he discovered Holly Beach and learned to fish with lures, Perez’s life changed.

Perez also decided to turn his hobby into a business – one which he handles by himself and hopes to take it to another level.

“Good rods are kind of expensive,” he said. “Why not come out with one that is reasonable?”

The custom-made rod could be the next hot item for anglers who like wade-fish ing or who prefer casting from a kayak on shallow or dark waters of the Laguna Madre, or on any body of water.

The rods cost about $160 and can be made according to a client’s specifications.

That includes its weight, ranging from 2.6-3.5 ounces, and engraving it with a person’s name if an angler chooses.

For Perez, fishing is a passion and tries to go out there as much as he can, time permitting.

That’s because he also has a full-time job.

In the meantime, Perez will continue making the rods he developed about 2 years ago and hopes will become a regular business.

Perez said it takes him about a month to make a rod using materials he gets from a number of vendors.

“I believe these are affordable custommade rods,” he said. “I work on each rod by myself, but other family members help me out when they have time to spare. The Murky Water was inspired by Holly Beach where my love and passion grew even larger.”

Perez can be found on Instagram under murkywaterrods.

By Craig Nyhus Lone Star outdoor newS

Cold weather and fishing doesn’t usually go hand-inhand, unless striped bass on Lake Texoma are your target.

Water temperatures are in the mid-60s at the surface, and the gulls are abundant and

willing to help anglers find fish by hovering over the shad chased to the surface by the stripers.

“There’s lots of bird action, and slabs and soft plastics are working well,” said Bill Carey of Striper Express Guide Ser vice, now in its 39th year on the lake. “The striper love the

Piers and jetties for bull reds

By Lili Keys Lone Star outdoor newS

A dip in coastal temperatures has hardy an glers heading to piers and jetties, hoping to land a big bull redfish or black drum.

Scott Sublousky, of Houston, braved the winds to fish on Surfside Jetty. The choppy water didn’t stop him from pulling in a 27-inch slot red, which he caught on live shrimp.

Surfside Jetty Channel shared on YouTube that he caught and released his personal best, a 35inch red caught on bluefish. A few days later, he fished under the Galveston Causeway Bridge. It was raining and temperatures were about 45 de grees.

Using cut mullet, he hooked a bull red that gave quite the fight. The red measured 39-inch es. Immediately after releasing, thinking there might be a school under the bridge, he imme diately made another cast. His next catch mea sured 25 inches.

Junior Garcia caught four big drum while fish ing with live shrimp at the Freeport jetties.

Jorden Hussein has had luck catching large redfish from the 61st Street Fishing Pier in Galveston. Hussein posted he has been using a surf rod with 30-pound braid and fresh, cut bait.

“The key for me has been fresh bait,” he said. “I buy fresh and/or catch croaker, whiting, or sand trout and cut those up in chunks.”

One of the reds Hussein caught measured 41 3/4 inches, and the second was just over 40.

Jacob Perez has been making Murky Waters custom rods for two years, and named them after the Holly Beach area where he began fishing with his father.

Photo from Jacob Perez.

cool weather — we’re at the ful, Carey said.

Jorden Hussein caught this 41 3/4-inch redfish while fishing the 61st Street Fishing Pier. Photo from Jorden Hussein.

Fishermen are bringing in both good numbers of striped bass and some good-sized fish. Gulls are leading anglers to the fish. Photos by Bill Carey, Striper Express Guide Service.

Granbury pro racking up wins

Kyle Hall may be only 25 years old, but he’s making his mark on the Major League Fishing Toyota Series.

The young pro from Granbury landed his second win in 2022 at the Toyota Series Championship on Ala bama’s Lake Guntersville with a threeday total of 59 pounds, 1 ounce. With contingencies, Hall pocketed $237,500 for the win.

Hall caught a 5-pounder with less than 10 minutes remaining in the event to seal the victory. He used a Shane’s Baits umbrella rig with 6th Sense Divine Swimbaits and a 1/4-ounce Damiki Vault blade bait, and focused on finding fish with his LiveScope electronics.

“I was in about 20 feet of water, really targeting suspended bass,” he said. “I was really just roaming around and when I would get around the bait, I would get around the fish. I would go hours without seeing any and then I would just run into a whole school of them.”

This summer, Hall won on Lake Champlain on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit that was worth $137,500. In 2020, he won Major League Fishing’s FLW Rookie-of-the-Year.

Hall caught the eye of Texas anglers when he brought in a 16.1-pound largemouth on O.H. Ivie Reservoir in February. He also opened Tri-Lakes Tackle Town in 2021, a fullservice bait-and-tackle shop in Granbury.

Todd Castledine, of Nacogdoches, finished eight with 41 pounds.

TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT

SABINE LAKE: 70 degrees. Speckled trout are good and schooling on 5-inch chartreuse plastics and shrimp under a popping cork. Redfish are fair to good on shrimp under a popping cork.

BOLIVAR: 71 degrees. Redfish and speckled trout are fair to good on top-waters and soft plastics.

Colorado River on soft plastics.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: 72 degrees.Speck led trout are fair in the river on soft plastics.

PORT O’CONNOR: 72 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are slow.

ROCKPORT: 70 degrees. Redfish are good on artificials, cut mullet and shrimp. Speck led trout are fair to good on top-waters and shrimp under a popping cork. Black drum are good on dead shrimp.

PORT ARANSAS: 71 degrees. Redfish are fair at the jetties on cut mullet and shrimp. Speckled trout are slow.

TRINITY BAY: 66 degrees. Redfish and black drum are fair on shrimp. Speckled trout are fair on soft plastics.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: 68 degrees. Speckled trout and sand trout are fair on soft plastics and live shrimp under popping corks. Redfish are fair on jerk baits and soft plastics.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: 68 degrees. Redfish are good over shell reefs on shrimp under popping corks. Speckled trout are fair to slow on soft plastics.

TEXAS CITY: 65 degrees. Bull redfish are good from the Texas City Dike to the Galves ton jetties on cut mullet. Speckled trout and redfish are fair on soft plastics and shrimp.

FREEPORT: 60 degrees. Redfish and speck led trout are good on shrimp and scented plastics. Black drum are good on dead or live shrimp.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: 72 degrees. Speck led trout and redfish are fair to good in the

CORPUS CHRISTI: 72 degrees. Redfish are fair on shrimp. Trout are fair on free-lined live shrimp.

BAFFIN BAY: 72 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair to good on shrimp under a popping cork.

PORT MANSFIELD: 70 degrees. Speckled trout are good between fronts on paddle tails and top-waters

SOUTH PADRE: 70 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair on shrimp under popping corks.

PORT ISABEL: 70 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair to good on shrimp under a popping cork.

Kyle Hall has won two tournaments this year at the age of 25. Photo by Major League Fishing.

—TPWD

ALAN HENRY: Water clear; 59 degrees; 9.70’ low. Crap pie are fair over brush on minnows.

AMISTAD: Water stained; 70 degrees; 36.61’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged plastics in wa termelon and pumpkinseed.

ARLINGTON: Water lightly tained; 64 degrees; 0.14’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters and crankbaits. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows.

ATHENS: Water clear; 58-63 degrees; 1.45’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are fair on deep brush on minnows.

AUSTIN: Water clear; 67 degrees; 0.66’ low. Large mouth bass are fair on drop shots and weedless swim baits.

B.A. STEINHAGEN: Water stained; 65 degrees; 0.39’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-water frogs, chatterbaits and swimbaits.

BASTROP: Water clear; 73 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters, crankbaits and craws.

BELTON: Water lightly stained; 65 degrees; 13.23’ low. White bass are excellent under birds on slabs and tail spinners. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs.

BENBROOK: Water lightly stained; 63 degrees; 7.39’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters, buzzbaits and crankbaits. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows.

BOB SANDLIN: Water clear; 61 degrees; 1.64’ low. Large mouth bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Catfish are fair on cheese bait.

BRAUNIG: Water stained; 68-74 degrees. Largemouth bass are slow. Red drum are slow. Channel catfish are fair on liver and cheese bait.

BRIDGEPORT: Water clear; 61 degrees; 8.67’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on shad crankbaits. White bass are fair on slabs. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are fair on cut bait.

BROWNWOOD: Water slight ly stained; 61-66 degrees; 8.16’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Catfish are fair on cut bait and perch.

BUCHANAN: Water lightly stained; 64 degrees; 17.87’ low. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, shaky heads and jigs. Crappie are fair to good on chartreuse jigs. Catfish are good on cut shad and punch bait.

CADDO: Water stained; 60 degrees; 0.67’ high. Large mouth bass are fair on lipless crankbaits and chatterbaits. White and yellow bass are fair to good on jigging spoons.

CALAVERAS: Water stained;

72 degrees. Largemouth bass are slow. Red drum are fair on tilapia and cut shad. Channel and blue catfish are good on cut bait and liver.

CANYON: Water clear; 71 degrees; 9.07’ low. Large mouth bass are fair to good on chatterbaits and spinner baits. Striped bass are fair on top-waters.

CEDAR CREEK: Water stained; 63 degrees; 4.83’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chatterbaits, spin ner baits, square-billed crankbaits, and Texas-rigged plastics. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass and hybrids are excel lent on silver spoons and slabs.

CHOKE CANYON: Water clear; 65 degrees; 23.30’ low. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are fair on jigging spoons and min nows. Catfish are good on prepared bait.

CONROE: Water slightly stained; 66 degrees; 2.48’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and finesse worms. Crappie are fair on minnows. Hybrid striped bass are fair to good on slabs. Catfish are good on catfish bubblegum.

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

CORPUS CHRISTI: Water stained ; 67 degrees; 2.86’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and jigs. Crappie are slow. White bass are good on jigs, minnows and crankbaits. Catfish are good on cut perch and soap baits.

CYPRESS SPRINGS: Water stained; 65 degrees; 2.27’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on drop shots. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair on cut bait.

EAGLE MOUNTAIN: Water stained; 65 degrees; 4.79’ low. White bass are fair to good on chartreuse and white slabs with teaser flies. Crappie are good on min nows. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good on punch bait and shad.

FAIRFIELD: Water slightly stained; 68 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair on chatterbaits, wacky worms and top-waters.

FALCON: Water stained; 65 degrees; 40.22’ low. Largemouth bass area good on soft plastics and jigs. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are good on shrimp and stink bait.

FAYETTE: Water lightly stained; 80 degrees; 1.50’low. Largemouth bass are good on shad crankbaits and plastics. Catfish are good on punch bait and chicken liver.

FORK: Water stained; 65 degrees; 6.85’ low. Large mouth bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs.

GRANBURY: Water lightly stained; 60 degrees; 2.35’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics and jigs. Striped bass are good on live shad. Catfish are fair on cut bait.

GRANGER: Water lightly stained; 64 degrees; 1.81’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are slow. White bass are slow. Blue catfish are good on cut bait and on jug lines baited with shad.

GRAPEVINE: Water murky; 60 degrees; 0.44’ high. White bass are good on limetreuse plastics. Catfish are good on cut bait and prepared bait.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 63 degrees; 2.02’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Ned rigs and wacky worms. Crappie are fair on minnows.

HUBBARD CREEK: Water stained; 64 degrees; 7.07’ low. White bass are excellent on slabs, rooster tails and spoons.

JACKSONVILLE: Water lightly stained; 67 degrees; 2.23’ low. Largemouth bass are good on square-billed crankbaits, and soft plastics.

JOE POOL: Water stained; 65 degrees; 0.97’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged soft plastic worms and lipless crank baits.

LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water lightly stained; 64 degrees; 0.65’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Catfish are fair on cheese bait.

LAVON: Water lightly stained; 65 degrees; 5.23’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on crankbaits, swimbaits and plastics worms. Crappie are good on hand-tied jigs and minnows.

White bass are slow.

Catfish are good on cut shad.

LBJ: Water stained; 67 degrees; 0.27’ low. Crap pie are good on chartreuse jigs. Catfish are excellent on punch bait.

LEWISVILLE: Water lightly stained; 65 degrees; 3.91’ low. White bass are fair to good on slabs, small swim baits and live bait. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair to good

drifting cut shad or chicken breasts.

LIMESTONE: Water clear; 58 degrees; 5.50’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chatterbaits and lipless crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows. White bass are good on silver jigging spoons. Catfish are fair on cut bait.

LIVINGSTON: Water stained; 70 degrees; 0.18’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. White bass are fair on slabs. Striped bass are slow. Crap pie are slow. Catfish are fair to good drifting cut bait.

MEREDITH: Water stained; 55 degrees; 54.41’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on minnows and artificials. Crappie are fair on minnows. White bass are good on min nows and curly tailed grubs. Walleye are good on artifi cials, minnows and crawlers. Catfish are fair on minnows and frozen shad.

MILLERS CREEK: Water stained; 65 degrees; 5.48’ low. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastics and top-waters. Crappie are good on minnows and small jigs. Catfish are good on cut baits and cheese bait.

NA CONICHE: Water clear to stained; 65 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair on jerkbaits, deep-diving crankbaits and bladed jigs. Catfish are slow.

NASWORTHY: Water murky; 65 degrees. 0.95’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are fair on black and chartreuse jigs and minnows. Catfish are fair on cut bait and stink bait.

NAVARRO MILLS: Water stained; 62 degrees; 3.39’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on drop shots and chat terbaits. Crappie are fair on small minnows and small jigs. Catfish are good on cut shad and stink bait.

O.H. IVIE: Water stained; 65 degrees; 23.21’ low. Largemouth bass are slow to fair on swimbaits. White bass are good on live bait and crankbaits. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Catfish are fair on prepared bait, cut bait and live bait.

OAK CREEK: Water lightly stained; 64 degrees; 10.69’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on plastic worms and deep-diving crankbaits. White bass are good on live bait and slabs. Channel cat fish are good on chicken liver and shrimp.

PALESTINE: Water lightly stained; 65-67 degrees; 2.42’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on small crankbaits, small worms and

Carolina rigs. Crappie are fair on chartreuse jigs. White bass and hybrids are slow. Catfish are good on night crawlers.

POSSUM KINGDOM: Water lightly stained; 65 degrees; 5.91’ low. Striped bass are fair trolling chartreuse, white or silver jigs. White bass are good on white and chartreuse slabs. Catfish are good on cut shad.

PROCTOR: Water stained; 62 degrees; 8.93’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. White bass are slow. Blue catfish are fair on cut shad.

RAVEN: Water stained; 65 degrees; 3.00’ low. Large mouth bass are fair on Texas and Carolina rigs. Crappie are good on jigs and min nows. Catfish are fair on cut bait and prepared bait.

RAY HUBBARD: Water lightly stained; 59 degrees; 1.77’ low. White bass are fair on swimbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are good on cut bait.

RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 60 degrees; 2.00’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on soft plastics and crankbaits.

White bass are good on slabs with a bucktail trailer. Crap pie are good on minnows. Blue and some channel catfish are fair on cut shad.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water clear; 66 degrees; 5.46’ low. Crappie are fair on minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Channel and blue catfish are excellent on punch bait.

SAM RAYBURN: Water stained; 65 degrees; 6.18’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits, spinner baits and. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair to good on cut bait and liver.

SOMERVILLE: Water stained; 55 degrees; 5.89’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on shad crankbaits and craw jigs. White bass are slow. Hybrid striped bass are good on jigs. Crappie and catfish are fair on minnows and worms. White bass are slow and hybrids are good.

STILLHOUSE HOLLOW: Water lightly stained; 65 degrees; 11.01’ low. White bass are fair on tail spinners and slabs.

TAWAKONI: Water lightly stained; 70 degrees; 3.30’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters and lip less crankbaits. White bass and striped bass are fair to good on slabs. Crappie are good on jigs. Blue catfish are good on punch bait and drifting cut shad.

TEXANA: Water stained; 70 degrees; 5.39’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on spinner baits and crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows and small jigs. Catfish are good on punch bait.

TEXOMA: Water stained; 65 degrees; 1.92’ low. Large mouth bass are good on live shad and top-waters. Striped bass are good under birds on slabs and swimbaits. Crappie are fair on paddle jigs and minnows. Catfish are fair on cut shad.

TOLEDO BEND: Water stained; 60 degrees; 4.27’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chatterbaits, squarebilled crankbaits and lipless crankbaits. Crappie are fair on jigs.

TRAVIS: Water stained; 70-74 degrees; 40.55’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters, jigs, small crank baits and Texas rigs.

TYLER: Water lightly stained; 60 degrees; 3.12’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are slow to fair on minnows. Catfish are slow.

WACO: Water stained; 64 degrees; 11.51’ low. Crappie are good on jigs. Catfish are fair on cut bait.

WALTER E. LONG: Water clear; 75 degrees. Large mouth bass are fair on weedless swimbaits and topwaters. Crappie are good on white and orange jigs. Catfish are fair on punch bait.

WHITNEY: Water lightly stained; 63 degrees; 7.48’ low. Crappie are fair on jigs. Striped bass are good on slabs and swimbaits.

WORTH: Water stained; 65 degrees; 2.38’ low. White bass are fair to good on white slabs. Crappie are fair on minnows. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good on cut bait, shad and punch bait.

WRIGHT PATMAN: Water lightly stained; 61 degrees; 5.55’ high. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Catfish are good on prepared bait.

—TPWD

guide read, “Dang this girl can shoot!”

There were few misses from the group and nearly everyone returned with a duck in hand.

Returning later in the morning, the boat was filled with laughter, stories and a sense of accomplishment. Everyone investigated the various types of ducks that were brought back. In total, the group brought in 32 ducks. Then they huddled around in the “pick ing house” for a lesson in cleaning and breasting them. Maeli Caudillo was excited to successfully clean her redhead duck under the watchful eye of her guide, Banya Owen. Most of the students had no problem get their hands dirty and full of feathers because of the biology classes they take.

Andres Rosales shot a beautiful green-winged teal and had already made plans with his mom to get it mounted as his Christmas present this year. He couldn’t wait to get it back home to a taxidermist.

As the group was saying goodbye, many were excited to return home to share their stories and begin looking for their next opportunity to duck hunt again.

A special thanks to Aidan Flores, Professor Bart Ballard, and Tye Green and Jeremy Griffis from Port Bay Hunting and Fishing Club. To learn more about LSONF, visit lsone ws.com/lson-foundation. For more information on the Delta Waterfowl, University Pro gram, visit deltawaterfowl.org/deltas-university-hunting-program.

H u r s t C h i s h o l m P a r k | H U R S T 1 , 8 9 6 1 1 / 2 3 / 2 0 2 2 1 2 / 2 2 / 2 0 2 2 1 / 2 0 / 2 0 2 3 2 / 1 7 / 2 0 2 3

K i n g f i s h e r L a k e | A U S T I N 1 , 7 9 2 1 1 / 2 3 / 2 0 2 2 1

3 / 2 0 2 3 2 / 1 7 / 2 0 2 3 3 / 3 / 2 0 2 3

HOMEOWNER CHASES GROUP AFTER SHOOTING AT DEER, GROUP WRECKS

After a homeowner chased three illegal hunters, a crash occurred south of Jasper in Jasper County.

According to a game warden, three persons were on a roadway when they shot at a deer on private prop erty. The shots missed the deer, but a homeowner next door began chasing the three. The pickup truck being driven by one of the perpe trators crashed on a county road.

According to the warden, the driver tried to take a curve while going too fast, resulting in the truck going off the road and striking several small trees. None of the three admitted to being the shooter, so all three were issued citations for shooting from a public roadway and hunting in a closed season, since the shooting took place at night. The driver was cited for unsafe speed.

BUCK DUMPED TO WASTE, SHOOTER SOUGHT

Henderson County game wardens are asking for assistance identifying the individual responsible for leav ing a white-tailed buck to waste as

TWO BALD EAGLES SHOT

Around Oct. 28, two bald eagles were found shot and killed in Nacogdoches County along County Road 283. Texas game wardens are searching for the person(s) responsible. According to a local game warden, civil restitution on an eagle is just below $12,000. A game warden responded after a landowner found the dead eagles on his property. The landowner had not heard shots. Bald eagles

are protected under the Endangered Species Act as a threatened species, which prohibits anyone from taking, possessing, or transporting a bald eagle or golden eagle, or the parts, nests, or eggs of such birds without prior authorization. The person re sponsible also faces charges of firing from a public roadway, a Class A misdemeanor.

found near a bridge on the Pecos River, near the Pecos and Crockett County line between the towns of Sheffield and Iraan. Anyone with in formation is asked to call Operation Game Thief.

AXIS SHOT FROM ROAD IN EAST TEXAS

On or about Nov. 8, 2022, an axis buck that was inside of private property was shot and killed from the roadway and was left to waste. The incident occurred on County Road 3110 just off of Country Club Road in Gladewater, near the Gregg/ Smith County Line. Anyone with in formation is asked to call Operation Game Thief.

well as illegal dumping. This deer was dumped and left to waste on County Road 1311 near Crossroads in Henderson County during the evening of Nov. 11 or early morning of Nov. 12. Anyone with informa tion regarding this crime is asked to call Operation Game Thief.

and Texas game wardens conducted a successful search and rescue of child who went missing in the area. Coordinating with State Park coun terparts, Texas Game Warden Search and Rescue Operations including K-9 and drone teams responded to the scene. After a lengthy search, K-9 Game Warden handler Scott Kirkpatrick and his K-9 partner, Lola, found the child safe and

returned them to the family.

POACHERS DUMP TWO BUCKS

On Nov. 17, game wardens re sponded to a call regarding deer being dumped on the side of the road in trash bags. Wardens observed two white-tailed buck, both with their antlers cut off and backstrap meat removed. The trash bags containing the deer were

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

K-9 LOLA FINDS MISSING CHILD Cedar Hill State Park Police officers

HEROES

Bill Williams caught this bull red along the beachfront while chasing schools near Sea Rim State Park on a trip out of Sabine Pass with Capt. Chris Phillips

Emma Grace Boyles, 5, took this doe on her grand mother’s place near the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River in Childress County.

Mike Casanova, of Frisco, with a nice bass he caught in a tournament on Possum Kingdom Lake.

Andrew Resnansky, 12, of Dallas, caught this bass while fish ing on Lake Emma in East Texas.

Mikale DeLoach, from The Woodlands, caught this hybrid striped bass on Lake Conroe with Collin Edwards of Lake Conroe Fishing Adven tures.

ENLARGED CONTROLS

KICK-OFF RECOIL SYSTEM

Beretta’s Kick-Off recoil reduction system provides enhanced stability, comfort, and control for faster target acquisition

Solunar Sun times Moon times

6:57 12:41 07:31 05:36 9:38a 7:10p 8:07 1:50 07:32 05:35 10:44a 8:16p 9:16 3:01 07:33 05:35 11:41a 9:29p 10:22 4:07 07:34 05:35 12:29p 10:43p 11:22 5:08 07:35 05:34 1:07p 11:55p ----- 6:01 07:36 05:34 1:40p NoMoon 12:36 6:48 07:37 05:34 2:08p 1:04a 1:19 7:30 07:38 05:34 2:35p 2:08a 1:58 8:09 07:38 05:34 3:01p 3:11a 2:37 8:48 07:39 05:34 3:29p 4:13a 3:17 9:29 07:40 05:34 3:59p 5:16a 4:00 10:12 07:41 05:34 4:32p 6:19a 4:47 11:00 07:42 05:34 5:11p 7:21a 08 Thu 5:12 11:25 5:38 11:51 07:43 05:34 5:55p 8:21a 09 Fri 6:05 ----- 6:31 12:18 07:43 05:34 6:44p 9:17a

27 11:34 AM -0.55L 8:49 PM 2.08H Nov 28 12:30 PM -0.35L 9:43 PM 1.96H Nov 29 1:37 PM -0.08L 10:29 PM 1.81H Nov 30 2:53 PM 0.22L 11:07 PM 1.66H Dec 1 5:54 AM 1.08L 9:38 AM 1.26H 4:25 PM 0.52L 11:35 PM 1.54H Dec 2 6:13 AM 0.76L 11:52 AM 1.34H 5:59 PM 0.78L 11:57 PM 1.44H Dec 3 6:39 AM 0.43L 1:24 PM 1.51H 7:08 PM 1.00L Dec 4 12:13 AM 1.39H 7:06 AM 0.14L 2:37 PM 1.68H 8:17 PM 1.19L Dec 5 12:22 AM 1.37H 7:36 AM -0.09L 3:38 PM 1.81H 9:45 PM 1.32L Dec 6 12:24 AM 1.38H 8:06 AM -0.26L 4:25 PM 1.89H Dec 7 8:39 AM -0.37L 5:06 PM 1.91H Dec 8 9:14 AM -0.42L 5:48 PM 1.88H Dec 9 9:49 AM -0.43L 6:35 PM 1.82H

Nov 25 12:01 PM -0.08L Nov 26 12:45 AM 0.51H 12:57 PM -0.07L Nov 27 2:07 AM 0.51H 1:57 PM -0.05L Nov 28 2:39 AM 0.49H 3:04 PM -0.02L Nov 29 2:51 AM 0.47H 4:16 PM 0.02L Nov 30 2:50 AM 0.43H 5:24 PM 0.07L Dec 1 2:27 AM 0.38 7:42 AM 0.30L 10:03 AM 0.31H 6:24 PM 0.14L Dec 2 12:40 AM 0.36H 7:42 AM 0.22L 1:24 PM 0.31H 7:22 PM 0.22L Dec 3 12:20 AM 0.35H 8:03 AM 0.13L 4:18 PM 0.36H 8:27 PM 0.31L Dec 4 12:15 AM 0.37H 8:29 AM 0.04L 6:06 PM 0.43H Dec 5 9:00 AM -0.03L 7:44 PM 0.48H Dec 6 9:36 AM -0.07L 8:55 PM 0.52H Dec 7 10:16 AM -0.09L 9:55 PM 0.54H Dec 8 11:00 AM -0.08L 10:56 PM 0.52H Dec 9 11:44 AM -0.05L

241 fish, including about 30 stripers lon ger than 20 inches. Most of the fish were from 17-19 inches.

“The birds were very active, leading us to schooling fish,” Christian said. “The rest were caught on structures where we marked fish on the electronics.”

The group’s trip wasn’t without diffi culties. One boat trailer broke down, one boat wouldn’t start and a 16-inch gash was found in another after it was rushed back to the dock.

Christian said the best lures were 2/5-ounce Little Cleo spoons and medi um-sized yellow slabs.

Texoma anglers often move to deadsticking (casting the lure or bait and leav ing it on the bottom) in winter, and guide Shawn Summit, with Sparky’s Guide Ser vice, said the bite is in full swing, using either flukes or live bait.

“We had well over 50 fish today deadsticking with an occasional twitch of the

rod tip,” he said. “Nothing big but very few shorts.”

Summit said along the river channel were the best locations.

“The fish in shallower water that are running the edge of the channel are really aggressive,” he said. “Fishing is as good as it gets on Texoma as the water temps are cool enough. Not even the cold, windy weather slows them down.”

Summit had one group limit out before 8 a.m., followed by a mid-morning group that caught more than 50 fish in one hour.

Somehow, Texoma can handle the fish ing pressure on the striped bass. In an Oklahoma study a few years ago, striped bass anglers spent 290,489 hours fishing, catching more than 400,000 fish, and har vesting nearly a quarter million stripers.

“This lake heals great,” Carey said. “We had the flood of 2015 and people thought all the fish were gone. Now we have 6- to 7-year-old fish pushing 20 pounds.”

LONE STAR OUTDOOR PUZZLER

INDUSTRY

One of the marlin

Coastal fishing town

Popular features on jig heads

The female duck

Buck sales VP

Mark Reasoner joined Buck Knives, Inc. as vice president of sales.

Tirman to lead optics sales

Primary Arms Optics hired Scott Tirman as the new director of optic sales.

New ammo facility

Beretta Holding Group invested $60 million in a manufacturing and distribution facility for Norma Ammunition in Savannah, Georgia.

Hire at APEX

APEX Ammunition added Mike Tussey as marketing specialist.

Reed named marketing director

Red Arrow Weapons promoted Danny Reed to marketing director and brand manager.

Primer facility for Fiocchi

Fiocchi selected a 281-acre site in the Port of Little Rock, Arkansas for a new am munition primer manufacturing facility at a $41.5 million cost.

New director at USA Shooting

Craig Kozeniesky was named the chief executive officer of USA Shooting.

Marketing director at 1791

1791 Outdoor Lifestyle Group hired Evan McNamara as vice president of sales and marketing.

Insurance for shooting sports

The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers and the Hummel Group announced the creation of risk manage ment and insurance solutions designed for the Shooting Sports Industry, called Fortify Insurance.

Red-dot sight brand

Duck hunters like wind at their ____

Fishing line brand

Duck decoy brand

Seat of Webb County

Slang for bluegill, other panfish

The fleshy part above a gobbler’s bill

Toothy offshore species

Granbury’s county

Duck of the Texas coast

Big Spring’s county

Game animal with stripe

Abilene’s county

Fishing hook type

UTV brand

Shelby County’s seat

Slab lure brand

Texas mountain ranage

The male bighorn

One of the salmon 35) Texas lake with walleye

Trout species

La Salle County’s seat

A lab color

A shorebird

Sheep hunters’ org.

Mountain Dew ponzu quail with soba noodles

4 quail, spatchcocked

Ponzu:

1 can Mountain Dew

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 tsp. red chili flakes

2 green onions, sliced

1 thumb-sized chunk of gin ger, peeled and sliced

Add all of the ingredients to a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes.

Chill to room temperature. Put the quail and ponzu sauce in a Ziploc bag, and marinate in the fridge overnight.

Place marinated quail on a heated grill and pour small amounts of the marinade over the meat. Grill until a firm crust of sauce forms on the bird.

Soba noodle salad: 12 oz. cooked and chilled soba noodles

1 lime, juice and zest

1 red pepper, sliced thin

1/2 red onion, sliced thin

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. sesame seeds

2 each green onions Salt and pepper

Toss all ingredients in a bowl. Mix zest and juice evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Place a portion of soba noodle in the center of a plate. Pour a small amount of mountain dew ponzu around the noo dles. Top with hot “smashed” quail.

—Idaho DFG

Place prepared mustard into one bowl, and add the cornmeal, salt and seasoning mixture in a sepa rate bowl. Dip each fillet in the mustard, covering both sides. Then drop the fillet into the cornmeal mixture, and coat on both sides. In a large skillet, heat peanut oil until hot but not smoking, Carefully place one fillet into the skillet at a time. Cook about 3 minutes or until brown, and then flip. Fry the second side about 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oil and place onto a paper towellined plate.

Puzzle by Craig Nyhus, Lone Star Outdoor News

NATIONAL

OKLAHOMA

Rep. Brewster dies

Former Congressman Billy (Bill) Kent Brewster passed away in Marietta on Oct. 3. Brewster was born in Ardmore, Oklahoma on November 8, 1941. He graduated from Petrolia, Texas High School in 1959 and then attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University, earning his B.S. in Pharmacy in 1965. On July 27, 1963, Bill married Mary Sue “Suzie” Nelson and celebrated their 59th anniversary this summer.

The couple built Colleyville Drug in Col leyville, Texas and moved to Marietta in 1977.

Brewster served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1982-1990 and in the U.S. Congress from 1991-1997.

Brewster was known both in Oklahoma and throughout the country as a champion of sportsmen and conservation. His conser vation recognitions included Congressional Legislator of the Year in 1993 from the Safari Club International; President of the Shikar Safari Club; NRA Board Member for 20 years and Chairman of the NRA Founda tion Board; Chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus; Member of the Interna tional Wildlife Commission; and Member of the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commis sion (2016-2022).

The couple hunted in more than 30 coun tries on six continents and encouraged all his family and countless friends to experience the joy of hunting and the outdoors. They received the Peter Hathaway Chapstick Hunt ing Heritage Award at the DSC Convention & Expo in 2019.

—Staff report

WYOMING

Famous writer dies

Outdoor writer Thomas McIntyre died at his home on Nov. 3. He was 70 years old and died of natural causes.

At age 19, McIntyre made his first trip to Africa, developing a life-long affection for the continent. His articles appeared in Field and Stream, Sports Afield, Petersen’s Journal, Outdoor Life, Bugle, Gray’s Sporting Journal, Sporting Classics, Men’s Journal, Garden and Gun, and the London-based, The Field McIntyre’s books included Days Afield, The Way of the Hunter, Dreaming the Lion, Seasons and Days and Augusts in Africa. In 2012, he published his only work of fiction, The Snow Leopard

Shortly before his death, he completed Thunder Without Rain, a history of the cape buffalo.

—Staff report

TENNESSEE

Major donation for wetlands

Cox Enterprises Chairman Emeritus and former Wetlands America Trust President Jim Kennedy and the James M. Cox Founda tion donated $2 million to support wetlands conservation.

ARKANSAS

Elk harvest light

According to Wes Wright, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Elk Program coordina tor, a heavy crop of acorns kept most elk in the woods and away from the traditional fields during the hunt, resulting in 26 elk be ing taken during the scheduled elk season.

Of 21 hunters drawn for public land elkhunting permits this season, only 10 were successful, taking four bulls and six antler less elk.

Private land hunters took 14 (10 bulls and four antlerless) elk, well short of the 27 elk quota set for this season.

The private land harvest may have in cluded a new state record, a 7x8 elk taken in Searcy County by Billy Harris that rough scored 378 inches.

—AGFC

The grant will support wetland restoration efforts along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and the Chesapeake Bay area. Funds will sup port acquiring a 2,500-acre tract of coastal wetlands south of New Orleans and continu ing restoration of Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge and wetlands within the Mer mentau Basin. In addition, funds will help conserve crucial wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay across Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

WASHINGTON D.C.

Economic impact of outdoor recreation

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bu reau of Economic Analysis released economic data for 2021, showing outdoor recreation generates $862 billion in economic out put, with recreational boating and fishing the number one contributor to the outdoor recreation economy and the largest recre ational activity in 27 states and the District of Columbia.

Highlights include:

• $862 billion in economic output

• $27.3 billion in current-dollar value attributed to boating and fishing

KENTUCKY

Changes at MLF

Major League Fishing announced organiza tional changes and promotions in leadership and tournament staff. MLF headquarters will relocate from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Benton, Kentucky.

Boyd Duckett will move into the role of president and chief executive officer. Jim Wilburn has stepped down as President and CEO and will remain as president of sales.

Don Rucks will step down as executive vice president and general manager. Kathy Fennel was promoted to Executive Vice President and General Manager. Daniel Fennel was promoted to MLF Senior Tournament Director of the Bass Pro Tour, and Kevin Hunt was promoted to MLF Senior Tournament Director of the new Tackle Warehouse Invitationals. Michael Mulone was named vice president of marketing and business development.

—MLF

• 1.9 percent of GDP

• 4.5 million jobs

MINNESOTA

Deer harvest dips 11 percent

When a deer rifle season is only 9 days long, weather can influence success. Min nesota’s deer harvest was down 19 percent after the opening weekend, but improved to an 11 percent drop from last year when the season ended Nov. 13.

Strong, gale-force winds occurred during the second day of the season, affecting deer movement and hunter participation. The end of the following week saw a blizzard with a foot of snow in the northwestern part of the state.

Hunters took 110,435 deer during the season, down 17 percent from the 5-year mean.

Friends

running a waterfowl hunting outfit is see ing the fruits of their labor, when it comes to creating and building habitat.

“We like to operate by the common mot to, if you build it, they will come,” Fischer said. “It is rewarding to see the results of our efforts during the offseason pay off during hunting season.”

Fischer and Chesson both enjoy working on creating and enhancing waterfowl hab itat on the properties they hunt through out the year. It’s something that they have been doing together for a long time.

“Fischer and I started our first waterfowl hunting business venture together in the Winnie area, right after we got out of high school,” Chesson said. “We ran that op eration for a year, before another outfitter bought us out and asked us to guide hunts for him. Now, nearly 30 years later after guiding hunts for other operations, here we are back to where we started, running our own waterfowl hunting outfit togeth er.”

Fischer and Chesson have waterfowl guiding experience that spans over a com bined 50 years or more. Their operation in cludes private coastal marsh property with about 17 blinds, as well as 10 blinds on coastal rice fields. Southern Wings Outfit ters can run six to seven groups of hunters on their marsh properties and four to five groups of hunters on their rice properties at one time.

“We try to manage our properties in a way that will allow the birds a chance to rest,” Fischer said. “Most of the season we only hunt our marsh blinds on Wednes days, Saturdays and Sundays. Obviously this changes sometimes, especially around the holidays.”

They also try to stick to a rotation that helps regulate the hunting pressure on

guides

their properties.

“We try not to hunt the same areas of the marsh two days in a row,” Fisher said.

Chesson grew up along the upper Texas coast in Hamshire, and went on his first duck hunt when he was 13 years old on a property near Anahuac with a hunting guide that was friends with his dad.

“Mr. Jack Innmon, who had been guid ing waterfowl hunts in the area for many years, was kind enough to let me tag along on a duck hunt,” Chesson said. “He took a liking to me, and invited me back the fol lowing weekend. Before too long, I found myself helping out with his hunts every weekend. When I turned 16, I guided my first group of hunters for Innmon’s opera tion.”

The art of calling ducks is what origi nally created Chesson’s passion for duck hunting.

“As a kid, I just thought the act of calling waterfowl and watching them turn and come to your call was incredible,” he said.

“After guiding for the last 30 years, I just appreciate being able to share my passion of waterfowl hunting with others. I have customers who I started guiding as young sters, who are now bringing their own kids on hunts with me.”

Fischer grew up in same area and went to high school with Chesson. He started duck hunting with his uncle on a company lease around age 13.

“I started guiding at age 15 and was tak ing customers from my uncle’s company on the lease,” Fischer said. “In my younger days, I was always focused on putting birds on the strap, but now I really enjoy the en tire process that goes into a successful duck hunt. I love preparing for hunting season as much as I love hunting.”

DATEBOOK

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

DECEMBER 8

DALLAS SAFARI CLUB

Final DSC 100 Volunteer Party (972) 980-9800 biggame.org

DELTA WATERFOWL

Southeast Chapter Banquet

Bowers Civic Center, Port Arthur (409) 273-1792 deltawaterfowl.org

FOUNDATION

HOUSTON SAFARI CLUB

Christmas Party Cadillac Bar (713) 623-8844 hscfdn.org

DECEMBER 12

TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION

Houston Sporting Clays Shoot

Greater Houston Gun Club (210) 826-2904 texas-wildlife.org

DECEMBER 14

PARK CITIES QUAIL COALITION

Holiday Party

Beretta Gallery Dallas (214) 632-7460 parkcitiesquail.org

DECEMBER 20

DALLAS SAFARI CLUB

Store Sale and Packing Party DSC Headquarters (972) 980-9800 biggame.org

JANUARY 1

NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION

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

JANUARY 3-6

DALLAS SAFARI CLUB

Convention & Sporting Expo Kay Bailey Huchison Convention Center (972) 972-9800 biggame.org

JANUARY 13-14

DEER BREEDERS CORP

Annual New Year’s Auction Horseshoe Bay Resort (972) 289-3100 dbcdeer.com

Overcoming odds

Continued from page 4

gave me a shot opportunity, I shouldered the crossbow normally with my right shoulder, aimed with my right eye, and then pulled the trigger using my left hand once I felt like my aiming point was steady and in the right spot on the animal.”

Once Bass’s arrow passed through its vitals, the boar ran about 20 yards before falling over. Bass said the hunting trip was planned with the purpose of getting some meat for a benefit party that he is going to be a part of in the coming weeks.

“We processed the pig and plan to smoke it for the get-together,” he said.

Bass has a goal of harvesting a deer this season. He also hopes to start filming some of his hunting adventures and putting them out on social media and digital platforms to show other amputees who may be in a similar situation that there are ways to adapt and over come to continue pursuing their passions.

“I’ve had a great support system of friends and family who have helped me adapt and adjust to my new normal,” Bass said. “I wouldn’t be out there hunting again without the help and sup port from my girlfriend, Christy Drury, as well as many other family members and friends.”

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