Texas’ Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper Since 2004
November 26, 2021
Volume 18, Issue 7
Crappie diving deeper By Madison Scarborough For Lone Star Outdoor News
For angler Chuck Rollins, mid-November provided exceptional crappie fishing on Cedar Creek Lake. There was a day or two of slow fishing after the cold front came in, but as the weather settled down, the bite picked up. “Up and down cycles are common on
Cedar Creek,” Rollins said. The guide is finding some crappie in shallow water in the lake, but most are deep. Water temperatures are around 60 to 62 degrees, and Rollins said, “as it drops, the crappie swim deeper.” Fishing brush tops is a favorite method on Cedar Creek, while using drop shot rigs. Rollins uses a LiveScope to locate where the fish are moving, and once he is
on the fish, throws live minnows. “The jig bite is not bad now, but live minnows are a year-round staple for attracting crappie in Cedar Creek,” Rollins said. With either a jig or minnow, it’s crucial to “fish it slow,” Rollins said, as the crappies’ metabolism decreases in cooler water. On Possum Kingdom Lake, Kolby Kuhn, Please turn to page 9
Joey Ferro found nicesized crappie on Gibbons Creek Lake. Photo by Tiffany Ferro.
Making memories By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News Deer season is a huge part of many Texans’ lives, with memories made afield that will last a lifetime. So far this season, several hunters have harvested bucks with unique characteristics, shot their first deer or overcome obstacles to fill a tag. Makaela Horne harvested her first deer, a 6-year-old 9-point buck, in Kerr County on her husband’s family’s ranch. Horne has enjoyed going out to the ranch with her husband, Drew, for the past several years, and decided she wanted to start hunting this season. “We had watched this buck grow up for several seasons,” Horne said. “We weren’t sure he was going to be on the hit list this year, until he came out on my first sit of the season. We realized he was a mature deer, so I waited for a good shot opportunity. He actually got within about 60 yards from the blind, and I took the shot.”
Horne said to her surprise, the buck fell directly in his tracks. “I was so relieved I had made a great shot, and was absolutely ecstatic to harvest my first deer,” she said. “The excitement really hit me when I was able to put my hands on the buck. I’ll never forget that moment.” In Bee County, Eric Kuhn made plans to bow hunt on his family’s property as a recent cold front was passing through. He saw an impressive 10-pointer near an area where he had a tripod stand set up during the first afternoon of his trip, so he decided to hunt that stand the next morning. “As I walked in towards the stand in the morning, I realized the strong winds from the cold front that had blown through had knocked down the tree I had my tripod set up near for cover,” Kuhn said. “I was able to move the tripod up next to a different tree about 10 yards away in the dark that morning, giving myself a narrow shooting lane and a chance to make a shot if that buck were to show up.”
Makaela Horne harvested her first deer, a 6-year-old 9-point buck, in Kerr County on her husband’s family’s ranch. Photo by Drew Horne.
Kuhn said he felt like he made quite a bit of noise during his frantic efforts to relocate the stand prior to sunrise. “I really didn’t think I was going to see anything at that point, but I went ahead and climbed
into the stand and nocked an arrow,” he explained. “Seven bucks came out that morning, including the 10-pointer I had seen the day before. He ended up giving me a shot at about 28 yards, so I let an arrow fly. He only ran about 30
yards before he expired.” Kuhn’s buck ended up measuring 162 7/8 inches. “I can’t believe it worked out the way it did, but I sure am happy about it,” he said. Joshua Connealy harvested a Please turn to page 20
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID DALLAS, TX PERMIT 3814
More ducks than expected North Zone opens to fair success By Craig Nyhus
Tim Goodman has been pleasantly surprised at his success during the first few weekends of the North Zone duck season in Hood County on Lake Granbury. And he and his
“We have seen plenty of mallards, wigeon, gadwall and greenwings,” he said. “There are a fair number of resident geese here, and lucky for us they just happened to fly over and we got a few.” Near the Red River, hunters are reporting good numbers of wood ducks on most sloughs along the river, with nearby private ponds providing good shoots Please turn to page 18
Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 9 Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10 Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . Page 16 Products . . . . . . . . . . Page 20 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 21
INSIDE
CONTENTS
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
Lone Star Outdoor News Tim Goodman bagged this mallard drake on a blind drawn from the Brazos River Authority on Lake Granbury. Photo from Tim Goodman.
friend even picked up a few geese. “I drew a blind with the Brazos River Authority on the north end of the lake,” he said. “I’ve been seeing greenwinged teal, some mallards, gadwall and some divers.” Goodman has been running his 14-foot jon boat to the blind and using about 30 decoys with no spinning-wing decoys.
HUNTING
FISHING
First timers (P. 4)
Reds, trout active (P. 8)
College students duck hunt for the first time.
Over shell, flats when water warms.
Bows vs. guns (P. 6)
Stocking numbers (P. 8)
Debate in archery-only counties resumes.
Almost eight million specks released.
