Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper in Texas
December 25, 2020
Volume 17, Issue 9
Winter dove falling By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News
Chris Kasper landed this largemouth while fishing on Falcon Lake. Photo by Jimmy Steed.
Falcon bass fat, full of eggs By Craig Nyhus
Lone Star Outdoor News Jimmy Steed’s customers have been landing some big pre-spawn largemouths on Lake Falcon, and barring cold weather, he said to expect the spawn soon on the border lake. “I would say 90 percent of the fish we are catching are full of eggs,” he said. Water temperatures have been holding in the mid-60s for awhile. “If we don’t get any real cold weather, the spawn will come soon,” Steed said. For now, deep-diving crankbaits have been producing the best results. “The lake is putting out some fatties,” Steed said. “And we are still catching a few on plastics.” With the lake being so low (38 feet), the guide said this season’s spawn won’t be the typical event. “There’s no water in the creeks,” he said. “Here, the fish just kind of move a little more shallow from where they are and spawn — it’s more scattered and sporadic.” James Bendele of Falcon Lake Tackle said of all the baits there are to choose from, a deepdiving crankbait is catching more fish than Please turn to page 13
Hunters took to the fields for the second split of dove season. People reported a decent number of birds on grain fields in the mornings and stock ponds; cattle tanks worked best in the afternoon, just enough to keep their gun dogs busy. Photo by Nate Skinner, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
The opening of the second split of dove season greeted hunters with temperatures and conditions many may have argued were much more suitable for a deer blind or a duck blind, rather than a dove field. But, wingshooters willing to put on a jacket and contend with the elements had opportunities to sling some shells in certain areas across the state. Harvested grain fields produced decent morning shoots, while stock ponds and cattle tanks seemed to be the hub for afternoon action. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wildlife biologist for Frio, Dimmit, and Zavala counties, Blaise Korzekwa, said South Texas dove hunters experienced average to above average hunts to kick off the winter season. “Harvested grain fields saw a good influx of dove feeding during the morning hours,” he said. “In Frio County, it seemed like sesame fields were holding the most birds, as well as pastures that still had some croton left standing from the fall. By mid-morning, the dove left the fields and didn’t really fly again until the afternoon.” Korzekwa said scouting is the key this time of year. “Winter dove can be a little more fickle with their patterns, and their behavior really depends on the weather conditions,” he said. “There’s also typically less hunting pressure on them, so they aren’t forced to move around near as much as they are during the fall season. Hunters who did their homework harvested half to full limits during opening weekend.” Please turn to page 17
Some have to turn away hunters By Nate Skinner
Deer hunters seemingly have been able
times, as they reached their operating capacity. Kuby’s Wild Game Processing, in Dallas, is a popular processing facility that reached its capacity for processing wild game earlier this month. The processor closed for 10 days at the beginning Please turn to page 13
CONTENTS
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
For Lone Star Outdoor News
to spend more time in the deer blind at their ranches or leases this season, resulting in a record number of deer being brought to many of the deer processing facilities across the state. Some processors have even had to turn hunters away at
Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10 Saltwater Fishing Report . . . Page 11 Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . Page 16 Products . . . . . . . . . . Page 21 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 22
INSIDE
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PLANO, TX PERMIT 210
Deer processors see increase in traffic, animals
Kuby’s Wild Game Processing manager David Norman inspects some of the frozen orders of meat in their storage facility. His team is working hard to catch up after taking in so many deer and hogs this season. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.
HUNTING
FISHING
Mule deer study (P. 4)
Specks at Galveston Bay (P. 8)
Antler peak size similar to whitetails.
Good numbers, size varies.
DSC going virtual (P. 5)
Santas on the water (P. 11)
City, county halt in-person event.
Tourney sets record.
