Texas’ Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper Since 2004
January 8, 2021
Volume 17, Issue 10
Quail hunts tough, but improving Test ranch for medicated feed showing results By Craig Nyhus
Lone Star Outdoor News Joe Crafton and Rick Snipes hunt bobwhite quail on Snipes’ Stonewall County ranch. Photo from Joe Crafton.
Joe Crafton is excited about medicated feed for quail.
Hunting on the Snipes Ranch near Aspermont, one of the test sites for QuailGuard medicated feed, he said they averaged three large coveys per hour of hunting. “Not as good as some years but much better than the reports I hear from other ranches in the Rolling Plains,” he said.
But what he was most excited about was the lack of eyeworms in the birds harvested. “I am not a scientist, but for the past four years this ranch has been part of the approved FDA test for medicated feed being conducted by Dr. Ron Kendall at Texas Tech Wildlife Toxicology Lab,” Crafton Please turn to page 12
Rut in various stages Deer returning to feeders in many areas, on the move in South Texas By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News Hunters across Texas are experiencing varying behaviors from white-tailed deer at the end of the season, now over in Texas’ North Zone but continuing through Jan. 17 in the South Zone. Some areas are still seeing signs of rut activity, while bucks in other locales are returning to feed. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department White-tailed Deer Program leader, Alan Cain, this season has been a good year for antler quality. “Overall, I believe folks have been pleasantly surprised with the quality of antlers that bucks have been sporting all over the state,” he said. Cain says the timing of the rut varies depending on the geographic portion of the state where hunters are pursuing deer. “The one thing that I’ve heard from hunters across the state many times this year, is that they did see some rut activity, but it wasn’t to their expectations,” Cain said. “A lot of folks look forward
to a peak week or two of rut activity, and many folks have reported they just didn’t experience it this year.” Cain believes that the cause of these reports has been the mild weather. “Yes, we’ve had some decent cold fronts, especially here at the end of the season,” he said. “However, the season has been full of mild weather, and I think that this lended deer movement to occur at nighttime. I don’t think rutting activity was less than it normally is, nor do I think it occurred at different times than normal, I just think some of the main rutting activity may have occurred at night due to warm temperatures. Hunters spending time in the stand during mild weather may not have seen the rut activity they may have seen had they hunted on a cooler day.” In South Texas, the rut was on during the second half of December and on through the New Year, according to Trinity Ranch owner David Sunderland. “We are now seeing bucks with considerable weight loss and a lot of broken antlers,” he said. “My guess is, that about 75 percent of the does have been bred.” Sunderland said his main concern across his ranch, that lies near Batesville, is the poor pasture conditions due to the drought. Please turn to page 6
Deer hunters across the state experience varying types of rut activity as the general season comes to an end. While the rut is mostly complete in North Texas, it is in full force in South Texas. Photo by Nate Skinner, for Lone Star Outdoor News.
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PLANO, TX PERMIT 210
Bass strategies vary lake to lake By Nate Skinner
A host of different tactics are being used across Texas lakes as anglers pursue bass that are transitioning to winter patterns. Photo by Nate Skinner, for Lone Star Outdoor News. Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10 Saltwater Fishing Report . . . Page 11 Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12 Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Products . . . . . . . . . . Page 15 Sun, Moon & Tides . . . . . Page 16 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 19
INSIDE
CONTENTS
Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP
For Lone Star Outdoor News The transition from fall to winter is taking place across Texas lakes, and productive bass fishing patterns differ greatly depending on the body of water anglers are targeting. Deep water is the key
on some lakes, while shallow water and everything in between has been holding more bass on others. Overall, a variety of tactics and strategies are bringing green fish to the boat. On Canyon Lake, fishing guide Barry Dodd said he’s been focusing on deep water. “The bass are pretty
scattered and still seem to be holding in a fall pattern, rather than stacked up in their winter haunts,” Dodd explained. “We caught some 3-pounders in 50 feet of water the other day, and then also caught some solid 2- to 2.5-pound fish in 25 to 35 feet of water. The fish are just all over the Please turn to page 13
HUNTING
FISHING
Minutes to spare (P. 4)
Holiday rainbows (P. 8)
Hunter gets buck before season closes.
Father-daughter and father-son head to river.
Lost hunter dies (P. 4)
Big specks (P. 8)
Man disappears in snow storm.
Port Mansfield producing.
