Lone Star Outdoor News 041423

Timing is everything

Finding gobblers in the right mood

By Nate Skinner

For Lone Star outdoor newS

North Zone hunters joined in on the spring turkey hunting action at the first of this month, while South Zone hunt ers have continued their pursuit of ma ture longbeards. Regardless of location, those who have been lucky enough to find themselves within earshot of birds in an aggressive mood enjoyed magical experiences in the turkey woods. Hunt ers who struggled have likely not hit the perfect time window just yet.

Tyler Lee spent some time chasing gobblers with a buddy on his family’s property in Brown County during the opening weekend. This was his first time to make a spring turkey hunt after hearing some of his friends talk about how exciting it can be, and he said the experience did not disappoint.

“We’ve always had turkeys on our property, and I can’t believe I just real ized how fun chasing them during the spring can be,” he said. “I’m definitely addicted now, that’s for sure.”

Lee was able to score a mature tom during a mid-morning sit on the second day of the season.

“My buddy, Miguel Morales, helped me roost some birds at sunset on open ing day, so we had a pretty good idea of where to set up the following morn ing,” Lee explained. “The birds were pretty quiet at daylight, so we made a move to another area on the ranch that had plenty of turkey sign. After playing with a flock of birds with several gob blers that were gobbling, but would not leave their hens, we had a single tom come in silently. He saw the Jake decoy that we had put out, and came in on a rope, giving me an easy shot.”

That afternoon came with no success.

“It got pretty hot and windy during

Yellowstone star honored by Park Cities Quail

By Craig Nyhus Lone Star outdoor newS

A Hollywood star and outdoorsman captured the audience’s attention at the Park Cities Quail Coalition 17th Annual Dinner & Auction on March 25 at SMU’s Armstrong Fieldhouse in Dallas.

Kevin Costner was honored with PCQC’s T. Boone Pickens Lifetime Sportsman of the Year award at the event, and after greeting and being photographed with many of the attendees, gave an uplifting and emotional response, including memories of hunting with his late father.

The Yellowstone star shared the story of his first rifle, his grandfather’s .30-30 bought for $20.

“I took it to show-and-tell at school,” Costner said. “I remember being sent home with a note pinned to my shirt. I didn’t know how to read then but I came to know that if my parents wanted the gun back they would have to go and get it.”

Costner said the gun was too heavy for him to hold, but it didn’t keep him from practicing without bullets.

“The night before my dad was to leave on a deer hunt he realized the firing pin was broken — I had dry fired it so much.”

Baffin, Mansfield trout, reds

By Nate Skinner

For Lone Star outdoor newS

Gusty winds and everchanging springtime conditions have been dictating which portions of the lower coast bays anglers are able to target. Even though areas where stretches of fishable water are located have been varying from week to week, and sometimes from day to

day, quality speckled trout and redfish are still being caught.

Baffin Bay-area guide, Capt. Christian Schneider, has been finding some trout in the 27inch range, with the majority of specks measuring 20 to 23 inches.

“I’ve been bouncing back and forth between the north shoreline and south shoreline of Baffin, depending on the

on upswing

wind speed and direction,” Schneider said. “The edges of grass beds and scattered sand pockets in knee- to waistdeep water have been the ticket for staying hooked up with quality fish.”

Schneider said any stretch of water containing mullet, other baitfish and good water clarity seems to be producing.

“If an area looks fishy, it’s probably worth checking out,” he elab orated. “Recently we stopped in a spot that had some slicks along a grass line and made a long wade that pro duced bites all morning long.”

Soft plastics have been drawing the most strikes, but the fish are becoming more and more willing to hit

Turkey hunters who have found toms in an aggressive mood have experienced quite a show, often without needing to call.

Photo by Nate Skinner, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

Kevin Costner accepted the Park Cities Quail Coalition T. Boone Pickens Lifetime Sportsman Award at the group’s annual dinner and auction. Photo from Park Cities Quail.

Capt. Christian Schneider landed this Baffin Bay speckled trout while wading scattered grass beds. Photo from Christian Schneider.

FROM WORK TO PLAY

WHATEVER YOUR ADVENTURE IS, WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED.

Turkeys keep coming and coming

By Craig Nyhus

Lone Star outdoor newS

Everett Johnson wasn’t able to attend the Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation Wild Game Night at the Beretta Gallery last October, but he did buy some raffle tickets, asking that they all be put to-

An incredible hunt

ward the turkey hunt.

When the winner’s name was called as “E. Johnson,” it took a minute for people to figure out who the winner was.

“It finally dawned on me, that’s Everett,” said Lone Star Outdoor News’ David J. Sams.

Johnson, an accomplished turkey hunter and the owner of the Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, showed up at the

Stonewall County ranch during the first week of the North Zone spring season with a vest loaded down with turkey calls.

He didn’t really need them.

The next morning, the full moon was setting, making the skies bright before 7 a.m. Turkeys started to arrive shortly after flying over the fence onto the ranch from their roost on the neighboring property.

“There has been four to six

coming every day,” Sams said. Temperatures were cool, in the mid-40s, with a 20 mph wind. The birds were quiet until some real light gobbling was heard from a few areas around 7:30 a.m.

“Don’t call until they are right in front,” Sams told Johnson from his spot under mesquite trees about 10 feet away.

Three hens walked toward

Everett Johnson resisted the urge to call until after he took a nice tom just before 8 a.m.

He then played with other birds in the area with his slate calls and sat back and watched a great show.

Mule deer antlers peak earlier than thought

By Craig Nyhus

Lone Star outdoor newS

A decade-long study on antler progression in mule deer revealed some surprising results — muley bucks reach their antler peak earlier than most hunters thought.

Justin French, Big Game Specialist and Research Scientist at the Borderlands Research Institute at Sul Ross State University, led the research and presented results at Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute’s Deer Research Meetings in March.

“To study mule deer antler progression, it requires monitoring a large number of known-age bucks,” he said. “And it takes 10 years to get the data, which is tough with free-ranging mule deer, since the density is low and their range is wide.”

Two questions considered in the study were:

When do bucks mature?

Do scores crash later in life?

“Predicting future antler characteristics depends on understanding antler progression,” French said.

Researchers captured 93 bucks as fawns or yearlings over four years in the study, then fit them with colored ear tags and numbers. Then they monitored feeding and water stations with game cameras for 10 years.

Using a computer program to estimate antler scores, antler progression curves were developed for 53 bucks.

“The scoring system, called ICY, was developed by a student,” French said.

When scores were compared with known physical measurements, a correction factor was applied.

“The estimated scores were coming in a little high,” French said.

Two patterns were discovered.

“The average buck reached a peak score of 152 4/8

Third time’s a charm

By Nate Skinner

For Lone Star outdoor newS

An axis buck sporting 30 to 35inch beams is generally considered a trophy among hunters of exotic deer. Bucks with headgear much larger than this are for the most part, rare. Joe Ebrom was lucky enough to harvest one of these unique animals near Rocksprings recently during a late spring cold front. His axis buck was still in velvet and had beams that measured 38 1/8 inches and 39 5/8 inches, respectively.

Ebrom was hunting on a low-fence property in Edwards County with his son, Matthew that they had started leasing earlier this year. Another fellow

lease member and friend of his had been chasing the monster axis for a couple of days, to no avail.

“We had seen some game camera photos of this buck, and there was no mistaking his swooping, heart-shaped frame,” Ebrom said. “When my son and I showed up to the property to start hunting, another lease member was already there in hopes of getting a shot at the axis. After two days of hunting him in the area where he had been frequenting, the other lease member only got a short glimpse of the buck before he had to leave to head home. So I decided I would try my chances at running down the elusive

buck.”

Ebrom was sitting in a blind overlooking a feeder in a sendero, surrounded by cedar brush in the area where the buck was last seen, when he saw a tall set of antlers off in the distance.

“I had never seen a set of antlers that big, and I could tell that the animal was headed toward me,” Ebrom said. “Once the buck entered the sendero, I knew immediately that it was the one I was after. He was with six other axis bucks, and the entire group never would stop moving around in order for me to get a clear shot.”

Ebrom said he tried and tried to put the crosshairs of his riflescope on the giant axis, but the

Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

A 10-year study in far West Texas showed that most mule deer antlers reach their peak antler development by age 5.5, but the bucks retain that peak score for several years. Photo by Borderlands Research Institute.

Joe Ebrom harvested this axis buck on a open-range lease near Rocksprings. The buck’s beams both measured more than 38 inches. Photo by Matthew Ebrom.

Recognizing land stewards

Ron Gard has been managing his Prairie Rose Ranch, in Miller Grove, for fish and other wildlife for years. Four years ago, Ray Sasser, the late Dallas Morning News door writer, nominated Gard for a 2023 Lone Star Land Steward Ecoregion Award. This year, Gard was notified the ranch would be recognized.

“I was real happy about that,” Gard said. “It’s mostly what I do — make the place good for the wildlife. This year, Texas Parks and Wildlife came and took a look and later informed me.”

Prairie Rose Ranch was recognized for conservation efforts in the Post Oak Savannah region of the state. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s description said Prairie Rose Ranch was selected this year for its excellent outreach to new anglers, veterans’ groups and youth, encouraging them to become involved in the outdoors primarily through fishing and fly-fishing.

Gard, who was the 2019 recipient of the Dallas Coastal Conservation Association Sportsman of the Year award, and his family have also undertaken a large brush management project focused on removing eastern red cedar from his woodlands of post oaks. He has also converted more than 80 acres of former improved pasture back to native grasslands in the Pastures for Upland Birds program. Lakes and water control efforts have resulted in excellent bass and crappie fishing, along with waterfowl hunting.

Launched in 1996, Lone Star Land Steward Awards applaud private landowners in Texas for exemplary contributions to land, water and wildlife stewardship.

“In a state like Texas, where private own

ers hold 95 percent of the land, landowners play a crucial role in conservation and stewardship efforts,” said TPWD Executive Director David Yoskowitz. “That’s why it’s so important we take this opportunity each year to celebrate those creating a legacy of land stewardship.”

Other awards:

Special Recognition: Cibolo Center for Conservation, Boerne

Tucked along a rapidly urbanizing stretch of I-10 northwest of San Antonio, Cibolo Center for Conservation offers two campuses encompassing more than 160 acres. The Cibolo Nature Center offers miles of trails through an array of ecosystems while helping preserve the important Cibolo Creek watershed.

Blackland Prairie: Kocurek Farm, Weimar

Please turn to page 11

Lone Star outdoor newS

Assisted by the Oaks and Prairies Joint Venture Grassland Restoration Incentive

Ron Gard’s Prairie Rose Ranch received one of the Lone Star Land Steward Ecoregion Awards, which will be presented at a banquet on May 25 in Austin.

Photo by Garrett Graham, TPWD.

Half-million for rhino conservation

DSC South Texas sets record

Lone Star outdoor newS

A half-million dollars was raised for one item at the sold-out DSC South Texas gala in San Antonio on April 1. And the winners won’t be taking a rifle or bow.

The winning bidder, Ms. Shannon Ralston and the Ralston Family Charitable Foundation, will take part with five others spending 10 days as part of a relocation experience at the Buffalo Kloof Conservancy in collaboration with East Cape Parks and the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project.

Blake Barnett, outdoor television producer and a founding member of the chapter committee, said a few years ago he approached Warne Rippon, owner of the Buffalo Kloof Conservancy in South Africa with an idea.

It was a novel approach to auction a custodianship and experience to, in part, show the rest of the world that hunters are conservationists who put their money where their mouth is, Barnett said.

Buffalo Kloof Conservancy was started in 1999 with Warne Rippon’s idea to expand small individually owned farmlands into a large reserve with free-ranging animals. Now, the area is home to a healthy population of white and black rhino, a rehabilitation journey which began in 2010.

The monies raised will establish a custo-

dianship of a proven producing black rhino cow with an opportunity to take part in the next translocation of black rhino from a National Park in an area where poaching has become a heavy threat to Buffalo Kloof.

“It is through collaborations like these that we can achieve our conservation goals in protecting this critically endangered black rhino,” Rippon, who attended the event with his wife, Hannah, said. “In just over three years we have already produced seven black rhino babies.”

At the gala with 600 attendees, DSC South Texas, along with the DSC Foundation, gave the entire half-million back to Buffalo Kloof to aid in tracking devices for the rhinos that call the conservancy home. It also will go toward land and habitat expansion for the black rhino and security.

“I had no idea this auction would turn into something like this,” Barnett said. “Hunters really walk the walk.”

Toms on the move

Continued from page 1

afternoon, we had some birds working that just wouldn’t commit to our decoys and come into range.”

The next morning turned out to be pretty exciting.

“I kept hearing some birds gobble in the distance, all morning long, and we were just about to make a move when a hen showed up,” Yates said. “I hit a call, and then all of a sudden two toms came running in. My brother and I counted to three, and then shot at the same time. We doubled up.”

Nick Dancsak spent the opening weekend hunting in Lampasas County with his father-in-law. They heard and saw quite a few birds but were unable to bring any within shotgun range.

“The toms were in somewhat of a fickle

mood, it seemed,” Dancsak said. “At times they would be pretty vocal, but there were also long stretches of radio silence. They appeared to be pretty henned-up on the property we were hunting.”

Turkey hunters in Stonewall County reported large flocks of birds with good numbers of hens and mature gobblers aggressively engaging with decoys without any calling from the hunters.

Several hunters reported taking multiple bearded toms. James Meissner had some buddies travel from Tennessee to Wilson County, where they doubled up during a morning hunt, tagging both a triple beard and a quadruple-bearded tom, while Joshua Haese harvested a gobbler with six beards near San Angelo.

Transporting black rhino from areas where poaching is prevalent to Buffalo Kloof Conservancy in South Africa has proven effective, and DSC South Texas raised $500,000 for the efforts at its annual gala on April 1. Photo from Blake Barnett.

Costner at PCQ

Continued from page 1

Years later, and after he owned a shotgun, Costner saw a man out hunting with his dog, a vizsla.

“I pulled the car over and just watched this private interaction between this man and his dog,” he said. “It was like art to me, like poetry to me. It was right in front of me, and my life changed forever. The next day I bought a bird dog, a little German shorthair. And suddenly the world wasn’t flat.”

Costner shared his final hunt with his father, a pheasant hunt, with the crowd.

“He couldn’t walk the fields anymore,” he said. “I asked the owner if we could go someplace by ourselves. He said there was an electric golf cart we could take and that he had seen some pheasants in the orchards.”

After the hunt and getting a few birds, his father let him know.

“This is our last hunt, son,” he told him. Costner played a song recorded by his band, Kevin Costner & Modern West, about the hunt, saying he still can’t perform it live, that included the refrain:

Feeling like the last time I see you again

Feeling like the last time, this could be the end

Having you close, getting the most

Of every moment with you

Feeling like the last time I see you again

Costner thanked the crowd in the room and the organization they support.

“This a room that collectively could move mountains,” he said. “You gather here to protect and provide for a small bird — that we intend to hunt until our legs

give out — the same as our beloved dogs. We will never be able to explain this to a cynical world.

Monies raised for quail conservation and research showed why the event is called “Conservation’s Greatest Night.” In the span of a few hours, the event grossed more than $3.5 million and netted a record $2.8 million, with more than $2 million being raised in the live auction.”

A trip on Carl Allen’s yacht, in Walker’s Cay in the Bahamas, sold for $650,000; and two trips to T. Boone Pickens’ former Panhandle ranch sold for $145,000 each.

“It was clear to everyone in the room that Kevin’s passion for hunting and the outdoors is real and authentic and not just a character he plays in movies,” PCQ President Raymond Morrow said. “The night couldn’t have gone better. The event was totally sold out and the energy in the room was electric.”

Costner concluded by returning to that first rifle, the .30-30 he got when he wasn’t yet able to read.

“If you watch closely on Yellowstone, you’ll see the gun that I carry on the show — the one that goes into the scabbard on my horse — it is that very gun.”

A sold-out crowd filled Armstrong Fieldhouse at SMU for the Park Cities Quail Coalition 17th annual Dinner & Auction, where fundraising records were broken again. Photo from Park Cities Quail.

Galveston Bay system producing bigger trout

By Robert Sloan

For Lone Star outdoor newS

Wade-fishermen on East and West Galveston bays are seeing better and improving trout catches over the past month. Few giant trout are being caught, but good solid fish that have been in short supply for the past few years.

“About 3 years ago we had a record setting amount of rain, and all that water moved a whole lot of trout out of our bay systems here,” said longtime guide Jim West. “For a good while we

were not catching a whole lot of solid trout. We were catching a lot of dinks. But those fish are getting bigger and fishing for them is improving. Larger trout in the 6- to 7-pound class are beginning to move in.”

West does a lot of wading — about 90 percent of the time.

“Wading allows us to cover more water,” he said. “And we can fish deep or shallow. In a boat you’re going to be more limited in the area you can fish, especially on windy days. Right now, we are doing best by fishing with mullet-imitation lures, with the best

patten on West Bay at the mouths of bayous and the area around San Luis Pass. With an incoming tide trout will move up into the bayous. On an outgo ing tide we’ll wade the outside of the bayous where the better trout will be feeding on mullet.”

Some of the best areas holding trout are over sand or mud. And a moving tide is always best. West said the wa ter is still a little cool. A slow retrieve is best with the bigger lures. But if the sun is out and the fish are on a good feed, soft plastics will get the nod.

“The more solid fish are scattered,

From trash to treasure

Youngster restores old fishing boat wins awards

By Craig Nyhus

Lone Star outdoor newS

At age 11, Wesley Stevenson saw a boat that was headed to the trash heap and asked his father, Eddie, if he could have it.

“I just wanted a boat to fish

from,” Wesley said.

Once he was done with the boat, the then 12-year-old won both the Grand Champion and Showmanship awards at the Uvalde County 4-H Junior Livestock Show in the Ag Mechanics Division.

“The boat was a 1970 Montgomery Ward Sea King 12-foot,” Eddie said. “A friend from church was going to trash it and Wesley asked if he could have it. I told

him he could if he would fix it up.”

Wesley’s first move before getting to work? He went on YouTube.

“There are a couple of YouTube channels on redoing old boats,” Wesley said. “Guys find these old boats and trick them up.”

Some of the first steps were sanding, fixing leaks and painting the boat.

“He started last April,” Eddie

said. “Wesley took the benches out and did a lot of sanding. He sealed the rivets and learned how to use the rivet gun, how to frame and wire. He used all aluminum so it won’t rot or rust.”

Painting didn’t go as smoothly as hoped.

“He tried a spray gun but that didn’t work well with maritime paint,” Eddie said. “He had to start over.”

Wesley used a stencil kit for the

camo, doing 1-foot sections at a time.

For insulation, Wesley used pour foam insulation, with an added feature.

“He took a water bottle and wrote a note in it, making a time capsule, also with some crankbaits and worms,” Eddie said. “It’s encased in foam.”

But Wesley wasn’t done. He had some tricking up to do.

“I put green LED lights on

Causeway cleanup

Volunteer anglers pick up what others leave

Fishing near or around an area overcome by filth is not what one might

But a group of concerned citizens, many avid fishing enthusiasts, said the trash left behind by some of their counterparts needs to be picked up — even if they have to do it themselves.

Some of the best fishing spots found in this part of South Texas have been shut down to the public largely because of the amounts of trash littered.

That includes the old causeway that used to connect South Padre Island with Port Isabel, Holly Beach and

a stretch along Texas Highway 100 where development also contributed to putting the popular area for trout and red drum fishing off-limits.

Two of the region’s top fishing holes — around the Gayman Bridge and the Jaime Zapata Memorial boat ramp on Texas Highway 48 — are more often than not so inundated with trash to the point of making state and federal park officials think about making improvements.

Richard Hitchcox, a retired ballistic expert with the Texas Department of Public Safety, said he got the idea for the cleanup effort after being tired of fishing in dirty places.

“I used to fish a lot with my fishing partner,” he said referring to his son. “But now that he is in college I slowed down a bit.”

Nevertheless, Hitchcox created RGV

Fishing Area and Waterway Cleanups five years ago with the purpose of making these places clean of trash.

The most recent cleanup took place March 25 and nearly 130 people signed up and together picked up hundreds of bags filled with trash.

The vast majority of the volunteers were fishing men, women and youngsters of all ages. Among them were five members of the Gomez family, of San Benito.

“We all fish,” Jacqueline Gomez said. “This is one of our favorite spots.”

She said one of their sons caught his first Texas Grand Slam last year, referring to a trio made up of a flounder, a redfish and a speckled trout.

Gomez said their favorite way to fish is from kayaks.

David Cavazos, of Elsa, is a fisherman who belongs to a group called the

Top-water lures are beginning to produce speckled trout in the Galveston area, and larger trout are being landed. Photo by Jim West.

Wesley Stevenson took a boat destined for the dump and restored it, with his efforts winning 4-H awards. On the rebuilt boat’s first fishing voyage, he caught a 2-pound bass on his first cast. Photos by Eddie Stevenson.

David Cavazos, right, and son, Denly, help to clean around fishing areas in South Texas that are regularly littered with trash. Photo by Tony Vindell, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

It’s crabbing time

By Robert Sloan

For Lone Star outdoor newS

They may not look glamorous, but the blue crabs are back in numbers after the cold winter months, and they are tasty. And unlike going after trout and reds, you don’t need too much tackle. They are easy to cook and a crab boil is fun for the whole family.

One of the best crabbing places along the Texas coast is about 10 miles south of Sabine Pass. Toward the end of the road you’ll find Sea Rim State Park. Keep going about a half mile past the park and you’ll come to the entrance of McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge. This place covers miles and miles of backwater estuary lakes. The refuge opens at daylight and closes at dusk, seven days a week.

“We’ve been coming here for years,” said Bill Cummins, who is from Louisiana but comes to Texas in late spring and summer to visit relatives in Beaumont. “When we’re in Texas we try to at least come to the refuge at least a few times. It’s a good way to get outdoors with the family, and there is no fee to access the refuge.”

Once you go through the front gate, you come up on the first of many estuary

lakes. There are small boat launches for aluminum boats. Or you have the option of crabbing off one of the many fishing piers that can be found along the shorelines of the lakes.

“We like to set up on one of the piers and toss out some crab lines baited with chicken necks or wings, and then fish fresh dead mullet on bottom for redfish,” Cummins said. “The kids love it. If one spot doesn’t produce anything within an hour or so we move to another location.”

Another option is to launch a boat on Keith Lake, located a few miles north of the small town of Sabine. There are two boat ramps right off the highway. You can put in at one of the ramps and head south to one of the many estuary lakes with miles of water that is loaded with crabs.

The late Junior Hanson liked fishing so much on Keith Lake that he bought a small piece of land, then built a house and boat ramp. He died several years back, but the ramp is still there, right off Hwy. 87. That’s a good and safe place to launch a boat and not have to worry about your tow vehicle.

If you launch a boat at McFaddin NWR you can access Salt Lake and Fence Lake. They offer some excellent places to go

Providing fish for ponds, lakes

By Tony Vindell

For Lone Star outdoor newS

Want to stock a pond with a variety of fish but don’t know where to find these slippery critters?

A company created just for that purpose could provide the answer.

Herrmann’s Fish Farm, a Rosenbergbased company, has more baby fish than meets the eyes, including redfish, largemouth bass, golden shiners, bluegill, crappie and a few types of catfish.

The most popular fish is the bass.

The fish are weighed and put inside large plastic bags before they hit the road to backyards, farms and ranches where their new owners will feed them until they reach fishable sizes, or use the smaller fish as forage for larger species.

Some are sold by the pound, like the tilapia, and others by the unit ranging from $0.50 to $16 each.

The fish farm is a family-owned and run operation that Jon Herrmann opened in 1984.

“It started as a hobby growing and selling catfish,” he said. “But as time went by, I decided to take the business a step further.”

Herrmann, who received a degree in aquaculture at Texas A&M University, said

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he believes they have the only such operation in South Texas.

“We go to businesses like this during the springtime,” he said, while scooping bunches of fish with a net in the parking lot of Edinburg’s Martin Ranch & Farm Supply. “We can also go to a customer’s place if an order is large enough.”

Please turn to page 17 Please turn to page 17

Blue crabs have moved back into the bays, and can be caught on lines baited with chicken necks or wings.

Photo by Robert Sloan, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

Jon Herrmann shows off some of the largemouth bass Herrmann’s Fish Farm sells to people in South Texas. Photo by Tony Vindell, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORT

ALAN HENRY: Water clear; 67 degrees; 11.08’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on Carolina rigs, crankbaits and live bait. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs.

AMISTAD: Water slightly stained; 66 degrees; 41.49’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged worms, creature baits and swimbaits. Catfish are good on cheese bait and liver.

ARROWHEAD: Water lightly stained; 58-60 degrees; 5.80’ low. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are excellent on fresh cut shad and punch bait.

ATHENS: Water clear; 68-71 degrees; 0.45’ high. Largemouth bass are good on small moving baits, finesse worms and top-water frogs. Crappie are fair on minnows.

AUSTIN: Water clear; 71 degrees; 0.57’ low. Largemouth bass are good on white chatterbaits and white swimbaits. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are good on cut frozen shad.

B.A. STEINHAGEN: Water stained; 67 degrees; 0.26’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse spinner baits, frogs and white swim jigs.

BASTROP: Water clear; 75 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on flukes, worms and square-billed crankbaits.

BELTON: Water lightly stained; 63 degrees; 14.28’ low. White bass are good early and late on tail spinners. Catfish are good on punch bait, live bait and fresh cut bait.

BOB SANDLIN: Water stained; 65-70 degrees; 0.15’ high.

Largemouth bass are fair to good on chatter baits and lizards. Crappie are good on minnows under a slip cork. White bass are good on slabs. Catfish are good on cheese bait.

BRAUNIG: Water slightly stained; 69 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair on jigs and spinner baits. Red drum are fair on live bait and frozen shrimp.

BRIDGEPORT: Water stained; 60 degrees; 8.29’ low.

Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and worms. White bass are fair to good on small shad imitations. Crappie are good on minnows under a slip cork. Blue catfish are fair on cut shad.

BROWNWOOD: Water stained; 60-65 degrees; 8.67’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on jigs and crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on crankbaits.

Catfish are good on cut bait.

BUCHANAN: Water lightly stained; 66 degrees; 18.60’ low. White bass are good trolling crankbaits. Stripers and hybrids are good trolling swimbaits and jigging. Crappie are good on chartreuse jigs.

CADDO: Water stained; 60 degrees; 1.63’ high. Largemouth bass are good on flukes, senkos and top-waters.

CALAVERAS: Water slightly stained; 68 degrees. Red drum

are fair on crawfish, cut shad and shrimp. Channel and blue catfish are good at night on cut shad and carp.

CANYON: Water slightly stained; 68-71 degrees; 11.90’ low. Largemouth bass are good on white spinner baits and white chatter baits.

CEDAR CREEK: Water lightly stained; 62-66 degrees; 0.06’ high. Largemouth bass are good on jigs and spinner baits. Crappie are good on jigs. White bass and hybrids are good on silver slabs and jigs.

CHOKE CANYON: Water stained; 68-74 degrees; 24.79’ low. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastics in green/pumpkin and watermelon. White bass are good on small crankbaits. Catfish are fair on cut bait and stink bait.

CONROE: Water stained; 70 degrees; 0.07’ low. Largemouth bass are good on swimbaits, jigs, finesse worms and spinner baits. Hybrid striped bass are fair to good on jigs, swimbaits and live bait. Crappie are good on hair jigs. Catfish are good on punch bait, worms and liver.

COOPER: Water lightly stained; 65 degrees. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Blue catfish are good drifting cut bait.

CORPUS CHRISTI: Water stained; 70 degrees; 4.86’ low. Largemouth bass are good on jigs, finesse worms and small crankbaits. White bass are slow. Crappie are good on live minnows and white jigs.

Catfish are good on cheese bait, cut shad, soap baits and worms.

CYPRESS SPRINGS: Water stained; 58-62 degrees; 0.45’ high. Largemouth bass are good on flukes, lizards and chatter baits. Crappie are good on minnows under a slip cork. White bass are good on slabs.

Catfish are good on cheese bait.

EAGLE MOUNTAIN: Water stained; 66 degrees; 2.94’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on crankbaits and Texas rigs. White bass are good on roadrunners. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs.

Blue catfish are good on cut bait.

FAIRFIELD: Water stained; 71 degrees.

Largemouth bass are good on swim jigs, Texas rigs and spinner baits.

Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are fair on cut bait.

FALCON: Water stained; 68-75 degrees; 46.37’ low.

Largemouth bass are excellent on football jigs and crankbaits.

Catfish are good on cut bait and shrimp.

FAYETTE: Water clear; 73 degrees. Largemouth bass are excellent on shad crankbaits, top-waters and crawfish plastics. Catfish are fair on punch

bait and chicken liver.

FORK: Water stained; 55-62 degrees; 1.47’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs with craws, Carolina rigs with lizards. Crappie are good on chartreuse hand-tied jigs.

GRANBURY: Water lightly stained; 62 degrees; 1.47’ low. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastics and spinner baits. Crappie are good to excellent on small minnows and tube jigs. Striped bass are fair on live bait and Alabama rigs. Catfish are fair on cut shad or drum.

GRANGER: Water lightly stained; 66 degrees; 0.11’ high. Largemouth bass are good on jigs. Crappie are fair on jigs and slip bobbers. Blue catfish are very good on jug lines baited with shad. Yellow catfish are good on trotlines baited with live perch.

GRAPEVINE: Water clear; 64-68 degrees; 1.44’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on spinner baits. White bass are excellent on slabs under birds..

HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 71 degrees; 0.09’ high. Largemouth bass are good on swim jigs, Texas rigs and spinner baits. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are fair on cut bait.

JACKSONVILLE: Water lightly stained; 62 degrees; 0.06’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics and crankbaits.

JOE POOL: Water clear; 66 degrees; 0.47’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on white swim jigs and Texas-rigged worms and creatures.

LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water stained; 60-65 degrees; 1.04’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on chatter baits and lizards. Crappie are good on minnows under a cork. White bass are slow. Catfish are good on cheese bait.

LAVON: Water lightly stained; 60 degrees; 0.24’ high. Largemouth bass are fair to good on chatter baits, top-waters and Texas rigs. Crappie are good on jigs under a slip cork. Channel catfish are good on cut shad and stink bait.

LBJ: Water stained; 68 degrees; 0.22’ low. Crappie are good on live minnows and chartreuse jigs. Catfish are fair on punch bait.

LEW-

ISVILLE: Water lightly stained; 60 degrees; 0.28’ high. White bass are fair to good on slabs, jigs, and live bait. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut shad and chicken breasts.

LIMESTONE: Water clear; 71 degrees; 2.93’ low. Largemouth bass are good on swim jigs, Texas rigs, spinner baits and chatter baits. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are good on cut bait.

LIVINGSTON: Water stained;

70 degrees; 0.06’ high. White bass are good trolling slabs. Catfish are fair on prepared baits.

MARTIN CREEK: Water slightly stained; 70 degrees; 0.03’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged plum worms. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait and live bait.

MEREDITH: Water stained; 51-52 degrees; 55.25’ low. Largemouth bass are good on minnows and artificials. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on minnows and curly tailed grubs. Walleye are good on minnows and grubs. Catfish are slow.

MILLERS CREEK: Water stained; 65 degrees; 5.69’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on finesse worms. Crappie are good on minnows and small jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait and cheese bait.

NACOGDOCHES: Water clear; 67-72 degrees; 0.28’ low. Largemouth bass are good on finesse worms and creatures. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs.

NACONICHE: Water lightly stained; 72 degrees.

Largemouth bass are fair to good on bluegill swimbaits, flukes and squarebilled crankbaits. Catfish are slow.

NASWORTHY: Water slightly stained; 65 degrees. 1.04’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on white chatter baits and flipping soft plastics. Crappie are good around boat docks on chartreuse jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait and stink bait.

NAVARRO MILLS: Water stained; 70 degrees; 0.08’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on creature baits and Carolinarigged worm. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait.

O.H. IVIE: Water stained; 65 degrees; 24.25’ low. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastics. White bass are fair on live bait and crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are good on live bait.

OAK CREEK: Water lightly stained; 64 degrees; 11.71’ low. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastics and imitation crawfish. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Channel catfish are slow.

PALESTINE: Water lightly stained; 60 degrees; 0.19’ high. White bass and hybrids are good on top-waters. Catfish are good on nightcrawlers, chicken heart and liver.

POSSUM KINGDOM: Water clear; 59-66 degrees; 5.37’ low. Striped bass are good on live bait and white and chartreuse swimbaits. White bass are good trolling small spinners. Catfish are fair on

cut shad.

PROCTOR: Water stained; 66 degrees; 9.48’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Blue catfish are fair on shad.

RAVEN: Water clear; 72 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on red craw and shad lipless crankbaits. Catfish are good on live minnows and cut bait.

RAY HUBBARD: Water lightly stained; 60-62 degrees; 0.04’ low. White bass are good on small spinners. Crappie are good on cork jigs and minnows. Catfish are fair on cut shad and punch bait.

RAY ROBERTS: Water stained; 60 degrees; 0.66’ high. Largemouth bass are good on flukes and creatures. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water clear; 64 degrees; 1.79’ low. White bass and hybrid stripers are good on slab and jig combinations. Crappie are good on minnows. Blue and channel catfish are good on punch bait.

SAM RAYBURN: Water stained; 70 degrees; 0.41’ high. Largemouth bass are are good on trick worms, Carolina rigs and crankbaits. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Catfish are good on prepared baits.

SOMERVILLE:

Water clear; 67 degrees; 2.57’ low. Largemouth bass are good on spinner baits and shad crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and worms. White bass are good trolling pet spoons. Catfish are fair on worms.

SPENCE: Water stained; 63 degrees; 45.42’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on soft plastics and crankbaits. White bass are good on spoons and crankbaits.

SQUAW CREEK: Water stained; 75 degrees; 0.47’ high. Channel catfish are good on punch bait, minnows, cut bait and hot dogs

STILLHOUSE HOLLOW: Water lightly stained; 64 degrees; 12.88’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on dark soft plastics. White bass are slow.

TAWAKONI: Water lightly stained; 63 degrees; 0.22’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and lipless crankbaits. Hybrid stripers and white bass are good on swimbaits and slabs. Crappie are fair on jigs. Blue catfish are good on cut shad.

TEXANA: Water stained; 69 degrees; 1.03’ low. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastics and spinner baits. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on punch bait and cut bait.

TEXOMA: Water stained; 5560 degrees; 0.70’ low. Striped bass are fair on swimbaits and live bait. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows under a slip bobber. Catfish are fair on cut shad and whole shad.

n Saltwater reports

Page 19

TOLEDO BEND: Water stained; 69-71 degrees; 2.52’ low. Largemouth bass are good on bladed jigs, jig and pigs and Carolina-rigged lizards. Crappie are slow. Catfish are fair to good on punch bait, shrimp and prepared baits.

TRAVIS: Water clear; 67 degrees; 42.54’ low. Largemouth bass are good on drop shots, swimbaits and Texas-rigged brush hogs.

TWIN BUTTES: Water stained. 62 degrees; 23.12’ low. Crappie are fair on minnows. White bass are slow. Channel catfish are fair on cheese bait.

TYLER: Water stained; 66 degrees; 0.20’ high. Largemouth bass are good on spinner baits, crankbaits and trick worms. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Catfish are slow.

WACO: Water stained; 66 degrees; 11.14’ low. Crappie are good on jigs. Catfish are fair on live bait.

WALTER E. LONG: Water stained; 67 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair on small soft plastics and weighted swimbaits.

WHITNEY: Water lightly stained; 66 degrees; 5.79’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on finesse worms and crankbaits. Striped bass are good to excellent on live bait and umbrella rigs with sassy shad tails.

WORTH: Water stained; 66 degrees; 2.41’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on finesse worms and crankbaits. White bass are good on small spinner baits. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut shad and cut bait.

WRIGHT PATMAN: Water lightly stained; 68 degrees; 1.61’ low. Largemouth bass are good on spinner baits and soft plastics. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair on nightcrawlers and cut bait.

—TPWD

Correction

In the March 24 issue, Taylor Garcia was photographed with a redfish. We incorrectly stated in the photo caption that she was using a Woodie Cork when she caught the fish. We regret the error.

Ranchers recognized

Continued from page 5

Program and TPWD Pastures for Upland Birds, Gary and Dianna Kocurek have devoted hundreds of hours mulching yaupon and red cedar to restore live oak, savannah and blackland prairie habitats while protecting unique riparian relict pine forests and cypress-lined creeks.

Rolling Plains: Melton Ranch, Roby Paul Melton was involved early in identifying and helping to procure funding to establish the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch, where researchers develop sciencebased best practices for quail management, including prescribed burning methodologies, grazing procedures and predator management. Melton manages his own property using practices including planned grazing, Conservation Reserve Program contracts to re-establish native vegetation, and innovative brush control techniques.

Crosstimbers: Quahadi Ranch, Dublin

Owner Stephen Smith engages in active research with Texas Tech University, Tarleton State University and the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch to improve bobwhite habitat and translocate quail to re-establish historic population levels. The ranch has implemented a management plan and, in 2019, Smith decided to de-

Upswing in trout bite, size

Continued from page 8

stock cattle to increase herbaceous cover and bobwhite nesting substrate. This move allowed propagation of native vegetation such as little bluestem, Indiangrass and switchgrass. In the future, rotational livestock grazing will maintain rangeland for bobwhite quail and other native wildlife.

Edwards Plateau: Zesch Family Ranch, Mason

By employing a coordinated suite of practices to help them achieve their land management goals, Hal and Amy Zesch have continued a family tradition on their Hill Country ranch. These certified Texas Master Naturalists have designed a grazing program for their cattle that emulates the movement of bison herds, varying rotations based on rainfall and pasture conditions to help maintain a desirable cover of native grasses regardless of precipitation. They have also built a series of diversion dams to slow water flow and soil loss during heavy rainfall and have worked with TPWD to reintroduce prairie dogs and install burrowing owl nest boxes.

Official recognition will take place May 25 at the 27th annual Lone Star Land Steward Awards banquet at Austin’s Hyatt Regency.

Muley antlers

Continued from page 4

by 5.5 years of age,” French said. “That’s younger than often thought for mule deer.

I’ve heard most of my life that they hit their peak at age 7 or even 8.”

The bucks were found to hold onto those scores for a good while, though.

“There was little evidence of a crash on average,” French said. “They reach their peak earlier, but hold on to the peak longer.”

As might be expected, there was a lot of variation in the individual results.

“Some bucks peaked at 3 and fell off,” French said. “There was about a 20-percent variation with how early or late they peak.”

French said some of the conceptions of when mule deer peak could be a result of the difficulty of aging mule deer on the hoof.

“It could be we were aging wrong all along on the hoof,” he said. “We used

mule deer biologists and showed images of bucks and gave them 30 seconds to estimate age. They were only correct one out of four times. There was a tendency to age to the middle.”

French said the study was the first of its kind in the Trans-Pecos.

“Levi Heffelfinger at CKWRI did some research in the Panhandle with similar results,” he said.

Selective harvest also was examined in the study.

“Culling really doesn’t work to improve antler quality in mule deer,” French said.

What should wildlife managers do?

“You can manage to the habitat and nutrition,” French said. “If you don’t like a certain buck and if there are good numbers, take it and leave more resources for the rest of them. At the least, selective harvest increases access to resources for the bucks you like.”

Giant axis buck

Continued from page 4

right opportunity never presented.

“All of sudden, something spooked them and all of the axis ran into the brush,” he said. “About 15 minutes later, they showed back up. Again, the herd was extremely skittish, and never stopped moving around. Before I could get a clear shot at the big one, they spooked a second time and ran off into the brush.”

Ebrom was sure he wouldn’t get another chance at the buck. However, to his disbelief, the same herd entered the sendero for a third time.

“The next thing I knew, they were all running away from the blind,” Ebrom said. “The monster axis I was trying to shoot stayed behind the others as they trotted to leave the sendero. He stopped for just a second to eat a bite of corn about 200 yards

away, before leaving. When he did that, he turned broadside, and I took my shot. The buck immediately fell.”

Ebrom got out of the blind to finally put his hands on the animal.

“I was carrying a measuring tape in my blind bag,” Ebrom said. “As I approached, I knew I had to measure him to see how big he was. I quickly realized his beams were both over 38 inches long, and for a second, I thought I had measured him wrong, because I knew how rare an axis of that size was. I texted my son and told him that the buck’s beams were over 38 inches, and he asked me if I meant 28 inches. We had no idea this buck was that large.”

Ebrom’s taxidermist agreed, telling him that he had never seen an axis that big before.

Caring for fishing spots

Continued from page 8

Rio Muddy Fishing Team.

Cavazos said his 9-year-old son, Denly, loves to fish as well. To reward the volunteers for their time and effort, hundreds of fishing items were raffled at the end of the event.

Hitchcox said eight fishing trips, each one good for two to three persons, were donated by area guides — the most he has had in five years.

“These are expensive trips,” he said. “We also got all kinds of fishing merchandise and supplies from about 60 other businesses mostly involved in the fishing industry.”

and not feeding together like they will as the water gets a little warmer,” West said. “And bigger lures will get the attention of the solid trout.”

Most anglers are using 30 to 40-pound braided line attached to a 3 to 4 foot Fluorocarbon leader. One big reason the braided line is so popular is that it has less stretch, according to guide Charlie Paradoski.

“I use a lot of top-water lures, and not having my line stretch at the hook set is very important,” he said. “That’s a big deal this time of year when we are in the hunt for big trout.”

Most area guides are into catch, photograph and release the bigger trout.

West has been fishing on both East and West Galveston bays.

Restoration project

Continued from page 8

Eddie said he provided little help — other than some encouragement and fatherly advice.

“The only thing I did for him the entire project was ripping the aluminum sheets on a table saw,” he said. “I thought that was too dangerous for him.”

When the boat was done, Wesley, now a 12-year-old 6th grader, asked about entering it as a 4-H project.

“We called and they told us it could be an Ag Mechanics project,” Eddie said.

“I told him the judges might not be receptive, since it’s not something they are used to,” Eddie said.

The project was entered into the Uvalde County show in February, and the judges were impressed.

“I won Grand Champion (in the Ag Mechanics Division) and also won Showmanship,” Wesley said.

At the show, Wesley said several men came up and wanted to hire him to build a boat for them. At the auction, one per-

son bought the boat but let Wesley keep it and the money.

“That’s a lot of water to fish, with lots of bayous and shell reefs,” he said. “The key on any given day is to cover lots of water and always look for baitfish like mullet.” the inside of the boat and navigation lights on the outside,” Wesley said.

Now the boat is being used for its original intended purpose.

“I made a deal with him that I would buy him a new outboard if he completed the project,” Eddie said. “I got him a new Mercury 6 hp and a trolling motor.”

Recently, the father and son took the boat to a small, dammed-up section of the Nueces River.

“I was getting ready to try to start the outboard,” Eddie said. “He pitched a tiny Rat-L-Trap on an ultralight not far from the boat. His first cast from his new boat and a 2-pound bass hit it as soon as it hit the water. We ended up catching about a dozen more bass.”

Wesley said the bass made him happy because all of his work, estimated at 134 hours over a 200-day period, one hour at a time, paid off.

The next trip?

“I want to take it to Choke Canyon and catch white bass,” Wesley said.

DUMPING, WASTING CATFISH

On April 4, Texas game wardens received a call about fish that had been illegally dumped near the intersection of Hwy 25 and FM 368 in Archer County. Upon arrival, it was determined that there were numerous catfish that had been left to waste. Wardens are seeking information leading to the culprits. Please call Operation Game Thief with any information.

WOMAN COLLAPSES ON BOAT

The Coast Guard received a call at 2:15 p.m. from the operator of a 20-foot vessel near the Galveston jetty notifying that a female passenger had collapsed. A response boat was launched and located the vessel. The crew took aboard the woman and transferred her to

GAME WARDEN BLOTTER

emergency medical services personnel waiting at Galveston Bait and Tackle.

THOUSAND POUNDS OF SHARK

A Coast Guard Station South Padre Island boat crew located and stopped a lancha with four Mexican fishermen engaged in illegal fishing. After interdicting the lancha, Coast Guard personnel seized approximately 1,000 pounds of shark, along with fishing gear, radios, GPS devices and high flyers on board. Coast Guard crews detained the Mexican fishermen and transferred them to border enforcement agents for processing.

MYSTERIOUS ANIMAL PIC

A photo captured by a park visitor in the Rio Grande Valley created

Hens and plenty of toms

Continued from page 4

Johnson, one sporting a 7-inch beard. Two, then three toms followed right behind them.

At about 20 yards away, the hens turned and went to some strutting toms to the left of the decoys. One hen jumped onto the side of a manmade tank.

“I was watching that, and then, ‘Boom,’” Sams said. “He shot the first tom that came close.”

Johnson used his trusty Remington 1187 20 gauge with TSS (tungsten super shot) ammo in 9 1/2 shot.

When the bird was down, the

quite a stir. Park officials said they were scratching their heads to identify the creature. The photo posted by Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park garnered more than 1,100 comments. The most common (serious) guesses were American badger and nutria. Park officials tended to agree with American badger, saying badgers aren’t commonly seen but the region is part of the animal’s natural range.

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

WARDENS HONORED FOR RESCUING K9

Two game wardens were recognized for saving the life of a K9 officer. In 2020, game wardens were performing a canine-assisted search for human remains with K9 Bosch. The canine officer sustained a deep laceration. Game wardens Joni Owen and Pat Thorpe carried Bosch to the truck and administered trauma first aid. After being rushed to the veterinarian, Dr. Mike Dodd performed surgery on an artery, stopping the bleeding. The wardens were awarded a Director’s Life Saving Citation at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission’s March meeting. K9 Bosch is fully recovered and retired.

AN AMERICAN LEGEND

SPONSORED BY: RUGER.COM/AMERICANRIFLE

action picked up. The other tom started pecking at the downed bird and the hens slowly walked off.

“The tom circled the downed bird for 40 minutes,” Sams said.

“I have to pee so bad,” Johnson texted.

“I’m freezing,” Sams replied.

Johnson got on his knees to relieve himself, but the lone tom stayed.

More birds were heard, and Sams texted Johnson, “Call them.” He did and another flock came, including three jakes. The jakes went to the downed bird, beating it up. The other original tom fought off the jakes.

“It was like a turkey funeral,” Sams said. “The tom was protecting his buddy.”

Two more toms came, strutting, and the hens returned, with the

birds making lots of noise.

The hunters were getting impatient.

“Go get the dead one and see if they run off,” Sams texted. When Johnson did, the turkeys finally flew. The hunters sat another 30 minutes, but the few birds that returned cautiously stayed at a distance.

“It was quite a hunt,” Sams said.

Steve Elliott, of Flower Mound, with a Lewisville Lake bass.

Jourdan Van Gundy caught her first catfish at Lake Texoma while fishing with her husband, Michael, and fishing guide Kennith Holmes.

Johnathon Duffey, 11, of Fort Worth, harvested his first buck, an 8-pointer at 139 yards with his .243 Savage while hunting with his dad and hunting buddies in Palo Pinto County.

Brothers Layne Gerke, 17, left, and Ty Gerke, 20, proved successful while calling during the opening weekend near the Lavaca River.

Craig Wilson caught and released his first fish of the season, a 27-inch trout, along the King Ranch shoreline.

LONE STAR OUTDOOR PUZZLER

Solution on Page 18

PR group for QuietKat

QuietKat retained Dangersoup for its public relations needs.

Sales groups at Templar

Templar Knife hired Pistelli and Associates as its sales agency for the northeast territories and Core Line Marketing to cover the southeastern states.

Black

named

CFO for SCI

Paul R. Black was named the new chief financial officer for Safari Club International and Safari Club International Foundation.

Positions with DU

Ducks Unlimited has openings for regional director of event fundraising positions in the New Jersey/NYC Metro area and in the West Virginia/Pittsburg Metro area.

Peters promoted at Yamaha

Martin Peters was named the director of marine external affairs at Yamaha.

Marshall to rep 1791

ACROSS

DOWN

2) Texas’ Bluebonnet City

3) The top-water prop bait

4) Stephenville’s county

6) Odessa’s county

9) Namibia’s capital

11) An African game species

12) Hunting boot brand

14) The feral hog’s weapons

15) Where the boats rest

17) It makes the turkey call work

18) One of Texas’ ports

20) A shorebird

22) Maine’s turkey

25) Floresville’s county

28) The male turkey

30) Texas’ state gem

31) Hunting clothing brand, McKenna

33) Turkey-hunting state

34) South Texas lake

35) A lab color

36) Riflescope brand

39) Features of the axis

40) Hill Country lake

Haddock hired at Pnuma

Pnuma Outdoors named Joe Haddock as director of product development.

Safe company sales agency

Frontier Sales & Marketing Group was named the sales agency for The Headrest Safe Company in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Mississippi.

Marketing director at TenPoint

TenPoint Crossbow Technologies promoted Brian Flaherty to director of marketing.

Steiner sales exec

Dave Pasienski was named Steiner Optic’s national sales manager.

New execs at Rapala

Rapala VMC Corporation appointed Lars Ollberg as the new president and chief executive officer; Cyrille Viellard as deputy CEO.

Pure Fishing CEO

1791 Outdoor Lifestyle Group hired Mike Marshall as sales representative for the Central Texas and Oklahoma territories.

FOR THE TABLE

Dave Allen was named to succeed Harlan Kent as chief executive officer of Pure Fishing. *email

Venison and mushroom cottage pie

1 pound ground venison

1 tbp. olive oil or bacon fat

8 ozs. portobello or white

mushrooms, quartered

1 medium onion, diced

3 medium carrots, diced

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

1 3/4 cups beef or game stock

1 tbsp. cornstarch

2 tbsps. milk

Kosher salt and freshly ground

pepper

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

3 cups prepared mashed potatoes

1 tbsp. prepared horseradish

In an oven-proof saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat, brown the ground venison.

Remove and set aside. To the

same pan over medium heat, add the olive oil (or bacon fat) and the mushrooms.

Stirring frequently, sauté the mushrooms until they are just starting to brown (about 5 minutes). Add the onion and carrots, adding a bit more oil if necessary to keep the vegetables from sticking. Sauté until onions are translucent and the carrots have softened slightly.

Season with salt, pepper and ground nutmeg. Add the fresh or frozen peas, venison and the stock. Stir until well combined and bring the liquid to a low boil. In a small bowl or jar, mix together the cornstarch and milk until smooth. Pour this mixture evenly over the venison

and vegetables, and stir well. The sauce should thicken slightly within a minute or so. Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the burner to cool slightly. To the leftover mashed potatoes, add the horseradish and a little bit of milk and stir. Drop and smooth the mashed potatoes evenly over the top of the venison mixture. Place the pan in the top one-third of the preheated 400-degree oven. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the potato-crust top is golden brown and sauce is bubbling around the edges.

—Utah DWR

Bluegill muffins

Bluegill fillets (quart bag)

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 egg

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. seasoned salt

1 tbsp. mayonnaise

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

2 tbsps. fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 cup white onion, minced

Cooking spray

Rinse and dry bluegill fillets. Heat skillet over medium heat and add olive oil, salt, pepper and fillets. Cook until fish turns white and flaky. Use a spatula to chop fish as it cooks into small pieces. Remove from heat and set aside. Drain all liquid. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together the cooked bluegill, egg, lemon juice, mayo, seasoned salt, breadcrumbs, parsley and onion. Take handfuls of the mixture and place into muffin tin. Bake for 10-15 minutes until muffins are golden brown on top.

—Indiana DNR

Puzzle by Craig Nyhus, Lone Star Outdoor News

NATIONAL

OREGON Poacher with a number of excuses

A judge sentenced a poacher to 10 days in jail, fines, probation, weapon forfeiture and license suspension for shooting a branch bull elk on opening day of deer season in the last fall.

Cody Murrill, 42, pleaded guilty to poaching charges after admitting to Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife troopers that he had intended to poach a cow elk for the meat, but mistakenly shot a bull as darkness set in. He then left the bull to waste.

Hunters who came across the carcass on Oct. 3 notified troopers of their discovery.

Troopers investigating the crime identified Murrill’s truck after reviewing footage from area game cameras. When they interviewed him at his home, Murrill denied having anything to do with the incident. But later that evening he contacted troopers to confess to the crimes.

Murrill told troopers he intended to poach a cow elk, and mistakenly shot the large 5x6-point bull in near darkness. He said he abandoned the carcass, intending to recover the meat and antlers later that night. When he returned well after dark, the carcass was partially scavenged. Fearing wolves in the area, Murrill abandoned the carcass again. He said he returned the next day to remove the antlers but was unable to do so because he broke his saw. Leaving a game animal to waste is also a crime.

In addition to jail time and a one-year license suspension, Murrill received one-year probation, according to Union County District Attorney Kelsie McDaniel. He also forfeited his .308 rifle with scope, likely worth about $1,400 and paid $440 in fines.

—OSPFW

MINNESOTA Man runs over three deer

A 20-year-old man admitted that he used his truck to intentionally hit three deer while driving within the Ely city limits.

The incident occurred in daylight hours of March 21 on Highway 21 by the golf course. All three deer were paralyzed but still alive and had to be euthanized by an Ely police officer.

Department of Natural Resources officers began receiving tips on who the driver may have been. The driver, Casey Meadows admitted he hit the deer on purpose. Matthews had a heavy-duty bumper guard on his truck, which sustained no damage in the incident. He was cited for chasing or injuring wildlife by use of a motor vehicle, a misdemeanor with a $300 penalty, and also issued state restitution orders for $500 for each deer, for a total penalty of $1,800.

—Staff report

MISSOURI Record fliers caught

Tyler Goodale, of Doniphan, caught two record-worthy fliers, a small member of the sunfish family, from the Duck Creek Conservation Area on March 26. The two 11-ounce fish broke the 10-ounce record, caught in a private pond in 1991.

Both of Goodale’s fish were identical in weight and length, and one was chosen as the state-record fish.

Fliers are a species of conservation concern in Missouri. The state’s largest populations are found at Duck Creek Conservation Area and nearby Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, where extensive areas of standing-water habitat remain. Fliers prefer quiet, clear bodies of water with little current and considerable aquatic vegetation and mud bottom.

—MDC

Catching crab

Continued from page 9

crabbing.

Areas from East Galveston Bay to Port O’Connor are places to find crabs. What a lot of boaters do on these two bays is throw out two or three crab traps while they go fishing for several hours. It’s a good way to set up the perfect meal of fish and crabs.

If you go, you will need a recreational saltwater fishing license. You can catch as many blue crabs as you care to eat, but each crab kept must to be at least 5 inches from tip of spine to tip of spine. Also, you can’t keep egg-bearing female crabs. It’s legal to use crab traps, but you can only fish six traps at a time. Plus, each trap has to have a proper gear tag, with your name and address, and the date the trap was set out. With that tag the trap can only be fished for 10 days at a time. After that the trap requires a new date that you can write on the tag and cancel out the old date.

Fish for ponds

Continued from page 9

Large enough means a few thousand dollars of fish.

On March 31, the Herrmanns sold their product from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and scores of people lined up their vehicle to pick up their orders.

“Twenty blue catfish,” yelled a worker.

“Give me 2 pounds of tilapia,” said another.

Herrmann scooped the fish out as the buyers waited for their merchandise.

Billy Sanchez, who lives on a ranch in San Manuel, said he has been buying fish from the Herrmanns for the last 9 years.

“Some of the catfish I bought were 3 to 4 inches long,” he said. ”I have some in my pond that are

nearly 30 inches in length today.”

Elias Macias, another buyer from La Joya, said this is the first time buying the fish he will put in a pond.

“I learned about it from another person,” he said. “I will find out how it goes.”

Besides selling the fish, Herrmann said they also provide pond management and weed control services.

When putting fish in a pond, he said people need to control the population because too many fish can deplete the oxygen.

“The fish live in an enclosed area, no matter how big or small it is,” he said. “In open bodies of water it is quite different as fish come and go as they please.”

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TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT

SABINE LAKE: 71 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are good at the jetties on live shrimp on a Carolina rig. Redfish are good on the lake on shrimp under a popping cork. Speckled trout are good in the Neches River on red shad plastics.

BOLIVAR: 70 degrees. Redfish are fair on Carolina-rigged mullet, shad and crab.

Playing the winds

Continued from page 1

top-water plugs.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: 70 degrees. Redfish and speckled trout are fair on shrimp.

PORT O’CONNOR: 72 degrees. Bull redfish are good on blue crab. Speckled trout are slow.

ROCKPORT: 70 degrees. Redfish are good on scented plastics and live bait. Speckled trout are good on top-waters and plastics. Black drum are good on dead shrimp.

PORT ARANSAS: 73 degrees. Speckled trout are good on artificials and shrimp under a popping cork. Redfish are fair on shrimp.

“Knee deep to shin deep sand flats have been holding decent numbers of redfish,” Schneider said. “Small paddle tail soft plastics and swimbaits have worked best for fooling reds.”

Capt. Chris Munoz said Baffin has really been producing some solid trout.

“We are seeing very few small speckled trout,” Munoz said. “The areas I have been targeting have held mostly 18- to 22-inch trout, and just about every trip, a speck pushing 24 to 26 inches is caught and released as well.”

Munoz has been targeting gradual drop-offs over sandy bottoms, as well as areas with scattered grass beds.

TRINITY BAY: 73 degrees. Speckled trout, black drum, and redfish are fair to good on live shrimp.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: 73 degrees. Speckled trout are fair to good wading with soft plastics and top-waters. Redfish are fair on shrimp under a popping cork.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: 73 degrees. Speckled trout are fair to good wading with artificial lures. Redfish are fair to good on live bait and soft plastics.

TEXAS CITY: 71 degrees. Oversized black drum and redfish are good at the Galveston jetties on live halved crab and dead shad. Redfish and black drum are fair on shrimp under a popping cork.

FREEPORT: 70 degrees. Redfish are in the river, back lakes and bays on live shrimp under a popping cork and soft plastics.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: 70 degrees.

Speckled trout are fair when winds allow wading with shrimp and soft plastics.

CORPUS CHRISTI: 70 degrees. Redfish are good on shrimp, cut menhaden and mullet. Speckled trout are fair on soft plastics. Black drum are fair to good on shrimp.

BAFFIN BAY: 65 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair on live shrimp under a popping cork.

“The wind is really dictating where we can go right now,” he explained. “Areas with fishable water have not disappointed.”

Munoz said redfish have been cruising along the banks of main bay shorelines and striking gold spoons and small swimbaits.

Farther south, Capt. Todd Grubert has been putting his anglers on consistent action from speckled trout out of Port Mansfield.

PORT MANSFIELD: 69 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair over potholes on soft plastics.

SOUTH PADRE: 73 degrees. Speckled trout are fair on soft plastics and shrimp. Redfish are slow.

—TPWD

“We’ve been dealing with a lot of wind, but we are still catching plenty of fish,” Grubert said. “There’s been quite a few trout in the 4- to 6-pound range landed while wade-fishing grass beds. In areas where the grass transitions to more of a sandy bottom, the trout bite seems to slow down.”

Stretches of grass both north and south of Port Mansfield have been holding steady numbers of trout.

“The top-water bite has been pretty good, and soft plastics are working well, too,” Grubert said. “Quite a few reds from 20 to 24 inches have been mixed in with the specks and willing to strike the same baits.”

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Capt. Roger Kohutek has been finding plenty of redfish over sand flats with scattered grass beds south of the Port Mansfield harbor in knee-deep water.

“Shallow sand flats have been holding good, clean water, even on windy days,” Kohutek said. “The flats are not loaded with bait, but there’s decent numbers of redfish cruising across them, looking for an easy meal. Spoons and soft plastics have been producing steady action.”

The majority of the redfish have been in the mid- to lower slot range, with some undersized fish mixed in.

Kohutek said the best trout bite has been taking place north of the fishing village, along the west shoreline in thigh- to waist-deep water.

“The trout action has been really good when the wind allows us to fish the areas they have been concentrated in,” Kohutek explained. “Top-water lures and soft plastics have been the best bait options.”

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Capt. Chris Munoz caught and released this 7-pound speckled trout on a soft plastic in Baffin Bay. Photo from Chris Munoz.