Lone Star Outdoor News 042823

Anthrax deer vaccine research shows promise

By Craig Nyhus Lone Star outdoor newS

Researchers with the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute and at Texas A&M University believe anthrax should receive more attention, especially when it devastates deer populations.

Last year, Dr. Walt Cook, of Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, shared information on initial studies being performed on an anthrax vaccine for deer. A vaccine, known as the Sterne strain, has been around for 85 years and used in cattle. However, it has to be administered in an injection followed by a booster, a method not feasible for wild deer.

Dr. Jamie Benn, Assistant Professor of Research at CKWRI’s Patton Center for Deer Research, initiated the laboratory and animal studies for the project with the goal of developing an oral vaccine that would be effective in wild deer and mentored another A&M Department of Veterinary Pathobiology Ph.D. student, Chase Nunez, to continue the project.

Initial results are promising from their joint research done on a private ranch with a breeding facility and with collaborators at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Benn said.

“With whitetails, we started with six groups and tested two different doses and three formulations of the vaccine to measure the immune response in the deer,” she said.

The oral vaccines, held in a gellike substance, were encapsulated

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Volume 19, Issue 17

Jugging the Rio Grande

Canoer mixes Lower Canyon trip, fishing

By Craig Nyhus tar outdoor newS

Bill “Polecat” Stafford has been canoe racing for decades, and he uses a unique method to bring in some catfish for dinner. On a recent excursion to the Rio Grande River’s Lower Canyon, downstream from Big Bend National Park, as part of a group of 15, Stafford showed his fishing method.

“I’ve been doing that section of river since 1979,” said the 67-year-old, who lives on the Guadalupe River near Cuero.

“Occasionally we would run into fisherman in flatbottomed boats with jet motors, and they had drop lines out along the canyon walls. I asked them and learned from them.”

Stafford throws simple plastic jugs, with nothing more than 12 to 18 inches of line, a hook and some bait, into the fast-moving water before the canoeing begins.

“I throw them in swift water and let them get swept downriver,” he said. “They eventually end up in deep holes.”

Stafford has used cut bait, live bait, chicken blood, dough bait and punch bait — whichever is working best.

“It’s a good and easy way to fish,” he said. “The jugs settle in the deep water — that’s where the fish are.”

On the six-day, five-night, 83-mile excursion, Stafford brought in several nice cats.

“Right before we broke camp in the morning, I would bait them out,” he said. “I threw about 25 out at a time above the rapids where we were. It might be 45 minutes to an hour before we head downriver. The jugs are scattered everywhere — the ones with fish are moving and

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Power plant reds schooling

By Nate Skinner

For Lone

Star outdoor newS

When it comes to redfish, most anglers turn their attention to the coast. Calaveras Lake and Braunig Lake both hold red drum, and the fish are schooling in open water stretches of both power plant reservoirs.

Capt. James Bray, owner and operator of Lone Oak Adventures, has been spending most of his time on Braunig Lake

recently, where he said the redfish bite has been hot and heavy.

“The small cold fronts that we keep getting tend to slow the action down for a day or so, but for the most part, the reds have been pretty consistent,” Bray said. “Most of the fish are in fairly large schools out in open water.”

Bray has been using a downrigger system while trolling to keep his anglers hooked up with red drum.

Freshwater Fishing Report Page 10

Game Warden Blotter Page 12

“We are trolling large soft plastic swimbaits in dark color patterns,” Bray explained.

“The fish have been suspended about 17 to 20 feet below the surface in about 30 to 40 feet of water. Most of the redfish that we are catching are in the 6-pound range, but we are also landing a handful each day that are weighing in at 10 to 15 pounds.”

Bray uses side-scan and down-scan electronics to locate schools of reds.

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On an 83-mile canoe trip on the Rio Grande, Bill Stafford drifted juglines to catch catfish to feed the crew.

Photo by Erich Schlegel, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

Jason Lyndon landed this red drum while trolling in open water on Braunig Lake with Capt. James Bray. Photo from James Bray.

FROM WORK TO PLAY

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

Early quail nests

HUNTING

Where did the specklebellies go?

Quail researchers at the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch in Roby received a mid-April surprise. They found a nest with 27 eggs in it, and another with 22.

Adam Vonderschmidt, senior technician at RPQRR, said the ranch’s previous record was 22 eggs in a nest in 2016.

There was more good news, coming at a time when there hasn’t been much good news for several years.

Initially, they found five nests, Vonderschmidt, labeled the “nest technician” at the ranch, said. On the most recent check on April 20, they found three more for a total of eight active nests.

Nesting data information from 2010 to the present will be part of Vonderschmidt’s master’s thesis at Oklahoma State University.

“I do a lot of nest searches,” he said.

The nest discoveries came earlier than usual, and the location of the nests got the attention of ranch staff.

“Both the 27-egg and the 22-egg nest were located in Caucasian Bluestem, an exotic, old-world bluestem,” Vonderschmidt said.

The timing of the nest discoveries was another surprise.

“Before this year, the earliest bobwhite nest discovered was on April 19, and the earliest scaled quail nest was on April 18,” Vonderschmidt said.

What were the reasons for earlier nesting than usual?

“The rainfall and forage conditions are about the same as last year,” Vonderschmidt said. “It did get warmer faster this year than last.”

The flurry of nesting activity despite poor conditions could be due to another factor.

“We began testing broadcasting supplemental feed about a year ago as part of a six-year experiment,” said

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Study indicates shifting pattern

By Craig Nyhus Lone Star outdoor newS

Researchers at the University of Arkansas at Monticello confirmed what many Texas coastal goose hunters have suspected for years. The winter distribution of greater white-fronted geese has shifted to the northeast. The study, “Distribution shifts of wintering midcontinent greater white-fronted geese,” published in the Journal of Wildlife Management, studied banding data and winter surveys regarding specklebellies in the Central and Mississippi Flyways from 1974-2018.

Look-alike wardens

By Nate Skinner

For Lone Star outdoor newS

Twin brothers Austin and Dustin Shoemaker grew up hunting and fishing together, playing on the same sports teams and hanging out with the same group of friends. Today, they both serve as Texas game wardens.

The brothers attribute their passion for the outdoors as a major factor for why they love their jobs. This began at an early age in East Texas, where they grew up just outside of Nacogdoches. Both said their earliest outdoor memories of hunting and fishing with their dad and grandpa occurred

around ages 6 and 7.

“We spent almost every weekend of our childhood in the outdoors,” Dustin said. It wasn’t until later in life that the brothers decided they wanted to become game wardens.

“I was a senior in high school when I really took interest into what being a game warden might entail,” Austin said. “One of my teachers had a husband who was a warden, and he did a presentation for our class. Afterwards, I was able to talk to him more about his job. He gave me some advice, told me that I would need a college degree and also told me to reach out when I was ready to participate in some ride-

alongs.”

The results revealed a two-stage shift in the distribution of winter band recoveries occurring following the 1994-1995 season and the 20092010 season.

Callie Moore, the lead researcher, identified three distinct time areas: The historical era (1974–1995), the transitional era (1995–2010), and the current era (2010–2018), when patterns in midwinter waterfowl survey counts were consistent with changes in winter band recovery distributions.

According to the study, the geese have shifted their core winter distribution nearly 750 kilometers (466 miles) northeast over the last five decades from the Gulf Coastal Plain to the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (the nation’s largest floodplain, covering

more than 24 million acres across portions of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee).

Changes in rice production are thought to be the main reason for the shift, although the study said such significant shifts across the entire range of a species have rarely been documented.

“Waterfowl respond to environmental conditions, but usually at the margins and in search of new resources,” the study said.

Overall numbers of white-fronted geese have increased by four times since the mid-1970s, to a total of 2.6 million adults. The geese historically wintered in freshwater marshes, prairies and rice fields along the Gulf

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That really got Austin’s wheels turn ing. He and Dustin went on to pursue and obtain degrees at Stephen F. Aus tin State University. After graduating, Austin reached out to his high school teacher’s husband, who was still serv ing as a game warden.

“I started riding with him and other local game wardens in multiple East Texas counties, fell in love with the idea of the job, and decided I would apply,” Austin said. “I made it all the way to the final selection stage for the 62nd Class, but ended up not getting selected.”

When it came time to apply for the 63rd Class, Austin applied again, and

A record number of quail eggs, 27, were found in a nest at the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch. Photo from RPQRR.

Coastal marshes are holding fewer white-fronted geese, as the birds have shifted their migration patterns to the north and east, where rice fields are more abundant. Specklebellies in the northwestern parts of the state come from different parts of Alaska, and their wintering patterns are being studied. Photo by Justin Hill.

Twin brothers, Austin, left, and Dustin Shoemaker became Texas game wardens in 2020. Austin serves in Galveston County and Dustin serves in Polk County. Photo from Austin Shoemaker.

Texans receive conservation awards

A Texas nonprofit and a Texan each received a 2023 Wetland Conservation Achievement Award from Ducks Unlimited. The awards are given to individuals and organizations for making outstanding contributions to the conservation and restoration of North America’s wetlands and waterfowl.

Tim Cooper received the award for a Federal Agency Employee. Cooper is the manager of the Texas Chenier Plain National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

DU said Cooper’s efforts help develop solutions, explain needs to varied audiences and secure funding and permitting for implementing the Salt Bayou Restoration Plan, a $100 million conservation project underway throughout the Complex.

The Galveston Bay Foundation received its award for Local/Private Conservation. The foundation works with DU on shoreline breakwater projects, waterbird nesting islands and beneficial dredging projects in the greater Galveston Bay. The foundation participates in everything from conservation education to land protection and habitat restoration from sub-tidal reefs to native prairie. —DU

Nesting bobwhites

Continued from page 4

Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation’s interim Executive Director Dale Rollins. “All of the nests recorded this year came from “fed” pastures.”

Rollins said it was too early to say the supplemental feed is the reason, but when five nests were discovered, he called it “an intriguing start.” Then, when three more were found, he felt it could be more indicative of a trend.

The 27-egg nest likely came from more than one hen, Vonderschmidt said.

“Quail can be notorious nest dumpers,” he said. “I’ve seen scaled quail eggs in a bobwhite’s nest, and vice versa. This nest probably came from two hens. The hen I was tracking was the dumper. Then I spotted the nest. The eggs were stacked.”

How is a hen going to incubate 27 eggs?

Vonderschmidt estimated the hen would hatch about half of the eggs. Rollins agreed.

“She may have bitten off more than she can chew,” he said.

Both quail researchers said 2023 could be another year of challenges for birds to raise chicks.

“We need rain to produce insects soon,” Rollins said.

Vonderschmidt said he is beginning to see some grasshoppers.

“I saw my first one this week,” he said. “And we have a small cold front coming that might bring some rain. But the last two storms have missed us by less than a mile.”

Despite concerns with the overall outlook for the nesting season, Rollins was happy with the nesting news.

“We’ve been in the quail doldrums since 2018,” he said. “We take good news whenever it comes.”

Corky lures getting new twists

By Robert Sloan

For Lone Star outdoor newS

Steve Brown is definitely following in his father’s footsteps. His father, Paul, brought the Corky name to anglers in 1974, and it’s still one of the top-selling lures on the Gulf Coast.

For the past few years, Steve has taken over the production of Corky lures with some knew designs and colors.

“Dad sold the lures out of our garage here in Houston,” said Steve. “I went to work helping to make the lures when I was 10. The lure business became a family tradition. I preferred making lures to mowing yards.”

In 2018, Steve began making the lures full-time.

“Dad is retired and living in Lake

Postspawn bass patterns emerging

By Nate Skinner For Lone Star outdoor newS

The largemouth bass spawn is winding down on many popular South and Central Texas lakes, and anglers are beginning to find more and larger fish pulling out over offshore structure. Plenty of bass are still being caught up shallow, most of which are smaller “buck” bass.

The rate at which trophy-sized fish are being caught may be de-

creasing; however, good-sized bass are still being landed by those putting in the time on the water.

In East Texas, guide Chance Burton has been catching heavier bass out deep and smaller fish shallow on Sam Rayburn Reservoir.

“Brush piles in 15-20 feet of water have been producing good numbers of 3- to 4-pound bass, with the occasional 5-pounder mixed in,” Burton said. “There’s

still plenty of smaller fish up shallow around buck brush in 3-4 feet of water. Wacky rigs and Texas rigs have been drawing the most strikes.”

Burton said the deeper fish are on the move quite a bit.

“There’s definitely more of a consistent bite up shallow, but when you find a school over the brush piles out deep, the action can be excellent,” he explained.

Central Texas guide Travis Cockerham said Stillhouse Hol-

low Lake has been affording some solid bites.

“There are quite a few fish holding in 8 to 12 feet of water around isolated grass patches,” Cockerham said. “Most of these bass are eating crawfish, so lures with color patterns that imitate a crawfish have been drawing the most strikes. Chatter baits, spinner baits and crankbaits are all producing right now.”

Cockerham said if you can find an isolated patch of grass that is

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Reds in big bunches on the flats

By Robert Sloan one Star outdoor newS

With the tides warming up into the mid 70s, big schools of reds have been moving up on the flats and gorging on small baitfish and mullet. For the past few weeks it has not been unusual for guides to put their clients on schools of 50 to 100 reds.

“A lot of the reds I’ve been seeing are about 15 to 18 inches long,” said Port O’Connor guide Jeff Coffey. “I was out about a week ago and we came up on three big schools of tailing reds. The water was about a foot deep and gin clear. We left the dock right at dawn and got on a backwater lake that had been holding a good number of reds. We got there right as a major fishing time was beginning. Our timing was perfect. The bite lasted for right at an hour and shut down after that.”

Coffey has been using both spoons and soft plastics to catch the reds. But the goto lure recently was a small spinner bait that moved though the grass without getting hung up. The key was to wake the spinner on the surface.

“The main thing is to be able to make a long cast,” he said. “When you have that many reds in shallow clear water, they are

Bow fishermen land record alligator gar

By Nate Skinner

For Lone Star outdoor newS

real spooky.”

The guide also carries a good pair of binoculars to spot the tails from a long way off, and watches for gulls holding over tailing reds.

“I try to cover a lot of areas on the back water lakes,” Coffey said. “The more water I can cover the more reds we will see. One other thing that I do a lot of is to drift-fish. These are spooky fish and even a trolling motor will spook them.”

Some of the best water holding reds can be found along the Matagorda Island shoreline several miles east of the Port O’Connor jetties. Vic Randazzo runs a shallow skiff and spends a lot of time on the shallow flats. He has been fishing this area of the coast for more than 40 years. He uses a trolling motor at times. But when the reds are in the clear water, he’ll use a push pole with one person on the polling platform and one angler on the bow.

“We use a variety of lures,” Randazzo said. “A 1/8-ounce weedless silver or gold spoon can be deadly. You can work it over and through scattered grass holding on the surface.”

He also throws a soft plastic rat tail Assassin rigged on a 1/16-ounce jighead.

“That type of tail allows the jig to dart

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Charles, Louisiana,” he said. “He always loved to fish and hunt, and also had a pretty good fur trapping business on the side. During the 60s and 80s he worked full time at Hobby Airport and was with the Federal Aviation Department for years. He worked in the tower and more

What do waterfowl guides do during the off-season? They go bow fishing, of course. At least that’s what hunting guides Waylon Johnson and Tyler Welch like to do in their spare time. During a recent trip to Lake Corpus Christi, they successfully harvested two mas sive alligator gar. One measured 6 feet, 9 inch es, and the other shattered the existing bow fishing waterbody record for alligator gar. The beast measured 8 feet, 2 inches, and weighed a whopping 196 pounds.

TPWD’s listed bow-fishing lake record for alligator gar on the lake, also known as Lake Mathis, is 188 pounds. Both Johnson and Welch said they had no idea their day spent on the water would come to a close in such a wild fashion.

“We started our day bow fishing for carp, and had a lot of success,” Welch said. “After

Tommy Whited landed this largemouth while fishing the edge of an isolated grass patch with a chatter bait on Stillhouse Hollow Lake.

Photo by Travis Cockerham.

Redfish are being found in schools along the middle coast. Capt. Jeremy Griffis landed this red for Steve Hudson near Rockport. He was using cut mullet near a muddy shoreline where the fish were cruising. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

Although the original Paul Brown Fishing Lures company was sold, the right to make Corky lures was not. His son, Steve, continues making the lures with some new modifications. Photo by Robert Sloan, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

Waylon Johnson, left, and Tyler Welch landed this monster alligator gar while bow fishing on Lake Corpus Christi. The gar is unofficially the new waterbody record for Lake Corpus Christi, weighing in at 196 pounds and measuring 8 feet, 2 inches. Photo from Wayne Johnson.

Tackle Town owner dies

Alton Voigt, the owner and operator of Rockport’s Tackle Town since 2002 and Northwest Tackle in San Antonio from 1982-2003, died April 11 at the age of 76.

Born in San Antonio in 1946, Voigt found a love for the great outdoors and baseball. According to his family, his most cherished accomplishment was the success and notability of Rockport Tackle Town, an icon of Rockport since 1977, that he obtained and grew to be a favorite business of coastal anglers from across the country.

—Staff report

Giant limits on Toledo Bend

Ben Milliken, of New Caney, lapped the field at the Bassmaster Open at Toledo Bend that finished April 15.

Milliken won with 77 pounds, 14 ounces, topping the next competitor, Trey McKinney, by 10 pounds, 9 ounces.

Milliken collected a first-place cash prize of more than $52,000. The win also secured him a berth in the 2024 Bassmaster Classic.

Despite being a YouTube star with more than a half-million people following his fishing exploits, Milliken is new to tournament fishing.

Milliken led wire-to-wire after his 29 pound, 8-ounce limit on Day 1 was the heaviest of the tournament.

Milliken fished an area locals call the Indian Mounds. He fished clay points throughout the area in about 6 or 7 feet of water, throwing a variety of altered glidebaits, ranging

Stunz named head of HRI

from 7 to 15 inches in length, and natural in color to match the forage bass were eating.

“In the afternoon when the sun got out, I’d see these bigger dots show up on the LiveScope,” Milliken said of his activity on Days 1 and 2. “They were big gizzard shad, and when that collides with the big bass moving out offshore, things can get pretty crazy on that big glidebait.

“I caught a 7-pounder and then an 8-pounder, and I knew that was the program I wanted to go with.”

McKinney, of Carbondale, Illinois, won $25,274 for his second-place finish.

McKinney fished jigs and crankbaits in shallow water for most of the tournament.

Brett Cannon, of Willis, finished third with 56 pounds, 14 ounces, winning $17,840.

—B.A.S.S.

Dr. Greg Stunz was named the Senior Executive Director of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Stunz has served as HRI’s Interim Senior Executive Director since November 2022.

Stunz joined HRI in September 2007 as one of the founding chairs. He also is HRI’s Chair for Fisheries and Ocean Health, Director of the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation at HRI, and a Texas A&M University System Regents Professor.

Previous directors included Dr. David Yoskowitz, Larry McKinney and Robert Furgason.

Stunz is often sought out to address governmental, academic, and private sector groups on topics ranging from projections of red snapper population recovery to the future of sportfishing in the Gulf of Mexico. He has served on multiple local and national boards and committees including Chairman of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, the Texas Sea Grant Advisory Committee and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Coastal Resources Advisory Committee.

—HRI

Jordon returns to winner’s circle

Longtime Texas pro angler Kelly Jordon came back from fourth place to win the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 3 at Lake Eufala with a final-day total of 22 pounds, 9 ounces, the largest limit in the tournament. Jordon won $83,500 for the win with his final total of 57 pounds, 3 ounces.

Jordon, of Flint, concentrated on a couple of subtle areas in 3-6 feet of water.

“It’s a secondary point that has rock on it, that’s outside of sand,” he said of his best spot. “You wouldn’t know there’s a rock point, I looked for it, a lot of Google Earth – I found several deals like that.”

Jordon used a Lucky Craft Fat CB BDS 2 crankbait and a 1/2-ounce vibrating jig with a Lake Fork Live Magic Shad. On the final day, he started on his best spot, “I knew there were big fish there, that I could catch 20 pounds,” he said. “The wind was ripping, and there were giant waves rolling in.”

Drew Gill, of Mount Carmel, Illinois, finished second with 54 pounds, 5 ounces, followed by Ron Nelson, of Berrien Springs, Michigan, with 52 pounds, 4 ounces.

—MLF

FISHING REPORTS FROM THE GUIDES

Cedar Creek

Guide Lane Palmer of dfwoutdoors.com reports that crappie fishing has been about as good as it gets right now. Anglers should focus on shooting jigs under main-lake docks or vertical jigging around brush piles in 8-12 feet of water. The best jig now is a white and chartreuse soft plastic on a 1/16-ounce head.

Fork

Guide Marc Mitchell of lakeforkpro.com reports that the bass bite has been slow this week with lots of fish trying to finish spawning. He said sight-fishermen can do well, but those who don’t sight-fish should focus on secondary points with Carolina rigs using flukes in white or shad patterns. Points are holding prespawn and postspawners and occasionally shad are spawning there as well. Wind is a plus. The best depth is 2-7 feet.

—LSON

Alton Voigt

TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORT

ALAN HENRY: Water clear; 63 degrees; 11.31’ low.

Largemouth bass are good on soft plastics and live bait. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs.

AMISTAD: Water lightly stained; 66 degrees; 49.00’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged worms, creature baits, swimbaits and top-waters. Catfish are good on cheese bait and liver.

ARLINGTON: Water lightly stained; 65 degrees; 0.70’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on soft plastics. Catfish are good on prepared baits.

ARROWHEAD: Water lightly stained; 62 degrees; 6.01’ low. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are excellent on fresh cut shad and punch bait.

ATHENS: Water clear; 68-71 degrees; 0.34’ high. Largemouth bass are good on flukes, jigs and Carolina rigs. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows.

AUSTIN: Water clear; 75 degrees; 0.67’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on white jerkbaits around docks, small swimbaits and crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows.

B.A. STEINHAGEN: Water stained; 67 degrees; 0.42’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse spinner baits, frogs and white swim jigs. Catfish are slow.

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

BELTON: Water lightly stained; 63 degrees; 14.54’ low. Crappie are fair to good on small slabs. White bass are good on live shad and chartreuse slabs. Blue catfish are fair drifting gizzard shad or carp. Channel catfish are good on prepared baits.

BOB SANDLIN: Water stained; 65-70 degrees; 0.08’

low. Largemouth bass are fair on chatter baits, finesse worms and top-waters. 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, 71 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair in reed beds on soft plastics and crankbaits. Red drum are good on shrimp, crawfish and cut shad.

BRIDGEPORT: Water slightly stained; 65 degrees; 8.47’

low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on top-waters and soft plastics. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass and hybrids are fair on slabs. Catfish are fair on cut shad.

BROWNWOOD: Water slightly stained; 65-70 degrees; 8.98’

low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters, jigs and crankbaits. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on crankbaits and small swimbaits. Catfish are fair on cut bait.

BUCHANAN: Water lightly

stained; 70 degrees; 18.78’

low. White bass are excellent on swimbaits, top-waters and live bait. Striped bass are good trolling live bait. Crappie are good on chartreuse jigs.

CADDO: Water stained; 60 degrees; 1.62’ high. Largemouth bass are fair to slow on finesse worms. White bass are good in creeks on lipless crankbaits.

CALAVERAS: Water slightly stained; 69 degrees. Largemouth bass are slow. Red drum are good on shrimp, crawfish and live talapia. Channel and blue catfish are fair on cut bait.

CANYON: Water clear; 71 degrees; 12.07’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs and wacky rigs.

CEDAR CREEK: Water stained; 65-71 degrees; 0.26’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters and spinner baits. Crappie are excellent on jigs and minnows. White bass and hybrid stripers are good on silver slabs.

CHOKE CANYON: Water stained; 69-72 degrees; 24.14’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green/pumpkin soft plastics and spinner baits. White bass are good on small crankbaits. Catfish are fair to good on cut bait and stink bait.

CONROE: Water stained; 69 degrees; 0.19’ low. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, spinner baits and Texas-rigged worms. Crappie are good on jigs. Hybrid striped bass are good on swimbaits and live bait. Catfish are very good on punch bait and cut bait.

COOPER: Water lightly stained; 67 degrees. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Catfish are good drifting cut shad.

CORPUS CHRISTI: Water stained; 70 degrees; 3.88’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-water frogs and dark soft plastics. Crappie are good on live minnows and blue/white jigs. Catfish are good on cheese bait, cut shad, soap baits and worms.

EAGLE MOUNTAIN: Water lightly stained; 67 degrees; 3.49’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits. White bass are good on small spinner baits. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Blue catfish are good on cut bait.

FAIRFIELD: Water stained; 68-74 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on swim jigs, Texas rigs, spinner baits and chatter baits. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on crankbaits and silver jigging spoons. Catfish are fair on cut bait.

FALCON: Water stained; 68-75 degrees; 39.96’ low. Largemouth bass are good on

soft plastics and crankbaits. Crappie are good on small jigs and live minnows. Catfish are good on small cut bait and prepared baits.

FAYETTE: Water clear; 73 degrees. Largemouth bass are excellent on on shad crankbaits and crawfish plastics. Catfish are fair on punch bait and chicken liver.

FORK: Water stained; 55-62 degrees; 1.21’ low. Largemouth bass are slow to fair on Carolina rigs and spinner baits. Crappie are fair on hand-tied jigs.

FT. PHANTOM HILL: Water stained; 66 degrees; 7.52’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters and soft plastics. Catfish are good on cut bait.

GRANBURY: Water lightly stained; 62-70 degrees; 1.79’ low. Largemouth bass are good on creature baits and top-waters. Striped bass are good on live bait. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Blue and yellow catfish are fair on cut bait.

GRANGER: Water lightly stained; 66 degrees; 0.04’ high. Largemouth bass are good on buzzbaits and white spinner baits. Crappie are slow. Blue catfish are good on shad and soap baits. Yellow catfish are good on trotlines with live perch.

GRAPEVINE: Water clear; 60-65 degrees; 0.94’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics. Crappie are fair to good on minnows. White bass are excellent on swimbaits.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 63-68 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.

HUBBARD CREEK: Water stained; 66 degrees; 8.12’ low. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on cut carp and big cut gizzard shad.

JOE POOL: Water clear; 66 degrees; 0.22’ high. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged crawfish, creature baits and swim jigs.

LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water stained; 60-65 degrees; 0.41’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on chatter baits and finesse worms. Crappie are good on minnows under a cork. White bass are slow. Catfish are good on cheese bait.

LAVON: Water lightly stained; 60 degrees; 0.02’ high. White bass are good on paddle tail swimbaits and white slabs with a jig tied above.

LBJ: Water stained; 68 degrees; 0.28’ low. Crappie are good on chartreuse jigs and live minnows. Catfish are fair on punch bait.

LEWISVILLE: Water lightly stained; 60 degrees; 0.03’ high. White bass are good on slabs, jigs and live bait. Hybrid stripers are slow. Catfish are good on cut shad and chicken

LIMESTONE: Water clear; 68-74 degrees; 2.87’ 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; 0.04’ high. White bass are good trolling slabs and jigging. Catfish are good on punch bait.

MARTIN CREEK: Water slightly stained; 70 degrees; 0.01’ low. Largemouth bass are good on swimbaits, finesse worms and crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs.

MEREDITH: Water stained; 60 degrees; 55.40’ low. Largemouth bass are good on minnows and artificials. White bass are good on curly tailed grubs. Walleye are good to excellent on minnows and artificials. Catfish are slow.

MILLERS CREEK: Water stained; 65 degrees; 5.99’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics and crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows and small jigs. White bass are good on roadrunners and slabs. Catfish are fair on cut bait and cheese bait.

NACOGDOCHES: Water clear; 67-72 degrees; 0.19’ low. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastics and creature baits. Crappie are good on minnows.

NASWORTHY: Water slightly stained; 65 degrees; 1.06’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on white chatter baits and flipping soft plastics. Crappie are good on chartreuse jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait and stink bait.

NAVARRO MILLS: Water stained; 70 degrees; 0.06’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are good on small slabs.

O.H. IVIE: Water stained; 68 degrees; 24.70’ 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; 11.98’ low. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastics and imitation crawfish. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair on shad spinner baits. Channel catfish are slow.

PALESTINE: Water lightly stained; 65 degrees; 0.17’ high. Largemouth bass are good on finesse worms and big-eyed spinner baits. Crap-

pie are fair to good on jigs or minnows. White bass are very good on spoons. Catfish are good on cut bait and worms.

POSSUM KINGDOM: Water clear; 66-69 degrees; 5.55’ low. Smallmouth bass are good on Ned rigs. Striped bass are good on live bait and top-waters. White bass are good on white slabs and small jigs. Catfish are fair on cut shad.

PROCTOR: Water stained; 66 degrees; 9.62’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. White bass are slow. Blue catfish are fair on shad and cut bait.

RAVEN: Water clear; 65 degrees; 0.00’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Crappie are fair on live minnows.

RAY HUBBARD: Water lightly stained; 67-69 degrees; 0.20’ high. White bass are good on small spinner baits and slabs. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. Catfish are good on cut shad and punch bait.

RAY ROBERTS: Water stained; 68 degrees; 0.38’ high. White bass are excellent on small spinner baits and swimbaits. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. Catfish are fair on cut shad and punch bait.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water clear; 6265 degrees; 1.74’ low. White bass and hybrids are good on slabs and jigs. Crappie are fair on minnows. Blue and channel catfish are good on punch bait.

SAM RAYBURN: Water stained; 68 degrees; 1.03’ high. Largemouth bass are good on jigs, soft plastics and crankbaits. Catfish are good on cut bait and stink bait.

SOMERVILLE: Water slightly stained; 66 degrees; 0.01’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on spinner baits and shad crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows, jigs and worms. White bass are good trolling spoons and ghost minnows. Catfish are excellent on jug lines baited with shad or chicken breasts.

SPENCE: Water stained; 63 degrees; 45.63’ low. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastics. White bass are fair on jigs. Catfish are good on juglines with live and cut bait.

STILLHOUSE HOLLOW: Water lightly stained; 66 degrees; 13.25’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on dark soft plastics. Catfish are good on trotlines with live bait and June bugs.

TAWAKONI: Water lightly stained; 62 degrees; 0.20’ high. Largemouth bass are good on Carolina-rigged lizards, finesse worms and spinner baits. White bass and hybrids are good on swimbaits and slabs. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are very good on prepared

n Guide reports Page 9

n Saltwater reports Page 21

baits. TEXANA: Water stained; 69 degrees; 0.10’ low. Largemouth bass are fair 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; 61 degrees; 1.33’ low. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are fair to good on live shad and swimbaits. Striped bass are good on top-waters and swimbaits. Crappie are good on minnows under a cork. Catfish are fair on cut shad and prepared bait.

TOLEDO BEND: Water stained; 62-67 degrees; 1.14’ low. Largemouth bass are good on large swimbaits, spinner baits and soft plastics. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs.

TRAVIS: Water lightly stained; 62-69 degrees; 42.86’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters and square-billed crankbaits.

TWIN BUTTES: Water stained. 62 degrees; 23.47’ low. Crappie are fair on minnows. Channel catfish are fair on cheese bait.

TYLER: Water stained; 66 degrees; 0.20’ high. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastics. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Catfish are good on chicken liver and nightcrawlers.

WACO: Water stained; 66 degrees; 11.34’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on soft plastics. Crappie are good on jigs. Catfish are slow.

WALTER E. LONG: Water stained; 63 degrees; 1.00’ high. Largemouth bass are good on finesse worms and crawfish imitations.

WHITNEY: Water lightly stained; 66 degrees; 5.79’ low. Striped bass are very good on Alabama rigs, live shad and shiners.

WORTH: Water lightly stained; 67 degrees; 2.66’ 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.

WRIGHT PATMAN: Water lightly stained; 68 degrees; 1.62’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair on nightcrawlers and cut bait.

—TPWD

Ice-fisherman tries Texas pier

By Tony Vindell For Lone Star outdoor newS

An avid ice-fisherman from Michigan switched his attention to coastal fish on a trip to South Padre Island.

Joe Denardo, on a trip with his wife, Tylre, and her parents, fished from the north jetty, on the surf and went aboard a headboat for red snapper.

The three outings resulted in zero fish. Not giving up, Denardo tried fish ing from the edge of the Port Isabel Fishing Pier.

Fishing from 8-11 p.m., he spotted speckled trout circling the live shrimp he was using for bait. He hooked sev eral, including a 17-inch and a 23inch fish they took to a restaurant that cooked his catch the next day.

Denardo noticed the fish swimming under the lights.

Near his hometown of Traverse, the Michagander fishes both through the ice and in a number of area lakes.

“I fish off the ice about a dozen times a year,” he said. “It’s a completely different kind of fishing but you learn to love it after a

Joe Denardo caught these two keeper speckled trout from the Port Isabel Fishing Pier. Photo by Tony Vindell, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

NO SUCH THING AS A DAY OFF

During the archery only deer season, a Coke County game warden received a call from a local rancher who believed his neighbor was hunting deer with firearms. The warden, who was enjoying his day off, left his home and headed to the ranch. Once there, he set up a concealed area where he could observe any illegal hunting. Just after sundown the warden heard a high-powered shot and bullet hit about 500 yards from his position. About a minute later, he heard another shot and hit. The warden waited for another hour and a half, then made his way into the ranch to investigate. At the camp, two men and one woman were finishing up quartering two white-tailed does. Both men admitted to shooting the deer and showed the warden the high-powered rifles they used. Both men produced hunting licenses with no tags removed and no harvest logs completed. The quartered deer were also missing proof of sex, which was later discovered in a ravine behind the cabin. The warden recovered both deer.

HOOP NETS FOR QUICK CATS

Along the Neches River, Trinity

GAME WARDEN BLOTTER

DEER MEAT FOR SALE

A local landowner called a game warden regarding the selling of deer meat on a popular social media platform. The warden investigated and discovered posts online offering the sale of whitetail deer meat from a local ranch. The warden called the suspect at the number listed but they did not answer. The warden texted and pretended to be a person interested in buying as much meat as offered. The suspect responded and eventually agreed to sell approximately 85 pounds of deer meat for $700. The warden and the suspect agreed to meet at a predetermined time and location. When he arrived, the suspect was not surprised to see the warden. He admitted that he thought he might have been walking into a trap. He blamed his wife for putting the post on social media and getting him in trouble. The warden opened two coolers full of processed and packaged deer meat that read, “Venison – Not for Sale.” The warden seized the meat and issued citations for offering to sell game meat, several tagging violations and operating a hunting lease without a license.

and Angelina County game wardens traveled up and down the river checking for hoop nets. They located a hoop net containing about 22 catfish. Due to weather conditions, the wardens concluded the fisherman may check the net later that evening. They built a blind to observe if the fisherman returned, while other wardens parked their patrol vehicles and waited. Approximately 40 minutes later, the team in the blind heard a truck pull up and park on the opposite side of the river. The men exited the ve-

hicle, grabbed a pre-baited net and threw the net into the river. The net resembled the one found 50 yards away. Wardens on both sides of the river contacted the surprised men. Multiple citations for illegal means and methods were filed.

DUCKS IN THE DUMPSTER

An employee with a mobile home park contacted Harrison County game wardens to report 18 ducks thrown in the park dumpster. Following a lead from the property manager, wardens identified and lo-

cated the suspect. After conducting a field interview, a full confession was obtained. The suspect confessed he attended a guided duck hunt and at the end of the hunting trip, two other hunters gave their ducks to the suspect without a wildlife resource document. Following the hunt, the suspect threw the ducks in the bed of his truck, traveled to Lubbock for another hunt the next day and returned home. At home, the suspect no longer felt like cleaning the ducks and decided to throw them in the

SPONSORED BY:

park dumpster. Multiple citations and warnings were issued for failing to keep ducks in edible condition, possession of ducks without a wildlife resource document, over daily bag limit of lesser scaup and over the possession limit.

THREE BAGS OF CORN FOR DUCKS

During the Christmas holidays, Liberty County game wardens received a tip of an unusual amount of shooting coming from a particular area. Upon arrival, the wardens discovered the area was heavily baited with corn and there were signs of recent hunting. They monitored the area continuously over the following days and weeks until the hunters returned to hunt again. The wardens issued citations to several hunters for hunting waterfowl over a baited area. During an interview with one of the subjects, he admitted that 150 pounds of corn was placed to attract the ducks.

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

Susan Meyer caught this bass in her farm pond near Pleasanton. She was casting a blue/chartreuse crankbait.

Pepe Rios, of Lima, Peru, enjoyed a day of fishing the bay near Port Aransas.

Mike Elley landed this large red drum with 70 spots while fishing on Braunig Lake with Capt. James Bray.

News Foundation in 2014, but was unsuccessful. Last season, he

Jacky Briscoe shallow brush piles on Cedar Creek Lake.

Fishing Braunig, Calaveras

Continued from page 1

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“Once you find them, they are usually moving pretty fast, and can be tough to keep up with at times,” he said. “You really have to find a happy medium between staying on the fish and disrupting the schools, because you can spook them if you don’t approach them the right way.”

Bray said he tends to see a lot of redfish sporting multiple spots on the power plant lakes.

“I had a customer catch and release a redfish the other day that had a total of 70 spots, which was a combined count from both of its sides,” Bray said. “It was a beautiful fish.”

There also are some fish hanging out across the flats and along the banks up shallow.

“We aren’t getting a ton of bites up shallow yet, but the ones that we are catching are pretty large,” Bray said.

When fishing the banks, flats and shallows, Bray prefers to cast jigs, spoons, swimbaits and lipless crankbaits.

Clayton Roth decided to try his hand at catching some power plant lake redfish recently, and made a quick trip to Braunig Lake.

“I just focused on fishing structure along the bank, as if I was targeting bass,” Roth said. “Jigs and soft plastics produced a decent amount of bites. Most of the redfish I caught were between 18 and 25 inches.”

Guide Raymond Esckilsen has been targeting schools of redfish on Calaveras, where he said the fish are suspended in open water about 15-25 feet below the surface.

“Chasing schools while trolling has been producing the best results lately,” Esckilsen said. “When they are feeding, we are getting a lot of double hook-ups.”

Most of the reds have been from 20-26 inches, with some pushing 30 inches or more in the mix.

“The bite is pretty steady right now, and we are catching reds anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds,” he said.

Redfish schooling

Continued from page 8

and dive faster than a swim jig or paddle tail,” Randazzo said.

A lot of fishermen prefer to wade the flats. But Randazzo said that can be difficult in a lot of places that reds like to feed. They especially like areas with grass which is why a lot of anglers are using a D.O.A. PT-7 top-water lure. It’s the most weedless top-water you can use when chasing reds that will often be seen moving through the grass looking for crabs and finger mullet.

“Wading in the mud is no fun,” Randazzo said. “That’s why I have a boat that can float very shallow and is very quiet when poled. The push-pole allows me to move up to spooky reds, and I can then position the angler on the bow to make a good cast a few feet in front of a target fish.”

Coffey said the number of reds on the flats will be good until the water starts to get hot and they move to deeper water, usually around the first week of June.

Giant gar

Continued from page 8

spending about three hours doing that, we decided that we would go look for bigger fish.”

They made their way into a backwater area and quickly realized that it was loaded with huge alligator gar.

“They were all just kind of floating motionless, below the surface,” Welch said. “Some of the smaller ones in that spot were still every bit of 5 feet long.”

The stretch of water was pretty shallow, so Johnson and Welch decided to get out of the boat and stalk the fish on foot.

“We watched these fish for a while, and finally, Johnson picked one out and took a shot,” Welch said. “That fish ended up measuring 6 feet, 9 inches, and it took some time to get it in the boat.”

After loading the gar in the boat, Welch spotted another group of fish and stalked toward them to get a closer look.

“I noticed a pretty large gar, but I could only see about half of its body,” Welch said. “It looked fairly wide, so I asked Johnson to come take a look at it. At about the time he made it to where I was standing,

the gar came up to the surface, revealing at least three more feet of its body that I hadn’t seen. I was in awe of its size.”

Welch took his shot, and the rodeo was on. Johnson quickly came to his side to give him a hand.

“It was absolute chaos for a few minutes, but it all worked out and we were able to get the monster gar into the boat,” Johnson said. “We had to basically idle the rest of the way back to the dock due to the combined weight of the two big fish.”

Johnson and Welch weighed the fish at the Tacklebox Baitshop and RV Park in Mathis.

“We had some folks that were passing by on the highway stop and give us hand, after they saw us struggling to bring the fish to the scale,” Johnson said.

The two filleted each gar and shared the meat with friends and family.

“It was an adventure I’ll never forget,” Welch said. “I’m hoping to find a taxidermist that can create a replica mount of the 196-pound brute.”

Anthrax research

Continued from page 1

in a coating which not only keeps the bacteria alive in the gastrointestinal tract long enough, but provides the proper amount of vaccine to get the desired immune activity in the animal.

“Our idea is that with this oral anthrax vaccine, we can get it into a bait of some sort and then easily vaccinate these animals,” Benn said. “The formulation that we’re using is the same live strain of bacteria from the current commercial vaccine put into a gel-like substance.”

While the immune response in the deer was promising, it’s only the first step in the process.

“The next step is to get our vaccine into bait and get the bait flavorful so it will be eaten by the deer,” she said.

Benn’s previous work showed that sprinkling the vaccine over food, a method tried by livestock owners, is ineffective.

Nunez continued the project in whitetails and in axis deer, and expanded the research to look at alternative methods ranchers can use to prevent anthrax.

“We have to fine-tune how to make the oral vaccination process work better,” Benn said. “And Chase is also looking at the effectiveness of darting deer with the commercial vaccine.”

Regardless of findings, getting to an approved anthrax vaccine for deer will take time.

“A commercial application would need to be approved by USDA (United States Department of Agriculture),” Benn said. “We get approval for research with controlled experiments. But human vaccines can take 20 to 30 years, with animal vaccines taking less time. The more data we have before

then, the better.”

Benn said reporting and public support are the two main keys going forward.

“No one wants to talk about anthrax,” she said. To get funding and reasons to do research, more cases need to be reported. When one animal is tested from a ranch, tens to hundreds of others are lost. We need that information to show this is an issue we need to work on.

In Texas, Benn said suitable areas for anthrax outbreaks include a triangle from Ozona to Uvalde to Eagle Pass, but there are many more, and not just in Texas.

“Then you go straight north through the country,” Benn said. “That includes part of the Texas Panhandle, where there was an outbreak in 2020-2021, all the way up to Montana.”

An outbreak in the Edwards Plateau in 2019 may have been responsible for the deaths of more than 10,000 deer, Benn said, but minor outbreaks often go unnoticed or unreported.

“If you assume the economic value for each animal was $1,000, which is probably extremely low given the number of exotic species on some of the ranches, you’re looking at an economic loss of $10 million in just a few months,” she said. “And given the problems with reporting cases, it could be significantly higher than that.”

The human element cannot be ignored either. Since all mammals are susceptible to anthrax, with grazing animals most susceptible, human exposure, although rare, can result from animal exposure.

“Once contracted, mammals die quickly, usually within a few days,” Cook said.

LONE STAR OUTDOOR PUZZLER

Solution on Page 22

INDUSTRY

Vanderbrink to lead Vista

Vista Outdoor Inc., the parent company of 41 outdoor brands, promoted Jason Vanderbrink to Chief Executive Officer of Sporting Products.

U.S. reps for ZeroTech

ZeroTech Optics announced World Wide Buy Group as its product representatives in the U.S.

Alsen joins Buck Knives

Buck Knives hired Rick Alsen as its national accounts manager.

Adrian promoted at Godfrey Marine

Godfrey Marine promoted Doug Adrian to the role of Vice President and General Manager for Godfrey and Hurricane.

Position at Urge Media

Urge Media is seeking a national sales manager.

Ritchie moves to Hornady marketing team

Longtime employee Matt Ritchie was named the marketing operations coordinator at Hornady.

Biggers named marketing head

Ed Brown Products hired Dave Biggers as its sales and marketing director.

Orion hires Hutchings

Mike Hutchings joined Orion Wholesale as director of business development.

Huk, Nomad execs named

Marolina Outdoor, the parent company of Huk Performance Fishing and Nomad Outdoor, hired Dean Rurak as Chief Executive Officer and Bill Ferreira as Sr. Vice President of Sales & Merchandising.

Hybrid trout species

7) Ammo brand 9) One of the sunfish 11) One of the shorebirds 13) Rabbit-hunting dog breed 14) Type of turkey call 15) One of the Great Lakes

DOWN

2) The turkey’s weapons

3) One of Leopold’s five tools

5) Fishing TV host

6) The young turkey hen

8) Rifle brand

10) Sinker type

11) Gainesville’s county

12) State small mammal

13) Spinner bait brand

14) Safari destination

18) Command for dog to stop

19) Texas mountain range

20) Winner of PCQC’s Lifetime Sportsman of the Year

21) A creature bait

22) One of the cats

24) The male elk

25) The female red stag

27) Jim Wells County’s seat

29) An African game species

30) Rodent called The Whistle Pig

Junction’s county

40) One of the setters

31) East Texas lake

32) Shotshell brand

33) Hunting boot brand

FOR THE TABLE

*email LSON your favorite recipe to editor@lonestaroutdoornews.com.

Bacon and cheese wild turkey

2 pounds boneless, skinless wild turkey

breast

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1/2 cup honey

1 1/2 tsps. vegetable oil

1/2 tsp, lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. dried parsley

4 tbsps. unsalted butter, divided

2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

8 bacon strips

Slice turkey breast into serving size portions, about 3 inches thick and 5-7 inches long. Place into a glass or plastic food storage container. In a small bowl, combine mustard, honey, oil, and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate half of the

After the spawn

marinade. Pour the other half of marinade over the turkey, making sure it is coated on all sides. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Place turkey in a strainer to strain off excess marinade. Season turkey with salt, pepper, and half of parsley. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tbsps. butter. Brown the turkey on all sides. Transfer turkey to a greased baking dish. In the same skillet, sauté mushrooms in 2 tbsps. butter until tender. Spread the remaining marinade evenly over the turkey. Add mushrooms and top with cheese. Place bacon strips in a crisscross pattern over the turkey breasts. Bake at 375 degrees uncovered for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining parsley to garnish.

—Ohio DNR

Continued from page 8 loaded with crawfish and perch, there’s a pretty good chance for there to be plenty of largemouths nearby.

“Most of these bass are in the 4- to 7-pound range,” Cockerham said. “I’ve seen a couple over 8 pounds and one pushing 10 pounds recently.”

Cockerham also has been spending some time on Belton Lake, where he said there are a ton of 2- to 3.5-pound bass feeding consistently in the shallows.

“The shad spawn is in full force on Belton right now,” he explained. “Walking baits, spinner baits, swim jigs, top-water baits, and anything that mimics a shad will produce plenty of bites.”

The bass are chasing shad along the banks of Belton Lake early in the mornings.

“Later in the day they are pulling out to

stage in areas around timber in 3 to 4 feet of water,” Cockerham said.

On Lake Falcon, guide Jimmy Steed said the water level has risen significantly recently, which has scattered the fish.

“Even with the recent change in water level, the bite has remained fairly consistent in 10 to 12 feet of water near rocky points and ledges,” Steed said. “Crankbaits and shaky heads have been doing to the trick.”

Most of the fish his anglers have been catching have been ranging from 3 to 4 pounds.

“We are seeing some larger fish pushing 7 to 8 pounds mixed in,” he said. “The consistency of strikes from larger fish has tapered off some since the spawn ended; however, you just never know when that next big bite might take place.”

Puzzle by Craig Nyhus, Lone Star Outdoor News

Drifting jugs

jerking around.”

Stafford said the early morning drifts are the best, and this trip was no exception.

“The biggest one was about 7 pounds, and there were several other nice ones,” he said. “The big ones can pull the jug completely under.”

He wasn’t the only angler on the trip.

“Another guy had hellgrammites,” Stafford said. “He fished with a rod and reel and caught several nice blue cats.”

Stafford is no stranger to canoe racing, which came in handy on the stretch of river with significant rapids. He’s finished the Texas Water Safari, named “The World’s Toughest Canoe Race” that runs from San Marcos to Seadrift, 30 times.

“There were 15 of us and eight boats,” he said. “I love the Lower Canyon, there are several rapids that could be Class III, and one that can be Class IV if the water is way up.”

Canoe racing is where the nickname “Polecat” came from.

“It started a long time ago,” Stafford said. “Most people have nicknames — no one out there knows my real name.”

Drifting juglines provides an added bonus to a lengthy and taxing canoe trip.

“We had a few fish fries,” Stafford said.

“I think that’s the only reason they ask me to go on these trips. I’m one of the older guys.”

Losing a few jugs is part of the deal.

“Sometimes you get past them and can’t get back, or they get stuck in the cane along the banks,” he said. “I don’t like to lose them, and usually I can retrieve them, but I lost a few. But someone will find them and use them.”

The trip also had other bonuses.

“We saw a couple of bears,” Stafford said. “I had never seen them there before. There were two mamas with cubs on the Texas side.”

EARLY BIRD ENTRIES

April 1-July 15

Open to all hunters with a Texas hunting license to harvest a Eurasian Collared Dove with a TDHA band on its leg. Every band reported provides data for the TDHA Eurasian Collared Dove research project.

Photos by Erich Schlegel, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

WASHINGTON, D.C. Firearms industry economic impact up

The total economic impact of the firearm and ammunition industry in the United States increased to $80.73 billion in 2022 from $19.1 billion in 2008, a 322-percent increase, while the total number of full-time equivalent jobs rose to 393,696 from approximately 166,000, a 136-percent increase in that same period, according to a report released by the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

On a year-over-year basis, the industry’s economic impact rose to $80.73 billion in 2022 from $70.52 billion in 2021. Total jobs increased by 17,877 in the same period, to 396,696 from 375,819.

The firearm and ammunition industry paid more than $7.48 billion in business taxes, including property, income and sales-based levies. An additional $1.15 billion was paid in federal excise taxes, which directly contributes to wildlife conservation.

—NSSF

NEVADA

Pope & Young records

At its 33rd Biennial Convention in Reno, Pope & Young recognized 13 new world record animals and presented a total of 180 awards for the largest animals harvested with archery equipment.

The 13 world records recognized were:

Nontypical Columbian Blacktail Deer Velvet

Angelo Nogara Sonoma County, California

Central Canada Barren Ground Caribou Velvet Rodney Cockeram

Humpy Lake, Northwest Territories

Deer

Woodland Caribou Velvet

362 1/8

Daniel Welker

Bergeo, Newfoundland

Typical Columbian Blacktail Deer Velvet

150 3/8

Gregory Wing

Marion County, Oregon

Tule Elk Velvet

257 5/8

Jim Wondzell

San Luis Obispo County, California

Typical Mule Deer Velvet

218 2/8

Bowdy Gardner

Kane County, Utah

Mountain Caribou Velvet

432 2/8

J. Dean Bodoh

O’Grady Lake, Northwest Territories —P&Y

KANSAS

State-record crappie

Bobby Parkhurst, of Topeka, broke a nearly 60-year-old state record by catching a 4.07-pound crappie out of Pottawatomie State

Fishing Lake No. 2 on March 5. Parkhurst used a minnow for bait.

The previous state record for crappie, at 4.02 pounds, was set in 1964.

INTERNATIONAL MANITOBA, CANADA

Permit required for waterfowl hunting

After rumors of changes circulated among waterfowl hunters, Manitoba Natural Resources and Northern Development officially announced new licensing requirements for foreign resident migratory bird hunters in the province beginning with the 2023 hunting season.

Under the new regulations there will be three categories of foreign resident licenses: 1) a seven-day permit for freelance hunters issued via a drawing, 2) a legacy migratory gamebird license for grandfathered property interest holders, and 3) a seven-day permit purchased through a licensed Manitoba outfitter.

Hunters who want to go to Manitoba and hunt on their own this fall will need to apply via the e-licensing portal between June 15 and July 15. For the 2023 hunting season, all hunters who apply via the portal within the proper time frame will receive a license, but the license will be limited to one seven-day period during the season. There will be no overthe-counter migratory gamebird licenses sold. Another portion of the regulation change reduces the number of outfitters licensed to guide waterfowl hunters in Manitoba by approximately 50 percent. Hunters who will be utilizing their services will purchase a license through the outfitter.

—Delta Waterfowl

Warden brothers

Continued from page 4

so did Dustin.

“Austin told me stories from his ridealongs and it just seemed like something I might really be interested in,” Dustin said. “I started doing ride-alongs too, and decided to apply to become a game warden with my brother. I saw how close he got to making it on his first try and felt like we could both really do this, especially by pushing and encouraging each other.”

The brothers both graduated from the academy and became Texas Game Wardens with the 63rd Class. Austin is currently serving in Galveston County, while Dustin is serving in Polk County.

Dustin said he really likes the public safety aspect of being a game warden.

“It’s important to me to protect the public that recreates across our state’s outdoor resources,” he explained. “Boating safety is a big focus of mine during peak boating and fishing seasons, and it’s just something I’m

very passionate about. I’ve worked many boating accidents, and my hope is that I can help prevent as many as possible from happening in the future.”

Austin said what he likes the most about being a game warden is that it keeps him in the outdoors.

“My brother and I both grew up loving the outdoors, and thats a huge reason why we both ended up choosing to become game wardens,” he elaborated. “I really like protecting our state’s outdoor resources so that future generations can enjoy them.”

Both brothers have experienced running into the same folks in the outdoors, despite the nearly 100 miles between the counties where they serve.

“You would be surprised how many people I have had interactions with in Polk County that my brother has also interacted with in Galveston County,” Dustin said. “It really is a small world.”

TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT

SABINE LAKE: 71 degrees. Speckled trout are good on Carolina-rigged live shrimp, shrimp under a popping cork and swimbaits. Redfish are good on live shrimp on the flats.

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

TRINITY BAY: 70 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair on soft plastics and live shrimp under a popping cork.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: 68 degrees. Speckled trout are good on shrimp under a popping cork and top-waters. Redfish are slow.

PORT O’CONNOR: 68 degrees. Redfish are good on croaker and live shrimp in the washouts. Black drum are fair on dead shrimp. Speckled trout are good on croaker.

ROCKPORT: 69 degrees. Speckled trout are good on top-waters, soft plastics and suspension baits. Redfish are good on scented plastics, top-waters and live bait.

PORT ARANSAS: 75-78 degrees. Speckled trout, redfish and black drum are fair drifting with live shrimp under a popping cork.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: 71 degrees. Speckled trout are good wading with soft plastics, shrimp under popping corks and top-waters. Redfish are fair along grass line on shrimp under a popping cork.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: 73 degrees.

Speckled trout are good wading with artificial lures and live bait. Redfish are fair on shrimp under corks.

TEXAS CITY: 72 degrees. Speckled trout are good at the Galveston jetties on live shrimp. Redfish and black drum are fair on shrimp under a popping cork.

FREEPORT: 70-73 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are good on live shrimp under a popping cork. Flounder are good on scented plastics.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: 68 degrees. Speckled trout are good wading shorelines with top-waters or drifting with live shrimp under a popping cork. Redfish and black drum are slow.

Corkys 2.0

Continued from page 8

To keep things going, Steve started his company, Steve’s Lures in 2018.

“It’s a specialty company where we make custom-made Corkys,” Steve said. “I move most of my lures over the internet. We have an online store that has turned out to be a good business. I spend about 99 percent of my time making lures and filling orders.”

Some anglers might wonder how Steve can make lures, since L&S Bait Company, also known as MirroLure, bought the line of original Corkys.

“But we retained the Corky name,” Steve said. “Mirrolure can market them any way they want to, and so can I. So, everybody is happy.”

Making one custom lure from beginning to end takes up to three days, and Steve is set up to make 100 lures per run.

“It’s a long, drawn-out process,” he said. “But I really enjoy the work. And our lures are still very popular.”

Some of the more popular styles are still

CORPUS CHRISTI: 75-78 degrees. Speckled trout are fair on shrimp under a popping cork. Redfish and black drum are fair along the banks on live shrimp.

BAFFIN BAY: 67 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are good on top-waters, scented plastics and live shrimp under a popping cork.

PORT MANSFIELD: 69 degrees. Speckled trout are fair to good on top-waters and ball tails. Redfish are fair on soft plastics.

SOUTH PADRE: 70 degrees. Speckled trout are good on live shrimp under popping cork. Redfish are good on shrimp under a popping cork and cut mullet. —TPWD

the Paul Brown Original, Paul Brown Fat Boy and the Paul Brown Devil, along with the Paul Brown Soft-Dine, and there are new offerings.

Steve makes a lot of custom Corkys, in a lot of new colors and names like Super Corky D, Red Shad Big Bug Eye, Peanut and Soft Super Devils.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Steve said. “I run a oneman operation and stay real busy. But I try to take the time to make Corky’s in new colors and designs. And I get a chance to meet lots of people that have some really good stories about using our lures. I heard a lot of them while working a booth at the recent Houston fishing show.”

Steve said a new hit is in a new color, called Slime Time.

“It’s chartreuse and black with black specks, clear eyes and is rigged on two treble hooks,” he said. “And one of the spring favorites is a broken-back Corky. One thing we have done is to add black spots to a number of the lures. Fishermen really like those.”

Specks shifting

Continued from page 4

Coast region of Texas and southwestern Louisiana.

Beginning in early 1980s, rice production in Texas began a long-term decline. Specklebellies, being early migrators in fall, gain a competitive advantage over other goose species for acquiring waste grain (rice). The birds’ historical winter diet was wetland plants and tubers from freshwater marshes in coastal regions.

While rice production declined in Texas and southwestern Louisiana, it increased to the north and east. The average counts of white-fronted geese in Texas declined from an average of 305,000 in 1980 to 26,238 in 2017-2018, while Arkansas numbers increased from 21,670 to 296,913.

The study examined 10,437 hunter-harvested band recoveries, most coming from

Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.

“The greater white-fronted geese appear to have taken advantage of abundant food resources,” the study concluded. “The core winter distribution has shifted out of Texas into the MAV, and in Louisiana has shifted northward — a shift from coastal regions to rice-dominated landscapes.”

Goose hunters in northwest Texas areas like Haskell and Knox City may be taken aback, as they continue to see good and increasing numbers of white-fronted geese in their hunting fields.

Dr. Douglas Osborne, who co-authored the study, explained.

“Those birds are likely breeding in the inland Alaska region, not the north slope of Alaska and Canada, and they aren’t the midcontinent population,” he said.

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For home or office delivery, go to LSONews.com, or call (214) 361-2276, or send a check or money order to the address below. Lone Star Outdoor News, ISSN 2162-8300, a publication of Lone Star Outdoor News, LLC, publishes twice a month. A mailed subscription is $35 for 24 issues. Newsstand copies are $3, in certain markets copies are free, one per person. Copyright 2023 with all rights reserved. Reproduction and/ or use of any photographic or written material without written permission by the publisher is prohibited. Subscribers may send address changes to: Lone Star Outdoor News, P.O. Box 551695, Dallas, TX 75355 or email them to editor@lonestaroutdoornews.com.

Puzzle solution from Page 18

TEXAS TROPHY WHITETAILS

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C4 RANCH - WHITETAIL & EXOTIC HUNTS

Cull, Management & Trophies up to 300” Duval County, TX

High Fenced & MLD Managed 10+ Years Vernon Carr (361) 774-2442

USYF GUN/OUTFITTER/ FISHING/HUNTING SHOW

El Campo, TX Civic Center April 29-30, 2023

USCguns.com

Vendors Wanted uscguns@gmail.com or (815) 599-5690

AXIS HIDES Tanned axis hides Axis pillows / gbroach@ktc.com (830) 896-6996

PATAGONIA ARGENTINA

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Trophy and management packages available. (210) 748-9392

WHITETAIL + HOGS Brush country whitetail bucks! Doe, management bucks and hog hunts

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NEED ARCHERY RANGE? www.TexasArchery.info

DOS HERMANOS RANCH

Trophy Whitetails & Exotics

On 4000 acres near San Angelo, TX doshermanosranch.com

Jake at (208) 477-9065

EXOTICS + WHITETAIL Several species Trophy and meat hunts Owner guided Very reasonable Let’s have fun! (325) 475-2100

QUAIL HUNTING

Guided-Self Guided-Training 700 yard RANGE PoetryShootingClub.com (214) 728-2755

DUVAL COUNTY South Texas Dove Hunting 65 acres, Lodging RV Power Available Huntershilton.com for more info (361) 244-0544 or (361) 443-9330

ANTLERS WANTED Buying all species, all conditions. Looking for large quantities Call Del (830) 997-2263

DEER HUNTERS

Used Deer Blinds for sale 4x6 fiberglass with 10-foot towers Three available, $1850 each

Used feeders also available Text for photos Located 1 hour north of Abilene (214) 695-2950

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BAY FISHING 6 Hour Trip from $275 Port Isabel, TX (956) 551-1965

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LIKE NEW 2014 NEWWATER showroom condition, stored indoors, 9 ft. T-Top, Front & rear casting platforms, Raised Console, Livewell, 90 HP Yamaha 4 stroke motor, less than 40 hrs. Located in Port Mansfield. Make an offer. Call Capt. Steve (956) 492-8472

THE CHIMNEY BOX OUTDOOR FIREPLACE

Great for your hunting camp or backyard Keeps smoke out of your face. New $1,500, asking $800 (214) 695-2950

23FT FORMULA CUDDY CABIN DEEP V I/O

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Visit

A Place to Shoot

San Antonio, 210-628-1888

Abilene Indoor Gun Range

Abilene, 325-698-4224

Able Ammo

Huntsville, 936-295-5786

AJC Sports

Clute, 979-265-4867

Ally Outdoors

Midland, 972-332-3700

Alpine Shooting Range

Ft Worth, 817-478-6613

Americana Arms, LLC

Beeville, 361-362-3673

Apache Rifle Works

Comfort, 830-995-3894

Athena Gun Club

Houston, 713-461-5900

Boyert Shooting Center

Katy, 281-693-4867

Buck & Doe’s Mercantile, LLC

San Antonio, 830-980-3637

Burdett & Son Outdoor Advntr College Station, 979-695-2807

C.A.C Tactical South Lake, 888-211-8191

Caroline Colt Company LLC

Abilene, 325-232-7501

Caroline Colt Company LLC

Abilene, 325-232-7501

Carroll’s Gun Shop

Whaton, 979-532-3175

Carter’s Country #2

Houston, 713-461-1844

Carter’s Country #3

Pasadena, 713-475-2222

Carter’s Country #4

Houston, 281-879-1466

CDNN Sports

Abilene, 800-588-9500

Champion Firearms College Station, 979-693-9948

Collectors Firearms

Houston, 713-781-5812

Danny's, Inc.

McAllen, 956-687-4692

Defender Outdoors, LLC

Aubrey, 817-935-8377

DFW Gun Range

Dallas, 214-630-4866

Dury's Gun Shop

San Antonio, 210-533-5431

Fun Guns

Waco, 254-755-0080

Glick Twins

Pharr, 956-787-429

Grabagun.com

Coppell, 972-552-7246

Guard/Defend Firearms

Beaumont, 409-201-9468

Guns Warehouse LLC

Cedar Park, 512-986-7330

Hoss Arms

New Braunfels, 830-609-8891

Jess Briley Manufacturing

Houston, 713-932-6995

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John Doe Investigations, LLC

Lewisville, 214-773-0129

Kirkpatrick Gun & Ammo

Laredo, 956-723-6338

Marksmen Firearms One, LLC

Mansfield, 817-453-8680

McBride's Guns

Austin, 512-472-3532

Misson Ridge Range & Academy

San Antonio, 210-504-9000

Mister Guns LLC

Plano, 214-901-7429

Modern Pawn & Guns

Corpus Christi, 361-993-9390

Nagel's Gun Shop, Inc.

San Antonio, 210-342-5420

Nardis Gun Club

San Antonio, 210-369-9199

Omaha Outdoors

Rosenberg, 713-703-4648

Past & Blast Antiques & Firearms

Whitesboro, 903-564-5444

Primary Arms

Houston, 713-344-9600

Ranger Firearms of Texas Inc.

San Antonio, 210-822-4867

Ray's Hardware & Sporting Goods

Dallas, 214-747-7916

Red’s Indoor Range - North

Pflugerville, 512-251-1022

RifleGear.com

Plano, 949-292-7678

SK Arms

Midland, 432-704-5127

Sharp Shooters Knife & Gun Inc

Lubbock, 806-791-1231

Southwestern Firearms, Inc.

Midlothian, 972-617-7056

Sportsman's Finest

Austin, 512-263-1888

Sportsman Outfitters

Longview, 903-759-0638

Spring Guns & Ammo

Spring, 832-299-1950

Superior Outfitters

Tyler, 903-592-4006

Superior Outfitters

Longview, 903-212-2200

Texas Gun Club

Stafford, 832-539-7000

Texas Gun Expierence

Grapevine, 817-285-5664

Texas Gun Shop

San Angelo, 325-949-0020

The Arms Room

Dickinson, 832-226-3248

Weby Corp

Arlington, 800-851-9329

Xtreme Guns & Ammo

Richmond, 832-363-3783

VISIT WWW.HK-USA.COM

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Fusion Thermal Exclusive Features

Micro Click Focus Leave the Collars to the Dogs

Getting your target into focus quickly and easily is a must, and you won’t find a better system than our Micro Click Focus. Our tactile focus knob is conveniently located on top of the front lens, and unlike the dog collar design used by our competitors you won’t need to perform a circus act just to focus your scope. Plus, you’ll always get your best shot as the micro click adjustments put you on the perfect focus point every time.

ARCLIGHT Ultra HD Germanium Lens

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The single most expensive component of a well-crafted thermal is its germanium lens. If you skimp here, you’re not even in the game. Our high purity ArcLight Ultra HD Germanium Lens is the crowning jewel of our technology package. It perfects the task of collecting and funneling infrared energy into the thermal sensor unhindered by distortion. This clean transition results in an infrared energy dump that unleashes the full potential of our WAVE thermal sensor delivering a user experience well beyond expectations.

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WAVE Thermal Sensor Same Money, Better Performance

Is it possible for one thermal scope to dramatically outperform everything else in its class? Yes, so don’t make the mistake of shopping by specifications alone or you just might get burned. Our WAVE thermal sensors push the limit of what is technically possible and set the standard for image quality, ruggedness, and long life. So, before you plop down your hard-earned cash make sure you do a side-by-side to any similarly priced competitive alternative. We think you’ll find the difference to be clearly obvious.

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Plastic is for toys. Metal is for tools. It’s a fact, thermals produce heat, and heat is the enemy of all thermal devices. If you don’t get the heat out operational performance will degrade, and long-term internal damage is a certainty. Our XGEN (Next Generation Alloy Body) shields your expensive investment in a metal clad of armor, and our high-end AL6082 Conductive Structural Alloy displaces heat at an astounding 71,900% better than plastic. You don’t think of your thermal as some cheap plastic toy. Why should it be built like one?

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