September 23, 2011 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting by Lone Star Outdoor News

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

September 23, 2011

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Raging ﬂames Amazing trail cam pictures from a ranch near Possum Kingdom Lake.

Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper

September 23, 2011

Volume 8, Issue 3

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Inside

❘❚ FISHING

Reds on the ﬂats Large schools are working along the midcoast. Page 8

New access Anglers on Matagorda Bay have a new jetty. A small boat cut is coming soon. Page 8

❘❚ HUNTING

Teal busters Opening weekend good for those in the right spots. Page 4

Big 5 boots El Paso boot maker designs unique footwear. Page 5

❘❚ CONTENTS Classiﬁeds . . . . . . . Crossword . . . . . . . Fishing Report . . . . . For the Table. . . . . . Game Warden Blotter . . Heroes. . . . . . . . . Outdoor Datebook . . . Outdoor Business . . . Products . . . . . . . . Sun, Moon and Tide data

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NO CARRYOUTS: White-winged dove had plenty to eat at this sunflower field south of Hondo. The birds congregated here until Sammy Nooner combined his crop and tilled the soil under. It took almost two days for the flock to hit other fields in the area. Good scouting is a must this year. Birds are concentrated and, even if you have food, they may not be there yet. The South Zone opened Sept. 23. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Dove are thriving in Texas, but not everywhere, as some hunters have found. The ﬁrst couple weeks of

the season in the North and Central Zones, and the special white-winged dove area in South Texas, have played out as forecasters expected. Ranches and farmland with dove food have received

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the lion’s share of action. Areas that have been good in years past, but with scant food because of drought, were dismal. Outﬁtters expect that prescription will hold for the

popular South Zone season, which opened Sept. 23. “If you got feed, you got birds,” said Mike Wyatt of Coleman-based First Shot Outﬁtters. “We’ve been shooting lots of limits.”

LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Texas bowhunters face a double-edged sword this year when they head aﬁeld for the bow season opener on Oct. 1. Despite the lack of moisture See BOW SEASON, Page 25

See BUFFET, Page 25

September gives top-water preview for white bass By Bill Miller

ABOUT TIME: It’s almost time to head to the woods for the start of bow season. Deer are in decent condition and could surprise hunters with their antlers this year. Photo by LSON.

Wyatt said he has much less land available to him this season, but he still uses ﬁelds in Coleman, Tom Green, Taylor and Concho counties.

Cooler weather revisited Texas a few times in early to mid-September, but white bass largely stayed in their summertime patterns — with a few brief but notable exceptions. Guides and anglers kept targeting humps, points and other structure to catch plenty of the plump, silvery ﬁsh. But some guides reported brief glimpses SCHOOLING: White bass have kept to their summer patterns during September, although some guides have noticed brief instances of fall-like top-water action. Photo by LSON.

of top-water action that is popular in the fall, when boatloads of white bass can be found in schools feeding at the surface, especially in October and November. Guide Larry Thomas saw some schooling the early evening of Sept. 15 on the southern part of Lake Tawakoni. “I saw them surfacing,” Thomas said, “and I’m talking about the big magnum sandies, not the little ones.” Most of his white bass, however, have been caught while working near shallow sandbars and coves that “still have See WHITE BASS, Page 22

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HUNTING

Quail Setback

Teal hunters ‘rusty’ in opener, others shoot limits

Surveys show continued decreases

By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Two back-to-back years of favorable weather can help improve quail populations, biologists say, and a very wet 2010 provided its share. But drought dominated headlines throughout 2011, dashing hopes for a rebound. Recently completed statewide quail surveys show it. The surveys, started in 1978, follow random 20-mile roadside survey lines to get a picture of how quail are doing. But decreases since last year’s surveys are significant. “Counts were at a record low for the Rolling Plains,” said Robert Perez, upland game bird program leader for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The average number of roadside quail observed this year was 5.7, way below the “long-term mean” of 21, according to the data. Wildfires in that region destroyed a lot of quail habitat, but Perez said benefits

DOWN FOR THE COUNTS: Annual roadside surveys for quail are down from last year in most regions of the state, although some Gulf Coast counties showed an increase. Photo by LSON.

from the blazes would result when moisture ﬁnally returned. That happened the weekend Sept. 16-18 when at least a quarter-inch fell over much of West Texas. Other areas, like South and East Texas, got a lot more — about 1-2 inches. Perez predicted that rain will prompt

the “burn country” to “quickly respond with a ﬂush of vegetation.” “We’ve seen that a number of times in South Texas,” he said. That region, like the rest of the state, had suffered, as shown by this year’s survey. See QUAIL, Page 21

Eighteen-year-old El Campo resident Slade Schiurring had never shot a banded duck. That changed the opening weekend of early teal season when Schiurring, hunting on family land near Garwood, downed a banded blue-winged hen. “My family are big rice farmers and we all limited out Saturday morning,” Schiurring said. “On Sunday, we limited out again and on Monday morning before school, we only killed three, but one of them was a banded bird.” Schiurring said he called the number on the band while still in the duck blind and learned the teal had traveled from Saskatchewan, Canada.

“We’ve got a couple of roost ponds that held 50,000 birds on opening morning,” he said. “I think there are still 20,000 birds out there today. Hunting pressure is moving them around a little bit.” Matthew Friedrichs and several friends found themselves hunting over a newly ﬂooded rice ﬁeld near the town of Nada on the opening morning of early teal season. The group downed 16 birds. “We could have had another 16, but our shooting was a little rusty,” Friedrichs said. “We went back the next day and shot 12.” Friedrichs had friends hunting near Katy, and they had mixed results. “Opening morning, See TEAL, Page 17

Landscape changer Foresters won’t know until spring how many trees survived drought By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Autumn colors burst across Texas early this year — in July. By the time fall actually began on Sept. 23, scores of Texas trees, including oaks, had long been cloaked in red, brown and rust, the result of harsh heat in the record-breaking summer of 2011. As a result, foresters scouting for seed acorns reported that hard mast production has been “minimal to none” from eastern portions of West Texas and on through the Hill Country. Scratch acorns from the list of foods deer will use to get through the coming winter. Foresters were also concerned that persistent drought may result in tree deaths READ MORE across the state. ■ Oaks for wildlife Jim Rooni of the Page 6 Texas Forest Service in Austin said that “could be a landscape changer.” See LANDSCAPE, Page 23

NO REPLACEMENTS: State foresters have been scouting for seed acorns, but they report that this year's hard mast production has been “minimal to none.”

Dreadlocks and spent hulls ‘Hip’ family enjoys dove hunting By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Jared Lindsay has dreadlocks and a beard. His wife, Lauren, has tattoos and a nose ring. Their children — a little girl, a toddler boy and another baby on the way — are loosely named after their favorite rock and reggae musicians. And, yes, this Fort Worth couple cares deeply about nature. But they also participate in the food chain. “We buy organic — we hate all these chemicals in our foods — and we love animals,” Lauren said. “Maybe people will call us a little bit ‘hippie.’ “But we’re more ‘country’ in the sense that we’re not vegan or vegetarian. “We like our meat.”

The Lindsays recently joined Jared’s family for an annual dove season opener hunt near Haskell, where his relatives farmed cotton. “We do a lot of cooking and hunting and a couple of my uncles play guitars and sing,” said Jared, a groundskeeper at FAMILY TIME: Marleigh Lindsay (above and at left) helps her father, Jared, clean Texas Christian University and dove during a recent family hunt near Haskell. Photos by Lindsay family. a freelance photographer. “My wife, she’s the type of “I may lean toward being a a pharmacy in Weatherford — person that you have a real hippie,” he continued, “I get his hometown. They soon learned they had a hard time keeping shoes on teased all the time by other groundskeepers. We’re big fans lot in common, like their tastes her,” Jared said. “She loves to be outside, barefoot and playing of recycling, earthiness and in music. Jared said daughter, Marleigh, Frisbee golf.” good music. Lauren didn’t camp much “But, at the same time, I have 3, is “subconsciously” named these roots that go back to cot- for the late reggae artist Bob growing up, and never hunted, ton farming. It’s about hunting, Marley, and son, Jack, for folk- but Jared did; he started young with his father, Marty, rock singer Jack Johnson. and it’s about family. They also like musician Ben an auto-body repairman in “It feels like home.” Jared met Lauren, who grew Harper; their second daugh- Weatherford. up in Fort Worth, when she was ter, due in November, will be See DREADLOCKS, Page 16 working at the photo counter of named Harper.

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September 23, 2011

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Big 5 boots — a work of art you can wear By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Boots are made for walking. Unless they are a work of art, like the Big 5 pair of boots commemorating the top five African game species. They are made by the J.B. Hill Boot Company in El Paso. Diana Farmer, who oversees the J.B Hill factory, said the boot-making process begins when clients decide they want a custom pair of boots. “Some people come in with a set idea and others come in clueless,” Farmer said. “We analyze what they want and build them a boot. A client doesn’t have to be in the store; in fact, we send a fitting instruction kit to about 80 percent of our clients.” The fitting kit tells clients how to measure their feet correctly and also comes with a pair of boots for them to try and relate how they feel. “The boots take six to eight weeks in the summer and eight to 10 weeks in the fall and winter,” she said. “The Big 5 boot takes about five months because of the carving.” Once the proper measurements have been taken, work on the boot begins. “Next we’ll talk about designs,” Farmer said. “Most people know roughly what they want, so we’ll sample leathers and figure out what their needs are. Do they need a dress boot or something more durable? “I’ll tell them what works best in different areas and we’ll go over the toe, heel, right down to the color of thread we’ll use for the stitching.” Farmer said the factory has 13 people who work on the boots, and most have been building boots all of their lives. “Each one is very specialized,” she said. “They’ve been doing it since they were 8 or 9-years-old and most are in their 60s and 70s. Lucchese, which is a high-end factory boot, produces about 350 pairs of boots a day. We produce eight. “We aren’t worried about volume, just mak-

ing a really high-quality boot.” Farmer said the idea for the Big 5 boot came from Dr. J.B. Hill himself, as he walked the aisles of a Safari Club International Show. “The Big 5 are represented all over in the hunting world,” Farmer said. “The elephant is the centerpiece.” Kansas City, Mo., resident John Wilson noticed the boot walking the same aisles at SCI. “First off, when I saw the boot it was eye-catching,” Wilson said. “I am a hunter and happened to take the Big 5, and there aren’t very many of us running around. The artwork for something that was inscribed on leather really popped, in my opinion. “It was a neat idea.” Wilson said he and his wife were ﬁtted at the show, and purchased several more pairs of J.B. Hill boots CRAFTSMANSHIP: Many hours are spent carving the Big 5 into because of the quality and leather (top photo) before it is molded onto the boot by one of 13 expert craftsmen working at the J.B. Hill Boot Company in El craftsmanship in each boot. Paso. Photos by Diana Farmer. Wilson owns one of only 14 Big 5 pairs made so far, Some clients have asked for their and the company plans to end at 20 pairs. initials to be included on the boot or “Each boot has a number sown into other modiﬁcations, such as a hunter it,” Farmer said. “When we do a collector requesting his own elephant hide be boot like the Big 5, we do stop.” used in the boot. Farmer said the workmanship on the The average J.B. Hill pair of boots Big 5 boot is a lenghty process. cost around $1,000. The Big 5 boot “You have to wet the leathers, cut and retails for around $5,300. pound each edge,” she said. “They use a Wilson said he enjoyed the fact that tool called a swivel knife that pushes the it was another way to use his entire leather out for a three-dimensional look. trophy. The leathers are hand-stained after that “When hunting the elephant, all — it’s very labor intensive.” of the meat goes to the local villagers, Owners of the Big 5 boots know they and by using this leather for the boot, are originals, even though the designs it utilizes all of that resource,” he said. “I like that aspect.” are similar.

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

Oaks, chestnuts offer permanent food plots By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Last year, as dry weather bore down on East Texas, Jim Looke was hoping the best for oak trees he planted on a 2,500-acre family ranch near Hockley. He bought 1,000 seedlings and planted them inside thin tubes designed to jacket the trees from deer that, one day, would enjoy their acorns. But that phase of the project withered. “I didn’t water them in a drought,” said Looke, a petroleum engineer from Houston. “I just thought they could make it on their own. “I’m learning.” But lessons are paying off in Looke’s quest to “landscape for wildlife.” He is planting stands of fastgrowing oak and fruit trees that he hopes will become permanent food plots for deer. This year he bought 1,500 trees from Mossy Oak’s Nativ Nurseries in West Point, Miss. They’re still in pots, but will be planted later. “I had to have someone come and water them,” Looke said of the potted trees. “The good news is, I got about 80 percent of them still standing and I’m pretty excited about it.” Looke, 61, wants to see acorns dropping in a few years, not decades. He believes that will happen with these Mossy Oak trees, which, he said, “are like oaks on steroids.”

DEER DELICACY: Trees from Mossy Oak’s Nativ Nurseries — like the one that produced this sawtooth acorn — and chestnut trees from Realtree Nursery are excellent additions to deer habitat, according to the companies. Photo by Bill Miller, LSON.

“Everyone thinks an oak has to grow 50 to 60 years before you get any use out of them,” Looke said. “But if Mossy Oak is telling me the truth — and I think they are — I’ll have acorns in ﬁve years. “Ten years from now I still hope to be out here bowhunting, and with a lot more deer around.” Mossy Oak’s RapidMAST system picks seed from trees that produced mast while very young, explained Blake Hamilton, a consultant for the company. “Our Mossy Oak pro staff monitors acorns from all over the country,” he said. “We try to match genetics to your area.” The trees’ “drop times” for acorns are carefully recorded. Some are later than others. But by planting a mix of them, a landowner can ensure

that acorns are hitting the ground from archery season all the way through the second rut in late winter, Hamilton said. Costs start at $3.49 for a single seedling; add another $5 for a special hybrid. There are price breaks for bulk purchases and custom packages can be assembled with mixes of mast and fruit trees to beneﬁt particular species of wildlife. The seedlings start out in special cups riddled with holes. When roots try to escape the holes, they’re “pruned” by the air. That spurs the tree into growing secondary “feeder roots,” which eventually form a ﬁbrous ball of hearty roots that promote faster growth and resilience. Realtree Nursery in Alachua, Fla., a longtime family-owned farm that was licensed this year

by Realtree, uses a similar air pruning system. Robert Wallace, a thirdgeneration manager of the farm, said the business offers oaks and fruit trees, but it also specializes in chestnut trees, which, he added, are excellent food plot trees that do remarkably well in East Texas. They’re high in carbohydrates. A diet of them, he said, “really sweetens venison up.” “We’ve been shipping to Texas for many years, and it has been a great market,” Wallace said. He added, however, that recent sales have been soft because of drought. But late summer isn’t the best time to plant. Hamilton and Wallace both said the Texas tree-growing season starts in the fall when soil temperatures are much cooler. It can continue through the cooler winter months and as late as March, according to the Texas Forest Service. Late summer is best for site preparations, but new planters can spend a summer researching which trees to select. “We’ve been in business a long time,” Wallace said, “and a couple years ago Atlanta had a terrible drought, just like Texas. Two years before that it was Virginia. But once rain returns, people will be wanting to replant. “Droughts never last forever.” Realtree Nursery: (386) 462-2820. Mossy Oak Nativ Nurseries: (662) 494-4326

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Texas broadhead company shooting for big things By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS A new broadhead company in Fredericksburg is trying to cut Fre its way into the competitive archery market with a unique a design. Hartcraft Ltd. has spent two years designing the X-Change broadhead, which features a single ferrule body that can quickly accommodate fiveblade options in a matter of seconds. According to Gary Wood, office manager for the company, the features that make the broadhead unique are the single ferrule, five completely interchangeable blades and the reversible blades on all five broadhead options. “You could be sitting in a stand waiting on a whitetail, and a turkey comes out,” Wood said. “You could quickly change from the Trophy 1 broadhead to the Lopper and be ready to go. “They also have reversible blades for when one side gets dull; you can pull them out, reverse them and be ready to go again. Instead of a three-blade pack, you really get six blades.” Wood said the company has a 100 percent warranty on the ferrules. See BROADHEADS, Page 16

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FISHING

Redﬁsh in schools near ﬂats

REDS ON THE FLATS: Redfish are biting along the edges of flats along the midcoast. The fish are grouped up and some big bull reds are starting to appear alongside pods of slot-sized fish. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

Action good early and midday By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Despite a full moon hampering ﬁshing during the middle of

September, the redﬁsh bite along the midcoast has been good, if you can get to the schools before many of the other anglers show up. “It kinda sucked,” said one

guide. “If you could get on the schools early, you could be done quickly. After that, they shut down, especially when 20 boats with trolling motors start chasing them.” A large school of reds have been getting heavy pressure off

of Allens Bite, and, according to Rockport guide Terry Coufal, some big ﬁsh have been mixed in with a lot of slot reds. “The majority of the reds right now are in the 23- to 27-inch See REDFISH, Page 18

Monticello fishing might change A ruling by the Environmental Protection Agency may result in layoffs at an East Texas power plant, but fishing will likely continue at the facility’s lake. The EPA’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule requires Texas generators to begin reducing emissions next January. To comply with the rule, Luminant, a Dallas-based energy company, announced Sept. 12 that it would have to idle two units at the coal-fired Monticello Power Plant, 10 miles southwest of Mount Pleasant. Curtailing production will force 500 layoffs, company officials said, unless they prevail in a federal lawsuit aimed at overturning the rule. Fishing, however, will continue at Monticello Lake — a popular fishery for largemouth, channel cats and sunfish. Anglers especially enjoy the lake in winter when the plant produces currents and higher water temperatures that really stir the bass in winter. Ashley Barrie, spokeswoman for Luminant, said access to the lake would continue. “I can’t speculate on water impacts at this point,” she added, “but there’s certainly potential for cooler water temperatures.” Idled activity at Monticello may actually improve the fishing, according to one angler. Bud Parks of Garland said he used to fish the lake only in winter, but now he likes to go there in the summer, too. “It will certainly improve summertime fishing if the water is cooler, not hotter,” Parks said. “It will open more of the lake to the fish. If it gets 115 or 125 degrees in that discharge area, not a lot of fish are there.” —Staff report

New Matagorda small boat cut under construction By Mike Price FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Small boats leaving Matagorda Harbor to ﬁsh in West Matagorda Bay have to go through locks at the intersection of the Colorado River and the Intracoastal Waterway. This means waiting for barges to pass through or the gates to open. In addition, small boats in close proximity to barges and tugs can create dangerous situations. However, in the near future, going ﬁshing in West Matagorda Bay will be faster, easier and safer. Construction of a new small boat cut between the Old Colorado River and the Diversion Channel — to be called Bragg’s Cut (named after Mike Bragg from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) — will begin this month. “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ locks were built a little over 50 years ago for tugboats and barges that were not nearly as wide as they are now,” said Tommy Cuntz, Matagorda guide and Port of Bay City Authority commissioner. “Every time you go through the locks, you see broken pilings and

boards where barges have run into the sides. Tugboat operators are really concerned about the number of small boats going ahead or behind them. “So the Corps wants the cut in order to eliminate as many small boats going through the locks as possible. That is why it was approved.” The cut will be 50 feet wide with a tapered concrete bottom and a depth of 4 feet. In theory, current ﬂowing through the cut should keep it free from any buildup of sand and mud. When small boats go through Bragg’s Cut, they can turn south in the Diversion Channel and go into West Matagorda Bay. Fishing guides have put PVC pipes highlighted with orange cones and tape in the Diversion Channel to guide boats through the shallowest areas. Sometimes, however, logs coming down the Colorado River get into the boat channel. Cuntz said that originally the Corps of Engineers planned to keep the boat lane clear of debris, but that part of the plan has been dropped, so boaters will have to keep a sharp eye out for logs and other debris.

Matagorda has a new jetty By Mike Price FOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

NEW JETTY ACTION: Fishermen on the new East Matagorda Jetty (top) cast for many of the species found congregating there such as redfish, trout and flounder. Jake and Wyatt Cissna (bottom) proudly display redfish caught from the new jetty. Photos by Mike Price, for Lone Star Outdoor News.

Construction on the new east jetty in Matagorda is complete. Before the jetty was built and the passage between the jetties was dredged, most boats could not go offshore from Matagorda. The mouth of the Colorado River was almost completely ﬁlled with sand, making navigation possible only on high tide — and only if you knew where gaps in the sand bars were. Now the depth between the jetties is at least 14 feet, and this depth extends well beyond the end of the jetties. “The response from boat owners to the

new, safe, deep water access jetties has been very positive,” said Matagorda harbormaster Craig Hlvankia. “Boats that left Matagorda Harbor, because getting through the jetties was iffy, have started to trickle back. We built a new dock and have room for more boats.” The new jetty has also become a very popular fishing venue. It is accessible by fourwheel drive vehicle, or you can park at in the Matagorda Jetty Park parking lot and walk to the jetty. Recently, Larry Cissna from Sweeny, went to the jetty to fish with his sons, Jake and Wyatt. They used a cast net to catch baitfish before rigging their tackle for bottom fishing. When asked if anything was biting, the boys proudly showed off the redfish they caught. “We only have to catch one more to have our limits,” Larry said.

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Angler, age 10, starts lure company By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Michael Wood III has no time for video games. The 10-year-old angler from San Antonio had a busy summer at camp and vacationing in Alaska where he fished for salmon. And, now that school is underway, the fifth-grader is a fullback for the San Antonio Academy Wildcats. Plus, he has a company to run. Golden Lure Tackle Company launched earlier this year with spinner baits that Michael designs and assembles at home. Included are the “Golden Nugget Spinnin’ Squid,” the “Blue Braided Beauty” and the “Wedding Zinger.” They cost just under $5, and Michael has sold about 300 of them. “Fishing is my favorite thing in the world,” he said. “I started making lures because I thought it would be a really fun hobby. And besides, most people won’t have the experience of starting their own business.” Michael tests his lures on the coast and in freshwater lakes. His family regularly fishes at Rockport, where he caught his first keeper trout, a 17-incher, when he was 4 years old. The entrepreneur said he decided to focus on spinner baits “because they’re an allaround great lure that works good in freshwater and saltwater.” “They’re very easy to make, too,” he said. “With all the blades and beads you can put on them, they’re so attractive to a fish, and the way they move through the water, the blade vibrates and that’s very important in attracting the fish.” Michael’s parents didn’t flinch when he told them he wanted to sell his lures. His mother, Jodi, said they were pleased that he wanted to try something productive. “My husband and I are big outdoor people,” she said. “We hunt and we fish,

ENTREPRENEUR: Michael Wood III has turned a hobby into a business. His Golden Lure Tackle Company produces spinner baits that he sells for just under $5. Photo by Golden Lure Tackle Company.

and teach our children all about that. “And Michael, since he was 5, has been able to go out in the hot, hot June and July and stay out there, even when the dads are ready to come in.” But if Golden Lure was to be taken seriously, it needed serious help. Jodi turned to a longtime friend, Camille Mandigo of Texas Creative Marketing in San Antonio, to help Michael develop his logo, marketing See LURE COMPANY, Page 11

RIVER MONSTER: This suckermouth catﬁsh was pulled out of the Guadalupe River by New Braunfels resident Andrew Cumberland. Photo by Dale Cumberland.

High-schooler catches strange fish New Braunfels High School sophomore Andrew Cumberland was fishing for sunfish in the Guadalupe River July 12 when he spotted a really ugly fish in shallow water. Thinking it was a carp, he switched to dough bait, which the fish took immediately. “I was surprised when I pulled it into the kayak,” Cumberland said. “I had never seen a fish that looked like it — it seemed to be prehistoric.” With the help of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department fisheries biologists at the A.E. Wood State Fish Hatchery in San Marcos, Cumberland determined that he had landed a suckermouth catfish. The 21-inch fish weighed 3.45 pounds. Cumberland did not return the fish to the water, which was the correct action under the circumstances. “These fish are the most destructive exotic fish in Texas,” said Dr. Gary Garrett, a fisheries scientist and TPWD’s director of watershed conservation. “They take over important habitats such as springs, push out and replace native species (including listed species and species of conservation concern), decimate native vegetation and undermine and destabilize banks. In no way do they have any redeeming qualities.” TPWD recommends that anyone catching a suckermouth catfish follow Cumberland’s example and do not return it to the water. Cumberland’s catch became the new state rod-and-reel record for the species and garnered him two $5,000 scholarships from the Federation of Student Anglers (FSA), an international student angling organization based in Bulverde. —Staff report

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TEXAS FISHING REPORT Sponsored by

HOT BITES LARGEMOUTH BASS

AMISTAD: Good on soft plastics, jigs, and drop shots. BRIDGEPORT: Good on medium-running crankbaits in shad patterns and Texas-rigged Jackall Sasuteki Craws on deeper docks. CEDAR CREEK: Good on Texas rig worms, shaky heads and ﬁnesse jigs around docks — best action is in early morning with deep brush piles producing throughout the day on Carolina rigs. JOE POOL: Good on Texas rigs, medium crankbaits and jigs. SAM RAYBURN: Good on top-waters early, later switching to shallow running crankbaits, Texas rigs and Rat–L–Traps.

WHITE, HYBRID, STRIPER

ARROWHEAD: White bass are good on slabs. BELTON: Hybrid striper are good on live shad. BOB SANDLIN: White bass are good on Humdingers and top-waters. GRAPEVINE: White bass are good on top-waters and Rat–L–Traps. LAVON: White bass are good on slabs. TAWAKONI: White bass are excellent on white SSS Slabs and tailspins. TRAVIS: White bass are good on small crankbaits and jigging spoons in 20–30 feet.

CATFISH

BRAUNIG: Channel catfish are excellent on liver, shrimp, and cut bait near the dam. FALCON: Channel and blue catfish are excellent on stinkbait, shrimp, and cut bait. LBJ: Channel catfish are good on nightcrawlers and dipbait. Yellow and blue catfish are good on trotlines baited with goldfish and perch. TAWAKONI: Excellent in deep water drifting cut bait and fresh shad.

CRAPPIE BROWNWOOD: Good on Li’l Fishies and minnows over brush piles. CONROE: Good on minnows and blue tube jigs.

ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 85– 91 degrees; 6.45’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters and weightless soft plastics early, later switching to Carolina rigs, jigs and Texas rigs. Catfish are fair on nightcrawlers. AMISTAD: Water clear; 86–92 degrees; 6.28’ low. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastics, jigs, and drop shots. Catfish are good on cheesebait, shrimp and liver over baited holes. Yellow catfish are fair on trotlines, juglines and droplines baited with live perch. ARROWHEAD: Water turbid; 84–89 degrees; 8.08’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters, Texas rigs and spinnerbaits. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Blue catfish are good on juglines with cut shad. ATHENS: Water clear, 86–91 degrees; 4.64’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged worms, shakyheads and Carolina rigs — midday concentrate on deeper brush piles. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Catfish are good on prepared bait.

shad near the railroad trestle. CANYON LAKE: Water clear; 79–82 degrees; 7.99’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on watermelon soft plastics and top-waters over grass early, and on red ﬂake worms and Devil’s Tongues off points and ledges. Smallmouth bass are fair on pumpkin tube jigs and smoke grubs in 10–20 feet early. Yellow and blue catﬁsh are good on live bait. CEDAR CREEK: Water lightly stained; 86–92 degrees; 6.44’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rig worms,

on chartreuse striper jigs. Catfish are good on stinkbait, liver and live bait. GRAPEVINE: Water clear; 87–92 degrees; 3.68’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged worms, finesse jigs and medium crankbaits along main lake points. Good deep crankbait and football head jig bite along offshore structure as well. Reports of improved shallow water bite as well. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on top-waters and Rat–L–Traps. Catfish are fair to good on nightcrawlers and cut shad.

HOT SPOT

BOB SANDLIN: Water lightly stained; 86–92 degrees; 8.09’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged worms and football jigs off ledges and in brush piles. Crappie are good on live minnows. White bass are good on Humdingers and top-waters. Catfish are fair to good on trotlines or juglines. BRAUNIG: Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and watermelon soft plastic worms in reeds. Striped bass are good on liver and shad off points. Redfish are good on perch, shad, and silver spoons near the dam. Channel catfish are excellent on liver, shrimp, and cut bait near the dam. BRIDGEPORT: Water clear; 85–90 degrees; 13.37’ low. Largemouth bass are good on medium-running crankbaits in shad patterns and Texas-rigged Jackall Sasuteki Craws on deeper docks. Best colors are green pumpkin with pincers dipped in chartreuse. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid stripers are good on slabs. Channel catfish are fair on cut and prepared bait. BROWNWOOD: Water clear; 15.96’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Grande Bass 4” watermelon red worms and Bass Hogg spinnerbaits near the docks in 12–18 feet. Hybrid striper are fair on shad. White bass are good on Li’l Fishies and small crankbaits off lighted docks at night. Crappie are good on Li’l Fishies and minnows over brush piles. Channel catfish are fair on trotlines baited with cut bait and liver. BUCHANAN: Water clear; 81–84 degrees; 30.11’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on shad flukes, Pop–R’s, and watermelon red Whacky Sticks on jigheads off points and ledges in 8–20 feet early. Striped bass are fair on live bait and plastic swim baits near the dam. Crappie are fair on chartreuse tube jigs and minnows. Channel catfish are good on liver, minnows, and stinkbait. Yellow and blue catfish are good on juglines and trotlines baited with goldfish and perch. CADDO: Water stained; 86–91 degrees; 1.62’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rig worms and top-waters early, late switching to shallow crankbaits around isolated cover. Yellow bass are good on minnows. Catfish are fair on nightcrawlers and prepared bait. CALAVERAS: Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse soft plastic worms, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits near the dam. Striped bass are good on chicken livers and shad along the shoreline. Redfish are slow. Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are fair on liver, cheesebait, shrimp, and

O.H. IVIE: Water stained; 85–90 degrees; 35.04’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on Zell Pops, Senkos, Texas rigs and Rat–L–Traps. White bass are fair to good on slabs. Catfish are good on nightcrawlers. PALESTINE: Water lightly stained; 86– 92 degrees; 5.49’ low. Largemouth bass are good on medium crankbaits, Texas-rigged worms and shakyheads. The shallow bite is improving. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Hybrid stripers are fair on slabs, Sassy Shad and live shad. White bass are fair to good on slabs and minnows. Catfish are good on prepared bait. POSSUM KINGDOM: Water stained; 84– 89 degrees; 8.43’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters early, later switching to drop-shot rigs, Carolina rigs, Texas rigs and mediumrunning shad-pattern crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair to good on slabs and Little Georges. Striped bass are fair on live shad. Catfish are fair to good on nightcrawlers.

BASTROP: Water clear; 84–87 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse crankbaits, spinnerbaits and soft plastics. Crappie are good on minnows and green tube jigs. Channel and blue catﬁsh are good on shrimp, liver, and nightcrawlers. BELTON: Water clear; 82–86 degrees; 9.96’ low. Largemouth bass are good on spinnerbaits and soft plastics in coves. Hybrid striper are good on live shad. Channel and blue catﬁsh are good on shrimp and stinkbait.

NAVARRO MILLS: Water stained; 89–92 degrees; 3.43’ low. Largemouth bass to 2 pounds are good on minnows from docks. White bass are good near the dam early. Channel catﬁsh are fair on stinkbait and shrimp. Blue catﬁsh are good on trotlines and juglines baited with perch.

Lake Ray Hubbard Anglers have reported catching good numbers of bass on Texas-rigged baits and deep crankbaits. Great reports have come from the river, if you can access places to get to the ﬁsh. Other reports have bass being caught from 7 to 10 feet on rocks near drop-offs to deeper water. Photo by LSON.

shaky heads and finesse jigs around docks — best action is in early morning with deep brush piles producing throughout the day on Carolina rigs. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid stripers are good on live shad. COLEMAN: Water clear; 78–82 degrees; 15.45’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and Rat–L–Traps. Crappie are good on minnows and blue tube jigs. Channel catfish are good on stinkbait and shrimp. CONROE: Water fairly clear; 81–84 degrees; 5.37’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse Carolina-rigged soft plastics and Senkos. Crappie are good on minnows and blue tube jigs. Catfish are good on stinkbait and shrimp. COOPER: Water lightly stained; 85–91 degrees; 10.13’ low. Largemouth bass are good on medium crankbaits and Texas-rigged worms throughout the day. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are fair to good on Sassy Shad and live shad. Catfish are good on prepared bait and cut bait. FALCON: Water clear; 87–91 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse soft plastic worms, spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Channel and blue catfish are excellent on stinkbait, shrimp, and cut bait. FAYETTE: Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon and shad colored swim baits, spinnerbaits, and soft plastics in 12–20 feet. Channel and blue catfish are fair on cut shad. FORK: Water fairly clear; 86–91 degrees; 6.48’ low. Largemouth bass are good on 3/4 oz. football head jigs with LFT Hyper Freak trailers, Carolina rigs and deep-diving crankbaits in deeper water along main lake humps, drops and brush piles. The early bite is shallow on top-waters and soft plastics with reports of square-bill crankbaits producing around shallow timber. Bass are also reported schooling midday around bridges. Catfish are good on cut shad and prepared bait. GRANBURY: Water clear; 85–88 degrees; 5.74’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse Rat–L–Traps and soft plastics. Striped bass are fair

JOE POOL: Water clear; 86–92 degrees; 3.09’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs, medium crankbaits and jigs. Deep brush piles are best later in day. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on slabs. Catfish are fair to good on prepared baits. LAKE O’ THE PINES: Water lightly stained; 86–92 degrees; 3.15’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs and shallow crankbaits, switching to jigs later in the day off brush piles. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut shad. LAVON: Water lightly stained; 87–92 degrees; 10.83’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rig creature baits, top-waters and medium crankbaits. Shallow bite is good early. White bass are good on slabs. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs around bridge columns. Catfish are good on cut shad and nightcrawlers. LBJ: Water fairly clear; 82–85 degrees; 0.29’ low. Largemouth bass are good on blue flake Whacky Sticks, blue jigs, and Texas-rigged soft plastics near docks in 5–10 feet. Striped bass are good on Li’l Fishies and Spoiler Shads at night. White bass are good on Li’l Fishies at night. Crappie are fair on blue Curb’s crappie jigs and live minnows in clear water. Channel catfish are good on nightcrawlers and dipbait. Yellow and blue catfish are good on trotlines baited with goldfish and perch. LEWISVILLE: Water clear; 87–92 degrees; 5.53’ low. Largemouth bass are good on medium-running crankbaits, shaky heads and Texas-rigged plastics on main lake points in 10–15 feet or football head jigs along same areas. Jackall Flick Shakes around boat stalls are producing too. Shallow bite is improving. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid stripers are fair on slabs and Sassy Shad. Catfish are good on prepared bait. LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 88–91 degrees; 3.17’ low. Largemouth bass are good on spinnerbaits and soft plastic worms. Striped bass are fair on Rat–L–Traps and chartreuse striper jigs. White bass are good on troll tubes, pet spoons and green Charlie slabs. Crappie are good on minnows.

RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 86–92 degrees; 3.93’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Gene Larew Salt Flickrs rigged on a shaky head and 3/4 oz. Revenge football head jigs in chameleon/chartreuse on main lake points with rock. Crappie are good early and late on jigs and minnows in brush in 20–25 feet. White bass are excellent — schooling early from the dam to the marina. Catfish are fair on Danny King’s punch bait over baited holes. RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water fairly clear; 86–91 degrees; 6.57’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texasrigged worms, deep crankbaits and football jigs, later in the day switching to shakyheads around the deeper docks. White bass are fair on slabs and live shad. Hybrid striper are fair on slabs and live shad. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair on prepared bait and nightcrawlers. SAM RAYBURN: Water lightly stained; 80–84 degrees; 12.35’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters early, later switching to shallow-running crankbaits, Texas rigs and Rat–L–Traps. Catfish are good on trotlines baited with live bait and nightcrawlers. TAWAKONI: Water fairly clear; 86–92 degrees; 6.02’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters early, later switching to black/blue Firewater 1/2 oz. jigs, Texas-rigged blue fleck worms and square-bill crankbaits. Bladed jigs are producing on windy days. White bass are excellent on white SSS Slabs and tailspins — schooling on points early and late. Striped bass and hybrid striper are good on 4” to 6” white or shad-pattern Sassy Shad in the shallows early then suspending deep during the day — drifting live bait is also producing. Catfish are excellent in deep water drifting cut bait and fresh shad. TEXOMA: Water fairly clear; 86–91 degrees; 6.92’ low. The lake is currently experiencing an outbreak of Blue–green algae. TOLEDO BEND: Water stained; 79–82 degrees; 11.02’ low. Largemouth bass are good on black/red flake craw worms early. White bass are fair on Li’l Fishies. Bream are good on crickets and nightcrawlers off docks in 4–5 feet. Channel and blue catfish are good on trotlines baited with live bait and liver. TRAVIS: Water stained; 82–85 degrees; 48.87’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on smoke grubs and watermelon worms in 15–30 feet. White bass are good on small crankbaits and jigging spoons in 20–30 feet. Channel and blue catfish are good on nightcrawlers and cut perch in 30–40 feet. WHITNEY: Water stained; 80–83 degrees; 15.62’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Catfish are good on shrimp and stinkbait.

SALTWATER SCENE NORTH SABINE: Redfish are good in the marsh on soft plastics and frogs. Drifters have worked slicks for trout and redfish on plastics and top-waters. SOUTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good under birds and pods of shad. Trout are good at the jetty on live bait and top-waters. Bull redfish are good at the jetty. BOLIVAR: Trout are good on the south shoreline on Bass Assassins, Trout Killers and Sand Eels. Trout, bull redfish, black drum, sand trout and redfish are good at Rollover Pass. TRINITY BAY: Trout are good for drifters working pods of shad and mullet on soft plastics and live shrimp under a popping cork. Redfish are good on live bait around the reefs. EAST GALVESTON BAY: Whiting and sand trout are good on the edge of the Intracoastal on fresh shrimp. Trout are good for drifters on plum Bass Assassins, TTF Flats Minnows, Norton Bull Minnows and live shrimp. WEST GALVESTON BAY: Bull redfish are good in the surf and San LLuis Pass on d att S i P crabs and mullet. Sheepshead, redfish and black drum are good at the jetties on shrimp and crabs. TEXAS CITY: Sand trout and Gulf trout are good in the channel on shrimp. Redfish are fair to good in Moses Lake on crabs and shrimp. FREEPORT: Bull redfish are good on live bait and crabs on the Surfside beach. Black drum and redfish are good on the reefs. Bull redfish are showing at all the jetties. EAST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair for drifters on live shrimp mp over humps and scattered shell. Trout and redfish are fair to good on the shorelines ines for waders tossing small top-waters and live shrimp under a popping cork. WEST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair on sand and grass humps on soft plastics and top-waters. Redfish are good on live shrimp and top-waters in Oyster Lake, Crab Lake and Shell Island. PORT O’CONNOR: Bull redfish are good in the surf and at the jetty on natural baits. Trout and redfish are fair for drifters working the back lakes with live shrimp. ROCKPORT: Redfish are good on mullet on the Estes Flats and around Mud Island. Trout and redfish are good on the St. Joe shoreline on scented baits. Large schools of redfish have been seen on the flats. PORT ARANSAS: Redfish are fair at East Flats and Shamrock Cove on top-waters and plastics under rattling corks. Offshore is good for amberjack, kingfish, tuna and dolphin. CORPUS CHRISTI: Redfish are good on the shallow flats on gold spoons and small topwaters. Sand trout and croakers are good in the channels on fresh shrimp. Trout are good on top-waters in Oso Bay. BAFFIN BAY: Trout are good on top-waters and plum plastics around rocks and grass. Redfish are good in the Land Cut on live bait. Redfish are fair to ggood in knee–deep p water on gold spoons and top-waters. PORT MANSFIELD: Redfish are showing ng in large schools on the sand. Redfish are fair to good while drifting pot holes on top-waters and soft plastics under a popping cork. Trout are good on the ledges of the channel on soft plastics. SOUTH PADRE: Trout, redfish and snook are fair to good on the Mexiquita Flats on DOA Lures and live bait. Tarpon and snook are good on shrimp and shad at the jetties. PORT ISABEL: Redfish are good at Gas Well Flats on Gulps under a popping cork. Trout and redfish are fair to good while drifting sand and grass flats on live shrimp, DOA Shrimp under popping corks.

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

September 23, 2011

Boat ramps: Record lake lows; few public ramps still open By Conor Harrison

Open public boats ramps

LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS It’s no secret that Texas lakes are down this year. Many spots that have produced big bass for anglers in past years have been too dry to launch boats this summer. According to the Lake Fork Marina, only eight boat ramps are currently open due to low water. The Sabine River Authority, which controls water on Toledo Bend, released a statement saying the lake set a record for the lowest level ever on Sept. 13, when water levels reached 160.91 feet msl. Only 11 public boat ramps remain open. According to the Mark Waters, assistant project manager for the Trinity River Authority, only two public boat ramps operated by TRA are open on Lake Livingston. “The water is very low right now,” Waters said. “Jet skis and smaller boats are able to launch, but prudent judgment is needed for larger boats.”

Bass Club awarded for youth program success The Magnolia-Tomball Bass Club, a B.A.S.S. Federation Nation afﬁliate in southeastern Texas, has been tapped to receive the 2010 Berkley Angler Recruitment and Retention Award from the Berkley Conservation Institute. The club was recognized for its part in founding the Ignition Bass Youth Fishing League. Several club members approached Ignition Bass in 2009 with the idea for a youth program that involved competition. Ignition Bass agreed to take on the project with the oversight of a board of directors for the nonproﬁt

youth circuit. The Ignition Bass Youth Fishing League now has four age divisions and six regular-season tournament events with an average of 27 anglers competing in each event. Jim Brockman, tournament director for Ignition Bass, runs the Youth Fishing League on a volunteer basis. He was a member of the Magnolia-Tomball Bass Club when it hit on the idea to ask an established organization to “do something for the kids,” Brockman said. “And that's how it got started. Members of the Magnolia-Tomball Bass Club volunteer their time and their boats if needed for the kids who don't have a boat,” he said. —Staff report

Open on Lake Fork: Public 154 West 515 Vals Landing Popes Landing Oak Ridge Minnow Bucket Mustang Resort Lake Fork Marina Open on Toledo Bend (according to Sabine River Authority): Swede Johnson Recreations Site 1 Huxley Bay Marina

New fishing regulations affect some West Texas reservoirs Some Texas reservoirs have different fish-harvest regulations as of Sept. 1. Lake Kirby, where the 12-inch minimum length and 25-fish daily bag limit for blue and channel catfish was changed to a no minimum length limit and daily bag limit of 50 blue or channel catfish in any combination. No more than five blue or channel catfish 20 inches or greater can be kept. The new catfish regulation will give anglers more harvest opportunities and will also provide more protection

Haley’s Ferry East Hamilton Holly Park Pendleton Harbor Marina Alpine Marina Indian Mounds Camping Fin & Feather Lodge Six Mile SRA Recreation Site 7 Open on Lake Livingston: Tigerville Park Paul Cauthan Park on White Rock Creek

of larger catfish, letting their numbers increase, or at least maintain, for catfish for anglers to enjoy. Lake Alan Henry, near Post, will have a new regulation for bass. Gone is the 18-inch minimum length limit on spotted bass and smallmouth bass. The new minimum length limit for smallmouth bass is 14 inches, and the daily bag limit is five fish. For spotted and largemouth bass, there will be no minimum length limit and a daily bag limit of five largemouth or spotted bass in any combination; however, only two bass less than 18 inches may be retained per day. One other new regulation is that handfishing, or noodling, is now legal for blue, channel and flathead catfish. All current length and bag limits apply. —Staff report

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Lure company Continued From Page 9

strategy and Web site (www. fishgoldenlure.com). “That part was some of the best experiences he had,” Jodi said. “They really treated him like an adult and they had the conversations with him, not me, even though I was in the room with them.” Michael said he couldn’t remember the first fish he caught on one of his lures, but one of his first customers, his godfather Benjamin Kinney, does. “I bought some of them, just as a favor to little Michael,” said the Houston businessman. “But I bought them not thinking much more about it.” Kinney was fishing on the coast when he ran into some difficulty. “In the summertime, the weeds get so bad in the back lakes,” he said. “Well, I tied on one of Michael’s lures and sure enough, we caught a bunch of redfish. “Those spinners keep the weeds off.” Kinney said the fishing lure industry “is probably the hardest business to break into,” but his godson “certainly has a future at something.” Michael isn’t thinking in terms of adulthood. Right now he’s concentrating on filling orders. Sometimes he enlists help from his buddies and little sister, Payton, a second-grader. He pays the crew 10 cents a lure, plus Jodi makes cookies. “We usually just set up little bowls of beads, blades and skirts,” Michael said. “I teach my friends how to put them on and I’ll clamp them down. “We have a good time doing it.”

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September 23, 2011

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

LSONews.com

GAME WARDEN BLOTTER TRESPASSING TO HUNT IS POACHING After seeing signs of trespassing, Terrell County Game Wardens Saul Aguilar and Kenneth Stannard found individuals who were hunting dove without landowner consent, and no hunter education cards. One was a felon in possession of a firearm. Cases pending. BAITING SEASON BEGINS While on patrol in Brewster County, game wardens discovered what appeared to be a baited dove hunting field. To get a clear definition on what would be considered normal agricultural planting practices, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was called in to assist. A USFWS agent concluded that the agricultural planting practices used on this field were not normal for the county and determined that the field was baited. Wardens, working in conjunction with USFWS, began watching the field for possible dove hunting activity. On the second day of the season, the wardens noticed several vehicles parked near the field and heard shots in the area. The wardens made contact with six hunters who had harvested 71 dove. The birds were seized and citations were issued for hunting dove over bait. OPENING DAY DOWNERS On opening day of dove season, Tarrant County Game Wardens John Padgett and David Vannoy found two hunters with unplugged shotguns and a dead scissor-tailed flycatcher. At another field, the wardens checked one man who said he had taken his limit during his morning hunt. Vannoy checked 12 dove in the man’s bag and obtained a written confession about the limit of dove killed that morning. Padgett found more evidence of freshly killed birds in the brush. The man finally admitted to killing 19 dove over the

‘A LOT’ MIGHT NOT BE THE RIGHT ANSWER Edwards County Game Warden Scott Holly and Kimble County Game Warden Lee Morrison teamed up to work dove hunters. Once darkness fell, the two wardens proceeded to an area where several reports of possible road hunting for axis deer had been received. Just as the wardens pulled in, a truck drove by pulling a trailer with no lights. The wardens stopped the vehicle and noticed that the bed of the truck had dove feathers stuck to it, as well as a case of shotgun shells with blood on it. Shotguns were in the front seat of the vehicle. The occupants stated they had not done any dove hunting that afternoon. With the fresh evidence in front of them, the two said that they had shot around 34 to 37 dove the day before. Holly and Morrison then began questioning the hunters about the fresh feathers and wet blood that was all over the bed of the truck. daily bag limit. Multiple cases and civil restitution are pending. DOUBLE-DIPPING DOVE HUNTERS Tarrant County Game Wardens John Padgett and David Vannoy checked a group of dove hunters who had not taken the required hunter education course. After issuing citations, the wardens spoke with them about their previous hunts of the season. After hearing about the large number of birds killed among the group, one subject admitted to killing his daily bag limit during both the morning and afternoon hunts of the previous day. A written confession was obtained, and additional citations for killing over the daily bag limit were issued. Cases and civil restitution are pending. BOAT ‘THEFT’ NOT WHAT IT SEEMS Harris County Game Warden Jennifer Inkster was notiﬁed that a caller was reporting that his boat was being stolen near the Kemah Bridge. Inkster immediately headed

The two hunters then admitted that they had shot a few birds and left them at the ranch. When asked how many birds had been shot, the two hunters said “a lot.” When asked what “a lot” was, the two stated more than 100 birds had been shot that afternoon between the two of them. One of the hunters did not have a current hunting license. The wardens followed the hunters back to the ranch to inspect the birds. Once at the ranch, the two hunters retrieved 109 birds killed that afternoon. After limits were separated for that day for one hunter, 94 birds were confiscated. Due to the one hunter not having a license for that day and the day before, another 19 birds were confiscated at that hunter’s residence. The two wardens filed on the hunters for over the daily bag limit, hunter education violation, no hunting license and no trailer lights. Cases pending.

for the bridge boat ramp and saw the Seabrook Police Department, Sea Tow, and the caller's registered vessel under the bridge. Seabrook PD said the caller was in their custody for outstanding warrants and had accused them of “stealing his boat.”

bait on a large stock tank. Bait was found late that night. Haskell County Game Warden Ryan Peacock and Stephens County Game Warden Cliff Westbrook assisted the next morning in visiting with hunters. Citations are pending.

VIOLATIONS GALORE Starr County Game Wardens Benjamin Baker and Jerry Norris had a busy opening weekend for the special white-winged season. The wardens located hunters shooting over bait, in a closed area, with unplugged shotguns, no hunter safety cards, killing protected species in a ﬁeld with about 15 hunters and not a license among them. Numerous appointments with the local magistrates were arranged.

JUST A FEW TOO MANY DOVE King/Knox County Game Warden Jim Daniels and Dickens/Kent County Game Warden Danny Kessel entered a camp in King County. The four out-of-state hunters had 114 dove over their possession limit.

BAIT AND MORE BAIT Throckmorton County Game Warden Shea Guinn was in an area where there were many dove ﬂying late in the evening. Capt. Lacy Loudermilk came to help ﬁnd

WE WEREN’T DOING ANYTHING Gillespie County Game Warden Sam Harris received a call regarding possible road hunting. Harris contacted the complainants who said they heard a shot and saw a truck parked on the road near their residence. The landowners were able to get a description of the driver and a license plate number, and said they had seen a second person running in the brush. While en route, Harris

encountered the suspect vehicle with two individuals and initiated a stop. Harris recovered a recently fired .222 rifle with a spent cartridge and denials from the occupants. Harris seized the rifle for evidence and proceeded to the complainants’ ranch where the landowner had discovered a freshly killed young axis buck. After a little surgery, Harris recovered an intact, mushroomed bullet from the carcass. The suspect vehicle and owner have been identified as suspects in two other road hunting cases in the last month. BAITING TO PRODUCE INTEREST IN HUNTING WAS POOR LOGIC District 1 Game Wardens Deshanna Creager and Scott Kirkpatrick came across several dove hunters from the Metroplex. During the process of checking licenses and bag limits, bait was found in and around the area they were hunting. After a brief investigation, the father-in-law of one hunter admitted to placing the bait to increase the likelihood his son-in-law would have an abundance of birds and have a good hunt, thereby increasing the likelihood the son-in-law would take up the sport. Cases pending. THE BAIT GOES ON Erath County Game Warden Zach Havens was scouting a field at midday and noticed it had been hunted. Havens’ interest in the field rose when he noticed a trickle of milo that had been placed around the field. He came back later in the afternoon when a vehicle pulled into the field. Havens made contact and the individual driving admitted to placing the bait and allowing friends to hunt the property. The field was closed to dove hunting and the individual was charged with placing bait to attract migratory game birds.

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

September 23, 2011

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September 23, 2011

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HEROES SHARE AN ADVENTURE ■ Want to share hunting and ﬁshing photos with other Lone Star Outdoor News readers? E-mail them with contact and caption information to editor@lonestaroutdoornews.com. High-resolution original jpegs only. Mail prints to Heroes, Lone Star Outdoor News, P.O. Box 551695, Dallas, TX 75355. BRITTON NEW of Fort Worth recently took this red hartebeest while hunting with Coenraad Vermaak Safaris near Kimberley, South Africa. It scored 69 3/4. He also got a springbok that scored 41 1/4.

WALKER, 8, and LOGAN, 6, JENKE of San Antonio recently tag-teamed this 27 1/2-inch redfish in the Gulf of Mexico. The red, caught on croaker, weighed 8 1/2 pounds. It was Logan’s largest redfish to date. NOAH MORALES was 10 when he got his first buck the day after Christmas last season in Frio County.

HENRY BRYARLY, 5, of Dallas caught this yellow bass while ﬁshing with family on Lake Lavon. BRANTLEE ALEXANDER of Mount Pleasant dropped this bobwhite last season while hunting with his grandfather, Cooter Alexander, near Colorado City.

TONY and JOEY MOLINA of Harlingen recently caught these flounder on fresh bait while bottom fishing the Lower Laguna Madre. Kids returning to school get asked, “What did you do on your summer vacation?” RHODY BAKER, 16, of Cibolo, left, could say he visited grandparents Monroe and Holly Carr in Marco Island, Fla., but he also hooked this tarpon, estimated to be at least 100 pounds. “What a thrill to see my grandson fight it for 20 minutes,” Monroe said. “Catch and release, of course.”

It was Thanksgiving weekend last season when TREY MCLENDON, then 12 years old, got this big-bodied buck on his family’s ranch in Gillespie County. He thought it was an 8-pointer that he couldn’t get a shot at earlier, but this deer had two extra points.

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Dreadlocks Continued From Page 4

“We just agreed we’d take our kids camping,” Jared said. “We didn’t even think about it. “And, being around my dad, their grandfather, we knew they’d be around hunting.” Lauren said it took her awhile to accept the idea of killing animals for food. “It was really foreign and bizarre to me,” she said. But she came to realize that hunting is how people have gotten food for thousands of years. And game animals, she added, “have lived a good life, not cooped up in cages like a lot of our food.” The Lindsays are GENERATIONS: Marleigh and Jack Lindsay of Fort Worth help their grandfaamazed how Marleigh ther, Marty Lindsay of Weatherford, clean dove during the family’s annual and Jack have taken to the dove hunt near Haskell. Photo by Jared Lindsay. outdoors. Both children ‘Daddy, can I pick it up?’ actual hunting. eagerly joined in the pluck“I’ll have a license and baby“Then she’d talk to it and ing and cleaning of dove on even try to console it. She’d sitter come next dove seaopening weekend. say, ‘I’m sorry we had to son,” she said with a laugh. “It was surprising to see shoot you, but don’t worry, “I can see that on the surmy daughter’s love of dove we’re going to eat you.’” face this all seems a little hunting,” Jared said. “I’d Lauren said she enjoys contradicting,” Jared said. tell her to cover her ears, and handling a shotgun, and “But, I think it’s just us … after I shot a dove, she’d say, she’s eager to join in the being us.”

Broadheads Continued From Page 6

“I don’t care if you shoot them into to a brick wall,” he said. “Send it back to me and I’ll replace them.” Hartcraft offers a master pack that includes six ferrules, six locking collars, 12 blades for all ﬁve combinations, a ﬂashlight and a carrying case. “If a hunter purchases the masterr

pack, they can go hunt for anything in the world,” Wood said. “I just sent our ﬁrst package to a customer in Hawaii, so word it deﬁnitely nite getting out.” Lone Star Outdoor News shot a sample L broadhead and found them to be accurate br with solid penetration into a block target. They were also easy to unscrew and quickly replace or reverse the blades. The value pack retails for $37.95. The T master mas pack sells for $114.95.

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TEAL TIME: Teal provided hunters with good shoots in many locations around the state. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

shot a limit near Royse City, east of Dallas. Stephenville hunter Randy Farrow reported blue-winged teal working his Continued From Page 4 decoys without hesitation during opening morning, and he also had several green wing the group shot no more than 10 birds,” he teal show up on Sunday. said. “Then the next morning, everyone On Choke Canyon, Game Warden John shot their limits.” Palacios said he checked almost 15 groups Hunters said the teal were swarming into of hunters opening weekend and they were flooded rice fields, especially more recently “doing pretty well.” flooded fields. “We’ve got a bunch of blue “The numbers were up (winged) teal,” he said. “It was this year,” Friedrichs added. about 50/50 as far as drakes and hens from the hunters I checked, “I talked to some guys at but the majority were blues. TPWD and they said the “There was a good number majority of birds aren’t even of hunters opening weekend, here yet. They think (the and the birds are spread out teal) are still up in the flooded right now.” areas of the Midwest.” Palacios said the lake was Despite the late arriv“horribly low.” als, hunters across the state Hunters at TPWD wildreported solid teal shootlife management areas along ing, especially near good the coast had mixed success. water sources. Opening weekend at the J.D. Multiple hunters Murphree WMA saw 113 huntreported killing limits in ers kill 124 birds. Justin Hurst the Garwood area. WMA had 24 hunters the secFishing guide Bobby ond weekend and they shot 19 Kubin reported several birds. Mad Island WMA had flocks flying overhead on BANDED: This banded blue-winged 34 hunters take 100 birds and Lewisville Lake during teal was shot by Slade Schuirring near 36 hunters at the Guadalupe opening weekend. Delta WMA shot 136 birds the Garwood. The bird was banded in Hunter Luke Thorkildsen Canada. Photo by Slade Schuirring. second weekend of the season.

Teal

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Parker hopes to make Elite Series Little Elm resident Janet Parker has a clear shot at becoming the first woman to compete in the Bassmaster Elite Series. Parker said if she qualifies she won’t hesitate to commit for the 2012 Elite Series season. “I am on top of the world,” she said. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to have this chance.” Parker took a big step toward the Elite Series on Sept. 10 with a 10th-place finish on the Arkansas River in the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Central Open division. The high finish jumped her from sixth to second place in the points standings. If she can stay in the Top 5 through the end of the season, she hopes to be among the Open invitees for the 2012 Elite Series. To be Elite, she figures she needs a 50th-place or better finish in the one remaining tournament on the 2011 Central Open schedule, the Oct. 20-22 event on Table Rock Lake out of Branson, Mo. “If I can get that eligibility, I want to fish the Elites. I want to make history as the first female,” she said. A former Bassmaster Women’s Tour (WBT) pro, Parker joined the 2010 Opens when the women's tour disbanded after the 2009 season. She had competed in all four seasons of the women's tour's ■ Tournament briefs existence, garnering a win on the Ouachita River in 2009 and qualiPage 21 fying for the championship. — Staff report

Redfish Continued From Page 8

range,” he said. “But we have reported. He said the flats near caught a few oversized reds Rockport are really shallow, but with that big school. Early once the water comes back up, morning top-water action has the fishing will be really good. been superb.” Reports of bull reds moving Coufal said once the early into staging areas are out there, but they’re still several weeks morning bite has tapered off, away from really grouping up. the fish are sluggish until about A subscriber sent LSON a report noon, when they pick up feedfrom an outing on Sept. 14. ing again. That is typical for full ■ Go online to redfish “I fished the Lighthouse Lakes moon fishing, he said. video: www.LSONews.com area from my kayak yesterday,” “Mullet is the first choice of he said. “I launched, paddled bait, followed by piggy perch,” across the channel into the lakes, turned he added. Coufal said there also have been pods of around, got out of the boat and started throwredfish near the Lydia Ann Channel, and if ing a top-water into the entry channel off the anglers can find these smaller schools, the main channel. Oh my gosh. “The reds went completely nuts, with huge fishing can be better because the fish aren’t hogs coming off the bottom and nailing my pressured as much as the bigger groups. Guides complained of extremely low Spook … caught more than I could count.” Other positive reports have emerged from tides during mid-September, but are hopeful a little rain will push water levels back to Long Reef and Mustang Island, although wade fishermen are warning other anglers normal and improve fishing. The tide has been extra low, but the redfish about lots of rays this year making it hazardare all over the flats, an Ingleside guide ous to wade in spots.

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Quail Continued From Page 4

The average number of South Texas bobs spotted in this year’s survey was 8, down from 8.6 a year ago. But Perez said he believes it could have been worse. This region’s proximity to the Gulf Coast may have provided extra moisture from morning dew during the harshest days of summer. Gulf moisture may have contributed to a surprising boost in quail observed in a few counties that hug the coastline. The surveys in the Gulf Prairies showed an average of 19.4 birds, compared to 5 last year. “The downside is there’s not a lot of public hunting opportunities there,” Perez said. “And day leasing there is not a common practice, so hunters should call the local chambers of commerce and learn names of people who may be leasing.” Another increase, although slight, was recorded for blue or “scaled” quail in the Trans-Pecos region.

TOURNAMENT BRIEFS

Yamamoto second on Champlain Palestine, Texas angler Gary Yamamoto committed his entire week, Sept. 15-18, to skipping docks with his namesake Senko. Although his pattern produced the heaviest single-day stringer in Lake Champlain, New York history, it dwindled each of the four tournament days. Part of the reason it dwindled was that many of the lakeshore owners were pulling their docks out for the winter. Despite fishing methodically, Yamamoto said he sampled up to 100 docks in a day. On day four, he brought in five largemouths that weighed 15 pounds, 11 ounces, bringing his total weight to 74 pounds, 12 ounces. “I started out this morning on a new area,” Yamamoto said. “At noon, I just had one good one. I didn’t want to stay and gamble so I went back to my primary spot. I was confident I could catch five, but I was trying to get the bites to catch Dave.” As only he can do, Yamamoto put a unique twist on his Senko presentation. In addition to adding a 1-inch, No. 7 screw, he also hooked the Senko backwards. “I hooked it backwards so instead of going to the boat it moves back towards the dock.” Yamamoto earned $31,329 for his runner-up finish. “Yesterday I thanked my employees and all my bait buyers and my wife said it was the best speech she’s ever heard,” he said. “I know how to play the game now. If I keep everybody happy, I get to keep fishing.” Dave Wolak won the event. —Staff report

Cowtown anglers dominate Bass Champs North championship Fort Worth was well represented at the Bass Champs North Region Championship Sept. 17 on Cedar Creek Reservoir near Athens. The team of Hugo Velasco of Fort Worth and Bill Wilcox of Burleson took first place with 10 fish weighing 35.86 pounds. They won a Skeeter ZX 20 boat with a Yamaha motor. Second place went to Corey Waldrop and Craig Waldrop, both of Fort Worth. Their 10-fish total of 34.93 pounds fetched a $2,500 prize. Dale Boren and Jody Holubek, also of Fort Worth, took third with nine fish weighing 33.92 pounds. The big bass prize went to Robert Alexander of Rockwall, who boated an 8.12-pound fish for $500. —Staff report

They averaged 6.3 sightings in the surveys, up from 5 last year. That’s still far below the long-term mean of 16.4, according to TPWD records. As in previous “down” years, successful hunters will ﬁnd coveys of “carryover” birds from last year on ranches that proactively manage for quail, Perez said. Those places, he said, have cover standing, where quail can nest, feed, hide and proliferate. “I don’t want to discourage hunters from going out entirely,” Perez said, “but places with birds are going to be places that didn’t have livestock going back to the spring.” By midsummer, a lot of Texas cattle operations moved or sold their stock, but that may have been too late to beneﬁt quail, Perez said. “Quail can’t live in a parking lot,” he said, “but it looks like a parking lot out there now. As you drive across the state, it really catches your eye.”

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water in them.” “It has been real good, mainly on Little Georgetype spinners,” he added. “Surfacing has been good in the morning and evening and trolling with just about anything during the day. “The shad also had a new hatch, and they’re pretty spread out, but the sandies are going through them pretty good.” About 20 miles farther east at Lake Fork, guide Gene Snider said he expects white bass will soon start “stacking up on deep water.” “On Lake Fork, sand bass are going to get better from here on,” he said. “I saw a few ﬁsh schooling about 3 in the afternoon in 40 feet of water, running some shad,” he said. “But they didn’t stay up long.”

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Meanwhile, Snider has been putting customers on white bass in the early mornings while ﬁshing in 15-30 feet of water off of points and roadbeds. “Most of the time,” he said, “I just use a chrome jigging spoon — no particular brand — half to 3/4 of an ounce.” At Richland Chambers Reservoir near Corsicana, guide Mark Parker has found white bass with the triedand-true summer technique of keying on birds chasing shad in open water. “The (white) bass and hybrids went right in after them,” Parker said. “When the birds aren’t working, we get up on the humps and points.” He has found the best success throwing slabs, including one of his own designs, the Mark Parker Special. Farther south, in Central Texas, Lake Buchanan guide

Clancy Terrill noticed some recent top-water activity for white bass on the upper half of the lake where the Colorado River enters it. But, he noted, “They’re still in their summer pattern. Some days it’s feathers and some days it’s chicken. “Some guys like to troll, but the majority are going out with jigging spoons. “If there’s a breeze here, they’re doing better. But if it’s dead calm — not so much.” Farther down on the Colorado River system, white bass were good at night on Li’l Fishies and at Lake Travis, northwest of Austin, on small crankbaits and jigging spoons. Guide Larry Thomas, (940) 229-0288 Guide Gene Snider, (903) 638-1868 Guide Mark Parker, (254) 479-0550 Guide Clancy Terrill, (512) 633-6742

Do you have a deer lease that you’d like to list for FREE in Lone Star Outdoor News’ Texas Deer Season special section in October?

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EHD, ‘blue tongue’ suspected in breeder deer deaths By Bill Miller LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Diseases known to cause internal bleeding in white-tailed deer are suspected of killing numerous animals recently in Texas breeder pens. Epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD, and the similar blue tongue disease, aren’t new to Texas’ native deer. But breeders are noticing an uptick of infections, usually evidenced by disoriented deer bleeding from the nose or other openings. Dying deer have been reported in pens in north, northeast and southern areas of the state. It’s unclear how many free-ranging deer are also getting sick because they are harder to monitor.

Landscape Continued From Page 4

However, heavy rains blanketed Texas the weekend of Sept. 16-18, leaving 1-2 inches in East and South Texas and at least a quarter inch in much of West Texas. The rains were also a welcome respite from wildfires that heaped more stress on Texas trees. But the moisture came too late to benefit acorns. “There would have been less (acorns) anyway without fires, just because the moisture wasn’t in the ground,” said Daniel Duncum, a TFS district forester in Longview. “Most acorns did not fully develop.” A year ago, Tropical Storm Hermine deluged vast swaths of Texas with torrential rains that nourished the state’s wildlife habitat. But Hermine skipped East Texas, which stayed dry through the winter and spring, setting the stage for the unusual changing of the colors in summer. Duncum said these trees have gone into survival mode. “A lot of our district foresters (reported) that hardwood trees on sandy ridge tops are dropping their leaves completely,” he said. “That could be the best thing they could do. “When the plant senses it’s in trouble, it will close off the stomata on the bottom of the leaf and hold moisture in the plant. “Once they drop leaves, the trees can no longer lose moisture.” Severe drought will kill a tree, but Duncum and Rooni agreed that foresters wouldn’t know the extent of the damage until next spring when trees are upposed to produce new leaves. “What we’re telling folks now is, if there is any green at all in the leaf, there’s a good chance the tree will survive,” Duncum said. Deer hunters obviously won’t be cursing acorns for luring deer away from their feeders this season. But the state’s top wildlife official said well-stocked feeders could be important tools going into winter, and not just to attract bucks. “If you have an artificial food source, you need to use that to help get your populations down,” said Clayton Wolf, director of wildlife for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “That way you’re putting as little pressure on habitat as possible.” Deer mostly depend on forbs and weeds, but acorns can richly enhance the diet. “Whether it’s squirrels, deer or turkey, the perfect combo is mast crops followed by a green spring,” Wolf said, “but this year it’s going to be the opposite.” Nurseries sell replacement seedlings, some that are crossbred with traits that allow them to establish early and produce acorns within a few years. (See related story page 6.) Duncum noted, however, that forests naturally regenerate themselves, but only on nature’s timetable. “New seeds come in on the wind or animals bring them in,” he said. “The forest will rebuild itself; it’s just going to take time.”

“I’ve never known it to be this bad,” said George Taliaferro, a breeder in Kaufman County. “Right now I got little over 50 deer and 16 have been attacked. It’s still going on. I found one sick today.” As of Sept. 15, Taliaferro, who has been vaccinating his deer against the diseases, had lost three, including his biggest buck, which measured 327 inches. “The scuttlebutt around the industry is there has been quite a bit of it this year,” said Dr. Frank Ondrovik of Utopia, a South Texas deer breeder and veterinarian. “I would call this a moderately severe year.” Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has “received several dozen” reports of deer

with EHD symptoms, said Ryan Schoeneberg, TPWD’s deer disease program specialist. “EHD is suspected,” he said. A snapshot of the diseases indicates they are three times worse than last year, according to information from the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. As of Sept. 7, this lab, based at Texas A&M University, confirmed 147 reports of three EHD strains, including: 25 of EHD I; 87 of EHD II; and 35 of EHD VI. Last year, there were only 48 combined confirmed cases of these three EHD strains, said Dr. Alfonso Clavijo, an assistant director at the lab. Clavijo added that the lab has confirmed about 15 cases of blue tongue so far this year; normally

there are only six for the whole year. He said there are surely a lot more instances of the diseases, but his lab only tests blood or tissue samples sent by veterinarians. “I would expect the same kind of distribution in wildlife,” he said. But, he added, no samples from free-ranging deer have yet reached his lab. Some breeders say their deer are especially vulnerable if they have northern genetics that aren’t immune to strains of EHD found in Texas. “But,” Clavijo added, “that doesn’t explain why we have so much this year. We had the same genetics last year, and the year before.” Midge ﬂies, also called gnats, spread the diseases by sucking the blood of animals infected

with viruses, including livestock, Ondrovik said. Then the gnats transfer the viruses when they bite healthy animals. The diseases deteriorate blood vessels; infected deer hemorrhage internally and die. The gnats do their worst damage during the hot, dry weather of mid to late summer. That is perplexing, Schoeneberg said, because they require humidity to breed. “We don’t know why they are busy now,” he said. “It could be there is a central water location, so ﬂies are there.” Infections could continue until the onset of winter. “When we get a good, cold freeze those ﬂies die,” Schoeneberg said, “and the disease stops.”

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Buffet Continued From Page 1

“Near San Angelo we have five milo fields,” he said. “We just cut them three weeks ago. Then you have all this wheat up here that didn’t get high enough to harvest. It is only ankle high.” Outfitter Clint Hammonds in northern Mills County, north of Goldthwaite, also reported good conditions. “We got the food, the water, the roosting — we got it all,” he said. “On one place I got, GOOD DOG: Jake Morrison thanks his lab, Chase, after another retrieve. He and his father Dave were hunting at the Nooner ranch and both finished their limits of whitewings. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

Bow season Continued From Page 1

across the state this year, deer hunters could be pleasantly surprised at antler growth. The silver lining this year is bucks should come to corn much better than the past several seasons because of a lack of natural forage. “Because of the intense drought, antler quality is below average,” said Daniel Kunz, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologist in South Texas. “But for the intensity of the drought, the deer don’t look all that bad.” Mesquite beans and prickly pears saved the day for the adult deer, although not helping a poor fawn crop. “There really should be good hunter opportunity this year because the deer will really come to the corn,” he said. “The mesquite beans have helped antler quality, although this year will certainly be worse than last year.” In East Texas, the Pineywoods region has some big deer, but body mass could be down because of a lack of forage. “Like everywhere this year, I imagine, it’s bad,” said Gary Calkins, district biologist for TPWD. “It does appear that we are going to have fair antler development despite the poor range conditions. “I’ve seen some trail camera pictures of some really good-looking deer.” Calkins said the bodies of the deer, especially the bigger bucks he has seen, are fair to poor. “None of them look really terrible, but you can tell on some of those bigger bucks where most of their nutrition went this year. They are having it a little tough, and we could see some post-rut mortality this year.” Calkins said the deer have been foraging on about anything they can find, but if hunters have beautyberry, yaupon or any green water or willow oaks, they should see plenty of deer. “The deer will be moving this season to find food,” Calkins said. “If they can find feed, they will be coming into it, whether that’s corn or anything else.” The Hill Country should be in store for an excellent bow season. Reports from many ranches, especially those with water, said they are seeing good bucks regularly coming to corn and other food sources. “Our deer are very well taken care of,” said Lewis Scherer, ranch manager at the Flagler Ranch in west Kerr County. “Because of the drought, there wasn’t much out there for them to eat, but the bucks I’ve seen look really good. “Our fawn crop was about 50 percent, and I put out extra water for the does this summer. “Horn-wise, I’ve seen about a 2to 4-inch loss overall on score from last year.” Bottom line: if you have water and managed your herd through the drought, expect to see good deer coming to corn. If not, your deer might be on your neighbor’s property come bow season.

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basically everyone is limiting too much, have been shooting out — that is, the ones who can near to full bags.” shoot.” In the North Zone, huntOn a field that backs up to ing has been “fair” deep in the the unincorporated town of Panhandle around Amarillo Priddy, he recently shot a limit and also in East Texas near Paris, on white-winged dove. according to a TPWD report. “This is the first year I’ve seen Better shooting was reported them up here that thick,” he said. over tanks in fields north of Corey Mason, dove pro- Dallas, TPWD said. gram leader for Texas Parks and Mason added that the South Wildlife Department, said the Zone holds a lot of promise, food available on large pieces based on what he saw working a of land have lured check station near lots of action. Hondo during “Places with the special whitesmall acreage are winged season the having a little first two weekends tougher time,” he of September. said. “The birds are Outfitter Charlie really concentrated Reagor of BR now. Those that Outfitters, based have good food, in Uvalde County, ■ Go online to dove video: and haven’t been said he has high www.LSONews.com pressuring them hopes for the

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South Zone season. His operation straddles U.S. 90, the boundary between the Central and South Zones. He said birds in the Central Zone thus far “have been average to average.” “It has been so dry,” Reagor said. “And when (dove) hatched in 106 degrees, it’s a hard time keeping them going.” Reagor said he would put hunters over cut milo, corn, sunflowers and sesame. He also has access to tanks. “We’re seeing more birds in the South,” he said. “We’re hoping for good things.” Mike Wyatt, First Shot Outfitters: (325) 280-3676 Clint Hammonds: (325) 451-4140 Charlie Reagor, BR Outfitters: (830) 279-3929 Nooner Ranch: (830) 741-8614

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September 23, 2011

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

LSONews.com

the range, the SoundGear works wonders when the hunter relies on his or her ears to hear the wings of the birds or the noises on the ground, and provides The earplugs don’t look like much — but the a level of protection when the shot is fired. digital battery-powered device does two things. But beware: many of us with It enhances “envihearing issues also have trouronmental” sounds ble seeing little things at close around the hunter distances. The batteries are and muffles the blast very small, easy to drop (in the of the shotgun when grass, in our case). It’s best to the trigger is pulled. install the batteries before leavThe enhancement ing home where the aging eyes is almost spooky can see the tiny positive and good. Conversations negative symbols. of dove hunters nearly Also be ready for the price. 200 yards away were A complete SoundGear kit costs heard as though they $899. You get a pair of earplugs, were at the next table two pairs of silicone sleeves ENHANCEMENT: The SoundGear device in a restaurant. Not (one large, one small), a battery all of the chatter was muffles the blast of a shotgun but also picks up sounds 200 yards away. Photo by removal tool, two packs of batterinteresting. SoundGear. ies and a cleaning brush. There’s At first, the sound also a oneof the shotgun blast year limited warranty. didn’t seem to be dampened to a great degree. Until the device was taken out of the ear and —Craig Nyhus another shot fired that is — then the degree of muffling was noticeably apparent. (952) 947-4846 While not the optimal choice when shooting at www.soundgearhearing.com

SoundGear by La Pierre

Birds captured taking off at sunrise near Mayville, ND We are at that time of year when there are a large number of migratory waterfowl transiting the Central flyway. With the change of seasons, a wide variety of avian species are heading south. Many nest in area lakes, taking off around sunrise. When the atmospheric conditions are correct, these flocks of birds are “visible” on the Mayville Doppler radar as they lift off of area lakes. As they take flight, near concentric rings become visible, expanding outward, quickly “dissipating” as the flocks disperse. At right is an image from the Mayville Doppler captured around sunrise, Tuesday, Sept. 13. This phenomenon is relatively common, especially in the spring, fall and other times when the flyways are especially busy. Atmospheric conditions have to be just right, with an inversion near the surface of the earth. This inversion bends the radar beam in such a way that it is closer to the surface than it is under normal conditions. This “ducting” of the radar beam allows for objects close to the actual surface — such as birds taking BIRD RINGS: A radar screen shot near Mayville, off — to be readily visible. shows "bird rings" when waterfowl leave their — Staff report roosts. Photo by NWFS.

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

September 23, 2011

Page 27

Fire rolls through ranch; trail camera captures the action

WALL OF FLAMES: These photos shot on the Belding Ranch, just north of Highway 101, show a fast-moving range fire devouring cedar near a feeder. The sequence, shot several weeks ago, was taken by a trail camera over the course of five minutes. The fire burned half of the ranch near Possum Kingdom Lake. According to Miguel Diaz, who works on the ranch, the only animal found dead was a hog at a feeder. Photos by Miguel Diaz.

Texas Feral Hog Roundup A hunting contest like no other A hunting contest like no other What could be better? A hunting contest that is simple beyond belief, helps eradicate a monumental problem, rewards entrants with incredible prizes and feeds the hungry. Enter the Feral Hog Roundup, a product of the American Hog Hunting Association and sponsored by Academy Sports + Outdoors and other businesses.

The contest and prizes: It’s super simple. With four regions in Texas, archery and rifle hunters will have the chance to compete for prizes for their heaviest hogs in each category of each region. For prizes, the five heaviest hogs will set the mark for rifle hunters, and for archers the heaviest single hog will be used. But there is no limit to the number of hogs that may be taken and weighed in. A dozen or so weigh-in stations in each region will eliminate the long drives for hunters. And the prizes are big, from ATVs to UTVs, to guns, archery equipment, blinds, hunting accessories and more. The top 50 rifle hunters and top 30 archery hunters from each region will be invited to an awards party where a shot at a new pickup begins. “At each region, we’ll have a contest among the top 50 to choose five entries in both rifle and archery from each region,” said CEO Rich Schultz. “Weights don’t matter in this contest. After the fall and spring seasons, in May 2012, we’ll have a big celebration to present awards and to give away the trucks — one for rifle hunters and one for archers. “Basically, a hunter who registers and harvests a good hog will have a one-in-320 shot at a new truck — pretty good odds.”

The seasons: There are two seasons, two ceremonies per region and two sets of prizes per region. Season dates are Oct. 1 – Dec. 31, 2011 and Jan. 1 – April 30, 2012.

The costs: The contest isn’t cheap — because it’s worth it. Rifle hunting fees are $50 for a five-day hunt in one region. For the entire fall or spring season in a region, it’s $150. For those who can hunt in all four regions, it’s $400 per season. Archery hunting fees are $100 per region, or $275 for all four regions per season. There are incentives, though. Rifle hunters signing up at a participating Winchester retailer, Academy and numerous other independent dealers will receive a $50 gift card. Archery hunters will receive a $30 gift card.

Feeding the hungry: The Feral Hog Roundup is serious about feeding America’s hungry and encourages all hunters to donate their hog meat to a food bank or charity that accepts donations.

How to enter: Entry forms, tournament rules, region maps and prizes may be viewed at www.americanhoghunting.com. For more information, call Rich Schultz at (602) 329-3366.

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September 23, 2011

Lone✯Star Outdoor News

LSONews.com

DATEBOOK Executive Editor Craig Nyhus Editor Bill Miller Associate Editor Conor Harrison Associate Editor Mark England Graphics Editor Amy Moore

September 24

September 28

Texas Deer Association Sportsman’s Banquet KC Hall Seguin (210) 767-8300 www.texasdeerassociation.com

Coastal Conservation Association Dallas Chapter Fall Kickoff Tailwaters Flyﬁshing Company (214) 243-9435 www.ccatexas.org

Dallas Safari Club Fall Youth SAFETY event Greystone Castle Mingus (972) 980-9800 www.biggame.org

Quail Coalition Cross Timbers Chapter Dinner Fort Worth (817) 731-3402 www.quailcoalition.org

Business/Products Editor Mary Helen Aguirre Operations Manager Mike Hughs Accounting Ginger Hoolan Web site Bruce Soileau

National Advertising Mike Nelson Accounts Manager Founder & CEO David J. Sams

September 27 Contributors Kyle Carter Alan Clemons David Draper Wilbur Lundeen John Meyer Aaron Reed Erich Schlegel David Sikes Scott Sommerlatte Chuck Uzzle Ralph Winingham

Texas AgriLife Extension Service Wildlife Guide Training Workshop Corpus Christi (979) 845-1023 www.naturetousrism.tamu.edu Ducks Unlimited Kilgore Banquet (903) 245-4548 www.ducks.org

September 29

Ducks Unlimited San Antonio Dinner Alzafar Shrine Temple (210) 396-6282 www.ducks.org/texas

September 30 Texas Deer Association Sportsman’s Banquet Casa Blanca Ballroom Laredo (210) 767-8300 www.texasdeerassociation.com

Advertising Call (214) 361-2276 or e-mail editor@lone staroutdoornews.com to request a media kit.

For home delivery subscriptions www.LSONews.com (214) 361-2276

Lone Star Outdoor News, ISSN 2162-8300, a publication of Lone Star Outdoor News, LLC, publishes twice a month. A mailed subscription is $30 for 24 issues. Newsstand copies are free, one per person. Copyright 2011 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 e-mail them to editor@lonestaroutdoornews.com.

September 28-30 South Texas Wildlife Conference Spring Creek Place Event Center Victoria (210) 826-2904

Coastal Conservation Association Greater Sugarland Chapter meeting Spring Creek BBQ Missouri City (713) 626-4222 www.ccatexas.org

October 6 Coastal Conservation Association State of TX BBQ and STAR Awards Houston Farm Ranch Club (713) 626-4222 www.ccatexas.org

October 7 Coastal Conservation Association 2011 Banquet Guides Cup (361) 563-2010 www.ccatexas.org

October 8 October 1-2

Ducks Unlimited Wharton Dinner Hungerford Hall Hungerford (979) 532-3175 www.ducks.org/texas

Houston Safari Club Monthly Meeting Embassy Suites (713) 623-8844 www.houstonsafariclub.org

Gun and Knife Show Abilene Civic Center (830) 285-0575 www.texasgunandknifeshows.com

October 5 Ducks Unlimited Lone Star Chapter Sportsman Banquet Legion Hall Llano (512) 755-9770 www.ducks.org/texas

Arabia Shrine Sportsmen 2011 Shriners Shootout American Shooting Center Houston (936) 672-3103 www.arabiashrinesportsmen.com Coastal Conservation Association Babes on Bafﬁn and Blue Ladies Tournament Bafﬁn Bay (361) 563-2010 www.ccatexas.org

October 13 Wild Game Supper Beretta Gallery Highland Park Village (214) 559-9800 www.berettausa.com

October 14 Operation Game Thief Clay shoot National Shooting Complex San Antonio (512) 389-4381 www.ogttx.com

October 14-15 Taxidermy King Trophy mount auction Will Rogers Memorial Center Fort Worth (512) 451-7633 www.taxidermyking.com

October 20 Texas Deer Association Board of Directors meeting JW Marriott, San Antonio (210) 767-8300 www.texasdeerassociation.com Dallas Safari Club Monthly Meeting Royal Oaks Country Club (972) 980-9800 www.biggame.org Austin Fly Fishers Meeting NW Rec Center (512) 346-0592 www.austinﬂyﬁshers.com

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Lone✯Star Outdoor News

Sun | Moon | Tides

New

Time Height 6:46 a.m. 2.7 L 6:49 a.m. 2.5 L 7:22 a.m. 2.0 L 8:03 a.m. 1.4 L 8:47 a.m. 1.1 L 9:34 a.m. 0.5 L 10:24 a.m. 0.2 L 11:18 a.m. 0.0 L 3:55 a.m. 3.2 H 10:37 p.m. 3.4 H 3:56 p.m. 5:12 p.m. 7:20 a.m. 7:39 a.m.

0.5 L 0.7 L 2.5 L 2.3 L

Time Height 10:03 a.m. 2.9 H 11:57 a.m. 2.9 H 1:23 p.m. 3.0 H 2:40 p.m. 3.2 H 3:53 p.m. 3.4 H 5:05 p.m. 3.4 H 6:19 p.m. 3.6 H 7:37 p.m. 3.6 H 12:16 p.m. 0.0 L

10:33 a.m. 12:04 p.m.

2.7 H 2.7 H

Time 6:12 p.m. 7:06 p.m. 7:57 p.m. 8:48 p.m. 9:38 p.m. 10:29 p.m. 11:22 p.m.

Height 0.7 L 0.9 L 1.1 L 1.4 L 2.0 L 2.3 L 2.7 L

9:03 p.m. 3.4 H

6:18 p.m. 1.1 L 7:11 p.m. 1.3 L

Time Height 7:12 a.m. 2.1 L 7:15 a.m. 2.0 L 7:48 a.m. 1.6 L 8:29 a.m. 1.1 L 9:13 a.m. 0.9 L 10:00 a.m. 0.4 L 10:50 a.m. 0.1 L 11:44 a.m. 0.0 L 4:42 a.m. 2.6 H 11:24 p.m. 2.7 H 4:22 p.m. 5:38 p.m. 7:46 a.m. 8:05 a.m.

0.4 L 0.6 L 2.0 L 1.9 L

Time Height 10:50 a.m. 2.3 H 12:44 p.m. 2.3 H 2:10 p.m. 2.4 H 3:27 p.m. 2.6 H 4:40 p.m. 2.7 H 5:52 p.m. 2.7 H 7:06 p.m. 2.9 H 8:24 p.m. 2.9 H 12:42 p.m. 0.0 L

11:20 a.m. 12:51 p.m.

2.1 H 2.1 H

Time 6:38 p.m. 7:32 p.m. 8:23 p.m. 9:14 p.m. 10:04 p.m. 10:55 p.m. 11:48 p.m.

Height 0.6 L 0.7 L 0.9 L 1.1 L 1.6 L 1.9 L 2.1 L

9:50 p.m. 2.7 H

6:44 p.m. 0.9 L 7:37 p.m. 1.0 L

Houston

Date Time Height Sep 23 8:52 a.m. 1.2 H Sep 24 9:54 a.m. 1.1 H Sep 25 3:50 p.m. 1.0 H Sep 26 12:07 a.m. 0.7 L Sep 27 1:01 a.m. 0.8 L Sep 28 12:29 p.m. 0.4 L Sep 29 1:57 a.m. 1.1 L Sep 30 3:43 a.m. 1.3 H Oct 01 4:36 a.m. 1.4 H Oct 02 5:28 a.m. 1.5 H Oct 03 6:17 a.m. 1.5 H Oct 04 7:00 a.m. 1.4 H Oct 05 7:31 a.m. 1.3 H Oct 06 7:28 a.m. 1.2 H Oct 07 6:50 a.m. 1.2 H

Time Height 10:15 p.m. 0.4 L 11:12 p.m. 0.5 L 6:18 a.m. 4:41 a.m. 10:05 p.m. 2:50 a.m. 2:16 p.m. 3:15 p.m. 4:18 p.m. 5:28 p.m. 6:46 p.m. 8:07 p.m. 9:23 p.m. 10:33 p.m.

0.8 H 0.9 H 1.2 H 1.2 H 0.2 L 0.2 L 0.2 L 0.3 L 0.4 L 0.5 L 0.6 L 0.7 L

Time

Height

10:45 a.m. 11:38 a.m.

0.7 L 0.6 L

1:22 p.m.

0.3 L

Time

Height

6:08 p.m. 1.1 H 8:01 p.m. 1.1 H

Date Sep 23 Sep 24 Sep 25 Sep 26 Sep 27 Sep 28 Sep 29 Sep 30 Oct 01 Oct 02 Oct 03 Oct 04 Oct 05 Oct 06 Oct 07

Time Height 11:56 a.m. 0.62 H 1:14 p.m. 0.60 H 3:17 p.m. 0.57 H 5:29 a.m. 0.54 H 4:30 a.m. 0.58 H 4:02 a.m. 0.63 H 4:11 a.m. 0.69 H 4:47 a.m. 0.73 H 5:40 a.m. 0.75 H 6:44 a.m. 0.76 H 7:53 a.m. 0.76 H 9:04 a.m. 0.75 H 10:13 a.m. 0.73 H 11:20 a.m. 0.71 H 12:33 p.m. 0.68 H

Time Height 9:57 p.m. 0.36 L 10:34 p.m. 0.41 L 10:59 p.m. 0.47 L 11:30 AM 0.49 L 12:46 p.m. 0.43 L 1:47 p.m. 0.38 L 2:44 p.m. 0.34 L 3:40 p.m. 0.32 L 4:38 p.m. 0.32 L 5:37 p.m. 0.34 L 6:36 p.m. 0.36 L 7:30 p.m. 0.39 L 8:18 p.m. 0.43 L 8:56 p.m. 0.46 L 9:21 p.m. 0.51 L

Time

6:32 p.m.

Height

0.55 H

Time

Height

10:44 p.m. 0.54 L

Port Aransas, H. Caldwell Pier

San Luis Pass Time Height 8:08 a.m. 1.3 L 8:11 a.m. 1.2 L 8:44 a.m. 0.9 L 9:25 a.m. 0.7 L 10:09 a.m. 0.5 L 10:56 a.m. 0.3 L 11:46 a.m. 0.1 L 4:56 a.m. 1.5 H 5:12 a.m. 1.5 H 11:54 p.m. 1.6 H 5:18 p.m. 6:34 p.m. 8:42 a.m. 9:01 a.m.

0.3 L 0.3 L 1.2 L 1.1 L

Time Height 11:20 a.m. 1.4 H 1:14 p.m. 1.4 H 2:40 p.m. 1.5 H 3:57 p.m. 1.5 H 5:10 p.m. 1.6 H 6:22 p.m. 1.6 H 7:36 p.m. 1.7 H 12:40 p.m. 0.0 L 1:38 p.m. 0.0 L

11:50 a.m. 1:21 p.m.

1.3 H 1.3 H

Time 7:34 p.m. 8:28 p.m. 9:19 p.m. 10:10 p.m. 11:00 p.m. 11:51 p.m.

Height 0.3 L 0.4 L 0.5 L 0.7 L 0.9 L 1.1 L

8:54 p.m. 1.7 H 10:20 p.m. 1.6 H

7:40 p.m. 0.5 L 8:33 p.m. 0.6 L

Date Time Height Sep 23 2:34 a.m. 2.0 H Sep 24 2:45 a.m. 1.8 H Sep 25 2:58 a.m. 1.8 H Sep 26 3:11 a.m. 1.8 H Sep 27 3:26 a.m. 1.8 H Sep 28 3:43 a.m. 1.8 H Sep 29 4:01 a.m. 2.0 H Sep 30 4:19 a.m. 2.0 H Oct 01 12:26 a.m. 1.3 L Oct 02 1:27 p.m. 0.1 L Oct 03 2:41 p.m. 0.2 L Oct 04 12:44 a.m. 2.2 H Oct 05 1:37 a.m. 2.1 H Oct 06 2:08 a.m. 2.0 H Oct 07 2:26 a.m. 2.0 H

Time Height 6:51 a.m. 1.2 L 6:54 a.m. 1.1 L 7:27 a.m. 0.8 L 8:08 a.m. 0.6 L 8:52 a.m. 0.5 L 9:39 a.m. 0.2 L 10:29 a.m. 0.1 L 11:23 a.m. 0.0 L 4:35 a.m. 2.1 H 11:17 p.m. 2.2 H 4:01 p.m. 5:17 p.m. 7:25 a.m. 7:44 a.m.

0.2 L 0.3 L 1.1 L 1.0 L

Time Height 10:43 a.m. 1.8 H 12:37 p.m. 1.8 H 2:03 p.m. 2.0 H 3:20 p.m. 2.1 H 4:33 p.m. 2.2 H 5:45 p.m. 2.2 H 6:59 p.m. 2.3 H 8:17 p.m. 2.3 H 12:21 p.m. 0.0 L

Time 6:17 p.m. 7:11 p.m. 8:02 p.m. 8:53 p.m. 9:43 p.m. 10:34 p.m. 11:27 p.m.

Height 0.3 L 0.4 L 0.5 L 0.6 L 0.8 L 1.0 L 1.2 L

9:43 p.m. 2.2 H

Time Height 7:09 a.m. 1.4 L 7:12 a.m. 1.3 L 7:45 a.m. 1.0 L 8:26 a.m. 0.7 L 9:10 a.m. 0.5 L 9:57 a.m. 0.3 L 10:47 a.m. 0.1 L 11:41 a.m. 0.0 L 4:04 a.m. 2.2 H 10:46 p.m. 2.3 H 4:19 p.m. 5:35 p.m. 7:43 a.m. 8:02 a.m.

0.3 L 0.4 L 1.3 L 1.2 L

Time Height 10:12 a.m. 2.0 H 12:06 p.m. 2.0 H 1:32 p.m. 2.1 H 2:49 p.m. 2.2 H 4:02 p.m. 2.3 H 5:14 p.m. 2.3 H 6:28 p.m. 2.5 H 7:46 p.m. 2.5 H 12:39 p.m. 0.0 L

10:42 a.m. 12:13 p.m.

1.8 H 1.8 H

Time 6:35 p.m. 7:29 p.m. 8:20 p.m. 9:11 p.m. 10:01 p.m. 10:52 p.m. 11:45 p.m.

Height 0.4 L 0.5 L 0.5 L 0.7 L 0.0 L 1.2 L 1.4 L

9:12 p.m. 2.3 H

6:41 p.m. 0.5 L 7:34 p.m. 0.6 L

Date Sep 23 Sep 24 Sep 25 Sep 26 Sep 27 Sep 28 Sep 29 Sep 30 Oct 01 Oct 02 Oct 03 Oct 04 Oct 05 Oct 06 Oct 07

Time 2:30 a.m. 2:41 a.m. 2:45 a.m. 2:44 a.m. 2:38 a.m. 2:26 a.m. 10:25 a.m. 11:15 a.m. 12:11 p.m. 1:13 p.m. 2:20 p.m. 12:42 a.m. 1:23 a.m. 1:46 a.m. 1:59 a.m.

Height 2.0 H 1.9 H 1.7 H 1.6 H 1.4 H 1.4 H 0.0 L -0.2 L -0.2 L -0.1 L 0.1 L 2.1 H 2.1 H 2.0 H 1.9 H

Time Height 6:22 p.m. 0.5 L 7:52 a.m. 1.6 L 7:58 a.m. 1.3 L 8:23 a.m. 1.0 L 8:57 a.m. 0.6 L 9:38 a.m. 0.3 L 7:05 p.m. 2.1 H 8:33 p.m. 2.1 H 10:07 p.m. 2.1 H 11:36 p.m. 2.1 H 3:32 p.m. 4:46 p.m. 5:57 p.m. 7:22 a.m.

0.3 L 0.6 L 0.8 L 1.6 L

2011 Sep-Oct 23 Fri 24 Sat 25 Sun > 26 Mon > 27 Tue N 28 Wed > 29 Thu > 30 Fri 01 Sat 02 Sun 03 Mon 04 Tue Q 05 Wed 06 Thu 07 Fri 08 Sat 09 Sun 10 Mon > 11 Tue > 12 Wed F

A.M. Minor Major 2:09 8:23 2:56 9:09 3:42 9:55 4:30 10:43 5:21 11:34 6:17 12:03 7:19 1:04 8:25 2:09 9:32 3:17 10:37 4:22 11:38 5:24 12:10 6:20 12:58 7:10 1:43 7:55 2:24 8:35 3:02 9:12 3:39 9:49 4:16 10:26 4:55 11:06 5:37 11:48

P.M. Minor 2:36 3:22 4:08 4:56 5:48 6:45 7:48 8:55 10:02 11:07 ----12:34 1:23 2:06 2:46 3:23 3:59 4:36 5:16 5:59

Major 8:49 9:35 10:21 11:09 12:02 12:31 1:34 2:40 3:47 4:52 5:53 6:47 7:35 8:18 8:57 9:33 10:09 10:47 11:27 -----

SUN Rises Sets 07:09 07:17 07:09 07:16 07:10 07:15 07:10 07:14 07:11 07:12 07:11 07:11 07:12 07:10 07:12 07:09 07:13 07:08 07:13 07:06 07:14 07:05 07:14 07:04 07:15 07:03 07:16 07:02 07:16 07:00 07:17 06:59 07:17 06:58 07:18 06:57 07:18 06:56 07:19 06:55

MOON Rises 2:56a 4:00a 5:05a 6:12a 7:20a 8:29a 9:40a 10:50a 11:56a 12:57p 1:51p 2:39p 3:20p 3:56p 4:29p 5:00p 5:30p 6:00p 6:31p 7:05p

Sets 4:33p 5:12p 5:51p 6:30p 7:10p 7:53p 8:41p 9:34p 10:30p 11:30p NoMoon 12:30a 1:30a 2:28a 3:24a 4:18a 5:10a 6:03a 6:55a 7:48a

P.M. Minor Major 2:41 8:54 3:28 9:41 4:14 10:27 5:02 11:15 5:54 12:07 6:51 12:37 7:54 1:39 9:00 2:45 10:08 3:52 11:12 4:58 ----- 5:58 12:39 6:53 1:28 7:41 2:12 8:23 2:51 9:02 3:28 9:39 4:05 10:15 4:42 10:52 5:22 11:32 6:05 -----

SUN Rises Sets 07:14 07:23 07:15 07:22 07:15 07:20 07:16 07:19 07:17 07:18 07:17 07:16 07:18 07:15 07:18 07:14 07:19 07:12 07:20 07:11 07:20 07:10 07:21 07:08 07:22 07:07 07:22 07:06 07:23 07:04 07:24 07:03 07:25 07:02 07:25 07:00 07:26 06:59 07:27 06:58

MOON Rises 2:56a 4:02a 5:09a 6:18a 7:27a 8:39a 9:51a 11:02a 12:10p 1:11p 2:05p 2:51p 3:31p 4:06p 4:37p 5:07p 5:35p 6:04p 6:34p 7:06p

Sets 4:43p 5:21p 5:57p 6:34p 7:13p 7:54p 8:41p 9:32p 10:28p 11:28p NoMoon 12:29a 1:30a 2:29a 3:27a 4:22a 5:16a 6:10a 7:03a 7:58a

P.M. Minor Major 2:48 9:01 3:35 9:48 4:21 10:34 5:09 11:22 6:01 12:14 6:58 12:44 8:01 1:46 9:07 2:52 10:15 3:59 11:19 5:05 ----- 6:05 12:46 7:00 1:35 7:48 2:19 8:30 2:58 9:09 3:35 9:46 4:12 10:22 4:49 10:59 5:29 11:39 6:12 12:01

SUN Rises Sets 07:21 07:30 07:22 07:29 07:22 07:27 07:23 07:26 07:23 07:25 07:24 07:24 07:24 07:23 07:25 07:21 07:25 07:20 07:26 07:19 07:26 07:18 07:27 07:17 07:27 07:15 07:28 07:14 07:28 07:13 07:29 07:12 07:30 07:11 07:30 07:10 07:31 07:08 07:31 07:07

MOON Rises 3:09a 4:13a 5:19a 6:25a 7:32a 8:42a 9:52a 11:02a 12:08p 1:09p 2:04p 2:51p 3:32p 4:09p 4:42p 5:13p 5:43p 6:13p 6:44p 7:18p

Sets 4:45p 5:25p 6:04p 6:42p 7:23p 8:07p 8:55p 9:47p 10:44p 11:44p NoMoon 12:44a 1:44a 2:42a 3:37a 4:31a 5:23a 6:15a 7:08a 8:01a

P.M. Minor 3:02 3:48 4:34 5:22 6:14 7:11 8:14 9:21 10:28 11:33 12:04 1:00 1:49 2:32 3:12 3:49 4:25 5:02 5:42 6:25

SUN Rises 07:34 07:35 07:36 07:36 07:37 07:38 07:39 07:39 07:40 07:41 07:42 07:42 07:43 07:44 07:45 07:46 07:46 07:47 07:48 07:49

MOON Rises 3:13a 4:21a 5:29a 6:39a 7:50a 9:03a 10:17a 11:29a 12:37p 1:38p 2:31p 3:17p 3:56p 4:30p 5:00p 5:28p 5:55p 6:23p 6:52p 7:23p

Sets 5:07p 5:44p 6:19p 6:54p 7:31p 8:12p 8:57p 9:48p 10:43p 11:43p NoMoon 12:45a 1:47a 2:47a 3:45a 4:42a 5:37a 6:32a 7:27a 8:22a

Dallas 2011 Sep-Oct 23 Fri 24 Sat 25 Sun > 26 Mon > 27 Tue N 28 Wed > 29 Thu > 30 Fri 01 Sat 02 Sun 03 Mon 04 Tue Q 05 Wed 06 Thu 07 Fri 08 Sat 09 Sun 10 Mon > 11 Tue > 12 Wed F

A.M. Minor Major 2:15 8:28 3:01 9:14 3:48 10:01 4:35 10:48 5:26 11:40 6:23 12:09 7:24 1:10 8:30 2:15 9:37 3:22 10:43 4:28 11:44 5:30 12:15 6:26 1:04 7:16 1:49 8:00 2:30 8:41 3:08 9:18 3:44 9:54 4:21 10:32 5:01 11:11 5:43 11:54

San Antonio 11:13 a.m. 12:44 p.m.

1.7 H 1.7 H

6:23 p.m. 0.5 L 7:16 p.m. 0.5 L

Time

Height

Time

Height

11:37 a.m. 1:28 p.m. 2:59 p.m. 4:21 p.m. 5:42 p.m.

1.7 H 1.8 H 1.9 H 2.0 H 2.0 H

7:26 p.m. 8:30 p.m. 9:34 p.m. 10:43 p.m.

0.7 L 0.8 L 1.0 L 1.2 L

11:46 a.m.

1.8 H

South Padre Island

Freeport Harbor Date Time Height Sep 23 2:03 a.m. 2.1 H Sep 24 2:14 a.m. 2.0 H Sep 25 2:27 a.m. 2.0 H Sep 26 2:40 a.m. 2.0 H Sep 27 2:55 a.m. 2.0 H Sep 28 3:12 a.m. 2.0 H Sep 29 3:30 a.m. 2.1 H Sep 30 3:48 a.m. 2.1 H Oct 01 12:44 a.m. 1.5 L Oct 02 1:45 p.m. 0.1 L Oct 03 2:59 p.m. 0.2 L Oct 04 12:13 a.m. 2.3 H Oct 05 1:06 a.m. 2.2 H Oct 06 1:37 a.m. 2.1 H Oct 07 1:55 a.m. 2.1 H

Oct 20

Rockport

Galveston Bay entrance, south jetty

Date Time Height Sep 23 3:11 a.m. 1.5 H Sep 24 3:22 a.m. 1.4 H Sep 25 3:35 a.m. 1.4 H Sep 26 3:48 a.m. 1.4 H Sep 27 4:03 a.m. 1.4 H Sep 28 4:20 a.m. 1.4 H Sep 29 4:38 a.m. 1.5 H Sep 30 12:44 a.m. 1.3 L Oct 01 1:43 a.m. 1.5 L Oct 02 2:44 p.m. 0.1 L Oct 03 3:58 p.m. 0.2 L Oct 04 1:21 a.m. 1.6 H Oct 05 2:14 a.m. 1.5 H Oct 06 2:45 a.m. 1.5 H Oct 07 3:03 a.m. 1.5 H

Last

Oct 12

Oct 4

Legend: Major=2 hours. Minor=1 hour. Times centered on the major-minor window. F=Full Moon, N=New Moon, Q=Quarter > = Peak Activity. For other locations, subtract 1 minute per 12 miles east of a location, and add 1 minute per 12 miles west of a location.

Port O’Connor

Sabine Pass, jetty

Date Time Height Sep 23 2:41 a.m. 2.4 H Sep 24 2:52 a.m. 2.3 H Sep 25 3:05 a.m. 2.3 H Sep 26 3:18 a.m. 2.3 H Sep 27 3:33 a.m. 2.3 H Sep 28 3:50 a.m. 2.3 H Sep 29 4:08 a.m. 2.4 H Sep 30 4:26 a.m. 2.4 H Oct 01 12:47 a.m. 2.4 L Oct 02 1:48 p.m. 0.1 L Oct 03 3:02 p.m. 0.3 L Oct 04 12:51 a.m. 2.7 H Oct 05 1:44 a.m. 2.6 H Oct 06 2:15 a.m. 2.4 H Oct 07 2:33 a.m. 2.4 H

Full

First

Sept 27

Page 29

Solunar | Sun times | Moon times

Moon Phases

Texas Coast Tides Date Time Height Sep 23 1:54 a.m. 3.0 H Sep 24 2:05 a.m. 2.9 H Sep 25 2:18 a.m. 2.9 H Sep 26 2:31 a.m. 2.9 H Sep 27 2:46 a.m. 2.9 H Sep 28 3:03 a.m. 2.9 H Sep 29 3:21 a.m. 3.0 H Sep 30 3:39 a.m. 3.0 H Oct 01 12:21 a.m. 3.0 L Oct 02 1:22 p.m. 0.2 L Oct 03 2:36 p.m. 0.4 L Oct 04 12:04 a.m. 3.4 H Oct 05 12:57 a.m. 3.2 H Oct 06 1:28 a.m. 3.0 H Oct 07 1:46 a.m. 3.0 H

September 23, 2011

7:03 p.m. 1.0 L

2011 A.M. Sep-Oct Minor Major 23 Fri 2:22 8:35 24 Sat 3:08 9:21 25 Sun > 3:55 10:08 26 Mon > 4:42 10:55 27 Tue N 5:33 11:47 28 Wed > 6:30 12:16 29 Thu > 7:31 1:17 30 Fri 8:37 2:22 01 Sat 9:44 3:29 02 Sun 10:50 4:35 03 Mon 11:51 5:37 04 Tue Q 12:22 6:33 05 Wed 1:11 7:23 06 Thu 1:56 8:07 07 Fri 2:37 8:48 08 Sat 3:15 9:25 09 Sun 3:51 10:01 10 Mon > 4:28 10:39 11 Tue > 5:08 11:18 12 Wed F 5:50 -----

Amarillo 2011 A.M. Sep-Oct Minor 23 Fri 2:35 24 Sat 3:22 25 Sun > 4:08 26 Mon > 4:56 27 Tue N 5:47 28 Wed > 6:43 29 Thu > 7:45 30 Fri 8:51 01 Sat 9:58 02 Sun 11:03 03 Mon ----04 Tue Q 12:36 05 Wed 1:24 06 Thu 2:09 07 Fri 2:50 08 Sat 3:28 09 Sun 4:05 10 Mon > 4:42 11 Tue > 5:21 12 Wed F 6:03

OUTDOOR PUZZLER | By Wilbur “Wib” Lundeen

Solution on Page 33

Major 9:15 10:01 10:47 11:35 12:28 12:57 2:00 3:06 4:13 5:18 6:18 7:13 8:01 8:44 9:23 9:59 10:35 11:13 11:53 12:14

Sets 07:43 07:42 07:40 07:39 07:38 07:36 07:35 07:33 07:32 07:30 07:29 07:28 07:26 07:25 07:23 07:22 07:21 07:19 07:18 07:17

FOR THE TABLE Duck gumbo

ACROSS 1. Deer hunter's spring preparation 6. A _____ bass 8. Do this to hunting routes 9. A small game, _____ hare 10. Name for the rarest of trout 11. Term for a man-made deer trail 13. Color hunter wears for safety 15. A large bass species 17. The tusker 18. Hunter's name for a certain small game 19. Act of moving lure to attract fish 21. Large bears 23. These should be in icefishing kits 26. Used to fry fish over open fire 27. A very good walleye bait 28. A predator 30. Species catfish, _____ cat 31. A grouping of fish in one spot 32. A female dall DOWN 1. Type habitat deer will hide in 2. The Great ______ 3. Type of a simple tent 4. Sage or ruffed 5. A food source of the trout 6. Another name for the dogfish 7. Trapped for the fur 12. A source of deer food 14. Of the trout family

Major 8:48 9:35 10:21 11:09 ----12:29 1:30 2:35 3:43 4:48 5:50 6:46 7:36 8:21 9:01 9:38 10:15 10:52 11:32 -----

4 duck breast ﬁllets 4 boneless, skinless chicken ﬁllets 2 polish sausages 30-40 peeled, deveined shrimp 2 pkgs frozen gumbo vegetables 2 cans whole tomatoes 1 med. chopped onion 1 tsp butter 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp thyme 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp red pepper Tabasco Salt to taste Soak duck in salt water and ice for 20 minutes (repeat at least twice). Place meat, vegetables, butter, Worcestershire sauce, spices and a couple of dashes of Tabasco into slow

cooker and cover with water. Bring to boil for ﬁve minutes, stirring. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour. Use fork to shred meats and simmer for another four to six hours on very low heat. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve over rice. — Texas Wild Game Cookbook

Venison swiss steak

16. 17. 18. 20. 22.

Term for the expert ﬁsherman Breed of gundog good for pheasant hunt A member of the weasel family The chain _______ Crappies spawn in _____ water

24. Term for a type angler casting method 25. A deer lure, _____ rag 28. To throw out the bait 29. A rugged outing, ___ ﬁshing

6 venison steaks, tenderized, about 1/2 pound each 1/2 cup flour 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper 3 tbsp cooking oil 2 large onions, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices 4 cups of stewed tomatoes 1 tsp paprika Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Combine the flour, salt, pepper and paprika. Dredge the venison steaks in the seasoned flour mixture, coating both sides. Heat a heavy frying pan over

medium-high heat, add the oil, and brown both sides of the steaks. Don't crowd the steaks when browning ... it's best to brown one or two at a time. Place the browned venison steaks in a large baking dish with lid, add the remaining ingredients and mix a bit to get some of the tomato and onion under the steaks. Cover the dish and place it in the oven, baking for two to three hours, or until the meat is falling apart tender. — free-venison-recipes.com

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PRODUCTS ROCNA FISHERMAN ANCHOR: Anglers, divers and others who anchor repeatedly during an outing require an anchor that sets ﬁrmly and is easily retrieved in all areas, including rock, reef, sand and weed. The Fisherman anchor does just that. Made for smaller, weight-sensitive boats, this galvanized anchor is available in 9- and 13-pound models. It features a shackle rail for easier recovery of a fouled anchor from the opposite direction; a secure attachment point for overnight anchoring; and a roll bar that ensures the anchor will always turn itself to the correct direction for setting. The anchor also has skid rails to direct the blade into the seabed and a chisel-like tip that cuts through weeds or hard bottoms. The self-launching Rocna anchor is ecologically friendly so anglers don’t have to worry about anchor drag in fragile environments. The Fisherman anchors start at about $160.

OVERLAND BOOT: Hunters who require a rugged hiking boot should check out Irish Setter’s Overland boot, which is built to withstand the punishing conditions encountered on a prolonged hunt. It is its toothy rubber outsole – the same Quest outsole that the company uses on its best hiking boots – that provides superior traction on the rocky and uneven terrain that hunters might have to traverse while following their prey. Available in gray and brown, the non-insulated boots with leather uppers and waterproof construction will retail for about $130. (888) 738-8370 www.irishsetterboots.com

4674 GUIDE SERIES HYDRO-FLO TACKLE E BAG: This 2011 ICAST Best of Show winnerr in the e Tackle Management Category is by Plano ano Molding Company. The Hydro-Flow Tackle ckle Bag is engineered to allow water to ﬂow through the bottom while keeping the interior dry. It is a bag that can be placed ed by the stream or in a wet boat all the while keeping the tackle inside dry and easily ily accessible. The bag's base is impact-resistant sistant with non-skid rubber feet. It offers seven utility ven util ity boxes plus storage in its roomy dual compar compartment tment side pockets and back expandable pocket.. Unde Underneath erneath the top cover is a plastic zippered pocket for maps off ffavorite ﬁshing spots or plastic lures. The 24-inch by 13.5-inch by 13.5-inch bag costs just under $100. (800) 226-9868 www.planomolding.com

XCELLERATOR SUPPLEMENT: This premium mineral Thi i i l supplel ment for deer is part of Rack One’s Ignite Whitetail Hunting System. Used alone, or as part of the feed system, this growth phase product is designed to maximize antler growth and overall herd health by providing vital minerals, nutrients and vitamins in the quantities needed. Among the many minerals in the supplement are calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and sodium. The latter is helpful in regulating blood pressure and the amount of ﬂuid that a deer’s body is able to retain during the hottest days of summer. A 5-pound bag of Xcellerator sells for about $15. (800) 723-2445 www.huntrack1.com

www.downndirtyoutdoors.com

www.rocna.com

DND DUCK CALLS: Down-N-Dirty Outdoors has introduced four signature duck calls – the Havoc, Chaos, Hitman 2 and Vicious – that provide the full range of natural sounds from seductive feed calls and quacks to attention-grabbing hail and comeback calls. Each two-piece unit is constructed of solid acrylic material that is precision-machined, has reeds that are cut by hand, and is individually tuned. The Havoc is a compact single-reed call with a small bore size that creates squealing and bouncing hen sounds while the Chaos, also a single-reed call, is slightly larger with a more aggressive bore for medium-range hail calls. The Hitman2 offers plenty of volume for high ﬂyers. And, the single-reed Vicious features a sound barrel that is stretched to produce more volume with a wide-open bore that allows hunters to produce 40-note hail calls with no problem. The calls sell for about $112.

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OUTDOOR BUSINESS

Outdoor Business Order Form 3 Easy Options: Mail this form, Call the ofﬁce (214) 361-2276, or E-mail; LSONacct@gmail.com. Please e-mail any photos, clip art and logos.

per issue per unit or

55 per issue per unit (12 or more issues)

Wording for ad:

Unit sizes: 1 Unit 2 Units 4 Units

2" wide x 1.125" high 2" wide x 2.25" high or 4" wide x 1.125" high 4" wide x 2.25" high

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CONSERVATION Rigs to Reefs legislation could preserve idle rig habitat

NEW PEARLS: Community members in San Leon move oysters from bags to several constructed reef pads in an effort to expedite more oyster colonies. Photo by the Galveston Bay Foundation.

Oyster reef restoration helps habitat, game ﬁsh The Galveston Bay Foundation has worked with residents from several communities along Galveston Bay this summer as part of GBF’s community-based oyster reef restoration program. The program was reinstated as a result of the devastation to native oyster populations from Hurricane Ike in 2008, when sediments were deposited across reefs, suffocating 50 percent of Galveston Bay’s oysters. Volunteers in San Leon, Bayview and Kemah joined together to restore Galveston Bay’s oysters and became “oyster gardeners,” raising oysters that will be used to seed nearby reef restoration sites. On Sept. 17, community members in San

Leon removed the oyster gardening bags from their piers and placed the live, gardened oysters on several adjacent constructed reef pads to expedite colonization by oysters. This particular reef restoration site is 5 acres and extends along the north shore of Eagle Point. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department constructed the reef pads, and GBF is aiding with community involvement. On the reef pads, the oysters become mature within their first year and quickly begin spawning to further the reefs’ development. For the past three summers, volunteers in the community of San Leon have been gardening oysters to help restore reefs and have witnessed the results firsthand — better fishing and cleaner water. This summer, Kemah and Bayview residents have joined the oyster gardening effort. —Staff report

Legislation filed by U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) is intended to prevent rigs and other structures from being removed from the Gulf of Mexico. In response to the 2010 Gulf oil spill, the U.S. Department of Interior issued a directive ordering that all nonproducing rigs be plugged and any remaining structure removed within five years. Vitter’s Rigs to Reefs Habitat Protection Act of 2011 would allow those structures to remain in the Gulf as vibrant artificial reefs. “More than ever we need to create habitat for marine life in the Gulf, not dispose of it,” said Vitter. “These idle rigs are serving a valuable purpose by supporting our fisheries, and it just doesn’t make sense to remove them.” “The structures are generally regarded as the largest man-made artificial reef in the world, providing habitat to dozens of species of fish and marine life, many of which are structure-dependent,” said Chester Brewer, chairman of Coastal Conservation Association's national government relations committee. —Staff report

Through the removal of invasive woody species such as Ashe juniper, the planting of native grasses, water capture and diversion, and other now-proven measures, fish, wildlife and native habitat flourished. The TWA was organized in 1985 as an advocate for wildlife, managers, landowners and hunters in educational, scientific, political, regulatory, legal and legislative matters. TWA administers the Texas Youth Hunting Program and co-sponsors the Texas Big Game Awards. Hixon is the past Chairman of Hixon Properties Incorporated, a family business based in San Antonio. Hixon has served as executive VP of Game Conservation International, treasurer of the African Wildlife Foundation, president of the Boone and Crockett Club and the San Antonio Zoological Society, a Texas Parks and Wildlife commissioner, chairman of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, board member of the Texas Nature Conservancy and is presently a member of the board of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute. —Staff report

Three new members join Texas Conservation Hall of Fame J. David Bamberger, George C. “Tim” Hixon and the Texas Wildlife Association comprise the Class of 2011 to be inducted into the Texas Conservation Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation. In 1969, Bamberger, the co-founder and CEO of Church's Fried Chicken, bought 3,000 acres in Blanco County. His plan was to demonstrate to others that, with careful habitat restoration, land could be restored to support wildlife and livestock and improve the quality of life of the owners. What was widely agreed by experts to be a challenged piece of ground has grown to 5,500 acres of prime real estate.

Puzzle solution from Page 29

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LONE STAR MARKET

To advertise in this section, call Mike Hughs at (214) 361-2276 or e-mail him at mhughs@lonestaroutdoornews.com.

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