January 09, 2015 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

January 9, 2015 Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper in Texas Volume 11, Issue 10

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FISHING CONTENTSClassifi eds . . . . . . . . . Page22Crossword . . . . . . . . . Page17Freshwater Fishing Report . Page10FortheTable . . . . . . . . Page 17Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page12Heroes. . . . . . . . . . . Page16Outdoor Datebook . . . . . Page21Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page14Sun, Moon and Tide data . . Page15

LSONews.com

Anglers are seeing more money to spend on fi shing trips this season thanks to lower gas prices.

Page8

Moretospend

INS

IDE

HUNTING

Hunter shoots one of the biggest spikes seen in Texas this season.

Page11

Massivespike

ByCraigNyhusLone Star outdoor newS

Hunters, both international and domestic, will gather January 15-18 at the Dallas Safari Club annual convention, and the club’s fundraising efforts include supporting sci-ence-based tools to both preserve lion populations across the African continent and preserve trophy hunting of older male lions.

DSC President Chris Hudson recently returned from a trip to Africa, attending conferences for the Professional Hunters Association of South Africa (PHASA), the Namibian Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA), the Zimbabwean Professional Hunters and Guides Association (ZPHGA) and meeting with wildlife offi cials from Tanzania at the Regional Summit to Stop Wildlife Crime and Advance Wildlife Conservation. He also met with Saviour Kasukuwere, the Minister of the Environment from Zimbabwe.

“The professional hunters were very interested in our efforts on sustainable lion populations and being trained on aging lions in the fi eld,” Hudson said. “The Tanzanian head of tourism has pledged their support, and even the Zimbabwean minister was very open to promoting tourism and sustain-able use, saying they needed to make Zimbabwe open to the world’s hunters and end the specter of corruption in the nation.”

Tanzanian offi cials, including Lazaro Nyalandu, the minis-ter of Tanzania Natural Resources and Tourism, were in Dallas earlier in 2014 to solidify their country’s support for tro-phy hunting and the sustainability of the country’s wildlife resources.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in its proposal to list the African lion as a threatened species, acknowledged the impor-tance of lawful hunting as a tool to help save the species.

In its proposal to list the African lion as a threatened spe-cies, which could take effect by 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also is proposing a permitting process for the impor-tation of sport-hunted lion trophies, provided they originate from countries with scientifi cally sound management plans.

“I want to be clear that lions are not in trouble because of

VALUEMEANSSURVIVAL:Conservationgroupsandgovernmentofficialsagreethatthehuntingofmature,non-prideAfricanlionscontributestothelong-termsurvivalofthespecies.PhotobyJofieLamprecht.

Tough December

Flounder captains report good numbers of juvenile fi sh

ByConorHarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

The fl ounder limit changed back to fi ve fi sh per angler on Dec. 15, and midcoast fl ounder gigging captains say the late fall run has ended.

“Actually, it wasn’t all that great,” said Capt. David Dupnik, who guides around Rockport. “I expected a good run. We were only allowed two fi sh per person until Dec. 15, and it only took an hour or so to gig those.”

Dupnik said he has been guid-ing a long time, and the 2-fi sh limit has hurt his business, to a point.

“It did hurt my business because I ended up running a discounted or free trip,” he said. “Nobody is going to pay full price for two fi sh. The fl ip side is that fl ounder gig-ging is getting more popular in the summer. More people realize we can gig them during the summer months, so that helps.”

Dupnik said the average size of the fl ounder was about the same as past years — 4 pounds.

“Our biggest went 9 1/2 pounds,” he said. “We got a lot of 4-pound fi sh.”

The captain also said he feels the stricter fl ounder regulations are having a positive impact on the fi shery.

“They have to be helping,” he said, “because I could go out right now and count hundreds of little fi sh under 10 inches.”

Dupnik said the early cold snaps in November probably contrib-uted to the bigger fl ounder being gone by mid-December.

“I think a lot of those big fi sh left

Good and badTexas deer

harvest down, but quality upByConorHarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

Many Texas deer hunters saw a somewhat unfamiliar sight this season — lots of cover due to solid amounts of rainfall and a bigger-than-expected acorn crop in East Texas.

Those factors combined to make the overall deer harvest, at least from initial reports, lower than average this season. However, the bucks that were taken were fat, healthy and sported good-sized

racks.“Harvests were a little slower

than we would like,” said Gary Calkins, the East Texas department leader for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “We had a little bet-ter acorn crop than we expected and the deer didn’t move to feed-ers as much. On the fl ip side, some fantastic bucks were killed.

“The lower harvest might actu-ally have a helpful effect for next season because of the better age structure.”

Please turn to page 6 SLOWERHARVEST,BIGGERBUCKS:ThegeneraldeerseasoninNorthandCentralTexasendedJan.4,butSouthTexashuntersarestillatit.PhotobyDavidJ.Sams,LSON.

Let science prevail

Please turn to page 7


If your season is over or harvest goals are met, now is the time to help your deer herd.

Page5

ProteintimeAnglers catching good numbers of cold-water large-mouths at Fayette County Reservoir.

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Fayettebass

Page 2 January 9, 2015 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com

LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News January 9, 2015 Page 3


HUNTING

Tale of the tapeTricky scoring for broken tines, bragging to friends


What does a hunter do when he harvests the buck he has been watching on trail cameras all season in the closing days, only to walk up to his trophy and notice a tine or two broken off clean at the main beam?

Besides lamenting on what could have been, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department tells hunters to score and count what the deer legally has for recording purposes.

“For Managed Land Deer Permits, the hunter has to record what the buck legally has,” said Steve Lange, head

biologist at the Chaparral Wildlife Management Area. “Based on points, if a deer (that was originally an 8-pointer) broke off a point clean at the main beam, we’d have to call that a 7-pointer. If the point still has more than 1-inch com-ing off the main beam, then he would still be an 8-pointer.”

Lange said hunters are the main management tool on the Chaparral and other WMAs, and Lange said he tells hunters to look hard for broken points.

“We haven’t seen too many broken tines this year,” he said. “But we have had deer in the past that hunters brought in on

a management hunt (a mature buck with 7-points or less at Chaparral) that had broken tines and a hunter didn’t know it until after he killed the buck. We’d count that as their trophy.

“We stand on the letter of the law.”

But Lange said for unoffi -cial management purposes, when a hunter shoots a mature 10-pointer with three broken tines, they tend to look at what the buck grew originally.

An offi cial Boone and Crockett scorer said the tine doesn’t count on the score sheet, unless you have the bro-ken tine in your possession.

“Basically, as a scorer, I’m just going to skip it,” said Justin Dreibelbis of Texas Big Game Awards and an offi cial scorer. “If the buck has busted his G2 right at the beam, I skip the G2 measurement category and go right to the G3. If you know where the tine was, measuring the circumference is easy — just measure it as if the tine was there.”

If the tine has more than one inch coming from the main beam, then it would count as a point in the scoring system. And a new rule change makes it easier for people to score bucks


EIGHT,NINEORTEN:Tinesbrokenoffatthemainbeamofabuckraisedebatesonhowmanypointsthedeer’santlershave.Forscoring,pointslessthan1incharenotcounted.PhotobyDavidJ.Sams,LSON.

A second chance at a buckChristmas gift sends young man back to

deer blindByCraigNyhusLone Star outdoor newS

The gift was more than a surprise.On Christmas morning, Italy hunter Isaac

Garcia opened his last present.“It was a big box containing a large bag

of sunfl ower seeds, some Big Red and a $25 Walmart gift card,” he said. “My mom said that, unlike the rest of my presents, this one had a theme.”

Isaac looked up, without a clue what the gift meant.

His father, Albert Garcia Jr., responded with a stern face.

“Second chances,” he said. Isaac thought about being selected to hunt

with the Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation after receiving the top cadet award at last sum-mer’s Bobwhite Brigades camp. Along with his brother, Elijah, who attended the Buckskin Brigades camp the summer before, both broth-ers had hunted before, but neither had a chance at a buck.

He thought about the unsuccessful early December hunt that ended without a chance at a white-tailed buck, with the last morn-ing of the hunt ruined when two immigrants walked past the South Texas feeder, scattering the nearby deer. Not necessarily making things better, his older brother Elijah had brought down a buck during the same weekend hunt.

“It took me a few seconds,” Isaac said, “but I MAKINGGOOD:ThelastChristmasgiftforIsaacGarciawasamystery,evenafteritwasopened.Afteranunsuccessfuldeerhunt,asecondtrip,beginningonChristmasDay,broughtbetterresults.PhotobyCraigNyhus,LoneStarOutdoorNews.Please turn to page 13

PLENTYBIRDY:QuailhuntershavereportedmoresuccessonrecenthuntsattheChap-arralWildlifeManagementArea.Onehunterflushedsevencoveysonahalf-dayhunt.PhotobyDavidJ.Sams,LoneStarOutdoorNews.

The three-day quail hunt at the Chaparral Wildlife Management Area near Cotulla brought the best result in years, according to WMA officials.

On Friday, January 2, cold and rainy weather conditions didn’t deter the 118 hunters, and they brought in 397 quail for an average of 3.4 birds per hunter.

Saturday brought clearing skies, and 145 hunters bagged 451 birds, including two blue quail, for an average of 3.11 birds per hunter, and on Sunday, 75 hunters shot 191 quail, or 2.55 birds per hunter.

One hunter reported attending the hunt with his dog the past several years without any success. This season, they saw seven cov-eys in a half-day of hunting Friday and three coveys on Saturday.

— Staff report

Quail hunting on the upswing at the Chap

Dove season still going

SouthZoneDec.19,2014-Jan.25,2015

SpecialWhite-winged

DoveAreaDec.19,2014-

Jan.21,2015

CheckTPWDformoreinfo


TIMETORECOVER:Buckscomingoutoftherutneedextraproteinandfattocombattherigorsofthepastmonth.Ifyourseasonisover,nowisthetimetofillthefeedersandgivebucksaleguptorestoringtheirenergy.PhotobyDavidJ.Sams,LSON.

Time for protein


The old buck came into the feeder looking worn down and tired.His big antlers stood atop a head that featured sagging skin, a graying

forehead and a thick neck with several scars as evidence of battles during the previous months’ rut.

His hipbones were showing and it was obvious the buck hadn’t eaten much in his lustful wanderings of the past four weeks. He needs to put on body fat quickly for the remainder of the winter.

Many hunters, ranch managers and landowners see this sight often at the tail end of the rut. But when is the right time to start supplemental feeding for the postrut? Right now, according to wildlife biologists.

“Once the rut is over, bucks lose such a large percentage of their body weight,” said Texas Parks and Wildlife Department South Texas biolo-gist Blaise Korzekwa. “They need help recovering. Natural vegetation is great, but protein supplements with a minimum of 16-percent protein is good — 22 percent is optimal.”

Korzekwa said if hunters have reached their harvest goal, put the pro-tein out immediately, but hold off if they still need to harvest deer.

“Those deer will become more nocturnal,” he said. “If harvest num-bers are met, get it out now to help those deer.”

Lance Cote, a wildlife consultant for Mumme’s, said this is the best time of year to get supplemental feed to your herd.

“Those bucks get so run-down,” Cote said, “that ranchers want to go with something that has a 16-percent protein content and 3-percent fat. Feed that until antler growth begins in the spring, then switch over to 20-percent protein.”

Bobby Deeds, a wildlife specialist for Record Rack, said don’t get enam-ored with protein percentages.

“Protein-wise, a lot of people get locked in on percentages,” he said. “What we’ve found is 16-percent protein works year-round. We’ve got ranches that go back 40 years, and they were feeding 20 percent. We bumped them down to 16-percent protein with 4-percent fat. The fat level will put weight on the deer — it’s all about energy.”

Deeds said the quicker bucks get weight back on, the faster their reserves can go toward antler size.

“That 20 percent is ingrained in people’s minds,” he said. “You need one feeder per 25 deer on your property with digestible protein. Sixteen percent is fi ne. Make sure it is a high-energy, low-starch feed. Some feed will have a high-grain content and that equals starch.

“That is not good for postrut bucks.”

Still waitingUSFWS urged

to approve black rhino

permitByConorHarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

When Texas hunter Corey Knowlton purchased the right to hunt a Namibian black rhino at the 2014 Dallas Safari Club convention, most assumed the hunt would have taken place by now.

But the U.S. government is still deciding whether Knowlton should be allowed to bring home the taxidermy from the hunt. An import permit could be approved or denied any day.

“The public comment period has closed and we are now analyzing the comments we received and gathering data from all available sources so we can make our decision based on the best available information,” said Gavin Shire, chief of Public Affairs for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “We do not have a timetable for the decision at this time.”

Dallas Safari Club is urging the feds to make their decision based on the best available sci-ence, not emotional rhetoric.

DSC outlined its request in a formal letter submitted during



Calkins said the average size of buck’s antlers has increased over the past 10 years or so in East Texas.

“It’s nice to see the average buck being brought in now is in the 120 to 130 class,” he said. “We didn’t use to see that.”

In the Oak Prairie region, TPWD’s David Forrester said the season went well for hunt-ers.

“Overall, the harvest was average to below average,” he said. “There wasn’t a lot of movement to feeders because of a good acorn crop, decent rain and good native vegetation. The deer that were harvested had really good antler production.

“With good carryover, good rain and good range conditions, it is setting up for a great year next year.”

Forrester said antler restrictions in his area have made a difference over the past 15 years, with average score, inside spread and age classes of bucks harvested increasing.

“Now, we are seeing bucks harvested throughout the season instead of just the fi rst two weeks like we used to see,” he said.

In the Hill Country, harvest numbers were better because the acorn crop wasn’t as good as other areas.

“Early in the year it was pretty average,” said TPWD biologist Johnny Arrendondo. “People were seeing and harvesting more

deer as the season went on — and the bucks were all very healthy.”

Local deer processors throughout the Hill Country reported good numbers and good quality in the deer they were seeing brought in by hunters.

In South Texas, the rut is winding down and, with abundant rain falling in many areas, there are plenty of forbs to keep the deer healthy.

“It is going great so far,” said biologist Blaise Korzekwa in Pearsall. “The fawn crop was higher than usual, so hunters need to harvest more does this season. There is still lots of cover out there, and there are a lot of forbs coming up, which will help those bucks recover from the rut.”

In the Rolling Plains region, TPWD biol-ogist Kathy McGinty said her area saw a decent harvest, but nothing she would call spectacular.

“We have better range conditions than we have had, but that isn’t saying too much,” she said. “After going around and talking with hunters and checking meat proces-sors, it looks like this area had an average year. It was much better than 2011, but I still wouldn’t call it a great deer season.

The general deer season in North Texas ended Jan. 4, while the season runs through Jan. 18 in South Texas.

Acorns, natural forage hurt huntersContinuedfrompage1

PhotobyDavidJ.Sams,LoneStarOutdoorNews.


responsible sport hunting,” said agency Director Dan Ashe. “In fact, the evidence shows that scientifi cally sound conserva-tion programs that include limited well-managed sport hunting can and do con-tribute to the long-term survival of the species.”

“As with many species in Africa, hunting gives lions a tangible value that is irreplace-able in impoverished communities,” said Ben Carter, DSC executive director. “The precedent is clear: In Africa, when hunting goes away, so does the wildlife.”

The agency identifi ed three main threats currently facing African lions: habitat loss, loss of prey base and increased human-lion confl icts.

In 2015, DSC is launching a series of spe-cial seminars to teach how to fi eld-judge and age African lions. The fi rst seminar, to be held in partnership with Tanzanian wildlife offi cials, will be in Arusha in April or May.

In 2013, DSC began promoting the ideal huntable male lion as “at least 6 years of age and not known to head a pride or be part of

a coalition heading a pride with dependent cubs.” More than 70 major safari opera-tors and industry leaders pledged support, as did the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation.

Through education, the partners hope to encourage a more selective harvest. That, in turn, could bolster both the numbers of lions and lion hunters — as well as the overall economic benefi ts that legal hunt-ing brings to Tanzania.

“The fi rst seminar will benefi t the profes-sional hunters and guides,” Hudson said. “They are the people in the fi eld. It is simi-lar to an expansion of how we age deer in Texas — what characteristics they have, etc. We want the PHs to have confi dence it is a legal lion when making the decision for the client to pull the trigger or not.”

Tanzania was the fi rst country to imple-ment a 6-year minimum age for exporting lion trophies. A 2013 amendment to that law allowed the export of younger speci-mens, but creates a graduated penalty sys-tem for shooting lions less than 6 years of age.

Conservation through huntingContinuedfrompage1

if they see the buck break a tine, or he breaks a tine after the shot and the hunter is able to locate the broken piece of antler.

“Boone and Crockett used to not allow any of the broken antler to be counted,” Dreiblebis said. “But now, if you have the tine, and it fi ts in perfectly on the broken antler, you can now measure it. I believe the change really came from sheep hunters, who shoot a sheep on the side of a mountain, the sheep falls and breaks its horn in a fall.”

As far as how to describe the buck to your friends, that is a matter of personal choice.“I guess you tell your friends what you want,” Drieblebis said. “If you shoot an 8-pointer

with two broken tines, you could call it a 6-pointer, but I would call it an 8-pointer with two broken tines.”

If more than one inch ...Continuedfrompage4


FISHINGBundle up for bass

Largemouths deep at Fayette County ReservoirByCraigNyhusLone Star outdoor newS

Scott Eberhard traveled from California to Fayetteville, Texas to see his first grandson six years ago. After experiencing the bass fishing at Fayette County Reservoir, he came to Texas for good.

“They literally chewed the paint off of my Lake Fork Tackle spoon this morning,” Eberhard said on January 5. “Then I lost it — I should have retied it. I caught about 30 bass in a few hours.”

The 2,400-acre power plant lake near LaGrange is known for its wintertime bass fishing, but this year the deep-water bite is especially good.

“I have to spend some time looking around,” said Eberhard, who spent 25 years in the charter fishing business out of San Diego, California. “Anytime you can find a good, steep drop, fish seem to be holding there.”

The recent cold fronts have dropped water temperatures to around 57 degrees, sending the fish deeper.

“Most of my fish were between 18 and 23 feet,” Eberhard said. “I have friends fishing drop shots and doing well, but when it is this cold, I like to be mov-ing. If you sit still you’ll freeze — the line guides on my reel kept freezing this morning until about 9 a.m.”

Eberhard doesn’t guide much, but he rents his boat to fishermen. He will take people out for a few hours to show them the lake and help them with operating the boat and electronics.

Mark Fransen guides on the lake, and said the cold weather has the bass going deep.

“It’s touchy depending on the weather,” he said. “I haven’t started a trip before 9 in the past few weeks.”

Fransen said the power plant stopped generating recently, and that, com-bined with cold weather, has dropped the water temperatures into the 50s.

“We’re doing a lot of drop-shotting,” he said. “If they’ll eat a spoon, we’ll throw it.”

Fishing the lake in these conditions requires two things, Fransen said.

Plenty of clothes and the ability to read a depth finder.

“The fish are moving a lot,” he said. “You’ll mark some, but when you come back they’re gone. They aren’t holding steady.”

Fransen has been catching fish up to 8 pounds, with the average fish between 3 1/2 and 4 pounds, and the nastiest weather seems to bring better fishing.

“It’s a matter of how much clothes you want to wear and how much water you want in your lap,” he said.

Although the lake experienced a fish kill in September of 2014 that officials attributed to lake turnover, Fransen doesn’t believe it affected the fishing.

“It happened after the LRCA sprayed the reeds, so it affects the guys that only fished the reeds,” he said. “The fish are deep now, last Friday (January 2) I caught 30 fish in 45 minutes.”

ScottEberhard,(909)744-0935

MarkFransen,(713)542-0466CHILLYDAYS,HOTBITE:AnglersatFayetteCountyReservoirarefindingbassindeeperwater,andfishinghasbeenbestonthecoldest,nastiestdays.PhotobyLSON.

Good for businessGas prices falling, helping guides

and anglers ByConorHarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

Longtime Rockport guide Jay Watkins isn’t changing what he charges on a guide trip just because the price of gasoline is coming down.

He’s been around too long to do some-thing like that.

“I am probably one of the more expensive guides on the coast,” he said. “I’ve learned that you have to build your business on the guys who aren’t affected by a couple dollars more per gallon. Those are the guys, long- term, that will keep you in business.”

Watkins said when a client gets on his boat, he has a full gas tank and will take them to where the fish are — or at least where he thinks they are.

“Gas prices right now will allow a lot of Texans to vacation and recreate locally and also allow a larger portion of the popula-tion to fish and possibly hire a guide,” he said. “When you are saving $50 or $100 each month in fuel, it allows you to spend on things like fishing in Rockport or Port Mansfield. If those prices hold, you’ll see a big swing in travel and people fishing locally.”

Watkins said some guides might be will-ing to run a little farther, or travel from a place like Corpus Christi and make a run to Baffin Bay, because of the easing of fuel costs.

“I don’t adjust price for fuel,” he said. “When gas is low, I make more and save more for when prices go up. Is that going

on, where guides restrict where they go because of the fuel costs? Probably. (The lower prices) won’t have an adverse affect for the guides and it will have a positive effect for the clients.”

Capt. Lee Wehring, president of the Coastal Bend Guides Association, said the lower gas prices won’t affect most of the guides he knows and works with.

“Winter business is always slower,” he said. “Not a lot of guides are going out right now. The trips we do pick up, it does help.”

Wehring said none of the guides he knows have lowered their rates, mainly because the volatility of the gasoline market won’t allow it.

“If they lower their rates one week, and gas shoots back up, they just have to increase them a week later,” he said. “Typically, most guides that will run to the Land Cut or Baffin do it because the client wants to go, not because of gas prices. I’m not sure you’ll see more guides running farther down there, especially if they continue to catch fish near Rockport.”

Houston angler Bob Phillips said he might make an extra trip down to the coast this year because of the fuel savings, and it might make him go farther south to Port Mansfield rather than Rockport.

“It definitely helps to go a little bit longer for better fishing,” he said. “When it takes $100 to fill up a truck, and now it only takes $60, that is more money for my family to do things like head to the coast and hire a guide in a new area. It gives me a little more freedom, a few more options.”PAYINGLESS,GETTINGMORE:Anglersarefindingiteasiertocomeupwithfishingfunds,andguidesare

alsoreapingthebenefitsofcheapergasonthecoast.PhotobyDavidJ.Sams,LSON.

Trackeraluminumscomewith5-yearwarranty

Tracker Marine Group is announcing a new fi ve-year, bow-to-stern factory warranty covering 2015 Tracker Boats.

This 2015 Tracker Boats warranty coverage includes a three-year warranty on the powder-coat fi nish, fac-tory-installed trolling motor and factory-installed depth fi nder, a limited lifetime structural and deck warranty, and full coverage during the warranty period with no prorating. In addition, the warranty has provisions for transfer to a second owner. The new fi ve-year warranty coverage offers a one-stop solution, eliminating the need to pursue separate warranties with component manufacturers. The length and comprehensive nature of this coverage make this the best factory warranty in the

aluminum fi shing boat industry.The new warranty applies to Tracker boats begin-

ning with the 2015 model year; those 2015 model year boats purchased before the new warranty announcement will receive the expanded warranty provisions.

“From the early days when we started making alumi-num fi shing boats, we worked hard to make good quality boats that would provide our customers with years of fun on the water,” said Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Marine Group. “Now, 36 years later, the quality craftsmanship of every boat we build is at an all-time high. We are very thankful that our custom-ers are satisfi ed with their boats and continue to reward us with their loyalty. To show how confi dent we are of the proven quality built into Tracker boats, they are now backed by the best warranty in the business.”

— Tracker

JasperTroutDerbyfreeforkids

It has become quite a tradition for many kids and families to gather at the Jasper City Park for the annual Trout Derby tournament.

Free to enter for kids under 16 years old, the fun for the whole family continues with this year’s event.

In the 13 years that Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has been conducting the Youth Trout Derby, they have given roughly 3,400 chil-dren the opportunity to learn how much fun fi shing can be. This event started out as an idea of Todd

Driscoll, a TPWD District Fisheries biologist in Jasper.

Everybody gets to take fi ve trout.“The fi rst year 150 kids showed

up to fi sh,” TPWD’s Ray Lenderman told the Beaumont Enterprise. “We did very little advertising and did not really know what to expect. It was a learning experience. The next year, I went out to the area schools, newspapers and radio stations and put the word out about this event, and it really paid off. Participation increased to 225 kids. This year’s event will be held Jan. 17 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Jasper City Park.

— Beaumont Enterprise


South Padre Island fi sh bitingByConorHarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

The fi shing around South Padre Island has been good for many anglers recently, especially for black drum, sheepshead, snook and man-grove snapper.

According to anglers on popular fi shing forums, the bite for sheepshead has been

good around pilings and ship channels on live shrimp, Fishbites and cut bait.

Another popular winter species, mangrove snapper, are also being caught in the ship chan-nel on shrimp.

The glamour species, seatrout and redfi sh, have been fair, according to SPI angler Ron Jackson, who spends winters on the island.

“It’s winter fi shing, so you’re still fi ghting

the wind and cold water temps on some days,” Jackson said, “but on the nice days, we’ve been catching some nice snapper and lots of black drum, with the occasional redfi sh and trout. You can defi nitely get out and catch enough for a meal, which is about all I really want these days.”


CoastGuardstillcatchingMexicanpoachers The Coast Guard interdicted a Mexican fishing crew poach-ing in South Texas Monday, December 29.

At approximately 10 a.m. Monday, an MH-65 Dolphin heli-copter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi sighted a Mexican fishing boat, also known as a lancha, 29 miles offshore of South Padre Island and one mile north of the United States/Mexico maritime border with fishing gear and baitfish on board.

The aircrew notified Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi watchstanders, who diverted a Coast Guard Station South Padre Island boatcrew aboard a 33-foot law enforcement boat. After a nine-mile pursuit, the boat-crew stopped the lancha with four people, baitfish and long-line gear aboard. All persons and confiscated gear were turned over to Customs and Border Protection.

Since Oct. 1, the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department have detected 78 lanchas, all of which were sus-pected of poaching in U.S. waters. The Coast Guard has interdicted eight of them. “All of our state and federal boats and aircraft work in a coor-dinated effort to combat illegal fishing along the United States/Mexico maritime border,” said Lt. Cmdr. Nathan Allen, chief of law enforcement for Sector Corpus Christi.

— USCGS


ALANHENRY:Water stained; 48–55 degrees; 10.06’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on fi nesse jigs and Texas rigs. Crappie are fair on live minnows. Catfi sh are fair.

AMISTAD: Water murky; 62–66 degrees; 29.49’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon crank-baits and soft plastics. Striped bass are good on slabs, jigging spoons and lipless crankbaits. White bass are good on slabs, jigging spoons and lipless crankbaits.

ATHENS: Water clear; 47–52 degrees; 1.63’ low. Largemouth bass are good on lipless crankbaits and jerkbaits in both hard and soft versions. Crappie are good on min-nows and jigs.

BASTROP: Water stained; 62–66 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon and chartreuse soft plastics and spinner baits. Crappie are fair on minnows and green tube jigs.

BELTON: Water murky; 60–64 degrees; 12.58’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on pumpkinseed soft plastics and lipless crankbaits in coves. Hybrid striper are good on live shad.

BOBSANDLIN: Water clear; 48–52 degrees; 2.74’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on soft jerkbaits, lipless crankbaits and bladed jigs. Crappie are fair on jigs. White bass are fair.

BONHAM: Water stained, 47–51 degrees; 3.26’ low. Largemouth bass are fair along creek channels on crankbaits, spinner baits, soft plastics and jerkbaits.

BRAUNIG: Water stained. Largemouth bass are slow. Striped bass are fair on live shad. Channel catfi sh are good on chicken livers, shrimp and cut shad.

BROWNWOOD: Water clear; 58–62 degrees; 12.45’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on black/blue jigs, crankbaits, and water-melon soft plastic worms around brush piles in 8–15 feet. Hybrid striper are fair on silver spoons. White bass are fair on Li’l Fishies from lighted docks at night.

Crappie are good.BUCHANAN: Water murky; 59–63

degrees; 33.47’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged weightless watermelon/blue fl ake Whacky Sticks, pumpkin/chartreuse jigs, and smoke/red fl ake grubs in 4–10 feet. Striped bass are good on Spoiler Shads, jigging Pirk Minnows, and drifting or free lin-ing live bait in 25–40 feet. Yellow and blue catfi sh are fair on trotlines baited with live goldfi sh.

CADDO: Water stained; 50–53 degrees; 0.50 high. Largemouth bass are good on lipless crankbaits, bladed jigs and fl ipping jigs.

CALAVERAS: Water stained. Largemouth bass are slow. Striped bass are fair on live shad. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on chicken livers, shrimp, and cut shad.

CANYONLAKE: Water murky; 62–66 degrees; 12.32’ low. Largemouth bass are good on lip-less crankbaits and stickbaits over fl ats in 2–10 feet, and on Texas-rigged blue fl ake worms along bluffs.

CEDARCREEK: Water clear; 49–52 degrees; 6.23’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on lip-less crankbaits, spinner baits and bladed jigs.

CHOKECANYON: Water stained; 63–67 degrees; 28.14’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon and pumpkinseed soft plastic worms in 12–20 feet. White bass are fair on Li’l Fishies. Crappie are slow.

COLEMAN: Water clear; 61–65 degrees; 19.17’ low. Largemouth bass are good on tequila sunrise soft plastics, and fair on spinner baits and crankbaits. Hybrid striper are good on blue/white Lipless crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and chartreuse tube jigs.

COLETOCREEK: Water murky; 61 degrees in main lake, 75 degrees at hot water discharge; 4.97’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on perch-colored lipless crankbaits and spinner baits in 5–10 feet. Channel and blue catfi sh are fair on trotlines and droplines baited with live perch.

CONROE: Water murky; 60–64 degrees; 0.06’ low. Largemouth bass are good on pumpkinseed soft plastics, spinner baits and lipless crankbaits in 15–30 feet. Striped bass are good on green striper jigs. Crappie are good on minnows.

FALCON: Water murky; 59–63 degrees; 27.92’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on cut bait, liver and shrimp upriver.

FAYETTE: Water stained. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon and plum Carolina-rigged fi nesse worms, and on top-waters over grass.

FORK: Water clear; 47–52 degrees; 7.56’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on drop-shot fi nesse worms, smaller spoons and Carolina rigs. Black and blue fl ipping jigs along creek channel bends with timber in 6–10’ working, as well.

FT.PHANTOMHILL: Water clear; 47–55 degrees; 17.79’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on fi nesse Texas rigs and drop-shot rigs. Crappie are fair on live minnows.

GIBBONSCREEK: Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on tequila sunrise soft plastics, spinner baits and crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfi sh are good on chicken livers and nightcrawlers.

GRANBURY: Water murky; 60–64 degrees; 10.49’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon red soft plastics, spinner baits and crankbaits. Striped bass are fair on chartreuse striper jigs.

GRANGER: Water clear; 61–65 degrees; 0.50’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on pumpkinseed soft plastics and lipless crankbaits. White bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Blue catfi sh are good on stinkbait in 6–15 feet.

GRAPEVINE: Water clear; 47–50 degrees; 12.66’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on shaky heads and Flick Shakes.

HOUSTONCOUNTY: Water stained; 57–61 degrees; 0.42’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on bream-colored jigs and metal fl ake

Brush Hogs around brush piles in 16 feet.

HUBBARDCREEK: Water off-color; 48–53 degrees; 29.61’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas rigs and drop-shot rigs. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs.

JOEPOOL: Water clear; 48–52 degrees; 2.01’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on lipless crankbaits, weightless fl ukes and soft plastic jerkbaits. Crappie are fair on min-nows and chartreuse jigs.

LAKEO’THEPINES: Water lightly stained; 49–53; degrees; 0.10’ low. Largemouth bass are good on lipless crankbaits, bladed jigs and green pumpkin Senkos. Crappie are good on minnows.

LBJ: Water stained; 60–64 degrees; 0.32’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on 1/8-oz. buzzbaits, Bleeding Shad lipless crankbaits and wacky-rigged watermelon Whacky Sticks in 2–6 feet. Crappie are good on live minnows over brush piles in 12–15 feet.

LEWISVILLE: Water lightly stained; 47–52 degrees; 7.44’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on jerkbaits in Table Rock Shad and football jigs near isolated rocky points on main lake.

LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 61–65 degrees; 0.47’ high. Largemouth bass are slow. Striped bass are slow. White bass are good on small crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows in creeks. Blue catfi sh are good on shad.

MARTINCREEK: Water clear; 49–70 degrees; 1.67’ low. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits in bahama milk pat-tern along rocky banks and near bean bushes. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on minnows and small crankbaits. Catfi sh are good on trotlines.

MONTICELLO: Water clear; 49–53 degrees; 0.14’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on Texas rigs and fi nesse jigs.

NAVARROMILLS: Water stained; 61–65 degrees; 2.10’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. White

bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows. Channel catfi sh are fair on stinkbait and shrimp.

O.H.IVIE: Water stained; 46–51 degrees; 42.88’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas rigs, jigs and shaky heads.

OAKCREEK: Water stained; 47–53 degrees; 25.47’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas rigs, drop-shot rigs and jigs. Crappie are fair on jigs and live minnows.

PALESTINE: Water clear; 47–51 degrees; 0.55’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on shaky heads, weightless Senkos and drop shots around docks. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs.

POSSUMKINGDOM: Water fairly clear; 48–55 degrees; 14.71’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on drop-shot rigs, Texas rigs and jigs.

PROCTOR:Water murky; 60–64 degrees; 12.67’ low. Largemouth bass are good on black/purple soft plastic worms and crankbaits. Striped bass are slow. White bass are good on minnows, small lip-less crankbaits, and roadrunners. Crappie are good on minnows and chartreuse tube jigs in 15 feet.

RAYHUBBARD: Water clear; 47–50 degrees; 10.28’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and suspending jerk-baits. Crappie are fair on minnows and tube jigs. White bass are slow on slabs.

RAYROBERTS: Water clear; 47–51 degrees; 8.11’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on umbrella rigs and heavy shaky heads near brush piles. Crappie are slow on minnows and jigs.

RICHLANDCHAMBERS: Water lightly stained; 47–50 degrees; 10.73’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on green pumpkin shaky heads, Senkos and fi nesse worms. White bass are slow on minnows.

SAMRAYBURN:Water murky; 62–66 degrees; 2.83’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on perch-colored lipless crankbaits, spinner baits and soft plastics.

White bass are fair on minnows and white striper jigs.

SOMERVILLE: Water murky; 62–66 degrees; 0.12’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. Hybrid striper are slow.

STILLHOUSE: Water murky; 61–65 degrees; 14.37’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. White bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfi sh are slow. Yellow catfi sh are slow.

SWEETWATER: Water murky; 43–52 degrees; 28.35’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on fl ut-ter spoons, Texas rigs and jigs. Crappie are fair on live minnows. Catfi sh are fair to good on pre-pared bait.

TEXOMA: Water clear; 47–51 degrees; 5.92’ low. Largemouth bass are good on suspending jerkbaits and shaky-head worms in green pumpkin and redbug. Crappie are fair on minnows near brush piles.

TOLEDOBEND: Water murky; 60–64 degrees; 3.50’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on water-melon red and watermelon gold soft plastics, spinner baits, and crankbaits. Striped bass are fair on chartreuse striper jigs. White bass are slow on minnows, shrimp and stinkbait.

TRAVIS: Water murky; 60–64 degrees; 57.68’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crawfi sh crank-baits, watermelon worms and jigs in 15–40 feet.

— TPWD

TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORT

■Saltwaterreports:PleaseturntoPage14

NighttimecatsLAKE DUNLAP — Anglers are reporting a good catfi sh bite at night on rod

and reel on the 410-acre lake east of New Braunfels. The cold weather and water temperatures in the mid-50s didn’t deter one pair who ended the night

with a 26- and 17-pound blue cat, a 23-pound yellow cat and several channel cats, using live perch, cut perch, cut shad and whole shad. Along with the solid cat-fi sh bite, crappie anglers are also catching slabs around 12 feet deep on small jigs and live minnows. The bass fi shing has been fair, according to reports, with a few

decent fi sh being caught, mostly while fi shing for crappie.

Cold-weathercrappieWRIGHT PATMAN — A few brave anglers are fi nding

the crappie at the reservoir southwest of Texarkana. Water temperatures are hovering just below 50 degrees. According to posts on the Texas Fishing Forum, blue and white jigs have been producing near

submerged trees in 10 to 15 feet of water. Slow periods, followed by short peri-ods of frantic feeding were reported, and the fi shing can be good at any time of day. The largemouth bass bite has been fair, with some coming on Texas-rigged craws and fl ipping jigs in shallow cover.

Warm-waterbassSQUAW CREEK RESERVOIR — Reports from the lake near the nuclear power

plant near Glen Rose are good for largemouth bass. The water temperatures at the outlet is 75 degrees, while upriver it drops to 62 degrees. Finding the larger fi sh is key, as one day they will be hitting top-waters upriver and the next, the fi sh will all be at depths of 25 feet. Angler David Welcher fi shes the lake each weekend and has been fi nding fi sh all over the lake, depending on conditions. Patterns that have been working include Texas-rigged soft plastcs, drop-shot fi nesse rigs and lipless crankbaits. Along with bass, the crappie bite has been decent of late, with fi sh coming off of structure in 10 to 15 feet of water. Try chartreuse and white jigs and live minnows.

— Craig Nyhus

TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORT

WRIGHT PATMAN — A few brave anglers are fi nding

Forum, blue and white jigs have been producing near

WRIGHT PATMAN — A few brave anglers are fi nding


The longest spike

ByJillianMockFor Lone Star outdoor newS

In Val Verde County in early December, South Texas hunter Wes Wyrick shot the most unusual spike white-tailed deer he has ever seen.

The antlers, each approximately 24 inches long, curve gracefully above the deer’s head to form a tow-ering, smooth semicircle. If the length and symmetry weren’t impressive enough, Wyrick estimates the deer to be about 8 years old. All of this adds up to a once-in-a-lifetime kill. The buck was considered a spike because

the brow tines were less than one inch, according to official scorers.

“I knew I would never see another deer like that,” Wyrick said of the first time he saw the buck’s image captured on a game camera. “I was like, ‘Holy crap, I need to shoot that deer.’”

Wyrick has “been hunting since he could walk” and, when he isn’t hunting recreationally with buddy Cody Garrett and loyal dog Newt, he is either studying wild-life at Texas A&M University-Kingsville or working as a gunner for Southwest Texas Helicopters shooting pigs. Needless to say, Wyrick knows a good deer when he

sees one.This particular spike was no easy prize. For one thing,

the buck seemed to be completely nocturnal. The game camera regularly snapped pictures of him near a particu-lar feeder but only long after dark — never when Wyrick and Garrett were sitting in the blind.

The two friends made trips to the lease whenever they could, but the old deer remained elusive. At one point, trail camera photos showed the spike switched from his regular feeder, throwing off the hunters even more.

Regular trips to check the trail cameras plus the ongo-ing rut was the spike’s undoing.

On December 12, the two drove out to the feeder in the middle of the day to check the cameras for the deer’s latest night movements. As he pulled the truck around corner and into full view of the feeder, Wyrick spotted two deer — one female and one male with an unusual antler formation.

“Is that him?” Wyrick asked and Garrett quickly pulled out his binoculars to confirm.

“Oh man, that’s him!” Garrett said and the two leapt out of the car.

By this time, the spike had bounded up a nearby hill-side following his fleeing female companion. Wyrick watched as the female moved from the cover of one thicket to another. Anticipating that the male would follow, Wyrick grabbed his gun out of the truck and aimed for the open space. As soon as he lined up the shot, the spike leapt into view and Wyrick squeezed the trigger.

“He grew before I got to him!” Wyrick said, as he recalled the excitement after finally shooting the mys-terious spike. From the trail camera photos, Wyrick thought the antlers would be about 18 inches long. The actual 24-inch length (totaling 48 2/8) of each beam currently has Wyrick in the lead in three different deer contest’s “Longest Spike” competition.

According to the Muy Grande Deer Contest in Freer, the previous longest spike entered in the contest was in 2011, and totaled 32 inches. Most years, the winner is in the 19-inch range for both antlers.

While Wyrick won’t know the final outcome until spike season ends on January 18, he likely doesn’t have much to worry about — this will be one tough deer to beat.

HOWDOYOUSCOREHIM?WesWyreckshowsoffwhatislikelythebiggestspikeinthestateofTexasthisyear.PhotobyWesWyrick.

South Texas hunter connects on an unusual buck


WARDENCHASESDRIVERWITHAFAMILIARFACE

Comanche County Game Warden Mike Alexander was checking the park at Lake Proctor where he had seen several large white-tailed bucks the day before. A truck was driving slowly through the park with the windows down but fl ed at a high rate of speed, running several stop signs, when he saw the war-den’s truck. Alexander pursued the suspect down dusty county roads until he lost him at an intersection. However, he recognized the suspect from previous encounters and the judge issued a felony warrant for evading arrest.

FISHSELLERSTUNGCameron County Game Warden

David Stokes received notifi cation of an individual offering protected fi sh and shrimp for sale. Stokes made contact with the seller and arranged the purchase of some fi sh. Cameron County Sgt. Luis Sosa met with the seller at a public parking lot and negotiated the buy of sev-eral spotted seatrout and a couple of bags of Gulf shrimp for $100. Shortly after the sale, Stokes and Hidalgo County Game Warden Oscar Jaimez were on scene and apprehended the subject. The war-dens seized 29 spotted seatrout (26 undersized), 20 black drum, 28 one-gallon bags of Gulf shrimp and two one-gallon bags of squid. Multiple charges were fi led.

FORMEREMPLOYEEOFLANDOWNERWOUNDS,LEAVESBUCK

A landowner’s former employee was suspected of shooting and wounding a buck from a pub-lic roadway. Gregg County Game Warden Todd Long responded and received assistance from the land-owner, rancher and neighbors. Long

located the subject, who confessed to shooting the deer from the road-way and left the wounded buck in the fi eld when he saw the neighbor approaching and couldn’t get the gate opened. A fi rearm was seized and charges and restitution are pending.

ANTLERRESTRICTIONSIGNOREDATTHISDEERCAMP

Limestone County Game Warden Trent Marker was checking deer camps when he discovered four deer that had been shot. None of the deer had been tagged and no harvest logs had been fi lled out. Three of the deer did not meet the 13-inch required spread. Citations were issued, three deer were seized and restitution was fi led.

TRAILTHROUGHWOODSLEADSWARDENSTOFEEDER,

CLEANINGSTATIONTyler County Game Wardens

Roy Eddins and Brandon Mosley received information that a felon with a fi rearm killed several deer. The wardens found an ATV trail in the woods behind the subject’s res-idence and followed the trail onto another piece of property where they observed a corn pile and a

feeder. The trail also led to a game-cleaning pole directly behind the subject’s house where they found a freshly cleaned carcass and a cooler of meat near the area. After a brief investigation, the resident admit-ted the deer was his. The wardens also discovered an 8-point buck head near an outbuilding that the subject admitted was his as well. The subject was unable to produce a hunting license and was arrested for unlawful possession of a fi rearm by a felon, drug paraphernalia and possession of illegally taken white-tailed deer.

NOTAGOODLEARNINGEXPERIENCEFORTODDLERIN

VEHICLEAfter hearing two shots while

on patrol, Angelina County Game Warden Tim Walker found a Suburban stopped in the road and a subject walking with a fl ashlight. The Suburban was occupied by two men, two women and a toddler. Walker and fellow warden Phillip Wood obtained confi rmation from each person that the male pas-senger shot a doe with a pistol belonging to one of the females. In addition, one of the female sub-jects had an outstanding theft by

check warrant from 1997. Cases pending.

SOCIALMEDIAPOSTSTRIKESAGAIN

A tip was received by Grimes County Game Warden Jake Cawthon regarding two illegally taken deer. A group of individuals placed a photo of the deer on a social media site. Cawthon eventually tracked down one of individuals involved in the incident. Cawthon secured a full confession from the individual who shot the two deer and also the names of the other people in the vehicle. Numerous charges are pending.

TWOSTOLENRIFLESFOUND,RETURNEDTOOWNER

A landowner contacted Smith County Game Warden Dustin Dockery after fi nding two gun cases and clothing on the highline right-of-way. The landowner suspected possible trespassing/hunting may have taken place. After investigat-ing the area and gun cases, two rifl es that had been reported stolen in a burglary on October 28 were recovered. The rifl es were returned to the rightful owner.

THEYCANCHECKIFIHADALICENSELASTYEAR?

Wood County Game Warden Derek Spitzer caught a subject deer hunting without landowner consent. While questioning the subject, it was learned that he shot an 8-point buck last year. A hunt-ing license check revealed that the subject had not purchased a hunting license since 2002. Cases pending.

GROUPJUSTTARGETSHOOTINGHASRIFLE,DEADBUCK

The Harris County Sheriff’s Offi ce contacted Harris County Game Wardens Gregg Johnson and Jennifer Weaver for assistance regarding a group of people tres-passing with a bow and pellet gun on private property. When the war-dens arrived, they interviewed the subjects who said they were just taking the kids in the group to tar-get shoot. After searching the area, the wardens discovered a shot-gun, additional pellet gun, rifl e and ammo hidden in pine needles. In addition, the wardens found a freshly killed 6-point white-tailed buck. The suspects admitted to hunting without landowner consent and criminal trespassing. Cases pending.

SCOUTINGWITHARIFLEISSTILLHUNTING

A 6-point buck was found dumped in a ditch. Angelina County Game Warden Tim Walker received a vehicle description of the suspected violator and where he hunted. There, Walker observed a subject dressed in camo with a rifl e. Walker requested to see the subject’s hunting license, how-ever, the subject stated he wasn’t hunting; he was scouting. The subject was cited for hunting without a license and no proof of Hunter Education.

GAME WARDEN BLOTTERTRESPASSINGFISHERMANFOUNDBYK9;DOGRETRIEVES

HISRODSANDSHIRTTravis County Game Wardens Jeff Hill and Natali

Mejia were checking a known fi shing area that has issues with trespassers. As they approached the fi sh-ing tank, a male subject saw their truck, which he later said he thought was the landowner, and took off run-ning into the wooded area. Hill requested assistance from Travis County Game Warden Christy Vales and K9 partner Ruger to track the evading trespasser. Travis

County Game Warden Chris Sanchez was positioned at the subject’s most probable path of escape. Ruger tracked the man and assisted with fl ushing him out of the wooded area, where Sanchez watched him cross the river and took him into custody. The man said he placed his shirt along the river and hid his fi shing rods. Ruger recovered the items and the man was cited for trespassing and fi shing without a license.


replayed the whole scene in my mind, and replied, ‘Carrizo Springs?’”His father pointed at the box and said, “That’s your travel pack; we leave tonight with your Pops

(grandfather Albert Sr.). “Go get packed.” Isaac threw his camo clothes and necessities in his bag and put it in the truck. A few hours later, they

were on the road for the six-hour Christmas Day drive.It turned out to be the Christmas gift of the 13-year-old’s lifetime, as the next evening, with his grand-

father seated next to him in the deer blind, he made a perfect shot on a buck in the final minutes of daylight.

a public comment period.The letter reiterates the hunt is for a single, aged, nonbreeding

male known to charge and kill younger bulls, cows and even calves. This behavior, well-documented in scientifi c literature, jeopardizes the future of the herd.

Since black rhinos are critically endan-gered, all forms of addi-tive mortality “must be addressed in a man-ner that adds to stabili-zation and growth” of remaining populations, wrote Ben Carter, DSC executive director.

Carter wrote, “CITES, the leading interna-tional scientifi c author-ity on trade in endan-gered species, supports limited rhino hunting as an acceptable con-servation tool, as does the IUCN, the United Nations environmental body that hosts the greatest scientifi c and management expertise for this species. CITES has granted Namibia an annual export quota of up to fi ve hunter-taken black rhinos, explicitly acknowledging the validity and conservation benefi ts of limited and regulated hunting, even of a rare species.”

On behalf of the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism, DSC at its January convention auctioned one of these rhino-hunting licenses. It sold for a record $350,000.

If the U.S. government approves the import permit, 100 percent of proceeds will go to Namibia for rhino conservation, research and organized protection from poaching cartels. If the permit is denied, the hunt can be canceled without obligation. In that case, Namibian conservation offi cials would simply re-sell the rhino-hunting license to a hunter from a different country.

Carter said DSC appreciates that some groups oppose sustainable-use approaches to conservation, but added, “However, philosophi-cal sentiment and goodwill are not suffi cient to deal with the perilous state of black rhino populations today. The threats to these animals will not disappear should legal hunting be prohibited. But what certainly would disappear is an effective means of raising critical funds for conser-vation science and law enforcement — as well as an instrument for legally removing individual animals that are limiting growth in rhino numbers.”

A big Christmas surpriseContinuedfrompage4

No decisionContinuedfrompage5

Capt. Dewitt Thomas said the fi shing around the island has been good for this time of year, but the weather has been tough to fi gure out.

“The weather has been variable at best,” Thomas said. “We have had 10 to 15 degree swings in water temper-ature from one day to the next, and it will be fl at calm one minute and blowing a gale the next. However, when we aren’t getting beaten to death, the fi shing has been good.”

Thomas said he has been tar-geting snook on the riprap on the south side of the Brownsville Ship Channel.

“We have been catching a lot of nice snook,” he said. “And out on the little reefs and humps, off to the side, we have also been picking up some trout. The sheepshead and mangrove snap-per are also very good on structure and pilings.”

Thomas said the winter Texans have descended on the surf, and the action has been good with shrimp and cut bait for whiting.

“They are pulling in hundreds of pounds of whit-ing,” he said.

Thomas said he has also targeted the Cullen Flats

areas for black and red drum and the occasional trout.“We don’t seem to have as many boats out for this

time of year that we normally do,” he added. “I don’t know what the reason for that is, but traffi c has been very light — unless you want to go fi sh the surf. Then you have to deal with the crowds.”

The pier report from Pirates Landing on the island said anglers were catching good numbers of whiting, sheepshead and snapper.

Look for structureContinuedfrompage9

PLENTYOFSHEEPSHEAD:Anglersarecatchinggoodnumbersofthepiling-lovingsheeps-headthismonthonSouthPadreIsland.PhotobyLSON.

PhotobyLiliSams


Lookforthesun KING RANCH SHORELINE — Trout and redfi sh are biting, when the sun is out, that is. Guide Ruben Garza said as soon as the sun disappears, the bite slows down. A recent group landed a limit of nice reds along with some good-sized speck-led trout using a Kelley Wiggler Ball Tail shad in margarita color on 1/8-ounce jig heads.To contact guide Ruben Garza, call (832) 385-1431.

RedsinthefogSABINE LAKE — The water is a little dirtier than usual in Sabine Lake, but the

redfi sh don’t seem to mind, according to guide Dickie Colburn. “We caught solid slot redfi sh all morning long and

switched to catch-and-release after the fi rst hour or two,” Colburn said,

“but while it was fun, they apparently ran the trout off of two spots that had been very good for me lately. We never caught the

fi rst big trout, but we caught some very decent fi sh in 5 feet of water and 15 feet of water on usual suspects — Corkys, Maniac Mullets, Softdine XL’s and Tidal Surge split tail mullets. We even found gulls working in the fog.”

Water temperatures reached 53.4 degrees. The best colors in the mullet imita-tion lures were dayglow and pearl chartreuse.

To contact guide Dickie Colburn, call (409) 883-0723.

Blackdrumontheflats FLATS AROUND ROCKPORT — Black and red drum are on the move and biting baits that are put in front of them, according to Capt. Jay Nichols. “We have been sight-casting to them both from the boat,” he reported on fi sh-rockport.com. Artifi cial and dead shrimp have been the best for drum, while wading in 3-4 feet of water has been best for trout.

To contact Capt. Jay Nichols, call (361) 813-4120.

— Craig Nyhus

NORTHSABINE: Trout and redfi sh are fair while drifting mud and shell. Waders have taken better trout on the Louisiana shoreline on slow–sinking plugs.

SOUTHSABINE:Redfi sh are fair on the edge of the channel on mullet. Sheepshead and black drum are good at the jetty on live shrimp.

BOLIVAR:Trout are fair to good on the south shoreline on slow–sinking plugs. Black drum and redfi sh are good at Rollover Pass.

TRINITYBAY:Trout are good for drifters working pods of shad and mullet on the east shoreline. Redfi sh are good at the spillway on crabs and mullet. Trout are good while drift-ing deep bayous in the marsh.

EASTGALVESTONBAY:Trout are fair to good on the north shoreline on Corkies and MirrOlures. Whiting and sand trout are good on the edge of the Intracoastal on fresh shrimp.

WESTGALVESTONBAY:Trout are fair in the mud and shell on MirrOlures and Corkies. Sheepshead, redfi sh and black drum are good at the jetty on shrimp and crabs.

TEXASCITY:Redfi sh are good in Moses Lake on fresh shrimp. Black drum, sheeps-head and redfi sh are fair on the edge of the channel and on shell in shrimp.

FREEPORT:Sand trout and sheepshead are good on live shrimp on the reefs. Redfi sh are fair to good at San Luis pass on cracked blue crabs. Redfi sh are fair to good at the mouths of drains on scented plastics and shrimp.

EASTMATAGORDABAY:Trout are fair for drifters on plastics over humps and scat-tered shell. Redfi sh are fair to good on the edge of the Intracoastal and at the mouths of drains on scented plastics and jigs tipped with shrimp.

WESTMATAGORDABAY:Redfi sh are fair to good on the south shoreline in the guts and

bayous. Trout are fair on shell on soft plastics and fi nger mullet.

PORTO’CONNOR: Trout and redfi sh are fair on top-waters over soft mud in waist–deep water in San Antonio Bay. Trout and redfi sh are fair for drifters working the back lakes with live shrimp and top-waters. Redfi sh are good at the mouths of drains.

ROCKPORT:Trout are fair on the edge of the ICW on glow DOA Shrimp. Redfi sh are fair to good in California Hole and the Lydia Ann Channel on mullet and shrimp.

PORTARANSAS:Redfi sh are fair to good on the ledges of the channel on mullet. Sand trout are good on shrimp in the channel.

CORPUSCHRISTI:Trout are fair to good in for waders tossing scented baits and Corkies. Redfi sh are good in the Humble Channel on crabs and table shrimp.

BAFFINBAY:Trout are fair to good in mud and grass on Corkies, Gamblers and soft plas-

tics. Trout are fair to good in the guts along the King Ranch shoreline on Corkies.

PORTMANSFIELD:Redfi sh are fair to good on DOA Shrimp and scented plastics under a popping cork around grass holes. Trout are fair to good on mud along the edge of the channel on top-waters and twitchbaits.

SOUTHPADRE:Trout and redfi sh are fair to good on the edge of the Intracoastal on DOA Shrimp and scented plastics. Redfi sh, black drum and mangrove snapper are fair to good in the channel on shrimp.

PORTISABEL: Trout are fair on the edge of the fl ats on soft plastics under popping corks. Redfi sh are good in the holes and guts on scented plastics and scented baits.

— TPWD

TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT

during the November cold fronts when the water temperature dropped off,” he said.

Capt. Rick Hammond, of Nightstalker Guide Service, said his clients have been working hard for their fi sh.

“We worked hard for several more hours, only fi nding a handful of widely scattered fi sh,” he said. “We ended with seven nice fl ounder and two sheepshead by 10:30 p.m. It looks like the fl oun-der run is over for this year, with only a few strag-glers left on the fl ats and fi sh numbers decreasing by the day. I was hoping that this last cold front would bring a new push of fi sh, but it looks like almost all the fi sh have left for the winter.

“The weather forecast for the next week looks brutal, with high winds and several strong cold fronts, effectively ending the last of the fl ounder run.”

NeweyeintheskyforTPWDgamewardens The Texas Game Warden’s unveiled its new Airbus AS350B3e helicopter that will enhance the depart-ment’s statewide law enforcement apparatus and assist with its search and rescue and disaster response efforts.

The aircraft is outfi tted with the latest law enforce-ment technology and emergency response equipment including a rescue hoist, thermal imager, search-light, public address system, satellite communication and night vision. Funding for the new aircraft, which was approximately $5 million, was made possible through legislative appropriation during the 83rd Texas Legislative session.

“This helicopter is going to be a tremendous asset and force multiplier for the Texas game wardens,” said Col. Craig Hunter, TPWD Law Enforcement direc-tor. “We will not only be able to more effi ciently move personnel and equipment across the state, but with the addition of the new hoist system, we will be able to better leverage our marine and ground assets to enhance our search and rescue capabilities during times of disaster.”

— TPWD

Flounder toughContinuedfrompage1


SolunarSuntimes

Moontimes

MoonPhases

LastJan. 13

TEXAS SUN, MOON AND TIDESFirstJan. 27

FullFeb. 3

NewJan. 20

Houston2015 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONJan. Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets

SanAntonio2015 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONJan. Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets

Amarillo2015 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONJan. Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets

Dallas2015 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONJan. Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets

Legend: Major=2 hours. Minor=1 hour. Times centered on the major-minor window. For other locations, subtract 1 minute per 12 miles east of a location, and add 1 minute per 12 miles west of a location.

TexasCoastTides

SabinePass,northDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJan 09 12:01 AM 0.6L 4:02 AM 0.8H 11:42 AM -0.2L 7:17 PM 1.0HJan 10 1:00 AM 0.5L 5:06 AM 0.7H 12:21 PM 0.0L 7:51 PM 1.0 HJan 11 2:02 AM 0.4L 6:50 AM 0.6H 1:04 PM 0.2L 8:23 PM 0.9HJan 12 2:59 AM 0.2L 9:16 AM 0.6H 1:55 PM 0.4L 8:54 PM 0.9HJan 13 3:50 AM 0.0L 11:11 AM 0.7H 3:02 PM 0.5L 9:22 PM 0.9HJan 14 4:36 AM -0.2L 12:26 PM 0.8H 4:22 PM 0.7L 9:49 PM 0.9 HJan 15 5:19 AM -0.4L 1:18 PM 1.0H 5:35 PM 0.8L 10:21 PM 0.9HJan 16 6:02 AM -0.6L 1:59 PM 1.1H 6:31 PM 0.8L 11:01 PM 1.0HJan 17 6:45 AM -0.8L 2:36 PM 1.2H 7:16 PM 0.8L 11:46 PM 1.1HJan 18 7:29 AM -0.9L 3:13 PM 1.2H 7:56 PM 0.8L Jan 19 12:36 AM 1.2H 8:14 AM -1.0L 3:49 PM 1.3H 8:38 PM 0.8LJan 20 1:29 AM 1.2H 9:00 AM -1.0L 4:27 PM 1.3H 9:23 PM 0.7 LJan 21 2:25 AM 1.2H 9:47 AM -0.9L 5:04 PM 1.2H 10:13 PM 0.5LJan 22 3:26 AM 1.2H 10:35 AM -0.7L 5:43 PM 1.2H 11:08 PM 0.4LJan 23 4:34 AM 1.1H 11:24 AM -0.5L 6:22 PM 1.1H

GalvestonBayentrance,northjettyDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJan 09 12:54 AM 0.6L 4:28 AM 0.8H 12:01 PM -0.1L 7:50 PM 1.1HJan 10 1:27 AM 0.5L 5:16 AM 0.7H 12:39 PM 0L 8:13 PM 1.0HJan 11 1:59 AM 0.3L 8:04 AM 0.6H 1:12 PM 0.2L 8:16 PM 1.0HJan 12 2:35 AM 0.2L 9:28 AM 0.6H 1:35 PM 0.4L 8:08 PM 1.0HJan 13 3:24 AM 0.0L 11:05 AM 0.7H 1:50 PM 0.6L 8:23 PM 1.0HJan 14 4:33 AM -0.1L 12:14 PM 0.9H 2:16 PM 0.8L 8:45 PM 1.0HJan 15 5:24 AM -0.3L 1:16 PM 1H 5:52 PM 0.9L 9:12 PM 1.0HJan 16 6:04 AM -0.6L 2:23 PM 1.1H 6:36 PM 0.9L 10:01 PM 1.0HJan 17 6:44 AM -0.7L 3:09 PM 1.3H 7:25 PM 1.0L 11:16 PM 1.1HJan 18 7:30 AM -0.8L 3:44 PM 1.4H 8:35 PM 0.9L Jan 19 12:15 AM 1.1H 8:24 AM -0.9L 4:17 PM 1.4H 9:32 PM 0.9LJan 20 1:21 AM 1.1H 9:17 AM -0.9L 4:51 PM 1.4H 10:14 PM 0.7LJan 21 2:40 AM 1.1H 10:05 AM -0.8L 5:28 PM 1.4H 10:57 PM 0.5LJan 22 3:43 AM 1.1H 10:50 AM -0.6L 6:09 PM 1.3H 11:46 PM 0.3LJan 23 4:41 AM 1H 11:38 AM -0.4L 6:51 PM 1.2H

SanLuisPassDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time Height Jan 09 2:16 AM 0.4L 5:09 AM 0.5H 12:11 PM 0.0L 8:08 PM 0.7HJan 10 2:57 AM 0.3L 6:29 AM 0.4H 12:45 PM 0.1L 8:32 PM 0.7HJan 11 3:41 AM 0.2L 8:32 AM 0.4H 1:23 PM 0.2L 8:56 PM 0.7HJan 12 4:29 AM 0.1L 10:05 AM 0.4H 2:04 PM 0.3L 9:14 PM 0.6HJan 13 5:17 AM 0.0L 9:14 PM 0.6H Jan 14 5:58 AM -0.1L 9:04 PM 0.6H Jan 15 6:32 AM -0.3L 3:22 PM 0.7H Jan 16 7:03 AM -0.4L 4:05 PM 0.8H Jan 17 7:37 AM -0.5L 4:36 PM 0.9H Jan 18 8:17 AM -0.6L 5:03 PM 0.9H Jan 19 9:05 AM -0.6L 5:25 PM 0.9H Jan 20 9:57 AM -0.6L 5:43 PM 0.9H 11:40 PM 0.6LJan 21 2:23 AM 0.7H 10:45 AM -0.6L 6:05 PM 0.8HJan 22 12:09 AM 0.5L 3:48 AM 0.7H 11:31 AM -0.4L 6:33 PM 0.8HJan 23 12:48 AM 0.4L 5:01 AM 0.6 H 12:19 PM -0.2L 7:05 PM 0.7 H

FreeportHarborDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJan 09 1:46 AM 0.7L 4:01 AM 0.8H 11:09 AM 0.0L 7:11 PM 1.2HJan 10 2:20 AM 0.6L 5:07 AM 0.7H 11:51 AM 0.2L 9:50 PM 1.6HJan 11 2:53 AM 0.5L 7:04 AM 0.7H 12:38 PM 0.4L 7:49 PM 1.1HJan 12 3:24 AM 0.3L 9:17 AM 0.7H 1:30 PM 0.6L 7:57 PM 1.0HJan 13 3:53 AM 0.2L 11:02 AM 0.8H 2:31 PM 0.7L 8:04 PM 1.0HJan 14 4:20 AM 0.0L 12:20 PM 1.0H 3:54 PM 0.9L 8:21 PM 1.0HJan 15 4:53 AM -0.1L 1:21 PM 1.2HJan 16 5:31 AM -0.3L 2:11 PM 1.3HJan 17 6:13 AM -0.5L 2:54 PM 1.5HJan 18 6:58 AM -0.6L 3:32 PM 1.5HJan 19 7:45 AM -0.7L 4:07 PM 1.6HJan 20 8:34 AM -0.8L 4:40 PM 1.6H 11:12 PM 1.0LJan 21 1:40 AM 1.1H 9:24 AM -0.7L 5:13 PM 1.5H 11:37 PM 0.9LJan 22 2:50 AM 1.1H 10:16 AM -0.5L 5:45 PM 1.4H Jan 23 12:04 AM 0.7L 4:03 AM 1.0H 11:12 AM -0.3L 6:18 PM 1.2H

RolloverPassDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJan 09 2:49 PM -0.2L 11:15 PM 0.7HJan 10 3:13 PM -0.1L 11:23 PM 0.7H Jan 11 7:24 AM 0.2L 9:49 AM 0.3H 3:42 PM 0.0L 11:42 PM 0.7HJan 12 7:54 AM 0.1L 11:51 AM 0.2H 4:12 PM 0.1L Jan 13 12:05 AM 0.7H 8:27 AM -0.1L 2:16 PM 0.3H 4:19 PM 0.3LJan 14 12:30 AM 0.7H 9:03 AM -0.2L Jan 15 12:58 AM 0.7H 9:41 AM -0.4L Jan 16 1:28 AM 0.7H 10:23 AM -0.5L 8:55 PM 0.7H 11:21 PM 0.7LJan 17 2:02 AM 0.7H 11:07 AM -0.6L 9:12 PM 0.8H Jan 18 12:24 AM 0.7L 2:41 AM 0.8H 11:51 AM -0.7L 9:46 PM 0.8HJan 19 1:17 AM 0.7L 3:26 AM 0.8 H 12:35 PM -0.7L 10:15 PM 0.8HJan 20 2:03 AM 0.7L 4:17 AM 0.8H 1:18 PM -0.7L 10:33 PM 0.7HJan 21 2:45 AM 0.7L 5:15 AM 0.7H 2:01 PM -0.6L 10:40 PM 0.7HJan 22 3:26 AM 0.6L 6:19 AM 0.7H 2:43 PM -0.5L 10:34 PM 0.6HJan 23 4:09 AM 0.4L 7:33 AM 0.6H 3:25 PM -0.3L 10:32 PM 0.5H

PortO’ConnorDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJan 09 1:49 PM -0.4L 11:57 PM 0.1HJan 10 2:21 PM -0.3L 11:54 PM 0.0HJan 11 2:52 PM -0.3L 10:21 PM 0.0H Jan 12 5:38 AM -0.1L 8:23 AM -0.1H 3:08 PM -0.2L 9:51 PM 0.0HJan 13 6:11 AM -0.3L 8:56 PM 0.0HJan 14 6:52 AM -0.4L 8:42 PM 0.1HJan 15 7:37 AM -0.5L 8:23 PM 0.1HJan 16 8:23 AM -0.5L 8:44 PM 0.2HJan 17 9:10 AM -0.6L 9:32 PM 0.2HJan 18 9:57 AM -0.7L 10:32 PM 0.2HJan 19 10:42 AM -0.7L 11:46 PM 0.2HJan 20 11:26 AM -0.7L Jan 21 1:13 AM 0.2H 12:10 PM -0.7LJan 22 2:40 AM 0.1H 12:53 PM -0.6LJan 23 4:09 AM 0.1H 1:34 PM -0.5L 10:44 PM -0.1H

RockportDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJan 09 5:32 AM -0.1H 3:02 PM -0.3LJan 10 6:25 AM -0.1H 3:20 PM -0.3L 11:19 PM -0.1HJan 11 5:14 AM -0.2L 7:54 AM -0.2H 3:28 PM -0.3L 11:01 PM -0.1HJan 12 6:31 AM -0.2L 10:33 AM -0.2H 3:17 PM -0.2L 10:58 PM -0.1HJan 13 7:19 AM -0.3L 11:03 PM -0.1HJan 14 8:01 AM -0.3L 11:14 PM -0.1HJan 15 8:44 AM -0.4L 11:33 PM -0.1HJan 16 9:29 AM -0.4L Jan 17 12:00 AM -0.1H 10:16 AM -0.4LJan 18 12:36 AM -0.1H 11:05 AM -0.4LJan 19 1:18 AM -0.1H 11:55 AM -0.5LJan 20 2:05 AM -0.1H 12:42 PM -0.5LJan 21 2:57 AM -0.1H 1:26 PM -0.4LJan 22 3:52 AM -0.1H 2:04 PM -0.4LJan 23 4:56 AM -0.2H 2:31 PM -0.4L

PortAransasDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJan 09 3:35 AM 0.5H 10:46 AM -0.2L 6:22 PM 0.5HJan 10 1:18 AM 0.3L 4:42 AM 0.4H 11:18 AM -0.1L 6:50 PM 0.5HJan 11 2:27 AM 0.2L 6:06 AM 0.3H 11:50 AM 0L 7:18 PM 0.5HJan 12 3:21 AM 0.1L 7:46 AM 0.3H 12:18 PM 0.2L 7:45 PM 0.5 HJan 13 4:06 AM 0.0L 8:07 PM 0.5H Jan 14 4:45 AM -0.1L 8:19 PM 0.5H Jan 15 5:21 AM -0.2L 4:23 PM 0.6H Jan 16 5:55 AM -0.4L 4:53 PM 0.6HJan 17 6:31 AM -0.5L 4:37 PM 0.7HJan 18 7:09 AM -0.6L 4:38 PM 0.7HJan 19 7:49 AM -0.6L 4:55 PM 0.7H 7:24 PM 0.6LJan 20 12:06 AM 0.7H 8:32 AM -0.6L 5:08 PM 0.6H 8:15 PM 0.6LJan 21 1:13 AM 0.7H 9:16 AM -0.6L 5:15 PM 0.6H 9:15 PM 0.5LJan 22 2:22 AM 0.6H 10:01 AM -0.5L 5:27 PM 0.6H 10:26 PM 0.3LJan 23 3:35 AM 0.6H 10:46 AM -0.3L 5:47 PM 0.5H 11:47 PM 0.2L

SouthPadreIslandDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJan 09 11:14 AM 0.2L 7:24 PM 1.1HJan 10 11:45 AM 0.3L 7:38 PM 1.1H Jan 11 2:40 AM 0.7L 6:00 AM 0.8H 12:16 PM 0.5L 7:51 PM 1HJan 12 3:13 AM 0.6L 8:28 AM 0.8H 12:46 PM 0.7L 7:57 PM 1HJan 13 3:47 AM 0.4L 7:49 PM 1.0H Jan 14 4:21 AM 0.3L 7:33 PM 1.0HJan 15 4:59 AM 0.1 3:17 PM 1.2HJan 16 5:39 AM 0.0L 3:50 PM 1.3HJan 17 6:23 AM -0.2L 4:26 PM 1.4HJan 18 7:09 AM -0.3L 5:00 PM 1.4HJan 19 7:57 AM -0.3L 5:28 PM 1.4HJan 20 8:45 AM -0.3L 5:49 PM 1.4HJan 21 9:34 AM -0.3L 6:04 PM 1.3H 10:57 PM 1.1LJan 22 1:54 AM 1.2H 10:24 AM -0.1L 6:18 PM 1.2H 11:33 PM 1LJan 23 3:30 AM 1.1H 11:14 AM 0.1L 6:31 PM 1.1H

EastMatagordaDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightJan 09 02:14 PM 0.1L Jan 10 12:00 AM 0.4H 03:31 AM 0.3L 05:41 AM 0.3H 02:29 PM 0.2LJan 11 12:25 AM 0.3H 05:08 AM 0.2L 07:16 AM 0.3H 02:56 PM 0.2LJan 12 12:36 AM 0.3H 05:46 AM 0.2L 01:20 PM 0.3H 05:50 PM 0.3LJan 13 06:13 AM 0.2L 03:02 PM 0.3H 06:20 PM 0.3L 11:46 PM 0.3HJan 14 06:28 AM 0.1L 03:55 PM 0.4H 06:11 PM 0.3L 11:57 PM 0.3HJan 15 06:35 AM 0.1L 10:57 PM 0.4H Jan 16 07:07 AM 0.0L 11:37 PM 0.4H Jan 17 09:05 AM 0.0L 06:24 PM 0.4H 10:06 PM 0.4LJan 18 12:08 AM 0.5H 09:28 AM 0.0L 07:26 PM 0.4H 10:03 PM 0.4LJan 19 12:38 AM 0.5H 09:50 AM -0.1LJan 20 01:08 AM 0.5H 10:17 AM 0.0L Jan 21 02:26 AM 0.4H 10:48 AM 0.0LJan 22 03:39 AM 0.4H 11:30 AM 0.1L 11:01 PM 0.4HJan 23 02:20 AM 0.3L 04:25 AM 0.4H 01:40 PM 0.1L 11:27 PM 0.3H

09 Fri 9:15 3:04 9:36 3:26 8:17 6:37 10:54p 10:53a10Sat 10:02 3:52 10:24 4:13 8:17 6:38 11:45p 11:26a11Sun 10:49 4:38 11:10 4:59 8:17 6:39 NoMoon 12:00p12Mon 11:34 5:23 11:56 5:45 8:17 6:40 12:36a 12:34p13Tue ----- 6:08 12:19 6:31 8:17 6:41 1:29a 1:10p14Wed 12:41 6:53 1:05 7:16 8:17 6:41 2:23a 1:49p15Thu 1:25 7:38 1:50 8:03 8:16 6:42 3:19a 2:32p16Fri 2:11 8:24 2:38 8:51 8:16 6:43 4:17a 3:20p17Sat 2:59 9:13 3:27 9:41 8:16 6:44 5:16a 4:13p18Sun 3:50 10:04 4:19 10:33 8:16 6:45 6:14a 5:11p19Mon 4:44 10:58 5:13 11:28 8:16 6:46 7:11a 6:14p20Tue 5:41 11:55 6:10 12:25 8:15 6:47 8:04a 7:21p21Wed 6:40 12:26 7:09 12:55 8:15 6:47 8:53a 8:28p22Thu 7:42 1:28 8:10 1:56 8:15 6:48 9:40a 9:35p23Fri 8:44 2:30 9:11 2:57 8:15 6:49 10:24a 10:41p24Sat 9:44 3:31 10:11 3:58 8:14 6:50 11:07a 11:45p25Sun 10:43 4:30 11:09 4:56 8:14 6:51 11:49a NoMoon26Mon 11:39 5:26 ----- 5:52 8:13 6:52 12:32p 12:48a27Tue 12:08 6:19 12:32 6:45 8:13 6:53 1:15p 1:50a28Wed 12:56 7:09 1:22 7:35 8:13 6:54 2:01p 2:49a

09Fri 9:21 3:10 9:42 3:31 8:29 6:36 10:58p 11:00a10Sat 10:08 3:58 10:29 4:19 8:29 6:37 11:51p 11:33a11Sun 10:55 4:44 11:16 5:05 8:29 6:38 NoMoon 12:05p12Mon 11:40 5:29 ----- 5:51 8:29 6:39 12:43a 12:38p13Tue 12:01 6:14 12:25 6:36 8:29 6:40 1:37a 1:13p14Wed 12:47 6:58 1:10 7:22 8:29 6:40 2:33a 1:51p15Thu 1:31 7:44 1:56 8:09 8:29 6:41 3:30a 2:33p16Fri 2:17 8:30 2:44 8:57 8:29 6:42 4:28a 3:20p17Sat 3:05 9:19 3:33 9:47 8:28 6:43 5:28a 4:13p18Sun 3:55 10:10 4:25 10:39 8:28 6:44 6:26a 5:11p19Mon 4:49 11:04 5:19 11:34 8:28 6:45 7:22a 6:15p20Tue 5:47 ----- 6:16 12:31 8:27 6:46 8:14a 7:22p21Wed 6:46 12:32 7:15 1:01 8:27 6:47 9:03a 8:31p22Thu 7:48 1:31 8:16 2:02 8:27 6:48 9:48a 9:39p23Fri 8:49 2:36 9:17 3:03 8:26 6:49 10:31a 10:46p24Sat 9:05 3:37 10:17 4:04 8:25 6:50 11:12a 11:52p25Sun 10:49 4:36 11:15 5:02 8:25 6:51 11:53a NoMoon26Mon 11:45 5:32 ----- 5:58 8:24 6:52 12:35p 12:57a27Tue 12:14 6:25 12:38 6:51 8:24 6:53 1:17p 1:59a28Wed 1:02 7:15 1:28 7:40 8:24 6:54 2:02p 3:00a

09Fri 9:27 3:17 9:49 3:38 8:28 6:50 11:07p 11:05a10Sat 10:15 4:04 10:36 4:25 8:28 6:51 NoMoon 11:39a11Sun 11:01 4:51 11:23 5:12 8:28 6:52 NoMoon 12:13p12Mon 11:47 5:36 ----- 5:58 8:28 6:53 12:49a 12:47p13Tue 12:08 6:21 12:32 6:43 8:28 6:54 1:42a 1:23p14Wed 12:53 7:05 1:17 7:29 8:28 6:55 2:36a 2:02p15Thu 1:38 7:50 2:03 8:16 8:28 6:55 3:22a 2:45p16Fri 2:23 8:37 2:50 9:04 8:28 6:56 4:30a 3:33p17Sat 3:11 9:25 3:40 9:54 8:28 6:57 5:28a 4:26p18Sun 4:02 10:17 4:31 10:46 8:28 6:58 6:27a 5:25p19Mon 4:56 11:11 5:26 11:40 8:27 6:59 7:23a 6:28p20Tue 5:53 ----- 6:23 12:37 8:27 7:00 8:16a 7:34p21Wed 6:53 12:38 7:22 1:07 8:27 7:00 9:06a 8:41p22Thu 7:54 1:40 8:22 2:08 8:27 7:01 9:53a 9:48p23Fri 8:56 2:42 9:23 3:10 8:26 7:02 10:37a 10:54p24Sat 9:57 3:43 10:24 4:10 8:26 7:03 11:20a NoMoon25Sun 10:56 4:42 11:22 5:09 8:26 7:04 12:02p NoMoon26Mon 11:51 5:38 ----- 6:05 8:25 7:05 12:45p 1:01a27Tue 12:20 6:31 12:44 6:57 8:25 7:06 1:29p 2:02a28Wed 1:08 7:21 1:34 7:47 8:24 7:07 2:14p 3:02a

09Fri 9:41 3:30 10:02 3:51 8:55 6:50 11:18p 11:22a10Sat 10:28 4:18 10:49 4:39 8:55 6:51 NoMoon11:54a11Sun 11:15 5:04 11:36 5:25 8:55 6:52 12:12a 12:25p12Mon ----- 5:49 12:00 6:11 8:55 6:53 1:05a 12:57p13Tue 12:21 6:34 12:45 6:57 8:55 6:54 2:00a 1:32p14Wed 1:07 7:18 1:30 7:42 8:55 6:55 2:56a 2:09p15Thu 1:51 8:04 2:16 8:29 8:55 6:56 3:54a 2:50p16Fri 2:37 8:50 3:04 9:17 8:54 6:57 4:54a 3:36p17Sat 3:25 9:39 3:53 10:07 8:54 6:58 5:54a 4:29p18Sun 4:16 10:30 4:45 10:59 8:54 6:59 6:52a 5:27p19Mon 5:09 11:24 5:39 11:54 8:53 7:00 7:48a 6:31p20Tue 6:07 ----- 6:36 12:51 8:53 7:01 8:39a 7:40p21Wed 7:06 12:52 7:35 1:21 8:53 7:02 9:27a 8:49p22Thu 8:08 1:54 8:36 2:22 8:52 7:03 10:11a 9:59p23Fri 9:09 2:56 9:37 3:23 8:52 7:04 10:53a 11:07p24Sat 10:10 3:57 10:37 4:24 8:51 7:05 11:33aNoMoon25Sun 11:09 4:56 11:35 5:22 8:51 7:06 12:12p 12:14a26Mon ----- 5:52 12:05 6:18 8:50 7:07 12:53p 1:20a27Tue 12:34 6:45 12:58 7:11 8:49 7:08 1:34p 2:24a28Wed 1:22 7:35 1:48 8:01 8:49 7:09 2:18p 3:25a


HEROES

JohnKelley landed this redfi sh in Port Mansfi eld with guide Ruben Garza.

SHAREANADVENTURE■Wanttosharehuntingandfishingphotoswithother Lone Star Outdoor Newsreaders?Emailthemwithcontactandcaptioninformationtoeditor@lonestaroutdoornews.com.High-resolutionoriginaljpegsonly.MailprintstoHeroes,Lone Star Outdoor News,P.O.Box551695,Dallas,TX75355.

JoshPowers harvested a pair of hogs in November.

Austin hunter BobErnst shot this buck on Nov. 8 with his .30-06 in Kendall County.

AudreyKoepp took her fi rst aoudad ram on the Twisters Ranch with Nick Steffek.

AlexKimmel, 12, took this javelina at Los Palomas WMA on a TPWD youth draw hunt.


Fresh crappie fi lletsItalian salad dressingRuffl es Potato ChipsShredded cheeseOnionSaltPepper

Take your fi llets and wash them off, then add salt and pepper. Put them in a 9x13 dish and pour Italian dressing over them. Cut a little onion and place on the fi sh and crumble some Ruffl es and make a layer over the fi sh. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Take the fi sh out, uncover and put on a layer of shredded cheese. Put back in the oven and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

— crappieusa.com

Crappiecasserole

*email LSON your favorite recipe to

[email protected].

Filleted duck breasts, no skinWaterMilkFlourGarlic salt and pepperYour favorite seasoningOil

Soak duck breasts in fresh water for three days in the refrigerator. Change water several times. After three days, meat should look gray instead of dark red.

Beat the breasts with a meat hammer as you would beef. Season fl our with garlic salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning to taste. Soak breasts in milk then roll in the fl our. Add to heated oil and fry like chicken-fried steak.

— backwoodsbound.com

Chicken-friedduckFORTHE

TABLE

ACROSS 1. Fish skin cover 3. A trout species 7. Oxidation on gun parts 8. An animal hideaway 9. An ocean dweller11. Deer stand locale13. Anything that attracts fi sh15. Pack a day’s catch in this17. A male Dall19. Small game20. The ___ snapper23. Fish eggs25. A bear food source27. A camp stove fuel28. A valued commercial catch30. A quail species33. An aid to the bowman36. A fi sh to be

37. Part of an antler39. A wildfowl home41. Scanning an area for game43. A saltwater fi sh47. To shed feathers48. A part of this is the pedal49. Protects the shooting hand DOWN 1. A turkey’s mating walk 2. A batch of newborn 3. A fi sh basket 4. The male turkey 5. Albino deer are ____ 6. To treat a hide10. A valued commercial catch12. A deer lure, scent14. A shore bird

16. A salmon18. A game track condition19. This brings in the catch21. The female deer22. Pulls in a fi sh24. A very valuable furbearer26. A type lure29. Checking freshness of tracks31. A good breed of gundog32. A predator34. Trapped for the pelt35. A feature of the wild boar38. A type of tent40. A fi sh gill42. A shooter’s protection, ____ pad44. To construct a fl y lure45. Letters for a shell grain measurement46. Code for a type of bullet

OUTDOOR PUZZLER By Wilbur “Wib” Lundeen SolutiononPage19


NATIONALLouisianahuntersbusted

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agents cited four Louisiana residents for alleged migra-tory game bird violations on Dec. 29 in Acadia Parish.

Agents cited August Guillory, 30, of Morse, Tyler Boone, 21, of Mermentau, Jason Myers, 35, of Morse, and Trevor Myers, 21, of Morse, with hunting across a public road, wanton waste and intentional concealment of wildlife. Jason and Trevor Myers were also cited for hunting without a residence license.

On the evening of Dec. 29, agents received a complaint about shots being fi red near a residential area in Morse. Senior Agent Derek Logan responded to the scene and observed Boone and Guillory on an all-terrain vehicle in a fi eld with four wounded light geese.

The men said they had left other birds and their licenses at their house. When the agent went with the men to retrieve their licenses there were fi ve more light geese at the camp.

Upon further investigation, Guillory and Boone admitted that Jason and Trevor Myers were hunting from across a subdivision road earlier in the evening. Agent Logan and the men were able to retrieve an addition two birds from the fi eld the men had been hunt-ing.

— LDWF

ACWDvaccine?Researchers at NYU Langone Medical

Center and elsewhere say that a vaccination they have developed to fi ght a brain-based, wasting syndrome among deer and other animals may hold promise on two additional fronts: protecting U.S. livestock from con-tracting the disease, and preventing similar brain infections in humans.

The study, published onlinein Vaccine Dec. 21, documents a scientifi c milestone: The fi rst successful vaccination of deer against chronic wasting disease, a fatal brain disorder caused by unusual infectious proteins known as prions. Prions propagate by converting otherwise healthy proteins into a disease state.

Equally important, the researchers say, this study may hold promise against human diseases suspected to be caused by prion infections, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob dis-ease, kuru, familial insomnia, and variably protease-sensitive prionopathy. Some stud-ies also have associated prion-like infections with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Now that we have found that prevent-ing prion infection is possible in animals, it’s likely feasible in humans as well,” says senior study investigator and neurologist Thomas Wisniewski, M.D., a professor at NYU Langone.

According to Dr. Wisniewski and his research team, if further vaccine experi-ments prove successful, a relatively small number of animals (as few as 10 percent) could be inoculated to induce herd immu-nity, in which disease transmission is essentially stopped in a much larger group.

For the study, fi ve deer were given the vaccine; another six were given a placebo. All of the deer were exposed to prion-infected brain tissue; they also were housed together, engaging in group activities similar to those in the wild. Scientists say this kept them in constant exposure to the infectious prions. The animals receiving the vaccine were given eight boosters over 11 months until key immune antibodies were detect-able in blood, saliva and feces. The deer also were monitored daily for signs of ill-ness, and investigators performed biopsies of the animals’ tonsils and gut tissue every three months to search for signs of CWD infection.

— NYU Langone

Stripedbasspoachersgetjail

A Tilghman Island fi sherman will have to serve time in federal prison for his role in a striped-bass poaching ring that spanned four years and netted 185,000 pounds of stolen fi sh valued at close to half a million dollars.

U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced William J. Lednum, 41, to one

year and one day in jail, followed by six months home detention and three years probation. Lednum, along with his codefen-dant in the case, Michael D. Hayden, will have to pay $498,923 in restitution to the Department of Natural Resources for the theft. Lednum also must pay a $40,000 fi ne.

Lednum and Hayden both pleaded guilty last summer to violating the federal Lacey Act, which prohibits the sale of illegally caught fi sh. Between 2007 and 2011, the pair — both captains of commercial fi shing vessels — engaged in a conspiracy to take a public resource from the Chesapeake Bay and cover their crimes.

— VDNR

Oregonhighwaycoveredinsalmon

The truck crash that dumped young Chinook salmon across a state highway is the talk of an Oregon town.

“The whole highway was covered with fish just flopping around everywhere,” Jesse Anderson of Walterville said.

The 11,000 spring Chinook smolt lost in the crash are part of the 227,000 fish being moved from the McKenzie Fish Hatchery due to problems with Leaburg Dam. The fish landed in Steve Robinson’s yard. The veteran trucker said this isn’t the first time a truck has crashed in his yard.

“I knew immediately what it was,” he said. “So did my daughter, so she takes control of the dogs, keeps them in the house. And I come out to try to attend to the injury. The fish were obviously flop-ping all over the place, trees breaking, power poles breaking, dirt flying every-where.”

Oregon State Police said the hatchery truck driver is under investigation after registering a .29 blood alcohol level.

— KVAL.com

Californiaboatingsafetyednowlaw

On January 1, Senate Bill 941, better known as California’s boating safety educa-tion requirement, became law.

SB941 requires that vessel operators pass a boating education test and obtain a Vessel Operator Card in order to operate a vessel that is propelled by an engine on California waterways. California joins a list of other other states with similar boating safety education requirements already in place. The program will be phased in over the next several years, with the fi rst mandatory requirement for card carrying compliance to begin on Jan. 1, 2018 for certain age groups (20 years of age and younger).

By 2025, all persons operating engine propelled vessels in California will be required to have a VOC.

There will be some exemptions to the VOC requirement including:

• Nonresidents temporarily operating a vessel in California for less than 60 days who meet the boating requirements, if any, of their state;

• A person operating a vessel while under the direct supervision of a person 18 years of age or older who is in possession of a California VOC issued by the Department of Boating and Waterways.

— CDBW

Federaljudgemakeskillingwolvesillegalinthreestates

On Dec. 19, 2014, a federal judge immediately reinstated Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, plac-ing the animals under protection of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Wolves now revert to the federal pro-tection status they had prior to being removed from the endangered species list in the Great Lakes region in January 2012. Wolves are now federally classified as threatened in Minnesota and endan-gered elsewhere in the Great Lakes region.

Only agents of the government are authorized to take wolves if depredation occurs.

—MDNR

Nikon will send your 10x42 ProStaff 7 binoculars. You can check out

the entire line at the nearest dealer:

See a full selection of Nikon products at:

Porters Sporting Goods

21973 Texas 155, Flint, Texas 75762

(903) 825-7467

KYLEGINSEL,9,KILLEDTHISNICE8-POINTERTHEWEEKOFTHANKSGIVINGWHILE

HUNTINGWITHHISDAD,KURT,INTRINITYCOUNTY.


LONE STAR MARKET

PuzzlesolutionfromPage17



DATEBOOKJANUARY 2-11

HoustonBoatShowNRG Center(713) 526-6361houstonboatshows.com

JANUARY 8-11AustinBoatandTravelTrailerShowAustin Convention Center(512) 494-1128austinboatshow.com

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ClubYouth Doe Hunt, Albany(214) 570-8700dwwcc.org

JANUARY 10-11TexasGun&KnifeShowAbilene Civic Center(830) 285-0575texasgunandknifeshows.com

JANUARY 14WeatherbyFoundationAwards Dinner, Dallas(480) 209-1561weatherbyfoundation.com

JANUARY 15-18DallasSafariClubDSC 2015 ConventionDallas Convention Center(972) 980-9800biggame.org

JANUARY 16-17DeerBreedersCorp.7th Annual New Year’s AuctionHorseshoe Bay Resort(972) 289-3100bdbcdeer.com

JANUARY 22SafariClubInternationalBrush Country Chapter 2nd Annual BanquetAmerican Bank Center, Corpus Christibrushcountrysci.com

JANUARY 23-25TexasTackle,HuntingandBoatShowBig Town Event Center, Mesquitemontgomeryproductions.com

JANUARY 23-28HoustonSafariClubHunting Expo and ConventionThe Woodlands(713) 623-8844houstonsafariclub.org

JANUARY 28DucksUnlimitedNight with the San Antonio SpursAT&T Center, San Antonio(830) 221-8046ducks.org/texas

JANUARY 31TexasTeamTrailSam Rayburn Tournament(210) 788-4143texasteamtrail.com

FEBRUARY 4-7SafariClubInternationalSCI ConventionLas Vegas, Nevada(888) 746-9724showsci.org

FEBRUARY 7BassChampsCentral Region fi shing tournamentLake LBJbasschamps.com

FEBRUARY 21TexasTeamTrailFishing tournamentToledo Bend Reservoir(210) 788-4143texasteamtrail.com

Advertising:Call(214)[email protected].

Forhomedeliverysubscriptionswww.LSONews.com•(214)361-2276

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Lone Star Outdoor News, ISSN 2162-8300,apublicationofLoneStarOutdoorNews, LLC, publishes twice a month. Amailed subscription is $30 for 24 issues.Newsstandcopiesare$2, incertainmar-ketscopiesarefree,oneperperson.Copy-right2015withallrightsreserved.Repro-ductionand/oruseofanyphotographicorwrittenmaterialwithoutwrittenpermissionbythepublisherisprohibited.Subscribersmay sendaddress changes to: LoneStarOutdoor News, P.O. Box 551695, Dallas,[email protected].


AKC REGISTERED LABRADOR PUPS

Blacks & ChocolatesSuperior Bloodline

Ready for new homes in mid JanuaryCall Steve

(817) 832-8078

WINTER DOVE HUNTING

Starting Dec. 19. Over Sesame Seed Fields in

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www.MarkRobertsDoveHunting.com

(830) 261-9467

TROPHY BASS AND BIRD HUNTING

Fish famous Lake Guerrero.Hunt Dove, Quail, Ducks.Please contact Lago Vista

Lodge today!dickyn@

lagovistalodge.com(713) 376-3938 or

(281) 495-9296

ARROWHEADS AND ARTIFACTSI buy and sell authentic

Texas artifacts. Please call Nick.

(210) 557-9478

DEER HUNT-SOUTH TEXAS

Trophy Deer-$695 for 2 days. Wife or child 1/2 price. Uvalde, Texas.

b-jranch.com(830) 313-3555

PROFESSIONAL GUIDE SERVICE

CEDAR BAYOU OUTFITTERS

Capt. Jeff Sims(361) 403-7510

SOUTH PADRE FISHING

Reds, Trout, Flounder, Snook. Everything sup-

plied but food and licenses. Multiple trip discounts. Call Capt. Thomas for details or

[email protected]. CustomSportsAnglers.com

(956) 551-1965

TROPHY WHITETAIL BUCK HUNTS

Intensive Management Program. Lodging included.

(940) 362-4219

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS &

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BRING MORE DEER TO YOUR FEEDERCALL ‘EM IN FEEDER

PLATES – THE DINNER BELL FOR DEER

Take advantage of the deer season special — 3 plates with universal u-bolts only

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COMPLETE TEXASDUCK STAMP PRINT

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DECOYS WANTEDWOODEN

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HUNTING EXOTICS$100/DAY GUIDE FEE,Plus trophy fee. Non-trophy $250-$350. Whitetail —

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January 09, 2015 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting