November 25, 2011 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

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November 25, 2011 Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper Volume 8, Issue 7

Holiday Gift GuidePerfect gifts for the outdoorsman

in your life. Pages 14-15

Inside

❘❚ LSONews.com

Lake continues hot streak.Page 8

Fantastic Falcon ❘❚ FISHING

Photographer's book explores women and guns.

Page 4

Armed and beautiful

Port O’Connor captain dives for old anchors.

Page 8

Anchorman

Pheasant numbers are way down this year.Page 4

Few birds

❘❚ HUNTING

Rutting action beginning to heat up

By Conor HarrisonLONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

Rumors trickling out of Sabine Lake whispered of the best

coastal fi shing in years.“Yes, sir, it’s as good

as you’ve heard,” said longtime guide Bill Watkins. “The water is really salty — there

is no freshwater, so the fi sh can go where the bait is. Shrimp

❘❚ CONTENTSClassifi eds . . . . . . . . . Page 23Crossword . . . . . . . . . Page 22Fishing Report . . . . . . . Page 10For the Table. . . . . . . . Page 22Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12Heroes. . . . . . . . . . . Page 20Outdoor Datebook . . . . . Page 29 Outdoor Business . . . . . Page 33 Holiday Guide Pages 14-15 Sun, Moon and Tide data . . Page 22 Texoma fi shing up,

business down

Salty but sweet

See SWEET, Page 25


Longtime Lake Texoma fi shing guide Dan Barnett had one thing to say to folks scared away from the lake by a recent outbreak of algae.

“Reports of Texoma’s demise have been greatly exaggerated,” he said. “The smallmouth fi shing is incredible — the best I’ve seen in years.”

See TEXOMA, Page 25

PLENTY OF BIG FISH: Guides on Lake Texoma say the striper and

smallmouth fi shing is as good as it has been in years due to an

abundance of bait and good weather. Photo by Striper Express.


Rio Rojo Rancho owner Mike Ford knows good rut-ting activity when he sees it.

The problem, he said, wasn’t that the bucks weren’t rutting in mid-November. It was that they were doing it in the deep

Activity hot in the north, getting there in the Hill Country See RUTTING, Page 17

When everything comes together

It’s a scene most hunters, and es-pecially waterfowl hunters along the Texas coast, rarely see, and one that

those who sleep in never see.The sun rising in the east on a clear,

calm morning — with a full moon about to set above the horizon to the west.

It happens maybe once each hunting

season, and with cloud cover, family and work obligations, even avid coastal waterfowlers may never see it.

On this November morning it hap-pened during a duck hunt on Copano Bay near Rockport, accentuated by a fl ock of redheads that buzzed the blind three times.

The guide wondered why the hunters didn’t shoot. But the redheads were abundant, and the scene trumped the blast of a shotgun or dropping of a bird.

There were more birds that entered the frame — pintail, green-winged teal, wigeon, gadwall, bluebills and the ever-reliable redheads. And sometime

after 9 a.m., a group of gadwall dove in and two hunters each downed a drake to complete the limits for the group of three. The guide was happy.

But the day won’t be remembered for the limits.

— Craig NyhusPhotograph by David J. Sams, LSON.

INSIDE ■ Duck blinds: Page 4

FIND THE BIRDS: Sabine Lake is fi shing great right now. One of the easiest ways to fi nd schools of redfi sh and trout is to look for the birds circling above schools of baitfi sh and shrimp. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.

. . . . .

Page 2 November 25, 2011 Lone✯Star Outdoor News LSONews.com



HUNTING


The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department recently completed its annual pheasant surveys in the Panhandle and, according to several of the biologists, the results aren’t promising.

“It’s not looking too well,” said Joachim Treptow, TPWD biologist in the Dalhart area. “With the lack of cover, it might take awhile for it to get back to normal. We’d love to have peo-ple come up and hunt, but the prospects aren’t looking good for many birds.”

Treptow said this is his fi rst year in the Dalhart area, but looking back through past pheasant surveys, this year is way down in overall numbers.

“Back in 2005 looked like a great year,” he said. “But numbers just aren’t fantastic this year.”

Mark Gallegos of Scattered Shot Outfi tters in Dalhart said he hasn’t seen enough pheasants this year to feel right about booking hunts.

“I haven’t been out yet a whole lot,” he said, “but I haven’t been seeing the num-bers I usually do. I think it is mostly due to the lack of cover from the drought.”

Gallegos said unless the area receives a lot of rain during the spring and summer, the pheasant hunting in the Panhandle could be down for years.

TPWD biologist Russell Martin, who works the counties around Lubbock on the extreme southern-most range of the birds, said his line counts were poor this year, similar to last year.

“We are still compiling data, and my area might not be representative of the areas farther north, but it was down this year,” Martin said. “A good line for me is 20 miles, and I saw three birds when I was out earlier this week. Now, that is comparable to last year when the counts were around two or three birds.

Martin said lack of vegetation was a main factor for the lack of birds.

“There is less vegetation than there has been out here,” he said. “There is virtually no growth for the birds to hide in. There are no weeds in the playas. The birds are generally easier to see, but we are seeing fewer birds.

“Habitat-wise, it’s about as bad as I’ve ever seen.

“There are more fallow fi elds than I’ve ever seen and less grain, which means less food.”

Martin said he checked with the biologist compiling all of the pheas-ant survey data, and he said some trends have emerged.

“Numbers are generally down, but we’ve seen the biggest decreases in areas that traditionally hold the most birds,” he said. “In areas where we usually see 200 or 300 birds along a string, this year we saw 20 or 30. But in areas where we normally see 20 or 30 birds, we saw 15 or 20 this year.

“The higher density areas had the biggest reductions in birds.”

Texas pheasants few and far

between for hunting

season


Even in the darkened landscape of water and grass, the bay leaf brush stood out against the flat coastal

marsh near Rockport.Three hunters, a guide

and a chocolate lab piled into the roomy platform blind after decoys had been spread to entice fl ocks of teal, gadwall,

redheads, wigeon, blue-bills, pintail and other assorted ducks.

Within an hour after daylight, all of the hunters had shot their limits. Being well-hidden had made a

huge difference on this hunt. The blind worked.

Duck blinds come in all shapes and sizes, but one

Blind but now I see … the ducksDuck blinds come in all shapes and

sizes See DUCK BLINDS, Page 19

Texans prominent in ‘Chicks with Guns’New book of portraits explores gender, guns, culture

By Bill MillerLONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

String together three words — chicks with guns — and men will take notice.

So will women.That’s what photographer

Lindsay McCrum has learned since her book “Chicks with Guns,” launched in September.

It’s a portrait collection of 81 women, including 15 Texans, spanning ethnicities, age groups and income levels.

The common thread is that each is photographed with her gun of choice.

McCrum, who will be at book signings next month in San Antonio, said the proj-ect has been praised by both men and women.

Reviewers have called it “beautiful, unsettling, com-pelling, haunting and mes-merizing,” she said.

See CHICKS WITH GUNS, Page 30

LADY, GET YOUR GUN: Courtney Abernethy, left, of Houston is one of 15 Texans featured in Lindsay McCrum’s “Chicks with Guns.” The cover of the book is shown above. Photos by Lindsay McCrum.

ANYONE SEE ANY ROOSTERS? Pheasant num-bers are down across much of Texas this year. Biologists think lack of cover has contributed to the decline. Photo by LSON.

DON’T MISS: When a blind is positioned correctly, shots on ducks can be close. Here, a hunter shoots from a platform blind built on a marsh near Rockport. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.


Success breeds more work in deer management program

Bobwhite quail numbers low, many hunters not shooting this year


Speaking to many quail hunters across the state right now is like trying to talk at a funeral.

Hushed tones, darting eyes and a few words about the good old days followed by a long stare and “it’s not looking good this year.”

“I haven’t been out because I haven’t seen any birds,” said Mark Brewer, president of the Amarillo-Panhandle Chapter of Quail Coalition. “The hunters I’ve talked to have all said about the same thing.

“Not a lot of birds, and

the ones that are out there, we think we’ll leave for next year’s brood stock.” See QUAIL LOW, Page 27


Success breeds success, the saying goes.But now that one very successful deer man-

agement program in Texas has steadily grown, state biologists are struggling to keep up with it.

The Managed Land Deer Permits pro-gram, which began in 1998, allows partici-pating landowners involved in habitat man-agement efforts to have longer seasons and more fl exible bag limits.

There are three levels in the program, and

as of 2010, it had 6,912 ranches enrolled, comprising about 21 million acres.

Its popularity has resulted in about 1 million more acres added each year, said Clayton Wolf, Wildlife Division director for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

“It has been wildly successful,” Wolf said. “It’s funny because we talked several years ago about how we could be better marketing the MLDP program, and we said ‘Wow, this thing is marketing itself.’”

See MLDP, Page 26

I’M LOOKING: Hunters have been encouraged to get out and work dogs this year, but low numbers of quail due to the drought has many hunters shooting with a camera this quail season. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.



Scary campfi re tales have enthralled generations of kids, but J.T. Howard Jr., an insurance salesman from Hempstead, was intrigued with the “Grave Digger.”

It was the fi rst white-tailed buck he noticed a couple years ago when he fi rst got on his Edwards County lease. The ranch is northeast of Del Rio, about six hours by car from his home northwest of Houston.

J.T. videotaped the 12-point buck that fi rst sighting. And the deer frequently showed up on trail camera images near corn and pro-tein feeders in the southwest cor-ner of the ranch — just a few hun-

dred yards from an old cemetery.The history of the resting place

remains a mystery to J.T. He esti-mated that about 75 headstones are there, some dating back to the early 1900s.

“It’s kind of a weird deal, out in the middle of nowhere,” he said. “Some of (the graves) are for babies, but it is mostly elderly people.

“I assume it was a public ceme-tery — not just one family.”

But there was never any mistak-ing the deer on the trail cam. He had a 2-inch kicker off of his G2 and “heavy crab claws,” J.T. said.

Since the deer frequented the cemetery, J.T. called him the “Grave Digger.”

“I was always intrigued by

him,” he said. J.T. stopped restocking corn

and protein near the cemetery and noticed that the buck would move to another feeding station near the center of the ranch.

That’s where he set up a pop-up blind among some cedar bushes.

J.T. got a glimpse of the deer on opening weekend of archery sea-son, but he couldn’t get a shot. He returned the next week and hunted Thursday and Friday, but the Grave Digger didn’t show.

But as nefarious storm clouds moved into Edwards County early Saturday morning, the big deer appeared.

‘Grave Digger’ posed three-year challenge

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EMILY MADDEN,

10, of Frisco,

recently went

on her fi rst dove

hunt with family

and friends near

Paducah in Cottle

County. Here she

takes a break

with her family’s

loyal Brittany

Spaniel, MAX.

See GRAVE DIGGER, Page 24

SPOOKY BUCK: J.T. Howard Jr. downed this Edwards County buck he nicknamed “Grave Digger” with a Buckmasters G2XL “lefty” compound bow. It launched a Beman ICS arrow tipped with a Rage two-bladed broadhead. Photo by J.T. Howard.

Camp director outshoots pro marksmen to be ‘Top Shot’


Dustin Ellerman isn’t very good at pitching rocks.“I just stink at it,” said the 28-year-old

director of a Christian summer camp in East Texas. “Throwing rocks — it’s the dumbest thing ever.

“Give me sights and a trigger and I can really make it happen.”

He proved that earlier this year when he won fi rst place in Season 3 of the History Channel’s reality program, “Top Shot.”

The show puts 16 contestants in a variety of shooting challenges involving weapons

from throughout history — everything from Dustin’s dreaded rocks to modern assault rifl es.

But the show, hosted by “Survivor” alum Colby Donaldson, also challenges shooters to hit targets on unusual obstacle courses or strenuous situations, like moving through the air upside down.

“They would walk us up to the challenge and we had no clue what we were getting into,” Dustin said. “Then Colby would say, ‘Here’s what you’re going to do.’

“You either picked it up on the fl y real fast

MARKSMAN: Dustin Ellerman, a summer camp director from Zavalla, bested more than a dozen other shooters to win Season 3 of “Top Shot” on the History Channel. Photo by Dustin Ellerman. See TOP SHOT, Page 24



FISHING

By Craig NyhusLONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

For those fi shing the jetties by boat, it’s not a matter of if, but of when. Anchors wedge themselves into the large chunks of granite and won’t let go.

For Captain Pat “Pickle” Ragusin with Salty Dog Outfi tters in Port O’Connor, one fi sherman’s loss can be another’s gain.

“We used to dive under the boats and shoot some grouper and other fi sh,” he said. “Then we dove the jetties — we were seeing rods, reels and started spotting anchors.”

Ragusin dove with friend and fellow guide Jeremy Helms, and they decided to capitalize on the opportunity.

“We started diving the Port O’Connor jetties for anchors,” he said. “We usually wait until August when the blue water gets closer in and we have good visibility. This year we could see 40 to 60 feet.”

The anchors are col-lected, separated, cleaned and sold — often to the original owners.

“Our best day was 45 anchors,” Ragusin said. “A guy pulled up and said he would buy them from us — we got $10 per anchor.”

And since then, there have been repeat custom-ers, usually jetty regulars.

“I sold the same guy his anchors more than 20 times,” Ragusin said. “He’s out there a lot — it doesn’t matter what you wedge between two pieces of granite, it’s gonna get stuck.”

The type of anchor doesn’t seem to matter either.

“We found a dozen of the unsnaggable Mighty Mite anchors one year,”

Ragusin said.Ragusin knows his way around

the bay system. He has been fi sh-ing there for more than 30 years and guides fi shermen and duck hunters. He’s a U.S. Coast Guard certifi ed captain and has a Master of Steam or Motor Vessels license.

He has operated a 65-foot crew boat, taking divers, birdwatch-ers and fi shermen 100 miles off-shore on the weekends, and taking crews, food and supplies to oil rigs during the week.

“We liked taking the birdwatch-ers,” he said. “There was nothing to clean up when we got back.”

Now he guides fi shermen and duck hunters. But during the times of year when things slow down a bit, diving the jetties is one of the extra ways he has found to pocket some spending money.

“We found 28 anchors this year and sold them for about $400,” he said. “I’ve done the spearfi shing thing — this is more lucrative.”

Now, the fi shermen and duck hunters are keeping him busy.

“It’s been a great duck season so far,” he said. “A lot of pintail and redheads, of course, but this year there are more gadwall and wigeon — we’ve been doing great.

“And the redfi sh are biting, too.”

Salty Dog Outfi tters, (512) 284-0365 or (361) 550-6428

MORE THAN SCRAP: This pile of anchors was recovered from the Port O’Connor jetties by two scuba-diving friends, Pat “Pickle” Ragusin and Jeremy Helms. Several were resold to their previous owners. Photo by Pat Ragusin.

Fall bass on the fl y

Falcon continues roll

Diving for anchorsGuides go under at jetties

for salvage, cash


Longview native Trent Durst grew up following his grandfather around area lakes with a fl y rod.

Years later, Durst still enjoys chasing largemouths with fl y gear.

“It’s just enjoyable,” he said. “I grew up fl y-fi shing for bass because my grandpa was a huge fl y-fi sh-erman. He’d take trips that I’d go with him on, and I was always catching bass and bream on fl ies.”

Durst said he loves the top-water action that poppers provide on warmer days when the bite is on.

“On a cold day, the minnow-type fl ies like streamers, Wool Heads or Clouser minnows are a good choice,” he said. “Throw them near logs, lily pads, or any type of structure and strip the line.

“Between those baits, my favor-ite is the popper. They just hit it.”

Durst said a great choice in the early fall are dragon fl y fl ies.

“When the dragon fl ies were buzzing around the water, bass were actually jumping out of the water to grab them,” he said. “They were going crazy.”

For rods, Durst enjoys fi shing with a 6- to 7-weight rod for lighter action, but goes bigger when he’s fi shing waters that have the poten-tial for big bass.

“The light rods are also good for trout and bream,” he said. “But if I’m going to a place like (Lake) Fork, I might opt for a bigger rod like an 8-weight. And an 8-and-a-half foot rod will handle anything.”

Sean Polk, fi shing manager for Orvis in Dallas, said late fall bass fi shing with a fl y rod isn’t the easi-est time to catch bass, but it could result in a really big fi sh.

“Winter has been my best time for big bass,” he said. “It can be a lot of

work, but worth it. You won’t get as many bites, but they could be big.”

Polk recommended fl ies like big Clousers, the Bass Omatic with a rubber skirt or a Geezus Lizard, which imitates a crawfi sh pattern.

Also becoming popular with bass anglers is the sinking tip lines or Poly-leaders that sink.

“The Poly-leaders are 7- to 10-foot sinking tips to add to a fl oating line to get your line a lit-tle deeper and not have to spend the money to respool a whole new line,” Polk said. “They are great to use from shore, and the fl y actu-ally comes up as you strip line to give it a jig-like action.”

Polk said during the winter, he loves to fi sh on the Brazos River for big stripers and largemouths.

“I rig an 8-weight looking for big stripers,” he said. “But I also fi nd a lot of nice largemouths. It’s good to be able to fi sh year-round.”

Tougher fi shing but, often, bigger bass

By Alan ClemonsFOR LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

No stranger to big bass tales, Falcon International Reservoir seems to be churning out more double-digit largemouth in the last couple of months than earlier this year.

After the Toyota Texas Bass Classic on Lake Conroe late in October, several of the pro com-petitors headed to Falcon for a few days to tangle with the big bass. Tournament champion Keith Combs was among them, as he had some guide trips set up the week following his win.

Combs, who guided at Amistad in Del Rio but now

lives in Hemphill, said he spends about two weeks a month at Falcon when he’s not on the tournament circuit.

“As far as big ones, I think it’s been pretty good all year, but lately there seems to be a combination of things that has helped,” he said. “One is the lake level has been really good lately to fi sh some of the rocks and brush. There’s been about 8-10 feet depth around the thick brush and 10-13 feet on the rock piles. I think that’s a perfect depth for fi shing the lake right now.”

FALL FUN ON THE FLY: Bass fi shing can be slower in late fall and winter on a fl y rod, but bigger fi sh are what keep anglers like Hugh Pendery throwing fl ies during the colder months. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.

WORTH THE TRIP: Anglers are heading to the border to tangle with Falcon Lake’s big bass. Offshore ledges, fl ooded brush and points are producing before the fi sh move to pre-spawn areas. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.

See FALCON, Page 34


Offshore action heats up after rough seas subside

Electrofi shing surveys showpopulations holding steadyBy Bill MillerLONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

Game fi sh populations seem to be hold-ing steady across the state, said biologists involved in fall electrofi shing surveys.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department con-ducts the surveys on most lakes every four years.

The fi sh, usually in shallower areas, are tem-porarily stunned with electric currents; then they are placed in livewells to recover. Lengths and weights are recorded and sometimes tissue samples are taken before the fi sh are released.

Electrofi shing surveys help biologists measure populations of largemouth bass and prey species like shad and panfi sh.

But, although lake levels across the state have fallen drastically over the past year, fi sh populations aren’t expected to be drastically low just yet.

Succeeding years may tell a different sto-ries, however, if normal rainfall does not return to replenish lakes.

“I would say the adult component of the population is really stable now,” said Craig Bonds, a TPWD inland fi sheries director in Tyler, who oversees East Texas.

“It’s really hard to paint in broad strokes,” Bonds explained, “Some lakes are affected more adversely than others. But the fi rst year of low-water conditions usually sees fairly stable populations.”

As water levels retreat, however, grassy habitat for laying eggs is inaccessible to fi sh. “Recruitment” could begin to slip.

Bonds noted, however, that populations of adult fi sh could still keep anglers busy in the second year of drought, as long as suffi -cient boat access continues.

And if rains do come, the juvenile popula-tion could rebound quickly, Bonds said.

“What we don’t want to see is low levels two to three years from now,” he said. “If drought continues, I’d anticipate seeing sport fi sh populations that really start to change — with fewer and fewer fi sh recruiting.”

Electrofi shing surveys were conducted at Arrowhead, Graham, Jacksboro, Millers Creek and Palo Pinto reservoirs, said Robert Mauk, a TPWD biologist in Wichita Falls.

“While several of the reservoirs showed signs of negative impact from the drought, bass populations in Millers Creek and Palo Pinto reservoirs are doing well,” Mauk said in a report. “All the reservoirs contained ade-quate forage, though the species varied from one reservoir to another.”

Fewer largemouth bass, however, were noticed at Arrowhead, Mauk said.

“The good news is that there are plenty of legal sized (14 inches or longer) bass avail-able to the angler,” Mauk said, “and body condition was considered good.”

In West Texas, the popular big-bass desti-nation O.H. Ivie Reservoir showed average populations, said Mukhtar Farooqi, a TPWD district biologist in San Angelo.

But, he added, biologists were also happy to see “young-of-the-year fi sh that were pro-duced this summer.”

The presence of juvenile fi sh showed that recruitment continued, even though the lake’s plummeting levels have alarmed offi cials in nearby cities that depend on it for drinking water.

“There is still some vegetation there,” Farooqi said. “So, we have some encourag-ing signs.”

Fish quality seemed unchanged, Farooqi said.“It just looked like a typical Ivie sample, as

far as the condition of fi sh,” he said. “Some of them there are thin, but we’ve been hav-ing that for years, so you wouldn’t be able to necessarily associate that with the drought.”

But fi sh size has gotten the attention of biologists surveying nearby Lake Nasworthy in San Angelo.

Farooqi said the lake isn’t producing har-vestable largemouth bass — 14 inches or more — until they reach age 6.

“They’re growing too slow,” he said. “They should be reaching 14 inches by 2 to 3 years. There’s a lot of stunting going on. We are look-ing at what we can do to try to ease (that).”

Biologists also conduct gill net surveys in the spring, Farooqi said.

That information is submitted with the fall electrofi shing surveys in the summer. TPWD offi cials then consider all the data to make decisions for the various lakes.

Rough seas put a crimp in offshore fi shing in early to mid-November, but party boat crews were quick to launch when they could get calmer waters.

“The seas have been too rough at 7 to 9 feet,” said Paula Housman of Captain Kelly’s Deep Sea Headquarters, Port Aransas. “We had to cancel some fl oaters.

“But last week we did good on yellowfi n. We had two boats come back with 3,100 pounds.

“Then we had a 12-hour trip

on Wednesday and they came back with amberjack, vermil-lion snapper, blackfi n tuna and some kingfi sh and shark.

“It’s slower than summer, but you can’t complain too much.”

A similar report came from mid-November at Galveston Party Boats.

During an earlier trips, customers with cut bait and Diamond Jigs fi shed 70 to 150 miles out and caught yellowfi n, weighing about 60 to 100 pounds, blackfi n, vermillion snapper and a

few amberjack.Chris Smith said a boat

was to launch the following day after not going out for about a month. He said busi-ness slips a bit during hunt-ing season, but weather was also a huge factor.

“We don’t go out in 6-foot seas,” he said. “We don’t want to beat our customers to death.”

Galveston Party Boats, (409) 763-5423Captain Kelly’s Deep Sea Headquarters, (361) 749-5597

— Staff report

HEADING OUT: Fishing for deep-water species, including this kingfi sh, slipped in early to mid-November because of high seas. Party boat crews were quick to launch when calmer waters returned. Photo by LSON.


ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 58–65 degrees; 7.65’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shal-low-running crankbaits, Texas rigs, spinnerbaits and Rat–L–Traps. Crap-pie are fair on live minnows. Catfi sh are fair to good on nightcrawlers.

AMISTAD: Water clear; 67–72 degrees; 7.83’ low. Largemouth bass are good on crankbaits, jerkbaits, soft plastics, jigs and fair on top-waters. Striped bass are good on slabs and Red Fins.

ARROWHEAD: Water off-color; 56–67 degrees; 8.33’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters early, later switching to Texas rigs, spinnerbaits and weightless fl ukes. White bass are good on slabs and minnows.

ATHENS: Water clear, 65–70 degrees; 5.60’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged worms, shaky heads and shallow crankbaits — main lake points have been best with schooling action early. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait.

BASTROP: Water clear; 68–71 de-grees. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon soft plastics and Rat–L–Traps. Channel and blue catfi sh are fair on nightcrawlers and stinkbait.

BELTON: Water fairly clear; 67–70 degrees; 11.91’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters and spinnerbaits. Hybrid striper are good on live shad early. White bass are good on slabs. Yellow catfi sh are good on live perch.

BOB SANDLIN: Water lightly stained; 64–69 degrees; 9.09’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on black/blue jigs, shaky heads with fi nesse worms and shallow-running crankbaits. Crappie are good on live minnows and jigs. White bass are good on Humdingers and top-waters. Catfi sh are fair to good on trotlines or juglines with Redneck’s Catfi sh Bait Soap.

BRAUNIG: Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and wa-termelon soft plastic worms in reeds. Striped bass are good on silver and gold spoons and marble spinnerbaits near the jetty and dam. Redfi sh are good on perch, shrimp, shad, tilapia and silver spoons.

BRIDGEPORT: Water clear; 63–68 degrees; 12.33’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shallow-running crankbaits in shad patterns along main lake points. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs (best action midday).

BROWNWOOD: Water lightly stained; 69–73 degrees; 15.78’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on medi-um-running crankbaits, chartreuse buzzbaits, and watermelon worms over brush piles in 8–15 feet. White bass are good on Li’l Fishies and minnows off lighted docks at night.

BUCHANAN: Water clear; 67–71 degrees; 31.79’ low. Largemouth bass are good on white Spinnerbaits, perch- colored Rat–L–Traps, and chartreuse crankbaits in 10–20 feet. Channel cat-fi sh are good on shrimp, minnows and cheesebait. Yellow and blue catfi sh are good on perch and live shad.

CADDO: Water stained; 64–69 degrees; 1.49’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged creature baits around isolated cover. Yellow bass are good on minnows.

CALAVERAS: Water clear. Largemouth bass are fair on dark soft plastic worms, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits near the dam. Redfi sh are good on perch and tilapia near the dam. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on liver, shrimp, and cheesebait.

CANYON LAKE: Water clear; 66–70 de-grees; 10.08’ low. Largemouth bass are good on white spinnerbaits, watermelon Scoundrel worms and Texas-rigged 6” pumpkinseed worms in 15–25 feet. Striped bass are fair jigging 1oz. Pirk Minnows and trolling crankbaits at daylight. Yellow and blue catfi sh are good on trotlines and juglines baited with live goldfi sh and perch.

CEDAR CREEK: Water lightly stained;

64–69 degrees; 7.65’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged worms, shaky heads and fi -nesse jigs around docks. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on live shad.

CHOKE CANYON: Water clear; 68–72 degrees; 11.44’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse soft plastics in 15–20 feet.

COLEMAN: Water clear; 68–71 de-grees; 15.62’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon crankbaits,

soft plastic worms and Rat–L–Traps. Channel catfi sh are good on stinkbait, shrimp and nightcrawlers.

CONROE: Water fairly clear; 69–73 de-grees; 7.93’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse soft plastics, Rat–L–Traps, and top-waters. Crappie are good on minnows and white tube jigs.

COOPER: Water lightly stained; 64–68 degrees; 12.74’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shallow crankbaits, spinnerbaits 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. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait and cut bait.

FALCON: Water clear from Marker 14 south, stained above; 70–73 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on deep-running crankbaits and jigs in 12–20 feet. Crappie are excellent on shiners and jigs. Striped bass are still in the lake in very limited num-bers. Channel and blue catfi sh are excellent on shrimp and stinkbait.

FORK: Water fairly clear; 64–69 degrees; 7.59’ low. Largemouth bass are good on black/blue fl ipping jigs rigged with LFT Flipper — concen-trate on the wood cover near creek channel bends. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfi sh are good on cut shad and prepared bait.

GIBBONS CREEK: Water clear. Largemouth bass are good on char-treuse crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and Rat–L–Traps. Crappie are good on minnows and white tube jigs.

GRANBURY: Water clear; 67–71 degrees; 5.23’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon spinnerbaits and soft plastics off points early. Crappie are good on minnows and blue tube jigs. Catfi sh are good on stinkbait and shrimp.

GRAPEVINE: Water clear; 65–69 degrees; 5.39’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged worms, watermelon fi nesse jigs and spinnerbaits along main lake points. Crappie are good on minnows. White bass are good on top-waters and Rat–L–Traps. Catfi sh are fair to good on nightcrawlers and cut shad.

HUBBARD CREEK: 57–65 degrees; 14.5’ low. Largemouth bass are

good on spinnerbaits, Texas rigs and weightless fl ukes. Catfi sh are fair to good on nightcrawlers.

JOE POOL: Water clear; 64–70 degrees; 3.41’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas rigs, shallow crankbaits and smaller jigs. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are fair to good on prepared baits.

LAKE O' THE PINES: Water lightly stained; 64–70 degrees; 4.37’ low. Largemouth bass are good on

Texas rigs, shallow crankbaits and Rat–L–Traps along main lake points. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Catfi sh are good on cut shad.

LAVON: Water lightly stained; 64–70 degrees; 13.07’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged crea-ture baits, top-waters and square-bill crankbaits. White bass are good on slabs. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs around bridge columns. Catfi sh are good on cut shad and nightcrawlers.

LBJ: Water clear; 68–72 degrees; 0.37’ low. Largemouth bass are good on chartreuse Curb’s buzzbaits, white swim baits and watermelon Whacky Sticks in 10–20 feet at day-light. Striped bass are good on Li’l Fishies and Creme 2” Spoiler Shads at night. Channel catfi sh are good on minnows and shrimp. Yellow and blue catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with live bait.

LEWISVILLE: Water clear; 64–69 degrees; 7.03’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shallow-running crankbaits in shad patterns, spinnerbaits and swim jigs along the riprap near the dam. White bass are good on slabs. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait.

LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 69–73 degrees; 4.12’ low. Largemouth bass are good on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Striped bass to 4 pounds are good on Zara spooks and Rat–L–Traps. Crappie are good on minnows. Blue catfi sh are good on juglines baited with shad.

MONTICELLO: Water fairly clear; 76–88 degrees; 0.79’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shallow crankbaits, chatterbaits and Texas-rigged crea-ture baits on shallow wood cover.

PALESTINE: Water lightly stained; 64–69 degrees; 6.38’ low. Largemouth bass are good early on top-waters, later switching to shallow crankbaits, spinnerbaits and bladed jigs. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair to good on slabs and minnows. Catfi sh are good on prepared bait.

POSSUM KINGDOM: Water fairly clear; 62–71 degrees; 10.67’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on

square-bill crankbaits, Texas rigs, Rat–L–Traps and shaky heads. Crap-pie are fair to good on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair to good on slabs and live minnows. Catfi sh are good on cut shad and nightcrawlers.

PROCTOR: Water clear; 68–72 degrees; 7.80’ low. Largemouth bass are good on perch-colored spinnerbaits, crankbaits and Rat–L–Traps. Striped bass are good on chartreuse striper jigs and minnows. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on stinkbait, shrimp and shad.

RAY HUBBARD: Water fairly clear; 64–69 degrees; 6.25’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged creature baits, square-bill crankbaits and spinnerbaits — swim jigs are good around riprap. White bass are excellent on humps in 17–23 feet with hybrids mixed in. Catfi sh are good on prepared baits.

RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 64–69 degrees; 5.00’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on XCalibur One Knockers in Foxy Shad and watermelon/red YUM Dingers fi shed weightless around grass in the backs of coves. White bass are excellent on slabs in 35 feet of water.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water fairly clear; 64–69 degrees; 8.39’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged worms, shaky heads and crea-ture baits around docks. Square-bill crankbaits are producing numbers.

SAM RAYBURN: Water lightly stained; 68–72 degrees; 13.59’ low. Largemouth bass are good on perch-colored top-waters, soft plastic worms, and spinnerbaits. Catfi sh are good on stinkbait and shrimp.

STILLHOUSE: Water stained; 68–71 degrees; 15.98’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon crankbaits and small spinnerbaits. White bass are good on watermelon soft plastics in 20–28 feet. Crappie are good on minnows and blue tube jigs.

SWEETWATER: Water murky; 58–68 degrees; 13.8’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on shallow-running crankbaits, spinnerbaits and Texas rigs. Crappie are fair to good on live minnows. Catfi sh are fair to good on prepared bait and nightcrawlers.

TAWAKONI: Water fairly clear; 65–70 degrees; 7.33’ low. Largemouth bass are good on black/blue Firewater 1/2 oz. jigs, Texas-rigged blue fl eck worms and square-bill crankbaits. Bladed jigs are producing on windier 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 pat-tern Sassy Shad in the shallows early. Catfi sh are excellent in deep water drifting cut bait and fresh shad.

TOLEDO BEND: Water stained; 68–72 degrees; 12.30’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon soft plastic worms, spinnerbaits and top-waters off points. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on stinkbait and shrimp.

TRAVIS: Water lightly stained; 68–72 degrees; 54.69’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse top-waters, pumpkinseed worms and small crankbaits in 8–18 feet.

WALTER E. LONG: Water lightly stained. Largemouth bass are fair on water-melon spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Hybrid striper are fair on minnows and striper jigs. Crappie are good on min-nows near the dam. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on liver and shrimp.

WEATHERFORD: Water fairly clear; 65–70 degrees; 7.52’ low. Largemouth bass are good on shallow crankbaits, shaky heads and Texas rigs. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs in.

WHITNEY: Water stained; 67–71 degrees; 16.18’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on blue/black spinnerbaits, crankbaits and Rat–L–Traps. White bass are good on minnows. Crappie are good on minnows and blue tube jigs.

WRIGHT PATMAN: Water lightly stained; 64–69 degrees; 2.44’ high. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged worms, shallow crankbaits and chatterbaits along main lake points.

NORTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good under birds and pods of shad on soft plastics. Redfi sh and fl ounder are good in the marsh on shrimp.

SOUTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good under birds and pods of shad. Redfi sh are good at the jetty on live bait and cracked crabs. Flounder are good at the mouths of the bayous on a falling tide.

BOLIVAR: Trout, black drum, sand trout and redfi sh are good at Rollover Pass. Trout are fair to good while drifting shell on plastics.

TRINITY BAY: Trout are good for drifters working pods of shad and mullet on Bass Assassins, Trout Killers and Sand Eels. Trout are good under birds in the upper end of the bay. Flounder are good at the mouths of bayous on plastics.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are good for wad-ers tossing Maniac Mullet and Top Dogs. Trout and are good for drifters working deep shell on plastics. Redfi sh and fl ounder are fair to good in the marsh around drains on shrimp.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: Bull redfi sh and fl ounder are good at San Luis Pass on shrimp and shad. Sheepshead, redfi sh and black drum are good at the jetty on shrimp and crabs. Flounder are fair at Seawolf Park on jigs tipped with shrimp.

TEXAS CITY: Redfi sh are fair to good in Mo-ses Lake on crabs and shrimp. Gulf trout are good in the channel on fresh shrimp. Trout and sand trout are good off the piers.

FREEPORT: Bull redfi sh are good around Surfside and at the Quintana jetty on crabs, shrimp and mullet. Trout and redfi sh are good on the reefs in Christmas Bay and Bastrop Bay on live shrimp.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are good for drifters on live shrimp and plas-tics over humps and scattered shell. Trout and fl ounder are fair to good on muddy shorelines on soft plastics. Trout are good for waders working reefs on soft plastics and Corkies.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair on sand and grass humps on soft plastics and top-waters. Redfi sh are fair on live shrimp at Shell Island and Twin Island.

PORT O’CONNOR: Redfi sh are best in the back lakes on shrimp and mullet. Bull redfi sh are good at the jetty on crabs, mul-let and shad. Trout are fair to good on the reefs in San Antonio Bay on live shrimp.

ROCKPORT: Redfi sh are good in Redfi sh Bay and in the skinny water at Allyn’s Bight on Bass Assassins, TTF plastics, Norton Bull Minnows and plastics. Bull redfi sh are good in the channel on shrimp and crabs.

PORT ARANSAS: Trout are fair around the islands on soft plastics. Redfi sh are fair at Shamrock Cove and Pelican Island on top-waters and plastics. Bull redfi sh are good at the jetty and on the beachfront on natu-ral baits. Offshore is good for tuna.

CORPUS CHRISTI: Bull redfi sh are good in the surf on mullet and shrimp. Trout are fair for waders working mud and grass on small top-waters and Corkies in Oso Bay. Redfi sh and black drum are good in the Humble Channel on live bait.

BAFFIN BAY: Trout are good over deep rocks on plum Bass Assassins, Trout Killers and Sand Eels. Redfi sh are fair to good in the Land Cut on shrimp and crabs. Flounder are fair to good on jigs on the edge of the channel.

PORT MANSFIELD: Flounder are fair around East Cut on plastics. Trout are fair to good on the edge of the Intracoastal on plastics and Corkies. Redfi sh are good on the fl ats on plastics and gold spoons.

SOUTH PADRE: Redfi sh are fair to good on the Gas Well Flats on DOA Shrimp and TTF Flats Minnows. Flounder are fair to good on shrimp and DOA Shrimp in the Brownsville Ship Channel. Bull redfi sh are good at the jetty.

PORT ISABEL: Trout are fair while drifting grass on plastics under popping corks around Laguna Vista. Redfi sh are fair at Airport Cove on shrimp and DOA Shrimp under popping corks. High winds have muddied the water.

TEXAS FISHING REPORT

HOT BITES SALTWATERSCENE

t f i t d

. Trout and fl ounder are

BAY:BAY:

LARGEMOUTH BASS

ATHENS: Good on Texas-rigged worms, shaky heads and shallow crankbaits — main lake points have been best with schooling action early.

BUCHANAN: Good on white Spinnerbaits, perch-colored Rat–L–Traps, and chartreuse crankbaits in 10–20 feet.

CADDO: Good on Texas-rigged crea-ture baits around isolated cover.

LAVON: Good on Texas-rigged creature baits, top-waters and square-bill crankbaits.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Good on Texas-rigged worms, shaky heads and creature baits around docks.

CRAPPIE

FALCON: Excellent on shiners and jigs.

GRANBURY: Good on minnows and blue tube jigs.

WHITNEY: Good on minnows and blue tube jigs.

Sponsored by

od at San Luis Pass h d Sh h d

CATFISH

BUCHANAN: Channel catfi sh are good on shrimp, minnows and cheesebait. Yellow and blue catfi sh are good on perch and live shad.

CANYON LAKE: Yellow and blue catfi sh are good on trotlines and juglines baited with live goldfi sh and perch.

FALCON: Channel and blue catfi sh are excellent on shrimp and stinkbait.

WALTER E. LONG: Channel and blue catfi sh are good on liver and shrimp.

surf on mullet and

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WHITE, HYBRID, STRIPER

BRIDGEPORT: White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs (best action mid-day).

CEDAR CREEK: White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on live shad.

LBJ: Striped bass are good on Li’l Fishies and Creme 2” Spoiler Shads at night.

RAY HUBBARD: White bass are excel-lent on humps in 17–23 feet with hybrids mixed in.

RAY ROBERTS: White bass are excel-lent on slabs in 35 feet of water.

HOT SPOT

Lake TexomaReports of a super-hot striper and smallmouth bite have emerged

from Lake Texoma in the past week. Stripers up to 15 pounds are being caught, with loads of fi sh in the 7- and 8-pound range.

Smallmouths averaging 3 pounds are also being caught. Photo by Striper Express, (903) 660-5989


New Texas law clarifi es rules for guns on boatsGun-owning boaters can now carry concealed handguns from their vehicles to their boats, and

they don’t need a special license to do it.House Bill 25, unanimously approved earlier this year by the Legislature, became law Sept. 1.Before that, Texas law did not address the authority of people to carry fi rearms to their boats.However, the law did say people could carry guns in their homes, to and from their vehicles

and in the vehicles. And they could do all of that without a concealed handgun license.There was, however, no mention of boats or watercraft.“The law was silent as far as boats,” said Scott Vaca, an assistant chief at Texas Parks and

Wildlife Department. “This law just clarifi ed what is OK and what isn’t.”Vaca noted, however, that what did not change are portions of the law that say the fi rearm

must remain hidden from plain view. Also, the person with the gun may not have it while engaged in criminal activity. A Class C

misdemeanor regulating boating doesn’t count, but the person may not be in a criminal street gang, or be ineligible to have a gun under other state or federal laws.

— Staff report

Texas to send seven anglers to Bassmaster ClassicAndrew Upshaw from Hemphill lives on Toledo Bend, and has dreamed of being a profes-

sional bass fi sherman for many years. At the Mercury College B.A.S.S. National Championship in July, he topped best friend Ryan Watkins, both of Stephen F. Austin University, to take the title and earn an automatic birth to the 2012 Bassmaster Classic.

Upshaw will join six other Texans in the fi eld of 49 anglers at the Classic, Feb. 24-26, 2012. Alton Jones of Waco, Keith Combs of Huntington, Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Takahiro Omori of Emory, and Matt Reed of Madisonville qualifi ed through the Bassmaster Elite Series, and Andrew Jessup of Dalhart qualifi ed through the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation.

Defending champion Kevin VanDam will compete in his 22nd consecutive classic. Fishing at the 2012 Classic will be on Louisiana’s Red River. Events will be based out of

Shreveport-Bossier City, the site of the 2009 Classic. — Staff report

NEW LAW: The Legislature earlier this year passed a bill clarifying the authority of Texans to carry concealed hand-guns on their boats. Photo by LSON.


BEAR RETURNS TO DEL RIOA bear was in a large pecan tree

in the backyard of a Del Rio home located near four schools. Val Verde County Game Warden Dustin Barrett responded. He was soon joined by Game Wardens Isaac Ruiz, Mike Durand and Aaron Willoughby, who assisted in keeping the bear treed for three hours while awaiting TPWD biologist Ryan Schmidt to arrive with a dart gun. The bear had been in the area for several months and met the relocation criteria. The bear was successfully darted and relo-cated to the Big Bend area.

GILL-NETTERS SCOOP UP CITATIONSJefferson County Game Warden

Chris Swift and Orange County Game Warden Clint Caywood worked an area known for night shrimping in Jefferson County. In addition to catching night shrimpers, they apprehended two men who were running a gill net. The men had caught 56 fl ounder — 40 under-sized. They were arrested and charged with illegal means and methods, pos-session of undersized fl ounder and exceeding the daily bag limit. Cases and restitution pending.

DEER RUN DOWN BY VEHICLEA caller informed Franklin County

Game Warden Doyle Brown that sev-eral shots were heard at night and someone observed a vehicle driving across a pasture chasing a small deer while the occupants of the vehicle were yelling at the driver. Eventually the vehicle ran over the running deer. The next day, a mature doe and a fawn were found dead in the pas-ture with bullet holes in them and another fawn was found in the area. Three adults and one juvenile were identifi ed. Interviewing one suspect led to a confession implicating two additional violators. Citations and restitution were issued for taking deer during closed season, taking

deer by illegal means and methods and failure to retrieve game.

A LOT OF GUN FOR A YEARLING WHITETAIL

A citizen contacted Van Zandt County Game Warden Trent Herchman regarding a neighbor skinning a deer in a barn before the opening of deer season. Herchman and Game Warden Steve Stapleton found a new Cadillac parked in front of the barn with fresh blood running off of the trunk. Inside the barn was the owner of the Cadillac, the landowner and a freshly killed yearling deer. The shooter admitted that the landowner had problems with deer in his garden and invited him over to kill one. He used a .30-378-caliber rifl e to take the year-ling. Multiple cases pending.

BUCK WAS JUST A LITTLE TOO SMALLTitus County Game Warden Jerry

Ash received a report of a suspi-cious hunter at the White Oak Creek Wildlife Management Area. It was dis-covered that the hunter had shot an 8 1/2-inch wide, 6-point buck and left the buck hidden in the brush near the WMA parking lot. The hunter was later caught in Atlanta by Cass County Game Warden Jason Jones. Citations and civil restitution were issued for illegal white-tailed buck, waste of game, untagged deer, and fail to com-plete white-tailed deer harvest log.

NOT A GOOD REASON TO LIEBell County Game Warden Justin

Valchar investigated a trespass-ing call from a landowner who had found a feeder on his property and several trees cleared off his land. Tire tracks led to the neighbor’s house. When the neighbor was ques-tioned, she denied any knowledge of the issue, saying her husband was at the deer lease. When asked again, she admitted that it was indeed her husband. When asked why she lied, she replied, “cause you’re a game warden.” Cases fi led and pending.

RESIDENT COMPLAINING OF DOVE HUNTERS RECEIVES COMPLAINT OF

HER OWNHays County Game Warden Jake

Scott investigated a complaint regarding dove hunters peppering a residence. The warden met with the hunters at their lease, located on a property behind a mobile home park. The hunters were adamant that they would never shoot in the direction of any homes because they knew the hunter safety regulations and had been hunting since they were “knee-high to a grasshopper.” Scott then asked the hunters to walk several hundred yards away from the homes and shoot a few rounds in the opposite direction while he observed. Within approximately fi ve minutes, the police department con-

tacted Scott and informed him that the same complainant called in to report that the hunters were shoot-ing towards her house, and further, that the “pellets were raining down on her house.” Scott made contact with the complainant and attempted to advise her that the hunters were not shooting toward her house when she cut him off, insisting that her house was being hit with pellets. The complainant became very agi-tated and uncooperative. Scott then went to the Kyle Police Department to fi le a report against the complain-ant for making a false statement to a peace offi cer. Charges pending.

YOUNG SON GIVES AWAY DAD’S VIOLATION

Terrell County Game Wardens Saul Aguilar and Kenneth Stannard entered a camp and noticed a tag-ging violation on a hanging 10-point white-tailed buck. The couple was excited, saying the wife was able to take her fi rst buck. Upon educat-ing the couple on proper tagging requirements, Aguilar talked with the 9-year-old boy, who seemed intrigued by the wardens. The boy said he wanted to shoot a buck like the one his dad shot while point-ing at the 10-pointer. Citations were issued to the couple after the hus-band admitted to shooting the deer and using his wife’s license to tag it.

WARDEN RESCUES SWAMPED DUCK HUNTERS, DOG

While returning to the boat ramp after checking duck hunters, Tarrant County Game Warden David Vannoy noticed a large amount of debris in the main body of the lake. As Vannoy drew closer, he observed the bow of a fl at-bottomed boat sticking up out of the water. Vannoy res-cued two hunters whose boat sank just fi ve minutes prior to Vannoy’s arrival. The two hunters and a dog were pulled from the water and safely returned to their vehicle. Both hunters were wearing PFDs when the boat suddenly went down. One hunter said this was his very fi rst encounter with a game warden and he was sure happy to see one.

VIOLATOR SPILLS THE BEANSCherokee County Game Warden

Eric Collins received a call from a local state trooper who advised that he had a truck stopped with a large amount of blood in the bed. Collins met the trooper and the driver of the vehicle at the sheriff’s department. The subject said he had killed a deer a week prior with his bow. Later, the subject confessed to killing the deer at night from a public roadway with a .22-caliber rifl e. He also admitted to only removing the backstraps from the deer, discarding the rest of the meat, and selling the backstraps for $15 to one of his friends. Cases pending.

NO NIGHT GOLF OR HUNTINGMontgomery County Game Warden

Brannon Meinkowsky apprehended two subjects after they shot a doe at night on a local golf course. In addition to the doe, the men were in possession of an untagged 8-point buck. The men admitted to killing two deer at night and two deer dur-ing the day on the golf course last year. Multiple cases pending.

GAME WARDEN BLOTTER

Bandera County Game Wardens Mark McQueary and Jeff Carter received a call from an individual about a dead deer next to her patio. The caller looked out the bedroom window to see two men standing close to her property line looking at the dead deer. When the caller went outside, the two men walked away through the brush. The white-tailed buck had been shot twice with an arrow and a good blood trail existed. McQueary and Carter followed the blood trail

through a pasture, across a county road, through another pasture and ended up at a water trough with corn scattered around it. After looking around the area, it was determined the deer was shot with a crossbow from the porch area of a residence. Cases and civil restitution are pending on two bucks. One more buck was killed on the same property about a week earlier. The individual said he had to hunt with a bow because he was a convicted felon.

WARDENS FOLLOW BLOOD TRAIL BACK TO SHOOTER’S HOME



OUTDOOR EDGE BUTCHER-LITE FIELD KIT: This is a portable lightweight kit with enough tools to skin, quarter, and debone big game in the fi eld. The tools come in a nylon roll pack that converts to a belt scabbard offering easy access to the 3-inch caping knife, the 4 1/4-inch gut hook skinner, the 6-inch boning/fi llet knife, the 7 1/4-inch wood bone saw, the Tungsten-carbine sharpener, and the ribcage spreader. Each knife incorporates full-tang construction with high carbon stainless steel blades that are taper ground. Ergonomic handles are designed for comfort during long use and the rubberized grips enable a secure grip even when wet. This fi eld kit, which also includes game cleaning gloves, costs about $75. It is available at Hoffpauir Polaris and other retailers.

(800) 716-5402outdooredge.com

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDEFor Your Hunter

What better gift for a hunter or angler than something that allows him or her to hunt and fi sh? Here are just a few ideas from the editors of LSON for the outdoors lover on your holiday gift list.

HERCULES ROAD FEEDER: This product from All Seasons Feed-ers sports a low profi le and heavy gauge welded steel construction. A durable piece of equipment, the feeder fi ts a standard 2-inch receiver hitch and has a spin-tech lower unit. A 25-foot wired remote is included. Available in 50-, 100-, and 200-pound models, the feed-ers range in price from $289 to $389 at Mumme's stores and other retailers.

(800) 221-6398allseasonsfeeders.com

KILLER GHILLIE BLIND COVER: Avery Outdoors’ blind cover is designed to match virtually any hunting environment. Available in All Terrain, Winter Wheat or Golden Harvest, these covers can be cus-tomized with camo spray paint. Hunters can also add more of the woven high-ly durable authentic raffi a grass in nine weed colors to further customize their Ghillie cover. Slip the cover over a ground blind frame and it will stay on when the door is fl ipped open or shut. The prey won’t see you until it is too late. This blind cover costs about $120.

(800) 333-5119averyoutdoors.com

ACTION ZOOM XL BINOCULARS: Gift him or her with these Nikon 10-22x50 binoculars, which offer a wide fi eld of view plus the ability to move in close with the fi ngertip zoom controls. Its multi-coated eyepiece lenses and BAK 4 prisms deliver bright, high-resolution images under all lighting conditions. The smooth-moving central fo-cus knob offers fast focus. And, the large exit pupils translate into ex-cellent glassing at dawn and dusk. With an ergonomic design that pro-vides comfort for extended viewing, these will soon become a favorite. The binoculars sell for about $160.

(631) 547-4200nikonhunting.com

MS 271 CHAINSAW: Make your hunter’s life a little easier with this model, which is perfect for those tasks that are periodi-cally required around the hunting lease. Built tough for felling, fi rewood cutting, or whatever other task comes up, this chainsaw by STIHL sports a compact, ergonomic design combined with an ad-vanced anti-vibration system to help reduce operator fatigue. It also features reduced emission en-gine technology that increases fuel effi ciency. Other features include tool-less fuel and oil caps with retainers and a transparent fuel tank plus a side-access chain tensioner for easy chain adjustment.

Also, its air fi ltration system offers a longer fi lter life. The chainsaw sells for about $250, depending on bar length.

stihlusa.com

A400 XTREME SHOTGUN: This is a shotgun to covet. Part of Beretta’s Xtreme waterfowler line, the A400

is jam-packed with features that will make this gun a joy to shoot. Its advanced technology reduces recoil for greater comfort when shooting. It offers all-load top performance from 24 to

64 grams. Its barrel, which comes in three lengths, utilizes deep drilling, cold hammering and vacuum extension for perfect shouldering. Plus, its “aqua” technology provides a corrosion-proof barrier that ensures all internal and external metallic components remain impervious to every “Xtreme” element encountered. The shotgun offers a safe and fast locking system that makes it easier to assemble and dissemble. The A400 Xtreme, available in the RT Max 4 and syntheic black, sells for about $1,700 at Beretta Gallery Dallas and other retailers.

(214) 599-9800berettausa.com

RESTORE: Brunton’s hybrid charger will keep hunters powered up. This portable power pack is an effi cient, inte-grated compact hybrid charger with twin solar polycrystalline panels that keep the in-ternal lithium battery at peak capacity. The hybrid charger is water-resistant and has a power gauge and auto-matic shutoff. At 5 1/2 inches by 3 inches by 1 1/4 inches, it is compact enough to throw in the hunting pack in case extra juice is needed for all those essential electronics. The Restore power pack costs about $120.

(307) 857-4700bruntonhunting.com

HERCULES ROAD FEEDER

OOr

nofi eld of viewwith the fin

ACTION ZZOGift him oo22x50 binfield of vie

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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDEFor Your Angler

MONSTA SUNGLASSES: Strike King Lure’s polarized sunglasses are for the serious an-gler. Available in a white or black frame with a gray-blue mirror lens, these full-frame sun-glasses will keep sunlight from pen-etrating through the corners to pro-tect eyes and cheeks. That translates into less eye fatigue and more time on the water. The lenses’ advanced polarization technology (APT) al-lows for improved contrast result-ing in greater visual acuity. Plus, the lenses are coated to resist scratching. The sunglasses cost about $20.

(901) 853-1455strikeking.com

RIPPIN’ RAP: Stuff this hand-

some little guy with the penetrating eyes in the

Christmas stocking. Those deep-set 3D holographic eyes will

penetrate all water conditions and entice the big fi sh. Rapala’s versatile lure is de-signed for long casting. With its tall, thin-bod-ied, lipless design, the Rippin’ Rap will tear through thick and thin. The lure’s rattle is

powered by multiple BBs that pulsate through the water on the retrieve. Based on water tem-perature, anglers can entice the strike with a fast or slow retrieve. The Rippin’ Rap, whose body features a textured scale, gill and de-tailed fi n, comes in three sizes with variable running depths. The 2-inch model is equipped with a No. 8 VMC belly treble hook and No. 10 VMC tail treble hook; the 2 1/2-inch model has a No. 6 VMC belly treble hook and a No. 8 VMC tail treble hook; and the 2 3/4-inch lure features a No. 4 VMC belly treble hook and a No. 6 VMC tail treble hook. The lure comes in 12 color patterns and sells for about $7.

(800) 468-5873rapala.com

JOHNNY MORRIS SIGNATURE SERIES BASS CASTER REEL:Bass Pro Shops’ baitcast reel is a thing of beauty. With a tough die cast aluminum frame, side-plates and a lus-trous black carbon-titanium composition fi nish, this reel will still look good years from now. A double-an-odized aluminum spool that fl oats on Japanese stain-less steel ball bearings, an instant anti-reverse, and a

Duralumin drive gear fl anked by three special-purpose carbon washers ensure perfect meshing for smooth

winding power with no torque. Plus, the “Dual Braking System” delivers virtually backlash-free casting. Other fea-

tures include a super-smooth carbon drag system, a lightweight car-bon-fi ber handle with ribbed silicone knob, a padded clutch bar, and a titanium-nitride line guide. These reels retail for about $160.

(800) 227-7776basspro.com

GORE-TEX FISHING JACKET:What’s Christmas without a jacket under the tree? Cabela’s version offers all-season perfor-mance for the angler. Featuring a lightweight, waterproof and breathable GORE-TEX shell, it is totally seam-sealed to pre-vent leaks. Also, it has adjust-able hook-and-loop fasteners on the cuffs, a storm fl ap, plus a cord-locked adjust-able hem. Available in blue/black, black, or peat/black, the jacket sells for about $170 to $190, depending on size.

(800) 237-4444cabelas.com

DRAINMAKER:The name of this men’s fi shing shoe from Columbia

says it all. It is a fully drainable hybrid shoe that com-bines the lightweight comfort of a running shoe with

the quick-dry capabilities of a water shoe. The upper features breathable open cell mesh with a durable toe

cap, while the Techlite midsole has built-in drainage ports in the heel and forefoot to allow water to instantly escape. A siped, lugged rubber outsole ensures traction on wet or dry surfaces. The shoe has an MSRP of $80 and

may be found at Academy Sports + Outdoors and other retailers.

(800) 622-6953columbia.com

FTO ELITE ANGLED TACKLE SYSTEM:

Offering both form and function, Plano Molding’s blue and gray tackle system incorporates a 15-degree angled storage

platform that securely holds six waterproof StowAway utility boxes in the main compartments. The utility boxes have DuraView covers that allow anglers to easily see their tackle. Additional storage is available under the lid and in the integrated expand-able rear compartment. An oversized handle offers a comfortable grip and the box’s non-skid rubber feet ensure that the box stays put. This system is engineered for extreme an-glers who enjoy their sport come hell or high water. Measuring 23 inches by 12 inches by 12.125 inches, the FTO Elite tackle box sells for about $100.

(800) 226-9868planomolding.com >>

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woods on his ranch in the northeast corner of Texas in the Red River country.

“We have killed three really nice bucks so far this year,” Ford said. “They were per-sonal bests for all three of the hunters. The deer are rutting their hind ends off right now. If we had any cloud cover throughout the day, we’d probably see bucks all day.

“The acorns — and I can’t believe we have any acorns this year — are falling and the bucks are hanging in the woods. We aren’t seeing them on the food plots or at the feeders right now.”

Ford said the cooler weather that came through North Texas at the end of October got the bucks scraping, and he has seen several does with bucks trailing behind the past couple of days.

“It’s been good, not great,

so far,” he said.Farther South in the Hill

Country, the rut hadn’t come into full swing yet, probably due in part to high temperatures during the fi rst half of November.

“Some people say they are seeing some rutting activity,” said Gary Broach, owner of Rhodes Brothers Taxidermy in Kerrville. “I haven’t seen big evidence of it, though. We haven’t had one day that has gotten cold and stayed cold.

“There might be a little chas-ing going on, but not what I’d call the full-blown rut.”

Broach said the little bit of rain the area received the past two months put just enough green in the area that deer haven’t been hit-ting feeders as hard as they did in bow season.

“The deer that have been eating protein look pretty good,” he said. “We’ve had several trophies off of the better ranches. I haven’t seen as many low-fence tro-

phies, though.“We just haven’t seen a lot of

really big deer. It’s been a pretty slow start to the season.”

In the Llano area, ranch owner Steve Young reported his deer haven’t started rut-ting hard and antler sizes are down slightly.

“Our older bucks lost about 10 percent of their score from last year,” Young said. “The bodies are OK — actually better than I thought they would be. The bucks are just starting to sniff around the does.

“They seemed pretty dis-interested last weekend (Nov. 12-13).”

Out West, reports of spo-radic rutting activity have trickled in, much like the bigger bucks.

“The deer look pretty good,” said Rick Smith, owner of Lake Garden Processing in San Angelo. “The rut has kicked off a little bit, but overall numbers are down this year.”

THE RUT IS COMING: Reports across much of Texas, with South Texas being the exception, have bucks starting to show signs of rutting activity. The next few weeks will be a great time to be in the deer woods. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

RuttingContinued From Page 1


CONSERVATION

Texas DU regional director tops nation

Houston area chapters best in grassroots fund raisingBy Craig NyhusLONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

Tim Soderquist, senior regional director for the Houston Metro Area with Ducks Unlimited, was honored for the fund-rais-ing efforts of the chapters in his region in 2010.

But that’s not all. The region was the nation’s best in 2009 as well.

Soderquist was recognized at the DU Leadership Conference this summer for his achievements in net grassroots fund raising and

being the nation’s best out of 86 regional direc-tors in the country for two consecutive years, but he credited the vol-unteers for the success.

“It all comes down to the volunteers,” Soderquist said. “They either make you or break you. But it’s nice to be recognized.”

Soderquist said his history with waterfowl guid-ing and surveying helps when explaining DU’s efforts to volun-teers and DU members.

“It helps to have the back-ground on the conservation side — I was a surveyor for DU for two years and guided waterfowl hunt-ers for 22 years.”

It also helps to have the nation’s top fund-raising chapter, the Houston Chapter, in his region.

Soderquist, whose region extends from the Louisiana border to Southeast Texas, said his manage-ment style relies on delegating the details to the committee volunteers.

“I want them to take ownership and pride for their hard work,” he said.

And he’s not done, as the region

is again leading the way in 2011.“We’re on course to do it again,”

he said. “We have about 960,000 net dollars raised so far.”

Texas fi nished 2010 as the lead-ing fund-raising state in the nation, with Houston providing the larg-est fund raising and largest growth chapter, Texas A&M the largest university chapter, and Southeast Texas the largest growth region.

In the duck blind, Soderquist is known for his ability to iden-tify species of ducks at long range, his top shooting ability and his strange quirk of shooting with his middle fi nger on the trigger.

TOP REGION: Tim Soderquist of the Houston Metro Area region of Ducks Unlimited has been honored for the region's fund-raising successes. Soderquist, the senior regional direc-tor, is shown here (foreground) hunting with his friend, Vence Petrenella, conservation manager of Silver Eagle Distributors of Houston. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.

Duggins elected vice-chairman of TPW Commission

Fort Worth attorney Ralph Duggins is the newly elected vice-chair-man of the Texas Parks and Wildlife

Commission. Duggins was appointed to the Commission in 2008 by Gov. Rick Perry to a six-year term, and was elected vice-chairman at the Nov. 3 Commission meet-ing. He is a partner with law fi rm, Cantey Hanger LLP. He specializes in civil and com-mercial litigation.

— TPWD

Farm Bill wildlife biologists hired in Texas

A partnership between the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, Playa Lakes Joint Venture and other conservation organizations has recently fi lled three new Farm Bill wildlife biologist positions in the Texas Panhandle.

These biologists will work with landowners, ranchers and farmers in habitat conservation measures to increase wild popu-lations of lesser prairie chickens, pheasant, quail and other grass-lands birds and animals.

The biologists are Joshua Grace, Curtis Greene and Vicki Sybert.

— Pheasants Forever

TIM SODERQUIST

RALPH DUGGINS


thing must remain constant — they have to camoufl age the hunters inside.

On the Texas coast, several styles of blinds are predomi-nately in use, including plat-form and boat blinds.

“We build our platform blinds out of treated lumber to make them last longer,” said Port Bay guide Jeremy Griffi s. “They are basically 4-by-8 with a sheet of ply-wood as the fl oor. Most are boxed in to keep the wind off you, and then we brush them in real well with bay leaf.”

Platform blinds typically sit a few feet above the water-line, with a small door in the back to allow exit and entry and a small hole in the front for the dog to retrieve birds.

A boat blind is a frame brushed in with bay leaf that

allows hunters to pull a boat directly into the blind and shoot standing on the boat.

“There aren’t a whole lot of boat blinds in the area,” Griffi s said. “There are a few on Aransas Bay, and they are basi-cally a frame for the boat to run into. We stick brush directly into the ground around the frame to hide the boat.”

Griffi s said the boat blind is easier to use because guides don’t have to hide boats, but they can be less stable because hunters are shooting directly from the boat.

“Platforms are more steady, but I like the boat blinds better,” he said.

Ducks don’t seem to mind the higher brush associated with blinds located in the middle of the bays — even though they could be the only

structure for several hundred yards in all directions.

Duck hunters also hunt out of several less popular, but equally effective blinds.

Kayaks and layout boats are gaining in popular-ity among waterfowlers — offering a low profi le on the water and easy maneuver-ability to get to areas where traditional boats can’t go.

One East Texas boat builder, Duckmasters, spe-cializes in duck boats that double as blinds.

Farther inland, pit blinds are often used to shoot ducks.

These are just what the name implies — pits dug into the ground, often with seats.

Cover the blind with native brush and you have a deadly ambush site from which to call and shoot birds.

Duck blindsContinued From Page 4

EASY ENTRANCE: Some blinds near the coast would be hard to see but for the small dock out the back that allows for hunters to comfortably enter and exit the blind. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON.


HEROES

TRISTON MCGOWAN, 8, of Vidor was joined by his dad, BEN MCGOWAN, and grandpa, LONNIE MCGOWAN, when he shot his fi rst deer, a six-point buck in Polk County. Triston made the 129-yard shot with his CVA in 7mm-08.

CADE CROYSDALE of Arlington recently harvested his fi rst buck,

this 10 pointer, near Maypearl. His rifl e, a .243-caliber Rossi

single shot, tagged the deer at about 120 yards.

PETE SEROKA of Houston caught blackfi n and skipjack tuna 20 miles off of Key West, Fla., in September.

THE WALL BROTHERS of Dallas, JACK, 7, and ANGUS, 5, recently hunted near Winns-boro with their dad, EVAN. Jack, right, harvested his fi rst pig at 30 yards.

STEVE MARTIN of Garden Ridge and SCOTT CORRIGAN

of Mason enjoyed an early morning double recently in

the Laguna Madre. The two bull reds weighed in at 25

and 30 pounds. Scott’s fi sh was a half-inch longer than

Steve’s, taking the prize.

KEN FRAZIER of Austin shot this 10-point buck last season while hunting with his son, Kenny (background), on a ranch in San Saba County. The deer was aged at 5 years old and scored 147 7/8. Ken’s rifl e was a .270-caliber Sako.

KEN MABRY of Houston got a pronghorn this season with help from guide Roger Dillard in the far northwest corner on the Panhandle.

SHARE AN ADVENTURE■ Want to share hunting and

fi shing photos with other Lone

Star Outdoor News readers? E-mail them with contact and caption

information to editor@lonestarout-

doornews.com. High-resolution origi-

nal jpegs only. Mail prints to Heroes,

Lone Star Outdoor News, P.O. Box

551695, Dallas, TX 75355.

BILL TAYLOR of Tyler recently caught this largemouth while fl y-fi shing near Midlothian. He was guided by Travis Moore of Tailwaters Fly Fishing Company of Dallas.



Solunar | Sun times | Moon timesMoon Phases

FOR THE TABLEOUTDOOR PUZZLER | By Wilbur “Wib” Lundeen Solution on Page 27

ACROSS1. Very good catfi sh bait

5. This expels a fi red shell

9. Used for bait at times

10. A boat accessory12. To take game

illegally13. A quick-to-erect

type tent14. Lab name for fi sh

eggs15. Arrows and shells16. To construct a fl y

lure17. To point at a target18. To prepare for a

second shot20. A game bird22. Field area preferred

by quail23. A popular commer-

cial fi sh26. The night crawler29. A grouse species32. A name given some

trout34. Name for old turkeys35. Term for shedded

antlers36. An animal resting place37. A game path40. Scow or kayak43. The jerk from a fi red gun

44. Bowhunting Seminole lodges

46. To pull back the bowstring

47. Wild turkey sounds48. A fuel for camp stoves

DOWN1. Indian name for deer

2. Perch are classed as this 3. Groups of fi sh in one spot 4. A species of goose 6. Act of moving a lure to

attract fi sh 7. Sound made by the

dove 8. To move around an

area11. A wildfowl night-

time perch15. The bowman's

ammo19. Some anglers like

to fi sh here21. A buck's mating

routine24. Act of reading

freshness of tracks25. A name for the sea

bass27. A type of gun sight28. A good pheasant

gun, duck _____30. Name given the

strawberry bass31. A wingshooter's prey33. A wood used for

arrow shafts34. A very good walleye

bait38. Wild turkey sounds39. A species of deer

40. A type of fi shing lure41. A deer food source42. A fl atbottom fi shing boat44. A chief commercial fi sh45. A group of decoys

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 min-ute per 12 miles west of a location.

Sun Moon Tides| |

8 ounces cooked shrimp, diced1 orange bell pepper, roasted or grilled and fi nely diced2/3 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded Cheddar cheese2 tbsps. all-natural barbecue sauceFour 10-inch fl our tortillas2 tsps. canola oil

Combine the shrimp, bell pepper, corn kernels, cheese, and barbecue sauce in a bowl. Divide the mixture

evenly and spread over half of each tortilla. Fold over, press down gen-tly, and set aside. Heat 1 tsp. of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add two of the quesadillas and cook until the torti-llas become crisp and golden on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Flip the tortillas and cook an additional 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining oil and quesadillas.

Cut into quarters and serve.— eatshrimp.com

2 young, plump wild ducks, cleaned Parsley, grapes, apple wedges 2 small onions, chopped 1 cup chopped apple, unpeeled 1 1/3 cups water6 tbsps. melted shortening or bacon drippings2/3 cup orange juice2/3 cup chopped celerySalt

Rub cavity of each duck with 1 tsp. salt. Combine celery, chopped

apple, and onion; stuff into cavity of each duck. Close cavity with skew-ers. Brown ducks in shortening in a heavy Dutch oven; add water, orange juice, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cover tightly; cook over low heat 45-60 minutes or until tender (time depends on age of duck). Baste 2-3 times during cook-ing. Garnish with parsley, grapes, and apple wedges. 6 servings.

— wildgamerecipes.org

Stuffed wild duck

FullDec 10 Last

Dec 17First

Dec 4

NewNov 27

Texas Coast TidesSabine Pass, jettyDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightNov 25 8:01 a.m. -1.1 L 4:25 p.m. 3.2 H 9:19 p.m. 2.5 L Nov 26 12:29 a.m. 2.7 H 8:50 a.m. -1.1 L 5:20 p.m. 3.0 H 10:00 p.m. 2.5 L Nov 27 1:09 a.m. 2.7 H 9:41 a.m. -0.9 L 6:17 p.m. 2.9 H 10:51 p.m. 2.5 L Nov 28 1:48 a.m. 2.7 H 10:33 a.m. -0.5 L 7:13 p.m. 2.7 H Nov 29 11:26 a.m. -0.2 L 8:04 p.m. 2.5 H Nov 30 12:22 p.m. 0.2 L 8:46 p.m. 2.3 H Dec 01 1:22 p.m. 0.5 L 9:15 p.m. 2.1 H Dec 02 4:30 a.m. 1.4 L 8:30 a.m. 1.6 H 2:36 p.m. 1.1 L 9:36 p.m. 2.1 H Dec 03 4:56 a.m. 0.9 L 10:44 a.m. 1.6 H 4:05 p.m. 1.4 L 9:52 p.m. 2.0 H Dec 04 5:21 a.m. 0.5 L 12:25 p.m. 2.0 H 5:30 p.m. 1.6 L 10:05 p.m. 2.0 H Dec 05 5:44 a.m. 0.2 L 1:31 p.m. 2.1 H 6:39 p.m. 1.8 L 10:16 p.m. 2.0 H Dec 06 6:07 a.m. 0.0 L 2:15 p.m. 2.3 H 7:32 p.m. 1.8 L 10:27 p.m. 2.0 H Dec 07 6:31 a.m. -0.4 L 2:50 p.m. 2.3 H 8:07 p.m. 2.0 L 10:40 p.m. 2.1 H Dec 08 6:58 a.m. -0.5 L 3:22 p.m. 2.3 H 8:18 p.m. 2.0 L 10:58 p.m. 2.1 H Dec 09 7:27 a.m. -0.7 L 3:56 p.m. 2.5 H 8:18 p.m. 2.0 L 11:21 p.m. 2.1 H

Galveston Bay entrance, south jettyDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightNov 25 12:38 a.m. 2.1 H 8:27 a.m. -0.9 L 5:12 p.m. 2.6 H 9:45 p.m. 2.0 L Nov 26 1:16 a.m. 2.1 H 9:16 a.m. -0.9 L 6:07 p.m. 2.4 H 10:26 p.m. 2.0 L Nov 27 1:56 a.m. 2.1 H 10:07 a.m. -0.7 L 7:04 p.m. 2.3 H 11:17 p.m. 2.0 L Nov 28 2:35 a.m. 2.1 H 10:59 a.m. -0.4 L 8:00 p.m. 2.1 H Nov 29 11:52 a.m. -0.1 L 8:51 p.m. 2.0 H Nov 30 12:48 p.m. 0.1 L 9:33 p.m. 1.9 H Dec 01 1:48 p.m. 0.4 L 10:02 p.m. 1.7 H Dec 02 4:56 a.m. 1.1 L 9:17 a.m. 1.3 H 3:02 p.m. 0.9 L 10:23 p.m. 1.7 H Dec 03 5:22 a.m. 0.7 L 11:31 a.m. 1.3 H 4:31 p.m. 1.1 L 10:39 p.m. 1.6 H Dec 04 5:47 a.m. 0.4 L 1:12 p.m. 1.6 H 5:56 p.m. 1.3 L 10:52 p.m. 1.6 H Dec 05 6:10 a.m. 0.1 L 2:18 p.m. 1.7 H 7:05 p.m. 1.4 L 11:03 p.m. 1.6 H Dec 06 6:33 a.m. 0.0 L 3:02 p.m. 1.9 H 7:58 p.m. 1.4 L 11:14 p.m. 1.6 H Dec 07 6:57 a.m. -0.3 L 3:37 p.m. 1.9 H 8:33 p.m. 1.6 L 11:27 p.m. 1.7 H Dec 08 7:24 a.m. -0.4 L 4:09 p.m. 1.9 H 8:44 p.m. 1.6 L 11:45 p.m. 1.7 H Dec 09 7:53 a.m. -0.6 L 4:43 p.m. 2.0 H 8:44 p.m. 1.6 L

San Luis PassDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time Height Nov 25 1:08 a.m. 1.3 H 9:23 a.m. -0.5 L 5:42 p.m. 1.5 H 10:41 p.m. 1.2 L Nov 26 1:46 a.m. 1.3 H 10:12 a.m. -0.5 L 6:37 p.m. 1.5 H 11:22 p.m. 1.2 L Nov 27 2:26 a.m. 1.3 H 11:03 a.m. -0.4 L 7:34 p.m. 1.4 H Nov 28 12:13 a.m. 1.2 L 3:05 a.m. 1.3 H 11:55 a.m. -0.3 L 8:30 p.m. 1.3 H Nov 29 12:48 p.m. -0.1 L 9:21 p.m. 1.2 H Nov 30 1:44 p.m. 0.1 L 10:03 p.m. 1.1 H Dec 01 2:44 p.m. 0.3 L 10:32 p.m. 1.0 H Dec 02 5:52 a.m. 0.7 L 9:47 a.m. 0.8 H 3:58 p.m. 0.5 L 10:53 p.m. 1.0 H Dec 03 6:18 a.m. 0.4 L 12:01 p.m. 0.8 H 5:27 p.m. 0.7 L 11:09 p.m. 0.9 H Dec 04 6:43 a.m. 0.3 L 1:42 p.m. 0.9 H 6:52 p.m. 0.8 L 11:22 p.m. 0.9 H Dec 05 7:06 a.m. 0.1 L 2:48 p.m. 1.0 H 8:01 p.m. 0.9 L 11:33 p.m. 0.9 H Dec 06 7:29 a.m. 0.0 L 3:32 p.m. 1.1 H 8:54 p.m. 0.9 L 11:44 p.m. 0.9 H Dec 07 7:53 a.m. -0.2 L 4:07 p.m. 1.1 H 9:29 p.m. 0.9 L 11:57 p.m. 1.0 H Dec 08 8:20 a.m. -0.3 L 4:39 p.m. 1.1 H 9:40 p.m. 0.9 L Dec 09 12:15 a.m. 1.0 H 8:49 a.m. -0.3 L 5:13 p.m. 1.2 H 9:40 p.m. 0.9 L

Freeport HarborDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightNov 25 12:00 a.m. 1.8 H 8:24 a.m. -0.5 L 4:34 p.m. 2.2 H 9:42 p.m. 1.3 L Nov 26 12:38 a.m. 1.8 H 9:13 a.m. -0.5 L 5:29 p.m. 2.1 H 10:23 p.m. 1.3 L Nov 27 1:18 a.m. 1.8 H 10:04 a.m. -0.5 L 6:26 p.m. 2.0 H 11:14 p.m. 1.3 L Nov 28 1:57 a.m. 1.8 H 10:56 a.m. -0.3 L 7:22 p.m. 1.8 H Nov 29 11:49 a.m. -0.1 L 8:13 p.m. 1.7 H Nov 30 12:45 p.m. 0.1 L 8:55 p.m. 1.6 H Dec 01 1:45 p.m. 0.3 L 9:24 p.m. 1.5 H Dec 02 4:53 a.m. 0.7 L 8:39 a.m. 1.1 H 2:59 p.m. 0.5 L 9:45 p.m. 1.5 H Dec 03 5:19 a.m. 0.5 L 10:53 a.m. 1.1 H 4:28 p.m. 0.7 L 10:01 p.m. 1.4 H Dec 04 5:44 a.m. 0.3 L 12:34 p.m. 1.4 H 5:53 p.m. 0.8 L 10:14 p.m. 1.4 H Dec 05 6:07 a.m. 0.1 L 1:40 p.m. 1.5 H 7:02 p.m. 0.9 L 10:25 p.m. 1.4 H Dec 06 6:30 a.m. 0.0 L 2:24 p.m. 1.6 H 7:55 p.m. 0.9 L 10:36 p.m. 1.4 H Dec 07 6:54 a.m. -0.2 L 2:59 p.m. 1.6 H 8:30 p.m. 1.0 L 10:49 p.m. 1.5 H Dec 08 7:21 a.m. -0.3 L 3:31 p.m. 1.6 H 8:41 p.m. 1.0 L 11:07 p.m. 1.5 H Dec 09 7:50 a.m. -0.4 L 4:05 p.m. 1.7 H 8:41 p.m. 1.0 L 11:30 p.m. 1.5 H

South Padre IslandDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightNov 25 8:05 a.m. -0.7 L 5:49 p.m. 2.2 H Nov 26 8:55 a.m. -0.7 L 6:46 p.m. 2.1 H Nov 27 9:46 a.m. -0.6 L 7:37 p.m. 2.1 H Nov 28 10:37 a.m. -0.3 L 8:18 p.m. 2.0 H Nov 29 11:27 a.m. 0.0 L 8:46 p.m. 1.9 H Nov 30 12:17 p.m. 0.3 L 9:03 p.m. 1.8 H Dec 01 1:07 p.m. 0.6 L 9:11 p.m. 1.6 H Dec 02 4:04 a.m. 1.1 L 7:55 a.m. 1.2 H 2:01 p.m. 0.9 L 9:12 p.m. 1.6 H Dec 03 4:25 a.m. 0.9 L 11:00 a.m. 1.3 H 3:07 p.m. 1.2 L 9:05 p.m. 1.5 H Dec 04 4:55 a.m. 0.6 L 1:12 p.m. 1.4 H 4:49 p.m. 1.3 L 8:42 p.m. 1.5 H Dec 05 5:26 a.m. 0.4 L 2:30 p.m. 1.6 H Dec 06 5:58 a.m. 0.2 L 3:23 p.m. 1.7 H Dec 07 6:29 a.m. 0.0 L 4:07 p.m. 1.7 H Dec 08 7:01 a.m. -0.1 L 4:47 p.m. 1.7 H Dec 09 7:33 a.m. -0.2 L 5:26 p.m. 1.8 H

Port O’ConnorDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightNov 25 11:21 a.m. -0.2 L Nov 26 12:21 a.m. 1.4 H 12:11 p.m. -0.2 L Nov 27 1:30 a.m. 1.3 H 1:01 p.m. -0.2 L Nov 28 2:31 a.m. 1.2 H 1:49 p.m. -0.1 L Nov 29 3:18 a.m. 1.1 H 2:36 p.m. 0.0 L Nov 30 3:40 a.m. 1.0 H 3:21 p.m. 0.1 L Dec 01 2:36 a.m. 0.9 H 4:03 p.m. 0.3 L Dec 02 1:34 a.m. 0.8 H 4:40 p.m. 0.4 L Dec 03 12:57 a.m. 0.7 H 8:48 a.m. 0.5 L Dec 04 12:12 a.m. 0.7 H 8:39 a.m. 0.4 L 7:08 p.m. 0.7 H Dec 05 9:00 a.m. 0.2 L 7:11 p.m. 0.8 H Dec 06 9:27 a.m. 0.1 L 7:50 p.m. 0.9 H Dec 07 9:59 a.m. 0.0 L 8:35 p.m. 0.9 H Dec 08 10:32 a.m. -0.1 L 9:25 p.m. 1.0 H Dec 09 11:07 a.m. -0.1 L 10:20 p.m. 1.0 H

RockportDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightNov 25 1:21 a.m. 0.61 H 12:29 p.m. 0.10 LNov 26 2:15 a.m. 0.60 H 1:23 p.m. 0.09 LNov 27 3:14 a.m. 0.58 H 2:16 p.m. 0.09 LNov 28 4:13 a.m. 0.55 H 3:05 p.m. 0.10 LNov 29 5:10 a.m. 0.51 H 3:47 p.m. 0.12 LNov 30 6:02 a.m. 0.45 H 4:18 p.m. 0.15 LDec 01 6:53 a.m. 0.39 H 4:37 p.m. 0.18 LDec 02 1:52 a.m. 0.32 H 4:21 a.m. 0.32 L 07:55 a.m. 0.33 H 04:41 p.m. 0.20 LDec 03 12:15 a.m. 0.32 H 7:21 a.m. 0.26 L 10:19 a.m. 0.26 H 04:17 p.m. 0.23 LDec 04 8:19 a.m. 0.19 L 11:45 p.m. 0.35 HDec 05 9:01 a.m. 0.13 L 11:54 p.m. 0.36 HDec 06 9:42 a.m. 0.08 LDec 07 12:14 a.m. 0.37 H 10:22 a.m. 0.04 LDec 08 12:42 a.m. 0.37 H 11:05 a.m. 0.01 LDec 09 1:17 a.m. 0.36 H 11:49 a.m. -0.01 L

Houston2011 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONNov-Dec Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets25 Fri N 4:36 10:52 5:08 11:23 06:53 05:22 7:19a 5:56p 26 Sat > 5:41 11:21 6:12 ----- 06:54 05:22 8:22a 6:58p 27 Sun > 6:46 12:32 7:16 1:01 06:55 05:21 9:19a 8:02p 28 Mon > 7:50 1:36 8:18 2:04 06:55 05:21 10:09a 9:05p 29 Tue 8:50 2:37 9:15 3:03 06:56 05:21 10:52a 10:06p 30 Wed 9:44 3:32 10:08 3:56 06:57 05:21 11:30a 11:04p 01 Thu 10:33 4:22 10:55 4:44 06:58 05:21 12:03p NoMoon 02 Fri Q 11:17 5:07 11:38 5:28 06:59 05:21 12:34p NoMoon 03 Sat 11:58 5:47 ----- 6:08 06:59 05:21 1:05p 12:52a 04 Sun 12:15 6:26 12:36 6:46 07:00 05:21 1:35p 1:45a 05 Mon 12:52 7:03 1:14 7:24 07:01 05:21 2:07p 2:37a 06 Tue 1:30 7:41 1:52 8:03 07:02 05:21 2:42p 3:30a 07 Wed 2:09 8:21 2:33 8:44 07:02 05:21 3:20p 4:24a 08 Thu > 2:52 9:04 3:16 9:28 07:03 05:21 4:02p 5:19a 09 Fri > 3:37 9:50 4:03 10:15 07:04 05:21 4:49p 6:13a 10 Sat F 4:27 10:39 4:52 11:05 07:05 05:21 5:39p 7:05a 11 Sun > 5:19 11:32 5:45 ----- 07:05 05:22 6:34p 7:56a 12 Mon > 6:14 12:01 6:39 12:26 07:06 05:22 7:31p 8:43a 13 Tue 7:09 12:57 7:34 1:22 07:07 05:22 8:30p 9:26a 14 Wed 8:05 1:53 8:30 2:17 07:07 05:22 9:30p 10:06a

Port Aransas, H. Caldwell PierDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightNov 25 12:31 a.m. 1.7 H 8:06 a.m. -0.5 L 5:05 p.m. 2.1 H 9:24 p.m. 1.1 L Nov 26 1:09 a.m. 1.7 H 8:55 a.m. -0.5 L 6:00 p.m. 2.0 H 10:05 p.m. 1.1 L Nov 27 1:49 a.m. 1.7 H 9:46 a.m. -0.4 L 6:57 p.m. 1.8 H 10:56 p.m. 1.1 L Nov 28 2:28 a.m. 1.7 H 10:38 a.m. -0.2 L 7:53 p.m. 1.7 H Nov 29 11:31 a.m. -0.1 L 8:44 p.m. 1.6 H Nov 30 12:27 p.m. 0.1 L 9:26 p.m. 1.5 H Dec 01 1:27 p.m. 0.2 L 9:55 p.m. 1.4 H Dec 02 4:35 a.m. 0.6 L 9:10 a.m. 1.0 H 2:41 p.m. 0.5 L 10:16 p.m. 1.4 H Dec 03 5:01 a.m. 0.4 L 11:24 a.m. 1.0 H 4:10 p.m. 0.6 L 10:32 p.m. 1.3 H Dec 04 5:26 a.m. 0.2 L 1:05 p.m. 1.3 H 5:35 p.m. 0.7 L 10:45 p.m. 1.3 H Dec 05 5:49 a.m. 0.1 L 2:11 p.m. 1.4 H 6:44 p.m. 0.8 L 10:56 p.m. 1.3 H Dec 06 6:12 a.m. 0.0 L 2:55 p.m. 1.5 H 7:37 p.m. 0.8 L 11:07 p.m. 1.3 H Dec 07 6:36 a.m. -0.2 L 3:30 p.m. 1.5 H 8:12 p.m. 0.8 L 11:20 p.m. 1.4 H Dec 08 7:03 a.m. -0.2 L 4:02 p.m. 1.5 H 8:23 p.m. 0.8 L 11:38 p.m. 1.4 H Dec 09 7:32 a.m. -0.3 L 4:36 p.m. 1.6 H 8:23 p.m. 0.8 L

San Antonio2011 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONNov-Dec Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets25 Fri N 4:49 11:05 5:20 11:36 07:05 05:35 7:31a 6:09p 26 Sat > 5:53 11:34 6:24 12:09 07:06 05:35 8:35a 7:12p 27 Sun > 6:59 12:44 7:28 1:14 07:06 05:35 9:32a 8:16p 28 Mon > 8:03 1:49 8:30 2:16 07:07 05:34 10:21a 9:19p 29 Tue 9:02 2:50 9:28 3:15 07:08 05:34 11:04a 10:20p 30 Wed 9:57 3:45 10:20 4:09 07:09 05:34 11:42a 11:17p 01 Thu 10:46 4:35 11:08 4:57 07:10 05:34 12:16p NoMoon 02 Fri Q 11:30 5:19 11:51 5:40 07:10 05:34 12:47p 12:12a 03 Sat ----- 6:00 12:10 6:20 07:11 05:34 1:18p 1:05a 04 Sun 12:28 6:38 12:48 6:59 07:12 05:34 1:48p 1:57a 05 Mon 1:05 7:15 1:26 7:37 07:13 05:34 2:20p 2:50a 06 Tue 1:42 7:54 2:05 8:16 07:13 05:34 2:55p 3:43a 07 Wed 2:22 8:33 2:45 8:57 07:14 05:34 3:33p 4:36a 08 Thu > 3:04 9:16 3:28 9:41 07:15 05:34 4:16p 5:31a 09 Fri > 3:50 10:02 4:15 10:28 07:16 05:34 5:02p 6:25a 10 Sat F 4:39 10:52 5:05 11:18 07:16 05:35 5:53p 7:18a 11 Sun > 5:31 11:44 5:57 ----- 07:17 05:35 6:48p 8:08a 12 Mon > 6:26 12:13 6:52 12:39 07:18 05:35 7:45p 8:55a 13 Tue 7:22 1:09 7:47 1:34 07:18 05:35 8:44p 9:38a 14 Wed 8:17 2:05 8:42 2:30 07:19 05:36 9:44p 10:18a

Amarillo2011 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONNov-Dec Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets25 Fri N 5:02 11:18 5:34 11:49 07:31 05:36 8:00a 6:09p 26 Sat > 6:07 11:47 6:38 12:22 07:32 05:35 9:03a 7:12p 27 Sun > 7:12 12:57 7:42 1:27 07:33 05:35 9:59a 8:17p 28 Mon > 8:16 2:02 8:44 2:30 07:34 05:35 10:47a 9:22p 29 Tue 9:16 3:03 9:41 3:29 07:34 05:35 11:27a 10:26p 30 Wed 10:10 3:58 10:34 4:22 07:35 05:34 12:02p 11:26p 01 Thu 10:59 4:48 11:21 5:10 07:36 05:34 12:33p NoMoon 02 Fri Q 11:43 5:33 ----- 5:54 07:37 05:34 1:02p 12:24a 03 Sat 12:03 6:13 12:24 6:34 07:38 05:34 1:29p 1:20a 04 Sun 12:41 6:51 1:02 7:12 07:39 05:34 1:58p 2:15a 05 Mon 1:18 7:29 1:40 7:50 07:40 05:34 2:27p 3:09a 06 Tue 1:56 8:07 2:18 8:29 07:41 05:34 3:00p 4:05a 07 Wed 2:35 8:47 2:58 9:10 07:41 05:34 3:36p 5:01a 08 Thu > 3:18 9:30 3:42 9:54 07:42 05:34 4:16p 5:57a 09 Fri > 4:03 10:16 4:28 10:41 07:43 05:34 5:02p 6:53a 10 Sat F 4:53 11:05 5:18 11:31 07:44 05:34 5:53p 7:46a 11 Sun > 5:45 11:58 6:11 ----- 07:45 05:34 6:48p 8:36a 12 Mon > 6:39 12:27 7:05 12:52 07:45 05:34 7:47p 9:21a 13 Tue 7:35 1:23 8:00 1:48 07:46 05:34 8:48p 10:03a 14 Wed 8:31 2:18 8:55 2:43 07:47 05:35 9:51p 10:40a

Dallas2011 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONNov-Dec Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets25 Fri N 4:42 10:58 5:13 11:29 07:05 05:21 7:32a 5:54p 26 Sat > 5:46 11:27 6:17 12:02 07:06 05:20 8:36a 6:56p 27 Sun > 6:52 12:37 7:21 1:07 07:07 05:20 9:32a 8:01p 28 Mon > 7:56 1:42 8:23 2:09 07:08 05:20 10:21a 9:05p 29 Tue 8:55 2:43 9:21 3:08 07:09 05:20 11:03a 10:08p 30 Wed 9:50 3:38 10:13 4:02 07:10 05:19 11:39a 11:07p 01 Thu 10:39 4:28 11:01 4:50 07:10 05:19 12:11p NoMoon 02 Fri Q 11:23 5:12 11:44 5:33 07:11 05:19 12:41p 12:04a 03 Sat ----- 5:53 12:03 6:13 07:12 05:19 1:09p 12:58a 04 Sun 12:21 6:31 12:41 6:52 07:13 05:19 1:39p 1:52a 05 Mon 12:58 7:08 1:19 7:30 07:14 05:19 2:09p 2:46a 06 Tue 1:35 7:47 1:58 8:09 07:15 05:19 2:42p 3:40a 07 Wed 2:15 8:26 2:38 8:50 07:15 05:19 3:19p 4:36a 08 Thu > 2:57 9:09 3:21 9:34 07:16 05:19 4:01p 5:31a 09 Fri > 3:43 9:55 4:08 10:21 07:17 05:19 4:47p 6:26a 10 Sat F 4:32 10:45 4:58 11:11 07:18 05:19 5:37p 7:19a 11 Sun > 5:24 11:37 5:50 ----- 07:18 05:20 6:32p 8:09a 12 Mon > 6:19 12:06 6:45 12:32 07:19 05:20 7:31p 8:55a 13 Tue 7:15 1:02 7:40 1:27 07:20 05:20 8:31p 9:37a 14 Wed 8:10 1:58 8:35 2:23 07:20 05:20 9:32p 10:16a

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LSON 11/25/11

Excalibur system gets newbie archers into the huntThe eight-point buck wasn’t the biggest deer I

had seen on the fi nal day of the Texas archery-only season in 2011; I saw a nice 10-pointer with a much taller rack about an hour earlier.

But this eight pointer was the closest.At 20 yards, he was well within the range of the

Axiom SMF crossbow that was sent to Lone Star Outdoor News for fi eld tests.

The rig, topped with a 2.5X32 scope, had per-formed fl awlessly on range tests. Now it was up to me to get it right.

It had taken me about a month to reach this point. In late September, Excalibur Crossbow of Kitchener, Ontario sent us the test model.

The Axiom SMF Crossbow system is an effec-tive starter kit for Texans new to archery. It comes with a recurve bow with string, a rope cocking aid, four arrows (or“bolts”), fi eld points and a quiver.

Assembling our test model and mounting the scope was accomplished in little more than an hour, aided by Allen wrenches and an instruction-al DVD — also provided in the kit.

We immediately tested it on a 10-yard target, and shot killer groups. We doubled and tripled the lengths of the range, but the performance was consistently lethal.

Excalibur claims that accuracy is one of the ad-vantages of a recurve crossbow, because “there’s nothing to go out of tune.”

The company also says recurves are lighter, easier to tote and more reliable than compound crossbows because, with no moving cams, there are fewer parts to break.

Game-killing ballistics, however, aren’t compromised. The Axiom’s arrow velocity is 305 feet per second with a draw weight of 175 pounds.

Our test model was shipped with accessories not included in

the kit: a string shock sound suppression system and a set of 150-grain “Boltcutter” broadheads.

It was time to hunt. I used the Axiom the fi rst,

third and fi fth weekends of

the month-long archery season in Texas, but with mixed results.

In the fi rst outing I had 30-yard shots at does on a ranch in DeWitt County, but no meat for the freezer.

I blamed myself, not the equipment, because I had to learn what it means for a deer to “jump the string.”

Even with the sound suppression system, there is still a noticeable thwack when a bolt is fl ung, kind of like the muffl ed crack of a sound-suppressed rifl e.

In the second outing, same ranch, I hit a doe at 20 yards and the bolt made a pass through, but I learned a new lesson about jumping the string.

The doe’s fl inch lowered her body and the arrow struck in an area that wasn’t immediately lethal. The deer escaped.

I felt terrible, but I tried again. On the fi nal weekend of the archery season, I

was back in the same tripod stand from which I made my last shot.

Along came the eight-point buck and I launched a bolt, again at 20 yards. But this time I aimed slightly low to account for any string jumping.

The deer bucked like a bronco and fl ed, but this shot was true. There was another pass through, and the deer was recovered about 40 yards away.

The Axiom SMF kit re-tails for about $550. The sound suppressor system sells for about $70, and a package of three broad-heads is about $37.

— Bill Miller

CROSSBOW BUCK: Bill Miller used the Axiom SMF by Excalibur to take this South Texas white-tailed deer the fi nal day of the 2011 Texas ar-chery season. The buck measured 120 and 2/8. Photo by Eden Miller, for LSON.


“It took three to four minutes to literally pre-pare myself for the shot,” J.T. said. “I literally could hear my

heart pounding and I was afraid he could hear it.”

J.T. calmed himself by repeat-ing the man-tra he taught his

10-year-old son, Trey: “anchor, aim and release.”

He drilled the deer at 18 yards; there was a clean pass through, but

the buck’s heart was perforated along the way.

“He jumped and mule kicked real hard,” J.T. said. “He went probably 40 to 50 yards.”

J.T. thought the deer would be in the mid-140s, so he was amazed when it scored 158 2/8.

“It ended a three-year quest,” he said.

But the Grave Digger wasn’t the last interesting buck on the lease.

J.T.’s next chal-lenge is to help Trey harvest a deer that has odd twisting stub ant-lers near the base of its skull — the Unicorn Buck.

Grave diggerContinued From Page 6

or you failed at it.”The Season 3 contestants were Homeland

Security agents, police offi cers, fi rearms instructors, competitive shooters and mili-tary veterans, including a former Navy SEAL.

And then there was Dustin, the fresh-faced director of Camp His Way, founded by his parents near Zavalla.

In contrast to his professionally trained fellow contestants, the History Channel described Dustin as a “self-taught” marksman.

He started like most gun enthusiasts — as a kid with a BB gun and then a .22-caliber rifl e.

Hunting followed, usually small game and deer — sometimes on the Angelina National Forest near his home.

“Pigs are my favorite,” Dustin said, because there are “no rules and lots of running and gunning.”

Dustin and his wife, Brittany, are the parents of two little boys and a soon-to-be-born baby girl. They’ve also cared for foster children.

Responsibilities kept him from trying out

for Season 1 of “Top Shot.” Prior to Season 3, however, he completed

an audition video showing him target blast-ing with a variety of guns. He sent it with an e-mail that stated, “I love God, I love kids and I love to shoot.”

The History Channel came calling. “To be honest,” he recalled, “I think they

were looking for a token Christian. But I said, ‘I’ll be your Huckleberry.’”

Dustin enjoyed being around most of the other contestants and learning from them.

“It was like me being in summer camp,” he said. The competition was videotaped last

spring near Santa Clarita, Calif. Dustin’s winning was kept a secret until the fi nale aired Oct. 25.

He plans to put his $100,000 cash prize toward a larger home for his family. Some people have encouraged him to enter 3-gun competitions, but he said he’s not “looking for a lifestyle change.”

Dustin would, however, like to develop a youth marksmanship camp where kids can throw tomahawks at targets and shoot air rifl es, shotguns and muzzleloaders.

“And, yes,” he said with a laugh, “we’ll probably have to incorporate rocks.”

Top shotContinued From Page 6

PASTIME: Dustin Ellerman, the History Channel’s Season 3 “Top Shot” hunts a variety of game in East Texas, but his favorite is feral hogs because there are “no rules and lots of running and gunning.” Photo by Dustin Ellerman.

Nominations sought for Texas fi shing hall of fameNominations are being accepted for the next inductees to the Texas Freshwater

Fishing Hall of Fame.People or groups who have made lasting contributions to freshwater fi shing in

Texas are eligible. Nominations will be accepted through Feb. 29.Categories include industry, angler and media.Nominees must be Texans or Texas groups. Individuals may be either living or

deceased. One nominee will be chosen by an independent selection committee and formally inducted during the annual Hall of Fame banquet at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens.

Prior inductees include Floyd Mabry, Jackie Hewlett, R.D. Hull, Bob Kemp, Nick Crème, Charlie Inman, Sugar Ferris, Leonard Ranne, Earl Golding, Kathy Magers, the Sabine River Authority, Skeeter Boats, Michael “Shorty” Powers, Ray Murski, Albert S. Bradley, Richard M. Hart, William B. “Doc” Shelton, Charlie Pack, Paul Hinton, Edward Bond, Philip Durocher and David Campbell.

To learn how to make a nomination, call the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center at (903) 676-2277.

— TPWD


And Barnett has seen plenty of years. He has guided for more than 30 years on the lake, and said his cli-ents are catching 40 to 60 fi sh per day that average about 3 pounds.

“The size is so good because there is so much bait,” Barnett said. “This is my 34th season and I’ve never seen more bait this year and so few bait last year. It’s just the dangdest thing.”

Barnett said along with the world-class smallmouth bite, the stripers are also going crazy.

“Stripers are phenomenal,” he said. “Birds are working all day. It’s easy to fi nd schools, just not a lot of big fi sh yet.”

Barnett said he is freelining 4- to 6-inch threadfi n on circle hooks to catch the smallmouths on lake points and at the dam. He had a client hook up on 18 of 21 casts last week.

“Not many people realize what an incredible smallmouth lake this is,” he said. “November is my favor-ite month to be on the water.”

But the news isn’t all rosy.Barnett said the U.S. Corps

of Engineers algae warning has “crushed” business for guides, marinas and local restaurants that depend on visitors to the lake.

“They have a minimum require-ment where they have to send up a warning fl ag,” he said, “but I’ve been monitoring this a lot longer than anyone else. Nobody has got-ten sick, but it is crushing the local economy.

“From mid-August, I’ve can-celled 25 to 35 percent of my trips.”

Barnett said he has four or fi ve guides who work for him, and they usually run 50 trips each between November and December.

“We’ve had maybe 50 trips com-bined (booked) for the entire two months,” he said. “There is no boat traffi c on weekends and the fi shing business has been off 40 percent lake-wide, especially for new guides.

“I don’t see a lot of them mak-ing it.”

The lake is down 8 or 9 feet, but that hasn’t slowed the fi shing.

“It’s as good as it gets,” said longtime striper guide Bill Carey of Striper Express. “These fi sh are stripping line, fat and sassy — they’ll even bite your hand tak-ing the hook out. Our fall fi shing is legendary.”

Carey focuses on top-water action, and recent catches up to 200 fi sh attest to his technique.

“We are going out late in the morning and the water temperature is good enough to fi sh all day,” he said. “You get a good pair of binoc-ulars, locate the birds, get upwind and let the fi sh come to you.”

Along with stripers, Carey said they have been hooking “monster white bass.”

Although many of the strip-ers are smaller fi sh, the bigger fi sh have begun to appear in the past few weeks.

“The striper fi shing is bet-ter than it’s been in the past few years,” said guide Jay Staley. “We haven’t been catching as many big fi sh, but they just started showing up about a week ago.

“I’ve been using big gizzard shad and big threadfi n to catch the big-ger fi sh.”

Staley said the abundance of bait has made fi shing a little tougher when targeting big fi sh.

“You’ve got to move around a little more,” he said. “Anywhere between 22 and 37 feet of water seems to be real good right now.”

Staley agreed that the algae scare has hurt business.

“Sure it (has) hurt business,” he said. “I just wonder where they take these tests. I’ve had to swim in the lake for several reasons and I haven’t gotten sick. And the fi sh love the alga — doesn’t seem to hurt them a bit.”

Dan Barnett, (903) 815-2382Bill Carey, (903) 660-5989Jay Staley, (469) 471-6335

TexomaContinued From Page 1

have migrated from the marsh and people are catching fi sh as widely dis-tributed as I’ve ever seen.

“I’ve seen more fi sh, but not as well distributed as they are now.”

Watkins said keeper trout in the 15- to 18-inch range are everywhere and slot reds might be at record numbers.

“Oh my goodness, there are so many redfi sh under birds right now,” he said. “There are still shrimp and reds in both rivers that haven’t made it to the main lake. Basically, any-where you’ve ever caught a fi sh you could go there now and catch them.”

Along with keeper reds and trout, fl ounder are running and the sand trout fi shing has also been outstanding.

“There are the biggest sand trout I’ve ever seen,” Watkins said. “Lots of fi sh over 12 inches and I caught an 18-incher the other day. They are really fi ne eating if you eat them quick.”

Watkins said the salty water allowed

fi sh to stay in the marshes with plenty of bait and in the deeper channels away from many anglers.

“Nobody caught them and now they are following the shrimp,” he said.

“Sabine Lake is functioning as a normal saltwater bay and we’ve got a crop of shrimp that is as good as I’ve ever seen.

“The porgy hatch was also as good as I’ve ever seen, and that is our main for-age along with white shrimp.

“With so much bait, it is a no -brainer.”According to guide Dickie Colburn’s

blog, sabinelake.blogs.com, winds have blown hard for the past few weeks, although the fi shing has remained steady.

“We caught fi sh all day, but we really hammered them in the lake until the wind picked up,” the Nov. 11 report said. “We caught our big redfi sh right off the bat, but also caught and released a pile of 15- to 17-inch trout.

“We found some good fi sh under birds early on the north end, but later in the morning the best gull action was farther south.”

Bill Watkins, (409) 673-9211Dickie Colburn, (409) 883-0723

SweetContinued From Page 1

GOOD ACTION: Loads of stripers are being pulled from Texoma this month. Drifting and top-water action have both been successful. Photo by Striper Express.


LSON, Beretta donate for pronghorn research

Lone Star Outdoor News and Beretta Gallery Dallas have donated the $500 in proceeds from their joint customer appreciation and wild game supper, held Oct. 13, to the Borderlands Research Institute at Sul Ross State University to assist in pronghorn research.

One raffl e item was included in the free

event, a Sako .270 rifl e, won at the event by James Patterson of Plano. Live music and wild game prepared by Syracuse’s Custom Meats highlighted the event, held at Beretta Gallery Dallas.

The Borderlands Research Institute is attempting to determine the cause(s) of the pronghorn decline in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas, including disease and parasite research.

— Staff report

The hunger for special permits has spurred the growth, Wolf said, and it’s not hard to see why. On some ranches, hunting has supplanted livestock as the chief revenue stream.

But some TPWD biolo-gists say they’re now spend-ing more time processing the permit requests, which cuts into the time they’d rather be using to develop good wildlife management plans.

“It begins with an ini-tial request,” said Mike Miller, a TPWD biologist in Stephenville. “Very typ-ically they come to us in mid to late summer, which I think is kind of late. It’s hard to schedule a visit and write the plan and get sur-vey work going.

“And to get it done by Oct. 1, you can see the crunch we get in.”

Miller said biologists can generally accommodate the late callers, but they would prefer spending more time developing “more meaning-ful” wildlife management plans.

“There is no time to care-fully mark brush manage-ment areas, or create maps for prescribed burns or for helping people develop food plots,” he said. “We’d rather turn our focus and our hours to that rather spending time in a permit-driven process.”

Wolf said offi cials would look for ways to ease the workload.

An example of an exist-ing tool is the Texas Wildlife Information System — an Internet-based system for landowners to input survey data themselves.

Wolf said programs like that have mitigated biolo-gists’ workloads, but they aren’t complete solutions.

Charging a fee for the per-mits — currently they’re free — will probably be dis-cussed, but Wolf said there are several issues to consider.

First, the Legislature must grant the authority for TPWD to collect any fees. Next, a collection method must be devised.

“We don’t want our staff to handle revenue,” Wolf said. “That’s not a good use of a biologist’s time.”

And, he added, “Just because we generate

income, doesn’t mean we get to spend it. The Legislature says you only get to spend so much. It doesn’t mean you get to provide more services.”

Wolf said no formal fee recommendations have been devised, but some staffers have estimated that between $250,000 to $400,000 could be raised through MLDP permit fees.

“It wasn’t chump change,” Wolf said of the estimate, “but it wasn’t going to pay for a bunch more new biolo-gists in the fi eld.”

One ranch manager said he believed a lot of MLDP enrollees wouldn’t mind paying a reasonable fee to be in the program.

“We would have abso-lutely no problem with that,’ said Alan Day, man-ager of the 6,300-acre Whisky Canyon Ranch in Bosque County. “And, in my opinion, the majority of people would be just fi ne with it.

“Fact is, this has been a free service for us, but I think you pay to play. We require a lot of the biologists and their work really shouldn’t be free.”

MLDPContinued From Page 5


Brewer said last year’s season was not good, and the drought that gripped most of Texas throughout 2011 was not conducive for breed-ing quail.

“I’ve seen a few pairs, maybe a small covey of three or four birds, but nothing that got me excited to get out and hunt,” he said. “Maybe I will get out and just let the dogs run a little.”

In South Texas, the outlook wasn’t much better.

“It’s going to be pretty slow, I’m afraid,” said Kingsville quail hunter Bill Rauch. “We haven’t started hunting yet, but I don’t expect to have a banner weekend (when his fi rst group of hunters arrive). We’ve been working dogs for exercise, but we haven’t been fi nding a whole lot.”

Rauch said if hunters can fi nd three to fi ve coveys during a day’s hunt, it should be considered a real success.

“Anything over that is going to be good,” he said.

According to Rauch, last year in South Texas was tough because there was a lot of cover from a very wet year to conceal birds. This year, low numbers could hinder hunting.

“I think we had more birds than we saw, but they weren’t accessi-ble,” he said. “I think we had quite a bit of production last year, but this year I suspect we didn’t make a lot of birds.

“Overall, I think hunting will be as slow as last year but for different reasons.”

Rauch said he will see how the fi rst few hunts go, and if they don’t produce decent numbers, he will shut his quail hunting down for the year.

“I’ve talked to several other hunters and they are all pretty much thinking the same thing,” he said.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department released a report in October stating that bobwhite quail numbers in Texas have decreased 80 percent during the past three decades.

The report said that although much of the state’s quail popula-tion has been hit hard by drought, especially in the Rolling Plains region, pockets of huntable birds do exist, and quail numbers in the Gulf Prairie region have actually gone up.

But, TPWD offi cials recom-mended a very conservative hunt-ing approach this year. They urged hunters to go ahead and work their dogs, but not to chase singles or pairs if they fl ush any coveys.

See our next issue for blue quail report.

Quail lowContinued From Page 5

Africa guides name DSC ‘Preferred Conservation Partner’

The Dallas Safari Club and the Professional Hunter's Association of South Africa have formed a new “Preferred Conservation Partner” strategic alliance.

The announcement was made during the PHASA convention and annual meeting, Nov. 14-16, held near Johannesburg, South Africa.

Ben Carter, DSC executive director, attended the event and met with PHASA leaders on details of the partnership, which includes PHASA opening and staffi ng a new DSC satellite offi ce within PHASA headquar-ters in Centurion, South Africa.

“Our new offi ce in South Africa will serve to further liaison between PHASA and DSC on issues of mutual interest, such as promoting conser-vation, education and hunter advocacy, as well as reinforcing the highest standards of the hunting and guiding industry,” Carter said.

Eduard Katzke, president of PHASA, said the organization “values its longstanding relationship with DSC as one of the premier hunting and conservation organizations in the world, and this new agreement not only strengthens the partnership but also elevates the opportunity for both organizations to increase benefi ts to their members.

“This alliance sets a higher standard of cooperation in improving hunt-ing ethics, professionalism and the hunting industry.”

— Dallas Safari Club

Puzzle solution from Page 22


LONE STAR MARKET

To advertise in this section, call Mike Hughs at (214) 361-2276 or e-mail him at [email protected].

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Lone Star Outdoor News, ISSN 2162-8300, a publication of Lone Star Outdoor News, LLC, publishes twice a month. A mailed subscrip-tion 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 [email protected].

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Contributors Kyle CarterAlan ClemonsDavid DraperWilbur LundeenJohn MeyerAaron ReedErich SchlegelDavid SikesScott SommerlatteChuck UzzleRalph Winingham

November 26Kimble County Wild Game DinnerCoke Stevenson Memorial Center(325) 446-3190junctiontexas.net

December 1Delta WaterfowlFort Worth DinnerElks Lodge #124(817) 475-9796deltawaterfowl.com

December 2Ducks UnlimitedSweetwater DinnerSweetwater Elks Lodge(325) 338-4681ducks.org

December 3Park Cities QuailPheasant tower shootLong Straw RanchForestburg(817) 296-3104longstrawranch.com

DeerfestCrockett County FairparkOzona(325) 392-3737deerfest.org

December 6Dallas Safari ClubDSC Store open houseDSC Pavilion(972) 980-9800biggame.org

Ducks UnlimitedLamar University Waterfowl Hunter PartyCourville’s, Beaumont(409) 782-6657ducks.org

December 7Ducks UnlimitedMetrocrest Sportsman’s Night OutAddison Conference Center(214) 906-0943ducks.org

December 8-9Texas Gun and Knife ShowAmarillo Civic Center(830) 285-0575texasgunandknifeshow.com

December 8Dallas Woods and Waters ClubChristmas PartyOrvis Store, Dallas(214) 570-8700dwwcc.com

Ducks UnlimitedSealy DinnerFridick Catholic Community Center(713) 724-5552ducks.org

Delta WaterfowlCollege Station DinnerBrazos Center(979) 680-5569deltawaterfowl.com

Dallas Safari ClubHoliday PartyOmni Hotel, Downtown(972) 980-9800biggame.org

December 10PlinkfestNational Shooting ComplexSan Antonio(210) 688-3165

Annual Inshore Fishing ExpoHouston(281) 481-6838fi shingtackleunlimited.com

December 13Houston Safari ClubChristmas PartyCadillac Bar(713) 623-8844houstonsafariclub.org

December 15Austin Fly FishersMeeting, NW Rec Center(512) 346-0592austinfl yfi shers.com

January 5-8Dallas Safari ClubOut of the Wild ConventionDallas Convention Center(972) 980-9800biggame.org

January 13-14Hill Country River RegionTrout Days Uvalde, Chalk Bluff Park(830) 591-1065hillcountryrivers.com

January 13-15Houston Safari ClubNew Horizons ConventionThe Woodlands Waterway Marriot(713) 623-8844houstonsafariclub.org

January 20-21SCI, Hill Country ChapterAnnual Dinner and FundraiserThe Hangar HotelFredericksburg(830) 928-4344texashillcountrysci.org

January 20-22Fun-N-Sun & Angler's Pro TackleIn-House Boat ShowHurst(817) 280-0303funnsunboats.com

January 20-23Austin Boat, Sport & Outdoor ShowAustin Convention Center(512) 494-1128austinboatshow.com

January 21Hallettsville Wild Game Supper Knights of Columbus Hallkchall.com

January 26-29San Antonio Boat & RV Show The Alamodome(512) 481-1777sanantonioboatshow.com

January 27National Wild Turkey Federation Henderson County DinnerTexas Freshwater Fisheries Center(903) 675-2750nwtf.org

January 28Rocky Mountain Elk FoundationTexas Hill Country Big Game Banquet(512) 247-1628rmef.org

DATEBOOK


LONE STAR MARKET

To advertise in this section, call Mike Hughs at (214) 361-2276 or e-mail him at [email protected].

“And,” she added, “thanks to you Texans, the book launched in Houston on Sept. 20 and quickly sold out on Amazon. We’re already talking about a third printing, so that’s a good sign.”

She said some com-ments have been funny, like the guy who declared online that chicks and guns were his two favor-ite things — just add a cheeseburger and he’d die and go to heaven.

“Others have been very moving,” McCrum said. “One gentleman commented that he was in the service, deployed in Afghanistan. He said, ‘My grandmother was always the best shot in our family, and I mar-ried a woman who is like the women in your book. Thank you for the morale booster.’”

McCrum splits her time between New York and California. She said she grew up on the East Coast, ambivalent toward guns.

But in 2006, she read an article in The Economist that reported how fi rearms and hunting are enormous industries in the U.S.

Then she learned

that there were an esti-mated 15 to 20 million female gun owners in the nation. She set out to learn more about them through photography.

“Actually, many of my friends thought this was a misguided focus on my part,” McCrum said. “But I’m a portrait photogra-pher, not a photojournal-ist. I didn’t have an edito-rial stance.

“I just wanted to let the women and their pictures tell their stories.”

The project took more than three years to photo-graph and edit.

McCrum had been to Texas, so she knew its women would make good subjects for the project, and she was pleased when they introduced her to friends to photograph.

These women were mostly from the Houston and San Antonio areas.

“I was hoping to get to Dallas and Austin, but by then, I already had so many strong photos,” McCrum said. “It would have been easy to do a whole book just on Texas.”

Jenevieve Zoch was photographed in her par-ents’ San Antonio home

holding an antique duel-ing pistol — a family heir-loom. She posed in her wedding dress.

Zoch, who hunts extensively with her fam-ily, told McCrum how the fi rst date with her hus-band was at a skeet shoot-ing competition.

“She asked if I still had my wedding dress and that’s how that came about,” Zoch said. “But I thought people might think I looked scary on my wedding day.

“I guess I look like I’m out for blood, holding that dueling pistol.”

But Zoch added that she loved her wedding dress and she loves the her picture. She also praised other photos in the book.

“It’s a cool concept,” she said. “It shows a wide range of women from all different backgrounds: some women hunting; some have guns for self-protection; some use guns in their jobs.

“I’m more of a girly girl, but I also like to hunt. I would think Texas girls are a little bit of both, and that’s what I think makes the book so interesting.”

Chicks with gunsContinued From Page 4

HEIRLOOM: Jenevieve Zoch of San Antonio appears in “Chicks with Guns” wearing her wedding dress and gripping an antique dueling pistol — a family heir-loom. Photo by Lindsay McCrum.

MEET THE PHOTOGRAPHER■ Lindsay McCrum will sign copies of her book, “Chicks with Guns” next month at two San Antonio locations. The fi rst signing is 6-8 p.m. Dec. 15 at Sloan Hall, 5922 Broadway St. She also appears 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Dec. 17 at The Twig Book Shop, 200 E. Grayson St.


Double-drop tine buck taken in Jim Wells County


Preston Young knew when he fi rst laid eyes on the buck that it was a monster.

The fi rst time he saw the deer, it was high-lighted against a setting sun, making the buck appear even bigger than he was.

“I just said, ‘Oh my Lord,’ and got ready for the shot,” Young said.

The hunter from Houston was hunting the 5,000-acre Contigo Ranch in Jim Wells County; owner Fred Edgerton was his guide.

“The deer was seen that morning by another group of hunters,” Young said. “He was about a half-mile away and they only saw him briefl y. A double-drop tine buck is pretty rare, and the guides had seen the buck the year before about a mile away.

“My guide and I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime buck, so we set up a pop-up blind near a tank where the buck had crossed that morning.”

Young said he and Edgerton got into the blind about 2 p.m., hoping the buck would make an appearance near the tank.

“It was pretty slow for most of the after-noon,” he said. “We had only seen a doe

and a fawn. About 15 minutes before sun-set, I looked to the west and saw him silhou-etted against the sky.

“We knew immediately it was him and I didn’t wait too long to take the shot.”

Young’s 7 mm Magnum shot true, and it wasn’t long before hunter and guide were standing over the trophy of a lifetime.

“You always hear about ground shrink-age,” he said. “But this was one of the few times the buck just got bigger as we got closer. I shook for an hour-and-a-half after the shot.”

The tremendous buck had 16 scorable points, and totaled 193 2/8 inches when the score had been tallied.

“This is my biggest deer by a long shot,” Young said. “People’s reaction when I show them the deer is, ‘Are you kidding me?’ He looked like the deer on the front of the pro-tein bag in the lodge. I told my wife, ‘I guess I will just have to shoot a 200-inch deer next.’

“Actually, I might just need to take up fi shing.”

DOUBLE-DROP: Preston Young of Houston shows

off the 193 2/8-inch double-drop tine buck he took this season in

Jim Wells County. Photo by Preston Young.

Big Time Texas Hunts winners announced

When an unknown number shows up on the caller ID, Weatherford Downtown Café owner Britton Schweitzer just lets it go to voicemail.

“It’s usually people trying to sell me stuff, not Texas Parks and Wildlife call-ing because I won an amazing hunt,” Schweitzer said.

Schweitzer and 13 other lucky sports-men are clearing their calendars for some of the best hunting packages in the Lone Star State won through Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Big Time Texas Hunts program.

The program’s raffl e offers hunting packages ranging from a guided white-tailed deer hunting experience in the South Texas brush country to the Grand Slam package which treats one Texan and a non-hunting friend to food, lodg-ing, taxidermy and a personal guide service for four separate hunts for desert bighorn sheep, white-tailed deer, prong-

horn and desert mule deer. Schweitzer won the Grand Slam.

“When I get my license online I throw $100 toward the different hunts but never expect to win,” Schweitzer said. “I am an avid fi sherman and hunter and I see it as basically donating $100 every year to pub-lic lands,” he said.This year’s winners:Grand Slam — Britton Schweitzer, WeatherfordPremium Buck Hunt — Joseph Yuras, Garden RidgeExotic Safari — Jimmy Webb, Tyler and Martha Vogelsang, HearneWhitetail Bonanza — Tommy Dulin, Colorado City; Ivan Berry, Pasadena; Francis Sharp, Pasadena; Michael Broderick, Conroe; Joe Mills, Gonzales; Ramona Bourgeois, Concord, Calif.; Humbert Trevino, Laredo; Randall Coombs, SpearmanWaterfowl Adventure — Alexander Hamilton, San AntonioGator Hunt — Darren Lasorte, Fairfax, Va.

— TPWD


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At 83,654 surface acres, Falcon is huge. Finding a big bass, especially with the ample supply of brush and rock, would seem challenging. But Combs and others target the fl ooded brush, points and offshore ledges anywhere from 8-30 feet or more depending on the season.

Right now, he said, the bass are about a month away from pre-spawn haunts before mov-ing into creeks or shallow trees to spawn. Until then, Combs said, fi shing should continue to be stable.

“The other good thing going on is they’ve been pulling a lot of water,” he said. “I think the lake’s dropped probably 2-3 feet in the last month. That current, along with the level of water on the brush and rocks, have been positioning the fi sh pretty well to turn them on.”

Combs said the Strike King 6XD crankbait has been his go-to bait. Most of the rock forma-tions he prefers to fi sh are on the U.S. side of the lake.

“Sometimes we were catching two at a time, on the front and back hooks,” he said. “It’s just unbelievable down there.”

It’s been so red-hot that Scott Martin, winner of the FLW’s Forrest Wood Cup champion-ship, zoomed down after he missed the 10-angler cut at TTBC for a day on the lake.

“It was really fun, even though we only got to fi sh for a day,” Martin said. “That was my fi rst time to fi sh down there. I’ve been to Amistad before but never to Falcon.”

Martin grew up on Lake Okeechobee, another of the nation’s legendary lakes that is just about on the same latitude with Falcon. They have at least one similarity — giant bass.

“The quality of fi sh at Falcon was fantastic,” he said. “We only fi shed for about 10 hours and mostly threw crankbaits all day, and we had a 9-pounder and several 7-pounders. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to get back.”

FalconContinued From Page 8

Public meetings set for expanded seagrass protection and freeze events

Public meetings have been set regarding two proposed regulation changes in 2012 that pertain to coastal fi sheries.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department seeks both changes. The fi rst involves consider-ation of a new state scientifi c area to protect seagrass in the Laguna Madre near the John F. Kennedy Memorial Causeway in Nueces County.

The JFK causeway proposal would create a new 15,500-acre protected area similar to the Redfi sh Bay State Scientifi c Area.

This site was chosen because it has exten-sive shallow seagrass fl ats that would benefi t from protection, plus heavy boat traffi c with many access points. Also, the site offers ben-efi cial “overlap” from the nearby Redfi sh Bay

area, only 10 miles away.The region benefi ts from previous outreach

and conservation efforts, and existing partners dedicated to helping the cause. Because of this, many boaters andanglers in the region are already familiar with rules and boating practices to protect seagrass.

The other topic would clarify emergency rules to protect fi sh during coastal freezes. The proposed rule change would say no fi sh can be caught “by any means” in an affected area during a freeze.

All meetings will begin at 7 p.m.They are: Nov. 30, Dickinson Marine Lab,

1502 FM 517 East, Dickinson; Dec. 1,Bass Pro Shops, 17907 IH-10 West, San Antonio; Dec. 5, Natural Resources Center, Room 1003, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi; Dec.13, Holiday Inn Corpus Christi-North Padre Island, 15202 Windward Drive, Corpus Christi; Dec. 14, Port Isabel Community Center, 213 Yturria, Port Isabel; Dec. 15, TPWD Headquarters, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin.

—TPWD



Documents

November 25, 2011 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting