Texas Fish & Game December 2014

DECEMBER 2014 | VOL. 31 NO. 8 | $3.95

HuntinRiver Ducks:

FeatheryFlows!

5 Keys toCatchingTrophyCrappie

Wild in Texas:

Jaguarundi

ChristmasesPast:

HolidayHunts

Frozen Fish:Salt Strategies forPlummeting Mercury

www.FishGame.comTHE Texas Outdoor Authority

1412-Dec-CoverDIG.indd 1 11/12/14 3:29 PM

Staffbox-Contents.indd 2 11/5/14 12:56 PM

www.FishGame.comPublished by Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC.

TEXAS FISH & GAME is the largest independent,family-owned outdoor publication in America.

Owned by Ron & Stephanie Ward and Roy & Ardia Neves.

ROY NEVESPUBLISHER

CHESTER MOOREEDITOR IN CHIEF

C O N T R I B U T O R S

JOE DOGGETT SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR DOUG PIKE SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR TED NUGENT EDITOR AT LARGE LOU MARULLO HUNTING EDITOR MATT WILLIAMS FRESHWATER EDITOR CALIXTO GONZALES SALTWATER EDITOR LENNY RUDOW BOATING EDITOR STEVE LAMASCUS FIREARMS EDITOR DUSTIN ELLERMANN SHOOTING EDITOR KENDAL HEMPHILL POLITICAL COMMENTATOR WILL LESCHPER CONSERVATION EDITOR REAVIS WORTHAM HUMOR EDITOR TOM BEHRENS CONTRIBUTING EDITOR GREG BERLOCHER CONTRIBUTING EDITOR PAUL BRADSHAW CONTRIBUTING EDITOR CAPT. MIKE HOLMES CONTRIBUTING EDITOR DUSTIN WARNCKE CONTRIBUTING EDITOR STAN SKINNER COPY EDITOR LISA MOORE CONTRIBUTING PHOTO EDITOR JOHN GISEL STRATEGIC ADVISOR

A D V E R T I S I N G

ARDIA NEVESVICE PRESIDENT/ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

DAVID BECKLER NATIONAL ADVERTISING SALES LARRY DALTON ADVERTISING COORDINATOR 1745 GREENS ROAD HOUSTON, TX 77032 PHONE: (281) 227-3001 FAX (281) 227-3002

C R E A T I V E

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TEXAS FISH & GAME (ISSN 0887-4174) is published monthly by Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC., 1745 Greens Road, Houston, Texas 77032. Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC. All rights reserved. Content is not to be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission. The publication assumes no responsibility for unsolicited photographs and manuscripts. Subscription rates: 1 year $19.00: 2 years $34.75; 3 years $48.50. Address all subscription inquiries to Texas Fish & Game, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, Texas 77032. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for response. Give old and new address and enclose latest mail-ing address label when writing about your subscription. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: TEXAS FISH & GAME, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032. Address all subscription inquiries to TEXAS FISH & GAME, 1745 Greens Road, Houston, TX 77032. Email change of address to: [email protected] Email new orders to: [email protected] Email subscription questions to: [email protected].

Periodical postage paid at Houston, TX 77267-9946 and at additional mailing offices.

Paid Distribution of over 90,000Verified by Independent Audit


DECEMBER 2014Volume 31 NO. 8

COVER:Family Traditions, Whitetail Revelations

Fathers and sons, uncles and cousins... family hunts not only

validate the bonding nature of the sport, but campfire conversations lead to shared learning experiences that make better hunters.

Cover Photo and Story by Chester Moore

www.FishGame.com

Fathers and sons, uncles and cousins... family hunts not only

validate the bonding nature of

STORY:

16

Features

COVER:

4 | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E

F.L.E.X. ABILITYTF&Gs editor has developed a sys-tem for targeting big fish of any kind. This article focuses on using F.L.E.X. (Focus, Learn, Eliminate eXperience) tactics to catch big crappie.

by Chester Moore

RIVER FLOWSFor waterfowlers unwillingor unableto pay high lease fees, Texas rivers can provide hot duck action at an affordable cost.

by John N. Felsher

CHRISTMASES PASTThe conversion of old 8mm home movies to DVD brings on a rush of memories of Christmases past and holiday hunts with a lost loved one.

by Reavis Z. Wortham

24

28

38

FROZEN FISHHere are a few alternative saltwater species to target and tactics for anglers to use when the winter mercury takes a dive.

by Calixto Gonzales

20

Table ofContents

Table ofContents

Table of

ALSO IN DECEMBER:

Wild in TexasDid you know that Texas is home to the jaguarundi? This months Wild in

Texas photo essay looks at this exotic wild cat.

by Chester Moore

Did you know that Texas is home to the jaguarundi? This months Wild in

Texas photo essay looks at this

STORY:

36

Wild in Texas


InsideFish&Game

by Roy & Ardia Neves | TF&G Owners

Contents (continued)Columns

The Annual Blessings Audit

AS ANOTHER YEAR BARRELS TO A CLOSE, IT IS meaningful to stop for a few moments and re ect on our lives, on the lives of those close and important to us, and on the state of the world at this particular juncture in history.

No matter whereor whenyou are, there will always be troubles. Some people have it better than others. Some generations have it better than others. But everyone has to contend with day to day dif culties to some degree. Everyone and every time also has had some measure of reason to be thankful. From a glass-half-empty perspective, this means acknowledging that no matter how bad things are, they could always be worse.

All forms of life are built for con ict and stress. Meeting challenges might even be viewed as the essence of life. Stress is a natural condition that every thing and every one has to deal with, from a single-cell organism to the leader of the free world (and well let you draw your own conclusions as to which of those two examples handles it better).

We are de nitely livingas the old Chinese curse goesin interesting times. Threats come at us from hordes of murderous religious fanatics, drug cartels, exotic viruses, gun-wielding nut jobs, a hostile climate and economic uncertainty, in an unrelenting 24-hour news cycle that lls our brains and competes unmercifully with our personal daily stresses to make it all but impossible to maintain a healthy blood pressure.

And yet, every day good deeds still get performed by individuals and communities. Art is still created. Innovations and solutions to vexing problems are engineered. Life goes on and, on balance, gets better.

In our world here at TF&G, the past yearlike the last ve or so before ithas certainly been interesting. Economics and the Print is Dead movement have been our personal jihadist enemies. But technology, creativity and the exhilaration of working hard have kept us alive and ahead of our daily and systemic challenges. Setting our particular struggles aside, we feel blessed to work in an industry that champions the natural world and serves as its true protector, and to work with people who keep us inspired.

Whatever your personal trials are at this time, we sincerely hope you are able to look beyond them and nd your blessings. They are there.

We wish you a Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year (just so it isnt one that glori es thugs, the bullying of women and infringing the rights of others) and a Happy 2015, and beyond.

Texas Fish & Game is a family-owned business, and theowners welcome your comments and questions. E-mail Roy and

Ardia Neves or Ron Ward at ContactUs@ shgame.com

6 | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E www.FishGame.com

9 Editors Notes by Chester Moore TF&G Editor in Chief

12 Doggett at Large by Joe Doggett TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

13 Pike on the Edge by Doug Pike TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

14 TexasWild by Ted Nugent TF&G Editor At Large

15 Commentary by Kendal Hemphill TF&G Politcal Commentator

23 Texas Saltwater by Calixto Gonzales TF&G Saltwater Editor

27 Texas Freshwater by Matt Williams TF&G Freshwater Editor

31 Bare Bones Hunting by Lou Marullo TF&G Hunting Editor

41 Open Season by Reavis Wortham TF&G Freshwater Editor

46 Texas Boating by Lenny Rudow TF&G Boating Editor

48 Texas Guns by Steve LaMascus TF&G Firearms Editor

92 Texas Tasted by Bryan Slaven The Texas Gourmet

Texas Freshwater

Bare Bones

8 LETTERS10 TF&G REPORT10 BIG BAGS & CATCHES

32 TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

34 TRUE GREEN50 TEXAS TESTED52 FISH AND GAME GEAR

54 HOTSPOT FOCUS

62 TEXAS HOTSPOTS

70 TIDES & PRIME TIMES

75 SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SECTION

94 TF&G PHOTOS

Departments


8 LETTERS10 TF&G REPORT10 BIG BAGS & CATCHES

32 TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

34 TRUE GREEN50 TEXAS TESTED52 FISH AND GAME GEAR

54 HOTSPOT FOCUS

62 TEXAS HOTSPOTS

70 TIDES & PRIME TIMES

75 SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SECTION

94 TF&G PHOTOS

Departments


More on the BorderYOUR EDITORS NOTES IN THE September Fish & Game was right on. Since the end of March, I have been working on a huge landscape job near Langtry. Its a 17 mile trip down a dirt road. I live in Lake Hills which is a little north of San Antonio.

After I had been working there for about a month, My father came to visit us to see his at the time 16-month-old granddaughter. While he was here, his F250 Ford was stolen out of a motel parking lot in the middle of the night.

The management of the motel was of no help which so ever which lead us to believe they were in on it. three days later, it was recovered by the border patrol about 10 miles from the ranch we are working at in what they called a bail-out, where the border patrol chased them until they wrecked the truck and everyone bailed. No one was caught.

Two weeks after that, while we was har-vesting cactus on the ranch for the landscap-ing, we came upon a spot, where we found a couple of backpacks with some very worn clothes and a couple of empty water bottles.

Some of the clothes were kids size. You could see where they climbed the high fence to the ranch on the other side and got into a truck. We saw the foot prints and tire marks. This spot was about 200 yards from where we have our trailers set up to sleep in.

About a month ago, while I was driving out to the ranch, I came upon what looked like a truck broke down on the dirt road. The two people outside the truck tried to get me to stop. I didnt and when I drove past the truck, I saw it was just made to look like it was broke down.

50 yards up the road, I saw a bunch of black bundles behind an iron tree and it didnt take me long to fi gure out what was going on. Its scary down there and you bet-ter watch out if you are by yourself out there. Thanks for printing what you did. We all need a heads up on whats going on down there.

Roger P.

MR. MOORE I FEEL YOU BASICALLY only brushed the surface in your column regarding concerns down in the lower coun-try.

It is my belief it is only a matter of time before bad things surface, the illegal immi-grants are becoming bolder by the day. A good friend just sold his place in Webb County for the above reasons.

I dont think anyone is really on top of the problem. I read recently that in 2013 the Border Patrol averaged only 4.2 alien arrests per Border Patrolman agency wide.

Bill NewsomBrush Country Field Deputy

The border situation as we both agree is a travesty. There are so many facets to it we could dedicate an entire issue and not scratch the surface. As an outdoor magazine we felt it was important to address the key issues and make people who might not oth-erwise be aware what is happening in many cases right here on Texas soil.

CM

The Texas Lynx Stockings?DEAR MR. MOORE, I RECENTLY came across your blog on The Texas Lynx and found it fascinating. Where do you think the stories on actual Canadian lynx being stocked in Texas came from?

Fred Pearson

I think they most likely started with some-one killing or seeing a bobcat that was bigger than most and had longer ear tufts than others they had seen. Bobcats are fi rst cousins of the lynx, so to speak, so there is not a whole lot of difference; but I think that is the basis of the legend.

By appearance, they are similar. They both have stumpy tails about 4-5 inches

long, ruff of fur extending from the ears to the jowl and a black-tipped tail. The colors are similar, from light gray to brown. That is more common and is often spotted or streaked with black. Their size is similar, from 65-100 cm (including the tail) and weights range from 15-35 lbs. From here, we can get more specifi c.

The bobcat looks more like an overgrown housecat. Most of them do not have the distin-guishing extra-long tufts of hair on the tips of its ears or the bigger, shaggy feet that help the Canada lynx navigate in the deep snow.

Another characteristic is the tail. Although both have short bobbed tails, the bobcats is banded with black stripes, and is black at the top of the tip and white at the bottom. The lynxs tail lacks banding and is completely black at the tip.

The range of the bobcat is from southern Canada to central Mexico and tolerates the forest, mountains, swamps or desert regions. The Canada lynx prefers forested areas and mainly lives on the snowshoe hare.

There is a distinct correlation between the number of births of Canada lynx and the num-bers of prey, the snowshoe hare. The bobcat feeds on a more diverse diet of, rabbits, squir-rels, mice and birds and sometimes deer, a trait that has contributed greatly to their success.

We could fi nd no basis for the origin of Canada lynx stockings in Texas as was dis-covered about the alleged timber rattlesnake releases in the Piney Woods and published fi rst here in TF&G in 2003.

CM


Letters to the Editor

Send your Comments to:

EditorTexas Fish & Game1745 Greens RdHouston TX 77032Email: editor@fi shgame.com

1412 Letters.indd 8 11/6/14 3:10 PM

Editors Notes

Wild Wishes

IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL MOMENT.

A sweet, young girl who had recently lost her father, got the opportunity to pet and interact with her favorite animal,a

zebra.A few months earlier at church, the Holy

Spirit put it on my heart to ask her what her favorite animal was and without hesitation she said zebra.

I promised her she would meet a zebra and here it was two months later. Thanks to Donna McDonald of Jasper that was getting to happen. It was the fi rst of several of what we call Wild Wishes that my wife and I through our ministry, Childrens Kingdom Ministries got to give in 2014.

We have dedicated every bit of time, energy and fi nance outside of our jobs (mine at TF&G and hers as a teacher) to working with children on behalf of the Lord. Its our passion and lifes mission, and it started with my grandmother.

The late Ruby Pickard, founded an organization called My Wish Inc. in 1982 to grant wishes to terminally ill children in Southeast Texas. At eight years old, I accompanied her on that fi rst wish where a little boy who simply asked for an American fl ag to fl y over his home in Mauriceville.

That had a huge impact because at the time I would have asked for something extravagant like a live elephant or the entire Star Wars merchandise collection. But here was a boy my age with leukemia wanting a humble fl ag. That event and being able to see her give so many children happiness birthed a heart for kids even while I was one.

This year we have opened the Kingdom Zoo: Education Center in West Orange near my home and launched our Wild Wishes Project to continue making the connection between the Creator and His Creation.

Wild Wishes is important to us because it is a means of giving hope and at Christmas this is something I want you to think about.

How much hope is out there in the world?

How much hope is out there in the news, in popular culture and on social media?

If you can fi nd any, please let me know.We have an opportunity in a season that

even the most hardened person realizes is about giving to do something special for others. If you know someone who is hurting or maybe a child who has suffered or loss or is experiencing a sickness, reach out and offer help.

Simply taking that person out to the duck blind or on a fi shing trip during the Christmas break could do wonders for them. People need to know that they matter. You might be the only person who gives them that feeling by speaking to them, offering kindness and letting them feel like there is something out there for them.

Our Wild Wishes Project is not about hunting or fi shing. There are already won-derful programs that grant those types of wishes, and we are not limited to terminal illness. We are also working with kids who have suffered a loss, perhaps suffered abuse or neglect and also include terminal illness.

In fact we granted a wolf-related wish to a wonderful little boy suffering from a form of cancer (now in remission) thanks to our friends at Exotic Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo as well as my friend David Cleaver and his wolf dog, Lucy.

What its about is letting kids have some kind of safe, fun encounter with wildlifeone that they might not realize is possible. Who would think there are zebras in Jasper, Texas, for example?

Well, there are and our sweet friend got to meet one of them.

Im a little uncomfortable writing about the charitable work Lisa and I do because it is certainly not about us. Its about He who sent us and the wonderful kids we work with, whether it be at our Education Center, on a fi eld trip with kids or on a Wild Wish.

The fact is, I turn down most hunting and

fi shing excursions I am offered these days. The work I do outside of this magazine is almost totally for this cause, and I have no regrets. Seeing the smile of a child who has had a rough go of it trumps shooting any big buck or catching the biggest fl ounder.

Its also exciting to honor my grandmoth-er by, in a way, continuing her work that blessed more than 250 kids in Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana. A few days before I wrote this column, I had the privilege of ministering to 13 kids from Buckners Childrens Home at our Kingdom Zoo: Education Center.

They got to see and meet a bunch of rep-tiles, amphibians, arachnids and mammals and spend a day in a fun, loving, faith-fi lled environment. It was our fourth event with Buckner for the year, and it reminded me that even the smallest of things matters to a child.

One little girl couldnt help but laugh that our rat, Rita, is hairless. Im used to the fact she was born that way but seeing that beau-tiful smile at such a simple and admittedly silly-looking creature serves as inspiration to keep doing this and take it to new levels.

If you would like to support us with a tax-deductible end of the year donation go to kingdomzoo.com and click on the Donate link. Everything we do is made possible with donations. Or if you would like to see how else you can get involved, visit the website or e-mail me at cmoore@fi shgame.com.

Heres to you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful beginning to 2015. Most impor-tant, I hope you can give hope to someone else whether they live across your street or around the world.

Hope lives in the hearts of those willing to give it.

E-mail Chester Moore atcmoore@ shgame.com

Listen to his weekly radio show Fridays, 6 pmon 560 KLVI Beaumont (www.klvi.com)

by Chester Moore | TF&G Editor in Chief

Editors Notes

T E X A S F I S H & G A M E | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 | 9

1412 EdNotes.indd 9 11/6/14 3:12 PM

Texans Convicted in Illegal Deer Breeding OperationTHE LATEST CHAPTER IN A DECADE long series of criminal and wildlife dis-ease investigations involving a former South Texas deer breeder ended recently when a Corpus Christi area couple pleaded guilty to 50 charges of Unlawful Possession and/or Sale of Live Game Animals.

Frank Thomas Shumate Jr., 51, and Kalub Rogers Shumate, 31, were each assessed $14,127.50 in fi nes and agreed to surrender the ability to apply for a deer breeder permit or a hunting lease license for all time. Mr. Shumate also agreed to sur-render his hunting license through the end of the 2015 license year and Ms. Shumate

through the end of the 2017 license year.The criminal cases were adjudicated

in the offi ce of Hon. Caroline Korzekwa, Karnes County Justice Court Precinct 2.

Retired San Antonio attorney Rene Barrientos served as special prosecutor in the case with approval and support from the Karnes County Attorney. He also coordi-nated a global agreement in Travis County District Court to resolve a pending civil case against Ms. Rogers and recover $34,080 in restitution related to expenses incurred by TPWD staff while conducting a deer herd inventory inspection and disease sampling at a deer breeding facility permitted to Ms. Rogers.

Investigation into Mr. Shumates deer breeding activities began in March 2004 and led to multiple charges in three coun-

ties. Two years later, his deer breeder viola-tions resulted in 10 convictions on criminal charges in Jim Wells County, fi ve convic-tions in Nueces County and fi ve convictions in Webb County. As a result of these fi nd-ings, Mr. Shumate agreed to relinquish his Scientifi c Breeders Permit and liquidate all deer held in captivity in his deer breeding facility in Nueces County.

In advance of losing his deer breeding privileges, Mr. Shumate allegedly initiated a plan to have a new deer breeding facility permitted in the name of Kalub Rogers on his property in Karnes County, where he then transferred more than 100 deer from his Nueces County facility.

Over time the TPWD Special Operations Unit received numerous reports that Mr. Shumate was reportedly still in the

The TF G ReportThe TF G Report&

Big Bags CatchesBig Bags Catches&

Visit FishGame.com to upload your Big Bags & Catches Photos and Vote for our next WinnersVisit FishGame.com to upload your Big Bags & Catches

Hailey Hurlburt caught this 27-inch, seven-pound trout while shing at the north end of Sabine Lake.

Mario Gomez (left) with a 9-point mule deer and Benny Rodriguez (right) with a 12-point muley, both shot on the Terlingua Ranch in Brewster County. They were hunting with Uncle Ed, the Redskins fan in the center.

10 | D E C E M B E R | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E

1412 TFGReport.indd 10 11/6/14 3:13 PM

deer business and was buying and selling deer for which he was not legally authorized by TPWD.

An investigation revealed that Mr. Shumate conducted sales of at least 78 white-tailed deer from Ms. Rogers deer breeding facility to ranches for release into the wild for stocking purposes since September 2010. Mr. Shumate received a minimum of $171,466 in payments for white-tailed deer he unlawfully sold, which according to records submitted to TPWD, were transported from Ms. Rogers deer breeding facility. The investigation further indicated that Kalub Rogers was holding a deer breeder permit in her name on behalf of her husband Frank Thomas Shumate Jr.

Ms. Rogers facility came under addi-tional scrutiny in 2012, initially as a result of a delinquent annual report required of all permitted deer breeding facilities. Criminal charges were fi led when a subsequent herd inspection and inventory revealed signifi cant irregularities and discrepancies, including

162 inventoried deer that were missing from the facility.

During the herd inspection, TPWD wildlife

b i o l o g i s t s

noted the remaining deer in the facility to be in poor condition and numerous decayed deer carcasses were observed throughout the pens.

The observation of 142 deer of unknown origin was cause for additional concern and tissue samples from several deer were tested for both Chronic Wasting Disease and Bovine Tuberculosis. Neither disease was detected.

Unscrupulous actions by these two individuals are not only a threat to all the law-abiding deer breeders who are carefully monitoring and managing their facilities, but also to the states free-ranging deer, which can be exposed to unnecessary disease risk from these illegitimate activities, said Mitch Lockwood, TPWD Big Game Program Director. Captive and free-ranging deer are too important to our state to have them compromised by the actions of a few.

State Gives Deer Handling GuidelinesTHE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE Department reminds hunters throughout the state to properly dispose of deer carcasses to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases in deer. This is particularly important for mule deer taken inside the Chronic Wasting Disease Containment Zone, which covers portions of Hudspeth and El Paso counties, and the surrounding High Risk Zone.

Because many hunters process their own deer, they are key players in slowing the spread of diseases such as CWD, said Ryan Schoeneberg, Big Game Program Specialist with TPWD. One possible way that disease can spread is by the transporta-

tion and improper disposal of carcass parts.

Deer can become infected with CWD if they come into contact with

other infected deer or an environment contaminated with CWD prions. Although CWD prions are ubiquitous throughout the body of an infected

deer, they are known to accumulate in the brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, and

lymph nodes.CWD was fi rst found in Texas in

Hudspeth and El Paso counties two years ago, and the disease appears to be limited to those remote areas. This, in large part,

is because of hunter diligence, restricting unnatural movement of deer, and ongoing measures to monitor and sample for evidence of the disease.

Hunters who take deer in the Containment Zone are required to present the unfrozen head of the deer to a desig-nated check station within 24 hours of take so tissue samples can be removed for CWD testing. Additionally, hunters in this area should not take whole deer carcasses out of the Containment Zone, or carcass parts that contain brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, or lymph nodes, according to Shawn Gray, mule deer program leader for TPWD. We recommend hunters in the Containment Zone and High Risk Zone quarter deer in the fi eld and leave all but the quarters, backstraps and head at the site if its not possible to bury the inedible carcass parts on the ranch or take them to a landfi ll.

Hunters are urged to follow these safe handling recommendations:

Proper Carcass Disposal Avoid cutting through bones, spine, or

brain when processing deer carcasses.

If processing harvested deer in camp or at home, place carcass parts in trash bags and properly dispose of them through a trash service or landfi ll.

For taxidermy work, use a licensed taxidermist to assure proper carcass disposal.

Safe Parts to Transport Quarters or other portions of meat with

no part of the spine or head attached;

Hides or capes from which all excess tissue has been removed;

Antlers, including antlers attached to skull plates or skulls cleaned of all muscle and brain tissue.

For more information visit: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/diseases/cwd/.

From staff reports

T E X A S F I S H & G A M E | D E C E M B E R | 11

Deer Handling GuidelinesTHE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE Department reminds hunters throughout the state to properly dispose of deer carcasses to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases in deer. This is particularly important for mule deer taken inside the Chronic Wasting Disease Containment Zone, which covers portions of Hudspeth and El Paso counties, and the surrounding High Risk Zone.

Because many hunters process their own deer, they are key players in slowing the spread of diseases such as CWD, said Ryan Schoeneberg, Big Game Program Specialist with TPWD. One possible way that disease can spread is by the transporta-

tion and improper disposal of carcass

the brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, and lymph nodes.

162 inventoried deer that were missing from the facility.

During the herd inspection, TPWD wildlife

b i o l o g i s t s

Nine-year-old Baker Wardell shot his rst Rio Grand gobbler near La Pryor in Zavala County. Dad Ronald Wardell said it was a classic story of pre-dawn anticipa-tion, frustration, and ultimately, complete success. The tom came to Ronalds call near a hen decoy at 15 yards and the boy made the shot with his dads Remington 1100 magnum 12 gauge.

1412 TFGReport.indd 11 11/6/14 3:13 PM

Stand Down

TAKING A STAND IS THE MOST POPULAR and productive method of whitetail hunting in Texas. It has been for decades and with good reasonthe

positives far outweigh the negatives in this admittedly sedentary approach.

The hunter on stand, either in a box blind or perched on a tripod, is in excellent position to fi ll a deer tag. Being hidden while overseeing a promising intercept area allows the game to come to you. You are able to glass an unaware deer, make an educated decision, then wait for a high-percentage shot. Well, most of the time.

Also important, the proper stand allows a rifl e rest for deliberate bullet placement. And a clean shot isor should bethe goal of every conscientious hunter. A fast offhand chance might seem more dashing and sporting but maybe not so much if it wounds and cripples and the deer is lost.

The typical box blind offers a measure of weatherproofi ng on a raw or rainy day, and the easy access allows individuals of limited physi-cal abilities to enjoy deer hunting. Oh, yesits also a fi ne place to watch (and photograph) the random passing of wildlife that most non-hunters seldom see.

The only negative to climbing into a stand (except maybe a swarm of nesting wasps) is that a prolonged session can become boring. This especially is true if the seat is uncomfortable and you are under-dressed and the brush appears dead, void of game.

You can only admire fl uttering chee-chee birds for so long. Being the keen hunter that you are, you try to talk yourself into one more hour but the lingering minutes on a slow-motion wristwatch can become a never-ending ordeal. If apex predators such as the Tyrannosaurus rex hadnt been wiped out by the Ice Age, several excruciating vigils in a barren deer stand certainly would have done it.

The grip of impatience is tightened by our fast-lane mentality. Several hours of sitting qui-etly and staring at nothing can be diffi cultif not impossiblefor some hard-chargers.

Fortunately, options afoot are available. This is assuming the lease allows hunters to leave designated stands.

Horn rattling, or clashing a pair of antlers together to imitate a fi ght between two territorial bucks, originated in Texas and remains steeped in lore and legend. The technique does work, sometimes with dramatic results, but timing can be critical. Rattling often is most effective dur-ing the early stages of the rut, when dominant bucks are most competitive for available does.

Weather also can be a factor. Cool, moist mornings with a light wind from a constant direction are ideal; conversely, a hot afternoon under a whipping wind is a poor draw.

You can successfully rattle from an elevated stand, especially when attempting to draw unseen bucks from way over there, and dont let anyone tell you otherwise. And rattling is a fi ne way to stoke the fi nal 30 minutes or so during a deerless vigil. At least you are doing something that might actually attract a buck.

But, for sure, rattling is best from the ground. Teaming with another hunter is great, especially when you have the rifl e and your companion totes the horns. A solo session will workjust have the rifl e ready as you drop the horns. Either way, the scope should be turned to its lowest power to acquire a close, fast target.

Put another way, its a rookie mistake to lift 14X at a B&C candidate closing fast through tangled mesquite at 30 yards.

A good rattling site offers a broken fi eld of view downwind the random clumps provide cover for a circumspect buck while allowing you to anticipate the action.

And pay attention when settling into your brushy hide. You dont want to cozy down next to an irritable rattlesnake. Nor do you want to sit in the middle of a fi re ant bed.

The great advantage of rattling from the ground is the ability to utilize available covernot just for concealment, but for imparting realistic sounds of fi ghting. Whacking branches, thumping dirt, kicking rocks add realism.

The hunter on foot can spend several hours rattling, usually easing from one promising spot to the next. Go slow, pausing often to glass ahead. Each rattling stop warrants waiting and watching before moving. How long at each sta-

tion depends on the situation, but rattling when bucks are responsive is a great way to spend a day in the fi eld.

Just be cautious over the rifl e when the brush erupts; a so-so young buck can appear awfully big as it charges into the horns.

So-called still hunting (walking through the woods in hopes of fi nding game) usually is not the best game plan for a mature buck. We tend to move too fast. Also worth note, the deer lives there. Also worth note, have a look at those ears and that nose.

No, unless your family crest depicts Daniel Boone on one escutcheon and Hiawatha on the other, attempting to bumble through the brush and walk up game may succeed only in rout-ing a big buck that might have been tagged by patient waiting and watching.

Theres one possible exception: If the weath-er is witheringly cold, wet and windy, you might have a shot when still hunting through thick draws and bottoms. Most deer bed down, reluc-tant to move under such harsh conditions, and the rough weather helps mask your approach.

Of course, this sounds good on paper, maybe not so solid out there in the icy brush. A steaming bowl of chili and a football game on the TV back at camp might be a more realistic call.

Spot-and-stalk is another option for the rest-less hunter. The odds for success are better here because you know exactly where an unwary deer is. Well, almost exactly. They do have four feet, but youve got a major head start.

Most spot-and-stalk attempts originate from stands or lease vehicles. A deer is located at considerable distance (a spotting scope may help greatly in fi ne tuning things) and it remains only to slip within shooting range.

Full camo helps but the idea is to stay hidden, using wind and sun and terrain, and close the gap. Anything inside 100 yards is ice cream but 200-plus is a legitimate poke with a scoped rifl e.

This is assuming you had the forethought to tote a stable tripod or bipodand the wisdom to practice off the sticks at a range.

Email Joe Doggett at

ContactUs@ shgame.com


Doggett at Large

by Joe Doggett | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

1412 Doggett.indd 12 11/6/14 3:14 PM

Pike on the Edge

by Doug Pike | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Wildlife Odd Couples

AN IDLE MIND OFTEN FOLLOWS WHIMSI-cal paths. I was reminded of that when the following thoughts crept into my head one late-winter evening:

For no reason, I pondered the marked similarities between specifi c species of ter-restrial and aquatic life. If you think of the plane on which air and water meet as a looking glass, it is fairly easy to see some of the creatures that live on one side refl ected in those that live on the other.

Take hardheads, for example. (And take all you wantnobody will miss them.) The hardhead catfi sh is a generally despised, potentially harmful waste of fl esh that never met anything it wasnt willingenthusiasti-callyto bite.

My immediate thought as its counterpart was the cottonmouth, but I actually respect snakes and do not share that feeling for the hardhead. Ultimately, the nod went to sewer rats. City rats. Garbage eaters, not fi eld mice earning their hardscrabble existence on waste grain and wild seed.

Scale tipper for the sewer rat-hardhead play was that if you were hungry enough, although you wouldnt like doing so, you could eat either one. I couldnt eat a water moccasin.

Moving on to a more glamorous path, consider the Spanish and king mackerels. Both are high-velocity, acrobatic predators that take most of their meals at full speed.

This one is easy. The smaller and larger mackerels are to schools of sardines and mul-let what falcons and hawks are to meadow mice and pigeons. By water or air, the attacks of these lightning-bolt predators are swift, and death of the prey is instant or nearly so.

Somewhere near the bottom of the visible food chain, you will fi nd shrimp in the bays and grasshoppers in the fi elds. Both can seem amazingly agile to any of us who try to catch one by hand, but neither is a match for the stabbing beaks of birds, rushing mouths of big fi sh, or bullwhip tongues of lizards. Where shrimp and grasshoppers live, almost everything bigger than them eats them.

On the cuddly side, there is commonal-ity between crappie and cottontails. Each is relatively delicate in its world and, as

prey, must constantly watch over its fi nned or furred shoulder. Nervous by nature and prolifi c by same, white perch and bunnies are the marshmallows of fi sh and wildlife.

I wanted to liken largemouth bass to bobcats, both being opportunistic ambush feeders, but the latter tends to remain lean throughout its life. A bass, on the other hand, becomes relatively fat and lethargic in seniority, still capable of feeding itself but more apt to take one big meal than six smaller ones. I will stick with the comparison for lack of a better one but, in my mind, add a beer belly to the cat.

There are solid matches in the world of biting, stinging creatures. The fi rst is sting-rays and scorpions, both of which respond to threat with a swift upturning of their tails.

Stingrays are much larger, of course, and capable (with a few exceptions) of infl icting a more painful wound, but either can ruin an outdoorsmans day with one swing of its tail.

No roll call of natural annoyances is com-plete without mention of what most coastal residents call sea lice, which actually are the pinhead-sized larvae of blue crabs. On the right spring tide, they can be so thick in the surf that paddling a surfboard through them feels as if you are pulling your arms through a giant bowl of grits. They have tiny pincers with which to attach themselves to any unsuspecting host that happens along. Hitchhikers, they are, with a preference for dark, damp places. (Draw your own conclu-sions.)

Their terrestrial mirror image, of course, is the chigger. Evolution left no clues as to whether chiggers crawled to sea and became crab larvae or crab larvae got tired of the marine life and crept up the beach into the nearest open fi eld. It doesnt matter. A few dozen of either can generate an excruciating, ceaseless itch in places it is not polite to scratch publicly.

There are plenty moreblue marlins and lions, wahoos and wolverinesfor which there isnt room here, but there is one more that must be shared.

My favorite pair grow big and aggressive and fearless, and as adults, individuals can defend themselves against anything they might encounter. Each of their populations has risen steadily through the past two, maybe three decades, and both like to feed in the mud with their noses down and tails up.

As if either needed identifi cation after those descriptions, they are the redfi sh and feral pig. And like all those other animals, I am convinced each would be proud to be associated with the other.

Email Doug Pike at ContactUs@ shgame.c


Pike on the Edge

by Doug Pike | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

On the cuddly side,

there is commonality

between crappie and cottontails.

1412 Pike.indd 13 11/6/14 3:15 PM

When in Doubt, Ask the Nuge

LUCKY LUCKY ME, I HAVE BEEN blessed with the greatest human con-nection available to mankind over my lifetime of hunting. I am constantly

bombarded with communications from hunt-ers, fi shermen, trappers and a whole slew of folks, mostly young, that want to know how they can achieve the glowing high that I write about and celebrate all the time on Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild TV. Its legal, its pure, its universally available to Americans, and it is obviously so much fun its intoxicat-ing in the ultimate good way.

Here is a fi ne example of the questions I receiver on a daily basis that I thought I would cover at this time.

With the engineered dumbing down of so much of America by so much of our failed education system and scamming media, I thought my response would be a good start-ing point for all of us to counterpunch the abject ignorance and outright insanity run-ning amok regarding hunting.

DEAR MR NUGENT, I HAVE HAD A dissagrement with a coworker over my daughter bow hunting.

In August she bought her own bow and gear and started practicing in our back yard. Her second time out hunting with me she shot a doe. I was telling my coworkers about it and said later on that night she started crying that she killed it. I told her she did nothing wrong and they have hunting to cut down on the population. I think shes going to be ok now.

She and her Mom dont like deer meat, but I do! Thats where this starts. One of my coworkers doesent think she should be hunting because she wont eat the meat. It really hacked me off enough for me to write this letter.

I cleaned the deer and its at the proces-

sor now. I would like to get your thoughts on this if you have the time. Her name is Nicole and she is 24 years old and a very good kid.

Love your Spirit of the Wild TV show on Outdoor Channel, love your music and how you stand up for our constitutional rights.

Mike Neargarten

DEAR MIKE, GOOD TO HEAR from you sir and thanks for thinking of me. It is so very tragic that in the year of our Lord 2014 anybody could possibly be aware of, or worse, much worse, pretend to not be aware of natures sustain yield wildlife science. Hunting, fi shing and trap-ping is perfect and pure, as we celebrate Thanksgiving, giving sincere thanks for Gods natural annual renewable bounty.

To not hunt is cruel and irresponsible, for all the new creatures born last spring and sustained all summer when nutritional conditions are at their peak, cannot possibly survive the death of that sustaining vegeta-tion through the dead of winter.

Dear God, man. Who dosent know this? Must be an intentional scam by our so-called education system and lying and nasty agenda driven propaganda ministry media.

Surely everyone must know that deer, moose, bear, elk, pronghorn, birds of every species, smallgame and critters by the BILLIONS are slaughtered and left to suffer on our American hiways EVERY year. What kind of soulless goofball is #1 unaware of that, or #2 could possibly deny it, or #3 dare turn their back on our responsibility to harvest the annual surplus in order to respectfully utilize the sacred protein and balance the herds to minimize such waste. Good Lord in heaven!

You did great guiding your daughter to be a hunter. Hunters are the real conserva-tionists and ultimate environmentalists not only safeguarding quality air, soil and water producing wildlife habitat, but sharing more literally BILLIONS and BILLIONS of the ultimate natural, organic, healthi-est meat available to mankind EVERY YEAR! To be against hunting is to be against nature and to be against healthy, thriving wildlife.

Nicole did good and we who know the truth thank her and salute her.

Now just make sure you are handling and processing the venison properly, clean, cold and aged, because if anyone doesnt like venison, it can only be because it was mishandled.

You and Nicole and your coworker should check out my 1000s of writings at tednugent.com and get up to speed on the truth, logic, science, commonsense and hon-esty of how hunting is a win win win win win for everybody and everything. Good hunting, goodluck, Godbless & Godspeed! American venison

BloodBrothers, Ted Nugent & Family

Contact Ted Nugent at TNugent@ shgame.com


Teds TexasWild

by Ted Nugent | TF&G Editor-at-Large

One of my

coworkers doesnt think my

daughter should hunt because she

wont eat the meat.

1412 Nugent.indd 14 11/5/14 12:07 PM


Merry Christmas, PETA

EARLY IN MY WRITING CAREER I REALIZED that PETA was going to be a big help to me. The groups efforts to control the actions of others has been a con-

stant source of material, and pointing out the fl awed thinking of these supposed animal rights advocates has allowed me to illustrate why hunting and fi shing is essential to the continued welfare of wildlife. Plus its fun to poke fun at the antis, although its similar to swatting a fl y with a Pontiac.

A few years ago the PETA folks were advocating that all the cows, pigs, chickens, and other domesticated stock in America should be turned out to fend for itself. The idea, as put forth by a PETA member in an interview with a SUN reporter, was that nature would take care of the animals. And Im quite sure it would, in the form of preda-tors.

Another option mentioned by a PETA member was for sanctuary farms to be set up by the government, and paid for by the rice milk and almond milk industries, so the freed animals could live happily ever after. My impression was that the people in charge of the alternative milk industries had not been consulted about the plan.

There have also been efforts by PETA, in various states, to erect memorials in highway right-of-ways where trucks hauling livestock had wrecked, and numbers of animals had died. These efforts have been largely unsuc-cessful, not because theyre ridiculous, which they are, but because most states have rules against unnecessary monuments in highway right-of-ways.

When a video surfaced in mid-2013 of a man kicking a squirrel into Grand Canyon, PETA came out in force, and offered a

reward for information leading to the mans identity. I have to admit I cant argue with them on that. While I have no problem with hunting, I believe we are stewards of the wildlife on earth, and should not be abusive or cruel, ever.

I also agree with PETAs opinion on zoos and circuses, most of which are, in my opinion, cruel and inhumane. Keeping animals locked up in cages shows them no respect, and I believe we have a responsibility to honor the creatures over which we have dominion. Entertainment at their expense does nothing for the animals, and less for the people who enjoy it.

But PETA rarely wanders into the realm of credibility, preferring to travel the paths of the ludicrous, as evidenced by articles recently sent in by astute readers. One such article, from the Portland Oregonian, addresses the issue of roadkill as food.

While the very idea is repugnant to most of us, there are some who have no qualms about gathering dead animals from roadways and taking them home to eat. Incidentally, if you happen to be one of those, please let me know, so I can make a note to respectfully decline your dinner invitations.

This practice may have been encouraged by PETA, since the article mentions that the animal rights group supports salvaging roadkill so the animal carcasses dont just rot. Which makes it sound as if PETA advocates eating the roadkill, which would invalidate at least part of the groups goals. Plus its pretty

disgusting. The problem with PETA has always

been its contradictory nature. There are two main premises which form the foundation of the PETA cult and yes, it is a cult. When members blindly follow leaders who are get-ting rich from a cause with nothing to offer society, thats a cult.

The group purports that people and ani-mals are equal, and because of that we should not eat animals. However, its fi ne for animals such as grizzly bears and wolves to eat other animals. Other animals evidently have more priviledges than human animals have. Who is equal here?

You cant have it both ways. You have to pick. The PETA cult wants it both ways. You cant win an argument when the other side gets to provide its own contradictions. Or, as Jesus put it, A house divided against itself cannot stand.

Of course, PETA offi cials argue that humans should know better, and we have a greater responsibility because we are more advanced than the other animals. To which I would suggest that, if we are equal with the other animals, why should we be held to a different standard?

There is no truth in the PETA doctrine, only contradictions. There is no common sense, only unsupported lies. There is no fact-based creed, only emotional manipula-tion. The PETA house is built on a faulty foundation.

The group is, however, entertaining, espe-cially during the holiday season. The pleas to America to spare turkeys at Thanksgiving and Christmas, in favor of vegetarian alterna-tives such as tofu, are always enjoyable, if not very well-received. So, in appreciation of the hours of diversion PETA has given us over the years, I would like to wish everyone in their camp a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I just have one question If tofu is so great, why do vegans always claim it can be made to taste just like meat?

Email Kendal Hemphill at ContactUs@ shgame.com

Commentary

by Kendal Hemphill | TF&G Political Commentator

I believe we are stewards of the wildlife on earth.

1412 Commentary.indd 15 11/5/14 12:12 PM


Fea 1-Whitetail Traditions-Moore.indd 16 11/5/14 11:50 AM

I FELT LIKE A KID ON CHRISTMAS MORN-

ing. As I fi nished fi eld dressing a 20-inch-wide six

pointer that weighed in excess of 200 pounds, ranch

owner Robert Scherer and my Dad drove up.

Come see what your Dad shot, Robert said.

After loading my big buck in the truck we drove to

the edge of a fi eld. Lying on the ground was a massive,

massive buck.

It looked like something from Iowa or Kansas with

points shooting all over the place and a third

main beam.

Taking a nice buck as Dad took his biggest

buck ever was a lot to take in. It gave me the

best day of hunting in my life.

Story and Photosby Chester Moore


The author and his father with Robert Scherer and the two big bucks they took.


These bucks were now a part of

a lineage of nice bucks taken by members of my family, namely my father Chester Moore, Sr., my late Uncle Jackie Moore and his son Frankalong with me.

Over the years when we gathered, the conversation often ended up centered on deer and growing up. Frank and I loved to hear the stories about their biggest bucks as well as their misadventures.

My Dad tells the story of shooting a big nine pointer while listening to the Dallas Cowboys play the Detroit Lions on a Thanksgiving Day. He was sitting on a big rock overlooking a hill listening to the game. Out walked a big buck paying him virtually no attention. That was its last mistake.

My Uncle Jackie admitted to missing some distant shots at an absolutely monster buck he said had a Christmas tree rack. He ran out of bullets as it ran several hun-dred yards directly toward him to stand less than 50 yards away.

Frank and I used to love that one.As time went on, we took bucks of our

own, and then our interest in deer waned a bit. Frank found a true passion for hog hunting, and I jumped head fi rst into duck hunting, although we both still sought deer

just about every season.We both got back into it

in a big way back in 2011, and we both took nine-pointers.

I took mine while venturing down to Inez, Texas to hunt with Diamond M Whitetails and was able to take a gorgeous tall, wide nine-pointer on their low fence acreage in the middle of beautiful scrub brush and live oak country.

Our conversations after that hunt led to an interesting revelation. As we got to look-ing at the products we used to pursue game, we realized virtually all of it has to do with overcoming the incredible senses of these great animals.

In fact, a huge portion of our communi-cation over the years has been how to get around these super senses.

The sense of smell of deer for example is legendary. There are hundreds of products on the market and homegrown remedies for eliminating human scent and appealing to hunger and sexual urges through smell. Did you know however deer actually have two noses?

According to a fascinating article put out by Dr. Karl V. Miller from the University of Georgia, few hunters realize that a deer actually has two noses.

The second nose is technically not a

nose, but it serves some of the same purpose. If you look on the roof of the deers mouth you will see a diamond shaped structure with a small passage leading into the palate. This additional nose, called the vomeronasal organ (VNO), is similar to the Jacobsons organ that snakes use to taste the air. Deer use the VNO exclusively to analyze urine. When a buck sees a doe urinate, he will often take some of this urine into his mouth and perform a behavior called fl ehmen, or lip-curl.

This fl ehmen helps to introduce urine into the VNO. It is interesting that this organ is not connected to the same part of the brain that the nose is connected to. Instead it is con-nected to the part of the brain that controls the reproductive condition of the deer. What type of information the deer is getting is unknown, but it is likely that odors analyzed in the VNO help get the hormones pumping in the

buck and bring him into rutting condition.

When I got that information I sent a text to Frank as eagerly as I did when I shot my big buck at Scherers ranch. He

has been working super hard to ensure he gets a buck with his bow this year.He has

done everything, including putting out three stands around his feeder so he can hunt it effectively with virtually any wind. He has invested in 3-D camoufl age. He even took soil from beneath his stand and put his hunt-ing clothes in it, thanks to a tip from TF&G Bowhunting Editor Lou Marullo.

The answer?Great! I was worried enough about the

fi rst nose and the eyes and ears now I have to worry about appealing to or avoiding a second one. Yikes! LOL.

I am blessed to have been born into a hunting family that gladly took their children into the great outdoors. I am blessed because our family has very serious deer hunting tra-ditions, though never verbalized, which have been passed down.

Hundreds of thousands of other Texans have similar stories and deeply held beliefs and traditions regarding deer hunting. This is what has helped make Texas the number one deer hunting state in the nation.

I have always loved the pursuit of white-tails and stand with all hunters who hit the fi eld happy to simply collect some venison but are always pursuing that big, heavy antlered buck.

were now a part of a lineage of nice bucks taken by members of

We both got back into it in a big way back in 2011, and we both took


This fl ehmen helps to introduce urine into the VNO. It is interesting that this organ is not connected to the same part of the brain that the nose is connected to. Instead it is con-nected to the part of the brain that controls the reproductive condition of the deer. What type of information the deer is getting is unknown, but it is likely that odors analyzed in the VNO help get the hormones pumping in the


shot my big buck at Scherers ranch. He has been working super hard to ensure he

gets a buck with his bow this year.He has done everything, including putting out three stands around his feeder so he can hunt it

These bucks were now a part of

just about every season.We both got back into it


into the VNO. It is interesting that this organ is not connected to the same part of the brain that the nose is connected to. Instead it is con-nected to the part of the brain that controls the reproductive condition of the deer. What type of information the deer is getting is unknown, but it is likely that odors analyzed in the VNO help get the hormones pumping in the


gets a buck with his bow this year.He has done everything, including putting out three

18 | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTO: CHESTER MOORE

The author and the big buck he took whilehunting with Diamond M Whitetails.


Also Available at Amazon.com

Fea 2-Deer-Digital.indd 28 9/24/14 5:41 PM

20 | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION: TF&G

Fea 2-FrozenSaltwater.indd 20 11/5/14 11:57 AM

BY GOD ITS A great day to be alive! shouted Captain Larry Corbett over the roar of his outboard.

No it isnt, wailed my wife Sandie.

Its explitive cold!

She was right. It was very cold. Cold

enough to make your cheeks burn and

the snot in your nose to freeze up. It was

an unfriendly 39 degrees that morning

when we had gotten up at oh-dark-thirty

to drive to Port Isabel to meet Larry at his

dock. Had we not planned this trip weeks

in advance and had it not meant the only

chance at a fishing trip for weeks, Sandie

and I wouldve canceled and

stayed in bed.


Fea 2-FrozenSaltwater.indd 21 11/5/14 11:57 AM

We eased up to a piling along the Queen Isabella Causeway and I fastened a line to it. We each baited up with live shrimp (only one bait shop in town actually had any for sale) and sent them to the bottom. The braided line detected vibrations as my hap-less crustacean fl ipped and kicked as some unseen predator zeroed in on it. Then the line started feeling heavy, and then it moved off. I set the hook hard. Sandie and Larry did likewise almost simultaneously.

All three of us were hooked up to jumbo, quarrelsome sheepshead. By the time we had used up an entire quart of shrimp two frigid hours later, we had a triple limit of sheepshead, several keeper-sized speckled trout, and a handful of beautiful black drums that approached the upper end of the slot limit.

Its still expletive cold, Sandie said as we turned the boat toward home.

Cool TimesLiterally hundreds of thousands of words

have been composed about cold weather fi shing. There is no denying that there are

plenty of fi shing opportunities for the anglers with stout hearts and warm clothing. Many anglers actually circle the coldest months on the calendar as their prime fi shing period.

These anglers are focused on trophy trout, and for good reason. Jim Wallaces former state record 13 pound 11 ounce speckled

trout pounced on a Corky in the middle of February, 1996. Wintertime is big

trout time in Texas.Many anglers, however, dont have

the stamina, wherewithal, or desire to go through the physical tribulations of doing what is normally required to score a career trout in winter (long wades for hours, or even days for a single strike that may never come). They would much rather fi nd a few cooperative fi sh that will stretch a line and make them forget about the cold.

If Im going out into the cold, I dont want to sit there all day for one fi sh, said Captain Billy Castro. If Im going to run out in the winter, Im focusing on more plentiful fi sh. There are a ton of different fi shing opportunities that dont involve mak-ing 10,000 casts for one fi sh.

Castro and other anglers target fi sh that are more active in colder climes, such as the underrated sheepshead. These toothy critters aggregate in good numbers year around, but theyre most active when water temperatures dip below 70 degrees. The prison-striped fi sh start congregating along piers, seawalls, jetties, and causeway pil-

ings during the winter months. The fi sh are in staging mode for their spawn, which occurs in late February and through March. When you locate these con-gregations, you can catch a quick limit of chunky sheeps in short order and be back at the dock with a hot cup of coffee.

Live shrimp are hard to come by when weather gets really cold (lower than 50 degrees). When water temperatures take a corresponding dip, shrimp bury themselves deep in warm mud and are hard to reach with

trawl nets. When you can locate live bugs, theyre tough to beat for sheepshead.

The best method to fi sh them is to rig a free shrimp rig, which is a split shot 12-16 inches above a hook (usually a #2 Eagle Claw X-tra Long Shank is best). Flick the bait as close to the structure as you can.

Keep an index fi nger on the line to detect a pickup. Once you feel the fi sh move off with the bait, set the hook.

Castro has a different technique for win-tertime sheepies. He uses a two-drop rig that is specifi cally designed for crappie. The rig has two stiff wire stagings to which you attach snelled hooks. A 1 ounce bell sinker on the bottom snap fi nishes the rig.

I have better contact with this rig, said Castro. I can also cast it with heavier bait-casting tackle, which gives me better power to pull fi sh away from pilings and rocks.

Bang the Winter Drum

Another fi sh that makes great winter quarry is the black drum. The Texas win-ter drum fi shery is legendary. Past issues of Texas Fisherman, a predecessor of this magazine, were fi lled with pictures of happy anglers with giant black drums pushing upwards of 50 pounds. These big, gnarly brutes cruise in and out of passes and chan-nels all winter long. The big runs are usually after the fi rst big cold front of the year, and again towards the end of winter.

Big black drums are a very proletarian fi sh. Anglers fi shing off piers, jetties, and the shoreline have as much of a chance to latch onto a big one as an angler cruising a ship channel in a boat. You can catch them with a variety of rigs ranging from trout tackle all the way up to boat rods and surf gear, although anglers who target them specifi cally tend to use heavier tackle.

A classic technique is to set up in a pass or channel edge and fi sh along the bottom with either a dropper rig or a Fish Finder (Carolina) rig baited with fresh shrimp or crab chunks. The latter should be hooked through a leg socket and out the top of the shell point. That way, the bait doesnt spin in the current.

Big drums are not averse to taking lures. A large Gulp! Shrimp, DOA Shrimp or similar soft bait rigged on a -3/8th ounce jighead and dragged along the bottom is the best choice. Dragging is a literal term. Its much more effective to keep the bait in con-tact with the bottom than hopping fi nishes the illusion.

Once the fi sh picks up your offering, you wont notice the cold as much!


Winter is Big Trout time in Texas. But not many anglers have the stamina for that sports thousand-to-one cast-to-catch ratio in frigid conditions.

Queen Isabella Causeway and I fastened a line to it. We each baited up with live shrimp (only one bait shop in town actually had any

trout pounced on a Corky in the middle of February,

Bang the Winter

Another fi sh that makes great winter quarry is the black drum. The Texas win-ter drum fi shery is legendary. Past issues of Texas Fisherman, a predecessor of this magazine, were fi lled with pictures of happy anglers with giant black drums pushing upwards of 50 pounds. These big, gnarly brutes cruise in and out of passes and chan-nels all winter long. The big runs are usually after the fi rst big cold front of the year, and

PHOTO: GRADY ALLEN

Fea 2-FrozenSaltwater.indd 22 11/6/14 3:16 PM


Do It Yourself

WHEN I WAS 12, MY GRANDFATHER gave me a lure-making kit for Christmas. It wasnt very elabo-rate. It was a couple of molds for

soft plastic tails, a pint of Plaistisol and a couple of dye colors.

I spent hours mixing, cooking, and pour-ing tails. I will admit that I made more mess than tails, and the lures I did pour wererough. Id be lying though if I didnt admit that I had a blast.

There was something really cool about making my own lures. They never caught anything, but that may be more due to the fact that its hard for a 12 year old who lives in a mid-sized city to fi nd very many opportunities to test lures. It made enough of an impression on me that, though those molds are long gone, the itch to make my own lures would tickle the back of my mind now and again.

You cant deny that the idea of design-ing and manufacturing your own lures does have its appeal. For some, it can be a simple pastime to while away bad weather days and winter doldrums. Other anglers can fi nd lure making as a means to accommodating a spe-cifi c need or situation. Still others may be try-ing to, as Larry Dahlberg, host of the popular television show The Hunt for Big Fish puts it, build a better mousetrap.

For the ones who do make a better rodent catcher, it can turn into a full-blown business venture, as it has for Jay Nichols, owner/designer of Down South Lures and the Southern Shad.

In recent years, the hobby of lure-making has become a full-blown grassroots movement that has more than a few devotees. The key is the availability of materials for molding, designing, and manufacturing of home-grown artifi cials and the relative ease of using these products.

When consumers discover how easy it

is to use our products, they become big fans, says Mike Faupel, of Alumilite (www.alumilite.com, www.makelure.com, 800-447- 9344). There is so much you can do, wheth-er its pouring soft plastics, or even designing your own hard baits, you are limited only by your vision.

Some of Dahlbergs more popular seg-ments on his show are Larrys Workshop, where he shows viewers simple steps to design lures, discusses the principles of rod making, and other nifty do-it-yourself ideas and tech-niques any angler can use in their own fi shing endeavors.

He shows step-by-step instructions to use Alumilite products to make everything from soft plastics such as his original Mr. Whiggley to Alabama rigs, topwater plugs, and even marlin lures. The steps are simple and easy to follow. The sheer variety of lures that anglers can make is remarkable.

Anglers are starting to push the enve-lope of what they can design, says Faupel. Freshwater anglers are developing lures that simulate specifi c local forage for all sorts of species from bass to muskie to walleye. Weve had customers whove designed jerk-baits, swimbaits, dropshot worms, and grubs. Saltwater fi shermen have designed both soft plastics and hard baits for stripers and redfi sh, and for sea trout farther south.

The lure-making craze isnt just limited to a few anglers with time on their hands and some ideas theyre dying to try out. Faupel said that lure making clubs are springing up around the country. Some schools, espe-cially in the Midwest, have established stu-dent organizations dedicated to lure-making (which is a truly novel way to implement some of the essential elements of various voca-tional curricula that various education plans require). Faupel pointed out that one high school in Minnesota sells lures and Christmas ornaments they make to raise funds for a stu-dent trip to Lake of the Woods.

Another quality of lure making that can make it attractive to some anglers is the relative economy of the activity. Molds can be used ad infi nitum. Soft plastics that fi sh mangle can be melted down and re-poured.

You can take the same basic body design and create variations such as paddle tails, ball tails, thumper tails, and curlytails.

Anglers who want to pour traditional baits can fi nd after-market molds on various web-sites such as Amazon and E-Bay. YouTube is the lure-makers best resource with too many different how-to videos to count.

Modern technology in its various forms has made the lure making process easier and more accessible to the fi sherman with a stout heart and ambition. The question is, what do you want to make? Faupel said.

Next month, I will walk readers through the process of creating a mold and pouring a soft plastic. Well see how idiot-proof the process is. If this idiot writing these words can do it, then anyone can.

I love my barbecuea lot. Steaks, brisket, fajitas, and redfi sh on the half shellyou name it, and I will grill it.

With that in mind, Im always on the hunt for products that will help me with grill more effi ciently. Perhaps my greatest diffi culty has been lighting a fi re and keeping it lit.

I prefer to avoid using lighter fl uid because I hate the smell. Building a fi re from twigs to logs is time-consuming and is a problem if I only have briquettes on hand. Still, Ive got to have a good fi re to prime my coals.

Fire starters by Grate Chef is an effective solution. Each fi re starter packet carries a petroleum-free, environmentally safe, fl am-mable material that lights when wet, burns at 1,500 degrees and will light either wood or charcoal.

The one-inch square packets can be easily stowed for transport by even the most spartan camper and can be a real life-saver. Grillers will be especially pleased with the lack of petroleum residue that can taint even the best ribeye. Each package contains eight fi re starter packets.

Visit GrateChefs website for further infor-mation, www.Gratechef.com.

Contact Calixto Gonzales at ContactUs@ shgame.com

Texas Saltwater

by Calixto Gonzales | TF&G Saltwater Editor

1412 Saltwater.indd 23 11/5/14 12:01 PM

24 | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTO: CHESTER MOORE

Program Developed by CHESTER MOORE

Fea 3-FLEX Crappie.indd 24 11/5/14 12:20 PM

FOUR YEARS AGO, I DEVELOPED A system for targeting big fish of any kind. It is called F.L.E.X. Fishing and it involves a scientific, system-atic approach to angling.

F.L.E.X. stands for Focus, Learn, Eliminate, Experience and it is these prin-ciples that drive my fishing and have made a major difference in success especially for big fish since 2011.

I will be blogging about this system and hold some F.L.E.X. clinics online at www.fishgame.com in 2015 so I thought this would be a great time to give you a teaser for what is coming and we would

like to start with my favorite freshwater fish: crappie.

THE FOLLOWING ARE NOTES from my F.L.E.X. Fishing online crap-pie series we will debut at fishgame.com in February that shows you the deep level we are going to for the pursuit of big slabs and other fish with this system we will be giving you in 2015 by giving you unpar-


5 Keys toCatching Trophy

CRAPPIE

Fea 3-FLEX Crappie.indd 25 11/5/14 12:20 PM

alleled access to not only this system but information most have never seen on Texas top game fi sh.

Diet/Metabolism A LITTLE-KNOWN fact is that

mature crappies eat their own young. The bigger the crappie, the bigger the young they can consume. Consider crappie-patterned tube jigs, etc. when seeking monster crap-pies.

THE METABOLISM of crappie slows dramatically in winter and in super hot periods of summer in shallow water bod-ies and those with little current fl ow (due to low dissolved oxygen). It has an especially large effect on white crappies. When seek-ing trophy-sized slabs during these periods remember the fi sh will not actively chase your bait/lure. Use a slow, subtle presenta-tion to trick big, wary fi sh into biting.

YOUNG BLUEGILLS are a favor-ite prey item of larger crappies. These tiny perch can be caught in traps and could pres-ent a way to get bigger fi sh to score when they seem to turn their nose up to shiners.

ANGLERS seeking really a big crap-pie should avoid baiting brush piles. Baiting draws in catfi sh, stripers and other predatory species that not only can eat the crappies themselves but also outcompete them for food. When these types of predators are lurking, large crappies will stay in the cover and not leave. The cover itself is the main drawing card for larger crappies.

Ecology A STUDY conducted in Ohio showed

that crappie activity increased at dusk, peaked at night and declined at dawn and remained low throughout the day. Peak movements occurred when measurable light intensity approached zero.

BLACK CRAPPIE are fairly salt-water tolerant and can do well in brackish marshes and rivers. Since these areas receive very little fi shing pressure and are rich in forage items, they can yield trophy fi sh. Consider targeting the brackish zones of well-known crappie producing systems to fi nd big, unpressured fi sh.

LOW DISSOLVED oxygen levels have a dramatic effect on crappies, especially blacks. It can kill them before it harms many other species. In summer, seek areas with depth or high water fl ow as the mature crap-

pies are the fi rst to seek a change in location due to water quality issues.

ANGLERS seeking trophy white crappies should focus on moderately turbid water bodies. In clearer water, black crap-pies tend to dominate whereas white crap-pies thrive in environments that are more turbid. Avoid super murky areas as studies have shown whites can tolerate them, but tend to avoid them.

Senses STUDIES have shown the lower the

water temperature the better a crappies vision gets. This is because the cool water helps the fl ounders eye cells function better. In cool, clear water, you will have to use stealthy techniques to consistently bag big, wary crappie.

CRAPPIE EYES are designed to look up which is why it is so important to get bait or lure right in the strike zone. If you go too deep, they will not see it.

X-Factors MINNESOTA researchers found

most of the biggest crappies on their study lakes were fi rst generation white/black crap-pie hybrids although they all appeared to look like black crappies. They said it is not unusual for fi rst generation hybrids to grow to large proportions. Consider lakes with healthy populations of both crappie species when seeking large blacks. Your trophy fi sh, however, could actually be a hybrid.

RESEARCHERS at the worlds larg-est fi shing tackle company Pure Fishing have found the crappie to be the smartest of the popular freshwater species in North America. They respond quickly to fi shing pressure, line visibility and color even more so than bass as they mature.

I FOUND by hand feeding crappies while div-ing that the very largest specimens will blow a hard jet of water at a prey item before striking. When you get a hard thump on a shiner, wait a couple of seconds to set the hook or you could be setting it on nothing.

THE TERM paper-mouth is often used for crap-pie but in reality that is only descriptive of white crappies. Black crappies have fairly

hard mouths. Be extremely careful to always use a net to land a trophy crappie especially whites.

CRAPPIES literally inhale baitfi sh. Many times anglers using jigs put on tiny hooks so the fi sh swallow it. Unfortunately, they tend to miss many fi sh, especially big ones, which are wary about anything that does not seem safe to them. By using larger jigs and jigheads, they have a better chance of getting a hook in the roof of the crappies mouth when it exhales.

Confi dence in F.L.E.X.

I will never recommend fi shing so you can watch the sun rise over the water or any other of a dozen clichs common in the out-door media. Fishing is about catching fi sh. The other stuff is wonderful, but there are less expensive and time consuming ways to see and experience those.

There goes that word again experi-ence. It is crucial in this process and allows one dream to form another and the cycle to continue. Never think you have climbed all of the mountains because there is always another waiting on the horizon.

Just like there is a monster crappie waiting for me on a deep drop-off at Toledo Bend. I think I will go practice what I preach and show that fi sh what F.L.E.X. is all about.

Am I that confi dent? Yes.And if you follow these principles that

we will unleash in 2015 you should be too. Now, go out there and catch that fi sh of your dreams.


est fi shing tackle company Pure Fishing have found the crappie to be the smartest of the popular freshwater species in North America. They respond quickly to fi shing pressure, line visibility and color even more so than bass as they mature.

by hand

jet of water at a prey item before striking. When you get a hard thump on a shiner, wait a couple of seconds to set the hook or you could be setting it on nothing.

paper-mouth is often used for crap-pie but in reality that is only descriptive of white crappies. Black crappies have fairly

Now, go out there and catch that fi sh of your dreams.

T E X A S F I S H & G A M E

Watch formore F.L.E.X.instruction at

FishGame.com

Fea 3-FLEX Crappie.indd 26 11/7/14 10:13 AM


A Christmas list for the Angler in Your Life

CHRISTMAS IS JUST AROUND THE COR-ner. If youre looking to score some serious points with a guy or gal who likes to wet a hook every now and

then, take my advice and forget designer jeans this year and buy him or her something to use when they are playing their favorite game. It makes no difference if the angler in your life is a crappie freak, a bass buff or a catfi sh nut, there are plenty of cool gifts out there that are sure make them crack a grin when the family gathers around tree on Christmas morning.

Heres list of possible gift ideas every angler is sure to appreciate:

1) GUIDED FISHING TRIP: A GUID-ed fi shing trip is a great present because it eliminates the need for dragging a boat and other gear to a strange place and then hav-ing to worry about fi nding fi sh once you get there. Finding the fi sh is the guides job, and the good ones will always have a viable plan of attack before you get to the lake. I know a lot of great fi shing guides. Here are a few I can recommend:

BASS: Toledo Bend or Sam Rayburn, Tommy Martin, 409-625-4792; Stephen Johnston, 409-579-4213; Fork, Gary Paris, 903-763-2801, Mark Stevenson, 903-765-3120.

TROPHY CATFISH: Cedar Creek, Jason Barber, 903-603-2047; Dallas area Lakes, Chad Ferguson, 817-522-3804; Texoma, Cody Mullennix, 903-815-0273; Tawakoni, George Rule, 214-202-6641.

Stripers: Texoma, Bill Carey, 903-786-4477.

CRAPPIE: Toledo Bend, Stephen Johnston; Sam Rayburn, Larry King, 936-872-3952.

2) NEW SHADES: EVERY ANGLER will appreciate a new pair of sunglasses to protect their eyes on the water while help-ing to reduce sun glare. Some sunglasses even have built-in readers to aid weak eyes in tying knots, changing hooks, etc Some good upper end brands to look at include Costa Del Mar, Oakley, Maui Jim and Bolle. Strike King and Typhoon offer qual-ity shades at a greater value.

3) MULTI-TOOL: GREAT FOR THOSE moments when you need a specifi c tool like a screwdriver, pliers, cutters, saw or fi le in a clutch. A quality multi-tool will have all those tools and more in a nifty fold-up package small enough to fi t in the palm of your hand. You can fi nd some good ones at leatherman.com or sogknives.com.

4) HAND-HELD GPS - GPS IS THE way of the water. If the angler on your gift list hasnt gone there yet, you can lead the way with a nifty hand-held unit from Low-rance or Garmin. The units allow for mark-ing trails on the water, fi shing hotspots and for using various mapping chips for precision navigation. Check them out at lowrance.com and garmin.com.

5) FISHIN DUDS: WHEN THE weather turn nasty, good foul weather gear is a must. During the winter months, you need something that block water and wind from getting in while remaining breathable enough to keep you comfortable. There are number good foul weather suits out there. Im particularly fond of Frabills FXE Storm Suit, a high-quality jacket/bib combo that features leak-proof zippers, padded knees, a waist cinch, reinforced wear areas and sealed seams. The whole outfi t is treated with DuPont Tefl on fabric protector. frabill.com.

6) EVERY ANGLER NEEDS A GOOD scale in the boat to weigh the big ones. Berkley and Rapala make some great digital models designed to provide accurate read-ings right down the ounce. One of the most advanced scales Ive seen in recent times is the Rapala Tournament Touch Screen Scale/Culling kit. The digital scale weighs individual fi sh up to 15 pounds and allows anglers to maintain an accurate weight total of the fi sh in their livewell. Feature a large touch screen, ambient temp gauge and an on/off backlight for use in low light condi-tions. Runs for up to 400 hours on two AA batteries. rapala.com or purefi shing.com.

7) STOCKING STUFFER IDEAS: Everybody likes a stocking stuffer or two, and they neednt be expensive to be appreci-ated.

For bass fi shermen, a few new H2O XPRESS crankbaits and maybe a few packs of worm hooks and tungsten sinkers are good ideas. For crappie or cat fi sher-men, you might consider a good fi llet knife, either standard or electric. Some other good choices include a few extra spools of line, a rod tip repair kit, dry box/bag for the cell phone or maybe a new sheath for holding pliers, scissors and other tools.

Happy shopping and Merry Christmas!

Email Matt Williams at ContactUs@ shgame.com

Texas Freshwater

by Matt Williams | TF&G Freshwater Editor

A guided trip is a

great present.

1412 Freshwater.indd 27 11/6/14 3:18 PM

28 | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTOS: BACKGROUND, CANSTOCK;INSET, JOHN N. FELSHER

Fea 4-RiverDucks.indd 28 11/5/14 12:25 PM

ALTHOUGH TEXAS SPRAWLS

across nearly 300,000 square

miles, relatively little opens to pub-

lic hunting, particularly for ducks.

Many Lone Star waterfowlers lease

expensive hunting property, but riv-

ers can offer a cheaper alternative.

Rivers and other navigable

waterways belong to the public, so

sportsmen can usually hunt almost anywhere in the

main channels and backwaters. However, adjacent

lands may remain private, so check to avoid trespass-

ing. In the right spot, though, hunting along rivers

can often provide sportsmen incredible shooting for

little more than the cost of the gasoline required to

get there.

Some Texas rivers have decent waterfowl hunt-

ing, advised Kevin Kraai, Texas Parks and Wildlife

Department waterfowl biologist in Canyon. Rivers

are largely untapped resources for people looking for

public waterfowl hunting, but because so much land

in Texas is privately owned, access can be difficult.

When rivers rise, people often find some very reward-

ing hunting on rivers if they put in the effort.

To hunt successfully on rivers, sportsmen must

scout before and during the season. Many river

runners scout and hunt from the same small, camou-

flaged boats. If they find a place they like, sportsmen

can toss out a few decoys, hide the boat in available

cover or erect a pop up commercial blind and begin

hunting in minutes. Sometimes, sportsmen might

hunt from several spots in one morning.

story byjohn n. felsher


Texas Rivers can providehot duck action at aN Affordable cost

Fea 4-RiverDucks.indd 29 11/6/14 3:19 PM

One day, people might see thousands of ducks everywhere and another day hardly anything, said Dave Morrison TP&WD biologist in Austin. Its been my experience hunting rivers that the best shooting occurs when the water rises and gets into the back-water areas.

A river can rise and fall very quickly. A major thunderstorm can turn a placid stream into a raging torrent almost overnight. Low water concentrates birds, but ducks may go elsewhere if water levels drop too low. During high water periods, birds may spread out or depart entirely if they cant reach food.

Nothing concentrates birds along a river channel like a hard freeze. When fi elds, ponds and marshes freeze, birds cannot land. Currents keep rivers relatively ice-free. When everything else freezes over, a fl owing ribbon of water looks mighty tempting to any duck looking for a place to land.

With the most abundant water, the best river hunting naturally occurs in eastern Texas, but the Red River along the Texas-Oklahoma border can provide outstanding action. The second largest river basin in the southern Great Plains, the Red rises in the Texas Panhandle and fl ows 1,360 miles until it hits the Mississippi River. Many ducks use rivers like the Red to navigate during their annual migrations.

The Red River system probably has the best river waterfowling hunting in Texas, but it can be diffi cult to access, Kraai recommended. The Brazos River is also a good duck hunting stream. Its a little easier to navigate than other waters in that part of Texas. Some s

Documents

Texas Fish & Game December 2014