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10 10 10 AUGUST 2004 - AUGUST 2014 Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP HUNTING Biologists across the state are predicting a good archery season in many areas and a great season in others. Page 4 Bow season on tap FISHING Hunter Mark Lee sets TBGA state record with huge Houston County buck taken last season. Page 17 Record East Texas buck CONTENTS Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Crossword . . . . . . . . . Page 15 Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10 For the Table. . . . . . . . Page 15 Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12 Heroes. . . . . . . . . . . Page 20 Outdoor Datebook . . . . . Page 34 Products . . . . . . . . . . Page 30 Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 14 Sun, Moon and Tide data . . Page 15 LSONews.com Weatherford bow angler shoots 809.5-pound mako off California coast. Page 8 World record mako shark Early fall fun in the shallows for all ages. Page 8 Wading for cats INSIDE PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PLANO, TX PERMIT 210 A CHANGE OF PACE: TPWD has been investing in walleye popula- tions across several reservoirs in Texas. Photo by LSON. Tarpon Observation Network pursues fish as patterns change September 12, 2014 Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper in Texas Volume 11, Issue 2 A FAMILY HUNT: Dallas hunters Justin Fourton and his son, Henry, wait for the birds to fly opening day in a Kaufman County field. Texas dove hunting is often an endeavor the whole family can enjoy together. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News. Feathers flying Dove season opens to good hunting By Conor Harrison LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS The sun was dropping behind the group of hunters on the opening afternoon of the Texas dove season. The east wind had picked up and the birds were returning to a pond from an afternoon feed at a nearby field with sunflow- ers and milo. Dallas hunters Phil Lamb and Sean Polk were hiding in a converted duck blind on the edge of the water on the birds’ flyway to roost. They came low and fast, rid- ing the wind and providing challenging shooting to hunt- ers who hadn’t been in the fields in almost nine months. By the time the sun had set, the hunters were gathered around trucks cleaning birds, enjoying the final moments of daylight and relishing the fact it was hunting season again See OPENER, Page 21 PROOF IS IN THE TRACKING: Tarpon populations have been making a rebound in Texas for decades, and the Tarpon Observation Network supports just that. Photo by Capt. Jamie Pinter. By Steve Schwartz LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS Following the Tarpon Observation Network’s incep- tion in 2008, anglers have reported nearly double the amount of fish seen between 1976 and 2007. Biologists now must determine what that actu- ally means. “We know they are there, and it’s all good information,” Art Morris, constituent outreach specialist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said of the network. Information is gathered from observations of tarpon along Texas’ Gulf Coast. These sight- Tracking the silver king See TARPON, Page 29 An uncommon game Walleye struggle to gain foothold in Texas waters By Steve Schwartz LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS If walleye didn’t have enough trouble surviving Texas’ climate as a cold-water species, throw a severe drought into the mix as well — but it doesn’t mean the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department doesn’t see the fish as a worthwhile effort. “The water up here stays cool enough to where the fish actually do pretty well,” Charlie Munger, a biologist with TPWD in the Panhandle, said. “They’re actu- ally a cold-water species, but we’ve seen them survive as far south as Amistad (International Reservoir). We’ve had wall- eye in Texas since the ’60s.” Munger’s department was responsible for the stockings in Palo Duro Reservoir and Fryer Lake, a small lake southeast of Perryton in the northern Panhandle. Both bodies of water maintain a temperature that will support a walleye population, if they hold water. “Palo Duro went way, way low. The water See WALLEYE, Page 26

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Page 1: September 12, 2014 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

10 10 10 AUGUST 2004 - AUGUST 2014

Tim

e Se

nsiti

ve M

ater

ial •

Del

iver

ASA

P HUNTING

Biologists across the state are predicting a good archery season in many areas and a great season in others.

Page 4

Bow season on tapFISHING

Hunter Mark Lee sets TBGA state record with huge Houston County buck taken last season.

Page 17

Record East Texas buck

CONTENTSClassifi eds . . . . . . . . . Page 14 Crossword . . . . . . . . . Page 15Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10For the Table. . . . . . . . Page 15Game Warden Blotter . . . . Page 12Heroes. . . . . . . . . . . Page 20Outdoor Datebook . . . . . Page 34Products . . . . . . . . . . Page 30Saltwater Fishing Report . . Page 14Sun, Moon and Tide data . . Page 15

LSONews.com

Weatherford bow angler shoots 809.5-pound mako off California coast.

Page 8

World record mako shark

Early fall fun in the shallows for all ages.Page 8

Wading for cats

INS

IDE

PR

SRT

STD

US

PO

STA

GE

PAID

PLA

NO

, TX

PER

MIT

210

A CHANGE OF PACE: TPWD has been investing in walleye popula-tions across several reservoirs in Texas. Photo by LSON.

Tarpon Observation

Network pursues fi sh as patterns

change

September 12, 2014 Largest Hunting and Fishing Newspaper in Texas Volume 11, Issue 210 A FAMILY HUNT: Dallas hunters Justin Fourton and his son, Henry, wait for the birds to fl y opening day in a Kaufman County fi eld. Texas dove hunting is often an endeavor the whole family can enjoy together. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

Feathersfl ying

Dove season opens to good hunting

By Conor HarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

The sun was dropping behind the group of hunters on the opening afternoon of the Texas dove season.

The east wind had picked up and the birds were returning to a pond from an afternoon feed at a nearby fi eld with sunfl ow-ers and milo.

Dallas hunters Phil Lamb and Sean Polk were hiding in a converted duck blind on the

edge of the water on the birds’ fl yway to roost.

They came low and fast, rid-ing the wind and providing challenging shooting to hunt-ers who hadn’t been in the fi elds in almost nine months.

By the time the sun had set, the hunters were gathered around trucks cleaning birds, enjoying the fi nal moments of daylight and relishing the fact it was hunting season again

See OPENER, Page 21

PROOF IS IN THE TRACKING: Tarpon populations have been making a rebound in Texas for decades, and the Tarpon Observation Network supports just that. Photo by Capt. Jamie Pinter.

By Steve SchwartzLone Star outdoor newS

Following the Tarpon Observation Network’s incep-tion in 2008, anglers have reported nearly double the amount of fish seen between 1976 and 2007. Biologists now must determine what that actu-ally means.

“We know they are there, and it’s all good information,” Art Morris, constituent outreach specialist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said of the network.

Information is gathered from observations of tarpon along Texas’ Gulf Coast. These sight-

Tracking the silver

king

See TARPON, Page 29

An uncommon gameWalleye struggle to gain foothold

in Texas watersBy Steve SchwartzLone Star outdoor newS

If walleye didn’t have enough trouble surviving Texas’ climate as a cold-water species, throw a severe drought into the mix as well — but it doesn’t mean the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department doesn’t see the fi sh as a worthwhile effort.

“The water up here stays cool enough to where the fi sh actually do pretty well,” Charlie Munger, a biologist with TPWD in the Panhandle, said. “They’re actu-

ally a cold-water species, but we’ve seen them survive as far south as Amistad (International Reservoir). We’ve had wall-eye in Texas since the ’60s.”

Munger’s department was responsible for the stockings in Palo Duro Reservoir and Fryer Lake, a small lake southeast of Perryton in the northern Panhandle. Both bodies of water maintain a temperature that will support a walleye population, if they hold water.

“Palo Duro went way, way low. The water See WALLEYE, Page 26

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LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News September 12, 2014 Page 3

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HUNTING

ANTLERS LOOKING GOOD: Biologists across the state are calling the upcoming deer season fair to good to very good in some spots like the South Texas brush country and East Texas Pineywoods. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

HIGH-TECH BOBWHITES: New free apps are available to land managers and hunters to answer questions on northern bobwhite quail restoration. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

Free quail apps available from AgriLife

Two new free apps are available to Texas bobwhite quail enthusiasts that help with habitat management and evalu-ation.

Northern Bobwhite Management Calendar:Northern bobwhite populations have been declining

for decades due to a combination of factors, the most important being the loss of useable habitat. Active land management benefi ting quail could reverse the decline. The Northern Bobwhite Management Calendar pro-vides the user with instructions on habitat management practices and population census by giving monthly rec-ommendations. These focus on enhancing habitat and understanding quail populations and predator manage-ment.

This app takes up 40.2 MBs of space.Northern Bobwhite Habitat Evaluation:Habitat loss is a major factor in northern bobwhite

declines over the last few decades. Although the plant species included are specifi c to Central and West Texas, The Northern Bobwhite Habitat Evaluation app offers valu-able habitat evaluation techniques for other regions as well. This tool allows the user to quickly assess the habitat condition on the user’s property by posing a series of ques-tions to be answered while in the fi eld. The app calculates a habitat quality score based on the user’s input and pro-vides recommendations for improving habitat benefi cial for northern bobwhite.

This app takes up 9.9 MBs of space.Both apps are compatible with iPhones, iPads and iPod

touch and are free to download and can be found at wild-life.tamu.edu/mobile-apps/

Trending downward

Fewer wildlife biology students have hunting experience

By Craig NyhusLone Star outdoor newS

There is a shift taking place at Texas universities that offer wild-life biology degrees. Fewer and fewer students entering the pro-grams are hunters, and more enter the programs with a reduced regard for the state’s hunting heri-tage.

Louis Harveson, the director of the Borderlands Research Institute at Sul Ross State University, has been informally surveying the incoming classes for 15 years.

“I would ask them how many own guns, how many hunt, etc.,” Harveson said. “Our freshman classes have changed signifi cantly — from 90 percent male to now 50 percent, from 5 percent minor-ity to 25-35 percent, and from 90 percent hunters to maybe 65 per-cent.”

At Texas A&M University- Kingsville, most of the wildlife biology students are still male, but Animal and Wildlife Sciences

Department Chair Scott Henke is seeing a decrease in students with exposure to hunting.

“We have more and more stu-dents who haven’t had the oppor-tunity or access to hunting,” Henke said. “The hunting group is getting smaller and smaller. We have more students from the cities now, and many haven’t had any hunting opportunities.”

Dr. Mark Wallace, professor and Chair at the Department of Natural Resources Management at Texas Tech University, echoed Harveson, and noted that at the larger universities, the fi gures are even more lopsided.

“We are certainly seeing the same kind of change,” he said. “With that change comes several other interesting changes. Today’s students do not have the same skill sets as prior generations. Some have never been camping at all.”

Wallace said the potential lack

See STUDENTS, Page 7

Almosthere

Sept. 27 will see archery hunters head afi eld; bucks should

be good in most areas, especially

Pineywoods, South Texas

By Conor HarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

Texas bowhunters can’t wait until Sept. 27, when archery season begins across the state.

And this year they should be excited — adequate moisture across much of the better rack-producing regions of the state have given bucks solid nutrition through the antler-growing period, especially East Texas.

“Last fall we had a real crummy acorn crop,” said Gary Calkins, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Pineywoods Region leader. “The deer had a hard, lean winter, but this spring things turned around and range conditions are excellent. It is as good as I’ve seen in years.”

Calkins said the deer on trail cam-eras have really good body conditions and have recovered nicely from last winter.

“We’re seeing some big old chubby brown bodies,” he said. “I’d call the antler development we have seen on trail cams as great. I don’t really like to go out on a limb like that, but we’ve got some big deer this year.”

Calkins credited antler restrictions in East Texas as the main reason for the overall increase in antler growth.

“Antler restrictions have com-pletely turned this area around,” he said. “These bucks are getting some

See BOW SEASON, Page 27

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LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News September 12, 2014 Page 5

By Jayme RutledgeFor Lone Star outdoor newS

It was December 1999, with a hint of winter in the air, when my father, Ron, brought home a box wrapped with cheer-ful holiday paper. But it wasn’t a gift that could wait until Christmas morning.

He set the box on the kitchen floor, where it proceeded to rock back and forth; each rock punctuated by a muffled yip. My mother, Terry, guessed what was inside with one look, shook her head and said, “Heck no, Ron!”

At that, Dad beelined back to the garage,

as husbands do when they bring home something they know their wives won’t approve of. My mother seemed deter-mined to ignore the increasingly agitated box, so I opened it. Inside was a tiny Jack Russell terrier puppy with a perfectly sym-metrical black, brown and white muzzle.

We called him Beretta, a name he shared with his mother and Ron’s favorite shot-gun. I was the first to cradle him in my arms and the last to hold him before he passed away August 27, two months shy of his 15th birthday.

Beretta possessed that special magic

BERETTA WILL BE MISSED: All of the customers and friends who came into McClelland Gun Shop met Beretta at the door. Photo by Jayme Rutledge.

Bidding farewell to a friend, gun shop staple

See FAREWELL, Page 7

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Page 6 September 12, 2014 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com

Duck populations are the highest since North American surveys began in 1955, and as a result Texas will enjoy the most liberal waterfowl hunting season frame-work allowable for the 20th consecutive year.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved waterfowl seasons for Texas Aug. 21 at its public hearing in Houston.

Good news of record-setting waterfowl populations, with nearly all species num-bering above the long-term goals identi-fied in the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, sets the table for the

2014-15 hunting season in Texas.“Waterfowl are doing well,” said Dave

Morrison, Small Game Program direc-tor for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “This is the 20th straight year we’ve been in a liberal framework for waterfowl seasons. That’s unheard of.”

The commission retained a staggered split between the North and South Zones to allow for the opportunity of an addi-tional week for those duck hunters who travel between zones.

In the only change in bag limits this season, Texas waterfowlers can take only

Waterfowl seasons announced

SEASONS SET: TPWD has released the season frameworks for Texas waterfowl hunters. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

See WATERFOWL, Page 17

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LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News September 12, 2014 Page 7

some dogs have that allows them to burrow so effortlessly into our souls. He was loved not only by us, but by dozens of customers who knew him as the “shop dog” at my family’s East Dallas store, McClelland Gun Shop.

Every workday, Beretta jumped in the passenger seat of Ron’s red Ford truck for the ride down to the shop. He learned to wait patiently for the last bite of Ron’s cinnamon roll, and gloried in following Ron’s riding mower over the 6-acre property Beretta knew by heart. He was happi-est napping in a patch of morn-ing sun, bumming lunch scraps from the gunsmiths and apprais-ing customers with a vigorous sniff test.

“I routinely looked for Beretta when I came into the shop,” said Greg Jacobs, a long-time McClelland’s customer.

“Everyone is going to miss Beretta.”

Beretta was a quintessential Jack Russell — too smart for his own good. My mother once mar-veled, “I know there’s a person somewhere in there.”

He was a natural hunter who terrorized all squirrels, rodents and cats that dared enter our yard. Beretta possessed the atti-tude and chutzpah of a big dog in a little package.

“I’ve had several dogs in my life,” said Ron. “But Beretta grew in my heart and became my con-stant companion. He went from being a dog to a member of the family.”

Many years ago, a lady who met Beretta at the shop told me a dog with three colors brings luck. Beretta brought with him luck and love and left behind cherished memories.

As Charles Schultz once said, “Happiness is a warm puppy.”

FarewellContinued from page 5

of communication with their friends keeps many students from being interested in being in the fi eld.

“Nearly all students today come with a new appendage, a smart phone,” he said, “which means they have never been out of com-munication with friends, parents, etc. It is still quite a shock for even MS students to be somewhere ‘with no bars — and that can be taken in both ways.’”

At Texas A&M University, long-time professor Clark Adams said the changes in the past decade have been astounding.

“We have the same kind of decrease,” he said. “Hunting par-ticipation is dropping anyway — it’s a national phenomenon. We’re becoming so urban, it’s not part of our mentality to go out and harvest wildlife.”

Adams said the changes in enter-ing students have surprised him.

“It blows me away how quickly it happened,” he said. “These kids are coming from third- and fourth-generation urban environments. Many don’t distinguish between hunting and animal cruelty.”

What is then drawing the stu-dents to seek a degree in wildlife biology?

“That’s a really good question,” Adams said. “I don’t know that we have the answer. The good news is that they come in wanting to save the whales, so to speak, and most come out recognizing hunt-ing as an effective wildlife manage-ment tool, even if they have never hunted.”

Smart phones receive criticism as part of the reason for the shift, but the technological skills of the new student have a positive side.

“Today’s students have no fear of the new electronics and gadgets that some previous students did,” Wallace said. “They are very skilled with computers, programs, and the Internet.”

Both Wallace and Adams both said the next step is for the students to learn that not all of the informa-tion they need is at their fi ngertips.

“The technology provides us with more data, but it doesn’t tell us about the natural history of the animal,” Adams said.

Solutions to the negative trend in hunters may be diffi cult, but are necessary, the educators said.

“We need to realize the students are different and change our expec-tations,” Wallace said. “And we need to show them that they need to be better prepared and change their expectations. We need to expose more to hunting to expand their vision and realize that there are other audiences that are related but are not hunters and expand our vision.

“Can we do it? Perhaps — one student at a time.”

Harveson said expanding the students’ connection with nature, and especially hunting, is para-mount.

“Hunters are the workhorses of conservation,” he said.

StudentsContinued from page 4

SO LONG OLD FRIEND: Ron Rutledge and Beretta. Photo by Jayme Rutledge.

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Page 8 September 12, 2014 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com

FISHING

See SHALLOW CATS, Page 22

By Steve SchwartzLone Star outdoor newS

Though some of the most productive catfi sh bites can come from deeper areas of Texas lakes, anglers have been taking channel cats in less than 5 feet of water, and are preparing for a monster blue cat bite in the fall.

“That’s my prime time — fi nding them in less than 5 feet of water,” Lake Waco guide Jason Barton said. “We’ll look for current or a wind-blown shoreline. That’s where the baitfi sh are going to be concentrated.”

Summer months mean the larger blues are moving deep, Barton said. But, some of the best channel cats can come in the shallows during the warmer months.

“I’ll see blue cats tailing like a redfi sh — what they’re doing is feeding on the freshwater clams,” Barton said. “But, shoot, I’ll fi sh in less than a foot of water for the channels — they’re feeding on the moths.”

Chad Ferguson, a North Texas guide who focuses on Lake Lewisville and Lake Ray Roberts, said the technol-ogy has made shallow-water catfi shing a simpler and more exciting sport.

“It’s become much easier to target them in the past few years in the shallows with the sight-imaging technol-ogy,” Ferguson said.

Fishing has been top-notch this summer, too.“We’ve been catching some fi sh in the shallows, on

fl ats and points,” he said. “They’re usually out on the ledges where the baitfi sh are.”

Bait is the name of the game in late summer for large- and medium-sized catfi sh. Ferguson said he has been using cut shad primarily, while on Lake Waco, Barton said he has been using punchbait on a treble hook for some of his larger catches.

George Rule, on Lake Tawakoni, said stinkbait, cut shad, carp and buffalo have been right at the top of the menu for the channel cats he has been catching.

“We’ll use our trolling motor and creep right up into the shallows, Rule said. “Then we’ll see a wake where the fi sh are moving around. The water is real muddy, so you just have to see where the fi sh are going; it’s tough to sight-fi sh for them.”

Rule said he has been catching anywhere from 100 to 150 fi sh on any given day.

Farther to the south at Lake Conroe, Guide Chris Edwards said their fi sh are deeper, and hanging on brushy ledges and in holes.

“We’ve been catching a lot of fi sh,” Edwards said.

BIG SET OF TEETH: Bow angler Jeff Thomason holds the jaws of the 809.5-pound mako he shot off the coast of California. Photo by Jeff Thomason.

Jaws with a bowTexas angler arrows 809.5-pound,

world record mako By Conor HarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

Jeff Thomason has made several trips from his Weatherford home to the waters off Huntington Beach, California in search of one of the ultimate prizes in bow fi shing — a big mako shark.

He wasn’t prepared for just how big the mako would turn out to be.

“We are out there in the middle of the deep blue,” said Thomason, who hosts the hunting show, Predator Pursuit. “Every once in a while, we’d have a great white show up, but we couldn’t shoot them.”

Thomason said it has taken a while for the cap-tain, “Mako” Matt Potter, to really dial in the bow fi shing for sharks, but he has it down to a science now.

“We shoot regular AMS bow arrows, but they have an interlock grapple with a steel leader,” he said. “You need the sharks really close to the boat and out of the water because those arrows are so heavy, they don’t fl y far.”

Thomason said the hunt began like all the oth-

ers — putting a lot of chum in the water, trolling slowly for two miles to spread the chum slick and then waiting for the sharks to arrive.

“We had been sitting there about 30 minutes, and one of the things we do is watch the seagulls that land in the slick. When they start to get off the water, you know something is coming,” Thomason said. “There were only a few birds this time and they were way out, but they started getting up in order. Not fi ve minutes later, Matt yelled, ‘Huge mako right at the boat.’”

Thomason thought the captain was messing with him, until he saw the dark silhouette of the shark calmly circling the boat with a fi n out of the water.

“They’ve got to be about three feet from the boat to get the arrow to stick, so we threw a fi sh on a line and teased him to the boat,” Thomason said. “I try and shoot for the top of the back. As soon as the arrow hit, all hell broke loose. We freaked out because I spined him and we thought he might sink.”

The crew got the boat in gear and actually had

See MAKO, Page 26

Low-water whiskers

LESS THAN 2 FEET: Catfi sh anglers can target late-summer cats this month in shallow waters chasing different types of bait, from clams to bugs on the surface. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

Skinny water holds promise for big

cats during late-summer transition

Kingfi sh DNA study

looks for links in

populations

WHERE ARE YOU HEADED? Texas biologists are taking DNA samples of kingfi sh to determine how far they travel and what populations overlap. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

By Conor HarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

Kingfi sh travel up and down the Texas coast, that much is known.

When the water gets cooler along the upper coast, the fi sh migrate to warmer waters along the lower coast.

A new study started this year seeks to fi nd just how far those fi sh travel, and if kingfi sh in Texas waters mingle with populations in the Bay of Campeche, Mexico or the Eastern Gulf of Mexico along the Florida coast.

“We know that Mexico has a huge commercial fi shery,” said Dr. John Gold, a regents professor at Texas A&M University-Corpus

See KINGFISH, Page 11

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LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News September 12, 2014 Page 9

STARTING TO EMERGE: Largemouth bass anglers are beginning to find success after a slow summer of high tem-peratures and tight-lipped fish. Photo by Lone Star Outdoor News.

Texas bass actionBy Conor HarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

The dog days of summer might be slowly fading in the rearview mirror, but Texas largemouth bass anglers are still battling high water tem-peratures and finicky fish.

According to Lake Fork guide John Morris of J&M Guide Service, the fall fish-ing period is approaching but not here yet.

“The bass fishing was fair this week using crankbaits and Carolina rigs,” Morris said. “The best crankbait I found that worked is the Strike King KVD 1.5. I fished the edges of grass along main lake points early in the morning and in the eve-nings around 5 to 8 p.m. The other way I was catching them was in the mornings using the Carolina-rigged (creature baits) — water-

melon/chartreuse baby crea-ture worked the best. I also used a Carolina-rigged watermelon/red 6-inch liz-ard up near the grass and the lily pads with good success.”

Down on Falcon International Reservoir, the largemouth bite has picked up.

“There has been a marked improvement in the fishing in the last couple of weeks,

Late-summer bite fair, finally good down south

See BASS BITING, Page 19

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Page 10 September 12, 2014 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com

Drop-shottingCANYON LAKE — Anglers who have fi shed Canyon Lake recently know the largemouth

bass bite has been a little tough, but some anglers are having success drop-shotting in 15 to 20 feet.

According to multiple anglers on the Texas Fishing Forum, the bite in the northern portion of the lake around stumps has been decent throwing top-waters, spinner baits and crankbaits.

Steep sloping banks have also produced bites throwing Carolina rigs in watermelon red or junebug colors.

Finesse worms on a 1/4-ounce weight have also put fi sh in the boat. The water has been murky, and around 85 degrees.

Levels droppingLAKE O’ THE PINES — Grass on the lakes and encroaching lily pads due to lower water

have helped the fi shing in some areas on Lake O’ the Pines, according to angler Chuck Goodson.

“(We) started early fi shing a cut of 4-6 ft water off of the creek,” he wrote in his report for the TFF. “It has a few areas that opened up with scatter grass mat on the surface and grass underneath the water throughout. We tossed spinners, buzzers, buzz frogs, popping frogs, sen-kos, fl ukes, creature plastics — all with no real affect. I fi nally put on a very small and subtle

top-water and wham. We started whacking fi sh right on the edges of the grass mat and pads. I put over a dozen fi sh in the boat in 30 minutes.”

Texas-rigged soft plastics also caught a few fi sh near bridge pilings. The lake is clear and around 85 degrees.

The crappie bite is good on minnows and jigs.

Striper action LAKE TEXOMA — According to Texoma striper guide John Blasingame, the striper bite has

been good on Texoma.“The last couple days have been pretty much the same,” he said. “Catching is good, but the

quality fi sh I was going to the other side of the lake for have eluded me, for the most part. I’ve been spending my spare time trying to get my new dock dialed in. Fishing is still very good and most fi sh are coming on top-waters for me.”

Some stripers are also being caught by watching for birds and jig-ging schooling fi sh.

The lake is between 81 and 85 degrees, and some largemouth and smallmouth bass are being caught on crankbaits.

To contact guide John Blasingame, call (903) 814-5566.— Conor Harrison

n Saltwater reports: Page 14SEE MORE

Some stripers are also being caught by watching for birds and jig-

top-water and wham. We started whacking fi sh right on the edges

ALAN HENRY: Water stained; 85–89 degrees; 18.64’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on buzzbaits and Zell Pops early, later switching to jigs, Texas rigs and Carolina rigs.

AMISTAD: Water stained; 82–86 degrees; 41.65’ low. Largemouth bass are good on top-waters, soft plastics, jigs and drop shots.

ATHENS: Water clear; 83–87 de-grees; 1.06’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged creature baits and fi nesse jigs. Crappie are fair on white jigs and minnows.

BASTROP: Water stained; 88–92 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair on watermelon spinner baits and crankbaits. Crappie are fair on min-nows. Channel and blue catfi sh are very good on shrimp and stinkbait.

BELTON: Water murky; 81–85 degrees; 10.52’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on lipless crankbaits and crankbaits around structure. Hybrid striper are slow. White bass are slow.

BOB SANDLIN: Water clear; 83–87 degrees; 2.05’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Carolina-rigged soft plastics and football jigs on brush piles. Crappie are fair on minnows and white jigs.

BONHAM: Water stained, 83–88 degrees; 3.11’ low. Largemouth bass are good along creek channel and on the rocks with crankbaits, buzzbaits and soft plastics. Crappie are good on minnows along bridge pilings and deeper points with brush.

BRAUNIG: Water stained. Large-mouth bass are fair on crankbaits and dark soft plastic worms near the dam. Striped bass are good down rigging silver and gold spoons near the jetty and dam.

BRIDGEPORT: Water clear, 83–87 degrees; 22.97’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on small soft plastic swimbaits on jigheads and crank-baits fi shed near rocky points on main lake. White bass are fair on slabs and top-waters.

BROWNWOOD: Water clear; 82–86 degrees; 12.07’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on black/chartreuse spinner baits and watermelon red

soft plastic worms over brush piles in 12–15 feet. Yellow catfi sh are good on trotlines baited with cut bait and chicken livers.

BUCHANAN: Water murky; 82–86 degrees; 30.33’ low. Largemouth bass are good on white buzzbaits, watermelon top-waters, and weight-less Texas-rigged purple fl ake Whacky Sticks in 5–15 feet.

CADDO: Water stained; 84–88 de-grees; 0.10’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged creature baits and black buzzbaits near shallow cover. Hollow-body frogs effective as well in same areas early in day.

CALAVERAS: Water stained. Large-mouth bass are good on dark soft plastic worms, spinner baits and crankbaits over reed beds. Striped bass are good on chicken livers and shad along the shoreline. Redfi sh are good down rigging silver and gold spoons along the crappie wall and the dam in 10–20 feet.

CEDAR CREEK: Water clear; 83–88 degrees; 4.67’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on Texas-rigged craws in green pumpkin on docks and Carolina-rigged centipedes and deep-diving crankbaits on deeper brush piles.

CHOKE CANYON: Water stained; 83–87 degrees; 26.71’ low. Largemouth bass are very good on watermelon crankbaits and large soft plastic lizards and worms.

COLEMAN: Water clear; 82–86 degrees; 18.08’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse and watermelon lipless crankbaits and Carolina-rigged soft plastics.

COLETO CREEK: Water stained; 87 degrees in main lake, 100 degrees at hot water discharge; 3.21’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin soft plastics and lipless crankbaits around vegetation in Coleto and Perdido Creeks in 8–10 feet.

CONROE: Water stained; 82–86 de-grees; 0.60’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on chartreuse Carolina-rigged soft plastics, crankbaits, and lipless crankbaits. Striped bass are good on silver/gold striper jigs.

COOPER: Water clear; 83–87 de-grees; 9.94’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on Texas-rigged craws and worms Crappie are good on jigs and minnows.

FALCON: Water murky; 85–89 degrees; 33.43’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Carolina-rigged large soft plastic worms and crankbaits.

FAYETTE: Water stained. Large-mouth bass are fair on watermelon spinner baits and soft plastics in 10–18 feet. Channel and blue catfi sh are good on shrimp and cut shad in 8–12 feet.

FORK: Water clear; 83–87 degrees; 4.90’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on deep-diving crankbaits, fl utter spoons and drop-shot worms in 15–20 feet. Some fi sh being caught in the pads with a hollow-body frog in tonosama.

FT. PHANTOM HILL: Water clear; 84–89 degrees; 15.74’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on Zara Spooks, Senkos, Texas rigs and jigs. Crappie are fair to good on live minnows. Catfi sh are fair on nightcrawlers.

GIBBONS CREEK: Water clear. Large-mouth bass are fair on electric blue soft plastic worms and watermelon crankbaits. Crappie are good on minnows and pink tube jigs.

GRANBURY: Water murky; 82–86 degrees; 7.18’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on blue/green lipless crankbaits and watermelon soft plastics.

GRANGER: Water clear; 84–88 de-grees; 0.35’ low. Largemouth bass are good on white crankbaits and spinner baits upriver. White bass are good on shad upriver. Crappie are good on marabou jigs in 4–15 feet.

GRAPEVINE: Water clear; 83–88 degrees; 10.68’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Texas-rigged craws and medium-diving crankbaits in shad patterns.

HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 87–91 degrees; 0.64’ low. Large-mouth bass to 8 pounds are good on watermelon Carolina-rigged soft plastic worms near structure in 8 feet.

HUBBARD CREEK: Water off-color; 83–89 degrees; 28.01’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Zara Spooks and buzzbaits early, later switching to split shot weighted fl ukes, Texas rigs and jigs.

JOE POOL: Water clear; 83–87 de-grees; 0.99’ low. Largemouth bass are good on medium crankbaits in shad patterns and weightless Sen-kos. Crappie are slow on minnows and jigs. White bass are good on slabs and top-waters. Catfi sh are good on cut shad and trotlines.

LAVON: Water lightly stained; 83–88 degrees; 11.91’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on swim jigs and bladed jigs near stumps. White bass are fair on slabs and minnows. Crappie are good on min-nows and jigs.

LBJ: Water stained; 83–87 degrees; 0.36’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on top-waters, weightless watermelon red Whacky Sticks and Bleeding Shad lipless crankbaits in 5–12 feet at daylight. White bass are slow.

LEWISVILLE: Water lightly stained; 83–87 degrees; 5.73’ low. Large-mouth bass are fair on shallow crankbaits and small swimbaits near larger rocks. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair on top-waters and slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs. Catfi sh are fair on trotlines and nightcrawlers.

LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 83–87 degrees; 0.38’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin crankbaits and spinner baits.

MARTIN CREEK: Water clear; 88–96 degrees; 1.01’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Flick Shake worms and drop-shot fi nesse worms along deeper points and breaks. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs.

MONTICELLO: Water fairly clear; 95–101 degrees; 0.78’ low. Large-mouth bass are slow on Carolina-rigged Trick Worms and drop-shot fi nesse worms near breaks.

NAVARRO MILLS: Water stained; 82–86 degrees; 1.08’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. White bass are good on pet spoons and Li’l Fishies.

Crappie are good on minnows and white tube jigs.

O.H. IVIE: Water stained; 83–89 degrees; 40.42’ low. Largemouth bass are good on Yellow Magics early, later switching to Carolina rigs, jigs and Rapala DT 10s.

OAK CREEK: Water stained; 83–89 degrees; 24.24’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on medium-running shad-pattern crankbaits, Carolina rigs, jigs and drop-shot rigs.

PALESTINE: Water clear; 83–87 degrees; 0.67’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on weightless Senkos and wacky worms near docks. Some deeper fi sh being caught on football jigs and Carolina rigs. Crappie are good on minnows and white jigs.

POSSUM KINGDOM: Water fairly clear; 84–89 degrees; 15.92’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on buzz-baits, later switching to Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, jigs and DD22s. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs.

PROCTOR: Water murky; 82–86 degrees; 11.40’ low. Largemouth bass are good on white spinner baits and lipless crankbaits.

RAY HUBBARD: Water clear; 83–88 degrees; 8.93’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits and spinner baits. Crappie are slow on minnows and chartreuse jigs.

RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 83–87 degrees; 6.46’ low. Largemouth bass are fair on Carolina-rigged worms and deep-diving crankbaits. Some fi sh being caught early on top-waters. Crappie are good on minnows.

RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water lightly stained; 83–88 degrees; 8.60’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on top-waters and weightless Senkos. White bass are good on slabs.

SAM RAYBURN: Water murky; 82–86 degrees; 0.99’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. White bass are fair on minnows and silver spoons.

SOMERVILLE: Water murky; 83–87 degrees; 0.76’ low. Largemouth bass are slow. White bass are good on Charlie slabs and pet spoons.

STILLHOUSE: Water murky; 82–86 degrees; 11.24’ low. Largemouth bass are good on green pumpkin crankbaits and lipless crankbaits.

SWEETWATER: Water murky; 83–88 degrees; 27.16’ low. Largemouth bass are fair to good on top-waters early, later switching to Carolina rigs, jigs and Texas rigs.

TAWAKONI: Water stained; 84–88 degrees; 10.33’ low. Largemouth bass are slow on hollow-body frogs and black buzzbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows White bass are good on top-waters.

TOLEDO BEND: Water murky; 83–87 degrees; 1.35’ low. Largemouth bass are good on black/blue fl ake and black/red fl ake soft plastic worms early and late.

TRAVIS: Water murky; 82–86 degrees; 57.02’ low. Largemouth bass are good on bone top-waters, red shad worms and smoke grubs. Striped bass are slow. White bass are fair on grubs, top-waters, and chrome jigging spoons.

WALTER E. LONG: Water lightly stained. Largemouth bass are slow. Hybrid striper are fair on shad.

WHITNEY: Water murky; 82–86 degrees; 8.90’ low. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon lip-less crankbaits, spinner baits and crankbaits. Striped bass are fair on chartreuse striper jigs.

WRIGHT PATMAN: Water lightly stained; 84–87 degrees; 5.09’ high. Largemouth bass are fair on hollow-body frogs and weightless Senkos near shallow cover.

TEXAS FRESHWATER FISHING REPORT

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LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News September 12, 2014 Page 11

Woman angler lands 14.66-pound Toledo Bend bass

Fishing in 15 feet of water in a patch of hydrilla, Judy Cagle hooked a huge Toledo Bend large-mouth in the Housen Bay area on Aug. 23.

Judy, along with her husband, Randy, were prefishing for a future tournament when the bass hit a Senko.

The pair weighed the fish on the boat before heading to the Fin and Feather resort and an official scale for the Toledo Bend Lunker Bass Program.

The anglers tried to revive the big bass, but it died in the hold-ing tank.

The bass measured 26 inches long and 21 inches around.

— Staff reportBIG SUMMER BASS: Judy Cagle holds the big, 14-pound bass after catching the fi sh on Toledo Bend. Photo by Facebook.

Christi and a Harte Research Institute endowed chair. “ One of the questions is how much mixture between the kingfi sh in Campeche and up here in Texas? What we’re up to now, is figuring how much genetic mixing is going on between the populations.”

Gold said new DNA technologies are making it possible to isolate genetic mark-ers in certain populations of fish that could dictate where they come from.

“Back in the day, we could look at maybe 15 or 20 genetic markers,” he said. “Kingfish have 24 chromosomes, and with new technology, we can now look at tens of thousands of genetic markers. We get a much better resolution to look at genetic differences.”

The study is in its infancy, with stu-

dents just starting to take samples of pop-ulations of kingfish — some at kingfish tournaments in Texas this past summer. Biologists can get all the DNA information they need from a simple fin clipping.

“We can start to identify specific genes that are a function of genetic differences,” Gold said. “When you’ve got a ton of markers, you can begin to pick out ones that are localized. We are still collecting samples to make those gene markers. We have to sift through literally thousands of markers to figure out which ones we can work with.”

If it sounds a little technical and confus-ing, it is. It’s also an expensive process.

“One next-generation sequencing costs about $3,000,” Gold said. “Add another $1,000 to that to make the libraries and include the cost of the personnel required to do it, and for every 150 to 200 fish, it costs about $5,000.”

KingfishContinued from page 8

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OPOSSUM FOUND PLAYING POSSUM AT WAL-MART

Val Verde County Game Wardens Andrew Banda and Aaron Willoughby responded to a call of a critter inside the Del Rio Super Wal-Mart. When they arrived on scene, they found a juvenile opos-sum lodged high up in the ceiling braces. With the assistance of a scissor lift, they removed the opos-sum and relocated him to more a suitable habitat.

UNPERMITTED FISH SELLER TURNED IN BY FISH DEALER

Williamson County Game Wardens Arlen Jones and Joel Campos received a complaint from a fish dealer that a man was sell-ing tilapia from inside his house. Upon request the man could not produce an exotic species permit. No fish were confiscated, due to the type of species. However, he was cited for selling them and agreed to remove his Craigslist ad.

THIEVES FOUND HIDING BEHIND STACK OF STOLEN BEER

Bowie County Game Wardens Shawn Hervey and Daniel Kessler were patrolling through a camp-ground around Lake Wright Patman when they saw a female hiding behind a sign and a stack of beer on the side of the road. The wardens found two intoxicated juvenile females who had been stealing beer from other camp-ers. Citations were issued and the juveniles were released to adults.

STOLEN ITEMS FOUND, FROM FIREARMS TO A TANNING BED

Leon County Sheriff’s Office contacted Game Warden Oscar Henson for his assistance in find-ing an individual he had dealt with in the past. The subject was believed to be in possession

of stolen firearms. After a short search, Henson located a truck belonging to one of the men being sought and a felony search war-rant was served at the residence. The search produced several sto-len items. Additional information was received that led to two more houses being searched, with sto-len items being found at both of those residences. The stolen items found ranged from firearms to a tanning bed. Several drug related items were also seized.

DRIVER WAVING TOY PISTOL GETS ATTENTION

Smith County Game Warden Brad Clark was sitting at a red light and saw the driver of the car in front of him waving a pistol around, pointing it at the passen-gers, and at one point putting the gun to his own head. The light turned green and Clark followed. Clark contacted the Tyler Police Department and together they conducted a felony traffic stop on the vehicle. The gun turned out to be a toy. The driver, a juvenile, and four other passengers were all guilty of extremely poor judgment. All were released to their parents.

DOVE SHOOTERS COULDN’T WAIT UNTIL SEPTEMBER

Travis County Game Warden Chris Sanchez received a com-plaint of possible early dove hunters. Responding to the infor-mation that evening, Sanchez could not locate the violaters but contact with the complainant by phone determined the likeli-hood of another inevitable report. The next day at about the same time as the original complaint, Sanchez returned and observed multiple subjects in the field behind a residence hunting dove out of season. Cases for hunting migratory game birds out of sea-son, unplugged shotguns, waste of game, no hunter education and licensure were filed; the birds were seized and donated. Cases plus civil restitution pending.

COOLER THIEVES CAUGHTWillacy County Game Warden

Jason Duke was contacted by sev-eral fishermen in Port Mansfield regarding the theft of several cool-ers. The coolers were taken from boats during the previous night. Duke interviewed several possible witnesses that were in the area

during the two previous days. The next day, Duke was contacted with information about two coolers for sale on Craigslist. Duke and DPS agent Raul Garza reviewed the list-ing and found the coolers pictured to be consistent with the descrip-tion of two of the stolen coolers. Duke and Garza contacted the seller and posed as possible buy-ers. Arrangements were made to meet the seller. When the officers inspected the coolers, they found the same exact markings match-ing the missing property. When interviewed, the seller admitted to taking the coolers and gave the location of the remaining sto-len property. A total of six coolers were recovered with an estimated value of $3,000. The individual was handed over to Willacy County investigators for processing.

STRANDED DOLPHIN RESCUED AND RELOCATED

Orange County Game Wardens Phillip LeDoux and Daylan Damron received a call from the Coastal Fisheries office in Port Arthur that there were two bottlenose dolphins in Cow Bayou several miles inland; one was reported to be dead. With

two boats and four members of Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network in tow, the live dolphin was located and the dead dol-phin recovered. The dolphin was stranded in a curve of the bayou approximately 35 nautical miles inland in muddy water only 12-15 feet deep. The next day, TMMSN returned with several members and requested assistance from LeDoux and Game Warden Steve Satchfield from Jefferson County to oper-ate boats. Several employees from SeaWorld San Antonio arrived with their own boat and nets to attempt a capture and rescue of the live dolphin. Three hundred feet of net was deployed in a ring around the dolphin and gradually tightened to contain him. Large debris in the water hampered efforts and the first two tries. When the net was constricted enough to gain control of the dolphin, he was able to jump over the float line and escape. On the third try, after the bayou bot-tom was thoroughly cleaned of debris by the previous two tries, a member of the TMMSN was able to grab the dolphin by hand after he got caught in the net. He was then loaded onto the SeaWorld boat to be transported to a van to travel to Sea Rim State Park beach and released into the Gulf of Mexico. The dolphin was a juvenile, 7 feet long and weighed between 150 and 200 pounds.

CAST NETTERS CAUGHTWilliamson County Game

Wardens Arlen Jones and Joel Campos received a complaint that three men were cast netting game fish on the San Gabriel River. The wardens set up surveillance and were able to see how the two men congregated the fish and tied the cast net. Several citations and civil restitution were filed.

GAME WARDEN BLOTTERJUGLINERS FOUND WITH DOZEN GIANT GAR,

JUGS LATER STOLENCameron County Game Wardens Billy Lucio and

David Stokes responded to a call regarding suspi-cious jug line activity on the Arroyo Colorado. At the boat ramp area, Lucio made contact with two men who claimed to have only taken one alligator gar. After a short interview, the two men agreed to lead Lucio to their residence, where a third per-son had already transported the rest of their catch. The wardens seized 12 alligator gar averaging 45 inches in length. Each of the three men involved

received several citations. The fish were donated. The wardens later conducted surveillance to observe the several jug lines still baited and float-ing. At approximately 4 a.m., they witnessed a boat of recreational fishermen steal two jug lines with two large alligator gar still hooked. The wardens gave chase and found the fishermen at a private fishing pier still in possession of the jug lines and gar. Several citations were issued.

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Page 14 September 12, 2014 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com

Surf surprisesLEAGUE CITY SURF — The shore

fishing around League City has been really good the past few weeks, with lots of nice seatrout, Spanish mackerel, sharks and even the odd tarpon being caught.

The water is very clear for this time of year, according to local anglers.Along with live shrimp, scented plastics in sea shad and chicken on a chain color have

been catching fish.Skipjack and croakers have also been reported.

Beachfront bullsBRYAN BEACH — Live mullet and croakers fished past the second sand bar are catch-

ing big bull redfish off of Bryan Beach near Freeport, according to multiple anglers on the Texas Fishing Forum.

The redfish have averaged about 32 inches. Many anglers have

dodged thunderstorms and battled heavy surf and some sargassum to get to the fish.Along with bull reds, speckled trout and sand trout, along with a few small sharks,

have been caught.

Good reds LONG BAR SPI — Capt. Andrew

Marikos reports a solid bite from the Long Bar area of South Padre Island on 2coolfishing.com.

“Ran out today to scout some areas I have not fished in about 2 months,” he said. “Long bar area had tons of bait (big mul-let), some jacks pushing bait and some nice slot reds up on top of the (north end) bar. Ran over to the old causeway area and fished the south spoil bar. A few nice reds and trout in the potholes around that area. Also drifted over a big school of reds (50 to 60) with some nice 24- to 36-inch fish. Hooked up two of them and they blew up the school. Everything was caught with a H20 XPRESS Thumpin Shrimp red/white.”

To contact Capt. Andrew Marikos, call (956) 434-9890.— Conor Harrison

Beach near Freeport, according to multiple anglers on the Texas Fishing Forum.

32 inches. Many anglers have

NORTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good under birds and pods of shad on soft plastics. Redfi sh are good in the marsh on Stanley Ribbits and small top-waters. Drifters have caught trout under slicks.

SOUTH SABINE: Trout are fair to good under birds and pods of shad. Trout are good at the jetty on live bait and top-waters. Kingfi sh, ling, dolphin and tuna are good offshore.

BOLIVAR: Trout are good on the south shoreline on scented and soft plastics. Trout, black drum, sand trout and redfi sh are good at Rollover Pass.

TRINITY BAY: Trout are good for drifters working pods of shad scented plastics and soft plastics. Redfi sh are good on live bait around the reefs. Redfi sh are good at the spillway on fi nger mullet.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are good for drifters working deep shell on live bait and plastics. Trout are fair to good on the edges of the channel

for trout and redfi sh. Whiting and sand trout are good on the edge of the Intracoastal on fresh shrimp.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are fair to good in the surf and around San Luis Pass on live shrimp and MirrOlures. Sheepshead, redfi sh and black drum are good at the jetty on shrimp and crabs.

TEXAS CITY: Trout are fair to good around Dollar Reef on live shrimp and croakers. Redfi sh are fair to good in Moses Lake on mullet and shrimp.

FREEPORT: Trout are fair to good on live bait on the Surfside Beach. Black drum, redfi sh, sand trout and sheepshead are good on live shrimp on the reefs in Christmas Bay.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair for drifters on live shrimp over humps and scattered shell. Redfi sh are fair to good on the edge of the drop–off along the south shoreline on mullet.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: Trout are fair on sand and grass humps on soft plastics and top-waters.

Redfi sh are fair on the edge of the ICW on shrimp and mullet.

PORT O’CONNOR: Trout and redfi sh are fair on live bait over sand, grass and shell in San Antonio Bay. Trout and redfi sh are fair for drifters working sand and grass with live shrimp. Trout are fair in the surf and at the jetty on croakers and shrimp when the wind allows.

ROCKPORT: Trout are fair in the guts and chan-nels on free–lined shrimp. Trout are fair over grass while drifting with live shrimp. Redfi sh are good on mullet on the Estes Flats and around Mud Island.

PORT ARANSAS: Trout, redfi sh and sheepshead are fair to good at the jetty on shrimp and croak-ers. Offshore is good for amberjack, kingfi sh, tuna and dolphin.

CORPUS CHRISTI: Trout are fair on the edge of the spoils on scented plastics, piggy perch and live shrimp. Redfi sh are good in the potholes on

shrimp.

BAFFIN BAY: Trout are fair to good on top-waters and croakers around rocks and grass. Redfi sh are fair to good on the edges of channels on live bait.

PORT MANSFIELD: Trout are good on top-waters around sand and grass. Redfi sh are fair to good while drifting potholes on soft plastics under a popping cork. Offshore is good for kingfi sh, ling and dolphin.

SOUTH PADRE: Trout, redfi sh and snook are fair to good in South Bay and Mexiquita Flats. Tarpon have been caught around the jetty on live bait. Trout are good while drifting sand and grass on plastics under a cork.

PORT ISABEL: Trout and redfi sh are fair to good while drifting sand and grass fl ats on live shrimp, DOA Shrimp and scented plastics under pop-ping corks. Trout are good on the deeper edges and fl ats in Laguna Vista on top-waters and live shrimp.

TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT

HUNTING PROPERTIES

REAL COUNTY• 241 acres, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, axis deer, reduced $725,000.

• 1,688 acres, airstrip, hunter’s lodge, 7 bedroom

home, swimming pool, tennis court, $6,200,000. • 102 acres, hunting ranch,

$180,093.Pioneer Real Estate

Shirley Shandley, Brokerwww.hillcountryrealestate.com

(830) 232-6422

DOVE HUNTING CLOSE TO DALLAS

Multiple fi elds within 30 minutes of Dallas. Late-season sunfl owers and

crops. Lots of birds. Call Jeremy Boone with

County Line Outfi tters.(214) 845-2444

PRIME DOVE HUNTINGSOUTH ZONE

Wheat fi elds, ponds, plenty of birds

(832) 605-7954

HUNTING AND FISHING

ON WILLAPA BAY72 acres of timber and pasture with year-round creek. Four miles from

South Bend, Washington. $600,000

(360) 875-4006

DEER HUNT-SOUTH TEXAS

Trophy Hunt-$900/3 daysFree Private Lodging-

Del Rio,TX. b-jranch.com(830) 313-3555

PROFESSIONAL GUIDE SERVICE

CEDAR BAYOU OUTFITTERS

Capt. Jeff Sims(361) 403-7510

SOUTH PADRE FISHING

Reds, Trout, Flounder, Snook. Everything sup-plied but food and licenses. Multiple trip discounts. Call Capt. Thomas for details or [email protected]. www.CustomSportsAnglers.com

(956) 551-1965

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS &

MAPPINGRANCH & HUNTING,

AGRICULTURE, ENVIRONMENTAL,

www.BalboaMapCompany.com(806) 777-8840

BOW HUNTING LEASE

ONE HUNTER, BOSQUE COUNTY

1 buck, 2 does. Feeder, bunkhouse. Sept. 27

through Oct. 19. $950. Call Bob

(972) 298-5383

DEER LEASE WANTED

2,000-4,000 ACRESCALL (817) 565-7903

TDHA - JOIN TODAYTEXAS DOVE HUNTERS ASSOC.www.texasdovehunters.com

(210) 764-1189

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

High Fence $1,000-$1,500. Near Junction. Owner.(325) 475-2100

ONLY $1 PER WORDLSON CLASSIFIEDSAdvertise your business or

merchandise in Texas’ largest outdoor newspaper.(214) 361-2276

DAY DOVE HUNTSPLENTY OF WATER, PLENTY

OF BIRDSBrooks County. Call Bel Soliz

(361) 443-5698

BAY BRUSH WANTEDAND LONG PALMS.

If you have cut it, we want it.Top prices paid.Rockport area.

CALL (361) 543-6747

POETRY SHOOTING CLUB

700-yard range, range target camera, quail hunt-ing preserve, dog training,

shooting classes, day leasesDove, duck & deer

Poetryshootingclub.com(214) 728-2755

FLOATING CABIN RENTALS

CORPUS CHRISTIHave the fi shing time of your

life.Lots of fi sh, fun and

17 years of Repeat business.(800) 368-8175

TROPHY WHITETAIL BUCK HUNTS

Intensive Management Program. Lodging included.

(940) 362-4219

ARROWHEADS AND ARTIFACTSI buy and sell authentic

Texas artifacts. Please call Nick.

(210) 557-9478

DOVE HUNTINGOver Sunfl ower and Sesame Seed Fields in Uvalde County. Contact Mark Roberts. w w w . M a r k R o b e r t s

DoveHunting.com(830) 261-9467

CLASSIFIEDS

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LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News September 12, 2014 Page 15

ACROSS

1. Expert fishermen earn this title 3. Elk young 6. Young bear 8. Trapper’s interest 9. Deer young 10. To remove a spent shell 13. A utility equipment shack 14. Used to wash out gundog’s eyes 15. May be one in a blind 18. A favorite area of wild game 20. To consider when using bow 24. A pasture sound 25. Rockies’ wild ones are the Dall’s 26. A good fishing lure color 28. Species of bass 29. Throwing out a fishline 31. A fowl roosting place 33. To check tracks 36. A spot in a scope

reticle 38. The cock finger 39. A fishing lure 40. To repair a gun barrel 41. Part of a stag’s rack DOWN 1. Venomous snakes 2. A sea bird 3. At times used for

bait 4. A very large

trophy fish 5. Female sheep 6. A male pheasant 7. Dams are their

product11. A game trail12. The baker is one15. Sound from the goose16. Hunting or fishing permit17. A playful shore mammal19. Bushytail’s food source20. A name for deer21. Part of a gun action

22. A cloth to sharpen hooks23. The flightless bird27. Animal that strays29. A tree with an aroma30. Used to find depth31. The wolf predator

32. A good cover for fawns34. Area between back -yards and timber35. Animal hideaways37. Shooter’s thumb protector

Solunar | Sun times | Moon timesMoon Phases

FOR THE TABLEOUTDOOR PUZZLER | By Wilbur “Wib” Lundeen Solution on Page 22

Sun Moon Tides| |

2 eggs1 tbsp. water1/3 cup dry bread crumbs1/3 cup instant mashed potato fl akes1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese1 tsp. seasoned salt4 (4-ounce) fi llets walleye (or any white fi sh)

Preheat an oven to 450 degrees. Grease a baking sheet. Beat the eggs and water

together in a bowl until smooth; set aside. Combine the breadcrumbs, potato fl akes, and Parmesan cheese in a separate bowl with the seasoned salt until evenly mixed. Dip the walleye fi llets into the beaten egg, then press into the breadcrumb mixture. Place onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the fi sh is opaque in the center and fl akes easily with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes.

— allrecipes.com

16 whole dove1 1/2 cups wild and long grain rice1 1/2 cups water1 stick butter 1/4 tsp. rosemary1/4 tsp. cumin1/4 tsp. paprikaSalt and pepperBasting glaze, 50/50 mixture of honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl mix half of your butter (chop it up like a veg-gie), rice, water, rosemary, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Stuff that mixture into the birds and tie the legs. If you’re only

using the dove breasts, two cupped around the stuffi ng and tied with twine will work. Place into greased baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with a pat of the butter. Cover with foil and bake for 20 min-utes, then begin basting regularly about every 10 minutes or so. Bake continuing to baste until fi nished. When juices run clear and the legs are loose when wiggled, birds are done. Remove the foil the last 10 minutes to brown your birds. Remove from oven and allow to rest for at least ten minutes before serving.

— backwoodsbound.com

Dove with rice

Texas Coast TidesSabine Pass, northDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightSept 12 12:17 AM 1.0L 5:57 AM 1.7H 12:41 PM 0.2L 7:56 PM 1.8HSept 13 1:10 AM 1.3L 6:29 AM 1.7H 1:36 PM 0.2L 9:22 PM 1.8 HSept 14 2:15 AM 1.4L 6:59 AM 1.6H 2:35 PM 0.2L 11:00 PM 1.8 HSept 15 4:16 AM 1.6L 7:21 AM 1.6H 3:37 PM 0.3LSept 16 12:32 AM 1.8H 4:42 PM 0.3LSept 17 1:37 AM 1.8H 8:33 AM 1.5L 10:41 AM 1.5H 5:44 PM 0.4LSept 18 2:19 AM 1.8H 8:47 AM 1.4L 12:03 PM 1.5H 6:40 PM 0.4LSept 19 2:48 AM 1.8H 8:53 AM 1.3L 1:05 PM 1.6H 7:29 PM 0.5LSept 20 3:09 AM 1.8H 8:55 AM 1.3L 1:56 PM 1.6H 8:10 PM 0.5LSept 21 3:25 AM 1.8H 9:03 AM 1.1L 2:41 PM 1.7H 8:47 PM 0.6LSept 22 3:40 AM 1.7H 9:21 AM 1.0L 3:23 PM 1.7H 9:22 PM 0.7LSept 23 3:56 AM 1.7H 9:47 AM 0.9L 4:03 PM 1.7H 9:55 PM 0.8LSept 24 4:12 AM 1.7H 10:17 AM 0.7L 4:43 PM 1.8H 10:28 PM 0.9LSept 25 4:27 AM 1.7H 10:50 AM 0.6L 5:26 PM 1.8H 11:02 PM 1.1LSept 26 4:41 AM 1.7H 11:26 AM 0.5L 6:12 PM 1.8H 11:37 PM 1.2L

Port O’ConnorDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightSept 12 1:56 AM 0.9L 5:12 AM 1.0H 2:47 PM 0.4LSept 13 5:23 AM 1.1H 3:45 PM 0.4LSept 14 5:47 AM 1.1H 4:46 PM 0.4LSept 15 6:16 AM 1.2H 5:47 PM 0.4LSept 16 6:46 AM 1.2H 6:48 PM 0.4LSept 17 7:08 AM 1.2H 7:44 PM 0.5LSept 18 7:22 AM 1.2H 8:35 PM 0.5LSept 19 7:24 AM 1.1H 9:19 PM 0.6LSept 20 7:13 AM 1.1H 9:59 PM 0.6LSept 21 7:18 AM 1.1H 10:39 PM 0.7LSept 22 7:25 AM 1.0H 11:46 AM 1.0L 3:35 PM 1.0H 11:19 PM 0.8LSept 23 6:50 AM 1.0H 11:59 AM 0.9L 5:38 PM 1.0HSept 24 12:01 AM 0.9L 5:42 AM 1.0H 12:23 PM 0.8L 8:04 PM 1.0 HSept 25 12:46 AM 1.0L 4:54 AM 1.0H 12:54 PM 0.8L 10:16 PM 1.1 HSept 26 1:35 AM 1.1L 4:22 AM 1.1H 1:31 PM 0.7L 11:47 PM 1.2 H

Crispy baked walleye

*email LSON your favorite recipe to [email protected].

Rollover PassDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightSept 12 5:07 AM 1.0L 8:34 AM 1.2H 4:19 PM 0.2LSept 13 12:31 AM 1.3H 6:28 AM 1.2L 8:41 AM 1.2H 5:12 PM 0.2LSept 14 2:57 AM 1.4H 6:16 PM 0.2LSept 15 5:03 AM 1.4H 7:32 PM 0.2LSept 16 6:02 AM 1.5H 8:46 PM 0.3LSept 17 6:43 AM 1.5H 9:51 PM 0.3LSept 18 7:11 AM 1.4H 10:46 PM 0.4LSept 19 7:25 AM 1.4H 11:31 PM 0.4LSept 20 7:30 AM 1.3H 1:11 PM 1.0L 4:09 PM 1.0HSept 21 12:10 AM 0.5L 7:22 AM 1.3H 1:32 PM 0.9L 5:26 PM 1.1HSept 22 12:44 AM 0.6L 7:10 AM 1.3H 1:55 PM 0.8L 6:29 PM 1.1 HSept 23 1:13 AM 0.7L 7:13 AM 1.3H 2:16 PM 0.7L 7:25 PM 1.1 HSept 24 1:40 AM 0.8L 7:24 AM 1.3H 2:31 PM 0.6L 8:21 PM 1.2 HSept 25 2:06 AM 0.9L 7:37 AM 1.3H 2:43 PM 0.5L 9:19 PM 1.3 HSept 26 2:31 AM 1.0L 7:51 AM 1.3H 3:03 PM 0.4L 10:22 PM 1.3 H

East MatagordaDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightSept 12 3:12 AM 0.3L 5:25 AM 0.4H 2:55 PM 0.1LSept 13 12:38 AM 0.4H 3:39 AM 0.4L 5:57 AM 0.4H 3:21 PM 0.1LSept 14 1:10 AM 0.4H 3:37 AM 0.4L 6:46 AM 0.4H 3:50 PM 0.1LSept 15 1:41 AM 0.4H 5:55 PM 0.1LSept 16 2:17 AM 0.4H 6:50 PM 0.1LSept 17 3:23 AM 0.4H 7:23 AM 0.3L 12:26 PM 0.4H 7:25 PM 0.1LSept 18 4:29 AM 0.4H 7:44 AM 0.3L 1:04 PM 0.4H 7:59 PM 0.1LSept 19 5:07 AM 0.4H 7:35 AM 0.3L 1:29 PM 0.4H 9:31 PM 0.1LSept 20 5:40 AM 0.4H 10:10 AM 0.3L 1:18 PM 0.4H 10:26 PM 0.1LSept 21 6:14 AM 0.3H 10:40 AM 0.3L 1:30 PM 0.4H 10:56 PM 0.1LSept 22 4:49 AM 0.3H 10:51 AM 0.2L 4:41 PM 0.4H 11:11 PM 0.2LSept 23 8:23 AM 0.3H 10:52 AM 0.2L 5:23 PM 0.4H 11:17 PM 0.2LSept 24 5:35 AM 0.3H 11:12 AM 0.2L 6:05 PM 0.4H 11:37 PM 0.3LSept 25 4:22 AM 0.3H 11:38 AM 0.2L 7:29 PM 0.4HSept 26 12:10 PM 0.2L

Freeport HarborDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightSept 12 12:59 AM 1.1L 5:34 AM 1.4H 12:19 PM 0.4L 7:54 PM 1.8 HSept 13 2:23 AM 1.3L 5:48 AM 1.4H 1:10 PM 0.3L 9:20 PM 1.8 HSept 14 2:09 PM 0.3L 10:57 PM 1.8HSept 15 3:16 PM 0.3LSept 16 12:28 AM 1.9H 4:29 PM 0.4LSept 17 1:29 AM 1.9H 5:39 PM 0.4LSept 18 2:08 AM 1.9H 6:40 PM 0.5LSept 19 2:35 AM 1.8H 8:54 AM 1.3L 11:59 AM 1.4H 7:32 PM 0.5LSept 20 2:55 AM 1.8H 9:10 AM 1.2L 1:10 PM 1.5H 8:18 PM 0.6LSept 21 3:13 AM 1.7H 9:28 AM 1.2L 2:10 PM 1.5H 8:59 PM 0.7LSept 22 3:30 AM 1.7H 9:45 AM 1.1L 3:04 PM 1.6H 9:37 PM 0.8LSept 23 3:46 AM 1.7H 10:01 AM 0.9L 3:55 PM 1.7H 10:14 PM 0.9LSept 24 4:02 AM 1.6H 10:17 AM 0.8L 4:44 PM 1.7H 10:50 PM 1.1LSept 25 4:17 AM 1.6H 10:36 AM 0.7L 5:34 PM 1.8H 11:28 PM 1.2LSept 26 4:28 AM 1.5H 10:59 AM 0.6L 6:27 PM 1.8H

South Padre IslandDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightSept 12 12:55 AM 1.0L 4:44 AM 1.1H 12:15 PM 0.2L 8:20 PM 1.4 HSept 13 2:11 AM 1.1L 4:29 AM 1.2H 1:09 PM 0.1L 10:16 PM 1.4 HSept 14 2:09 PM 0.1LSept 15 12:29 AM 1.4H 3:15 PM 0.2LSept 16 1:57 AM 1.5H 4:24 PM 0.2LSept 17 2:54 AM 1.5H 5:31 PM 0.3LSept 18 3:35 AM 1.4H 6:32 PM 0.3LSept 19 4:02 AM 1.4H 7:25 PM 0.4LSept 20 4:09 AM 1.3H 8:54 AM 1.1L 11:42 AM 1.2H 8:10 PM 0.4LSept 21 3:58 AM 1.2H 8:57 AM 1.0L 1:19 PM 1.2H 8:52 PM 0.5LSept 22 3:44 AM 1.2H 9:13 AM 0.9L 2:28 PM 1.2H 9:30 PM 0.6LSept 23 3:41 AM 1.1H 9:32 AM 0.8L 3:29 PM 1.3H 10:09 PM 0.7LSept 24 3:45 AM 1.1H 9:54 AM 0.7L 4:28 PM 1.3H 10:49 PM 0.8LSept 25 3:49 AM 1.1H 10:19 AM 0.6L 5:26 PM 1.3H 11:33 PM 1.0LSept 26 3:48 AM 1.1H 10:49 AM 0.4L 6:27 PM 1.4H

San Luis PassDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time Height Sept 12 1:01 AM 0.9L 6:24 AM 1.3H 1:17 PM 0.3L 8:46 PM 1.4 HSept 13 1:59 AM 1.1L 6:50 AM 1.3H 2:15 PM 0.2L 10:14 PM 1.4 HSept 14 3:22 AM 1.2L 7:14 AM 1.3H 3:18 PM 0.2L 11:51 PM 1.4 HSept 15 4:26 PM 0.3LSept 16 1:27 AM 1.4H 5:36 PM 0.3LSept 17 2:33 AM 1.4H 6:41 PM 0.3LSept 18 3:11 AM 1.4H 9:12 AM 1.2L 11:18 AM 1.2H 7:35 PM 0.4LSept 19 3:32 AM 1.4H 9:21 AM 1.2L 12:36 PM 1.3H 8:20 PM 0.4LSept 20 3:45 AM 1.4H 9:29 AM 1.1L 1:41 PM 1.3H 8:57 PM 0.5LSept 21 3:57 AM 1.3H 9:38 AM 1.0L 2:39 PM 1.3H 9:27 PM 0.6LSept 22 4:11 AM 1.3H 9:53 AM 0.9L 3:33 PM 1.3H 9:55 PM 0.7LSept 23 4:25 AM 1.3H 10:16 AM 0.8L 4:25 PM 1.3H 10:22 PM 0.8LSept 24 4:41 AM 1.3H 10:42 AM 0.7L 5:17 PM 1.4H 10:52 PM 0.9LSept 25 4:57 AM 1.3H 11:13 AM 0.6L 6:10 PM 1.4H 11:23 PM 1.0LSept 26 5:10 AM 1.3H 11:46 AM 0.5L 7:07 PM 1.4H 11:56 PM 1.1L

Port AransasDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightSept 12 12:32 AM 0.9L 4:53 AM 1.1H 12:11 PM 0.3L 7:54 PM 1.2 HSept 13 1:34 AM 1.0L 5:11 AM 1.1H 1:07 PM 0.3L 10:07 PM 1.2 HSept 14 2:56 AM 1.1L 5:21 AM 1.2H 2:09 PM 0.3LSept 15 2:07 AM 1.2H 3:20 PM 0.3LSept 16 3:01 AM 1.3H 4:34 PM 0.4LSept 17 3:45 AM 1.3H 5:43 PM 0.4LSept 18 4:22 AM 1.2H 6:42 PM 0.5LSept 19 4:44 AM 1.2H 7:58 AM 1.1L 10:35 AM 1.1H 7:32 PM 0.5LSept 20 3:44 AM 1.1H 8:19 AM 1.0L 11:57 AM 1.1H 8:17 PM 0.5LSept 21 3:34 AM 1.1H 8:44 AM 1.0L 1:08 PM 1.2H 8:57 PM 0.6LSept 22 3:14 AM 1.1H 9:10 AM 0.9L 2:11 PM 1.2H 9:37 PM 0.7LSept 23 3:10 AM 1.1H 9:33 AM 0.8L 3:10 PM 1.2H 10:15 PM 0.8LSept 24 3:26 AM 1.1H 9:52 AM 0.7L 4:06 PM 1.3H 10:53 PM 0.9LSept 25 3:46 AM 1.1H 10:12 AM 0.6L 5:02 PM 1.3H 11:26 PM 1.0LSept 26 4:04 AM 1.2H 10:39 AM 0.6L 5:57 PM 1.3H 11:35 PM 1.1L

Galveston Bay entrance, north jettyDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightSept 12 12:45 AM 1.1L 5:50 AM 1.7H 12:56 PM 0.3L 8:25 PM 1.9 HSept 13 1:43 AM 1.3L 6:09 AM 1.7H 1:50 PM 0.3L 9:26 PM 1.9 HSept 14 2:35 AM 1.4L 6:38 AM 1.7H 2:41 PM 0.3L 10:26 PM 1.9 HSept 15 3:23 AM 1.5L 7:38 AM 1.6H 3:32 PM 0.4L 11:40 PM 1.8 HSept 16 4:39 PM 0.5LSept 17 12:48 AM 1.8H 7:19 AM 1.5L 9:27 AM 1.6H 6:11 PM 0.5LSept 18 1:35 AM 1.8H 7:45 AM 1.5L 11:50 AM 1.5H 7:01 PM 0.6LSept 19 2:18 AM 1.8H 8:03 AM 1.4L 1:04 PM 1.6H 7:39 PM 0.6LSept 20 2:59 AM 1.8H 8:18 AM 1.3L 2:00 PM 1.6H 8:17 PM 0.7LSept 21 3:34 AM 1.8H 8:45 AM 1.2L 3:03 PM 1.7H 9:02 PM 0.8LSept 22 4:04 AM 1.8H 9:22 AM 1.1L 3:57 PM 1.8H 9:52 PM 0.9LSept 23 4:29 AM 1.7H 10:00 AM 1.0L 4:40 PM 1.9H 10:34 PM 1.0LSept 24 4:47 AM 1.7H 10:33 AM 0.8L 5:17 PM 1.9H 11:10 PM 1.1LSept 25 4:48 AM 1.7H 11:04 AM 0.7L 5:56 PM 1.9H 11:45 PM 1.2LSept 26 4:45 AM 1.7H 11:34 AM 0.6L 6:51 PM 1.9H

RockportDate Time Height Time Height Time Height Time HeightSept 12 6:19 AM 0.5H 3:52 PM 0.3LSept 13 6:51 AM 0.5H 4:49 PM 0.3LSept 14 7:36 AM 0.6H 5:43 PM 0.3LSept 15 8:28 AM 0.6H 6:36 PM 0.3LSept 16 9:27 AM 0.6H 7:30 PM 0.3LSept 17 10:29 AM 0.6H 8:21 PM 0.3LSept 18 11:32 AM 0.6H 9:10 PM 0.3LSept 19 12:34 PM 0.6H 9:52 PM 0.4LSept 20 1:39 PM 0.6H 10:27 PM 0.4LSept 21 2:50 PM 0.6H 10:55 PM 0.4LSept 22 6:09 AM 0.5H 10:07 AM 0.5L 4:16 PM 0.5H 11:16 PM 0.5LSept 23 5:48 AM 0.5H 11:51 AM 0.5L 6:08 PM 0.5H 11:28 PM 0.5LSept 24 5:44 AM 0.5H 1:03 PM 0.5L 8:38 PM 0.5H 11:17 PM 0.5LSept 25 5:45 AM 0.6H 2:00 PM 0.4LSept 26 5:50 AM 0.6H 2:48 PM 0.4L

Moon PhasesLast

Sept. 16 FullOct. 8

NewSept. 24

FirstOct. 1

Houston2014 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONSept.-Oct. Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets

San Antonio2014 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONSept.-Oct. Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets

Amarillo2014 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONSept.-Oct. Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets

Dallas2014 A.M. P.M. SUN MOONSept.-Oct. Minor Major Minor Major Rises Sets Rises Sets

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

12Fri 9:50 3:36 10:17 4:03 8:03 8:31 11:13p 11:49a13Sat 10:49 4:36 11:16 5:03 8:04 8:29 NoMoon 12:50p14Sun 11:47 5:34 ----- 6:00 8:04 8:28 NoMoon 1:48p15Mon 12:17 6:28 12:41 6:53 8:05 8:27 12:47a 2:42p16Tue 1:07 7:19 1:31 7:43 8:05 8:26 1:36a 3:31p17Wed 1:54 8:06 2:18 8:30 8:06 8:24 2:26a 4:17p18Thu 2:38 8:49 3:01 9:12 8:06 8:23 3:17a 4:58p19Fri 3:19 9:30 3:42 9:53 8:07 8:22 4:09a 5:37p20Sat 3:59 10:10 4:21 10:32 8:07 8:21 5:00a 6:13p21Sun 4:38 10:49 4:59 11:10 8:08 8:20 5:52a 6:48p22Mon 5:17 11:28 5:39 11:49 8:08 8:18 6:44a 7:22p23Tue 5:58 ----- 6:19 12:30 8:09 8:17 7:36a 7:56p24Wed 6:40 ----- 7:02 13:13 8:09 8:16 8:29a 8:31p25Thu 7:26 1:15 7:49 1:38 8:10 8:15 9:23a 9:07p26Fri 8:15 2:04 8:39 2:27 8:10 8:13 10:17a 9:46p27Sat 9:08 2:56 9:32 3:20 8:11 8:12 11:13a 10:28p28Sun 10:03 3:50 10:28 4:16 8:11 8:11 12:10p 11:13p29Mon 11:00 4:47 11:27 5:13 8:12 8:10 1:07p NoMoon30Tue 11:58 5:44 ----- 6:12 8:12 8:08 2:03p 12:03a01Wed 12:31 6:42 12:55 7:09 8:13 8:07 2:58p 12:57a02Thu 1:23 7:37 1:51 8:05 8:13 8:06 3:49p 1:56a

12Fri 9:56 3:42 10:23 4:09 8:08 8:38 11:14p 11:59a13Sat 10:55 4:42 11:22 5:08 8:08 8:36 NoMoon 1:01p14Sun 11:52 5:39 ----- 6:05 8:09 8:35 NoMoon 1:59p15Mon 12:22 6:34 12:46 6:59 8:09 8:34 12:47a 2:53p16Tue 1:13 7:24 1:37 7:49 8:10 8:32 1:36a 3:43p17Wed 1:59 8:11 2:23 8:35 8:11 8:31 2:26a 4:28p18Thu 2:44 8:55 3:07 9:18 8:11 8:30 3:18a 5:09p19Fri 3:25 9:36 3:47 9:59 8:12 8:28 4:10a 5:47p20Sat 4:05 10:16 4:27 10:38 8:13 8:27 5:03a 6:22p21Sun 4:44 10:54 5:05 11:16 8:13 8:26 5:55a 6:56p22Mon 5:23 11:34 5:44 11:55 8:14 8:24 6:48a 7:29p23Tue 6:03 ----- 6:25 12:36 8:14 8:23 7:42a 8:02p24Wed 6:46 ----- 7:08 13:19 8:15 8:22 8:36a 8:36p25Thu 7:32 1:21 7:55 1:43 8:16 8:20 9:31a 9:11p26Fri 8:21 2:09 8:45 2:33 8:16 8:19 10:27a 9:48p27Sat 9:14 3:01 9:38 3:26 8:17 8:17 11:24a 10:29p28Sun 10:09 3:56 10:34 4:21 8:18 8:16 12:21p 11:14p29Mon 11:06 4:53 11:32 5:19 8:18 8:15 1:19p NoMoon30Tue ----- 5:50 12:04 6:18 8:19 8:13 2:15p 12:03a01Wed 12:37 6:47 1:01 7:15 8:20 8:12 3:09p 12:58a02Thu 1:29 7:43 1:57 8:11 8:20 8:11 4:01p 1:57a

12Fri 10:02 3:49 10:29 4:16 8:16 8:43 11:26p 12:02p13Sat 11:02 4:49 11:28 5:15 8:16 8:42 NoMoon 1:02p14Sun 11:59 5:46 ----- 6:12 8:17 8:41 12:12a 2:00p15Mon 12:29 6:40 12:53 7:06 8:17 8:39 1:00a 2:54p16Tue 1:19 7:31 1:43 7:56 8:18 8:38 1:50a 3:43p17Wed 2:06 8:18 2:30 8:42 8:18 8:37 2:40a 4:29p18Thu 2:50 9:02 3:13 9:25 8:19 8:36 3:31a 5:11p19Fri 3:32 9:43 3:54 10:05 8:19 8:34 4:22a 5:49p20Sat 4:11 10:22 4:33 10:44 8:20 8:33 5:14a 6:26p21Sun 4:50 11:01 5:12 11:23 8:20 8:32 6:05a 7:01p22Mon 5:30 11:40 5:51 12:02 8:21 8:31 6:57a 7:35p23Tue 6:10 ----- 6:32 12:42 8:21 8:29 7:49a 8:09p24Wed 6:53 ----- 7:15 13:26 8:22 8:28 8:42a 8:44p25Thu 7:39 1:27 8:01 1:50 8:22 8:27 9:35a 9:21p26Fri 8:28 2:16 8:51 2:40 8:23 8:26 10:30a 9:59p27Sat 9:20 3:08 9:45 3:32 8:23 8:25 11:26a 10:41p28Sun 10:15 4:03 10:41 4:28 8:24 8:23 12:23p 11:27p29Mon 11:13 4:59 11:39 5:26 8:24 8:22 1:20p NoMoon30Tue ----- 5:57 12:11 6:24 8:25 8:21 2:16p 12:17a01Wed 12:44 6:54 1:08 7:22 8:25 8:20 3:10p 1:11a02Thu 1:36 7:50 2:04 8:18 8:26 8:19 4:02p 2:10a

12Fri 10:16 4:02 10:43 4:29 8:27 8:59 11:31p 12:23p13Sat 11:15 5:02 11:42 5:28 8:27 8:57 NoMoon 1:26p14Sun ----- 5:59 12:12 6:25 8:28 8:56 12:16a 2:25p15Mon 12:43 6:54 1:07 7:19 8:29 8:54 1:03a 3:19p16Tue 1:33 7:44 1:57 8:09 8:29 8:53 1:52a 4:09p17Wed 2:20 8:31 2:43 8:55 8:30 8:52 2:42a 4:53p18Thu 3:04 9:15 3:27 9:38 8:31 8:50 3:34a 5:34p19Fri 3:45 9:56 4:08 10:19 8:32 8:49 4:27a 6:11p20Sat 4:25 10:36 4:47 10:58 8:32 8:47 5:20a 6:46p21Sun 5:04 11:14 5:25 11:36 8:33 8:46 6:14a 7:18p22Mon 5:43 11:54 6:04 12:15 8:34 8:44 7:08a 7:50p23Tue 6:23 ----- 6:45 12:56 8:34 8:43 8:02a 8:22p24Wed 7:06 ----- 7:28 13:39 8:35 8:41 8:57a 8:55p25Thu 7:52 1:41 8:15 2:03 8:36 8:40 9:53a 9:29p26Fri 8:41 2:29 9:05 2:53 8:37 8:39 10:50a 10:06p27Sat 9:34 3:21 9:58 3:46 8:37 8:37 11:48a 10:46p28Sun 10:29 4:16 10:54 4:42 8:38 8:36 12:47p 11:30p29Mon 11:26 5:13 11:52 5:39 8:39 8:34 1:45p NoMoon30Tue 12:00 6:10 12:24 6:38 8:40 8:33 2:41p 12:19a01Wed 12:57 7:07 1:21 7:35 8:40 8:31 3:35p 1:13a02Thu 1:49 8:03 2:17 8:31 8:41 8:30 4:26p 2:13a

Page 16: September 12, 2014 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

Page 16 September 12, 2014 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com

No more permanent duck blinds on Caddo

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has announced plans to prohibit permanent duck blinds on the Caddo Lake Wildlife Management Area effective the 2015-16 waterfowl season to resolve escalating public use conflicts and natural resource issues.

TPWD will allow duck hunters to con-tinue to use existing permanent duck blinds on the Caddo Lake WMA during the 2014-15 hunting season. Individuals claiming those duck blinds will have a brief period (until March 15, 2015) to remove blinds following the 2014-15 waterfowl season. After that, TPWD will take steps to remove the blinds.

“The continued presence of duck blinds on the Caddo Lake WMA is perpetuating a situation that is not conducive to public safety or sustainable resource manage-ment,” said Clayton Wolf, TPWD Wildlife Division director. “It is an inequitable allocation of public resources and creates

conflicts between the traditional public lands waterfowl hunter and those individu-als who lay claim to permanent blinds.”

When the Caddo Lake WMA was acquired by the state more than 20 years ago, duck blinds that had been a part of the land-scape for generations suddenly became part of a public resource managed by TPWD. Although no other WMA in Texas permits permanent duck blinds, TPWD recognized the long-standing hunting tradi-tions in the area and allowed an exception at the Caddo Lake WMA.

Because the state owns the 8,128-acre Caddo Lake WMA, including the lake bot-tom, none of the duck blinds within its boundary can legally be claimed as private property. Yet, wildlife and law enforcement officials have documented instances where individuals have bought, sold, traded, and claimed inheritance to these permanent fixtures. This, coupled with user confusion about rights to duck blinds, has created conflicts that TPWD is unable to resolve amicably.

— TPWD

HSC gives scholarships

Houston Safari Club has announced this year’s Dan L. Duncan Scholarship winners.

The 26 winners were chosen from hun-dreds of applicants.

Applicants for these scholarships are undergraduate and graduate students majoring in Wildlife Management and/or Range Management. The applicants must demonstrate academic excellence and lead-ership qualities. They must also complete a thorough application process including recommendations, transcript reviews, and, in some cases, providing thesis informa-tion. In addition, applicants must have the desire to protect and promote the sport of hunting and the principles of conservation.

Following a thorough review of all applicants, the Scholarship Selection Committee awarded 24 $5,000 scholar-ships and two $2,500 scholarships. HSC, in conjunction with its charitable arm the American Conservation and Education

Society, has awarded scholarships exceed-ing the million-dollar mark.

“HSC is extremely proud of the out-standing reputation and prestige of The HSC Dan L. Duncan Scholarship Program. The program has given over $1 million in scholarships since its inception to an incredible lineup of highly motivated hunter/conservationists who are pursuing degrees in wildlife-related studies,” said Deb Cunningham, HSC Dan L. Duncan Scholarship Program chairman. “We have a premier group of past recipients work-ing in ranch management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, professors in Wildlife Studies Departments in universities all across Texas, game wardens and state, federal and private research biologists around the world. Needless to say, HSC Dan L. Duncan Scholarships are highly competitive and widely sought after. We claim ‘bragging rights’ to some of the best and brightest students in the field of wildlife biology, research and game management.”

— HSC

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Huge nontypical certifi ed as TBGA record

Ducks•High Plains Mallard

Management Unit: Youth: Oct. 18-19; Regular: Oct. 25-26 and Oct. 31 - Jan. 25; “dusky” Duck: Nov. 3 — Jan. 25.

•South Zone: Youth: Oct. 25-26; Regular: Nov. 1-30 and Dec. 13 — Jan. 25; “dusky” duck: Nov. 6-30 and Dec. 13 — Jan. 25.

•North Zone: Youth: Oct. 25-26; Regular: Nov. 1 — Dec. 7 and Dec. 20 — Jan. 25; “dusky” duck: Nov. 6 — Dec. 7 and Dec. 20 — Jan. 25.

Bag Limit: 6/day in the aggregate to include no more than 3 wood ducks, 3 scaup, 5 mallards, of which only 2 may be hens, 2 redheads, 2 pintail , 1 canvasback, 1 “dusky” duck (mottled, black or Mexican-like) after the fi rst 5 days. Mergansers: 5/day with no more than 2 hooded mergan-ser. Coots: 15/day

Geese•East Zone: Light Geese

Nov. 1 — Jan. 25, Canada Geese Nov. 1 — Jan. 25; White-fronted Geese: Nov. 1 — Jan. 11; Light Geese Conservation Order Jan. 26 — Mar. 22.

Bag Limit: 3 Canada geese, 2 White-fronted geese, 20 light geese (no possession limit).

•West Zone: Light Geese Nov. 1 — Feb. 1; Dark Geese Nov. 1 — Feb. 1; Light Geese Conservation Order Feb. 2 — Mar. 22.

Bag Limit: 5 dark geese with no more than one white-fronted goose, 20 light geese (no possession limit)

Sandhill crane•Zone A: Nov. 1-Feb. 1. Bag

Limit: 3.•Zone B: Nov. 21-Feb. 1. Bag

Limit: 3.•Zone C: Dec. 20-Jan. 25.

Bag Limit: 2.Check TPWD for full

regulations.

one canvasback daily.The possession limits for all

migratory game birds is three times the daily limit — 18 ducks.

The early teal season begins Sept. 13 and runs through Sept. 28. Hunters can take six teal and normal possession limits apply.

Following are the adopted sea-son dates and limits for the 2014-15 migratory game bird seasons:

WaterfowlContinued from page 6

THAT’S A LOW-FENCE DEER? This huge buck was taken on a low-fence lease in Houston County last season by hunter Mark Lee. Photo by TBGA.

By Conor HarrisonLone Star outdoor newS

Crosby hunter Mark Lee’s massive, 268 4/8-inch Houston County nontypical white-tailed buck has been certifi ed by the Texas Big Game Awards as the highest-scoring buck in its history.

The buck was taken on Sept. 28, 2013.Lee didn’t publicize his accomplishment because

he said he never really cared about records and he wanted to protect his lease and fellow hunters.

Lee and his son, Cullen, had watched the buck on their lease before the previous season, but he disap-peared during the season. The pair again spotted the deer on trail cameras before the 2013 season. As luck would have it, the lease was bumped to MLDP Level 3, meaning hunters could rifl e hunt during the regular bow season.

“We watched him grow throughout the summer in 2013 and we had plenty of rainfall,” Lee said. “He made a big increase. We were hopeful he would still be there (opening day). We were very careful not to

pressure the pasture.”The night before the opener, the Lee family

attended Cullen’s high school football game and did not get to sleep until after midnight.

“We got up at 2:45 a.m. and headed to the ranch,” Lee said. “I didn’t want Cullen to bow hunt because I thought he wasn’t 100 percent mentally. I didn’t want that deer to make a presentation and have Cullen make a mistake.”

As it turned out, Cullen did have a brief chance at the buck in the early-morning light. The buck walked within 45 yards of the young hunter’s stand, but did not present a shot worth taking.

“He was there, but Cullen could only make out shadows,” Lee said. “The deer turned and came toward my stand. Cullen had a quick opportunity to take a shot in the low light, but he decided not to take it. As a dad, I’m proud of that decision.”

Mark saw movement about 800 yards away and knew a buck was headed his way — he just didn’t

See NONTYPICAL, Page 19

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WHITE-TAILED DEER:

Archery only Sept. 27 - 0ct. 31

General Season North Texas Nov. 1, 2014 - Jan. 4, 2015South Texas Nov. 1, 2014 - Jan. 18, 2015

Youth-OnlyAll counties with an open season Oct. 25 - 26, 2014 Jan. 5 - 18, 2015

MuzzleloaderJan. 5 - 18, 2015Late Antlerless and SpikeNorth Texas Jan. 5 - 18, 2015South Texas Jan. 19 - Feb. 1, 2015 MULE DEER:

Archery OnlySept. 27 - Oct. 31, 2014

General SeasonPanhandle Nov. 22 - Dec. 7, 2014

Southwestern Panhandle Nov. 22 - 30, 2014Trans-Pecos Nov. 28 - Dec. 14, 2014

Check TPWD for complete season dates.

Texas Bighorn Society wins award from WAFWA

Kathy Boone, president of the Texas Bighorn Society, trav-eled to San Antonio to receive the President’s Award from the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

The award was presented by WAFWA president Carter Smith.

“Each year the WAFWA pres-ident gets to recognize an individual or entity for their exemplary contribution to fish and wildlife conservation in the West,” Smith said. “The award is the WAFWA President’s Award. The past list of honorees has been a rather distinguished one. This year as WAFWA presi-dent, the honor of recognizing an outstanding partner went to me. My selection, which was an easy one, is the Texas Bighorn Society. Candidly, it was an easy decision. I can think of no other partner who does so much, so frequently, and with so little expectation of recognition. Your success in restoring bighorns to West Texas mountaintops is sim-ply unmatched and unassailable. But it goes beyond that. Your extensive network of conserva-tion volunteers, your generosity to conservation efforts, your support for private landowners, and your work to further conservation as a whole in West Texas, Mexico, and beyond is simply remarkable.

“And you manage to do it with an all-volunteer team. All of us at TPWD are proud of what ya’ll have accomplished, and we are especially proud to be your part-ner.”

— TBS

2014-15 Deer Season Dates

Louisiana angler wins BFL on Sam Rayburn

Kevin Lasyone of Dry Prong, Louisiana, weighed a two-day total of 10 bass totaling 36 pounds, 11 ounces to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir Sunday.

“It was tough, really tough,” said Lasyone. “I’ve finished in the top 10 in just about every tournament FLW runs, but this is my first win. I started out on Saturday fishing grass and pads with a 1/2-ounce V&M jig, then later I threw a V&M worm on the outside edges of the grass.

“I caught a 5-pounder off of a shallow point at the end of the day, so I decided to start there on Sunday.”

Lasyone said that his key point produced again, and by 9 a.m., he had landed the entirety of his 23-pound, 4-ounce day-two stringer. He said the point had a mix of several types of grass and some bream beds. He caught most of his fish in five feet of water with a Blue Flex-colored 8 1/2-inch worm.

The top Texan in the tourna-ment, William Flournoy of Diboll, came in third with a six-bass stringer weighing 29 pounds, 5 ounces.

Perennial winner Todd Castledine of Nacogdoches fin-ished in fourth place with a 10-bass limit weighing 29 pounds, 1 ounce.

Huntington angler Clark Reehm rounded out the top five with a 10-bass limit weighing 26 pounds, 15 ounces.

Houston angler Domonick Poullard of Houston won the co-anlger division with a two-day total of five bass weighing 20 pounds, 6 ounces.

— FLW

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CCA Star Standings

know which buck it was. At 400 yards, he spotted the deer again and knew it was the buck they called ‘King.’

“I thought, ‘I better go ahead and load the rifl e,’” he said. “He stepped out at 180 yards and I was ready. I eased the scope down and the Ruger did its job. I knew it was a good shot.”

Immediately after watching the deer fall, Mark’s phone rang.

“Tell me you got him,” his son asked. “I said, ‘Yeah, I got him.’”

The two hunters celebrated a great buck that took a lot of effort to get on the ground.

“I’m excited about the deer,” Lee said. “He’s an exceptional ani-mal. The only reason I went pub-lic with the deer was because this buck deserved it. It was reward-ing because I got to do it all with my son. All of the planning, hunt-ing hard and strategizing was very rewarding.”

The buck had 31 points, a gross score of 278 5/8 inches, 117 7/8 inches of abnormal points with 43 1/8 inches of mass and main beams of 18 7/8 and 20 2/8 inches.

Interestingly, the buck shares many similar characteristics to another huge nontypical har-vested two years ago just one county over in San Patricio County by hunter A.J. Downs. The Downs buck scored 256 4/8 net Pope and Young.

“It’s no secret that Trinity River bottom has some great deer and great genetics,” Lee added. “If you let those deer get some age on them, anything can happen.”

NontypicalContinued From Page 17

and some good stringers have started showing up,” said Falcon Lake Tackle’s James Bendele. “But what impresses me is the numbers of fi sh that are being caught. Over the weekend I talked to a lot of folks that had 30 to 40 fi sh in the boat per day.

“And from my own personal experience, I can tell you that the fi sh are biting. Not a lot of mon-sters, mind you, but a lot of nice fi sh in the 2- to 4-pound range, with a 6 or 7 mixed in.”

Windblown points, gravelly points and lake humps early in the morning are producing some nice fi sh. Flipping near trees has also produced bass.

“Everybody is catching fi sh,” he said. “No, we are not slaying them, and, no, we are not catch-ing 10-pounders one an hour. But we are certainly experiencing the best fi shing that we have had in a long time.”

On Sam Rayburn Reservoir,

some big fi sh are also being caught.“This week has been pretty

good with a couple of good fi sh over 7 pounds,” said guide Lynn Atkinson of Reel um N Guide Service. “Things are looking great as bass move up and the water cools down moving into fall. There are some fi sh up shallow around the grass and here are a few baits that have been creat-ing some action. The Stanley Top Toad Ribbit in white and black has been the best for us over the pads and around the grass edges. I found that at times you to need to change the retrieval to get them to hit it. Off the edge, we’ve been working a few creature baits and Senkos.

“Just let them fall to the bot-tom.”

Guide John Morris, (888) 454-7037Falcon Lake Tackle, (956) 765-4866Guide Lynn Atkinson, (979) 220-0251

Bass bitingContinued From Page 9

BITING DOWN SOUTH: After a tough several months, anglers are fi nally fi nding good numbers on Falcon. Photo by LSON.

Lake Kyle gets “retired” catfi sh

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will be stocking 100 “retired” channel catfi sh broodstock from the A.E. Wood Hatchery in San Marcos into Lake Kyle, a 12-acre water body in Hays County.

Past prime time for propagation, the catfi sh average 9 pounds. They will serve Texas anglers in a preserve-type park, protected under a new catch-and-release regulation effective September 1.

“These types of fi sheries will pro-vide excellent opportunities in small impoundments close to home,” said Marcos De Jesús, district supervisor for TPWD’s Inland Fisheries Division. “Besides stocking and restrictive harvest regulations, the fi shery will benefi t from infrastructure improve-ments, such as an aeration system, fi sh feeding stations, a fi shing pier, and enhanced fi sh habitat-attracting structures.”

— TPWD

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SHARE AN ADVENTUREn Want to share hunting and fish-ing photos with other Lone Star Outdoor News readers? Email them with contact and caption information to [email protected]. High-resolution original jpegs only. Mail prints to Heroes, Lone Star Outdoor News, P.O. Box 551695, Dal-las, TX 75355.

HEROES

The Woodlands resident BRIAN WHITE with a Port Aransas jack crevalle. DAVID H BYRD IV with his cinnamon colored Black Bear taken May 28 with Steepbank Outfitters out of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

HARPER HAAS, 6, from Waco shot her first buck last season in Coryell County with her dad, DUDLEY II.

Two-year-old JACK WHITE with his first fish — this perch near Port Aransas.

J.R. RODRIGUEZ with a 27-inch redfish he caught and released while fishing in Port Mansfield.

JENNY NAGELMUELLER caught this 41-inch bull red on July 4 at the Port O’ Connor jetties.

Friendswood hunter CADE OWEN took this buck on his grandfather’s ranch in Crockett County last season.

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TPWF purchases Powderhorn RanchA multi-partner coalition including the Texas Parks and Wildlife

Foundation announced the purchase of the 17,351-acre Powderhorn Ranch along the Texas coast in Calhoun County.

The acquisition will conserve a spectacular piece of property that is one of the largest remaining tracts of unspoiled coastal prairie in the state. At $37.7 million, it is the largest dollar amount ever raised for a conservation land purchase in the state and represents a new partnership model of achieving conservation goals in an era of rapidly rising land prices. In years to come, Powderhorn Ranch is expected to become a state park and wildlife management area.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, which was created with dollars paid by BP and Transocean in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, are pro-viding a significant portion of the funding for the project.

The Conservation Fund and The Nature Conservancy of Texas are each providing $10 million in interim funding so the Powderhorn Ranch can be purchased in 2014. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, who will hold title on the property by the end of 2016, and will ultimately turn it over to TPWD, will reimburse the two orga-nizations.

“The unspoiled and irreplaceable Powderhorn Ranch is now a sig-nificant property for all Texans, and a protected national treasure,” said The Conservation Fund’s CEO, Larry Selzer. “A unique and innovative collaboration among public and private organizations has preserved a critical coastal landscape of epic size and scale for gen-erations to come.”

— TPWD

while their kids showed an oblig-atory interest in the work before resuming their game of tag with popguns around the trucks.

Texas dove hunters across much of the state enjoyed a solid few opening weeks.

Reports of good morning hunts came from many areas, including Coleman, Graham, Waxahachie, Haskell, Waco and farther south around Austin and San Antonio.

“We’ve had fantastic hunt-ing,” said Justin Hill of Ranger Creek Goose in Haskell. “We shot 250 limits on opening day. We were scared before the sea-son started because we had a lot of wind and rain that scattered the birds. But they showed up on opening day.”

Hill said his hunters killed quite a few whitewings, espe-cially on fields near town.

“Most everyone that hunted around Haskell had good hunts,” he said.

Public land results were mixed.Many hunters in the Central

Zone reported lots of whitewings in the bag, especially if they were hunting near cities.

Hunters also reported shoot-ing Eurasian collared dove in many areas.

Farther south, outfitter Mark Roberts said the hunting has been very good around Uvalde during the first week of the season, although a storm that dumped 3 inches of rain across much of the area had an effect on birds late in the first week.

“We started off with a bang and had great hunts on Monday,” Roberts said. “Most hunters got limits early. The first two days, 75 percent of my hunters got their limits in the morning and did not have to hunt the after-noon. Wednesday, we did fairly well and most hunters got their limits, although some hunters hunting mourning dove fields had to hunt later in the day to get a limit.”

After the rains, Roberts said he warned clients hunting the sec-ond weekend the patterns might have changed.

“We saw some birds after the rains, but 20 miles to the south didn’t get rain, so some of the birds might have headed there,” he said. “But it won’t take long to dry out.”

Roberts said he thought the area had about 600 hunters on opening weekend, and the dove population consisting of local birds, has been cut in half.

“We’ve got some sunflower fields that we planted late so they haven’t matured yet,” he said. “We’re hoping to keep some of those northern birds in the area once the migration hits. We’ll be hunting until Oct. 20.”

“It was real good,” said out-fitter Mike Divin of South Texas Hunts near Jourdanton. “We’ve got an ideal setup with milo fields. The first weekend all the hunters shot limits. We have a field near town and it is all whitewings.”

Divin said the birds fly to the fields at first light to feed before heading back into town. Divin said he wished dove hunting was still an afternoon-only affair.

“I think it really messes up the birds when you hunt them in the morning,” he said. “I have been doing this for 40 years and I wished you could only hunt them in the afternoons.”

Good reports also emerged from hunters near Lubbock over cut grain fields, Albany in milo fields and lots of reports of rain-scattered birds throughout the Hill Country.

OpenerContinued from page 1

Map by TPWD.

Powderhorn Ranch Acquisition

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“Believe it or not, we’ve been using minnows and nightcrawlers, which are doing really well.”

Edwards said he has been using a unique method rigging 1/8-oz. jigheads onto chartreuse and bright red soft plastics baits and running them near the bottom.

Lake levels are only about a foot low at Conroe, while North Texas lakes are averaging around 10 feet below normal. The end of September marks a transition period for the anglers, with channel cats moving into the deeper waters and larger blue cats heading into the mud fl ats and shal-lows.

“I remember we caught a 72-pounder in 18 inches of water,” Barton said. “I saw him the whole time, he went straight for the bait.

Jason Barton, (254) 760-3044Chad Ferguson, (817) 522-3804George Rule, (214) 202-6641Chris Edwards, (817) 271-5014

Bassmaster Elites to start season on Sabine River

In 2015, B.A.S.S. celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Bassmaster Elite Series with a schedule that commemorates some of the greatest events in bass fi shing history.

The season begins March 19-22 in Orange, at the Sabine River, site of one of the most popular Elite tourna-ments in history. At that 2013 event, a new Bassmaster Elite Series atten-dance record was set with more than 33,000 visitors during the four-day tournament.

While some Elite anglers struggled to fi ll out limits in the Sabine’s back-waters, Texan Todd Faircloth caught almost 50 pounds of bass to earn his fourth Elite victory.

Other stops include Lake Guntersville in Alabama, the Sacramento River in California, Lake Havasu, Kentucky Lake, the St. Lawrence River and Lake St. Clair.

— B.A.S.S

Anglers reporting red snapper catches show stocks in good shape

As one of the most sought-after fi sh in the gulf, red snapper became the subject of a new reporting system that has shown favorable results.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Coastal Fisheries Division staff asked Texas anglers to report their red snapper landings beginning June 1, at the start of the nine-day federal season through their pilot reporting program and submit basic information about their catch. The survey questions included the trip’s total red snapper catch, the date it occurred, the number of fi sh landed, etc.

“Red snapper in Texas waters are doing great and show no signs of slowing down,” says Jeremy Leitz, Regulations Program Specialist at TPWD.

Overall, 119 fi shing trips were recorded through a new online report-ing system. More than 700 anglers harvested 1,511 red snapper within both federal and Texas state waters this past June.

TPWD recorded an additional 4,096 red snapper from targeted creel surveys conducted at boat ramps. The survey information was gathered from 1,917 anglers after their trips.

Although the 2014 federal season is over, anglers are encouraged to continue to record their red snapper landings at tpwd.texas.gov/snapper.

The data, along with other harvest monitoring programs, will be used to help design future harvest programs and indicate the health of the red snapper fi shery off Texas shores.

— TPWD

Shallow catsContinued From Page 8Puzzle

solution from Page 15

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NATIONALWSF donates millions for sheep conservation

The 2013-14 fiscal year for the Wild Sheep Foundation closed June 30, 2014 with WSF directing $4.371 million to mission pro-grams during the last 12 months focused on their purpose to “Put and Keep Sheep on the Mountain.”

“This is an exceptional accomplishment enabled through our 2014 record convention success, and is due to the generosity of our members, exhibitors, donors, auction buyers and sponsors and the leadership of our board of directors, committees and fine staff. WSF directed nearly one half a million dollars more to mission programs this year over the prior year representing an 11.3 percent increase and the second consecutive year of 10-plus percent mission funding growth” said WSF President & CEO, Gray N. Thornton. “An industry leader in mission effectiveness, WSF raised and directed more than $794 in on the ground mission focused funding for each and every WSF mem-ber. Our membership can be justifiably proud of their foundation’s efforts and success.”

During the July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014 fiscal year, WSF directed $3,432,431 to state, provincial and tribal agencies primar-ily from the sales of special permits and tags. Additionally, WSF directed $287,955 to guide/outfitter associations and other industry part-ners; $353,100 to education and advocacy programs; $109,000 to international conser-vation initiatives and $189,000 to habitat, restoration, transplants and disease research.

— WSF

Dall’s sheep numbers down, hunts canceled

The population of Dall’s sheep in the Northwest Arctic has declined by more than half in the past three years, prompting state and fed-eral agencies to halt the annual hunts.

Results of the most recent survey, conducted

over a week earlier this summer by officials from the National Park Service and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, show a decline of between 50 and 75 percent compared to a count done in 2011. The cancellation of the federal hunt is in the process of being done through a temporary special action from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service because of conservation concerns. The state hunt was can-celled as of August 9.

Reasons for the drop in sheep are many, but harsh winters — prolonged, record cold a couple years ago, and a warm and icy last winter — resulting in starvation and a loss of habitat over the past few years are the most plausible cause, said Chris McKee, the wildlife division super-visor with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Subsistence Management, last week.

Dall’s sheep hunting will be closed in game units 23 and 26A for the remainder of the 2014/2015 regulatory year. The state of Alaska has already closed its hunt for sheep in those units. But the USFWS must go through a few more steps to close the season, which began on August 10.

— Jillian Rogers, Bristol Bay Times

New world record pronghorn from N.M.

The largest pronghorn ever recorded has been certified by Boone and Crockett Club as a new World’s Record.

The huge buck, hunted by Mike Gallo in Socorro County, New Mexico, in 2013, scores 96-4/8 B&C points.

The new record breaks a tie between two specimens from Arizona. One was taken in Coconino County in 2000, the other in Mohave County in 2002. Both scored 95 B&C points. Club officials say the difference between these old records and the new — a full inch-and-a-half — is an extraordinary jump. In fact, the margin between the now No. 1- and No. 2-ranked trophies is the largest in Boone and Crockett pronghorn records, which contain more than 3,400 entries.

Features of Gallo’s trophy:Lengths of horns: 18-3/8 right, 18-4/8 left.Total mass: 23-3/8 right, 23-2/8 left.Lengths of prongs: 7 right, 6-5/8 left.

— Boone and Crockett

Project to study mule deer decline

A Wyoming-based wildlife organization, The Muley Fanatic Foundation, has pledged $1.3 million to try to find the cause of mule deer population declines in Western states.

The Deer-Elk Ecology Research Project — a collaborative venture of the Muley Fanatic Foundation, the University of Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department — aims to learn what fac-tors are hurting mule deer numbers, which of those factors are having the largest impacts, and how they interact. At question are the relationships between interspecies competition, predation, drought, habitat alteration and other challenges believed to impact mule deer.

The five-year D.E.E.R. project will use high-tech tracking devices, satellite moni-toring, cutting-edge laboratory analysis and helicopter-enabled animal captures.

— Muley Fanatic Foundation

Pheasant numbers up in Iowa

Iowa’s annual August roadside pheasant count recorded the highest number of birds since 2008, with a statewide average of 17.4 birds per 30-mile route.

“I thought the western third of the state would do well because it had below average snowfall, but based on the weather model, the rest of the state should have been status quo. Obviously it did much better than that,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife biologist for

the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and coordinator of the pheasant count.

Last year, a record low 40,000 hunters pursued pheasants and based on this year’s roadside index, they could harvest more than 250,000 birds.

— Iowa DNR

IFA teams with studentsThe Inshore Fishing Association has

joined with the Student Angler Federation to develop the first-ever High School Saltwater Championship.

The inaugural event, which features a two-person team format for students in grades 9-12, will take place Sunday, Oct. 19, as part of the Cabela’s IFA Redfish Tour Championship in Houma, Louisiana.

Registration for interested student anglers and their coach, who will be responsible for providing the boat they compete in, is online at highschoolfishing.org.

— IFA

U.S. archers find success at World Cup

Rookie Bridger Deaton of Pella, Iowa defeated the World No. 1-ranked archer to win the World Cup Final in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The 20-year-old compound archer began competing on the World Cup circuit in April.

Deaton also joined teammate Erika Jones of Grand Island, Nebraska in the mixed team gold medal match. The duo took a 158-151 win over host country Switzerland.

Olympic medalist recurve archer Brady Ellison of Payson, Arizona became the first recurve archer to win the World Cup Final three times, winning matches against three oppo-nents, including Olympic champion Oh Jin Hyek of Korea.

— USA Archery

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South Texas awarded ‘Legacy Landscape for Northern Bobwhite Conservation’

A tradition of good land stew-ardship and aggressive bobwhite management and research across roughly 20 million acres of native rangeland was recognized as South Texas became the nation’s fi rst “Legacy Landscape for Northern Bobwhite Conservation.”

The National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative announced the designation during the annual meeting of the nation’s bobwhite experts. Dr. Leonard Brennan with the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute in Kingsville accepted the award on behalf of the legion of “dedicated, responsible landowners, resource managers, researchers, and quail hunters.”

“The national bobwhite com-munity recognizes and encourages efforts to conserve vast areas of bobwhite habitat, whether through management practices or other decisions, that provide long-term viability of not only wild bobwhite populations but also many other associated species,” said NBCI Director Don McKenzie. “South Texas is a longstanding national model for such efforts and tradi-tion, and we commend the region and its people for this enviable status.”

Clayton Wolf, wildlife division director with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, attributed the recognition to the partnership of universities, conservation orga-nizations, hunters that purchase Upland Game Bird stamps and the department.

“TPWD, universities, conser-vation organizations and other agencies have a long history of working with private landown-ers and hunters in South Texas to address the conservation, research, and management needs of the northern bobwhite,” Wolf said. “Through these efforts, deci-sions on the best management approaches have resulted in bob-white populations that continue to thrive even in the face of near-record drought over the last several years.”

Primary criteria for the Legacy Landscape designation includes an extensive area of ecologically “contiguous” habitat that has for decades supported high densi-ties of wild northern bobwhites, a long-term tradition of purpose-fully implementing or maintaining land use practices that support bobwhite habitat conservation, and landowners, hunters and other stakeholders who have demon-strated strong support for quail hunting, management and/or quail research over multiple decades.

“What an honor and affi rma-tion by the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative,” said Fred Bryant, CKWRI executive director. “This recognition sets us apart as a bastion of wild quail habitat in a region we have coined as the ‘Last Great Habitat.’”

— NBCI

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Ginger Hoolan

Mike Nelson

Dave Irvine

Bruce Soileau

David J. Sams

Executive Editor

Managing Editor

Associate Editor

Graphics Editor

Business/Products Editor

Operations Manager

Accounting

National Advertising

Automotive Advertising

Website

Founder & CEO

ContributorsWilbur LundeenErich SchlegelDavid SikesScott Sommerlatte

Chuck UzzleRalph WininghamShannon Drawe

Get out and shoot doveBelow are season dates for the 2014-15 dove season:

Regular Season

North Zone: Sept. 1 - Oct. 20, 2014

Dec. 19, 2014 - Jan. 7, 2015

Central Zone: Sept. 1 - Oct. 20, 2014

Dec. 19, 2014 - Jan. 7, 2015

South Zone: Sept. 19 - Oct. 20, 2014

Dec. 19, 2014 - Jan. 25, 2015

Special White-winged Dove Area:

Sept. 19 - Oct. 20, 2014 Dec. 19, 2014 - Jan. 21,

2015

Special SeasonSpecial White-winged

Dove Area: Sept. 6 - 7, 2014

Sept. 13 - 14, 2014

Bag limits15 mourning, white-winged and white-tipped

dove in the aggregate, to include no more than two whitetips. Possession is three times the daily bag.

See TPWD’s website for complete regulations.

Ducks in good shapeA new report from the U.S. Committee of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative

shows encouraging population gains for some wetland-dependent bird species. At the same time, the report’s authors warn about the future implications of the continuing loss of ephemeral or temporary wetlands in the prairies of the United States and Canada. Some species such as northern pintail have experienced long-term declines.

The State of the Birds 2014 reports some wetland-dependent bird populations are at or near historic high levels, including mallards, gadwall, teal and shovelers.

“Many wetland bird species are doing very well,” said DU’s Chief Scientist Dr. Scott Yaich.

— DU

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Page 26 September 12, 2014 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com

was gone and it almost dried up,” he said.

Things rebounded in 2013. “This year the lake was fairly sta-

ble, and they wanted to try and keep the population there.”

TPWD stocked 1,690,650 wall-eye (792,450 in Wheeler Branch Reservoir, 407,000 in Lake Fryer and 491,200 in Palo Duro Reservoir) during the 2014 season in an effort to maintain a presence in some of the state’s cooler bodies of water.

Munger said there was a very good population of walleye in Lake Meredith several years ago, but a golden algae bloom killed all of the fi sh.

“It (the algae) directly kills the fi sh, and there’s not whole lot we can do about it at this point,” Munger said.

To the east, TPWD biologist John Tibbs said his area has a unique advantage in Wheeler Branch

Reservoir. The small fi shing lake, located just north of Glen Rose, was built in 2007 and is 90-feet deep at its lowest point. While a signifi cant portion of the population dies dur-ing the year, Tibbs said there are some that are surviving.

“We have a pretty high mortal-ity rate, so that’s why we have to stock them. But some do well,” he said. “Number one, of course, is the depth of the lake, but there’s a lot of cover and the water is clear.”

It’s an up-and-down process, and Tibbs said they do their best to maintain a successful fi shery.

“We saw a good response from our fi rst stocking (six years ago), but we’re constantly evaluating it — we’ve been evaluating it on a yearly basis,” he said.

The cost to stock the fi sh is extremely low for TPWD. They trade excess resources to Colorado for their fi ngerlings and the only overhead is the gas to transport them via a pickup truck.

Why so much effort for a non-native game fi sh?

“It’s something new I think,” Kevin Taylor said.

Taylor is the general manager of Wheeler Branch, and has been working there since it was built.

“It is a big draw,” he added. “My offi ce is right on the lake and every two or three days I’ll look out my window and see somebody target-ing walleye specifi cally.”

Targeting doesn’t necessarily mean catching, as Munger pointed out.

“Up here our anglers do pretty well with them,” he said. “But the people that are new to the area or from bass country generally don’t do that well. They’re usually using too big of gear.”

Taylor said anglers have a diffi cult time catching the fi sh at Wheeler Branch as well, but the population seems to be very healthy.

“They’re defi nitely diffi cult to catch on this lake, but there are a lot of them,” Taylor said. “It seems like anglers have a lot of trouble targeting them. Sometimes they’ll catch one on accident.”

He said the DFW Metroplex pro-duces a lot of anglers with an inter-est in the walleye, and not all fail at their venture.

Robert Hunter, via the Texas Fishing Forum, has been having success over the summer fi shing deep for the walleye at Wheeler Branch.

“The toothy critters are packed in there once you get them dialed in,” Hunter posted. “I probably have as many days out there as any-one after it opened.”

Tibbs said the fi shery is currently looking healthy, and the threadfi n shad — a food source for the wall-eye — are “doing extremely well, which bodes well for the fi sh.”

An extended effort from TPWD is all these reservoirs need to bring a new type of game fi sh to the angler’s table. If they can fi gure out how to get them there, it’s well worth the effort.

“If anyone hasn’t eaten a wall-eye, they’re defi nitely missing out,” Tibbs said.

WalleyeContinued from page 1

Tips from a walleye pro

For those anglers willing to try the Texas walleye challenge, noted walleye angler Bruce “Doc” Samson has the tips to get them in the cooler.

“I think it’s more about the bait fi sh than anything,” Samson said. “Especially in the sum-mer in Texas, the walleye prefer cooler water. But they’re going to go where the food is.”

Samson said in his home waters of Minnesota (where he was won multiple professional walleye trophies) he’s caught the fi sh in 80-degree water at 4 feet. That being said, the walleye can also be suspended as deep as 70 feet, chasing schools of shad.

“They don’t look very big on a 100-foot scale (on sonar read-ings),” he said. “But there are some big fi sh that will hold down there.”

As far as baits, Samson said there is no shortage of options. In Texas, he said live night-crawlers, leeches and minnows are great options fi shed deep. Artifi cially, he likes to troll with shallow- and deep-diving crank-baits — larger models for larger fi sh, he noted.

“You can also fi nd some struc-ture, sit on it and jig for them,” Samson said. “I only have about 100 ways to catch walleye.”

Spinning reels and light tackle will manage the light lures and bait well, and the heaviest line possible when fi shed near cover will get the job done, he said.

the shark landed within 15 min-utes, but it took much longer to secure the fi sh to the back of the boat.

“He was so big. We had fi ve of us on the boat and it took all of us doing everything we could to get him in with the pulley system,” he said. “It took another 15 minutes just to get him on the swim step.”

Once the shark was secure, it was a race back to the shore.

“There is a certifi ed weigh sta-tion in Los Angeles, so we had someone bring a boat trailer and we loaded him just like a boat. We threw a tarp over him because he was already attracting a crowd. It was pandemonium at the dock.”

Once at the scales, the big make went 809.5 pounds and stretched the tape to 11 feet from nose to tail, besting the old world record by about 300 pounds.

Thomason said 400 pounds of the meat was donated to a home-less shelter in Los Angeles.

MakoContinued from page 8

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LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News September 12, 2014 Page 27

age on them and the results have been a lot of big deer.”

The mast crop in East Texas is looking average, according to Calkins. He said there will be some acorns on the ground, but not a bumper crop that could affect deer hitting feeders late into the season.

In the eastern portion of the Edwards Plateau, biologist Kevin Schwausch said overall, the area is in decent shape in regards to range conditions.

“It is kind of dry, but we have gotten a little spotty rain here and there,” Schwausch said. “We had half an inch in August. It is green in spots, but overall it has fared pretty well. Every time we started to get really dry, we got a little rain to help out.”

Schwausch said the deer are in good shape and he would char-acterize antler quality around his home in Burnet as fair.

“Some areas the bucks will be better than others,” he said. “But I wouldn’t classify any of the region as poor. I bow hunt west of here and I am looking forward to a good season.”

Around Uvalde, deer numbers are high after a “weird” summer.

We’ve had a unique sum-mer,” said biologist David Rios. “We had more rain in April and August, so it is somewhat lush in places. All of the reports on ant-lers are good.”

Rios said the area could use a good cold front to put deer on their feet during bow season, and if that happens, it should be very good for hunters.

“It’s been unique this year, but most properties should have good deer and lots of them,” he said. “In fact, most of the ranches have too many deer.”

Some of the better public land opportunities can be found in the Pineywoods this season.

“I’d say Alazan Bayou (in Nacogdoches County) is a great place,” Calkins said. “There

are a lot of big bucks in there. If you aren’t drawn for a hunt, Bannister (WMA) is another good option.”

In South Texas, hunters are hopeful a banner year is right around the corner.

“It is looking to be one of the best deer years in at least four or five years,” said biologist Ashton Hutchins, owner of Frio Palms Wildlife Consulting. “We had timely rains through the spring until about late June or early July. It produced great forage for those animals.”

The only negative Hutchins sees for South Texas hunters is with the abundance of natural forage still out there, pattern-ing bucks to corn feeders will be tougher during bow season.

“It’s going to be tough to get those big bucks to feeders early in the season,” he said. “There are still lots that is green for them to eat out there. Having said that, I expect some really big deer to come out of the woodwork this fall.”

Bow seasonContinued from page 4

JUMPING INTO ACTION: Hunters are hoping for cooler conditions in October to get early-season bucks moving. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News.

Anthrax confi rmed in Edwards County deer

Anthrax has been confi rmed in a whitetail deer in southeastern Edwards County. This is the second confi rmed case of anthrax in Texas this year; the fi rst in a deer.

The Texas Animal Health Commission rules require proper disposal of affected carcasses and vaccination of livestock on the premises prior to release of the quarantine.

Anthrax is a bacterial disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, which is a naturally occurring organism with worldwide distri-bution, including certain parts of Texas. It is not uncommon for anthrax to be diagnosed in livestock or wildlife in the south-western part of the state. A vaccine is available for use in susceptible livestock in high risk areas.

Acute fever followed by rapid death with bleeding from body openings are common signs of anthrax in livestock. Carcasses may also appear bloated and decom-pose quickly. Livestock displaying symptoms consistent with anthrax should be reported to a private veterinary practitioner or a TAHC offi cial. If affected livestock or car-casses must be handled, producers are encouraged to follow basic san-itation precautions such as wearing protective gloves, long sleeve shirts and washing thoroughly afterward to prevent accidental spread of the bacteria to people.

“The TAHC will continue to closely monitor the situation for possible new cases across the state. Producers are encouraged to consult their veterinary practi-tioner or local TAHC offi ce if they have questions about the disease,” said Dr. T.R. Lansford, TAHC assis-tant executive director for Animal Health Programs.

— TDA

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LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News September 12, 2014 Page 29

Anglers are getting some equal representa-tion on the Gulf Coast lately, in large part due to Edward Eidson’s expertise and hard work.

His work culminated in the “Sportfisher Map & Guide of the Upper Texas Gulf Coast.” Part map, part pamphlet, part book and all useful, these reference is key for any angler that isn’t blessed with a boat.

Eidson took a moment to describe his efforts behind the book, and fill Lone Star Outdoor News in on what his plans are for the future.

“I was inspired one morning while reading the fishing report in the Houston Chronicle. All of the report, as always, was geared towards where to go fishing if you had a boat,” Eidson said.

He took the initiative to make a guide rep-resentative of the “85 to 92 percent of all anglers who don’t own a boat.”

“I already knew the coastline,” Eidson said. His original version of “Sportfisher” was orig-inally published in 1986. “I’m 62 now, and I’ve been fishing the coast since I was around 7 years old.”

When it was time for an update to his origi-

nal work, Eidson picked up his material and hit the road. He spent four months taking in-depth notes and observations across the upper coast.

“I just took my pen and notepad and started taking notes. I wrote down all of the phone num-bers and websites I could find too,” he said.

The diligence is noted. His work contains not only detailed maps of where to access different points along the coast on foot, but also has spe-cies information, what bait to use and how the seasons affect the bite.

A color map of the Galveston Bay systems, including Trinity, East and West bays is the cen-terpiece. There are different icons highlighting the best locations for wade fishing, and each location has a description on the neighboring pages.

The guide is printed on heavy-duty paper, which will resist some light spray while fishing a newly found location on the coast.

Several members of the LSON crew have used this book in the past few months and found the information to be credible and helpful when looking for places to shore fish along the coast.

— Staff report

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puncture (if they tell

orboard and one in the

ound

ings can be anglers’ catches, dead fish found, or tarpon jump-ing or turning in the water. After the information is gathered, it can be uploaded to the TPWD website, where the location, size, weight and type of observa-tion is noted.

Morris said before the network was enabled, the observations were few and far between — fewer than 300 tarpon were col-lected in a 30-year period — the network has recorded nearly 500 tarpon since 2008. Reports have been fewer since 2012.

“Over the last couple of years it has been a little bit slower,” Morris said. “Last year it may have been a sign of not having many tarpon. But the program is still up and people need to par-ticipate.”

Capt. Jamie Pinter, out of Port O’Connor, said he has been tar-geting the acrobatic game fish for more than 20 years.

“I think over the past few years we have had a bit more than normal,” he said, noting that this year has been a bit tougher than usual. “Our weather has changed, I don’t think the fish have gone anywhere, but we just don’t have as many good days to fish them.”

When it rains it pours, Pinter said. A month-long weather window — calm bay conditions are key for spotting the tarpon — in August gave him the oppor-tunity to bring in some monster fish.

“The weather got nice and calm for about a month, and we caught several (trophy) fish,” Pinter said. “We spot about 95 percent of the tarpon before we catch them.”

The fish he brought in were on Coon Pop lures, a large jig-head with a circle hook and a curl-tail soft plastic. The season is not over, however. Pinter said the largest tarpon tend to come at the end of the summer and early fall, before the waters begin to cool off.

It’s the movement of the fish that was the catalyst for the Tarpon Observation Network, Morris explained. He said the focus is to find how and where the juvenile tarpon use the waters of the gulf to their advan-tage.

“What we really hope to learn is when the juvenile tarpon are in the back of the estuaries,” he said. “We’ve found them all over the place. We found two juve-niles in the back of the Aransas estuary system.

“So maybe it’s not that there aren’t as many tarpon, but maybe it’s that we aren’t sam-pling where they are.”

Texas was once known as one of the more prominent areas to target trophy tarpon; It’s a repu-tation that faded with the pop-ulation, Morris said. Although, over the past few decades, anglers have been well aware that the fish are in the Texas Gulf Coast — big ones at that. Morris said the network has been a use-ful tool for the TPWD research-ers, and proof that the popula-tions are here to stay.

“We have noticed a slight increase in the relative abun-dance over the past few years,” Morris said. “I don’t know if it will get back to the glory days, but we sure hope so.”

TarponContinued from page 1

Coastal resource designed for anglers without boats

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Page 30 September 12, 2014 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com

PRODUCTSHIGH PLAINS BRUSH PANTS: Próis’ cloth-ing for women is all about fi t, fi nish and

functionality. These upland game hunting pants, designed for any wing-shooting en-deavor, are high performance pants that

provide the ultimate protection when moving through upland cover. Construct-ed of a cotton/polyester base fabric, the lightweight and breathable pants have

heavy-duty Cordura overlay facings that protect the legs. Features that

enhance the pants’ comfort include a waistband that rests at the natural waistline and has elastic bands and ladder-lock adjustable straps for a

custom fi t as well as articulated knees that provide added range of

motion so hunters can sit, stand or squat with ease. For storage, the pants have zippered angled

front pockets and pillow-top rear pockets to protect pocketable pos-

sessions. The machine-washable pants are available in khaki and

olive in sizes XS through XL. The MSRP is $179.99.

(970) 641-3355 >>

Próis’ cloth-ing for women is all about fi t, fi nish and

functionality. These upland game hunting pants, designed for any wing-shooting en-deavor, are high performance pants that

provide the ultimate protection when moving through upland cover. Construct-ed of a cotton/polyester base fabric, the lightweight and breathable pants have

heavy-duty Cordura overlay facings that protect the legs. Features that

enhance the pants’ comfort include a waistband that rests at the natural waistline and has elastic bands and ladder-lock adjustable straps for a

custom fi t as well as articulated knees that provide added range of

motion so hunters can sit, stand or squat with ease. For storage, the pants have zippered angled

front pockets and pillow-top rear pockets to protect pocketable pos-

sessions. The machine-washable pants are available in khaki and

olive in sizes XS through XL. The MSRP is $179.99.

>>

Próis’ cloth-ing for women is all about fi t, fi nish and

functionality. These upland game hunting pants, designed for any wing-shooting en-deavor, are high performance pants that

provide the ultimate protection when moving through upland cover. Construct-ed of a cotton/polyester base fabric, the lightweight and breathable pants have

heavy-duty Cordura overlay facings that protect the legs. Features that

enhance the pants’ comfort include a waistband that rests at the natural waistline and has elastic bands and

Próis’ cloth-ing for women is all about fi t, fi nish and

functionality. These upland game hunting pants, designed for any wing-shooting en-deavor, are high performance pants that

provide the ultimate protection when moving through upland cover. Construct-ed of a cotton/polyester base fabric, the lightweight and breathable pants have

heavy-duty Cordura overlay facings that protect the legs. Features that

enhance the pants’ comfort include a waistband that rests at the natural

BBZ-1RAT: Spro has built a better fi sh trap with its mouse — well, rat — lure. This is a tool for anglers who employ the “walk the dog” technique and/or “surface

waking” action for catching bigger species such as bass, stripers, muskies, pike, lake trout, redfi sh, snook and monster browns. Built in the shape of a life-like rat, this perfectly sized top water lure will do swimmingly in both fresh and salt water. The 2014 winner of ICAST’s hard lure category, the 10-inch (including its 4 3/4-inch articulating tail) BBZ-1 Rat is equipped with sticky shape Ganaktsu hooks.

The lure, which will cost about $32, will be available in fi ve colors toward the end of the year.

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500 SUPER BANTAM WATERFOWL GUN: Mossberg has intro-duced its new Duck Commander line, which includes the 500 Su-

per Bantam youth model. This smaller scale fi rearm is ideal for the younger hunter or small-statured adult. The 500 Super Bantam Waterfowl has the same

features as the full-size version but is designed to fi t those with a shorter length-of-pull. (It has a 12-inch length-of-pull and includes an insert that can be added, which

extends the length-of-pull by an extra inch.) Other key features that enhance fi t and ease-of-handling include a shorter 22-inch barrel; an “EZ reach” forearm; a short-

ened pistol grip; and a shot-limiting plug to start young shooters off with a single-shot. Available in Realtree Max-5 camo, the fi rearm’s MSRP is $556.

(800) 363-3555MOSSBERG.COM >>

VITAL-SHOK TROPHY BONDED 10MM AUTO LOAD: Feder-al Premium describes its newest ammo as a full-power

load that restores the capabilities of the cartridge. With a muzzle velocity of 1,275 fps, the 180-grain jacketed soft point (JSP) shoots fl at and packs enough punch to

gives hunters the power to take down deer, bears or hogs with a semi-automatic pistol. The JSP bullet provides op-timal terminal performance because it uses some of the

proven elements of company’s Trophy Bonded Bear Claw rifl e bullet. The heavy jacket features a formed inner pro-fi le that controls expansion to ensure deep penetration. A nickel-plated case allows easy and dependable extraction

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AMERICAN HERO BAITCAST COMBO: Lew’s newest com-bo pays tribute to the U.S. veteran.

The American Hero combo pairs a fi ve-

ball bearing bait-cast reel with an

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one-piece premium IM6 graphite blank.

The 7.2-ounce reel’s brass main gear

and crankshaft are high strength sol-id brass while its bearings are dou-

ble-shielded stain-less steel. Its features include a drag system that delivers up to 10 pounds

of drag power; an aluminum bowed handle fi tted with custom paddle

handle knobs for a comfortable grip; an anti-reverse system that eliminates the back roll of the spool and handle; and an externally adjustable magnet-

ic control system that helps control casts. The rod features a graphite reel

seat with a stainless steel hood that affords a secure foundation for the

reel and sensitivity for the angler. And, the rod’s EVA split grip handle reduc-es weight for all-day fi shing comfort.

The combo costs about $90.

(877) 470-5397 >>

Page 31: September 12, 2014 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News September 12, 2014 Page 31

DATEBOOK

Page 32: September 12, 2014 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

Page 32 September 12, 2014 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com

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

LONE STAR MARKET

Page 33: September 12, 2014 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News September 12, 2014 Page 33

Nikon will send your 10x42 ProStaff 7

binoculars. You can check out

the entire line at the nearest dealer:

See a full selection of Nikon products at:

McBride’s Guns Inc.2915 San GabrielAustin, TX 78705

(512) 472-3532mcbridesguns.com Austin hunter Ryan Ellis, 13, recently took part in the Joshua Creek Ranch

Youth Outdoor Adventure Program and harvested this merino ram at the

completion of the program.

Page 34: September 12, 2014 - Lone Star Outdoor News - Fishing & Hunting

Page 34 September 12, 2014 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com

DATEBOOKSEPTEMBER 13

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SEPTEMBER 21Texas Indoor Archery League Texas Archery Academy, PlanoIndoor Range(214) 960-4088texasarchery.info

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Delta WaterfowlKaty Prairie DinnerMidway Barbeque(281) 254-5429deltawaterfowl.org/events

OCTOBER 2 Ducks UnlimitedGregg County Dinner Maude Cobb Convention Center, Longview(903) 748-5488ducks.org/texas

OCTOBER 3 Coastal Conservation Association CCA Texas State BBQ and STAR Tournament Awards Bayou City Event Center(713) 626-4222ccatexas.org

OCTOBER 4

Texas State Rifl e Association Foundation2014 Breaking ClaysElm Fork Shotgun Sports tsrafoundation.com

Delta WaterfowlEast Texas Dinner Kellyville Community Center, Jefferson(903) 930-8054deltawaterfowl.org/events

Ducks UnlimitedUvalde DinnerWillie DeLeon Civic Center(210) 844–9306ducks.org/texas

OCTOBER 7Delta WaterfowlCollin County DinnerWilson Barn, Prosper(214) 906-8714deltawaterfowl.org/events

OCTOBER 8Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation Wild Game Supper and Fundraiser Baretta Gallery, Dallas(214) 361-2276

OCTOBER 9Dallas Safari ClubDSC 100 Meeting(972) 980-9800biggame.org

Delta Waterfowl South Texas Dinner Aggie Park, San Antonio(210) 305-1293 deltawaterfowl.org/events

Ducks UnlimitedFort Worth DinnerStockyard Station(817) 291-6696ducks.org/texas

OCTOBER 16Dallas Safari ClubMonthly MeetingRoyal Oaks Country Club(972) 980-9800biggame.org

OCTOBER 17Delta WaterfowlBrazos River Dinner Johnson County Sheriff’s Posse Grounds, Cleburne(817) 307-4468deltawaterfowl.org/events

OCTOBER 18-19Berkley Big Bass TournamentLake Fork Marina(817) 439-3274basschamps.com

OCTOBER 23Dallas Safari ClubHill Country Regional Meeting(972) 980-9800biggame.org

OCTOBER 9

SEPTEMBER 21

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