Quail favor West Texas hunters

ADVENTURE
A New Season
See Page 12
November 25, 2005
Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper
Volume 2, Issue 7
w w w. l o n e s t a r o u t d o o r n e w s . c o m
Quail favor West Texas hunters
INSIDE
FISHING
’Tis the season for catfishing!
Late fall is prime time to hit
area lakes and rivers for some
great fishing as the weather
turns cooler.
See Page 8
TAKING FLIGHT: Quail hunters in the Trans-Pecos area were busy as the new season opened.
HUNTING
The state's antler-restriction
program for deer is expanding.
Experts say that's a good thing
for both hunters and deer —
resulting in better-quality deer
and happier hunters.
See Page 6
The battle of two big-horned
deer was the talk of Giddings. It
was also evidence of the impact
of the burgeoning antlerrestriction program in Texas.
See Page 7
By Mark England
The quail in the Trans-Pecos were
so abundant that hunter/guide Paul
Hudspeth got a little aggravated.
That’s because his buddies insisted
on spending some of their time
hunting for arrowheads.
“Wow, it was up there in my top
five hunts,” said Hudspeth, who
lives in Mico, northwest of San
Antonio.
“Every turn in the road there
were birds. It was just unbelievable.
And that was just on the main
roads. There’s no telling what was
out in the pastures.”
Double victory for
Franklin/Friermood
in Redfish Cup
NATIONAL
CONSERVATION
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service is seeking public input
on its goals for the Hagerman
National Wildlife Refuge on the
southern shores of Lake Texoma.
See Page 5
Migratory Bird Report
Page 7
Adventure
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Product Picks
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Outdoor Heroes
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Crossword Puzzle
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Wild in the Kitchen
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Weather
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Bordering States
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Fishing Report
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Outdoor Datebook
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be even better. The Rolling Plains
received a lot of rain all year. It had
enough spring and summer rain to
give the birds ample opportunity to
nest. Quail typically need successive years to build up their population.”
Rain was also up in the TransSee QUAIL on Page 11
OH BOY!
The pollution of the nation's
rivers and lakes is producing socalled intersex fish — males
that develop female sexual
organs. The finding, and its
implications, could have farranging consequences.
See Page 4
DEPARTMENTS
Robert Perez, quail biologist for
Texas Parks and Wildlife, said the
quail hunting season got off to a hot
start in the Trans-Pecos (far West
Texas). And it may be even better in
the Rolling Plains, which runs from
the edge of the Hill Country to the
Panhandle.“It was pretty good last
year,” Perez said. “This year should
BIG WIN: Blaien Friermood and Jim Franklin celebrate their
victory in the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup Championship
in South Padre Island. Photo by David J. Sams.
Jim Franklin and Blaien Friermood came
to the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup
Championship in South Padre Island with
one thing on their minds — to win the Oh
Boy! Oberto Team of the Year race.
The Texas team did that and more.
They won the championship with two
fish totalling12.83 pounds and in the
process took home $65,000 in cash.
Trailing them in second place were Jon
Loring and James Trimble with 11.62
pounds. Chuck and C.J. Howard finished
third with 9.09 pounds. Dennis Martin
and Ken Chambers were fourth with 8.68
pounds, and Mike Sydow and John Weaver
See REDFISH on Page 10
The early results from this season’s big buck contests are no surprise. The highest scoring whitetails are coming from the South
Texas Brush County. Drought or
not, Zavala, Maverick and La Salle
counties produce the largest number of big bucks year after year.
The leader so far in Pearsall’s Los
Cazadores Deer Contest is Larry
Wilkey of Baytown who bagged a
By Robert Cadwallader
Headlines that teemed with tales of shark
attacks in the summer of 2001 gave Eric Stroud
an idea for a business.
“There was a lot of media coverage, and we
wondered why no one was talking about a
repellent,” Stroud said.
That year he and his wife, Jean, founded the
Oak Ridge Shark Lab in New Jersey. They and
partner Michael Herrmann picked up where
many had given up on the quest for one of the
Holy Grails of marine biology — an effective
shark repellent.
The company, Shark Defense, is testing a variety of promising repellents and applications,
See Shark, Page 10
Big bucks reign down south
By Wes Smalling
Shark repellent
isn’t fish tale
triple-beam buck in Zavala
County on a low-fence ranch hunt
that scored 238 Boone and
Crockett points.
“Most of our big deer are coming out of Zavala County,” said Los
Cazadores general manager and
scorer Jack Becker. “They’re starting to really roll in, and now that
we’ve got a cold front here,
they’re going to start rocking and
rolling through here hard.”
Hot weather made the early
See DEER, Page 11
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Page 4 November 25, 2005
NATIONAL
Getting women outdoors
Companies on the hunt to expand their markets
New research has found that the
one-size-fits-all approach to marketing discourages most women’s interest in outdoor activities.
Often, men are deciding how to
sell products and services to the
opposite sex without doing their
homework, said researcher Mark
Duda, executive director of
Responsive Management, whose
company specializes in research
related to wildlife and outdoor recreation.
The National Wild Turkey
Federation, with a grant from the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, commissioned Responsive Management
to discover what women liked about
the outdoors and what motivated
them to participate in activities like
hunting and fishing. The study also
asked about the Women in the
Outdoors program.
Females who attend the NWTF’s
Women in the Outdoors events are
more likely to pursue outside activities and purchase equipment related
to those interests, sometimes spending $1,000 or more, according to the
study.
The program is successful, Duda
said, because various skills — from
how to read a map and compass to
cooking camp biscuits in a Dutch
oven — are taught by experts. The
events also are noncompetitive.
Females in all 50 states were surveyed about their involvement in the
outdoors and their attitudes toward
wildlife. The research revealed everything from, “I don’t consider myself
a hunter or an angler. I enjoy both
because it allows me to be with my
children,” to “I am often intimidated
to try new things because my husband doesn’t have the patience to
teach me.”
Being with family and close
friends were cited by women as motivations to spend time outdoors.
Enjoying the outdoor activity is
important, but it is not the main reason to take part.
The survey also shows that women
like participating in outdoor activities. Forty percent said their favorite
interests included planting for
wildlife, hiking, backpacking, boating, birdwatching, camping and outdoor photography. All of those interests support the theory that the
experience — not the end result — is
the reason women pursue these
activities.
A man’s motivation is often quite
different.
While boating might be equally
enjoyable for men and women,
females are often drawn to aesthetics. Men are drawn to mechanics.
For
women,
says
Duda,
“Satisfaction from boating, as in
other types of outdoor recreation,
tends to be about escapism, rest,
relaxation and social issues (revolving) around friends and family.”
The same can be said for more traditional activities such as hunting.
Research shows that women with
family and friends who hunt are
drawn to hunting. Furthermore, 77
percent of women in the general
public approve of legal hunting.
Seventy-three percent said hunters
are respectful of animals, and 95 percent said it is OK for females to hunt.
Women said too many hours
spent at work, both in and out of the
home, limited “me time” that might
otherwise be spent outdoors, particularly hunting and fishing. So if the
industry has any hope of retaining
female participants, Duda says it
must find a way to involve families,
especially daughters.
“Reaching these women may take
great effort, but it will be well worth
it,” he said, especially since 1 out of 5
women said they were interested in
hunting.
One of the more obvious solutions
is to make women more aware of out-
door programs created for them.
Four out of 5 women surveyed
were unaware of programs that teach
them skills such as archery, primitive
cooking, kayaking, hiking, camping
and plant identification. Of the
women who are familiar with such
programs, only 5 percent have participated in one.
Even if a fraction of this untapped
market were reached, the results
would be extraordinary, Duda said.
There is proof that at least one
national effort for women is working.
According to the study, Women in
the Outdoors’ participants have
increased their involvement by more
than 40 percent in fishing, hiking,
backpacking, camping, wildlife habitat, hunting, shooting, birdwatching
and outdoor photography.
“It’s almost certain that once people spend some time in the outdoors,
they begin to care about their natural
resources and will likely become dedicated conservationists,” said Rob
Keck, CEO of the NWTF.
After participating in a Women in
the Outdoors event, many women
made significant purchases of hunting, fishing and camping equipment
— primarily shotguns, bows, rifles,
camp stoves and fishing rods.
Current members spent an average
of $500 on these items. Former
members spent $300.
As a result, companies that have
always appreciated the buying power
of men should market more aggressively to women, Duda said, especially since 48 percent of the working
wives in the United States account
for at least half of the household
income. Women also control 80 percent of household purchases,
according to the Census Bureau.
Trend watchers say the escalating
economic power of women is emerging as one of the biggest business stories of this decade.
Women account for 38 percent of
small-business owners, according to
the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A separate study found that 37 percent of
women live in households with
incomes of $50,000 to $100,000, and
12 percent live in households with
more than $100,000 in annual
income.
“The one-size-fits-all approach
may apply to caps and ponchos, but
it does not apply to women,” Duda
said. “Our research clearly shows
that this market cannot be ignored.”
— A National Wild Turkey Federation
report
Male fish get in touch with their femine side
The discovery of intersex fish —
male fish with both ovarian and testicular tissue — off the coast of
Southern California is sparking
extensive media coverage. However,
the phenomenon isn’t an isolated
case. It’s been observed elsewhere in
the United States as well as globally.
In Colorado, researchers at the
University of Colorado found high
numbers of intersex fish — 3 out of
10 — on stretches of Boulder Creek
and the South Platte River that were
below waste treatment plants.
United States Geological Survey
scientists reported finding large
numbers of intersex fish among
adult smallmouth bass on the upper
Potomac River in Maryland.
And scientists in Great Britain
reported that surveys there turned
up 100-percent intersex fish among
the males in some rivers. “Our fish
get feminized basically,” said John
Sumpter, an ecotoxicologist at
Brunel University.
Scientific survey finds intersex marine fish
Scientists can’t state categorically
what’s altering the fish. They do
know that their hormone levels are
being disrupted.
A vast range of chemicals and substances can mimic natural hormones, according to a report from
the Interstate Commission on the
Potomac River Basin. These range
from pesticides and food additives
to hormonal medications taken by
humans (pills for birth control and
male enhancement) that pass
through the body. Most sewage
treatment processes don’t remove
such substances.
Animal operations, cattle ranches
and chicken farms also contribute
to the chemical stew in which
altered fish are typically found. For
example, nationally up to 90 percent of beef cattle are implanted
with hormones to promote growth,
according to the ICPRB report. It
states that between 8 and 65 percent
of the implanted hormones pass
through the animals.
The California discovery of intersex fish — found in samples of
English sole and hornyhead turbot
— was among the first findings of
the condition in a marine environment. A USGS scientist reported it in
a speech this month before the
Society
of
Environmental
Toxicology and Chemistry.
Nearly a billion gallons of treated
sewage are released into the Pacific
Ocean every day through three
underwater
pipelines
off
Huntington Beach, Playa del Rey
and Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Although the wastewater is filtered, it still contains contaminants
that settle onto the ocean floor.
Two related studies found that
two-thirds of male fish near the
Orange County pipeline had eggproducing qualities. In a laboratory
experiment, male fish exposed to
sediment collected from the
pipelines also developed egg-producing traits.
At this point, scientists have more
questions than answers, states the
ICPRB report. For example, it’s not
known if intersex fish can spawn, if
their sperm retain their motility and
vitality, how the process affects
mortality, how many species of fish
may be affected and in what numbers.
Scientists believe the contamination may also affect fish behavior —
such as courtship rituals, nestguarding habits as well as making
them sexually active during the
wrong season — which could have
far-reaching consequences on
fisheries.
The problem is most likely widespread.
A 2002 USGS survey measured
139 streams throughout America for
95 compounds ranging from hormones to acetaminophen to caffeine. Most of the waterways were
downstream of cities or intensive
agricultural operations. Low levels
of pharmaceuticals and personal
care products were found in 80 percent of the streams sampled.
So far, concern about finding sexually altered fish hasn’t filtered
down to politicians. Congress, for
the second straight year, cut the
budget for the Clean Water State
Revolving Fund, which helps states
fund improvements in wastewater
treatment
plants.
Although
Congress halved the cut suggested
by the Bush administration, the
fund will still lose $180 million.
— Compiled from media reports
Letter to the Editor
EDITORIAL OFFICES:
9304 Forest Lane, Suite 114 South, Dallas, TX 75243
Phone: (214) 361-2276
Fax: (214) 368-0344
Editor: DARLENE MCC ORMICK SANCHEZ
Layout Artist: DUDLEY GREEN
Associate Editor: MARK ENGLAND
Associate Editor: DAVID RENFROW
Subscription Services: DEBORAH C OMER
Founder & CEO:
Last year you were kind enough
to publish a photo of my oldest
son’s first buck. He was extremely
excited to see his photo in print.
That framed page from your paper
now hangs above his bed, next to
the rack from his deer.
His younger brother was lucky
enough to have bagged his first
buck opening day. I have attached
a photo of this event, in the hopes
you may be able to publish it. My
son’s name is Cody Pfeiffer. He
killed his 8-point buck at the
Pfeiffer Ranch, in Bexar County,
just north of San Antonio. He
killed his buck at 6:58 on opening
morning. It weighed 108 pounds.
This was a special moment for us,
I don’t think he even knows what
buck fever is, but I was shaking
and wasn’t even shooting.
My sons and I enjoy your publication and look forward to each
issue.
Thanks!
DAVID J. SAMS
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES:
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Lone Star Outdoor News, a publication of Lone Star Outdoor News, LLC, publishes twice a month.
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any photographic or written material without written permission by the publisher is prohibited.
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Letters may be edited for length and clarity.
Send letters to: [email protected], or mail
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CRAIG PFEIFFER
SAN ANTONIO
Correction
On Page 11 of the
Oct. 28 issue, a quote
in the last paragraph
of the story on
inshore gray snapper
was incorrectly attributed.
The
story
should have attributed the quote to
Brian Riley.
November 25, 2005 Page 5
CONSERVATION
Hagerman wildlife
refuge plans for future
Federal officials look to public for guidance
Hagerman National Wildlife
Refuge, on the southern shores of
Lake Texoma, is planning for its
future and is seeking community
input into the goals that will guide
the refuge for the next 15 years.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
drafted a Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the refuge (CCP) and is
seeking public input.
The CCP formalizes management
goals, long-range objectives, and
strategies for achieving refuge purposes. The refuge was established for
birds migrating through the central
part of the United States, and its
11,320 acres of croplands, uplands
and marshes provide important
habitat for more than 316 species of
birds and other wildlife.
The CCP was prepared over several years with help from local, state
and federal agencies, as well as
many concerned private citizens.
Written comments and suggestions
on the draft CCP will be accepted
through Nov.28.
“The plan gives people a clear
understanding of the desired conditions for the refuge and how the
Service will implement management strategies,” said Geoff
Haskett, acting director of the service’s Southwest Region. “There are
many elements considered in the
planning process, including habitat
and wildlife management, habitat
protection and acquisition, public
and recreational uses and cultural
resources. Public input helps us to
put the proper emphasis on the elements.”
Specific objectives for realizing
the CCP management goals
include the following: continuing
to monitor population status of resident and migratory birds and other
wildlife; expansion of the refuge
biological program; maintaining
native grasslands and reestablishing disturbed refuge lands; continuing to produce forage crops for
migratory birds; improving the efficiency of water management to
maintain refuge wetlands and sustain agricultural practices; enhancing recreational activities and
increasing educational programs;
increasing outreach to develop a
broader base of public support and
community involvement; and
strengthening partnerships with
other government and private
groups. The goals and objectives of
the CCP will be revisited and updated every 15 years, or more often if
conditions warrant.
Copies of the CCP may be
obtained by contacting: Yvette
Truitt-Ortiz, natural resource planner, Division of Planning, National
Wildlife Refuge System, Southwest
REACHING
Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service,
P.O.
Box
1306,
Albuquerque, N.M. 87103-1306; by
calling (505) 248-6452 or faxing
(505) 248-6874.
The National Wildlife Refuge
System, which began in 1903,
encompasses lands nationwide that
are protected and managed by the
Service specifically for wildlife.
Refuges promote wildlife diversity
and protect wildlife habitat and
natural systems, like wetland habitats, that serve us by holding flood
waters, filtering pollutants and
cleaning our water. More than 35
million Americans visit national
wildlife refuges each year.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
is the principal federal agency
responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife
and plants and their habitats for the
continuing benefit of the American
people. The Service manages the
95-million-acre National Wildlife
Refuge System, which encompasses
544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other
special management areas. It also
operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices
and 81 ecological services field stations.
OUT
is impounded in a 355-acre reservoir.
The north end of the lake offers
attractive habitat to waterfowl and
should provide great hunting opportunities for those youth given the
chance to hunt there.
TXDU Regional Director Yazoo
Thomas praised the dedication of the
chapters involved in building the
blinds.
“What a great show of a true passion for the resource and a dedication
to the future of waterfowl hunting,”
he said. “Ducks Unlimited committees can do more than just raise the
GMC Yukon SLT
— U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report
TXDU chapters help build
duck blinds for youth
Volunteers from the Athens and
Cedar Creek Chapters of Ducks
Unlimited volunteered their time to
help Texas Parks and Wildlife build
four blinds at the Purvis Creek State
Park. The blinds will be used for
“youth only” hunts in December and
January.
The hunts will mark the first time
that waterfowl hunting has been
allowed at the state park.
The 1,500-acre Purtis Creek State
Park is located in Eustace in
Henderson County. Purtis Creek
runs southwest through the park and
IT TAKES ON
KIDS.
IT TAKES ON
CARGO.
IT EVEN TAKES
ON THE
COMPETITION.
funds that ensure our conservation
work, they also act as stewards of the
sport and offer a place where hunters
can be around people just like themselves. I think it’s just great what
these two committees did, and I
know there will be young Texas duck
hunters who will benefit directly
from their work.”
For information on how to apply
for the youth hunts, please call Justin
Rhodes, Purvis Creek park manager
at 903-425-2332 or e-mail him at
[email protected]. tx.us.
— A Texas Ducks Unlimited report
THE
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Page 6 November 25, 2005
HUNTING
Building a better herd
Antler-restriction program targets
maximum breeding efficiency
By Bill Miller
Colorado County Rancher
Jimmy Kleimann remembers
that not very long ago, it was
hard to find a large buck on his
family’s
property
near
Columbus.
But in 2002, landowners in six
counties of the Post Oak
Savannah area northwest of
Houston, including Colorado
County, agreed to participate in a
special antler-restriction program.
Its goal is to make young bucks
off-limits to hunters and thereby
allow them to mature to an age
of maximum breeding efficiency.
Another 15 counties were
added to the program this year.
State wildlife officials announced
Nov. 7 that they’d like to expand
it next season into 40 counties in
East and Central Texas. Public
hearings on the proposal will
soon be scheduled in those
counties, and state officials
expect to make a decision in
April.
Kleimann said he wouldn’t
mind if the program was adopted
statewide, adding that the results
on his property have been “phenomenal.”
“My son was out hunting yesterday and he had seven bucks in
front of him at one time, and
four of them were legal,”
Kleimann said. “Never, ever have
we had that quality of deer in
this county.”
Royce Jurries, the state biologist in Colorado County, also
remembers the lean years in the
deer pastures. He said there was
“way too much hunting pressure’’ on the young bucks in the
six counties that included
Austin,
Colorado,
Fayette,
Lavaca, Lee and Washington.
“Prior to the regulations, the
bucks age 4-and-a-half and older
were only about 4 percent of the
harvest,” Jurries said. “Last year
that was up to about 35 percent,
and the quality of bucks being
killed is also way up.”
Ryan Schoeneberg, the biologist in DeWitt County, one of the
15 added this year, explained
why mature bucks are the most
efficient breeders.
“These young bucks get out
there all willy-nilly chasing
does,” Schoeneberg said, “and
even if they do their business
with several of them, it might
not take.
“The more mature ones will
settle down with a doe and breed
with her for several days, breeding her multiple times a day. So
we protect the young bucks, let
them get older.”
Under the regulation, legal
bucks include spikes, or the
abnormal “cull bucks” that
might have a fork on one side but
only a spike on the other. Bucks
with inside spreads bigger than
13 inches are also legal, which
may seem contradictory, considering these are probably mature
breeders.
Schoenberg reminded, however, that the goal is to ensure more
and more of the young bucks
reach maximum breeding efficiency. When that happens, biologists say, the herd grows. At the
same time hunters will get ample
chances to tag big bucks that
have also done their part to
ensure the herd’s growth. They
just have to wait a year or two to
get that opportunity.
Hunters say they’re eager to see
improvements in the herds, but
some are apprehensive about the
new challenge of judging a
buck’s age by the size of his rack.
Biologists and game wardens
Ears in alert position are approximately
13 inches apart and may be used
to judge the inside spread.
LEGAL
At least one
unbranched antler
LEGAL
At least one
unbranched antler
Original counties that adopted the antler-restriction program in 2002:
Austin, Colorado, Fayette, Lavaca, Lee and
Washington.
Counties that adopted the program this year:
Bastrop, Brazoria, Caldwell, DeWitt, Fort Bend,
Goliad, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Jackson, Karnes,
Matagorda, Waller, Wharton, Wilson and Victoria.
Counties proposed to join the program in 2006:
Bell, Bosque, Bowie, Burleson, Camp, Cass,
say that if a buck’s antlers extend
past his ears, that’s a good indication that he has an inside
antler spread of at least 13 inches, which also indicates that he’s
probably at least 3 years old. If
he’s younger than that, he’s protected under the regulations.
“I’m thinking about moving
my feeder closer to the blind so I
can see what I’m shooting at,”
joked Tommy Najvar of Corpus
Christi, who hunts in DeWitt
County.
LEGAL
Inside spread of 13
inches or greater
ILLEGAL
This buck meets
none of the criteria
Cherokee, Comal (east of Interstate 35),
Comanche, Coryell, Delta, Eastland, Erath,
Fannin, Franklin, Gregg, Hamilton, Harrison,
Hays (east of Interstate 35), Hopkins, Houston,
Lamar, Lampasas, Leon, Marion, Morris,
Nacogdoches, Panola, Rains, Red River, Rusk,
Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Somervell, Titus,
Travis (east of Interstate 35), Upshur, Williamson,
and Wood.
SOURCE: TEXAS PARKS
But Najvar was also serious
about the challenge.
“Right now, it’s hard to figure
out what to shoot,” he said.
“First the deer has got to look at
you and then he’s got to stick his
ears out.”
Kleimann asserted, however,
that the inconvenience will pay
off in the long run.
“All you have to do is look at it
like it’s a livestock operation,” he
said. “If you were managing
your bulls in a similar way, you’d
AND
WILDLIFE
always have good bulls coming
up. The better you manage, the
better your return. It’s just good
stewardship.”
For more information about
the antler-restriction program,
go online at www.tpwd.state.tx.
us.
Bill Miller, a Fort Worth-based freelancer, has worked 20 years as an
editor and reporter for daily newspapers in Montana, New Mexico and
Texas.
Bird dogs take to skies at competition
Super dogs fly high over South Texas
Darrell Clavier's dog, Jack, jumped into first place at the Oberto Redfish
Cup's Big Air competition this month in South Texas with hardly a sweat.
Jack jumped 24 feet 4 inches to win the canine equivalent of the broad
jump during the fishing tournament.
Each dog made two jumps from a dock into the water (three jumps in the
first of three rounds). Each jump was measured at the point where the dog's
hindquarters enter the water. The longer of the two jumps was the dog's
official distance. The dog with the longest jump in the final round was
declared the winner. Photos by David J. Sams.
November 25, 2005 Page 7
Bucks caught on camera in battle to death
Unusual incident becomes talk of Giddings — and proof that antler restrictions are working
By Mark England
C
ounty
business
in
Giddings slowed considerably last month once
word got out that two
massive bucks were locked in mortal combat.
The deputy sheriff, the game warden, the animal control officer, the
justice of the peace — even the county
judge — showed up to take a look.
When the officials arrived, they
found that the smaller buck — an 11pointer that reportedly scored 149 and
7/8 on the Boone and Crockett scale
— was dead. But the larger 14-point
buck was still snorting.
As Justice of the Peace Paul Fischer
puts it, “It’s a long, short story.”
Fischer got a call from the landowner who discovered the bucks. Fischer,
in turn, called Lee County Deputy
Sheriff Charles Kothmann.
“Deputy Kothmann asked me if I’d
ride with him and show him where
the place was,” Fischer said. “When
we got there, sure enough, they were
locked up.”
The bucks were larger than what’s
normally seen around Giddings, a
town of some 5,400 people that’s 56
miles southeast of Austin, although
larger deer are beginning to show up
under antler restrictions placed on
hunters there.
“The big one was struggling,”
Fischer said. “We had to do something. He would have died from heat
exhaustion. It was pretty warm.”
While they pondered what to do,
County Judge Evan Gonzales arrived.
BIG-HORNED
LOCKUP: At left,
an 11- and 14point deer drew a
crowd of onlookers
when word got
around the two
were locked in a
battle to the
death. The smaller
buck was found
dead and the
larger buck,
above, later died
also — despite
locals’ efforts to
save him.
Photo by Ethel Spence
Photo by Evan Gonzales
News travels fast in Giddings. Putting
their heads together, the officials
decided to call the local animal control officer, Ethel Spence, who sedated
the surviving buck.
After a few tugs and twists, the
buck was freed. The buck, which hadn’t gone under yet from the sedation,
bolted for a nearby pond.
“It amazed me that he immediately
jumped up after being sedated,”
Fischer said.
But the buck was feeling the effect
of the sedative. Spence said she
clapped her hands to scare the buck
out of the water so he wouldn’t drown.
The buck eventually laid down at
the water’s edge. By then, the local
game warden, Victor Gonzales, had
arrived. Given the heat, he and the
others dragged the buck to some
shade. They sprinkled Sevin dust
around him to keep off fire ants and
left the rest up to nature.
Sam Preuss with the Giddings
Times and News said the battling
bodies of water. Many migrating ducks
are passing the region and continuing on
to the coastal prairies and marsh. Expect
more mallards on lakes like Caddo Lake,
Toledo Bend, Lake Fork and Cooper
Lake as the result of the passing cold
front. Limits of gadwalls and a few mallards have been coming near the Red
River. Wood ducks are plentiful in bottoms with just a few drops of water.
Those fields with water in the southern
portion of the North Zone near the coast
have been taking ducks and specklebellies. Limit hunts have been taken around
Brookshire, Sealy, China and Winnie.
Specklebelly decoying action has been
steady due to a large population of juvenile birds. Prospects are fair in the north
portion of the zone and good in the
southern portion of the zone near the
coast.
North Zone Waterfowl: Conditions
remain dreadfully dry in the region. Lakes
and reservoirs, though most are way
below pool level, are the only bodies of
water able to hold ducks. As a result,
ducks are concentrating on the large
South Zone Waterfowl: Duck hunting
continued strong. Ponds in Eagle Lake,
Garwood, Lissie, Wharton, Midfield, El
Campo and Palacios were good for limits
of green-winged teal, shovelers, gadwalls
and a few divers. The marsh east of
going to see a lot more. You’ve just got
to put a little age on a deer.”
Gonzales thinks the deer drowned,
probably from disorientation. Spence
agreed, saying she believes the big
buck was still under the influence of
the sedative and drowned.
“I just hate it so bad. We worked so
hard to save him,” Spence said.
“It’s sad, but at least we gave him a
chance,” Fischer said. “It was something that I don’t know if I’ll see it
again in my lifetime.”
Mark England is an associate editor of
Lone Star Outdoor News. Editor Darlene
McCormick Sanchez contributed to this
report.
OPEN SEASON
Migratory Bird
Hunting Report
High Plain Mallard Management Unit
— Panhandle: Duck hunting has been
good over playas. The region near
Amarillo could use some water to
recharge drying playas; however, the dry
conditions are concentrating ducks and
those hunters who have access to water
have plenty of birds to hunt. The Knox
City and Haskell areas have plenty of
water and the hunting has been good for
mallards, wigeons, gadwalls and teal.
Specklebellies and Canada geese have
decoyed well. Outfitters estimate
between 50,000–75,000 geese in the
area. Lake Etter near Dumas is holding
what outfitters estimate to be about
50,000 geese. Expect those numbers to
grow as more geese show with the stiff
front and Nov. 15 full moon. Lots of sandhill cranes are in the area and are readily
decoying over corn and wheat.
bucks became the talk of Giddings.
“It was a pretty big deal,” he said.
“This county doesn’t have that many
big-horned deer. It got people’s attention.”
Preuss said the paper printed two
stories on the incident. The second
was an obituary of sorts. The 14-point
deer was found dead in the pond,
Preuss said.
“I think the big picture in all this is
that we’re in the fourth year of an
antler-restriction program — we were
one of the original six counties in it —
and we’re seeing the results,” Victor
Gonzales said. “These deer didn’t
come from any high-fenced place.
We’re seeing big bucks now, and we’re
Houston near Anahuac and High Island
remained steady for teal, gadwalls, shovelers and scaup. Port O’Connor and
Seadrift hunters enjoyed shoots for
wigeons, gadwalls, redheads, scaup, teal
and shovelers. Copano Bay and Aransas
Bay shotgunners saw the same results.
Biologist Kevin Kriegel of the Guadalupe
Delta WMA near Port Lavaca reported
good shoots for bluewings, greenwings,
gadwalls and shovelers. Kriegel said the
Delta has plenty of submerged aquatic
vegetation for the ducks to eat. Hunters
at Mad Island WMA near Bay City have
been taking close to three birds per man.
Peach Point WMA near Freeport has
seen spotty action due mostly to dry conditions. Some ponds are nothing but dirt,
which hinders the amount of hunters biologists allow to hunt. Expect more of the
same at Peach Point unless the area
receives significant rainfall. Goose hunting for specklebellies has been very good
on the coastal prairie. Those setting
spreads have been easily taking their
limits of specks. Most ducks blinds where
specks are known to roam are taking limits or half-limits of birds.
Need
Insurance?
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w w w. g o e n - g o e n . c o m
DUCK
HIGH PLAINS MALLARD
MANAGEMENT UNIT: Oct. 28 - Jan. 29
NORTH AND SOUTH ZONES: Nov. 5 —
27 and Dec. 10 — Jan. 29
Pintail and Canvasback (All Zones)
Dec. 22 — Jan. 29
GOOSE
WEST ZONE: Light and Dark Geese,
Nov. 5 — Feb. 7
EAST ZONE: Light Geese Nov. 5 — Jan.
29
White — fronted Goose Nov. 5 — Jan.
15
Canada Goose
Nov. 5 — Jan. 29
SANDHILL CRANE
ZONE A: Nov. 5 — Feb. 5
ZONE B: Nov .26 — Feb. 5
ZONE C: Dec. 24 — Jan. 29
SOUTH TEXAS
Nov.5 — Jan. 15
MULE DEER
PANHANDLE
Nov. 19 — Dec. 4
SOUTHWESTERN PANHANDLE
Nov. 19 — 27
TRANS-PECOS
Nov. 26 — Dec. 11
RIO GRANDE TURKEY
NORTH TEXAS
Nov. 5 — Jan. 1
SOUTH TEXAS
Nov. 5 — Jan. 15
WILLACY, BROOKS, KENEDY &
KLEBERG COUNTIES
Nov. 5 — Feb. 26
QUAIL
Oct. 29 — Feb. 26
PHEASANT
CHAMBERS, JEFFERSON AND
LIBERTY COUNTIES Oct. 29 — Feb. 26
PANHANDLE
Dec. 3 — Jan. 1
WHITE—TAILED DEER
NORTH TEXAS
Nov. 5 — Jan. 1
PANHANDLE
Nov. 19 — Dec. 4
For more information on bag limits and
other open game species, check the
TPW Outdoor Annual or
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/hun
t/season/2006/animal_listing/
Page 8 November 25, 2005
FISHING
Fly-tying
An angler’s work of art
adequately hold a hook so that you can tie a fly
. . . After awhile, you can spend $250. It’s worth
the money, but not until you’re able to
appreciate it,” he said.
t’s said that sooner or later, a fly-fisher will
Fly-tier Colby “Pops” Sorrells said the
become a fly-tier. If so, there probably isn’t
Renzetti vise, which retails for about $150, is
a better time to start than now, when long
a popular one with a number of fly-tiers.
nights drive fishers indoors.
Sorrells was chosen fly-tier of the year by
“Once you’ve made your own fly and
the Southern Council of the Federation of
you fool a fish with it — and it’s your own creFlyfishers. A certified
ation — that’s worth a
fly-casting instructor
million bucks,” said
and secretary-treasurStephen Woodcock, flyer of the National
fishing manager for
Fishing Lure
Backwoods in Fort
Collectors Club, he
Worth.
also writes about flyFor Bill Sargeant of
fishing.
Dallas, fly-tying is a
He recommends
natural progression in
two methods for getlearning the sport.
ting started fly-tying —
“When I first started
and they both involve
fly-fishing, it became
learning from others.
pretty evident that if
First, try the fly-fishing
you were going to be
— STEPHEN WOODCOCK
club nearest you, he sugtotally into it, you
gests, Most will have flyneeded to tie flies. You
tying demos and lessons
needed to know what
as part of their yearly programs.
fish ate, and by tying flies you learn that.”
For instance, the Dallas club was in the mid“Plus, it’s a great hobby,” said Sargeant, flydle of a six-week beginning fly-tying course in
tying coordinator for the Dallas Flyfishers club.
mid-November. They typically offer two classes
Sargeant suggests that beginners buy a kit of
a year, and some members tie flies each
the sort sold by virtually any fishing retailer.
Saturday morning at Bass Pro Shops in
The kits, which range from about $50 on up,
Grapevine, said Sargeant.
typically contain an inexpensive vise to hold
The Fort Worth club has a featured fly-tier at
the fly while tying, instructions for popular
the start of each monthly meeting, plus a yearpatterns and materials to tie them.
ly event featuring many different fly-tiers givLater, most fly-tiers want a more expensive
ing instruction.
vise, but you probably shouldn’t lay down that
Or contact a local fishing retailer. Chances
kind of change until you’re sure what you
are they have a free, informal class, like
want, Sargeant advised.
Backwoods — which hosts a fly-tying each
“At first, you just need something that will
By Diana Kunde
I
‘Once you’ve made your
own fly and you fool a fish
with it — and it’s your
own creation — that’s
worth a million bucks.’
HOBBY HANDS: Bill Sargeant, fly-tying coordinator for the Dallas Flyfishers club, suggests that
beginners buy a kit of the sort sold by virtually any fishing retailer.
Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
Sorrells teaches an informal group that
meets 7 p.m. most Wednesday nights at
Tommy’s Hamburgers on Camp Bowie
Boulevard in Fort Worth. It’s free; attendees
kick in a donation for materials. “Fly-tying is
something handed down from person to person,” he said.
His own favorite fly is his 3-F Frog. “That’s a
little frog design I came up with that’s just
deadly on the water,” Sorrells said.
He and Woodcock said the woolly bugger
should be one of the first flies a beginner ties.
It’s fairly easy to tie, and both bass and trout go
for it.
And what’s the ultimate in fly-tying? “That’s
when you’re catching a lot of fish on your fly.
And this guy comes up and asks what you’re
using. Then he asks whether you have a spare,
and you give him one,” said Woodcock.
“After he walks away, you silently punch the
air and say ‘Yes!’”
Diana Kunde has 30 years of experience writing and editing for newspapers, including the
Dallas Morning News. She is a freelancer based
in Arlington, reachable at
[email protected].
Head to a brush pile when
looking to hook a big cat
By Todd Nafe
Catfishing is looking good in
Texas, according to some of the
state’s top fishing guides. As fall finally takes hold in the Lone Star State,
catfish anglers can find some coolweather hotspots in Texas’ numerous
lakes and streams.
Lake Fork, for example, is not only
one of the world’s premier bass fishing lakes, it is also a prime lake for catfish. In addition to putting clients on
to lunker largemouths, guide Lee
White also makes a lot of high-powered catfishing trips to the Northeast
Texas reservoir.
“I look for creeks in about 18 to 25
feet of water, and I’ll go out and bait
out a couple holes that look good,”
White said. “The next day, I’ll go and
fish the holes, and if I catch a dozen
or more catfish within a couple
hours, I’ll keep baiting it every few
days so the fish will stay close.”
White uses soured chicken feed to
bait holes and his bait of choice is
Danny King’s Punch Bait.
First-class catfishing waters are
plentiful in the heart of Texas, as well.
Fisherman Loren Lookingbill is a regular on Lake Waco and finds consistent success drifting shad in the
channel near the Highway 6 bridges
at Twin Bridges Park. Anglers going
after the big ones can find them lurking at the bottom of the lake’s
numerous submerged brush piles
and around the old dam, feeding on
cut shad and perch.
In fact, brush piles are good spots
to target no matter what lake you’re
fishing, especially in the spring and
fall. They provide structure and are
often baited with cottonseed cake or
other attractants to lure fish.
A little farther south, the Highland
Lake Chain (Lake Buchanan, Inks
Lake and Lake Travis) serves up some
of the best fishing in the Hill
Country. Like White, guide Clancy
Terrill of Clancy’s Fishing Guide
Service focuses on coves where creeks
enter the lakes.
“The perfect coves have a rocky
ledge on one side and a sandy slope
on the other, but you take what you
can get,” Terrill said. He believes that
shad move into the creek channels at
night and move out during daylight
hours. “When the shad are moving
in or out of the channels, the big boys
know it and are there to greet them.”
Terrill uses double anchors to lock
in on top of the humps or in front of
the coves. In cooler months he fishes
big gizzard shad cut and fished without weights in 10 to 20 feet of water.
He recommends letting the baits settle to the bottom, then giving a couple feet of slack and setting the reel’s
clickers. The couple of hours either
side of sunrise and sunset tend to be
the most productive.
Terrill also advises patience.
“When you get a bite, give them a
chance to get it down. Remember
you’re using big bait, so they might
need a little time,” he said.
According to guide Darrell Taylor
of Catfish Killer Guide Service, fishing is lively at one of Southeast Texas’
catfishing jewels — Lake Conroe.
“We’re catching them back from the
main river channel in 20 feet of
water,” he said. Since the lake level
dropped, he’s reeling in catfish up to
4 pounds on Catfish Killer Cheese
Bait on #8 treble hooks with sponge
fished 2 to 3 inches off the bottom.
Other Lone Star lakes known for
excellent
fall
catfishing
are
Livingston, Richland-Chambers,
Tawakoni,
Whitney,
Texoma,
Navarro Mills, Sam Rayburn and
Lewisville.
Don’t forget the good catfish
action in Texas rivers, either. When
Capt. Steve Barnes of Lake Texoma
Striper Guide isn’t hunting stripers,
he fishes the Red River for big blue
cats and says that recognizing key
signs above the water line will lead to
heavier stringers. “Look for rocks and
high bluffs,” he said. “These usually
indicate deep holes. You can also find
fish in places where the river narrows
or bends and where there’s timber
too deep to see the bottom.” Barnes
recommends anchoring upstream
from the timber and fishing on either
side and in front of it.
Some other top-notch catfishing
rivers are the Trinity, Navasota,
Brazos, Sabine and Bosque.
Remember that some of the state’s
best catfishing can be found in rivers
just below reservoir spillways.
To reach White’s Guide Service,
call (903) 383-2725 or visit
www.whitesguideservice.com. For
Clancy’s Fishing Guide Service, call
(512) 303-7411 or visit www.centraltexasfishing.com. Catfish Killer
Guide Service can be reached at
(936) 788-4413 or www.catfishkiller.com.
Todd Nafe is the outdoor writer for the
Waco Tribune-Herald and can be
reached at www.centexoutdoors.com.
Offshore – 8 to 12 hours for up to 6 people.
Prices start at $900.00
Bay – Half-day trips starting at $350.00
Full-day trips starting at $450.00
All-inclusive trips available; please call for details
Other packages available:
Whitetail, Mule Deer and Spring Turkey. Hunting packages include
all meals, lodging, guides, care of game and airport pickup
(if applicable; please call for details)
For more information, please contact Bucky and Leesa Bonner at
P.O. Box 460 Port Aransas, TX 78373
B&B OUTFITTERS - 800.460.1843
WWW.BBOUTFITTERS.COM
Looking for a story or photo from a past
edition of the Lone Star Outdoor News?
LOOK ON
THE WEB
www.lonestaroutdoornews.com
November 25, 2005 Page 9
Coastal Bend
Research Reserve
nears approval
By Aaron Reed
Most of the Aransas Bay system is
on the road to becoming a National
Estuarine Research Reserve — a designation that would be the first of
its kind in Texas and bring more
federal dollars to the area for
research, according to proponents.
More than 50 people — not all of
them in favor of the move — gathered at the Rockport Beach Park
Saltwater Pavilion Nov. 10 to hear
about the final draft environmental impact statement and management plan for a proposed National
Estuarine Research Reserve.
The Mission-Aransas NERR
would not only be the first reserve
of this type for the state, but at
200,137 acres it would rank as the
third-largest NERR in the country.
Paul Montagna, a Ph.D. at the
University of Texas Marine Science
Institute in Port Aransas, is the proposed site manager. Montagna said
the benefits of forming a NERR
include a system-wide monitoring
program that would provide biological monitoring and a study of
freshwater inflow and groundwater
issues.
The designation would not result
in any additional federal or state
regulations or limitations on current uses, but would bring federal
dollars to the area for research, education and outreach programs,
Montagna said.
“Basically, this allows us to leverage federal funds we otherwise
would not have access to,” he said.
Larry McKinney, Texas Parks and
Wildlife’s Coastal Fisheries division
director, said he looked forward to
getting more data from federally
funded research in the reserve, if
the designation is adopted. The
proposed reserve includes the
Redfish Bay State Scientific Area.
“I personally went back and
looked at the statutes to make sure
there were no concerns about additional regulation,” McKinney said.
“I didn’t see anything to worry
about.”
During the public comment portion of the meeting, representatives from Sea Grant Texas, TPW
and the Coastal Bend Bays and
Estuaries Program all spoke in favor
of the designation.
Some local residents, though,
were not convinced. Private
landowners along Copano Bay —
and some local fishing guides —
still had questions.
“I’m very concerned about the
effects on private landowners. I
hear a lot of vague things, but
nothing specific,” said Dennis
Carves. “I would urge the decisionmakers to please be sensitive to the
needs of those who live here.”
Carves said that when he hears
words like “stewardship” and
“management,” he gets nervous.
“I lived in a historic district, and
that sounds great,” he said. “But
what it meant was I could not
screen-in my porch.”
Local fishing guide Capt. Scott
McCune echoed Carver’s concerns.
“You can earn our trust; I believe
this is a very good project,” he said.
“We just hope it’s not a give-aninch, take-a-mile type program.”
The initial public comment period for the proposal ended Nov. 23,
and will be followed by a final 30day public comment period in
January. If the final environmental
impact statement and management plan are approved, official
designation of the site is expected
to take place in April 2006.
More information about the proposed Texas NERR site may be
found at: http://www.utmsi.
utexas.edu/nerr/index.htm.
Aaron Reed, kayakrockport@yahoo.
com, is a freelance writer based in
Rockport.
Hoernke lassos first
win in shootout
Texas angler cashes in at
CITGO Bassmaster Central Open
S
ean Hoernke had a
good excuse to
miss a wedding.
The Texas angler
didn’t escort his longtime
girlfriend to a friend’s
wedding on Saturday
because he was too busy
winning the CITGO
Bassmaster Central Open
on the Red River in
Natchitoches, La.
With the win, Hoernke
took home a fully rigged
Triton boat with a
Mercury outboard and
nearly $10,000 cash.
“I don’t think my girlfriend minded too much
— now that I’ve won,” he
said.
Hoernke, who went
into the last day in third
place, edged out 2006
CITGO Bassmaster Elite
Series anglers Takahiro
Omori and Gary Klein
with a total weight of 36
pounds, 2 ounces for his
first BASS win.
Klein finished in second with a total weight of
35 pounds, 12 ounces
BIG WIN: Sean Hoernke had a reason to smile after winning a Triton boat and $10,000.
and Omori came in third
with 34 pounds, 9
in Prattville, Ala., Dec. 1-4, 2005.
ounces.
The top-five finishers in the Open Championship
Hoernke, 29, of Magnolia, called his girlfriend after
will move on to the 2006 CITGO Bassmaster Classic
he made the second-day cut to let her know he’d be
Feb. 24-26 on Lake Tohopekaliga in Kissimmee, Fla.,
fishing on the water Saturday instead of dancing at
and compete for a $500,000 top prize.
the reception. Her response?
Klein also will compete in the Open champi“She was happy,” he said.
onship, but he had already earned his berth into the
Takahiro Omori managed only a stringer of 5
Classic.
pounds, 13 ounces on Saturday and dropped from
“I’m ready to get the monkey off my back and
first to third. It was a far cry from the second day,
finally win the Classic,” said the 23-time Classic qualwhen he brought more than 20 pounds to the scales.
ifier, who has five top-five Classic finishes.
Still, Omori’s performance — which included the
The winning non-boater was Louisiana local Jason
Purolator Big Bass of the tournament — was just
Bordelon, who led the pack on Day 2. Bordelon lives
enough to qualify him for the CITGO Bassmaster
in Pineville and calls Red River his stomping grounds.
Open Championship, where the top 25 boaters and
non-boaters in the CITGO Bassmaster Central Open
— An ESPN Outdoors report
point standings will compete on the Alabama River
Stock up on trout in time for Christmas
For an inexpensive, entry-level fishing experience the entire family can
enjoy, it doesn’t get much easier than
winter rainbow trout fishing in Texas.
Beginning Dec. 1 and continuing
through March, Texas Parks and
Wildlife will stock upwards of 270,000
hatchery-reared rainbow trout at
more than 100 sites across the state.
Many of the fish stockings will be conducted at small community fishing
lakes, state park lakes and popular
river tailraces offering easy angling
access.
TPW has been stocking rainbow
trout in small urban lakes, state park
lakes and popular river tailraces each
winter since the 1970s, providing
Texans a simple and economical
opportunity to go fishing.
Catching these fish can be easy,
making the experience ideal for both
novice anglers and kids. The fish will
bite almost immediately after stocking and typically will take a variety of
baits, from whole kernel canned corn
or commercial soft bait to artificial
flies and even small spinnerbaits.
Fishing gear can be as basic as an
inexpensive spincast rod and reel
combo, a small plastic bobber, a fishing weight and a hook. It’s also a good
idea to carry along a pair of needlenosed pliers to help remove hooks,
and a five gallon bucket, small ice
chest or a fish stringer to keep your
catch. Be sure to keep fresh trout cold
on ice or refrigerated.
A list of stocking sites with detailed
driving directions is available on the
TPW Web site: www.tpwd.state.tx.us.
The posted stocking dates are the days
RANCHES
FISHING LEASES
GUIDED HUNTS
ITEMS FOR
SALE
the trout are available to the general
public. Many sites offer special events
for youth prior to allowing the public
to fish and those are usually the day
before. Folks should check with local
parks and recreation departments or
water authorities for additional information.
While most sites get an annual dose
of between 1,000–2,000 trout, popular fishing holes like the Guadalupe
River below the Canyon Reservoir
dam, which includes the tailrace,
receive multiple stockings from
December through March. As the
only fishable place in Texas where
rainbow trout can survive during the
summer months, the Guadalupe
River will get about 18,000 fish.
— A Texas Parks and Wildlife report
LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS
REACHES READERS ACROSS TEXAS.
SHOW THEM YOUR
CLASSIFIED AD.
Call (866) 361-2276
or e-mail:
[email protected].
Page 10 November 25, 2005
Redfish
Continued from Page 1
SHARK-BE-GONE: Black-tip sharks cruise shallow bay flats from Texas to Florida. A company, Shark Defense, is testing a variety
of promising repellents and applications, mostly at the Biological Field Station in the Bahamas.
Shark
Continued from Page 1
mostly at the Biological Field Station
in the Bahamas. The chemicals that
Stroud developed mimic a compound
found in rotting sharks that he
believes scares away live sharks.
“Fishermen have noticed it, that
when you have rotting sharks in an
area, other sharks seem to be gone,’’
said the 30-year-old research chemist.
“That was our starting point. We
looked at the chemistry, and, sure
enough, it was true.’’
Stroud hopes that by April he’ll be
ready to market a mortar-style propellant lifeguards can use to lob canisters
of chemicals into swimming areas
where sharks may be encroaching.
Sunscreen companies have called
to inquire about a repellent-laced
lotion, but Stroud said much research
remains to be done. He’s not sure the
small amount of lotion that people
use could carry enough repellent.
More promising has been the testing of a slow-dissolving repellent to
protect longline baits that run for
miles in the ocean. Short-line tests
have shown sharks can be kept away
from treated hooks for 30 hours.
More extensive tests using commercial vessels are set to begin this
January.
Stroud’s mentor and research
guide, University of Miami professor
Samuel Gruber, who owns the Bimini
research facility, said no one knows
for sure if the repellent works by making a shark think a dead shark is in the
area. But he said the stuff seems to
work — something he hasn’t been
able to say of other repellents he has
studied over the past 25 years.
In tests where sharks are feeding, a
few tablespoons of repellent in the
water caused them to scatter.
“I’ve been pretty impressed with
this,’’ Gruber said. “One minute
you’re seeing the water boiling with
sharks, and the next minute they’re
gone.’’
Gruber sees sharks benefiting from
the repellent more than humans.
Experts say the public frenzy over
shark attacks overdramatizes the facts
— that there were only 61 cases of
shark attacks on humans worldwide
in 2004, with seven proving fatal,
according to the International Shark
Attack File.
Meanwhile, the experts say, millions of sharks are killed each year
when they are snagged in longlines
and nets intended for tuna and
swordfish.
“I don’t think a shark repellent for
humans is that important,’’ Gruber
said. “But if we can protect the baits
that are meant for tuna fish, we can
save 40,000 to 50,000 sharks a night.”
Robert Cadwallader is a Fort Worth area
freelancer with more than two decades of
experience as a journalist and writer.
failed to record a keeper in the
final round and finished fifth.
The
week
capped
what
Friermood and Franklin described
as an unbelievable set of circumstances. Because of the series of
hurricanes that hit the Gulf, the
timing of the championship left
Friermood unable to practice for
the event. He’s a full-time hunting
and fishing guide and had scheduled a quail and deer hunt with
Justin Boots, the team’s largest
sponsor.
“Jim said, ‘Hey, you take care of
that and I’ll do all the practicing,’’’
Friermood said. “It just killed me
that I couldn’t help him. But he
found the fish right here within
five miles of the take-off, and we
decided to stay with them and
grind them out.”
That tactic of grinding it out has
paid off all season, but never so
much as it did in this event. They
fished on the spoil banks just
inside the Intercoastal Waterway,
concentrating on the potholes
within the grass beds and later
finding three troughs that the bigger fish were pulling to on low
tide.
Their baits of choice were
Nemire Spoons and Berkley Gulp
Sinking Minnows rigged on a
chartreuse jighead.
On the first day, the team started in their area catching two fish
that totaled 7 pounds, then left.
After a short trip to Cullen Bay,
they upgraded their catch to more
than 11 pounds, good enough to
put them in 18th place in the
event and third in the Team of the
Year race.
“We decided on day two that
there were better fish in the spoil
Two fish
totalling
12.83 pounds
bring in
$65,000
area, and we had to stay there and
stick with it,’’ Franklin said.
Their stubbornness paid off.
With 45 minutes left on the second day, the team caught a 26inch redfish that gave them one of
the largest limits of the day and
shot them into the final five. And
then on the last day, with just 15
minutes left in the competition,
they caught their final keeper
that, as it turned out, proved to be
the difference between winning
and finishing second.
“That’s the true meaning of
grinding it out,’’ Friermood said.
For the record, the team locked
down the Team of the Year race on
day two, needing only a 13th
place finish to win the title. But
the championship victory added
even more to the week’s accomplishments. They won $50,000
for the tournament and another
$15,000 in the Oh Boy! Oberto
Team of the Year race, making
their total the largest single payday in Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish
Cup history.
— A RedfishNation.com staff report
November 25, 2005 Page 11
“The first place we jumped a
covey was in the mountains,”
he said. “It wore us both out —
the birds and us. Blues love to
Continued from Page 1
run, and they will run fast.”
There was so much lush grass,
Pecos, but sparse rainfall will
Hudspeth said, it was hard findmake South Texas hunting a little
ing the blue or scaled quail.
trickier.
“They were perfectly camou“It’s not going to be like last
flaged,” he said.
year, which was through the
Perez said that scaled quail in
roof,” Perez said. “You’ll have to
the Trans-Pecos are prevalent in
go to someplace being managed
numbers that haven’t been seen
properly.”
since the early 1980s.
Well-managed
“Their populaquail sites cut
tion has been
back on their catbuilding the last
tle stock and
three or four
leave residual
years,” Perez said.
grass cover “so
“They don’t
quail can move
boom or bust like
across a pasture
bobwhite.”
without being
Elephant
eaten by a hog”
Mountain WMA
during lean
and Black Gap
times, Perez said.
WMA are good
Even in the
public areas to
Trans-Pecos and
hunt scaled quail,
Rolling Plains,
Perez said.
though, hunting
Hunters can
conditions
access the sites
haven’t been
with the $48
ideal. Blame that
annual hunting
on the unseasonpermit.
ably warm
“They’ll make
weather.
you work,” Perez
said. “They prefer
“Dogs will tire
to run rather
out quickly,”
than flush.
said Cy Angelloz,
They’re hardy
senior hunting
birds, tougher
consultant for
than bobs. It’s a
San Miguel
lot of work to
Outdoors “Like
STRONG START: Quail hunting
hunt one. Your
any hunter,
season got off to a hot start in the
dog might creep
when they get
Trans-Pecos.
up on one, but
tired, they don’t
it’ll be long gone
want to hunt as hard. And if you
when you get there. It’s an
push them too hard, you can
exciting challenge — if you’re up
have problems.”
to it.”
Hudspeth left his Labrador at
To reach San Miguel Outdoors,
home for his hunt around Fort
go to www.smoutdoors.com or
Stockton. He paid the price.
call (512) 891-7787.
Quail
Deer
Continued from Page 1
season hunting a little slow, said
Justin Feild, director of the Texas
Gulf Coast Deer Contest.
“We’re getting some cool
weather, we’ll get some rut activity and we’ll get some big ones
coming in,” Feild said.
The current leaders of the Texas
Gulf Coast Deer Contest range
from 180 to 196. Most were taken
from the King Ranch in Kenedy
and Kleberg counties.
Joyce Barnes, a scorer for the
Los Cuernos de Tejas contest in
Carrizo Springs, has recorded
scores ranging from 184 to 206 —
all from Zavala, Maverick and La
Salle counties.
Most agree that this year’s dry
spring has not necessarily meant
smaller antlers.
“I think it’s right even with last
year’s deer that we’ve got coming
in,” Barnes said.
Good habitat and strong genetics are why the Brush Country
has the biggest bucks, said David
Brimager, director of the Texas
Big Game Awards, a contest run
by Texas Parks and Wildlife and
the Texas Wildlife Association.
“The native habitat that is
there, it is so full of nutrients and
they do get some good rains, so
[the deer] get what they need to
grow big antlers,“ Brimager said.
“And with the brush country
being so thick, the deer get some
age on them as well.”
Brimager also credits South
Texas landowners. Landowners
who manage their properties for
quality wildlife habitat can offset
drought conditions.
While the highest-scoring deer
have come from the Brush
Country, the Texas Big Game
Awards has recorded a 193-B&C
LEADING BUCK: The leader so far in Pearsall’s Los Cazadores Deer Contest is Larry
Wilkey of Baytown who bagged this triple-beam buck that scored 238 Boone and
Crockett points in Zavala County. Photo courtesy of Los Cazadores Deer Contest.
point buck from Houston
County in East Texas.
The eastern side of the state is
producing some bigger deer this
season because of tighter hunting regulations, said Clayton
Wolf, big game program leader
for the Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department. For the past three
years the agency has enforced a
13-inch minimum spread on
deer taken in many eastern counties, which has allowed the deer
there to age.
“What we’re seeing is some
really nice deer, not book-type
deer,
they’re
just
good,
respectable deer,” Wolf said.
In the far south, Webb County
is typically a good producer of
big bucks, but so far the leader of
Laredo’s Cola Blanca Big Buck
Contest is a 223-B&C point buck
taken from Maverick County,
said scorer Luis Peña.
“Between the mosquitoes and
the heat, we’re waiting for that to
die off a little bit,” Peña said. “But
other than that, we’re expecting
a pretty good year.”
Wes Smalling is the former outdoors
editor for the Santa Fe New Mexican
and has more than a decade of experience as a writer and reporter.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE CONTESTS
AVAILABLE FOR HUNTERS LUCKY ENOUGH
TO BAG A BIG BUCK THIS SEASON:
Los Cazadores Deer Contest — www.loscazadores.com
Los Cuernos De Tejas — www.loscuernos.com, (830) 876-5354
Texas Big Game Awards — www.texasbiggameawards.com, (800) 8399453
Central Texas Hard Horn Big Buck Contest — www.woodsfuncenter.com,
(512) 459-3311
El Monstruo del Monte Big Buck Contest — www.dfgwildlifesupply.com,
(830) 956-1622
Exotic Wildlife Association Big Buck Contest — www.exoticwildlifeassociation.com, 830-367-7762
Cola Blanca Big Buck Contest —
www.colablanca.com, 956-242-5916
Texas Gulf Coast Deer Contest — www.texasgulfcoastdeercompetition.com,
directors Justin Feild (361) 522-4419 and Mike McFerrin (713) 705-8358
Page 12 November 25, 2005
ADVENTURE
A NEW SEASON
STORY
AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY
DAVID J. SAMS
Hunters adjust the decoy spread as the fog lifts.
Break out the
decoys boys,
it’s time to go
huntin’
Hunters discuss how they are going to string
the Greenhead Gear decoys that fill the porch.
R
Laurance Armor takes a shot at a specklebelly goose.
ecently, a group of waterfowlers met at and geese for his hunting clients, the birds
wouldn’t have such lush accommodations this
the Cow Camp Hunting Lodge to find
year — one that has been exceedingly dry in
the porch completely covered with
many parts of the state. Sherrill, an experiboxes of brand new decoys — a waterenced guide, watches the birds and lets them
fowler’s dream come true.
tell him when the roost pond can be hunted.
“Come on boys, let’s get after these new
Let the pond rest; let the
deeks, we have to string
birds fill it up. Only then is
them tonight. We got a
it time to hunt. Some of
lot of work to do,” says
Sherrill’s ponds are only
David Schuessler.
hunted once a season.
Everyone is eager to tear
“Pressure is your worst
open the boxes and see
enemy,” Sherrill explains.
what’s inside. Some talk,
It is important to keep the
some work and some
birds here and not run
just drink. It is a new
them off by over hunting.
year at duck camp.
As the sun breaks the horiWake-up time comes
zon, you can finally see
early during the openyour surroundings — a
ing of duck season —
3:30 a.m.
Shot, a black lab, retrieves a green-wing teal. small, muddy levee partially hidden by weeds. The
About two hours after
decoys sit almost motionless. Teal swoop in to
stumbling out of bed, the roar of thousands of
get a better look. Specklebellies yelp overhead.
beating wings greets you in the rice field.
The hunters load up and the shooting begins.
Ducks and geese disturbed by the sloshing
“Teal on the left, out front! Specks coming
sound of footfalls take flight. In the darkness,
straight in!” Steel shot flies through the air —
the sound is akin to a waterfall. Their deparand birds fall. The dogs get into the game now.
ture leaves the stage set for waterfowlers to set
“Maggie, back, fetch him up,” commanded
their spreads and get ready.
her owner Tim Soderquist.
The pond, which has been pumped with
Sweat soaks the hunters’ clothing, but they
water from the Colorado river, lies in the midare oblivious to all but the hunt. The adrenadle of the historic Pearce ranch near Wharton,
line rush, the sunrise and limits on ducks and
which ranks as one of the state’s biggest winspecks — what could be better in the world of
tering grounds for ducks and geese. Bill
a waterfowler?
Sherrill, who leases thousands of acres of land
IF YOU GO: Bill Sherrill can be contacted at
on the ranch, flooded the rice fields with river
(979) 532-1789 or at 1702 Garrett Court,
water to create about 3,000 acres of roosting
Wharton, TX 77488.
habitat. Without his desire to attract ducks
At day’s end, hunters string up more decoys to fill
out their spread at the Cow Camp Hunting Lodge.
November 25, 2005 Page 13
PRODUCT PICKS
SLING INTO ACTION: The
Quick Attach Sling by Vero
Vellini offers support
when carrying a heavier
rifle or shotgun. Its air
cushion features piping
around the edge of the
neoprene pad for a
durable and stylish
look. The sling
attaches to the rifle’s
swivel studs. Available
in a standard (about
$40) or wide-top
(about $46), the
sling’s length is
adjustable. They
come in black or a
camo pattern. For
retailers, visit
www.pioneerresearch.com
or call (800)
257-7742.
SITTING PRETTY: The Car
Top Tent eliminates the
hassle of finding a dry, flat
location to pitch a tent.
Transported on a mounted
rack system, this tent can be
quickly set up on top of the
vehicle. An adjustable ladder
offers access through the
mesh screen door. The 120pound tent opens to a 7-foot
by 6-foot cushioned interior
that sleeps up to two adults
and two children. Hunters
also can use it as a blind. The
Car Top Tent sells for about
$900. For more information,
go to www.car-top-tent.com;
call (800) 919-9013 to order
or to find a dealer.
JIG ACTION HERO: Shimano’s Trevala Jigging Rods are lightweight, light-action rods that help anglers optimize the performance of Butterfly jigs.
Awarded best in show in the rod category at the 2005 ICAST show, the Trevala series is available in eight traditional and three spinning models.
The rods have a custom-shaped fore grip and rear grip for added comfort and balance while jigging. They range in price from about $100 to
$150. For
more
information on
the Trevala
rods or Shimano’s Butterfly-Jigging System, go to www.shimano.com or call (877) 577-0600.
VESTED INTEREST: The Day Pack by
MOTHER combines the technical
features of mountaineering packs with
the utility of hunting vests. A game
bag, gun sleeve, hip harness and
variety of pockets handily stow
hunters’ gear. The Day Pack in the
Mossy Oak Shadow Grass camo
pattern (size regular) costs
$109. Add a two-liter
hydration reservoir for
$25. For retailers,
visit
www.mothertech.
net.
SHOTGUN SHOWSTOPPER:
Kimber’s Valier 20-gauge
shotgun is a true seven-pin
sidelock side-by-side upland
double. The hand-engraved
shotgun has a Turkish
walnut stock with a handrubbed oil finish. Its
features include chromelined barrels, detachable
plates and a hinged forward
trigger. Chamber accepts
three-inch shells. The Valier
Grade I (about $4,300) has
extractors and the Grade II
(about $5,000) has tuned
ejectors. For retailers or a
brochure, visit
www.kimberamerica.com or
call (800) 880-2418.
LOUD AND
CLEAR: The
Shizzle by
Haydel’s Game
Calls Inc. is
molded from
acrylic for more
volume when
hunting in open
water. The .5ounce duck call
costs about $35.
A lanyard is
included. To
order, visit
www.haydels.com
or call (318)
746-3586.
PUZZLING PURSUIT: Winfield
Galleries is offering a new line
of Winchester Sportsman’s
Collector Puzzles featuring
vintage advertising art from the
firearms manufacturer. The
images have been digitally
restored and printed on heavy
card stock and are suitable for
framing when puzzles are
completed. They come in 200-,
550- and 1,000-piece
configurations and cost from
about $14 to $18. To order, visit
www.winfieldgalleries. com. For
more information, call (314)
645-7636.
LONG HAUL RELIEF: Lugging a
bunch of hunting, fishing or
camping equipment with an ATV
just got easier. The new 800AL
ATV Wagon by Bosski is made
of weather-resistant
aluminum and boasts 30
cubic feet of space. A
weather-sealed lid keeps
up to 600 pounds of
gear safe and dry. The
wagon features
independent
suspension, 25inch tires and
tail/brake lights
for safety. It
sells for about
$1,100. For
retailers, visit
www.atvwagon.
com or call (208) 4558433.
BACTERIA
BE GONE:
Wild
Gamekeeper Spray
helps hunters take
proper care of their
harvest so they can
enjoy better-tasting
game meat. The
field-dressing spray
lowers the pH on
the surface of the
animal creating an
acid base where
bacteria cannot
grow, which inhibits
spoilage. Offered by
Hunter’s
Specialties, it can
be used on all
types of animals,
including deer, fish
and turkeys. It
costs about $4 for 1.5 ounces of granular
mixture to which purified water is added. For
retailers, visit www.hunterspec.com or call
(319) 395-0321.
Page 14 November 25, 2005
HEROES
Cody Pfeiffer bagged his first buck at 6:58 a.m. —
opening day. He killed his 8-point, 108-pound buck at
the Pfeiffer Ranch in Bexar County just north of San
Antonio.
Murray Stacy and his wife, Charlyn, display limits of a mixed bag taken on Nov. 13. The bag
included redheads, mallards, greenwing teal, gadwalls and wigeon. They were hunting on
their ranch near Waco.
Dillon Dornburg, 4, took his first deer — a spike — on
Nov. 12 at the Double C Ranch in Dimmit County, Texas.
He used a Savage .223 with a Swarovski 4x scope.
Share
an
adventure
Want to share your great
hunting or fishing adventure with the Lone Star
Outdoor News family?
E-mail your photo, phone
and caption information
to editor@lonestaroutdoornews. com, or mail to:
Heroes, Lone Star Outdoor
News, 9304 Forest Lane,
Suite 114 South, Dallas,
TX, 75243.
Katie Wheeler,11, displays the pig she shot Nov 6.
Jody Bowden used a 70-pound reflex bow with a 100-grain Muzzy broadhead to bring down a 9point deer on Oct. 23. Bowden shot the deer on his farm in Palestine.
MADE IN TEXAS
A world of
venison awaits
intrepid travelers
Eden store lives up to its name
for game meat connoisseurs
By Mary Helen Aguirre
Hunting families who like the
taste of venison no longer have to
wait until deer season to partake of
the game meat. Now, through Max
and Marsha Stabels’ Venison
World, they can enjoy it yearround.
Through a Web site, mail-order
catalog and retail store in Eden, the
Stabels, who live in Menard, are
bringing what they tout as the
meat of the 21st century to those
who want exotic, lean cuts of game
meat.
They offer fresh cuts of Axis deer,
elk and buffalo that are frozen for
shipping, as well as prepared items
such as jerky and sausage.
Texas ranchers raise the Axis deer
and the meat is milder than that of
the white-tailed or mule deer har-
vested in the wild by hunters.
“It’s actually a very mild, tender,
smooth meat,” says Marsha Stabel
of the Axis deer cuts, which have a
scant .2 percent of fat.
Because of the high-protein and
low-fat content, game meats especially appeal to the health-conscious consumer. In recent years,
venison has been growing in popularity and showing up at white
tablecloth restaurants. Marsha
Stabel believes it’s a trend that will
continue to grow.
Max Stabel said he’s seen a 20- to
30-percent increase in volume at
their Eden retail shop since they
purchased it in 2003. His best sellers are the venison, elk and buffalo
jerky as well as the summer
sausages.
Ben Cherry of Weslaco said he’s
purchased venison jerky when he’s
passed through Eden. “It’s a good
WHAT’S IN STORE: Mac and Marsha Stabel purchased Venison World in 2003.
product. Anything they do is good.”
This year, the Stabels upgraded
their Web site and are concentrating
more on that end of the business.
Previously, the Venison World
retail shop and its Web site were
owned by a co-op of west central
Texas game ranchers who came
together in 1992. The ranchers originally imported the Axis deer from
India and were raising them for
hunting. However, because they
were producing more deer than were
being hunted, they opened the retail
shop in Eden.
The co-op called on Max Stabel to
help develop the shop’s recipes and
product line.
“We had been processing deer for
local hunters for 28 years,” says Max
Stabel, who for that long has owned
the Ranch House Meat Company, a
USDA-inspected facility in Menard
that offers a full line of cured and
smoked products.
“We always felt like (Venison
World) had some potential,” he
says. When the opportunity arose in
the summer of 2003, the Stabels
purchased the business.
They continue to process the Axis
deer meat at their Ranch House
Meat Company. However, the elk
and buffalo meat products come
from the western and northwestern
states.
Also available are Axis deer hides,
pillows and leather items.
For more information, visit
www.venisonworld.com; to re-quest
a catalog, call (800) 460-5326.
Mary Helen Aguirre is a native Texan
with almost 15 years of experience
editing and writing for newspapers,
including the Atlanta JournalConstitution. She is a freelancer in
New Mexico.
November 25, 2005 Page 15
WEATHER
TEXAS TIDBITS
TEXAS WORD TREASURES
1
Across
2. Device that helps hikers
shoulder the load
5. Scissor-like tools used to
dress birds
8. Fabric laid underneath
sleeping bag
10. Someone who takes
game from land without
permission
11. Hunters zero in rifles
while sitting on this
12. County seat of Bastrop
14. Popular shotgun pellet
size for large birds
15. Style of kayak (three
words)
17. Crappie food
18. Bivalves that keep holiday dressing moist
Down
1. Device used to stick
flounder at night
3. Type of bow which features pulleys
4. This town's name translates to “swamp” in
Spanish
6. Indian artifacts
7. Large projectile fired from
a shotgun
8. Game call used by deer
hunters (two words)
9. Popular style of bay boat
2
WILD IN THE KITCHEN
Grilled duck with soy sauce
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Copyright 2004 Texas Word Treasures, Greg Berlocher. All Rights Reserved.
13. Most abundant exotic game
animal found in Texas
16. Flavorful soup containing a
roux
For most of us, good duck recipes
are hard to come by. But for Don
Morrison, a member of Delta
Waterfowl’s board of directors, duck
recipes seem to grow on trees.
Don says this recipe is best with
duck breasts
with the skin
on, which
means you
have to pluck
or wax the
birds. It’s
worth the
effort.
Don starts
by mixing up
a marinade consisting of:
• 1⁄2 cup soy sauce
• 1⁄2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup of olive oil
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 3 tablespoons of grated
Parmesan cheese
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons of oregano
• 1 1/4 tablespoons of freshground black pepper
Don says to marinate the duck
breasts in a bowl covered with Saran
Wrap for several hours or even several days. Make sure the meat is
completely covered by the marinade.
Remove the breasts from the
marinade and allow them to sit
until they reach room temperature.
Reserve the marinade for a sauce.
Over a hot grill, sear the breasts
skin-side down for four to six minutes,
depending
on the
thickness.
Searing
skin-side
down allows
the excess
fat to drip
off. Turn
the breasts
and grill on the other side for
another four to six minutes until
the meat is medium to mediumrare. Don’t overcook the duck.
Heat the sauce in a skillet or in
the microwave, but don’t overheat
or the Parmesan will separate.
Slice the meat into diagonal strips
and place on a plate along with a
scoop of squash, wild rice or
mashed potatoes. Drizzle some of
the sauce over the meat and serve
with a good Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot or Syrah.
Recipe provided by Delta
Waterfowl. For other Camp Chef
recipes visit their Web site at
www.deltawterfowl.org and click on
the site map at the bottom.
Page 16 November 25, 2005
GAME WARDEN BLOTTER
JUST THOUGHT HE HAD PERMISSION
• While conducting a youth
hunt in Lampasas County, Sgt.
Ned Nichols arrested a local man
for multiple violations. It started
when Nichols observed a pickup
truck tear through a wheat field,
scattering deer in all directions.
Nichols gave chase and stopped
the driver on a county road just
off the lease. Nichols contacted
Game Warden Jim Lindeman,
who was working on the other
side of the county. Lindeman
put Nichols in contact with the
sheriff’s department. Two
deputies were dispatched to
transport the man, who worked
for the landowner and said he
had permission to be there.
Unfortunately for him, he did
not have permission to be DWI,
driving with an out-of-state
license revoked two years ago
and in possession of marijuana
— not to mention, ruining a perfectly good youth hunt. Charges
are pending.
MISSING BOY FOUND DEAD
• Hudspeth County Game
Warden Jake Simmering and
Culberson County Game
Warden Matt Kilpatrick helped
the Hudspeth County Sheriff’s
Office search for a missing 2year-old boy from Mexico. He
had been with his family in
Mexico fishing on the Rio
Grande River for most of the
afternoon, then disappeared
around 2 p.m. The sheriff’s office
was notified close to 6 p.m. and
began a search with the help of
local citizens, the Border Patrol
and the wardens. The search
ended about three hours later.
The boy was found underwater
close to the Mexican bank of the
one deer at night, the young
men saw another one in a bar
ditch and decided to run it over.
Charges against them are pending.
AUTHORITIES GET A LINE ON FISHY SNAPPER
• Matagorda County Game Warden David
Janssen was told by Special Agent Richard
Cook with the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration that there was a
warrant on a man for smuggling fish. He was
a deckhand on a snapper boat. Matagorda
County Game Warden Aaron Koenig had
received information the night before that
the boat would be off-loading in Palacios the
hawk that had been shot in the
head. Mount interviewed people
in the neighborhood. Numerous
residents complained about one
person they described as someone who would shoot anything
that moved. One woman
claimed that the man had shot
and killed her cat. The hawk was
taken to a local veterinarian,
who x-rayed the animal and
found that it had been shot three
times. Mount made contact with
the man named by the neighbors. The man claimed that he
was shooting at a squirrel when
the hawk fell from the tree, and
that he did not know that a
hawk would sit in a tree like that.
A citation was issued him for
killing a protected non-game
bird and civil restitution was
filed.
Rio Grande, approximately 75
yards from where he had disappeared.
HOLDING ON FOR DEAR LIFE
• A report of two individuals in
the water holding onto a canoe
led Hudspeth County Game
Warden Jake Simmering to a
local reservoir. The two individuals (one 18 years old and one 14
years old) had taken a canoe
with no lifejackets on board to
go fishing. Simmering responded with his flat-bottom boat.
Upon arrival, he found three
people in the water. The father
of the 14-year-old had swum out
trying to help. Simmering, along
with a Hudspeth County deputy,
got all three individuals into his
boat and safely to shore.
Although they were very cold,
the three suffered no long-lasting effects, despite having been
in the water for about one hour
and forty-five minutes.
SERIAL SHOOTIST
• A dead hawk led Tarrant
County Game Warden Chelle
Mount to travel to Euless. Upon
arriving, he found a red-tailed
next couple of nights. Janssen was checking
the Palacios turning basin when he observed
the snapper boat leaving. Janssen launched a
boat and caught up with the suspect several
miles into Matagorda Bay, where the wanted
man was taken into custody. NOAA agents are
investigating the possibility of the boat catching 2,000 pounds of snapper in less than 20
hours between two off-loads in Palacios.
WARDEN’S BS METER IN GOOD
WORKING ORDER
• Checking a cold storage facility,
Lamb County Game Warden
Brent Satsky discovered an
untagged white-tailed doe.
When contacted, the Hockley
County man who placed it in
storage claimed to have killed it
on a LAMPS property, which was
part of an automated anterless
permit issuance program. So, the
man said, he didn’t need a tag,
according to the Outdoor
Annual. However, the man’s
defense rapidly fell apart during
questioning. He revealed the
deer had actually been killed in
Mitchell County, where no
LAMPS property exists.
MOTHER KNOWS BEST
• A concerned mother contacted
Brown County Game Warden
Leroy W. Polnick after her son
killed a buck deer. Upon questioning him, Polnick learned
that her son, 17, and a juvenile,
14, had killed the 8-point buck at
night. The juvenile had hidden
its head on the ranch, and the
meat was located in an ice chest
behind his home. Criminal cases
and civil restitution are pending
on both individuals.
EVERY WHICH WAY BUT RIGHT
• McCulloch County Game
Warden Jeff Cox apprehended
three Brady men for killing deer
at night in the Melvin area. It
turns out that after they shot
THEIR MEMORIES NEEDED JOGGING
• Blanco County Warden Don
Jackson came upon two Granite
Shoals men on a public road in
north Blanco County. They had
a still-kicking feral hog in the
bed of their truck. Both men said
it had been run over. Their story
changed, however, when
Jackson told the men he saw and
heard the men shoot it from the
public road. After being interviewed, they admitted to being
after a deer, and, if not caught,
had been intent on shooting
one.
CAN’T CATCH A BREAK
• A call about spotlight hunting
led Hunt County Game Warden
Craig Hernandez and Delta
County Game Warden Eric
Collins to apprehend a man for
road hunting near the Hunt and
Delta County line. After checking, the wardens learned the
man’s 7mm rifle was listed as
having been stolen out of
Hopkins County. The man complained that he wasn’t going to
have a rifle for deer season since
Fannin County Game Warden
Eddie Hines had seized his only
other rifle, a .30-30, a few
months before. Incidentally, it
was the same rifle that Red River
County Game Warden Benny
Richards, then stationed in Delta
County, had seized from him for
evidence back in 2001. The case
is pending.
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November 25, 2005 Page 17
BORDERING TEXAS
ARKANSAS
Project to restore hydrology
on Bayou Meto
The crown jewel of the Arkansas
Game and Fish Commission’s wildlife
management area is undergoing
major renovations. The agency
recently began the initial phase of an
ambitious, long-term project to
restore hydrology and improve habitat on Bayou Meto Wildlife
Management Area.
Bayou Meto Wildlife Management
area is one of the largest state-owned
wildlife management areas in the
nation, encompassing 33,832 acres.
Bayou Meto’s green-timber duck
hunting is some of the best in the
state.
Opening days can be crowded with
1,500 to 2,000 hunters each day, with
an average of 350 hunters daily during
the rest of the season.
This initial project consists of a 5.8mile segment where a 20- to 40-foot
buffer will be cleared from the centerlines of Government Cypress Slough,
Wabbaseka Bayou and Brushy Slough.
The waterways will be cleared of
dense, understory vegetation. The
AGFC is utilizing a unique piece of
equipment called a Gyro-Trac, which
works much like an industrial
mulching machine.
According to Roger Milligan, AGFC
regional supervisor, the new channels
will allow for more efficient water flow
and fewer debris jams in each of these
drains.
“When needed, additional work
will be performed to remove deposits
of silt from these drains to further
improve water flow,” he said. “The
Gyro-Trac is being used to minimize
any negative impacts in the wetland
system.”
The
Commission
approved
$200,000 in funding to begin this
project as a first step in implementing
an overall restoration and recovery
plan, Milligan said.
“As each phase of the restoration
project is completed and habitat is
improved, hopes are high the results
will be additional waterfowl use during their fall and spring migrations,”
he added.
LOUISIANA
LDWF enforcement agent honored
as one of Glamour magazine’s
“2005 Women of the Year”
National Resource Water.
ONRWs are waters that possess outstanding ecological or recreational
values. The designation would provide incentive to maintain the quality
of Valle Vidal’s waterways into the
future for the benefit of both humans
and wildlife.
The headwater streams of the Valle
Vidal flow into two major drainages:
the Rio Grande and South Canadian
rivers. New Mexico’s state fish, the Rio
Grande cutthroat trout, occupies
waters on both slopes of the valley,
which wanders over 100,000 acres.
Valle Vidal, “Valley of Abundant
Life,” is also home to New Mexico’s
largest elk herd.
The Department of Game and Fish
— which is partnering with the New
Mexico Environment Department,
the Surface Water Quality Bureau and
the New Mexico State Forestry —
believes the ONRW designation
would guide the approval process for
future activities that could affect
water quality.
The El Paso Corp. currently has a
drilling request on file for Valle Vidal
with the U.S. Forest Service.
These activities have the potential
to decrease water quality through sedimentation from road building and
high use of forest roads by mainte-
ceremony Nov. 2 in New York City.
Zechenelly, 35, who has been an
enforcement agent since 1999, was
selected by Glamour for her efforts
during the search and rescue missions
in the New Orleans area following
Hurricane Katrina.
Zechenelly, who is living in Baton
Rouge after her apartment near New
Orleans lost its roof, took shelter at the
New Orleans Convention Center the
night before Katrina came ashore.
“That was my bunkhouse,” she
said. “Staying at the convention center allowed me to be in the city immediately after the storm had passed the
next morning.”
Her knowledge of New Orleans
proved to be a valuable asset in helping LDWF save more than 21,000 people, as Zechenelly was able to direct
agents to where people needed the
most help.
“I started finding passable routes to
get our boats and trucks to locations
such as the Ninth Ward,” she said.
NEW MEXICO
Glamour magazine honored Sgt.
Rachel Zechenelly, a Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Enforcement Division agent, as one of
their “2005 Women of the Year” at a
State takes steps to
preserve unique valley
The New Mexico Department of
Game and Fish is seeking to designate
the Valle Vidal as an Outstanding
nance trucks, deplete groundwater
levels and discharge water and extraction-derived pollutants produced in
oil or gas pumping, the Department
of Game and Fish contends.
Energy company representatives
maintain that drilling could be done
in a way to co-exist with wildlife.
OKLAHOMA
Deer harvest up 8.5 percent
Hunters have taken 31,825 deer in
Oklahoma, according to preliminary
deer harvest totals, an 8.5-percent
increase over this time last year.
Archery hunters have taken 6,954
deer. During the youth season, young
hunters took 1,577 deer. Muzzleloader
hunters accounted for 23,294 deer,
including nearly 14,000 bucks.
There is still plenty of time for
hunters to head to the woods with the
second half of archery season and the
upcoming special antlerless seasons.
And the deer gun season kicked off
Nov. 19 and will run through Dec. 4.
With good weather, hunters can
again look forward to excellent opportunities to harvest a deer this fall,
according to Mike Shaw, wildlife
research supervisor for the Oklahoma
Department of Wildlife Conservation
(ODWC).
OUTFITTERS
ADVERTISEMENT
Southern Comfort: A trophy game haven
A fishing trip with his dad at age 4 hooked
Bryan Moore on the outdoors.
Moore, owner of Southern Comfort Ranch,
located 2 1/2 hours west of Dallas, said, “I
started my son a little earlier.”
Moore started his business in 1990. The
ranch offers the hunter turkey, deer, dove and
wild hog hunts. Joe Arceneaux, who specializes in turkey hunts, is the senior guide.
The properties are located in Young and
Throckmorton counties, which rank among
some of the best hunting areas in Texas.
The ranch owner see hunters coming from
many states. “I've had hunters from
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alaska, California,
Hawaii,” just to name a few, Moore said.
Box blinds on 12-foot legs are available to
those in search of bagging a white-tailed deer.
Hunt the BIG Bucks
of South Texas.
The ranch builds its own stands which are
carpeted, waterproof and sturdy. Bow hunts
are semi-guided and conducted from a tree
stand or tripod.
The business also offers Big Buck Hunts in
South Texas, Mexico, southeast Iowa, northwest Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri.
Discounts are available for youth hunters.
Lodging is available for hunters seeking
some fine Southern Comfort. The lodges are
two-bedroom and durable. They are “oil field
bunk houses,” Moore said, explaining “it's a
heavy-duty trailer without wheels.”
Moore is very knowledgeable in land management. He wrote a booklet on land management that is a great tool for individuals
who operate hunting leases.
Moore stays busy keeping his ranch land
in top shape for hunters. He starts preparing
stands in January — filling feeders with topquality protein food. “Then in March you do
your minerals and in April and May the summer food plots,” he said.
Turkey, hog and dove hunts are two days
and deer outings are four to five days.
And if they want to share their memories of
bagging that trophy game, hunters can have
their outings recorded with a digital video
camera. Hunters will be recorded by their
guide and the tape will be edited with music
and text.
Experience a successful outdoor adventure
at the Southern Comfort Ranch. For more
information, turn to www.texashuntingcompany.com or call Bryan Moore at (972) 2051147. Let's go hunting.
Alberta Native Guide Services Ltd.
Alberta Whitetail 10 day
Only $5,000
Including Food, Lodging and
Airfair from Texas
Two hunts still available for late November
9000 acre Nueces River Ranch
www.ghostapacheranch.com
Phone: (780) 478-1988
Fax: (780) 478-1918
email: [email protected]
Ken Steinhauer, Proprietor
214-929-0823
Offshore and Bay fishing
30' Stamas
21' Shallowsport
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South Texas
Deer and Turkey
Hunting
10,000 Acres
Duck, Goose and
Dove Hunting
40,000 Acres
Capt. Scott Hickman
3218 Coral Ridge Ct.
League City, TX 77573
(218) 535-1930
Fax: (218) 535-1935
www.circleh.org
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RANCHES
FOR SALE: High-fenced exotic game
ranch — 927 acres close to Blanco,
Texas. Valleys, great cover and wonderful home sites. $5,995 per acre. Call
Bill Godwin - agent - (214) 356-5244
or Compass1Realty (903) 712-0999.
If interested, call for a survey on DVD.
FOR SALE-960 AC., Fisher Co., mule/WT
deer, blue/bob quail, hogs, nice home,
barn, pens, bordering the Double
Mountain Fork of the Brazos River,
income-producing ranch. $785.00
Ac.
www.fickesdorety.com
(817)
925-0483.
SOUTH TEXAS — Brooks, Duval, Jim Hogg
County Ranches. Call: David A. Lohse
Real Estate, Inc. (956) 761-6699.
fishing, Florida cross largemouth bass,
redear, catfish, B&B boat, call (512)
237-4792. Great fly fishing.
erties on the Laguna Madre and Gulf of
Mexico. Call: David A. Lohse Real
Estate, Inc. (956) 761-6699.
GUIDED HUNTS
ITEMS FOR
SALE
E M P L OY M E N T
DOVE-DEER-QUAIL — Bobwhite & Bluewild only. Meals/Lodging. Call Lone
Star Guide Service at (361) 729-3214
or visit www.fishlonestar.com.
1972 HERTERS, DUCK, goose and
pintail calls for sale. Never used. Sold
as a set. Make offer to J. Wood, 401
East Charleston, Suite 258, Las Vegas,
Nevada, 89104.
JOIN THE SALES TEAM at Lone Star
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FISHING LEASES
PROPERTIES
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Page 18 November 25, 2005
FISHING REPORT
CENTRAL
BASTROP: Water clear. Black bass are very good on
watermelon/blue fleck and watermelon/silver fleck soft
plastic worms, and on white spinnerbaits and crankbaits.
Crappie are fair on minnows and blue and green tube
jigs. Channel and blue catfish are good on shrimp, cutbait, nightcrawlers, and stinkbait. Yellow catfish are
slow.
BELTON: Water clear; 70 degrees; 1.55' low. Black bass
are good on minnows and chartreuse topwaters and shallow diving crankbaits. Hybrid striper are slow. White bass
are fair on silver slabs and spoons, and on live minnows.
Crappie are very good on minnows and white-tailed jigs.
Channel and blue catfish are very good on shrimp, goldfish, and minnows. Yellow catfish are slow.
BROWNWOOD: Water clear; 63 degrees; 1.63' low.
Black bass are good on black/blue Strike Works jigs, and
crawdad and shad colored Persuader Stealth crankbaits
near docks in 10 - 15 feet in weeds. Hybrid striper are
fair under lights and trolling. White bass are fair on
crankbaits under lights. Crappie are good on small tube
jigs and minnows over brushpiles and around bridge
pylons at the 279 Bridge. Catfish are slow.
BUCHANAN: Water clear; 64 degrees; 6.60' low. Black
bass are very good on blue shad Terminators, _oz.
Bleeding Shad Rat-L-Traps, and pitching 4” June bug
Ring Worms under cloud cover in 2 - 4 feet along laydowns and fencerows in pockets. Striped bass are fair
drifting live bait and jigging Spoiler Shads and _oz. Perk
Minnows below Shaw Island in 20 - 40 feet. White bass
are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows over brushpiles in
12 - 15 feet. Channel catfish are fair on trotlines. Yellow
and blue catfish are fair.
CANYON LAKE: Water gin clear; 64 degrees; 1.73' low.
Black bass are very good on Silver Blue Terminator spinnerbaits, green/pumpkin Super Tube Heavies, and 5”
pumpkin Ring Worms under cloud cover in 4 - 10 feet.
Smallmouth bass to 4 pounds are fair to good on
smoke/red JDC Craws, smoke/pepper 3” tubes, and 4”
JDC Strike Grubs over rock piles in 15 - 25 feet. Striped
bass are slow. White bass are slow. Crappie are fair on
minnows near the fishing pier at night. Channel catfish
to 8 pounds are fair to good on Black Salty baitfish and
large minnows upriver. Yellow and blue catfish to 18
pounds are very good on trotlines with Black Salty baitfish upriver.
COLEMAN: Water clear; 75 degrees; 1.22' low. Black
bass are slow. Hybrid striper are slow. Crappie are fair on
minnows and blue/red tube jigs. Channel and blue catfish are good on live bait and cutbait. Yellow catfish are
fair on trotlines baited with live perch.
COLORADO RIVER: (At Colorado Bend State Park) Water
stained. Black bass are slow. Striped bass are slow.
White bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Catfish are fair on
cut shad, nightcrawlers, shrimp, and perch.
catfish are fair on stinkbait and nightcrawlers. Yellow
catfish are slow.
PROCTOR: Water fairly clear; 74 degrees; 4.07' low.
Black bass are slow. Striped bass are slow. White bass
are slow. Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are
slow. Yellow catfish are slow.
SOMERVILLE: Water stained; 2.64' low. Black bass are
fair on live bait and blue/white spinnerbaits, crankbaits,
and Rat-L-Traps. Hybrid striper are slow. White bass are
slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and pink/black tube
jigs. Channel and blue catfish are fair on live bait. Yellow
catfish are slow.
STILLHOUSE: Water fairly clear; 71 degrees; 0.44' low.
Black bass are fair on and watermelon seed soft plastic
worms and lizards. White bass are fair on minnows.
Crappie are fair on minnows. Carp are very good on corn.
Channel and blue catfish are good on minnows, chicken
livers, and shrimp. Yellow catfish are slow.
TRAVIS: Water clear; 73 degrees; 15.60' low. Black bass
to 7 pounds are good on buzzbaits, white spinnerbaits,
and black soft plastic worms in 5 - 22 feet. Striped bass
are slow. White bass are slow. Crappie to 1 pound are
fair on minnows and white tube jigs 10 - 20 feet.
Channel and blue catfish to 5 pounds are fair on shrimp
and nightcrawlers in 20 - 32 feet. Yellow catfish are
slow.
WALTER E. LONG: Water clear; 70 degrees. Black bass
are good on minnows and on watermelon/red soft plastics. Hybrid striper are good on live shad and striper jigs.
White bass are slow. Crappie are good on minnows.
Channel and blue catfish are good on shrimp, nightcrawlers, frozen shad, and stinkbait. Yellow catfish are
good on live bait.
WHITNEY: Water clear; 3.26' low. Black bass are good
on silver and white crankbaits and spinnerbaits, and on
silver slabs. Striped bass are slow. White bass are slow.
Crappie are good on live minnows. Catfish are good on
stinkbait, nightcrawlers, and frozen shrimp.
NORTHEAST
ATHENS: Water clear, 64-66 degrees; 3.6' low. Black
bass are fair on spinnerbaits, crankbaits and Carolinarigs. Crappie are fair on live minnows. Catfish are fair to
good on stinkbait.
BOB SANDLIN: Water clear; 64-66 degrees; 5.14' low.
Black bass are fair on Tennessee shad crankbaits and
Carolina-rigs. White bass are slow to fair on pearl
TailHummers. Catfish are fair to good on nightcrawlers,
cut shad and shrimp.
BRIDGEPORT: Water clear; 63-66. Black bass are slow
to fair on Carolina-rigged watermelon seed worms and
jigs. Crappie are fair on minnows. Hybrid striper are fair
on live shad and Sassy Shad. Catfish are fair on Catfish
Charlie and cut bait.
DUNLAP/MCQUEENY: Water slightly stained; 78
degrees; 1.33' low. Black bass to 9 pounds are good on
chrome/blue Rat-L-Traps, Texas rigged soft plastic
worms, and creature baits under docks near the channel
in 10 - 15 feet. White bass are good on live minnows
and 1/8oz. white Curb's crappie jigs at night under green
lights in 8 - 20 feet. Crappie are fair on live minnows
and white Curb's crappie jigs near the ski jump in 9 - 11
feet. Channel catfish to 10 pounds are excellent on
shad, chicken livers, and shrimp. Blue catfish to 10
pounds are excellent on cut shad, dead shad, and
shrimp near the powerhouse upriver and near the Ski
Lodge in 10 - 15 feet. Yellow catfish to 15 pounds are
slow on trotlines baited with live perch and live dot
tailed Minnows.
CADDO: Water clear; 64-66 degrees; 1.34' low. Black
bass are fair on white spinnerbaits, white flukes, and
Rat-L-Traps. Crappie are excellent on minnows and jigs.
Yellow bass are good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are
slow on Catfish Charlie. Bream are fair on Canadian
nightcrawlers.
GRANBURY: Water stained; 0.53' low. Black bass are
good on chartreuse/white and chartreuse/green soft plastics, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits, and on minnows.
Striped bass are slow. White bass are fair on minnows.
Crappie are good on minnows and pink and white tube
jigs. Catfish are good on frozen shrimp, live bait, and
cutbait.
COOPER: Water stained; 64-66 degrees. The lake is very
low. Boaters are advised to use extreme caution.
GRANGER: Water murky; 63 degrees; 0.20' low. Black
bass are slow. White bass are fair along shallow roadbeds
in the main lake. Crappie are fair on jigs in 12 - 15 feet.
Blue catfish are good on cutbait and prepared baits.
Yellow catfish are fair on trotlines in the river.
LBJ: Water clear; 66 degrees. Black bass to 6 pounds
are very good on Bleeding Shad Rat-L-Traps, Golden
Shiner Terminator spinnerbaits, and Texas rigged 5”
green pumpkin Whacky Sticks along laydowns and on
points in 2 - 5 feet. Striped bass are good on Spoiler
Shads in the shoals during dam releases. White bass are
fair to good on Li'l Fishies and Tiny Traps at night.
Crappie are good at night over baited holes. Channel catfish are fair. Yellow and blue catfish are slow.
NAVARRO MILLS: Water fairly clear; 3.16' low. Black
bass are very good on red and watermelon seed/red soft
plastics, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits. White bass are
slow. Crappie are fair on minnows. Channel and blue
CEDAR CREEK: Water stained; 64-66 degrees; 3.50'
low. Black bass are good on worms and deep diving
crankbaits. White bass are very good on slabs and
TailHummers over humps and ridges. Hybrid striper are
good on Sassy Shad under birds and on Road Runners
fished around lights at night. Crappie are good on tube
jigs around shaded boathouses and sunken brushpiles in
3 - 12 feet. Catfish are very good on liver and cutbait
drifted in 12 - 20 feet.
FAIRFIELD: Water clear; 72-90 degrees. Black bass are
good on flukes and Senkos above the grass line, and
Carolina-rigs off the points. Hybrid striper are slow on
white/chartreuse slabs and live shad on main lake
points. Redfish are slow on live shad in the inlet cove
and around the dam. Catfish are fair on prepared baits
and live shad.
FORK: Water clear 64-66 degrees; 3.60' low. Black bass
are fair early on pearl/glitter flukes and buzzbaits, midday switching to Texas-rigged black/blue Power Worms
and crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs
around bridge columns and over brushpiles. Catfish are
slow to fair on nightcrawlers.
GRAPEVINE: Water stained; 64-67 degrees; 5.59' low.
Black bass are fair on chrome Rat-L-Traps and ice tea
drop shot rigged Devil's Tongues. Smallmouth bass are
occasionally showing up off the dam on fluorescent
orange/black Grappler Shad. Crappie are fair on minnows
and jigs. White bass are good on slabs and live minnows.
Catfish are fair on cut bait and nightcrawlers.
JOE POOL: Water stained; 64-66 degrees; 3' low. Black
bass are good on drop shot rigged french fries and
crankbaits in 6 - 10 feet. Crappie are fair on minnows
and jigs fished around bridge columns. White bass are
fair on slabs in 25 - 30 feet. Catfish are fair on liver and
prepared baits drifted over flats in 10 - 15 feet.
LAKE O' THE PINES: Water stained; 64-66 degrees;
3.51' low. Black bass are fair on crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and Carolina-rigs off points, in coves, and off the
moss edges. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs in 20
feet. Catfish are fair on Canadian nightcrawlers, bloodbait, and stinkbait in 20 feet - closer to the bank at
night. Bream are slow.
LAVON: Water stained; 64-66 degrees; 8.78' low. Black
bass are fair on crankbaits and Texas-rigged worms
fished around riprap. Crappie are good on minnows in
20 - 30 feet off points. White bass are fair on
white/chartreuse slabs fished vertically on main lake
points in 15 - 25 feet. Catfish are fair to good drifting
fresh shad around main lake points in 15 - 30 feet, and
on Danny King's Punchbait fished early around cormorant roosts in the north end of the lake.
LEWISVILLE: Water stained; 66-67 degrees; 6.37' low.
Black bass are fair on chrome Crazy Shad and white
buzzbaits early, midday switching to Carolina-rigged
pumpkinseed worms. Crappie are fair on minnows and
jigs over brushpiles. White bass are fair on
chartreuse/white slabs. Catfish are fair on nightcrawlers
and cheesebait.
MARTIN CREEK: Water clear; 71 degrees mid-lake, 90
at hot water discharge; normal pool. Black bass are fair
on Carolina-rigged watermelon seed worms. Crappie are
fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on stinkbait. Bream are
slow.
MONTICELLO: Water clear; 73 degrees upper end, 89
degrees at hot water discharge; normal pool. No report
available.
PALESTINE: Water clear; 64-66 degrees; 2.63' low.
Black bass are fair early on baby bass Pop'n Image Jr's,
midday switching to crankbaits and Carolina-rigs.
Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfish are fair on
nightcrawlers and prepared baits. Hybrid striper are fair
to good on live shad and chartreuse/red scale Holliday
slabs. Bream are slow.
RAY HUBBARD: Water stained; 64-67 degrees; 3.28'
low. Black bass are fair on smoke/glitter flukes early,
midday switching to Carolina-rigs and chrome/blue
Bayou Boogies. Crappie are fair to good on minnows and
jigs. White bass are good on pearl/lemon KMA slabs and
shad. Hybrid striper are slow live shad. Catfish are fair
on nightcrawlers.
RAY ROBERTS: Water clear; 64-66 degrees; 2.78' low.
Black bass are fair to good on white medium diving
crankbaits around bends in creek channels towards the
backs of the creeks and on soft plastics in scattered
grass around shorelines with a creek near by. White bass
are good and sporadically schooling around the west
flats of Wolf Island - Sassy Shad type baits have been
working best. Crappie are good with minnows on the
deeper edges of sunken brushpiles. No reports on catfish.
RICHLAND CHAMBERS: Water stained; 64-66 degrees;
4' low. Black bass are fair to good on Texas-rigs and jigs
in the creek channels and off secondary points. White
bass and hybrid striper are fair on white/chartreuse slabs
on main lake humps. Crappie are fair on minnows and
jigs around deep-water trees. Catfish are fair on juglines
with live perch set off the main creek channels and flats.
TAWAKONI: Water stained; 64-66 degrees; 6.75' low.
Black bass are fair on white spinnerbaits, shad pattern
crankbaits, and Carolina-rigged black/chartreuse tail
worms. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs over brushpiles. White bass are fair on chartreuse/white slabs and
minnows. Striped bass and hybrid striper are fair to good
on live shad and slabs. Catfish are fair on prepared
baits.
TEXOMA: Water clear; 64-67 degrees; 1.36' low. Black
bass are fair on jigs and Rat-L-Traps. Crappie are fair on
minnows and jigs. Striped bass are good on Pencil
Poppers when surfacing and live shad throughout the
day. Catfish are fair to good on stinkbait, shad, and
nightcrawlers, with large blues hitting under the feeding
striper.
WEATHERFORD: Water stained; 63 degrees; 5.5' low.
Black bass to 10 pounds are good on dark-colored plastics, shad pattern crankbaits and chartreuse spinnerbaits. Crappie are slow on minnows and jigs. Channel
catfish are slow. White bass are poor. Bream are good on
worms. The boat ramps are closed for repair.
SOUTH
AMISTAD: Water clear; 72 degrees. Black bass are very
good on watermelon seed and red/red heavy jigs and
drop shot rigs in 20 - 25 feet, and fair on spinnerbaits
and topwaters in the same colors. Striped bass are fair
on slabs and striper jigs. White bass are fair on slabs
and striper jigs. Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are fair on cheesebait over baited holes in 40 - 50
feet. Yellow catfish are slow.
BRAUNIG: Water slightly stained; 87 degrees. Black
bass are fair on chartreuse/white spinnerbaits and shallow diving crankbaits in 5 - 7 feet. Striped bass are fair
on live bait and silver spoons. Redfish are fair on crawfish and perch. Channel and blue catfish are good on
stinkbait, shrimp, and cutbait. Yellow catfish are slow.
CALAVERAS: Water slightly stained; 88 degrees. Black
bass are good on green/blue/white spinnerbaits and RatL-Traps. Striped bass are fair on slabs and spoons.
Redfish are fair on perch, tilapia, and Rat-L-Traps.
Channel catfish are fair on stinkbait, cutbait, and nightcrawlers. Blue and yellow catfish are slow.
CHOKE CANYON: Water gin clear; 74 degrees; 2.46'
low. Black bass are good on white buzzbaits and white
buzz frogs in back of Four Fingers early, and later on
1oz. Tungsten Texas rigged with PB&J 4.5” YUM Craw
Papi's and delicious double wide beavers in the grass on
the South shore, and on white spinnerbaits along grass
edges. White bass are fair on live minnows and vertically
jigging blue Fle-Fly slabs around main lake points .
Crappie are good on live minnows and black/red neck
Curb's crappie jigs tipped with live minnows over brushpiles and standing timber. Channel and blue catfish are
fair on cut shad, Lewis King punchbait, and perch.
Yellow catfish are fair on trotlines and juglines baited
with hybrid bluegills and goldfish.
COLETO CREEK: Water clear; 74 degrees (86 degrees at
hot water discharge); 2.08' low. Black bass to 7 pounds
are fair on spinnerbaits over weed beds. Striped bass are
slow. White bass are slow. Crappie to 1 pound are fair on
live minnows in 13 - 14 feet. Channel and blue catfish
are slow. Yellow catfish are slow.
FALCON: Water clear; 74 degrees. Black bass to 7
pounds are good on Brush Hogs off brushy points in 2 5 feet. Striped bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Channel
and blue catfish are excellent on cutbait and frozen
shrimp under cane along banks. Yellow catfish are slow.
Mexican fishing licenses and boat permits are required
to fish in Mexican waters. Everyone in the boat must
have a Mexico Fishing License whether fishing or not.
MEDINA: Water stained; 74 degrees; 7.90' low. Black
bass are good on white buzzbaits and white buzz frogs in
back of creeks early, and later on June bug YUM Vibra
Craws along main lake points, and on gold spinnerbaits
and ghost minnow jerk baits upriver along stick-ups and
ledges. Smallmouth bass are good on white buzzbaits
and motor oil jigs along ledges and rock piles in 10 - 25
feet. White bass are fair on live minnows and vertically
jigging blue chrome Bomber slabs around main lake
points in 10 - 20 feet. Crappie are fair on live minnows
and black Curb's crappie jigs tipped with live minnows
around brushpiles and standing timber at night under
lights in 10 - 25 feet. Striped bass are good vertically
jigging white Fle-Fly slabs in the river channel and on
main lake points in 20 - 35 feet. Channel and blue catfish are fair on Lewis King punchbait, cut shad, and
goldfish. Yellow catfish are fair on juglines baited with
perch and goldfish.
SOUTHEAST
CONROE: Water slightly stained; 3.92' low. Black bass
are good on black neon and blue neon crankbaits and
soft plastics. Striped bass are fair on silver/white striper
jigs and soft plastics. Crappie are fair on live minnows.
Catfish are fair on frozen shrimp, stinkbait, and cutbait.
GIBBONS CREEK: Water slightly stained. Black bass are
fair on dark soft plastics, shallow diving crankbaits, and
white/silver Rat-L-Traps. Crappie are fair on live minnows
and blue tube jigs. Catfish are fair on liver, cutbait, and
stinkbait.
HOUSTON COUNTY: Water stained; 69 degrees; 0.57'
low. Black bass are good on white crankbaits and
buzzbaits in 6 - 10 feet. Crappie are fair on live minnows around brushpiles near the dam in 15 - 20 feet.
Bream are good on live worms in grassy areas. Catfish
are slow.
LIVINGSTON: Water fairly clear; 65 degrees; 4.03' low.
Black bass are good on crankbaits and spinnerbaits.
Striped bass are slow. White bass are good on
blue/chrome Rat-L-Traps off sandy points. Crappie are
good on minnows. Channel and blue catfish are good on
shad. Yellow catfish are slow.
SAM RAYBURN: Water slightly stained; 71 degrees;
4.71' low. Black bass are good on watermelon, sour
grape, and plum apple topwaters, soft plastic jerk baits,
Senkos, and Super Flukes early and late. Crappie are
good on live shiners, and on pearl and pink/white tube
jigs over planted brushtops in 18 - 25 feet. Catfish are
good on live bait, frozen shrimp, and cutbait.
TOLEDO BEND: Water clear; 70 degrees; 8.91' low.
Black bass are good on buzzbaits and spinnerbaits
around shallow grass early and late, and on red bloodline
Texas rigged soft plastic worms along creek channel
points and bends in 8 - 12 feet. Crappie are fair on
shiners around lay downs and brushtops along creek
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EXP. DATE
SIGNATURE
112505
MACKENZIE: Water lightly stained; 60 degrees; 66.25'
low. Black bass are fair on shad-colored crankbaits along
secondary points. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs.
White bass and striped bass are fair. Smallmouth bass
are fair. Walleye are fair on minnows and jerkbaits.
Catfish are fair on minnows.
MEREDITH: Water lightly stained; 58 degrees; 23.75'
low. Black bass are fair on shad-colored crankbaits on
along grass lines and rocky shores with some timber.
Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. White bass are fair
on live bait and crankbaits near rocky points.
Smallmouth bass are fair on shallow crankbaits along
rocky shores. Walleye are fair on live bait and bottom
bouncers. Channel catfish are good on minnows.
PALO DURO: Water lightly stained; 55 degrees; 42.15'
low. Black bass are fair on live bait. Crappie are fair on
jigs and minnows. Smallmouth bass are slow. Walleye
are fair. Catfish are fair on chicken liver and minnows.
WEST
ALAN HENRY: Water lightly stained; 60 degrees. Black
bass are fair on dark jigs and soft plastics fished tight to
timber. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs.
ARROWHEAD: Water lightly stained; 61 degrees; 1.3'
low. Black bass are fair and improving on crankbaits and
soft plastics near flooded brush. Crappie are good on
minnows near the derricks about 17' and Scotland
Bridge; and fair near State Park. White bass are excellent on shad-imitation baits with some topwater action
late in day east of State Park and Sailboat Cove. Blue
catfish are good on cut shad and prepared baits.
BUFFALO SPRINGS: Water lightly stained; 57 degrees.
Black bass are fair. Crappie are fair near Crappie House.
Hybrid strippers are fair on silver shad near dam.
Channel catfish are good on stinkbait near docks and
chicken liver near Crappie House.
COLORADO CITY: Water clear; 74 degrees. Black bass
are slow. Crappie are slow. White bass are slow. Redfish
are slow. Catfish are slow.
FT. PHANTOM HILL: Water clear; 70 degrees; 4.5' low.
Black bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and
jigs. White bass are fair. Catfish are fair on prepared
baits.
HUBBARD CREEK: Water lightly stained; 67 degrees;
9.5' low. Black bass are fair on shad-colored crankbaits
along rocky points. Crappie are good on minnows and
jigs. White bass and hybrid striper are good on live bait.
Catfish are fair on prepared baits and minnows along
channels.
NASWORTHY: Water lightly stained; 67 degrees. Black
bass are fair on shad-colored crankbaits. Crappie are fair
on jigs and minnows. Redfish are fair. White bass and
striped bass are fair on minnows. Catfish are good on
live bait.
OAK CREEK: Water lightly stained; 63 degrees; 18.15'
low. Black bass are fair. Crappie are fair on minnows and
jigs. Catfish are fair on chicken liver. No boat ramps
open. 4x4 vehicles can unload on the dirt road near the
dam.
OH. IVIE: Water lightly stained; 69 degrees; 15.5' low.
Black bass are fair on shad-colored crankbaits and
Carolina-rigged dark soft plastics near creek channels.
Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. White bass are
fair on live bait. Smallmouth bass are fair. Channel catfish are fair on minnows.
POSSUM KINGDOM: Water clear; 62 degrees; 2.5' low.
Black bass are fair in Rock Creek. White bass are good
in Bluff Creek and Neely's Slough. Striped bass are fair
near piers in Willow Beach area. Blue and channel catfish are fair in the upper part of reservoir.
SPENCE: Water lightly stained; 64 degrees; 45.2' low.
Black bass are fair on white spinnerbaits. Crappie are
fair on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair. Striped
bass and hybrid striper are fair on inline spinners and
minnows. Catfish are fair.
STAMFORD: Water lightly stained; 66 degrees; Black
bass are fair on spinnerbaits and live bait. Crappie are
fair on jigs and minnows. White and striped bass are fair.
Catfish are fair.
Continued on Page 19
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GREENBELT: Water lightly stained; 59 degrees; 21.5'
low. Black bass are fair on slow rolled white spinnerbaits
over the grass and dark jigs fished tight to timber.
Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. White bass are
good on live bait and chrome jerkbaits. Smallmouth bass
are fair on shad-colored crankbaits. Walleye are fair on
minnows. Catfish are good on prepared bait.
Crossword puzzle solution from Page 15.
H
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ADDRESS
PANHANDLE
BAYLOR: Water lightly stained; 65 degrees. Black bass
are slow. Crappie are slow. Catfish are slow.
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channels in 6 - 8 feet. Catfish are fair on prepared baits
in major creek channels.
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November 25, 2005 Page 19
OUTDOOR DATEBOOK
HAVE AN EVENT TO PUBLICIZE?
E-mail it to
[email protected]
Events must be open to the public
Nov. 25–27: Chaparral WMA youth only
antlerless deer hunt. Adult must
accompany youth, but only youth may
hunt. Standby applicants must be present
by 10 a.m. first day of hunt. No fee is
charged; call (830) 676-3413.
Nov. 25-27: Bass Pro Shops Katy photos
with Santa, $7 digital 4 inch by 6 inch
photo. Visit www.basspro.com for times.
Nov. 26-27: Cabela’s in Buda workshops
offered on Carolina rig, archery gear and
intro to GPS. Visit www.cabelas.com and
click on the Buda store for times.
Nov. 26, Dec. 3, Dec. 10: Bass Pro
Shops Grapevine basic fly-fishing
workshop, 1 p.m. These Saturday
workshops will end in early March. Free
opportunity to learn to cast a fly rod.
Associates will teach you the basic
techniques to fly-casting. Stop by the
White River Fly Shop for more details.
Nov. 29: Cabela’s in Buda workshops on
blind selection, fly-tying and GPS
fishfinders. Visit www.cabelas.com and
click on the Buda store for times.
Nov. 29: Sweetwater DU chapter banquet
at the Elks Lodge. Contact: Jackie Rose
at (325) 338-4681 or e-mail
[email protected].
Nov. 29: Cabela’s Fort Worth concealed
handgun seminar 8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Contact store to register by calling (817)
337-2400 or visiting www.cabelas.com.
Dec. 3-4, 10-11: Bass Pro Shops Katy
photos with Santa, $7 digital 4 inch by 6
inch photo. Visit www.basspro.com for
times.
Nov. 19, 22, 26, 29: Bass Pro Shops
Katy free beginner archery class on
Saturdays and Tuesdays. Take advantage
of this great opportunity to get a one-hour
semi-private archery lesson. The class will
cover: archery safety, review of
equipment, bow fitting, proper technique,
proper form and actual shooting. Classes
are limited to three students, so drop by
the archery counter or call (281) 6442200 and reserve your spot right away.
Saturday classes begin at 8 a.m. and
Tuesday classes begin at 7 p.m.
Nov. 26: Bass Pro Shops Katy fly-fishing
strategies workshop, 8 a.m. One of several
scheduled classes where expert associates
will provide an in-depth free workshop on
a specific aspect of fly-fishing. The
workshop topic will cover the respective
season and fishing conditions. To find out
more about the future topics, please call
(281) 644-2200 and speak to an
associate in the White River Fly Shop.
Nov. 30: Kingwood/Humble DU dinner,
Wilson Road Hall. Contact Bradley
Fuentes at (713) 679-6385 or e-mail
[email protected].
Dec. 1: Beaumont DU dinner at the
Harvest Club. Contact Matthew Matheny
at (409) 866-0564 or e-mail
[email protected].
Dec. 1: Sabine County-Hemphill DU funfilled event with raffle and auctions at the
Hemphill VFW. Contact Josh Neal at
(936) 275-3111 or e-mail
[email protected].
Dec. 1: Amarillo DU event at the Khiva
Shrine Center. Contact Scott Mitchell at
(806) 674-1839 or e-mail
[email protected].
Dec. 3: Bass Pro Shops Katy free
Beginner Archery Class, 8 a.m. Get a onehour semi-private archery lesson. The
class will cover: archery safety; review of
equipment; bow fitting; proper technique;
proper form and actual shooting. Classes
are limited to 3 students, so drop by the
archery counter or call (281) 644-2200
and reserve your spot right away.
Dec. 3: Duck Eve Celebration in Liberty at
Toler Farms near Raywood at 2:30 p.m.
Contact Dan Toler at (281) 592-0307 or
e-mail [email protected]. Tim
Soderquist can be contacted at (281)
259-9638. Fee is $10.
Dec. 3-18: Cooper Lake State Park/South
Sulphur Unit scheduled hunts. Call (903)
395-3100 for details.
Dec. 3-4, 10-11: Chaparral WMA youth
only antlerless deer hunt. Adult must
accompany youth, but only youth may
hunt — by special drawn permit only.
Standby applicants must be present by
10 a.m. first day of hunt. No fee is
charged; call (830) 676-3413.
Dec. 4-9: Fairfield Lake State Park
scheduled hunts, 5 p.m. Dec. 4 to 1 p.m.
Dec. 6: Gregg County-Longview dinner 6
p.m. at Maude Cobb Activity &
Convention Center, 100 Grand Blvd, in
Longview. Contact Dereck Borders at
(903) 984-7185 or e-mail
[email protected].
Dec. 8: Graham DU dinner at the
Wildcatter Steak House. Contact Matt
Maberry at (214) 215-3233 or e-mail
[email protected].
Dec. 9: Santa Fe DU dinner at the
Galveston Youth Rodeo Complex. Contact
Gary and Linda Reiter at (409) 925-4555
or e-mail [email protected].
Dec. 12-26: Black Gap WMA quail
hunting. Call for more information during
normal business hours at (432) 3762216 or (432) 837-3251.
Continued from Page 18
Fishing Report
SWEETWATER: Water lightly stained; 60 degrees; 31.3'
low. Black bass are fair. Crappie are fair on minnows and
jigs. White bass are fair. Catfish are fair on live bait.
WHITE RIVER: Water lightly stained; 61 degrees; 22.75'
low. Black bass are fair on dark jigs worked around rocky
points. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. Walleye are
fair on live bait. Channel catfish are fair on minnows.
COASTAL
NORTH SABINE: Trout are good under the birds and on
the shorelines on topwaters and chartreuse plastics.
Redfish are mixed in under the birds. Flounder are good
on the shorelines on mud minnows and jigs.
SOUTH SABINE: Trout are good under the birds on topwaters and pearl/chartreuse and red/white plastics.
Redfish and flounder are good in the bayous on mud
minnows and chartreuse touts. Flounder are also good
at the causeway bridge on mud minnows.
BOLIVAR: Flounder are good at Rollover Pass on mud
minnows. Redfish and trout are fair to good on the bay
side of the Pass on live shrimp. Sheepshead, black
drum, and croaker are good on fresh dead shrimp.
TRINITY BAY: Flounder, sheepshead, and croaker are
fair to good around the Spillway on live shrimp and jigs.
Trout are good in Jack's Pocket and on the East Ridge
on plugs and spoons.
EAST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are fair to good under the
birds on glow/chartreuse and pumpkinseed shrimptails.
Redfish are good in the Intracoastal along the cuts on
live or dead shrimp.
WEST GALVESTON BAY: Trout are fair to good under the
birds on shrimptails and jerk baits. Redfish are scattered under the birds. Redfish are fair to good in the
mouth of Green's on live shrimp and mullet.
TEXAS CITY: Flounder are good from the piers on the
dike and the shorelines on mud minnows and jigs tipped
with shrimp. Croaker and sheepshead are good off the
dike on fresh dead shrimp.
FREEPORT: Redfish are fair to good in Christmas Bay
and East Union on shrimp. Flounder are fair to good at
the Old Coast Guard Station and the Old River on mud
minnows. Sand trout are being caught everywhere on
fresh dead shrimp.
EAST MATAGORDA: Trout are fair while drifting over
shell on motor oil and plum shrimptails and jerk baits.
Redfish are fair to good on the shorelines on plastics and
gold spoons.
MATAGORDA: Redfish are fair to good on the south
shoreline on gold and silver spoons and chartreuse and
orange-tipped plastics. Trout are fair to good on the
north shoreline around Twin and Shell Islands on shrimp
and glow plastics.
PORT O'CONNOR: Redfish and black drum are fair to
good at the jetty on finger mullet and shrimp. Flounder
are fair to good at Mule Slough and the Intracoastal on
live shrimp and jigs tipped with shrimp.
ROCKPORT: Trout and redfish are fair to good on the
Estes Flats on live shrimp and perch. Flounder are fair to
good on mud minnows on the shorelines and spoil areas.
Trout are fair to good on the shell in Copano Bay on
Corkies.
PORT ARANSAS: Trout and redfish are fair to good on
the East Flats on live shrimp and gold spoons. Flounder
are fair to good on the shorelines and spoil banks on
mud minnows and bright- colored jigs tipped with
shrimp.
CORPUS CHRISTI: Black drum, whiting and sand trout
are fair to good on fresh dead shrimp from the piers.
Redfish and black drum are good at the Oso Bridge on
dead shrimp and mullet.
BAFFIN BAY: Trout are fair to good on Corkies and gold
spoons around the rocks. Redfish, flounder and black
drum are fair to good at the Land Cut on piggy perch,
shrimp and mud minnows.
PORT MANSFIELD: Trout are fair to good on the spoil
banks on gold spoons and bone-colored plastics. Redfish
are fair to good in the Ship Channel on shrimp and
spoons. Flounder are fair to good on mud minnows on
the spoils and on the flats near East Cut.
SOUTH PADRE: Trout are fair to good on the spoil banks
on red shad Sand Eels, Bass Assassins and Trout Killer
II's. Redfish are fair to good on the spoils and in the
channel on shrimp and gold spoons.
PORT ISABEL: Trout and redfish are fair at Three
Islands and the Gas-Well Flats on shrimp, gold spoons
and bone Bass Assassins. Trout and redfish are fair to
good in South Bay on plum or black Sand Eels, Trout
Killers and Bass Assassins.
Prepared by J.P. Greeson, Bink Grimes,
Kendal Hemphill and Karen Taylor for the
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.