texas fish & game february 2015

Huntin

February 2015$3.95

How Demand forWater Could Pit Texas Anglers AgainstTexas Hunters

The Rise ofHighSchoolBassFishing

5 Saltwater Spoilers to Avoid

DippinforCat sh

HillCountryBighorns

ValentinesDayFlounder

The TexasSnow GooseSituatiion

THE TEXAS OUTDOOR AUTHORITY www.FishGame.com

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1502 Staffbox-Contents.indd 2 1/9/15 9:42 AM

2 | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E

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

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

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

ROY NEVESPUBLISHER

CHESTER MOOREEDITOR IN CHIEF

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

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

A D V E R T I S I N G

ARDIA NEVESVICE PRESIDENT/ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

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

REPRESENTATIONTHE OMNI GROUP

BRIAN THURSTON PRESIDENT LEAHA WIRTH VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES PHONE: (971) 322-7548 EMAIL: [email protected]

C R E A T I V E

ELLIOTT DONNELLYDIGITAL PUBLISHER

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

1745 GREENS ROAD, HOUSTON, TX 77032PHONE (800) 725-1134

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

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

Paid Distribution of over 90,000Verified by Independent Audit


FEBRUARY 2015Volume 31 NO. 10

COVER:Bass vs. Bucks

STORY:

20 As Texass water needs spur a land grab for new reser-voirs, a boon for

anglers may become a bust for deer hunters.

Story: Matt WilliamsPhoto: Ranger Boats

FEATURES

COVER:


HILL COUNTRY BIG HORNSWhy pay tens of thousands of dollars for exotic hunts in equally exotic (and distant) places when you can bag big horn sheep and other exotics right here in the Texas Hill Country?

by Chester Moore

DIPPIN FOR CATFISHCatfish dip is a smelly concoction made of indredients youd rather not think about. Its also one of the most effective baits for putting tasty catfish in the boatand in a frying pan.

by TF&G Staff with Chad Ferguson

VALENTINES DAY FLOUNDERNo need to wait for March and the spring flounder run: big flatfish are already making their way from the Gulf into the bays by Valentines day.

by Chester Moore

30

36

44

THE RISE OF HIGH SCHOOL BASS FISHINGWhen over 700 kids enter a regional tournament, its no wonder competitive fishing is becoming one of the fast-est growing activities in Texas high schools.

by Paul Bradshaw

26

Table ofContents

Table ofContents

Table of

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

The Show Goose Situation

STORY:

48 Light goose num-bers are exploding. Why arent we seeing more of

them in Texas?

by Chester Moore

Saltwater SpoilersSaltwater SpoilersSTORY:

52 Here are five things to avoid when saltwater fishing.

by Chester Moore


Thieving S.O.B. Update

THE SONS OF B*****S IN OREGON THAT WE WROTE about several months ago have not stopped their assult on subscribers to magazines and newspapers all over the countryincluding Texas Fish & Game and Texas Parks & Wildlife. In fact, they seem to have rolled out even more efforts to defraud unsus-

pecting subscribers with bogus renewal notices.They are apparently so secure in their fortress of invincibility under the

enforcement jurisdiction of the Oregon Attorney General that they have begun to take on some extremely big targetssuch as the Wall Street Journal.

Federal investigations have thus far led nowhere, and Oregonian authori-ties have accomplished even less.

Many of you have started receiving a new batch of the fraudulent renewal notices in recent weeks. If you havent seen one yet, they look like this:

One tip-off: Theyre charging $49.95 for a one-year subscription. Thats more than twice our current basic rate.

They are being mailed under several different company names: Magazine Distribution Service, Platinum Publishing Service, or Publishers Periodical Service. The mailings are based in White City, Oregon, although some pub-lishers have seen mailings sent from addresses in Nevada and Florida.

If you get a notice that looks like the one pictured above, or from any of the above named companies, DO NOT RESPOND. It is fraudulent.

If you have any questions about your TF&G subscription, call us at (800) 725-1134 and we can quickly check the status of your account.

Meanwhile, if you have received one of the fraudulent renewal notices, call the Oregon Attorney Generals of ce and le a complaint.

Their toll-free number is: (877) 877-9392.If they get bombarded by a slew of calls from angry Texans, maybe theyll

get off their asses and go make an arrest, and stop this nonsense.

Email Roy and Ardia Neves atContactUs@ shgame.com

by ROY and ARDIA NEVESTF&G Owners

InsideFISH & GAME

InsideInsideFISH & GAME

InsideFISH & GAME

S IN OREGON THAT WE WROTE about several months ago have not stopped their assult on

ARDIA NEVES

FISH & GAMEFISH & GAME COLUMNS10 Editors Notes by Chester Moore TF&G Editor in Chief

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

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

18 Nugent in the Wild by Ted Nugent TF&G Editor At Large

19 Commentary by Kendal Hemphill TF&G Politcal Commentator

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

47 Texas Saltwater by Calixto Gonzales TF&G Saltwater Editor

50 Texas Freshwater by Matt Williams TF&G Freshwater Editor

51 Open Season by Reavis Wortham TF&G Freshwater Editor

54 Texas Boating by Lenny Rudow TF&G Boating Editor

58 Practical Angler by Paul Bradshaw TF&G Contributing Editor

60 Texas Guns by Steve LaMascus TF&G Firearms Editor

92 Texas Tasted by Bryan Slaven The Texas Gourmet

by Kendal Hemphill

Bare Bones

by Calixto Gonzales

Texas Freshwater

8 LETTERS12 TF&G REPORT34 TEXAS DEPT. OF DEFENSE

40 TRUE GREEN62 TEXAS TESTED64 INDUSTRY INSIDER

66 FISH AND GAME GEAR

68 HOTSPOT FOCUS

76 TEXAS HOTSPOTS

86 TIDES & PRIME TIMES

94 TF&G PHOTOS

DEPARTMENTS

Contents (continued)


www.FishGame.com


8 LETTERS12 TF&G REPORT34 TEXAS DEPT. OF DEFENSE

40 TRUE GREEN62 TEXAS TESTED64 INDUSTRY INSIDER

66 FISH AND GAME GEAR

68 HOTSPOT FOCUS

76 TEXAS HOTSPOTS

86 TIDES & PRIME TIMES

94 TF&G PHOTOS

DEPARTMENTS


LETTERS to the EditorLETTERS LETTERS LETTERS LETTERS LETTERS to the Editorto the Editorto the Editorto the Editorto the Editorto the Editorto the Editorto the Editorto the Editorto the Editorto the Editorto the Editorto the Editorto the Editorto the Editor

F.L.E.X. SuccessLET ME START THIS EMAIL BY telling you just how much I have enjoyed your articles over the years. I always fi nd your writings informative, captivating, and for lack of a better word, just plain awe-some! I fi nd true genius in your F.L.E.X. Fishing system the angling insights you have shown in quantifying these principles are impressive to say the least. Elegant, simplistic and sensible are all adjec-tives I would use in my description of your program. Your most recent article, F.L.E.X.ability (December, 2014) has provoked my correspondence.

I myself am an avid, dedicated, well informed crappie fi sherman. In your article you touch on a few points that I have been preaching for many years, starting with the fi rst paragraph in the Ecology section. I fi sh for crappie at night, not totally exclusively but more often than not. All of my best crap-pie fi shing has been done at night.

A lot of folks look at me like I have 10 heads when nighttime fi shing is discussed for the fi rst time. I believe its a fact-crappie fi shing is best done at night. I cannot tell you how many times I have reached my fi shing grounds after dark and caught limits of crap-pie for them to go shut-mouth at daylight. I fi sh the solunar tables in Texas Fish & Game magazine quite heavily. Anyone who follows these tables will fi nd themselves fi shing at night often. Having done so has paid off for me in spades.

I also agree with your section on Senses where you remind us that crappie eyes are designed to look up. ABSOLUTELY! In my experience crappie will come up a little, but they do not feed down. Depth is every-thing when it comes to crappie.

I love everything in X Factors, but regarding your reference to setting the hook. I believe this conveys the wrong message to anglers reading your article. I tell people never set the hook while crappie fi shing. I feel setting the hook to most means jerking on the rod to drive the hook point home. When it comes to crappie who can be

moochers jerking on the rod will lose you more fi sh than a gaping hole in your fi sh basket! Slow and steady wins the race here.

Let them commit, be gentle. When straight-lining minnows let the fi sh pull on the rod before simply reeling up, letting the fi sh and the rod do all the work. When fi sh-ing with fl oats, always wait until the fl oat is completely submerged before simply reeling up. I am not convinced that you meant to tell readers to jerk on the rod. Just in my opinion there may have been a better choice of words.

Please forgive me, my enthusiasm in writing this has carried me away and I have neglected to introduce myself. My name is Bill Hooker Harwell. I guide for crappies on Lake Conroe, and I am the only guide I know of who does so at night.

Bill Hooker Harwell

Editor: Thanks so much for the kind words Bill. I appreciate your thoughts, enthusiasm and love for crappie. Setting the hook can be sort of a relative term, and with crappie you are rightit should be done lightly. An angler defi nitely doesnt want to put the same kind of hookset as they would on a bass or fl ounder. Feel free to send us pics of your crappie catches. Wed love to see them.

CM

Disagreement on Zoos

To Kendal Hemphill, in response to the article; Merry Christmas, PETA, (Dec. Issue) I AM NO FAN OF PETA AND I agree with most of what you say in the arti-cle, but you make two statements which I fi nd to be in direct confl ict with each other: I believe we are stewards of the wildlife on earth, and should not be abusive or cruel, ever. I wholeheartedly agree. However, in the following sentence you state: I also agree with PETAs opinion on zoos and circuses, most of which are, in my opin-ion, cruel and inhumane. This statement

dismisses the truth that while there are a few public zoos in the US that may treat the animals in ways deemed inhumane (though I do not know of any), the major-ity of animals in public zoos in our country are well cared for. Indeed, we are fortunate that Texas has a number of very fi ne zoos. The Dallas Zoo, Houston Zoo and San Antonio Zoo in particular are distinguished examples of modern animal husbandry at its best. Their displays are educational, clean and more than adequate for the optimum care of the animals. Most wild animals adapt well to captivity, especially those that are captive-born, and nearly all of the animals kept in zoos today were born in captivity.

Zoos have a crucially important role in educating a public which is increasingly out of touch with nature, and giving them a close view of animals they would never have an opportunity to see otherwise. Whats more, zoos serve as valuable reserves for spe-cies which are critically endangered, many of which will soon be extinct in the wild. Animal rights organizations would argue that keeping wild (or even domestic) animals in captivity is wrong under any circumstanc-es. It is my opinion that, as stewards of the wildlife on earth, we are obligated to keep some wild animals in captivity; to preserve them, and to promote their conservation by showing people fi rsthand how amazing they are.Respectfully,

Bill Montgomery

Send Your Comments to:MAIL:

EditorTexas Fish & Game1745 Greens RdHouston TX 77032

EMAIL:

editor@ shgame.com


1502 Letters.indd 8 1/8/15 1:53 PM

1502 Letters.indd 9 1/8/15 1:53 PM

Reality Check

AFRICAN ELEPHANTS HAVE been at the forefront of interna-tional wildlife conservation efforts for the last 30 years. When ivory

poaching was brought to the publics con-sciousness in the mid-1980s, the world was rightly appalled and millions of dollars have gone toward their cause.

Currently there are an estimated 400,000 African elephants throughout the continent. Thats a huge drop from at least two million in the 1940s, but it is large in comparison to the Asian elephant with a best estimate standing at around 35,000 animals scattered throughout Asia.

And the giraffe with an estimated 40,000 individuals in Africa.

Or tigers (of all subspecies) standing at around 2,000 animals.

I dare say if any of these species had received a tenth of the attention that African

elephants have gotten, then they might not be in their current state.

Big conservation is like anything else: it can become big bureaucracy and the publics fascination with the African elephant helps generate fundinglots of it.

I am all for helping this species, but shouldnt a bigger focus be on Asian ele-phant populations which stand at a tenth of that in Africa?

Tigers are at an even worse placea much worse place.

In 2015, a good question for those of us who support wildlife conservation is which areas to prioritize and which groups to support. At my Kingdom Zoo, we are looking at doing something with tigers and are searching out effective, well-managed projects to support with the limited resources we have available.

The clock is ticking and extinction is a real possibility for some of the creatures on this list. And if were honest about it, the African elephant, even with increased poaching, will likely be the last of these to vanish while it receives the majority of media attention.

Hopefully that will not be at the expense of other species closer to the brink of eradi-cation.

You might be wondering why I am writ-ing about elephants and giraffes in a Texas publication. Well the fact is there are more Africa hunters from Texas than any other state and many read this publication.

Another reason is these are vastly impor-tant species that are symbolic of the worlds wildlife. If we cant keep them alive, then where are we headed in the future?

And fi nally it is indicative of problems we have with conservation right here in the good old US of A.

When I entered this industry at age 19, I was proud that the hunting community was talking about not only helping game animals, but all species. Although hunting-related conservation work has truly helped every-thing from the red-cockaded woodpecker to the whitetail deer, the reality is the words are I was reading were just words.

On the same note, much of the same segment of the industry that purported to be saviors of all species, also is touted to be for all sportsmen.

Yeah, right.

by CHESTER MOORE :: TF&G Editor-in-Chief

EDITORS Notes

These are important

species that aresymbolic of the

worlds wildlife... and indicative of

problems withconservation here in

the US of A.


1502 EdNotes.indd 10 1/9/15 10:00 AM

PHOTOS: VERA KUTTELVASEROVA, DPC; VENERATIO, BIGSTOCK

Let some sort of import ban on lion or elephant parts (species that cost like $25,000 plus to hunt) even be mentioned and the outcry from the hunting media and conservation organizations sounds off like a sonic boom.

However, let duck hunting be heavily restricted on some public land in Mississippi or some place and no one even sounds out a press release condemning it. Delta Waterfowl might get involved but you can bet the rest of the community will be silent.

Why?Duck hunters are the wrong crowd. Well,

not really duck hunters, but anyone who hunts on public land and doesnt have a trophy room the size of a convenience store.

And there are wrong species as well.Take the Mexican gray wolf, a unique

subspecies that was nearly extinct and has been stocked at various locations in New Mexico. You would have thought someone was releasing smallpox in some circles of the hunting industry when this fi rst occurred in the 1990s.

Why?They eat some of the elk the aforemen-

tioned trophy room guys pursue. Despite that being the natural order, the program has been plagued with problems, including many wolves being shot. Yes, a truly endan-gered species.

And Im not even talking about the big gray wolf recovery effort in Yellowstone and its various controversies and legalities. This is the little old Mexican gray wolf that will be lucky to establish any kind of wild foothold, much less wipe out all of the elk and cattle in the Southwest.

In 1994, I tried to work out a joint sup-port project with Mexican wolf supporters and hunting groups, and neither side wanted in. The Mexican wolf people rejected my idea they should not take funding from ani-mal rights groups, and the hunting commu-nity didnt want to look like animal rightists by supporting wolves.

Insanity!The hunting community has a lot to be

proud of with stellar conservation accom-plishments, but it could do more to gain PR with the non-hunting public by being proac-tive in something like Mexican wolf recovery or aiding some other endangered species than all of the wild turkey releases combined.

Those free-thinking non-hunters who just happen to vote understand intentions and

also have a pretty good BS detector. And so do those rank and fi le hunters who often lose out because certain leaders in the industry spend more time hunting in Mongolia or wherever than they do standing up for all hunters.

Part of my awakening I wrote of last year involves me not balking at speaking out against problems in our own camp and that is exactly what we are dealing with.

What is the solution?Honesty-in the message we send to the

public and in the actions we take for wildlife and those who pursue it.

Thats a good place to start.

Catch Chester on the radio Fridays, 6 pmon 560 KLVI Beaumont (www.klvi.com) and Thurs-

days online on TF&G Radio (www. shgame.com) Email him at

CMoore@ shgame.com

1502 EdNotes.indd 11 1/9/15 10:02 AM

Duck Stamp Fees to Increase, Online Purchase AvailableIN WHAT OFFICIALS WITH DUCKS Unlimited (DU) call a major win for wetlands and waterfowl conservation, President Obama has signed into law both the Duck Stamp Act of 2014 and a bill making the federal duck stamp permanently available for purchase online.

Its great that both Republicans and Democrats can come together to pass leg-islation of such importance to conservation efforts nationwide, said Ducks Unlimited CEO Dale Hall.

The additional duck stamp funding provided by water-fowl hunt-ers and o t h e r

conservationists will not only conserve criti-cal habitat, but will also help ensure the future of our waterfowling traditions.

Since 1991, the last time the price of the duck stamp was increased, its purchasing power has declined due to infl ation and rising land costs. The Duck Stamp Act of 2014 will increase the fee from $15 to $25 and build on this programs long tradition of helping to conserve vital waterfowl habitat across America, especially in the Prairie Pothole Region, one of the continents most important production areas.

Along with the Duck Stamp Act of 2014, President Obama also signed into law the Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act, which will allow people to purchase the duck stamp online.

Physical stamps will still be mailed to buyers, but the online proof of purchase

provides new convenience to sportsmen and women by immediately fulfi lling the require-ment of possessing a stamp to hunt water-fowl. After 45 days, the proof of purchase expires and purchasers must carry the tradi-tional paper stamp when hunting waterfowl.

Anyone with an internet connection and a credit card can now purchase federal duck stamps from the comfort of their own home, said Kellis Moss, DUs director of public policy.

State hunting and fi shing licenses have been available online for years, and this is one more step in making waterfowl hunting more accessible to everyone.

Game Wardens Make Huge Gillnet SeizureTEXAS GAME WARDENS CONDUCT-ing an enhanced marine patrol of the lower

Rio Grande near Boca Chica along the TexasMexico bor-BIG BAGS CATCHES

duck stamp online. Physical stamps will still be mailed to

buyers, but the online proof of purchase

The additional duck stamp funding provided by water-fowl hunt-ers and o t h e r BIG BAGS CATCHESBIG BAGS CATCHES

ing an enhanced marine patrol of the lower Rio Grande near Boca Chica along the TexasMexico bor-BIG BAGS CATCHESBIG BAGS CATCHESBIG BAGS CATCHES&

FERAL HOG

San Saba County

CATFISH

Sam Rayburn

Lauren Iles landed this 41 lb blue cat on light tackle at Lake Sam Rayburn with assist from Ryan, Lytle and Milo.

Brady Palermo shot his rst big game animal at age 5. He har-vested the hog with a .223 The hunt took place in San Saba County at Buck Horn Ranch.


The TF G ReportTF GTF GTF GTF GTF G

conservationists will not only conserve criti-

TF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF G Report Report Report Report ReportTF G ReportTF GTF G ReportTF GTF G ReportTF GTF G ReportTF GTF G ReportTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF GTF G

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

1502 TFG Report.indd 12 1/8/15 1:55 PM

der recently seized roughly 8,000 feet of illegal gill net.

Though no arrests were made, the gill net is believed to have belonged to commercial fi shermen from Mexico. Fishing with a gill net in Texas waters is a violation of state law.

Game wardens found hundreds of fi sh trapped in the netting, including red drum, snook, black drum, sheepshead, tarpon, mullet, jack crevalle, and gizzard shad. In addition to fi sh, the gill net contained blue crabs, as well as cormorants and brown pelicans. Game wardens were able to save two of the brown pelicans, but the other birds had died.

Using a gill net in state waters is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by a fi ne not to exceed $2,000, confi nement in jail not to exceed 180 days or both. Taking the fi sh, crabs, and protected birds would bring additional charges.

Illegal commercial fi shing activity from Mexico poses a signifi cant threat toward the natural resources of Texas and we take the threat extremely seriously, said Maj. Malcom Wilkes.

Anyone witnessing alleged illegal com-mercial fi shing or any poaching activity is encouraged to call their local game warden

or Operation Game Thief at 800-792-GAME (4263).

Game Wardens working the Rio Grande, the Gulf of Mexico, and bor-der lakes are working in a very complex, demanding, and dangerous environment, said Grahame Jones, TPWD Chief of Special Operations. In addition to routine interdiction of commercial fi shermen from Mexico who are fi shing Texas waters ille-gally, our game wardens encounter human smugglers and drug smugglers very fre-quently.

It is important to realize that the same groups from Mexico that utilize long-lines and gill nets in Texas waters to indiscrimi-nately remove thousands of sharks, reef fi sh, turtles, dolphins, and other species of marine life also take part in other illegal smuggling activities, said Capt. James Dunks, who is based in Brownsville. Our presence along the Texas Border helps to protect our natu-ral resources signifi cantly while also helping to protect Texas against other criminal activity.

Scientists Seek Help with Monarch MigrationWHERE HAVE ALL the monarchs gone? This is becoming an oft repeated query, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Depart-

ment biologists are asking for citizen help in answering the question.

Since monitoring of overwintering monarch butterfl y (Danaus plexip-pus) populations in the Mexican states of Michoacn and Mxico

began in 1993, the World Wildlife Fund has documented a signifi cant

decline in overwintering area (a sur-rogate for population size) that reached an all-time low in the winter of 2013. Monarch decline has been attributed to

multiple factors including illegal logging of Oyamel forests in Mexico, extreme weather conditions in overwintering and breeding grounds, and widespread decline in milk-weed abundance in the United States.

Biologists from the departments Wildlife Diversity Program recently launched a proj-ect to explore Texas milkweed and deter-mine where it is, how much is out there and whether the monarchs using it. The project

developed as a result of concerns arising from the Midwestern U.S. that herbicide-resistant crops are resulting in increased use of herbicide to control weeds and a resulting loss of milkweed in that region. Loss of milk-weed is signifi cant since it is the only plant monarch caterpillars can eat.

This project is housed on the internet app iNaturalist.org, a platform being used by researchers worldwide who look for citi-zen assistance in supporting their work. To participate, a volunteer should fi rst join the project after creating a free account on iNaturalist. When people then see milkweed in their travels, they can snap a picture, add it to the project, and answer the four brief questions about your observation. They do not even have to know any of the 40-some species of milkweed found in Texas they can simply say milkweed and ask for assis-tance in identifying the plant.

Through this project, the Wildlife Diversity Program hopes to produce a map showing where milk-weed is found in Texas, what species of milk-weed people are finding,

whe the r it is natural or cultivated, and whether monarchs are using it. Patterns in agricultural areas will be interesting, but urban communities are a concern too.

People tend to want to remove weeds from their gardens, often by using a her-bicide, says Mark Klym of TPWD, one of those involved in the project. If we are using this in our gardens anywhere close to where milkweed is growing, the wind could carry the product to the plant; and the plant could be lost.

from Staff Reports

T E X A S F I S H & G A M E | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 | 13

mercial fi shing or any poaching activity is encouraged to call their local game warden

Help with Monarch MigrationWHERE HAVE ALL the monarchs gone? This is becoming an oft repeated query, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Depart-


began in 1993, the World Wildlife Fund has documented a signifi cant

decline in overwintering area (a sur-rogate for population size) that reached an all-time low in the winter of 2013. Monarch decline has been attributed to

multiple factors including illegal logging of Oyamel forests in Mexico, extreme weather conditions in overwintering and breeding grounds, and widespread decline in milk-

WHITETAIL

Jasper County

Chris Cook bagged this 8-point buck while hunting in Jasper County.

MONOARCH PHOTO: BIGSTOCK

the Texas Border helps to protect our natu-ral resources signifi cantly while also helping to protect Texas against other criminal

Scientists Seek Help with Monarch

WHERE HAVE ALL the monarchs gone? This is becoming an oft repeated query, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Depart-


Since monitoring of overwintering monarch butterfl y (Danaus plexip-pus) populations in the Mexican

Through this project, the Wildlife Diversity Program hopes to produce a map showing where milk-weed is found in Texas, what species of milk-weed people are finding,

whe the r it is natural or cultivated, and whether monarchs are using it. Patterns in

1502 TFG Report.indd 13 1/8/15 1:55 PM

Quail Caution

HERE ARE TWO WORDS OF advice concerning quail hunting: Be careful.

Here are two more: Be deliberate.February bird hunting can be outstand-

ing, perhaps the best of the season (assuming winter die-offs dont occur). This is because ground cover is reduced and typically cooler weather allows better dog work.

But, regardless of calendar timing, quail hunting can be dangerous.

First, the reaction to shoot usually is abrupt. Even over a staunch point, the covey rise can be a blur of frantic action. The urgency to shoot can be overwhelming. Even a single bird buzzing from low grass can trig-ger a hasty refl ex. But noise and motion do not always equate to great speed.

Take a look at the standard-issue bobwhite or scaled (blue) quail. Any ground-loving bird with a profi le like a Royal Riviera pear is not exactly noted for blinding velocity. Wild quail have been clocked with top-end speed of approximately 30 miles per hour. Conversely, several duck species can push 60.

The typical shot at a quail is going away and rising at a slight angle. The bird may dip or veerbut nothing like a fl aring greenwing teal or a wind-swept mourning dove. A big factorthe fl ush usually occurs within 10 or 15 yards of your gun. And quail holding in the grass usually launch from a dead start. Even if a running bird takes fl ight, the initial lob is a cupcake.

This is assuming you take the time to gather your wits, plant your feet and properly shoulder the shotgun. You have time to settle down and take the fi rst shot within easy range.

The safety should be pushed off during the fl uid motion as the gun comes up. A premature release prior to shouldering can

be dangerous for two reasons: You might trip while high-stepping after the birds; and if no rise occurs, you might forget you have a hot gun in your hands.

Second, the shots at fl ushing quail often are taken at low angles (opposed to, say, incoming ducks or passing doves). A careless shotgun can sweep past another hunter, a dog, or a nearby hunting buggy.

Wild quail may lack dazzling speed but they are survivors. This is because everything in the brush except maybe a horned lizard wants a piece of one. When fl ying, they relate to thick coverno doubt a conditioned dodge against hawks.

A bird can dip to a fence row or levee or mesquite clump, aiding and abetting the treacherous low-shot angle. Also worth note, damp, heavy air encourages low fl ight. For various reasons, a wild quail against nothing but open blue sky seems to be the exception on many South Texas leases.

On the subject of proper fi eld procedure, it is poor form to shoulder the gun before the fl ush occurs. This is not a skeet range. The quail hunter is moving, scanning the ground cover as he approaches the point. Walking stiffl y across a fi eld while staring over a mounted shotgun looks ridiculous and invites problems.

Keep the gun pointed out and away from troubleand dont stare fi xedly at the bug-eyed dog. The covey almost certainly will be poised some yards out in front, so step lively and move in a line with other shooters past the rigid dog.

When the covey erupts, pick one promi-nent quail within a clear fi eld of fi re amid the whirring melee. The fl ock shot is a rookie mistake. Weve all done it and, trust me, nothing falls except your batting average.

Finally, brush might obscure other hunt-ers. This especially is true if a covey of wild quail starts running ahead of the dogs, or if the hunting party elects to follow up on scattered singles. The regimented advance of shooters approaching the point can break down as the pace quickens.

Most experienced quail hunters insist on no more than three guns on a point. This is an effective rule. The three shooters spread out and walk together to the dog. The classic rise of 12 to 15 birds is straight away and fanning out, so you have right, center, and left zones for safe shooting.

Of course, classic does not always trans-late into typical in the jumbled brush coun-try. The covey may squirt hard left or hard right. Or the birds may run. Or they might fl ush in a staggered rise fi ve or six here, three or four out ahead, that sort of thing. In thick underbrush you might even walk past a skulk-ing coveyif the birds whir out behind you, be extra cautious when turning for a shot. The rest of the hunting party might be back there somewhere.

The traditional magazine-cover drill can break down quickly. Safety considerations aside, swinging across the rise and into anoth-er hunters zone is a gross breach of gunning etiquette. When a shooter starts poaching from his partners and the rise becomes a quick-draw contest, hard feelings can develop. If fate fails to present you with an open shot, then so be it. Stand fi rm and watch the show.

Getting a bad rise or being brushed out is common on wild birds, but shooting oppor-tunities have a way of balancing out.

Following singles that have scattered in thick brush can fragment the group. This is where a bright orange cap and shirt/vest are mandatory. So, too, are voice signals (Im over here!) to coordinate movements through screening cover.

And, covey or single, when you muff a creampuff, dont beat yourself up. A compre-hensive survey done years ago on the King Ranch concluded that a three-gun tally of two birds per covey rise is about average. In short, every bird hunter misses.

The main thing is to be aware and to use safe judgment.

Email Joe Doggett atContactUs@ shgame.com

by JOE DOGGETT :: TF&G Contributing Editor


DOGGETT at Large

1502 Doggett.indd 14 1/9/15 10:17 AM

1502 Doggett.indd 15 1/7/15 8:33 PM

Dont Sweat the Small Stuff

SO IM LEANING OVER THE side of the boat this past fall, star-ing at my refl ection in calm water and wondering about the world

Not really. Actually, I was standing shin-deep off the north shore of a little bay island, trying to see through muddy water and locate the jig head Id just dropped. But I

was thinking about the world. And the more I thought, the more I realized how much silt Id stirred and how long were the odds of fi nding that hook.

No worry. There were, as always, others in the box. I stepped carefully backward so as not to puncture my own wading booty and/or foot with an accidental recovery of the fumble, and got back to fi shing.

Its so often little things, like a dropped jig head, that remind us to count our blessings. (It was a blessing, just then, amid big trout, that I could count one extra chunk of lead.)

Dig deeply enough into any life, and theres likely reason to whine or moan or otherwise get caught up in some whimpering waste of time better spent doing anything but

those things. I tried whining and moaning once when I was a kid. They did nothing but get me in trouble and annoy the people around me.

Im not telling anyone to go Mary Poppins or Mr. Rogers, but even when you havent caught a fi sh on your past 10 fi shing trips, youve still been fi shing 10 times.

This year, and for all years to come, I am determined to present a more positive, appreciative me to everyone I meet. Some of that better attitude will come from a sec-ondary self-promise that includes more time outdoors, especially with my son. The rest will emerge from inside, from wherever the human self-discovery closet is located.

Perhaps, before a man can feel truly com-

by DOUG PIKE :: TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

PIKE on the Edge

1502 Pike.indd 16 1/7/15 8:33 PM


fortable under uncomfortable circumstances, hes got to witness a minimum number of sunrises or sunsets that dont include manmade structures more substantial than barbed-wire fences. Those are the special beginnings and ends of days, a minute or two when it honestly can be said that nothing else matters. If that quota system is real, then I must fi nally have met it. And it feels great.

Dont mistake this calmer, gentler me for any change in attitude toward the outdoors or fi sh or wildlife. Im not taking up yoga or climbing a mountain in search of some dude sitting cross-legged in a bath towel. Im just refl ecting, like that wrinkled face looking back at me from calm water, so I can see a little good in everything.

If only there were good in everyone. More than once this year, and about as

often in years past, I read stories of poach-ers who poached so long they probably forgot it was wrongand not just backwoods goofballs. More than one television-outdoor-show host has run afoul of the law lately, presumably in the name of putting a show in the can no matter the cost.

Double shame on them. Now my pres-sures beginning to rise. Ooooohhhmmm. Inhale. Exhale.

It would serve the industry wella good thingto purge a few of the shows being aired now and hold on to a tighter, higher-quality lineup. Id rather watch Honey Boo-Boo do cartwheels than see another hunter squeal like a middle-school cheerleader over a dead turkey.

The good that hides even within those bizarre episodes is that we, as a nation, are still OK with hunting and shooting shows on television. I intend to live a really long time, and I dont think Ill outlive outdoor shows on television.

Nor do I worry excessively any longer over broad-reaching threats to private gun ownership here. Despite exhaustive efforts at the local, state (except Texas) and national levels, theres still no hard evidence that restricted gun ownership among law-abiding folks results in a reduction of gun violence. In fact, criminal use of guns seems worst where gun ownership is most heavily restricted.

Hang a Guns welcome sign in one store window and a Guns prohibited sign in the store next door, and see which one gets robbed fi rst. The predictable result gives me peace.

For six or eight seconds, I was a touch

worried in December about a proposed ban of soft-plastic lures that was introduced by a state representative in Maine. Then I remembered that it was Maineand that the elected legislators ban would impact lures made of rubber, and I cant recall when the last soft-plastic lure was made of rubber. That wasnt necessarily good, but it was funny.

Things are looking good in the outdoors, generally, and not just for me. Were all blessed, especially Texans, to live in a time

when game and fi sh are plentiful despite human and political encroachment into wild space.

Im encouraged routinely by stories of improved fi sheries, higher duck numbers, thriving deer populations and increased participation in outdoor activities. Times genuinely are good for outdoorsmen. Pass the word.

Email Doug Pike atContactUs@ shgame.com

1502 Pike.indd 17 1/7/15 8:33 PM

Joyous 2015

HAPPY 2015 EVERYONE! Even though we are already throt-tling on with mucho gusto into a brand new year, all my hunting

buddies and I dont really actually see it that way. Our calendars dont go from January to January, as we see our years through an American hunter lens, usually kicking off the offi cial New Year on September 1st with the opening day of dove season!

Now thats a New Years party where I come from if ever there was one!

But for a well-rounded inclusive celebra-tion of the actual New Year 2015, let us all wish everyone we know a very happy, healthy 2015 for the best year of our lives.

The Nugent family is still hard at it hunting pretty much every day. With our Managed Land Deer Permit program still in full swing right up to March 1st, the whitetail hunting in Texas remains challenging and as exciting as ever.

And of course anyone who hasnt come to Texas to hunt the ubiquitous exotic big game is missing out on some of the most challenging and fun hunting to be experienced anywhere on earth.

I have been on safari in Africa more than twenty times and Texas exotic hunting ranks right up there with the greatest African dyna-mo ever. Honest to God real world hunting is available on private high fence operations as well as free range properties all across the Lone Star state, and it is truly amazing.

With a dangerous overpopulation of wild hogs tearing up the place statewide, Texas offers wild boar hunting at its fi nest. We keep after these elusive swine all year long. If you havent booked a helicopter hog hunt, you have no idea what a thrill youre missing. Such an aerial assault may well be the most

exciting hunting in the history of the chase.We are diligently running our year round

trapline to keep the varmints and furbearers under control and in balance with the land. Thank the good Lord that here in Texas a landowner has the power to keep such crit-ters from overpopulating and wreaking havoc on the land and all other wildlife in general. When coyotes and bobcats get out of control, fawn production can be dramatically reduced, and along with unmanaged fox, coons, pos-sums and skunks, there is little hope for any smallgame or songbirds to fl ourish.

Like hunters and fi shermen, trappers bring about essential balance and healthy bio-diversity overall, and Im proud to be part of the conservation brotherhood.

We the people politics in America impact everything in our lives including our hunt-ing rights, private property rights, 2nd Amendment rights, allthings conservation and freedom, so we should celebrate the GOP victory back in November by remain-ing engaged hardcore to demand account-ability from the party that claims to be our ally. Just because we reduced the scourge of leftwing freaks does not mean our we the people job is complete. Not by a long shot.

As we plan our 2015 calendar, it is impor-tant now more than ever to increase pressure on our elected offi cials to get back to a US Constitutionally guided path for all policy and lawmaking.

Even here in the Great Republic of Texas with the best governor, best attorney general, and some of the best representation in the country, we still have our work cut out for us due to the fact that the America-hating left would like nothing more than to turn this great state into a suburb of California like they did in Colorado.

We shut down the hate and lies of Wendy Davis and her gang of America haters, but we still have anti-Texans like Sheila Jackson Lee doing all they can on a daily basis to end the Texas Dream. Stay vigilant my friends. A disengaged Texan is by all counts not a real Texan at all. If youre not driving the idiots

crazy, you are probably an idiot.And that goes for every state, every citizen,

every American who knows what is going on and how critical it is for us to correct the abuse, corruption and sheer criminality that us running amok in the government of our great nation. It is a do or die moment in America my friends. This sacred experi-ment in self-government is not supposed to be a spectator sport, its supposed to be the ultimate hands on duty of real freedom loving/demanding Americans everywhere.

Then theres this little ditty we call high energy MotorCity Madman rock-n-roll that keeps me titillated throughout the year. Ive had the runaway Chuck Berry bug for 66 years now and there is no end in sight.

My SHUTUP&JAM! tour in 2014 was by far the most intense, outrageous tour of my life, so there is no telling when or where I may unleash my sonic bombast beast upon an unsuspecting civilian public. My guitar does not gently weep, and I feel it is my duty to taunt and abuse my mighty arsenal of feral Gibson Byrdlands on a daily basis. Think of it as eargasm waterboarding, but with a lov-ing, tender touch.

So I dont know about you all, but the Nugent calendar throbs eternally all 12 months for 2015, and I wish all my Spirit BloodBrothers, wherever you may be, the best year of your lives.

Life is a nonstop series of choices, and by now all the wrong choices should be ridicu-lously obvious to everyone with half a brain. With that in mind, the quality of our new year and every year is clearly in our own hands, and I for one know exactly what 2015 holds in store for me and my family.

More fun, more work, more play, more hunting, more fi shing, more rocking, more shooting, more activism, more hell raising, more gungho American stuff, but bigger, bad-der, louder and crazier.

Doesnt that sound like a plan? Happy New Year to everyone. Life is what you make of it. So make it already.

by TED NUGENT :: TF&G Editor-at-Large


NUGENT in the WildNUGENT NUGENT NUGENT NUGENT NUGENT NUGENT NUGENT NUGENT NUGENT NUGENT NUGENT

1502 Nugent.indd 18 1/7/15 8:32 PM

Open and Shut Case

THE GAME SEEMS TO BE changing. That isnt always the norm when there is a regime shift after a big political election, but it

certainly seems to be whats been happening since last November in Texas.

One of the most discussed and debated topics of recent years, that of open carry of handguns, was moved from the back burner to front and center, when Governor-elect Greg Abbot announced, shortly after the last vote was counted, that he would sign just about any bill that crossed his desk allowing open carrying of fi rearms in the Lone Star State. Done deal.

Of course, weve heard it all before, from previous occupants of government housing, and it never happened. And when Abbot claimed, prior to the election, that he was ready to sign such a bill, his announcement could easily be construed as a fi shing expedi-tion for votes. When he said it again after the election, and then again a few days later, the fog seemed to be clearing for those who have pushed for open carry for a long time.

The big question is whether an open carry bill will cross the new governors desk during the upcoming legislative session, and give him the chance to make good on his claim. And the answer is maybe.

Some, however, say the bigger issue is whether open carry is a good idea for Texas at all. Few readers wonder where this colum-nist stands on gun rights, but to be perfectly fair, it seems sensible to consider both sides of the question before a decision is made. The antis have some valid concerns which should be addressed.

The main objection to open carry of hand-guns is that there will be pandemonium in the streets. People will start shooting one another

over ketchup packets at Wendys, and blue light specials at K-Mart. Our society, which is so safe and cordial now, will suddenly erupt into anarchy if citizens are allowed to walk around with their guns exposed.

The problem with that scenario is that it hasnt happened in any of the other states where open carry has been adopted. Several other states are ahead of Texas on open carry of handguns, and their streets have not run with blood, as was predicted. There is no rea-son to believe Texas would be any different.

The antis apparently believe the air will suddenly fi ll with lead just because of some ink on a piece of paper in Austin. Granted,

there may be more people carrying guns if open carry is passed, but it would seem that those who intend to break one law in order to do harm to others would not hesitate to break another law in order to carry the weapon with which they intend to do that harm. The values people hold dont change when a new law is passed.

Another objection is that accidents will be more frequent, because of guns being carried in plain view. This actually seems logical, but that hasnt happened, either, where open carry is practiced. Why would Texans be less responsible, or respectful, than the citizens of other states?

Of course, our society is not necessarily safe and cordial now, and the idea that more guns will improve things is completely rejected

by some, and totally embraced by others. Robert Heinleins assertion that an armed society is a safe society notwithstanding, guns make some people feel more secure, and cause others to shake in their boots. You cant please everybody, no matter what you do.

Even among advocates of open carry, some concerns are too logical to ignore. Any criminal who plans to rob a bank or con-venience store, or commit a mass shooting, would have an easy time choosing whom to shoot fi rst, if all of the armed citizens in the vicinity were carrying in plain view.

The best defense against any potential crime is the one that remains hidden until needed. Carrying a gun openly paints a tar-get on the back of the average armed citizen. This writer plans to continue to hide his guns, thanks all the same.

There is also the question of what bill, if any, might show up on Abbots desk. Legalized open carry is one thing, constitu-tional carry quite another. Under an open carry law, a citizen without a concealed hand-gun license would be in violation with a hid-den gun. Under constitutional carry fi rearms could be carried concealed or in plain view, with no permit at all.

Which brings up the issue of whether citizens should be required to pay the state to purchase a right they already have. The Bill of Rights either applies to citizens or it doesnt. With permit requirements to exer-cise Second Amendment rights, it stands to reason citizens should have to buy permits to avail themselves of the freedom of speech, or the right to peaceably assemble, or to worship God (or not) however they see fi t. Buying rights is a slippery slope with jagged shards of despotism at the bottom.

Every American already has the right to carry arms, openly or otherwise, according to our federal laws. It might not be a good idea to openly exercise that right all the time, but we have it.

Email Kendal Hemphill atContactUs@ shgame.com

by KENDAL HEMPHILL :: TF&G Political Editor

T E X A S F I S H & G A M E | I S S U E Y E A R | 19

TF&G COMMENTARY

Few readers

wonder where this columnist stands on

gun rights.

1502 Commentary.indd 19 1/7/15 8:30 PM

As Texass Water Needs Spur a Land Grab for

New Reservoirs, a Boon for Anglers May Become

a Bust for Deer Hunters | story by matt williams20 | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTOS: CANSTOCK

Fea 1-BassVsBucks.indd 20 1/9/15 12:41 PM

WATER IS FAST BECOMING A very valuable commodity in Texas as many census pundits call for the Texas population to double within the next 50 years. Some experts believe Texass growing thirst for what is arguably the

most taken-for-granted natural resource on the planet may eventually outweigh the available supplies unless measures are

taken to shore things up for the future.Theres been plenty of talk about the development of more

projects aimed at looking for untapped water sources under-ground, as well as building more facilities for converting waste water and saltwater into drinking water.

Athough those are certainly viable solutions to help stretch the states water supply, most will agree a more logical alterna-tive is to be more conservative with the water weve already got.



Take a look around. Examine your own habits for a day or two and youll see what I mean.

CASE IN POINT: Little things mean a lot when it comes to water use. With millions of people being wasteful every day, the amount of water going down the drain in this state would probably be staggering if somebody could put a number on it.

In my book, soaking golf greens, street medians and thirsty lawns isnt any more conservative than taking a 20-minute shower or using the toilet as a trash can.

We can all do better. The same is true for agricultural, mining and other industries. Although some of these operations have made huge strides in water conservation in recent times, others havent done so well.

Another viable solution to meeting the coming water challenge is to build more dams along creeks, rivers and other bot-tomland drainages. This will create more reservoirs, basins and other holding tanks to capture surface water that can later be used later on by residents, businesses and agricultural operations, etc.

As much as Texas freshwater fi shing and boating junkies will favor that idea, plenty of folks are adamantly opposed to it. Thats

because it would invariably result in the taking of hundreds or thousands of acres of private propertymuch of it hardwood-rich bottomlandsfrom folks who arent all too excited about giving it up.

Being from a family that surrendered a signifi cant chunk of property to the U.S Army Corp of Engineers I can certainly feel their pain. We were paid only chump change back in the early 1950s, when the East Fork of the Trinity River was dammed up to build Lake Lavon,

My grandparents fought fi ercely to hold on to their land, but lost. So did many other Texas landowners who were forced to sell all or portions of their family farms and homes during an ensuing reservoir boom that resulted in the construction of more than 200 reservoirs around the state in the wake of the epic drought of the 1950s.

Hunting lease operators are concerned about the topic, too. As are wildlife and environmental advocates, who say the con-struction of more new reservoirs would gobble up pristine bottomland habitat that is vital for deer, squirrels, turkeys, river otters, ducks and other migratory birds. Environmentalists also say it would do irreparable harm to rare forests and plant life while altering river and stream fl ows

that are critical to maintaining ecosystems downstream.

Another argument hinges on money. Building a reservoir is a costly project that can require hundreds of millions or billions of dollars to complete, depending on its size.

To wit:Lake Ralph Hall will be a 12,000-acre

reservoir that the Upper Trinity Regional District is pushing to build in Fannin County northeast of Dallas. It has been projected to cost around $300 million to build.

Meanwhile, the North Texas Municipal Water District is recommending another Fannin County impoundment called Bois d Arc at a projected cost of around $700 million. An even bigger northeast lake is being talked about by water planners. The 62,000-acre Marvin Nichols comes with a signifi cantly higher price tag of $3.4 billion.

When lakes are built for water supplyas these and nearly a dozen others recommend-ed by the 2007 State Water Plan would becontrolling authorities often look to local municipalities to help recoup those costs. In turn, those costs trickle down to consumers, who are largely divided on the subject.

As mentioned earlier, new reservoirs also bring a host of benefi ts to the table. In terms of fi shing, the potential economic benefi ts

22 | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTO: US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

Construction of Lake Lavon in the

early 1950sduring a reservoir con-

struction boom that built more than

200 major lakesforced the authors

grandparents to sell much of the familys land for

chump change. Is another such boom

on the horizon?


can be extremely high because good fi shing lakes attract lots of fi shermen. This, in turn, spurs local economies and can drive adjacent property values straight through the roof.

One of the best examples around is Lake Fork. Built for water supply by Texas Utilities and the Sabine River Authority in the late 1970s, Fork eventually became one of the best big bass lakes the world has ever seen. Its a driving force for local economies. A 1996 economic survey indicated that the lake generated more than $27 million annu-ally for the three counties around it and that it attracted as many as 325,000 bass fi shing visitors each year.

One of the main reasons why is that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Departments Inland Fisheries division got involved with the lake early on. The agency implemented a fi sheries management plan that came together more beautifully than any other before it, or since.

The plan involved making recommenda-tions to engineers as to how much timber and other cover to leave in the lake (at Fork it was a lot) during the construction process. It also hinged on plentiful stockings

of Florida bass (many of them retired brood fi sh) and a bounty of forage to support them during the pre-inundation stages.

According to Dave Terre, TPWDs management and research chief, that pretty much summarizes TPWDs involvement with proposed new reservoirs. He empha-sized the state agency has no involvement in determining where lakes are built, which ones get built or when they get built.

TPWD is neither a proponent nor opponent of reservoir development, Terre said. Our role is to provide science-based information to decision-makers on how alter-ation of natural landscapes will affect fi sh and wildlife resources. Once a decision is made to construct a new reservoir, TPWD has a role in ensuring that impact to native fi sh, wildlife, and their habitats are appro-priately mitigated. We also take a voluntary and proactive role in working with control-ling authorities to maximize habitat value to sport fi shes and associated recreational benefi ts to anglers and other resource users of newly developed reservoirs.

Terre added that TPWDs inland fi sh-eries division has a proven track record

for providing quality fi sheries management on public reservoirs. He added that the agency stands ready to use that experience to bolster fi shing on any and all new lakes in the future. The biologist says there are numerous potential reservoir projects on the books in Texas. All of them hold promise for providing quality bass fi shing, he said, especially if the department is allowed to get involved during the early stages.

We know what to do, how to do it, and we stand ready to get working on a project once a decision is made to build one, he said. We will use all our existing knowledge, past experience, and hatchery resources to make sure that fi shing is the best that it can be.

Of course, the crux to all of this is rain. Water developers can throw up all the dams they want, but without rain to fi ll up new impoundments and recharge existing ones as well as our dwindling aquifers, were all going to be in world of hurt.

Some areas of the state already are.

Fea 1-BassVsBucks.indd 23 1/9/15 10:37 AM

26 | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E COMPOSITE IMAGE: TF&G:

| story by Paul BradshawFea 6-HSBass.indd 26 1/7/15 7:55 PM

I DONT KNOW HOW TO BREAK this to you gently, but things have changed a lot since you left high school.

Sure, you can walk down the hall and some things will still look the same. There are still letterman jacket wearing football players

(this is Texas after all), students worrying about the calculus test they forgot about until ten minutes before class started, and over-due library books that are checked out but never read.

However, if you want to see where things have changed youll need to step into room B103 at Lumberton High School after the final bell of the day has rung. Here youll find members of the Lumberton High School Fishing Team getting ready for their next tournament.


Alton Jones withthe top two 2014 TexasState High School Basschampionship teams.

Fea 6-HSBass.indd 27 1/7/15 7:55 PM

You read that right; they have a high school fi shing team. How often did you will-ingly stay late at school to talk boater safety, fi shing etiquette, the best places to fi sh and the right rigs to use for an upcoming tourna-ment? See, I told you things had changed since you graduated and it is a change for the better.

There is a good chance you never even knew that competitive high school fi shing existed, but it is one of the fastest growing activities in most high schools today. While participation in traditional sporting activities has remained relatively stable for the last decade, participation in tournament fi shing among teenagers has increased exponentially over the past few years.

Need proof? Look no farther than the school mentioned earlier. Lumberton High School is in the southeastern part of the state. Bryan Thomas is their fi shing team advisor. Bryan and I fi rst met in college more than two decades ago. He found out I lived less than 30 minutes for Lake Fork, and we became instant friends.

DURING THE 2012-2013 SCHOOL year, Bryan decided to start a fi shing club at his school with the hope of introducing a handful of kids to the outdoors. That fi rst year he had 47 students in the club where they competed in three tournaments that averaged around 50 boats each. That can easily be considered a success for a fl edgling organization. Now the Lumberton Fishing Club has more than 80 members, and Bryan has become President of the South East Texas High School Fishing Associationone of the largest high school fi shing organiza-tions in the country.

When I called Bryan recently to talk fi shing he was in the middle of planning the fi rst tournament for the 2014-2015 school year. The tournament, which is put on by the South East Texas High School Fishing Association on December 6th at Lake Sam Rayburn, already had 355 teams signed up.

No, thats not a typo. More than 700 teenagers (two anglers per team) plus an adult boat captain for each team repre-senting 42 schools, including one from Louisiana, had signed up to fi sh a bass tour-nament in the middle of the winter. High school fi shing is clearly here to stay.

The explosion in high school fi shing clubs and tournaments can be linked to a few key factors. The fi rst is obvious, kids love to fi sh and many dedicated men and women have

given their time to make sure they have this opportunity.

For every boat in a tournament there must be an adult captain driving since stu-dents are not allowed to drive the big motors during competition. There are countless others that work weigh-ins, direct traffi c, solicit sponsors, and do all the behind the scene work to make sure these tournaments run fl awlessly.

The other reason high school fi shing is booming is that the students can win schol-arship money doing it. In 2013-2014, the SETX High School Fishing Association gave away $60,000 in scholarships and priz-es to anglers. For the 20142015 season they will host six tournaments, fi ve qualifying tournaments (each having individual prizes and money) and a season ending champion-ship where they are paying out a guaranteed $75,000 in scholarship money.

There are a few ways to qualify for the championship and be eligible for the scholar-ship money. One is simply fi shing in all fi ve of the qualifying tournaments. So even if a student doesnt catch a fi sh at all during the year, they still have the opportunity to com-pete for a scholarship at the end.

A student can easily pay for some, or all of their education by catching little green fi sh. As my wife put it plainly, you can get a scholarship for throwing a ball, why not for catching a fi sh? Great point, and now YOU can.

These kids can fi sh!Its not like when we were kids and would

get excited about catching a few bass. In

those days anything over a pound or two was a good one. Nowadays, if you want to be competitive in one of the SETX tourna-ments, youd better be able to put fi ve quality fi sh in the boat with a lot of other anglers on the water.

Although the SETX High School Fishing Association is one of the largest in the nation in terms of angler participation per tournament, it is not the only one in the state doing good things for high school fi sh-ing. According to Jeff Lobaugh of the Texas High School Bass Association (THSBA), there has been exponential growth in young tournament anglers in the northern part of the state as well. Lobaugh is also the fi shing team advisor at Rains High School

Originating during the 2012-2013 school year, the THSBA roughly encompasses an area outlined by a line starting at Wichita Falls, going south to Stephenville, east to Carthage and north to Texarkana. The fi rst year they had eight participating schools, 85 members, hosted four tournaments and gave out $3,000 in scholarship money. Now in their third season of operation their par-ticipation has grown to 54 schools and over 800 members. Theyll host 12 tournaments in 2014-2015 with an average of 125 boats per tournament and plan to award between $40,000 and $45,000 in scholarships.

With the growth in participation, they expanded into two divisions for the 2014-2015 season (east and west) and anticipate 100 schools and 2,000 students joining for the 2015-2016 season. This will necessitate four divisions and 22 tournaments to handle all of the participants. They also plan to increase scholarships awarded to between $70,000 and $75,000.

For as long as there have been fi sh, there have been kids chasing them with hooks and lines. Now, they can do so for more than just a few fi llets, they can also do it to pay for their future.

Even if your kid cant throw or dribble a ball, if they can work a jig or wind a crankbait they can still have the experience of playing on a team (without the threat of injury) and have their education paid for. Where was this when we were in school?


Competitive

shing is oneof the fastest

growingactivities in

most high schools today.


IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST striking animals I have ever seen.

CAUTIOUSLY EASING down a rocky draw in, the limestone cliffs of Real County, a magnificent ram made its way toward my position. With a full deep curl, gigantic bases and a tall body, it was an animal any hunter would want to take.

Its coat was a mix of deep brown, black but it had a

partial white saddle patch across its back.

As the animal disappeared behind a bush, I raised my

camera to get a photo as the beautiful creature looked right

at me with an intense look of wildness in its eye, snorted

and bolted away.

This was my first sighting of a Hill Country bighorn.

These are a species developed by exotic hunting inno-

vator Thompson Temple.

30 | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTO: CHESTER MOORE

Fea 3-BigHorns.indd 30 1/9/15 10:53 AM

Storyby

chestermoore

The Texas Dall is a beautifulalternative to the super expen-sive to hunt Dall sheep of Alaska.



Milt Sanburg outside of Montrose, Co. had a herd of moufl on sheep. Rocky Mountain bighorn rams from the nearby national forest periodically came over and bred a number of ewes. The result was 10 to 15 rams and ewes that were 1/2 bighorn and 1/2 moufl on. The rams were very impres-sive, Temple said.

Alan Baier of Collbran, Co. and I met with the Colorado Fish and Game. They were anxious to get the crossbreeds out of Colorado. An agreement was reached to transport the sheep to my ranch in Texas.

In recent years he has attempted to replace the moufl on portion of the sheep with a larger breed of sheep-Stumberg Sheep.

I have also purchased Urial rams to do the same thing, Temple noted.

His goal is for hunters to have a species very similar to Rocky Mountain Bighorns that hunters can pursue for an affordable fee. Bighorns cost upwards of $50,000 in some cases to hunt. Temple wants hunters to have a bighorn-like experience at a minute fraction of the cost.

My experience at the ranch showed these animals are super wild and have a very much Bighorn-like demeanor. I was just there to photograph them and thought it was such an interesting story to bring to hunters who like to do something different.

And while these creatures are not yet a common sighting on Texas ranches, there are numerous species that are and offer fun, affordable hunting on a year round basis.

CORSICAN This is the classic exotic sheep with horns that curl outward and often in a full double position. Their coats can range from burn orange to nearly deer color and some specimens sport an impressive mane of fur that makes them as attractive as any North American game.

TEXAS DALL While most hunters will never be able to hunt Alaskas dall sheep, the Texas dall is an affordable alternative that is essentially a white Corsican. The horn confi guration is the same although the horns of this ram tend to be a light color. Some Texas dalls are pure white while others have a mixed reddish/orange in their coat.

HAWAIIAN BLAC Theres something majestic about a large, black ram walking up a hillside and that is what makes this one of the most popular of the exotic sheep. They

are often noted for sporting a heavy coat of wool although some have a thin coat and will occasionally have a chocolate brown color mixed in the coat.

MOUFLON A truly wild sheep, they are small but have large heart-shaped horns that almost never spiral outward like the Corsican. True mou-fl ons are fairly rare on Texas ranches but they do exist. Besides the horn confi gura-tion, the classic trait is a large white sad-dle patch on the back and a short tail.

MERINO A huge, wooly domes-tic breed from the Pacifi c, merinos often called Rambo Rams are the largest horned by far. Forty plus inch horns are not uncommon on these animals that can weigh upwards of 250 pounds on the hoof. Merinos seem to come in two varieties. They are either almost entirely tame or super wary. And while the wool may turn off some hunters, the horns are undeniably impressive.

FOUR HORN Also called Jacobs Sheep, these unique animals are men-tioned in the Bible and date back to the earliest period of the Old Testament. They have goat-like horns on the top of their heads that typically rise straight up with a slight bowing and then regular ram horns on the side. Colors range from white to red although most are a mix of colors.

Many fourhorns have sort of mutated looking horns with one growing tight to the head or not at all. If you take one of these with all four horns large and well-defi ned you have taken a noteworthy trophy.

AOUDAD Aoudad (Barbary sheep) were offi cially released into the Palo Duro Canyon in the Panhandle decades ago and have been stocked on hundreds of exotic ranches in the Hill Country and beyond. Aoudad will tear up deer feeders and could potentially outcompete native desert bighorn for food but they certainly do more damage than domestic sheep and goats and they are highly embraced by the hunting community.

Texas hunters looking for off-season action can fi nd plenty on Texas ranches.

Most of these ani-mals are available to hunt for a fairly affordable fee and pro-vide great action espe-cially for young hunters or those using crossbows or archery equipment.

The Grand Slam is the collection of all four species of North American wild sheep. The Texas Slam is the taking of a Corsican, Texas dall, Hawaiian black and moufl on. While it might not be as glam-orous as shooting Stones sheep in Canada, hunting Texas rams can be every bit as fun and it is far more affordable.

As the deer hunting season ends you might want to look at some of these exotic hunting alternatives as in many cases they are affordable and available year-round.

And believe it or not, the meat of these sheep tastes great if cooked properly. The late great bowhunting legend Fred Bear once said the freshly cooked ribs of wild sheep was his favorite of all wild game.

For more information visit the websits www.hillcountrybighorns.com

32 | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTO: CHESTER MOORE

have a thin coat

A Hill Country Bighorn in full glory.

and will occasionally have a chocolate brown color mixed in the coat.

A truly wild sheep, they are small but have large heart-shaped horns that almost never spiral outward like the Corsican. True mou-fl ons are fairly rare on Texas ranches but they do exist. Besides the horn confi gura-tion, the classic trait is a large white sad-dle patch on the back and a short tail.

A huge, wooly domes-tic breed from the Pacifi c, merinos often called Rambo Rams are the largest horned by far. Forty plus inch horns are not uncommon on these animals that can weigh upwards of 250 pounds on the hoof. Merinos seem to come in two varieties. They are either almost entirely tame or super wary. And while the wool may turn off some hunters, the horns are undeniably impressive.

Also called Jacobs Sheep, these unique animals are men-tioned in the Bible and date back to the earliest period of the Old Testament. They

Most of these ani-mals are available to hunt for a fairly affordable fee and pro-vide great action espe-cially for young hunters or those using crossbows or archery equipment.

The Grand Slam

A Hill Country Bighorn in full glory.


Hunter Tech, Part 1

I WAS THE FIRST HUNTER AT THE hunting camp. No problem fi nding it at all, I simply turned on my GPS, typed in an address and like magic, you have

arrived at your destination.I took my rifl e out of the vehicle and checked

my scope. I am not sure if I like the red illumi-nation or the green one. I think my eye likes the green crosshairs.

I searched my pocket for my smart phone and opened up the ScoutLook app. I can see from the warmth of the hunting camp what the wind is doing at each of my hunting locations. I can also see how cold it is out there. Hmmm. Do I need my boots with 1,000 grams of Thinsulate?

Things sure have changed since our fathers hunting days. In order for him to fi nd the hunt-ing camp he had to actually pull his vehicle over and look at a map (for the younger hunters out there, a map is a piece of paper that has lines representing the roads in the area). More often than not, the back country roads that lead to those remote hunting spots were not even on the map.

Bowhunting or rifl e hunting, it matters not. Both sports have had more than their share of technological advances that have made success much easier.

Every year, a new and improved bow hits the market and with it comes a promise to be the fastest and quietest bow out there. Faster bows mean fewer mistakes judging distance. That is a good thing. A faster bow means a fl atter trajectory and a better chance at hitting the target within inches of your aim.

There seems to be less and less of a need for a range fi nder, but it still is sure nice to have just in case. A range fi nder is another one of those technological advancements that our father never had. At the end of the day, a fast bow combined with a range fi nder means

more success in the fi eld with fewer wounded deer. And to a hunter, that should be the important thing.

Rifl es have improved as well. Lighter syn-thetic stocks on some rifl es make the fi rearm comfortable to carry. A heavier gun is better for a steady aim on your target. On the same token, if you have to hold the rifl e on a target for any length of time, a lighter rifl e will be much easier. Some rifl e stocks and forearms are coated in a rubber material that improves the grip and control of the gun. On a personal level, that is what sold me on my 30-06. It just felt better than all the others that I tried.

There are many different new and improved bullets available to the outdoors-man. Some seem to do a better job than others. For me, it is tough to beat a hollow point bullet. It seems to explode once it enters the target ensuring a quick and humane kill.

There has been an increased number of calibers over the years. Different manufactur-ers would come out with a new rifl e and then a new caliber bullet made for that fi rearm. One of the latest ones that I know of is a .17 WSM (Winchester Short Magnum) made by Winchester. Some hunters still prefer to load their own bullets. With the newer high-tech scales available, loading your own hotter load is fairly common.

Scopes have also come a long way over the years. The glass used for the scopes is improved with a much greater magnifi cation than ever before. Some of the better scopes today also come with what is known as a BDC (ballistic drop compensator). Hunters can choose which line to use in the scope depend-ing on the distance of the shot which drastically improves accuracy. Now THAT is something Dad never had.

Keeping warm while hunting especially in the northern States has always been a chal-lenge. Well that challenge has been addressed. Warm face masks made of fl eece keep the chill off your face, but your extremities are tough to keep warm. There are times when I feel like my fi ngers are frozen. I can handle cold weather, but when my fi ngers lose all sense of feeling, it

is time to get serious about warming up. Chemical hand warming packs have

replaced the old fashioned charcoal burning hand warmers. Not only do they last longer, but unlike those charcoal warmers, there is no scent to warn the deer of my presence.

I have saved the best for last. In days gone by, the hunter had to dress in layers (and sometimes many of them) to keep comfortable while hunting. No longer! I have discovered a new company that has developed a coat that heats up. It works and it works very well. They call themselves My Core Control hunting gear.

Finally, a coat that actually DOES keep you warm for your entire hunt. It is a hunting parka/coat equipped with a rechargeable bat-tery pack in one upper pocket. On the other side of the coat is a charger. The ingenious idea behind this hunting miracle is generated heat modules that are located on the wrist area.

The gentle heat warms blood vessels on your wrists and, in turn, the warmed blood rushes throughout your body. The result is a coat that is keeping you warm from your own core body temperature. Genius!

A microprocessor controller is conveniently located on the chest area of the jacket allow-ing you to adjust the amount of heat needed. Depending on the weather of the day, you can change it from low, medium or high. The battery on the low setting will last for 12 hours. Medium is nine hours and set on high will give you a whopping six hours of controlled heat. Now THIS really is something that Dad never had. For that matter, I never had it either but I will from now on.

There are so many new ideas for hunters our predecessors never had that I cannot list them all here. Next month I will continue. It really is amazing how far technology has come, which leaves us with the question of how far will it go in the years to come.

For more information on My Core Control hunting gear, visit mycorecontrol.com.

Email Lou Marullo atContactUs@ shgame.com

by LOU MARULLO :: TF&G Hunting Editor

T E X A S F I S H & G A M E | I S S U E Y E A R | 33

Bare Bones HUNTING

1502 Bare Bones Hunting.indd 33 1/7/15 8:29 PM

Self Defense by STEVE LAMASCUSTactical :: Concealed Carry & DUSTIN ELLERMANN

TEXAS Dept. of DEFENSEby &

Dept. of Dept. of Dept. of Dept. of Dept. of Dept. of Dept. of Dept. of Dept. of Dept. of Dept. of Dept. of Dept. of Dept. of Dept. of DEFENSEDEFENSEDEFENSEDEFENSEDEFENSE

The .40 Smith and Wesson

THE .40 SMITH & WESSON caliber is relatively new. New that is in comparison to such other modern cartridges as the .357

Magnum (1934), .45 ACP (1905), 9mm Parabellum (1902), or even the mighty .44 Magnum (1955).

The .40 S&W was produced in 1989 as a joint venture of Winchester and Smith & Wesson, in response to some testing done by the FBI using the 10mm auto. The FBI was apparently loading the 10mm down to attain specifi c criteria for bullet weight, diameter, and velocity.

According to Cartridges of the World,

Winchester and Smith & Wesson realized that the fi gures the FBI was looking for could be attained in a shorter cartridge case than the 10mm. They began experimenting and within six months had completed develop-ment of the .40 Smith & Wesson, which was ready for use in 1990.

The .40 S&W is a wonderful self-defense cartridge. Shortly before I retired from the U.S. Border Patrol, the Patrol adopted the .40 S&W in a Beretta double-action-only semi-auto, and to standardize the weaponry carried by its agents, withdrew all authoriza-tion for personally owned fi rearms in other calibers.

Before this time the agents were allowed to carry either personally owned semi-autos in 9mm or .45 ACP, or the standard issue revolver in .357 Magnum. I thought the .40 S&W was a fi ne caliber, but that the huge Beretta handgun was a terrible choice. However, I wasnt

asked for my input. Since that time the BP has moved on to other, more appropriate handguns, but has stayed with the .40 S&W caliber.

To clarify things, no matter what you may have heard, the Border Patrol did not, ever, issue fi rearms in either .45 ACP or 9mm Luger. Agents who carried weapons in those calibers bought them with their own funds and wrote memos requesting authorization to carry them. If the weapons met the Border Patrols standards, the weapon was autho-rized for carry. Sadly, the Colt 1911 was not on the list of accepted weapons, but Glocks, Sig-Sauers, and a couple of others were. I carried a Glock 17 for several years.

I suppose the hunt for a cartridge like the .40 S&W really began when gunwriter Elmer Keith and U.S. Border Patrol, retired

Protecting the FamilyHaving a family means having responsibility. One of those responsibili-ties is to protect your family to protect them from outside evil and harm, but also to protect young ones from acci-dents in case they ignore parental advice.

Having a fi rearm readily accessible in your home is one of the greatest equal-izers against violence and evil that might target your household. However, safe storage needs to be a priority if you have young children around.

Dont get me wrong. Proper gun

training is fi rst and foremost. As soon as my kids can speak, I drill them constantly not to touch daddys guns. I also satisfy their curiosity by letting them handle a fi rearm in a safe manner as we discuss gun safety. But the only way to guarantee no accidents will happen is with redundancy, and part of that is safe storage.

With most traditional fi rearms storage solutions you sacrifi ce speed and acces-sibility. For instance, the cable locks that are included with most fi rearms are pretty child-proof, but if a home invader kicks in your front door it will take you too long to fi nd the key, clear the cable,

load the pistol and eliminate the threat. However GunBox is a product that ensures safety yet is quickly accessible, and it looks pretty slick too.

The GunBox is constructed from an aircraft-strength aluminum alloy, and it has a dual moving motorized lock that will hold up to quite a bit of force. It has enough storage space to hold my threaded S&W M&P 9mm with a Trijicon RMR on the slide. If I add my

34 | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 5 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTOS: DUSTIN ELLERMANN

The GunBox, strong, secure, sleek, and...

1502 Tx Dept of Def.indd 34 1/8/15 1:55 PM

Assistant Chief Patrol Agent, Bill Jordan, at an NRA convention, approached the gun and ammunition manufactures and per-suaded them to develop a revolver in .41 caliber. At that time revolvers in either .38 Special or .357 Magnum were the ubiquitous police weapons.

Semi-autos of that era were not considered suffi ciently dependable for daily carry by police offi cers. When the .41 Magnum was produced, the weapon, an N-Frame like the .44 Magnun -- but a bit heavier because of the smaller holes in the barrel and cylinder -- turned out to be too heavy, and the ammu-nition too powerful for the average police offi cer, and was never very popular.

If it had been loaded down, as a sort of .41 Special, as Jordan really wanted, with a lighter bullet of around 165 grains, at a velocity of around a 1000 to 1100 feet per second, and chambered in a smaller, lighter handgun, like the S&W L-Frame 686, it would have been exactly was Jordan was look-ing for. For that matter, it would have been, in a revolver, exactly what the .40 S&W now is in a semi-auto.

As a reloader

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