august 2009

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2 A U G U S T 2 0 0 9 / T E X A S F i s h & G a m e

Published by Texas Fish & Game Publishing Co., LLC.TEXAS FISH & GAME is the largest independent,family-owned outdoor publication in America.

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

ROY NEVESPUBLISHER

DON ZAIDLEEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

CHESTER MOOREEXECUTIVE EDITOR

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

TOM BEHRENS TROPHY QUEST COORDINATORGREG BERLOCHER KAYAKING EDITORPAUL BRADSHAW CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

HERMAN BRUNE CONTRIBUTING EDITORJOE DOGGETT SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

CALIXTO GONZALES SALTWATER EDITORKENDAL HEMPHILL POLITICAL COMMENTATOR

CAPT. MIKE HOLMES ASSOC. OFFSHORE EDITORBOB HOOD HUNTING EDITOR

STEVE LAMASCUS FIREARMS EDITORPATRICK LEMIRE SALTWATER RIGS EDITOR

LOU MARULLO BOWHUNTING EDITORJIMMY D. MOORE NORTH HOTSPOTS EDITOR

TED NUGENT EDITOR AT LARGEDOUG PIKE SENIOR OFFSHORE EDITOR

LENNY RUDOW BOATING EDITORWAYNE C. WATSON LEGAL AFFAIRS EDITOR

MATT WILLIAMS FRESHWATER EDITORREAVIS WORTHAM HUMOR EDITOR

A D V E R T I S I N G

ARDIA NEVESVICE PRESIDENT/ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

NICOLE MCKIBBIN NATIONAL MARKETING REP.DENISE BELL NATIONAL MARKETING REP.

1745 GREENS ROAD, HOUSTON, TX 77032PHONE 281/227-3001 FAX 281/227-3002

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

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

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32 COMMUNITY LAKES: ARE THEYWORTH IT?Texas abounds with small lakes and reser-voirs that offer close-to-home fishingopportunities. But are these community fish-ing lakes really worth a try?

by Barry St . Clair

28 DOVES: WHATS LEGAL,WHATS NOT Eleven species of dove are found in Texas,and only five of them are legal to hunt. Thelegal birds have distinctive appearances, butwhen seen in flight, identification becomestrickier, especially for the novice.

by Bob Hood

AUGUST 2009 Volume XXV NO.4

ON THE COVERS:COASTAL: The majesty and fight-ing spirit of a Texas silver kingis captured in this explosiveshot. A breathtaking sight, anda heart-pounding experiencecombine whenever there is atarpon on the hook-end of yourline.

Photo by Jenni Bennett

INLAND/NORTH: The menacingstare-down from a cougar.

Photo Courtesy of :WIKIMEDIA

36 HUNTING THE EARLY RUTThe early-season archery hunter along theCoastal Prairie and eastern part of Texas getsto enjoy heat, humidity, and Cessna-sizemosquitos. But for the hunter willing to putup with a little misery, this is probably thebest time to score the buck of a lifetime.

by Paul Bradshaw

50 THE TRUTH ABOUT COUGARSWildlife experts show the range of cougarsto extend no farther east than West Texas.But their presence has been detected in EastTexas and in fact in all lower 48 states,thanks to the growing proliferation of gamecameras.

by Chester Moore, Jr.


24 NATURAL SELECTIONSWildlife management is a tricky balance ofscience and art. How much of a biomass can aland plot or lake sustain? What sort of sizedistribution is ideal? Of ten, the answer liesin harvest of the herd or fishery.

by Calixto Gonzales

FEATURES

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COLUMNS


AUGUST 2009 Volume XXV NO.4

10 Editors NotesThe Truth Is Out Thereby DON ZAIDLE TF&G Editor-in-Chief

16 Chesters NotesThe JawsEffectby CHESTER MOORE TF&G Executive Editor

18 CommentaryGun Rights & Human Rightsby KENDAL HEMPHILLTF&G Commentator

20 Doggett at LargeSeeing Is Fishingby JOE DOGGETTTF&G Senior Contributing Editor

22 TexasWildArchery Aoudadby TED NUGENTTF&G Editor-at-Large

58 Texas OffshoreKings & Leadersby DOUG PIKETF&G Offshore Editor

59 Texas SaltwaterFreshAirby CALIXTO GONZALESTF&G Saltwater Editor

60 Hunt TexasMidnightBeaver Madnessby BOB HOODTF&G Hunting Editor

61 Texas FreshwaterAnatomy Of aLightning Strikeby MATT WILLIAMSTF&G Freshwater Editor

62 Open SeasonGeorgeby REAVIS WORTHAM TF&G Humor Editor

DEPARTMENTS

8 YOUR LETTERS

12 TF&G REPORT

12 BIG BAGS & CATCHES

40 TRUE GREEN

49 TROPHY QUEST

COLUMNS and DEPARTMENTS

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Texas-Fish-Game-Magazine/86524948620


ROLLOVER PASS CLOSUREI now live in Cleburne, Texas, but once

spent six weeks a year living in my traveltrailer at Rollover Pass. I spent lots of moneyin the community in the fall to fish for floun-der. That was pre-Ike.

Closing Rollover will greatly affect thesalinity of East Bay, which in turn will affectmost of the sea life there. As for the fish, thiswould be like closing I-45 south of Houston.

Wayne PedigoVia email

UNLEADED VENISONAfter reading Paul Bradshaws article on

lead bullets, I feel the need to add one morebear in the bear fight: If the lead from bulletsand shotshells is as detrimental to our healthas some backdoor anti-gun people claim (ifyou cant eat it, why shoot it; if you cantshoot it, why own a gun?), a considerablenumber of us would not be here. Our fathersand forefathers killed and ate countless num-bers of quail, dove, rabbit, and squirrel, andkilled them with lead No. 8 shot. How manylead pellets were ingested and how manydied of lead poisoning? Our very existencetestifies to the fact that this was not and is

not as harmful as some would have usbelieve.

Wayne PrinceGarrison, TX

BLACK BEAR: CONSERVATIONPOSTER CHILD

I just read your article about the blackbears in Texas. I would greatly appreciatereceiving one of the black bear posters.

I have bowhunted black bears in WestVirginia several times, and know how excit-ing it can be. I have lived in Texas all my life(48 years) and have hunted and fished mostof those years. I would be sitting around thecampfire at night, listening to my greatuncles and dad talk about theblack bears that used to be inEast Texas.

Thanks for such a good arti-cle. I will do all I can to help theblack bear make a comeback inthis great state; I will gladly vol-unteer my time and effort to thisgreat cause.

Kyle LuceVia email

I read the article about the black bearsmaking the comeback in Texas. How excit-ing! I would like to receive one of the postersmentioned in the article sidebar if possible.

Randall Poppa Gator GoodeVia email

Please send me a black bear poster. Wehave a hunting lease in Polk County, and livein Livingston. I would like to help spread theword about black bears.

Tommy SnookVia email

I am writing to request your bear poster. Iwould like to add that I appreciate your con-servation efforts. I am a lifetime six-genera-tion hunter and fisherman raised in Liberty


Letters

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T E X A S F i s h & G a m e / A U G U S T 2 0 0 9 9

County. I have three boys that all enjoy theoutdoors. Keep up the good work.

Alfred CadeVia email

The response to our bear conservation arti-cle has been amazing. Scores of readers haverequested the poster to distribute, and theWoodlands Chapter of Legacy Outfitters hasdistributed the posters into key areas of EastTexas. I personally distributed 600 TexasParks & Wildlife Department brochures aboutblack bears along the Sabine River corridor.With the help of our conservation-mindedreaders, we are making a difference in thisimportant conservation initiative.

Chester Moore, executive editor

MORE CHEERS FOR HERMANThanks to Texas Fish & Game for a great

magazine. I especially enjoy WildernessTrails by Herman Brune. He has an excep-tional gift for telling a good story.

Keep up the outstanding work.

Jerry CorbinMcKinney, TX

CATFISH & CORNBREADYour article regarding the lakes of Texas

and catfish definitely caught my attention. Ilived on Lake Corpus Christi/Lake Mathisfor about 10 years. We were never withoutfish in the freezer, and if we wanted it fresh,we just baited the old trotline one eveningand ran the next for a mess of fresh ones. Wecould always invite friends up for a fishingtrip and pretty well guarantee that they weregoing to take home a mess of fish. The seaturkey (cormorant) roosting trees gave upmany good stringers. I was surprised that theold lake was not mentioned in the article.

Ron SmethersDickinson, TX

THE SECOND AMENDMENTWhile in the dentist office I read one of

Kendal Hemphills excellent columns aboutthe Second Amendment. I would guess 90percent or better of Americans have no idea

why the Second Amendment was includedin the Bill of Rights. Most would probablythink it had something to do with hunting.Our founding fathers had first-hand knowl-edge of what a tyrannical government lookedlike, and understood the tendency of those inpower to want to control the liberties of thoseunder them, just like we are seeing today.

I believe the right to bear arms means anyweaponry consistent with the need for whichit is used. The Second Amendment is themechanism we the people have to guaran-

tee the United States does not go the way ofWWII Germany, Cambodia, or Vietnam.

William McMillonVia email

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The Truth IsOut There

ELSEWHERE IN THIS ISSUE, EXECUTIVE EDITORChester Moore addresses an oddlycommon question about cougars: Arethey out there? Moores The Truth

about Cougars addresses this question (yes,they are not only out there, but everywhere)and touches on the fact that most wildlifeofficials will not acknowledge the existence ofwild cougars in their respective jurisdictions.After many years studying cougars, I think Iknow why: (1) To acknowledge them meansyou must manage them. (2) Managing themmeans dealing with an ignorant citizenryeducated at the Disney School of WildlifeBehavior.

The cuddly image of cougars portrayedby animal zealots obscures another darkertruth about cougars: When improperly man-aged and overprotected, cougars becomebrazen and deadly to human life.

Space does not permit listing just thenewspaper headlines of cougar attacks onhumans over the past five or so years. A fewrecent ones include: Cougar Killed afterMauling Toddler, Hiker Knocked Downby Mountain Lion, Dog Fights offCougar Attack against Owner.

In each of these and scores of other cases,the attacks occurred where cougars are pro-tected by law, and killing one punishable byfine or imprisonment.

Under the headline, Boulder CountyMan Shoots, Kills Mountain Lion, in astory about a Colorado man shooting acougar in his yard after it attacked his dog inMay 2009, State wildlife officials said theywont take action against the man, whodeclined to be identified, because he feltvery threatened by the proximity of themountain lion. Interestingly, the lion sport-ed a radio collar and tags in each ear.

Another Colorado man shot and killed amountain lion at a distance of 6 feet as it

stalked him and his wife on a hiking trail.Published reports stated, ...according to theColorado Division of Wildlife...neither theman nor his wife were injured, and nocharges are expected to be filed.

Even though Texas has a sizeable cougarpopulation, attacks on humans are rarest ofthe rare. That cougars are non-protected,non-game animals and subject to hunting,trapping, and general harassment year-roundis quite telling. Nonetheless, Texas has host-ed a few bite-and-scratch parties over theyears. One of the more spectacular occurredin Big Bend National Park, one of the fewTexas locales where cougars are protectedand thus have no reason to fear humans.

On 2 August 1984, eight-year-old DavidVaught, his four-year-old brother, Justin, andtheir mother and stepfather, Kim andChristopher Brown, were on vacation hikingthe rugged trails of Big Bend National Park.While Kim and Chris stopped in the trail toward off a fire ant attack, Justin wanderedahead around a sharp bend with David a fewsteps behind. When David rounded thebend, he nearly stumbled over his littlebrother frozen statue-like in the trail. Look-ing over Justins shoulder, David saw why.Scant feet away, a cougar crouched in theshadow of a rocky overhang, its eyes lockedon the smaller boy.

David sized up the situation and threwhimself between the cougar and his brother.Shoving Justin back up the trail, he shouteda warning to his family and started running.He had been playing The Boy Who CriedWolf all day with his mother, shoutingSnake! to watch her jump, and shethought he was at it again with mountainlion! All thought of jokes dissolved whenshe saw her sons terror-stricken face framedby the extended claws and fanged horror-mask of the airborne cat descending on theboys head. Faster than you can say inten-sive care, the carnivore wrapped David in aclawed death-grip and bit sharply into hisskull. Borne down by the predators weight,he fell prostrate in the trail and lay still.

In an American version of tiger-by-the-tail, Chris rushed in and grabbed the pumaby the neck with both hands, causing it to

quit its victim and turn all attentions fully tohim. He rolled to one side, dragging the catwith him. Lying on his back, Chris lookedup at the screaming, spitting animal thatwould probably kill him. All he could thinkof was holding on so it could not get atDavid or the rest of his family.

The cougar clawed at the mans arms,squirming for freedom. About to lose hisgrip, Chris decided to try to disable the ani-mal. Drawing up his right leg, he kicked thelions chest as hard as he could. It was onehell of a kick, too, propelling the cat high inthe air to land unhurt several feet away incharacteristic feline fashion.

The man scrambled up and jumpedbetween the furious lion and his family. Itbecame a battle of screams, the cat venting itsrage at the man while Chris screeched backin primal epithets. After what seemed like acouple of weeks, the cat finally relented anddashed off into the brush.

David, laying face-down in a growinghalo of blood, had not moved since the initialattack, but by some miracle he was still alivein spite of being literally scalped from hishairline clear to the back of his skull. Thefamily started back toward their rentedcabin, terrified to see the predator shadow-ing and feinting in the brush alongside thetrail. Continuous shouting and rock barrageskept the animal at bay during the mile-longwalk.

At the hospital, David underwent thefirst of 13 surgeries to repair damage thecougar inflicted in just a few seconds. Itcould have been a lot worse; had the cougarbeen a full-sized adult instead of a 50-poundjuvenile lacking the jaw size for one-biteskull-crushing, well, use your imagination.

David and his family recall with macabrehumor the park ranger who told them thenight before the attack, If youre real lucky,somewhere off in the distance you might geta brief glimpse of a mountain lion.

E-mail Don Zaidle at [email protected]

by Don Zaidle| TF&G Managing Editor

Editors Notes

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TF&G Report

TEXAS FISH & GAME HAS ENTERED THE WORLDof social networking via Facebook andTwitter.

For those familiar with theseweb services, simply search us andsign up to follow our updates.We know some read-ers are not con-nected, so weput together abrief overviewto help you getstarted.

Facebook profiles are webpages that allow internet users to connect

with each other. Users can post photos, writeblogs (on-line journals), play games, andinteract with people through a variety of

functions.By using the Facebook search

engine, users can search TexasFish & Game and choose the

become a fan option, get-ting access to getupdates on TF&Gsactivities and fullaccess to our

Facebook pages ofphotos, blogs,

videos, and regularupdates on the magazines activities. Users

can also join various networks broken downby region, schools, and other interests, plususe the page to send messages to friends.

Signing up for Facebook is easy. If youare at least 13 years old, you must provide avalid e-mail address and answer a few simplequestions. Facebook will then lead you to acustomizable profile page.

Twitter is a more direct and simple site forsending and receiving short messages.Instead of sending out an email to manyrecipients, you can post one tweet, as theyare called, and send it to all the friends onyour list. Signing up for Twitter is similar toFacebook.

TF&G uses Twitter to provide updates

AMBERJACKFREEPORTEighteen-year-old Keith Bellow of Spring,

Texas, shows off a 60-pound amberjack, caught80 miles out of Freeport, Texas. Keith was fishingwith Mike Hutto of Rig Runners Charters out ofFreeport.

WHITETAILBLANCO, TXAmelia Boettiger, age 10, shot her first white-

tail on her familys ranch northwest of Blanco,Texas. This 5th-generation hunter was guided byher father, John Boettiger, Jr. (pictured), and hergrandfather, John Boettiger, Sr.

REDROCKPORTHPD Officer Eric Blankenship landed his

largest redfish at 11.5 pounds, 30 inches, and hissecond largest speckled trout at 6.75 pounds and26.5 inches. Both were caught in Rockport,Texas, using the same Killer Flats Minnow jig.

BIG BAGS & CATCHES

TF&G on Facebook & Twitter

1 2 A U G U S T 2 0 0 9 / T E X A S F i s h & G a m e

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TF&G Report

about upcoming articles and importantissues, as well as giving everyone a glimpseof what we are doing to bring our readers thevery best outdoors coverage.

An example might be, Texas Fish &Game will be appearing at DucksUnlimited State Convention....Another might be, New sharkregulations go into effect Sept.1. Make sure and read theAugust issue to find out howyou can avoid getting ticketedfor keeping the wrongspecies.

This is our way ofreaching out to readersand letting them inwhat is happening inthe outdoors in real time. It is also our wayof saying you are an important part of theTF&G family and we look forward to net-working with you in cyberspace and beyond.

GPS in Jeopardy?

According to a GovernmentAccountability Office (GAO) report, theGlobal Positioning System (GPS) satellitenetwork faces the possibility of failures with-in the next two years.

Mismanagement and underinvestment bythe U.S. Air Force places the GPS at riskof failure in 2010 and beyond, due primari-ly to delays in launching replacement satel-lites.

According to the report: In recent years,the Air Force has struggled to successfullybuild GPS satellites within cost and sched-ule goals [as part of a $2 billion moderniza-tion program]. If the Air Force does notmeet its schedule goals for development ofGPS IIIA satellites, there will be anincreased likelihood that in 2010, as oldsatellites begin to fail, the overall GPS con-stellation will fall below the number of satel-lites required to provide the level of GPSservice that the U.S. government commitsto.

Such a gap in capability could havewide-ranging impacts on all GPS users,

though there are measures the Air Force andothers can take to plan for and minimizethese impacts.

The first replacement satellite launch isscheduled for November 2009three

years past the original launch date.A U.S. Air Force

spokesman, Col. DaveBuckman, in a forum hosted on

Twitter (see previous story,TF&G on Facebook &

Twitter), said: The GPSwill not go down. There

is a potential risk, butGPS isnt falling outof the sky. We haveplans to mitigate risk

and prevent a gap incoverage.

Buckman is command lead for position,navigation, and timing at the Air ForceSpace Command in Colorado Springs,Colorado, and a GPS expert.

Industry watchdogs have said consumersshould not panic or put off buying new orupgraded GPS devices.

Any GPS outage is likely to developover a period of years and, the U.S. AirForce ... is under pressure to speed modern-ization efforts, said technology writer DavidCoursey in a PC World article. Speedingthe launch schedule is one solution to theproblem, but the fact exists that GPS canoperate with fewer than 24 satellites, thoughwith potentially reduced precision. It couldalso take longer for GPS devices to computea location fix if the number of operationalsatellites decreases.

Nevertheless, two things are working inGPSs favor: One is its popularity with con-sumers. Second is its role in national securi-ty, making it imperative that a solution befound and raising the political pressure fordoing so.

My guess is the government will find away to fly GPS satellites more quickly andthat enough will remain operational to makeany degradation of service difficult for civil-ian users to detect. Don Zaidle



The JawsEffect

BEFORE 1975, THE WORD JAWS HELDlittle significance in society, but afterSteven Spielberg released his cine-matic rendition of Peter Benchleys

novel of that name, things changed.Jaws became synonymous with the awe-

some great white shark and fear of theunknown lurking below the surface. Myfather said after seeing the film, he and hisfishing buddies went from wading out to thesecond sandbar at McFaddin Beach to ven-turing no farther than their knees.

Over the years, I have spoken with manywho said their view of the ocean changedafter Jaws and sharks became omnipresentin their psyche any time they ventured nearthe coast.

While Jaws repelled most from thewater, it drew me to it.

I distinctly remember watching it as anABC Movie of the Week and being com-pletely blown away. As an eight-year-old, Iwanted to be a cross between Robert Shawsportrayal of Captain Quint and real-lifeocean explorer extraordinaire JacquesCousteau.

My family vacationed in Galveston onesummer in the mid 1980s, and every nightwe went down to one of the piers to fish. Iwas happy to catch sand trout, hardhead,and croaker, but I really wanted to catch ashark. I will never forget looking out over amoonlit, dead calm Gulf from the 61st StreetPier. I stood in awe of the ocean and won-dered what amazing creatures were waitingfor me out there just past the pier. I wasprobably the only person in the history ofGalveston beach tourism who actually want-ed to see a great white in the surf.

And, no, my parents did not drop me onmy head.

This Jaws effect led me to do some wildand semi crazy things involving sharks overthe years.

There was the time my friend, Bill Kil-lian, and I decided we wanted to catch areally big bull shark. So, in his 16-footSkeeter bass boat, we ventured eight milesoffshore, set out two big rods baited withgiant chunks of jack crevalle, and startedchummingand I mean chumming; betweenthe menhaden oil, beef blood, and smashedpogy, we had an oil slick to rival the ExxonValdez incident.

The Gulf was smooth that day, so I fig-ured I would break out the binoculars andglass for signs of visitors in our chum line.About a quarter-mile away, I saw a couple offins pop out of the water and then a fewmore, and eventually a whole bunch more.Within a few minutes, we were both battlingsharks, and at one point had around 50 visi-ble around the boatthe 16-foot Skeeterboat.

We never did catch a big bull that day,but had a blast with the spinners and black-tips.

On the way back, I asked Bill if hethought it was smart of us to attempt to catcha big shark in his small boat.

Its fun isnt it? he replied.Point taken.In July 2000, I got to fish the Chandeleur

Islands off the coast of Biloxi, Mississippi.People go there for the amazing speckledtrout and redfish action, but I was muchmore enthralled by the number of sharks. Ihad fished there twice previously, and eachtime had close encounters of the toothy kind.

My host on this trip, television host KeithWarren, and I specifically targeted sharksone afternoon. Big blacktips were schoolingon a flat in 18-24 inches of water, and wewere literally sight-casting to them with trouttackle. While watching the madness unfold-ing in front of me, I thanked God for theamazing opportunities He had given me,and for my passion for these supreme preda-tors.

The culmination of my Jaws-inspired

dreams came in September 2002 when I gotto cage dive with great whites off the Califor-nia Pacific Coast. When the first sharkappeared that day (a 16-footerthe size ofthat Skeeter boat), our eyes met just for asecond. The sharks orbs were coal blackand sullen, while my baby blues wereundoubtedly wide-open and showing signs ofadrenaline overdose. Looking back, I see notonly that amazing predator, but also a littleboy from a middle class background whosedream came true the moment he saw theshark and the shark saw him.

Some people live, others dream, and afew actively pursue their dreams. I hope youare one of the latter and get to see your life-long ambitions come true as I have. We areall born with a destiny, a purpose, anddeeply imbedded dreams that we believe willcome trueuntil someone in the course ofour young lives comes along and tells us dif-ferently. Then doubt enters and consumesthe dream.

If your little boy or girl has big dreams ofbeing an ocean explorer, astronaut, or maybeeven an outdoor writer, build them up and lettheir spirits soar. It might seem silly that amovie like Jaws would inspire a youngsterso much, but it happens.

I remember sitting down with specialmakeup effects guru Gregory Nicotero(Transformers, The Hills Have Eyes,The Chronicles of Narnia) and listeningto him passionately explain how that moviemotivated him to work hard and venture intothe movie business; two men who took total-ly different career paths inspired by the samefilm, and living their childhood dreams.Now, if I could just see that great white inthe Texas surf, I would be really happy.

Maybe my parents did drop me on myhead.

(To contact Chester Moore, e-mail him [email protected]. You can hear him onthe radio Fridays from 6-7 p.m. on NewstalkAM 560 KLVI or online at www.klvi.com.)

Chesters Notes

by Chester Moore, Jr. | TF&G Executive Editor

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Gun Rights& HumanRights

AN ARIZONA WOMAN WAS RECENTLYbrought before a grand jury on amanslaughter charge for shooting aman in the back six times. A mugger

had grabbed her purse and tried to run offwith it. When the criminal grabbed, thewoman had her hand on her gun inside thepurse, and she was left holding the revolveras the thief began his escape.

When asked by the court why she shot theman in the back six times, she replied,Because when I pulled the trigger the sev-enth time it only went click.

The question here is why this woman wasarrested to begin with. She acted in self-defense against a criminal in the act of steal-ing her personal property. In any kind ofsociety that holds human rights sacred, thiswoman should have received, at the veryleast, a commendation from the city govern-ment. Instead, she was forced to defend heractions to a group of people who were notpresent during the event, and might neverhave known the fear and panic that gripsmost law-abiding citizens when faced withviolent crime.

The reason this woman had to justify her-self is that we do not live in a society thatholds human rights sacred. This fact isdemonstrated at the highest levels of our gov-ernment on an almost daily basis. During thepast several months, more anti-gun legisla-tion has been proposed than during the pre-vious 200 yearsand anti-gun is anti-human rights according to the Constitution.

Sometime during late 2008 or early

2009, the U.S. Department of Defensedetermined that government sales of once-fired brass to American civilian ammunitionmanufacturers was a bad idea, in that thebrass was sensitive munitions. A goodmany small ammo businesses have been buy-ing once-fired brass from the military foryears, reloading it, and selling it to policedepartments and civilian dealers at a fractionof the cost of new ammo. It kept the price offirearms practice for police officers at a man-ageable level, allowing higher proficiency forthose who are supposed to protect us, andallowed weekend plinkers and competitionshooters alike an affordable alternative.

The DOD decreed the brass was to behenceforth shredded and sold as scrap.China buys quite a lot of scrap metal fromAmerica, and sells quite a lot of ammo tobuyers all over the world. Thus, it was con-ceivable that our militarys spent ammo cas-ings could have wound up being used againstour own soldiers sometime in the future.

Two Montana Senators intervened, andthe DOD relented, but the fact that our gov-ernment considered such a move is telling.

On 6 January, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL)introduced the Blair-Holt Firearms Licens-ing and Record of Sale Act (HR 45). Thebill would have required the creation of anational firearms registry, and a federallicense for ownership of any handgun orsemi-automatic rifle capable of accepting aremovable magazine.

Rush, a former Black Panther gang mem-ber, spent six months in prison in 1969 afterbeing convicted on illegal weapons posses-sion. The bill never had a serious chance ofpassing, but the fact that it was introduced atall reveals the goal of the anti crowd.

Rumors, of course, abound on the inter-net. One of these, which I have not yet beenable to confirm, says that our military hasstarted requiring serving servicemen andwomen to fill out a form listing all their per-sonally owned firearms by type, model, cal-iber, and serial number; whether they are

registered; and where they are located.Members are also supposedly required toreveal whether they possess any concealedcarry permits. If true, it seems our govern-ment does not even trust itself.

The most ludicrous claim of late by theantis is that 90 percent of the guns used byMexican drug dealers come from the UnitedStates. Those who attempt to promote thislie never provide any proof, because noneexists. In fact, anyone with half a brain(which leaves out much of congress) couldnot help but find such a claim ridiculous. Forone thing, Mexican drug dealers mostly usefully automatic weapons, which are so strict-ly controlled in America that possession ofsuch firearms requires a federal permit and acomplete background check, including acolonoscopy. Well, maybe not that extreme,but you get the idea.

If automatic firearms are crossing oursouthern border (and a very few surely are)they are already illegal, in which case prohi-bitions are already in place. Passing newfirearms laws will not make any difference.

Nevertheless, our president, during a tripto Central America in April, signed an inter-national treaty to stop this illegal and mostlymythical gun trade. The treaty is officiallycalled the Inter-American ConventionAgainst the Illicit Manufacturing of andTrafficking in Firearms, Ammunition,Explosives, and Other Related Materials(CIFTA) Treaty. The initials do not makeany more sense than the treaty.

The most outlandish aspect of this affairis that our government intends to revoke ourconstitutional freedoms on the basis of somestrange belief that the actions of Mexicandrug cartels are somehow our fault. Ameri-ca: land of the formerly free and home of theperpetually guilty.

E-mail Kendal Hemphill at [email protected]

by Kendal Hemphill | TF&G Commentator

Commentary

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Seeing IsFishingS

IGHT-CASTING TO SHALLOW FISH IS A COM-monand thrillingdenominatoracross warm-water tides. Fortunately,this specialized and demanding drill is

available in the bays and backwaters alongour own Texas coast.

Regardless of tackle or technique, regionor species, all serious skinny water anglersrespect one rule: maximize the sun.

The overhead light penetrates the clearshallows and illuminates the water, vastlyimproving the elevated anglers ability to spotsub-surface targets (if not cruising fish, per-haps potholes or similar bottom formationslikely to hold fish).

This advantage of sighting an unaware fishin advance of a long cast can be hugethedifference between a rushing strike and a boil-ing panic. Conversely, the lights literally goout when heavy clouds block the high sun. Itslike, What happened?

The abrupt difference is dramatic andextremely depressing.

Sun management can be the key to suc-cess. Conversely, failure to follow the sunspotential can severely downgrade potential.No other type of fishing is so dependent onbright sunlight, and the beginner who fails tounderstand this critical factor is in for somefrustrating sight-casting sessions.

Obviously, a clear and cloudless dawnoffers the best potential, but, equally obvious,the best time to go fishing is when you havethe chance. A blue sky never can be guaran-teed against a fixed schedule.

Most likely, the day will be a mix of brightsun and intermittent clouds. The savvy sight-caster strives to maximize the sun by being inproductive water as much as possible duringthe periods of superior visibility. And, ofcourse, no-nonsense polarized sunglasses are

mandatory. Most shallow-water anglers preferhigh-contrast shades of amber or yellow. Ver-million is another effective choice, less harshthan snappy yellow.

The main objective is to claim the best flator shoreline as soon as favorable lightingallows, tidal phase permitting. If Flat A holdsthe most potential, dont forfeit sight-castingopportunities by arriving too early and bum-bling over fish before the sun is high enough tosparkle the bottom.

Utilize the first hour or two by blind cast-ing over a nearby channel or deeper flat, thenease into position. If competition from otherboats is a real threat, arrive early to the choicespot and hang out until visibility improves.

Prime lighting usually occurs betweenabout 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. The angle is highenough to penetrate the water and you canwade, drift, or pole with the onshore summerGulf wind. The same timetable applies acrossmost of the tropics, where the prevailing tradesusually blow from the east or southeast.Regardless of region, this approach keepsboth sun and wind at your backa greatadvantage for sighting fish and making casts.

A prolonged day under marginal visibilitymight be saved by a burst of late sun; howev-er, be advised that after mid-afternoon, thewind and sun often are at odds. The primelate-afternoon window for spotting fish is intothe gusting windand the velocity almostalways increases during the heat of summer.Stringing surface grass can be a problemalong the middle and lower coast.

This is a sketchy situation, but at least youcan see. The salty angler can minimize thegrass by seeking out clean sand or a leewardshoreline. The plugger working into the windcan re-rig with a lure with superior ballisticssuch as an elongated dog-walker, somethingyou can chunk smartly into the gusts. The flycaster in command of a vicious double-haulcan switch to a trim, low profile fly with mini-mal air resistance. The fly caster without avicious double haul might consider retiring tothe barnor at least the dock.

If during a so-so session a wad of cloudsmoves in, give some thought to using thedown time to relocate to new water. Sight-

casting potential has suffered a temporary set-back, so make the most of the blown lighting.This is a judgment call, and much depends onthe extent of the cloud cover and how fast theweather is moving.

Running from a persistent bank of cloudsmight put you under sunny sky within a fewmiles. This is assuming you dont hit an oys-ter reef en route. Pay attention to charts onshallow bays and dont let the sky always dic-tate the course.

The sight-casting session has suffered amajor setback when gray ceiling wipes out allhope of bright sun. Sub-surface visibility isreduced from way over there to scant yards.The key here is to stand tall and remain vigi-lant, knowing that if a shot appears it almostcertainly will be within a boat length of thepoised rod.

The plugger should prepare for a short butfast presentationan under-hand pitch or aside-arm cast. The conventional over-handlob probably wont cut it...not enough dis-tance to properly load the arcing cast. A lim-ber rod tip can be an ally in loading a shortcast and finessing a quiet delivery with thetypical 1/4- to 1/2-ounce plug-casting pay-load.

The fly-rodder might consider over-lin-ing one size, maybe two, to turn over a close-quarters loop. Forget about the flats videos;this is no place for the sizzling 90-foot tightloop that looks so racy on magazine covers. Aquick roll cast or side-arm flip might be all youget before the point-blank redfish disappearsin a cloud of sand.

If the lighting is truly lousy, you have onesight-casting card remaining. Forget the nor-mal knee- to thigh-deep water and press intoankle- to shin-deep shallows. Here, you canscout the surface for movement; the faintwakes of cruising fish orYes!a pod ofsaucy tails fanning in the breeze.

When those bold pennants appear, thereis no finer fishing on the coast.

E-mail Joe Doggett at [email protected]

by Joe Doggett | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Doggett at Large

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ArcheryAoudadD

AY 23: HOT, STILL, QUIET, MUGGY, BUGGY,and ripe with optimism. As diehard,gung-ho bowhunters know, certainly anintense predator stealth, optimal alert-

ness, crafty, experienced woodsmanship, anintimate knowledge and understanding ofnature, wildlife habits, habitat, wind, baro-metric fluctuations, terrain, camouflage, shad-ows and light, pinpoint archery accuracy, andtenacious persistence all working together areessential for backstrap dreams to come true.But even with all these cylinders pulsating inunison to the max, none will bring home thebacon without the most critical bowhuntingattribute of allpatience. Good old fash-ioned, never-give-up, never-say-never animalsticktoitiveness (yes, that is a word, startingnow, no matter what Zaidle says).

My home ground SpiritWild Ranch is alovely piece of Gods country along themighty North Bosque River in McLennanCounty, Texas. At a mere 300 acres, by Texasstandards it barely qualifies as a ranch. But,its extremely diverse terrain makes it feel like3000 acres, and as soon as you try tobowhunt the ultra educated critters here, youwill never know what real fair chase huntingis: For the well populated herds of whitetail,fallow, axis, and sika deer; African scimitar-horned oryx; Indian blackbuck antelope; andAfrican Barbary sheep virtually disappearamongst the impenetrable ash juniper thickets;live oak, pecan, cedar elm, and red cedarforests. Dense clusters of prickly pear cactus,Spanish daggers, green briar, blackbrush,elbow brush, gobs of various vines and ivy,and pucker brush galore literally devourwildlife like the thickest jungles found any-where on earth. I love that part.

Tall, heavy grasses flourish in this rich riverbottom country, and combined with huge hay-fields and numerous strips of nutritious foodplots here, there, and everywhere, what we

have is a wildlife paradise that enables gameto thrive and surviveand hide from raven-ous guitar players with an addiction to gutpiles, blood trails, and backstraps.

Believe me, this 300-acre fenced ground ismany times more difficult to bowhunt thanany open farm grounds and forests Ive hunt-ed in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Nebras-ka, South Dakota, New Mexico, Colorado,Montana, Wyoming, Canada, and elsewhere.It is a bowhunters dream for sure, becausethe game and topography make it so incredi-bly challenging. But, man, is it ever frustratingmost of the time.

I gauge my annual hunting seasons basedon 1 April through 1 April. As this usuallyindicates the beginning of turkey season, Ibegin anew my annual hunting journal docu-menting my time afield, observations, andkills. I always figured that with healthy breed-ing populations of these amazing game ani-mals and my good fortune to literally huntyear-round, I expected to be able to maintainan adequate harvest in order to keep my ani-mals and habitat in balance by strictlybowhunting. I was wrong. The critters are justtoo smartor maybe Im just too dumb.

Axis deer, blackbuck, aoudad, and oryxbreed throughout the year, and they are sowary that I have been forced to whip out themighty .270 sniper rifle in order to keep thebeasts from eating themselves out of house

and home. And I do love my scoped rifle get-ting even gun hunting. A steady crosshairand disciplined trigger squeeze turn me onmore now than ever, and it helps break thefrustrating monotony of long vigils, day afterday, week after week, waiting patiently in mybow stands. It feels good to reach out andtouch things. Backstraps are backstraps, andthey are, after all, my life. Ya cant grill em tillya kill em, baby!

Swatting the nonstop buzz of pesky mos-quitoes in the springtime Texas heat forced meto fire up my ThermaCell insect repellerbefore I went nuts. Five fat fox squirrels werefeasting on the corn and soybeans from thefeeder that had gone off at 5 p.m., just as ithad the last 23 days in a row. The same trioof whitetails came and went, two bulky fallowspikes nibbled around, and, as usual, thecrows were raising a fuss in and out of the for-est around me. I was truly enjoying myself, asI always do, target animals present or not.

Nonetheless, I was approaching the pointof being perturbed after more than threeweeks of not getting a shot at anything on myown, well-stocked game ranch. What else cana guy do? Where, oh where, are all the ani-mals?

I had the pleasure of bowhunting theamazing Kenedy Ranch in South Texasrecently, and was surrounded by shootabletarget animals every day, every setup, and

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

Ted NugentsTexasWild

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there were no fences containing game at all.Based on the inescapable data from my jour-nals, no-fence bowhunting is far easier thanhigh-fence bowhunting. Go figure. Fair chasemy ass.

Little beads of sweat gathered on my brow,and I made it a point to slowly, carefully brushthem away without disturbing the little fallowdeer meandering off across the creek bed.One never knows what lurks in the shadows,and it is a good thing I did not lose mypatience, because I no sooner lowered myhand than I picked up movement far right inmy peripheral vision.

Light, rusty brown hide told me immedi-ately that the No. 1 elusive critter was arriv-ingaoudad! And here they come.

During my last 139 days of hunting Spir-itWild Ranch, this would be my first eyeballcontact with this majestic African mountainsheep, even though we had more than a dozenaoudad on the property. They were wired,and so was I. Each sheep would step, thenstop, look all around, often back up a step ortwo, re-examine their surroundings, then cau-tiously step again.

With ultra care, I slowly leveled my vidcamon the huge chapped ram of the group, andreadied my bow for the heart-slammingmoment of truth. I dared not move a twitchwhile their heads were up, for aoudad are liv-ing radars and will see, hear, smell, or senseeverything every time.

There were now 10 high-strung beastsbefore me20 scanning eyeballs, sniffingnostrils, and radaring ears. Finally, the bossram stretched its foreleg ahead, and I kissedmy release at full draw. Thump!

Aim small, miss small, baby! And thatsall she wrote as my white feathers sank intothe golden triangle straight through the pumpstation of the regal, giant-horned Africanmonster.

I fumbled the vidcam, trying desperately tofocus on the amazing dance of death as theold ram reared up on its hind legs with ahearty Hi-ho, Silver! and crashed to Earthstone-cold dead in under five seconds. Wow!

Dear, Lord! I love bowhunting!There is no doubt that the climactic exhil-

aration of a beautiful arrow is directly propor-tionate to the depth of investment before thekill, and accordingly I was pumped to themax.

The ram was stunning. At over 250pounds, gorgeous light brown chaps extend-ing down its front legs and 30-inch sweepinghorns created a beastly magnificence rarelymatched in the wild kingdom. My razor sharpMagnus BuzzCut had sliced clean through

the hard chest, cut through the heart, and exit-ed the far armpit for an instantaneous death.I could not have been happier.

With aoudad populations literally out ofcontrol in West Texas and on many gameranches elsewhere in Texas, now is the time toexperience this thrilling hunt of a lifetime.These animals are smart, cautious, andincredibly elusive, so do your homework,practice hard, and turn up the predator heatif you want to get to full draw on the mighty

sheep of Northern Africa. There are morenow in Texas than in the rest of the worldcombined, so have at it. And dont give up.

To book an aoudad hunt with Ted Nugenton SpiritWild Ranch, visit tednugent.com orcall Sunrize Safaris at 800-343-4868.

E-mail Ted Nugent at [email protected]


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Hunting will not survive the bombardment ofenvironmentalists and naturalists unless each huntereducates himself in biologically sound land and gamemanagement. Jim Slinsky


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by Calixto Gonzales

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andowners, wildlifebiologists, and fish-eries biologists arekeenly aware thatsuccessful huntingand fishing isnt sim-ply a case of makingsure that the lease isfull of deer or the lakefull of bass. The

quality of the herd and fishery is equallyimportant, perhaps more. What good isheading to the lease on a cold Decembermorning if all the bucks are the size ofLabrador retrievers, or run across the lake toyour favorite honey hole only to catch one12-inch bass after another?

Wildlife management is a tricky balanceof science and art. How much of a biomasscan the land plot or lake sustain? What sortof size distribution is ideal? How is that bal-ance achieved?

In many cases, the answer lies in selectiveharvest of the herd or fishery.

Game management is an investment inpotential, said landowner and televisionshow host Keith Warren. Youre alwayslooking for a return on your investment oftime and money.

Dealers ChoiceGame management all depends on what

youre trying to do, said longtime hunter

Charles Hury, who helps manage a100,000-acre South Texas land parcel.Are you managing for meat or for mounts?That decision is going to dictate how youmanage your land.

Warren said all animals on a landownersparcel have value, some more than others.An owner must make the decision of whichanimals have enough value to benefit fromthe limited resources his land provides, aswell as the supplements he might add. Thekey is having scientific data to work with.

Value [of the deer herd] goes up byreducing the number of inferior animals[through selective harvest], said Warren.Its real important that you know what youhave on your land. You need to do yourresearch and have hard scientific data thatrecords not just the overall quality of theherd, but the breakdown of the herd. Whatare the best animals, what is the potential?Then you can decide which animals need tobe harvested.

Hunters are encouraged to harvest man-agement bucks, as genetically inferiordeer are called. The theory is that theremaining bucks will pass along superiorgenetic traits to future generations.

Any three-year-old buck on my land thathas less than eight points on the mainframeis going to get shot, said Warren, Theyjust dont have the genetics Im looking for.

Copper-Jacketed BirthControl

Game management through harvest, inits most basic form, is population control.

Some animals dont have any naturalpredators, said Hury. A fully grown nil-gai, for example, is too big for a coyote or abobcat. Even their calves are the size of a fullgrown South Texas deer.

Add to the lack of natural enemies thefact that nilgai cows give birth to two calves,and it doesnt take long for a herd to over-whelm a parcels natural resources.

A lot of those [animal rights activists]dont realize that shooting a few animals pre-vents a whole lot of them from starving,said Hury. The land Im on, for example,has about 3000 Nilgai on it. With the cowsdropping two calves each, you have to takeabout 2000 a year just to keep the herd incheck. Now, that sounds like a lot of nilgai,but thats how many the hunters have toshoot.

The wild pig is another Texas animal bestbe kept in check through hunting. Porcinenumbers have exploded in Texas and cause agreat deal of damage to food plots, fencelines, and turkey and quail numbers bydestroying habitat and eating eggs andyoung.

Those pigs can tear up the land, saidHury. They really dont have any natural

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Keeping and eating speckled trout is better for thefishery than hardcore catch-and-release.


predators when theyre grown, so youve gotto control the population. Hunting is thebest way to do that.

A major impediment to good manage-ment in some areas is the outdated notionthat harvesting does is bad for the herd.That might have been truein the early halfof the last centurybut under modern con-servation practices, does are overpopulatedin some areas and need thinning to balancethe herd against the carrying capacity of thehabitat. Such balance helps ensure availableresources are distributed among the herd toensure good health and growth potential.Killing and eating does is a good thing,notwithstanding superstitious beliefs to thecontrary.

Catch and Hot GreaseBoxing a limit of largemouth bass is

anathema to most dedicated anglers. Nary abass in some of the most popular destina-tions loses a moments sleep over concernsabout landing in a pan of sizzling bacon fat.Harvesting a few bass, however, is actuallybeneficial to a fishery.

One of our important fisheries manage-ment tools is regulated harvest, said TexasParks & Wildlife Department fisheries biol-ogist Mukhtar Farooqi. Harvesting certainmembers of a bass fishery can be very help-ful in both restructuring a population of fish,or controlling a population. In some cases, itmight be the only effective tool.

A lake may have a bottleneck in the basspopulation. A large number of fish may bethe same length. By thinning the number ofsmaller fish, the remaining bass will growfaster.

Farooqi said lakes, much like land, haveresources (food and suitable habitat) that arelimited by such factors as fertility and size.Much like game management, selective har-vest can allow the most effective utilization ofavailable habitat and forage.

The biggest issue with selective harvest,however, is convincing bass fishermen thatkeeping a few fish for the skillet is not a badthing.

The catch-and-release ethic can be sostrong that it can undermine the harvest reg-ulations, said Farooqi.

Fishermen just dont want to keep bass.The same notion afflicts some saltwateranglers regarding speckled trout and redfish,but the same conservation principles apply.Achieving balance through regulation-per-mitted harvest is better than hardcore catch-and-release of all specimens. Remember:Bag and size regulations are designed for thebenefit of the fishery, but they work onlywhen followedincluding keeping smallerlegal-size or slot fish for the table.

Many species, both finned and furred,benefit from some form of selective harvest.Whether too improve the value of individualanimals, the general quality of the herd orfishery, or to simply practice population con-trol, taking a few animals or fish can be ben-eficial in the long term. In the end it, boilsdown to what you want to accomplish.


DOVE PHOTOS COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS LICENSES28 A U G U S T 2 0 0 9 / T E X A S F i s h & G a m e


ne bird inthe handmight beworth morethan two in abush, butjust makesure it isnt ar u d d yquail-dove

(10) or any of the other six protected speciesof dove found in Texas.

Never heard of a ruddy-quail dove?Thats not surprising since the medium-sized bird native to Mexico, and Central andSouth America has been seen only a fewtimes in South and West Texas.Nevertheless, the fact that the bird existshere is even more reason for dove hunters toidentify their targets before pulling the trig-ger.

Eleven species of dove are found inTexas, and only five of them are legal tohunt. The legal list includes mourningdove, white-winged dove, white-tipped dove,rock dove (common pigeon), and Eurasian

collared dove. The dont-shoot listincludes Inca dove, common ground dove,ruddy ground dove, red-billed pigeon, band-tailed pigeon, and ruddy quail-dove.

Most hunters are not likely to see a ruddyquail-dove, but if they do, the bird is mosteasily identified by its reddish-brown back,red legs and feet, black-tipped bill, andwhite streaks under its eyes.

Like those on the dont shoot list, thespecies of dove that may legally taken haveappearances that are distinctive from oneanother but when in flight and seen by anovice hunter or anyone else who doesntidentify their target, the bird that is droppedfrom the sky could be a protected bird.

Mourning dove (2) are most easilyidentified by their long, pointed tail.

White-winged dove (9), whose tailsare squared off at the end, have a whitepatch of feathers on their wings and a slow-er flight pattern than the slightly smallermourning dove. Whitewings favor large treesfor roosting and nesting and are most abun-dant in small towns and cities. Fortunatelyfor hunters, city whitewings often fly out to

surrounding grain fields to feed.White-tipped dove (6) are found

mainly in the Lower Rio Grande Valley andfavor low brushy areas with open groundunderneath, where they forage on seeds andinsects. They are about the same size as awhite-winged dove, and their tail feathers aretipped in white. The aggregate daily baglimits for dove have included a maximum oftwo white-tipped dove for several years, andlikely will remain that way for the foreseeablefuture.

Eurasian collared dove (1) and rockdove are not protected by law and may betaken year-round with no bag limits. TheEurasian collared dove is not a migratorybird. It originated in southeastern Europeand Japan, was introduced to the Bahamasin the 1970s, and was found in Florida in1982. The collared dove now has beenfound as far west as California and as farnorth as British Columbia. It is larger than awhite-winged dove and has a black band onthe back of its neck. It seems to favor clustersof buildings such as small towns and cross-roads communities in the country.



Rock dove (5), also called feral pigeonor common pigeon, favor small country com-munity habitats, where it nests in rockcrevices and beneath bridges. One SouthTexas outfitter hunts them like geese, layingout a decoy spread and hunting from layoutblinds or in hay bales as warm-up hunts forthe regular dove season.

Of the six protected dove, the Inca doveand ground dove are the most common.Identifying one from another can be confus-ing to some folks. Thats probably becauseboth are much smaller than the mourningdove, fly close to the ground, and bob theirheads rapidly as they walk.

The Inca dove (7) is about half the sizeof a mourning dove and has an overall scalyappearance, and a long tail with white mar-gins. The Inca adapts readily to urban set-tings such as city parks and had just as sooneat livestock and poultry seeds as eatingweed seeds in pastures. It typically has atriple syllable call whereas the ground dovescall typically is single or double syllable.

The common ground dove (4) isslightly smaller than the Inca, weighing a lit-

tle more than an ounce (about the size of asparrow). It has a chunky body and roundtail that often is elevated as it walks. Thecommon ground dove has a scaly appear-ance, whereas the ruddy ground dove(8) does not.

The red-billed pigeon (11), whoseonly nesting grounds in the U.S. are in theRio Grande Valley, is best distinguished byits reddish bill. However, it often flies fasterand higher than most other dove exceptwhen with flights of whitewings.

Band-tailed pigeon (3) are foundmainly in far West Texas mountain ranges athigh elevations. That, along with the bandson their tails and yellow feet and legs, help itfrom being mistaken for a common pigeon.

Identifying one species of dove fromanother is just part of a hunters responsibil-ity toward having a safe and legal dove hunt.Other considerations that should be at theforefront of each dove hunters mindincludes purchasing a hunting license and amigratory bird stamp endorsement, andobtaining HIP (Harvest InformationProgram) certification, which can be

obtained free of charge while purchasing ahunting license.

Laws against hunting over a baited areacontinue to confuse some people. One of themain offenses many hunters make withoutknowing it is to hunt dove near a game feed-er such as one for deer or turkey. It is againstthe law. If corn or other grain is on theground near where you are hunting dove,you are in violation of hunting over a baitedarea. Once the grain has been removed, thearea remains off-limits for dove hunting for10 days.

Also, if you decide to include an earlyteal hunt in September with your dove hunt-ing, make sure you do not have any leadshotshell on your person or among your gearwhile hunting teal. Lead shot is legal forhunting dove but non-toxic shot is requiredfor hunting teal.

Whether you hunt alone, with a friend,family, or groups of friends, know the laws,obey them and you should have a great huntwhether you limit out or not.

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by Barry St. Clair

32 A U G U S T 2 0 0 9 / T E X A S F i s h & G a m e LURE PRODUCT SHOTS COURTESY OF BASS PRO SHOPSFISHING PHOTO COURTESY OF TPWD


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ne of my favorite pas-times is dreaming

about fishingexotic locationsfar away fromwhere I live.Most of thiscan be directly

attributed tobeing an avid

reader of outdoorliterature and having a

very childlike (according tomy wife) imagination. Authors who get totravel to the Amazon River in SouthAmerica or Great Bear Lake in CanadasNorthwest Territories are lucky rascals.Their stories are replete with vivid encoun-ters with the flora, fauna, and people thatinhabit these remote corners of the globe. Iwant to go with them. I read me into thosestories and I see me catching those fish. Iknow that is the intent of the editors and theadvertisers in those magazines, and it works.I want to fish the big places in the worldfar from home.

Along with the pleasant contemplation ofbeing in an exotic location, viewing pristinescenery, and catching giant fish, comes thereality that having those kinds of adventuresare fantasy and beyond the reach of most ofus. We all have to prioritize our lives andthat means tending to families, jobs, and thesmall day to day chores that make up about99.99 percent of our allotted time. For thoseof us that have a tendency to include fishingin that list of priorities, we are left with a sim-ple choice: fish close to home.

My first memorable fishing excursion wasat the ripe old age of four. It occurred at asmall community fishing pond. My familywas doing a typical Sunday after-church pic-nic lunch in our local park. I might have hadfishing tendencies at an early age, but morethan likely my parents wanted to find some-thing to keep me occupied while they relaxedwith extended family. I was given a small canof earthworms and a well-used fishing outfit,and then led to the pond. My uncle provid-ed a 5-gallon plastic bucket and instructionsto fill it up with bluegill. I spent the rest ofthe afternoon happily complying with hisinstructions. After that experience, I becamea small-water fisherman.

I suppose many of us got started in thefishing business that waya family membertaking us to a small body of water full of fish

close to home. Many years have passed sincethose days, yet I am constantly on the look-out for small fisheries not too far from thehouse. Good locations nearby tend to beclosely guarded secrets because they are usu-ally small spots that a lot of fishing pressurecan ruin. But Texas has a large advantage:Just about anywhere, be it a little city or alarge one, there are small public reservoirsfull of fishes. They are called communitylakes and allow us to fish close to home.

Lets look at one as an example of howgood the fishing can be on community lakes.

Mill Creek Reservoir is located in the citylimits of Canton, Texas, in Van ZandtCounty, about an hours drive east fromDallas. This 237-acre lake is noted for pro-ducing catches of trophy-sized largemouthbass (the lake record is over 14 pounds).The lake regularly produces quality-sizedbass for anglers who fish it.

Early spring is the most productive timeof year to fish for bass. The fish move shal-low to spawn along the shorelines, allowinganglers a better opportunity to sight-fish forthem on spawning nests. Soft-plastic crea-


Carson Otte is all smiles after catching this whopper bass in a community fishing lake.PH

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ture baits and jigs account for a majority ofthe large bass caught from this lake.

Mill Creek is not well known exceptamong local anglers and is a sleeper for pro-ducing trophy-sized largemouth bass. In2005 and 2007, TPWD stocked the lakewith 11,000 fingerling bass spawned fromShareLunker bass that weighed more than13 pounds.

The lake is also a popular site amongcrappie anglers, and abundant sunfishesattract fly-fishermen.

Mill Creek is located just southeast ofCanton off SH 243 between SH 19 andSH 64. Travel east on SH 243 and turnright on Arnold Paul Road. Follow the roadto the ramp. A boat launch permit isrequired by the city of Canton. There is onesingle-lane concrete boat ramp. The parkinglot will hold a maximum of 50 vehicles. Acourtesy dock and two fishing piers are avail-able for shore anglers.

Contact: City of Canton, 903-567-2826;TPWD District Office, 903-593-5077;Canton Chamber of Commerce, 903-567-2991 for more information.

There are many other examples of small

yet productive lakes located within city lim-its. The best bet for finding them and learn-ing about the resident fish population is tocontact the district TPWD fisheries biolo-gist for the area of interest.

Another possibility is to fish communitylakes that are part of the TPWDNeighborhood Fishing Program. There arecurrently 13 lakes located in cities across thestate stocked on a regular basis with channelcatfish in the warm months, and rainbowtrout in the winter. This program providesexcellent opportunities to get childreninvolved in fishing, because the odds arevery good of catching something. Theselakes are also good places to poke around alittle with an ultralight spinning outfit or a flyrod.

The lakes listed below are part of theNeighborhood Fishing Program:

Amarillo, Lake Medical Center South,Charlie Munger, 806-655-4341

Austin, Bullfrog Pond, Marcos DeJesus, 512-353-0072

College Station, Central Park PondNo. 1, Jeff Henson, 979-822-5067

Dallas-Fort Worth, Lakeside Park,Greenbriar Park, Chisholm Park, Bob JonesPark, Rafe Brock, 817-732-0761

Houston, Tom Bass RecreationCenter, Mary Jo Peckham Park, JeffHenson, 979-822-5067

San Angelo, Oakes Street Lake,Mandy Scott, 325-651-5556

San Antonio, Millers Pond RandyMyers, 210-348-6455

Waco, Buena Vista Park, JohnProvine, 254-666-5190

Wichita Falls, Plum Lake, MarkHowell, 944-766-2383

Community lakes are worth exploring iffor no other reason than they are not too farfrom the house and allow us a little sneakout to a fishing hole without much effort,time, or expense.

There is a saying that time spent fishingis not deducted from our lives. If true, that isreason enough to wet a line as often as pos-sibleand I know a few people who justmight live forever.




by Paul Bradshaw

HUNTER SILHOUETTE BY PAUL BRADSHAW & DEER SILHOUETTE BY RUSSELL GRAVES

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he hum of mos-quitoes isalmost deafen-ing as what

seems like a few thou-sand of the wingedbeasts buzz aroundmy headnet.Somehow, one of the

little vampires has found a way inside and isnow planted firmly on my cheek, but it isimpossible to swat it without alerting thethree small bucks feeding just 15 yards away.

Such is the life of an early-season archeryhunter along the Coastal Prairie and easternpart of the state. It is hot, humid, andCessna-size mosquitoes abound, but for thehunter willing to put up with a little bit ofmisery, this is probably the best time to scoreon the buck of a lifetime.

The dominant topic of in East Texasdeer-hunting conversation is the concentra-tion of hunters and scarcity of big bucks. Ifyou start hunting only after the first Saturdayin November, this might be a fair topic; butyou are also missing out on a transition peri-od in a bucks life that leaves it vulnerable tosomeone with a stick and string. If youunderstand this transition and plan huntingtechniques accordingly, you might be taggedout before November even gets started.

To understand the techniques for hunting

the early archery season, you must firstunderstand the changes bucks undergo. It isalso best to keep a lot of items with you, likerattling antlers and different scents, duringarchery season, because at some point, youwill need them.

In East Texas, it can be very unusual to

see more than one buck at a time.Heck, sometimes its unusual tosee a buck at all. There were manyyears when I was solely a riflehunter that seeing a buck wascause for celebration. In earlyarchery season, there is a goodchance that if you see one buck,you will see a few more rightbehind it. In late September andearly October, the bucks are still ina summer feeding pattern, wherethe main goal is to fill their bellies,not locate does. So, a few extrasets of ungulate eyes and earsaround to detect predators is bene-ficial.

Preseason scouting pays hugedividends in the sweaty early daysof the season. Bucks are creaturesof habit until the girls get involved.They eat, sleep, and travelbetween the respective areas ofeach 95 percent of the year, sohunting effort during the first few

days of the archery season should focus onthese areas. Bucks also have not been pres-sured by hunters for nine months, so theirguard is slightly down, making them morevulnerable.

I prefer to get out early to take advantageof cooler temperatures, but realistically, I

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THE CROSSBOWOPTION

Crossbows are legal during archery season, which opens upnew hunting opportunities for the first time.

Rifle hunters unable to use a compound or longbow can nowtake advantage of the early season.

When shopping for a crossbow, make sure it is legal by ensuingit includes:

- a minimum draw weight of 125 pounds (150 or more recom-mended)

- a mechanical safety- a stock not less than 25 inches in length

Also note that archery equipment of any kind may not be usedto hunt migratory game birds.

Most major sporting goods retailers carry several qualitycrossbow lines.

Bowhunters can score early on big bucksby taking advantage of rutting conditionsmany rifle hunters never get to see.

On the Web

Academy Sports & Outdoors, www.academy.com Bass Pro Shops, www.basspro.com Cabelas, www.cabelas.com


have more success on evening hunts. WhereI hunt, the bucks tend to come out to feed inthe last light of day more often than the first,and staging between bedding and feedingareas on these afternoons is a great plan fortagging a bruiser. The only problem is muchpatience is required. The first buck thatwalks by typically will not be the biggest, sodont fling an arrow at the first thing you seewith hard antlers.

As archery season transitions to coolertemperatures, the attitude of the bucks inEast Texas changes right along with itbutinstead of cooling off, they are heating up.By the middle of October, the bucks that justa few short ago were traveling in smallgroups are now breaking off on their own,and the change can happen overnight. Forthe majority of hunters who get the opportu-nity to hunt only on weekends, it can be adrastic change; be prepared to mix up yourtactics from one weekend to the next.

If there is ever a time to try rattling inEast Texas, this is it. Local bucks are spar-ring for dominance, so if you bang someantlers together, you are sure to garner theattention of any buck within earshotbutdont expect them to come running straightin like they do in the south. Keep out an eyefor deer movement downwind, and keepyour movement to a minimum.

Toward the end of archery season, bucksmake another transition into the time of yearthat most hunters covet more than anyotherthe full-blown rut. I have seen buckschasing does as early as October 6, but thoseare typically young bucks jumping the gun.The majority does not start running until thelast few days of the month, when it is as if aswitch is flipped and the woods get crazy. Ifyou have any vacation time saved up, thiswould be the ideal time to use it. At the firstsign of bucks chasing on your huntinggrounds, drop everything and get into thewoods; you might have only a few days tohunt the peak of the action.

It is not time to put up the rattling antlersjust yet, but now they become a rifle ratherthan shotgun approach, used to attract spe-cific bucks. A few years back while huntingthe last few days of the archery season, I wasdoing a modified version of still-hunting. Iwas going through some nasty brush where itwas impossible to walk quietly, so I startedgrunting like a buck trailing a doe. Just

ahead of me, in head-high grass, I heard areal buck grunt. Dropping to my knees, Inocked an arrow and grabbed my rattlebox.With my grunt tube in my mouth, bow in myleft hand, and rattlebox in my right, I workedthe buck until it was too dark to see withoutever getting a shot. The buck walked a com-plete circle around me, never getting morethan 30 yards away, as I rattled and grunteduntil shooting light was gone. While I didnttake that buck, it did show me the benefit of

a good cover scent, and that grunt calls andrattling are effective late in the east Texasarchery season.

Early season archery hunting can be apain, but for the sturdy hunter willing to suf-fer blood loss and heat stroke, the benefit ofgetting to chase bucks transitioning fromsummer feeding patterns to rut behavior faroutweighs any inconveniences.




TOWA RecognizesCCA/ValeroYouth Program

THE TEXAS OUTDOOR WRITERS ASSOCIATION(TOWA) selected the CCA/ValeroRising Tide youth program as the win-ner of its Special Pro-

jects/Conservation award at its 2009 annualconvention. At a time when far more kidsare texting than casting, this recognitionemphasizes the critical need to get youthmore involved in protecting the marine envi-ronment. CCA and Valero Energy Corp.combined efforts to create this multi-mediayouth outreach and education program.

Other than teachers, perhaps no oneknows better than outdoor writers how difficultit is these days to get kids thinking about theworld beyond their cell phones and videogames, said Patrick Murray, CCA executivevice president. We are honored that TOWArecognized how valuable this program is togetting the next generation ready to assume itsrole as stewards of our marine resources.

CCA and Valero Energy Corp. teamed upin 2007 to promote conservation educationand ethics in young anglers through the RisingTide program. Valeros generous supportallowed CCA to devote more resources to theyouth program than ever before, with particu-lar attention given to the development of anewsletter, youth webpage, and marine con-servation lesson plan that has been madeavailable to junior-high school teachers, sum-mer camps, and home school programs.

We wanted to build on the fact that kidsare capable of doing amazing things right now,and develop a program that would tap intothat potential, said Murray. Making stu-dents and others aware of the conservationchallenges that face our bays and oceans andhelping them be part of the solution lays thefoundation for a lifetime of conservation. Weare fortunate to have a partner in Valero thatis committed to educating youth about conser-vation and coastal responsibility.

Staff Report TG

On 3 April, Brent Taylor, an employee ofa private landowner on the south shore ofLake Texoma, reported to TPWD InlandFisheries biologist Bruce Hysmith that hehad found a suspected zebra mussel on aboathouse communication line.

The identification was confirmed, andthough the boathouse was inspected, noadditional specimens were found.

In 2006, Tim Ray, an employee of a marina in Pottsboro, found zebra mussels on aboat that had been brought from Wisconsin. The boat was decontaminated before beingput into the water.

In both instances, the individuals stated that they were previously aware of the threatfrom zebra mussels and made a practice of watching out for them.

Hysmith immediately notified the local U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service at Tishomingo, Oklahoma; local game wardens; and area marinasto be on the alert.

Zebra mussels are native to Asia and were first found in the United States in 1988.They have since spread to 24 states, including Oklahoma.

The aquatic invaders are about 5/8-inch long and usually have striped shells. They canlive for several days out of water and can be dispersed overland by trailered boats, thoughtheir main method of spread is by free-floating larvae. Zebra mussels can multiply rapid-

FOR THE SECOND TIME IN THREE YEARS, AN ALERTCITIZEN HAS ASSISTED THE OKLAHOMA

DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ANDTEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT (TPWD) IN

THEIR EFFORTS TO KEEP ZEBRA MUSSELS FROMINVADING LAKE TEXOMA.

Lone Zebra Mussel FoundIn Lake Texoma

On the Web

www.joincca.org/Rising Tide/index.html

PHOTO COURTESY NOAA.

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ZOMBIE FIRE ANTS MIGHT NOT SOUNDlike a cool thingbut wait a minute,said a Texas AgriLife ExtensionService expert.

On 29 April, on the grounds of theTexas AgriLife Research and ExtensionCenter at Overton in East Texas, Dr.Scott Ludwig released fire ants infectedwith a new type of phorid fly, a minusculeparasite that preys only on red importedfire ants. The infected ants will soon exhib-it some very bizarre behavior, he said.

ly to the point of clogging water treatmentplant intake pipes, fouling boat bottoms andpossibly depleting food sources relied on byfish and other aquatic species.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)non-indigenous aquatic species website callszebra mussels one of the most importantbiological invasions into North America.

Because microscopic zebra mussel larvaecan be unknowingly transported in bilges,engine cooling systems, minnow buckets,livewells, and anywhere water is trapped, thefollowing precautions should be taken tohelp slow their spread:

Drain the bilge water, livewells, andbait buckets before leaving.

Inspect the boat and trailer immediate-ly upon leaving the water.

Scrape off any zebra mussels or aquat-ic vegetation found. Do not return them tothe water.

If possible, dry the boat and trailer forat least a week before entering anotherwaterway.

Wash boat parts and accessories thatcontact the water, using hot water (at least140 degrees F), or spray with high-pressurewater.

http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=5

Staff Report TG

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On the Web

TF&G FIRST

Many of the nations petrochemical facilities arelocated in southeastern Texas, and these sourcesrelease ground-level ozone precursors, includingnitrogen oxides and highly reactive organic com-pounds.Reporting in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres inMarch, Simon et al

IN HOUSTON, TEXAS UNDERSTAND-

ING ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES THAT

CONTROL POLLUTION FORMATION

IS COMPLICATED BY BOTH TYPICAL

URBAN EMISSIONS AND LARGE

INDUSTRIAL EMISSIONS SOURCES. Continued on page 42

Ocean Complicates Houstons Pollution Profile


First, they become zombies, their move-ments under the control of the parasite.Then their heads fall off and the parasiteemerges, said Ludwig, AgriLife Extensionintegrated pest management specialist.

Previously released phorid flies preyedonly on ants in disturbed mounds. In con-trast, the species Pseudacteon obtusus thatLudwig released in April is attracted to for-aging red imported fire ants and not dis-turbed mounts. Which is even better, hesaid, as attacks on ants are not dependentupon the mounds being disturbed.

The zombified fire ant is made to wan-der about 55 yards away from the mound todie.

The parasite does this so it can com-plete development without being detectedand attacked by the fire ant colony, Ludwig

said. By making their hosts wander away,the parasite is ensuring its survival.

As with the new species, the previouslyreleased phorid fly species in Texas attacksonly red imported fire ants. The flies injecttheir eggs into the ants bodies. In response,fire ants withdraw to their undergroundnests and reduce their foraging range.

Once established, it was hoped that ear-lier releases of phorid flies would spreadbeyond the original release sites, and therehas been evidence that they have, Ludwigsaid.

Pseudacteon tricuspis was first releasednear Austin in 1995. From 2003 to 2006,it spread over 10,000 square miles, Lud-wig said. The second species, P. curvatis,was established 2004 and is beginning itsspread.

The parasite isnt attracted to native antspecies, Ludwig emphasized: Were hop-ing the new parasite will reduce the foragingof fire ants, and thereby allow our native ants

ZOMBIE FIRE ANTSContinued from page 41

MOSQUITOFACTS

Females can easily live twice as long asmales. Given the right environment, an adultfemale can live over a month, while males nor-mally last about two weeks.

Only females bite. If left undisturbed, thefemale will feed until her abdomen is engorged.

Females choose their mates from a swarm ofmales that forms at dusk.

Mated pairs buzz in harmony, synchronizingwingbeats as part of courtship.

They do not like moving air because theirincredibly light weight makes maneuvering quitedifficult, and landing on a target even moretroublesome.

Mosquito is Spanish for small fly. The Anopheles mosquito species is the over-

whelming human malaria carrier, accounting for90 percent of infections in sub-Saharan Africa.

Mosquitoes home in on the carbon dioxidewe exhale to find us. Holding your breath doesnot help; some research suggests mosquitoes likesweaty skin.

Some species can develop from egg to adultin as little as four days, but rarely travel morethan a mile from the hatching site.

There are around 3000 mosquito species inthe world and between 150 and 200 in NorthAmerica. Texas claims the most with 85, and thetown of Clute, Texas, hosts an annual Great TexasMosquito Festival, which includes a MosquitoChase Race and Mosquito Calling Contest.

Staff Report TG

determined that the pollution profilein Houston is further complicated byits proximity to the ocean. Nitrylchloride, a compound created by thereaction of sea salt with an oxide ofnitrogen produced in urban atmos-pheres, can photodissociate intonitrogen dioxide and chlorine atoms.The former is a pollutant, and thelatter has been shown to increaseground-level ozone formation.During the summer of 2006, nitrylchloride mixing ratios of more than 1part per billion (ppb) were measuredin the Houston urban area.

A recent study discovered that seawaterreacts with certain components ofindustrial emissions to produce differentchemicals.

PHOTO LICENSED UNDER CREATIVE COMMONS



POLLUTION PROFILEContinued from page 41

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Waterdogs, the larvae of tiger salaman-ders, are a popular bait among some bassfishermen as well as catfishers. Unfortunate-ly for them, the waterdog supply might be injeopardy this season in some areas due toviral and fungal infections of the amphib-ians.

Waterdogs in bait shops in Arizona, Col-orado, and New Mexico are infected withranaviruses, and those in Arizona with achytrid fungus called Batrachochytrium den-

drobatidis (Bd).These diseases have

spread with the globaltrade in amphibians, said James Collins,assistant director for biological sciences atthe National Science Foundation (NSF).The commercial amphibian bait trade maybe a source of pathogen pollution.

Along with biologist Angela Picco of theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Sacra-mento, California, Collins screened tiger

salamanders in the western U.S. bait tradefor both ranaviruses and Bd, and conductedsurveys of anglers to determine how oftentiger salamanders are used as bait, and howfrequently the salamanders are let go in fish-ing waters.

Pathogens InfectWestern Waterdogs,Texas Unscathed

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TPWD Battles Giant SalviniaAt Caddo Lake

Giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta) firstappeared on Caddo Lake in 2006. In justtwo years, the plant expanded its coverage ofthe surface from 2 acres to more than 1000.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department(TPWD), in partnership with the CypressValley Navigation District and the CaddoLake Institute, launched an offensive againstgiant salvinia on 1 June.

Were here at Caddo Lake to spraygiant salvinia with herbicide to try to knockit back to a more manageable level, saidCraig Bonds, TPWD regional director forinland fisheries. We are at a tipping pointwith giant salvinia coverage. If we dont geton it heavily, we could lose this battle andexperience increased levels of giant salvinia,to the point where we wont be able to con-trol it. We will never eradicate it. This isgoing to be an on-going fight.

Hairs on the leaves of giant salviniamake it very resistant to herbicide applica-tion, said Howard Elder, TPWD aquaticvegetation biologist. We have to use veryaggressive herbicides and surfactantsapproved by the EPA to be able to controlthe plant. We have found herbicide applica-tions to be about 90 percent effective; ittakes a week to 10 days to see results.

Mainly herbicide boats and a mechanicalharvester that gobbles up the plant fromthe water surface fight

august 2009

Documents

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