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2 N O V E M B E R 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

SUBSCRIPTION/PRODUCT MKTG.

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

DUANE HRUZEKMARKETING/CIRCULATION DIRECTOR

HEIDI GERKE SUBSCRIBER SERVICES MANAGERLARRY FRIEDMAN FIELD REPRESENTATIVE

JOE LUCA NEWSTAND REPRESENTATIVE

P R O D U C T I O N

JIMMY BORNEART DIRECTOR

LINDSAY WHITMAN YEATESGRAPHIC DESIGNER

A D M I N I S T R A T I O N

DENNISE CHAVEZNATIONAL ADVERTISING COORDINATOR/RECEIVABLES MANAGER

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.

MEMBER AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS

www.fishgame.com

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32 THE STATE OF SPECKLEDTROUTAs spring gill net surveys show majordeclines in Matagorda and Aransas bays, willTPWD go to a statewide five-fish limit likeLower Laguna Madre has?

by Chester Moore, Jr.

36 WINTERING THE WAVESHypothermia is the No. 1 killer of anglers andhunters who use boats during the wintermonths. Are you ready to survive the greatestdanger you are likely to experience whilepursuing the sport you love?

by Lenny Rudow

NOVEMBER 2009 Volume XXV NO.7

ON THE COVERS:COASTAL:Mallard and pintailmight be glamorous species tosome waterfowlers, but gadwallhold the lead for dependablegunning every season. Otherduck numbers come and go, butgadwall are always there.

INL AND/NORTH:With parts ofthe state gripped in drought andparts lush from ample rainfall,finding bucks like this one is abig question, and we answer itin this issue.

Photos by Grady Allen

ALSO IN NOVEMBER:

54 ULTRA-GO-LIGHTLYAnother look into our25th AnniversaryArchives, this timefrom March 2001.by Don Zaidle

50 THORNS & THUNDER: QUAILIN THE BRUSH COUNTRYThe brush country is world famous for mon-ster whitetails. But bobwhite and blue quailalso inhabit the region, and offer some of themost challenging shooting a quail hunterwill ever encounter.

by Steve LaMascus4 N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 9 / T E X A S F i s h & G a m e

FEATURES

24 GONZO FOR GADWALLThe gadwall has seen a renaissanceover the past 25 years, in both pop-ulation growth and hunter interest ,becoming the most harvested duckin recent seasons.

by Chester Moore, Jr.

28 2009 WHITETAILSDeer hunters are eternal optimists. But asoptimistic as we are, we still have naggingdoubts before each season. To ease some ofthose doubts and/or provide a dose of reali-ty, here is our annual Whitetail Forecast forthe major Texas regions.

by Paul Bradshaw

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COLUMNS


NOVEMBER 2009 Volume XXV NO.7

10 Editors NotesHeard Around the House by DON ZAIDLE TF&G Editor-in-Chief

16 Chesters NotesYear Of the Flounder by CHESTER MOORE, JR. TF&G Executive Editor

18 CommentaryGod, Guns, Guts,and American Pickups by KENDAL HEMPHILLTF&G Commentator

20 Doggett at LargeBobs In Mexico by JOE DOGGETTTF&G Senior Contributing Editor

22 TexasWildWaterbuck InAfricaby TED NUGENTTF&G Editor-at-Large

58 Hunt TexasHow To Ruin a Good Dog by BOB HOODTF&G Hunting Editor

59 Special ReportNew World Record BassIn Japan? by CAPT. MIKE HOLMESTF&G Associate Offshore Editor

60 Texas SaltwaterSwimming Lessons by CALIXTO GONZALESTF&G Saltwater Editor

61 Texas FreshwaterBig Sam =Big Bucks by MATT WILLIAMSTF&G Freshwater Editor

62 Open SeasonLost In the Jungle by 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

www.FishGame.comwww.twitter.com/FishandGame

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

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TF&G A TURNOFF TO KIDS

I have enjoyed your magazine for manyyears; living in Austin and being a life-longhunter and fisherman, that goes back even toits early incarnations. I am not normally aletter writer, but I wanted to pass along whatI see as a problem that you may be unawarethat you are causing.

From my perspective, the largest threat tolong-term health of wildlife and associatedsports is the dwindling interest of youngergenerations. I know that you are aware ofthis issue, and Im happy that we both aredoing things to generate interest and partici-pation with future outdoorsmen. But,whether you know it or not, you are alsodoing things to turn them off. Twice,recently, as part of attempts to garner inter-est and deeper participation in hunting andfishing with younger people, Ive passedalong copies of TF&G with a Post-Itattached noting articles I thought would beof interest. Both times, those two differentyoungsters happily accepted the old issues,but then returned them stating that they real-ly werent interested in, to paraphrase,those points of view.

When I inquired as to what specificallythey meant, they pointed out places wherethe tone and focus of topics only tangential-ly related to outdoor sporting. Im referringto articles like Respecting Our Flag,Serialized, Fingerprinted Stupidity, andeditorial responses that in todays parlancewould be described somewhat-inaccuratelyas politically conservative.

I must say that I have noticed that overthe past couple of years, there has been aperceptible shift in the magazines inclusionof such political content. I, too, was a bit putoff, but you know we older folks just shakeour heads, wish they werent there, and turnthe page. If youre not aware, there are alarge number of tree-huggers and otherleft-wing hunters and fisherman; thatsright, theyre not all PETA-esque extrem-ists.

In a similar but opposite way, TF&G iscreeping toward an extremist feel. I have dis-cussed this with a few friends, and many ofus on both sides would prefer it if you leavediscussions of The Flag, assault weapons,and national political thinking to theAmerican Rifleman and others; lets keepthe TF&Gs focus, of all things, on fish andgame and on Texas hunting and fishing.

John BaggettVia email

GUN RIGHTS & HUMANRIGHTS

Regarding Kendal Hemphills JulyCommentary column, Gun Rights &Human Rights, military requirements forregistration of personally owned firearms isnot new, at least at one time at one of theU.S. Air Force bases. I had to complete theform (register) in the mid 1970s because Imoved into military housing while stationedat one of the bases in Florida. The Air Forcealso offered an armory for voluntary storageof firearmsmandatory for those living inthe barracks or dormitory.

Like most hunters, I am totally againstany Federal requirement for registration offirearms.

Please keep us up-to-date on any newanti-gun bills that would threaten our right toown and bear arms, and well write our dulyelected officials reminding them of ourVoting Power.

James FreemanSan Antonio, TX

SMILES & TEARS FORSMILEY

My husband does not typically enjoyreading, but he brought the August TexasFish & Game magazine to me, insisting thatI read Herman Brunes story, Smiley. Iread the article, reported that I thought it

was a very touching storyand he insistedthat I read it again, that I just didnt get it.

On second reading, I realized that yourbeautifully written story was not about aranch hand, but about his dog. We had a lit-tle Bichon Frise named Buttons that wasa lot like Smiley. She was a prissy little dog,befitting her breed, but she was loyal andtook wonderful care of me during two boutsof cancer, with around two years of surgeries,chemo, and radiation. Some of my friendsand family laugh at me when I say that shetook care of me, but I know from readingHermans article that he understands.

We lost Buttons to old age two years ago,and his article brought back some wonderfulmemories of our own. I am going to sharethis article with one of my co-workers; shesnot into fishing or hunting, but she is a seri-ous dog-lover who gave me a lot of supportwhen Buttons passed away. I know she willenjoy it as well.

Thank you so much for HermanBrunequite a talented writer!

Kathleen and Jerry SmithVia email

GREAT BOWHUNTING TIPSIm a 46-year-old new bow hunter. I just

picked up a bow last year and I enjoy LouMarullos Bowhunting Tech columns. Histips on form and practice have been especial-ly helpful. I frequent the local bow shop andask many questions. Fortunately, they seemto enjoy my inquisitiveness.

After being out of the military for 15years, I got the bright idea to join thereserves back in 2004they promptly sentme to Iraq. During my deployment, I redis-covered my love of writing. Writing andreading articles in Texas Fish & Game(along with hunting DVDs), helped managemy stress level.

Mike AugustineGregg County, TX


Letters

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HeardAround theHouse

AS SOMEONE WHOSE LIFE HISTORY INCLUDESa diverse work history, eclectic inter-ests and experiences, rural living, anda current career as an outdoors maga-

zine editor, snippets of conversation heardaround my house if taken out of contextoreven in contextcome out sounding unusu-al, to say the least.

Some might label it redneckeventhough I cannot recall ever saying, Ive toldyou boys to flush that toilet; the dogs gottadrink out of there, and never carried a fish-ing rod into Sea Worldon reflection, I cansee how the banter around the Zaidle house-hold (usually animated with assorted grand-children up to adult and old-enough-to-know-better ages) might give pause to theuninitiated. A few snippets for your enjoy-ment or revulsion:

Be sure to water the possum.Take the tractor down to the east stock

tank and see if you can pull that cow out ofthe mud.

Go down back and shoot a hog; compa-nys coming, so use something that wontblow too big a hole.

Dang it, boy, I told you to save thosesquirrel tails! (For a couple of monthsthereafter, I routinely found fresh squirreltails deposited on my computer keyboard.)

Would somebody please get this bobcatout of the freezer! I cant find the roast!

You boys get that coyote skinned beforeit gets dark.

I dont care how cold it is outside, thatdog cannot have her puppies in the living

room!Im going to the feed store. Anybody

need anything?Yeah, its roadkill, but I know its fresh

because I hit it.I know the washroom is floodedbut

you are not going to drain it by shooting ahole in the floor!

But it was on sale! (after my wifebrought home a piano when I sent her to buyshirts; after I bought two cases of ammo in acaliber for which I do not own a gun; afterone of my grandsons bought 11 oil filters fora vehicle we do not own)

If I ever win the lottery, Im gonna buyme a big ranch somewhere. (said by afriend/neighbor who lives on a 1700-acre

ranch)Can I borrow your bull?Go find the come-along; I need to skin a

deer.I shot a dove, Pop, but it fell in the tank

and a turtle ate it.Has anybody seen my rubber chicken?Has anybody seen my skunk?Has anybody seen Nanas pistol?Has anybody seen my defibrillator?Go see if I left my shotgun on the trac-

tor.I think Cub (chocolate Lab) ate your

sunglasses.The neighbor wants somebody to come

over and shoot his bullthe black one, notthe red one.

by Don Zaidle| TF&G Editor-in-Chief

Editors Notes

PHO

TO B

Y D

ON

ZA

IDLE

Who but Zaidle actually goes out looking for dead armadillos.

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Jimmy! Move that fire engine out of thedriveway!

I broke the lawnmower, Pop. I ran overone of your steel traps in the front yard.

I had to shoot it on the front porch,Popit was trying to get in the house.

Greg, get the bags of trash off the roofand take them to the burn barrel.

Phone conversations are interesting, espe-cially when you hear only half the conversa-tion:

Yes, hes here, but he is outside boilinga skull. Can I take a message?

Hes out helping a neighbor bury some-thing they shot. Can I take a message?

Hes skinning a hog right now. Can Itake a message?

If you do it the way I am telling you, theblood will drain faster.

I gave up trying to get blood stains out along time ago.

Shoot itbut use a .22 so you dontblow up your mailbox.

Sure I know how to do a full-auto con-version. Why?

Hey, Wayne, do you know where I canfind a roadkill armadillo? Cant be toomessed upall flattened or splattered oranythingjust a nice clean kill, or maybejust messed up on one side, and its okay ifits stiff or a little bloated. No, I am notdrunk, I just need an armadillo. Can youhelp me or not? (I needed it for a photoprop.)

Of course, some things are visual ratherthan audiblelike the time we rigged up a30-foot derrick out of old oilfield pipemounted with chains and boomers to theloader bucket of the tractor, and jury-riggeda cathead winch with a bare rim mounted toone jacked-up wheel of a pickup, whereby topull the submersible well pump and pipe forreplacement. The wellhouse is near the road-way, and rubber-neckers nearly caused threeaccidents. One guy stopped and asked if wewould do his next.

I once secured a toiletand actual whiteporcelain toilet about 10 feet up in a treein my front yard and had a friend sit on itwhile wearing camo and wielding a bow. (Itwas for photos to illustrate an article abouthomemade tree stands.)

Then there was the time (pre-911) a guntrader friend spilled an entire bottle of

Hoppes No. 9 all over his display table at abusy flea market, whereupon I donned a gasmask another friend was hawking andanswered curious queries with, Havent youheard about the chemical spill? Theres aguy on Row 3 selling masks. Better hurry.

I once told several acquaintances that thecircular scope tattoo wound above my eyewas a chupacabra bite. Whats scary is thatmost of them believed it. I am still not sure ifthey believed in chupacabras or figured any-thing was plausible if I was involved.

While helping a neighbor unload 10,000pounds of rancid corn dog batter mixed withwieners (feral hog bait), a spill covered mefrom head to toe in the stuff. I told my wife Ihad been to the Texas State Fair and Big Texgot drunk and barfed on me. When I took offmy clothes (outside, of course) I discoveredthree wieners and a corn dog stick in placesyoud rather not find them.

House decor includes duck decoys withshot holes; steel traps; animal skins; miscel-laneous taxidermy; animal skulls, skeletons,and antlers; fishing lures; a human skull;shadow boxes containing old paper hull shot-gun cartridges, worn-out pocket knives,mushroomed bullets recovered from game, etal; and, of course, an electronic Big MouthBilly Bass.

I stand firm that these utterances and cir-cumstances are not redneck, but simply thenatural result of self-reliance and good coun-try living. I further assert defense in thatmuch conversation involves oscilloscopes,frequency counters, and signal generators;the difference between pneumothorax andhemothorax; the relative merits of PHP andASP software applications; and how todownload and install open source softwareand why it is not pirating.

On the other hand, I shall never livedown running outside in my boxer shortsand boots late one night, gun in hand, toinvestigate a suspicious noiseand theunidentified motorist passing by who yelled,Get you clothes on, pervert!

It was only a raccoon getting into the dogfood barrel, too.

E-mail Don Zaidle at [email protected]

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TF&G Report

MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROBLEMS AT THEJohn D. Parker East Texas FishHatchery have again stymied construc-tion.

At least two joints of large diameterdrainage pipe have collapsed underground,posing significant problems for the oft-belea-guered project.

The facility is currently under construc-tion below the dam at Sam RayburnReservoir in Jasper County. Once complete,it will include a state-of-the-art production

building spanning 34,000 square feet, an8200-square-foot administrative building,and 45 acres of production ponds. Theponds are expected to kick out close to 5 mil-lion largemouth bass, channel catfish, bluecatfish, and bluegill sunfish fingerlings forstocking in Texas lakes each year.

While the root of the pipe failure is yet tobe determined, TPWD officials say the twosections of crushed pipe could be just the tipof the proverbial in terms of repairs neededbefore this portion of the project can moveforward.

According to Scott Boruff, TPWDdeputy executive director for operations, fur-

ther inspection has since revealed as much as11,000 feet of 60-inch, 48-inch, and 30-inch diameter drainage pipe buried beneath10 to 17 feet of soil might have to beexhumed and replaced in order to shore upthe integrity of the hatchery pond drainagesystem.

TPWD officials were made aware of theproblem nearly six months ago, but no onewithin the department bothered to maketheir constituentsTexas freshwater fisher-menaware of the mishap until lateSeptember. That might be perceived as arisky choice, considering the projects shakyhistory.

Pipe Failure Crashes Hatchery

BIG BAGS & CATCHES

BASSSAM RAYBURNJustin Stokes of Cypress, Texas, caught this 7-

pound, 4-ounce, 24-1/8-inch bass while fishing onSam Rayburn.

KINGFISHTEXAS OFFSHORERichard Ridgway caught this kingfish 40

miles offshore of Texas while using with ribbon-fish for bait.

BUCKOKLAUNIONKreed Holley, age 6, of Oklaunion, Texas,

took his first buck while hunting with his father,Russ Ramsey, on family property in Oklaunion.The 9-point whitetail was shot with a 22-250.

by Matt Williams

1 2 N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 9 / T E X A S F i s h & G a m e

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Funding for the hatchery complex comesfrom annual sales of a $5 Freshwater FishingStamp to an estimated 1 million freshwateranglers. The stamp is required of anyone whofishes in public freshwater in Texas.

The stamp endorsement was created in2003 by the 78th Texas Legislature as a wayto raise money to build a modern fish hatcheryto replace the outdated one in Jasper, and toconduct other freshwater projects. The origi-nal deal forecast a 2008 completion date witha turnkey price tag of $15 to $18 million, tobe paid in full using money from stamp sales.

Everyone was excited about the deal untilthe 79th Legislature spoiled it by freezing thefish stamp funds to help balance the overallstate budget. In the process, politicians fol-lowed up with an appropriations bill thatwould force TPWD to rely on bond moneyto build its hatchery as opposed to usingangler cash already on hand. Interest paid onthe bonds under the bill was projected to soaras high as $9 million or more on a 20-yearnote.

Special interest groups such as Texas BlackBass Unlimited were outraged by the switch-hitting legislature and attacked politiciansthrough any media outlet that would listen.The resistance worked to a degree and shortlybefore the session ended, new legislation wasintroduced to allow the bonds to be retired intwo years using available fish stamp funds.Translation: Large cuts in interest payments.

More good news came from Austin in May2007, when the 80th legislature gave TPWDthe green light to begin spending about $12.3million sitting in the freshwater stamp fund.Added to the $15 million made availablethrough bonds guaranteed by future stampsales, TPWD had slightly more than $27 mil-lion available to build its hatchery.

That was a good thing, because the pricetag had nearly doubled because of inflatedconstruction prices associated with hurricanesKatrina and Rita.

The projected cost of the hatchery whenconstruction finally got underway during July2008 was around $27 million. However,

Boruff said the figure could rise considerably,possibly by several million dollars, before theproblem with the failed drainage pipe is ironedout. Another unknown is who is going to footthe bill to pay for the glitch.

We are still going through a lot of engi-neering analysis and testing at this point todetermine exactly what caused the problem,said Phil Durocher, TPWD director ofinland fisheries. If it turns out to be as bad asit looks initially, it is certainly not going to becheap to fix. Both the construction companythat installed the pipe and the engineeringcompany that designed the project are sayingthey did everything right, but it is real obvioussomething went bad wrong here. It could bethat multiple parties have some culpabilityhere. Well just have to wait and see.

Todd Engeling, TPWD chief of inlandhatcheries, said the department awarded theconstruction contract to Allco, Inc., ofBeaumont in June 2008. The company per-f o r m sser v i ces Continued on page 14


TF&G Report

in commercial, utility, highway, and heavyconstruction.

The design of the hatchery was preparedby HDR/FishPro of Omaha, Nebraska.The firm specializes in fisheries resourcebiology and engineering, hatchery design,fish passage and barrier design, and aquaticecosystem restoration. Engeling saidFishPro also designed renovation plans forthe TPWD A.E. Woods Fish Hatchery inSan Marcos in the mid-1980s.

The drainage pipe in question is corru-gated HDPE, a high-density polyethylenepipe that provides high resistance to corro-sion and chemicals, and carries a load well,according to Engeling. He said the pipe is

commonly used for sewer lines, storm water,and [municipal] drain applications.

Boruff said department engineers initiallysuspected the pipe used in the project mighthave been inferior, but subsequent testingproved the theory wrong.

Pipe has very specific parameters underwhich it will collapse, he said. Weremoved a segment of the pipe for testing,and it stood up to what it was supposed tostand up to.

Like Durocher, Boruff said he thinks theproblems incurred with drainage pipe systemare likely attributable to some combination ofdesign and installation flaws. The depart-ment has hired Tulunay-Wong Engineering,

Inc., of Beaumont to perform geotechnicaltesting to help determine the exact cause ofthe failure and the best way to remedy it.

At this point, I dont want to venture toguess whether the problem is mostly with thedesign or installation, Boruff said. Butonce I get the testing data in my hand, I amcommitted to getting the parties together andtrying to resolve this in a way that minimizesthe impact to our constituents. We hope toresolve this issue without any legal action,but we reserve the right to use that option ifwe have to.

While other aspects of constructionremain in progress, the pipe failure is likelyto delay the projects scheduled March 2010completion date by several months, possiblylonger should it wind up in a courtroom. Ifthat is the case, Boruff said the departmentwould seek reimbursement for any addition-al costs that arise as the result of the pipe col-lapse. This includes accumulated interest onany borrowed money being used to fund theproject.

TPW Commission Chairman Peter Holtof San Antonio said he was disappointed tolearn of the pipe failure, but is thankful theproblem was discovered early on as opposedto a year or two down the road after thehatchery got up and running.

That really would have been a mess,Holt said. The main issue now is to get theproblem figured out and fix it. We are dedi-cated to this project and ready to move for-ward. So far, everybody involved is cooper-ating. Hopefully we can keep that sprit ofcooperation and collaboration going and getit figured out.

HDR/FishPro delivered the followingstatement via its media relations manager,Jackie Fox:

HDR is working closely with theTPWD to make sure the project proceeds assuccessfully as possible. If any issues ariseduring the construction of a project, wealways work with all parties to make sure theclient receives the quality project we design.

Repeated phone calls to Allco, Inc. pres-ident Tom Harrison went unreturned as ofpress time.

1 4 N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 9 / T E X A S F i s h & G a m e

Continued from page 13

A worker inspects one of the huge drainagepipes at the John D. Parker Hatchery.

PHO

TO C

OU

RTES

Y O

F TP

WD

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Year of theFlounder

THE YEAR 2009 WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORYas the year of the flounder amongTexas coastal anglers.

Never has so much attention beenpaid to this vital species and never has somuch been done to ensure a vibrant futurefor this fishery, which has been in decline fordecades. New regulations now prohibit allgigging and commercial activity duringNovember, while rod and reel anglers arerestricted to two fish this month. During therest of the year, the recreational take hasbeen cut from 10 to 5, and the commercialsector has a 30-fish limit instead of 60.

On top of that, the Texas Parks &Wildlife Department (TPWD) made itsfirst-ever flounder stocking into SabineLake, and the University of Texas MarineScience Institute at Port Aransas continuesto make strides in flounder aquaculture.

With all of these newsworthy items havecome hundreds of questions about flounder,from management to angling technique. So,this month, in honor of the fall run, I willanswer some of the more common andunique questions received from readers thisyear:

Q: I think tipping grubs with shrimp thiskills the action of the bait and does not looknatural. I have always used the scent juiceand think I have better results. Whats youropinion?

A: I am a big proponent of using a curl-tailed grub tipped with shrimp when fishingfor flounder in the marshes and along shore-lines in bay systems. I have caught moreflounder with this method than any other,and have had very little luck with any kind ofspray-on juice. I have friends that swear by it,

but my experience has been less than stellar.With that said, there is no question tippingwith shrimp does affect the action of the lure,but I have tested this in clear water and youstill get tail action. I think in our murkier baysystems, using the luminescent grubs (whichI prefer) in conjunction with shrimp givesflounder something they can see and, moreimportantly, smell. Gulp!, however, is allow-ing me to get the best of both worlds becauseyou can get a legitimate smell and action. Ifind myself going more and more to usingGulp! Shrimp and curl tailed grubs insteadof the standard jig and shrimp.

Q: This is actually a comment framedwithin a question from the comment page onmy website, flounderrevolution.com: thelimit will be 5 fish, and Nov. it will be 2 fishmakes no sense to me. Try telling a bass fish-erman that he cant fish the spawn and seewhat happens.

A: These limits are based on science thathas stood the test of time and is very thor-ough, and I support them. If you dont, thatis understandable and I respect your opin-ionbut I disagree with it. In terms oftelling a bass fisherman he cant fish duringthe spawn, there are problems with that com-parison. The first thing is, no one is tellingflounder fishermen they cant fish during thefall run. You can fish all you want, but gig-gers cant kill any flounder during Novem-ber. Rod and reel anglers can keep two andare allowed to catch and release as many asthey wantwhich, by the way, is what mostbass fishermen do. Further, largemouth bassnumbers are record high numbers with thefish at record sizes in nearly every waterbody, while flounder numbers are down 50percent from 20 years ago. There is a bigdifference between the bass and flounder sit-uations.

Q: Have you flounder-fished in BaffinBay, and if you have, did you have as hard atime as I had catching them?

A: I did an afternoon of flounder fishingin Baffin and struck out. It is alien water tome since there is virtually no tidal movement,

and all of my flounder strategies are based ontidal movements. My friend, Capt. JimOnderdonk, says he catches some nice fishthere when trout fishing, but also has a hardtime targeting flounder. I have some ideasabout strategies to use to increase floundertake, but need to go try them out. I plan onhitting it this fall or early next spring whenthe fish start moving in. You are not alone inyour Baffin frustrations.

Q: Where do you stand on the issue ofclosing Rollover Pass, one of the best floun-der fishing spots in the state?

A: I am against it. Rollover is one of ifnot the most important bank-fishing accessareas on the Texas Coast, and that hasimmeasurable value. Fishing is quicklybecoming like deer hunting in that it isextremely difficult for poor people to partici-pate, and with the loss of important accesspoints like Rollover Pass, we could lose gen-erations of anglers. When traditions of fami-lies going to fish their favorite spots die, itoften never shifts elsewhere.

We are always going to have erosion prob-lems and other issues to contend with, andthere are ways to counteract the problemscaused by Rollover Pass. I fully understandthe ecological concerns, but right now, myconcern is the people who seem to be the lastour government officials are considering inthis process. Put up jetties or whatever needsto be done, but leave Rollover Pass open. Ifthis offends some environmental purists,thats fine by me. I have no respect for thosethat sit in the middle; I have made my choiceand I stand by it.

What about you? Where do you stand? Iwould love to read your comments.

(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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God, Guns, Guts,and AmericanPickups

ABOUT THE TIME I FIRST HEARD ABOUT THECash for Clunkers government give-away program, a reader sent me a linkto a story about a car dealer in Butler,

Missouri, who was implementing his ownincentive program to help sell cars: Withevery vehicle sold, Mark Muller was givingaway a voucher redeemable at gun stores foran AK-47 sporting rifle.

In case you are one of the three people onEarth who have never heard of the AK-47,it is a Russian-designed military style rifle,usually chambered for the 7.62x39mm car-tridge. The rifle has been copied by moregun companies than the Colt M-16, if thatspossible, and there are probably more ofthem in the world than there are teabags inChinaand for the record, China has prob-ably built more AKs than Russia has.

As you can imagine, Mullers incentiveprogram has drawn heavy criticism from peo-ple who believe anyone that wants an AK-47 must be insane, a criminal, a mass mur-derer, or all three. Its very difficult for thepolitically correct crowd to grasp the conceptthat shooting is a wholesome family activity,and that defending ones life and property isacceptable.

CNN anchor Carol Costello interviewedMuller about the program. She said somepeople might think the practice was just atad irresponsible. Muller replied, ...howabout that guy that just had him and his wifekilled that had the 12 children. With theseven guys coming through the door. I guar-antee you, he wishes he had an AK-47 asthose maggots busted through his door andslaughtered him and his wife in front of hischildren. (A reference to Melanie andByrd Billings, a Florida couple known local-ly for caring for disabled children. Video sur-

veillance cameras recorded up to eight menconverging on the home in a military-likeassault, with two armed teams entering thefront and back doors simultaneously. A lawenforcement official told reporters the pre-cisely choreographed break-in and shootingstook barely 10 minutes.)

Costello asked Muller how he came upwith his mottoGod, guns, guts, andAmerican pickup trucks. She particularlywanted to know, Why you included God ina motto that also includes guns?

Muller said, You dont have a problemwith God, do you? Costello replied, No, Idont. But the combination some peoplemight between God and guns, some peoplemight have a problem with that. CNNsemployment standards must be pretty low.(As further example of CNNs commitmentto accuracy, the cable news giant gotMullers name wrong twice, with Costellocalling him Max instead of Mark andspelling his last name Mueller.)

Last year, Muller ran a similar programin which he gave away a handgun with everyvehicle purchase. He said the dealership hadsold about 35 more cars than usual duringthat period, and he was hoping to sell about100 more than normal with the AK-47 pro-gram.

This trend is liable to catch on. Josh Felk-er, a San Antonio real estate agent, givesaway a Glock pistol with every house hesells. Josh also runs Lone Star Handgun,teaching Concealed Handgun courses at theBass Pro Shops store in San Antonio. Joshspent 10 years in the Army, including a yearin Iraq as a Special Operations officer. Hesa genuinely nice guy with a great sense ofhumor.

Not only that, but he has pretty much thesame attitude I do about guns. He oncemade a trip across San Antonio with one ofhis young sons and, realizing he had acci-dentally left home without a pistol, stoppedat a gun store and bought another Glock. Itspretty much impossible not to like a guy thatwould do that.

I was thinking about Mark and Josh whenI heard about the governments idea to give

people way more money than their old carswere worth to trade them in on new vehicles.Car guys hate it, because it takes some verynice, salvageable vehicles out of circulationthat could otherwise be restored andenjoyed. Besides, the government could helpAmericans in other ways, such as encourag-ing them to spend more time outdoors. I havea plan for that.

What we need is an incentive program forhunting, fishing, and camping gear. Say youwant to trade up for a new deer rifle. If youcan get $100 off the price of a new rifle byturning in your old one, the governmentcould kick in, say, an extra hundred or two,provided you buy an American-made gun.That would stimulate the economy andencourage good health at the same time.And, lets face it; judging by PresidentObamas proposed health care plan, you arenot going to want to fall into the clutches ofthe medical establishment in the future.

The same kind of thing could be donewith pistols, fishing rods, boats, trollingmotors, and just about anything else youneed for outdoor fun. Of course, the usedgear wouldnt need to be destroyed. It couldbe donated to programs like OperationOrphans, Kids Outdoor Zone, and othergroups aimed at teaching young people toenjoy the outdoors and be good stewards ofthe environment. I think it could work.

So, if you want to buy a car in Butler,Missouri, go see Mark Muller. If you are inthe market for a house in San Antonio, JoshFelker is your man; and if you are looking fornews stories with an anti-gun twist, tune inCNN.

E-mail Kendal Hemphill at [email protected]

by Kendal Hemphill | TF&G Commentator

Commentary

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0907/17/ltm.02.html

On the Web

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Bobs InMexico

AN ENTHUSIASTIC WHITE-AND-LIVER POINT-er named Sally bounded across thegrassy field then spun into a sincereand stylish point. The rigid dog amid

the open stubble in the early light was theclassic upland image straight from a bob-white quail hunters dream.

But we were not on an antebellum plan-tation. Nor were we hunting pen-raised orliberated quail. We were in Mexico, in therich brush and grain country about 150miles south of Brownsville/Matamoras, andthe covey holding ahead of the point consist-ed of pure, unreconstructed wild bobwhites.

Rancho Caracol guide Jose AngelSilguero nodded and Jim Easterling,Charles McCord, and I grabbed lodge-pro-vided Beretta over/under shotguns andpawed for 20-gauge shells. We paced quick-ly toward the dog, with the thrilling blend ofexcitement and uncertainty mounting witheach step.

McCord went left, I went right, and East-erling took center stage. He pushed past thebug-eyed dog and a glorious covey of 16 or18 birds spewed in a whirring fan from thegrass. The quail arced above the horizon andthe three guns dropped three clean kills.

Nice shooting, Jose said. Well collectthese three and leave the rest of this covey toregroup. Our scouts yesterday found three orfour more bunches between here and the cor-ner of that grain field.

Candy, a size-small yellow Lab with asize-large nose and a size-XXL heart dartedforward, huffing and chuffing and wagging,and scooped up the three birds.

That opening volley was the start ofanother outstanding trip to Rancho Caracol1-888-246-3164, www.ranchocaracol.com.counts were below average for the season.

The quail season in Tamaulipas (north-eastern state of Mexico) begins in November

and runs through February, said DeanPutegnat, owner of Rancho Caracol. Wekeep daily logs and averaged 23.8 coveys perday during the 2008/2009 season.

It was our third or fourth best quail sea-son since Rancho Caracol opened in 1999.The best season was 33 coveys per day fiveyears ago, but we had excellentspring/summer rainfall patterns then. Theupcoming season is looking strong, withgood rains across northeastern Mexico thispast spring and summer.

In the real world of wild birds and dwin-dling habitat, a seasonal average 20 coveysper day represents excellent huntingsurelysome of the best wild bobwhite action in theworld. Rancho Caracols track record is allthe more impressive when you figure four tofive quail rigs (maximum of four hunters perrig) are hunting almost daily during the longfour-month season. Such consistent returnsdemand huge amounts of land suitable forhealthy coveys.

We have access to almost 500,000 acresof farms and ranches in this region, Puteg-nat said. We scout daily and dont puthunters in unproven fields. And, we try torotate the productive fields and not hit indi-vidual coveys too hard on a given hunt.

Perhaps more impressive than the num-bers are the high percentages of covey risesover relatively open ground. An average of20-plus coveys might not mean much if halfthe chances are promptly swallowed byimpenetrable thorn brush. The brush bust-ing so common in South Texas is seldomrequired amid the vast proximities of cutgrain and grassy fields.

During the heat of the day, when coveystake cover along brushy fencerows, beaterscan flush birds, but the opportunities aboundfor quality dog work. Each rig commands sixor eight well-trained pointers, plus a Lab formop-up duty on long falls and cripples in thebrush.

Speaking of brush, lets quit beatingaround the bush and consider the drug-relat-ed violence in Mexico. All I can say is thatin the five consecutive seasons that I havequail hunted in northeastern Tamaulipaswith Rancho Caracol, I have not seen thefirst suggestion of trouble.

We have not experienced or even wit-

nessed a single incident, Putegnat said.Our clients, our staff, my family, no prob-lems, whatsoever. We drive across the borderall the timemore than 400 trips during thepast yearand feel perfectly safe.

Most of the drug trouble is much fartherwest, from Nuevo Laredo on across toJuarez, and most of that is bad guys versusbad guys, or bad guys versus Mexican lawenforcement agencies.

Perhaps the overall threat to tourists inMexico has been blown out of proportion.Based on a report from the State Depart-ment, 669 Americans died non-naturaldeaths in Mexico between January 2005,and December 2007. While that tally mightsound alarming, keep in mind that 45 mil-lion Americans traveled to Mexico duringthat period.

The actual number of American officiallymurdered in all of Mexico during that timeframe, according to the State Department,was 126still unsettling, but maybe not sobad when you figure that my home city ofHouston records more than 300 murdersannually.

I cannot say with absolute certainty thatno trouble can occur on a trip to Mexico.Problems are out there, especially when thewrong place meets the wrong time. But I dobelieve that the tourist who uses reasonablecaution and travels with a reputable opera-tion has nothing out of the ordinary to worryabout.

Incidentally, in addition to the Caracoltrip, I traveled twice to Mexico this year: asurfing expedition to Punta de Mita north ofPuerto Vallarta in May, and a fly-fishing tripto Casa Blanca Lodge south of Cancun inJune. As they say, no problema.

All I remember from the quail-huntingtrip was good times with good friendsandhow the devil did I miss with my second bar-rel on a cream puff straightaway overSallys staunch point? Rancho Caracol is,from start to finish, a first-class program, thehighlight of a bird hunters season.

E-mail Joe Doggett at [email protected]

by Joe Doggett | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Doggett at Large

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WaterbuckIn Africa

JIM BROWN READIED HIS NUGEBOW FOR THEshot. His best hunting buddy, VidCam-Babe and beautiful wife, Marlyn, stead-ied the small vidcam as the group of

waterbuck emerged from the dense pucker-brush surrounding their mountainside water-hole. Marlyn was about to implode withuncontrollable excitement, while rock solidhubby concentrated on the large bull bring-ing up the rear. Their heads were still swim-ming trying to catch up with the fact thatthey were in wild Africa, bowhunting adizzying assortment of awe inspiring biggame animals beyond their wildest dreams.The little DoubleBull ground blind was elec-tric with SpiritWild. The moment of truthwas right here, right now.

Jim and Marlyn Brown are great Ameri-cans, the best of friends, and global adven-turers. Combining business with pleasure ineverything they do, through their Herculeanwork ethic and savvy business sense, they cel-ebrate the freedom to go wherever their wan-derlust hearts take them, when and if theyfeel like it. If you dissected the Browns, youwould discover a belly full of the AmericanDream oozing out of them. They are myBloodBrothers.

Being ardent hunters, they never miss achance to bring along their bows and arrowsor guns when hunting opportunities are pos-sible. And like all adventurers of The GreatSpirit, Africa has always been a burningdesire, as it seems to be with all bowhuntersI know.

It just so happened that National FieldArchery Association president and goodfriend Bruce Cull had alerted me to a newbowhunting concession taking shape withAngus Brown Safaris in South Africa.After hearing all the details of this world-class reputable bowhunting professionalhunter, guide, and outfitter, we decided in aheartbeat that we should simply pack our

gear and go. A quick phone call to theBrowns, and we had us a threesome ofbowhunting couples raring and ready torock. Aint life grand!

Being the patient, focused bowhunter thatJim is, he arrowed a mighty Cape eland onhis first day out in the rolling mountainousprairies of the Orange Free State. Afterbeing tortured by numerous waterbuck thatwouldnt give him a decent shot, Jim wasdetermined to beat these elusive, cleverAfrican antelope at their deadly game of catand mouse. And it appeared that the tableswere turning this afternoon.

The 500-pound cows were ultra alert, butcame readily to the water with their calvesonce they determined that the coast wasclear. This calmed the old battle scarred,

800-pound bull just enough for it to takecautious step after cautious step until it was20 yards broadside. One of lifes greatestjoys!

Jim aimed true, unleashed his 400-grainGold Tip zebra arrow, and sent a razor-sharp two-blade Magnus BuzzCut broad-head perfectly through the huge beastspumper. The heavens aligned!

Dead on his feet, the bull reared up andback, and literally fell into the waterhole witha floundering ker-splash!, then raced out ofthere hell-bent-for-leather. The Browns wereelated.

With the expert tracking skills of AngusBrown and his magical native trackers, thebull was recovered 200 yards around themountain. A joyous celebration erupted

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

Ted NugentsTexasWild

Ted and his waterbuckin Africa.


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back at the abattoir, where more photos weretaken before the sacred ritual of gutting,skinning, salting, and butchering followedthe tooth, fang, and claw law of hunterseverywhere.

Now it was my turnand I love when itsmy turn!

Traveling a few hundred miles northeastof Johannesburg, we arrived at the bushveldcamp near the Limpopo River where it con-nects South Africa with Botswana and Zim-babwe. Here, in this much different, thick,thorny scrub brush terrain, Shemane and Iwould sit each day, often all day, in hopes ofkilling a specimen of the myriad big gameanimals that abound.

We had both taken fine trophies of eland,sable, impala, warthog, kudu, and nyala,and now I was up to bat in our little water-hole hide.

As is always the case in hunting, rightplace, right time is everything. Bothoccurred at 5:15 p.m. when the ivory tips ofa giant old waterbuck bull appeared justabove the shooting window ledge. Shemanegrabbed the vidcam, I my bow, and we pre-pared for the bowhunting TV show filmingballet. Ultra slow, cautious, and coordinated

moves must be exerted in tandem to pull ofsuch a feat, and Shemane and I have it downto the ultimate SpiritWild jam session.

Taking his good old time, the big bullgave us as hard a time as it could, but youcant beat the deadly team of Nugent andNugent (sometimes!). As soon as it gave methe leg forward, quartering away kill shot, Ilet er rip.

Well, since I am a simple man of simpledesires, one of my favorite things in life tookplace. My intensely practiced arrow foundits mark right there in the crease behind themonster bulls foreleg, and I knew that I hadperformed the dream of African shish-ka-heart surgery. It was beautiful.

Shemane captured perfectly on film andfollowed the mortally hit beast until the scrubgobbled it up, then swung the vidcam lens ona very happy hubby.

I exalted the spirit dazzling joys of mybowhunting life on tape, and with theAfrican sun heading down, we decided torecover the sure-shot bull right away. Slowly,we followed the deep divots of the fleeingmonarch, but as is nearly always the casewith African game, even shot clean throughthe heart, there was no blood to follow. For-

tunately, I have paid attention over the past35 years of African safaris, and learned mylessons well. Following only disrupted tracksin the loose, dry sand, I was able to track mybull in short order, where we filmed thealways exciting and reverential celebrationwith beast in hand.

It was magnificent: A very old bull, prob-ably near 10 years of age, its sweeping hornsmore than 29 inches with massive 7-inchbasesan ideal representative of the speciesand a world-class bowhunting trophy if everthere was one.

My fellow waterbuck killers, Jim andMarlyn Brown, brought their professionalphotog talents to the party and spectacularphotos captured the very special moment intime. The celebration continued into thenight as we all gathered around the lapacampfire, toasting the American Dream onsafari in Africa, dining on the hard earnedbackstraps of magnificent creatures broughtto nag with our trusty bows and arrows. Icall it perfect.

E-mail Ted Nugent at [email protected]

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26 N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 9 / T E X A S F i s h & G a m e PHOTOS BY GRADY ALLEN

orget mallard. Whilewere are at it, forget pintail,widgeon, and blue-wingedteal; might as well throwwood duck, shoveler, and

redhead on the forget pile,too, and toss in bluewing for good

measure.These are all key species, but in

terms of overall importance to Texas water-fowlers, all pail in comparison to the gad-wallyes, gadwall.

Called gray duck by many hunters, thisspecies has seen a renaissance in populationgrowth and hunter interest like no otherspecies over the last 25 years. Last seasonTexas hunters took around 160,000 gadwallcompared to approximately 90,000 mallard,80,000 widgeon, and 30,000 shoveler.Only green-winged teal have occasionallyeclipsed gadwall, but in the long-termremain in second place.

This season, with a population up 12percent from 2008 and sitting 73 percentabove the long-term, hunters should be see-ing lots of gadwall.

Over the last couple of years, gadwall

have made up about 40 percent of our over-all harvest, said Jeremy Bryan of Cast andBlast Outfitters. They are a very importantduck for many, many Texas hunters.

Bryan said that along the coast, the typi-cal gadwall habitat consists of freshwaterinlet ponds close to the marsh, where thebirds can track back and forth between foodsources.

Gaddies are awesome, starting off realhigh, working circles kind of like a mallard,and then they will disappear. Then they willreappear like magic and be in your face andin the decoys, Bryan said.

He prefers soft contentment and come-back calls blown with a bit of caution overthe aggressive style preferred by somehunters: The trick is to not get too loud andstay on them, as they are very responsive tocalls. I have even called in gadwall with nodecoys on several occasions. Right now, myfavorite calls are the H.S. Bill Collector andthe Duck Commander Gadwall Whistle.

While these ducks can be easy to dupe,they are much more stubborn in the breedinggrounds of North and South Dakota, wherethey are one of the last species to nest.

Some ducks like mallards will already bewell into nesting before the gadwalls begin.However, when they do start, they do it withgusto and they will re-nest, said Dr. ScottManley, biologist with Ducks Unlimited.

Re-nesting is important because preda-tors like skunk and red fox often destroynests, and some species like pintail abandonnesting. Gadwall carry on, and that coupledwith their favor for Conservation ReserveProgram (CRP) land and large, permanentwetland impoundments gives them an edgeover other species.

In dry years like 2008, when seasonalwetlands were few and far between, gadwalldid decline from the previous wet year, butheld at 56 percent over the long-term aver-age.

The Dakotas are very important to gad-wall and it is important we continue CRPand also the conservation easement pro-gram, which pays landowners a one-time feeto deed nesting grounds protection into theirproperty, Manley said.

Since 1997, DU and its partners like theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have pur-chased nearly 800,000 in easements in the


Dakotas to a tune of more than $116 milliondollars, greatly benefiting gadwall.

Gadwall are an important and success-ful duck, but they must have nesting habitat,and that is what programs like this and thepurchase of duck stamps provides. Gadwalland other species are direct benefactors ofthese acts of conservation, Manley said.

Gadwall are my personal favorite duck,as detailed in my book, Texas Waterfowl.Much of that has to do with magical experi-ences with this amazing bird. I will never for-get hearing the familiar sound of whistlingwings overhead in the predawn darkness ofthe deep bottomlands of Newton County,followed by a series of splooshes that hint-ed at soul-stirring action to come as aswollen, orange sun peeked over the horizon.

A million thoughts raced through myhead as I wondered exactly what kind ofducks were lighting in the decoys. Were theythe fast-flying green-winged teal I had seenwhile scouting the area the day before?Maybe it was widgeon, ringneck, or pintail.

Intrigue hung thick in the air.As the suns brilliance steadily van-

quished the darkness, my father and I couldmake out a few greenwings on the outer edgeof the decoys, teasing me as shooting timewas still a full five minutes away.

I figured they would leave before wecould legally click off our safeties and be onour way to some prime gumbo ingredients,but I really did not care. Just being there wasenough for me.

Even in dim light, their beauty was radi-ant. Almost as if they had read my mind, thecluster of teal rose off the water a minutebefore they would have met a barrage of steelshot, but I knew there would be more actionto come...I could feel it.

As the clock struck 6:53, I blew on mycall and we readied our guns as the gamewas officially on. High in the sky, I spottedfour gadwall reconnoitering the spread.

As I issued a couple of quacks, the quar-tet plummeted from the heavens in a nose-dive straight toward the decoys. I clicked offthe safety as my heart pounded in anticipa-tion.

The ducks continued their descent, and afew yards before slamming headfirst into thewater, put on the brakes, turned into landingposition with wings cupped and legs out,and Dad and I unloaded on them.

All four of the ducks fell and we were offto an absolutely perfect morning of hunting.

Gadwall have made the day like that for

many hunters on many occasions, and youare always happy to bring them home.

Although they might not garner as manyattaboys from your hunting buddies as alimit of mallard, gadwall are the glue thatholds together the Texas duck hunting com-

munity, and we should feel blessed to seethem at record numbers in our marshes, pot-holes, and bottoms.

Green might be the color of envy, butgray is the true measure of success in Texas.

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by Paul Bradshaw



eer huntersare eternalop t im i s t s .As I writethis, it is

the mid-dle ofsummer

and I am alreadygiddy thinking about the upcoming season.This will be the year I shoot a Pope &Young buck, or have my daughter take herfirst buck, or put my wife on a bona fide wallhanger.

But even as optimistic as hunters are, westill have a nagging doubts this might not bethe year. Deer numbers might be down dueto poor habitat conditions or high fawn mor-tality; antlers might not be as large becauseit has been a long dry summer.

To help ease these doubtsor possiblyprovide a little dose of realityhere is a run-down by region of what hunters can expectthis season:

Pineywoods/Post Oak: We will starthere because I live here and Im partial.First, in my observations, there are a lot ofdeer out there this year. All spring and sum-mer, I was hard pressed to not see a few deereach morning while driving to work, andmore often than not, those deer were bucks.Most were immature bucks, but bucksnonetheless, which is an improvement overrecent years. I have observed does draggingalong spotted twin fawns behind them, sothe fawn crop seems healthy.

Dont trust me? Well, I figured yourwouldnt, so I asked the folks at the TexasParks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) forvalidation.

Gary Calkins, TPWD biologist basedout of Jasper, was very optimistic about thisseason.

Deer populations appear to be relativelystable across the Pineywoods, Calkins said.The harvest last year appeared to be down,some so there should be a good carryover ofbucks into the older age classes for thisyear.

Those hunting in the northern section ofthe region already know this, but for the pastthree years weve been under the 13-inchantler restriction, and according to TPWD,the taking of younger bucks in this area hasdropped off significantly. So, the populationof older bucks in the region should be on therise.

While the overall population of olderbucks is increasing, this might not translateinto substantially larger racks or bodyweights due mainly to dry conditions thatpersisted over much of the eastern part of thestate this spring and summer. If you hunt inthe eastern section of the state, expect to seea lot of bucks, but also expect to watch quitea few of them walk as you evaluate antlers for13 inches of width.

North Texas/Panhandle: In a com-plete roll reversal, East Texas was dry thispast spring and summer, but North Texasand the Panhandle received timely precipita-tion that should make the area hunters theenvy of the rest of the state. Coming onstrong as a trophy factory over the past fewyears, this region is set for another outstand-

ing season because overall habitat conditionswere outstanding during the primary antlerdevelopment time.

Lubbock based biologist Duane Luciaadvised earlier in they year that the area,...missed out on some early warm seasonforbs growth that usually occurs with ourspring rains [in April and May]. However,we turned the corner and had ample forbsand great fawn cover in the summer with allthe moisture that we have been blessed with.The Panhandle deer herds, both mule andwhite-tailed, should go into fall in greatshape.

The benefit to hunters in this part of thestate is that the deer herd is healthy, andaccording to local observations, they aresporting above average headgear. The downside is that with so much to eat, deer wont

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abundant in some regions, not so in others.


be moving much, so you might have to getaway from the feeders to find them.

Hill Country: Historically, hunting inCentral Texas meant one thingdeer andlots of them. However, in the past few yearsthe deer population in the central part of thestate has been down due to an extendeddrought that is the worst in recent history.Fawn survival rates have been down over thepast two seasons, and antler developmenthas been average at best.

For hunters, there is good news and badnews for the upcoming season. The goodnews is that this year should be better thanlast year. The bad news is that last year was-nt anything to write home about. So, thisseason will still be less than average.

With reduced fawn survival rates over thepast few seasons, expect to see fewer youngbucks running around; actually, expect to seefewer 1.5- to 2.5-year-old deer, period. Thismeans that most of the bucks you see will bein at least their third set of antlers, but thatset wont be making the record books.

One advantage of the drought (if there isone) is that range conditions will force more

deer to hang out near feeders. There will befewer deer to see and antler quality will bedown, but the ones that are out there will bereadily available.

South Texas: If you were expecting adifferent situation in South Texas than thatof much of the rest of the state, you are over-ly optimistic. While the Brush Country isalways dry and still produces bucks withimpressive racks, this season will average tobelow average for body size and antler devel-opment. The determining factor for whetheror not you have a successful year down southdepends on the native habitat

According to Alan Cain, District Leaderwith the TPWD South Texas WildlifeDistrict: The brush species found through-out South Texas are adapted to drought andprovide excellent forage resources, as well ascover from predators and the weather.

Cain said there were good crops of prick-ly pear fruit and mesquite beans during thesummer, which helped deer go into the fall ingood condition.

Another aspect to this seasons success isthe amount of rain received in years past.

Hunters might expect to see a fair num-ber of 2-1/2- and 5-1/2-year-old bucks, as2004 and 2007 were years of above averagerainfall resulting in good fawn crops, Cainsaid.

Prairies & Lakes: Just like most of therest of the state, this region in general hasbeen in a drought for much of the past twoyears, but dont give up hope just yet; thingsare not always what they seem.

Even in the worst of drought conditions,there have been pockets that received rain,and those areas are flourishing.

Areas around Stephenville, Baird, andAlbany are in drought conditions, saidMike Miller, Technical Guidance Biologistfrom Stephenville. Abilene, Brownwood,Hamilton and Goldthwaite are lookinggood.

TPWD Wildlife Biologist CharlieNewberry said that while antler quality andfawn survival were down in 2008, he expectsboth to improve in 2009 across the entireregion.

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By Chester Moore, Jr.

PHOTOS BY GRADY ALLEN



The decline in the seatroutcatch is linked to destruction ofseagrass beds and over-fishing.



hoseare the lastfew words ofa speckledtrout species

profile on theTexas Parks & Wildlife Departments(TPWD) website. Buried amongstmany informative passages on thespecies ecology and life history, it raisesthe question, What decline?

Answer: The decline shown inTPWDs spring gill net surveys in sev-eral key bay systems.

The spring gill net surveys for WestMatagorda Bay show a major decline inspeckled trout. TPWD performsexhaustive gill net work along with dock-side angler interviews and purse seinepulls to gauge the status of trout andother fishes in coastal waters.

The spring 2009 surveys showed acatch rate of around .5 fish per hour,which is the lowest since 1995 and thefourth lowest ever after factoring in thecatch rate of around .3 after the bigfreezes in 1983 and 1989.

East Matagorda Bay has shown sim-ilar trends with a huge drop from spring2007 (1.4 fish per hour) to around .7 in2009. Like West Matagorda, the catch-es are the worst since 1995 and barelyabove the post-freeze measurements in83 and 89. The angler catch rates forthis bay complex seem to be on a majorup-tick at an historical level.

Although 2009 data was not avail-able at the time of this writing, lookingback at last years harvest shows the sec-ond highest ever behind only the year2000. Catches in West Matagorda Bayare below historical highs but rising,according to TPWD.

Surveys conducted in the AransasBay complex are almost identical inscope with gill net surveys showing thepopulation down, but at the same time,harvest rates increasing in the long-term.

At the time of this writing, the latestharvest data shows the lowest numberssince 1997.

Whether TPWD put that line on itswebsite to prepare the public for comingchanges or it was a simple slip of thetongue, er, finger, it has raised serious ques-tions. The most pressing, of course, is: Willwe go to a statewide five-fish bag limit likeLower Laguna Madre has, or at least

imposesuch limits in problem-

atic bay systems?There are lots of factors that go into

speckled trout production, and we are look-ing really hard at all of these factors, said

Robin

R e i c h e r s ,TPWD science

and policy director.Our biologists are

going in right now andlooking at the internals of

these surveys for data like year-class, which could help us get a bet-

ter idea of what is going on and what todo.

Reichers noted there has been some suc-cess with the five-fish limit, but that makingregional limits for trout in other systemscould be more problematic.

Lower Laguna is kind of special due toits geographic isolation and lack of pressurein comparison to other systems, like

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TF&G hunting editor Bob Hood occasional-ly strays off the hunting track for somequality trout fishing.



Aransas, for example, he said.Spawning potential for speckled trout is a

key element in conservation, and a stickingpoint in the debate over cutting bag limitsand banning live croaker.

Research conducted in South Carolinahas shed some light on spawning that mightcome as a surprise and add a new element tothe discussion.

Louisiana State Universitys scientificjournal, Lagniappe, noted the study involvedcollecting 1038 speckled trout, ranging inage from one to five years. Spawning poten-tial is crucial in terms of trout management,as size and bag limits are generally based onthese factors.

According to the Lagniappe report:The smallest mature female was 9.8

inches long. By 10.6 inches, 50 percent offemales were mature. At 11.9 inches, 100percent of the females are mature in SouthCarolina (compared to 10.6 inches inLouisiana). The researchers found thatfemales became mature about one full yearafter their birth. While not all age-onefemales are mature on their birthday, theycan be expected to become mature before thespawning season ended.

Researchers found that trout at age onespawn once every 4.7 days; age-two fish,every 4.2 days; and age-three fish, every 4.0days.

This is quite close to what has beenfound for Gulf States trout. As to how manyeggs were laid per spawn, the estimates were145,452 eggs for age-one fish; 291,123 forage-two fish; and 529,976 for age-three fish.This is higher than the latest research indi-cates for Louisiana specks.

Interestingly, researchers reported that asthe spawning season progressed, the size ofthe eggs laid by each female grew steadilysmaller: This had been noted before byother scientists, and has produced quite a bitof speculation as to why it occurs. Oneresearcher suggested that the eggs didntneed to be as large nearer the end of thespawning season as near the beginningbecause more food was available in the waterlater for the newly hatched larval fish.

The most interesting data from this studyis that some scientists are now theorizingsome sort of relationship based on watertemperature exists, with the higher the watertemperature, the smaller the amount of eggsproduced by the female.

TPWD is pretty sure that high watertemperatures in the Gulf are contributing topoor flounder spawning. Could this be aproblem for trout as well? Could some ofLower Laguna Madres problems be attrib-utable to higher than normal bay tempera-tures? Could the same be true of Aransasand the Matagorda complex? Or are severalfactors, including warmer waters, seagrassdestruction, and fishing pressure colliding tomake a perfect storm for speckled trout?

Just a few years ago, scientists thoughttrout had to be 12 inches long to spawn, butnow we know that is not true. What will thelatest research tell us about the future ofTexas most important coastal fishery?

www.fishgame.comwww.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/strout/

On the Web


36 N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 9 / T E X A S F i s h & G a m e PHOTO COURTESY NOAA


T E X A S F i s h & G a m e / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 9 3 7T e x a S F i s h & G a m e / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 9 3 7

by Lenny Rudow



ven in the most southernclimates where water tem-peratures are commonly inthe 60s, you are at riskbecause the average per-

son can survive only 2-7hours in water that

cool beforegoing uncon-scious. If youfish or hunt innorthern areas,

your chances of remaining awake and in con-trol during a cold-water dunking drop like arock: 1-2 hours of consciousness in 50- to60-degree water, and just 1/2 to 1 hour in40- to 50-degree water.

Are you ready to survive the greatest dan-ger you will likely experience while pursuingthe sport you love? Many boaters carry safe-ty gear to stay afloat, treat injuries, put outfires, and signal for help, but a surprisingnumber arent prepared to deal with the spe-cific challenges of surviving on the water dur-ing the winter.

Gearing UpAs with most things related to hunting

and fishing, being prepared for all eventual-ities is one of the keys to successand sur-vival. Half the battle is having the propergear on board at all times, and that meansmaking sure you have plenty of foul weathergear for everyone, regardless of the weatherreport. Even on clear days, you can still getwet when spray comes flying over the bow orgunnels.

Savvy hunters and anglers always showup with waterproof gear, but as the captainof your vessel, you should pack a few fold-upemergency ponchos in your boat bag andkeep them there all winter.

How you dress underneath that rainslicker is also important. Seasoned outdoors-men do not need a lecture on proper dress,but it has worth noting wools unusual abili-ty to provide warmth even when wet. Makesure wool is in one of your layers.

No matter what type of boat you run orwhat your purpose, having a well-equippedwaterproof safety gear case is essential. Itshould include all the usual stuff: a handheldGPS and VHF, first-aid kit, flares, soundsignal, flashlight, and signal mirror. For win-ter boating, you should add several otheritems.

The single most essential one is a box ofwaterproof matches sealed in plastic. If youget wet and need heat fast, there is no substi-tute for a fire on the shoreline.

Put in one of those emergency Mylarblankets that folds down into a package thesize of a deck of cards. If you have ever usedone of these, you know they work; you alsoknow they reach only from your toes to yourchest, so put in two of them.

Duct tape is another essential to have dryand at the ready at all times. If you need toconstruct an immediate short-term shelter, itis the most valuable tool you can have.

Finally, add some high-calorie foods likechocolate, peanuts, or raisins to your coldweather kit. They help your body generateheat more quickly.

Re-boarding gear is another importantwinter boating item many people overlook. Ifsomeone falls overboard and needs to getback into a small boat, it is common to causeit to capsize when everyone aboard leansover the same side to pull him back in.Instead, as many people as possible shouldshift their weight to the opposite side of the

boat while giving the person in the watersomething to grab for re-boarding. A smallsection of strong cargo netting is perfect forthis purpose, since the victim can climb orcling as the people on board assist by pullingin the net.

On larger boats, re-boarding ladders arethe norm. Collapsible nylon web ladders orfoldout ladders will do the trick, although thebest type can be reached by the person in thewater without any assistance.

One thing you do not want to haveonboard while cruising during the winteran A-frame blind that protrudes beyond thesides of the boat. Sure, these are roomy andcover you effectively, but if the sides of theblind go beyond the gunwales, they catchspray and re-direct it right into your boat.More then one hunter has found himselfankle-deep or worse as a result.

Boning Up

Having the proper gear is half the battle;knowledge is the other half. In this case, a big

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Rain gear is critical equipment forwinter boating.



part of the knowledge you need is how to battlehypothermia. Remember: it is the No. 1 killer.

Hypothermia is when your body losesheat faster than it can replace it.Hypothermia is usually caused by immer-sion or exposure to cold rain, sleet, or snow,but it can be caused by perspiration generat-ed on long hikes or paddles into the back-country, followed by long periods of sittingstill.

Regardless of the cause, the treatment forhypothermia is the same: dry off and getwarm. Remember that your head loses heatthe quickest, so you want to dry it and puton a hat or hood as soon as possible. If youdo not have any spare clothing, you are bet-ter off building a fire and huddling by itwhile your wet clothes dry. In a real pinch,you can warm someones bloodstream quick-ly by heating water, putting it in a canteen orpouch, and holding it against the armpits,the groin, and the sides of the neck.

Another effective treatment is to have oneor two people huddle next to the victimnakedwith all three wrapped in warmblankets or a sleeping bag. This is when youfind out who your real friends are.

If you go into the water when you are byyourself, remember that its imperative youact quickly because you will lose dexterity ina matter of minutes. I once lost a friend overthe side while we were striper fishing in the45-degree James River during February. Itonly took three minutes to get him back intothe boat, but he had already lost feeling in

his fingers and was unable to un-button hiscoveralls. Hunters Tip: If your boatswamps or rolls and you dont have a life veston, stuffing a few duck decoys into your jack-et will keep you afloat.

Another key facet of knowledge is under-standing what conditions you will face whenyou prepare for your trip. In other words,you need to check the weather prior to get-ting on the boat, each and every time,regardless of how sheltered or close to homethe waters you are headed for might be. Andmake sure you file a float plan with some-one, telling them where you are going andwhen you expect to return home. Otherwise,if you get stranded out in the cold, it mightbe days before someone comes looking.

Fact: Hypothermia is the No. 1 killer ofanglers and hunters on boats.

Fact: No matter where you live, it is adanger.

Fact: Now you know how to be preparedfor safe winter boating.

Fact: Hypothermia is the No. 1 killerof anglers and hunters who useboats during the winter months.

Fact: No matter where in Texas youlive, water temperatures are coldenough during the winter monthsthat hypothermia is a danger.

FACTS & TIPS


Fossils NotNeeded ForFossil Fuels

Using our research we can even saywhere oil could be found in Sweden, saidVladimir Kutcherov, a professor at theDivision of Energy Technology at KTH.

Together with two research colleagues,Kutcherov simulated natural processes thatoccur in the inner layers of the earths man-tle to produce oil and natural gas.

Kutcherov said the findings are a clear

indication that the oil supply is not aboutto end as researchers and experts in thefield have long feared, adding there is noway fossil oil could seeped down to a depthof 10.5 kilometers (6.5 miles) beneathTexas were it the result of plant and animalmatter decay. He said this is further proofalongside his own findings that hydrocar-bon resources can be created in ways otherthan ancient fossil decomposition.

Staff Report TG

DucksUnlimitedto Restore6k-Plus TXCoast AcresDUCKS UNLIMITED RECENTLY BEGANrestoration work supported by a NorthAmerican Wetlands Conservation Act(NAWCA) grant to enhance 6841acres of wetland habitat along the Texascoast. Partners contributed more than$2.8 million to match the $1 millionreceived from the federal grant.

This project represents a continua-tion of long-term efforts to protect,restore and enhance important wetlandhabitats in the Gulf Coast Prairies,DU Manager of Conservation Pro-grams for Texas, Todd Merendino,said. The Texas Gulf Coast has expe-rienced tremendous losses of wetlandsdue to urban and commercial develop-ment pressures, reduction of riceacreage, altered local and regionalhydrology and saltwater intrusion.

Through the project, partners arerestoring and enhancing 3500 acres ofwetland habitats through the TexasPrairie Wetlands program. Threedonated conservation easements perma-nently protect nearly 2000 acres ofimportant coastal prairie wetlands andrice fields, and represent the first ofmany partner-driven land protectionefforts in the near future. Grant fundsalso will be used to enhance 1200 acresof emergent marsh within Laguna Atas-cosa National Wildlife Refuge.

Staff Report TG


FOSSILS FROM ANIMALS AND PLANTS ARE NOT

NECESSARY FOR CRUDE OIL AND NATURAL GAS

CREATION. SO SAY RESEARCHERS AT THE ROYAL

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (KTH) IN STOCKHOLM,

SWEDEN. THE FINDING MEANS OIL AND GAS

EXPLORATION DRILLING AND DRY WELLS COULD

BECOME THINGS OF THE PAST, AND HYDROCARBON

POCKETS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE WORLD WIDE,

ELIMINATING DEPENDENCE ON MIDDLE EASTERN

AND OTHER OVERSEAS SOURCES.

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Of the 16 fish species researchers examinedfrom 1995 to 2004, the condition was mostcommon bass. A third of all male smallmouthbass and a fifth of all male largemouth basswere intersex. This condition is primarilyrevealed in male fish that have immaturefemale egg cells in their testes, but occasionallyfemale fish have male characteristics as well.

Scientists found intersex fish in about athird of all sites examined from theApalachicola, Colorado, Columbia, Mobile,Mississippi, Pee Dee, Rio Grande, Savan-nah, and Yukon River basins. The YukonRiver basin was the only one whereresearchers did not find at least one intersexfish.

Intersex occurrence was more prevalentin largemouth bass in southeastern U.S.

river systems, occurring in nearly a fifth offish examined from the Rio Grande Riverbasin.

The researchers also documented inter-sex in channel catfish for the first time.

This study adds a lot to our knowledgeof this phenomena, but we still dont knowwhy certain species seem more prone to thiscondition or exactly what is causing it,said Jo Ellen Hinck, the lead author of thepaper and a biologist at the USGSColumbia Environmental Research Center.In fact, the causes for intersex may vary bylocation, and we suspect it will be unlikelythat a single human activity or kind of cont-aminant will explain intersex in all speciesor regions.

Staff Report TG

The Hunting Heritage Protec-tion Act, introduced by SenatorsMax Baucus (MT) and SaxbyChambliss (GA) in the Senate, andRepresentative Denny Rehberg(MT) in the House would requirefederal lands to be better managedfor hunting.

Waterfowl hunting is a proudtradition, and we are pleased to seeCongress acknowledging that, saidBarton James, director of public poli-cy for Ducks Unlimited. Water-

Continued on page 48

IN LATE JUNE, DUCKS UNLIMITED APPLAUD-

ED THE INTRODUCTION OF TWO BILLS AIMED

AT ENSURING THE NEXT GENERATION OF

WATERFOWL HUNTERS HAS ACCESS TO THE

DUCK BLIND, AND PROTECTING AMERICAS

RICH HUNTING HERITAGE.

DU SupportsFederalHunting Bill

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Gender Confused BassCommon In RiversSMALL- AND LARGEMOUTH BASS WITH MALE AND

FEMALE SEX ORGANS ARE COMMON AND WIDE-

SPREAD IN U.S. RIVER SYSTEMS SAYS LONG-TERM

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (USGS) RESEARCH PUB-

LISHED ONLINE IN AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY.


I am not one of the skeptics, insistedMojib Latif of the Leibniz Institute ofMarine Sciences at Kiel University, Ger-many. However, we have to ask the nastyquestions ourselves or other people will doit.

Latif made the prediction to other cli-mate scientists gathered in Geneva,Switzerland, for the United Nations World

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ONE OF THE WORLDS TOP CLIMATE MODELERS

SAYS EARTH COULD BE IN FOR ONE OR TWO

DECADES OF GLOBAL COOLING.

GREEN

Climate Conference.Although some climate scientists dis-

agree with Latif, more are agreeing that theshort-term prognosis for climate change ismuch less certain than once thought.

Global warming proponents called thefindings bad timing.

Snowmobile futures look promising

Staff Report TG

Todays Forecast:Global Cooling


WheresWaldo?SCIENTISTS AT THE MOTE MARINE LABORATORYin Sarasota, Florida, lost one of theirrobots and asked fishermen to help locateit. The $100,000 robot, nicknamedWaldo, was equipped with a $30,000detector to find red tide.

Mote scientists eventually foundWaldowithout aid from fishermenback in the spot where it disappearedabout 11 miles off the coast.

Staff Report

www.mote.org

TG

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On the Web

True Green.qxd:Layout 1 10/5/09 11:07 AM Page 42

The lion was killed in the Eagletail Moun-tains about 90 miles northeast of Yuma.

AGFD killed the lion to bolster effortsto restore the struggling Kofa sheep popu-lation, whose numbers declined more than

50 percent from anestimated 815 in2000 to a low of391 in 2006. Themost recent surveyin 2008 indicatedan estimated popu-lation of 436.

The lion, a male fitted with a telemetrycollar, killed 11 of the 15 sheep within thepredation management area since beingcollared in late February.

With a current average annual recruit-ment of only 44 bighorn sheep within the

Kofa MountainsComplex PredationManagement Area(including 39 on theKofa NationalWildlife Refuge),the impact of suchheavy predationcould have been dev-astating. Kofa managers killedanother sheep-killinglion in 2007.

Staff Report TG

Mountain Lion Kills 15Endangered Bighorn Sheep

THE ARIZONA GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT

(AGFD) RECENTLY KILLED A MOUNTAIN LION THAT

KILLED AND ATE AT LEAST 15 ENDANGERED KOFA

BIGHORN SHEEP IN THE KOFA MOUNTAINS COM-

PLEX PREDATION MANAGEMENT AREA IN SOUTH-

WESTERN ARIZONA.

www.azgfd.gov/kofa

PHOTO COURTESY OF AGFD

On the Web


RFA Begins BuildingJack Cowan Reef

The Texas Parks & Wildlife Departmenthas also embraced the concept of near-shore reefing and has a program to desig-nate public reefing areas in Texas waters.The Jack Cowan Reef site is part of one ofthose designated sites.

RFA-Texas has contracted with ReefMan LLC to begin construction on theJack Cowan Reef.

Staff Report TG

GREEN

HURRICANE IKEIMPACT LINGERS

Although tremendous strides have been madeto repair facilities, restore ecosystems, and rebuildlives, much remains to be done in the wake of lastyears Hurricane Ike. TPWD is working to do so,assisted by roughly $7 million in federal Ike relieffunding.

Almost $3 million of the federal monies willgo to hire commercial fishermen to pull baglessdredges over smothered oyster reefs and place14,000 cubic yards of materials into GalvestonBay. The cultch, which is oyster shell, limestone,crushed concrete, and the like, will help createnew oyster reefs to begin addressing the loss of8000 acres of public reefs. Sedimentation result-ing from the hurricane caused a loss of more than50 percent of the oyster resource in Galveston Bay.Most restoration efforts will focus on East Galve-ston Bay, which lost about 80 percent of its oysterpopulation.

Several wildlife management areas WMAs arein various stages of repair and habitat restorationin the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. WMAs willreceive about $1.7 million of the $7 million in fed-eral relief funding to begin levee erosion andwater control structure repa

november 2009

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