June 2014

Digital Edition

CrappieCrappieHot

June 2014 | VOL. 31 NO. 2 | $3.95

Gone tothe Hogs

Live Bait forTrout

Crappie & Bream:Pan shParty

the Hogs

:Turtles

Night VisionOn the Cheap

Life on the Edge:Surf Fishing

INLAND COVER

Top Lakes forfor

www.FishGame.com

DIGI-Inland.indd 1 5/12/14 11:43 AM

Staffbox-Contents.indd 2 5/6/14 10:47 AM

2 | J U N E 2 0 1 4 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E

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

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

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

ROY NEVESPUBLISHER

CHESTER MOOREEDITOR IN CHIEF

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

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

A D V E R T I S I N G

ARDIA NEVESVICE PRESIDENT/ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

VIGA HALL NATIONAL ADVERTISING SALES TONISHA SHIELDS ADVERTISING COORDINATOR 1745 GREENS ROAD HOUSTON, TX 77032 PHONE: 281/227-3001 FAX 281/227-3002

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

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

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JUNE 2014Volume 31 NO. 2

COASTAL COVER:Live Bait for Trout

It is hard for even modern technolo-gy to outdo nature when it comes

to fishing lures. While live bait may not be the magic bullet the artificial lure purists claim, its pretty close.

Story by Chester Moore

INLAND COVERS:Hot Crappie

The best lakes in the Lone Star State for finding crappie under the

broiling Texas summer sun.Story by John N. Felsher

Cover Photos by Chester Moore

www.FishGame.com

It is hard for even modern technolo-gy to outdo nature when it comes

to fishing lures. While live bait

STORY:

24

The best lakes in the Lone Star State for finding crappie under the

broiling Texas summer sun.

STORY:

44

INLAND COVERS:

Features

COASTAL COVER:


GONE TO THE HOGSHow the Texas hog PROBLEM has become the states fastest growing HUNTING industry.

by Chester Moore

NIGHT VISION ON THE CHEAPState of the art night vision technology can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. While this equipment is amaz-ing, there are low cost alternatives for hunting in the dark.

by Chad Ferguson

WILD IN TEXAS: TURTLESOur monthly Wild in Texas photo essay series takes a look at the amaz-ing variety of aquatic turtles populating our states waterways.

by Chester Moore

28

36

46

PANFISH PARTYPanfish isnt actually a species. Its a word for assorted fish that are good to eat, and conveniently fit a frying pan, like bream and crappie. And nothing is more fun to catch than panfish.

by Matt Williams

20

Table ofContents

Table ofContents

Table of


InsideFish&Game

by Roy & Ardia Neves | TF&G Owners

Contents (continued)Columns

10 Editors Notes Summer of the Shark

by CHESTER MOORE TF&G Editor in Chief

14 Doggett at Large Long Bombs

by JOE DOGGETT TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

16 Pike on the Edge Wildlife 9-1-1

by DOUG PIKE TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

18 TexasWild Q & A Time with the Nuge

by TED NUGENT TF&G Editor At Large

19 Commentary Theres More to It Than That

by KENDAL HEMPHILL TF&G Politcal Commentator

35 Bare Bones Hunting Hunting All Year... for Hogs and Deer

by LOU MARULLO TF&G Hunting Editor

38 Texas Freshwater Skin Cancer is No Joking Matter

by MATT WILLIAMS TF&G Freshwater Editor

40 Texas Saltwater Going Through a Phase

by CALIXTO GONZALES TF&G Saltwater Editor

48 Open Season Tick!

by REAVIS WORTHAM TF&G Humor Editor

8 LETTERS12 TF&G REPORT12 BIG BAGS & CATCHES

34 TEXAS DEPT. OF DEFENSE

42 TRUE GREEN

Departments

Texas Fish & Game is a family-owned business, and theowners welcome your comments and questions. E-mail Roy and

Ardia Neves or Ron Ward at ContactUs@ shgame.com

www.FishGame.com6 | J U N E 2 0 1 4 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E

Summer Dreamboats

IT IS BOAT SHOW SEASON AGAIN (SUMMER EDITION) and if you didnt make it to one of the winter shows, or if you did but just couldnt pull the trigger on that dream boat, the gods of nautical sports have given you another shot.

The Houston Boating Trades Association is putting on the big-gest such event of the season, The Houston Summer Boat Show,

June 18-22 at the Reliant Center. Once again, Texas Fish & Game is pitch-ing in, by publishing the of cial show program and booth locator map.

In addition to the printed version of the program, youll be able to down-load an Digital version as well, which is optimized for tablets and smart phones. Just log onto our website, www.FishGame.com, and go to the Past Issues page. The program will be listed with other back issues of TF&G.

Inside the digital version, youll nd an interactive oor plan map that will help you easily locate any dealer or other exhibitor in the show.

ONE REASON WE PRODUCE THIS PROGRAM FOR THE Houston Boat Shows is to help promote the boat and motor manufacturers and dealers who have supported Texas Fish & Game over the years.

Boat dealers and manufacturers across the country had a rough few years beginning with the nancial crisis that took hold in 2009, and those based in Texas were not spared much of the pain. Thankfully, while many in the industryincluding some major playersdidnt survive, the worst is over for those who did. And they are stronger for the experience.

Since boating is a huge part of the outdoor experience in Texasfresh and saltwater shing, even huntingthe economic hit that these companies took during the crisis reverberated beyond just their factories and show-rooms. You didnt see as many boat and motor ads in these pages during the lean years, and so we also felt the pain here at TF&G.

We salute those far-sighted companies who found the courage and the resources to keep their brands in the public eye during the worst of the crisis. Like the smartest players in any panic situation, they saw as much opportunity as threat. By continuing to innovate and build, to maintain good selections on their oors, and to promote themselves while more timid com-petitors were hunkered down in the false security of promotional silence, these compainies paved the way for a quicker and stronger recovery.

And thanks to them, you now have a better selection of nautical inno-vation than ever. You should take advantage of all this innovation at the upcoming summer boat show.


8 LETTERS12 TF&G REPORT12 BIG BAGS & CATCHES

34 TEXAS DEPT. OF DEFENSE

42 TRUE GREEN

Departments


Reader Q&A

Editors Note: Over the last month we have received a number of questions requiring lengthy answers via Facebook and email. All of these questions have been asked numerous times, so I thought we needed to dedicate this space to answer.

CM

Q: Do you think the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is try-ing to create a statewide trophy trout fishery?

A: THE SHORT ANSWER IS NO. I DO not think that is their goal as they are pretty conscientious of various users in all fi sher-ies.

They have not however made any offi cial proposal for regulation changes although we have listed a number of ideas being scoped at the series of hearings begin-ning this week. These include a change to a fi ve fi sh limit either coast-wide or regionally. TPWD does a good job of thinking way ahead on fi sheries issues and if any changes are coming it is probably in response to the projected population growth along the Texas coast and the potential of greatly increased fi shing pressure.

Q: What did you think of the chu-pacabra caught in South Texas that hit the news recently? What was it?

A: I HAD MORE QUESTIONS ON this story via Facebook and also email than anything in recent memory. That animal

was without question a raccoon with a very severe case of mange. In my opinion all of the chupacabras we have seen on video and in photos are coons, coyotes and fox with mange. I do believe there are undis-covered animals out there but the chupa-cabras we have seen can all be explained away by known creatures.

Q: What would you recommend looking for in a duck lease if you had a small budget?A: THERE ARE REALLY VERY FEW duck leases out there anymore and even fewer for someone with a small budget. I would perhaps look to get in someone who is trying to fi ll a lease that is perhaps needing some members but cant seem to fi nd them (might get a price break but that would likely come late in the game) or sim-ply spend my money for a few good hunts with an outfi tters. And I would book them as soon as the season dates are set.

Get the opening day and the opening of the second split for best results. Another option is looking into some of the deer hunting clubs with property along river bottoms. There are some surprisingly good hunting in timber and secluded ponds and you might be the only one hunting ducks. A low price-range deer lease on a big hunt-ing club will be cheaper than most duck leases.

Q: Do you think the high school bass fishing phenomenon you have written about is a fad or will continue to grow?

A: ITS DEFINITELY HERE TO LAST. I think in the next two years it will peak and then see a slight decline but it is a force to be reckoned with. With many local schools involved and dozens around the state, it stands to be the most positive force in bass fi shing, since Ray Scott founded B.A.S.S. Its huge.

Q: How big can feral hogs get?

A: A 500-POUND FERAL HOG IS A monster. The biggest I have ever killed was 350 pounds. They can get bigger but 500 pounds is a good top size to go by.

Q: Do you think we will ever see a total gig on flounder gigging in Texas?

A: IF IT HAPPENS IT WILL BE A decade or so away. Before we get to that point, I could see something like making gigging a wading only (no boat) affair or something to that effect.

Q: Is there any animal that is sup-posed to not exist in Texas accord-ing to the experts you think will be proven to still exist here?

A: YES. I THINK WITHIN FIVE years we will have photographic evidence of jaguars at least I the Trans Pecos. They exist in New Mexico and Arizona and have been documented only because those states have an aggressive camera trap program. There are rumors of an organization doing something similar in the vast Trans Pecos. If it happens I am confi dent they will turn up a rogue jaguar or two.


Letters to the Editor

Send yourComments to:Mail:EditorTexas Fish & Game1745 Greens RdHouston TX 77032

Email:cmoore@fi shgame.com

1406 Letters.indd 8 5/6/14 10:49 AM

1406 Letters.indd 9 5/6/14 10:49 AM

Editors Notes

Summer of the Shark

IN 1992 WHEN I STARTED WRITING PROFES-sionally during my freshman year in college, interest in sharks was minimal among fi shermen.Turn on the handful of television fi shing

program and it was all bass, trout, redfi sh and billfi sh. Shark fi shing had a cult following of sorts, especially among surf anglers but there was little widespread enthusiasm.

My how that has changed.The advent of the Internet has given the

exciting sport of shark fi shing serious popularity with more and more anglers taking it up every year. I see two these driving this phenomenon.

Anglers who are tired of the same old pursuits see Youtube clips and blog postings with massive, hard fi ghting sharks and take the bait. We are also seeing those who really had little interest in fi shing but love sharks getting involved for the same reasons.

As someone who saw Jaws and wanted to get in to the water, I can relate to the desire to be close to these awe-inspiring creatures.

In Texas waters, the bull shark is the king of the near shore scene. With the ability to live in completely fresh waters, they are found every-where from brackish bass country to the deep waters of the Gulf.

Recent television programming has created a renewed interest, especially since they are con-sidered the worlds most statistically dangerous shark. With lengths of up to 10 feet and more testosterone than any known creature they are indeed super intense.

Anglers fi shing for tuna in the far reaches of the Texas Gulf Coast are surprised to fi nd large mako sharks prowling the tuna grounds.

These magnifi cent creatures are known for their acrobatics as they can jump every bit as impressively as marlins and look like a more streamlined version of their close cousin-the great white.

The most common large shark catches

on the coast are blacktip and spinner sharks, which can be hard to distinguish and both having similar acrobatic abili-ties. I have seen huge schools of these fi sh just out of Sabine Pass tearing into baitfi sh with great intensity.

For most shark fi shermen, these are the common catch.

This year, I have great interest in hammerhead, both the slightly smaller scalloped and the greater hammerhead.

I want to fi lm and photo-graph some of these big creatures either while free diving or from the safety of a boat after I catch one.

Back in the early 2000s, local fi shing guide, Capt. Robert Vail ran into a massive greater hammerhead while fi shing the short rigs for king mackerel. He estimated the fi sh to be anywhere from 12 to 14 feet in length and it was eyeing a pair of king mackerel he and his friend were fi ghting.

It would be after one of the kings and then the other would splash and grab its attention and it would swim over there. This fi sh was absolutely huge and swam right by our boat, Vail said.

Such sightings are now a rarity and anyone who gets a look at any true hammerhead is fortunate.

One of my fondest outdoor memories is bat-tling a seven foot long scalloped hammerhead at a rig 50 miles out of Aransas Pass.

My goal was simply to get the fi sh close to the boat, snap a quick photo and release it to fi ght another day. This fi sh would make long, determined runs, then swim toward the boat and then dive down deep and repeat the process. This happened probably four times in the course of 45 minutes and I was getting a bit tired.

Still, the thrill of battling a hammerhead was strong; especially for someone who grew up (well sort of) shark obsessed and always thought hammerheads were super cool.

Finally, I thought, I had the fi sh beat as it surfaced alongside the boat. However, the

shark simply spit out the big hunk of bait and swam off.

The shark was never hooked. It was only holding on to the bait and could have quit at any time as if it had been playing a game with me or getting its daily workout.

Texans have many opportunities to catch and view sharks in Gulf water. This year our Kingdom Zoo project will be doing a special shark themed event just ahead of Discovery Channels Shark Week Sat. Aug. 2. It will be for kids and kids at heart and deal with fun shark facts and shark conservation.

If you would like to be involved email me at [email protected]. In addition, I am looking for large shark jaws, teeth of both mod-ern and prehistoric sharks and shark taxidermy donations for the kids project. Interested parties can use the same email.

For me this will be the summer of the shark, a prospect that seems not only fun by highly motivating.

It was inspired by a little girl named Paisley who works with our ministry and happens to be a big shark fan.

This column is for you kiddo. Mrs. Lisa and I cant wait to share your fi rst shark encounter!

E-mail Chester Moore atcmoore@ shgame.com. You can watch him

Saturdays on GETV.org at 10 a.m. on Gods Outdoors with Chester Moore and hear him

on Moore Outdoors Fridays from6-7 p.m. on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI.

by Chester Moore | TF&G Editor in Chief

PHOTO CHESTER MOORE10 | J U N E 2 0 1 4 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E

Editors Notes

1406 ChesterEdNotes.indd 10 5/6/14 10:52 AM

1406 ChesterEdNotes.indd 11 5/6/14 10:52 AM

Regs May Impact all Freshwater VesselsBY THE TIME THIS ISSUES HITS subscribers, subscribers, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Commission will have most likely approved a proposal to require that all boats operating on all public fresh water in Texas be drained after use to help combat the further spread of zebra mussels.

Under the water draining regu-lations that are currently in effect in 47 counties in North

and Central Texas, persons leaving

or approaching

public water in the affected counties are required to drain all water from their vessels and on-board receptacles.

This applies to all types and sizes of boats whether powered or not, personal watercraft, sailboats, kayaks/canoes, or any other vessel used on public waters.

According to TPWD many of the public waters in Texas are at risk of infestation by zebra mussels, and boats are the most likely source for most of the current infestations. Since boaters in Texas travel throughout the state to engage in that activity, the proposal under consideration would expand these regulations to all public fresh water in every county in Texas.

Applicable at all sites where boats can be launched, the regulation requires the draining of live wells, bilges, motors, and any other receptacles or water-intake systems coming into contact with public waters.

Live fi sh, including person-ally caught live bait, cannot be

transported in a vessel in water that comes from the water body where they were caught. Personally caught live bait can be used in the water body where it was caught.

Anglers are allowed to transport and use com-mercially purchased live bait in water while fi shing from a vessel provided persons in possession of the bait have a receipt that identifi es the source of the bait. Any live bait purchased from a location on or adjacent to a public water body that is transported in water from that water body could only be used as bait on that same water body.

The rules allow anglers participating in a fi shing tournament confi ned to one water body to transport live fi sh in water from that single water body to an identifi ed off-site weigh-in location, pro-vided all water is drained and properly disposed of before leaving that location.

Anglers are required to possess documentation

PHOTO CREDIT 12 | J U N E 2 0 1 4 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E

The TF G ReportThe TF G Report&

Eleven-year-old Taylor Holland is pic-tured with her rst axis buck.

Big Bags CatchesBig Bags CatchesBig Bags Catches&

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

to help combat the further spread of zebra mussels.

Under the water draining regu-lations that are currently in effect in 47 counties in North

and Central Texas, persons leaving

or approaching

activity, the proposal under consideration would expand these regulations to all public fresh water in every county in Texas.

launched, the regulation requires the draining of live wells, bilges, motors, and any other receptacles or water-intake systems coming into contact with or water-intake systems coming into contact with public waters.

Live fi sh, including person-ally caught live bait, cannot be

Anglers are required to possess documentation

Big Bags Catches

to upload your Big Bags & Catches Photos and Vote for our next Winners

or water-intake systems coming into contact with public waters.

ally caught live bait, cannot be

WAHOO

Freeport

Colby Polasek caught this 59.5-pound wahoo on his rst trip offshore to the Flower Gardens, out of Freeport.

Ethan Heasley, age nine, with his rst buck. He shot it at 100 yards with a 7-08 while hunting with his Grampa Steve Horvath.

AXIS

Private Ranch

Big Bags CatchesBig Bags CatchesBig Bags Catches&Big Bags CatchesBig Bags Catches

WHITETAIL

Private Lease

1406 TFG Report.indd 12 5/6/14 10:56 AM

provided by tournament organizers that would identify them as participants in a tournament.

Movement from one access point to another on the same lake during the same day does not require draining and there is an exception for governmen-tal activities and emergencies. Marine sanitary systems are not covered by these regulations.

Zebra mussels became established in Texas in Lake Texoma in 2009. In 2012, they were found in Lake Ray Roberts and the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. Last year, zebra mussels spread to Lakes Bridgeport, Lavon, Lewisville, and Belton. They can expand their range even farther by hitching a ride on trailered boats that have been immersed or moored in waters where they have established populations.

The rapidly reproducing mussels, originally from Eurasia, can have serious economic and recreational impact on Texas reservoirs.

They can clog public-water intake pipes, harm boats and motors left in infested waters by covering boat hulls, clog water-cooling systems, annoy boat-dock owners by completely covering anything left under water, and make water recreation hazardous because of their sharp edges.

From an environmental perspective, zebra mussels are fi lter feeders, which means they com-pete with baitfi sh such as shad for available forage. Any impact on baitfi sh in turn can affect their predatorsgame fi sh such as bass, striped bass and catfi sh. Zebra mussels also threaten native mussel populations because they will colonize on their shells and essentially suffocate them.

Channel Catfish Stocked TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE Department (TPWD) offi cials have begun stocking channel catfi sh into Neighborhood Fishin Program lakes in urban areas across Texas. Stockings will take place every two weeks throughout the summer and fall except during August, when high water temperatures may limit fi sh survival.

New to the Neighborhood Fishin program this year is Woldert Park Pond in Tyler. The park is located at 501 West 32nd street; the pond is downhill from the Glass Recreation Center. Neighborhood Fishin is a program of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).

Neighborhood Fishin aims to give Texas families a good place to fi sh close to where they live, said Dave Terre, TPWDs director of research and management for Inland Fisheries.

We estimate that more than 80,000 people a year participate in the program, and about half of those are children or adults who are new to fi shing. Connecting kids to the outdoors through fi shing makes them happier and healthier, and they do better in school. Outdoor lifestyles also strengthen families.

Local sponsors play a key role in the Neighborhood Fishin program by providing funds to purchase additional fi sh beyond those made possible by statewide support from the

Texas Bass Classic Foundation and the federal Sport Fish Restoration Program.

For more information on the Neighborhood Fishin program, including locations and direc-tions, tackle loaner programs where available, instructional fi shing videos, fi shing regulations and program partners, visit www.neighborhood-fi shin.org.

Go to www.fi shgame.com for up to the min-ute coverage.

weeks throughout the summer and fall

1406 TFG Report.indd 13 5/6/14 10:56 AM

Long Bombs

THE ABILITY TO USE LONG CASTS TO cover water can be a big advantage for the coastal plugger. Adding even a few extra yards per chunk improves

the odds of intercepting fi sh when blind casting across the shimmering sameness of open water.

Long casts may not be so important in tra-ditional bass fi shing, when the angler easing along a shoreline keys on fi shy targets such as log jams, stickups, and weed-mat pockets. Indeed, raring back for a long bomb might hurt by compromising accuracy. The idea is to work close and make the fi rst shot to a defi ned spot count.

The saltwater blind caster seldom is con-cerned with pinpoint presentation (not to be confused with the specialized shallow-water drill of sight casting). No, the idea on a bay or beachfront is to put the lure repeatedly through as much green tide as possible during a given session.

Most trendy coastal casting outfi ts are comprised of a two-handed rod 6 1/2 to 7 feet long and a narrow-framed reel spooled with 12- to 14-pound mono (or superbraid of comparable diameter). The typical small reel holds about 110 yards of 12. This is stan-dard equipment for soft plastics, slow-sinking plugs, and surface plugs.

Frankly, I like small casting reels. But when you dump almost half the string on a major Hail Mary the machine simply isnt as effective as a wider model.

If you are serious about adding yardage, consider a standard frame reel and a 7 1/2-foot rod (on a bass reservoir this would be a crankbait outfi t intended to really cover open watersame concept). The wider reel stores more line, hence the spool diameter remains larger and more effi cient during a long cast. And assuming the longer rod is balanced for the payload, the extra length

provides more fl ex and power to really carry the cast.

Admittedly, the longer rod with its typi-cally longer butt might be a bit awkward with the snappy jigging motion used with tailsbut it certainly will work. And it excels when lobbing a rattling cork rig across a bay or slamming a spoon into the surf.

Keeping a long-range boomer rigged and ready for proper circumstances makes sense, but the average angler is not going to change horses in midstreamor mid-drift or mid-wade as the case may be. Regardless of rod/reel combination, you should consider three things when striving to maximize perfor-mance:

First, use the thinnest diameter line practi-cal for the business at hand. It reduces friction off the spool and through the air.

Second, keep the spool topped off. This advice might sound sophomoric but I remain amazed at the number of anglers with side plates showing.A spool starving for string can seriously hamper smooth performance.

Finally, use as little mechanical resistance as possible on the spool. A properly set ten-sion should allow the weight of the lure to drop smoothly from the rod tip. If the payload doesnt carry its own weight down, you are way too heavy on the setting. The top-shelf casting reels come and go, but there is no substitute for the time-honored educated thumb.

Accuracy with plug tackle usually requires having the lure dangle about four to six inches below the rod tip. The presentation is made with an overhand cast as your steely, preda-tory stare fi xes on the target.

Well, were not so concerned with that here. Remember, were not trying to thread the needle between two stumps or hit a pocket in the lily pads. You can get better distance by allowing about 1 1/2 feet to dangle from the tip and powering with more of a side-arm deliverybut be careful in a boat as you open up that swing.

Pinpoint placement suffers with this free-wheeling cast but you can wham that sucker out there. The extra line and wider sweep help load the rod. It comes together as a gath-

ering storm of power.Another supercharger is the seldom-used

whip cast. With the lure again dangling well below the tip, the right-handed caster swings the overhead rod in a violent counter-clock-wise circle and lets fl y. The timing takes prac-tice but the added velocity and momentum of the windup can really propel the payload.

Regardless of casting technique, you do your best work downwind. The arc is aided and abetted by the favoring gusts. This is standard when drifting a bay but nearly impossible when wading the surf. The Gulf wind almost always blows onshore (except behind a norther, rare during the summer wet wading season).

The surf wader facing the prevailing sweet southeast can signifi cantly improve casting performance by shuffl ing left-to-right. This means you have a slight angle when addressing onshore wind with an easterly slant.

The bay boater using a poling platform or a trolling motor occasionally might have to buck a contrary breeze as he changes drift angles. And the downwind wader must turn to chunk into the whitecaps if he is forced to backpedal to a parked vehicle or anchored boat.

Some lures have superior ballistics so tote several solid choices for upwind situations. Elongated dogwalkers weighing 1/2- to 5/8-ounce are excellent. Of course, you should consider existing circumstances.

If you conclude that topwater fi shing is a remarkable waste of time, dont sacrifi ce the all-important confi dence factor for a few extra yards of distance. Switch to a proper spoon or a sub-surface plug. Pinwheeling tails and fl ap-ping broken back plugs are poor choices for upwind command, but if either rates a serious nod, I guess youll have to deal with it.

Tweaking the spool tension a tad might help against a mutinous wind. Distance aside, nobody ever said an educated thumb was perfect.

Contact Joe Doggettl at JDoggett@ shgame.com


Doggett at Large

by Joe Doggett | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

1406 Doggett.indd 14 5/6/14 10:57 AM

1406 Doggett.indd 15 5/6/14 10:57 AM

Pike on the Edge

by Doug Pike | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

Wildlife 9-1-1

ON A COOL MONDAY MORNING IN APRIL, between taking my son to school and making a noon golf-tournament tee time, I stopped for breakfast at a

neighborhood bakery.

There in front of the place, against the leg of a chair at one of the sidewalk tables, lay what appeared at fi rst glance to be a dead, or nearly so, bird of prey. Its head looked like that of a small hawk, but there was something unusual about its

body, and I couldnt quite peg it as one species or another.

The bird, I surmised, had fl own into one of the shops broad, tall windows and done major damage. Its right wing was tucked tightly against its body, but its left was at nearly full extension and fl at on the concrete. There was no visible move-ment. I feared the worst.

Not satisfi ed with my sketchy identifi cation or incomplete diagnosis, I stepped within arms length and knelt for a closer inspection.

JEEZ LOUISE! The bird was alive, all right, and none too thrilled that Id invited myself into its world. Its head spun to face me, and it fl ashed open a mouth that looked big enough to swallow my watch.

But that was all the warning the injured crea-ture could muster. Immediately, it slumped back

into that sad, pathetic pose. I went inside, thinking all the while about what

could be done to save this bird or at least spare it some unceremonious burial in a dumpster out back. And then it came to me.

There is a place in Houston (and similar operations in other major cities around this state), the Wildlife Center of Texas, that handles exactly this sort of situation. Theyd know what to do.

Over the phone, I described the bird and its current plight to Operations Manager Margaret Pickell.

Are you sure its a hawk? she questioned. Or could it be a falcon?

The more I scanned raptor images in my mind, the less that bird looked like any of them. When I circled back to the part about its gaping mouth, Pickell asked a few more specifi c questions about

Pike on the Edge

by Doug Pike | TF&G Senior Contributing Editor

1406 Pike.indd 16 5/7/14 3:04 PM

its appearance.Yes, I replied. And yes, that, too. Uh-huh.

Exactly. Sowhat is it?Turns out, Id been spooked (although nobody

in the bakery would have known I kept my cool when the beast spun and threatened to eat me) by a member of the insect-eating whippoorwill family.

Subsequent research, a day after the golf tour-nament, confi rmed that Id come face to face with a Chuck-Wills-widow. In my defense, this particular bird at least is among the larger members of the melodic, not-at-all dangerous, family.

Pickell asked if I could bring the bird to the center. No, not without missing my tee time, which wasnt an option. (It was a big charity event hosted by LPGA Hall-of-Famer Carol Mann.) She wasnt sure that a center volunteer who lived nearby could get to the bakery before someone mishandled the injured birdor worse. So

If I could get it anywhere into Harris Countythe bird and I were in Fort Bend County at the timeshe could have someone pick it up offi cially, at the centers expense. Anywhere, she empha-sized, in Harris County.

My offi ce is there, and I surely could get one of our animal-loving staff at Clear Channel to babysit a bird for an hourtwo, tops.

I went into the shop, talked a skeptical teen-aged clerk out of a cardboard box, and told him what I intended to do with/for that bird.

He followed me outside, right on my heels, no doubt convinced he was about to make YouTube video history.

With box in right hand and bakery bag in the left, I knelt down beside the bird. It didnt move. The teenager put hands on knees and leaned downward, forward toward the bird.

Just then, a miracle happened. And nearly

something else. That poor, injured bird, it turns out, wasnt injured at all. It may have rung its own bell chasing a fl y into a thick window, but it was otherwise unharmedand not interested in that box.

The Chuck-Wills-widow went from zero to an airborne 60 in an instant, rising at speed through the two-foot gap between the clerk and me. No warning. No thank you for the effort. Just an accelerating exit to wherever.

That bird almost killed us, the young man exaggerated.

Yes, I agreed, giving his upcoming recollec-tion to friends some extra voltage. I think it was going for your throat. Good thing youre so quick.

Contact Doug Pike at DPike@ shgame.com

WILDLIFE CENTER OF TEXAS, in Houston, cares for nearly 10,000 injured or otherwise needy animals annually and claims (proudly) that it has never turned away an injured or orphaned native-Tex-as animal. Once funded exclusively by donation, the center now receives fi nan-

cial assistance from the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

There is no charge to leave an animal with the facility or to have one picked up within Harris County, but according to TF&Gs Joe Doggett, who once took an injured animal there, rescuers typically

are asked to make a donation to help continue the fi ne work being done there.

For information, visit the website wildlifecenteroftexas.org.

Doug Pike

1406 Pike.indd 17 5/7/14 3:04 PM

Question and Answer Time with the Nuge

Editors Note: For the next several issues, Ted Nugent will answer questions about hunting and life in the outdoors from Texas Fish & Game readers. If you have any ques-tions for Uncle Ted, email them to us at cmoore@fi shgame.com

DEAR TED, I RECENTLY READ YOUR article in Fish & Game, Most Mystical Flight of the Arrow. I am new to bowhunting and had a ques-

tion regarding the article. I have rifl e-hunted since I was young, and

remembering how much I enjoyed shooting a bow as a child, I purchased a compound bow after Christmas. I am intending to hunt with my bow this coming fall when I get the chance. I have watched numerous clips and realize now all deer must run off to some extent, since there is no bullet impact.

My question stems from the decision to back off the trail due to darkness and start up the search again in the morning. Is this because the shot was through the liver, or just due to the lack of light? If it was due to the shot through the liver, does it take an excessive amount of time to bleed out? My reason for asking is two-fold.

First I would have continued to track in the darkness, but would I have just pushed the animal farther off into the brush if it takes so long to die with that type of shot?

Secondly, if the temperature had not fallen below freezing overnight, would the meat still be good? I hunt in south Texas where the brush is very thick and most things have some sort of thorn or sticker, so it would benefi t to track in the daylight if possible, but it usually does not drop below down around freezing consistently till January, so the edibility of the meat is also a factor in waiting till the morning.

I am used to hit and a drop or a miss

with a rifl e, so I am trying to learn as much as possible. I had not considered different hit locations and the length until the animal expired.

Thank you for your time.

James Duprie

GOOD HEARING FROM YOU JAMES and I am happy to know you will expand and intensify your hunting lifestyle with the very exciting upgrade to bowhunting. You will not be sorry; for I, like so many others,

am convinced that bowhunting is the ulti-mate test of ones predator awareness.

You read my information accurately from my article. There are many variables at play

when making the decision to track an animal after the shot, regardless of weapon choice. Each incident is unique, but as you noted, there are some ground rules that help in that decision.

Calling the shot is critical, which is great-ly assisted by highly visible arrow/fl etching combination and ultimately with the glow of the lighted nocks like my Lumenok. And of course, when videoing the hunt like we do every time, a review of the hit in slow motion tells us a lot as well.

It is pretty much a universal rule of thumb to wait at least 30 to 60 minutes after the shot no matter how confi dent the hit, as it has been documented time and time again that even the quintessential vital hit has been ignored and defi ed by these amazing, some-times mythical big game animals.

Temperature, precipitation threat and coyote considerations also play a role, some-times forcing us to take up the track expedi-tiously. It will always be a personal call.

The name of the game is to discipline ourselves to never take any shot we are not super confi dent we can slice off the top of the heart and penetrate both lungs. Bowhunting demands a thousand times the practice that fi rearms hunting takes.

The incredible challenge of aim small miss small at close range with the bow and arrow is what makes bowhunting so rewarding. Be sure you are one with your weapon, and do not go bowhunting until you are certain you are ready. Good luck, good hunting, and may the Great Backstrap Spirit be with you!

BloodBrothers,Ted

Visit tednugent.com and join Ted onfacebook for the ultimate celebration of

freedom and The American Backstrap Dreams. Contact Ted Nugent at

TNugent@ shgame.com


Teds TexasWild

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

Be sure you are one with your weapon, and

do not gobowhunting until you are certainyou are ready.

1406 Nugent.indd 18 5/6/14 11:00 AM

T E X A S F I S H & G A M E | J U N E 2 0 1 4 | 19

Theres More to It Than That

No mans life, liberty, or propertyis safe, while Congress is in session.

Mark Twain

APRIL 2014 WILL PROBABLY BE REMEM-bered, mostly, for the showdown in Nevada between the federal govern-ment and Cliven Bundy, cattle ranch-

er. At this writing the confl ict is far from over, although the Bureau of Land Management has, for the time being, backed down.

Its diffi cult for Texans to grasp exactly what is happening in Nevada, and some other states in the southwestern United States, since Texas is almost entirely privately owned, and many other states contain mostly public land. Nevada evidently does not even belong to Nevada. About 84 percent of it is federal land, and therefore the waters, what there are of them, muddy quickly when land use rights clash with environmental concerns.

Bundys problems began in 1993, with the federally endangered desert tortoise, although the Bundy family has ranched in the area for about 140 years. The feds said Bundys cattle were detrimental to the tortois-es, and should be removed. Bundy disagreed and refused to move the cattle.

Of course, theres more to it than that. Bundy claims ancestral rights, or something, and leased the land from the BLM, and paid grazing fees. He stopped paying those in either 1993 or 1999, when the BLM revoked the lease agreements. About 600,000 acres of public land is involved in the dispute.

Since I grew up, and live, in ranch-ing country, and have actually owned cattle myself, I have a hard time believing cattle could possibly present any kind of a threat to the desert tortoise in Nevada, even if there

were plenty of grass in the Mojave Desert. And there isnt. I dont know the actual num-bers in Nevada, but here in Central Texas, in places where there is plenty of green grass, ranchers run about one cow per fi fteen acres. In West Texas the ratio is about a cow to every 100 acres. In far Southwest Texas, land that is probably more akin to the Mojave Desert, one cow per section (640 acres) is common. There just isnt enough for them to eat if ranchers overstock.

For the sake of argument we could assume Bundy runs a cow per every 100 acres of his BLM lease. In that kind of space its unlikely a cow would ever step on a turtle, or a turtle

nest. And even if it did, the cattle pose far less danger to the desert tortoise than its natural enemies, such as coyotes, which are more likely to dig up the eggs and eat them.

But theres more to it than that. Worry over the desert tortoise, I believe, is just an excuse to force Bundy off the land. This could be a case of the federal government fl exing its muscles, but there seem to be other issues involvedpolitical issues.

The Environmental Protection Agency is often sued by a non-governmental agency, such as Save the Sidewinder, ostensibly over some agenda. (I know of no environ-mental NGO called Save the Sidewinder, but such an organization would not surprise me) On the surface it would seem the EPA and the snake people are at odds, when in fact they are often in cahoots. These suits are typically settled with compromises on both sides, and end with new regulations that both wanted to begin with, such as a ban on

motorcycles and jeeps in perceived sidewinder habitat.

So things are not always on the up and up, when it comes to our beloved Uncle Sam. Not being a conspiracy theorist, I dont believe theres a booger behind every bush, but to discount the existence of boogers entirely would be nave.

Unfortunately, there is still more than that to the Bundy story. The federal authorities, who began rounding up Bundys cattle to confi scate as payment for his unpaid lease fees, backed off after a week, when faced by hundreds of armed citizens who gathered to back Bundy. But they didnt back off imme-diately. The situation was a standoff until shortly after news broke that Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev) may want the land Bundys cattle are on for a huge Chinese solar farm. Reid has already reportedly worked with BLM offi cials (the current head BLM man in Nevada, Neil Kornze, was Reids policy advisor from 2003-2011) to redefi ne the desert tortoise habitat to accommodate devel-opment by a top Reid donor, one Harvey Whittemore.

The feds have made some really stupid mistakes during this fi asco, such as tazing Bundys son, and arresting him and two other protestors, all of whom were released after a day. The BLM folks also set up a First Amendment Zone shortly after the protests started, as if free speech were only allowed in certain government-sanctioned places. Such actions have antagonized those backing Bundy, and done nothing to resolve the confl ict.

The issue may be resolved by the time you read this, but as the fi ght is more than 20 years old, thats doubtful. The only thing I know for sure about the BLM-Bundy dis-agreement is that, no matter what information Ive managed to gather to date, theres prob-ably more to it than that.

Contact Kendal Hemphill at Khemphill@ shgame.com

Commentary

by Kendal Hemphill | TF&G Political Commentator

Bundys problems

began in 1993.

1406 Commentary.indd 19 5/6/14 11:00 AM

20 | J U N E 2 0 1 4 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTO: MATT WILLIAMS

WHEN IT COMES TO FUN FISHING, NOTHING BEATS

a panfish. A panfish isnt a species of fish. Its a word that is sometimes used to describe assorted fish that are good to eat but seldom outgrow the size of a frying pan.

Here in Texas, crappies and other various mem-bers of the sunfish family such as bluegills, redears and longears fit the bill.

Not only do panfish make for good table fare, but they also can be a blast to fish for. Better yet, they usually dont require whole lot of skill to catch, which makes them a great choice, whetting the appe-

tite of kids and newcomers to the sport.So long as you know the basics of operating a

spinning or spincast outfit, and dont mind baiting a hook, you can reel in a few panfish. Learn a little something about their seasonal habits and youll be able to do it more frequently than somebody who doesnt.

Fea 1-Panfish.indd 20 5/6/14 11:44 AM


Story and Photos by Matt Williams


Heres rundown on Texass most popular panfish, followed by a few hot weather fish-ing tips:

CRAPPIEThere are two sub-species, black crappie

and white crappie. How the name is pro-nounced depends on who you are talking to. Some folks say it crappie, as in Crap-E, while others say croppie, as in Crop-E. Commonly used slang includes white perch, which is used in reference to white crap-pie, and speckled perch for black crappie. Hardcore crappie buffs sometimes call them papermouths because of the paper-thin mem-brane that surrounds their lips, or barndoor or slab when referring to a fish weighing 1 1/2 pounds or more.

Although both sub-species are capable of growing beyond three pounds (state record for black crappie is 3.92 pounds; 4.56 pounds for white crappie), fish in the 1 to 1 1/4-pound range are most common in angler creels.

Most anglers prefer to fillet keeper crap-pies measuring 10 inches or longer, but you can also prepare them whole. Either way, the

panfish are great in the skillet, mainly because of their succulent white meat.

WHERE TO FIND THEM: Crappie be found in lakes all over the state. Black crap-pies are most prevalent in the clearer, acidic waters of eastern Texas, while white crappies are found statewide. The best crappie lakes will always have premium habitat consisting of aquatic vegetation and/or plentiful brush.

Following the spring spawn in February-April, crappies begin gravitating towards deeper water, where they will congregate around brush piles, bridge pilings, standing timber or outside grass lines. In early summer the fish might be caught around stuff as shal-low as 10-12 feet, but they move progressively deeper as hotter weather sets in. But they wont necessarily be on the bottom. crappies are notorious for suspending in the water col-umn, usually in accordance with oxygen levels in the water and the depth at which shad and other bait fish are holding.

HOW TO CATCH THEM: Crappie can be caught a variety of ways during the

summer months. One of the more common is to soak a live minnow or small crappie jig around target cover like brush piles or struc-ture such as bridge and boat dock pilings. Many anglers rely on depth finders to locate potential hotspots and determine whether fish are present before fishing in order to be more efficient.

Effective as it can be, soaking a shiner straight beneath the boat can get pretty bor-ingpretty quickespecially when the fish are arent biting. Thats why many anglers like to take a more aggressive approach by casting small jigs around potential hotspots and working them slowly back to the boat. The technique can be effective around brush piles but is most commonly used around bridge supports and outside grass lines.

Another grass tactic that can be effective in early summer is called strolling. It works best along the edges of deeper outside grass lines. Rather than casting a jig to the grass cast it 30-40 feet behind the boat and rely on the trolling motor to move the boat and keep the jig crawling along at a slow pace. Jigs weighing 1/32 to 1/8 ounce usually work best, depending on the depth of the grass.


BREAMBream is the generic term sometimes

used in reference to a wide variety pint-sized sunfi sh species often found in great numbers in lakes, rivers, streams and stock ponds across Texas. Among them are the redear, redbreast, longear, bluegill and green sunfi sh.

A bream wide and long enough to com-pletely cover a grown mans palm is consid-ered a big one, but they have been known to grow larger, especially on private waters where easy meals are always available.

The redear is genetically programmed to grow larger than its cousins. The Texas state record redear from public waters was caught from Lady Bird Lake. It measured 14 inches long, but was not as heavy as you might think. The fi sh weighed 2.99 pounds.

In contrast, the state record redear from private waters weighed 3.25 pounds. That fi sh was 14.25 inches long.

Bluegills, longears and redbreast sunfi sh are equally common in Texas waters, but fi sh weighing upwards of one-pound are pretty rare. A two-pounder would rank as a giant.

Small as they are, panfi sh fans have learned not to be fooled by the breams mea-ger dimensions. What they lack in size they make up for in grit. In fact, ounce for ounce, the colorful sunfi sh rank among the hardest fi ghters swimming in freshwater.

WHERE TO FIND THEM: Bream have a tendency to run in loose groups, except when they move shallow to spawn in early summer.

Bream like company when making babieslots of it. The fi sh spawn in colo-nies comprised of dinner plate-size spawning beds that are stacked tight together, usually on points, humps, or main lake ridges that offer a hard bottom with gravel or shell. Beds are easy to identify in clear water, because they appear lighter than the surrounding bottom. A colony of bream beds might number as few as 20 or as many as 200 or more.

HOW TO CATCH THEM: The tech-niques used for catching bedding bream can be as simple or complicated as the angler cares to make them. They will hit live and artifi cial lures alike. You can catch them dabbling live crickets, earthworms or larvae beneath a cork, or by fan casting casting a small bucktail jig or spinner. The energetic sunfi sh can be caught on on fl yfi shing tackle.

One of my favorite ways to target bream is with a 12 foot BnM telescopic BreamBuster

pole. The lightweight pole is easy to handle and has plenty of fl ex, which makes it a plea-sure to fi sh with.

I like to rig the rod with a strip of four-pound monofi lament of the same length. This allows you to fi sh close to the boat or check the perimeter with relative ease. You can add a small reel to reach out farther.

Other important ingredients are the hook and cork. Remember, youre not going after Moby Dick. It is best to think small on both counts.

I like a No. 12 or 14 long shank hook matched with a Shy Bite balsa wood fl oat by Thill. It is a good idea to add a couple of small split shot a few inches above the hook to make the fl oat stand erect.

Another good way to locate spawning beds is with an ultra-light rig thats tipped with a small jig or Roadrunner. Once the beds are pinpointed you can move in close and have some serious fun with a long pole.


24 | J U N E 2 0 1 4 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTO COMPOSITE: TF&G

When All ElseFails (andeven when it doesnt)Story by Chester Moore

Fea 5-Trout.indd 24 5/6/14 11:03 AM


It is hard to outdo nature, even with modern technology. Some purists mistak-enly believe there is not much to fishing with bait. Any dummy can hook a shrimp and croaker soaking takes no talent are a couple of the comments I have heard over the years. In my experience and observations, this is nonsense.

There are numerous ways to utilize live bait and there are many, many good live baits out there. Live bait is not a magic bul-let, but sometimes, it is pretty close.

SHRIMPMOST PEOPLE DONT BELIEVE IN magic, but after witnessing anglers yanking one big trout after another from the Texas side of the Sabine jetties, East Galveston Bay, Lake Calcasieu, and Laguna Madre over the years, I do.

Live shrimp is magical for speckled trout in many situations. Those that have had access to this precious commodity tend to bring home truly impressive catches while others are struggling. A prime example is a trip to the Sabine jetties where my cousin, Frank Moore, and I caught lots of big red-fish, but struggled to catch trout while some gentlemen down the rocks caught one after another. Many of them were huge. The dif-ference was live shrimp.

We arranged for our friend, David Kinser, to bring live shrimp from Galveston Bay two days later, but we were not able to match their magic. The water was milk chocolate when Kinser came down and we struggled to catch trout, although the ones we did catch were big ones.

Yes, live shrimp can catch lots of trout, but, like any mystical potion, it takes other ingredients to make the brew. One crucial

ingredient in the Sabine jetty cauldron is clear water.

The words clear water doesnt mean it has to look like tap water. It is rare to get water that clear in the Sabine area, but being able to see your bait a few feet down is a good indication conditions are right. At the beginning of this chapter, I mentioned that live bait isnt necessarily a cinch, and this is exactly the point. An angler must learn what water conditions work with a particular live bait in the chosen destination. This may take a few failed trips to learn, but such is the nature of fishing.

My favorite ways to rig shrimp are under a weighted popping cork and on a free line rig with a 1/8-ounce split shot weight six inches above a Kahle hook. I prefer the free-line rig, but using a cork has its advantages in many situations, including helping avoid hang-ups on jetty rocks and oyster reefs.

LIVE BAIT IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE MEANS OF CATCHING SPECK-led trout. This is not true in every scenario, but if a person were starving and had to catch specks to survive, live bait would be the way to go.


CROAKERCROAKER MAY BE THE SINGLE best bait for catching large speckled trout. Shrimp is responsible for catching more trout than any other live bait, but croaker catches more big fish than other live bait. My first experience with croakers was nearly a decade ago while fishing with Mike Daleo of Sour Lake, Texas. He was and is an avid trout fisherman, and kept telling me we would ham-mer the trout on croakers.

We fished croakers and live shrimp and, to put it mildly, we hammered em. Ironically, we caught more fish on shrimp, includ-ing the largest fish of the day, a 28-incher. Nonetheless, the croakers proved their worth. We didnt catch a single tiny trout on them, nor any sheepshead or hardheads. The shrimp drew strikes from all kinds of fish.

To be honest, I havent done much croaker fishing since then, but have no ill will toward those who do. In fact, I jump at the chance to fish with croakers when the opportunity is presented. I like catching fish, and croakes can definitely aid in that department. Thats the biggest advantage of croakers. It allows

anglers to catch fish, which gets often over-looked in an age when a blowup on a topwa-ter plug (glorious thing that it is) is considered the climax of trout fishing. Anglers not adept at throwing big trout-specific lures can have an excellent shot at catching the fish of a life-time by simply soaking croakers on the bottom in the Galveston Ship Channel, Baffin Bay, or any other location trout visit.

PIGGY PERCHCAPT. DAVID DILLMAN TAUGHT me about the advantages of using piggy perch for trout. Shrimp and croakers are bet-ter all-around baits, but for fishing at jetties and nearshore oil platforms, these little fish are hard to beat. They can be purchased at some bait camps, but most dedicated piggy users catch their own in traps. Something worth noting about piggies is that some old timers like to clip their sharp dorsal fins before using them for bait. They say it makes it easier for a trout to swallow.

MUD MINNOW MUD MINNOWS, ALSO KNOWN AS Gulf killifish or Cocahoe minnows) are with-

out a doubt the most popular and probably the all-around best flounder bait. These small marsh-dwellers are abundant in flounder terri-tory year-round and are a regular part of their natural diet. Mud minnows are also excellent for trout.

Several years ago, while flounder fishing, I decided to use some leftover mud minnows for troutand it worked. In fact, the results were tremendous. While drifting a large oyster reef, my father and I used live mud minnows under popping corks. We caught trout weigh-ing from two to five pounds and limited on redfish. That reef is about 12 feet deep, so we fished our mud minnows halfway down the water column at six feet. On that first mud minnow fishing trip, my father lost one of the biggest trout that ever graced these eyes.

Mud minnows are a very hardy fish that can be hooked several ways: through both lips, behind the dorsal (top) fin, or through the body near the tail. Possibly the biggest advantage to using mud minnows is that they are available year-round at most bait shops when shrimp and croakers can be hard to come by. Mud minnows are also readily caught in traps.


MULLETMULLET MAKE UP A LARGE PRO-portion of a large speckled trouts diet, but relatively few anglers use them for bait. I have seen anglers fi shing with eight-inch mullet catch mammoth trout over in South-west Louisiana, where it is a very popular bait. The big debate among trout fi shermen is what size mullet to use: fi nger mullet (little ones) or big ones (six- to eight-inchers). It comes down to what size fi sh you want to catch. Obviously, large baits deter small fi sh and entice big ones. If dead set on catching a huge trout, use a huge mullet. If numbers are your game, fi nger mullet fi t the bill. You usually have to catch your own with a cast net. Mullet can be hooked the same way as mud minnows.

MENHADENMENHADEN, ALSO KNOWN AS pogies or shad, are another good trout bait. The drawbacks are they are very diffi cult to keep alive in a livewell or on the hook, and live ones are virtually impossible to fi nd at a bait camp. A cast net is a necessity for securing an allotment of this small baitfi sh. During summer and fall, menhaden are great for catching trout.

Keeping these delicate fi sh alive is a diffi -cult task I have only been able to do by using pure oxygen or an expensive recycling aera-tion system. Shad die quickly in hot weather.

According to Captain Skip James, live shad is not necessary. Over the last few years, he has been catching lots of trout on dead shad: Ive been catching my shad in a cast net early in the morning and putting them on a layer, then covering them up with another layer of ice. I then make sure to drain as much of the water as possible. This keeps shad very fresh. James fi shes the cold bait on a rig consisting of a simple, weighted popping cork several feet above a Kahle hook. We fi sh together frequently, and I have never seen him fi sh with live bait.

KEEPING BAIT ALIVETHE TRICK TO USING LIVE BAIT IS keeping it alive. A dead baitfi sh is not nearly as enticing as something that wiggles. For land-bound anglers, a large Styrofoam ice chest does a good job keeping most baitfi sh kicking. Styrofoam breathes and, if the water is changed periodically, most bait will do well.

For anglers in boats, a circulating livewell is the ideal setup. By exchanging water

frequently, anglers can achieve fairly low bait mortality in most situations. Something that can help is the products produced by Sure-Life Laboratories. They have chemi-cals called Pogy-Saver, Croaker-Saver, and Shrimp-Saver, as well as stuff designed especially for mullet and many other baitfi sh. A couple of spoonfuls of this stuff helps eliminate ammonia in the water, which kills many baitfi sh.

My father used barely dampened sawdust to keep shrimp alive. Back in the 1970s and

early 1980s, some camps sold live shrimp in sawdust. Some, particularly in Florida, still carry on this tradition. Sawdust holds in moisture and actually keeps the shrimp alive longer than just sitting in a regular bait bucket. The strange thing is, it is very impor-tant not to dampen the sawdust too much or it kills the shrimp.


28 | J U N E 2 0 1 4 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTO: BIGSTOCK

How the Texas Hog Problem hasbecome the statesfastest growingHunting industry

analysis byanalysis byanalysis by ccchester Moorehester Moorehester Moorechester Mooreccchester Moorechester Moorechester Mooreccchester Moorec

Fea 4-Hogs.indd 28 5/6/14 11:04 AM

IT IS A QUESTION WE GET EVERY few months here at Texas Fish & Game. Out-of-state readers and visi-tors on fishgame.com want to know where to go hog hunting.

I have been seeing all of the stories coming out of Texas about hogs and the problems they cause and have seen on television where landowners are looking for people to help control their numbers. I would love to come to your state. Can you give me a listing of properties to go do this? I would love to hunt hogs.

That was a message we received from a reader from New Hampshire. When I replied that there are plenty of places to hunt hogs but they all cost money, he was shocked.

Wow. I didnt expect that, he replied.

The concept of leasing and pay per hunt has spread to all states, but in many of them it is not the dominant cul-ture. The message being sent around the country about feral hogs in Texas is not accurate either.

Hunting hogs in Texas has little or nothing to do with managing the herd. Sure, killing hogs decreases their num-bers to a certain extent, but I dare say 99

percent of hog hunting efforts are about enjoyment on one end and dollars and cents on the other.

I am all for capitalism so I have no problem with landowners and outfitters charging for hog hunts. I have paid to shoot hogs many times over the years, in fact, but I do think we are being dishonest about hogs in Texas.

Members of the general public do not pay $2,000 to climb into a helicopter to contribute to game management, nor do they invest thousands of dollars and hours in dogs, traps and corn to do the same. Landowners and game managers do this to target hogs and sometimes employ pro-fessionals to assist but on the public end, hog hunting is about enjoyment.

It always has been, and always will be.

WITH THAT THOUGHT IN MIND, here are four points about hogs and hog hunting in Texas that I believe have been overlooked or simply not considered by the majority of the hunting industry.


Fea 4-Hogs.indd 29 5/6/14 11:04 AM

WE HAVE VILIFIED THE HOG TO the point of it being vermin, worthy of only disdain, but in reality they are magnifi cent game animals that have become as much a part of Texass hunting heritage as whitetail deer.

The numbers dont lie.The Texas deer take has rested around

600,000 over the last decade while the last number I saw for hogs was more than 750,000.

According to the Texas Agrilife Extension Service, hogs cause around $52 million in damage to land and crops annu-ally, a huge hit for farmers and ranchers around the state, no doubt. I do wonder however about the hog hunting-specifi c eco-nomic impact. It has to be in the tens of millions at this point. Hogs are essential to Texas hunting.

TROPHY HOG HUNTING HAS incredible growth potential. A mature boar is far superior to a whitetail deer in intel-ligence and is near its equal with the sense of smell. Hunters proudly display huge hogs they take, but those are mainly random trophies, not seriously pursued ones. There have been a number of hog scents and calls put on the market over the last two decades, but no one has really put a system for pursu-ing trophy boars out there.

When someone does connect the dots and can get across to the public seasonality and life cycle events tied into hog breeding,

behavior and other facets of their life they will become a hunting legend. Hunting a specifi c trophy boar in my opinion is harder than hunting a specifi c trophy whitetail. If the public fi gures this out, hog hunting will go into a different and unique direction.

FROM A POLITICAL STANDPOINT hog hunting is the industrys achilles heel. This revolves around hunting hogs with dogs, hog-dog trials and Youtube.

Hog hunting with dogs is extremely effective, fun and a strong tradition, but there is no question when the general public sees a pit bull locked onto a young boar or sow and squealing (like a pig) it creates an impressionoften negative. For animal rights people this is an opportunity.

My worry for Texas is that one day we will get a process known as initiative and referendum, which allows virtually any law to be proposed if the group supporting it gets enough signatures to put it on a ballot. This is how mountain lion hunting in California was banned and is the source of various hunting bans in other states.

If we get this in Texas, expect a campaign against hog hunting. It will start with the hog-dog trials which take place in rodeo arena-like enclosures and go from there to hunting with dogs in the fi eld. There is nothing we can do about it until something like this is put on the ballot but we should be aware of what the animal rightists are planning.

PUBLIC LAND HOG HUNTING opportunities are minimal. If hogs are such a huge threat to our resources as they are por-trayed, then perhaps public land in Texas should be opened up to more hog hunting.

For example, baiting is illegal in the national forests but why shouldnt it be legal in the off-season for hogs? It is hard to kill them without it unless you are using dogs, but that is prohibited in most areas.

Hogs are complex animals that spawn a complex management issue. We have always written about hogs in TF&G but will be expanding our coverage.

Love them or hate them, they have earned the respect of many hunters in this state and beyond.


Texas Hogs: The Numbers Dont Lie

Annual Texas Deer Harvest:

600,000

Annual Texas Feral Hog Harvest:

750,000

Annual Feral HogProperty Damage:

$52 Billion

PHOTO: CANSTOCK

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| Self Defense |

| Concealed Carry |

| Tactical |

by Steve LaMascus& Dustin Ellermann

How Important is the First Shot?

I GOT THIS STORY SECOND HAND FROM AN old game warden and a dear friend, the late Bill Lindeman, the father of recently retired Texas Game Warden, Jim

Lindeman, also a friend of mine. It serves very well to illustrate the point of this article. It also shows the dangers that are faced on a nightly basis on lonely and isolated back roads by the brave offi cers of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Warden force. As I remember it, it

went like this:The confrontation took place on a cold,

dark night on one of the roads near the Mexican Border in Southwest Texas. A Texas Game Warden stopped two suspected road hunters. He was acquainted with the two and had arrested at least one of them before. Both were known to be ill tempered, with an inbred contempt and hatred for law enforcement of all types.

As the game warden approached the vehicle the driver got out to stand in the road, but the passenger, the older of the two, remained in the darkened vehicle. The game warden approached the driver, asked the routine questions, and was getting to the one where he asked if there were any guns in the car. At this point the driver stepped away from the game warden and the pas-senger lifted his deer rifl e off of his lap and, without aiming, fi red a shot at the game warden. Thankfully the bullet only tore the game wardens collar

as it passed by. The game warden, shocked by the blast from the deer rifl e, still managed to draw his model 1911 .45 ACP and return fi re. The fi rst shot struck the pavement about halfway to the car, the second struck the car, and the third hit the gunman in the head as he was raising the rifl e to try again. The driver never did enter the fray.

This Texas Game Warden was extremely lucky for several reasons.

First, he was obviously protected by divine powers in that the bullet from the poachers deer rifl e only tore the collar of his shirt. Second, and more to the point of this article, he was even luckier that he had a chance to fi re three shots at his assailant before the gun-man could fi re again with better aim. Last was the lucky chance that his third shot struck the gunman in the head, ending the fi ght before the shooter could trigger the second round from his high-powered rifl e, which in

all likelihood would have killed the game warden instantly.

Firearms MalfunctionsNO MATTER WHAT BRAND OR model your fi rearm is, in the end it is a mechanical object and is prone to failure. Ammunition also complicates the prob-lem, for Ive witnessed factory cartridges that came without a rim for extraction, backwards primers, or even worse.

In a defensive situation a fi rearm mal-function can be a matter of life or death, therefore we train to overcome any mal-function that might happen. In a semi-automatic pistol there are three types of

failures that you should know how to clear so you can keep sending rounds downrange.

The fi rst type of malfunction is a misfeed. This happens either because the magazine failed to feed, wasnt seated properly, had a bad round, or if the slide didnt cycle completely. The best method to clear this is the tap, rack. You forcefully tap the magazine against the heel of your sup-port hand in order to seat it completely, and then rack the slide back and send it home in full force. This will fi x any of the problems above. Safety note: while on the range ensure that the bad round

wasnt a squib load or the next shot could prove extremely dangerous with two bullets in the barrel.

The second type of malfunction is commonly known as a stove pipe

TexasDepartmentof Defense

32 | J U N E 2 0 1 4 | T E X A S F I S H & G A M E PHOTO: KATELYN ELLERMANNPHOTO: KATELYN ELLERMANN

Continued on page 34

| Self Defense |

| Concealed Carry |

| Tactical |

by Steve LaMascus& Dustin Ellermann

all likelihood would have killed the game warden instantly.

malfunction is a misfeed. This happens either because the magazine failed to feed,

warden. Thankfully the bullet only tore the game wardens collar

A type 1 malfunction can occur because of

bad ammo or improperly seated magazine. Simply tap the mag to seat it, and rack the slide to charge it

with a fresh round.

1406 Dept of Defense.indd 32 5/6/14 12:09 PM

1406 Dept of Defense.indd 33 5/6/14 11:07 AM

Continued from page xxStory Jump

In the great book The Modern Day Gunslinger, by retired Navy SEAL, Don Mann, there is a sidebar that says: Statistics show that 95 percent of law enforcement offi -cers who hit their target with the fi rst shot will go home. If the fi rst shot misses, the number drops to 48 percent. Most law enforcement miss 75-80 percent of shots fi red in lethal force encounters. Fortunately, law enforce-ment studies show that the bad guys hit their intended target only 14 percent of the time.

In this modern time, the method I see practiced most by civilian shooters is best described by the term spray and pray. It seems that since the modern high-capacity semi-auto handgun holds a lot of rounds, the shooters feel that they can simply shoot a lot and get the job done. I think the above shows the fallacy of that idea.

I have preached on this before, but it can-not be said too often or too strongly. Accuracy is the most important aspect of self-defense. If you are going to carry a handgun you must be able to shoot it well. When I entered the Border Patrol in January of 1980, the fi rst part of our fi rearms training at the Academy was done on bulls-eye targets and was one-

hand, single-action, slow-fi re. The reason was that the Border Patrol in those days realized the importance of a good background in accu-racy before a shooter was promoted to double-action, rapid-fi re work on silhouette targets. In other words, we were taught basics fi rst, and then advanced to the more diffi cult aspects of hand gunning. Today this is not true of most courses of instruction, and it is a mistake.

As the statistics above show, if you truly want to survive an armed encounter, you must make the fi rst shot count. The fact that your handgun holds 15 rounds is almost immate-rial to the equation. Most gunfi ghts only last three seconds, and only three rounds are fi red. That is exactly how many rounds the game warden fi red in the story at the beginning of this article. If he had not hit his assailant with that third round, the chances are very good that the bad guy would have been able to get off his second round, and with a rifl e he almost certainly would have scored a hit.

Here, then, are my three inviolable rules for you civilian gun-toters.

1: DO NOT BELIEVE that because you

passed the test for your CCL you are well trained. Get additional training if you can,

and be sure that it is from a qualifi ed instruc-tor. There are a number of them scattered around the state.

2: LEARN THE BASICS of sight alignment and trigger control before you go any farther. Just like any other sport, such as football, basketball, or tennis, if you dont know the basics you can never be as good as you should be. Learn to shoot wellthen learn to shoot fast.

3: PRACTICE as much as you can afford. Again, like sports, shooting requires copious amounts of practice. If you cant afford a lot of practice ammo, buy a reloader and learn to reload. It is cheaper, and the ammo can be just as good as factory fodder. I expect that 95-plus percent of the ammunition I shoot is reloaded.

There is only so much that I can teach you by correspondence course. The rest you will have to get on a range with a gun in your hand. Nothing else will take the place of well-structured practice. What I tell you here only starts you down the road. How far you get down that road is up to you.

Steve LaMascus

Texas Department of Defense

where an empty casing is stuck in the ejection port preventing the pistol from returning to battery for the next round. Clearing this is the same tap, rack above, except you can also roll the fi re-arm onto its side in order to allow grav-ity to let the troublesome empty casing fall out.

You can also use a shortcut for a stove pipe jam with a technique that was taught to me by a former Navy Seal Craig Sawyer. If you can identify the malfunction as a stove pipe, which is easy enough to do since it sticks out of the slide of the sidearm, you can simply wipe your support hand down the slide and let it fall. The only downside to this is if there might not be enough spring

tension to return the slide to battery and then you might have to tap, rack on top of it. But its worth adding to your training regimen.

Finally, the most dreaded malfunction is the double feed. In a double feed, a casing fails to extract and is left in the chamber while another round feeds in behind it. Tap, rack wont do anything for this, and the gun will fail to return to battery. To clear a double feed you must fi rst strip the magazine out of the fi rearm. An extended magazine or oversized baseplate will help in this dif-fi cult effort, because you are ripping off the top round of the magazine in this action. You can make it easier by lock-ing the slide back, but in a defensive situation that can prove diffi cult. After the magazine is removed, rack the slide repeatedly in order the extract the spent cartridge from the chamber. Oftentimes

the casing will fall out the bottom of the magwell along with the live round from the double feed. After the weapon is cleared insert the retained magazine or a new one, load and fi re.

As you can tell two thirds of malfunc-tions can be cleared using tap rack so its a very useful motion to train with. While dry fi re training practice reseat-ing the magazine then charging for the next shot. Also, after you initially load the magazine give it a tug to ensure that its completely seated. This will prevent the fi rst type of malfunction altogether. Use spent casings or dummy rounds to simulate malfunctions until clearing them is second nature so your mind can stay in the fi ght and your hands work the weapon on their own.

Dustin Ellermann


where an empty casing is stuck in the

Continued from page 32Malfunctions

1406 Dept of Defense.indd 34 5/6/14 11:07 AM


Hunting All Year for Hogs and Deer

IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT JUNE IS already already upon us. I must admit that my favorite time of year is the fall. Heck most hunting begins then and

ends while the cool air is still lingering. But that does not mean that the fat lady is done singing and hunting season has ended. No sir! This is Texas! Here, in this state, we are given hunting opportunities year-round unlike many other states.

Right now, my sights are on exotics and pigs. To be honest, I prefer the hog hunts. Those who know me know that I usually go after these bad boys with a stick and string, but now and again I would use one of my favorite rifl es. My .30-06 is a bad machine and does a number on those feral hogs, but there are other calibers that do just as good a job. A .223 or .243 caliber rifl e will put down a hog with ease. Actually, any rifl e that has a large enough caliber will take out the hog out nicely.

Most hog hunters will tell you that hunting over a feeder is the way to go. Although that method works and works well, I am not so sure it is the best method. I once hunted these critters in the dead of summer. It was one of those mid 90-degree days and the humidity was 2000. At least it seemed that way. In shortit was HOT. I set up over a watering hole and just sat there and waited for the pigs to get thirsty. It was not long before I had my choice of hogs to shoot. By the time I got the animal back to the vehicle, I was quite thirsty myself, and water was not the only cool drink I was after.

Stalking for a shot at a feral hog can be exciting in itself. If you are a newbie at this

sort of hunt, then let me give you just a little bit of advice. Stay alert and always be aware of an escape route for you should you need it. These beasts have been known to lie in wait on a hillside or under some nearby brush. If it strikes their fancy, for no reason at all, they may run after you in attack mode. Once, I had to quickly grab a tree branch and lift my legs up as the hog just kept running by me. I am sure he had evil on his mind, and I was going to be the recipient. As a matter of fact, now that I think of it that might have been the day I decided to hunt these critters with a rifl e for a while.

Texas is just one state that is being over-run by wild pigs. It has the largest amount of feral hogs estimated to be between two and

three million. They multiply very quickly. As a matter of fact, the joke among hog hunters is that when a sow has a dozen piglets, 13 of them survive. They adapt very well to what-ever their surroundings are. Loss of habitat does not seem to bother these creatures. They can, and do live in and around our towns. What turned out to be a huge problem for Texas, has turned into a colossal business opportunity for some. The ranchers can buy a few hogs, let them roam on their property and very soon they will have too many of them around. Hunters are happy because there is always some action and plenty of pigs and the ranchers are happy because plenty of hunters are always willing to pay a few bucks to hunt these potentially dangerous animals.

Now, for all the bow hunters out there, let me remind you that your season for whitetails is fast approaching. You should have already been fl inging a few arrows to keep your shoot-ing muscles in shape, but if you have not, then chop chop get to it.

The old saying stands true here that the more you practice, the better you will become. By taking the time to shoot a few arrows every day, your muscles will develop a memory. They will automatically pull the bow string back to where it has to be. You will automati-cally go to your anchor point without giving it a thought. Your eye will focus on your target quickly, and you will fi nd that grouping your arrows will result in a tighter group with every week of practice that goes by.

A common mistake that bow hunters make while they practice is shooting too many arrows per session. I know of some that shoot for hours and cannot understand why the arrows are not grouping. Simply put, you are tired. You still feel like you physically have no problem shooting a few more, and you can, you just cannot be as accurate as you once were when your muscles were relaxed and fresh. It is enough to shoot 20 or 30 arrows in a session. It is more important to have quality shooting rather than quantity shooting.

If you are just starting out in this sport, then make it fun to practice. Shoot at a few balloons. As you get a little better, make the balloons smaller and smaller still until you are shooting at a small piece of the balloon. The smaller the target, the more accurate you will become.

Remember, you are not shooting at the animal, but rather a spot on that animal. You are not shooting at the whole side of that deer, but rather a single hair that is behind the front shoulder of that whitetail. If you pick a spot, and concentrate on that spot, you will fi nd that it will become more and more natural for you when that breathing animal is in front of you, and you will be more successful this hunting season.

Have fun and hunt safe.

Email Lou Marullo at ContactUs@ shgame.com

Bare Bones Hunting

by Lou Marullo | TF&G Hunting Editor

Texas is just one

state that is being overrun by wild

pigs.

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I STOOD IN THE MAN CAVE AT MY FRIENDS HOME ONE HOT August afternoon as he pulled cases and pouches out of gun safes. The room held more weapons and high tech hunting gadgetry than most small town police stations in Texas.

My .300 Blackout rifl e lay on the table as he walked me through the fi ner points of night vision monoculars, infrared lasers and thermal imaging and the dos and donts of each piece of equipment. He explained

night vision generations to my teenage son while each item was placed in precisely cut foam slots inside a hard plastic case.

At one point I asked Whats a setup like that cost? as he snapped the latches shut

on the case.He casually mumbled about 50 grand

as he handed me the case.Ive got no idea how many times I told

my son to be careful with the gear that night,

STORYBY

CHADFERGUSON

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but I spent a lot of time worrying. When I wasnt worrying it was an amazing experience seeing crystal clear images of game in total darkness at distances farther than I could shoot. It opened my eyes to the world of night vision.

After the taste of night vision I spent that afternoon shopping around online. Id convinced myself Id just fi nd something lower quality and less elaborate and that I could get something cheaper.

After researching I found prices ranged from your wife wont talk to you for a month to shell divorce you and every-where in between.

Excited from the previous nights hunt we decided to head back and hunt the feeder where the big boar kept appearing. I scanned the area with night vision but quickly grew weary of the system while hunting from our box blind and ideas started fl owing through my head.

Wed used gun mounted kill lights (high powered fl ashlights with colored lights) for a good while. Id seen a variety of feeder lights as well but nothing that fi t our needs.

I purchased several manufactured prod-ucts, none of

June 2014

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Transcript of June 2014