The First of Many
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News November 8, 2013 Page 1 Midcoast mixed bag Trout, redfi sh and fl ounder being caught. Page 8 November 8, 2013 Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper Volume 10, Issue 6 Inside The fi rst of many LSON Foundation off to a great start By Conor Harrison Lone Star outdoor newS ❘❚ FISHING The smile on the young man’s Heat up the oil face in the fading light spoke vol- Fall panfi sh bite is on. umes. Page 8 Moments before, the group in the blind watched a mature 8-point buck feed down the sendero in Bring a chair front of them, waiting for him to turn broadside. Pier anglers catching variety of fi sh. Page 8 After an agonizing 30 minutes in which the buck had disappeared twice back into the brush before reemerging, he fi nally turned ❘❚ HUNTING broadside at 60 yards. Fourteen-year-old Nicholas O’Connor didn’t let the moment slip away. One shot from his .243 dropped the buck in his tracks, capping a suc- cessful weekend for the Lone Star GOOD FRIENDS, NICE BUCK: Nicholas O’Connor, right, shows off the big 8-point buck he took on a hunt put on by the Lone Star Outdoor News Foundation, while his friends Sam Powers, middle, and Nick Regeir, left, share in his success. Photo by Conor Harrison, LSON. See FOUNDATION, Page 20 Expectations high Mule deer hunters anticipating strong year for antlers. Page 5 It’s on Poor outlook for Rut heating up in North pheasants Rains came too late this year to help birds. Texas, Hill Country Page 6 By Conor Harrison Hunters from North Lone Star outdoor newS Texas and the Hill ❘❚ CONTENTS Country reported cooler The opening weekend Classifi eds . Page 14 temperatures that had Crossword . Page 22 of the Texas rifl e season for white-tailed deer got the bucks up and on the Freshwater Fishing Report . Page 10 move searching for the For the Table. Page 22 off to a hot start, and it Game Warden Blotter . Page 12 had nothing to do with fi rst does to come into Heroes. Page 15 the weather. See RUT, Page 26 Outdoor Datebook . Page 34 Products . Page 30 Prime Time . Page 33 Saltwater Fishing Report . Page 14 Sun, Moon and Tide data . Page 22 ❘❚ LSONews.com BORDER BASS BITING: Amistad is fi shing tough, while Falcon’s fi sh are catching fi re along the border. Photo by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News. PAID PLANO, TX PRSRT STD PRSRT PERMIT 210 US POSTAGE US Border bass Falcon new water is good; Amistad is slow The Texas border lakes feet low to 28 feet low and nels are also holding fi sh. are experiencing a good a lot of the trees, bushes The Mexican side of the fall bite, even if you have and grass grew, making lake is defi nitely better to go into Mexican waters a lot of great habitat. We than the American side. to fi nd it. have been catching bass They have more of those According to guide Jim on spinner baits, chatter- fl ats and more vegetation Behnken, Falcon has risen baits, Texas-rigged worms growth over there.” 17 feet in the past few and swimbaits.” Behnken said the bass weeks and the bass have Behnken said almost are actually acting like responded by heading all of the fi sh he’s catch- they are in a prespawn pat- to the newly-submerged ing are in 10 feet of water Time Sensitive Material • Deliver ASAP Sensitive Material • Deliver Time tern, something he says is brush. or less. rare lately on Falcon. “The lake is fi shing the “They are in the fl ooded ANOTHER EAST TEXAS BEAST: Brent Jackson harvested this huge, “Fifteen to 20 years ago, low-fenced buck in Rusk County opening weekend. Photo by best it has since March,” vegetation,” he said. “On Brent Jackson. he said. “We went from 45 calm days, the creek chan- See BASS, Page 29 Page 2 November 8, 2013 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com LSONews.com LoneOStar Outdoor News November 8, 2013 Page 3 Page 4 November 8, 2013 LoneOStar Outdoor News LSONews.com HUNTING Hanging a hunting memory Axis Christmas stockings a unique addition to the mantel By Craig Nyhus “She brought me some tanned “They have 4,000 employees I need not despair — an Internet Lone Star outdoor newS skins,” Grassmuck said. “I had to think,” she said, “and they sure search will reveal professionals out cut around the bullet holes, but have a lot of babies — maybe they there who will make them. After seeing a Christmas she had some real nice skins. I should keep them busier.” “We do them,” said Gary Broach stocking made from an axis made two for her a few years ago Creating the stockings was more of Rhodes Brothers Taxidermy in hide hanging on a fi replace man- and agreed to make some more for time-consuming than Grassmuck Kerrville. “There are some pictures tel, Danna Kohleffel of Boerne her children.” preferred. on our Facebook page; the cus- decided she wanted some. Grassmuck used a synthetic “They are a whole lot of work,” tomer just needs a tanned skin or “I took a pattern and took it to suede cloth for the back of the she said. “I don’t want my phone we can fi nd one for them.” my friend, Jeanne Grassmuck, stocking, giving the spotted hide to ring. For someone who needs The Longhorn Tannery in who sews, and asked if she could on the front room to breathe. a project, though, it would be a Weimer makes stockings, pillows make a few,” she said. The seamstress, retired nurse good one. But I don’t want to do and even purses from the attrac- Grassmuck had never made and grandmother times 10 doesn’t any more — Danna is my special tive hides. one, but agreed to give it a try. want to get into the axis stocking axis customer.” Kohleffel, though, is happy she business, though. She keeps busy Hunters, especially in the Hill chose her friend Jeanne to do the GREAT FOR STUFFING: Stockings made of making baby totes for Rackspace, Country where free-ranging axis job. axis hides look good hanging above the a large computer storage company roam, interested in hanging stock- “I have the only ones that she fi replace. Photo by Shauna Kohleffel. in San Antonio. ings made from their axis hide has ever made,” she said. DECENT NUMBERS OF DUCKS, GEESE: Hunters who scouted ducks on opening weekend had some success, with many reporting limits and some reporting large numbers of geese in Texas. Photo by David J. Sams, LSON. Setting up on the “X” By Conor Harrison also lots of specklebelly geese Lone Star outdoor newS Some duck hunters have great opener, others not so lucky around. I’ve talked to friends that are covered up in speckle- Waterfowl hunters know waterfowl season, fi nding the “X” average for this time of year. birds down here for the opener.” bellies out near Knox City.” what fi nding the “X” means. meant plenty of birds and lots of “It was a mixed bag of wigeon, Barber said the area he hunts in Lots of ducks and geese was It often means getting up extra limits. Others weren’t so lucky, gadwall and some divers,” Barber Navarro County recently received echoed by Scott Keith of the early to beat other hunters to the and many hunters had disap- said. “There were a lot of ducks up to 10 inches of rain, so there Quack Shack duck calls. Keith exact spot they’ve scouted where pointing mornings because of a but no mallards. A lot of guys got was plenty of water to hunt. only scouted opening weekend, the birds want to be. lack of birds in the area. limits, but some didn’t. Overall, “Along with the ducks, we saw but said the prospects are great for For the lucky hunters during Navarro County hunter Steve I would say it was above average thousands of sandhill cranes the fi rst split. the opening weekend of the Texas Barber said the hunting was above because of the large number of headed south,” he said. “There are See DUCKS, Page 31 Don’t judge age by the belly Improved range conditions mean fatter deer this season By Craig Nyhus The improved range conditions brought in to Rhodes Brothers Lone Star outdoor newS in South Texas were the likely cul- Taxidermy in Kerrville exhibited prit, said the senior at Texas A&M the same general chubbiness. Mike Shipley of Kingsville has Kingsville, who will graduate “They are very healthy this aged many deer, both on the hoof with a degree in Wildlife Biology year,” said taxidermist Gary and brought to the skinning shed, in December. Broach. “Around here, there are over the past fi ve years while guid- The group of hunters agreed acorns everywhere. It seems like ing at South Texas ranches. The that the feeders most likely the low-fence deer are in better 4-year-old management Dimmit weren’t to blame, since the deer shape now than the high-fence County buck brought to the skin- weren’t making many appear- deer.” ning shed on Oct. 26 during the ances at them. Broach said to ignore the belly youth-only season, though, sur- Whitetails taken in October when aging the deer through prised him. in Stonewall County in north- your binoculars. NOT MISSING A MEAL: Texas bucks are taking advantage of good range conditions in many places, “This is the fattest deer I’ve ever west Texas and Hill Country deer along with supplemental feed on many ranches, to pack on fat this season.