Offshore’s Best Boat Buyer’s Guide * February 9, 2007 Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper Volume 3, Issue 12 * Page 18 www.lonestaroutdoornews.com INSIDE FISHING ‘I miss him to death’ Winter blasts may slow the beginning of bass spawning by two weeks, but since the spawning period usually runs through late March or April, officials say the cold temperatures shouldn’t make too much difference. See Page 8 ROCKHARD HUNTING Breeder’s favorite ‘Rock’ among deer killed by dogs By Bill Miller Kevin Morgan thought his Henderson County deer Predictions from across the breeding ranch was a small operation, but it dwindled Lone Star State have ranged quickly when predators attacked in late December. from fair to good for the Morgan, a building contractor from Mesquite, start- upcoming turkey season. ed raising white-tailed deer as a sideline and devel- Wildlife officials have oped a small herd of 30 head, including his prized indicated there will be more breeder buck, Rockhard, or just “Rock’’ for short. mature, wiser birds in the “I was delivering cabinets,’’ Morgan recalled, “and my ranch hand called and said, ‘We got dogs in the field this year. pen.’ I said, ‘Get out a gun and start shooting.’ He said, See Page 6 ‘Two of them got collars.’’’ NATIONAL A BREEDER’S NIGHTMARE: Kevin Morgan, co-owner of Hardhorn Whitetails LP, shows the antlers of his Two of the dogs were shot right away, but the ones breeder buck, Rockhard, at the gate to his pen where pit bull dogs bit through the fence and killed the with collars were herded into a trailer until their own- A Georgia hunter said deer. Photo by David J. Sams. See ROCK, Page 21 bringing down a 9-foot-long, 1,100-pound hog in Fayette County wasn’t much of a hunting story. Regionalization luring activity See Page 4 CONSERVATION Ducks Unlimited is Wildlife officials propose 5-fish celebrating 70 years of service. Since 1937, DU’s limit for Lower Laguna Madre membership has grown from 6,720 members to a current By Brandon Shuler speckled trout spawning biomass pop- total of 750,000 throughout ulations in the lower Laguna Madre, North America. the only question was how low the See Page 5 After Larry McKinney, Texas Parks daily bag limit would go. and Wildlife’s head of Coastal McKinney suggested there was com- Fisheries, made his official recommen- pelling biological evidence to decrease DECLINING NUMBERS: The decrease in speckled trout spawning INDEX dation to the TPW board of commis- bags to three or four fish to generate biomass populations in the lower Laguna Madre have prompted sioners concerning the decrease in See LIMIT, Page 21 TPW officials to prodose reducing the bag limit to five fish. Boat Buyer’s Guide Page 18 PRSRT STD Game Warden Blotter Page 10 Coal plant proposals US POSTAGE PAID Fishing Report Page 19 PLANO, TX PERMIT 210 Product Picks Page 16 fire up opposition Heroes Page 17 By Mark England indicating they plan to spend as much as $20 million to lobby legis- lators. And critics announced plans Weather Page 20 With the legislature back in ses- to meet in Austin on Feb. 12 for a sion, both sides in the dispute over “Lobby Day.” Wild in the Kitchen Page 20 building at least 17 additional coal- TXU officials argue its 11 pro- fired electricity plants in Texas are posed plants are critical to Texas’ Outdoor Datebook Page 22 busy. future. Energy companies filed papers See PLANTS, Page 15 Page 2 * February 9, 2007 Yamaha New February 9, 2007 * Page 3 Page 4 * February 9, 2007 NATIONAL 1,100 pounds of hog Nine-foot-long, 1/2-ton-plus-pig may rank as world record When a 9-foot-long, 1,100-lb. hog was “The man who owns the property said, “There was a lot of history of the hog killed in Fayette County by Bill Coursey “If y’all want to shoot this thing, shoot around here,” he said. “Several people of Fayetteville, Ga., it became a story that it,” Coursey said. told me they had seen the hog, and three spread like wildfire. “When we came around the corner, it others nearly the same size, in the area. CNN, Fox-5 News, the local papers, just about blew me away when I saw the Apparently it was running a three- or radio stations from Seattle and Los hog,” said Coursey, a life-long hunter. “It four-mile radius in south Fayette County Angeles to Jacksonville, and the was huge. When we drove up, the hog near Brooks, and it had been seen for Discovery Channel contacted Coursey, just looked at me. It was like the deer years. I had one guy come up and thank and even the me for shooting it. British He said he had Broadcasting ‘UNFORTUNATELY, I DON’T HAVE A GREAT HUNTING STORY’ built a new house Corp. (BBC) — BILL COURSEY and all four hogs called from had come in and London to get the rooted up all his details on a hog being touted as a new around here, if you walk out in the yard sod.” world record. they will just look at you as long as you The bucket on a back-hoe was required “Unfortunately, I don’t have a great don’t get too close.” to load the hog into a truck. The only hunting story,” said Coursey, who shot From 30 or 40 yards away, Bill shot the scales Bill could find that would handle the hog in a neighbor’s yard. hog behind the ear with a ballistic-tipped the weight were truck scales at a Fayette On Jan. 4, at about 3:30 p.m. round, and the mammoth hog crashed County waste-management transfer sta- Coursey’s wife and son were driving on the spot.“After I shot it, it was like a tion. The truck was weighed with the hog home in rural Fayette County when they circus around here,” he said. “I had the in the bed, then the hog was removed saw the huge black hog standing in a hog hung in a tree, and everybody was and the truck was weighed again. Bill neighbor’s yard. The hog had come out coming up with a camera. CNN called, obtained a video statement from the HUMONGOUS HOG: Bill Coursey, of Georgia, stands aside the 9- of a field, crossed the road and was and the New York Times. People I didn’t scale operator and a printout of the foot hog he shot. The bucket on a back-hoe was required to munching on water-oak acorns. They even know were coming up to take pic- weight: 1,100 pounds. load the hog into a truck. Photo by Georgia Outdoor News. pulled into the driveway for a closer look. tures of it. A Georgia Outdoor News report. NEW HOME Fish habitat comes from unlikely sources Most people are familiar with the practice of recycling tion sites, new retail stores that are being built in the state. Christmas trees as fish habitat, but fish structures also They build their foundations and clear their sites, and they come from less well-known sources. usually have these big boulders that are hard to get rid of. In the case of a recent habitat restoration project on “And they’re glad to see us come because we haul that Arkansas’ Bull Shoals tailwaters, structures came from a cat- stuff off and it saves the contractor a lot of money and we’re fish restaurant, a highway project and a new Wal-Mart able to put it to good use. It also saves us a lot of expense store. that would go toward buying materials.” The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission aquatic habi- AGFC acquired boulders from the excavation of a tat program recently completed work to restore habitat on Bellafonte site that will become the Cadron Catfish House. HABITAT HAVEN: Using a unique barge brought to Arkansas by an Iowa the White River between Roundhouse Shoals and Redbud Other boulders came from a new Wal-Mart store in Flippin. construction company, the habitat program placed more than 25,000 Shoals, using leftover materials from construction sites for Large trees with root structures were recovered from the combined tons of rock and wood into a two-mile stretch of the White River. fish habitat. construction area for the U.S. 62/412 bypass around “We’re kind of like scroungers when we go after this Flippin. improves the quality of the fishery for our anglers, it stuff,” said Larry Rider, AGFC habitat coordinator. “The “Instead of just piling it up and burning it and watching reduces erosion, and it improves water quality. It makes a great thing is that it doesn’t cost anything to get these it go up in smoke, we put it back into the environment,” big difference.” materials. We get them from a lot of sources — construc- Rider said, referring to the trees. “When you do that, it An Arkansas Game and Fish Commission report. Briefs INVESTIGATORS: TRAP-ROBBING constructive possession of more than case of trap theft ever to impact the wolves from the list. Resolution No. 42, which was CASE MAY BE WORST EVER three licensed saltwater fisheries traps, stone crab industry.” The two separate actions are being recently endorsed at the Liberal After an extensive investigation, the and 24 counts of unlawfully molesting taken in recognition of the success of Party’s convention in Montreal, was Florida Fish and Wildlife a stone crab trap, line or buoy, without WESTERN GREAT LAKES WOLVES gray wolf recovery efforts under the removed after sporting and industry Conservation Commission (FWC) has the permission of the license holder.