Fishing * December 23, 2005 Texas’ Premier Outdoor Newspaper Volume 2, Issue 9 * Winter bass See Page 8 www.lonestaroutdoornews.com INSIDE FISHING Ducky weather for hunters A middle-schooler broke a six- year-old record for common snook with a 6.5-pound catch. Nick Rizopoulos, 13, already holds six of the nine junior division fly-fishing records listed on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Web site. See Page 9 Low lake levels in Texas are leading to a concentration of fish in a smaller amount of water, which isn’t all bad for anglers. But those in boats need to be aware of hazards created by low LIKING THE WEATHER: Climate has been instrumental in the timely migration of ducks to Texas. More mallards have been seen along the coastal bend this year. water levels. And marina owners are coping by relying on Climate pattern shift brings snow to the North and ducks to the South extensions they have built onto By Mark England was a trophy to kill one,” Ritter said. vation programs for the Texas chap- or four years. As the northern areas their ramps. “This year there are large flocks of ter of Ducks Unlimited. of the country get colder, it ices up. See Page 8 them, 30 or 40 in a flock. The hunt- As to why, Ritter only had to ask There are less wetlands available. Ed Ritter has lived on the Texas ing was outstanding.” his hunting partner. There’s less aquatic vegetation. HUNTING coast since 1995. When Ritter went Others who have been around “Weather patterns have been Ducks are left with the agricultural Dove hunting in Texas this winter duck hunting around Thanksgiv- these parts longer than Ritter instrumental in the timely migra- fields to feed on. That’s where the ing in East Bernard, 15 miles north agreed with him. tion of ducks to Texas,” said Chad snow factors in. Three or 4 inches of will come down to the basics: of Wharton, he declared he’d never “I also heard that comment from Manlove, manager of conservation snow cover causes waterfowl to food, water and shelter. The seen more mallards in the area. people who have lived here all their planning for DU’s southern region. think about migrating.” hunting forecast for the state “The 10 years I’ve been here, it lives,” said Ritter, director of conser- “That’s been lacking the last three See DUCKS, Page 10 may be mixed, but you’ll still find doves wherever you can find the basic ingredients they need to thrive. Corn them … and See Page 6 A new hunting television they will come program featuring two Texas “Divas” is breaking the male- only rule of outdoor television. By Lynn Burkhead Experts say females represent an untapped market in the sport. See Page 7 As many deer hunters know, the use of corn has resulted in the demise of many a Texas whitetail. NATIONAL And while most golden nuggets are slung Conservationists are crediting from a permanent feeder, the practice of hunters for the re-emergence of “corning” a ranch road, a rocky trail, a the ivory-billed woodpecker in sendero or a fence line can also work white- Arkansas. The bird, thought tail wonders. “I think it’s pretty effective,” agreed extinct, was sighted on land RECORD RETURNS: David Hayes caught the world-record smallmouth in 1955. bought with funds from the Duck Clayton Wolf, the big game program leader Stamps purchased by hunters. for Texas Parks and Wildlife. See Page 4 “Deer have a keen sense of smell and 1955 catch makes often have a craving for corn.” Wolf thinks the technique can be partic- GOLDEN NUGGETS: “Corning’ a ularly useful as a management tool to har- ranch road can lead to an DEPARTMENTS See CORN, Page 10 record book again increase in deer activity. Migratory Bird Report Page 7 After an intense investigation his life. He brought it to a nearby PRSRT STD Across the Nation Page 10 of documents, many from 50 marina, which weighed the US POSTAGE PAID Product Picks Page 13 years ago, the International catch at 11 pounds and 15 Game Fish Association, the ounces and measured it at 27 PLANO, TX Outdoor Heroes Page 14 organization that maintains inches long with a 21 2/3-inch PERMIT 210 Crossword Puzzle Page 15 world records for both freshwa- girth. ter and saltwater game fishes, Hayes entered the fish for a Wild in the Kitchen Page 15 has reinstated a record for the record with Field and Stream Weather Page 15 biggest smallmouth bass ever magazine, which at the time was caught. the keeper of freshwater records. Game Warden Blotter Page 16 While fishing Dale Hollow It granted Hayes’ fish a record for Outdoor Datebook Page 17 Lake on the Tennessee-Kentucky the heaviest smallmouth bass state line on July 8, 1955, David ever taken on rod and reel. In Fishing Report Page 18 Hayes, of Litchfield, Ky., caught the biggest smallmouth bass of See RECORD, Page 10 EVERYBODY’S COMFORTABLE. EXCEPT THE COMPETITION. 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Page 4 * December 23, 2005 NATIONAL NRA Women’s Hunters get credit for hunt schedule announced aiding rare woodpecker Hunters are getting a lion’s share of the birds in the Cache River National Wildlife The National Rifle Association’s Women On Target credit for saving the ivory-billed woodpeck- Refuge. He brought two bird experts to the program has just released its 2006 hunt schedule. er, a non-game bird, from extinction. site, and they reported seeing it, too. And NRA’s women-only hunts create ideal opportunities A representative of The Nature when a professor captured the bird in flight for novice or experienced women hunters to pursue a Conservancy even visited the Mallard in fuzzy but authentic video, an analysis of variety of game species in different locales. Pointe Lodge — whose ceiling sports antler all the data pointed to the startling fact that “Making it easier for more women to get involved in chandeliers and its walls stuffed ducks — to the ivory bill was back. hunting and the shooting sports is a priority for the make that point. NRA,” said Mary Sue Faulkner, Director of the NRA’s Since then, though, it’s not been seen. “The people of Arkansas, the hunting and However, a coalition made up of The Nature Community Service Programs Division. “Women On fishing community, conserved these Target is a key part of that effort — and at the rate some Conservancy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife woods,” said Scott Simon, director of the Service, the Arkansas Game and Fish of these hunts sell out, it is clear that women are eager group’s Arkansas chapter. for hunting opportunities.” Commission, Audubon Arkansas and the Simon and other environmentalists sin- Cornell Lab of Ornithology has put togeth- Since the program’s launch in late 1999, women of gled out hunters for praise in bringing the er a search team that will look for the bird all experience levels have been invited to take part. rare bird back from presumed extinction in through April 2006. Hunts are chosen after careful screening of outfitters, the Big Woods section of Arkansas. “Finding birds is a critical part of the and a range of destinations and cost levels are offered. Hunters’ purchasing of Duck Stamps For 2006 and early 2007, Women On Target will travel brought in $41 million to reclaim much of recovery process, and we’re hoping for some to new and exciting hunting destinations, as well as the habitat where the endangered wood- exciting news,” said Sam D. Hamilton, the return to the sites of some of its most popular hunts. pecker was spotted. USFWS southeast regional director. New hunts for whitetail deer in South Carolina and “The $41 million went into the land IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER In this, too, hunters are allies, according deer, hog, coyote and bobcat in Alabama will join before the ivory bill showed up,” Simon to Scott Henderson, director of the Arkansas already popular pheasant, wild boar and antelope said.