January Photo of the Month
Congrats to our January winner. Monthly winners are entered into our Photo of the Year Contest which includes a 4 day high fence bow hunt for trophy whitetail at the QB Ranch Be sure to get your February photos in for a chance to win your own custom pair of Costa Del Mar sunglasses! Buckeye Orion XIR Live Cam  Deer Food Plot Fence
Provided By Goin Fencing |
Synopsis of Episode 76:
We start things off with the always controversial topic of lead shot. Lead has long been outlawed for waterfowling, but the pressure is building for an overall lead ban across the board in upland situations as well. Field and Stream Shotgunning Editor Phil Bourjaily’s recent article Is Lead Dead?, brings up the very real possibility that lead may be on it’s way out in upland hunting as well. Phil joins us to go in depth on the future of lead shot.
Then Andy Schafer of the Texas A&M College Bass Fishing Team drops in to talk about the FLW Collegiate Series. Andy was also just named a repeat member of the National Guard FLW Collegiate All-American team. After tearing up the Texas region, he and his partner Paul Manley qualified for the National Championship in Florida last year.
Gig’em!
Many of ya’ll are probably aware that on June 20th, the Animal Planet aired special aimed at villifying high fence hunting operations. This caused the Sportsmanship in Hunting Act to once again come to the forefront and H.R. 2210 could have a devestating effect on our state’s hunting industry as it would make it illegal to hunt trophy exotic animals on any enclosure less than 1,000 acres!!! Most of us probably don’t even hunt free ranging whitetails on places that big. Austin Dempsey of the Star S Ranch joins us to discuss the potential impact of this proposed legislation. Also, the anti hunters are quick to dismiss the fact that hunters are the biggest conservationists out there as evidenced by many high fence ranches committment to saving species such as the Scimitar Horned Oryx which is on the verge of extinction in it’s native Africa.
Future of Lead Shot, Texas A&M All American Angler and High Fence Exotic Hunting In Serious Danger
This week’s show will is a pretty fishing intensive one. I was able to head down to Corpus and fish two days last week. On Wednesday I took a trip with our resident saltwater guide Capt Len Girard. So Len joins to talk about our trip and the awesome trout bite along the Texas coast. Myself and Captain Len with a mess of trout.
LeAnn Shcmidt of Cabela’s then drops in to talk about the awesome event taking place this weekend in the North Texas area. It’s the annual Allen USA summer bash and Cabela’s is partnering with our Lone Star Chapter of Delta Waterfowl among other organizations to put on the Cabela’s Zone. The festivities start at 4pm so parents grab your kids and get them to the Cabela’s Zone for some great free outdoor activities.
Then it’s a special in studio treat as we are joined by a couple of avid outdoorsmen- Scott Burgess and Tori Smith, better known as The Gringo Kings. These fellas keep their bass rods with ‘em in the tour van! We’ll talk some huntin’ and fishin’ with these good old boys and of course they brought their guitars, so expect to mix in some awesome Texas tunes as well.
We round out the show by checking in with Lake Fork Guide Heath Hardwick. The big girls are schooled up in most Texas lakes and Heath tells us how he is hammering them by deep water structure fishing around mid morning. Should be a great show!
Trout & Reds, The Gringo Kings & Big Bassin' on Lake Fork
Synopsis of Episode 74:
This week should be another educational episode. Off the top Ray Faulkner joins us to talk about the June Photo of the Month Grand Prize which Texas Custom Camo and Imaging was kind enough to donate!
Then we’ll visit with Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Whitetail Program Leader Alan Cain. Much of Texas is mired in drought and that is not good for our whitetail herd. Decreased birth rates? Fawn mortality? Starvation? Disease? Antler growth? Alan breaks it all down for us.Prolonged drought can stunt cause deer to become emaciated and stunt antler growth.
Then we talk hunting lights with Rob Bresnehan of Magnalight. A Texas based company, Magnalight has been around for 40 years. Mostly making high end, high tech lighting products for our military. But over the past 5 or 6 years, they have become a major player among varmint, predator and hog hunters. They also manufacture the commercial fishing lights you see on shows such as Deadliest Catch If it has to do with outdoor lighting, Magnalight is sure to be in the middle of it so pull up a chair for our Outdoor Lighting 101 class!
Then Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Coastal Fisheries Director Robin Reichers joins us as the red snapper season has officially opened up along the Gulf Coast. It also happens to be the shortest snapper season on record which has both commercial and recreational anglers up in arms. The short season even prompted Governor Perry to write a letter to the Gulf Coast Fishery Management Council. So what’s up with the shortened season? Robin has the answers. He also has reason to believe that the two fish per day limit is the reason for larger snapper being caught over the past few years. Red Snapper… One of my favorites. See ya’ll at the coast, it’s offshore time!
Podcast:
Episode 74 Texas Sized Drought Affecting Our Deer Herd, Outdoor Lighting 101 and Red Snapper Talk
Synopsis of Episode 73:
Yep, this week is an eclectic mix of stuff. We have a ton to get into starting with our Lake Texoma striper report with longtime guide Jimmy Bishop. The big gals are starting to turn on and Jimmy gives us the low down on where and how he is whackin ‘em.
Then a real life hero joins the show. Less than one year ago, U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Trevor Baucom’s Black Hawk helicopter crashed on a night mission in Afghanistan. The accident left Trevor paralyzed from the waste down, but that hasn’t stopped the Texas native from joining Team Smith & Wesson’s competive pistol shooting squad. Trevor competing at the Bianchi Cup two weeks ago:
Then Texas State Rep. Gary Elkins, of Houston, drops in. Thanks to Rep. Elkins, noodling for catfish is no longer illegal in Texas. Rep. Elkins authored a bill that was just passed into law during the 2011 session in Austin. Look like fun?
Next weekend is the 2nd Annual Texas Game Warden’s Association Gulf Coast Tournament with all proceeds raised going back into getting Texas’ youth involved in hunting and fishing. Nueces County Game Warden Les Casterline joins us to talk about the tourny as well as the great music lineup that will headline Saturday’s festivities highlighted by Cody Johnson and Mark McKinney.
And last but not least we talk some wingshooting with TPWD Dove Program Leader Corey Mason. How is the current drought situation throughout much of the state going to affect the 2011 dove season? How was this year’s hatch? Will bags like the one below be a common site or will hunters be greeted with empty skies this September?
Podcast:
Episode 73 An American Hero , Noodling for Catfish, Drought's Affect on Dove, and A Whole Lot More
Synopsis of Episode 72:
Well this week should be entertaining as heck to say the least! We get the ball rolling with tv producer Brian Hawkins. Brian has won 3 Grammys for mainstream television and also has a Golden Moose Award to his credit…can’t say there are many of those kind of folks out there…anyway, Brian is producing a new predator hunting show which premieres at the end of the month on the Pursuit Channel. Our good buddy and lifelong predator hunter Gary Roberson is the host of Carnivore and I am thrilled to see what these guys have worked up for us. Brian with a nice archery tom:
Then, it’s a visit from a larger than life outdoor personality when Travis ‘T-Bone’ Turner drops by. A former car salesman for Mercedes, you probably know him as the co-host of Michael Waddell’s Bone Collector but ya may be unaware that ‘ol T-bone is a former world champion 3-D shooter, and 4-time Georgia state champion archer. So needless to say we’ll get into some bowhuntin’ talk and I guarantee I’ll ask Travis what his favorite deer camp snack is…
We then round out the broadcast by talkin’ some bass fishin’ with our old buddy and Elite Series Pro Alton Jones. The 2008 Bassmaster Classic champ is on a tear in 2011 with 4 top 10′s in only 6 events thus far. That’s good enough for a 2nd place tie with KVD in the Angler of the Year standings. A Waco resident, Alton knows Lake Waco and Whitney like the back of his hand so we’ll get into summertime patterns on those lakes. And after spending 3 days at Falcon last week, he also has the specs on South Texas hottest bass lake. All that and I almost forgot…Alton is now an advocate for catch and release…the grease! TPWD and Alton are working together to change the mentality towards one where it’s okay to catch and eat bucketmouths- so that should be interesting as well. Alton doing what he does best:
Podcast:
Episode 72
Synopsis of Episode 71:
Renown big game hunter, conservationist and TV show host Jim Shockey makes his return to the show. Jim has been up to his usual tricks of traveling the globe harvesting big game animals and we get him to talk about some of his latest adventures from ram hunting in Iran to his daughter Eva’s first black bear hunt.
Jim also dives into the importance of conservation organizations such as DU, SCI, DSC and the Big Horn Sheep Society. Everyone of us needs to support at least one conservation organization. Also, how does Jim forsee our huge national debt affecting hunters and outdoorsmen in the future?
A true world travler, Jim is no stranger to hunting in Texas.
We then wrap up our miniseries “The Progression of A Gun Dog” when Tioga Retreiver’s Angie Becker drops in. Most of ya’ll know that my 10 month old female lab Belle has been with Angie for the past three months as she was enrolled in the Basic Gun Dog Program.
This is the third and final installment of the series as we wrap up and review how things went for Belle during her training program. Angie also talks about the importance of repitition and consistency once your dog is home from training. Afterall, it’s expensive and we want our 4 legged hunting buddies to remember all the stuff they learned while away :duckpuncher:
Belle and I even ran in our first hunt test a couple weeks ago and while we didn’t get her junior title we still had a heck of a good time and it was a great learning experience for us both.
Belle in action at the recent hunt test in Ravenna, TX.
Podcast:
Episode 71 Big Game Hunter Jim Shockey & "The Progression of a Gun Dog"- Part III
Synopsis of Episode 70:
Got alot going on this week. Starting with a hidden gem in our state’s freshwaters. The largest freshwater fish in Texas, the prehistoric alligator gar can live well beyond 50 years and reach weights of more than 300 lbs!!! Each year, anglers from all over the globe come to Texas to fish the mighty Trinity in search of a record breaking fish. TPWD Inland Fisheries Biologist Dave Buckmeier is the authority on Texas alligator gar and he joins us to discuss the future of alligator gar as a sport fish. Dave tagging an alligator gar, one of TPWD’s projects to learn more about the behavior of these fish.
Then we check in with Delta Waterfowl Sr Vice President John Devney. Conditions across much of the Dakota’s and Canada are extremely wet- which means good habitat for duck production. John drops in to give us his predictions for the 2011-2012 fall flight. We’ll also discuss the threat of losing thousands of acres in the Prarie Pothole region as current CRP contracts are set to expire.
Also, in case you missed it…wildlife officials shot and killed a male mountain lion in downtown El Paso last weekend! Drought conditions are forcing predators towards more urban ares in search of food and such was the case with this brute. TPWD Game Warden Captain Robert Newman was present during this unfortunate circumstance and he joins to recap what happened.
Podcast:
Episode 70 Alligator Gars: A Texas Hidden Treasure, Urban Mt Lions and Waterfowl Nesting Conditions in the Duck Factory
Synopsis of Episode 69:
That’s whats coming up this weekend ya’ll. Dr. James Kroll joins us to talk about managing your deer herd during the spring and summer months. “Dr. Deer” is one of the most respected whitetail biologists in the country and it’s a pleasure to have him make a return visit to the show. What should you look for in a protein pellet? What percentage of fat content is too much in a pellet? Should does be harvested early or late in the season or does it eve matter. What about doe age structure in a management plan? All that and a whole lo more with Dr. Kroll.
Then we get back to our Texas roots with some good ‘ol fashioned country music when Zane Williams joins us in studio. He is one of the fastest rising stars on the Texas music scene and I am thrilled to have him join us to play a few tunes and talk a little fishin! We headed out to get after the crappie this week and failed miserably! But we did have a great time and caught a few fish. Zane with a prize- a monster sandie…LOL.
We then round out the show with Army Bass Anglers Founder and CEO Major Cody Roberson. Some of our servicemen have been cashing checks in numerous tournaments of late. Major Roberson even finished first at the Jailbreak Classic on Canyon Lake a couple weeks ago. So we will get into some serious fishing talk and of course I will ask Major his thoughts on Osama Bin Laden’s killing and how he thinks President Obama handled the situation.
Podcast:
Episode 69 Whitetail Management with Dr. James Kroll, Artist Zane Williams and Army Bass Anglers Major Cody Roberson
Synopsis of Episode 68:
I have some great late season turkey tactics to share with ya’ll. A lot of it is based on my own experiences but I also am pleased that my friend and mentor, outdoor writer and fellow outdoor talk show host Luke Clayton will join the show. Luke has been chasing gobblers for longer than I have been alive. So I am thrilled to have him share some of his thoughts on ways to successfully bag late season toms. Luke also has a stellar turkey fajita recipe that he will share with us.
Also, Lone Star Outdoor News’ Connor Harrison joins us to talk about his recent article that focused on lunkers that have been entered into the sharelunker program multiple times! TPWD’s Sharelunker Program has successfully been microchipping lunker entries for the past 5 or 6 years and the largest fish caught in Texas in 2011 also happens to be the Caddo Lake Monster that was the state’s largest bass caught in 2010. And I’ll be danged if it wasn’t caught in the exact same area of the lake. A fish outta Alan Henry was even entered into the program 3 years straight from ’05-’07. Pretty cool.
We also will check in with Capt Len Girard to get our Texas Saltwater fishing report. He has been wearing out the reds, trout and even flounder of late and Capt Len gives us the lowdown on whats working along the Texas Coast.
Podcast:
Episode 68 Homebody Sharelunkers, Late Season Turkey Tactics and A Texas Coastal Fishing Report
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