Congrats to our April 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 May photos in for a chance to win your own customized pair of Costa Del Mar shades!
What We’re Doing
Congrats to our drawing winners! Jeff got the Mitch Moreland autographed Ducks Unlimited cap and Brodie went home with a promo card for a new pair of Costa Del Mar shades! Thanks to everyone who came out to Rudy's BBQ this past weekend.
We start off by checking in with Sundance Ranch’s Wade Burton. Sundance Ranch is a small Hill Country Equine Community. Properties in this rural community are between 2 and 5 acres and bowhunting has long been an acceptable method used to help control their ever increasing deer population. With one deer for every 3 acres, things have gotten out of control. The deer have become an nuisance but there is a small faction of community members who want the bowhunting to stop and one member is suing to try to end bowhunting completely. Wade discusses the problems deer are causing and why bowhunting needs to continue at Sundance Ranch. The overall health of the herd is suffering and automobile accidents are increasing. Situations like the one below aren’t good for us or the deer:
The we are joined by longtime Texas outdoor writer Bob Hood. Bob has been goose hunting in Texas for 42 years and his recent article Ghosts of Goose Hunts Past – was featured in the latest Texas Fish and Game Magazine. Things have changed significantly over 4 decades and Bob has seen and done it all. From the rice fields of the Katy Prarie to the peanut fields of West Texas he has experienced the highs and lows of Texas goose hunting. Are things better now than they were back then- when a decoy spread consisted of a bunch of rags? Bob tells it all. Below is South Texas goose hunting pioneer Marvin Tyler, credited for beginning the rag decoy craze back in the 1960s.
We then round things out by talking water easements when Texas Nature Conservancy State Director Laura Huffman stops by. In November, Proposition H will be voted on by the legislature. This important bill offers Texas landowners tax breaks for allowing water on their property to be available for public use. And with 96% of our state privately owned- it’s important for us to start thinking about alternative water sources for both us and our fish and wildlife such as the private wetland seen below.
Ghosts of Goose Hunts Past, Texas Community Squaring off w/ Anti Hunters, Tax Breaks for Texas Landowners[ 1:02:00 ]Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Holy smokes, I don’t know how we are going to fit all this into one hour! We start off by checking in with the bossman- Texas Parks and Wildlife Executive Director Carter Smith. The biannual budget was recently released and unfortunately- TPWD had to cut 21% off the budget- or roughly 150 million dollars over the next two years! How will this affect hunters, anglers, hikers and campers? Will license fees go up? Will state parks be forced to close and scenes like this one from the Granger State Park WMA become less and less frequent? Carter answers all the tough questions.
The we talk big bass, redfish and some urban fishing with pro angler Jen Carroll. Jen is passionate about getting kids and women involved in fishing and the great outdoors. She fished the women’s Bassmaster Circuit for three years before it shut down. How many of you fellas can beat a PB 11 lb largemouth? I know I can’t!
Then a real treat for all you football fans out there as Dallas Cowboy’s safety Gerald Sensabaugh drops in. The 2-2 Cowboys are on a bye this week and I guarantee ya that means Gerald is on the water somewhere enjoying his other passion in life. We talk a little football and a whole lotta fishing. Gerald doing what he does on the gridiron and on the water:
We round out the show by checking in with Lone Star Ag Credit’s Mike Shelley. It’s all of our dreams to one day own our own piece of land to hunt and fish on. Mike explains how Lone Star Ag Credit can make that dream a reality. This is one show you don’t want to miss!
TPWD Budget Cuts Sting! Fishing with a Dallas Cowboy, Bassin' With Jen Carroll and Purchasing Hunting Property[ 1:02:30 ]Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Man what a show! We kick it off when one of my favorite singer/songwriters joins us in studio! The great Darryl Lee Rush grew up in small town coastal Texas where hunting and fishing were a way of life. He shares some seriously funny recollections of his childhood and how his upbringing helped make him the musician he is today. Of course, Darryl recently released his 3rd album and we get him to play a few tunes for us live!
Then a very special treat when the beautiful Diamond Poole joins us. Diamond is a successful swimsuit, lingerie and fitness model who also plays full tackle football for the Dallas Diamonds. But there is a whole lot more to her story…up until about a year ago, Diamond was a lifelong PETA supporter, even donating part of her earnings each month to their effort!!! She thought all of us hunters were just a bunch ignorant rednecks anxious to kill the first thing that walked by. Luckily, she fell for a nice southern gentlemen who eventually showed her the light about what hunting truly is. You won’t want to miss her fascinating story as Diamond now has a whole mess of kills under her belt – including this trophy aoudad from this summer.
We round out the show by checking in with everybody’s favorite bass fishing guide- Lake Fork Guide Heath Hardwick. Cooler weather means big bass are chasing shad back to shallow water. Heath tells us where to find ‘em and what to use.
Darryl Lee Rush Live in Studio, A Former PETA Backing Model Turned Deer Killing Machine and Fall Big Bassin'[ 1:02:26 ]Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Wow- what a stellar lineup this week. It’s been about a year since Uncle Ted was on with us. Apparently, that is way too long…because Ted has a heck of a lot to say! Ted wants some Texas hunting regulations changed regarding Migratory Game Birds and High Fence Hunting. I have to admit- I agree with what he has to say. Also, @ 63 years old, how in the world is Ted still rockin’ out like it’s 1977? The man simply never stops going! You won’t want to miss this one.
Then former Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams stops by. You might have seen it by now, but if not be sure to check out the video below. It’s sheer genious and will no doubt make ya laugh. Roger is currently on the campaign trail as he is running for Congress in 2012. Roger is a lifelong Texan and represents the small business owner. I know I have his back as do most of our listeners.
We round things out with our old buddy Captain Len Girard. The report along the coast just gets better and better as redfish, trout and black drum are on fire!!! Fishing from Corpus Christi Bay past the Land Cut, Len gives us the low down on where to catch ‘em and what they are biting. Captain Len with a monster.
Wow! So much is going on in our great state right now. Sadly not all of it is good as much of our historic Bastrop State Park has been ravaged by the latest wildfires to scorch the Texas ground. Bastrop State Park was set up as part of FDR’s New Deal as the country tried to rebound from the Great Depression. Anyway, Texas Parks and Wildlife Spokesman Mike Cox drops in to talk about the fire and how it has affected the park and the famous “Lost Pines” forest. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by Texas Wildfires in 2011. Firefighters trying to supress the flames at Bastrop State Park:
Then a very special treat as one of Texas best singer/songwriters joins us in studio. Owen Temple grew up in the Hill Country and deer hunting and pickin’ on an old guitar where just a way of life. Owen plays a couple tunes and talks about his love for the outdoors.
We round out the show by checking in with shark angler Albert Zertouche. On August 13th of this past summer Albert hooked up with a 12 ft 6 inch tiger shark off of North Padre’s Bob Hall Pier. This fish already shattered the Texas catch and release record and is a pending world record! Albert talks shark angling and tells the tale about his once in a lifetime catch!
Belle and I headed out on her first real duck hunt this past weekend. We ended up with 3 greenwing teal. She retrieved each bird and delieverd to hand like a good girl. Still needs to work on marking a bit though. Overall it was a great first hunt! Hope ya’ll were able to get out there and enjoy a morning in the outdoors as well. Belle’s birds:
With early teal season arriving this weekend I figured we better talk some ducks. And few folks out there know ducks like Duck Commader Jase Roberson. We talk early teal, water moccasins, what it was like growing up with a father like Phil and a whole lot more. As with all the Duckmen, Jase is a riot and will no doubt be a good listen!
Then we visit with Cooperstown legend Fergie Jenkins. The former Cy Young winner still holds the single season mark for wins by a Ranger pitcher with 25!!! But more importantly Fergie is a lifelong outdoorsman who will not only talk about the good ol days of Major League Baseball- specifically how could Fergie throw a whopping 30 complete games in 1971 while today’s starters rarely make it to the 8th inning. Notorious for hauling his bass boat to spring training and taking off right after practice, Fergie also also talks about a couple hunts he has planned this fall including bow hunting Illinois and elk hunting in Idaho. He even used to raise hunting dogs. Should be a good un!
Got my good buddy and favorite singer/songwriter Zane Williams out on his first ever dove hunt this week. The shooting was slow and we missed our only couple chances to knock down a few whitewings. Good news is I think Zane might have been bitten by the hunting bug. We are going to get him out on a duck hunt sometime this fall. Zane scanning the skyline for doves.
We did get to enjoy an awesome North Texas sunset. Zane said that he really needs to get out in the field more often as it seems like it would be easy to draw inspiration to write songs from being in the great outdoors.
We start things off with Texas Fish and Game Magazine’s John Felsher. His latest article “Bass Tactics for Redfish” breaks down the similarities between freshwater bassin’ and saltwater reds. Bass fisherman don’t need to restock their tackle boxes when they head to the coast- just go with what ya got. John talks about some of his favorite bass baits that redfish can’t resist. John with a nice bull red caught on a spinnerbait:
We keep it coastal with our next guest as Captain Len Girard makes a return visit to the show. Len has the reds, trout and flounder bite down to a science from Corpus Christi Bay all the way up to the Land Cut. But right now, the Upper Laguna Madre is on fire, and Len is reeling in the big reds. He tells us where to find ‘em and what their biting.
We round out the broadcast with a real treat as former TPWD employee and longtime freelance outdoor writer John Jefferson joins the program. John’s latest piece “Golden Age of State Parks, How Texas Acquired a Passel of Iconic Parklands” graced the cover of the August edition of TPWD Magazine. The Lone Star State has over 600,000 acres of state park land. But it was the effort and vision of a few conservationists who helped pave the way for our great state park system. The 25 year Golden Age from 1963 to 1988 saw over sixty state parks added to the system. You may recognize names like Governor John Connally, Texas Tech’s John Gosdin and Senator Don Kennard. John talks about the article and reflects on some of those who paved the way for the state park system that hundreds of thousands of Texas hunters, hikers, campers and anglers enjoy each year.
Well it’s finally here ya’ll! The North and Central Zone Dove Openers are this Thursday, September 1st. For many of us this signals the beginning of hunting season. But if you’re like me then you probably spent too much time fishing this summer and not enough time at the range finetuning those shotgunning skills. But, there is hope for us slackers out there. Our good buddy Paul Bradshaw of Texas Fish and Game Magazinejoins us to help us out. Paul has some last minute tips to share that might just help us knock down a few more birds this fall. He’ll break down the 4 B’s among other things. Check out this great camera work on a good shot on this dove.
Hunting season not only means that hundreds of thousands of Texans will be flinging lead this fall, it also means that thousands of hunting dogs will once again be called on to perform in the field. However, danger goes hand in hand with the duties of all types of hunting dogs. In Texas, one of the most serious dangers is venemous snakes. Rattlers, moccasins, copperheads…you name it! If you hunt Texas- your dog will eventually come across one of ‘em. But there are measures to take to ensure your dog has the knowledge to steer clear of snakes- most notably you can enter them into a snake avoidance clinic. So this week, the Snakebreaker himself, Wayne Lain joins us to talk about snake avoidance. He performs these valuable clinics all over the state, my dogs have gone thru it and I recommend yours do as well.
We round things out by checking in with our big bass authority- Lake Fork Guide Heath Hardwick. Fall is around the corner and even though it’s still hotter than hell, the fish know it’s time to once again start moving up in the shallows in search of food. Heath breaks down what you should be doing to pattern these fish and hopefully haul some of these toads into the boat. And for you waterfowlers- we will also get an early teal scouting report since Heath is on the water everyday. Heath with a recent catch.
Ghosts of Goose Hunts Past, Texas Community Squaring off w/ Anti Hunters, Tax Breaks for Texas Landowners [ 1:02:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
