Lone Star Outdoor Show

Podcast: Episode 127 So much to cover and only an hour to do it! We kick it off by going deep for Texoma striped bass with Limitless Outdoor Adventures’ Jacob Orr. Texas country artist Zane Williams and I were lucky enough to fish w/ Jacob this past week and we brought home some really nice fish! We went deep for the big girls and then enjoyed a fast and furious top water bite later on in the morning. The fish were healthy and seem to have recovered after last year’s threadfin shad die off. Jacob gives us tips on where to catch ‘em and what to look for. Zane and I with our over 20″ keepers. Then a real treat when our longtime friend of the show Josh Abbott drops in! Josh and the band recently released a new record ‘Small Town Family Dream’ which has been met with much acclaim both in Texas and nationally. We discuss the new record and of course get into Josh’s love for the great outdoors. Josh with a trophy auodad he bagged last fall. We wrap things up by checking in with Lake Corpus Christi bow fisherman Brent Crawford. He became an overnight celebrity in the outdoor industry after he arrowed this 8’2″ alligator gar on Memorial Day. The fish easily would’ve beaten the old Texas all tackle record of 302 lbs- but this behemoth bottomed out the 300 scale with only two thirds of her body weight! Brent tells the fishing tale of a lifetime that includes him being drug off the bank and into the water this amazing fish. Hold on- it’s gonna be a wild ride!

Podcast: So much to cover and only an hour to do it! We kick it off by going deep for Texoma striped bass with Limitless Outdoor Adventures’ Jacob Orr. Texas country artist Zane Williams and I were lucky enough to fish w/ Jacob this past week and we brought home some really nice fish! We went deep for the big girls and then enjoyed a fast and furious top water bite later on in the morning. The fish were healthy and seem to have recovered after last year’s threadfin shad die off. Jacob gives us tips on where to catch ’em and what to look for. Zane and I with our over 20″ keepers. Then a real treat when our longtime friend of the show Josh Abbott drops in! Josh and the band recently released a new record ‘Small Town Family Dream’ which has been met with much acclaim both in Texas and nationally. We discuss the new record and of course get into Josh’s love for the great outdoors. Josh with a trophy auodad he bagged last fall. We wrap things up by checking in with Lake Corpus Christi bow fisherman Brent Crawford. He became an overnight celebrity in the outdoor industry after he arrowed this 8’2″ alligator gar on Memorial Day. The fish easily would’ve beaten the old Texas all tackle record of 302 lbs- but this behemoth bottomed out the 300 scale with only two thirds of her body weight! Brent tells the fishing tale of a lifetime that includes him being drug off the bank and into the water this amazing fish. Hold on- it’s gonna be a wild ride!

Podcast: Episode 126 It’s gonna be a good one as usual! Right off the top were talking ducks- specifically Farm Bill- with Ducks Unlimited’s Director of Public Policy Dan Wrinn and Duck’s Unlimited’s Government Affairs Representative Eric Lindstrom. Our current Farm Bill expires in September of this year. The new proposal has been passed thru the Senate but still has to clear the U.S. House of Representatives. Dan and Eric break down the new Farm Bill for us. It’s passage is essential for waterfowl, duck hunters and conservation. This mallard hen is taking advantage of nesting cover the Farm Bill provides in the Prairie Pothole Region. Then a very special in studio guest when one of Texas’ premiere singer/songwriters Nate Kipp drops by. West Texas born and raised, Nate has been pickin’ a guitar and plinkin’ jackrabbits since he was old enough to walk. We’ll hear some tunes off the new record and talk some outdoors with one of Texas’ finest! Then we round out the show by talking about Texas’ apex predator- mountain lions. I would love to harvest a mountain lion but these big cats are rare in Texas- the majority of us will go our whole lives without ever seeing one. But they are here and Dr. Michael Tewes of the Ceasar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute has been studying Texas mountain lions for over 30 years! He is the authority on Texas cats. He explains these mysterious creatures and talks about the areas of the state where they occur most frequently. This lion was photographed in Big Bend State Park. I guarantee one thing: there are more lions in Texas than you think!

Podcast: It’s gonna be a good one as usual! Right off the top were talking ducks- specifically Farm Bill- with Ducks Unlimited’s Director of Public Policy Dan Wrinn and Duck’s Unlimited’s Government Affairs Representative Eric Lindstrom. Our current Farm Bill expires in September of this year. The new proposal has been passed thru the Senate but still has to clear the U.S. House of Representatives. Dan and Eric break down the new Farm Bill for us. It’s passage is essential for waterfowl, duck hunters and conservation. This mallard hen is taking advantage of nesting cover the Farm Bill provides in the Prairie Pothole Region. Then a very special in studio guest when one of Texas’ premiere singer/songwriters Nate Kipp drops by. West Texas born and raised, Nate has been pickin’ a guitar and plinkin’ jackrabbits since he was old enough to walk. We’ll hear some tunes off the new record and talk some outdoors with one of Texas’ finest! Then we round out the show by talking about Texas’ apex predator- mountain lions. I would love to harvest a mountain lion but these big cats are rare in Texas- the majority of us will go our whole lives without ever seeing one. But they are here and Dr. Michael Tewes of the Ceasar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute has been studying Texas mountain lions for over 30 years! He is the authority on Texas cats. He explains these mysterious creatures and talks about the areas of the state where they occur most frequently. This lion was photographed in Big Bend State Park. I guarantee one thing: there are more lions in Texas than you think!

Podcast: We all hate the destruction that feral hogs create in Texas. That’s why we shoot them and trap them to no end. Our buddy Don Gresham of Montague County, Texas has been in the hog trap building business for some time. I have seen firsthand how he has incorporated technology into his trapping and I have actually watched Don trap 13 hogs with the click of a button his cellphone!!! The wireless camera sends a pic to your smart phone and you decide whether or not to slam the trap door! Too cool. Also, we will hear the story about a hog that came to be know as ‘Hogdini’ for his disappearing act- twice getting out of a 6ft high hog trap. If you look close you can see Hogdini jumping over the panels in the game cam picture below: Then we get into a very serious issue concerning the Texas coast when Governor Rick Perry makes his return to the show. The U.S. Department of the Interior has mandated all non-producing off shore oil rigs be removed from the Gulf Coast. The issue with this ‘Idle Iron’ policy is that our 50,000 off shore oil rigs make up the biggest artificial reef system in the world. Marine ecosystems and the health of many of our fisheries thrive around these off shore structures. Coastal economies will lose revenue, anglers and divers will lose out and most importantly- so will marine life. A passionate diver and angler- Governor Perry has our backs and we talk about this flawed initiative. Here is a red snapper I caught off an oil rig in 2010. Then we round out the show when our longtime friend and Texas Parks and Wildlife Upland Game Bird Program Leader Robert Perez drops in. Last year was one of the worst quail seasons on record. Much was made about a possible change in bag limits and season dates to help our struggling bobwhite population. What did TPWD decide? Also, they have a new 4 year program they’ve enacted and we (the hunter) are and essential part of it. Robert gives is the lowdown as we dissect the always concerning bobwhite quail issue.

Podcast: Episode 124 Gonna be a good one! The trout bite is on fire along the Texas Coast and our good friend Captain Len Girard joins us to break it down. What are they biting, where is he finding them? Also redfish are in the shallows and still decent numbers of flounder can be caught. I had the pleasure of heading down there two weeks ago and we caught some nice keepers while wade fishing. Then we get into some noodling talk with Jason Tedder of Team SeaArk. Noodling was illegal in Texas until 2011 and Jason’s team won the first ever sanctioned noodling tournament in Texas! The Lone Star Noodling Tournament took place on Lake Palestine on May 19th and it was awesome!!! Here is a video of Jason noodling a flathead at the tournament- compliments of our friends at Lone Star Outdoor News. We round out the broadcast by wrapping up the 2012 Texas Spring Turkey Season with our longtime friend – TPWD Turkey Program Leader Jason Hardin. Jason knows our state’s longbeards like nobody else and he talks about his season and Texas turkey hunters season in general. Also, some concerning trends with Texas’ Eastern Turkey’s. Jason gives us the scoop! Here is a great photo of 4 struttin’ Toms taken by one of our listeners this spring.

Podcast: Gonna be a good one! The trout bite is on fire along the Texas Coast and our good friend Captain Len Girard joins us to break it down. What are they biting, where is he finding them? Also redfish are in the shallows and still decent numbers of flounder can be caught. I had the pleasure of heading down there two weeks ago and we caught some nice keepers while wade fishing. Then we get into some noodling talk with Jason Tedder of Team SeaArk. Noodling was illegal in Texas until 2011 and Jason’s team won the first ever sanctioned noodling tournament in Texas! The Lone Star Noodling Tournament took place on Lake Palestine on May 19th and it was awesome!!! Here is a video of Jason noodling a flathead at the tournament- compliments of our friends at Lone Star Outdoor News. We round out the broadcast by wrapping up the 2012 Texas Spring Turkey Season with our longtime friend – TPWD Turkey Program Leader Jason Hardin. Jason knows our state’s longbeards like nobody else and he talks about his season and Texas turkey hunters season in general. Also, some concerning trends with Texas’ Eastern Turkey’s. Jason gives us the scoop! Here is a great photo of 4 struttin’ Toms taken by one of our listeners this spring.

Podcast: Episode 123 Our longtime buddy and Elite Series Pro Kelly Jordon drops by. We get Kelly’s thoughts on fishing grass lines where bass typically congregate. “Find the grass and you’ll find the bass”. We also discuss the Elite Series and how things are shaking out so far this season. Also, Kelly is a passionate off shore fisherman – heading down to the Texas coast as often as he can. Red Snapper regulations, big tuna and a whole lot more with our good friend! Then a very special treat when Texas Country music legend Pat Green joins us. We talk about Pat’s days in Nashville and return to Texas music and of course we also will get into his new record Songs We Wish We’d Written II. Oh yeah, we’ll also talk a little hunting and fishing with one of the most influential Texas artists of the past 20 years. Then we round things out by checking in with Col. Pete Flores who retired last week after 27 years as a Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Warden. He was the head of TPWD’s Law Enforcement Division for the past 7 years and over the course of his career has seen and done it all! We will hear some of his stories and enjoy celebrating 27 years of service to the Lone Star State’s outdoorsmen and women.

Podcast: Our longtime buddy and Elite Series Pro Kelly Jordon drops by. We get Kelly’s thoughts on fishing grass lines where bass typically congregate. “Find the grass and you’ll find the bass”. We also discuss the Elite Series and how things are shaking out so far this season. Also, Kelly is a passionate off shore fisherman – heading down to the Texas coast as often as he can. Red Snapper regulations, big tuna and a whole lot more with our good friend! Then a very special treat when Texas Country music legend Pat Green joins us. We talk about Pat’s days in Nashville and return to Texas music and of course we also will get into his new record Songs We Wish We’d Written II. Oh yeah, we’ll also talk a little hunting and fishing with one of the most influential Texas artists of the past 20 years. Then we round things out by checking in with Col. Pete Flores who retired last week after 27 years as a Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Warden. He was the head of TPWD’s Law Enforcement Division for the past 7 years and over the course of his career has seen and done it all! We will hear some of his stories and enjoy celebrating 27 years of service to the Lone Star State’s outdoorsmen and women.

Podcast: Episode 122 We all know how tough public hunting in Texas is. Our state is 95% privately owned so public hunting opportunities can be few and far between. We’ve all driven by a beautiful piece of private property gazed wistfully at a tank full of greenheads or a flock of turkeys in a field…and how we long to hunt that property, knowing it’s unrealistic. Or is it? Our buddy and outdoor blogger Noah Van Hochman (The Outdoors Guy) gives us his tip on how he frequently gains permission to hunt those desirable tracts of private land. Noah’s Website If you haven’t heard, the hunting community was dealt a heavy blow by the California senate and HSUS last week. Backed by the HSUS, the senate approved a bill that would outlaw the use of hounds to hunt bear and bobcat in California. This bill would ultimately put alot of hardworking outfitters out of business. One of those outfitters is Dean Collins of Clavey River Guide Service. He joins us to talk about the dire situation threatening to destroy his livelihood, way of life and heritage. Make no mistake, the Humane Society won’t stop in California and they won’t stop with hounds. Their goal is outlaw all hunting in this country. Here is Dean with a couple of his hunting buddies and a California black bear. We then round out the broadcast when STI Guns President & CEO Tim Dillon stops by. STI is based out of Georgetown, TX. Their guns are Texas made and the company is employee owned. Specializing in all manner of high end pistols, STI is the United State’s 3rd largest exporter of handguns. Tim talks about STI’s history and their dedication to making only the highest quality handguns like the 1911 Lawman Series below. I have an STI pistol and can tell you from experience you won’t find a more well crafted firearm!

Podcast: We all know how tough public hunting in Texas is. Our state is 95% privately owned so public hunting opportunities can be few and far between. We’ve all driven by a beautiful piece of private property gazed wistfully at a tank full of greenheads or a flock of turkeys in a field…and how we long to hunt that property, knowing it’s unrealistic. Or is it? Our buddy and outdoor blogger Noah Van Hochman (The Outdoors Guy) gives us his tip on how he frequently gains permission to hunt those desirable tracts of private land. Noah’s Website If you haven’t heard, the hunting community was dealt a heavy blow by the California senate and HSUS last week. Backed by the HSUS, the senate approved a bill that would outlaw the use of hounds to hunt bear and bobcat in California. This bill would ultimately put alot of hardworking outfitters out of business. One of those outfitters is Dean Collins of Clavey River Guide Service. He joins us to talk about the dire situation threatening to destroy his livelihood, way of life and heritage. Make no mistake, the Humane Society won’t stop in California and they won’t stop with hounds. Their goal is outlaw all hunting in this country. Here is Dean with a couple of his hunting buddies and a California black bear. We then round out the broadcast when STI Guns President & CEO Tim Dillon stops by. STI is based out of Georgetown, TX. Their guns are Texas made and the company is employee owned. Specializing in all manner of high end pistols, STI is the United State’s 3rd largest exporter of handguns. Tim talks about STI’s history and their dedication to making only the highest quality handguns like the 1911 Lawman Series below. I have an STI pistol and can tell you from experience you won’t find a more well crafted firearm!

Podcast: Episode 121 We kick things off with our longtime friend of the show John Devney- Delta Waterfowl’s Senior Director of U.S. Policy. Delta has long been one of our favorite conservation organizations and John breaks down how nesting conditions look in the Prairie Pothole Region and farther north. Also, there is some potential Agricultural Policy Change up for vote in Washington and John will update us on that as well. It’s no secret that private land is essential for nesting success like this canvasback and her brood: Then we have an in studio guest when our buddy Derek Lemaster of Black Ops Tactical Hunts drops in. Black Ops is doing there part to put a dent in our feral hog population one pig at time thru the use of thermal imaging scopes. I was able to hunt with these guys last week and it was an awesome experience! Derek talks about thermal imaging and tells some of his pig killing secrets. By the way- our July Photo of the month grand prize winner will get to do some hog control with Black Ops Tactical Hunts so send in your best outdoor photos! Derek and myself with the results from our hunt. Good piggies!!! We then cap things off by checking in with our longtime friend and Lake Fork Guide Heath Hardwick. The action on Lake Fork is heating up as the bass are moving out of the shallows and into their summer haunts. Heath tells us where to find ‘em and how to catch. Even more exciting- Heath confirmed that hydrilla and dense aquatic vegetation is starting to pop back up after a couple year absence due to drought. Don’t look now but Lake Fork is poised to bust out in a big way! Find the hydrilla and you will find the bass:

Podcast: We kick things off with our longtime friend of the show John Devney- Delta Waterfowl’s Senior Director of U.S. Policy. Delta has long been one of our favorite conservation organizations and John breaks down how nesting conditions look in the Prairie Pothole Region and farther north. Also, there is some potential Agricultural Policy Change up for vote in Washington and John will update us on that as well. It’s no secret that private land is essential for nesting success like this canvasback and her brood: Then we have an in studio guest when our buddy Derek Lemaster of Black Ops Tactical Hunts drops in. Black Ops is doing there part to put a dent in our feral hog population one pig at time thru the use of thermal imaging scopes. I was able to hunt with these guys last week and it was an awesome experience! Derek talks about thermal imaging and tells some of his pig killing secrets. By the way- our July Photo of the month grand prize winner will get to do some hog control with Black Ops Tactical Hunts so send in your best outdoor photos! Derek and myself with the results from our hunt. Good piggies!!! We then cap things off by checking in with our longtime friend and Lake Fork Guide Heath Hardwick. The action on Lake Fork is heating up as the bass are moving out of the shallows and into their summer haunts. Heath tells us where to find ’em and how to catch. Even more exciting- Heath confirmed that hydrilla and dense aquatic vegetation is starting to pop back up after a couple year absence due to drought. Don’t look now but Lake Fork is poised to bust out in a big way! Find the hydrilla and you will find the bass:

Podcast: Episode 120 Got another good one lined up this week. Off the top we get it going with TPWD Fish Hatchery Director Todd Engling. Todd oversees all 5 of Texas’ freshwater hatchery centers and his department recently took 5 monstrous striped bass out of the Guadalupe River and moved them to the Possum Kingdom hatchery. WHAT, 50 lb stripers in the Guadalupe? I never woulda thought so either. But these fish come thru the Canyon Lake dam and seem to thrive in the river. Here is a 48 lb monster that TPWD took out of the river to use as brood stock at the Possum Kingdom hatchery: Then we let TPWD tell their side of the story regarding partnering with the Humane Society (see last week’s interview with Texas Fish & Game Magazine Editor Don Zaidle to find out more). TPWD is set to match up to $10,000 in an attempt to find non-lethal methods to remove these jackasses from Big Bend State Park. The invasive species needs to go and Texas Parks and Wildlife Special Assistant to the State Parks Director -Kevin Good- joins us to explain TPWD’s stance on the issue which has so many of us riled up! I’ll ask him all ya’lls tough questions. Feral burros compete with native animals such as desert big horn sheep and deer.

Podcast: Got another good one lined up this week. Off the top we get it going with TPWD Fish Hatchery Director Todd Engling. Todd oversees all 5 of Texas’ freshwater hatchery centers and his department recently took 5 monstrous striped bass out of the Guadalupe River and moved them to the Possum Kingdom hatchery. WHAT, 50 lb stripers in the Guadalupe? I never woulda thought so either. But these fish come thru the Canyon Lake dam and seem to thrive in the river. Here is a 48 lb monster that TPWD took out of the river to use as brood stock at the Possum Kingdom hatchery: Then we let TPWD tell their side of the story regarding partnering with the Humane Society (see last week’s interview with Texas Fish & Game Magazine Editor Don Zaidle to find out more). TPWD is set to match up to $10,000 in an attempt to find non-lethal methods to remove these jackasses from Big Bend State Park. The invasive species needs to go and Texas Parks and Wildlife Special Assistant to the State Parks Director -Kevin Good– joins us to explain TPWD’s stance on the issue which has so many of us riled up! I’ll ask him all ya’lls tough questions. Feral burros compete with native animals such as desert big horn sheep and deer.