Lone Star Outdoor Show

Podcast: This week was a good one ya’ll! Casey Donahew from the Casey Donahew band talks about the new record- Double Wide Dream… and of course that good ‘ol boy is as passionate about deer hunting as he is about music. Casey talks about his place in West Texas and the two management bucks he harvested this season. Casey doing his thing on stage: Then Clint Montgomery of the Texas Archery Academy drops in. The Texas Archery Academy is a relatively new organization that promotes all aspects of archery in Texas. They have a massive shooting facility in Plano, Texas and are working towards building a strong statewide presence. Clint talks about their goals and events they put on to try and get new folks interested in archery- especially our youth. Here is a snapshot of a recent event aimed at introducing archery to some young Texans: We then round out the show when TPWD Inland Fisheries Program Manager Carl Kittel stops by. Carl oversees the massive Winter Trout Stocking program each winter. This is a great opportunity for anglers of all ages to get out and catch some rainbow trout. TPWD stocks over 250,000 fish in over 100 locations statewide. Visit the TPWD website to find out when they’ll be stocking in your area.

Podcast: Episode 103 Wow what a week! Hunted the South Texas Brush Country for the first time. Saw more deer than I have ever seen. Harvested two nice bucks, including my first bow kill. Most importantly though I learned a vaulable lesson that I’ll share with yall on this weeks show. We also had Captain Len Girard join us this week for our Coastal fishing report. Captain Len fishes from Corpus Christi past Baffin Bay all the way to the Land Cut. The black drum, redfish and flounder are on fire! Captain Len tells us where to catch them and what to use. Winter is a great time to catch big bull reds like this one. Also, a special treat for all you big game hunters out there, when Randy Newberg of the Sportsman Channel’s hit show On Your Own Adventures drops in. We discuss the do it yourself public hunting style that Randy lives and breathes. He gives us tips on scouting public hunting lands and insight into how he chooses the draws he applies for each season. Randy with an amazing New Mexico bull elk.

Podcast: Wow what a week! Hunted the South Texas Brush Country for the first time. Saw more deer than I have ever seen. Harvested two nice bucks, including my first bow kill. Most importantly though I learned a vaulable lesson that I’ll share with yall on this weeks show. We also had Captain Len Girard join us this week for our Coastal fishing report. Captain Len fishes from Corpus Christi past Baffin Bay all the way to the Land Cut. The black drum, redfish and flounder are on fire! Captain Len tells us where to catch them and what to use. Winter is a great time to catch big bull reds like this one. Also, a special treat for all you big game hunters out there, when Randy Newberg of the Sportsman Channel’s hit show On Your Own Adventures drops in. We discuss the do it yourself public hunting style that Randy lives and breathes. He gives us tips on scouting public hunting lands and insight into how he chooses the draws he applies for each season. Randy with an amazing New Mexico bull elk.

Podcast: This show won’t be short on entertainment that’s for sure! We kick things off by checking in with our old buddy- Lake Fork Guide Heath Hardwick. The first Toyota Sharelunker of the season was caught on Lake Fork over the Christmas Holidays so it’s no secret the big girls are moving up all over the state. Heath breaks down where to find ’em and how to catch ’em as we inch closer to the largemouth’s pre-spawn pattern. Next we check in with Jackie Bibby- AKA ‘The Texas Snakeman’. Jackie has been hunting rattlebugs all over Texas for over 40 years! And on top of that, he holds numerous Guiness World Records for snake handling. Does climbing into a bathtub with over 200 rattlesnakes sound fun to you? Me neither, but you have to be some kind of adrenaline junkie to attempt it. Jackie tells us all about that stunt as well as some of his other incredible feats. Although he’s reached his early 60s, Jackie is showing no signs of slowing down as evidenced by him starring in the Animal Planet’s hit show Rattlesnake Republic. I guarantee you don’t want to miss this one! We then round out the broadcast when David Sams of Lone Star Outdoor News joins us to talk whitetails- specifically how to age a buck in the field. David has amassed a lifetime of deer hunting knowledge and I was thrilled to pick his brain prior to my South Texas management hunt. What indicators does he look for when trying to gauge whether a buck is in his prime or on the downslope of his life and therefore a solid management buck? David with a great management buck of his own from last season:

Podcast: Episode 101 We kick off the New Years Day edition by checking in with Texas Parks and Wildlife Executive Director Carter Smith. Our state park system needs our help and has issued a 4.9 million dollar plea for help. With budget cuts and the extreme drought of 2011, the state park system simply didn’t generate enough revenue. TPWD has come up with a 3 fold plan of action and Carter jumps on to talk about how we can help get this thing back on track. Then we check in with Andrew Watson of Highland Village. Last week, Andrew landed the first Toyota Sharelunker of the 2011-2012 season while crappie fishing with his dad. The 13.51 lb Lake Fork monster was picked up by Dave Campbell and taken back to the Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens. Andrew actually hooked this largemouth 3 times before getting her in the boat. He tells us all about her breaking him off multiple times before he landed the fish of a lifetime! Then we are joined by Dallas Safari Club President Ben Carter. Out of the Wild is the weekend at the Dallas Convention Center. DSC convention week is always one of my favorite weeks of the year! Over 800 outfitters, guides, guns and optics makers from all over the globe will converge in Texas this Thursday-Sunday for the world’s premiere outdoor convention. Ben talks about the week’s festivities including some new things for this year’s convention. Then, with my South Texas deer hunt only one week away- I figured we should talk to someone who hunts the Brush Country on a regular basis. And our old buddy and Elite Series Pro Kelly Jordon fits the bill perfectly! Kelly has been hunting Webb Country for over a decade and that happens to be the same county I will be hunting in. Kelly sheds some light on how hunting the Brush Country is different from hunting other regions of our state. I hope I am fortunate to take a nice management buck- which in South Texas could be something similiar to this 7 1/2 year 137 inch 8 pt KJ harvested last season! LOL. Only in South Texas can this be considered a cull buck- what a monster!

Podcast: We kick off the New Years Day edition by checking in with Texas Parks and Wildlife Executive Director Carter Smith. Our state park system needs our help and has issued a 4.9 million dollar plea for help. With budget cuts and the extreme drought of 2011, the state park system simply didn’t generate enough revenue. TPWD has come up with a 3 fold plan of action and Carter jumps on to talk about how we can help get this thing back on track. Then we check in with Andrew Watson of Highland Village. Last week, Andrew landed the first Toyota Sharelunker of the 2011-2012 season while crappie fishing with his dad. The 13.51 lb Lake Fork monster was picked up by Dave Campbell and taken back to the Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens. Andrew actually hooked this largemouth 3 times before getting her in the boat. He tells us all about her breaking him off multiple times before he landed the fish of a lifetime! Then we are joined by Dallas Safari Club President Ben Carter. Out of the Wild is the weekend at the Dallas Convention Center. DSC convention week is always one of my favorite weeks of the year! Over 800 outfitters, guides, guns and optics makers from all over the globe will converge in Texas this Thursday-Sunday for the world’s premiere outdoor convention. Ben talks about the week’s festivities including some new things for this year’s convention. Then, with my South Texas deer hunt only one week away- I figured we should talk to someone who hunts the Brush Country on a regular basis. And our old buddy and Elite Series Pro Kelly Jordon fits the bill perfectly! Kelly has been hunting Webb Country for over a decade and that happens to be the same county I will be hunting in. Kelly sheds some light on how hunting the Brush Country is different from hunting other regions of our state. I hope I am fortunate to take a nice management buck- which in South Texas could be something similiar to this 7 1/2 year 137 inch 8 pt KJ harvested last season! LOL. Only in South Texas can this be considered a cull buck- what a monster!

Podcast: Episode 100 Merry Christmas everybody! I can’t believe that this is our 100th episode! Thanks for all the support over the past two years. Ya’ll are what keeps this show on the air. Anyway, this should be another great broadcast as we have Stephen F. Austin’s Andrew Upshaw with us. Andrew won the inagural Mercury College Bass National Championship and was therefore awarded a spot in the 2012 BassMaster Classic Field. Andrew talks about a dream come true and what he had to do to get to this point. Also, what does he expect on the Red River in Shreveport/Bossier City this February and does this Classic cater to his strenghts? Then an awesome holiday treat when our old buddy Chance Cody of Spur 503 drops in! Chance and the band have a new record out and The Legend Grows is their best yet. We get chance to play a couple tunes and of course talk some bow huntin’. He is the fist in studio guest we’ve had bring in a euro mount. Nice Grayson County brute for sure! We then round things out when longtime regular Major Cody Roberson of Army Bass Anglers stops by. ABA will once again have the honor of being the lead boat at this 2012 Bassmaster Classic. In edition to that, they’ve got a ton of other stuff going on as well- including a new show set to premiere on the Sportsman’s Channel this spring. Of course we get Major Roberson to share the details regarding Force vs Force. Should be a good one!

Podcast: Merry Christmas everybody! I can’t believe that this is our 100th episode! Thanks for all the support over the past two years. Ya’ll are what keeps this show on the air. Anyway, this should be another great broadcast as we have Stephen F. Austin’s Andrew Upshaw with us. Andrew won the inagural Mercury College Bass National Championship and was therefore awarded a spot in the 2012 BassMaster Classic Field. Andrew talks about a dream come true and what he had to do to get to this point. Also, what does he expect on the Red River in Shreveport/Bossier City this February and does this Classic cater to his strenghts? Then an awesome holiday treat when our old buddy Chance Cody of Spur 503 drops in! Chance and the band have a new record out and The Legend Grows is their best yet. We get chance to play a couple tunes and of course talk some bow huntin’. He is the fist in studio guest we’ve had bring in a euro mount. Nice Grayson County brute for sure! We then round things out when longtime regular Major Cody Roberson of Army Bass Anglers stops by. ABA will once again have the honor of being the lead boat at this 2012 Bassmaster Classic. In edition to that, they’ve got a ton of other stuff going on as well- including a new show set to premiere on the Sportsman’s Channel this spring. Of course we get Major Roberson to share the details regarding Force vs Force. Should be a good one!

Podcast: Episode 99 This week we have some great new stuff and also a few classics as we reflect on some of the shows best moments of 2011. Off the top though we were joined by deer hunter Richard Lomas of West Salem, Illinois. Two weeks ago, Richard was on the way to his blind for the 2nd part of the Illinois shotgun season when he stumbled across the deer of a lifetime. His 30 pt no fence buck was actually an antlered doe! He gives us all the details about that day and a hunt he will never forget. Then a real treat when we replay the finest moments from our latest interview with Phil ‘The Duck Commander’ Roberson. We get this old timer’s thoughts on everything from lead vs steel shot to the birth of his children. Good stuff as always with the Duck Commander. Next we rediscover some of the magic that Uncle Ted Nugent brings everytime he joins the show. You never know what he is going to say- but I guarantee you it will be opinionated and from the heart! Never short on words- Uncle Ted always provides solid radio gold! Ted will hunt anything with an open season- Hope ya enjoy one of my favorite chats from 2011! We then round things out when our good bud Rob Griffin of Southern Deer Stands stops by. We had such a great time last year and so many of ya’ll particpated that we decided to run it back and for our 2nd Annual Southern Deer Stands Deer Blind Contest! In Texas, we are all passionate about whitetails and our deer blinds are a major part of that. We want you to send in a photo and paragraph write up about why your deer blind is special. Maybe you built it with your son or grandson, maybe your wife shot her first deer out of it this fall…whatever the case we want you to have a chance to win one of our 4 great categories/prize packages.

Podcast: This week we have some great new stuff and also a few classics as we reflect on some of the shows best moments of 2011. Off the top though we were joined by deer hunter Richard Lomas of West Salem, Illinois. Two weeks ago, Richard was on the way to his blind for the 2nd part of the Illinois shotgun season when he stumbled across the deer of a lifetime. His 30 pt no fence buck was actually an antlered doe! He gives us all the details about that day and a hunt he will never forget. Then a real treat when we replay the finest moments from our latest interview with Phil ‘The Duck Commander’ Roberson. We get this old timer’s thoughts on everything from lead vs steel shot to the birth of his children. Good stuff as always with the Duck Commander. Next we rediscover some of the magic that Uncle Ted Nugent brings everytime he joins the show. You never know what he is going to say- but I guarantee you it will be opinionated and from the heart! Never short on words- Uncle Ted always provides solid radio gold! Ted will hunt anything with an open season- Hope ya enjoy one of my favorite chats from 2011! We then round things out when our good bud Rob Griffin of Southern Deer Stands stops by. We had such a great time last year and so many of ya’ll particpated that we decided to run it back and for our 2nd Annual Southern Deer Stands Deer Blind Contest! In Texas, we are all passionate about whitetails and our deer blinds are a major part of that. We want you to send in a photo and paragraph write up about why your deer blind is special. Maybe you built it with your son or grandson, maybe your wife shot her first deer out of it this fall…whatever the case we want you to have a chance to win one of our 4 great categories/prize packages.

Podcast: So next week I am going on a public draw hunt in the Hill Country State Natural Area- this got me thinking, what if I shoot a wall hanger on day one of our 4 day hunt? What am I going to do with that animal if I want a full shoulder mount? After field dressing, I have always gone straight to the taxidermist. So I called my budy Cory Larson of DRT Wild Life Studios to find out what he would do in that situation. Cory gives us some tips and with mounts like this one- I would say he knows his stuff: Then a special treat when a couple of good ‘ol Texas gals drop in- Julie and Christie of A&E’s hit show Lady Hoggers! As professional hog hunters, this pair isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty. Julie and Christie are passionate about hog hunting and they train their own dogs. Too bad all hog doggers don’t look this good doing it! Set those DVR’s for 9pm Central! We then round out the show by talking some quail and ducks with Ed Micaletti and Mike Gee of the Wingsport Depot. Based in Bowie, Texas The Wingsport Depot has come on board the show as our December Photo of the Month sponsor and the guys have donated a hunt for this month’s prize and our December winner will have the option to choose between a guided quail or duck hunt for two hunters! Should be a lot of fun and I am looking foward to talking some wingshooting with Mike and Ed. Recent photo from their quail ranch:

Podcast: Episode 97 What a show this one was! We got the ball rolling when Dr. James Kroll dropped in for Part II of our miniseries on Whitetail Management During Drought. What should you shoot? When should you shoot them? What about deer and humans increasing contact…will they be viewed as a nuisance in the same way racoons and coyotes are? Great stuff as always with Dr. Deer himself! Then with Pheasant season upon us I was thrilled to have TPWD Biolgist Todd Montandon join us. Todd handles all the pheasant data for Texas. Todd tells us what to expect this season and mentions a couple counties that are holding the most birds. While the of the drought of 2011 will cause it to be a poor year across the board- there are still some mature birds out there as Maverick found out on our trip last weekend! If ya like Texas country- then you probably have at least one Kevin Fowler record. As one would expect Kevin’s latest record Chippin’ Away is full of good timin’, honky tonkin’ Texas tunes. But even with a full tour schedule promoting the new album- Kevin found some time to sneak away and drop this 180″ monster! We talk some music and a lotta hunting with one of the greats. We then round out the show with a very special guest when Duck G of G&H Decoys stops by. Duck G is a 3rd generation owner of G&H, which was started by his grandfather in 1934. Times have changed, decoys have changed. But the folks at G & H haven’t. They’re still American made and family owned and operated. Duck G talks about the evolution of the sport and how G&H has been able to stand the test of time. G&H has proven to be the must reliable and realistic decoys I have found as a dedicated waterfowler. Three generations in the family business (below):

Podcast: What a show this one was! We got the ball rolling when Dr. James Kroll dropped in for Part II of our miniseries on Whitetail Management During Drought. What should you shoot? When should you shoot them? What about deer and humans increasing contact…will they be viewed as a nuisance in the same way racoons and coyotes are? Great stuff as always with Dr. Deer himself! Then with Pheasant season upon us I was thrilled to have TPWD Biolgist Todd Montandon join us. Todd handles all the pheasant data for Texas. Todd tells us what to expect this season and mentions a couple counties that are holding the most birds. While the of the drought of 2011 will cause it to be a poor year across the board- there are still some mature birds out there as Maverick found out on our trip last weekend! If ya like Texas country- then you probably have at least one Kevin Fowler record. As one would expect Kevin’s latest record Chippin’ Away is full of good timin’, honky tonkin’ Texas tunes. But even with a full tour schedule promoting the new album- Kevin found some time to sneak away and drop this 180″ monster! We talk some music and a lotta hunting with one of the greats. We then round out the show with a very special guest when Duck G of G&H Decoys stops by. Duck G is a 3rd generation owner of G&H, which was started by his grandfather in 1934. Times have changed, decoys have changed. But the folks at G & H haven’t. They’re still American made and family owned and operated. Duck G talks about the evolution of the sport and how G&H has been able to stand the test of time. G&H has proven to be the must reliable and realistic decoys I have found as a dedicated waterfowler. Three generations in the family business (below):

Podcast: Most deer hunters enjoy taking care of their deer herd. Providing food/nutrition is a major part of that. Especially after the rut when bucks have lost an incredible percentage of body weight and are at their most vulnerable. Planting those winter food plots is an essential way to make sure that your bucks have what they need in order to recover. In part 1 of our miniseries on whitetail management- Dr. James Kroll, (aka Dr. Deer) breaks down when we should plant those winter food plots and what kinds of nutrients we should look for in a seed. We also get into protein feeds and when those should be offered as well. Then a real treat when longtime Dallas radio personality George Dunham of the Bird Dogs joins us in studio. George and some buddies formed this great Texas Country band two years ago and just released their 2nd studio album Fool Hearted Dreams. We will hear a couple of tunes and talk some fishing as the Dunhams love to get down to their Possum Kingdom Lake getaway and wet a line. George and Steve Porcarry jamming out. We round things out when Justin Beckendorf of Double JJ Outfitters drops in. Justin and his partner Joe having been hunting the Katy Prairie their entire lives. With over 1.5 million ducks and 1 million geese wintering along the Upper Texas Coast it’s no secret that it’s one of the nations premiere waterfowl destinations and we talk about the beauties of hunting such a place. Waterfowl nest success was up 20% across the board this year so now is the time to head to the prairie and take advantage of those full skies!

Podcast: Episode 96 Most deer hunters enjoy taking care of their deer herd. Providing food/nutrition is a major part of that. Especially after the rut when bucks have lost an incredible percentage of body weight and are at their most vulnerable. Planting those winter food plots is an essential way to make sure that your bucks have what they need in order to recover. In part 1 of our miniseries on whitetail management- Dr. James Kroll, (aka Dr. Deer) breaks down when we should plant those winter food plots and what kinds of nutrients we should look for in a seed. We also get into protein feeds and when those should be offered as well. Then a real treat when longtime Dallas radio personality George Dunham of the Bird Dogs joins us in studio. George and some buddies formed this great Texas Country band two years ago and just released their 2nd studio album Fool Hearted Dreams. We will hear a couple of tunes and talk some fishing as the Dunhams love to get down to their Possum Kingdom Lake getaway and wet a line. George and Steve Porcarry jamming out. We round things out when Justin Beckendorf of Double JJ Outfitters drops in. Justin and his partner Joe having been hunting the Katy Prairie their entire lives. With over 1.5 million ducks and 1 million geese wintering along the Upper Texas Coast it’s no secret that it’s one of the nations premiere waterfowl destinations and we talk about the beauties of hunting such a place. Waterfowl nest success was up 20% across the board this year so now is the time to head to the prairie and take advantage of those full skies!