Lone Star Outdoor Show

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

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:

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

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:

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

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:

Synopsis of Episode 67: Jonathon VanDam drops in to talk about fishing fulltime while still enrolled in college and what it’s like trying to break out of his uncle Kevin’s shadow. JVD did finish 5th at an Elite Event in Florida last month. Fishing is in that family’s blood. Not only is his unlce the best bass fisherman of all time, his father even holds the state of Ohio record smallmouth bass! At 22, JVD is in the fast lane to become one of the world’s top bass anglers. Also, How many of ya’ll are familiar with the history behind this beast? It’s the largest free ranging whitetail the Lone Star State has ever produced. Anyway, a recent article got me thinking about the history behind this deer and I will have the writer – Bill Miller, Editor Lone Star Outdoor News- on the show this weekend to discuss the Brady Buck (AKA Benson Buck, McCullock Buck, and 78 Point Buck). This deer ranked #1 all time B&C for over a quarter century and grew up right here in Central Texas (near Brady). Nobody knows who really shot it or who found the carcass. But there are two sets of antlers from this deer that are currently on display, the larger of the two scoring 286 with 78 scorable points. There is a replica on display at the new Cabela’s in Allen for anyone who would like to see one of the most amazing whitetails ever to walk this earth. When did this buck live? How bout 1890…so much history surrounds this deer- it’s a major part of our state’s rich whitetail tradition. We then round out the show by checking in with our very own Elite Series Pro Kelly Jordon. 2011 has been up and down for KJ so far, he has two top ten finishes out of 3 events- but a couple of weeks ago he was diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer. Doctor’s cut on him last week and he is stitched up in a couple places. Things are looking good, but we will see how Kelly is holding up and when we can expect him back on the water. Podcast: Episode 67

Synopsis of Episode 66: This week we start off by visiting with our old buddy- Lake Fork Guide Heath Hardwick. My dad and I had the pleasure of fishing with Heath on Monday. It was a humbling experience for us both! Heath was whackin’ em all day- but the bite was so subtle that dad and I were having a heck of a time knowing when a fish actually picked up the bait. It was still a great day on the water as I did manage to catch my first Lake Fork largemouth. Heath proved to be a great and patient teacher. We get into what worked and what didn’t and a whole lot more. Heath did landthe biggest bass I have ever seen in person- 8 lbs easy! We then check in with Tioga Retrievers’ Angie Becker for Part II of our mini-series “The Progression of a Gun Dog“. My 9 month old female- Belle, has two months of Basic Gun Dog training under her belt and we’ll find out how she is coming along. With force fetch, delivery to hand and steadying already taken care of, what will she be working on during the last month of her training? If you are thinking about adding a retriever to the family then this is something you don’t want to miss. Belle doing work: We round out the show by chatting with Ducks Unlimited’s Director of Governmental Affairs- Scott Sutherland. Scott has his finger squarely on the pulse of what is going in Washington D.C., and he has some great news to share with all waterfowlers as the federal government just announced they will be contributing 37.5 million dollars to NAWCA (North American Wetlands Conservation Act) in 2011. There was a real possibility that NAWCA was going to be completely shut out of federal funding in 2011 and with private donations matching federal dollars to the tune of 4 to 1 – this was set to be a loss of about 120 million dollars towards watefowl conservation in 2011. Since 1995, NAWCA related projects have seen over 110 million dollars go towards projects in Texas alone! Without this program scenes like the one below would become less and less common: Podcast: Episode 66

Synopsis of Episode 66: This week we start off by visiting with our old buddy- Lake Fork Guide Heath Hardwick. My dad and I had the pleasure of fishing with Heath on Monday. It was a humbling experience for us both! Heath was whackin’ em all day- but the bite was so subtle that dad and I were having a heck of a time knowing when a fish actually picked up the bait. It was still a great day on the water as I did manage to catch my first Lake Fork largemouth. Heath proved to be a great and patient teacher. We get into what worked and what didn’t and a whole lot more. Heath did landthe biggest bass I have ever seen in person- 8 lbs easy! We then check in with Tioga Retrievers’ Angie Becker for Part II of our mini-series “The Progression of a Gun Dog“. My 9 month old female- Belle, has two months of Basic Gun Dog training under her belt and we’ll find out how she is coming along. With force fetch, delivery to hand and steadying already taken care of, what will she be working on during the last month of her training? If you are thinking about adding a retriever to the family then this is something you don’t want to miss. Belle doing work: We round out the show by chatting with Ducks Unlimited’s Director of Governmental Affairs- Scott Sutherland. Scott has his finger squarely on the pulse of what is going in Washington D.C., and he has some great news to share with all waterfowlers as the federal government just announced they will be contributing 37.5 million dollars to NAWCA (North American Wetlands Conservation Act) in 2011. There was a real possibility that NAWCA was going to be completely shut out of federal funding in 2011 and with private donations matching federal dollars to the tune of 4 to 1 – this was set to be a loss of about 120 million dollars towards watefowl conservation in 2011. Since 1995, NAWCA related projects have seen over 110 million dollars go towards projects in Texas alone! Without this program scenes like the one below would become less and less common: Podcast:

Synopsis of Episode 65: Most of us don’t have any state record fish to our names, much less three of ’em. But three is how many angler Charles Dewey has after landing a state record Rio Grande Cichlid a couple weeks ago. Charles stops by to talk about his 1.87 lb monster he caught using a pole and line method on Lake Dunlap outside of New Braunfels. Then one of Texas’ great singer/songwriters joins us live in studio. Guthrie Kennard has been everywhere and played with just about everyone. His tune ‘Catfish Fishin’ is one of the greatest fishing songs ever written. Guthrie will play it for us as well as discuss growing up on a river in the 1950’s. It was definitely a different time and way of life. We round out the show by checking in with Texas Ranger first baseman Mitch Moreland. Mitch joined me on a spring turkey hunt with Silver Creek Guide Service. A lifelong waterfowler and deer hunter, Mitch was able to bag his first spring gobbler on this hunt. A trophy tom with a 9 1/2 inch beard! Not a bad way to spend an off day before heading on a 10 day road trip. Podcast:

Synopsis of Episode 64: Texas Fish and Game Magazine Contributing Editor Paul Bradshaw will be on the show this weekend to discuss his recent article “The 5 Bass Baits You Probably Aren’t Using But Should Be”. It will be informative and straight to the point and ya never know- Paul might just have the insight you need to land that double digit toad this spring! Also, Greg Biffle- driver of the #16 Ford will join us. The Samsung Mobile 500 is tonight (April 9th) at Texas Motor Speedway and Greg talks a little Nascar and a whole lot of fishing as he is a lifelong fishing nut! He even has an offshore rig near his North Carolina home. And then Texas Dog Hunters Association Excutive Advisor Douglas Mason drops in to talk about the 2011 Hunt for The Hungry which raised over 34,000 lbs of field dressed pork in less than 48 hours!!! We’ll also discuss some proposed legislation that would affect our rights to hunt with any breed, as well as general stuff that will affect any dog owner who chooses not to get their pet fixed. How does a $300 per year tax sound for choosing not to spay or nueter you hunting buddy? What about it being illegal to leave your dog at home alone unsuprvised? I know it seems absurd, but there are actually people out there who think this way. I can’t imagine waterfowling without my dog. TDHA is on the front lines trying to ensure that we never lose these precious rights. Podcast: Episode 64

Synopsis of Episode 64: Texas Fish and Game Magazine Contributing Editor Paul Bradshaw will be on the show this weekend to discuss his recent article “The 5 Bass Baits You Probably Aren’t Using But Should Be”. It will be informative and straight to the point and ya never know- Paul might just have the insight you need to land that double digit toad this spring! Also, Greg Biffle– driver of the #16 Ford will join us. The Samsung Mobile 500 is tonight (April 9th) at Texas Motor Speedway and Greg talks a little Nascar and a whole lot of fishing as he is a lifelong fishing nut! He even has an offshore rig near his North Carolina home. And then Texas Dog Hunters Association Excutive Advisor Douglas Mason drops in to talk about the 2011 Hunt for The Hungry which raised over 34,000 lbs of field dressed pork in less than 48 hours!!! We’ll also discuss some proposed legislation that would affect our rights to hunt with any breed, as well as general stuff that will affect any dog owner who chooses not to get their pet fixed. How does a $300 per year tax sound for choosing not to spay or nueter you hunting buddy? What about it being illegal to leave your dog at home alone unsuprvised? I know it seems absurd, but there are actually people out there who think this way. I can’t imagine waterfowling without my dog. TDHA is on the front lines trying to ensure that we never lose these precious rights. Podcast:

Synopsis of Episode 63: This week we start things off by talking big bass with our very own Lake Fork Guide Heath Hardwick. Big bass are beginning to spawn all over our state and Heath is a master at getting those huge females to strike while on their nest. From now until the end of May is the best time to catch a monster largemouth and Heath might just have the tip that helps you land that fish of a lifetime! Waterfowl season may have come and gone but ya’ll know I’m always up for talkin’ ducks and our good buddy Charles Smith of Cadence Duck Calls drops in to do just that. Made right here in Texas, Cadence is hands down the best call I have ever blown. How did Charles get started in the industry and what seperates these Texas made calls from the competition? I might even blow my Cadence ‘Closer’ on the air and let Charles critique me. Charles after a morning in the marsh We then round out the broadcast with one of my favorite singer/songwriters - Dustin Perkins. Besides being an up and comer on the Texas music scene, Dustin is also and avid outdoorsman. I knew I had to get him on the show when minutes after meeting he took his phone out and started showing me pictures of dead animals and full stringers of fish! My kinda fella alright. Anyway, we’ll talk a little huntin and fishin’ and of course Dustin will play a few tunes for us as well. Podcast: Episode 63

Synopsis of Episode 63: This week we start things off by talking big bass with our very own Lake Fork Guide Heath Hardwick. Big bass are beginning to spawn all over our state and Heath is a master at getting those huge females to strike while on their nest. From now until the end of May is the best time to catch a monster largemouth and Heath might just have the tip that helps you land that fish of a lifetime! Waterfowl season may have come and gone but ya’ll know I’m always up for talkin’ ducks and our good buddy Charles Smith of Cadence Duck Calls drops in to do just that. Made right here in Texas, Cadence is hands down the best call I have ever blown. How did Charles get started in the industry and what seperates these Texas made calls from the competition? I might even blow my Cadence ‘Closer’ on the air and let Charles critique me. Charles after a morning in the marsh We then round out the broadcast with one of my favorite singer/songwriters – Dustin Perkins. Besides being an up and comer on the Texas music scene, Dustin is also and avid outdoorsman. I knew I had to get him on the show when minutes after meeting he took his phone out and started showing me pictures of dead animals and full stringers of fish! My kinda fella alright. Anyway, we’ll talk a little huntin and fishin’ and of course Dustin will play a few tunes for us as well. Podcast:

Synopsis of Episode 62: Well, Saturday April 2nd is the North Zone turkey opener. I have anxiously been awaiting turkey season like so many of ya’ll have, and our old buddy- TPWD Turkey Program Leader Jason Hardin will drop in tell hunters what to expect this season. We had a great hatch last year so expectations should be high! Then, an authority on crappie joins us to talk about the spring spawn. The slabs are in the shallows and nobody knows how to catch ‘em like ‘Mr. Crappie’ Wally Marshall. Never a dull moment with Wally as he gives us some tips on how to take advantage of the great crappie fishing that comes each spring. It’s no secret that feral hogs are not well liked by farmers and ranchers, they cause over 400 million in damages each year in Texas alone! Poisons have been considered in the past, but a new sodium nitrite based poison could hit the market very soon. Texas Wildlife Service’s Mike Bodenchuk joins us to talk about this poison and a new feeder that is in the works that only allows feral hogs access to the bait. A very familiar sight on Texas’ landscapes- hogs rooting up a pasture. Podcast: Episode 62