Lone Star Outdoor Show

We start things off by talking big bass when 82 year old Missouri farmer and avid bass angler Howard Dickey drops in. As a young man in the early 1960’s Howard was bitten by the bass bug and he studied the habits/behavior of big bass who were already on their beds. His observations led him to come up with this original design that has been catching aggressive lunkers ever since. Howard talks about the bait and what it is supposed to resemble in nature which is the key element in causing a big bass to hit it. (Great article in Field and Stream Magazine as well)

Next, the biggest thing to come out of East Texas in some time stops by the studio- JB & The Moonshine Band will be here! We’ll take a listen to a couple brand new tunes off their upcoming record (June 30th release date). We usually don’t get the entire band on so this is a real treat. All four members: JB, Chris, Gabe and Hayden join us and they are all passionate bass fisherman. We find out who has caught the biggest bass and who the best angler is. Plus, we take a live listen to “Where’s Woody Guthrie” & “Shotgun, Rifle and A .45” – a brand new tune that I know you guys and gals will feel is spot on! Oh, and the fellas also talk about the always fun and necessary cormorant depredation permit that one can acquire from TPWD. Tune in to find out if the guys put a hurtin’ on those nasty fish eating water turkeys…

We round things out by talking spring coyote hunting with one of the very best! Al Morris from the FoxPro team and the hit show “FoxPro Furtakers” on Outdoor Channel knows how to pile up these wily predators. He’s a decorated caller and accomplished hunter and knows the life cycle and what makes a coyote tick better than just about anyone. Lots of guys put their predator call up once spring arrives, but Al will tell us why that is a huge mistake! Spring can make for some great hunting, you just have to change your approach a bit. We find out what vocalizations he uses, how long he runs the call for each stand, plus how often he will call specific property…and a whole lot more!

Why is everyone so quick to judge an angler who decides to keep a few bass, or maybe like in the picture below- a cooler full of bass? Sure, I don’t keep largemouths I catch on public water, but that practice goes out the window if I’m on a smaller, private water body. There is alot of ignorance and misconception about regulations and bag limits concerning private water so TPWD Denton County Game Warden Daron Blackerby joins the show to set the record straight on what you can and can’t do on private vs public water.

Plus, in the same vein as trying to grow and harvest big deer, folks need to understand that culling some of the smaller bass out of a specific pond or small lake is a healthy practice and the remaining fish benefit immensely. So, next time we see someone posing with what looks like 25 largemouths over their limit- lets not be so quick to judge.

Next, one of the mainstays on the Texas music scene drops by the studio. East Texas native Brandon Rhyder has been writing and singing some of the most soulful music Texas has seen over the past dozen or so years. So, we talk some music and take a listen to a few songs while mixing in some hunting and fishing discussion. Brandon is an avid bowhunter and hasn’t even picked up the trusty 30-30 in years. Get ready for a brand spankin’ new tune about hunting and being raised in a family where guns were a part of everyday life. I know it will speak to you just as it does me.

We round out the show when our longtime friend, renown predator hunter, TV show host and outdoor writer Gary Roberson drops in to talk turkeys. His recent article in TTHA Magazine ‘T for Texas, T for Turkeys’ offers some great insight on running and gunning mature Rios. How do you close the camp on that responsive tom? How do fences affect the way you should set up? What about decoys? All that and much more with an outdoorsman who punched his first Texas turkey tag back in the early 1960s.

Spring turkey is finally here and with the South Zone opening up this weekend I figured we better check in with the man who oversees our longbeards. So, our old friend and Texas Parks and Wildlife Turkey Program Leader Jason Hardin drops in to give us his 2015 Spring Turkey Season ‘Fearless Forecast’. What can hunters expect to see in each region, from North & South Zone Rios to the 28 country Eastern Turkey season in the Eastern part of the state? Jason gives us his thoughts based on last spring’s nesting conditions. We also take a regional look at tom to jake ratios and much more!

Then, on the heels of last week’s discussion regarding Texas’ Desert Big Horn Sheep- we are joined by Round Rock, Texas Mayor Alan McGraw. Earlier this month Alan became the first hunter to harvest a Desert Big Horn sheep on Texas public land with a bow. We get the firsthand details of the historic hunt from the polished bow hunter. (Alan has taken 15 of the 28 North American big game species with his bow).

How physically demanding was the hunt? What was it like having Texas Parks and Wildlife officials as guides? How far was the shot and what about the recovery? Alan tells all, plus we look back at some previous hunts from his quest to take all 28 North American big game species with a stick and string. (Alan’s ram- a new state record – 172 7/8 inches)

Next we are joined by our longtime Field and Stream Shotgun Editor Phil Bourjaily. We break down the importance of patterning your turkey gun and knowing how well your chosen shell will perform at different distances. Today’s turkey loads are capable of letting you really reach out there and touch a tom, but at what point does it become an unethical shot? We dissect how to find out what your maximum effective killing range is. Phil also talks about the importance of being able to shoot consistently from different positions. Because nobody knows what might happen in those crazy turkey woods!

We wrap this week’s broadcast up by heading down to the Texas coast with our good friend Captain Len Girard. The redfish, flounder, sheepshead and black drum are feeding voraciously on everything in site, and as long as you can find the fish you should be able to bring home a cooler full of fillets. So, Captain Len takes the hard part out of the equation and tells us where to find them and what to catch ’em on. We Also hit on the under appreciated black drum fishery. A close relative to the redfish, why is this fish seemingly forgotten by so many anglers? It certainly isn’t because of taste- black drum is some of the finest table fare one can find. Captain Len gives us his thoughts. (One of Captain Len’s recent clients with a giant Black Drum caught on light tackle)

We get things going by taking a look inside our Texas Parks & Wildlife Sharelunker Program when Program Leader Juan Martinez drops in. Everybody knows that a 13 lb or heavier largemouth is eligible to be entered into the program if caught during the sharelunker season, but what happens to that fish once Juan comes to pick it up from the angler?

Juan takes us through that process starting with fish care and electronic tagging. What about spawning in captivity? After all, that is main goal of the program. Juan describes the spawning facility and how TPWD encourages the female to lay her eggs. We then discuss how the eggs are cared for and eventually the fry is stocked in ponds before being moved to our Texas lakes and waterways for stocking.

Lastly, we also discuss the historical weekend of March 4th, when 3 different 13 lb bass were entered into the program! A historic day indeed including one 15.18 lb lunker that broke the Lake Ray Roberts Record. Was it the warm up after the cold snap or something else that triggered the big girls to start biting all over the state? Juan gives us his thoughts.

Next up we are joined by Trophy Ridge Associate Product Manager Kevin Wilkerson. Prior the the 2014 hunting season, Trophy Ridge sent me one of their new REACT 5 pin bow sites to use. I admit, when someone told me that you only have to site in TWO of your five pins in order for all of them to be dialed in…well I was a little bit skeptical and was dang sure not going to endorse this product without putting it through the ringer.

But here we are a year later and I am here to tell you that the REACT completely changed bow hunting and shooting for me. I had more time to shoot and practice and didn’t have to tinker with my set up. Being confident that your bow is accurate is paramount, and this site does the heavy lifting for you. I know there are folks out there who love tinkering with and fine tuning every aspect of their bow- I am not one of those people. Time is invaluable and when it’s time to hunt, I want to be ready to go. Needless to say, Kevin joins us to talk about the technology behind the REACT site. Durable. Lightweight. Reliable. Do yourself a favor and go shoot one, you’ll be glad you did.

Our Texas Parks and Wildlife Desert Big Horn Sheep Program Leader – Froylan Hernandez then drops in to give us an update on the status of our Desert Big Horns. How did the drought affect numbers, what about relocation efforts, how many individual animals do we have statewide? Froylan gives us an overview before we dissect the ever controversial issue of our native Desert Big Horns and the competition they face from the introduced and invasive Barbary Sheep (More commonly known as aoudad).

Introduced by American WWII Veterans stationed in North Africa, the Aoudad has proven to be extremely adaptable. It’s numbers range in the tens of thousands in the Texas Hill Country and in the West Texas mountains which it shares with the Desert Big Horn. We ask Froylan all the tough questions regarding the relationship between the two species. What happens when they come into contact with each other? Does one assert dominance over the other? Can Aoudad spread disease to Desert Big Horns? What about TPWD’s aerial gunning program for removing Aoudad from certain areas? We get into all of that PLUS weigh the financial impact each species has on the Texas economy and jobs they create. Fascinating stuff indeed!

We kick things off when 2015 Bassmaster Classic Champion and country recording artist Casey Ashley drops in. Casey breaks down his keys to becoming the first ever angler to win the world’s most prestigious fishing tournament on their home lake. We find out his game plan on Lake Hartwell heading into the coldest Classic in recent memory. What bait was instrumental? What depth did he find his fish?

Casey also talks about the weigh in and the anxiety of not knowing what the anglers atop the leaderboard were bringing in. He confesses he had no idea that Bobby Lane was bringing in potentially game changing 6.6 lb’er! At the end of Day 3 however, Casey’s 20.3 lb five fish limit was good enough to take home the Classic crown and a $300,000 paycheck! Not bad for a small town country boy who dabbles in country music on the side!

Next, we are joined in studio by the “Unofficial Mayor of the Fort Worth Stockyards” and longtime Texas singer/songwriter Brad Hines. If you haven’t heard Brad’s story you are in for a real treat, not to mention some great Texas country music as well! We discuss his latest “Live and Loaded” release and Brad will play a couple tracks of the record. (We’ve also got an extra autographed copy to give away during the show!)

A great story teller, you won’t want to miss Brad reflect on a turkey hunt gone sorts of wrong! He also revisits an off shore trip that ended up with him and a buddy checking a hundred or so pounds of Mahi Mahi in their suitcases. Wrapped in trashbags and topped off with ice, they got the fillets back to DFW…he lets us know if it was worth it!

Our good friend and longtime largemouth guide Charles Whited of Barefoot Fishing Tours joins us next to talk early spring pre spawn patterns. Or…should we say lack thereof so far in 2015 as Artic cold fronts keep hammering the Texas landscape. Regardless of the bass moving in and then having to reset due to these cold fronts, Charles is always dialed and has his clients catching big bass year round.

We get his favorite baits and color schemes for these unstable weather patterns as well as mono vs fluorocarbon line in clear water conditions. How fast is he making his retrieves? Heck, Charles even weighs in on weather or not Sharelunker entries should be allowed to come from private water bodies. Heck, his boat has landed two Sharelunkers in the past two years- not many folks can say that! Charles with a nice limit that earned a paycheck at last week’s Texas Tournament Zone Tournament on Lake LBJ:

Thrilled to have two great guests join us this weekend! We start things off by discussing an interesting phenomenon in outdoor television with our good friend Razor Dobbs of ‘Razor Dobb’s Alive’. So many hunting shows and the networks they air on seem afraid to show the most important aspect of hunting- how we turn it into food. From the kill shot, to blood trails and especially the downed animal…almost without fail the video camera shuts off and a bottle of Windex is pulled out to clean the animal up. No bullet or broadhead hole, no blood. Meanwhile you can flip it on other major networks such as Discovery, Travel Channel etc and they show the entire process with as much blood as they can. Why is it that the hunting community seems to fear showing the way we really live our lives? We break it down with Razor.

Next up we switch gears and talk big game handgun hunting with Razor who has long been a proponent of hunting with an open sites 10mm pistol. From deer, to hogs, African species and even elk, Razor has tumped over some big animals with his 10mm. So what is the key? We talk bullets and ballistics, shot placement and shot distance with one of the sports biggest advocates. Be sure to check out Razor Dobbs Alive airing on Sportsman’s Channel coming up in July 2015! Sunday nights 9:30 PM Central.

Then we are joined by Captain Dave Carraro of the FV-Tuna.com of the hit show ‘Wicked Tuna’ on Nat Geo Channel. Now in it’s 4th season, Wicked Tuna has become Nat Geo’s highest rated show ever. Not bad for a bunch of bluefin tuna boat captains! Anyway, Dave talks about the bluefin tuna fishery in New England and what it takes to be the best of the best. His boat has had the highest earnings in two of the first three seasons and with one single fish bringing in as much as $8,000 it’s clear why the competition is fierce.

Dave then breaks down the gear required to take on a 500-1000 lb bluefin. What is the longest he’s ever fought a tuna? What about the longest the FV-Tuna.com has taken on a fish only to have it break the line or throw the hook? Lastly, you might be surprised to find out about Dave’s other full time gig…I promise it garners a bunch of funny looks at the airport.

We get things rolling by talking trophy trout with our good friend Billy Gerke of Foreverlast Hunting And Fishing. February through March is the best time to land that trout of a lifetime as the sows are fattening up as they prepare to spawn. Billy talks about where he is finding big fish along the coast and what presentations they are hitting. We also discuss some exciting new fishing products from Foreverlast that will be coming out this spring! Billy with a 28 inch spec caught in Baffin Bay this week:

Roy Head might be a musical icon with a career spanning over 4 decades, but at heart the South Texas good ‘ole boy is as big an outdoorsman as you’ll find. Roy joins as from his ‘Horny Porch’ (his front porch that is adorned with the racks of 20 plus bucks he’s killed over the years) to talk big deer and revisit what it was like to pioneer the moon walk long before Michael Jackson made it part of modern pop culture. Often compared to Elvis for his dancing and stage presence this Rockabilly and Country Music Hall of Famer hasn’t lost his ability to entertain. I guarantee you won’t want to miss the stories Roy shares on our airwaves! What a riot. (Roy playing ‘Treat Her Right’ to a full house circa 1965)

We then talk axis deer with South Texas hunter Andrew Hunt who in April of 2014 shot the new SCI World Record #1 free ranging axis buck. After the buck was stripped of it’s velvet and the horns dried, the official score of 172 makes this Boerne, Texas bruiser the largest axis ever killed. 37 inch beams on each side…unreal! This is also the first buck (of any kind) that Andrew has harvested. Anyway, we relive that experience and what it was like for Andrew. He had no idea what he’d done until his guide got the tape measurer out and began to get extremely excited. It’s a real treat to hear Andrew share this surreal string of events that led to his harvest of the new world record axis taken at Joshua Creek Ranch.

We wrap things up by talking whitetail management with our longtime friend Dr. James Kroll – AKA ‘Dr. Deer’. The season has come and gone and now the real work begins as far as habitat management, food plots, and predator control. Dr. Deer also discusses the role one specific predator could be having on the mortality rate of mature whitetails – and it’s not a coyote! We also dive into the upcoming 10th Annual Dr. Deer Field Day which takes place in Nacogdoches on Saturday, March 14th. Always a pleasure to talk big bucks with one of the industries most respected voices.

This week we are joined in studio by falconer Jay Lehmer of the Texas Hawking Association. I had the pleasure of accompanying Jay and a couple other falconers on a recent duck hunt in North Texas. His Peregrine Falcon ‘Cheyenne’ was the star of the hunt! It was incredible to witness these birds of prey on the hunt. Cheyenne caught this drake wigeon on the first flight of the morning. Jay talks about the different levels of falconry, how to get involved in the sport, and some of the more common species of falcons and hawks that falconers fly today.

Next up, a special treat when of our Texas’ truly great singer/songwriters drops by the Lone Star Outdoors Show studio. A lifelong Texas outdoorsman, Max talks about growing up in South Texas. Grabbing a 20 gauge and hopping over the back fence in search of quail, dove or rabbits was a way of life for the family of 8. My how times have changed! But we reminisce on the good old days before taking a listen to a couple brand new tunes off Max’s upcoming record. So get ready to be blown away by one of the best story tellers to pick a guitar!

We also had the pleasure of taking Max striper fishing on Lake Texoma last week. Our good friend Jacob Orr of Limitless Outdoor Adventures put us on the big girls. Of course, Max had beginner’s luck on his side and caught not only the most fish, but the biggest striper as well. 14 pounder…not bad for his first ever cast on Lake Texoma!

We round out the broadcast by hearing a whitetail tale for the ages when West Texas deer hunter Wes Wyrick stops by to talk about his 24 inch symmetrical spike! Wes talks about his history with this buck and how hunting this specific deer consumed his entire season. You’ll be amazed to hear how old this buck was when Wes finally was sealed the deal. Wes is winning 3 deer contests with this buck and it’s a likely state record- What a freak!

Mark Vallaro, a PH for Chifuti Safaris joins us to talk about his surreal experience hunting The Maneating Lions of Kanyemba, Zimbabwe. A rogue pride of lionesses had turned to the local villagers as a food source and after killing 4 people in less than a week, Mark ( a well known big cat specialist) was called in to track and kill the problem pride. Mark talks about that week in 2010 and what it was like arriving in a region where the inhabitants were too afraid to venture out even in daylight hours. Mark didn’t leave the region until the lions were dead and gone and the village’s peace of mind restored.

Next we talk big bass with longtime FLW Pro and our friend Wesley Strader. Totally random, but we actually met Wesley at an East Texas duck lodge a couple seasons ago and he truly is one of the nicest guys on tour. Today, we break down fishing a plastic grub during the winter months. Wesley looks for a certain water temperature as a gauge to know when the grub bite will be on. He breaks down his preferred colors, technique and how to fish a grub in both clear and stained water.

We then take a look back in history when STI International Product Manager David Cupp drops in to discuss John Browning’s legendary 1911 pistol design. The same design that helped U.S. servicemen turn the tide in close quarter trench warfare along the Western Front in WWI.

Over 100 years later, the 1911 is still the gold standard when it comes to pistol design and STI has been manufacturing some of the world’s finest 1911 and double stacked 2011 pistols on the market for over 2 decades. David explains why the 1911 is still so popular and how this Texas based pistol manufacturer continues the evolution of the 1911 handgun with every model they release. We are also thrilled to announce we’ll be giving away one STI Trojan .45 ACP (pictured below) to a lucky listener this April- stay tuned for details on how to win!

Major League Fishing Pro Brent Ehrler makes his return to the show this weekend. One of the most consistent anglers out there, Brent talks about his recent record setting performance at the Major League Fishing Summit Cup semi final elimination round. He lapped the rest of the field en route to the best single 3 hour period of fishing we’ve seen on MLF. Brent talks about the pattern he was on and the drop shot technique and set up he used to embarrass his peers. We also talk about his move to the Elite Series in 2015 after 9 years on the FLW Tour.

Next up, it’s competitive shooting legend Jerry Miculek. His list of accolades, championships and world records are too many to list, but Jerry tells us which one he is most proud of. We also discuss the 1,000 yard shot he recently made with a revolver and the strict practice regimen he keeps up as he still is competing at a high level against shooters a third of his age. Of course, we wouldn’t have the best competitive shooter of all time on and not ask for some tips on how to become a better handgunner, so get ready for some solid insight from the best of the best.

Then, Texas Deer Association President Chase Clark joins us to talk about the growing division among the hunting community. Groups such as the Boone & Crockett Club and the QDMA seem dead set on furthering the division among hunters as evidenced by the Boone & Crockett Club’s recent press release regarding any deer taken off a high fence property.

Make no mistake about it, the anti hunting faction is united so it’s disturbing to see us hunters driving a wedge between us at a time when we need to be united more than ever. Chase also talks about the TDA and it’s important role for not only our whitetail hunting heritage in Texas, but also landowner rights across the board.

We wrap things up with our monthly visit with our good friend Captain Len Girard who checks in live from the Texas coast. Captain Len breaks down the redfish, trout and flounder bite. From water depth, to baits (both live and artificial) and the kind of water to look for- Captain Len gives us the goods on the 3 most popular sport fish anglers pursue in our Texas bays.